《The Will-Breaker》


 Chapter 1: Felit?a (Part 1)

    The first time Elderaan saw her, he thought little of the encounter.


    ¡°You dropped this, sir.¡±


    She was a young girl, ten or eleven years old. Her skin was dirty, but with signs of attempts to wash away the dirt, leaving it smudged across her face. Her hair was tangled and greasy, her clothes soiled and torn in several places. They wouldn¡¯t be the warmest clothes to spend the coming winter in, either. Her pale skin marked her as a Folith, which was somewhat unusual, but not enough to pay it much mind. There were many children living on the streets¡ªrunaways or orphans¡ªso it stood to reason there was a Folith child or two as well.


    He was in the market, acquiring provisions before fresh food became scarce in winter. He had finished his purchases and hauled up the two heavy baskets, one in each hand, to begin the tiring walk back to the shop when she spoke. She was holding a sack of rice he had bought. A quick glance at the basket to his right confirmed it was no longer there. It had been on the top, so could have fallen.


    ¡°Oh, err, yes.¡± He lowered the baskets to the ground so he could let go and take the sack from her, but she darted forward and dropped it into the basket it had come from. ¡°Ah, thank you,¡± he said.


    She smiled at him. Her teeth were surprisingly white.


    ¡°Well then,¡± Elderaan said. ¡°Best be on my way. You make sure you have somewhere warm to stay, hmm?¡±


    She nodded and her smiled drooped. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    She continued to stare at him as he turned away. He paused and a few seconds of awkwardness went by. It was obvious what she was hoping for. She should have just let him put the blasted baskets down in that case.


    With a sigh, he lowered the baskets and reached for his purse. He took out two pennies and held them out to her.


    Her smile turned into a frown as she held out her hand and allowed him to drop the coins into it. Good gods, how much did she expect?


    ¡°That¡¯s all I have, and you should be grateful for it,¡± he snapped. ¡°I¡¯m not made of money, you know. Now run along.¡±


    He didn¡¯t wait for a response, but just grabbed the baskets¡¯ handles, heaved, and turned away.


    He wouldn¡¯t have thought any more of that encounter. Although it wasn¡¯t an everyday occurrence, it wasn¡¯t unusual to encounter street urchins looking for handouts. For all he knew, she had snatched the rice specifically to manufacture the opportunity to return it to him and make a few coins. The cheek of expecting more than he¡¯d given her!


    But he would have forgotten it completely¡ªand did for a while¡ªif he hadn¡¯t seen her again a couple weeks later in more unusual circumstances.


    There had been two days of constant snowfall, followed by a brief thaw and then a refreezing. The steps to the Hall of Knowledge were treacherous with ice. Not for the first time, Elderaan wished he could give the idiots who built the place a stern talking to. Who in their right mind¡ªgiven the types of winters in these parts¡ªwould make the only entrance at the top of a tall, steep flight of stairs with no railing to hold onto? Even in good weather, it was exhausting. Covered in ice, it was a potential death trap. The crumbling dragon gargoyles over the doors at the top seemed to concur. Their gaze swept down over the stairs, a sort of malevolence carved into them that made them seem as though they were waiting for someone to fall, so they could snatch an easy meal.


    He could just turn around and go back to the shop. After all, why should he answer a summons from the Council anyway? They were probably just going to give him some new title. Ever since that young upstart Ezmelda had taken over, all they ever did was hand out meaningless titles. The Council was little more than a joke these days. Still, it wouldn¡¯t do to annoy them. The Hall of Knowledge¡¯s resources were valuable, and control over those resources was about the only real power the Council had. So he braced himself for the treacherous climb.


    ¡°Would you like some help, sir?¡±


    He turned at the voice to find the same girl from the market standing a short distance away.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Would you like some help climbing the stairs?¡±


    He wanted to snap at her that, no, he did not need any help. He could manage quite well on his own, thank you very much. But truth be told, he could use the help. A brief glance back at the ice-coated stairs confirmed that. As much as he hated to admit it, he was getting old, and his legs were not as strong as they once were. Someone to help him balance on the ice would be a great help.


    With a sigh, he nodded. ¡°Oh, very well.¡±


    She held out a frost-bitten hand, and after a brief hesitation, he took hold of it. It was cold to the touch. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder how much feeling she had in it. ¡°A young girl like you shouldn¡¯t be out in the cold like this,¡± he lectured as they began to ascend the steps. She shook her head in agreement. ¡°Do you have nowhere to go?¡±


    ¡°No, sir,¡± she replied.


    Elderaan groaned. He hated being confronted with these kinds of situations. If he could help, he would, but he couldn¡¯t, so he just preferred to ignore them¡ªtried to pretend they didn¡¯t exist. He didn¡¯t appreciate the reminder.


    ¡°You know, while it¡¯s a clever idea to help people up these stairs, you won¡¯t get much from it,¡± he told her. ¡°There¡¯s few of us that go up and down them. Hardly anyone uses the Hall of Knowledge these days. Half the city thinks it¡¯s cursed or haunted. They probably expect the ghost of the Dragon himself to accost them should they enter. The other half think it¡¯s a useless reminder of a past they¡¯d rather forget. Lord Belone would like nothing more than to tear it down. You¡¯ll make more money if you concentrate on the market area.¡±


    She nodded, but said nothing.


    ¡°Or perhaps a rich aristocrat travelling into or out of Lord Belone''s palace. With luck, you might get enough money from just one such person to pay for a place to stay for a few nights, maybe a week.¡±


    Again, she said nothing.


    ¡°Well?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it, sir,¡± she said, disappointment in her voice.


    Elderaan didn¡¯t understand. Just what was this girl after?


    Even with her help, it was not an easy climb up the three-storey height, and took a good quarter hour or more. They climbed the rest of the way mostly in silence apart from occasional grunts from the strain. Elderaan just wasn¡¯t sure what else to say to this girl. The whole way, she looked as though she wanted to say something, and on a couple occasions, she seemed about to do so, but she always stopped before she started.


    When they reached the top, Elderaan let go of her hand and leaned against one of the pillars to catch his breath. ¡°Thank you, my dear. I confess it would not have been easy without you.¡±


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    Once he¡¯d had a chance to recover his breath, he stood up straight and reached into his purse to retrieve some coins. He didn¡¯t have much, but he knew he¡¯d feel endlessly guilty if he didn¡¯t give her at least enough to get a room for the night. He counted out six pennies this time and held them out to her. Like before, she only reluctantly accepted them.


    ¡°Here,¡± he said. ¡°This should be enough to get you a warm room for the night and some food. If you¡¯re lucky, you might find a place cheap enough to make the money last for a second night.¡±


    The girl nodded sullenly. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Well, off with you, then. I have business to attend to.¡±


    She turned away from him slowly, her head lowered. The ungrateful child! Typical Folith, always expecting more. Yes, pure ungratefulness and greed. If he could convince himself of that, he might stop feeling bad for her, stop worrying that she was going to freeze to death.


    Best to get in out of the cold before he froze, himself, he decided. Whatever blasted business the Council wanted with him, at least it might distract him from thoughts of the girl. He moved forward, opened the heavy doors, and entered.


    Inside, Agernon was hobbling across the large, mostly empty entry hall, his cane clacking on the tiles. On the far side of the room, Ezmelda and a robed librarian¡ªprobably Pedrin by the height of him, although the individual¡¯s cowl concealed their face¡ªstood by the meagre fire that was far too small to provide heat to the draughty room.


    ¡°Should have stayed home, Elderaan,¡± Agernon said as he reached the doors, speaking more loudly than needed, obviously intending Ezmelda heard him. ¡°Just a bunch of pointless formalities. The old days are long gone and good riddance to them, I say!¡±


    At the far side of the room, Ezmelda gave no reaction.


    ¡°They gave me yet another new title and want to appoint me an apprentice,¡± Agernon whispered to Elderaan. ¡°Ezmelda¡¯s cousin. I asked her why she doesn¡¯t take the brat on herself. She said her duties take up too much time. I pointed out that most of those duties are just ceremonial nonsense. If she cut those out, she¡¯d have loads of time.¡± He chuckled. ¡°She didn¡¯t like that, I can tell you.¡±


    ¡°So, are you going to take the apprentice?¡± Elderaan asked.


    Agernon snorted. ¡°I¡¯ll take an apprentice when I¡¯m damn well ready, and not a moment before. I told her as much.¡±


    ¡°And her reply?¡±


    ¡°She reminded me the Council has the power to cut off my access to the library. So I agreed.¡±


    Elderaan laughed.


    ¡°I need access to the books here, damn it! I have important research.¡±


    Elderaan nodded and placed a hand on Agernon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I know, I know. I understand your pain. They do say training an apprentice is very rewarding.¡±


    Agernon harrumphed. ¡°You better hope Ezmelda doesn¡¯t have another cousin needs training.¡±


    Elderaan sighed. He¡¯d been pondering taking on an apprentice for some time now. If that was indeed what Ezmelda and the Council wanted him for, it might not be so bad. At least it would force the decision for him.


    ¡°Master Elderaan!¡± Ezmelda called from across the hall, her voice echoing. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t keep the Council waiting!¡±


    ¡°Yes, coming!¡± he called back.


    ¡°We still on for our game this week?¡± Agernon asked.


    Elderaan nodded. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll see you then.¡± He patted Agernon¡¯s shoulder and turned towards Ezmelda.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Agernon grumbled.


    Elderaan turned back to see Agernon staring out the still open doors. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Outside, the young girl still stood at the top of the stairs. She was rubbing her hands, trying to warm them, and not paying any attention to the two old men inside the doors.


    ¡°It¡¯s that blasted girl,¡± Agernon hissed.


    ¡°You know her?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been following me around the past few weeks. Always popping up wherever I go, asking if I need hep with this or with that. She was here when I arrived. Wanted to help me up the stairs. Probably been waiting for me to come back out again. What sort of stories do they tell kids about us these days, anyway? That we can conjure gold out of thin air? You didn¡¯t let her help you up the stairs and give her any money, did you?¡±


    ¡°Well, I...¡±


    ¡°Whatever you do, don¡¯t fall for her charms. She¡¯ll bleed you for everything you have.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to be careful, Agernon. And you be careful, too. With your leg on those stairs¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need her help!¡±


    ¡°No, no, of course not.¡±


    ¡°Master Elderaan!¡± Ezmelda called.


    He turned in her direction. ¡°I¡¯m coming! Just give me a moment!¡± When he turned back, Agernon was already walking out the doors, and the girl was moving over to help him. So she had been targeting wizards. Elderaan was beginning to think it wasn¡¯t money she was after.


    ¡°Master Elderaan!¡±


    Elderaan sighed and reached to close the doors as Agernon said, ¡°I already told you, I don¡¯t need your help, girl. Now get lost!¡±


    As the doors clicked into place, Elderaan braced himself for whatever the Council wanted.


    * * * * *


    They didn¡¯t give him an apprentice, just another title¡ªFirst Magister of Mentalism, or something like that. Truth be told, he¡¯d mostly forgotten it by the time he left the Hall of Knowledge. He was more focused on the relief of not being assigned an apprentice. Even though the idea of one was becoming more appealing, he realised he would rather have his own choice in the matter. And it was possible he knew of someone intelligent enough for the position¡ªassuming she had the talent as well.


    It was a rather ridiculous prospect. He¡¯d only met her briefly on those two occasions and didn¡¯t even know the girl¡¯s name, yet the idea was starting to seem almost exciting. And he was quite certain now that was what her goal was. It was why the money kept disappointing her.


    He did wonder why she didn¡¯t just outright say what she wanted, but perhaps she was shy or uncertain what to say. Indeed, how exactly did one just ask a wizard to take on a street urchin as an apprentice? If she had asked him that on their first, or even second encounter, he would have turned her down without a second thought.


    The method she¡¯d chosen had created a stronger impression. Assuming it was deliberate, it was quite clever. As well as showing intelligence, she was displaying a willingness to be deferential and to work. All good signs for a prospective apprentice. Now he just had to wait for her to show up again.


    Alas, with the weather the way it was, there was little reason for him to head outside any farther than Agernon¡¯s¡ªand that only once a week or so. He couldn¡¯t just wander around aimlessly either. Apart from the bad weather¡ªsnow and biting winds¡ªhe couldn¡¯t just close up the shop any time he wanted. He had to maintain his meagre funds somehow.


    So he had no idea how to find the girl.


    He did ask Agernon about her at their weekly card game.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t seen her.¡± Agernon drew a card and frowned at it. ¡°And thank goodness, too. With luck, she froze to death.¡±


    ¡°Oh come now, you don¡¯t mean that.¡± Elderaan drew a card of his own.


    Agernon scowled. ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just annoyed at a bad hand.¡±


    Agernon harrumphed. ¡°Why should you care, anyway? What¡¯s she to you?¡±


    ¡°Just a thought I had.¡±


    He told Agernon of his idea and the old man laughed. ¡°Nonsense. She just wants handouts and you have too soft a heart. I warned you away from her. She¡¯ll bleed you dry if you give her half a chance. I fold.¡± Agernon tossed his cards down.


    Elderaan smiled and started to gather up the cards to deal another hand. ¡°Perhaps. We¡¯ll see.¡±


    But the next several days passed with no sign of the girl. Elderaan even made an extra trip into the market two days after his card game with Agernon, just so there might be a chance of bumping into her, but to no avail. If she had been studying his habits, she wouldn¡¯t have expected this day to be a market day and so she wouldn¡¯t be there. Or maybe she had died of the cold. Gods, he hoped that wasn¡¯t the case. He¡¯d never forgive himself for being too slow. Perhaps he was wrong about her. Perhaps she really was just after money like Agernon said. He decided to put her out of his mind and get on with his day-to-day business.

 Chapter 1: Felit?a (Part 2)

    When the worst blizzard of the season so far and one of the worst Elderaan could remember hit, he couldn¡¯t help thinking of the girl again. He did his best to shove the thoughts from his mind, but as the wind and snow battered against the door and windows of the shop, thoughts of what it must be like for her alone in this weather came unbidden. But there was nothing he could do. He would catch his death of cold if he went out in this weather. With luck, she and any others like her had found shelter.


    He focused instead on stoking the fire and making his room as comfortable as possible before settling down to sleep. But sleep wasn¡¯t something willing to come easily. It wasn¡¯t just the howl of the wind and the banging of the shop sign against the side of the building. He¡¯d slept through such sounds before. No, it was thoughts of that blasted girl freezing to death.


    So he tossed and turned, listening to the banging of the shop sign. There was a kind of rhythm to it: the loud clatter when it made contact with the wall, accentuated with the creaking of the chains it hung on, and periodic softer thuds barely perceptible above the wind. He wondered what those were. Hitting the wooden bar the sign hung from, perhaps? No, their timing wasn¡¯t in synch with the bangs. Not the sign then. Something else banging.


    He pushed aside his blanket and sat up, straining to hear more clearly. Four quick thuds. A pause. Four more quick thuds. A precise repetitive pattern. Too precise for something blowing in the wind. The door. Someone was knocking on the door!


    He leapt out of bed, grabbed his robe, and hurried down the stairs. The cold showroom floor stung his bare feet, and he could already feel the thin draughts of wind seeping through the cracks in the door. The banging was much more audible here. He scrambled to the latches to unlock the door and then opened it.


    It flew out of his grasp at the strength of the wind and hit him in the side of the face as it whirled open, threatening to rip off its hinges as it slammed into the wall. Snow whipped about him. The white cloak he wore whenever he went out flew off its hook, and the ledger at the sales counter opened, sending papers flying about the room. The rats began scratching at the corners of their cages, seeking some kind of escape from the sudden onslaught.


    The girl stumbled into the shop.


    At least, Elderaan assumed it was her. She had a heavy blanket wrapped around her, obscuring her features. But the figure who collapsed on the floor was about the right size.


    As soon as she was clear, Elderaan grabbed the door, heaved it round, and pushed it shut. The papers gradually settled down, but the rats remained agitated. Elderaan rubbed at the side of his face, then reached down to the girl. She took his hand and let him help her to her feet. As she did so, she let go of the snow-covered blanket, which fell to the floor.


    It was her.


    Once she was on her feet, she pressed herself against him, her arms around him, clutching at him. Her body shook and she began to sob.


    Elderaan had not been prepared for such a display of emotion, though in retrospect, it was understandable. He put a hand on her back and patted it hesitantly. He didn¡¯t have much experience with children and wasn¡¯t sure what he should be doing. ¡°There there. It¡¯s all right now.¡±


    She continued to sob.


    After several minutes, he decided to say something. ¡°Now, now, you can¡¯t stand here crying all night, can you? Hmm? We need to get you looked after. Look up. Look me in the eye.¡±


    Her sobbing stopped and she looked up at him. She released one hand gripping him and wiped her sleeve across her face. Elderaan reached down to take her hand before she could grab hold of him again. ¡°Let¡¯s see that hand, hmm?¡± She let him take the hand. ¡°And the other one.¡± She let go with the other and let him examine it as well.


    Both hands were bone cold and almost blue-white in colour. The skin was stiff and not very pliable. He gently squeezed one of her fingers, then increased the pressure a little¡ªnot enough to hurt her, but enough to produce a response. Yet, she showed no reaction. ¡°Can you feel that?¡± he asked.


    She shook her head.


    ¡°Hmm, yes. We¡¯d better get you seen to. Come with me.¡± He let go of her hands and headed up the stairs. The girl followed behind. He led her into his room where he grabbed one of the blankets from the bed. ¡°Wrap this around your hands while I warm some water on the fire.¡±


    He let her be for a few moments while he filled a pot with water and hung it over the fire. Then he looked back to make sure that she had done as he asked. She had done more than that. Since the blanket was much larger than she needed for her hands, she had wrapped it around herself first and then had wrapped a separate end around each of her hands.


    Elderaan let the water sit over the fire for a minute or two and then removed it. He dipped a finger in to test that it wouldn¡¯t scald the girl, and then, satisfied that it wouldn¡¯t, placed the pot on his bedside table. ¡°Come over here. Unwrap your hands. I want you to soak them in this water for a while. You might feel some tingling or even pain as the feeling returns, but don¡¯t remove your hands until I tell you it¡¯s all right. Do you understand?¡±


    She nodded and came forward, letting the ends of the blanket fall from her hands. She then placed them in the water. She flinched a little, but kept her hands submerged.


    Elderaan bent over and took a closer look at her face. Her cheeks and forehead were red, but weren¡¯t the pale blue-white of her hands. ¡°Your face looks not too badly off. How are your feet?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t feel my toes,¡± she said.


    ¡°Hmm, we should probably soak them too just to be sure. We don¡¯t want you losing feeling permanently. We should get you some dry clothes too, but I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have anything your size.¡±


    ¡°I have a change of clothes in my pack,¡± she said.


    ¡°Your pack?¡± In all the excitement, he hadn¡¯t noticed her carrying a pack.


    ¡°I dropped it downstairs,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s watertight. Except I can¡¯t close the flap all the way, so some snow probably got in, but the clothes shouldn¡¯t be too wet. I think.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, we¡¯ll see I suppose. You stay here. I¡¯ll go and find your pack and prepare some water for your feet. Let me know if that water starts to feel cold so I can reheat it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± she said.


    He left her there and returned downstairs. Once there, he took a moment to survey the chaos caused by the wind. Papers lay in various scattered places around and on the sales counter, and there were a few puddles of water on the floor from melting snow. Luckily, it looked like most of the papers had not gotten wet, though his cloak had. A couple of tincture bottles on the display near the door had fallen over and a couple things had fallen off nearby shelves, but nothing seemed broken at first glance. The rats had calmed down, though they stirred at his passing now. On the whole, the devastation wasn¡¯t as bad as he had feared, and he could worry about cleaning it up later.


    The blanket the girl had arrived in still lay near the door. It was wet through. He found the pack tangled up within it. Although not very large, the pack was stuffed to capacity and heavier than Elderaan had expected it to be. A slender object wrapped in wet cloth stuck out the side of the flap, too long to fit in the pack and keeping the flap from closing completely.


    He slung the pack over his shoulder and returned upstairs, where he filled another pot with water and placed it over the fire.


    ¡°The water¡¯s getting cold,¡± the girl said.


    ¡°Very well, as soon as this pot¡¯s warmed, we¡¯ll reheat it. Now then, while I¡¯m treating your frostbite, why don¡¯t you tell me what this is all about, hmm?¡±


    ¡°What this is all about?¡± she said. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Elderaan turned to look directly at her. ¡°I mean what you¡¯re doing here.¡±


    ¡°Well, the storm,¡± she began.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean the storm. I mean following wizards around, offering your services, yet not being open about what you expect in return. One might almost think you were stalking us.¡±


    Tears began to glisten in the corner of her eyes again. ¡°I...I¡¯m sorry. I...¡±


    Elderaan sighed. That had been too harsh. He hadn¡¯t meant to frighten her. ¡°No, I¡¯m the one who should be sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have snapped at you.¡± He took the pot from the fire, tested the temperature, then brought it over to her. ¡°Let¡¯s get your boots off, shall we? Why don¡¯t you sit on the bed?¡±


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    She turned to do as he asked and removed her hands from the pot on the table. She gasped and stuck them back in. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s all right. It won¡¯t harm to remove them for a moment. You¡¯ll need your hands to give you leverage to sit on the bed. Besides, we need to reheat that pot anyway, don¡¯t we?¡±


    She nodded, extracted her hands again, and pushed herself up onto the bed. Although her boots appeared as though they might have once been of decent quality, they were now heavily worn and ratty. As he lifted one foot up to remove the boot, Elderaan noted that the sole was worn almost through. It could not have provided much protection from the weather. He gently pulled it off, and then the other one. The girl¡¯s feet were red and blistered. He moved the second pot directly under her and directed her to lower her feet into it. Then he grabbed the first pot and returned to the fireplace.


    ¡°Now, why don¡¯t we start again? How about you tell me your name, hmm?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s, um...¡± She hesitated. ¡°Asa.¡±


    ¡°Um Asa?¡± He stared at her. ¡°Tell me the truth now.¡±


    She looked away from him. ¡°It¡¯s Asa.¡±


    ¡°Very well, Asa. Why are you so interested in helping wizards?¡±


    She didn¡¯t look up. ¡°I want to be one,¡± she muttered. Her face went red again.


    Elderaan smiled. He had been right. ¡°Do you now? Why so embarrassed then? Why not just say so from the start and avoid all this flustering about?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re not supposed to.¡±


    ¡°Not supposed to? Why ever not? How is anyone supposed to know what you want if you don¡¯t tell them, hmm?¡±


    She looked up at him and sniffled. ¡°That¡¯s what the woman at the Hall of Knowledge said.¡±


    ¡°The woman? Which one?¡± He could guess which one though.


    ¡°The tall, pretty one,¡± Asa said.


    ¡°Ezmelda?¡±


    ¡°I think so. I went there first and she spoke to me. She told me that wizards choose their own apprentices, not the other way round. I must wait to be asked and not ask myself.¡±


    Elderaan knew of no such rule, though Ezmelda was ever one for finding obscure traditions from centuries past and insisting that they be followed today. Or she was just trying to get rid of the girl.


    ¡°So I thought maybe if I helped you out,¡± Asa continued, ¡°you might think of me when you wanted an apprentice. I don¡¯t think the other old man liked me very much, but you seemed nice.¡±


    ¡°Other old man? You think me old, do you?¡±


    ¡°Well, you are, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Elderaan chuckled and lifted the pot from the fire. ¡°I suppose I am getting on a bit, yes.¡± After checking again that the water wasn¡¯t too hot, he carried the pot over to her and placed it on the table. ¡°Hands in.¡±


    She did so and looked at him expectantly.


    ¡°So, you thought that by being nice to me and other wizards, we might start to like you and one of us would spontaneously offer to train you?¡±


    She started to nod, but stopped and frowned. ¡°Yeah. It was kind of stupid, wasn¡¯t it? But I didn¡¯t know what else to do.¡±


    Elderaan sat on the bed beside her. ¡°No, my child, I wouldn¡¯t say it was all that stupid, after all. Unusual, certainly. Risky too. But also creative. It shows intelligence and determination. It also might have worked somewhat.¡±


    Her eyes widened and she grinned.


    ¡°But only because I figured out what you were up to! If you had approached Agernon one more time, he probably would have frozen you in the ice.¡± At her shocked expression, he added, ¡°Metaphorically speaking, that is. He can¡¯t actually do that. At least, I don¡¯t think he can. Anyway, the point is, you managed to annoy him quite intensely.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I stopped approaching him,¡± she said.


    He patted her shoulder. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to make amends with him, if you¡¯re to stick around.¡±


    She looked up at him, her face not managing to hold back the excitement. ¡°You mean you¡¯ll teach me?¡±


    ¡°Ah ah ah,¡± he said, standing up. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to wait for me to ask?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± She broke eye contact and lowered her head.


    Elderaan chuckled. ¡°First off, that¡¯s nonsense. Ezmelda was just trying to get rid of someone she thought was a bothersome child. If there are actually any rules for how these apprenticeships are arranged, I¡¯ve certainly never heard of them. The Council sometimes assigns them, but I don¡¯t think even that¡¯s a hard-fast rule.¡±


    She looked up at him again, her smile returning.


    ¡°But I can¡¯t give you a strict answer to your question yet.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    He sat down beside her again and gave her a smile. ¡°Wizardry requires more than just intelligence and creativity. It also requires a natural inborn talent. Without it, there¡¯s nothing you can do. Only a quarter of humans have it. Still, those aren¡¯t terrible odds. You have a reasonable chance.¡±


    Asa slumped a little. ¡°How do we find out?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you need to make amends with Agernon,¡± Elderaan said. ¡°He¡¯s the one who can find out for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± she said, slumping further. ¡°Can¡¯t you do it?¡±


    Elderaan shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. I¡¯m a mentalist, not an enchanter. I don¡¯t have the skill to test for the talent.¡±


    ¡°Mentalist,¡± she repeated. ¡°Magic of the mind.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. There are three disciplines¡ªwell, four, but the Isyar jealously hold on to the secret of the fourth. Mentalism is one of them and enchantment is another. Agernon is an enchanter and has the skills you need. He performs the services for the Council at the Hall of Knowledge from time to time. We¡¯ll need to convince him to do so for you. But that¡¯s a problem for later. You need some rest first. Let me see your hands.¡±


    She held them out to him. The normal colour was returning and the skin had regained some pliancy. She flinched as he prodded them. ¡°That stings.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Hmm, yes, that¡¯s normal. I think we got to you in time.¡± He stood up and went over to where he¡¯d left her pack. Being careful not to let the long, slender object fall out, he opened the flap and pulled out the top item, a crumpled and damp wool skirt. ¡°Yes, this won¡¯t do. You¡¯d be better off to just wrap yourself in the blankets on the bed. I¡¯m going to go downstairs and clean up. I want you to soak your hands and feet for a few more minutes, then get undressed and wrap yourself in the bed blankets. Then lie down and get some sleep. We¡¯ll talk some more in the morning.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yes, sir. Where will you sleep?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Just take care of yourself.¡± He put the pack down and went downstairs.


    Once he¡¯d gathered up the scattered ledger papers, reorganized them, picked up his cloak and any fallen items, and mopped up the melt-water, he proceeded to do a bit of rearranging of the display shelves and then made sure the rats had an ample supply of food. None of it took particularly long, and he wanted to make sure Asa had enough time to get into bed before he returned. Eventually, his still-bare feet were becoming numb with the cold, so he realised he needed to return upstairs before he ended up with frostbite too. He was also starting to realise just how exhausted he was feeling.


    He was halfway up the stairs when he remembered he needed somewhere to sleep, so turned around and collected his heavy wooden chair from behind the sales counter. It was a struggle to get it up the stairs, particularly without making much noise, but he managed to get it into the bedroom.


    Asa was already fast asleep by this point, only the side of her head visible amidst the tangle of blankets. He placed the chair down beside the wardrobe, and flinched at the soft thud it made. But the girl didn¡¯t wake up. He then collapsed into the chair with a sigh. It wasn¡¯t the most comfortable thing to sleep in, but his muscles ached and he was exhausted enough that he didn¡¯t doubt sleep would come.


    Then his gaze fell on Asa¡¯s pack. It had fallen on its side and the cloth-wrapped, slender object had slid partway out. It would be invasive of him to pry through her things, but he was curious, and it would be good to know what belongings she already had. Besides, she hadn¡¯t objected when he¡¯d opened it to check her clothes. What if the skirt hadn¡¯t been right at the top? He would have had to dig through anything else in there to find other clothes. It was spurious reasoning, he knew. Truth was, he hoped the pack would reveal secrets she hadn¡¯t yet told him and might be unwilling to tell him otherwise. He was pretty certain she¡¯d lied about her name, after all.


    With a groan, he stood up and crossed over to the pack. He knelt down and pulled out first the slender object. As soon as he held it in his hands, it was clear that it accounted for a significant portion of the pack¡¯s weight. From the feel of it, most of its length was flat, but one end had a slightly different shape to it, wider momentarily and then more rounded. Its weight and balance made it difficult for Elderaan to untie the strings that held the cloth wrapping in place, so he returned to the chair and laid it across his lap.


    He looked over to the bed to ensure the girl had not wakened, and then began to work at the ties. Once they were out of the way, he unwrapped the object, revealing steel that glinted in the light from the fire. A sword, and not just any sword by the look of it. He was no expert, but this looked of fine craftsmanship, with gold filigree etched into the hilt, and the pommel contained an engraving of a bear¡¯s head on both sides. The Bear of Arnor. This was a noble¡¯s sword, probably a royal one.


    It wasn¡¯t a particularly big sword, certainly smaller and slenderer than the ones Elderaan had seen carried by the Watch here in Quorge. Presumably, it was meant for someone of a lighter build, probably a woman¡ªbut a grown woman, not a young girl. Why did this girl have it? How had she gotten it?


    It was possible she¡¯d stolen it, but there was another possibility. It seemed unbelievable that she could have travelled so far, but she was the right age and had the right general appearance.


    Just over a year ago, ten-year-old Princess Felit?a had vanished without a trace. Within days, the Church had posted rewards for information across the entire country and possibly beyond. Rumours and stories about what had happened¡ªthat she had run away, drowned, been kidnapped, or even murdered¡ªspread almost as fast. Here in Quorge, while people talked, few were all that concerned by it¡ªapart from the Foliths in Lord Belone¡¯s court, he supposed. Few people liked the royal family and most outright hated them. Elderaan had no love for them, certainly. Also, Quorge was so far away from Arnor City, no one expected a missing princess to be found here, so no one cared.


    Elderaan began re-wrapping the sword and glanced over at the sleeping girl. A year was more than enough time for her to have made the long trip half-way across the continent, but it still seemed far-fetched that, at her age, she could have done it. Not alone, at any rate.


    He retied the strings and returned the sword to the pack. He decided to resist looking at anything else in the pack for now to avoid it looking too disturbed.


    What had he gotten himself into?

 Chapter 1: Felit?a (Part 3)

    There was a terrible crick in his neck when Elderaan woke, his back ached, and the rest of his body wasn¡¯t doing much better. Sleeping in a hard chair all night was not something he wanted to repeat on a regular basis. He would need to do something about this if the girl was going to be sticking around.


    Said girl was still asleep, so he took the opportunity to dress and head down to the kitchen behind the showroom to prepare some food. It was a simple breakfast¡ªjust plain porridge¡ªbut the smells of the cooking were enough to wake and draw her in. She wandered into the kitchen just as he was finishing up. She was dressed in the clothes she had been wearing last night.


    ¡°You should have let me hang those by the fire to dry,¡± he told her. ¡°I really should have done it last night before I went to sleep, but I¡¯m afraid it slipped my mind.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she said. ¡°They¡¯re not that wet. They¡¯re drier than the clothes in my pack.¡± Her gaze moved around the room. When she spotted the shelves where he kept his dishes and utensils, she crossed over to it, collected a couple bowls and spoons, and began to set the table.


    ¡°Still trying to be helpful?¡± he said.


    She blushed. ¡°No. I mean, yes, but not because... I mean...¡±


    ¡°Not to worry, my dear. I¡¯m just teasing you. I appreciate your helpfulness. Now, you do want some food, yes?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Then hurry up and bring the bowls over here so I can fill them.¡±


    She rushed over to him.


    As they sat at the table and ate, Elderaan asked her, ¡°How well have you been eating?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said, her mouth still full of food. She blushed again and wiped her face with her sleeve. She swallowed and continued, ¡°Some days are better than others, but there are usually people who will give me food. The money you gave me helped a lot.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it,¡± he said.


    He let her eat in silence after that, only once admonishing her to slow down. ¡°You don¡¯t want to choke, do you, hmm?¡± He only picked at his own food, his thoughts dwelling on what he had discovered last night. When she was finished, he let her have the rest of his own bowl, which she gleefully took. Despite what she had said, he suspected she had not been eating well at all.


    Once she had finished his portion and had scraped the leftovers from the pot, he said to her, ¡°Asa, if you¡¯re to remain here and become my apprentice, you need to be completely honest with me, yes?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± she said, stacking the bowls and taking them over to the counter.


    ¡°I need to trust you, but I barely know you. You¡¯re just someone I met on the street. I need to know you better. Who you are, where you came from, what brought you to Quorge. That sort of thing. You understand?¡±


    She took a moment before answering. ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°You have been honest with me so far, yes?¡±


    She was even more hesitant this time. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Technically.¡±


    He frowned at her. ¡°Technically?¡±


    She nodded, but she held her face low, not making eye contact.


    ¡°If you want me to teach you, you will tell me what you mean by that!¡±


    ¡°I...I haven¡¯t said any lies,¡± she stammered. ¡°I just...¡±


    ¡°Hmm? You just what?¡±


    ¡°I just haven¡¯t told you everything. You haven¡¯t asked everything and there wasn¡¯t much time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he said. ¡°I haven¡¯t asked everything, but I did ask you your name.¡±


    ¡°I told you. It¡¯s...¡± She trailed off as she glanced up and noticed how he was looking at her.


    ¡°You told me it was Asa,¡± he said.


    ¡°It is!¡± she protested. ¡°It¡¯s my middle name, but it¡¯s what I¡¯ve been using in Quorge and...for a while now.¡±


    Elderaan sighed. He supposed that she was right about ¡°technically¡±, and he could understand her reluctance to use her given name. ¡°Your first name,¡± he said, ¡°it wouldn¡¯t be Felit?a, would it? Hmm?¡±


    She looked up at him and wiped the tears from her eyes. ¡°How...how did...?¡±


    Now it was his turn to feel uncomfortable. ¡°Since we¡¯re being honest with each other, I was feeling nosy last night and went through your pack. I saw the sword and put two and two together. You couldn¡¯t have kept this from me forever, you know.¡±


    She came back over to the table and sat down. ¡°I know. I almost told you last night, since I knew I¡¯d have to. I just...I didn¡¯t know if...if you¡¯d believe me. Plus, I¡¯ve had to keep it secret for so long and I just... I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Elderaan reached across the table to pat her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s all right. You do know, though don¡¯t you, that if you¡¯re discovered, they¡¯ll execute me?¡±


    ¡°I would tell them that you didn¡¯t kidnap me,¡± she protested. ¡°I¡¯d make sure they knew¡ª¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t matter. I¡¯d be guilty of hiding you. You understand this, yes?¡±


    She slumped over. ¡°Yes. Does this mean you won¡¯t teach me? I¡¯d understand. I don¡¯t want to get you killed.¡±


    ¡°To be completely honest, I¡¯m not entirely sure. I need to think about it. Besides, we don¡¯t even know if you have the talent. We¡¯re going to have to arrange for Agernon to test you, and he may not be easy to convince. But you can remain at least until then.¡±


    ¡°Can we see him today?¡± Felit?a asked.


    Elderaan laughed. ¡°We¡¯ll be lucky if we can get two feet outside the door after last night¡¯s storm. No, we¡¯re going to spend today clearing the snow from in front of the shop. We¡¯ll need to be careful you don¡¯t freeze of course, but unfortunately, we can¡¯t get you warmer clothes until after the snow is cleared. We¡¯ll take sufficient breaks to warm up, and you can tell me your full story during this time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± she said.


    ¡°Nothing will be left out?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Go upstairs and gather some blankets to help keep warm. I¡¯ll get the shovel. I only have the one, so we¡¯ll take turns. It¡¯ll be good to have help. I¡¯m getting too old to shovel snow. It does my back in. Well then, go on!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± She hurried off.


    * * * * *


    ¡°No! Absolutely not!¡± Agernon slammed the tip of his cane against the floor. ¡°Get someone else.¡±


    ¡°There is no one else,¡± Elderaan said. ¡°Name one other person in this city who can.¡±


    ¡°Fah! Not my problem.¡±


    ¡°Oh come now, Agernon. It¡¯s not that much of an imposition.¡± They were in the small front living room of Agernon¡¯s home. Felit?a stood to Elderaan¡¯s side while Elderaan tried to reason with Agernon. It was going more or less the way Elderaan had expected.


    ¡°I won¡¯t do it! Not for her!¡± Agernon prodded his cane towards Felit?a, who flinched and took a step back, collided with the table and knocked the deck of cards onto the floor. ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going!¡± Agernon snapped. ¡°You break anything, you pay for it.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sir,¡± Felit?a stammered and started to pick the cards up.


    Elderaan placed himself between Agernon and Felit?a. ¡°Agernon, please listen for a moment.¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯ve listened enough. I warned you about her, Elderaan. I told you she was trouble.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did warn me,¡± Elderaan said. ¡°But you got it wrong nonetheless. She¡¯s not what you thought she was!¡±


    ¡°No, she¡¯s worse.¡± Agernon tried to step around Elderaan towards Felit?a, but Elderaan moved to block him. ¡°If I do as you ask, I could be executed for it.¡±


    ¡°If you do anything other than go to Lord Belone right this instant and tell him she¡¯s here, you could be executed if they found out,¡± Elderaan said.


    ¡°Yes, and whose fault is that? Yours! For piling this shit on me!¡± Agernon turned away, slamming his cane down with each step he took. ¡°Blasted nobles! Blasted royals!¡±


    Felit?a looked up from collecting the cards. ¡°You believe who I am, then?¡±


    Agernon stopped and looked back at her. A low growl escaped his mouth. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t believe a word you said, girl, but I know Elderaan. If he¡¯s convinced, then so am I.¡± He collapsed into one of the chairs and began rubbing his temples.


    ¡°You¡¯ll do it?¡± Felit?a said, jumping to her feet and almost dropping the cards again.


    ¡°No, of course not. I said I was convinced of who you are, not that I¡¯ll test you for magic.¡±


    ¡°At least give it some thought, hmm?¡± Elderaan said. ¡°I¡¯ll happily pay you for your services if you want.¡±


    ¡°Bah! I don¡¯t want your money.¡± Agernon slouched over in his chair and grumbled for a moment before looking Elderaan in the eye. ¡°Elderaan, you¡¯re asking me to condone you teaching someone who is a symbol of nearly two centuries of Folith oppression. Just look at what Feodor Belone has done in the last twenty years. Quorge used to be a city renown for its magical education until he cut all our funding. Now, we¡¯re just a bunch of rag-tag has-beens, handing out meaningless titles on a whim because there¡¯s nothing else for us to do.¡±


    ¡°Oh come now,¡± Elderaan protested, ¡°that¡¯s hardly the girl¡¯s fault.¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t her fault, but that doesn¡¯t change a thing. She is who she is and I am who I am. Never the two should meet as far as I¡¯m concerned.¡±


    Elderaan sighed and sat down in the other chair in the room. At least Agernon was starting to discuss things now, instead of just scream and yell. ¡°Think of it this way. If she has the talent¡ªwhich she might not even have, I should add¡ªbut if she does, my teaching her would be like a strike back against them. Think of it. A princess apprenticed to an Eloorin. Surely that has an appeal, hmm?¡±


    ¡°Except they could never know about it, so it would all be pointless.¡±


    ¡°Not at all. You and I would know. It could be a little way for you to thumb your nose to them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got ways to do that already.¡±


    Elderaan smiled. ¡°And I¡¯ve no doubt you¡¯d love another, hmm. Come on, admit it.¡±


    Agernon started to smile, but turned his head to hide it. ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Besides,¡± Elderaan continued, ¡°even though people would never know of a princess, they would come to know of a Folith apprenticed to an Eloorin. That must be almost as good, hmm?¡±


    Agernon fidgeted in his seat.


    ¡°Well?¡± Elderaan pressed.


    Agernon groaned. ¡°I swear you¡¯ll be the death of me one day, Elderaan.¡±


    Felit?a was clutching the cards to her chest and staring at Agernon.


    Agernon looked at her and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m going to regret this. Fine. I¡¯ll do it. But I¡¯ll need a few minutes to collect my thoughts first.¡±


    Felit?a made a little squeak of joy.


    ¡°Oh, we weren¡¯t expecting that you would do it today,¡± Elderaan said. ¡°Take whatever time you need to prepare.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t mind waiting a few more days,¡± she said, trying, but not succeeding, to hide her excitement.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll do it today,¡± Agernon snapped. ¡°Before I change my mind. I just need a few minutes first. Where¡¯s that damn boy? Drummor!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir?¡± A boy darted into the room. He was about the same age as Felit?a, though somewhat smaller and stockier. His mop of dark hair was a stark contrast to Agernon¡¯s nearly bald head, but he had nearly the same tawny brown skin. Elderaan had not had the chance to meet Agernon¡¯s new apprentice yet, but this was clearly him. Elderaan couldn¡¯t see a lot of resemblance to Ezmelda, but there was some.


    ¡°Make us some tea,¡± Agernon said.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± the boy replied and started out of the room again.


    ¡°And bring me my tobacco!¡± Agernon called after him.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s he working out?¡± Elderaan asked.


    ¡°Pheh, he has his uses,¡± Agernon replied. ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s nice to have another person around to take the stress off of doing everything myself.¡± He looked over at Felit?a. ¡°But that does not mean I can¡¯t do things myself!¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Felit?a said.


    Elderaan chuckled. He understood what Agernon meant. It had been a week since the blizzard had brought Felit?a to his door, and in that time, Felit?a had thrown herself into helping out around the shop. She had started cooking their meals and had taken over care of the rats¡ªthough she had at first been horrified to learn that Elderaan sold the rats to people intending to experiment on them. She had even helped him start organizing his records, something he had been intending to do for years, but the pile kept getting larger and larger and more daunting.


    It had taken a few days to recover fully from the blizzard, and Elderaan had put off bringing Felit?a to see Agernon to allow Agernon time to recover as well. At least, that was what Elderaan had told Felit?a. Truth was, he put it off partly out of nervousness over Agernon¡¯s reaction and partly because he wanted time to learn more about the girl¡ªto be sure he was making the right decision and that he could trust her.


    The wait had also provided time to acquire new clothes for her and to get a bench that he converted into a makeshift bed for her. Just two nights in the chair had made that his highest priority.


    Felit?a had kept her word about being honest with him and had told him all about what had happened in the year since she had disappeared. Not surprisingly, it was nothing like any of the rumours, though some aspects of it might have seemed almost as far-fetched. To think that the Patriarch of the Universal Religion himself had had a hand in it all! Elderaan doubted there was anyone anywhere in Arnor who would believe that, but Elderaan was good at telling when other people were lying to him. It was a necessary skill for a practitioner of his magical discipline. Plus, she had agreed to him using some spells to ensure her honesty (he had forgotten that youthful exuberance at encountering magic that she was now reminding him of).


    Apart from the Patriarch¡¯s involvement, many people would probably be disappointed that Felit?a¡¯s story was not all that exciting. They would probably even find it boring. She had not been kidnapped. She had simply run away. Of course, a princess running away wasn¡¯t an easy thing to pull off, so she had enlisted help. Apparently, Patriarch Ardon had been overseeing her religious education personally and the two had become close. For a couple years, he had been like a father to her, filling the parental role she was not getting from her real parents. She confided in him that she wanted to leave, and she had somehow convinced him to help her do it.


    Elderaan sighed. Apparently, she had a knack for convincing old men to do what she wanted.


    Drummor came back with a bowl of tobacco and placed it on the table. While Agernon took out his pipe and filled it, the boy went over to the fireplace, collected a spill from the vase there, lit one end, and brought it to Agernon to light the pipe. Elderaan took the opportunity to fill his own pipe, which Drummor lit for him. The boy pinched the spill out and hurried out of the room to collect the tea.


    Once Agernon had drunk some tea and had smoked his fill, he announced that he was ready to begin. ¡°Drummor, move the table aside.¡±


    Felit?a helped the boy clear the cards and candles from the table and then push it aside.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Drummor,¡± he said, holding his hand out in greeting.


    Felit?a reached out to take it, but Agernon interrupted. ¡°That¡¯s enough of that! Once we¡¯re finished here, you¡¯ll be having nothing more to do with her.¡±


    Drummor¡¯s hand dropped back to his side. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Elderaan stifled a chuckle. Agernon could be quite the stubborn bastard sometimes. Of course, Elderaan had no illusions that he could be quite stubborn himself, but Agernon took the prize. The irony here, though, was that to hear Felit?a talk about them, she had just as much, if not more, disdain for her family as Agernon did. It wasn¡¯t the same thing, Elderaan knew¡ªhers was the disdain of a child who didn¡¯t always get what she wanted and not the disdain of an old man embittered by oppression¡ªbut it amused him nevertheless.


    ¡°Stand here, girl.¡± Agernon motioned to a spot on the floor where the table had previously stood. Felit?a moved to where he indicated. ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± he said.


    Agernon then began to circle her, peering at her from every angle. He circled several times, double-checking whatever he was checking. Elderaan had seen Agernon do this a couple times in the past and he had done the same thing each time, but Elderaan couldn¡¯t quite work out what the purpose was. It didn¡¯t seem to be part of the spell he was to cast¡ªthe wizard who had tested Elderaan so very many years ago hadn¡¯t done it, although every wizard put their own spin on spells. In this case, though, as best Elderaan could tell, Agernon did this just to satisfy some unstated curiosity. Perhaps Elderaan would ask him about it sometime, but he knew better than to interrupt now. For now, he just puffed quietly away on his pipe and let Agernon do what he needed.


    Felit?a was shifting her weight from one foot to the other and had started to turn her head to follow Agernon¡¯s movements. ¡°I told you to stay still,¡± Agernon said and Felit?a snapped to attention.


    After circling a couple more times, Agernon finally stopped and knelt in front of Felit?a. ¡°All right, child. Take a deep breath and exhale slowly. That¡¯s it. Calm yourself.¡±


    Elderaan inhaled deeply on his pipe and leaned forward. He was beginning to get just as nervous about this as Felit?a.


    ¡°This may tingle a little,¡± Agernon said, ¡°especially if you have the talent. But it is imperative that you remain absolutely still. Do you understand?¡±


    Felit?a nodded, and Agernon held out his hands to either side of her head. Closing his eyes, he began to mutter under his breath. Felit?a stared back at him fearfully, not even blinking. Half a minute or more passed before Agernon touched his hands to her ears and traced out small patterns on them. She blinked suddenly at the shock, and her face momentarily contorted in worry, but she had not moved enough to break the spell.


    As a soft blue glow appeared around Felit?a, Elderaan released the breath he had been holding.


    Agernon lowered his arms and stood up. ¡°That¡¯s it. You have the talent, child.¡±


    A great smile grew across Felit?a¡¯s face, and she let out a squeal. ¡°I do?¡± She attempted to give Agernon a hug, but a look from the old wizard paused her.


    Elderaan was not one for shows of affection, but when she came to him, he placed his pipe aside and let her hug him. ¡°Does this mean you¡¯ll teach me? Do I have lots of talent? Will I be powerful?¡±


    ¡°Impossible to say,¡± Agernon answered. ¡°The spell doesn¡¯t reveal that much.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Isyar have ways of gauging the extent of one¡¯s talent,¡± Elderaan said. ¡°Some can even tell at a glance in the same way they can tell if you have talent to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Those are just stories,¡± Agernon said. ¡°Like Volg shapeshifters and Darkers with super speed.¡±


    Elderaan smiled. ¡°Yes, well, whatever the case, we cannot tell how much magical energy resides within you. In time, you¡¯ll discover the extent of your own abilities. Even if your talent is small, however, a good wizard can learn to use that amount effectively, becoming as powerful as those with more talent. However, until you know the extent of your abilities, there is great danger in casting any spells at all. If you try to draw too much power from within yourself, you can drain yourself. Sometimes damage yourself permanently. Sometimes, it can even be deadly. Because of this, if I am to teach you, you must promise me one thing. Until I say otherwise, you are never to use any magic without supervision. Even if you think you have a good reason. If you do not agree to this, I won¡¯t teach you. As simple as that. What do you say, hmm?¡±


    Felit?a nodded without hesitation. ¡°I agree. I agree.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll teach you. But if I ever discover that you¡¯ve cast any magic behind my back, I will dismiss you immediately without hesitation. I will not tolerate disobedience. Is that understood?¡±


    Felit?a continued to nod her head without stopping. ¡°Yes! Yes!¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Elderaan said. ¡°That settles that. Now then, apart from the people here, no one knows who you really are and we need to keep it that way. Outside of the four of us, you should continue going by Asa. Also, you should avoid the other Foliths in the city as much as you can. They¡¯ll start poking their noses in, undoubtedly, but avoid them as best you can.¡±


    Felit?a nodded.


    ¡°Good. Now then, I¡¯m getting hungry, and I¡¯m sure Agernon is too. Why don¡¯t you and Drummor go prepare us all something to eat? There¡¯s a good girl.¡±


    ¡°Now, just a minute,¡± Agernon said. ¡°I expect you two to go and leave me alone now. I¡¯ll get my own damn dinner.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you insist,¡± Elderaan replied. ¡°But after everything you¡¯ve done for her today, it¡¯s the least Felit?a can do to repay you.¡±


    Agernon scowled. ¡°She needs to do a lot more to repay me. Oh, fine then. Stay.¡±


    Elderaan winked at Felit?a. ¡°Go on then. I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Felit?a curtsied and darted off.

 Chapter 1: Felit?a (Part 4)

    ¡°It¡¯s your turn,¡± Agernon said.


    ¡°Why do I have to do this?¡± Felit?a complained.


    ¡°You fail,¡± Elderaan replied. ¡°Rest a moment and start over.¡±


    ¡°I said it¡¯s your turn,¡± Agernon repeated.


    Elderaan glanced at the cards in his hand and grimaced. He shot a quick look at Agernon to see if he had noticed. Maybe he would just think he was bluffing. Probably not. Picking a card from the less-than-desirable selection, he played it, and turned back to Felit?a.


    She had put the books aside and had sat on the floor. ¡°Right,¡± he said. ¡°Rest over. Begin again.¡±


    With a very audible sigh, she picked up the books and balanced them again on her head. Once they were stable, she lowered her arms and stood there, her face wrenched in concentration.


    ¡°The key is mental discipline, Felit?a,¡± Elderaan said. ¡°All wizards require it, but mentalists doubly so. You have to learn focus and concentration.¡±


    ¡°For someone babbling about focus,¡± Agernon grumbled, ¡°you might have some for our game.¡±


    Felit?a giggled, and the books wobbled. She tried to adjust her stance to stop them, but within moments, they all tumbled to the floor. ¡°I¡¯ll never manage this,¡± she pouted.


    Poor child. She hadn¡¯t quite grasped yet that that wasn¡¯t the point of the exercise. ¡°Concentrate, Felit?a. You¡¯ll never be able to cast magic if you can¡¯t concentrate on a simple exercise. Pick up the books and try again.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not simple,¡± she protested as she gathered up the books.


    ¡°Neither is magic.¡±


    Agernon stood up. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have to be on my way; however, I think I should be declared winner of today¡¯s game by default.¡± He grabbed his cloak from the chair where it was lying. ¡°Considering your lack of attention to it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Yes, as you will,¡± Elderaan replied, and then realised just how rude he was being. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Agernon. Won¡¯t happen again. See you next time?¡±


    Agernon gave a non-committal grunt, and shoved his hat onto his head. ¡°Good day.¡± He snatched his cane, and headed for the way out.


    When he was gone, Elderaan sighed. ¡°Run along, Felit?a. That¡¯s enough for tonight. Remind me never to try to teach you and play cards at the same time again.¡±


    Felit?a smiled, dropped the books, and ran from the room.


    ¡°Especially since my own failure to do both ruins what I¡¯m trying to teach you.¡± This master-apprentice thing was taking a bit of getting used to.


    * * * * *


    Felit?a opened the cage and picked up one of the rats as gently as she could manage. When new ones arrived, she liked to take the opportunity to get to know them. The rat¡¯s little pink nose twitched rapidly. She liked when they did that. It was cute.


    She rubbed the rat¡¯s back, and looked at Elderaan beside her. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering. Why are they always white? And why do people want to buy them? There are rats everywhere. Can¡¯t they just catch one themselves?¡±


    ¡°The white ones are rare,¡± Elderaan replied. ¡°Not so easy to find. Though, to be honest, I don¡¯t actually know why the colour is important. Perhaps people think their rarity brings some sort of extra prestige. Or maybe they¡¯re just hardier than other colours. Who knows? As for the rats themselves, enchanters find them useful for testing spells on before using them on humans.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m calling this one Lon the Third. We sold Lon the Second yesterday.¡± The rat squealed and wriggled in her hands and then snapped at her. In shock, she dropped it back into the cage.


    ¡°Careful,¡± Elderaan said. ¡°Did it bite you?¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Felit?a shook her head, feeling somewhat embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± This didn¡¯t normally happen. She was always gentle with them, and none of them had ever bitten her before. Had she accidentally hurt it somehow? In the cage, it was running about. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Why¡¯s he so agitated?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps there¡¯s something you can do to calm him,¡± Elderaan said.


    Felit?a looked up at him, a tingle of excitement starting to spread through her. Did he mean what she thought he meant? Rats didn¡¯t normally bite like that, and Elderaan hadn¡¯t snapped at her when he¡¯d told her to be careful. He would normally snap if she¡¯d done something wrong. ¡°Did you do this? I didn¡¯t see you.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t exactly paying attention to me, and I can be subtle, you know.¡±


    Felit?a nearly squeaked from joy. Elderaan had taught her her first spell a couple days ago after nearly six months of waiting!


    In the cage, Lon the Third was still running about, stirring up the other rats a little in the process. She kept her eyes on Lon and concentrated, reaching for the reserves of energy inside her. The feel of the magic began to wash through her. Her whole body began to tingle, and she shook slightly.


    ¡°Be calm, Felit?a,¡± Elderaan said. ¡°When you¡¯re calm, you have much greater control. Lose your cool, and the magic could fail you.¡±


    Felit?a took a deep breath and muttered the incantation; the magic released. Then the tiredness came. It had done that last time, too. ¡°Did I do too much again?¡± Lon had lain down and gone to sleep.


    ¡°Perhaps a little,¡± Elderaan answered. ¡°You tell me.¡±


    ¡°I feel tired, and it¡¯s only one simple spell.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll learn, Felit?a. Be patient.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t think I have very much talent. I mean, if I¡¯m so tired so quickly¡­¡±


    ¡°I suspect you have more talent than you yet realise, Felit?a. But even if you don¡¯t, it doesn¡¯t matter. The rituals and incantations we use are just guides. Remember that. You must tailor every spell to you. A good wizard learns to tweak the spell so that it achieves for him the desired result while using as little of his personal energy as possible. Now, finish your chores, and then get some rest.¡±


    ¡°Is my room finished yet?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Not yet, but soon. The builders need another day or two. Now, back to work.¡±


    Felit?a nodded, and returned to the tasks he had set her.


    * * * * *


    The streets were noisier than usual today. Quorge was a loud, busy city most days, but today didn¡¯t seem any busier than usual. For some reason, people were just speaking and yelling more loudly than Felit?a was used to. The line for the well was longer than normal, though, so maybe the streets were busier. She wasn¡¯t sure anymore. It was becoming difficult to focus, and her head was starting to hurt.


    When she had first started doing chores for Elderaan, she had jumped into it eagerly¡ªanything to please her new teacher. Then after a few months, she had started to resent having to do everything around the place, and rationalisations that he was an old man and deserved to be repaid for the lessons he gave her had little effect on those feelings. Now, nearly a year and a half after starting her training, she had just learnt to live with it. She didn¡¯t enjoy it, but she didn¡¯t resent it either. The chores simply had to be done, and she was the one who had to do them.


    An old woman pushed her way in front of her. Felit?a was about to say something, but the scowl on the woman¡¯s face made her decide otherwise. There were many people in the city who were suspicious and distrustful of Elderaan because he was a wizard. These people distrusted wizards in general, and so distrusted Felit?a, too. It didn¡¯t help that she was a Folith.


    She was definitely getting a headache. Far too much noise. Weird. The hustle and bustle of the city didn¡¯t normally affect her like this. She tried to focus on her concentration exercises, but to little avail. Perhaps she was coming down with something. She¡¯d been experiencing some stomach cramps recently.


    ¡°Wizards,¡± the old woman said. ¡°Totally untrustworthy. If you don¡¯t watch your back, they¡¯ll turn you into a toad or something worse. Why won¡¯t anyone do something? It¡¯s time innocent people got some protection.¡± The woman continued to babble.


    ¡°Please,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I don¡¯t mean you any harm. Even if I did, I couldn¡¯t possibly¡ª¡±


    She stopped as the old woman turned to glare at her. Her mouth wasn¡¯t moving, but she was still babbling. At least, Felit?a could hear someone babbling¡ªor was it many people? The pain in her head increased. Everyone was yelling at her, or at each other, or, or¡­


    The sound was deafening. It was like everyone had suddenly directed all their personal conversations at her.


    ¡°This line¡¯s moving too slowly. Father will be angry with me if I don¡¯t get back soon.¡±


    ¡°Ha! What a fool! This little trinket is worth five times what he just sold it to me for.¡±


    ¡°I know that statuette is worth much more than what he gave me, but it doesn¡¯t matter. I now have enough money to pay my lease on the store. I won¡¯t lose the business after all!¡±


    ¡°What a beautiful day!¡±


    ¡°I wonder what Mommy would do if I threw my frog at her.¡±


    Dizziness washed over her, and she stumbled about, trying not to fall, hands over her ears, trying to block the sound. People were staring at her, some angrily, some with concern. But they were all blurry. No, it was just the pain messing her vision. She hoped. ¡°Please stop! Stop sending me your thoughts!¡±


    Thoughts? How could she be hearing thoughts? She fell to her knees and screamed. The world around her became a jumble of disconnected sights and sounds...and thoughts. Is she all right? Where am I? Someone get some help! Does it really matter? Who is she? She¡¯s that Folith girl who¡¯s apprenticed to that wizard. It matters. The poor girl. It¡¯s what you get for fooling around with powers not meant for mortal hands. She is here with us. Maybe the wizard will know what to do. The most beautiful woman. Damn wizards! She is powerful indeed if she can see us in this place.

 Chapter 1: Felit?a (Part 5)

    Felit?a gasped and woke up, her head pounding. Something had happened at the well¡ªsomething at the edge of her memory. She tried to concentrate on what it was, but her head hurt too much. Slowly the pain subsided, but the memory was gone.


    She was lying in her bedroom at the back of Elderaan¡¯s Mystic Palace. Sitting up, she looked around, spotting Elderaan sitting in the room with her, dozing. Felit?a could feel something...in her head, like... Thoughts, like at the well. But no, it was different. Not as intense. Not clear. But she could sense something. This concerned her. No wait. It wasn¡¯t her concern. Was it? This was confusing. Nothing like this had ever happened before. Now she really was concerned, but there were also now two completely separate feelings of concern in her head and one wasn¡¯t her own. What was going on?


    ¡°Elderaan?¡± she said.


    He snapped out of his half-asleep state and looked up. ¡°Ah, Felit?a, my child. You¡¯re awake at last. They brought you here after you collapsed by the well. I wasn¡¯t sure what to do, but I figure letting you rest would help. I never realised that this could be so severe; otherwise, I¡¯d have been more prepared for it. This really is the sort of thing you need a mother-figure around for. Not some doddering old man. Maybe I should have asked for Ezmelda¡¯s help or any of the women at the Hall of Knowledge. Hell, even Angelida. Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she replied. Did he know what was happening to her? What did he mean by mother-figure or getting Ezmelda? ¡°I feel strange. I heard things.¡± That feeling of concern that wasn¡¯t her own had changed to worry and near panic. It almost made her want to panic too.


    ¡°Heard things?¡± Elderaan said. ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°Thoughts, I think,¡± she said. His eyes widened. ¡°By the well, I could hear everyone¡¯s thoughts. At first, I thought they were just voices. There were so many of them and they were so loud. But it¡¯s calmed down now. And there was something else.¡± The panicked feeling began to fade as a sense of intrigue and curiosity rose. These still weren¡¯t her feelings, though. Were they somehow Elderaan¡¯s? She really wanted to panic now.


    Elderaan nodded and remained quiet for a moment. ¡°Hmm,¡± he finally said. ¡°You never cease to amaze me, Felit?a. You¡¯re thirteen now. That would be about the right age, maybe even a little late. And with the blood on your clothes...Well, I never would have expected this in a hundred years.¡±


    ¡°The right age for what?¡± she asked. The alien panicked feeling was completely gone, now replaced by wonder and delight.


    ¡°Puberty.¡± He stood up and began to pace around the room, all the while muttering, ¡°Remarkable.¡±


    This was not what Felit?a had understood puberty to be like. ¡°Is this normal?¡±


    Elderaan chuckled. ¡°Oh, dear me, no. Not for the average person at any rate. These abilities, when they occur, usually manifest themselves during puberty. Truly remarkable. The odds of all this¡ªwell, I don¡¯t know what the odds are. You¡¯re absolutely certain that you could hear people¡¯s thoughts? You weren¡¯t just delirious? What am I thinking now? Hmm?¡±


    Felit?a concentrated for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s... It¡¯s different now.¡±


    ¡°Go on,¡± Elderaan prodded.


    The alien feelings of wonder and delight were still there, but mixed now with a bit of impatience. ¡°It¡¯s not clear,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re excited, I think. But I can tell that by looking at you. And you¡¯re impatient because I¡¯m not answering fast enough, but you¡¯re always impatient.¡± A flare of annoyance joined the outside feelings for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t hear the thoughts as clearly as I could at the well. It¡¯s more like just feelings now.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Elderaan said. He bent over her and carefully examined her eyes. ¡°Allow me to probe your thoughts for a moment, my dear.¡± She nodded her consent, and he gently took hold of her head between his hands. ¡°Look into my eyes.¡±


    She did as she was told, and a moment later, the energy of his spell coursed through her. This was a spell she had to learn! It was probably beyond her at this point in her training, though. She could still only manage the simplest of things. Silly her! If she really was telepathic, she wouldn¡¯t need this spell!


    Elderaan let go of her a few seconds later, but the feel of the spell lingered for a little while. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say for certain why you heard more at the well, Felit?a. I¡¯ve never actually met a telepath before. However, from what I understand, the initial manifestation of telepathic abilities is often much stronger than the abilities end up. I would say that while you were asleep, your abilities had a chance to settle to the level at which they might remain.¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯m only partially telepathic then?¡± That was a disappointment. Or, remembering the headache, maybe it was a relief.


    ¡°Empathic possibly,¡± the old wizard said. ¡°It is also possible that they might increase again with time, as you get older and learn to use them. Whatever the case, it still doesn¡¯t change how remarkable the whole situation is.¡±


    Felit?a lay back down. She was tired and needed time to think about what was happening to her. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to try to get some more sleep.¡±


    Elderaan nodded and headed to the door, but stopped. ¡°One last thing. The final decision is, of course, up to you, Felit?a. However, I would advise that you tell only those you trust most about this.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Why?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Well, I was saying how remarkable it all is. Others will think so, too. Telepathy is extremely rare. Even amongst the Isyar, only one in five hundred is a telepath; amongst Humans, it¡¯s more like one in five hundred thousand. In addition to that, you had the opportunity to begin studying magic before your telepathic powers manifested. Now, it¡¯s not unusual for a telepath to start studying magic after their powers have manifested; the added recognition that comes from being telepathic ensures this. But normally, it is very difficult to gain a teacher in magic. Few have the opportunity for that before their powers appear. Finally, of the three disciplines of magic still known to humans, mentalism is the most suitable for a telepath. And you just happened to find a teacher in mentalism without even knowing you were telepathic.


    ¡°Felit?a, you have beaten a great number of difficult odds to get where you are now. Others out there would also be aware of this, some of them¡ªDarkers and worse¡ªless than scrupulous. They would want to study you, to learn how you came to be how you are. They would use all the powers at their disposal to do this. You would be treated as nothing more than a test subject, no better than the rats I sell in the store. Do not advertise your abilities to the world. Keep them to yourself and your closest friends. No others. At least, not until you have the strength to defend yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I will remember that.¡±


    ¡°Now, get some sleep,¡± Elderaan said and left the room. Shortly after, the extra feelings in her head faded away and were gone.


    Fears¡ªher own fears¡ªof what Elderaan had told her kept her awake awhile. She did not want to become a test subject. Would these people do that even to a princess of the realm? That was, if they even realised she was a princess? Of course, she had thrown away her birthright¡ªsomething for which she had no regrets, mind¡ªso she could hardly rely on it. Eventually, the exhaustion she was still feeling overtook the fear, and she fell asleep.


    * * * * *


    A sudden pain, like that of a pinch, came from her elbow, but Felit?a ignored it. It was followed quickly by another one at her ankle. She ignored that too. Four Elderaans sat at the dinner table, one on each side. Felit?a studied each carefully. All had the same silvery grey receding hair, the same grey eyes, the same large nose and ears.


    ¡°Peering more closely like that won¡¯t help you,¡± they all said. ¡°You should know better than that. Concentrate on your thoughts. Remember that it¡¯s your own mind that¡¯s betraying you here.¡± She felt several more pinches across her back and down her legs.


    Focusing on her exercises, she tried to clear her mind, using her own telepathic abilities to find the intrusion. A burning smell reached her nose, and she spun around to check the roast.


    ¡°Concentrate on your thoughts,¡± the Elderaans said, ¡°but don¡¯t forget about your surroundings.¡± Their noses wrinkled. ¡°You¡¯ve burnt my dinner, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Felit?a pulled the charred piece of meat from the fire and shoved it aside. She hadn¡¯t realised so much time had passed. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said, as several more pinches raced across her body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let yourself be distracted.¡±


    Right. No distractions. She had to ignore her now aching body. This time, she was going to succeed at this. Relaxing, she tried to clear her mind again, letting all her own thoughts go. Yet something remained. She could feel it there. Then, with a little mental shove, it was gone, and so were three of the Elderaans and all the pain from the non-existent pinches.


    The remaining Elderaan smiled. ¡°Good girl.¡±


    ¡°I did it!¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did. Now, maybe next time you¡¯ll be able to do it without burning dinner. In time, you should be able to do it without a second thought.¡±


    Felit?a sat down in one of the now empty chairs. ¡°I¡¯ll make you another dinner.¡±


    ¡°Of course you will. Now, tell me about the spells I used. You watched me carefully?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Good. If you were to make images of yourself the same way, how would it affect you?¡±


    Felit?a thought carefully back to what Elderaan had done, remembering his precise posture and the movements he had made. ¡°I think that if I were to cast it the same way you did, it would drain me about half way. However, if I were to lower my arms a little, I think I could make the drain negligible.¡±


    Elderaan¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Really? Negligible, eh? Show me.¡±


    Felit?a nodded eagerly and started to get up.


    ¡°But don¡¯t stand up,¡± Elderaan added.


    Felit?a sat back down. ¡°But that changes everything.¡±


    ¡°Does it now? Too difficult, is it? In that case, fetch me my pipe and then make me dinner. That will be all for today.¡±


    ¡°No, no, I can do it,¡± she said, desperately trying to re-evaluate the spell.


    Elderaan nodded for her to proceed. When she failed to do so immediately, he said, ¡°Well?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Okay, I think I¡¯m ready.¡± She cast the spell. Nothing happened.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± Elderaan said. ¡°But there¡¯s only one image, not three, and I can see by your disappointed expression, that you forgot to allow yourself to see the image as well.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± She released the spell.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Elderaan said. ¡°You did very well, given the circumstances. In time, you¡¯ll learn to improvise. How do you feel?¡±


    Felit?a thought for a moment. ¡°Not too bad. It didn¡¯t drain me much.¡±


    ¡°Open your mind to me,¡± he said. ¡°Let me feel what you feel.¡±


    She came over and knelt beside him, allowing him to take her head in his hands. The familiar feel of the magic coursed through her, and then he let go, nodding.


    ¡°Well, your concentration may still need a great deal of work, my dear, but you have certainly learnt the extent of your own abilities and how to deal with them. Do you think you¡¯re ready to cast spells on your own?¡±


    Felit?a squealed. ¡°Yes! Yes, definitely! It¡¯s been three years. I know I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Elderaan said. ¡°You no longer need my supervision to cast any spells. What do you say to that, hmm?¡±


    Felit?a hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed and his embarrassment flooded through her. ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°Now, get me my pipe and my dinner.¡±


    ¡°Right away! Thank you!¡±

 Chapter 2: Zandrue (Part 1)

    ¡°Do you believe in Volgs?¡± Drummor asked.


    Felit?a gave Drummor his change, leaned on the counter, and thought a moment. He had been blabbering on for some time, but this was the first moment he had given her a real chance to say something. ¡°There are a lot of reputable works that document their existence, so I suppose so. Why?¡±


    ¡°Agernon says it¡¯s all nonsense,¡± he replied. His thoughts were strong at the moment, and the amount of sexual attraction he was feeling towards her was making her very uncomfortable. ¡°He says they may have once existed, but if they did, they¡¯re certainly extinct by now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s possible,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s been centuries since anyone¡¯s seen one.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± he went on excitedly. ¡°The stories say they were banished to an island in the Great Ocean, never allowed to interact with the rest of the world again. But Agernon says that to survive on their own there, they would need an entirely self-sufficient economy, which would be virtually impossible when they weren¡¯t native to the island. They would need at least some assistance from the rest of the world, which the stories say they weren¡¯t allowed to get.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Okay, so what¡¯s your point?¡±


    ¡°Well, what if they did survive despite the odds? There have been no verified sightings of Volgs in centuries, sure, but there have been many stories. Think about all those stories of Volg shapechangers. Maybe they use that ability to infiltrate us and get what they need.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so.¡± Normally, this kind of debate would draw her right in, which was something she was certain Drummor was counting on. They would debate the merits of individual stories, whether or not they were reliable accounts, and so on. However, the strength of his true thoughts was just too distracting. Drummor could be a great study partner, but that was before he started to think of her they way he thought of her now. Couldn¡¯t he tell she wasn¡¯t interested?


    Drummor began to go on about the story of Zandromeda the Volg Killer, while Felit?a tried glancing around the rest of the room for anything that might take her mind off his thoughts. Elderaan was the only other person in the shop, and she could see that he was watching her. He looked amused by the whole situation. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t detect his thoughts because Drummor¡¯s drowned out everything else.


    Ever since she¡¯d developed these telepathic/empathic/whatever-they-were abilities, they¡¯d defied her every attempt to learn to control them. There was nobody in Quorge who had any experience with telepaths, and the supposedly vast knowledge stores of the Hall of Knowledge had proven useless¡ªsome accounts of historical telepaths, some treatises on the physiology of telepathy, some wild theories on the nature of thoughts themselves, but nothing on how to use and control the abilities. It seemed that no actual telepaths had ever bothered to sit down and write about their experiences¡ªor if they had, the Hall of Knowledge had never acquired their work.


    So Felit?a was stuck with abilities that waxed and waned unpredictably. Sometimes, she could almost hear the precise thoughts of others around her whether she wanted to or not. Other times, she got vague impressions of feelings. Sometimes, there was nothing, as if she didn¡¯t have any telepathic abilities at all. And they could be anywhere in between.


    At the moment, her abilities were having one of their flare ups. She couldn¡¯t hear Drummor¡¯s exact thoughts, but she was getting vague images with his emotions. The latest involved her and him entangled... She winced.


    Every now and then, with extreme concentration, she could block them out for a short period of time, so she tried now. It wasn¡¯t working. For a brief moment, Elderaan¡¯s amusement overpowered Drummor¡¯s lust. She thought she could hear him laughing. No wait, she could see he really was chuckling over in his corner. Figured. At least Drummor had the courtesy not to vocalize or otherwise act on his thoughts.


    The door opened and a teenage girl of maybe sixteen entered the shop. She was a Folith with shoulder-length dirty blonde hair. Felit?a watched her as she moved about the store, looking at the items on the shelves. Most of Elderaan¡¯s customers were regulars, and so Felit?a knew most of them, but she had never seen this girl before. It wasn¡¯t all that unusual to see someone new, but they were rarely this young¡ªunless they were someone¡¯s apprentice, but in that case, they were usually with their master. It was also possible she was just a casual passerby. That did happen from time to time, so Felit?a wasn¡¯t sure what drew her attention to this girl at this time. Something in the back of the jumble of feelings overpowered by Drummor¡¯s. Felit?a continued to watch her.


    ¡°So anyway,¡± Drummor said, running his fingers through his dark hair. He had noticed that she wasn¡¯t paying attention to the conversation, and she could feel how nervous he was becoming. ¡°I don¡¯t yet have a date for the New Year¡¯s celebrations next week. I thought maybe you might like to go with me. Are you listening?¡±


    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m busy,¡± Felit?a answered, still watching the girl who was looking through some recently arrived herbs from Ninifin. There was something about the girl, something familiar, like Felit?a had seen her somewhere before. Felit?a forced herself to stop staring, and turned her eyes back to Drummor.


    ¡°Oh, well, if you already have a date, it¡¯s okay,¡± Drummor said.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°It¡¯s just... Well, I¡¯ll be with Elderaan the whole time. He¡¯s got some...¡± She wracked her mind to come up with an excuse as fast as she could. ¡°Some lesson he wants to teach me. Something to do with concentration in crowds or something. You know me and my concentration problems. You¡¯d be bored.¡±


    She glanced over at Elderaan, who had gone over to see the young girl. He glanced back at Felit?a accusingly. Yes, so she¡¯d lied. What else was she supposed to do?


    ¡°Oh. Well, another time maybe,¡± Drummor said.


    ¡°Yeah, maybe,¡± she lied.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s this...¡± he started up, excitement building in him.


    ¡°Actually,¡± she interrupted, ¡°There won¡¯t be another time. Not as a date. I like you Drummor. You¡¯re about the only real friend I have in this city, but I¡¯m not interested in that. Sorry.¡±


    His excitement changed abruptly to disappointment. His head slumped. ¡°Oh, okay. Well, I...uh...¡±


    Felit?a lowered her head too. She was actually starting to feel a little sad, upset even. No. That wasn¡¯t her. Those were his feelings. Sometimes, strong feelings could fool her into thinking they were her own. ¡°Sorry,¡± she repeated.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s...that¡¯s okay. I...I should get back to Agernon. He¡¯s probably wondering where I am.¡±


    Felit?a nodded slowly. ¡°We¡¯ll...we¡¯ll talk again soon, though.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°Yeah, yeah, definitely.¡± He turned and walked slowly from the shop, looking back briefly as he reached the door.


    Elderaan finished with the girl and walked over to Felit?a, shaking his head. ¡°He really likes you, you know. He¡¯s a very nice young man. Intelligent, too. The two of you used to get along very well.¡±


    Felit?a scowled. ¡°That was before he started developing these feelings for me. You should have heard some of his thoughts. They were disgusting! Of all the times for my¡ª¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Elderaan snapped his fingers, and nodded quickly towards the blonde-haired girl, who was watching them.


    ¡°Asa, you¡¯re sixteen years old,¡± Elderaan said, continuing the conversation as if nothing had happened. ¡°You¡¯re a beautiful young woman who could have any boy she wanted. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time you began to take a little interest in the opposite sex? Hmm? It¡¯s only normal, you know.¡±


    ¡°Well, as you¡¯ve pointed out to me many times before,¡± Felit?a replied, ¡°I¡¯m not a normal person.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s certainly true,¡± Elderaan sighed.


    ¡°Besides, I have much more important things to do with my life than waste time with silly romances. I have my studies to think about.¡±


    Elderaan nodded. ¡°Oh, I know. I know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m being serious.¡±


    ¡°I know you are,¡± replied Elderaan. ¡°I figured that out ages ago. Benefit of touching your mind occasionally, I suppose. Or is it a disadvantage? Who can say? Still, can¡¯t blame an old man for trying.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad that¡¯s clear,¡± she said.


    ¡°Except it¡¯s not just that, is it?¡± Elderaan continued. ¡°You may not be interested in boys, but you do have affections. They¡¯re just directed elsewhere.¡±


    Felit?a blushed slightly and turned away. Just because she had had a stray thought here and there about Madame Ezmelda at the Hall of Knowledge. Oh, and there had been that really nice Ninifin girl a couple months back. But they were just distractions. Everyone got distracted from time to time. Getting rid of distractions and learning to concentrate was the area she had always needed to work most on, so she pushed thoughts like those aside whenever she had them.


    Just how much was Elderaan reading in her during their lessons, anyway? Thoughts like that ought to be private. She tried to focus on his feelings on the matter, but couldn¡¯t get anything clear from him. The flare up seemed to be diminishing, and over the years, Elderaan had become very good at hiding his feelings from her when he wanted to.


    ¡°I have some work to do upstairs. If you¡¯ll excuse me, I shall return shortly.¡± He leaned over to her and added in a whisper, ¡°Keep an eye on that girl. I know you won¡¯t mind doing that. She¡¯s very pretty.¡±


    ¡°Who is she?¡± Felit?a asked, also in a whisper.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. She would only say that she was just looking and didn¡¯t need any help.¡±


    ¡°Could she be someone¡¯s apprentice? A travelling wizard perhaps, who has arrived in Quorge?¡±


    Elderaan shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s no one¡¯s apprentice. That girl doesn¡¯t know a thing about magic, but she pretends otherwise, so she¡¯s not just a curious passerby. No, if you were to ask me, she¡¯s up to no good. She¡¯s watching us again. I¡¯d better go.¡± He hurried up the stairs.


    Felit?a walked over to the girl, who had moved to the rats. ¡°Can I help you?¡± Up close, she could see that the girl wasn¡¯t a Folith, like she had first thought. Although she had fair skin, it had the warmer tones more typical to Eloorin and her face was more rounded than most Foliths. It was possible she was of mixed blood. There was definitely something familiar about her, but Felit?a couldn¡¯t place it. The girl wasn¡¯t emanating any emotions. She was either very calm and totally at ease, or Felit?a¡¯s abilities had abated again.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s all right,¡± the girl replied. ¡°I¡¯m just looking.¡±


    The rats were all cowering at the back of their cages. One was even baring its teeth at the girl and hissing. The girl took a step back.


    Felit?a moved forwards between the cages and the girl. ¡°Sorry. They get a bit agitated sometimes, but not normally like this. Rats don¡¯t normally get violent unless directly threatened with no means of escape. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s up with them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± the girl said. ¡°Animals hate me.¡±


    Felit?a concentrated a moment and released a calming spell over the rats. ¡°Really?¡± She looked back at the girl. ¡°It might just be the way you approach them. Animals can be finicky. Here.¡± She unlocked the latch on the top of the cage, reached in, and lifted one of the rats out. She turned and held the rat towards the girl. ¡°This is Lon the Twelfth. Just stroke the top of his head and neck like this.¡± She demonstrated.


    The girl shook her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, I¡¯ve calmed him. He won¡¯t bite you.¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡±


    Felit?a shrugged, stroked Lon¡¯s head a bit more, then placed him back in the cage.


    ¡°The twelfth?¡± the girl said.


    Felit?a shrugged. ¡°I like to name them all. Most of them get different names, but every time we sell one of the Lons, I name the next new one Lon again. It¡¯s kind of silly really.¡±


    ¡°Gotta entertain yourself somehow,¡± the girl said. ¡°So, you work here with the old man?¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°That¡¯s Elderaan. I¡¯m his apprentice.¡±


    ¡°Lucky you.¡±


    Felit?a was pretty certain the girl was being sarcastic, but she decided to take it as a compliment. ¡°I like to think so.¡± A hint of amusement from the girl flittered into Felit?a¡¯s head.


    ¡°Did you just use magic to calm the rats?¡±


    Felit?a nodded.


    ¡°Not bad. I didn¡¯t notice.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Mentalism is subtle that way. It doesn¡¯t have the wide motions of conjuration or¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t need the lecture.¡±


    Felit?a blushed. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m Asa by the way.¡± She held out her hand to the girl.


    ¡°Oh.¡± The girl hesitated a moment before taking Felit?a¡¯s hand. ¡°Zandrue.¡± She gave only the briefest of handshakes before turning away and looking around the shop again.


    Felit?a followed after her. ¡°Zandrue? As in...?¡±


    ¡°Zandromeda the Volg Killer, yeah. So my mom liked fairy tales. Quite the place you and the old man have.¡± She passed by the sales counter, glancing at the ledger book.


    ¡°Yeah, I suppose.¡± Drummor had been talking about the Volg Killer when the girl arrived. Had she just grabbed a name she¡¯d heard mentioned moments before? Maybe she was up to no good like Elderaan had suggested. Still, Felit?a couldn¡¯t shake the thought there was something familiar about the girl. A hint of a memory or something that she couldn¡¯t quite place. More like a memory of a memory.


    ¡°You okay?¡± the girl asked.


    ¡°Huh? Oh, sorry. I just zoned out for a moment there. Elderaan¡¯s always going on about my concentration skills. This might sound a little weird, but do I know you?¡±


    The girl looked at Felit?a. She had large blue eyes and a wide smile. ¡°No, don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°You just seem really familiar, that¡¯s all.¡±


    The girl shrugged. ¡°Maybe we passed each other in the streets. I¡¯ve been here a couple weeks.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Felit?a said, knowing that wasn¡¯t it. ¡°You¡¯re new in town? What brings you to Quorge?¡±


    ¡°Just passing through.¡±


    ¡°Will you be here for the solstice and New Year¡¯s celebrations next week? We could get together. I could show you around. The festivities are always impressive and a lot of fun.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I have to move on by then.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Felit?a could sense more amusement from the girl, though she couldn¡¯t tell what amused her. Had the girl overheard her turn down Drummor?


    ¡°Well, I better get going,¡± the girl said, having made a complete circuit around the showroom. ¡°It¡¯s been nice meeting you, Asa. Maybe we¡¯ll bump into each other again sometime.¡± She didn¡¯t give Felit?a a chance to respond, just opened the door and ducked out.


    Felit?a sighed and went back over to her chair behind the sales counter. That had not gone the way she¡¯d hoped. Though if the girl really was up to no good, maybe that was for the best. Besides, she didn¡¯t need the distraction from her studies anyway. She pulled out a book to study from, but found she couldn¡¯t focus at the moment. Her thoughts continued to linger on the girl, Zandrue, and on that hint of a memory that wouldn¡¯t piece together.

 Chapter 2: Zandrue (Part 2)

    Feelings passed through Felit?a¡¯s mind: anticipation, excitement. A few others as well, but those two were the strongest. She glanced around, but there was no sign of the source. The streets were completely deserted apart from small clouds of snow stirred up by the bitter wind. The sounds of the New Year¡¯s celebrations were just audible here, so far from the city centre. Beyond that, there was no sign of life.


    Imagination, she told herself. But she knew it wasn¡¯t.


    She picked up her pace. Elderaan¡¯s shop was just ahead. She pulled out the key, rounded the corner and froze. There was someone leaning against the door, rubbing his hands to keep warm in the chill air. He looked up. The details of his face were obscured in the shadows of the night, but she could tell he was looking directly at her. And his feelings¡­oh gods, his feelings. She¡¯d never felt anything like them before. Some hints of anger, a desire for violence, but others as well that were completely alien to her. He moved towards her, and moonlight illuminated his face, his smile, and the razor-sharp teeth within.


    Felit?a turned around to run, but collided with a huge man standing in her way. He grabbed her wrist and wrenched the shop key from her. She screamed as loudly as she could before he took hold of her, spun her around and clasped his hand over her mouth. She bit him as hard as she could, but he didn¡¯t let go. ¡°Bitch,¡± he growled.


    ¡°Get her inside,¡± another man¡¯s voice said. ¡°That scream might draw the watch. We need to be quick.¡±


    Felit?a began moving her finger in the prescribed pattern. She could feel magical energy moving through her, but she couldn¡¯t concentrate on it. Fear enveloped her and the spell fizzled away.


    The man holding her shoved her forward until they were standing in front of the shop door. He unlocked the door, opened it, and pushed her inside. Felit?a spun around and tried to gather her thoughts, but the magic wouldn¡¯t come.


    The man gave her another push and chuckled. With his six-foot height, she thought he must be a Folith, but as a second man came in behind him holding a lantern, she saw that he had the darker skin and wider build of an Eloorin. His head was shaved entirely bald and his nose was crooked. The man with the lantern was on the short side¡ªvery small when compared with the bald man¡ªbut beyond that, she could make out little about his features. He was wrapped in a silk cloak, and the way he held his lantern meant that no light was penetrating the darkness of his hood.


    The man with the teeth came into the shop followed by two more men, the last remaining in the open doorway, keeping watch on the outside. What did they want with her? Anticipation was the overwhelming sense Felit?a got from all of them¡ªthat and the feelings from the sharpened-teeth man, but she refused to think about those.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Quilla?¡± It was the man in the cloak who spoke. He placed the lantern down on the display table nearest the door.


    ¡°Who?¡± Felit?a replied, her voice shaking. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The man with the sharpened teeth grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head back. She screamed¡ªnot so much from the pain as from his feelings as they flooded into her. His gruesome laugh sounded of insanity. Was that what she was feeling from him? Felit?a fought back the tears. The man let her go, laughing some more.


    ¡°When I ask a question,¡± the man in the cloak said, pulling back his hood, ¡°I expect an answer.¡± He was young, maybe in his early twenties, and the only one of the men who seemed to have heard of bathing. ¡°I¡¯ll ask again. Where is Quilla?¡± His dark blonde hair was straight, his bangs hanging straight down, covering his forehead to just above his eyebrows. He stood in front of her now, gazing intently at her, cold blue eyes studying her. Despite being shorter than her, his look managed to make her feel small. Anticipation and excitement flooded from him. And hatred.


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you¡¯re talking about.¡± She tried to wipe the tears from her face, but the man with the teeth grabbed her arm as she moved it. The short man¡¯s slap sent her reeling. Her arm twisted in the pointed-toothed man¡¯s grip.


    ¡°I will only ask once more. The time of birth grows near. I must find her! I will have the child! Now where is she?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Felit?a sobbed. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she really doesn¡¯t know,¡± the bald man said.


    The short man rounded angrily on him. ¡°She knows. She has to know.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s the wrong one,¡± one of the other men said. He was an Eloorin with greasy black hair. ¡°Maybe you got it wrong, Dyle. Maybe you¡¯ve led us all on a wild goose chase. The Dusk Supreme will not be pleased. Looks to me like Aylor will get to be his successor now.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Dogbar, you fool,¡± the bald man snapped. ¡°You speak too much.¡±


    The short man¡ªDyle¡ªgrabbed her by the back of her neck, those cold blue eyes raging. ¡°This is her! I know it is.¡± The calm and self-possession with which he had addressed her earlier was gone. She thought that she could get a slight sense of fear from him now, but she wasn¡¯t sure. There were too many emotions coming through. She tried desperately to remember her concentration exercises.


    ¡°Tell me where she is and I¡¯ll let you die quickly,¡± Dyle said. ¡°If not, I¡¯ll give you to Vellon here.¡±


    The man with the teeth laughed again. This time she saw what made his pointed-tooth grin all the more horrifying. No tongue. Gods! Who were these people?


    There was a sound from the man in the doorway¡ªlike a horrid mix of cough and gurgle¡ªfollowed by a spray of blood across Felit?a¡¯s face, and then a thud near her. The man fell to the ground twitching. An arrow had ripped right through his neck and lodged into a shelf. Felit?a held back a scream.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Dyle yelled, letting go of Felit?a and wiping away the blood that had sprayed over his own face.


    ¡°It must be the watch!¡± Dogbar yelled.


    The tall bald man moved beside the door. ¡°It¡¯s that fucking girl from last week!¡± He slammed the door shut. There was a thud as another arrow hit it.


    Felit?a knew that this momentary distraction was the only chance she was likely to get. She focused on her head, trying to push her fear and all the other jumbled emotions to the side. It was a huge effort, but they obeyed her. She flexed her fingers slightly, following the prescribed pattern, adjusting it to fit her condition and circumstances. She took a few cautious steps to the side. None of them noticed.


    Dyle slammed his fist on a shelf in anger. ¡°Sam, kill her! Vellon, you get the Will-Breaker. Then we make a run for it before the watch gets here.¡±


    While the bald man edged the door open, keeping it between him and whoever was firing the arrows, the man with the sharpened teeth lunged at Felit?a and passed right through the false image she had created in their minds. As he stumbled and tried to regain his balance, she kicked him in the stomach with as much strength as she could muster. He doubled over.


    ¡°Clever,¡± Dyle said, and rounded on her¡ªdirectly towards where she was really standing, not the image of her.


    When she¡¯d kicked the man with the sharpened teeth, she had lost concentration on the spell. Stupid! So stupid!


    Dyle pulled a knife and lunged at her. Felit?a instinctively raised her arms to protect herself and gasped as the blade cut along the back of her left hand. Somehow, she managed to grab his wrist with her other hand and tried to force the knife from him. He roared and fought back.


    ¡°The watch is coming!¡± Dogbar cried. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here!¡±


    Dyle might not have been a large man, but he was certainly stronger than Felit?a. He pushed her arms back, brought the knife closer to her. She stumbled. Her grip on his wrist slipped a little. Yet she held on and managed to regain her footing. Finally, she brought her knee up to kick him in the groin. He doubled over. She wrenched the knife from his hand and pulled it away. He yelled in pain and looked up. A long gash dripped red down the right side of his face.


    Felit?a backed away. Pointing the knife at Dyle, she looked around the rest of the shop. His associates had taken off, presumably from fear of the watch. He seemed to be just realising this, too. He glared at her for a moment longer, then turned and ran through the open door of the shop¡ªstraight into a City Watchman, who grabbed his arm and shoved him aside, straight into the arms of another guard.


    Felit?a dropped the knife and fell to her knees, gasping for breath. Tears were forming in her eyes.


    The first watchman stepped into the shop, stamping his feet to free his boots of snow. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± He looked in distaste at the body on the floor.


    Felit?a looked up at him. ¡°They... they attacked me. I... I don¡¯t know why.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    The watchman turned his head away from the body and gazed about. He stroked his greying beard. ¡°You¡¯re that Folith girl who works for that Eloorin fraud, right?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a wizard,¡± she told him, pulling herself back to her feet again. ¡°He¡¯s not a fraud.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± the guard said. ¡°My apologies.¡± He didn¡¯t sound as if he meant it. ¡°You say these people attacked you. Do you know why?¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°No. Not really. Though they seemed to think I knew where they could find someone else they were looking for. A woman. Named Quilla, I think.¡±


    Another watchman entered the shop. ¡°We¡¯ve rounded up five of them, Captain.¡±


    ¡°And the dead man here makes six.¡± The captain turned to Felit?a. ¡°Were there any more?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I only saw five, I think.¡± Everything did seem hazy though. Maybe there had been another outside.


    ¡°Thank you, Rios,¡± the captain said, nodding to the other watchman. ¡°We¡¯ll join you shortly.¡±


    The second watchman nodded and left the shop again. The captain turned back to Felit?a. ¡°So, a young girl like you holding your own against six assailants. Quite impressive. Did you kill this one?¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. The one firing arrows! The bald man had mentioned a girl. What had happened to her? ¡°Someone was trying to help me, I think,¡± she said. ¡°Someone was firing arrows.¡±


    The watchman walked over to the shelf where the arrow had lodged itself. ¡°So I see.¡± He pulled the arrow free. ¡°Come with me.¡±


    He led her outside, where several watchmen had five people lined up on the street, their hands tied behind their backs. Four of them were the men who had attacked her. Dyle¡¯s face still dripped blood. The tall bald man had acquired a shoulder wound at some point. At the far end of the line, however, a teenage girl stood staring at the guards with venom in her eyes. It was Zandrue.


    ¡°Were these your assailants?¡± the captain asked her.


    ¡°The men were,¡± Felit?a answered. ¡°Not her, though. But when someone started shooting arrows at them, one of the men mentioned seeing a girl. I think she was trying to help me.¡±


    ¡°I was!¡± Zandrue spoke up.


    ¡°Do you know her or any of the others?¡± the captain asked.


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°Not the men. Though I have seen her in the shop before. She came in last week. We talked a bit.¡±


    ¡°She was armed with this, sir,¡± Rios said, holding up a longbow. ¡°And a quiver of arrows.¡±


    The captain walked up to the girl, and Felit?a hurried after him. ¡°It¡¯s illegal to fire a bow and arrow on the streets of Quorge,¡± he said to the girl, ¡°as I believe I¡¯ve warned you of before.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, I bet it¡¯s also illegal to attack helpless girls in the middle of the night. I was trying to help.¡± There was intense anger emanating from Zandrue, but also a hint of hope.


    ¡°Tell me what happened,¡± the captain said.


    Zandrue sighed. ¡°I was nearby. I heard a scream. I came to investigate and saw these men attacking that girl, so I tried to help out. Yes, I fired arrows at them. What else was I supposed to do? There¡¯s no way I could take on someone like him in hand-to-hand.¡± She nodded towards the tall, bald man.


    ¡°She¡¯s just trying to get out of her punishment,¡± the bald man spat. ¡°She was our back-up on the street. Her job was to shoot down the girl if she got away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fucking lie!¡± Zandrue snapped back.


    The watch captain held up his hand for silence. ¡°Did you kill the man in the shop?¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°I wasn¡¯t close enough to see for sure, but if he was killed by an arrow then it was probably me.¡±


    The captain turned to the bald man. ¡°If she was your back-up, why¡¯d she kill one of your own?¡±


    The bald man shrugged, but Dyle spoke up. ¡°Apparently she has lousy eyesight. She must have thought he was the girl. I won¡¯t be hiring her again, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°Why you fucking...¡± Zandrue began and started to move towards Dyle. One of the Watch grabbed her shoulder to hold her back. She turned to look at the captain. ¡°Look Almais, you have to believe me. I wasn¡¯t working for these men. I was trying to help her!¡±


    ¡°What were you doing in the area?¡± the captain asked. ¡°Most people are at the festival tonight.¡±


    ¡°I was bored. I left early.¡±


    ¡°Really? Somehow I doubt that. This young lady says you¡¯ve been in her shop before. Is this true?¡±


    Zandrue nodded.


    ¡°Did you buy anything?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Did you see anything you wanted to take?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    The captain sighed. ¡°I think you know what I¡¯m implying.¡±


    ¡°Okay, look,¡± the girl said. ¡°Almais, you know me. Yes, I¡¯ve stolen a few things before, but I don¡¯t work for thugs like these. I don¡¯t attack innocent people.¡±


    Almais sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right. You don¡¯t. But I have to arrest you anyway.¡±


    Both the bald man and the man with sharpened teeth laughed.


    ¡°What the hell for?¡± Fear was starting to overshadow Zandrue¡¯s anger. That made sense, yet there was something odd about it too. Felit?a couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it, but she got the sense that Zandrue wasn¡¯t so much afraid of the Watch or the four men, but something else.


    ¡°On what charge, Captain?¡± Felit?a interjected. ¡°She was trying to help me, after all. Killing that man was an act of defence.¡±


    ¡°On suspicion of robbery,¡± Almais replied. ¡°She was either about to rob your shop or had already done it when those men attacked you. That¡¯s why she was nearby.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t arrest me for something I might have been considering doing,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°And when we search your belongings, what will we find?¡± Almais asked her. ¡°Items from the store, perhaps? Items you claim you never bought? Shall I have your belongings brought forward?¡±


    All four of Felit?a¡¯s attackers were chuckling now. She could sense contempt and hatred for Zandrue coming from all of them, along with amusement over her predicament. Felit?a had no idea what had previously happened between them and the girl, but after what they had just done to her, she wasn¡¯t about to give them any satisfaction.


    ¡°Captain,¡± Felit?a said, ¡°if there¡¯s anything in her belongings from the store, I hereby give them to her. Therefore she hasn¡¯t stolen them.¡±


    Zandrue smiled, and her fear diminished a little.


    ¡°I had a feeling you might say that,¡± Almais replied, ¡°but you¡¯re not actually the owner of the shop, are you? What will he say about this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him.¡±


    Captain Almais shrugged. ¡°I understand your desire to help the girl out. She may have saved your life. But I warn you: she may not be a killer, but she¡¯s not to be trusted.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make that decision for myself, Captain,¡± Felit?a said.


    He nodded. ¡°Very well.¡± He motioned for Zandrue to turn around. He then began to undo her bonds. ¡°You¡¯re too young to take responsibility for her,¡± he told Felit?a. ¡°I¡¯m considering her the wizard¡¯s responsibility as long as she remains in the city. If he doesn¡¯t want that, he¡¯ll have to turn her over to us.¡± He finished undoing the bonds and turned to his men. ¡°Let¡¯s get these others out of here. Move!¡±


    As the watchmen began to march her attackers away, Dyle looked in Felit?a¡¯s direction. ¡°This isn¡¯t over, Will-Breaker!¡± One of the watchmen elbowed him in the back along with an order to shut up.


    Felit?a watched as they moved down the street. She didn¡¯t turn away for several minutes until the blowing snow completely hid them from sight. In the distance, the sound of New Year¡¯s revellers¡ªoblivious to everything that had happened here¡ªjust barely reached Felit?a¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Why¡¯d he call you Will-Breaker?¡± Zandrue asked.


    ¡°No idea,¡± Felit?a replied. It was a good question. Why had he? And who had he been looking for? ¡°Your name¡¯s not Quilla by any chance, is it?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s Zandrue. I told you that. Who¡¯s Quilla?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The person they were looking for, apparently.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not me.¡±


    ¡°It was a long shot,¡± Felit?a said, thinking back to what had just happened. The image of sharpened teeth stood prominently in her mind. And Dyle¡¯s final words. This isn¡¯t over.


    Emotions started to well up in her, dizzyingly strong. Fear. Panic. Sadness. She lowered her head to stare at the ground, hoping for stability amid the strange sense of motion she was experiencing. She could feel the blood on her face, and the pain on the back of her hand was getting worse.


    ¡°Well, I better get going,¡± Zandrue went on. ¡°I¡¯ll leave town. I don¡¯t want to put any pressure on the old guy. Thanks for what you did. I appreciate it. I¡¯ll put back the...¡± She trailed off.


    Gods, Zandrue was an emotional one! Felit?a wanted to say something to calm Zandrue down, but realised they weren¡¯t Zandrue¡¯s emotions at all. They were her own. Gods, those sharpened teeth! She could have died. Who were they?


    She felt Zandrue¡¯s arms catch her. She hadn¡¯t even noticed herself start to fall. ¡°You¡¯ve never been in a fight for your life before, have you?¡±


    Felit?a started to cry. She tried to hold back the tears, but they just kept coming.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°You¡¯ll be okay. I¡¯ll get you inside, and watch over you until the old man gets back.¡±

 Chapter 2: Zandrue (Part 3)

    Felit?a sat in her bed while Elderaan handed her a cup of tea. Zandrue was leaning in the open doorway of the bedroom, watching them. ¡°This young lady,¡± Elderaan said, ¡°has told me what happened. Her version of it, at least. Now I¡¯d like to hear it from you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t trust me?¡± Zandrue asked.


    ¡°You stole expensive herbs from my shop! Do you have any idea how hard it was to get those in the first place? Hmm? They only grow in Ninifin, and the Ninifins don¡¯t let much past their border!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°That¡¯s why I had to get them here.¡±


    ¡°I knew there was something up with you when you were in here last week!¡±


    ¡°But I gave them back, right? I could¡¯ve taken off long before you got back, but I didn¡¯t! I stuck around to help Asa out! The least you could do is be grateful.¡±


    The anger in the room was making Felit?a¡¯s head spin. She almost dropped the cup. As it was, several drops of hot tea splashed onto her lap. ¡°Please! Stop fighting!¡±


    Elderaan turned back to Felit?a. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my dear.¡± He sat down on the edge of the bed. ¡°Please, tell me about what happened.¡±


    Felit?a told him everything that had happened¡ªas best as she could remember, at any rate. Some of the stuff towards the end was a bit hazy. ¡°If I¡¯d just kept my concentration, I could have handled it so much better. I could have kept them confused until the watch got here.¡±


    Elderaan patted her leg comfortingly. ¡°I keep telling you that your concentration needs work. Now perhaps you¡¯ll pay it more mind, hmm?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. Don¡¯t worry about it, my dear. It¡¯s not easy to maintain concentration in this sort of crisis, and it was the first time you¡¯ve ever experienced anything like it. Let us pray you never do again.¡±


    Felit?a took a sip of tea. ¡°Their leader¡ªI think he was their leader¡ªhe called me Will-Breaker. Any idea what that means?¡±


    Elderaan thought for a moment. ¡°Doesn¡¯t ring a bell. Though it might fit...¡± He trailed off and looked to Zandrue. ¡°Any ideas?¡±


    Zandrue just shrugged.


    ¡°They also mentioned something else,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°A person, I think. Not the one they were looking for. Someone else. A...¡± She wracked her mind, trying to remember. ¡°Dusk Supreme, that was it.¡±


    Elderaan frowned and stood up. ¡°Now that is familiar. This isn¡¯t good at all.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Felit?a asked. ¡°Do you know who they were?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Elderaan replied.


    ¡°They¡¯re Darkers,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Darkers?¡±


    ¡°Darkness Worshippers,¡± Elderaan said. ¡°Followers of Night. The Dusk Supreme was their leader. Queen Felit?a spent years having that organisation hunted down.¡±


    ¡°Oh right,¡± Felit?a said. She¡¯d heard a few of the stories before, but hadn¡¯t paid much attention to them. ¡°Didn¡¯t people call the Dusk Supreme the Second Dragon or something?¡±


    Elderaan nodded. ¡°He was a terrible man with incredible magical powers¡ªsupposedly granted him by Night. More likely though, he was just an extremely accomplished wizard. Much like the Dragon that way, though without armies at his command. Certainly did nothing to help the reputation of wizards, that¡¯s for sure. His trial and execution were the talk of the continent¡ªprobably the world¡ªfor ages afterwards. It was generally felt that Queen Felit?a¡¯s campaign had crippled the Darkers, possibly wiped them out entirely. However, many say they are still active, just not as organised as they once were.


    ¡°It was a long time ago, but I remember the army coming to Quorge, seeking the help of wizards here. I was young and inexperienced at the time, and not up to the job at all. My teacher went, though. He never returned.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to bring up bad memories.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, my dear,¡± Elderaan said. The feelings she was detecting from him vanished, as he gained control of himself. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. In the end, they had to get Isyar help, as I recall. The Dusk Supreme is long dead now, though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that one.¡± Zandrue came up beside him. ¡°Dusk Supreme¡¯s a title, old man. There have been others since him, and the position¡¯s opened up again. The short, blonde one is in the running, I think.¡±


    ¡°They recognised you,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Do you know them?¡±


    Elderaan glared at Zandrue, who sighed. ¡°Not well. I met them once. A week ago. I was told they might be able to help me find what I was looking for. They didn¡¯t have a clue. So I went my own way, found your shop, saw what I needed. The rest is history. I didn¡¯t know they were Darkers.¡±


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t bother to mention this before?¡± Elderaan said.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t seem relevant.¡±


    ¡°Oh it didn¡¯t, did it? Seems more likely to me that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Nothing else happened between you?¡± Felit?a interrupted.


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Not really. They wanted to hire me for a couple jobs. I said no. That was it. I didn¡¯t expect to ever see them again. Certainly not here tonight.¡±


    ¡°And the herbs you stole?¡± Elderaan asked. ¡°What were they for, hmm?¡±


    ¡°Damned if I know,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I was sent to get some.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°By whom?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know. Look, I returned them. Let¡¯s leave it at that, okay?¡±


    ¡°No, it is not okay, young lady,¡± Elderaan said. ¡°I expect¡ª¡±


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s over,¡± Felit?a interrupted again. ¡°Those men have been arrested, Zandrue¡¯s returned the herbs. The rest doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡±


    Elderaan huffed.


    Felit?a drank the rest of her tea and held the cup out to Elderaan. ¡°What about you?¡± she asked Zandrue. ¡°Will you try to get the herbs somewhere else?¡±


    ¡°Too late for that,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I¡¯m practically out of time as it is.¡± That fear was rising in Zandrue again. ¡°No, I¡¯ll just...well...I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do yet, exactly.¡±


    ¡°What happens if you don¡¯t deliver the herbs?¡± Felit?a asked, shoving the cup more forcefully in Elderaan¡¯s direction. He took it with a grumble.


    Zandrue shivered. ¡°Nothing good. I¡¯ll just have to stay out of their way.¡±


    ¡°Whose way?¡± Felit?a asked, climbing out of bed.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t want to know, Asa, and there¡¯s nothing you can do to make me tell you. I¡¯m grateful to you for trying to help me, but that only goes so far.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°All right. That¡¯s fine.¡±


    Elderaan harrumphed again.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Felit?a repeated.


    ¡°I should probably get going.¡± Zandrue turned for the door, but glanced back. ¡°Thanks again.¡±


    Felit?a looked at Elderaan. ¡°We should let her stay here.¡±


    ¡°Certainly not!¡± Elderaan snapped.


    ¡°Who says I want to stay here?¡± Zandrue said, pausing in the doorway. She turned back around and motioned to Elderaan. ¡°With him?¡±


    Felit?a ignored Zandrue for the moment and said to Elderaan, ¡°The Watch captain said she was your responsibility as long as she was in the city.¡±


    ¡°Then let her leave the city,¡± Elderaan responded.


    ¡°She could be in danger!¡±


    ¡°I certainly couldn¡¯t care less. If she stays here, I¡¯ll hand her back over to the watch.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m gone,¡± Zandrue said, and strode out of the room.


    ¡°Zandrue, wait!¡± Felit?a ran after her, catching up to her by the counter in the front room. She grabbed for her arm, but Zandrue pulled away from her. ¡°We can help you!¡± Felit?a pleaded.


    ¡°No, you really can¡¯t.¡± Zandrue approached the main door and reached for the handle. She paused. ¡°If I stay here, I put you in danger. You and the old fart.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re terrified of something, Zandrue. I can feel it.¡± Zandrue¡¯s fear was making Felit?a¡¯s head spin again. She did her best to push it aside and focus on her own thoughts and feelings.


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re misinterpreting things. I¡¯m used to being on my own. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± She reached for the door handle again.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think you will. Please, let me help you. You saved my life. Let me repay that.¡±


    ¡°You already did. You stopped me being arrested. We¡¯re even.¡±


    ¡°Not in my opinion,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Not when you¡¯re still so afraid.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of anything.¡± Zandrue reached for the door again.


    ¡°Yes, you are. Zandrue, I¡¯m telepathic. I can sense your fear.¡±


    Zandrue had the door partway open. Felit?a shivered in the cold, barely able to believe she had just admitted that. Elderaan was going to kill her.


    Zandrue stopped partway through the door. A hint of curiosity emanated from her, pushing through the fear. ¡°You¡¯re out of your mind.¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°I think that¡¯s why the Darkers came for me¡ªwhy they called me Will-Breaker. They knew somehow.¡± It didn¡¯t answer everything¡ªlike who was Quilla?¡ªbut it made sense.


    Zandrue closed the door and turned to face her. ¡°Prove it. What am I thinking right now?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re curious right now.¡±


    ¡°No shit. You¡¯re going to have to be a little more specific than that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that precise,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I generally just get emotions, but the ability waxes and wanes.¡±


    Zandrue rolled her eyes. ¡°Figures. Look, Asa, why are you doing this? You don¡¯t even know me. Sure, I probably saved your life, but why would you want to put your life at risk to help me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t know you,¡± Felit?a replied. Yet she still couldn¡¯t shake that feeling of familiarity. ¡°But I do know you enough to know I don¡¯t want you to die, and that¡¯s what you¡¯re afraid will happen, isn¡¯t it? You¡¯re afraid they¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    Elderaan came up behind her.


    ¡°And if you get involved, they¡¯ll kill you, too,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Asa¡¯s already involved,¡± Elderaan said, ¡°and there are already people trying to kill her.¡±


    ¡°Completely different situation,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Maybe so, but you¡¯re involved in both,¡± Elderaan said. ¡°I don¡¯t particularly like the idea, but well... Asa¡¯s right. You should stay here. We can help each other. There¡¯s something to be said for strength in numbers, you know.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you leave,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Not when we could help you.¡±


    ¡°She means it,¡± Elderaan said. ¡°She can be ridiculously stubborn.¡±


    ¡°I learned from the best,¡± Felit?a said, smiling at him.


    ¡°Besides,¡± Elderaan went on, ¡°she¡¯s just told you one of her greatest secrets. I don¡¯t dare let you out of my sight now. No telling who you might tell it to.¡±


    ¡°Apparently, the secret¡¯s already out,¡± Zandrue said.


    Elderaan nodded. ¡°Yes, that is worrying.¡±


    Zandrue sighed and a wave of relaxation emanated from her. The fear was still there, but it was much more in the background, replaced by a calmness interspersed with some disbelief. ¡°I¡¯m going to regret this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll stay?¡±


    ¡°For now, I suppose. But I don¡¯t like staying in one spot for too long. Don¡¯t be surprised if you wake up one morning and I¡¯m gone.¡± She strode past Felit?a and Elderaan and over to the door to the back. ¡°I suppose I should get to know this place better. Where do I sleep?¡± She disappeared into the back.


    Felit?a started to follow her, but Elderaan put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t like this, but I¡¯m letting you have your way because the Darkers concern me more than she does.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°But know this. The Watch may have made her my responsibility, but I¡¯m making her yours. Don¡¯t make me regret this. And more importantly, don¡¯t let her lead you astray. I don¡¯t want to be bailing you out of the city jail.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°And thank you.¡± She hugged him. He merely harrumphed.


    Zandrue poked her head through the door again. ¡°Asa and I don¡¯t have to share a room, do we?¡±


    ¡°I am a man of simple means,¡± Elderaan replied. ¡°I can hardly be expected to have spare rooms waiting for any old vagabond to take.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll make do.¡±


    ¡°You watch your language!¡± Elderaan snapped.


    ¡°Fuck that.¡± Zandrue laughed and disappeared behind the door again.

 Chapter 2: Zandrue (Part 4)

    Zandrue tossed her bag at the foot of the bed. ¡°It¡¯s not very big.¡±


    ¡°Elderaan said any new supplies for you are my responsibility,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have enough money to get you a bed. We¡¯ll have to share for now.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll make do. Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t need a lot of space, and I only occasionally kick in my sleep.¡±


    Felit?a laughed and sat down on the bed. ¡°That was a joke, right?¡±


    Zandrue didn¡¯t answer, just smirked, and went over to the wardrobe. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll share this too. Good thing I don¡¯t have much.¡±


    ¡°I like to travel light,¡± Zandrue had said earlier. They had gone to pick up her belongings at the inn she had been staying at, and Felit?a had been surprised by how little she had.


    ¡°Do you do a lot of travelling?¡± Felit?a had asked at the time.


    ¡°You could say that.¡±


    ¡°By yourself?¡±


    ¡°Usually.¡±


    ¡°For how long?¡±


    ¡°Years and years.¡±


    ¡°How old are you?¡±


    ¡°Seventeen. Yeah, I started young.¡±


    Felit?a had tried to question Zandrue more about her past, but Zandrue had remained evasive.


    Zandrue was now at the wardrobe and opened it. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll each take one side.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Felit?a replied. ¡°I was thinking, once you¡¯re unpacked, I could show you down by the lake. I know a really good place for walking. I go there from time to time to clear my head and practice my concentration. It¡¯s not as good in the winter, of course, but...well...I thought it might be a good place to go together. Not many other people go there, so it¡¯s private and...¡±


    Zandrue looked over at her, an eyebrow raised. ¡°Yeah, sure. Maybe we¡¯ll go there sometime.¡±


    Felit?a smiled.


    ¡°Uh, Asa...¡± Zandrue indicated the wardrobe. ¡°Did you know you have a sword in here?¡±


    Felit?a put a hand to her mouth. She had forgotten that was there. She had left it leaning in the corner so long ago, and barely paid it any mind these days.


    Zandrue reached in and pulled the sword out, turning it in her hand, testing the balance. ¡°Shit! This isn¡¯t just any sword.¡±


    Felit?a gulped and tried to figure out what to say.


    ¡°Asa, you¡¯ve got some major explaining to do.¡± Zandrue was examining the hilt. ¡°This is a royal sword, the kind Princess Gabriella or Annai might use. Or...¡± She lowered the sword and looked over, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, at Felit?a.


    ¡°Well...¡± Felit?a said. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a long story.¡±


    The sword had been a mistake.


    All she had wanted for as long as she could remember was to be a wizard, but her mother arranged for her to be trained for the priesthood instead. She tried that for two years before she finally decided she¡¯d had enough and she should just run away. Ardon caught her on her first attempt, but she convinced him not to tell her family. Over the next couple months, she gradually convinced him to help her. He arranged for a ship to take her from Arnor City and a merchant caravan to pick her up in Porthaven and help her reach Quorge¡ªthe City of Wizards, Ardon called it, the perfect place for her to be.


    The prospect of travelling across the continent excited her, but it also terrified her. She didn¡¯t know what to expect. She had never experienced anything beyond Arnor City, and little of the city beyond the Palace and the Cathedral of the Gods. All she knew were the few stories Ardon or her father told her and what she could find in books¡ªbut these things were mostly tales of adventure. She had come to think of travel as danger-fraught, with bandits, goblins, Volgs, and other monstrosities waiting around every bend of the road and over every hill.


    So she brought the sword with her. She wasn¡¯t sure now just what she had been thinking. The sword had been a gift for her tenth birthday just a few months earlier. It was tradition to give all royal children their first sword at this time as a sign that they would soon begin training. Of course, they weren¡¯t expected to be able to use the swords yet. These were the swords they would one day wear once they were fully grown and fully trained.


    Felit?a knew she would be completely unable to defend herself with it, so just why she had dragged it along, she couldn¡¯t now say other than it had seemed like a good idea at the time.


    Once it was clear that the reality of travel was less exciting than the stories would have one believe, she had entertained idea of selling the sword, but when she told Emund, the senior merchant, her plans, he absolutely forbade it. It would be too easily recognised, he said. She had put up a bit of a fuss at the time that she was now quite embarrassed by, but Emund had been absolutely right. So she kept it hidden the entire time she travelled with the caravan, as Emund was the only one who knew her true identity.


    After arriving in Quorge, she had been on her own for several weeks, and several times during that period, she once again considered selling the sword. But by then, she had learnt to trust Emund in these matters, and so she still had it.


    And now Zandrue had found it. It had been bound to happen eventually. It was probably for the best it happened now.


    ¡°Go on,¡± Zandrue prompted.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve already guessed, haven¡¯t you?¡± Felit?a said.


    Zandrue didn¡¯t reply right away, but the feelings of astonishment radiating from her pretty much confirmed the answer. She came over to the bed and sat down beside Felit?a, placing the sword down on her other side. She leaned in close to Felit?a, her face almost touching Felit?a¡¯s, her deep blue eyes staring into Felit?a¡¯s. For a moment, Felit?a thought Zandrue was going to kiss her, and her heart rate quickened. But Zandrue only sniffed a couple times, then sat back again. ¡°You¡¯re her, aren¡¯t you? The missing princess. Either that or you killed her and took her sword. I¡¯m leaning towards the former.¡±


    Felit?a sighed. She hoped Zandrue thought it was just a sigh of resignation¡ªat having to admit her identity¡ªand not because she was disappointed at not being kissed. She looked at Zandrue and forced a smile. ¡°Hi.¡±


    Zandrue breathed out slowly. ¡°I guess that explains why you¡¯re convinced I¡¯ll be safe here. If the old man has successfully hidden you here, he must be better than I thought. So what do I call you?¡±


    ¡°Asa in public, but you can call me Felit?a in private or around Elderaan.¡±


    ¡°Anyone else know?¡±


    ¡°Agernon. He¡¯s another wizard, one of Elderaan¡¯s friends. And Drummor. He¡¯s one of my friends, and Agernon¡¯s apprentice.¡±


    ¡°The cute boy you were talking to that first day I came into the shop?¡±


    Felit?a¡¯s heart dropped. She looked away from Zandrue. ¡°That would be him.¡±


    ¡°Something between the two of you?¡±


    Felit?a glared back at her. ¡°No! He¡¯s just a friend, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I figured that. I was just teasing. He¡¯s definitely into you, though.¡±


    Felit?a groaned. ¡°I know.¡±


    Zandrue chuckled. ¡°I might have seen you turn him down last week. Told him you couldn¡¯t go with him to the festival because you had something or other to do with the old man, and then promptly asked me to go with you. Good thing he¡¯d left by then. Now you want me to go on walks in private locations by the lake. You¡¯re not very subtle.¡±


    Felit?a blushed and buried her head in her hands. She groaned.


    ¡°Look, Asa...Felit?a...whatever. I¡¯m flattered, but just friends, okay?¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°Right, sorry. I¡¯ve got my studies to think about anyway. I shouldn¡¯t let myself be distracted by things like that.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s maybe going a bit far.¡±


    They sat in awkward silence for a few moments, then Zandrue leapt to her feet.. ¡°So! This sword.¡± She picked it up, and began to swing it experimentally, slowly at first, then taking faster swings and stabs at the air. Her movements reminded Felit?a of the movements she remembered seeing her sister Gabriella and her brothers make during their practices.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°You know how to use it?¡± Felit?a asked.


    Zandrue stopped and turned back to face Felit?a. ¡°The swords I trained with were much heavier, so it feels a little weird to use. But with a little practice, I suspect it would be better suited to me than those were. Honestly, if I¡¯d had a sword like this, I would have kept up practice. I¡¯m a little jealous, actually.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s yours,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Oh no, I couldn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, really. You can have it. I can¡¯t use it, so with me, it¡¯ll just sit in that wardrobe and rust.¡±


    ¡°Thanks! I take it you don¡¯t have a scabbard?¡±


    Felit?a shook her head.


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Oh well, I can¡¯t wear it around town, anyway. Almais would run me in without hesitation and then you¡¯d be found out. So even with me, it¡¯ll spend most of its time in that wardrobe.¡±


    ¡°I do have some cloth you can wrap it in.¡±


    ¡°Great, let¡¯s wrap it up and you can show me that place by the lake. I¡¯d like to practice a little.¡±


    Felit?a jumped to her feet and went over to the wardrobe.


    Zandrue ran a finger along the edge of the sword. ¡°It¡¯s a little dull. I suppose you don¡¯t have a whet stone either, do you?¡±


    Felit?a wasn¡¯t sure what that even was, though she could guess from the context. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Just one more thing to add to the shopping list then,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Does it have a name?¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°Should it? I always thought it was really silly that Garet named his sword. I think my other siblings might have named theirs too, but they didn¡¯t advertise it the way he did.¡±


    ¡°Just something to think about,¡± Zandrue said.


    Felit?a took out the cloth she had originally wrapped the sword in all those years ago. She still had the ties as well. Zandrue placed the sword down on the table and Felit?a began to wrap it. ¡°Zandrue, since you know two really big secrets about me now, I don¡¯t suppose...maybe...you could...¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you, Felit?a. In fact, despite how short a time I¡¯ve known you, I probably trust you more than I¡¯ve trusted anyone. Truth is, I don¡¯t usually trust anyone at all. But I can¡¯t tell you. Please just trust me on that.¡±


    Fear flowed from Zandrue again, so Felit?a decided not to press it. ¡°Sure. Any ideas for a name?¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Beats me, I¡¯ve never named a sword before. What did Garet name his?¡±


    Felit?a finished wrapping the sword and began to tie it. ¡°Smasher.¡±


    Zandrue laughed. ¡°Smasher? For a sword? What was he doing with it?¡±


    ¡°Garet was never very bright.¡± Felit?a laughed.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s not name it that. Come on, let¡¯s get going.¡± Zandrue¡¯s fear was subsiding again, but Felit?a remained worried.


    Just what terrified her so?


    * * * * *


    ¡°Have you ever wondered what it¡¯s like inside Lord Belone¡¯s palace?¡± Zandrue asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Felit?a replied. ¡°Why would I?¡± She dropped a couple coins into Darva¡¯s bowl.


    The old beggar grinned toothlessly at her. ¡°Thank you, girl. A few more of these shiny things and I might be able to buy myself a nice pair of crutches, I might.¡± Felit?a glanced at where his missing leg should have been and melted. She threw a few more coins in the bowl.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go look at it,¡± Zandrue said.


    Darva reached feebly for his bowl and held it towards Zandrue, but she ignored him. She wasn¡¯t even looking in his direction. Drummor dropped a few coins in instead.


    ¡°Look at what?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°The palace,¡± Zandrue replied. ¡°Come on.¡± Nearby, old Aleza Laswit walked by. Her three dogs growled and barked at Zandrue, pulling on their chains. With a scowl, Zandrue headed down the street.


    Darva lowered his bowl. ¡°Never gives me squat, she don¡¯t.¡±


    Felit?a smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯ll be back to see you again soon, okay?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯s a good girl, Asa,¡± he said, pulling himself into a better position along the wall. He smiled at her. ¡°Better go catch your friends.¡±


    She looked up. Zandrue and Drummor were well ahead of her. She ran to catch up, nearly slipping on a small patch of melting ice. Spring was in the air, but there were still numerous signs of the harsh winter on the ground.


    ¡°I wonder how close we can get,¡± Zandrue said as Felit?a reached them.


    ¡°Felit?a¡¯s a Folith,¡± Drummor said. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t think anything of her walking by the gates.¡±


    ¡°Unless they recognise me as the Folith who¡¯s apprenticed to an Eloorin,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°You never go into that part of the city,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°and they never come out of it. The chances of them recognising you are basically non-existent.¡±


    ¡°But not zero,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Oh come on, let¡¯s do it.¡±


    ¡°But what about us?¡± Drummor said to Zandrue. ¡°We¡¯re Eloorin.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m half-Folith,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I can probably pass. You can pretend to be our servant.¡± Zandrue strode forwards in a mock pompous manner. ¡°All nobles have to have servants. We should get you some bags to carry or something.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks for perpetuating that idea,¡± Drummor grumbled.


    Zandrue tapped his chin. ¡°Oh come now, you get to stick your nose up at a bunch of nobles. How bad can that be?¡±


    ¡°Zandrue, this is silly,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°I may be a Folith, but I¡¯m not dressed like a noble. Neither are you. We won¡¯t fool them.¡±


    ¡°Of course we won¡¯t,¡± Zandrue agreed. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter. They¡¯ll just tell us to get lost, and we¡¯re no worse off.¡±


    ¡°But if you know you¡¯re going to fail, why bother?¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m bored. I want to see Lord Belone¡¯s palace. I¡¯ve been here for months and haven¡¯t seen it. You got something better for us to do?¡±


    ¡°Well, Elderaan¡ª¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t expecting us back for a few hours yet. Loads of time. Come on.¡± Zandrue grabbed Drummor¡¯s hand and pulled him forward into a run.


    Felit?a sighed and ran after them.


    Lord Belone¡¯s palace was located in the centre of the nobles¡¯ quarter. A plain stone wall surrounded the grounds, which covered enough area to fit most of the rest of Quorge inside. The wall was tall enough to block the view of the palace itself. Zandrue led them along the street that followed the wall¡¯s edge, occasionally waving at the guards above.


    ¡°Zandrue!¡± Felit?a said, and grabbed her arm as she tried to wave to another group of guards. ¡°You¡¯re going to get us in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Zandrue replied. ¡°For waving to guards? There¡¯s nothing illegal about that. Calm down, Felit?a. We¡¯re not doing anything wrong. We¡¯ll just go up to the gate, ask if we can go in, they¡¯ll say no, and we leave. Simple as that. Nothing wrong with asking, is there?¡± She waved to another guard.


    ¡°She has a point,¡± Drummor said.


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Felit?a said.


    Zandrue put an arm around Felit?a¡¯s shoulders. ¡°It¡¯ll be fun, and you really need more fun in your life. I mean, you just spent your seventeenth birthday practising concentration skills, that¡¯s how much you need more fun in your life. Come on, admit it. You find this strangely exciting.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± She did find it oddly exciting. Her heart was beating in anticipation. It was probably Zandrue¡¯s and Drummor¡¯s excitement influencing her own feelings. Unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t finding that a convincing argument.


    The guards above never returned Zandrue¡¯s waves, and the well-dressed Foliths they passed on the street just glared at them with cold eyes.


    ¡°Almost there,¡± Zandrue announced. ¡°Let me do the talking.¡±


    Two guards bearing the waterfowl tabard of House Belone blocked their entry to the palace gates. ¡°May we help you ladies?¡± one asked.


    ¡°Yes, my good man,¡± Zandrue said in an exaggerated, pretentious voice. ¡°We¡¯d very much like an audience with Lord Belone, please.¡±


    The guard¡¯s lips curled in amusement. ¡°Oh really? And you are?¡±


    ¡°My friend here¡ª¡± Zandrue pointed to Felit?a¡ª¡°is an aristocratic traveller interested in meeting the lord of this good land.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha,¡± the guard said. ¡°Off you go, ladies. Nice try.¡±


    Zandrue pouted. ¡°Aw, really?¡±


    ¡°On your way,¡± the guard said.


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Oh well. Catch you later!¡±


    Felit?a cringed as Zandrue walked away, holding back giggles. ¡°Sorry,¡± Felit?a said to the guards.


    ¡°Just move on,¡± one replied.


    When they were out of sight of the gates, Zandrue put one arm around Felit?a and the other around Drummor. ¡°That was so much fun. Let¡¯s do it again sometime.¡±


    A passing horse whinnied and reared back. The driver of the carriage it was pulling scrambled to get it back under control. Zandrue sighed and moved to the side of the road. The driver calmed the horse and the carriage continued on its way.


    ¡°What is it with you and animals?¡± Drummor asked.


    ¡°They hate me. Let¡¯s just get¡ªoh hell. Just what we need.¡±


    Startled, Felit?a looked to see what Zandrue was reacting to. A short distance down the street, Captain Almais and two other city watchmen were coming towards them. They must have noticed the commotion with the horse.


    ¡°Good morning, ladies,¡± Almais said as he reached them. He didn¡¯t acknowledge Drummor. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you around for a while, Zandrue. Been keeping out of trouble?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± Zandrue replied. ¡°You¡¯ve put me under the care of the world¡¯s grumpiest man. He won¡¯t let me get in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Elderaan is not that grumpy,¡± Felit?a muttered.


    Almais chuckled. ¡°Regretting your decision to take her in yet?¡±


    Felit?a shook her head immediately. ¡°No, not at all.¡±


    ¡°Very good then,¡± Almais said. ¡°We won¡¯t detain you any longer.¡±


    Zandrue needed no further encouragement and continued the way they were going. Almais and his men turned away, but Felit?a called out to him. ¡°Oh, Captain?¡±


    He stopped and looked back. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Those men who attacked me. What¡¯s become of them? I¡¯ve been trying to get news for months, and I keep getting a run-around.¡±


    ¡°Lord Belone banished them from the city,¡± Almais replied.


    Felit?a¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Banished? They¡¯re not in prison?¡±


    Almais nodded.


    ¡°But what if they come back?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, miss. My men have their descriptions. If they try to come back, they¡¯ll be caught and turned away, arrested again if they resist.¡±


    Felit?a nodded uncertainly. ¡°If you say so.¡± She couldn¡¯t imagine that it would be all that hard to sneak into the city unseen by the watch. It wasn¡¯t like Quorge was a gated city.


    ¡°I do say so,¡± Almais said. ¡°Now, on your way. Oh, might I suggest that you, Zandrue, and your other friends stay out of this part of the city? There are many here who have heard of you. They don¡¯t very much like that, not only have you tainted yourself with wizardry, but you¡¯re also apprenticed to an Eloorin. You¡¯re better off keeping your distance. Besides, if you keep to your area of town, it¡¯ll be easier for me and my men to keep an eye on you and make sure you¡¯re safe. Just in case your attackers do try to sneak back in. Would be terrible if you got harmed without us being able to find you.¡±


    Felit?a gritted her teeth. ¡°Of course, Captain.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad we understand one another.¡± With that, he turned and continued on his way.


    Felit?a watched him go. Had he just threatened her? It would be so easy to cloud his head a little, make him lose his balance, trip, and fall. A slight tilt of the head, a bending of the wrist, and the barest breath of a word. She stopped herself partway through the motions and watched as he and his men turned a corner. Zandrue would have done it.


    Zandrue put an arm around her and squeezed her comfortingly once she¡¯d rejoined the others and told them what Almais had said. ¡°Almais is such an asshole,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°But I¡¯m sure everything will be okay. Those Darkers are probably long gone.¡±


    Felit?a wasn¡¯t so sure.

 Chapter 2: Zandrue (Part 5)

    Felit?a breathed in deeply, letting the damp air fill her lungs. She kept her eyes closed, letting the darkness calm her thoughts. Then she breathed out again, maintaining the calm in her mind, emptying it of worries, desires, and the things that made her happy or excited. She pushed away the physical sensations of the rough ground, her hair against her neck as it blew in the wind, and her clothes against her skin. Only the gentle sound of waves washing up on the shore remained, but then she pushed those aside, too.


    A room formed in her mind. It was circular, about six feet in diameter. There was no roof overhead, but the plain black walls rose as far as her mind¡¯s eye could see, perhaps forever. The room was empty, just like her mind. She couldn¡¯t even see herself. She had no physical substance or appearance here.


    She breathed in again, and out.


    The room wasn¡¯t empty anymore. That wasn¡¯t right.


    Her father was there. And her younger brother Thilin. She wondered about them from time to time, how they had reacted to discovering she was gone, what they had thought of her. Cerus and Garet were there now, too, materialising as she thought of them. And Malef, Gabriella, Pastrin. Sinit?a, barely more than a baby when Felit?a had left, appeared in her father¡¯s arms. Gods, even Annai was there. At least her mother wasn¡¯t... No, there she was, too.


    Felit?a sighed, and the room in her mind crumbled away. The sound of the waves returned, and the feel of the rocks and the wind.


    She had found herself thinking a lot about her family in the months since Zandrue¡¯s arrival, though she wasn¡¯t sure why. Things were so much better with Elderaan. In the palace, she had always been bored. Nowadays, she never was¡ªwell, very rarely, at any rate, and when she was bored, it was usually for silly reasons. She was happy in Quorge with Elderaan.


    But she did find herself missing Ardon now and then. And her father and Thilin. But none of the others. She had never missed the others. And she never would.


    Was that childish of her?


    She suspected Elderaan thought so, though he had never said so. It didn¡¯t matter though. It had been six years since she had last seen her family. She had another life now. A better life.


    ¡°So, anything going to happen?¡±


    Zandrue¡¯s voice startled her. Gods, she really needed to learn better concentration. ¡°Sorry,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Just gathering my thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Zandrue replied. ¡°Just give me a moment to move then, since now you know where I am.¡±


    Felit?a kept her eyes closed and breathed in again, then out. She pushed her thoughts away and let the circular room in her mind¡¯s eye reform. The black walls rose to infinity, and this time the room was truly empty. Her own thoughts did not invade it.


    She let things stay like that for a few moments. Nothing changed.


    Then she pushed the walls out a little farther until the diameter reached about ten feet. She paused and pushed back thoughts and memories that threatened to seep through the walls.


    Something flickered to what her mind interpreted as her right. Boredom and impatience appeared by the wall. Neither really had an appearance she could describe¡ªjust a sensation¡ªbut they were there. And just a speck of worry and fear behind them. Felit?a wondered what they were doing there.


    Without opening her eyes, she raised her arm and pointed. ¡°There. About ten feet back.¡±


    Zandrue laughed from right in front of her, and the room fell apart again.


    Felit?a opened her eyes. Zandrue sat cross-legged not two feet in front of her, a grin on her face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you could have been any more wrong than that.¡± Zandrue laughed.


    Felit?a sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. You were by the wall ten feet over. I could have sworn it.¡±


    Zandrue looked to Felit?a¡¯s right with raised eyebrows. ¡°Felit?a, there isn¡¯t a wall ten feet over. The closest wall is about half a mile away.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean in my head,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I¡¯ve created this sort of room. When I clear my thoughts and focus on it, I can create it. The walls represent how far out I¡¯m currently sensing. I think. I can push the walls out or pull them back in. Sort of. It¡¯s hard to explain. I don¡¯t really understand it myself.¡±


    ¡°And you thought you saw me ten feet to your right,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Well, not really saw. More like felt. But yeah, basically. I guess.¡±


    Felit?a stood up and walked along the beach to, as best she could tell¡ªthis was more instinct than anything¡ªthe spot that roughly corresponded to where she thought she had felt Zandrue. There was nothing there but more sand and stones. ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t just move after I pointed you out?¡± She turned back to face Zandrue.


    ¡°Oh yeah, absolutely,¡± Zandrue replied. ¡°Then I ran back over here, sat down, and laughed, all in a split second. I¡¯m really that fast, don¡¯t you know.¡±


    ¡°Very funny.¡± Felit?a turned back around and gazed at the docks of Quorge in the distance. ¡°Maybe my mind just doesn¡¯t know how to interpret the information it¡¯s receiving. After all, I¡¯m not really seeing a room in my head. It¡¯s just my mind trying to visualise something that isn¡¯t actually visual.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°The distances I think I see in my head may have nothing to do with actual distances,¡± Felit?a went on, more for her own benefit than for Zandrue¡¯s. ¡°Same with directions.¡± She frowned. ¡°Of course, that just makes things a lot more difficult. How am I supposed to master this ability like that?¡±


    ¡°Beats me.¡± Zandrue came up beside her. ¡°But I¡¯d rather not sit here while you try to figure it out.¡±


    ¡°I thought you agreed that this is a relaxing place,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°It is. For talking, target practice, sword-fighting practice, you know, doing things. Not for sitting around waiting for you to do something.¡±


    ¡°You said you¡¯d help me.¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°I know. I did. And I will. I¡¯m just bored. You can¡¯t make it any more interesting?¡± She picked up a stone and threw it into the water.


    Felit?a shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t really know. There¡¯s so much I don¡¯t know about my abilities. They defy every attempt I make to learn about them.¡±


    ¡°Nothing in all those books in the Hall of Knowledge?¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°Not that I can find.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t really surprise me.¡± Zandrue picked up another stone off the ground. ¡°When we were in there the other day, I looked through a few of the books. One of them was called On the Structure of Human Hair or something like that. What the hell does anyone need a book like that for?¡± She tossed the stone into the water. The sense of worry Felit?a had detected earlier was getting stronger, now mixed with nervousness and anxiety.


    ¡°Well, for certain magical disciplines, it¡¯s good to know lots about the body.¡± That was just a guess.


    ¡°Yeah, sure. Look, let¡¯s just get on with things. Go sit down, close your eyes, and I¡¯ll find a spot.¡±


    ¡°Are you okay, Zandrue? You¡¯re on edge.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Zandrue shrugged and fiddled with the latest stone she¡¯d picked up. ¡°I¡¯m just not sure how comfortable I am with you poking around in my head.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing that,¡± Felit?a replied. ¡°That¡¯s way beyond my abilities, but I wouldn¡¯t do it if I could. I¡¯m just picking up what you send out.¡±


    Zandrue tossed the stone aside. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like the implications of that either. I don¡¯t like the idea that I¡¯m sending out thoughts to anyone with the ability to pick them up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really like that, either,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°At least, not exactly. It¡¯s complicated.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, I¡¯ve been around you for several months now and nothing bad¡¯s happened. This just kind of drew my attention to it, I guess. Anyway, why don¡¯t we continue?¡±


    Felit?a sat on the beach again. She closed her eyes and waited while she gave Zandrue a chance to pick a spot. She wasn¡¯t convinced Zandrue had been fully open about her anxieties, but getting Zandrue to talk even a little was a small victory. And Zandrue seemed calmer now; Felit?a wasn¡¯t receiving any more worry from her, at any rate. In fact, she was starting to receive some anticipation now¡ªand amusement. What was she so amused by?


    Cold water hit the top of her head and ran down her face, her ears, the back of her neck. Felit?a¡¯s eyes shot open to see Zandrue standing in front of her holding an empty but dripping sack. ¡°Sorry, couldn¡¯t resist.¡± She darted off laughing before Felit?a could react.


    Felit?a wiped her forehead and eyes, and couldn¡¯t help but laugh as well. Looked like these exercises were not going to get anywhere today. She stood up and chased after Zandrue.


    * * * * *


    ¡°Gods, I hate this place.¡±


    Felit?a smirked, but hid her face in the book she¡¯d just grabbed so Zandrue couldn¡¯t see. ¡°You say that every time we¡¯re here.¡± To be fair, the stacks of the Hall of Knowledge were not the most exciting place to be.


    Zandrue leaned her head against a shelf. ¡°That would be because it¡¯s awful. It¡¯s cold. There are no chairs. The floor is cold and hard so you can¡¯t sit comfortably on it. Gods forbid I should want to lie down.¡± She banged her head lightly against the shelf. ¡°And it¡¯s so boring! Did I mention it¡¯s cold?¡±


    Felit?a closed the book. ¡°You don¡¯t have to come with me, you know. Not anymore.¡± Elderaan had decided he trusted Zandrue enough now that she no longer had to stay in Felit?a¡¯s sight at all times.


    ¡°And what else am I supposed to do? I can¡¯t wander the city alone or Almais will have my head.¡±


    ¡°Like I believe you¡¯re not capable of avoiding Almais,¡± Felit?a said.


    Zandrue snorted and leaned against the stack. ¡°Yeah, I suppose I could do that, but that still leaves the question of what else I¡¯m supposed to do.¡±


    Felit?a held the book out. ¡°You could read this book for me.¡±


    Zandrue smirked. ¡°Are you trying to tell me I won¡¯t be bored reading that book? Because if you are, that¡¯s bullshit.¡±


    Felit?a rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Zandrue snatched the book. ¡°Meditation practices. How exciting.¡±


    Felit?a stuck her tongue out at her.


    Zandrue began flipping through the book. ¡°What am I looking for this time?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not entirely sure.¡±


    ¡°You never are. Some guidance?¡±


    ¡°I had this thought,¡± Felit?a began. ¡°The incantations we speak when we cast a spell are important, but mostly to help focus the mind, right?¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°You tell me. You¡¯re the wizard.¡±


    ¡°Well, they are. Anyway, meditation also frequently uses chants and other sounds to help you keep focus. I thought maybe I could adapt that in some way with my telepathy. Maybe it could help focus my telepathic mind somehow.¡±


    ¡°So you want me to find chants and stuff?¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°Something like that.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Okay, but if I fall asleep on page two, it¡¯s...¡± Fear shot from her and pummelled into Felit?a. Then it stopped.


    ¡°Zandrue?¡±


    Zandrue was standing still, and the book was sliding from her fingers. The fear started again, this time dull but rising.


    ¡°Zandrue, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Zandrue caught the book just before it fell, and looked at Felit?a. ¡°There you go again. Reading my mind.¡± The fear was still increasing.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You know I can¡¯t help it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re afraid again, Zandrue. The same fears you never talk about, and you probably won¡¯t talk about them now, but I just want to help. They spring up in you so suddenly with no warning. I worry about you, you know.¡±


    Zandrue turned away from her. ¡°Everyone has random thoughts, Felit?a, and sometimes they dredge up...¡± She took a deep breath.


    ¡°If you want to talk, you know I¡¯m here.¡±


    Zandrue shook her head and turned back to her. ¡°Nothing you can help with, but thanks.¡± She handed the book back to Felit?a. ¡°I need to go.¡±


    Felit?a took the book. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll see you back at the shop in a little while.¡±


    Zandrue frowned. ¡°No. You misunderstand. I¡¯m not going back to the shop. I mean, I am, but only to pick up some things. Then I have to leave.¡± Remorse and sadness had joined Zandrue¡¯s fear.


    ¡°Leave? I don¡¯t think I¡¯m following.¡±


    Zandrue wiped a tear from her eye and forced a smile. ¡°Leaving the city.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Just for a while. I know this isn¡¯t much notice. It kind of just came up. It¡¯s safer this way.¡±


    Felit?a reached for her. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. You¡¯re safe here. You¡¯ve admitted it¡¯s working. If you leave, you¡¯ll...¡±


    Zandrue pulled away from her. ¡°Trust me, it¡¯s safer. I just have to...take care of some business.¡±


    ¡°Business? What business?¡±


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t tell you.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t!¡±


    The burst of anger made Felit?a stumble.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be long,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°A week, maybe two or three. I¡¯m not really sure.¡±


    ¡°I just wish...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t push this, Felit?a. I have my reasons, okay? But I really will come back. I promise.¡±


    Felit?a gaped.


    ¡°Just trust me, please?¡±


    Felit?a quivered and nodded slowly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let Elderaan know I¡¯m going.¡±


    ¡°You might be better off not telling him,¡± Felit?a stuttered.


    ¡°No, better to face his anger now than when I get back. It¡¯d be way worse that way.¡±


    ¡°What if he stops you? He could, you know.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°He could, but I don¡¯t think he will. He might threaten, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯d go through with it.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. Zandrue was right.


    ¡°See you in a week or two.¡± Zandrue turned and headed for the stairs back up to the entry hall. She paused at the bottom and looked back. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Then she climbed the stairs and was gone.


    Felit?a slid to the floor between the two stacks, knocking over the small pile of books she¡¯d gathered. She wiped the tears from her eyes and sat there shivering in the cold.

 Chapter 2: Zandrue (Part 6)

    There was a creak, and Felit?a opened her eyes. The bedroom door was edging open. She couldn¡¯t sense any emotions, but her abilities often took awhile to wake up after she¡¯d been asleep. She tried to shake off her grogginess and prepared to cast a spell.


    There was only the faintest glow from embers in the fireplace to light the room and it cast shadows everywhere, but Felit?a recognised the profile in the door.


    ¡°Zandrue?¡± She tossed her blankets aside and leapt from the bed. ¡°Zandrue!¡± She ran over to her and threw her arms around her. ¡°Thank the gods. I was so worried you wouldn¡¯t come back.¡±


    Zandrue put her arms around her and hugged her. ¡°I told you I would.¡±


    ¡°I know, but...¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t trust me?¡± She let go of Felit?a and stepped back.


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. Elderaan didn¡¯t trust you.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised.¡±


    ¡°But I trust you. I was just worried something had happened to you. You said a week or two. It¡¯s been three!¡±


    ¡°I did say it might be three. And it¡¯s only been two weeks and six days.¡±


    Felit?a rolled her eyes, though Zandrue probably couldn¡¯t see her. She went to the fireplace, took a spill from the vase on the mantle, and held one end in the hot embers until it lit.


    ¡°I am sorry, though,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I didn¡¯t really expect it to be this long. I just...¡± She sighed.


    Felit?a lit a couple of candles, then turned to face Zandrue. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you want to tell me about what you did, where you went?¡± She blew out the spill. ¡°Sights you saw? People you met?¡±


    Zandrue smirked. ¡°There¡¯s not really anything to tell.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s why...¡±


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°Not that.¡±


    ¡°No, of course not.¡± Felit?a carried one of the candles over to the bedside table and used it to light the one there. Then she sat on the bed.


    ¡°I did miss you, though,¡± Zandrue said, walking over beside her. ¡°And Drummor, and I suppose even the old man. I¡¯ve been here a year now, and I guess I¡¯ve gotten used to you all.¡±


    Felit?a smiled. ¡°I missed you, too. I just wish...¡±


    Zandrue sat beside her. ¡°If you really do trust me, then trust that I have my reasons.¡±


    ¡°And what about me? Don¡¯t you trust me?¡±


    ¡°I do. I really do. I trust you more than anyone I¡¯ve ever known. I mean it.¡±


    ¡°Then why won¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    Zandrue leaned her head on Felit?a¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s just leave it for now, okay? Please?¡±


    Felit?a tilted her head to touch Zandrue¡¯s. ¡°Fine.¡±


    The slightest hint of relief flowed from Zandrue. ¡°So, tell me. What did I miss?¡±


    ¡°New Year¡¯s,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°How was the festival?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t go.¡±


    Zandrue pulled away from Felit?a and sat up. ¡°I hope you weren¡¯t sulking because I wasn¡¯t there.¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°No, I was just...scared. It was the one-year anniversary.¡±


    Zandrue sighed. ¡°Felit?a, those guys are long gone. We¡¯ve heard nothing of them.¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s just, there was something about them, especially their leader. And he said it wasn¡¯t over, and...¡±


    Zandrue put an arm around her.


    ¡°I started having nightmares a couple weeks ago. Almost every night up to New Year¡¯s. I haven¡¯t had one for a couple days now, so maybe they¡¯ve stopped, but I¡¯m still scared.¡±


    Zandrue hugged her tightly. ¡°I¡¯ll watch over you.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t go away again.¡±


    Zandrue¡¯s grip loosened, and fear and regret emanated from her. ¡°I can¡¯t promise that.¡±


    Felit?a pushed her away.


    ¡°In fact, I can pretty much guarantee it will happen again. Probably once or twice a year.¡±


    Felit?a stood up. ¡°Whatever.¡±


    Zandrue reached for her. ¡°Felit?a...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let Elderaan know you¡¯re back.¡± She stormed from the room.


    * * * * *


    There was no one in the showroom, so Felit?a closed her eyes. She would know as soon as anyone entered. In her head, she constructed the black walls stretching up to infinity and formed what she had just now decided to call ¡°the Room¡±. She¡¯d basically been calling it that ever since she¡¯d first formed it, so she might as well decide that was its name. Zandrue thought she should come up with something more original, but Felit?a liked the simplicity of it.


    Using the Room had done a lot for her concentration. She still had issues, but even Elderaan admitted that she¡¯d improved.


    It hadn¡¯t done much to help her understand her telepathy though. She was starting to wonder if she would ever understand that part of herself.


    A presence appeared in the Room. A customer? Possibly. Unfortunately, there was still no correlation she could recognize between a presence¡¯s location in the Room and the person¡¯s location in the real world¡ªother than somewhere in the vicinity, though even there, there wasn¡¯t a lot of consistency to the range of her abilities.


    She opened her eyes.


    It was Elderaan coming down the stairs. ¡°Sleeping on the job again, I see, hmm?¡±


    ¡°I was not asleep,¡± Felit?a said. But she knew he knew that. He was just playing with her.


    Elderaan chuckled. ¡°Have I told you how proud I am of you for developing this Room thing of yours?¡±


    She smiled. ¡°A few times, yes, but I don¡¯t mind if you tell me again.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m very proud of you. It¡¯s done wonders for your concentration.¡± He reached the bottom of the stairs and came towards her. ¡°Where¡¯s Zandrue? I have a task for her.¡±


    ¡°Off with Drummor somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Without you?¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I had to work the shop. Besides, I¡¯d just be in the way.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve got a thing going at the moment.¡± She grimaced at him. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to be there.¡±


    Elderaan chuckled. ¡°Do they now? I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. The three of you don¡¯t have much of a social circle to choose from. Though I¡¯m clearly losing track of what¡¯s happening around me. When did he stop being interested in you?¡±


    Felit?a snorted. ¡°You are out of touch. That would be a couple of years ago after I turned him down and Zandrue came into the picture. She¡¯s much more receptive to that kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°Though she did turn you down, hmm?¡±


    Felit?a blushed. ¡°Yes, but that was also ages ago. I¡¯m long over that.¡± That was true. Mostly.


    Elderaan leaned on the counter, breathing heavily. Felit?a had noticed him doing that quite a bit recently. ¡°When did this little thing between them start?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Just a couple weeks ago after she got back from her latest...trip.¡± Felit?a wasn¡¯t sure what exactly to call Zandrue¡¯s disappearances. She still wouldn¡¯t talk about them, and Felit?a had pretty much given up trying to get her to. This had been her fifth one in the three years they¡¯d known each other.


    Elderaan grunted. ¡°I swear, next time she tries to go on one of these...trips...I¡¯m going to make it clear that if she leaves, she won¡¯t be welcome back.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean that, and you know it. You miss her just as much as me when she¡¯s gone.¡±


    Elderaan harrumphed. He hadn¡¯t given up trying to get Zandrue to talk about her past. Every time she announced she was leaving for a while again, they would argue. Each time, their arguments got louder and more vehement. He¡¯d always scream at Zandrue that she wasn¡¯t welcome back.


    And he always let her back.


    ¡°What did you want her for, anyway?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing important. I just wanted her to pick up a few things from the market for me.¡±


    ¡°I can do that for you.¡±


    ¡°No, no. It can wait. You stay here, watch the shop and keep practising your concentration. You¡¯re so close now, Felit?a. You¡¯re going to be a powerful wizard.¡±


    Felit?a smiled and lowered her head to hide her blush.


    Elderaan started back for the stairs, but stopped. He turned slowly back to her. ¡°That reminds me. Have you given any thought to what you intend to do once you¡¯ve finished your training?¡±


    Felit?a kept her head down and grimaced. She didn¡¯t like to think about that. ¡°I¡¯ll keep working at the shop here with you.¡±


    ¡°Forever? What about after I¡¯m gone?¡±


    ¡°Oh, let¡¯s not talk about that. That¡¯s a long way away.¡±


    Elderaan straightened himself up. ¡°It will happen eventually, Felit?a. I¡¯m getting old.¡± Hints of impatience flickered from him.


    ¡°Yes, I know, but...¡±


    ¡°No buts! This is a serious issue that we need to discuss, and I would have thought that you knew better than to shy away from it. Now, it¡¯s clear that you need to think about it before we discuss it, so I suggest you do so promptly. I don¡¯t want to wait too long. Hopefully, I still have many years left to me, but there are never any guarantees, and it¡¯s important to me to know that you¡¯re prepared for when I¡¯m gone. I hope I¡¯ve made myself clear, yes, hmm?¡±


    Felit?a nodded hurriedly. ¡°Yes, perfectly.¡±


    ¡°Then continue your concentration practice. I intend to test you at our lesson later. We¡¯ll talk about this matter in a few days.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Very good.¡± He smiled and relaxed, slouching over slightly. With a deep breath, he turned to the stairs.


    Felit?a sat there, staring at the showroom. The Room wouldn¡¯t form in her head. Her concentration for the moment was ruined. Over the last several years, she¡¯d focused so much on becoming a wizard that she had rarely put any thought into what she was going to do after she accomplished it. The rare times she had thought about it, she hadn¡¯t spent much time before pushing the thoughts aside with the idea she could think about it ¡°another time¡±. But that time never came because she didn¡¯t want to face the fact she had absolutely no idea what she wanted.


    * * * * *


    ¡°It has been seventy-three years since this institution last conferred the status of wizard upon a Folith,¡± Madame Ezmelda announced as Felit?a knelt in front of her. ¡°May today¡¯s events be an indicator that the barriers between peoples can be breached. Asa, according to the testimony of Elderaan, Grand Master of Mentalism, you have been an exemplary student and are more than ready to receive this mantle.¡±


    Elderaan hadn¡¯t wanted this ceremony. ¡°Just more of Ezmelda¡¯s pomp and circumstance,¡± he had said. ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned, you¡¯re already a wizard and have been for at least two years. You don¡¯t need a ceremony to say that.¡± Felit?a had agreed with him, but as the date had approached, she¡¯d found herself looking forward to it, and now she was here, she was feeling quite a bit of pride and excitement.


    ¡°Over the last ten years,¡± Ezmelda continued, ¡°I have watched as you have matured. I have observed your dedication to both your studies and your master.¡±


    Felit?a did hope that Ezmelda¡¯s speech didn¡¯t go on long, though. The floor in the foyer of the Hall of Knowledge was both hard and cold.


    ¡°You have shown diligence and determination, intelligence and creativity, and respect for your craft and your peers. I first met Asa ten years ago when she was just an orphaned child on the streets. At the time, I would never have guessed that this girl who had the impudence to ask me to train her as a wizard would one day actually wear that mantle.¡±


    Elderaan may not have wanted this ceremony, but Felit?a could sense how proud he was now. She couldn¡¯t turn to look at him, but she was certain he was beaming. Drummor and Agernon were there too. Drummor had received his title just before her, and Ezmelda had talked for over twenty minutes about all the things that made Drummor the perfect wizard. As Drummor¡¯s aunt, she knew him better than she knew Felit?a, so Felit?a hoped she wouldn¡¯t have as much to say about her. Her knees were aching.


    Yet Ezmelda kept talking¡ªabout the various times Felit?a had come to the Hall of Knowledge over the years.


    There was no Zandrue though. Felit?a pushed aside the thoughts of disappointment and anger. It wasn¡¯t good to let such feelings ruin the moment.


    Zandrue had been so excited about the ceremony. For all of Elderaan¡¯s grumpiness over it, Zandrue¡¯s pleasure had outshone it by several degrees. She had gone with Felit?a to pick out the dress Felit?a was now wearing, had sat with her through the fittings, and had patiently listened to Felit?a practise her acceptance speech, offering suggestions and words of encouragement.


    Then yesterday, she had announced that she had to go on one of her ¡°trips¡±. As usual, she wouldn¡¯t say what she was doing or where she was going. Over the last couple years, Felit?a had continued to try not to object too much.


    But she couldn¡¯t say nothing this time. Felit?a had begged her to wait one day longer before leaving, but Zandrue still refused. She had said she wished she could, but there was nothing she could do. In her defence, she had been radiating feelings of remorse. Nevertheless, Felit?a had never felt so disappointed and angry at Zandrue. After all the years they had known each other, Zandrue still wouldn¡¯t open up about her past, and as much as Zandrue insisted that it wasn¡¯t, Felit?a saw that as a lack of trust in her. This latest departure was, perhaps, the greatest expression of that.


    ¡°Asa, as High Steward of the Hall of Knowledge,¡± Ezmelda said, finally rounding up her speech, ¡°I agree with Grand Master of Mentalism Elderaan that you are ready for the mantle of wizard, and the Council concurs.¡± She placed a hand on Felit?a¡¯s forehead and began to speak in Folithan.


    Felit?a had not expected this. The words Ezmelda said were something about how Felit?a being a Folith meant they should honour Folith magical traditions as well as those of the Hall of Knowledge. Felit?a didn¡¯t even know there were any Folith magical traditions. They must have been from centuries past. It was difficult to follow the rest of what Ezmelda was saying¡ªFelit?a hadn¡¯t used any Folithan since her time training for the priesthood¡ªbut there was a lot of religious terminology and asking Power to bless her with the wisdom to use her skills wisely. No, that couldn¡¯t be right¡ªthat was redundant¡ªbut there was something about blessings and wisdom.


    Every time Zandrue took off, it brought back memories of when they met¡ªand with that came the memories of the Darkers. And the nightmares.


    This isn¡¯t over, Will-Breaker.


    But they had never come back, and Felit?a couldn¡¯t help but wonder why. In the years since, Felit?a had studied up on whatever she could find about Darkers, though there wasn¡¯t much. She had also made some effort to track down whoever Quilla was. She¡¯d learnt that Quilla was an Eloorin name¡ªas in an actual Eloorin from old Elooria. These days, ever since Foliths had taken over, Eloorin was more of a catch-all term for a group of cultures and ethnicities from the same general region of the continent. Regardless of the name¡¯s origin, though, this particular Quilla could be from just about anywhere. Not in Quorge, though. Felit?a had determined that if there were any Quillas in Quorge, they were staying well hidden or going by other names.


    Ezmelda finished speaking in Folithan and said, ¡°Please stand.¡±


    Felit?a did so, grateful to be off her knees at last. She stood close to Ezmelda as she had been instructed. Felit?a was not a short woman, but nonetheless her eyes were only level with Ezmelda¡¯s neck.


    Ezmelda placed her hands on Felit?a¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Asa, I hereby grant you the title of Wizard, First Class, of Mentalism. Congratulations.¡± She hugged Felit?a.


    Another surprise. First Class? Felit?a hoped Drummor wasn¡¯t jealous. His title was just plain Wizard of Enchantment.


    Ezmelda stepped aside as Senior Librarian Pedrin came up to offer his congratulations as well, followed one-by-one by the other members of the council.


    Then Felit?a turned to face her crowd of onlookers¡ªall three of them¡ªand give her speech. As she had known, Elderaan had a wide smile across his face. Drummor was grinning and Agernon looked impatient, but there was a hint of a smile there, too.


    Felit?a had been hoping maybe Zandrue would be there, that she would have sneaked in while Felit?a was staring at the skirts of Ezmelda¡¯s dress. But no. There was no sign of her. Felit?a sighed and started into her speech.


    When she was done, she hugged Ezmelda again, then went to Elderaan and hugged him. ¡°You should have left out the thanks to Zandrue,¡± he said.


    ¡°No, I really shouldn¡¯t have.¡± She had considered it, but didn¡¯t want anger getting the better of her. She turned to Drummor and hugged him. Agernon protested a little, but then let her.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done well,¡± Agernon said, then walked towards the doors, his cane clacking on the stone.


    ¡°From him, that¡¯s pretty high praise,¡± Drummor said.


    Felit?a lent Elderaan her support as they started down the stairs outside, but he still had to stop for a rest halfway down. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t had to stand for that whole blasted ceremony,¡± he said, ¡°I could make it all the way down.¡± He wrapped his white cloak around himself in agitation.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Felit?a humoured him. His health was not great these days and he tired out easily. Felit?a was surprised he¡¯d made it halfway down the stairs now, especially with all the ice they had to navigate. He refused to admit his condition, though. At home, he had to struggle to climb the stairs to his room, but he refused to switch rooms with her and Zandrue. His stubbornness was going to kill him, but there was little Felit?a could do other than be there to help him when he needed it.


    After several minutes, Agernon said, ¡°Enough. Let¡¯s move before we freeze to death.¡±


    Agernon was older than Elderaan, but he was ageing much more gracefully. Indeed, he didn¡¯t look much older than he had when Felit?a first met him. He had even less hair, but that was about it. Despite his bad leg, he still had no difficulty navigating these stairs without assistance. Though Felit?a could see how now. She had suspected as much, though in ten years, today was the first time she had been close enough when he¡¯d been using them for her to confirm it. He used magic. It lifted him from step to step so that he seemed to bounce down the stairs.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Felit?a asked Elderaan.


    ¡°Hmm? Ready for what?¡±


    ¡°To get going.¡±


    ¡°What? Oh, yes, yes, of course. Well, let¡¯s get going, hmm! Before we freeze, like Agernon says.¡±


    Felit?a lent him her arm and helped him to his feet again. He was losing focus these days, too. Not often, but often enough to notice. The other week, during a meeting with one of his suppliers, she had had to use magic to surreptitiously boost his mental state when he had started to forget where he was. It frightened her not just because she had had to use magic on him, but also that he hadn¡¯t noticed.


    Gods, she wished Zandrue were here.

 Chapter 3: Rudiger (Part 1)

    A knock drew Felit?a¡¯s attention from the food she was preparing. Standing in the kitchen doorway was Zandrue, her face and clothes somewhat muddy. Felit?a dropped what she was doing and rushed over to hug her. ¡°Welcome home! I¡¯ve missed you.¡± She thought she¡¯d heard dogs barking a few minutes ago, but it had been so long, she never suspected.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Zandrue returned the hug briefly before pulling away and heading over to the table. ¡°May I? I¡¯m starved.¡±


    ¡°Of course. There¡¯s loads. There was a good harvest this year.¡±


    ¡°So I heard,¡± Zandrue mumbled while biting into an apple. She looked tired¡ªtravel-worn definitely, but there was something else to it, too. She often came back from her ¡°trips¡± exhausted, and this was the longest time she had ever been away.


    ¡°I was beginning to think you weren¡¯t coming back this time,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°You¡¯ve been gone over two months. Nearly three! I was worried something had happened, that you¡¯d been hurt. Killed even.¡± As always, Felit?a wanted to ask for more details, but what was the point? Zandrue wasn¡¯t likely to answer, and Felit?a didn¡¯t want a repeat of the argument they¡¯d had when Zandrue had come back after her graduation three years ago. There was no point spoiling this moment.


    ¡°I always come back,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°You know that. I couldn¡¯t leave you and the old guy all alone, could I? Speaking of, where is he?¡±


    ¡°Sleeping,¡± Felit?a replied. It was just like Zandrue to drag the topic round to something different.


    Zandrue laughed, spraying bits of apple about. ¡°Like usual.¡± She wiped her face on her sleeve.


    ¡°I was just getting his breakfast ready,¡± Felit?a said, returning to the table and the food preparation. ¡°I just baked a loaf of bread. Could you pass it over to me?¡±


    Zandrue glanced around her, and spotted the bread. She tore a chunk off for herself before passing it on to Felit?a. At Felit?a¡¯s smirk, she shrugged, and bit into her chunk. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like he¡¯s going to eat the whole loaf himself,¡± she mumbled while eating.


    Felit?a placed the remainder of the bread on a tray along with the fruit she had chopped. ¡°He¡¯s so old, Zandrue.¡±


    ¡°We all get old eventually, Felit?a.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Felit?a replied. ¡°But it¡¯s even worse than when you left. He finally agreed to switch rooms with us.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good. It¡¯ll be a lot easier on him.¡±


    ¡°It only took a fall down the stairs to convince him of that. He tried to come down without calling for help the way he promised me he would. I was reading in our old room. I¡¯d just closed up the shop for the night. The sound of the crash alerted me. He broke a rib. He¡¯s lucky it wasn¡¯t any worse.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Is he okay now?¡±


    ¡°Agernon patched him up. That was a couple weeks ago, but he¡¯s still sore and his breathing is ragged. The magic could only do so much. If he had just called to me before going down the stairs. Gods, he can be so stubborn.¡± Felit?a didn¡¯t hold the broken promise against him. His ability to focus his mind had degraded so much in the past couple years¡ªespecially the past couple months¡ªhe probably didn¡¯t even remember making the promise.


    ¡°Well, at least it wasn¡¯t worse,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t here. I have a way of picking the worst times, don¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you do.¡± Felit?a¡¯s graduation came to mind, and the anger from that time began to make itself known again.


    ¡°The thing is,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°I don¡¯t really pick them. I don¡¯t have any choice. You know that.¡±


    To hell with spoiling the moment. ¡°Yes, so you say. But you won¡¯t tell me why, will you?¡±


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. Nine years, Zandrue. Nine fucking years, and you still don¡¯t trust me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that. You know¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, so you keep saying. I don¡¯t know why I put up with it.¡± Felit?a slammed a slab of cheese onto the tray, then picked it up. ¡°To hell with you.¡±


    Zandrue turned away, tears in her eyes. Felit?a was glad her telepathy was going through one of its weak phases. If she had been able to sense actual remorse and sadness to go along with Zandrue¡¯s tears, she¡¯d probably fold and forgive her instantly. It felt nice to be the angry one for a change instead of always being the one placating either Zandrue¡¯s or Elderaan¡¯s anger. Still, the fact that Zandrue wasn¡¯t angry right now said a lot. Gods, she was starting to forgive her anyway.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have snapped. I¡¯m just under a lot of stress.¡±


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°No, you were right to.¡± She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. ¡°It¡¯s not much consolation, but it should never be this long again. It should also be less frequent now.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°Okay. Anyway, I really should get his breakfast to him. Coming?¡±


    ¡°You think he¡¯ll want to see me?¡± Zandrue asked. ¡°After the argument we had when I left?¡±


    Felit?a smirked and headed to Elderaan¡¯s room. ¡°He¡¯ll be happy to see you, trust me. He¡¯d never admit to it, but he misses you when you¡¯re gone.¡±


    ¡°I have that effect on people,¡± Zandrue joked.


    Felit?a nodded, her anger fully dissipated. ¡°Yeah, you do. I missed you.¡±


    Zandrue smiled. ¡°Same here.¡±


    Felit?a rapped on the door and went inside. ¡°Good morning!¡± She headed first to the window and drew back the curtains. Elderaan didn¡¯t move from where he was curled up in bed. He looked so frail. Withered. ¡°You¡¯ve got a busy day ahead of you. First, there¡¯s a surprise though. Zandrue¡¯s back!¡±


    ¡°Hi,¡± Zandrue said uncertainly from the doorway. She had a strange look on her face.


    ¡°Come on, this is not a day you can sleep in,¡± Felit?a said to the still unmoving Elderaan. He¡¯d lost so much weight recently, making him almost skeletal in appearance. Something at the back of her silent mind tried to tell her something, but she pushed it aside. ¡°You know you have a meeting with that new supplier from Endoria. What was his name again? Aromeed or something like that? I have to admit, I¡¯ve forgotten. I¡¯m not sure why, but that hardly matters. I¡¯m sure you remember, and that¡¯s all that¡¯s important.¡± She barely noticed Zandrue slip past her up to Elderaan, and begin to check him over. ¡°You know how necessary it is that we find a new supplier. We¡¯ve got a huge backlog of orders for herbs from the Ninifin Forest. And don¡¯t forget the Singean prayer beads.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Felit?a,¡± Zandrue said, her voice shaky, as she let go of Elderaan¡¯s limp arm. It fell back to the mattress without so much as a response from the sleeping man.


    ¡°We sold the last one of those over a month ago, and it¡¯s only a matter of time before Amar Padara decides he needs more of them. I still don¡¯t know what he hopes to achieve with them, but he does provide good business.¡±


    ¡°Felit?a!¡± Zandrue snapped.


    Her tray was shaking for some reason. The fruit was starting to bounce off. Try as she might, though, she couldn¡¯t steady it. ¡°Look at this. You¡¯re going to lose all your food.¡±


    ¡°Felit?a!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just hiding.¡±


    ¡°Felit?a, he¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just hiding!¡± She screeched that far more loudly than she had intended. Zandrue jerked back, tears in her eyes. Zandrue was crying again? Whatever for? So what if the Room only indicated one other presence with her¡ªZandrue¡¯s. So what if Elderaan¡¯s was missing. He was just hiding it from her, playing a game with her. He did these things sometimes, didn¡¯t he? She couldn¡¯t remember him doing it before, but he could mask this thoughts, so why not his entire mental presence?


    Zandrue grabbed her and she dropped the tray. ¡°His food!¡± Felit?a cried.


    Zandrue shook her. ¡°He¡¯s dead, Felit?a. He must have died in his sleep during the night.¡±


    ¡°Of course he¡¯s not dead,¡± Felit?a replied and laughed. ¡°He¡¯s just pretending.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not pretending, Felit?a. He¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s too strong.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not strong. You said it yourself in the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°But.¡± Felit?a looked past Zandrue at Elderaan¡¯s still unmoving form. In the past, before his mind had started to go, he had always been very good at hiding his feelings from her. Now, however, there was nothing there. It wasn¡¯t even just a lack of emotion. There was simply no presence at all.


    She looked back at Zandrue. Tears were streaming down her friend¡¯s face. Zandrue hugged her close as a wail escaped Felit?a¡¯s lips. Then came the sobs, unbidden and uncontrolled.


    * * * * *


    The funeral was a quiet affair. Elderaan didn¡¯t have a lot of friends and associates¡ªnot that were still alive, anyway¡ªso there were only a few people there. Zandrue, Agernon, and Drummor, as well as Madame Ezmelda, Pedrin, and the other members of the Council (one of whom, Angelida, was particularly distraught throughout). That was it, apart from the priest and Felit?a herself.


    It was also a short, simple service. Elderaan had never been particularly religious and probably would have preferred no funeral at all¡ªespecially not one officiated by a priest of the Universal Religion. However, he had left everything to her, and in the province of Belone, the only way she could legally access that inheritance was if a representative of the Church signed off on the death, and they would only do that with an official funeral.


    Felit?a also found the funeral useful for herself. There was a finality to it that forced her to face the reality of Elderaan¡¯s death. Now she just had to figure out what to do next.


    When the funeral was done, Ezmelda placed her hands on Felit?a¡¯s shoulders. ¡°He was a good man, and his legacy is ensured in you. If you need anything, you know where to find me.¡± Pedrin and the rest of the Council then came up to offer their condolences, after which the entire Council left together.


    Felit?a looked over to the others to see that Agernon had already left without saying a word. He was too stubborn to admit how much Elderaan¡¯s death had affected him. Drummor remained, consoling a grief-stricken Zandrue. Felit?a went over to them and they stood there for a while, watching the gravediggers fill in the grave.


    * * * * *


    The next two weeks were a mix of contradictions. Any particular moment felt like a slog, like it would never end, yet when Felit?a looked back over the moments that had already passed, it was like they had shot by so fast there was no chance to experience them. Still, she accomplished a lot during them, while at the same time it felt like she¡¯d thrown away all of Elderaan¡¯s accomplishments in the process.


    They had discussed this several years ago¡ªwhat she would do in the event of his death. She had put a lot of work into helping him with the shop, especially the last couple years as his health declined when she had pretty much run it herself. Yet she knew she didn¡¯t want to spend the rest of her life in the shop, and Elderaan had understood that. So he had prepared a list of potential buyers for her.


    The sale turned out to be a lot easier than she had expected. High Mistress of Conjuration Angelida was eager to take over the shop. Felit?a had had virtually no interaction with Angelida over the years, beyond official functions at the Hall of Knowledge. She barely knew her name. However, Angelida and Elderaan had had a number of interactions in the past before Felit?a came to Quorge. In fact, during the brief deliberations over the sale of the shop, Felit?a got the impression that Angelida and Elderaan had had a very close, possibly romantic, relationship at some point. Felit?a had never even thought about that aspect of Elderaan¡¯s life and he had never displayed or talked about any interest in romance with anyone. It did explain Angelida¡¯s reaction at the funeral.


    Angelida offered a very fair price for the shop, quite a bit more than the minimum Felit?a had been willing to accept, so she didn¡¯t even bother looking for anyone else. She accepted the offer, she and Angelida signed the papers, Ezmelda witnessed, and it was done. Elderaan¡¯s Mystic Palace was out of her hands and no longer her concern.


    Despite Elderaan agreeing to this, Felit?a felt guilty about it. The store was his legacy and she was selling it away. Plus, his agreement had been years ago. What if he had changed his mind in the last couple years?


    She knew she was being silly, but it didn¡¯t help that Agernon was not happy either. ¡°You owe him better than this,¡± he told her. ¡°That store was his life. And yours. How can you throw it all away? What will you do now?¡±


    The shop had been a major part of her life, but only because of Elderaan. She had loved her life with Elderaan, but the last few years, she had started to feel the need for something more. She needed to get away for a while.


    She and Zandrue were going to travel, visit some of the other major cities in Arnor. Maybe she could find some place, book, or person that could teach her about her telepathy. It would also keep her close to Zandrue and make it harder for Zandrue to pull one of her disappearing acts. Not impossible, of course, but Felit?a would take what she could get.


    She stood now in the door at Elderaan¡¯s Mystic Palace, taking one last look at the place that had been her home for nearly fourteen years. Angelida was rushing about, instructing her own apprentice how she wanted to rearrange things. Outside, Zandrue was approaching with their horses.


    Zandrue had spent the last day getting the horses used to her presence. Stopping them from bolting had been easy enough. The hard part had been getting them to accept her as a rider, but Zandrue was actually pretty good at handling horses despite their initial reactions to her¡ªperhaps because of their initial reactions.


    Felit?a took Elderaan¡¯s white cloak off its hook. She had had it resized to fit her. It was a bit of a rush job¡ªElderaan was shorter and broader than she¡ªbut it would do. It would be one thing of his she could keep with her.


    She put the cloak on and picked up her pack¡ªthe same pack she had used after she ran away from the Royal Palace. She had placed a few items from the shop in there as well¡ªsome dried Ninifin herbs and a couple other things¡ªhaving doctored the records to show them as sold since they technically belonged to Angelida now. That had been Zandrue¡¯s idea, and Felit?a felt guilty doing it, but they could be sold if funds ran low. The money from the shop wouldn¡¯t last forever, after all, and a lot had already been spent on the horses, travelling gear, the resizing of Elderaan¡¯s cloak, and more.


    Felit?a called out a goodbye to Angelida, who responded with a ¡°Goodbye, dear,¡± while not taking her eyes or attention off her planning. Then Felit?a stepped outside.


    Lying against the wall beside the door were their supply bags and, beside them, Zandrue¡¯s unstrung bow, quiver of arrows, and Felit?a¡¯s old sword¡ªin its new scabbard. Getting the scabbard made without showing the sword it was designed to hold had cost them a pretty penny.


    Zandrue finished tying the horses to the post and began to load the saddle bags. Felit?a moved to help her. ¡°How did he take it?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°Not great,¡± Zandrue replied. ¡°What did you expect really?¡±


    Before picking up the horses, Zandrue had agreed to stop in and tell Drummor they were leaving. Felit?a hadn¡¯t been able to do it herself.


    ¡°We should have asked him to come with us,¡± Zandrue continued. ¡°I think he was hoping I¡¯d ask.¡±


    ¡°Agernon needs him,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Drummor¡¯s the only one he has left.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so. I¡¯ll miss him, though.¡±


    ¡°I should hope so, given how much sex the two of you have.¡±


    Zandrue smirked. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll miss that, too.¡± She grabbed the sword and strapped it to her belt under the heavy wool cloak she was wearing.


    ¡°At least I don¡¯t have to listen to the two of you anymore.¡± Felit?a had lost count of how many times she was stuck sitting in the front of the shop late at night waiting for them to finish since they couldn¡¯t get away with it at Agernon¡¯s.


    Zandrue slung her quiver over her back and picked up her bow. ¡°I¡¯ll find someone else. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Felit?a rolled her eyes.


    ¡°You ready?¡±


    Felit?a took a deep breath. ¡°Just about, I think.¡± She looked back at the shop door and then at the sign hanging above, creaking in the cold breeze. She wondered whether Angelida would keep the name or change it. Probably change it. She seemed to be changing everything else.


    Tears began to well in her eyes. She turned to Zandrue and leaned against her, burying her face in her best friend¡¯s shoulder. Zandrue put her arms around Felit?a and they stood there for a couple minutes while Felit?a sobbed a little and then composed herself.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ready.¡± She untied her horse¡ªSimeria she had decided to call the mare¡ªand took the reins. She hadn¡¯t ridden a horse since her year with Emund¡¯s caravan. It took her a few moments to remember how to mount; Zandrue helped her, then mounted her own horse.


    Felit?a took one last look at the shop, then rode out of town.

 Chapter 3: Rudiger (Part 2)

    The Red Knight¡¯s gaze turned from Felit?a¡¯s angry stare to Zandrue. He looked her up and down, probably trying to decide whether she was a tanned Folith or a light-skinned Eloorin. She gave him a coy smile and a wink. He grinned, his mind made up. With a nod of his head and a wave of his arm, the group of Knights parted to allow them past, before forming up again to waylay the next group of travellers.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like these Red Knights,¡± Felit?a said once they were clear of them.


    ¡°I suspect few people do,¡± Zandrue replied, gazing around, looking for more of these so-called ¡°knights¡±. To the left of the gate, another group was interrogating a huge Folith man with tanned skin. Beside him stood a massive roan horse. Big horse for a big man. The man was wearing army-issue chainmail. So these Red Knights were even willing to stand in the way of the army. They seemed particularly interested in the big man¡¯s sword, a very large two-hander, definitely not army-issue. Perhaps that was why they had stopped him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I want to get away from the wall.¡±


    Zandrue looked past the Knights and the big man to the huge wall that surrounded Tyl. Along its battlements were soldiers and a few Red Knights¡ªBloods, as the locals called them. What they thought they were defending against, she had no idea. Tyl was one of the few walled cities in Arnor. Built when Arnor had been at war with itself, it had once been necessary. Now, however, it seemed a waste of resources to keep it manned, especially with the numbers on it now, far more than she remembered from the last time she was here. Who did they expect would attack? The Ninifins? That was laughable.


    Felit?a set a brisk pace along the cobblestone streets. She glanced side to side as Eloorin people moved aside to give them a wide berth. Zandrue felt the same discomfort. This was worse than she could have imagined. Plavin-Tyl had always been the worst area in Arnor for Folith-Eloorin tensions, but it had never been quite this bad.


    Felit?a made a beeline for the first inn she saw, but Zandrue rode out in front of her and shook her head. "That establishment is for Eloorin.¡±


    Felit?a sighed, but changed direction. They continued on until they found a Folith establishment.


    ¡°Let me carry all the bags like I¡¯m your servant,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°We can¡¯t rely on me being able to pass as Folith.¡± Felit?a groaned but did as Zandrue asked.


    Zandrue regretted coming this way. They should have turned around at Freji when they¡¯d first heard stories about the Bloods, gone back to Quorge and then headed west. Instead, she had decided to press on south, to stay ahead of the winter snows. After all, in Freji, the stories about the Bloods were just that¡ªstories. The Red Knights were a new enough organisation that they hadn¡¯t yet expanded from Tyl into the rest of the province. Zandrue had assumed the stories were exaggerated, and she knew that Felit?a wouldn¡¯t want to go back to Quorge so soon, so on they¡¯d gone.


    Lord Harrol Plavin had died at the end of last year. Upon taking over, his daughter Lidda had formed the Red Knights to bring law and order to what she saw as a wild and corrupt province. According to the stories, Lady Plavin was a cruel, heartless despot, who had always been at odds with her father. Many tales claimed she had killed him.


    Whatever the truth about Lady Plavin, the truth of the Red Knights had become plain during the long wait to enter the city. Zandrue and Felit?a had seen farmers¡¯ wagons tipped over and the produce flung about the road and trod on by horses, all in the name of ensuring that there were no smuggled items hidden in the wagons¡ªand that was far from the worst they had seen. Three young Eloorin boys had been forced to watch as their father was whipped because he couldn¡¯t state the exact number of apples he had in each of his baskets, and why they didn¡¯t each contain exactly the same number.


    ¡°My lady,¡± the Blood commander had said to Felit?a, ¡°please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve been waiting in line with these Eloorin. You should have ridden ahead and been through ages ago.¡±


    If looks could kill, Felit?a¡¯s would have flayed the commander on the spot.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this place,¡± Felit?a said, once they were settled in their room at the inn.


    ¡°The inn or the city?¡± Zandrue said.


    Felit?a glared at her.


    ¡°You could always announce yourself. Command the Lady Plavin to disband the Red Knights and execute real justice in the land.¡±


    Felit?a groaned and lay on one of the beds. ¡°Please don¡¯t joke about things like that. Believe me, if I thought it would help, I¡¯d do it, but in the unlikely event she even believed who I was, I doubt she¡¯d comply. I¡¯m not even sure I technically have that authority, and even if I do, she¡¯d fight me over it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood.¡±


    ¡°Do you think there¡¯s much likelihood of learning anything here?¡± Felit?a asked.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s supposed to be a good library, and I used to have a few contacts here, but given the state of affairs, I¡¯ll be lucky if they¡¯re still around. Honestly, I¡¯m not really sure it¡¯s worth it. Let¡¯s just get some sleep. Tomorrow, we can restock our provisions and leave. We can head north-west to Elooria. Or south to Nallin. Either way, we¡¯ll be out of Plavin-Tyl in a week or two. I still think we should hire some muscle.¡±


    ¡°Zandrue, we¡¯ve been over this already. We only have so much money. We can¡¯t afford a mercenary. We¡¯ll just have to take care of ourselves.¡±


    Zandrue sighed. ¡°And as I¡¯ve pointed out, the highways can be dangerous places.¡±


    ¡°We rarely had any problems when I was with Emund,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Yeah, and you were part of a large caravan. With guards. Armed guards. Bandits and goblins ignore large groups and look for easier pickings. Yes, we can take care of ourselves, but from a distance, we look like those easy pickings. If we had a bit of muscle with us, they¡¯d be less likely to bother us.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Felit?a said, rolling over to face away from her.


    ¡°Fine.¡± This had been a bad time to bring it up, anyway. She lay down to get some sleep.


    And she was ten again. The powerful sun beat down on her bound and sweat-soaked body, while the vultures circled above. The sky seemed to shimmer, like the water she so desperately longed for. ¡°...an abomination in the eyes of All-Father...¡± The sun was like the gleam in the eye of the Keeper of Secrets. Full of anger, it burned her. ¡°We will protect the purity of the Collog people¡­¡± Only ten, and only because she wasn¡¯t one of them. ¡°...for only the sun can abolish the creatures of Night...¡±


    Zandrue rose early the next morning. She hadn¡¯t slept well and there was a lot to do this day. Those memories always came back to haunt her when she encountered the type of intolerance she had seen here in Tyl. It didn¡¯t matter how near to, or far from, Ostanith she was, the memories always felt fresh, like they had happened only the day before.


    She woke Felit?a, and the two of them headed to the market to buy supplies. There, they split up. Felit?a went to get feed for the horses. Zandrue picked up the other supplies they needed and headed back to the inn, where she packed their belongings and went immediately to the stables to ready the horses for when Felit?a got back. Several other horses shuffled and whinnied nervously as she passed.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t doubt it. You say the same thing every time.¡± The huge Folith she had seen the Bloods questioning the day before was there talking. At first, it wasn¡¯t clear to whom. There was no one else there. Just herself and the horses¡ªand he wasn¡¯t talking to her.


    She walked slowly to the stall where her horse Lucinda was, but kept her eyes on the man, curiosity piqued. Conveniently, her horse was stalled directly across from his, so she ended up right behind him.


    ¡°And what do you expect me to do? I start making demands like that, and they just send me to another inn¡ªNo! No, you can¡¯t get that sort of attention. They¡¯ve got a lot¡ªYou¡¯re impossible!¡±


    Zandrue glanced past him. Just his horse there. He was talking to his horse. The horse, for its part, just stood there, snorted a couple of times, shook its head, but did nothing to indicate it was anything but an ordinary horse.


    ¡°I¡¯m drawing attention?¡± the man continued. ¡°You¡¯re drawing the attention!¡± He looked back at Zandrue and gave her a small smile before turning back to the horse.


    He was out of his armour at the moment, and so Zandrue was able to get a better idea what he looked like. As well as being very tall¡ªwell over six and a half feet¡ªhe had a well-toned, muscular body. His face was rugged and weather-worn, but handsome. His hair was thick and dark, and his eyes a dark brown to match. On his back, he wore the greatsword the Bloods had been examining. The closer look she got at it now confirmed her earlier thoughts that he didn¡¯t get it from the army. It was sheathed so she could not see the blade, but the hilt was far too fine for those used by the army. The grip was leather, and there was silver etching in the pommel and quillons. No sword was cheap, but the workmanship on its hilt alone meant this sword must be worth a fortune¡ªeven more than the sword she was wearing, which was a blade made for royalty. No wonder the Bloods were interested in it.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not moving you to a new stable,¡± the man said. ¡°You¡¯re not going to get better anywhere else, so¡ªAgain, no! I don¡¯t care if the woman behind me smells strange. I¡¯ve already paid for stabling here. You¡¯ll just have to put up with it.¡± He turned his head to look at her again. ¡°Sorry about the smell thing. He¡¯s just ranting.¡±


    Zandrue swallowed, her throat going dry. That smell comment... It was probably coincidence. She tried to shake off the fear with a shrug, and looked at the huge roan stallion that managed to dwarf the huge man. The horse met her gaze for a moment, but then turned his head aside with a snort. ¡°Do you talk to all the horses like this, or just the ones you like?¡± she asked the man, still staring at the horse.


    ¡°I know how strange it must seem,¡± the man replied. ¡°Trust me, I¡¯m used to people thinking I¡¯m mad. To answer the usual questions, yes, I can talk to him. I don¡¯t know how I do it, but I do. Can¡¯t do it with any other horse. Just him.¡±


    Zandrue might have thought him mad at first, but now, she wasn¡¯t so certain of that. The smell comment still frightened her. If the horse really could speak... ¡°He¡¯s a fine horse,¡± she said, approaching the stall and reaching out. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen much finer.¡± The horse backed away out of her reach. Intelligent, too. It was in his eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± the man said. ¡°He backs away from just about everyone. It¡¯s rare that he lets anybody other than me near him.¡±


    She turned to face the man. ¡°That¡¯s okay. Animals always hate me. It took ages to get my own horse to accept me. So, how exactly does he speak to you? I didn¡¯t hear anything from him, except for the occasional horse-like snort.¡±


    ¡°He talks in my head,¡± the man replied. ¡°That¡¯s the only way I can explain it. First time I ever saw him, he just started talking to me. He¡¯s rarely shut up since¡ªthough he¡¯s being unusually quiet right now. What¡¯s up Borisin? I shouldn¡¯t complain, of course. It¡¯s nice to have him quiet. There he goes again. He says you smell strange.¡±


    ¡°I could say the same about him. Tell him I¡¯m friendly.¡±


    ¡°Tell him yourself. He¡¯ll understand.¡±


    Zandrue laughed and turned to face the horse again. ¡°You hear that, horse? I¡¯m friendly!¡±


    ¡°I have to admit,¡± the man said, ¡°it¡¯s nice to meet someone who doesn¡¯t think I¡¯m crazy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m undecided on the crazy part,¡± Zandrue replied with a grin. ¡°However, I¡¯ve seen stranger things in my time. I¡¯m Zandrue, by the way.¡± She offered him her hand. He took it, and gave it a small kiss. Very dashing! Very good-looking, too.


    ¡°Rudiger,¡± he said. ¡°This is Borisin.¡±


    ¡°A pleasure to meet you, Rudiger.¡± An idea was forming in her mind. Felit?a would hate it, but Zandrue was fairly certain she could find a way around that.

 Chapter 3: Rudiger (Part 3)

    Tyl¡¯s market was one of the quietest Felit?a had ever been in. She was only really familiar with Quorge¡¯s, to be fair, but she had passed through others on the way here, and even more during her time with Emund¡¯s caravan all those years ago, and Tyl¡¯s market beat all of those as best she could remember. It wasn¡¯t completely silent, but it was absent the merchants and sellers hawking their goods. They just stood by their wagons or stalls, waiting calmly for customers to come to them.


    No doubt, the two patrolling figures with the blood-red capes and the slight reddish tinge to their armour has something to do with that.


    Felit?a found a farmer selling oats and started filling up bags for their horses. She couldn¡¯t wait to get away from this place. Part of her wanted to head straight back to Quorge. Elderaan would be waiting for her there and life would go back to normal.


    It was a foolish fantasy. Elderaan was dead, and there was no going back to the life she¡¯d had, even if she went back to Quorge.


    She paid the farmer, then heaved the heavy bags over her shoulder. The farmer moved forward to help, but she shook her head. ¡°No, that¡¯s all right. I¡¯ll manage. But thanks anyway.¡±


    He nodded and stepped back again. Nervousness tinged with fear ebbed from him.


    Felit?a turned away, wishing there was something she could do to put the man at ease, make things better for him, give him a reason why he didn¡¯t need to be afraid of her. Maybe she should announce herself. It wouldn¡¯t accomplish anything, but at least she¡¯d be making an effort, instead of doing her best to get away from it all.


    A Red Knight nearby was looking at her, or perhaps past her at the farmer. She couldn¡¯t quite tell. His helmet obscured his eyes. Her direction took her closer to him and she pondered putting him to sleep or something similar. It wouldn¡¯t be difficult.


    It would probably also cause a commotion if a Red Knight fell over without warning¡ªa commotion that would likely be blamed on someone innocent nearby. Best to leave him be.


    She continued on her way, trying to pay as little attention to the Red Knight as possible.


    There was a man standing by a stall behind the Red Knight. He was just one among many people in the crowded market, and there was nothing particularly remarkable about him to draw her attention. Yet her gaze stopped at him nonetheless. He wasn¡¯t looking at her¡ªhadn¡¯t noticed her at all, as best she could tell. He was just a tall, bald man with a crooked nose, talking to the stall owner.


    Felit?a stopped moving. She remembered him.


    He grabbed her wrist and wrenched the shop key from her. She screamed as loudly as she could before he took hold of her, spun her around and clasped his hand over her mouth. She bit him as hard as she could, but he didn¡¯t let go.


    It had been so long. She had almost forgotten that night, almost stopped worrying the Darkers would come back. Nearly nine years. She was a little surprised she even recognised him now.


    Perhaps it wasn¡¯t him. Perhaps it was someone who looked similar. It had been nine years, after all, and he wasn¡¯t the main one she¡¯d interacted with. Her memory of him was not likely to be perfect.


    His gaze fell on her and stopped. He squinted his eyes.


    It might just have been because he noticed she was staring at him, not because he recognised her.


    His jaw dropped slightly, and he motioned to someone else. Another, smaller man came forward. His mouth was closed, but Felit?a remembered the sharpened teeth within.


    A hint of concern penetrated the wash of emotions from the crowd around her.


    ¡°Are you all right, my lady?¡± the Red Knight asked, stepping towards her.


    Felit?a wrenched her gaze away from the two Darkers. ¡°Uh, yes...yes.¡± The feed bags were slipping and she scrambled to keep hold on them. ¡°The bags are just heavy, that¡¯s all.¡±


    The Knight motioned to someone behind her. ¡°You there. Help this lady with her bags.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s all right,¡± Felit?a said. She looked back at the Darkers, who were both still standing there watching her. From what she¡¯d seen of this city, she could probably make any accusation she wanted against them and the Red Knight would arrest them with no proof. They were Eloorin and he would take that as proof enough. She could say they¡¯d insulted her. It wouldn¡¯t be entirely untrue.


    The farmer she¡¯d bought the oats from came forward. ¡°My lady, please allow me to assist.¡±


    ¡°Something you should have offered from the start,¡± the Red Knight said.


    Fear rose from the farmer.


    ¡°He did,¡± Felit?a said, ¡°but I turned him down. I¡¯ll be fine. I was just distracted a moment.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, my lady?¡± It was difficult to reconcile the genuine concern the Knight was feeling with the contempt he was feeling for the farmer.


    ¡°Really. I¡¯m sure. Now please, let me be about my business.¡±


    The Knight stared at her a moment, then gave her a small bow. ¡°As you wish, my lady.¡±


    She wanted to tell him she was not his lady, but it was best not to cause a scene. At any other time, it would be best to just move on, but the Darkers...


    They were gone.


    Felit?a scanned about the crowd. There was the tall, bald one, moving away. There was no sign of the other one, but he was smaller and probably more able to blend in. They weren¡¯t retreating together, probably to ensure she couldn¡¯t follow them both.


    Should she follow the bald man? No, with the weights she was carrying, she¡¯d never keep up.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re all right, my lady?¡± the Red Knight asked.


    ¡°Yes, I said so, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just you¡ª¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± Felit?a said, stepping up right in front of him and glaring at him in the eye, ¡°you were very concerned about this man not offering to help me, even though he did.¡± She nodded in the direction of the farmer. ¡°Yet I can¡¯t help but notice you didn¡¯t offer yourself. Perhaps you should rethink your priorities.¡±


    ¡°I have a job to perform, my lady.¡±


    ¡°So does he. Why don¡¯t you let him get back to it and let me be on my way?¡±


    ¡°I tried, but you didn¡¯t move.¡±


    He had a point. ¡°Right. I was....just getting my bearings and then you interrupted again.¡±


    Anger was rising from the Knight. ¡°I was concerned and offering assistance.¡±


    ¡°No, you offered his assistance, which is my whole point. Now stand aside and let me pass.¡±


    ¡°You were the one who...¡± He gritted his teeth, stepped back, and motioned for her to pass.


    Felit?a sighed and walked away. Gods, she¡¯d handled that terribly. This city had her on edge, and then seeing the Darkers... All the old fears had come back, and with them an inability to think straight, to concentrate. She needed to work on that. She needed to be able to stay calm and focused in a crisis.


    She glanced back to ensure everything was fine. There were a lot of people between her and the Knight now, but they were giving him a wide berth, leaving him visible. He was berating the farmer.


    Damn it. This was her fault. If the Darkers hadn¡¯t taken her off-guard, if she hadn¡¯t stopped and drawn the Red Knight¡¯s attention, none of this would have happened.


    The farmer was on his knees, begging. The Knight kicked him and he fell over. The Knight then turned aside, leaving the farmer to crawl away.


    The Knight saw Felit?a watching him. ¡°You! What is your problem?¡± He marched in her direction, pointing. ¡°I ought to arrest you.¡±


    Felit?a breathed deeply, and gathered the magical energy within her. Enough attention had been drawn to ensure there would be no doubt she was the source of what was about to happen. As the Knight got close, she closed her eyes halfway, tilted her head, and released the spell.


    The Red Knight fell forward into the dirt.


    People nearby gasped.


    The impact woke the Knight again, but she¡¯d expected that. He started to pull himself to his feet, but Felit?a repeated the spell and he went right back to sleep. He wouldn¡¯t sleep long¡ªand hopefully no one woke him earlier¡ªbut it would be long enough to get out of here.


    Felit?a turned away and walked back towards the inn. People moved out of her way and fear permeated the air. She hadn¡¯t expected that. Surely people here would be happy to see one of the ¡°Bloods¡± bested.


    But she was Folith, too, she realised.


    The fear faded as she got far enough away that no one nearby had seen the incident, settling to the level that had been present since she¡¯d arrived in Tyl. She really wanted to get away from here. She hurried on to the inn.


    Zandrue wasn¡¯t waiting in front with the horses as planned, so Felit?a went into the stables. She found Zandrue there, talking to a tall Folith man¡ªflirting more like, if she knew Zandrue. Sure enough, there came the smile and the quick brushing back of her hair with a hand. Felit?a rolled her eyes.


    ¡°So they said they were gonna keep their eyes on me,¡± the man said. ¡°They clearly didn¡¯t believe my story. From their reputation, I¡¯d expect them to be that way with Eloorin, but it seems they can be just as harsh with Foliths when they want to.¡±


    ¡°If you were Eloorin,¡± Zandrue replied, ¡°they would have kept the sword and probably would have executed you for possessing a weapon above your station or some bullshit like that.¡±


    The man shrugged. ¡°Maybe. Can¡¯t say I like them much. Along the Thumb, nobody pays attention to whether you¡¯re Folith or Eloorin.¡± Zandrue gave him a doubting look. ¡°Well, maybe some do. Noble families are all Foliths, but it¡¯s better than here.¡±


    Felit?a approached them and dropped the bags at Zandrue¡¯s feet. ¡°Zandrue, we need to talk.¡±


    Zandrue, suave as ever, didn¡¯t miss a beat. ¡°Hi, Asa. This is Rudiger. Rudiger, this is my good friend Asa.¡±


    Felit?a gave the man a curt nod and reached for Zandrue¡¯s arm. ¡°Zandrue, we really need...¡± She trailed off and looked back at the man.


    There was something familiar about him. She had never seen him before in her life, but nevertheless she somehow knew his appearance as well as if she had spent every day of her life with him. She could close her eyes right now and describe everything about him: tanned skin¡ªdarker than typical for a Folith, but it made sense if he was from the Thumb¡ªbrown eyes, dark brown hair.


    Rudiger took her hand and gave it a kiss. ¡°A pleasure.¡± Felit?a blushed as she realised she knew what parts of him looked like that she had no business knowing.


    Zandrue touched Rudiger¡¯s arm and leaned in close to him. ¡°You¡¯re good!¡± she said and sniffed him. ¡°No man ever affects Asa like that!¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Felit?a turned away. None of this made any sense. How could she know so much about this stranger and his horse? His horse? Without even turning to look in the stall, she knew precisely what the stallion looked like. This was beginning to terrify her.


    ¡°Seriously though,¡± Zandrue said, moving to put an arm around Felit?a, ¡°you all right? What¡¯s up?¡±


    Felit?a pulled Zandrue away from the man and whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s just something strangely familiar about him. Like I already know him. I can¡¯t explain it. It¡¯s like the familiarity I felt when I first met you. Remember I asked if we¡¯d already met? This is far more intense.¡±


    ¡°Weird,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°but possibly a good thing. You see, Rudiger just happens to be going the same direction we¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°The Darkers are here.¡±


    Zandrue clutched Felit?a¡¯s arm and leaned in closer. ¡°Wait, what? Darkers? As in...¡±


    ¡°The ones from nine years ago.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°At least two of them, at any rate. The bald one and the one with the sharpened teeth. But if they¡¯re here, then Dyle probably is too.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°but it¡¯s reasonable to assume he is until we know otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Everything okay?¡± Rudiger asked.


    Zandrue turned her head to give him a quick nod. ¡°We just need a moment.¡±


    ¡°We need to get out of here, Zandrue,¡± Felit?a said.


    The large stable doors flew open, spreading sunlight and the shadows of several armoured figures into the building. Six Red Knights stepped inside. With only one exception, each had his sword drawn and carried a shield. All of them wore helmets, hiding their expressions¡ªnot that Felit?a needed to see them. A tangled web of emotions flowed from them: nervousness, excitement, fear.


    The one who had not drawn his sword and did not hold a shield carried a rolled up piece of parchment in his right hand. His eyes looked about until they fell on Felit?a, Zandrue, and Rudiger. ¡°If you ladies would please stand aside. This man is under arrest.¡± He spoke confidently and authoritatively, but Felit?a could sense a hint of uncertainty in him.


    ¡°On what charge?¡± Rudiger demanded.


    The Knight unrolled the parchment. ¡°You are charged with possession of a stolen weapon, a two-handed sword of exquisite quality belonging to the Plavin family and therefore property of Lady Plavin.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nonsense,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°This is my sword and has been in my family for generations.¡±


    The Knight continued reading. ¡°By order of Lady Plavin, you are...¡± He hesitated, and a wave of surprise spread from him. He cleared his throat. ¡°By order of Lady Plavin, you are to be executed immediately.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± Rudiger said, reaching for his sword.


    Had the Knight really not known his orders before reading them just now? ¡°This is ridiculous,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°You can¡¯t execute someone just like that. What about a trial?¡±


    ¡°Trial was presumably held in his absence,¡± the Red Knight said. ¡°Judgement shall be carried out. Move aside or we will execute you as well.¡± His voice was confident, but he definitely didn¡¯t feel it. So, not all Bloods agreed with everything they were told to do.


    ¡°On whose authority?¡± Felit?a demanded.


    ¡°The authority of the Lady Lidda Plavin, Castellan of Tyl and ruler of Plavin-Tyl, acting in the name of Wavon the Second, Lord of Arnorinn and King of Arnor. May Power transport you from this world, Nature embrace your souls, and All-Father show you mercy. May you forever be shielded from the touch of Night.¡±


    ¡°This is outrageous!¡± Felit?a cried. ¡°The King would never sanction this!¡±


    ¡°The King is not here, my lady. The Lady of Plavin-Tyl speaks on his behalf. Kill the man. Kill the women if they get in the way.¡±


    The Knights advanced. Felit?a barely noticed Zandrue leap over the gate of Borisin¡¯s stall. Rudiger drew his sword and stepped in front of Felit?a. ¡°Go on,¡± he said. ¡°This is my fight. I don¡¯t want anyone else getting hurt.¡±


    Felit?a shook her head, though he wasn¡¯t looking at her so couldn¡¯t have seen it. She stretched out her thoughts, focused on every part of her body and just how much¡ªor how little¡ªeach part had to move as the magic flowed through her.


    For all she knew, Rudiger had stolen the sword. She didn¡¯t know him, didn¡¯t know anything he might or might not have done more than a couple minutes ago. Yet somehow she knew he was innocent. And even if he wasn¡¯t, these Red Knights were not executing justice.


    The Knights rushed forward. With a whispered word, a tilt of her head, and the slightest twitch of two fingers on her right hand, Felit?a cast the spell. ¡°You¡¯re invisible,¡± she whispered to Rudiger.


    He either didn¡¯t hear or didn¡¯t believe her, as he leapt at the nearest Knight. With a single swipe, his sword cleaved through the Knight¡¯s shoulder. It cut through the armour like it was paper. Without a sound, the Knight slid off Rudiger¡¯s blade, his own sword and shield dropping to the ground.


    In confusion and fear, several of the Knights began backing up. ¡°It¡¯s a trick!¡± one cried. ¡°Wizardry!¡±


    One of the Knights swung wildly in Rudiger¡¯s general direction. Rudiger blocked it.


    Felit?a doubled over. The stress on the spell was unbelievable. She wanted to call to Rudiger, to tell him to hold off, that the Bloods couldn¡¯t see them. But that would give them away, too.


    Rudiger knocked the sword from the grip of the Knight, who in turn raised his shield to try to block further blows. Stumbling backwards, Felit?a tried to hold on to the spell, but it was too difficult to keep the Knights from noticing Rudiger while he was making himself so noticeable. With a gasp, she let go of the spell, unwilling to risk burning herself out.


    ¡°There!¡± someone cried out. ¡°Get the witch!¡±


    Still reeling from the effort of the spell, Felit?a backed up. Rudiger slammed his sword down, slicing the Knight¡¯s shield in two, but two other Knights moved up to him. Rudiger backed up a bit to avoid their attacks, the one on the ground crawling out of the way. While he seemed to have the superior weapon and superior skills, he was also unarmoured.


    ¡°Felit?a, look out!¡± Zandrue cried from somewhere behind her.


    A Knight was coming towards her. Felit?a put him to sleep and backed away, but there was another right behind him. And the first had probably been woken by the fall. She began to concentrate on a new spell. Could she even manage another spell at the moment? The strain on the invisibility spell had been intense. The Knight raised his blade. With a crash, the gate on the stall next to him flew off, ploughing into the Knight and knocking him to the ground. Felit?a stumbled backwards and fell over. The gate had come within an inch of her, as well.


    Zandrue was mounted bareback on Borisin¡ªhad anyone actually told Felit?a the horse¡¯s name?¡ªwho had apparently kicked the gate out. ¡°Get our horses!¡± Zandrue called as she turned Borisin around. Then, with a kick from her, the horse charged out of the stall, trampling over the fallen gate and the Knights beneath it. Rudiger and the other Knights dived out of the way.


    Felit?a jumped back to her feet and ran for Simeria¡¯s stall. As she opened the gate, she glanced back at the scene behind her. Rudiger had made it back to his feet, while the Knights were still struggling. He brought his sword down at one who was clutching at his feet. Then, he ran over to Felit?a.


    ¡°We need to get out of here,¡± she said, grabbing for her saddle.


    ¡°No kidding,¡± he replied, breathing heavily. He turned to look back at the entrance.


    As Felit?a threw the saddle over her horse, two of the Knights got back on their feet, although one was now unarmed. Another Knight twitched feebly on the ground, and there was a slight hint of movement underneath the fallen gate. Rudiger started to move again, but Felit?a said, ¡°No, stay still.¡±


    A simple spell. She could manage a simple spell. With a soft word, she pressed her thumb to her forefinger on her left hand. She didn¡¯t have the strength to be precise with the image, but whatever they saw, it was enough to frighten one of them into turning tail and running. The last one, the one who had read the charges against them, called out to his fleeing comrade. When there was no response, he glanced back at Felit?a and Rudiger. Then he took off.


    ¡°That¡¯s Zandrue¡¯s horse over there,¡± Felit?a said, pointing.


    The entire stable was filled with the sound of horses whinnying. Even her own horse was stepping back and forth fearfully. Zandrue had ridden off on the only one trained for battle¡ªwhere had she gone?


    Rudiger began readying Zandrue¡¯s horse, while Felit?a loaded up their supplies. ¡°They¡¯ll be back,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Felit?a replied. ¡°We need to get out of the city.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll close the gates,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll never get out, and we can¡¯t take them all on.¡±


    ¡°I can get us out,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°They won¡¯t know it¡¯s us.¡± The truth, however, was she wasn¡¯t sure if she could. If she hadn¡¯t wasted so much strength on that invisibility spell, there would be no problem hiding them from the guards at the gate, but now... And that wasn¡¯t even considering the guards on the walls. Hopefully, those guards wouldn¡¯t pay attention to anyone let through the gates. If anyone was let through at all. She couldn¡¯t think of that now. They had to get out of here.


    Zandrue ran back in. ¡°Thank the gods you¡¯re both okay. We don¡¯t have much time. Rudiger, I¡¯ve got the innkeeper bringing your belongings. If we¡¯re fast, we might be able to get to the gate before word reaches it.¡± She grabbed her horse¡¯s reins from Rudiger and leapt onto the mare¡¯s back.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Borisin?¡± Rudiger asked.


    ¡°Waiting out front.¡±


    Felit?a mounted her own horse. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Out front, the innkeeper and two servants struggled with Rudiger¡¯s belongings. Borisin was not being co-operative. Rudiger ran over to assist. ¡°You two should go your own way. I¡¯m the one they¡¯re after. If you¡¯re not with me, they won¡¯t bother you.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re already involved,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°They won¡¯t hesitate to add us to their list of criminals,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°It¡¯s better if we stick together. Strength in numbers, right?¡± She looked at Felit?a with raised eyebrows.


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°Yeah, strength in numbers.¡± So Zandrue got an equivalent of a mercenary. But it made sense to stick together. Not to mention the weird familiarity Felit?a felt about Rudiger. It was best to keep him near for now.


    Rudiger continued readying Borisin and, after what seemed like an eternity, the horse was ready and Rudiger mounted.


    ¡°We get to the north-west gate as quickly as we can,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°It¡¯s the closest. But then we go calmly through. Once on the other side, we ride hard as long as we dare. We put as much space between us and this city as possible.¡±


    Felit?a¡¯s heart thumped as they made their way towards the gate. People leapt out of their way as they galloped past. Although no one on the streets said anything, Felit?a could see the anger and fear in their faces. They saw only a group of Foliths who cared nothing for the Eloorin in their path. Felit?a wished she had never run away from the palace. If she could call upon her father¡¯s authority, then they could put an end to Lady Plavin¡¯s cruelty. But palace life was long behind Felit?a now. Not that that would be likely to work anyway.


    The north-west gate was still open when they arrived. Felit?a was surprised, but relieved. Could they have made it here before word had reached the wall? It seemed too great a hope. As when they had arrived, there was a long line-up of travellers. The guards were dutifully checking everyone who entered or left the city. Perhaps word had reached here, but no one felt the need to close the gates because they would just be caught if they tried to go through.


    Zandrue motioned for them all to stop while they were still a fair distance from the gate. ¡°What do you think?¡± she asked Felit?a.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. There are so many people. I can¡¯t hide us from them all.¡± To their left, there were two Red Knights patrolling. They didn¡¯t seem to be paying any attention to the three people on horseback at this time. Of course, their job was normally to watch Eloorin, so maybe word hadn¡¯t reached here yet.


    ¡°Maybe we should lie low for a few days,¡± Rudiger suggested. ¡°Wait for them to give up the search. Then we can slip through.¡±


    ¡°I doubt they¡¯re likely to give up the search easily,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°This is too weird a situation to begin with. We have to try to get through.¡±


    Felit?a took a deep breath. ¡°I can hide us from the Knights at the gate. We¡¯ll just ride past them. Hopefully, other people will just think we¡¯re arrogant Foliths. I don¡¯t like doing that, but...¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Give me a moment.¡± Felit?a took another deep breath and closed her eyes to get a feel for how much strength she had left. Far less than she would have preferred, but she felt certain she could manage the spell¡ªprovided there weren¡¯t too many Knights at the gate, and provided that nothing straining happened. At least the last casting had given her some ideas for how she could adjust her stance to make it less draining. ¡°Okay. Keep close together. Stray too far and I won¡¯t be able to hide you.¡±


    Rudiger nodded, and Borisin stepped closer to Simeria. Damn! She had forgotten she needed to hide the horses, too. Could she manage it? Only one way to find out.


    They rode towards the gate, past the throngs of people waiting to leave. Eyes full of hate and loathing turned to watch them. Men and women, young and old. Farmers, merchants, travellers. A few muttered probable curses under their breath, but none of them dared say anything for fear of the Knights. Felit?a tried to ignore them all, but it was not an easy task. She felt like she was betraying them all.


    The gate came ever closer. Felit?a counted five Bloods at the front, checking the people coming in and out. She prayed that there were no others hidden by the crowds. She took a moment to adjust for her stance on her horse, and then cast the spell. The strain was unimaginable. Her head felt ready to burst. Every step her horse took seemed like a mile, and the Knights always seemed farther away. Surely she would burn herself out. She wanted nothing more than to release the spell before that happened.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± Zandrue said quietly. ¡°You can do this. It¡¯s not much farther now.¡±


    Years of study would be wasted if she burned herself out or killed herself on a foolish stunt. How could she make a mockery of Elderaan¡¯s tutelage by doing that? But being executed by the Knights would waste those years just as surely, so she held on. The pain spread from her head to her neck, then her chest and arms, her breasts, fingers, stomach. Ever lower and lower. The pain was strongest in her back. Perhaps she could adjust for that. Slouching just a little allowed the magic to flow more freely, and the pain no longer reached her toes¡ªonly her ankles.


    ¡°Right,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Intermingle with the crowds a bit until we¡¯re out of sight of the Knights at the gate. Then we ride hard. Asa, it¡¯s all right, you can end it now.¡±


    Felit?a hadn¡¯t even noticed that they had passed through, but she wasted no time listening to Zandrue. She had to clutch Simeria¡¯s neck to stop from falling off as the fatigue washed over her. Rudiger, riding beside her, leaned over to help her right herself. ¡°It¡¯s all right. I¡¯ll be fine. Just don¡¯t ask me to cast another spell for a few days.¡± As best she could tell, it would be a week, at least, before she dared even the simplest of spells, possibly longer. But they had made it through.


    They pushed their way through the crowd, amidst curses and even the occasional yell (people got bolder the farther from the wall). ¡°Now,¡± Zandrue said.


    And they were off. They pushed the horses as long as they dared. Zandrue and Felit?a soon outdistanced Rudiger on the slower Borisin, but he caught up to them eventually once they had slowed down. By this time, there was only farmland around them, with no sign of the wall of Tyl.


    ¡°Made it!¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°Yeah, we made it,¡± Zandrue said, not sounding anywhere near as joyous.


    ¡°Bet they¡¯ll come after us eventually, though,¡± Rudiger added.


    ¡°Yeah, they will,¡± Zandrue said, rounding on him. ¡°Care to tell us why?¡±


    He stared at her a moment. ¡°How should I know? I told you, they¡¯ve been eyeing my sword ever since I got here.¡±


    ¡°And they order your death in a stable?¡±


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°Apparently.¡±


    ¡°Is it really your sword?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Zandrue backed off and turned to Felit?a. ¡°You don¡¯t suppose this has something to do with Dyle and the Darkers, do you?¡±


    ¡°Darkers?¡± Rudiger started, but Zandrue shushed him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Felit?a gasped. The spell had weakened her enough that her voice was little more than a rasp. ¡°Could be, I suppose.¡± She didn¡¯t know how, but she wasn¡¯t willing to dismiss the possibility all together, especially considering the weird familiarity she felt with Rudiger.


    This isn¡¯t over, Will-Breaker, Dyle had said all those years ago.


    No, it wasn¡¯t. She¡¯d see to that.

 Chapter 3: Rudiger (Part 4)

    ¡°Tell me again why I should listen to anything you have to say.¡±


    Dyle didn¡¯t answer. He continued to stare at the crystal in his hand, its dim red light blinking slowly, showing the direction to the Will-Breaker. Having the carcraime with her would extend the crystal¡¯s range somewhat, but it wouldn¡¯t be long before it could no longer track them. He was a bit surprised they weren¡¯t out of range already, although it was difficult to judge distance with this thing.


    ¡°I said, tell me why¡ª¡±


    ¡°I stand higher than you,¡± he said, looking up at her.


    Lady Lidda Plavin was a cold-looking woman with pale blonde hair and even paler skin. Some men called her beautiful, but not Dyle. She was too tall and thin, with barely any hips worth speaking of. Not like Quilla.


    ¡°Higher?¡± she scoffed. ¡°You are nothing. A low-born Eloorin. I am a Folith and a lady¡ª¡±


    ¡°And a Servant of Sunset,¡± Dyle concluded for her. ¡°There is no such thing as race among the Servants. I would love to hear you try that rhetoric on a Volg or the pundritta. Oh yes, the Dusk Supreme is an Eloorin, or had you forgotten? I stand higher than you, and you will listen to me.¡±


    ¡°And if I choose not to?¡±


    ¡°That is your choice,¡± Dyle said, ¡°but you¡¯d regret it. If you lived.¡±


    ¡°Have a care with your tongue, Eloorin,¡± the Blood at her side snapped. ¡°This is the palace of the Lady of Plavin-Tyl. You will show the proper respect or have it beaten out of you.¡±


    ¡°Keep your dog under control, Lidda,¡± Dyle said.


    ¡°Why you!¡± The Blood reached for his sword, but Lidda placed her hand on his arm.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, Uncle,¡± she said.


    The Blood scowled, but let go of the grip of his partially drawn sword, letting it slide back into its sheath. Mitchal Plavin was even uglier in person than the stories of him said. With a bent and crooked nose and two long scars, each running down a cheek and crossing the other at his chin, he reminded Dyle of a goblin, just without the tusks. No doubt he was one of those idiots who scarred themselves as signs of devotion to the Dark Lord.


    Dyle touched the scar on his cheek. That was a sign of his devotion, but a different sort of sign. Even now, years after the girl had cut him, it still bothered him, itching continually.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Lidda said. ¡°What do you want to say?¡±


    That was better. Dyle lowered his hand from his face and said, ¡°I want to discuss your pathetic attempt to kill the Will-Breaker. You purposely ignored all the warnings I gave you. Now, she¡¯s on the verge of getting away.¡± He held up the crystal, its light even dimmer. ¡°She¡¯ll be out of range soon.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t go after her,¡± Lidda said. ¡°We went after the Sword. She just happened to be there.¡±


    Dyle scowled. He¡¯d told her not to do that as well.


    ¡°Besides,¡± Lidda continued, ¡°I don¡¯t believe this nonsense that we can¡¯t handle her. We just need more men next time.¡±


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    Mitchal Plavin turned to his niece. ¡°I told you I should have gone myself.¡±


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t have made a difference,¡± Dyle said. ¡°She¡¯s a wizard. She can do funny things to people¡¯s minds. There¡¯s a reason she¡¯s called the Will-Breaker.¡±


    ¡°Pheh!¡± Mitchal Plavin spat. ¡°Stories and myths. Nothing more. I¡¯ve killed three wizards in my time, one of whom was an Isyar. Wizards are not all they¡¯re cracked up to be. If I¡¯d been there...¡±


    Lidda waved her hand at him. ¡°It¡¯s too late now. Besides, it was the Sword that allowed their escape. According to the Knight captain¡¯s report, one of your Knights was cut almost in half by it.¡±


    Dyle laughed, and the two looked at him. ¡°The Sword? You really think that oaf has the Sword?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± Lidda replied, ¡°but our intent was to find out.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think some random person is just going to wander into your fair city bearing the Sword for you to take?¡±


    ¡°He could be the Sword-Bearer.¡±


    ¡°You stupid woman! Even if he is, he has to retrieve the Sword first, and the Sword is in Singea.¡±


    ¡°How do you know this?¡± her uncle asked.


    ¡°I know,¡± Dyle replied. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it.¡± If the oaf was the Sword-Bearer though, it would explain why the crystal was still tracking the Will-Breaker. His presence would extend its range even more.


    ¡°So, what do you suggest we do?¡± Lidda asked.


    Dyle smiled. ¡°You¡¯re learning. Send word to Arnor City that the Princess Felit?a has been spotted alive and well. Have your people in the palace see to it that the King¡¯s longing to see his daughter wins out over his wife¡¯s hatred of her. Let her be taken back to Arnor City. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±


    Lidda Plavin sat down in the throne she had had fashioned for herself. It was a garish affair, covered in glittering jewels, obviously designed to mock the Bear Throne in Arnor City. ¡°So you expect us just to send a message and then do nothing?¡±


    ¡°I have a better idea,¡± a new voice said.


    Almost as one, they turned to face the source of the intrusion.


    ¡°How did you get in here?¡± Mitchal Plavin demanded, as he drew his sword.


    ¡°I¡¯d put that sword away, if I were you, Lord Commander,¡± the newcomer said. ¡°I have a proposition for you all.¡±


    ¡°A proposition?¡± Lady Plavin said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you got past the guards, but you can¡¯t just walk in here unannounced with propositions for me. Uncle, kill this fool.¡±


    The Lord Commander of the Red Knights approached the seemingly unarmed man. With a snarl, he raised his sword and then went flying backwards across the room, crashing into a table. A tapestry on the wall fell over on top of the Blood. On any other occasion, Dyle might have smiled, but this newcomer bothered him.


    ¡°Shall we discuss my proposition?¡± the stranger said.


    ¡°Why should we listen to you?¡± Dyle asked.


    ¡°Because I stand higher than you.¡± The man grinned at him, as if he were mocking the very words Dyle had spoken to Lady Plavin earlier.


    ¡°Impossible,¡± Dyle responded. ¡°Only the Dusk Supreme stands higher than me, and you are not him.¡±


    ¡°Would you like to be Dusk Supreme?¡± the man asked.


    Dyle didn¡¯t respond. This man was obviously a fool, but a powerful one.


    ¡°I can make you Dusk Supreme if you listen to me,¡± he went on.


    ¡°And me?¡± Lidda questioned. ¡°What do you offer me?¡±


    ¡°How about the throne of Arnor?¡±


    This time it was Lidda¡¯s turn to laugh. ¡°Have you any idea how far down the succession I am?¡± The man nodded, and Lidda laughed again. ¡°What are you going to do? Kill everyone ahead of me? That¡¯s a lot of people. Or give me an army to conquer Arnor? That would be a huge army. Where have you been hiding such an army?¡±


    ¡°You mock now,¡± the man said, ¡°but if you trust me, I will give you both what you most desire.¡±


    ¡°Why should we trust you?¡± Mitchal Plavin said, pulling himself to his feet. ¡°Because you are capable of a paltry conjuring trick?¡±


    The room went dark then, and yet another voice¡ªthis one powerful, but calming, soothing¡ªsaid, ¡°Trust him.¡±


    And so they did.

 Chapter 4: Four, Five, and Six (Part 1)

    Felit?a shivered. Not from the cold, though it was cold. She shivered from the emptiness. She had never drained herself this much before. Not even with her very first spell had she used so much energy. That occasion had left her exhausted, but not to the point where she had trouble standing without support. This was far beyond that. She had come close to burning herself out, maybe killing herself. The enormity of it was only just dawning on her.


    She fell off Simeria when they finally stopped for the night. She now had some nasty scrapes on her palms and wrists from trying to break the fall. While Zandrue and Rudiger prepared camp, she fell asleep on some hard rocks and didn¡¯t wake until morning. At some point, Zandrue moved her into her tent, but she never woke for that.


    In the morning, she was still exhausted. She had known to expect it, but it still surprised her. She could have slept the whole day¡ªwould have preferred to¡ªbut they had to keep moving. They couldn¡¯t take the chance anyone chasing them might catch up.


    So now, after another long day of riding, she sat shivering. Shivering and staring at the uneaten food in her lap. She needed to eat it. She had not had much today, and she needed to keep her strength up for riding. But the food had no appeal. She wasn¡¯t even sure what it was¡ªa rabbit Zandrue or Rudiger had caught, maybe? The emptiness made the thought of eating stomach-churning. She pulled off a small piece and raised it to her mouth. After several seconds of hesitation, she shoved it in and swallowed with very little chewing just to get it over with.


    Rudiger threw the bones from his meal into the fire. ¡°Can we talk about what happened yesterday? We need a plan.¡±


    ¡°We let Asa recover first,¡± Zandrue replied. ¡°I told you that.¡±


    ¡°And if they catch up to us before she does?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we keep moving every day. That¡¯s all we can do for now.¡±


    ¡°And if they still catch us? We should at least have a back-up plan.¡±


    ¡°Rudiger!¡± Zandrue snapped.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± Felit?a said. Her voice was still raspy, but it was getting better. This morning, she had not been able to do much more than croak. ¡°Rudiger¡¯s right. We need a plan.¡±


    ¡°You need to rest,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°And I will, but I have to eat this food first, and that¡¯s going to take a little while. While I do, you two can talk and I can listen.¡± She raised another piece of food to her mouth and took a hesitant bite.


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°All right then.¡±


    ¡°How about you start with those Darkers you mentioned?¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°How about we start with your sword?¡± Zandrue said. ¡°That¡¯s what the Bloods were after.¡±


    Rudiger sighed and nodded. ¡°Fair.¡± He collected the sword, still sheathed, and laid it on his lap. ¡°This is Slay.¡±


    Zandrue smirked. ¡°Slay?¡±


    Rudiger nodded. ¡°Slay.¡±


    Not as bad as Garet¡¯s Smasher, but it still left Felit?a wondering what the point of naming a sword was if you were going to be so unimaginative.


    ¡°Apt name, I suppose,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°It did cut one of those Bloods nearly in half. I can forgive you for choosing it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t name it,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°It¡¯s been in my family for generations. It¡¯s had that name pretty much the whole time. Apparently had a longer name once, but that¡¯s long forgotten.¡±


    ¡°How do you get it so sharp? I¡¯d love to get our sword that sharp.¡±


    ¡°Our?¡±


    Zandrue nodded to Felit?a. ¡°I mean me and Asa. It¡¯s technically her sword, but I¡¯m the one that knows how to use it.¡±


    ¡°I gave it to you,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°It¡¯s yours.¡± She forced another bite of food.


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Yeah, but for some reason, I always feel guilty thinking of it as mine. Anyway, Rudiger. Slay. Tell us more.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t sharpen it,¡± he said. ¡°Never needed to. It keeps its sharpness somehow.¡±


    ¡°Magic?¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t really know, but I guess so.¡±


    Zandrue whistled. ¡°No wonder the Bloods were interested in it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but how would they even know?¡± Rudiger asked.


    ¡°Maybe they just noticed a valuable sword and only noticed after taking a closer look.¡±


    ¡°Never gave them a closer look.¡±


    Zandrue smirked. ¡°That might have been part of the problem.¡±


    ¡°What do you know about the sword?¡± Felit?a asked.


    , you need to save your strength,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I can ask these questions.¡±


    Felit?a nodded, causing a wave of dizziness to flood through her. She nearly fell over, but Zandrue caught her. It occurred to Felit?a that she couldn¡¯t sense any emotions from Rudiger and Zandrue at the moment.


    Once Felit?a was sitting up again, Zandrue said, ¡°So, answer her question. What do you know about the sword?¡±


    ¡°Not much more than I¡¯ve already told you. There¡¯s some writing on the blade. Don¡¯t know what it says though. Don¡¯t think anybody in my family ever knew. My father certainly didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Did no one ever try to get it translated?¡± Zandrue asked.


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°No idea. Never really occurred to me. I don¡¯t know where I¡¯d go to do that.¡±


    Zandrue reached out her hands. ¡°Can I see it?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Rudiger held out the sword to her. ¡°Careful. It¡¯s heavy.¡±


    Zandrue took the sword with a grunt. ¡°You¡¯re not kidding.¡± She slid the sheath off and then laid the bare sword in her lap.


    Felit?a leaned over to see, but lost her balance, and fell into Zandrue¡¯s side.


    ¡°Shit, Asa, careful! This thing could cut your hand off.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± She tried to straighten herself up again, but couldn¡¯t manage it. Rudiger rushed over to her and helped.


    She had gotten a look at the blade though. It was exquisite, the blade polished so perfectly that the firelight glinting and reflecting off its surface seemed brighter than the source. There was no noticeable writing though.


    Zandrue ran a finger along the flat of the blade, tracing out designs.


    ¡°You have to look closely to see the letters,¡± Rudiger said, sitting back down again.


    ¡°So I see,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Recognise them?¡± Felit?a asked.


    Zandrue continued tracing. ¡°Not exactly. They look like Folithan letters, but not quite. They could be some sort of calligraphy, I suppose. My Folithan¡¯s pretty rusty.¡±


    ¡°You speak Folithan?¡± Felit?a said. How in all this time had she not known that?


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°Not really. I know a few basic words and enough of the writing to recognise the letters. That¡¯s about it.¡±


    ¡°Any hope of translating it?¡± Rudiger asked.


    Zandrue shrugged.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to figure out what the language is first,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°This provides a sample of the script though, so we might be able to find something at the Hall of Knowledge.¡± She was starting to feel dizzy again, and her stomach was churning.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to Quorge, Asa,¡± Zandrue said.


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    Oh, right. Quorge was north-east and they were going north-west. ¡°Maybe the...the...¡± She wasn¡¯t sure what she wanted to say. What was there to the north-west again? Her stomach was churning too much for her to think straight. Bile was building in her throat.


    ¡°We can try a library in Porthaven,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°There are a couple big ones there.¡±


    Felit?a tried to agree, but it all came up. She vomited up everything she¡¯d eaten all over her uneaten food.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Rudiger, take your sword please. I¡¯m getting Asa to bed.¡±


    Felit?a smiled at Zandrue. That sounded like a good idea.


    She lost consciousness.


    She woke up to the feeling of concern. She was in her tent, Zandrue looking over her.


    Zandrue smiled. ¡°You had me worried.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± She tried to sit up and look herself over.


    Zandrue gently pushed her back down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I cleaned you up.¡±


    ¡°What would I do without you?¡±


    ¡°Work yourself to death, probably.¡± Zandrue chuckled, then stopped abruptly as concern spread from her again. ¡°Please take it easy.¡±


    ¡°I will. I promise.¡± She wanted to say more, but sleep overtook her again.


    The next day was a little better, and the day after that a little better still. She was still exhausted, but it was starting to feel more like normal exhaustion. She could eat again, for one. She could also do her concentration exercises again¡ªnot that she had much time for them. She was stuck on horseback most of the day, and she hadn¡¯t recovered enough to try the exercises anywhere other than the ground.


    Her strength was enough now, though, that she didn¡¯t have to use every bit of it to stop from falling out her saddle. She could pay attention to her surroundings, and given how frequently either Zandrue or Rudiger rode strangely close beside her and would reach towards her with every slight move she made, she started to realise how much they must have been helping her not fall over the past couple days. That was a bit embarrassing.


    On the downside, as her strength returned, so did the strange pseudo-memories regarding Rudiger. Any time she saw him, her mind would start to fill with images and words that she couldn¡¯t make out apart from Rudiger¡¯s name, and Borisin¡¯s. This had to be the same thing that had made Zandrue seem so familiar when they¡¯d first met.


    Every time the feelings surfaced, they were distracting¡ªespecially in her weakened state¡ªso much so that she found herself avoiding Rudiger just to avoid the feelings. She tried instead to pretend she was engrossed in watching the landscape. Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t much to be engrossed in. Endless stretches of flat plains in every direction with only a few trees and farms to interrupt the monotony between the few small villages. But she focused on them just to avoid looking at Rudiger.


    He must have thought her incredibly rude. She could certainly sense his confusion over her clipped responses to his attempts at conversation. She promised herself she would clear the air once her strength returned.


    On the seventh day, they risked staying at a roadside inn instead of trying to find a secluded spot away from the road. No one had caught them yet, and they were beginning to trust that no one was following them. Winter was getting closer and the nights were getting colder. It would be nice to be indoors, to eat a proper meal again, and sleep in a warm bed.


    While they ate, Rudiger broached the topic of long-term plans again.


    ¡°You doing okay?¡± Zandrue asked.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I can¡¯t risk casting spells yet, but I think I can talk without throwing up.¡± She smiled at Zandrue, then at Rudiger, only to have those images flood her mind again. She turned her head away, blushing.


    Rudiger sighed, both irritation and embarrassment flooding from him. ¡°Look, if we¡¯re going to travel together, you¡¯re going to have to get used to looking at me once in a while.¡±


    Felit?a steeled herself and looked back at him. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± he said. ¡°I get it, and I¡¯m flattered, but well, we don¡¯t know each other all that well yet, and...¡±


    Oh gods, he thought she was attracted to him. All the damn blushing she kept doing. She needed to get herself under control.


    Amusement from Zandrue overshadowed Rudiger¡¯s embarrassment. ¡°Trust me, Rudiger, it¡¯s not that. Asa doesn¡¯t go for men. Why don¡¯t we start with the actual source of this behaviour though, Asa?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Felit?a said. She wasn¡¯t sure she could explain this, at least not in a way that made any sense. ¡°When I first saw you, Rudiger, I felt a strange sense of familiarity. I¡¯m not sure how else to describe it. It¡¯s like I already knew you even though I¡¯d never seen you before in my life.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I reminded you of someone,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°I meet people from time to time who remind me of other people.¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that. It¡¯s much more...tangible? That might not be the right word. I got a similar feeling when I first met Zandrue, but it wasn¡¯t so pronounced. I knew Borisin¡¯s name before anyone mentioned it to me, and...¡± She paused.


    Rudiger looked at her expectantly.


    ¡°I have images of you and Borisin in my head. Complete images. Without clothes in your case. Well, technically in Borisin¡¯s too.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°You believe me? I can prove it if I need to. I can describe things.¡±


    This time it was Rudiger¡¯s turn to blush. ¡°Let¡¯s not. I talk to my horse. I¡¯m willing to believe in weird things.¡± But there was doubt mixed with the embarrassment flowing from him.


    ¡°There¡¯s more though. When I picture you and Borisin, I can hear voices too. I think. Or maybe it¡¯s one voice echoing. I can¡¯t make out all the words, just your name, and Borisin¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡± Zandrue asked. ¡°Instead of trying to fight these feelings, why don¡¯t you let them do...whatever?¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°Give me a moment.¡± She closed her eyes and the Room formed in her head. Zandrue¡¯s and Rudiger¡¯s presences were there¡ªas always in locations that didn¡¯t line up with where they were in reality¡ªas were the inn¡¯s other patrons¡¯. She brought the walls in close and pushed aside the presences of all the real people, even Rudiger and Zandrue. Then she focused on the familiarity she felt with Rudiger.


    Images appeared off to the side¡ªsort of. The dimensions in the Room made no realistic sense. But Rudiger and Borisin were there. They just stood there, stiff and unmoving, like incredibly lifelike paintings. No. Sculptures. Unbelievably lifelike sculptures. There were others too. Zandrue, as naked as Rudiger, was in the lead. Rudiger was behind her, then Borisin. Then the others. And the voices.


    ¡°I hope I look good,¡± Zandrue said after Felit?a described the scene.


    There was a time when an interruption like that would have broken her concentration and dissolved the Room, but not anymore. It did waver a bit, though, as her weakened state made concentration difficult. The fact she hung on was a reminder how far she had come.


    The other figures were blurry, though she was reasonably certain they were people. They were of varying heights, although all shorter than Rudiger. That was all she could make out¡ªexcept one of them was very wide, maybe as wide as tall. Another animal, maybe?


    ¡°How many?¡± Zandrue asked.


    Felit?a tried to count. Were they in the order she was meeting them? The wide figure was sixth. Beyond the seventh figure, however, it became harder to separate them from each other. ¡°At least eight,¡± she told Zandrue. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s more though, maybe as many as ten or even a dozen.¡±


    ¡°What about the voices?¡± Zandrue asked.


    ¡°Overlapping, hard to separate.¡± She could distinguish Rudiger¡¯s name, so she focused on it, pushing the others aside.


    Rudiger. Borisin. Then unintelligible.


    She pushed that voice aside and tried to pull in another.


    Felit?a.


    ¡°I can hear my name,¡± she said.


    Felit?a. Felit?a.


    ¡°Repeating over and over.¡±


    Zandrue. Rudiger. Borisin.


    ¡°Describe the voices,¡± Zandrue said.


    It was a woman¡¯s voice, although deeper than most women¡¯s. Always the same voice. ¡°I think it¡¯s just one voice. Echoing and overlapping with itself. She¡¯s stating a list of names, but I can¡¯t make out most of them. Just mine, yours, Rudiger¡¯s, and Borisin¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you only get to learn them when you meet them,¡± Zandrue suggested.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Felit?a agreed. ¡°Wait a minute. I think I can just about understand one other.¡±


    Quilla.


    Felit?a¡¯s heart skipped a beat and she almost lost her concentration as the seventh figure in line came into focus. A voluptuous Eloorin woman, maybe thirty years of age. She had short dark hair, and her skin had a coppery tone to it similar to the Ninifins and others farther to the south. She had a rounded face and large, grey-brown eyes. One of her front teeth was chipped and she had a small, reddish birthmark below her right armpit.


    Okay, that was enough detail. Felit?a opened her eyes, pushing the vision aside and letting the Room disappear. ¡°Quilla. I saw Quilla.¡±


    Zandrue slapped her hands down on the table. ¡°Ha! Am I brilliant or what!¡±


    Rudiger gaped at her.


    ¡°It was my idea to do this,¡± Zandrue explained. ¡°I am taking full credit for this. Did it tell you where to find her?¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°Unfortunately, no. She¡¯s also seventh in line. The three of you are in the order I met you. If I¡¯m meeting everyone in order, I¡¯ve got three more people to meet first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really not following,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°Who¡¯s Quilla?¡±


    ¡°We have no idea,¡± Zandrue said.


    Rudiger stared blankly. ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    Zandrue patted his arm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Neither do we. But it has something to do with Darkers.¡±


    ¡°The ones you still haven¡¯t told me about?¡±


    Zandrue smirked and looked to Felit?a. Felit?a nodded her assent and Zandrue told Rudiger about the Darkers.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m still confused,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°How does....what was the name? Quilla? How does Quilla fit into this story.¡±


    ¡°She was someone the Darkers were looking for,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°They thought Asa would know where to find her, which is why they targeted Asa. Why they thought Asa would know, though...¡± Zandrue shrugged.


    ¡°This was ten years ago, right?¡±


    ¡°Nine, technically,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°but basically, yeah.¡±


    Rudiger shook his head. ¡°Okay, I get seeing this Quilla in your head now would remind you of the Darkers, but you mentioned them a few days ago before seeing her now.¡±


    ¡°I saw a couple of them in the market in Tyl,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°That¡¯s what reminded me of them, though to be honest, I¡¯ve never really forgotten. That day has always bothered me.¡±


    Rudiger looked about to say something else, but paused. Confusion was still ebbing from him. Or was that her own confusion? No, it was definitely his, though it was a good reminder that she wasn¡¯t fully recovered yet.


    There was a hint of confusion from Zandrue too. ¡°This does explain a little¡ªwell, hardly anything, really. But seeing Quilla in your head does fit with the Darkers thinking you¡¯d know her.¡±


    ¡°Nine years earlier,¡± Rudiger said.


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°Exactly. Why are you seeing her now? Why not then?¡±


    ¡°Maybe because I didn¡¯t have this ability then,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°But they knew,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Or they knew something. And you said you found me familiar when you first met me.¡±


    Felit?a sighed. She didn¡¯t have the answers, but she could make one logical conclusion. ¡°I didn¡¯t have full control over my abilities then. I still don¡¯t have full control, but I have gotten a little better. That¡¯s the only explanation I can offer.¡±


    ¡°So, is seeing us in your head part of some prophetic vision then?¡± Rudiger asked.


    ¡°I hope not, but something weird is definitely going on.¡± The idea that something was dictating her future was unsettling, even frightening. She might not have figured out exactly what she was doing with her life, but she wanted it to be her decision, not someone else¡¯s.


    She looked at Rudiger and the memories started to well up again, but this time she shoved them aside and put them in their proper place in her head. She didn¡¯t blush, and she didn¡¯t turn away.


    However, fatigue washed over her and she felt her eyes start to close. That had taken a lot out of her. She probably should have waited a few days before doing this, but at least she had achieved real results. Maybe when she had fully recovered, she would be able to bring the rest into focus and maybe even figure out where the memories came from in the first place.


    She excused herself and headed up to bed.

 Chapter 4: Four, Five, and Six (Part 2)

    Over the next few days, Felit?a began to feel her old self again. She wasn¡¯t yet willing to risk casting a spell¡ªher body wasn¡¯t ready for that yet¡ªbut she was otherwise able to do things she could normally do. That included helping with camp and food, things she had felt guilty about not helping with.


    They passed out of Plavin-Tyl at some point during these few days and into Elooria. Felit?a wasn¡¯t paying strict attention to when it happened. Just on one of the days, the tavern they stopped at boasted the ¡°finest ale in Elooria¡±. The knowledge came as something of a relief. Even though there was nothing stopping any pursuers from crossing into Elooria, at least they wouldn¡¯t have official sanction anymore.


    Regardless of the change of province, they all reasoned that they should be safe from pursuit for the time being. Even if there had been initial pursuit, they had made it far enough that they shouldn¡¯t have to worry about anyone catching up. Still, Felit?a couldn¡¯t help worry a little.


    She tried to focus on other things instead. In particular, she was interested in Rudiger¡¯s ability to communicate with his horse and in Borisin himself. Borisin had a much stronger mental presence than most animals. On several occasions, she thought she caught the horse watching her, but he would turn his head as soon as she noticed. From time to time, she tried to approach him, but unless Rudiger was there to stop him, he always sidled away from her.


    ¡°He does that with everyone,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t like people much. Says he prefers the mares.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bet he does,¡± Zandrue joked. ¡°Thank the gods they¡¯re not likely to go into heat again until the spring. Stallions around mares in heat is not a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he behaves himself if I tell him to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll believe that when I see it.¡±


    Felit?a tuned out the rest of their conversation and focused on Borisin. It was more than not liking people. But each time she tried to approach the stallion, she learned nothing new. More secrets and mysteries to unravel.


    She was interested in Rudiger¡¯s sword, too. There was no means to translate the writing on the blade yet, but she did question Rudiger more about its background. There had to be a reason the Red Knights had accused him of stealing it.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t steal it, did you?¡± Zandrue said.


    Rudiger rolled his eyes. ¡°I already told you I didn¡¯t.¡±


    Zandrue smirked and elbowed his arm. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing. But here¡¯s a thought. Has anyone else ever tried to steal it?¡±


    Rudiger frowned. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Just that, if the Bloods did somehow recognise your specific sword, then it means that others might. Others might have even tried to go after it in the past. In fact, I¡¯d expect it, but if no one has, it could mean the Bloods just saw a fancy, expensive-looking sword that they wanted.¡±


    Rudiger hesitated. Discomfort, followed by a surge of sadness, helplessness, and despair, radiated from him.


    ¡°Well?¡± Zandrue prodded, but backed off at the look on his face.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°Don¡¯t know for sure, but I think it might have been why my parents were killed. I don¡¯t really like to talk about it.¡±


    Zandrue put a hand on his arm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t realise.¡±


    He shrugged and took a deep breath. ¡°That¡¯s okay. They were killed while I was away training with the army. The sword was with me. Their home was ransacked like the killer was looking for something, but nothing was stolen as best I could tell.¡±


    ¡°They never caught who did it?¡± Felit?a said.


    Rudiger shook his head. ¡°Everyone kept trying to shirk responsibility to someone else. My father was a general, so the city guard said it was the army¡¯s responsibility. The army said he was off duty, so it was the city¡¯s responsibility.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a load of bullshit,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s why I left the army, and why I left Fisvin. Never really settled down after that. Just been wandering ever since. If you¡¯ll excuse me, I...uh...I need to check on Borisin.¡± He pushed passed the two of them and headed over to his horse.


    Zandrue sighed. ¡°I sure know how to put my foot in my mouth, don¡¯t I?¡±


    Felit?a put a hand on her friend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You didn¡¯t know.¡±


    Zandrue nodded, but said nothing.


    * * * * *


    It was a full three weeks after leaving Tyl that Felit?a was finally willing to cast another spell. She started simple, convincing Simeria that there was an apple in her empty, but outstretched hand. She felt a little guilty as the horse bit into empty air, but felt great relief that her body responded as it should. It meant that she had healed without any permanent damage. It also meant that she was in a much better mood for the remainder of their journey.


    As they progressed, they began to pass through more and more villages and towns, and were able to rest in inns more frequently. This area of Elooria was one of the most populous areas of Arnor. The places they passed through were also stark contrasts to Tyl. People were friendly and spoke to one another, regardless of whether they were Eloorin or Folith.


    Six weeks after leaving Tyl, they arrived in Mesone, a small town about a day¡¯s travel from Porthaven. As Porthaven was situated on a small peninsula, travellers into or out of it had to pass through Mesone, making the town a crossroads for people from all across the continent¡ªand beyond. The people were a mix of more than just Folith and Eloorin (although Eloorin were the majority). There were various peoples from southern Arnor, including occasional Ninifins. Felit?a even spotted several umber-skinned Sanalogs from far-off Endoria.


    There were a lot of people, too. Despite the recent arrival of winter snows, the streets were packed with people moving from one spot to another, or some just standing in place hawking wares or services. Indeed, there seemed to be merchants and other sellers everywhere, even leaning out the windows of the upper storeys of the simple thatch buildings and calling out to passersby.


    The first several inns they tried were full¡ªbeyond capacity some of the inn-keepers said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen so many people crammed into such a small space,¡± Rudiger commented as they navigated the cramped streets. Borisin, with his greater bulk, was having a harder time than the mares, and Felit?a and Zandrue had to hold back to let Rudiger and his horse keep up.


    ¡°It¡¯s the last chance people have to get in or out of Porthaven before the snows start to block the roads for winter,¡± Zandrue said, pulling sharply on her horse¡¯s reins to avoid coming too close to another nearby horse pulling a wagon full of goods.


    ¡°Never thought of that,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°First time this far north. Snow along the Thumb never gets that bad.¡±


    ¡°Welcome to northern Arnor,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°where it snows six months of the year and tries to snow the other six.¡±


    Luckily, a place like Mesone had lots of inns, so they did eventually find one with space. Rudiger went to take care of the stabling, while Felit?a and Zandrue booked rooms with the inn-keeper¡ªa grease-covered man who kept boasting that there was an Isyar staying at the inn. Felit?a and Zandrue then made their way to the inn¡¯s common room to meet back with Rudiger.


    Like everywhere else in Mesone, the common room was packed with people. Many crowded around tables (both sitting and standing as there weren¡¯t enough chairs for everyone) eating and drinking, playing dice or card games, or talking and laughing amongst themselves. In one corner, a man sat with a lute. He appeared to be playing and singing, although it was impossible to hear him over the general din of the room.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to find a place to sit and eat in here,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Given the amount of grease the inn-keeper appears to use, I¡¯m not sure I want to eat anything,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Though I suppose he can¡¯t possibly cook everyone¡¯s food.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Someone has obviously never been acquainted with true Eloorin food,¡± Zandrue said with a chuckle. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter who¡¯s cooking it. They reuse the same grease over and over again. Lots of it. Gives every cooking pot its own unique identity, they say. You can only really get it in Porthaven and Mesone, though you must have passed through here all those years ago.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did,¡± Felit?a replied, ¡°but I don¡¯t really remember the food. It was a long time ago and we didn¡¯t stay long.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s pretty tasty,¡± Zandrue said.


    Rudiger joined them. ¡°Stable hands¡¯ll bring up our bags as soon as they¡¯re done with the horses.¡±


    Zandrue held up the key to their room. ¡°Let¡¯s see our room and we can figure out sleeping arrangements. We¡¯re in number three.¡± She moved through the crowd towards the stairs at the far side of the room. Rudiger followed close behind her and people moved quickly out of his way.


    One advantage to travelling with someone so large. Felit?a followed along in the gap he provided, but paused as she reached the bottom step. Zandrue and Rudiger continued up, not noticing her as she turned towards what had caught her eye.


    A short, portly Eloorin sat at one of the tables along the far wall. There wasn¡¯t anything to particularly distinguish him from the other people seated and standing near him other than perhaps the books stacked on the table in front of him.


    Meleng.


    She let the images form in the Room again. Zandrue, Rudiger, and Borisin came into focus at the front of the line, Quilla in seventh position. And in fourth position, just past Borisin, was this man.


    Meleng.


    That was his name. Damn, she really was meeting them in order.


    He was in his late teens or early twenties at most, with a thick mop of dark, curly hair. He had grey eyes and a mole on his back just beneath his left shoulder blade¡ªgods, these images gave her more detail than she could ever want. She didn¡¯t even have to look for the details; she just knew them.


    She moved towards him, but a hand touched her shoulder. It was Zandrue. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I just found number four,¡± Felit?a replied.


    Zandrue stepped forward just beside her. ¡°Where?¡±


    Felit?a nodded in the young Eloorin man¡¯s direction, but realised that, in the crowded room, it wasn¡¯t helpful. ¡°Just over this way.¡±


    She weaved through the people, Zandrue following. As she got closer, a child¡¯s voice called out, ¡°Do it! Come on, do it!¡±


    Meleng placed his hands on top of the pile of books and began to trace small designs with his fingers. Felit?a held up a hand to motion for Zandrue to stop. She had seen Agernon and Drummor do similar things when casting spells. Agernon, in particular, would be very meticulous as this man seemed to be now. After a moment, he removed his hands from the pile, and the entire stack lifted off the table and floated several feet above.


    Other people near Meleng ceased their conversations and games to gape at the spectacle. As the noise quietened in that area of the room, people a little farther out also turned to see what was happening. Gradually, the noise in the room decreased enough that it was possible to hear the singer.


    But while everyone else focused on the floating pile of books, Felit?a found her attention drifting to one of the observers standing on the chair opposite Meleng. In her head, the short figure standing immediately behind Meleng came into focus. A young boy less than ten years old, with sandy-brown hair and a tawny face covered in freckles. The voices continued to call out names.


    Borisin. Meleng. Corvinian. Something else. Quilla.


    Corvinian.


    Number five. Two of them in one place.


    There was a loud pop and the books burst, sending pages scattering about the room in every direction. People gasped, laughed, and clapped. The boy jumped up and down in his chair and grasped for some of the pages as they flew past him, not catching any of them.


    Meleng¡¯s reaction was the complete opposite of his audience¡¯s. A look of shock and horror on his face, he rushed about collecting the pages from the tables and floor. Unfortunately for him, most of those pages were now being trod on or held by other people who considered them a kind of prize. Some had landed in grease or ale spills on the tables or right in people¡¯s food.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t supposed to happen, was it?¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Felit?a answered.


    ¡°Lucky for him, the crowd doesn¡¯t seem to have noticed. Is he the one?¡±


    ¡°Number four, yes,¡± Felit?a replied.


    Zandrue bent over and picked up a couple of pages that had landed at her feet. ¡°At least we have a means of introduction.¡±


    ¡°Number five¡¯s here, too.¡±


    ¡°Shit. The rate¡¯s really increasing, isn¡¯t it? Well, beats the nine years between me and Rudiger.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the boy, there,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I think they¡¯re together.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s introduce ourselves.¡± Zandrue slapped the pages in her hand and moved through the crowd towards Meleng who was now placing a much smaller pile of papers and book covers back on the table. The boy had jumped off his chair and was now darting under nearby tables, looking for additional pages.


    Felit?a bent down to pick up a sheet at her feet. It was torn halfway through the middle and covered in dirt smudges from numerous people having already stepped on it. It was full of hand-written notes. What little of them was still legible showed they were magical notes, mostly ideas for new magical applications¡ªthe kind of thing Meleng probably hadn¡¯t wanted to lose.


    Zandrue reached the table where Meleng now slumped in his chair. ¡°Some more of your papers?¡± She held them out.


    He looked up at her. ¡°Oh, yes, thanks. Thank you.¡± He took the papers from her and placed them on top of his pile.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look very happy,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Something go wrong?¡±


    ¡°You could say that,¡± he muttered, turning his head away.


    Felit?a reached them and held out the sheet she¡¯d retrieved. ¡°Another one.¡±


    He took the sheet from her, looked at it, muttered something under his breath, and slapped it down on top of the pile.


    ¡°Looked pretty impressive to me,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°It was just supposed to float the books, not burst them,¡± he said.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Felit?a asked.


    Meleng shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Must have made a mistake somewhere, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Concentration problem?¡± Zandrue suggested.


    Meleng shook his head.


    ¡°Concentration¡¯s not as big an issue with enchantment,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°If I¡¯d gone into enchantment, I wouldn¡¯t have had anywhere near the concentration issues I had. Still have sometimes.¡±


    Meleng turned all the way around in his chair. ¡°You¡¯re a wizard?¡±


    ¡°Mentalist,¡± she replied and offered her hand. ¡°Asa.¡±


    He took her hand and shook it vigorously. ¡°Meleng. Meleng Drago.¡± Excitement bubbled from him, managing to pierce the thick veil of emotions in the common room. ¡°It¡¯s so good to meet another wizard. I meet so few.¡±


    The boy bounded onto his chair, holding a pile of papers. ¡°I found as many as I could, Meleng.¡±


    Meleng took the papers. ¡°Oh thank you, Corvinian.¡±


    Zandrue held out her hand. ¡°Zandrue.¡±


    Meleng moved to take her hand, realised he was holding the papers in that hand, quickly switched hands, and then shook her hand. ¡°Meleng Drago.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you said.¡±


    ¡°Is your name like from the story of the Volg Killer?¡± He was still shaking her hand.


    ¡°Short for Zandromeda, yes.¡± She pulled her hand away from him. ¡°Talking names, you wouldn¡¯t be related to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± His face slunk and he slumped back in his chair.


    ¡°I thought your family was forbidden to practise magic.¡± Zandrue leaned over and sniffed him.


    Meleng recoiled. ¡°Just till the tenth generation. I¡¯m the eleventh.¡±


    ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t know that.¡±


    Felit?a hadn¡¯t known that, either. Common stories said that all descendants of the Dragon were forbidden from ever using magic again, though she had never researched the truth and common stories were often wrong.


    ¡°Few people do,¡± Meleng muttered as he placed the papers from Corvinian onto the pile.


    ¡°Meleng, we need to get ready.¡± It was another Eloorin man at the table. Felit?a hadn¡¯t really noticed him, although he was sitting in the chair right beside the boy¡¯s. ¡°Jorvan will be here soon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, of course.¡± Meleng stood and tucked the papers under his arm. Several threatened to fall back onto the floor again and he struggled with them a moment to get them stable. ¡°It was nice meeting you.¡± He started to hold out his hand to Felit?a again, but that caused the papers to slip once more and his arms returned to rigid at his side.


    Zandrue stifled laughter.


    ¡°Nice meeting you, too,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Jorvan¡¯s an Isyar!¡± the boy said as he bounded onto the tabletop. ¡°He¡¯s helping us!¡±


    ¡°Is he now?¡± Zandrue leaned towards the boy, who nodded vigorously.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get him!¡±


    Zandrue sniffed him, then straightened up. ¡°Sure, you go do that.¡±


    The boy jumped off the table and ran into the crowd. ¡°Corvinian, go collect your things from our room first!¡± a woman¡¯s voice called after him. ¡°We¡¯ll be there in a minute.¡± She was with the man who had been sitting beside the boy. Both of them were trying to navigate around the table without hopping over it the way the boy had.


    ¡°I¡¯ll catch up to him and bring him back,¡± Meleng said. ¡°Good day.¡± He nodded to Felit?a and Zandrue and followed after the boy, still struggling with the papers.

 Chapter 4: Four, Five, and Six (Part 3)

    ¡°Should we go with them?¡± Felit?a said.


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°We could, but I don¡¯t see any reason to. Just because they¡¯re in your weird vision thing doesn¡¯t mean you have to trail after them the moment you see them. I mean, there was a week between meeting me and drawing me into your web of intrigue.¡±


    ¡°Web of intrigue? That¡¯s what you think of me, is it?¡± Felit?a stuck her tongue out at her.


    Zandrue smirked. ¡°Just teasing. But my point is, we should just let things happen as they happen. If you run after them now, they¡¯re going to think you a little weird. Besides, Rudiger would wonder where we got to. We should get back to him.¡±


    ¡°Why do you do that thing you do?¡± Felit?a asked as they started up the stairs. ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered.¡± The man and woman whom Felit?a assumed were Corvinian¡¯s parents were a short distance ahead of them, just reaching the first landing and turning to the second flight.


    ¡°What thing?¡± Zandrue asked.


    ¡°You know. When you meet people. Sniff them.¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Most people don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not most people. People have distinct smells, you know. Most of us pay no attention to them. I prefer to know them.¡±


    ¡°And you remember the smells?¡±


    The man and woman had stopped at the first room at the top of the stairs, and the man was unlocking the door. Felit?a nodded to them as she and Zandrue passed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you?¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever actually sniffed anyone?¡±


    ¡°Well no. Not that way.¡±


    ¡°Then how do you know?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Felit?a could sense amusement from Zandrue now that they were away from the crowds and somewhere that actually approximated privacy. ¡°You¡¯re having me on, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Am I?¡± Their room was just to their right now and Zandrue reached for the door handle. ¡°Maybe I am, maybe I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    A massive boom, like thunder only much closer, came from the direction of the common room below and the floor itself shook, knocking Zandrue and Felit?a off their feet. Felit?a¡¯s head slammed into the wall behind her and she slid to the floor.


    It took a moment to regain her senses. Her vision swam and her head filled with the panicked thoughts of everyone downstairs. There must have been two dozen or more intense sources of fear more extreme than she had ever encountered. She wanted to scream herself as the panic threatened to amplify her own fear and overwhelm her.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡±


    Zandrue¡¯s voice. Felit?a could barely discern it over the panic in her head. ¡°Felit?a, are you all right? What the fuck was that? Rudiger, are you in there?¡±


    There was smoke around her, and she could hear screams now. Screams and yells from below. The fear was overwhelming.


    Another boom exploded from below and this time, the floor shook enough to throw her into the air. She collided with the door, which fell inwards from the impact, and Felit?a found herself lying flat.


    There was more screaming downstairs.


    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡±


    ¡°Felit?a! Rudiger! We have to get out of here now!¡±


    ¡°No shit!¡±


    Felit?a clutched at the sides of the door and pulled herself up into a kneel. Her heart was pounding like it was trying to burst out of her chest, her body shaking, reacting to the fear of everyone else. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the Room in her head. She had to push them out. Had to push them out now!


    Before their fear killed her.


    ¡°Felit?a! Felit?a, answer me!¡±


    ¡°She looks in shock.¡±


    ¡°No, this is worse. Felit?a!¡±


    The walls of the Room collapsed every time she tried to put them up. Again, she tried and again, they fell.


    ¡°Felit?a!¡±


    ¡°Should you maybe slap her or something?¡±


    ¡°Why the fuck would I do something like that? Gods, her pulse is going crazy. Her skin¡¯s on fire. Felit?a! Felit?a, focus on my voice. Please!¡±


    Zandrue¡¯s voice. Yes, that was what she needed. One presence free of the fear gripping everyone else. One stable presence. There it was. Concern and affection. Some fear, too, but not the same fear everyone else was feeling. That had to be Zandrue. There was another one, too. Rudiger.


    She focused on them both.


    The walls of the Room formed. Cracks appeared in them, but they held for the moment. She drew them in right up to her and then pushed them out again, pushing away all the presences from her mind.


    With a scream, she opened her eyes and stood up, gasping for air.


    Zandrue wiped tears from her eyes and threw her arms around Felit?a. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever fucking do something like that to me again. You scared the shit out of me!¡±


    ¡°It was everybody else downstairs, their fear. It overwhelmed me.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on?¡± Rudiger demanded.


    Their room was full of smoke drifting in from the hall outside. Most of the screaming from downstairs had stopped, but a single scream rose above those remaining. There was a thud and it stopped. ¡°No, please!¡± someone cried.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to know,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°but we better find a way out of here before we¡¯re the next victims.¡±


    Rudiger picked up Slay from where it was lying on the bed and unsheathed it in one fluid motion. He rushed into the hall. ¡°Shit, floor¡¯s half gone! Be careful.¡± Then he disappeared into the smoke.


    ¡°I was thinking the window!¡± Zandrue called after him. ¡°Fuck!¡± She drew her sword. ¡°We better get after him.¡±


    Felit?a hesitated a moment. Every time she met someone from the group in her ¡°vision¡± as Zandrue was calling it, violence soon followed. It had happened with Zandrue. With Rudiger. Now with Meleng and Corvinian? She sighed and went after Zandrue.


    The common room was directly below, but there was too much smoke to see much through the hole in the hall floor. Only shapes. Many of those shapes looked like people. Most weren¡¯t moving.


    ¡°Please!¡± someone cried.


    A large shape moved just beyond where Felit?a could see.


    Wings. They looked like wings.


    No, that was impossible.


    There was another scream, then a thud not too far ahead of her.


    She squeezed against the wall and edged round the hole, which was bigger than she had at first realised. It must have run ten feet along the hallway, from near the left-hand wall all the way across. The bottom edge of the right wall was just splinters. The door to room one had fallen away completely, and Felit?a could see that the room beyond was gone as well.


    The room Corvinian''s parents had gone into. Dear gods.


    Felit?a reached the end of the hole and hurried to the stairs. Rudiger was on the midway landing, facing the room room below, and was now just standing there, staring. Gaping.


    Zandrue was crouching against the landing wall, hugging her knees and muttering. A body lay on the floor beside her, greasy apron covered in blood. The inn-keeper. His head was twisted at an impossible angle and his jaw had been torn half off.


    Felit?a scurried down the stairs and knelt beside Zandrue. ¡°No, no, no. They¡¯ve found me.¡± Zandrue pressed her knees closer to her chest.


    Felit?a turned to see into the room below. The smoke was starting to clear, blown away by the cold air from the open front door. The walls were blackened, but dotted with countless red splatters of blood. The shapes Felit?a had seen through the floor¡ªthe bodies¡ªwere mangled and burnt. Though there weren¡¯t enough of them to account for everyone that had been crammed into the room. Most must have fled. That was a small relief.


    She looked back at Zandrue and let the walls in her head dissolve. The original sources of the fear that had nearly killed her were either dead or had run away, so it should be safe. She needed to know what Zandrue was going through.


    Fear slammed her again.


    It was more manageable this time, coming from only a few sources. But Zandrue¡¯s was much different than the others. It was the same fear she had detected from Zandrue so many times before¡ªevery time Felit?a had ever tried to ask Zandrue about her past.


    One of the other fear sources began to mix with determination. Rudiger. He raised Slay just as the large figure moved into view at the bottom of the stairs.


    Legends said Volgs had the heads of goats. It wasn¡¯t far from the truth. The creature at the base of the stairs had thick horns that curled like a ram¡¯s. The face was lightly covered in black fur, mixed with grey and white. The fur was thinner around the wide black eyes, but thickened under the nose and around the mouth, longer on the chin like a short beard. The nose and the mouth jutted forward a little almost like a muzzle. The ears were human-like, however¡ªnot at all like a goat¡¯s¡ªas was most of the rest of the body.


    Except for the massive leathery wings that extended from the shoulders. They were folded up behind the Volg¡¯s back right now, but they twitched slightly as he stepped forward. He was wearing multi-layered black robes that draped low at the back, beneath the wings. In one hand, he held a ball of growing white crystal.


    ¡°Rudiger, be careful,¡± Felit?a hissed, but she wasn¡¯t sure he heard her.


    Rudiger took a couple steps towards the Volg, who just grinned. Rudiger was over six and a half feet tall, but even raised by the stairs, he only stood about as tall as the Volg. He raised Slay higher and charged down the stairs. The Volg didn¡¯t even try to move or defend himself as Slay cut straight down.


    And collided with an invisible barrier. There was a bright flash of violent energy and Rudiger shot backwards into the staircase with enough force to crash right through it. The lower half of the stairs collapsed like a tower of playing cards. Felit?a threw her arms around Zandrue to hold on to her if the landing beneath them gave way, but although it shook, it held.


    The Volg¡¯s laugh cut short as he looked at his orb, which was no longer glowing and had a long crack through it. He said something in a language Felit?a didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Impossible,¡± Zandrue muttered.


    The Volg gave a loud guttural roar and moved towards the wreckage of the staircase where Rudiger lay.


    Felit?a let go of Zandrue and stood up at the edge of what was now a crooked ledge. She clenched her fists and stared hard at the Volg, releasing the spell with more strength than she would have ever considered using on anyone else.


    The Volg screamed as she convinced his mind that he was burning to death.


    Elderaan would have never approved of a spell like this. She had never been sure she approved either¡ªuntil now¡ªbut she had researched it in case she ever encountered the Darkers again.


    It was taking a lot of energy from her, but she kept it going, willing the Volg¡¯s mind to think he was dead. To die for real.


    ¡°Will-Breaker!¡± The Volg swung his right arm in a wide circle and pulled back with the other.


    Damn.


    ¡°Zandrue, look out!¡± Felit?a let go of the spell and threw herself over Zandrue to shield her.


    There was heat at her back, but the explosion she¡¯d expected didn¡¯t happen. What the hell?


    Felit?a rolled over and looked up.


    A ball of fire hung in the air just in front of Zandrue, unmoving.


    What was happening? Was Zandrue doing this? How?


    No. Zandrue was still lost in her fear.


    ¡°Leave here.¡± Another voice penetrated the din. A male voice, Felit?a thought, but higher pitched than most men¡¯s. ¡°Now. Or I kill you.¡± The voice had an accent that Felit?a couldn¡¯t place.


    She crawled forward and peered over the edge where the stairs used to be.


    Jorvanultumn.


    The sixth figure, the one as wide as it was tall, began to clear in her head.


    In the doorway stood an Isyar. His wings¡ªthe reason for his width in her head¡ªwere spread and...not exactly flapping, but moving like they were directing the snow and wind swirling around his pale body. At points, it was difficult to distinguish where his body ended and the snow and wind began. He held one hand outstretched towards the ball of fire that still hung in the air just in front of Zandrue.


    The Volg raised his arms and slapped his hands together in a loud clap. Two spears of stone hurtled at Jorvanultumn. The Isyar merely waved his free hand in a gentle circle, and both spears broke into countless small stones that then broke into sand. The sand joined the swirl of wind and snow that was getting larger with more collected from outside.


    ¡°Taste your fire,¡± the Isyar said and pulled his outstretched hand inwards. At the same time, he stretched his other hand forward. The ball of fire shot backwards and the tempest around him whipped forward, both colliding with the Volg in an explosion of fire, ice, and stone.


    The Volg screamed. And screamed.


    As the smoke and debris cleared, the Volg stumbled forward. Much of his wings had burnt away, revealing the thin skeletal framework beneath. The fur on his face and short beard was completely gone and the skin underneath was a mixture of red and black burns. His robes smouldered, but were still mostly intact. Their thickness was probably the only thing that had kept him alive.


    The Volg stumbled for the doorway, trying to run. He didn¡¯t make it far. More gusts of snow and ice whirled around him, lifting him fully off the ground. The Isyar stepped aside, guiding the winds with fluid movements of his wings and arms, and the Volg floated towards the doorway.


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± the Isyar said as the Volg floated past. ¡°You had a chance. But you kill too many.¡±


    The wind and snow carried the still screaming Volg through the door and then up, out of sight.


    Felit?a pulled herself to her feet and went over to Zandrue, who was still cowering against the wall. ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡±


    A soft, but sickening thud came from behind her. Felit?a glanced back. On the street outside, the mangled remains of the Volg lay splattered over the cobblestones. Felit?a didn¡¯t want to know how high he had fallen from.


    The Isyar had knelt on the ground and was staring up to the sky, muttering something. From what little Felit?a knew of Isyar, she was fairly certain he was praying.


    She turned back to Zandrue, who had not snapped out of her delirium.


    ¡°Impossible. Impossible.¡±


    ¡°Zandrue, listen to my voice,¡± Felit?a said. She lowered her eyelids half-closed. ¡°Just listen to my voice. It¡¯s time to sleep.¡± She tilted her head slightly and released the spell. Zandrue¡¯s fear faded as her body went limp. Fast asleep.


    Felit?a leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. ¡°Everything¡¯s going to be okay.¡±

 Chapter 5: Aftermath (Part 1)

    She could barely believe it herself. Intellectually, she had always considered it a possibility that Volgs were real¡ªor had been at some time in the past¡ªbut she had never truly believed they were. They were creatures of legend that would never emerge from the stories told about them.


    Yet one had stood before her just a few short minutes ago. It had killed countless people, had tried to kill her and her friends. Would have killed them if not for the arrival of the Isyar.


    ¡°Just picked the inn-keeper up by his chin,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°You should have seen it. Twisted his neck right round and practically ripped his jaw right off. Then just tossed him aside like he was nothing. I can still barely believe it.¡±


    People were gathering in the streets behind Jorvanultumn, gaping and prodding at the bloody remains of the Volg or staring at the destruction wrought on the inn. A few approached the Isyar, but a slight shake of his head as he stood up made them keep their distance. He walked into the inn and scanned the room.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°Good friends?¡±


    The huge man came over to her. ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? I know he saved our lives and all, but if he¡¯s got other places to be...¡±


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    ¡°Almost there. Okay, we¡¯re going to sit down on the edge and Rudiger is going to lift you down.¡±


    ¡°Felit?a used a spell on you,¡± Rudiger said. Felit?a¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    ¡°Oops,¡± Zandrue said. She put one hand to her forehead and wobbled a little. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    People were gathering at the main doors, looking into the inn. Only a couple had actually stepped inside though. ¡°Go get help,¡± Felit?a told them. ¡°Find the Watch. They should have been here by now.¡± A couple people nodded and ran off.


    ¡°It¡¯s bad. The Volg killed a lot of people before Jorvanultumn arrived. We owe him our lives.¡±


    ¡°Volg? Oh right.¡± Zandrue sighed and feelings of discomfort began to ebb from her. ¡°Look, Felit?a, um...¡±


    When they had passed through the side door and were in the hall that led to both the office and the stables, Zandrue put a hand on Felit?a¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Felit?a?¡±


    Felit?a looked her in the eyes. ¡°Just something about they¡¯d found you, that it was impossible. It wasn¡¯t very clear.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    She wanted to know, and it wasn¡¯t fair that Zandrue still refused, still didn¡¯t trust her. However, she pushed those thoughts and the anger welling with them aside. ¡°I felt your fear, Zandrue. It¡¯s always been there in the past, but never so...so viscerally. I won¡¯t make you relive that fear if you¡¯re not ready to.¡± But when would she be ready?


    Zandrue hugged her again. ¡°You know how much you mean to me, right?¡±


    As they stood there, so close together, a thought came to Felit?a. She turned her head just a little so that her nose was against Zandrue¡¯s cheek, and she sniffed. Zandrue had a smell, of course, though Felit?a was hard-pressed to describe exactly what it was like beyond just body odour. Certainly not something she would remember without repeated exposure, their bodies in close proximity, pressed up against each other...


    ¡°Kind of generalised, but it¡¯s a start, I guess.¡±

 Chapter 5: Aftermath (Part 2)

    They found Rudiger with Jorvanultumn in the stables. The two of them stood by the main doors in conversation. They turned to face Zandrue and Felit?a as they approached. A short distance away, Meleng sat against a stall door, comforting Corvinian who lay crying in his lap. There were three rows of stalls, most of them with a nervous horse.


    ¡°Jorvan and I have been talking,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°I told him about your vision.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°My vision. This is my friend, Zandrue.¡±


    Zandrue held out her hand and Jorvan took it. ¡°Jorvanultumn, but you may call me Jorvan.¡±


    ¡°A pleasure,¡± Zandrue said.


    Jorvan took a step back, slumped forward, his wings almost dragging on the floor. ¡°I wish this was a happy event.¡±


    ¡°Jorvan,¡± Felit?a said, ¡°I want to apologise to you, Meleng, and Corvinian. I fear the Volg was here because of us and if we had not been here, Corvinian¡¯s parents would still be alive.¡±


    He looked up at her, surprise in his eyes. ¡°No, the Volg was here for us, for Corvinian.¡±


    Felit?a paused. But the Volg had recognised her.


    Will-Breaker!


    That blasted name.


    This isn¡¯t over, Will-Breaker, Dyle had said. Were he and the Volg connected?


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Because I... that is, we...¡±


    ¡°Corvinian¡¯s parents came to me for help,¡± Jorvan said, walking over to Meleng and the boy. ¡°People tried to take him.¡±


    ¡°Darkers,¡± Meleng said. Corvinian looked up at the word, sniffling, but with a glint in his blue eyes. No, that wasn¡¯t right. The boy¡¯s eyes were green¡ªat least, they were in Felit?a¡¯s pseudo-memory of him. ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± Meleng told him. ¡°They¡¯re not here.¡± The blue glint faded and Corvinian¡¯s eyes returned to their green colour. The boy buried his head in Meleng¡¯s chest again.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°It¡¯s why we think they¡¯re after him,¡± Meleng said.


    ¡°Is he trained in magic?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°He has no talent.¡±


    ¡°Then how...?¡±


    ¡°I thought at first that it was some sort of instinctive ability,¡± Meleng said, stroking the boy¡¯s hair. ¡°It reacts to his moods, but it can also react when he isn¡¯t even aware of what¡¯s happening. It¡¯s almost like the magic uses him. Like it¡¯s manifesting through its own intent. Yet there shouldn¡¯t be any magic there. Like Jorvan said, he doesn¡¯t have magical talent. I can¡¯t explain it. It¡¯s beyond me. And believe me, I¡¯ve tried to figure it out. We were going to go to Quorge. There¡¯s an academy there. I was hoping to use their resources, but after this, I don¡¯t know if we can get there before they catch us.¡±


    ¡°If you mean the Hall of Knowledge, it¡¯s not an academy, though I suppose there are similarities.¡± Felit?a went over and knelt beside Meleng and Corvinian. The boy had stopped crying, but he remained curled in Meleng¡¯s lap, still distraught. She could barely imagine what he was going through. She remembered her own reaction to Elderaan¡¯s death and that wasn¡¯t sudden. If he had been taken from her like...


    No. Again, something wasn¡¯t right. Why did she even need to imagine his feelings?


    It wasn¡¯t a case of her abilities having abated. She could feel sadness from Meleng and Jorvan, sympathy from Zandrue and Rudiger, disappointment and self-hate from Jorvan¡ªshe suspected he was blaming himself for events¡ªbut nothing from the boy.


    She closed her eyes and the Room sprung up in her head. She sorted through the presences scattered about. There was Zandrue and Jorvan. Meleng and Rudiger were easy to spot. Borisin. Several weaker but noticeable presences that were likely the other horses in the stables. Some even weaker ones that might be rats or maybe a cat or two.


    There was no sign of Corvinian.


    Felit?a opened her eyes, but did not dismiss the Room. She focused on the boy that she could see with her eyes but not her mind, tried to find him. He wasn¡¯t there. Like Elderaan hadn¡¯t been. Except Elderaan had been dead.


    She shook her head and doubled her focus.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Meleng asked.


    The Room exploded, pieces of the wall splintering apart, the black stone slamming her mind. Felit?a fell onto her back with a cry and dismissed the Room, but the pain in her head remained.


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    Zandrue was leaning over her in an instant. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Felit?a could see the concern in Zandrue¡¯s expression, but she couldn¡¯t feel it. All the feelings in the room were gone. Her abilities had shut down. A defensive response, perhaps? She hoped so.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Corvinian,¡± Meleng said. ¡°Nobody¡¯s going to hurt you.¡±


    Corvinian had sat up. His eyes were glowing blue again¡ªmuch brighter this time¡ªand the glow had spread to form a nimbus around his head and hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Meleng repeated.


    The blue glow began to fade. The pain in her head, too. But her telepathy was still not there.


    ¡°He has no mental presence,¡± Felit?a said, taking the hand Zandrue had offered. ¡°It¡¯s like he doesn¡¯t exist. And when I tried to find him, something attacked my mind.¡±


    Corvinian¡¯s eyes still had a glint to them, but the glow had otherwise disappeared now.


    ¡°It¡¯s not surprising, given everything else,¡± Meleng said. ¡°His powers are all defensive in nature. They react whenever something threatens him. Or appears to threaten him, at any rate. As best I can tell, that is.¡±


    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t try that again,¡± Felit?a said. Her powers would come back soon, she told herself.


    ¡°You did not cast a spell,¡± Jorvan said. He peered at her, his gaze moving from her head to her toes. ¡°You have talent. Much talent, but you did not cast.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I¡¯m telepathic. Sort of.¡± Knots were forming in her stomach. This had to be temporary. It was always temporary. ¡°It¡¯s a long story. I¡¯ll explain later. We should get away from here. You were planning to leave town, yes? How about Zandrue, Rudiger, and I join you?¡± Her mind had never been attacked like this before. What if her powers never came back?


    Jorvan looked to Meleng.


    ¡°We definitely need help,¡± Meleng said. ¡°We¡¯re in over our heads. Yes, yes, thank you.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°We go to Quorge like we plan.¡±


    ¡°What about Porthaven?¡± Felit?a said, trying her best to keep her outward calm. ¡°It¡¯s a lot closer and probably has just as many resources. Maybe more.¡±


    Jorvan shook his head.


    ¡°We came from there,¡± Meleng said. ¡°That¡¯s where the Darkers first tried to take Corvinian, where the Volg first started chasing us. There are more Darkers there, maybe more Volgs. We need to go far away.¡±


    Zandrue placed a hand on Felit?a¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You ready to go back to Quorge?¡±


    No, not at all. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have much choice at this point,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I need to know what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Right, let¡¯s get the horses ready,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I¡¯ll have to ride ahead of the group for a while until your horses get used to me. Animals don¡¯t like me much for some reason.¡±


    Meleng continued to sit with Corvinian while everyone else began preparing the horses. Rudiger finished with Borisin before anyone else and joined Felit?a. ¡°You know, if we¡¯re all travelling together, we should probably be open with everyone about everything.¡±


    ¡°You mean my name?¡± she asked him. She tried to focus on just his mental presence, but she couldn¡¯t even bring up the Room at the moment.


    He nodded. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t really care what name you want to go by, but why go by one in public and another in private? Doesn¡¯t it get a little confusing?¡±


    ¡°A little, yes. Sometimes.¡±


    ¡°So why?¡±


    Felit?a finished securing her bags to Simeria. ¡°Don¡¯t you recognise my name?¡±


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°Yeah, sure. There was Queen Felit?a, and I have a kid cousin named Felit?a. What¡¯s the big deal?¡±


    ¡°Queen Felit?a was my grandmother.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Rudiger paused a moment. ¡°So that would make you...¡±


    ¡°The missing Princess Felit?a, yes. That never occurred to you?¡±


    ¡°Why should it? Like I said, I have a cousin named Felit?a. Must be lots of people with the name. No reason to think you¡¯re the princess with that name. Honestly, I don¡¯t even know all the names of the princes and princesses. Aren¡¯t there like a dozen of you?¡±


    ¡°Nine, actually.¡±


    ¡°Okay, not quite a dozen. But I still didn¡¯t even remember there was a Princess Felit?a. Out on the Thumb, you¡¯re all so far away, no one really pays attention to things like that. Though I guess I understand the secrecy now. Still think you should tell everyone though.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°I will.¡±


    Once the horses were ready, Rudiger helped Jorvan and Meleng onto theirs. It turned out neither of them had any experience riding. They had walked from Porthaven and Jorvan had purchased the horses earlier today.


    ¡°You¡¯re in for a fun time after we stop tonight,¡± Zandrue said and winked at Meleng.


    Rudiger then picked Corvinian up and placed him in front of Meleng.


    ¡°Actually, Rudiger,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°Corvinian would be better off riding with you. You¡¯re a more experienced rider and Borisin can handle the extra weight better.¡±


    Rudiger frowned. ¡°In that case, maybe he should ride with you or Felit?a. Borisin doesn¡¯t accept other riders. He¡¯s very¡ª¡± He spun round and looked at his horse. ¡°What? Seriously? Okay then. Borisin says he¡¯s okay with it. Wonders never cease.¡± He lifted Corvinian off Meleng¡¯s horse and carried the boy over to Borisin.


    Zandrue opened the stable doors and peeked out. ¡°A lot of people still gathered outside. Looks like there might be some looting going on at the inn. No sign of the Watch yet, though. They¡¯re taking their time.¡±


    ¡°In Porthaven, the Darkers paid the Watch to watch other parts of town,¡± Jorvan said.


    ¡°So you think they¡¯re doing the same here? Could be. Well, it avoids awkward questions if nothing else.¡± She opened the doors fully, then mounted Lucinda. ¡°Right, we take the east road. Like I said, I¡¯ll go ahead. Give me a minute and then follow.¡±


    As they rode out, Felit?a took the rear. People on the street noticed them and some called out, though Felit?a paid them little mind. Her thoughts were focused on the panic building inside her. It would come back, she kept telling herself. It would be like every other time. She just had to wait it out.


    Yes, wait it out.

 Chapter 6: Apprehended (Part 1)

    ¡°He was lost,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°And so was I. It was good that we...I believe Meleng called it, ¡®team up¡¯.¡± The Isyar was standing behind Meleng and Corvinian, who were seated with the others around the fire. Everyone, except Jorvan, was shivering from the cold.


    Felit?a was shivering for other reasons as well, but at least she could blame the cold.


    ¡°I have a way of getting distracted,¡± Meleng said. The flickering shadows on his face in the dark made it hard to tell his expression, though his statement had sounded somewhat sheepish.


    Not being able to sense his emotions terrified Felit?a. Which was weird because her powers did wane from time to time. There were many times when she couldn¡¯t sense others¡¯ feelings. Yet this was different. It was the length of time it had gone on. A day after Corvinian¡¯s powers had done whatever they¡¯d done, her abilities still weren¡¯t back.


    Her eyes fell to Corvinian. She¡¯d been doing that a lot without even realising it. The fire mostly obstructed him, making his physical presence seem almost like his non-existent mental presence. Felit?a shivered some more.


    ¡°We travel together ever since,¡± Jorvan said.


    ¡°Meleng,¡± Corvinian said, ¡°can you make the fire bigger? I¡¯m still cold.¡±


    ¡°I...I guess I could try. Just give me a moment.¡± Meleng fidgeted for his bag.


    ¡°You sure that¡¯s a good idea, kid?¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Remember what happened to those books.¡±


    ¡°The books were a miscalculation,¡± Meleng said. ¡°I just need to double-check some equations.¡±


    Jorvan laid a hand on Meleng¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I will do it.¡±


    ¡°Good idea.¡± Zandrue smirked and nudged Felit?a with her elbow.


    Jorvan began to raise his arm, but stopped. ¡°Why do you disparage him?¡±


    ¡°Who me?¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing.¡±


    ¡°Teasing?¡± Jorvan said.


    ¡°Yeah, making light-hearted fun. You weren¡¯t there. He tried to make some books float, but they exploded instead. It was kind of funny. I¡¯m just having a little fun.¡±


    ¡°It is cruel.¡± Jorvan raised his arm in a gentle arc, and the fire grew brighter and hotter.


    ¡°Okay, fine.¡± Zandrue looked to Felit?a and rolled her eyes. She mouthed something, but Felit?a couldn¡¯t make it out. The brighter fire had also created more shadows.


    Although Felit?a didn¡¯t need her telepathy to tell that Zandrue was annoyed, it still terrified her that she couldn¡¯t sense it.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Jorvan,¡± Meleng said. ¡°I know I¡¯m not very good. I mean, she¡¯s right. I couldn¡¯t even make some books float.¡±


    ¡°I thought it was cool,¡± Corvinian said.


    ¡°Do not disparage yourself,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°You had poor instruction, but you still manage. This shows you are good. In time, you will go far, especially if you get good instruction.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but where am I going to get good instruction?¡±


    ¡°If you do not, you will work things out alone. You are doing that. You are very intelligent.¡±


    Meleng shrugged. ¡°I suppose. Asa, I don¡¯t suppose there might be someone in Quorge who could offer me a little extra instruction? I mean, I don¡¯t have much to offer in return, but, well...¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t a lot of enchanters, but I do know someone who might be able to help. I want to consult him about Corvinian anyway, so I can introduce you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks! That would be great.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I should mention...¡± Felit?a¡¯s eyes fell on Corvinian again and she shivered. Had she lost her abilities for good?


    ¡°Suppose you should mention?¡± Zandrue prodded.


    Felit?a looked away from Corvinian. ¡°Yes, my, uh...my name isn¡¯t Asa. Well, it is. It¡¯s my middle name. But my first name is actually Felit?a.¡± She waited for their responses. The bigger fire now made it virtually impossible to see their facial reactions.


    ¡°Which one do you want?¡± Jorvan asked. ¡°I know humans sometimes have many names.¡±


    ¡°In Quorge, it will need to be Asa, but we still have a long way to go before we get there. Amongst ourselves, you can call me Felit?a.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°As you wish,¡± Jorvan said.


    ¡°Why did you introduce yourself as Asa then?¡± Meleng asked. ¡°And why do we need to use it in Quorge? Is it something to do with the missing princess? You¡¯re not the missing princess, are you? No, if she was still alive, she¡¯d be in her mid-twenties now, I think. I was really young when she disappeared, only three or four, I think.¡±


    Zandrue started to laugh, put her hand over her mouth, and snorted instead.


    ¡°What?¡± Meleng said.


    Zandrue pointed at Felit?a. ¡°Just what age do you think she is?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Mid-... Oh.¡±


    Felit?a looked to Rudiger. ¡°See? That¡¯s the reason I don¡¯t tell people.¡±


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°Bet things would¡¯ve gone different if you¡¯d just given them the name Felit?a from the start.¡±


    Felit?a sighed. ¡°Perhaps.¡± She looked at Corvinian again, blinked several times from the fire, then looked back to Meleng. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Princess Felit?a. In Quorge, everybody knows me as Asa because I needed to go by a different name when I ran away. Felit?a might not be a unique name, but at the time, going by it could have brought greater scrutiny and I couldn¡¯t risk that. Now, I keep going by it to not reveal to people I¡¯ve been lying to them all these years. Although I use Felit?a with my closest friends, I¡¯ve used Asa for so long, it¡¯s become habit. That¡¯s why I introduced myself originally as Asa. But you were bound to hear Felit?a at some point and that would create questions, so I figured I should just be open about it.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t see Meleng¡¯s and Jorvan¡¯s expressions. Were they angry at her? Disappointed? Did they hate her now?


    Gods, she wanted her abilities back!


    ¡°I confess I do not understand human princesses and kings and queens,¡± Jorvan said, ¡°so I do not understand why you...give different names. But I call you what you want.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Meleng said.


    Felit?a forced a smile, though they probably couldn¡¯t see it. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± Meleng said, ¡°what happened? I mean, obviously you weren¡¯t killed. Were you kidnapped? If you were, how did you get away? I¡¯ve got a ton of questions.¡±


    ¡°I ran away.¡± Felit?a looked at Corvinian again. She could hear the eagerness in Meleng¡¯s voice, but she couldn¡¯t feel it, and she wanted to. She held back tears.


    ¡°How did you pull it off?¡±


    Felit?a shivered. Her teeth chattered. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯m...uh...I¡¯m going to turn in. I¡¯ll answer your questions tomorrow, okay?¡±


    ¡°Uh, sure.¡±


    Felit?a stood up, turned away, and did her best not to run to her tent, but just walk and look calm. Once inside, she wrapped herself in her blankets.


    Zandrue arrived a couple minutes later. ¡°You all right?¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°They¡¯re not coming back, Zandrue. My abilities, they¡¯re gone.¡±


    Zandrue sat down beside her and hugged her close. She lay in Zandrue¡¯s arm for the next several hours before finally drifting to sleep.


    * * * * *


    She woke angry, wanting to hit something. She struck out with her foot, only pushing blankets away from her and letting the cold air at her.


    Wait. Why was she angry? Who or what was she angry at?


    She rubbed her eyes and blinked several times. Focused.


    It wasn¡¯t her anger. It was Zandrue¡¯s.


    It was Zandrue¡¯s!


    Never before had Zandrue¡¯s anger made her so happy.


    Felit?a grabbed her cloak. She hadn¡¯t changed clothes before sleeping, so no need to dress. She wrapped the cloak around her, opened the tent, and stepped outside.


    Zandrue was standing just outside glaring across the snow at Jorvan and Meleng.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Felit?a asked.


    Zandrue¡¯s lip curled. ¡°That damn Isyar. All I did was make one little joke.¡±


    ¡°About Meleng?¡±


    Zandrue rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, okay, yes, but...¡±


    ¡°Maybe don¡¯t!¡± Felit?a snapped.


    ¡°Oh come on, Felit?a. It was just a joke.¡±


    ¡°A joke they clearly don¡¯t appreciate. Maybe you should think about that!¡±


    Zandrue scowled. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you?¡±


    Felit?a grinned. ¡°You have!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Your anger is making me angry! Isn¡¯t it wonderful?¡±


    The confusion that had briefly emanated from Zandrue ebbed away. ¡°You mean...?¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°They¡¯re back! My abilities are back! And I couldn¡¯t be happier! And strangely angrier.¡± She grabbed Zandrue¡¯s hand. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go apologise to Meleng and Jorvan.¡± She pulled, but Zandrue didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Oh come on, Zandrue, it won¡¯t hurt you to make a little apology.¡±


    .¡±


    Felit?a looked back at her.


    Zandrue was pointing at her feet, which were completely covered by snow and ice. ¡°He encased me in ice. I can¡¯t get my feet out of my boots. He said he¡¯d release me when we¡¯re ready to leave.¡±


    Felit?a pushed Zandrue¡¯s anger aside and laughed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not funny!¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°If you say so.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not!¡±


    Felit?a laughed again. ¡°It is a little.¡±


    Zandrue sighed, her anger ebbing. ¡°Okay, maybe a little. But not when you¡¯re the recipient.¡±


    Felit?a patted her shoulder. ¡°Maybe think of that when you tease Meleng.¡± She kissed her on the cheek. ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to Jorvan.¡±


    She walked a few paces before turning back to face Zandrue. ¡°They¡¯re back!¡± She spun back round and ran¡ªmore stumbled¡ªthrough the snow to Jorvan.

 Chapter 6: Apprehended (Part 2)

    The days passed by. More snow fell, and piled higher. The roads became more and more difficult to pass. Any sane traveller would have stopped for the winter. But with the possibility of Volgs¡ªwho could fly and not worry about snow-blocked roads¡ªchasing them, Felit?a insisted they press on, and it was never difficult to convince the others. They knew the importance of reaching Quorge quickly.


    Felit?a had never expected to return to Quorge so soon. True, she¡¯d left without any real plan of where she was going, what she was doing, and how long it would take, but somehow, she had expected longer than this. It had only been three months. A month to Tyl, another to Mesone, and another on the road back to Quorge. It would still be close to another month at least, but that still seemed too short. All she¡¯d done is go in a circle. She might as well have just never left.


    ¡°Faster!¡± Corvinian cried. He was riding with Rudiger.


    Borisin whinnied loudly and shook his head.


    ¡°What¡¯s he saying?¡± Corvinian asked.


    ¡°He says, no way,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°In this weather, he could slip and break a leg.¡±


    ¡°Aw, I¡¯m bored. Can I practise sword-fighting with you tonight?¡±


    Rudiger laughed. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you you¡¯re too young?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be nine soon! Will I be old enough then?¡±


    Rudiger shook his head.


    ¡°I promise I¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    ¡°No! Felit?a, you tell him!¡¯


    She wasn¡¯t sure why Rudiger thought Corvinian was any more likely to listen to her, but she complied. ¡°Listen to Rudiger, Corvinian. He knows what he¡¯s talking about.¡±


    Rudiger smiled smugly. ¡°See? I know what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    Borisin grunted in a way that seemed almost like laughter.


    Corvinian¡¯s birthday was just a couple days away. New Year¡¯s. He¡¯d be nine years old.


    This isn¡¯t over, Will-Breaker.


    Plus a few hours, nine years to the day after Dyle had said those words. Nine years after he had also mentioned something about the time of birth drawing near.


    Ideas and theories had been forming in Felit?a¡¯s head for some time. She needed to talk to Corvinian, to figure out their validity, but that meant asking him about his parents, and it was hard to know if he was ready to talk about them yet. He¡¯d had some time to adjust to their deaths, though probably not enough to get over the trauma¡ªif he ever did.


    She sighed. Her powers were back, but Corvinian was still a blank. He still had no mental presence at all, and that still scared the hell out of her.


    She finally decided to broach the topic when they stopped at an inn in a small village at the border of Elooria and Belone on New Year¡¯s Day. His birthday might not be the best choice, but they were in a comfortable location, warm, and seated around a table together, eating a good meal.


    ¡°Tell me about your parents, Corvinian.¡±


    He slurped up some soup and took a moment before answering. ¡°They were nice.¡± He lowered his head onto the table and tears started to form in his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to talk about them if you don¡¯t want to.¡± She did her best not to shiver at not being able to sense his sadness.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay,¡± he said with a sniffle. ¡°I used to think Mama was mean, but she was just looking out for me. Didn¡¯t want me getting hurt.¡± He proceeded to tell them about his home in Porthaven. His father was a tailor, and they had a dog who had died a couple years ago.


    ¡°Did your parents ever talk about the day you were born?¡± She hated probing him like this, but she needed to know. If she and the others were to protect him from harm, they all needed to know.


    He was quiet for several moments.


    ¡°Did they?¡± Zandrue prompted.


    ¡°Do not push him,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°She said he does not need to talk and I agree.¡±


    Zandrue scowled at him.


    ¡°They weren¡¯t my real parents,¡± Corvinian said, almost a whisper.


    Felit?a nodded. She had expected as much.


    ¡°Except they were my real parents! They were the only ones that mattered, and I want them back!¡± He swung his arms across the table, knocking bowls and mugs over, pushed several of them onto the floor. Then he tried to push past Meleng, who tried to hold him back.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± Meleng said. ¡°Everything¡¯s¡ª¡±


    The blue glow sprung up around Corvinian, extended beyond him and pushed Meleng out of his seat and several feet along the floor. ¡°I want them back!¡± Corvinian screamed and ran from the room, energy still crackling around him. Other patrons scrambled out of his way.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go after him.¡± Meleng got to his feet and hustled after the boy.


    ¡°So will I,¡± Jorvan said.


    Zandrue started to her feet as well, but Jorvan blocked her. ¡°No. Just Meleng and me. You did enough.¡± He glared at her a moment before following Meleng.


    ¡°What the fuck did I do?¡± Zandrue called after him. ¡°Gods, that Isyar thinks I¡¯m some sort of monster or something.¡±


    Felit?a sighed.


    The inn-keeper kicked them out after that for disturbing his customers and for ¡°the unholy powers¡± they had unleashed. They spent that night camped out in the bitter cold. Felit?a couldn¡¯t help feel that she deserved it. She had picked the wrong time.


    She gained a bit more information from Corvinian over the following days, mostly via Meleng and Rudiger. The boy was developing an attachment to both of them and was more willing to talk to them than to her. His parents had taken him in as a baby from his birth mother who had not been able to care for him. Neither he nor his parents had had any contact with her after that. Although Felit?a couldn¡¯t be sure¡ªthe person Dyle was looking for and the one giving birth might not have been the same person¡ªshe suspected the mother was Quilla.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    She found herself dwelling on the image of Quilla in her mind a lot. Quilla was next in the line and Felit?a wondered how long it would be before they encountered each other. It disturbed her more than a little how quickly she had accepted that she was meeting the people in order, like her life was prearranged. Jorvan said something about prophecy on one occasion, and Felit?a hated the idea.


    But Quilla was still the only person in the line that Felit?a had been able to make out without having met. Was it simply because she had heard the name, or was there something else special about Quilla? Her attempts to distinguish the people farther down the line continued to be unsuccessful.


    Ten days after the d¨¦bacle at the inn on Corvinian¡¯s birthday, they reached Quorge, and Felit?a immediately wanted to turn around and leave again. She had to resist the urge several times.


    In the outskirts, there were very few people on the streets, which were covered in large piles of snow. However, as they got farther into town and the buildings got closer together and the streets narrower, there was less snow and there were more people. They passed Captain Almais and a pair of watchmen. Almais watched them, but said nothing.


    Zandrue rode up beside Felit?a and scrunched her nose. ¡°I¡¯d forgotten how bad this place smells. How about Rudiger and I take the horses to the inn while you go with the others to Agernon¡¯s?¡±


    Felit?a smiled at her. Zandrue was trying to offer her a way to avoid passing the shop. From the inn, they¡¯d have to go much longer around to avoid it.


    Zandrue turned Lucinda to face the others and announced the plan.


    Felit?a and Meleng dismounted. Rudiger lifted Corvinian off Borisin and handed him down to Meleng, who had a bit more difficulty holding the boy and placing him gently on the ground.


    ¡°Aw, can¡¯t I go with Rudiger?¡± Corvinian said. ¡°I wanna help with the horses.¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°I need you to see Agernon. You know that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it sounds dumb. I don¡¯t care about all that magic stuff, and anyway, Zandrue says he¡¯s really mean.¡±


    Felit?a glared at Zandrue, who grimaced. ¡°I...uh...might have grumbled to Rudiger about Agernon at some point. Sorry. Don¡¯t worry, Corvinian. Agernon¡¯s a little crabby at times, but you like seeing Meleng¡¯s magic tricks, right?¡±


    The boy nodded.


    ¡°Well, Agernon¡¯s actually a good wizard, so you¡¯ll like his tricks even more.¡±


    Meleng sighed. ¡°Just come with us, Corvinian. You can help with the horses later.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Corvinian grumbled.


    Jorvan had not dismounted and was staring off down the street.


    ¡°Jorvan, are you coming?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°Yes, sorry,¡± he said, looking away from whatever he had been staring at.


    ¡°Is everything all right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He dismounted his horse and handed the reins to Rudiger.


    They moved slowly through the snow-covered streets. Many heads turned to stare at Jorvan as they passed. Few people here had seen an Isyar before. Although there had often been rumours of an Isyar residing at Lord Belone¡¯s palace, if they were true, that Isyar never showed themself in public. Jorvan did his best to appear unaffected by the stares, but Felit?a could sense his discomfort.


    They had encountered much the same in every town they had passed between Mesone and Quorge. Everyone was awed by the sight of an Isyar.


    After a little while, they passed the well where Felit?a had spent so much time waiting to gather water. As usual, there was a lengthy line. Many of the people stared at Jorvan as they passed, but many were also looking at Felit?a. People were recognising her now.


    They passed Darva¡¯s usual corner. The beggar was looking frailer than ever and one of his hands was bandaged. ¡°Asa!¡± he cried. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in ages. Where you been?¡±


    ¡°Travelling.¡± She reached for her purse. ¡°What happened to your hand?¡±


    He raised the bandaged one up. ¡°Frostbite.¡±


    She tossed a few pennies into his bowl. Only four months and the money from the shop was nearly gone.


    Surprise swept over her. She¡¯d been sensing similar feelings from many people, but this was more intense, there a moment and then gone. She looked about and realised it had come from Jorvan.


    ¡°Is that an Isyar?¡± Darva asked. ¡°I ain¡¯t never seen an Isyar before.¡±


    ¡°He is, and he can do super magic and fly and everything!¡± Corvinian said.


    ¡°Excuse me a moment, Darva,¡± Felit?a said. She went to Jorvan, who was standing off to the side, staring down the street again. ¡°Are you sure everything¡¯s all right?¡±


    He looked at her. ¡°I saw an Isyar. Before and now.¡±


    ¡°Another Isyar?¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°Where?¡±


    He pointed, but Felit?a could see only the people¡ªall human¡ªin line at the well. ¡°She is gone,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°She was far.¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose there¡¯s bound to be other Isyar in Arnor. One might be passing through Quorge.¡±


    Jorvan nodded. ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose your Isyar friend can give me a new leg?¡± Darva called out to them.


    Jorvan shook his head. ¡°I cannot.¡±


    ¡°Typical wizard. That¡¯s what they all say. I thought Isyar were supposed to perform miracles.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not...well...it doesn¡¯t really work like that,¡± Meleng said. ¡°Magic is¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what they all say.¡±


    Meleng grimaced, tossed a couple coins into Darva¡¯s bowl, then dragged Corvinian over to Felit?a and Jorvan.


    ¡°Agernon¡¯s place is just round here,¡± Felit?a said and led them to Agernon¡¯s door. She raised her hand to knock, but Corvinian rushed forward and beat her to it. There was no immediate answer, so Felit?a went to knock again, but once again, Corvinian beat her to it. He grinned at her.


    ¡°Just a bloody moment!¡± a voice came from inside.


    ¡°Is that him?¡± Corvinian asked.


    Felit?a nodded.


    ¡°He sounds mean like Zandrue said.¡±


    Felit?a smirked. Nevertheless, it was good to hear Agernon¡¯s voice.


    The door opened and Felit?a was hit by two momentary bursts of surprise, one from Agernon and the other again from Jorvan.


    ¡°Well, look who we have here. You¡¯ve got quite the nerve coming back here.¡± Despite his tone, joy was pouring from Agernon.


    Jorvan¡¯s surprise, however, had turned to confusion.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, too, Agernon,¡± she said, and turned to Jorvan.


    ¡°I saw her again,¡± he said. ¡°She looked at me. Then she left.¡±


    ¡°What the hell¡¯s all this?¡± Agernon demanded. ¡°Who are these people and what are you doing with an Isyar?¡±


    ¡°Please, I check,¡± Jorvan said to Felit?a. ¡°Maybe she helps.¡± Felit?a nodded and he hurried off.


    ¡°Is everything¡ª¡± Meleng started, looking in concern after Jorvan.


    ¡°What? You show up at my door and just ignore me?¡±


    Felit?a turned back to Agernon. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Agernon. We don¡¯t mean to be rude. Can we talk?¡±


    Agernon harrumphed. ¡°I suppose so.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Is Drummor here? He should hear what we have to say too.¡±


    Agernon shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s not here.¡± He stepped aside. ¡°You better come in.¡±


    Corvinian rushed in, but Meleng paused a moment, still looking in the direction Jorvan had rushed off in.


    ¡°He saw another Isyar,¡± Felit?a said to him. ¡°A couple times.¡±


    ¡°He misses his home,¡± Meleng said. ¡°He misses it a lot.¡±


    ¡°Well, hurry up then!¡± Agernon snapped. ¡°Before I freeze to death!¡±


    Felit?a ushered Meleng inside.

 Chapter 6: Apprehended (Part 3)

    ¡°What do you mean he¡¯s not coming back?¡±


    Agernon harrumphed. He placed the tea and biscuits on the table, the tray shaking as he did so. He then lowered himself slowly into his chair and looked Felit?a in the eye. ¡°I mean exactly what I said. He left. Shortly after you did. Said there was nothing left here for him. Ungrateful wretch of a boy! After all I did for him.¡±


    Felit?a sat down in the other chair, still stunned that Drummor was gone. When Agernon had firist said he wasn¡¯t there, she had just taken it to mean he was out. So she had gone on to fill Agernon in on the situation with Corvinian. It wasn¡¯t until she asked when they could expect Drummor back that she realised the truth of the situation.


    ¡°I know the two of you were close,¡± Agernon said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to learn this way, but you took off, too.¡± He pointed to Corvinian. ¡°This the boy?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Does this mean you¡¯ll help us?¡±


    His wrinkled hand reached out and grabbed a biscuit, stuffing it in his mouth. While he chewed, he reached for the teapot. Felit?a reached it ahead of him though, and poured a cup for him. After he¡¯d taken a sip, he said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure how I can help you, but I¡¯ll do what I can.¡± He glared at Corvinian. ¡°Well, take some then, if you¡¯re going to!¡±


    Corvinian leaned forward and snatched a handful of biscuits. Felit?a gave him a nudge. ¡°Thank you,¡± he mumbled through a mouthful.


    ¡°I hoped maybe you might be able to find some explanation for Corvinian¡¯s powers,¡± Felit?a said.


    Agernon harrumphed again. ¡°I suppose I can start by testing him. Boy, go stand by the fireplace.¡±


    Corvinian stopped stuffing his face and looked worriedly at Felit?a.


    ¡°If you mean for magical talent,¡± Meleng said, taking a mug and reaching for the teapot, ¡°I¡¯ve already tested him. He doesn¡¯t have any, like Felit?a said. And Jorvan says¡ª¡±


    ¡°Pheh!¡± Agernon spat. ¡°I¡¯ve never believed in that nonsense that Isyar just have to look at a person to tell if they have the talent.¡±


    ¡°But Jorvan is an Isyar,¡± Meleng said. ¡°He should know whether he can¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I notice your Jorvan took off the moment he saw me! Rather suspicious if you ask me.¡±


    ¡°Well, he wanted to speak to someone. I think.¡± Meleng looked at Felit?a. ¡°Didn¡¯t he?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Agernon, whether you believe that Isyar can...¡± She trailed off as Agernon smiled at her. He reached over and patted her hand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to doubt your friends. Just humour an old man, and let me explore every possibility. No offence, young man, but I suspect I have many years experience over you and I may notice something you missed. Or your Isyar friend.¡±


    Meleng poured himself some tea. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s a good point. I could have missed something. I¡¯m not really all that good a wizard anyway. In fact I was hoping to ask if¡ª¡±


    ¡°Bah! Saying things like that is what makes you a bad wizard. Have confidence in yourself, boy. I¡¯m not calling you incompetent, just inexperienced. Now shut up, watch, and learn.¡±


    ¡°Corvinian, go stand where Agernon told you,¡± Felit?a said. She wondered what was taking Jorvan so long. Perhaps the other Isyar had lots to say.


    Nervously, Corvinian did as he was told. ¡°Will this hurt?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Agernon said, rising slowly from his seat. Leaning heavily on his cane, he hobbled over to Corvinian and began to circle him. The boy began to follow him with his head, turning when Agernon had moved too far. ¡°Stand still!¡± Corvinian went still as a statue.


    Felit?a watched, reminded of the time Agernon had done this with her. She had only been a couple years older than Corvinian was. And she had been just as frightened and nervous¡ªalthough perhaps for different reasons. Of course, Corvinian had been through it before with Meleng, though she suspected Meleng had a very different method.


    After several minutes of circling and peering intensely at the young boy, Agernon finally stopped in front of him. With great effort, he tried to kneel down. He looked ready to keel over, so Felit?a rushed forward to help, but he waved her away. She backed up, and he managed to kneel on his own. He then touched his hands to Corvinian¡¯s ears the way he had done with her so many years ago, traced small designs with his fingers, and intoned the spell. Felit?a remembered the jolt that had run through her at this point, making her start and almost ruin the spell. But Corvinian did not move. Agernon lowered his arms, and shook his head. He pulled himself to his feet and hobbled back to his chair.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± Corvinian asked. ¡°What happened? Did it work?¡±


    Agernon shook his head. ¡°No. Your friends were right, Felit?a. There¡¯s no talent there.¡±


    Corvinian shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t want to be a wizard. I¡¯m going to be a warrior like Rudiger!¡± He began to hop about, mimicking swordplay.


    ¡°Is it possible it¡¯s being blocked somehow?¡± Meleng said. ¡°I mean, Felit?a can¡¯t detect any thoughts from him either.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± Agernon said. ¡°But I¡¯ll need to do much more thorough tests to know for sure.¡±


    Agernon reached out for another biscuit, grabbing one just before Corvinian darted by, scooping another handful for himself. Agernon harrumphed.


    Felit?a poured herself a cup of tea. They sat there for a few moments, the only sounds coming from Corvinian fighting pretend monsters and Meleng trying to convince him to be quieter. ¡°So, how have you been?¡± she asked eventually.


    Agernon stuffed another biscuit in his mouth, chewed for several seconds, and swallowed. ¡°I¡¯m alive. That¡¯s something, I suppose. Can¡¯t really ask for more.¡± He grinned and consumed another biscuit from the diminishing pile. But his feelings were not of happiness.


    ¡°Have you been able to manage without Drummor?¡±


    ¡°Well enough.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± she said. His feelings were definitely turning towards sadness. Perhaps it had been a mistake to bring up the topic.


    ¡°He¡¯s young,¡± Agernon said, ¡°full of high hopes and impossible dreams. Like I said, he felt there was nothing left here for him, that he needed to prove himself. Ha! What he needs to do is, learn that he doesn¡¯t need to prove himself. Learn some patience. Learn some wisdom.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to bring up bad feelings.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°No, no. Don¡¯t you be sorry. We parted amiably enough. Well, there might have been a few harsh words spoken in haste, but a man does need to make his own mark on the world, eventually. And I may be old, but I¡¯m not helpless yet. Some more tea?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡± She reached for the teapot. Before she could grab it, however, he tapped it and it rose on its own, floated over to her mug, and poured her a cup.


    ¡°Wow!¡± Corvinian gasped from across the room. ¡°Meleng, can you do that?¡±


    Agernon laughed hoarsely; the laugh soon turned to a cough. After a few seconds, he recovered and took another sip of his own tea. ¡°I haven¡¯t totally lost my wits, girl. While my physical skills may have deteriorated, my magical skills are as sharp as ever. You won¡¯t see me losing my head the way Elderaan did.¡± He stopped and waves of guilt flooded from him. His hands fumbled for another biscuit. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡± He stuffed the biscuit in his mouth and rubbed at his eyes.


    ¡°I miss him, too,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Who said anything about missing anyone?¡± the old man grumbled. ¡°You¡¯re a woman; of course you miss him. Me? I¡¯m better off without him around. Card games? Bah! I¡¯ve got better things to do with my time than play cards.¡±


    Same old Agernon, Felit?a thought. Stubborn to the end. ¡°I feel lost without him, so uncertain where to turn, what to do next.¡±


    ¡°You always were too dependent on him.¡± The teapot floating over to Agernon and poured another cup. ¡°Not your fault, though. He treated you more like a daughter than an apprentice.¡±


    ¡°He said the same the thing about you and Drummor.¡±


    ¡°Why the hell would I treat Drummor like my daughter?¡± Agernon barked and then broke into a fit of laughs and coughs. Felit?a put a hand over her mouth to stifle her own laughter. One could never be sure with Agernon whether he wanted others to laugh with him or not.


    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± Agernon said. ¡°You may be trying to hide it, but I see a smile on that pretty young face. You¡¯ve done nothing but scowl since you walked through my door.¡±


    ¡°I have not!¡± she protested, then laughed a little.


    Agernon took a long sip of his tea, staring at her all the while in that way of his. Finally, he put the teacup down, scratched his bald head, and smiled. ¡°Elderaan taught you well, Felit?a. He knew it, I know it, and you know it, too. You¡¯re ready to be on your own; you just have to accept it. In all likelihood, you¡¯ll be a better wizard than he was, better than I am or could ever hope to be. You¡¯re strong, intelligent, and stubborn as a mule. There¡¯s even the beginnings of wisdom locked up in your head somewhere. You¡¯re a damn sight prettier than he was, too.¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Felit?a said.


    Agernon¡¯s hands gripped the edge of the table. With a groan, he pulled himself upright from his chair. A moment after, his cane floated over to him. ¡°Now then.¡± He hobbled a few steps closer to her and offered his hand. She took it, but made certain to stand without putting any weight on it. ¡°I have some affairs to take care of, but why don¡¯t you and the boy return in the morning? You can even bring that Isyar friend of yours if you think he can handle being around a real wizard!¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand where he¡¯s got to,¡± she said, motioning to Corvinian to join her. Perhaps Jorvan had just got lost.


    ¡°He¡¯ll turn up,¡± Agernon said. ¡°In the meantime, I suggest you check in at the Hall of Knowledge. Get Pedrin to help you search the stacks and let me know anything you find.¡±


    ¡°Thank you again, Agernon,¡± she said as she slipped on her cloak.


    ¡°Thank you, Felit?a. It¡¯s been wonderful seeing you again, my dear.¡±


    She kissed him on the forehead. ¡°And you. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow morning then.¡±


    ¡°First light!¡± he stated as she opened the front door. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to waste half the day waiting for you, so you¡¯d better be here!¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be here at first light.¡± She stepped outside.


    Corvinian followed her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure she¡¯s here on time.¡±


    ¡°You do that, boy,¡± Agernon chuckled. ¡°You know these women. Always full of flights of fancy. Can¡¯t keep track of time.¡±


    ¡°You can count on me, sir!¡±


    ¡°As for you, young man,¡± Agernon said to Meleng as he joined Felit?a and Corvinian, ¡°we¡¯re going to have a long talk tomorrow. Without Drummor, you¡¯ll be my second, and I don¡¯t need any of that damn self-doubt, you hear me?¡±


    Meleng nodded. ¡°Yes. Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now off with you all. I¡¯ve got things to do.¡± He ushered them outside and shut the door.


    ¡°I like him!¡± Corvinian announced. ¡°He¡¯s nice.¡±


    ¡°Nice, is he?¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Corvinian said, skipping ahead into the street and calling back. ¡°He just pretends to be mean and grumpy.¡±


    The boy was certainly observant.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too far ahead, Corvinian!¡± Meleng called.


    Corvinian continued to dash ahead for the entire trudge to the Hall of Knowledge, forcing either Felit?a or Meleng to run after him each time. It was amusing at first, but by the time they reached the bottom of the entry stairs, Felit?a was getting annoyed.


    ¡°Corvinian!¡± she snapped as he bounded onto the stairs. ¡°For the last time, listen to Meleng and me. Those steps are treacherous in this weather. You could slip and hurt yourself.¡±


    Corvinian stopped and turned around, scowling. ¡°You¡¯re no fun.¡±


    ¡°Corvinian,¡± Meleng said. ¡°It¡¯s not about fun. It¡¯s about being safe. It¡¯s about not falling down the stairs.¡±


    ¡°My powers will protect me.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t actually know that,¡± Meleng said. ¡°You¡¯ve fallen over before, right?¡±


    Corvinian shrugged. ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡±


    ¡°From what I can tell, your powers protect you from outside threats, not things like falling over.¡±


    ¡°Fine then, I¡¯ll be careful.¡± He turned back around and started climbing the stairs¡ªand stumbled on the first one, though he didn¡¯t fall. ¡°It is slippy.¡±


    Felit?a and Meleng moved up to him. ¡°Let¡¯s go up together,¡± she said.


    Meleng took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s a lot like one of those Ninifin step pyramids or ziggurats. I mean, I¡¯ve never actually seen a real one, but I¡¯ve seen drawings, and it looks similar. I didn¡¯t think the Ninifins were ever this far north.¡±


    ¡°They weren¡¯t,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Though I think some of their near relatives might have been. I¡¯m not really sure. From what I understand though, there are certainly some architectural similarities. The steps are hell in winter though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful. What happened there?¡±


    Felit?a looked up the steps. One of the dragon gargoyles over the entrance had collapsed, leaving a pile of jagged stones in front of the doors. She shrugged. ¡°No idea, though the building is old. Those gargoyles have looked like they could collapse at any moment for as long as I¡¯ve known the place. I suppose one was bound to give way eventually.¡±


    ¡°I wonder why the rubble hasn¡¯t been cleared.¡±


    ¡°Maybe there hasn¡¯t been a chance yet, or they just don¡¯t have the money to clear it. The Hall of Knowledge is pretty close to broke these days.¡±


    It was still possible to skirt around the rubble to the doors, which is what they did once they reached the top. Though Corvinian tried to climb over one of the bigger pieces¡ªthe dragon¡¯s snout¡ªand had to be reminded of his promise to be careful.


    ¡°Wow, this room is big!¡± the boy said as they entered the main foyer.


    A robed librarian stood at the far end of the room, warming his hands by the meagre fire. Felit?a headed across to him, followed by the other two. The librarian turned at the sound of their boots on the stone floor. ¡°Asa?¡±


    Felit?a smiled at him. ¡°Hello Pedrin.¡±


    ¡°I... I heard you¡¯d left town.¡±


    ¡°I did, but I¡¯m back now.¡± She reached him and opened her arms to hug him, but he withdrew a step. She lowered her arms, surprised. ¡°Uh, these are a couple friends of mine. Meleng and Corvinian.¡±


    ¡°A, uh, pleasure,¡± Pedrin said, extending a hand to Meleng, but not taking his eyes off Felit?a.


    Meleng took the hand and shook it. ¡°A pleasure, too. I¡¯ve heard a lot about the Hall of Knowledge, and I¡¯ve been so looking forward to being here and getting to see your library. It¡¯s said that you have one of the biggest magical collections in all of Arnor.¡±


    ¡°Yes, um, yes, I suppose we do.¡±


    There was a hint of what might be nervousness from Pedrin, but Felit?a¡¯s abilities were choosing to have one of their less receptive moments. At least she didn¡¯t have to fear that they were gone forever. ¡°Is everything all right, Pedrin?¡±


    Pedrin gave her a wide smile. ¡°Yes, of course. Sorry. You startled me, is all. It¡¯s good to see you.¡±


    ¡°And you,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°What happened to the gargoyle outside?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it just... collapsed. It was old. Bound to happen eventually. How can I help you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a long story,¡± Felit?a replied. ¡°I¡¯d like to see Ezmelda if she¡¯s in.¡±


    Pedrin nodded.


    ¡°While I talk to her, perhaps you could show Meleng to the stacks. He can tell you what we need to look for.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. I believe Ezmelda is in her office. I¡¯ll show you there and then show your friend to the stacks. This way.¡±


    Pedrin led the way through the back door and down the steps into the heart of the Hall of Knowledge. Corvinian ducked past his long legs to look ahead, but Felit?a held Meleng back a moment.


    ¡°Keep alert,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Something¡¯s not right. Pedrin¡¯s strangely nervous. Just... Just keep your eyes and ears open.¡± She took a quick look back towards the entrance and the doors leading back to the collapsed gargoyle.


    Had it really collapsed from age?


    In all her years visiting the Hall of Knowledge, Felit?a had never been to Ezmelda¡¯s office. She had visited many areas of the stacks and had used several of the study rooms multiple times, but all her interactions with the High Steward had been in those areas or the main foyer. She rarely saw any of the administrative areas.


    Pedrin knocked on the door of Ezmelda¡¯s office and when she responded, he opened the door. ¡°High Steward, Asa has returned and would like to speak to you.¡±


    ¡°Asa? Please send her in.¡±


    Pedrin stood aside to let Felit?a enter. Corvinian darted in first, and Felit?a followed.


    The room was long and narrow, but had a very homey look to it. A plain red carpet stretched the length of the room up to a simple wooden desk. Lining the walls were short bookshelves crammed with books and above the shelves hung a few paintings.


    Ezmelda stood from behind the desk and came forward. ¡°Asa! How wonderful to see you again! I didn¡¯t expect you back so soon.¡±


    ¡°Neither did I, to be honest,¡± Felit?a said, ¡°but circumstances change. Can we talk?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Please, come in! These are friends of yours?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Meleng and Corvinian.¡±


    ¡°High Steward,¡± Pedrin said, ¡°if it¡¯s all right, I¡¯m going to show Asa¡¯s friend Meleng to the stacks and assist him there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± Ezmelda said. ¡°You know what to do.¡±


    Pedrin nodded. ¡°Yes, of course.¡± He gestured to Meleng. ¡°This way please.¡±


    Meleng glanced at Felit?a, a hint of concern coming from him, then followed Pedrin. The librarian closed the door, leaving Felit?a and Corvinian alone with Ezmelda.


    Ezmelda strolled back to her desk. ¡°Please, have a seat. How can I help you?¡±


    Felit?a followed her and sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Ezmelda remained standing.


    ¡°You have a lot of books,¡± Corvinian said.


    ¡°If you think that¡¯s a lot, Corvinian,¡± Felit?a said, ¡°you should have gone with Meleng to see the stacks.¡± She was beginning to wonder if that might have been a better idea. Ezmelda was nervous too. Felit?a still couldn¡¯t detect a lot, but a little was getting through¡ªand when her telepathy was in this state, emotions had to be strong to get through at all.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll get a chance to see the stacks later,¡± Ezmelda said. ¡°Now, what can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story, but it has to do with Corvinian. We need help. You see, he has...¡± She stopped.


    Ezmelda¡¯s head was lowered and there was a hint of a tear in her eyes.


    Felit?a stood up slowly. ¡°Ezmelda, is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have come back, Asa. Or should I say, your Highness?¡± Ezmelda raised her arms above her head.


    ¡°Corvinian, run! Get out of here!¡±


    Ezmelda swung her arms down and around in a circle. Iron bands shot from nowhere, wrapping around Felit?a¡¯s wrists, and pulling her backwards and off her feet. The back of her head collided hard with the carpet, which did little to soften the stone underneath it. The iron bands clacked against the floor and held firm.


    Corvinian had started running, but stopped and looked back at her. ¡°What do I do?¡±


    Felit?a couldn¡¯t spare the time to answer him. The pain in her head was excruciating, but she ignored it and concentrated on a spell. She couldn¡¯t raise her arms, but she only needed to twist her wrists slightly. She whispered the words.


    Ezmelda swung her arms up and down in a circle again. Another pair of bands appeared, but Felit?a¡¯s spell had clouded Ezmelda¡¯s thoughts just enough to draw her aim off. The bands slammed into the floor beside her legs.


    Ezmelda shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t make me harm you, Asa. Please!¡±


    Felit?a tried to pull her arms free, but couldn¡¯t. She started another spell, but Ezmelda swung her arms around again and this time, she didn¡¯t miss. The bands held her legs firm now as well. Then a leather gag appeared and thrust itself into her mouth.


    !¡±


    She strained to turn her head to see Corvinian, but couldn¡¯t turn far enough.


    ¡°Stay right there, boy! Asa is fine for now, but come any closer and I will hurt her.¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t let you hurt her!¡±


    Corvinian ran into view, straight at Ezmelda, but she swung her arms again and bands shot at the boy¡ªand burst apart as blue energy surrounded him. Ezmelda¡¯s jaw dropped. She punched her hand above her head, but was too slow. The energy shot out and wrapped around her. She propelled backwards into her desk, and flipped over it.


    Felit?a tried to yell at Corvinian to stop, but the gag in her mouth made it come out as a mumble.


    It was enough to get the boy¡¯s attention, however. He ran over to her, the glow still surrounding him. He bent down and pulled the gag from her mouth.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± she said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to hurt Ezmelda.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hurt her, but it just... It just happened on its own.¡±


    ¡°I know. You just need to be calm. Okay? Just relax.¡±


    He nodded and the glow diminished in intensity a little, although it didn¡¯t vanish.


    Behind him, Ezmelda climbed to her feet, rubbing at her jaw. Her lip was cut and her nose bleeding.


    ¡°Please, Ezmelda, don¡¯t try anything against Corvinian. We surrender.¡±


    Ezmelda stumbled around the desk. ¡°How could a boy so young have such control over magic?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°That¡¯s why you do not want to threaten him. Just accept our surrender so no one gets hurt.¡±


    Ezmelda nodded. ¡°I accept your surrender.¡± She waved her right hand and the bands holding Felit?a released.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Felit?a said.


    Corvinian¡¯s glow had diminished a little more, but it had still not disappeared.


    Felit?a sat up and the pain in her head stabbed harder. She put a hand to the back of her head and felt something warm and sticky. Her fingers returned red.


    Ezmelda held out a hand to help her up, and Felit?a took it. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Ezmelda went back round her desk again and slumped into her chair. She rubbed her jaw some more. ¡°You did. You lied to us, Asa. You lied to me all these years.¡±


    Felit?a sat down in the chair she had been in before and grimaced at the pain. Every time she moved, it stabbed at her. ¡°You did all this because of a lie?¡±


    ¡°No, but it made it easier. The anger I felt. The disappointment. I trusted you.¡±


    ¡°So why?¡±


    ¡°Lord Belone¡¯s soldiers stormed the Hall a couple months ago. They had learned your secret. They accused us of kidnapping you and holding you here in Quorge against your will. We tried to explain that we didn¡¯t know, but they either didn¡¯t believe us or didn¡¯t care. They told us we would be executed, unless we agreed to turn you over should you ever return to Quorge.¡±


    ¡°I see. And do you intend to hand me over?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If it was just me, I might refuse, but they will execute the entire Council.¡±


    ¡°But surely the whole Council working together should be more than a match for a few soldiers.¡±


    Ezmelda scoffed. ¡°First off, Asa or whatever the hell I should be calling you, we don¡¯t want to hurt anyone, especially not for someone who has been lying to us for years. And second...¡± She paused, and hints of fear came from her. ¡°Lord Belone has an Isyar working with him. She is more powerful than all of us combined. You must have seen the gargoyle out front. She brought that down and threatened to raze the entire hall. I don¡¯t doubt for a moment that she could have done it. We wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance against her.¡±


    ¡°Oh hell. Jorvan.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°A friend of mine,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°He¡¯s an Isyar. He saw another Isyar when we arrived in town and went to try to speak to her. She must have been luring him away. That¡¯s why he hasn¡¯t come back.¡±


    ¡°That seems a reasonable assumption,¡± Ezmelda said.


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯s okay?¡± Corvinian asked softly. The glow was gone now.


    ¡°Depends how much he resisted,¡± Ezmelda responded. ¡°Though if he¡¯s an Isyar, he might be the only one powerful enough to face her.¡±


    ¡°What happens now?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°We wait. Pedrin¡¯s gone to summon Lord Belone¡¯s men.¡±


    ¡°What of my friend, Meleng?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. Like I said, we don¡¯t want to hurt anyone. At worst, he¡¯s tied up somewhere. Why didn¡¯t you tell me who you were, Asa?¡±


    ¡°Would it have made a difference?¡±


    ¡°It might have. At the very least, we could have prepared for the possibility of people coming after you.¡±


    ¡°And how could I be sure none of you would turn me in?¡±


    Ezmelda shook her head. ¡°You should have told us.¡±


    ¡°How many people know what happened? I saw Agernon today. Did he know? Did he send me here into a trap?¡±


    ¡°No. Only the Council knew. We specifically didn¡¯t say anything to Agernon as we suspected he already knew your identity and we didn¡¯t want him warning you.¡±


    That was a relief. She wasn¡¯t sure she could have handled Agernon working against her.


    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, Asa, I¡¯m sorry it came to this.¡±


    ¡°So am I.¡± She hoped Jorvan was okay. And Zandrue and Rudiger.

 Chapter 6: Apprehended (Part 4)

    ¡°Her Royal Highness, Felit?a Asa Folith, Princess of Arnor!¡±


    Felit?a stepped into the audience chamber following the herald¡¯s announcement. The room was brightly lit by great crystal chandeliers, their light reflecting off the polished marble floor and walls. To either side of the doors, guards in chainmail with the waterfowl of House Belone on their chests stood at rapt attention. A green plush carpet ran from the door to the dais on which Lord Belone sat in a bejewelled throne. Around him stood several courtiers, most dressed in various shades of green. At various points around the room, more guards stood.


    Lord Feodor Belone himself was dressed in a flowing silk robe of state, also green. Thick rings on his fingers, and gold and silver chains round his neck sparkled in the light of the room. He was a somewhat small man. His thinning hair and neatly trimmed beard were grey, but he showed few other signs of age.


    ¡°Her companions, Rudiger Fonivan and Zandromeda Armida.¡± Zandrue and Rudiger followed Felit?a in, while poor Meleng and Corvinian were left to enter unannounced. The herald probably thought they were her servants.


    ¡°I always knew one day I¡¯d manage to get in here,¡± Zandrue whispered. ¡°You should have seen Almais¡¯s face when he delivered us here.¡±


    Zandrue and Rudiger had been apprehended by Almais, who was also the one who had alerted the palace to Felit?a and the others¡¯ presence in town, which resulted in them sending the Isyar after Jorvan.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Belone exclaimed, rising from his seat, and approaching her, arms outstretched.


    ¡°Lord Belone,¡± Felit?a said. She stood still as he hugged her and kissed her cheeks. She did not return the gesture. Her own trip here had been by armed soldiers who had then insisted at the gate that she was a guest of honour, but the fact that Belone had made her come all the way to his audience chamber before greeting her was not lost on her. If she were truly a guest of honour, he would have met her at the gate. Gods, she hated all this political nonsense where the slightest small action or gesture could carry high praise or high insult. Still, with multiple insults levied against her already, at least she could dispense with pleasantries. ¡°I expect Jorvan released immediately.¡±


    ¡°But of course!¡± Belone replied, returning to his throne. As he sat back down, he motioned to one of the courtiers. ¡°Please escort Jorvanultumn here.¡±


    ¡°Your Lordship.¡± The courtier bowed to Lord Belone and headed towards the door, pausing part way to bow to Felit?a.


    ¡°Please accept my humblest apologies, your Highness,¡± Belone said. ¡°I meant you no ill respect.¡±


    ¡°No ill respect? You kidnap one friend, you threaten other friends into plotting against me, and say you mean me no ill respect?¡±


    Belone nodded. ¡°I understand your anger. Please accept my apology.¡± He looked repentant, but there was no telling whether that was just an act. His feelings were not distinct enough for her to separate them from the wash of feelings from everyone in the room. She wished her abilities would come out of their slump.


    ¡°I trust Jorvan has not been harmed.¡±


    ¡°A little bruised I believe,¡± Belone said, ¡°as he tried to resist arrest. However, he has since been treated with the utmost civility.¡±


    ¡°Danel Belone, heir to the Province of Belone!¡± the herald sang out.


    A young man entered the room and knelt before Felit?a. He was taller than his father, with darker, fuller hair, but was otherwise his father¡¯s spitting image. ¡°Your Highness,¡± he said, ¡°please forgive my tardiness. I was not informed of your arrival.¡±


    Felit?a nodded and waved him away. He rose, bowed, and stepped aside.


    ¡°My son was exceptionally rude to Jorvanultumn earlier,¡± the elder Belone said. ¡°I was attempting to punish him by not having him here. If I have committed an offence, your Highness, then I humbly apologise.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s one more offence between friends?¡± Zandrue said.


    Feodor Belone lowered his head. ¡°Your friend¡¯s words sting, your Highness, but they are truthful. I again implore you to accept my apologies.¡±


    ¡°Why did you do it?¡± Felit?a asked. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just ask me to come here? For that matter, how did you even know who I was?¡±


    Belone raised his eyebrows in amusement. ¡°I¡¯ve known for many years that you were living in Quorge, your Highness. I knew of your departure from Quorge, but I will admit to being surprised by your return.¡±


    He knew? ¡°If...¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to that. Surely that was a lie. ¡°If you knew, why did you do nothing?¡±


    ¡°By order of the King¡ªa secret order, mind you, but an order from his Majesty, nonetheless. He commanded that you be allowed to lead the life you wished with no interference from me or anyone of my household, or anyone in my employ.¡±


    No, that couldn¡¯t be true, could it? ¡°Then...then why do you break it now?¡±


    ¡°Again, by His Majesty¡¯s command. A few months ago, Lady Plavin sent word out that you had been seen in Plavin-Tyl. I suppose that pulled at the strings of your father¡¯s heart. He wishes his daughter to return home.¡±


    Lady Plavin? That surprised Felit?a. If Lady Plavin had known who she was, then why¡­? ¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain why you kidnapped Jorvan, or why you threatened the Council. Why not just deliver my father¡¯s message?¡±


    Belone sighed. ¡°Strictly speaking, I arrested Jorvan for stalking the Isyar ambassador. I did not kidnap him. However, I did it because I needed a way to bring you and your friends here. You would have ignored a simple request. The King is most insistent that you return to Arnor City.¡±


    ¡°Insistent he may be, but that does not excuse your actions!¡± Felit?a snapped. ¡°How dare you use my friends like this! You had no right!¡±


    Belone held out his hand and a nearby courtier placed a rolled-up scroll in it. ¡°Actually, I had every right. Your father was most specific that, as long as no harm came to you specifically, any means necessary were to be used to return you to Arnor City. Any means necessary.¡±


    ¡°Plavistalorik and Jorvanultumn!¡±


    Jorvan entered beside another Isyar. He had a large bruise on his lower right cheek and another under his chin, as well as a sizeable lump on the side of his forehead. Meleng rushed over to him. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Corvinian squeezed over to try to help as well. Jorvan nodded.


    The other Isyar walked past them, nodding briefly at Felit?a before ascending the dais to stand beside Lord Belone. She was a little taller than Jorvan and quite skinny. She wore a loose-fitting garment, similar to Jorvan¡¯s. It was a pale beige in colour and looked almost transparent. The Isyar kept her head lowered, hands clasped in front of her. The only features that remained visible were the ears on the sides of her white, hairless head¡ªand they were so tiny as to be barely noticeable.


    ¡°Jorvanultumn,¡± Lord Belone said, ¡°I hereby release you from your captivity. I hope there are no hard feelings.¡±


    Jorvan simply stared back with thin eyes. He said nothing.


    ¡°Was it really necessary to beat him?¡± Felit?a demanded.


    To her surprise, it was the Isyar who responded. ¡°I did only what was necessary to subdue him.¡± The Isyar¡¯s head rose, small grey eyes making contact with Felit?a¡¯s momentarily. Sad eyes, there and gone again. For a brief moment, it was as if the Isyar¡¯s mind was the only one there with her. For that brief moment, the Room in Felit?a¡¯s head seemed empty apart from the Isyar. Felit?a shivered.


    ¡°I am fine,¡± Jorvan said to her.


    ¡°In all honesty, your Highness,¡± Danel Belone spoke up, ¡°it was less than he deserved. You did not hear the wild tale he tried to swindle my father with when he was questioned.¡±


    Felit?a turned to look at the young Belone. ¡°Wild tale?¡±


    ¡°I told truth,¡± Jorvan said.


    Danel smirked. ¡°So you say. Even Plavistalorik¡ªyour own kind¡ªdid not support you. What did she say again? Oh yes! No sane person could believe such a fanciful tale.¡±


    Felit?a glanced back at Plavistalorik, but her head remained lowered, and she gave no acknowledgement of what Danel had said. ¡°No sane person?¡± Felit?a asked Danel.


    ¡°That is so, your Highness,¡± he replied. ¡°When asked why he was following Plavistalorik, he said he wanted her help, and spoke of Volgs and boys with impossible powers.¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Sounds like the same story I would tell you,¡± Felit?a said.


    Danel¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Surely you jest, your Highness?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±


    Danel laughed. ¡°Then you are as insane as he!¡± A moment later, he mocked, ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Danel,¡± Lord Belone rumbled, ¡°I do not wish to go through this again. I have already sent you from my presence once today. Do not make me do it again. You will apologise to her Highness.¡±


    Scowling, Danel said, ¡°My apologies, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°My son is a born sceptic, your Highness,¡± Lord Belone said. ¡°Even though he¡¯s lived his whole life in a city of wizards, it was years before he would accept that Plavistalorik¡¯s spells were anything more than sleight-of-hand. Recently, he¡¯s begun listening to fools like Mitchal Plavin and his niece.¡±


    ¡°Mitchal Plavin is not a fool, Father,¡± Danel protested. ¡°Simply because you do not agree with his beliefs¡ª¡±


    ¡°He is a fool!¡± his father bellowed. ¡°And he marks himself even more foolish if he believes I will ever let him bring his blasted Red Knights onto Belone soil!¡±


    ¡°Mitchal Plavin is one of the greatest warriors alive! You should be in awe of him, Father!¡±


    Feodor Belone rose from his throne and tossed the scroll in his hands aside. ¡°I grow tired of these arguments, Danel! You will remain silent!¡±


    Felit?a was growing tired of the whole scene. Just what was Feodor Belone¡¯s game? She watched him as he lowered himself back into his throne, his face red with anger. With a wave of his hand, the scroll he had thrown was delivered back to him. He snatched it from the courtier¡¯s hands. The courtier bowed and retreated.


    ¡°Lord Belone,¡± Felit?a said.


    He took a deep breath, the colour of his face returning to normal. ¡°Your Highness, again, my apologies. It seems I owe you many apologies. We are not off to a good start. I beg your forgiveness. Please, join me at dinner tonight. You and your friends. Let it be the beginning of making amends.¡±


    ¡°Considering such an offer is only to be expected,¡± Felit?a said, ¡°one can hardly consider it making amends.¡± Was he testing her somehow? Trying to determine what she knew of courtly life? It had been a long time, but she hadn¡¯t forgotten everything she¡¯d been taught.


    Belone nodded. ¡°The beginning of amends. You must provide me with the opportunity to make things up to you.¡±


    Enough was enough. ¡°I want to see my father¡¯s orders¡±


    Belone held out the scroll towards her.


    Felit?a moved forward and took it. Unrolling it, she read what was written there. It confirmed Belone¡¯s earlier words. Any means necessary.


    ¡°I have already informed the appropriate authorities,¡± Belone said. ¡°A suitable escort is being prepared to take you to Arnor City. It will be ready to leave on the morrow.¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll make my own way to Arnor City.¡±


    Belone smiled. ¡°Now, now, your Highness. Would that I could trust that statement.¡±


    ¡°I have an appointment tomorrow morning. I can¡¯t miss it.¡±


    ¡°Reread your father¡¯s decree, your Highness.¡±


    She didn¡¯t need to look at it again. Without delay. ¡°But I¡¯m expected. I can¡¯t just fail to show up.¡±


    Belone nodded sympathetically, and for a moment, Felit?a thought he might give in and let her go. ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to deliver your apologies. Have no worry.¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. My friends will deliver it. Meleng, can you explain to Agernon¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Surely your friends will accompany you to Arnor City,¡± Belone said.


    ¡°Why should they? The order does not cover them. I¡¯ll go alone.¡±


    Zandrue touched her arm. ¡°We should go with you. Weird things are happening and I don¡¯t think we should split up.¡±


    Felit?a was about to protest, but stopped. Damn her, Zandrue was right.


    She faced Lord Feodor Belone again. He sat there watching her, his expression unreadable. ¡°Very well, Lord Belone, I accept your gracious offer of dinner.¡±


    * * * * *


    ¡°You look really pretty,¡± Corvinian said.


    Felit?a smiled and shifted in the chair. She didn¡¯t feel pretty. The last time she had worn a dress like this, she had still been living at the Royal Palace. Even then, it hadn¡¯t been a dress like this. It had been a child¡¯s gown, made for a child¡¯s body. Now, she was uncertain how to sit without some part of the gown pulling, pinching, or squeezing her. The blasted thing constricted her every move. It was far too tight in the chest, pressing painfully against her breasts and making it hard to breathe. But it was the best fit Lord Belone¡¯s wife¡¯s ladies-in-waiting could come up with on such short notice.


    And she couldn¡¯t go to dinner dressed in commoner¡¯s clothing. Gods, this was reminding her of why she ran away from the palace in the first place.


    She shifted positions again, but it just made things worse, so she shifted back before something tore. Perhaps she should just show up to dinner in her regular outfit. She could use a spell to make everyone think she was dressed like a noblewoman. It could be her own private little joke¡ªa joke that would be on her when she passed out from the strain of maintaining the spell for so long.


    ¡°We need to look at the positive side of this,¡± Zandrue said, breaking the sullen silence in the room. ¡°This could be more advantageous than we think.¡±


    ¡°Positive side?¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Whatever¡¯s going on, there are people in high places who have a stake in it,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Take Lady Plavin, for example. Based on what we¡¯ve heard today, she knew Felit?a was in Tyl, yet did nothing to ensure her Bloods didn¡¯t kill her. We could use somebody in a high-up position ourselves¡ªsomeone who can beat them at their own game.¡±


    Felit?a felt like laughing. A politician she was not! She knew some of the basic courtesies, but political manipulations were beyond her. ¡°I¡¯m glad you have such faith in me, Zandrue, but really, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about you,¡± Zandrue interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m talking about me. Oh, you¡¯ll be the figurehead, of course, but I¡¯ll be the brains of the operation.¡± She cracked a smile, and Felit?a couldn¡¯t help but laugh¡ªwhich she quickly discovered was not a good thing to do. Far too painful.


    ¡°Let¡¯s put you in my dress and see if you¡¯re still in any shape to think,¡± Felit?a said. Of course, Zandrue¡¯s dress fit perfectly..


    ¡°I like the one I¡¯ve got, thank you,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°So, while you two play nobles, what are the rest of us supposed to do?¡± Rudiger asked.


    ¡°For a start,¡± Zandrue replied, ¡°we all need to find out as much as we can from people here before we get dragged away tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°I talked to Plavistalorik,¡± Jorvan said, ¡°but she said not much. She stayed with me, but she spoke not much. I think she is in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Zandrue asked.


    ¡°Something she said. I try to translate. Magic is gone, and my wings fly not.¡±


    ¡°Magic gone?¡± Rudiger said. ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an Isyar saying,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°It means she didn¡¯t have a choice. She¡¯s being forced.¡±


    ¡°Who could be forcing her?¡± Meleng asked.


    ¡°I do not know,¡± Jorvan replied.


    Felit?a sighed. That hurt, too. ¡°Somehow, I doubt we¡¯ll have time to uncover that answer. I don¡¯t suppose you had a chance to learn anything at the Hall of Knowledge, Meleng?¡±


    Meleng shook his head. ¡°Pedrin knocked me out as soon as we left you with Madame Ezmelda. I never even got to see the stacks.¡±


    A knock at the door interrupted them. ¡°Come in,¡± Felit?a called.


    The door opened and one of Lord Belone¡¯s pages, a young Folith boy named Lucas, entered. He bowed to Felit?a. ¡°Your Highness, there is a Captain Agwinton DeSelo?n here to see you.¡±


    ¡°Show him in,¡± Felit?a said.


    The page bowed again and retreated from the room. A moment later, a Folith entered. His skin had the darker tone of southern Foliths, his hair was dark, and he sported a thin moustache. Standing about six foot three, he looked a regal sight in the sapphire-blue uniform of an officer in the Royal Arnorin Army. The lighter blue, ten-pointed star of Arnor was pinned over his heart, and underneath it he wore several other medals. A broadsword hung at his side. As he entered, he went to his knees and bowed his head. ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°You may rise.¡± She was really starting to despise all the kneeling and bowing everyone kept doing. She stood as he did, and winced. Gods! Was there no way to move in this thing without suffocating? She tried pulling at the front of the dress to loosen it, but stopped when she realised how undignified it must make her look.


    If Captain DeSelo?n found anything odd about her behaviour though, he did not show it. ¡°Your Highness, I have come to inform you that preparations for your departure are almost complete, and wanted to know if you had any particular requests for the journey.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re to be my escort? Not one of Lord Belone¡¯s people?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°It would not be appropriate for Lord Belone¡¯s people to escort you through other provinces. The army, however, is not part of any one province. It is all of Arnor.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°I intend to travel incognito, Captain. I have no intention of being paraded around the country. I hope that doesn¡¯t ruin the plans you¡¯ve already made.¡±


    Captain DeSelo?n smiled. ¡°Of course not, your Highness. I anticipated that would be your desire. I assure you, you will not be paraded anywhere. I have selected four choice men to accompany you along with myself. They are all fully trustworthy, loyal to the chain of command and to the Crown, not to any local lords. They are also efficient warriors who will give their lives for you if necessary. Your safety is assured.¡±


    ¡°Five of you and six of us start to make us a fairly large group,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°No larger than some merchant groups,¡± DeSelo?n replied. ¡°My men and I will play the role of mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°And the rest of us?¡± Zandrue asked.


    ¡°The merchants. I understand her Highness has experience in selling things.¡±


    ¡°Do we have anything to sell?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Zandrue nodded approvingly. ¡°I like this guy, Felit?a.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Captain,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°It sounds like you have things well planned. We¡¯ll meet you on the front grounds at first light tomorrow.¡±


    Captain DeSelo?n gave her a gracious bow and exited the room. When he was gone, Felit?a sank back into her chair, ignoring the protesting dress. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose we can ditch them somewhere on the road between here and Arnor City?¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Possibly. However, I don¡¯t think we should. We need a princess on our side, right now.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, of course. I suppose we¡¯d better not keep Lord Belone waiting.¡± Groaning, she stood again and summoned Lucas. ¡°Please escort us to dinner.¡±

 Chapter 6: Apprehended (Part 5)

    Lucas watched his breath frost in the crisp, night air. Above, a few stars twinkled from between cracks in the clouds. Before him, the streets of Quorge looked ominous. Brown snow and grey buildings, dank and dirty. A few drunkards stumbled about. Up ahead, two city watchmen turned a corner.


    Lucas continued on. He kept his hand inside his cloak, clutching at the dagger hidden there. He hated the city at night. Hell, he hated the city during the day, too. Lord Belone¡¯s palace was much more comfortable. But his father always sent him on these tasks in the dead of night. Who knew what criminals were wandering the streets, what they might do to a virtually defenceless boy? Though none of that mattered to his father¡ªand he feared his father far more than he did anyone he might meet on the streets.


    Eventually, he reached the edge of the city. Feeling a bit of relief, he headed towards the usual meeting place. For the time being, he would be safe¡ªuntil he met with his contacts, at least. He could never be sure just what sort of person would be waiting for him. They came in all types. Rich nobles and poor peasants, men and women. Many had scars from self-inflicted wounds. Those were the most frightening to look at. But the ones without were frightening in other ways. Lucas wasn¡¯t sure he had ever seen the same person twice, but as long as they had the goat-head tattoo, that was all that mattered.


    He remembered the day he had been branded with his. He¡¯d struggled while they¡¯d shaved his head. Instinctively, his free hand now went to the back of his head. It had been necessary to wear a hood for some time after that, until his hair had grown back long enough to cover it. Those had been some of the most frightening weeks of his life, constantly worried that someone would pull back his hood and discover what was there.


    Lucas did not want to be a Servant of Sunset¡ªhad never wanted to be one. He hated everything they stood for. He hated the Lord of Darkness. But he feared his father more than he hated the Servants. So he had become one of them and he carried out his father¡¯s orders dutifully. Although he took every precaution as he was expected to, he often wished that one day he would be caught. Lord Belone would execute him for sure, but in many ways, execution was preferable to working with his father and the one his father took orders from¡ªthe one even his father feared.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Lucas approached the secluded cove along the lake shore. At this time of night, Lake Belone looked tranquil. Light from the few stars glinted off its surface. At the meeting place, dark shapes moved. A lot of shapes. They didn¡¯t usually come in such large groups. As he got closer and the shapes became more distinct, he realised just how big they were. Taller than even the tallest people and twice as wide. Wings! Oh gods! They had wings!


    No! Nothing was worth this. Not Volgs! Even his father¡¯s wrath was preferable. He turned to leave, but one of them landed in front of him, blocking his way. He tried to run another way. He turned to his left, but the lake was there, mocking him with its tranquillity. He turned the other way, but another Volg had landed. ¡°Please!¡± he cried. ¡°I¡¯m a Servant! I have the mark! I¡¯m a Servant!¡±


    One of them grabbed him by the base of the neck and lifted him off his feet. ¡°I¡¯m a Servant,¡± he sobbed. His breeches dampened as his bladder emptied.


    The Volg holding him grunted something and carried him into the cove. A moment later, he was thrown on the ground in front of another Volg. This one bent down and began parting his hair with massive fingers. ¡°You have a message for me, boy?¡± the Volg said after it was satisfied of his credentials. The Volg¡¯s breath was hot and foul.


    Lucas nodded. ¡°The Princess Felit?a. She and her friends, disguised as merchants, will be leaving tomorrow morning for Arnor City. They are accompanied by five soldiers, disguised as mercenaries.¡±


    The Volg stood up. ¡°You may go now. Tell your masters we appreciate the information.¡±


    Lucas stood up and ran. Ran with all his might, until the cove and the Volgs were long out of sight and he was back on the streets of Quorge.

 Chapter 7: Swept Away (Part 1)

    Rudiger had to hand it to Captain DeSelo?n and his men. They built a good fire. It wasn¡¯t particularly large, but it was very hot and helped to keep away the cold air of evening¡ªand anything that did that was good, as far as he was concerned.


    They were camped just off the road north of Quorge. They hadn¡¯t made it far this first day. A wheel on the wagon had come loose, and they had to stop early. Captain DeSelo?n had apologised profusely to Felit?a, and Felit?a had insisted that apologies were not necessary. It had been an amusing exchange to watch: DeSelo?n embarrassed because of what he felt was a show of ineptitude in him and his men, and Felit?a embarrassed because she didn¡¯t want to be waited upon like royalty.


    Rudiger was only just starting to come to terms with the fact that they were headed to Arnor City to mix with royalty. Although he had known the truth about Felit?a¡¯s identity for a while now, until yesterday, the implications of it hadn¡¯t really sunk in. She was someone he travelled with. A friend. But being in Lord Belone¡¯s palace had made him realise how much he wasn¡¯t a part of that world, how out of place he felt, and how much Felit?a and Zandrue¡ªespecially Zandrue¡ªjust seemed to fit right in.


    He had spent most of the dinner in silence. He joined in conversations where he could, but so many of them focused on fashions and what people were saying was fashionable in Arnor City. Or they were about who was marrying whom and what family unions these would cause. Or various other topics that he had no knowledge of, no idea what to say.


    Meleng and Jorvan had looked as uncomfortable as he felt. Felit?a had remained mostly quiet, but when she did speak up, she had always seemed to know what to say. And then there was Zandrue, who was pretty much the life of the party. A party he couldn¡¯t be part of.


    He was glad to now be away from the palace. It was a long trip to Arnor City. They had to go all the way back to Porthaven and then by ship the rest of the way. It meant there were a couple months at least before he had to worry about noble life again. Rudiger was comfortable travelling. It fit him. He¡¯d been doing it for so long now, it was hard to think of staying in one place for too long.


    It was going to be a different sort of journey now though. They had to pretend to be merchants¡ªwell, some of them did. Felit?a, in particular. She looked a lot different now. She needed to look well-off, so gone was her usual travelling cloak. Currently, she wore a brocaded silk blouse and a heavy green travelling skirt. To keep out the cold, she had a thick cloak lined with fox fur. But there were a lot more clothes stashed away in a large chest on the wagon. DeSelo?n¡¯s men had spent the night before they left scouring the whole city for clothes of the right style and fit. As best Rudiger could tell, only her boots remained of her original clothes. All the rest had been deemed not suitable for her disguise.


    Zandrue and Meleng were also playing the roles of merchants, but they got to do it with their own clothes. Since they were to be subordinate to Felit?a, they didn¡¯t need to be decked out quite so well. Corvinian was Felit?a¡¯s ward, while Rudiger got to play at being just one of the mercenaries. Explaining Jorvan¡¯s presence was the hard part. Just being an Isyar would draw attention¡ªand more besides. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done about that. Jorvan had to play the role of an Isyar merchant who had temporarily joined with Felit?a for mutual benefit.


    Rudiger glanced over to where Borisin and the other horses were gathered. Corvinian was there brushing him, and the stallion was clearly enjoying every moment of it. If the boy wasn¡¯t careful, he¡¯d soon find himself grooming Borisin as a full-time job¡ªBorisin would see to that! Of course, it might keep Borisin¡¯s complaints to a minimum and it would give Corvinian something to do, so it wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad idea.


    Borisin, who had apparently had enough brushing for now, moved away from Corvinian and walked round to Zandrue¡¯s mare, Lucinda. There was a swagger in his walk that Rudiger knew all too well. ¡°Hey!¡± Rudiger called out to the stallion. ¡°Don¡¯t get any ideas!¡±


    I¡¯m just being friendly,


    Sam and Hang looked up from the wagon, where they were still trying to repair the wheel, and gave him odd looks. ¡°What did we do?¡± Hang asked.


    Rudiger nearly laughed. ¡°Not you! My horse!¡±


    The two soldiers looked over at Borisin, looked back at each other, and shrugged. They then set back to work. There hadn¡¯t been much opportunity yet to get to know DeSelo?n¡¯s men, but from what little Rudiger had seen, they seemed competent. Bowman Sergeant Sam Tarson was a broad, muscular Eloorin. The wagon belonged to him, so he was their driver. According to DeSelo?n, he was the best archer in the kingdom. Corporal Alhang Merrin¡ªHang for short¡ªwas a tall Folith with dark hair.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you get when you mix stallions and mares,¡± Sergenat Greminy Siltons, who was sitting beside Rudiger, said. Greminy was a slightly older Eloorin, his dark hair starting to sprout just a few traces of grey.


    ¡°Ah, Borisin¡¯s well behaved,¡± Rudiger replied. As he said it, Borisin sauntered up behind him, sticking his snout between Rudiger and Greminy.


    ¡°Is he now?¡± the solider said, staring into the horse¡¯s eyes. ¡°You really should hobble him with the others.¡±


    ¡°You wanna try?¡± Rudiger asked with a laugh.


    Go ahead,Just try.


    Greminy continued staring into Borisin¡¯s eyes for a few moments before backing down. ¡°No, that¡¯s all right.¡±


    Borisin snorted in his face and returned to the other horses. Corvinian slipped in to sit beside Rudiger.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°He won¡¯t wander off.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a horse you have there, Rudiger,¡± Captain DeSelo?n commented.


    Zandrue laughed. ¡°You don¡¯t know the half of it!¡±


    ¡°Maybe so,¡± DeSelo?n said, ¡°but he¡¯s still a good-looking horse.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rich, coming from a Clo?ggan! I¡¯m surprised you even know what a horse is!¡± Private Stavan Orcan was the loudest of DeSelo?n¡¯s men, a joker through and through. He could be a bit less than tactful with his choice of words, but apparently he didn¡¯t mean anything bad by them.


    ¡°We Clo?ggans actually know about both land and sea,¡± DeSelo?n responded with a grin. ¡°Unlike you mainlanders, who only know the land.¡±


    Stavan laughed. ¡°At least you can¡¯t drown on land!¡±


    ¡°No, but you can slip and break your neck,¡± DeSelo?n said.


    ¡°I thought your name sounded Clo?ggan,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°It¡¯s unusual for a Clo?ggan to join the army, isn¡¯t it?¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Uncommon,¡± DeSelo?n agreed. ¡°We Clo?ggans are born and bred sailors through and through. We love the sea. Or we¡¯re supposed to, at any rate. Truth be told, I was never much of a sailor. Much to my father¡¯s chagrin. So I left Clo?g to come to the mainland and join the army. It¡¯s been a much more rewarding experience for me.¡±


    ¡°Are you gonna do some practice fighting?¡± Corvinian piped up. ¡°You said you would!¡±


    DeSelo?n smiled. ¡°Yes, we did say that, didn¡¯t we? Well, Rudiger, are you game?¡±


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°I suppose.¡± Corvinian bounced about excitedly.


    DeSelo?n nodded approvingly. ¡°Good. You should make good sport for my men, I wager.¡±


    ¡°The bigger they are¡­¡± Stavan said with a grin.


    ¡°Corporal Merrin!¡± DeSelo?n called. Hang looked up from the work on the wagon. ¡°Get over here. Let Tarson finish that alone. Sergeant, Private.¡±


    Stavan and Greminy jumped to their feet and snapped to attention. Stavan¡¯s joking grin and stance had vanished to be replaced by rapt seriousness. A moment later, Hang was by their side.


    Zandrue stood up, too. ¡°Mind if I join in? I could use the practice.¡±


    Stavan almost broke a grin in response, but he quickly regained his composure.


    ¡°Why not?¡± DeSelo?n said. ¡°Right! We¡¯ll use that section of flat ground over there. The snow is fresh, so watch your footing. We¡¯ll be using real weapons. Hit with the flat of your sword or hold off just before the blow would connect. Naturally, if you are the one who would have been hit, you should acknowledge it. Be careful everyone. I don¡¯t want to see any wounds more serious than bruises.¡±


    As they moved away from the camp, Stavan slipped up beside Zandrue. ¡°You might get a few bruises.¡±


    She grinned back at him. ¡°So might you.¡±


    Captain DeSelo?n had definitely chosen his men well. They began with one-on-one pairings. Rudiger came out on top in most of these, but it wasn¡¯t easy. Hang fought much the way Rudiger did: a combination of brute strength and skill. His blows were heavy and came from several different directions. They both held their place, refusing to give ground to the other. In the end, Rudiger proved a little bit stronger and a little bit more skilled. Hang did leave him tired out for his match against Stavan, however. The thin Eloorin was nowhere near a match for Rudiger in strength, but he made up for it with a speed and agility that Rudiger could barely keep up with. Armed with a much lighter sword than Slay, he danced around Rudiger, making wisecracks the whole while, forcing Rudiger to circle repeatedly and tire himself out more. In the end, Rudiger managed to get the upper hand, but it was more by luck than anything else. Stavan momentarily lost his balance on some ice, and Rudiger hit him with the broadside of Slay. Winded, the Eloorin had to concede that he¡¯d be quite dead in a real fight.


    ¡°Bruise number one!¡± Zandrue called as Stavan stumbled off the field.


    After that, Rudiger gratefully took a break while Zandrue faced off against Greminy Siltons. Greminy was a precise, technical fighter. Definitely very skilled. Zandrue was more imaginative, however, finding non-standard ways to counter attacks that no doubt took Greminy by surprise. She did a good job holding her own against him¡ªfor a little while, at least. Greminy soon had her subdued. He complimented her, offered her a couple of pointers, and then they went at it again. Once again, Greminy won the match, but Zandrue lasted just a little bit longer this time.


    equal skill


    DeSelo?n held out his hand and helped Rudiger to his feet. ¡°You¡¯d be deadly with a lighter, faster sword, Rudiger. Ever consider it?¡±


    ¡°Too many sentimental feelings attached to Slay, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Rudiger replied.


    DeSelo?n reached down and picked up the great two-handed sword, groaning slightly from the effort. He gazed over the blade, turning it over to get a look at both sides. ¡°A very nice sword, indeed.¡± He handed it back to Rudiger. ¡°But gods, it¡¯s heavy!¡±


    Rudiger laughed.


    After that, they worked in larger groups, making plans for various formations and strategies, in case they were attacked along the road. Zandrue was the first to bow out from exhaustion. Stavan laughed at her as she returned to the fire, but his expression said that he was impressed with her performance. Not long after, the rest of them decided to call it an evening as well.


    Zandrue came over to Rudiger. ¡°That was fun. We should do this more often.¡±


    Rudiger nodded. ¡°Yeah, we should. You¡¯re pretty good.¡±


    She looped her arms around his waist and gazed up at him. ¡°Oh! A compliment!¡±


    ¡°When have I not given you compliments?¡± He laughed.


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Ah, it was just something to say.¡± She pressed herself closer to him. Her touch sent shivers down his spine. His cheeks burned, so he pulled away.


    Zandrue sighed. ¡°What, you made of stone or something?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­¡± How could he tell her he was embarrassed by all the other people there, potentially watching them?


    ¡°Rudiger! Rudiger!¡± Corvinian bounded up to him, sliding the last few feet through the snow.


    Zandrue sighed again and backed away.


    ¡°That was awesome!¡± the boy said. ¡°You were great! Although it was kind of funny when Captain DeSelo?n knocked you over! Hang¡¯s been showing me how to hold a sword! Isn¡¯t that great?¡±


    Rudiger didn¡¯t think it was, but he nodded anyway. He looked back at Zandrue, only to discover that she was wandering off.


    ¡°Hang doesn¡¯t think I¡¯m too young to learn how to use a sword!¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be in bed by now?¡± Rudiger asked.


    Corvinian shrugged. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m not sleepy.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯d better get some sleep anyway.¡± He gave Corvinian a gentle push in the right direction. The boy groaned and headed back to the camp.


    Rudiger looked back after Zandrue. She was readying her sleeping blankets by the fire next to Felit?a. He was about to head over there when he spotted DeSelo?n approaching him.


    ¡°Rudiger, a word. This Volg you encountered. What can you tell me about him?¡±


    ¡°Very big,¡± Rudiger replied. ¡°Strong. But his magic was probably the most dangerous aspect of him. I never really got close enough to fight him. Jorvan took him down.¡±


    DeSelo?n nodded thoughtfully.


    ¡°You believe us then?¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°Lord Belone didn¡¯t seem to. The Isyar ambassador said our story is impossible. Most people don¡¯t even believe in Volgs these days.¡±


    ¡°Are you a devout man, Rudiger?¡± DeSelo?n asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, somewhat. My mother always wanted me to become a priest, but I was never quite that devout.¡±


    DeSelo?n smiled. ¡°I am a devout man, Rudiger. The church says Volgs are real. Therefore, I believe in them. While I would normally consider it unlikely that Volgs would be wandering around Arnor, I have seen nothing to suggest that you and your friends are liars or mad. Therefore, I must conclude that you really are being chased by Volgs and Darkers. And I mean to keep the Princess safe until we reach Arnor City. Go get some rest. You¡¯re on last watch. I need to have a word with Drago about a few things.¡±


    ¡°Good night, sir.¡± Finding himself a reasonably warm spot by the fire, Rudiger laid out his sleeping blanket and prepared to lie down. One last glance around the camp showed that most everyone else was either asleep already, or was getting ready to sleep. Captain DeSelo?n and Meleng were chatting quietly. Sam was seated on the now-fixed wagon, his unstrung bow beside him¡ªhe had first watch.


    Rudiger lay down and closed his eyes. Sleep quickly overtook him.

 Chapter 7: Swept Away (Part 2)

    Wake up.


    Borisin¡¯s cold nose was against his face. Opening his eyes, Rudiger glared. ¡°What?¡±


    There¡¯s a strange scent in the air.


    Rudiger sat up and looked around. Near to him, Meleng, quite awake, glared up at the underside of the horse standing over him. Beyond, the hobbled horses paced about nervously. Sam was still on watch. He was standing on the driver¡¯s seat, his bow strung and an arrow nocked, gazing around him. He must have noticed the horses, but probably thought it was just wolves or other wild animals.


    The scent is getting closer. Look out!


    ¡°Ambush!¡± Rudiger yelled.


    Flames surrounded him. Borisin reared back, his mane afire. Rudiger rolled to douse any flames that might be on himself. All around him, he heard the sounds of more explosions. People yelling. Horses screaming.


    ¡°Merrin! Siltons! Orcan! Perimeter around Felit?a and the boy! Nothing gets passed us!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see anything!¡±


    ¡°Tarson, Fonivan, Drago, are you all right? Where¡¯s Jorvan?¡±


    Rudiger tried to respond, but there was smoke in his lungs. In his eyes, too.


    ¡°Armida, check on Sam!¡±


    ¡°Above us!¡±


    The smoke shifted rapidly as a great gushing wind swept over Rudiger. There was the swoosh of massive, flapping wings, and the clash of steel. As his vision finally started to clear, he caught sight of them, flying away at the moment, but turning wide for another pass. ¡°Hell,¡± he muttered. It wasn¡¯t just one Volg this time. There must have been a dozen of them at least. No, definitely more. They were in a v-formation. Like a flock of birds.


    Captain DeSelo?n, Hang, Greminy, and Stavan were standing in a circle around Felit?a and Corvinian. Everyone looked dirty and a little burnt, but otherwise unharmed. Borisin! Rudiger scrambled to his feet. His horse was rolling on the ground. The flames were out now, but his mane had almost entirely burnt away, as had much of the hair on his neck and part of his back. Several of the other horses were still on fire and it was likely many of them would not survive. But there was no time to worry about that now. The Volgs were coming back.


    ¡°Armida, Tarson! On my order!¡± DeSelo?n cried.


    Rudiger looked over to the wagon, just as Zandrue loosed an arrow. It was too dark to track the arrow, but the lead Volg wavered¡ªbut didn¡¯t fall.


    ¡°I said on my order, Armida!¡±


    Zandrue scowled and nocked another arrow. Beside her, Sam had an arrow ready. There was a gash on his forehead, and blood was trickling down his cheek.


    ¡°Ready!¡± DeSelo?n cried. The Volgs were getting closer. ¡°Loose!¡±


    Rudiger drew Slay as the two arrows arced out. The Volg at the front fell out of the sky, as did the first one to the right. Then the Volgs were upon them, one wing of the V swooping over them. DeSelo?n and his men clashed swords with the Volgs as they flew past. Felit?a and Corvinian huddled in the middle. Rudiger readied himself for when they reached him. He swung Slay. Over and over. Fighting the force of wind from their wings. But they were already flying too high again. Slay connected only with air.


    Two of the Volgs from the other wing had landed in a confused muddle. One of them was lying in the snow still flapping his wings, while the other stumbled about clutching his head.


    ¡°Now!¡± Felit?a cried.


    ¡°Loose!¡±


    Two arrows whizzed past Rudiger, hitting home in the two Volgs. Their movements stopped.


    ¡°Fonivan!¡± DeSelo?n cried. ¡°Get over here! Drago, take cover at the wagon! Where is Jorvan?¡±


    Meleng scrambled to his feet and ran for the wagon. Rudiger ran to the group surrounding Felit?a and took his place in the circle, Stavan to his right and Hang to his left. Borisin was also getting to his feet. Go, Rudiger told him. You¡¯re too injured to do any good here. Borisin stood there. The Volgs were circling around again.


    ¡°Archers, ready!¡± DeSelo?n yelled.


    I said go! Rudiger repeated. Borisin made a last defiant snort and galloped off.


    ¡°Loose!¡±


    Two arrows shot out, but only one Volg fell this time.


    And then the Volgs were over them again. In all Rudiger¡¯s training and experience, he had never had to deal with attacks from the air before. Each target was only there a moment. A blur of horns, wings, and glinting steel. It was hard on his arms to swing so high. And unbalancing. Slay connected with one though, tearing through wing membrane and crushing bones. The Volg crashed to the ground, the momentum almost pulling Rudiger down too. Then they¡¯d passed again.


    ¡°I only got one this time,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Over there.¡±


    One of the Volgs was sitting on the ground. He seemed to be trying to get up, but his legs weren¡¯t moving. ¡°Loose!¡± DeSelo?n cried. Both arrows thudded side by side into the Volg¡¯s head between the horns. The Volg fell back over.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing well, my lady,¡± DeSelo?n said. ¡°Private, you all right?¡±


    Rudiger glanced at Stavan beside him. There was a long gash down his right arm, and the snow at his feet was turning red. ¡°I¡¯ve had girlfriends give me worse, sir,¡± Stavan quipped.


    ¡°Sir, they¡¯re breaking formation!¡± Greminy said. Sure enough, the Volgs were landing some distance away.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± DeSelo?n responded. ¡°Had to tire eventually. Everyone, to the wagon. We¡¯ll meet them there.¡±


    They ran. Meleng, already lying under the wagon, helped pull Corvinian under with him. ¡°You too, my lady,¡± DeSelo?n said to Felit?a.


    Felit?a shook her head and stood her ground. ¡°No, I¡¯ll face them. You could use my help.¡±


    ¡°My lady, my job is to protect you. Let me do that job.¡±


    Felit?a looked as if she were about to protest again, but then gave up and slid underneath the wagon. The rest of them took positions circling the wagon, Sam and Zandrue at the front, Stavan the rear. Hang and Greminy were along the side facing the road, while Rudiger and DeSelo?n took the opposite side, facing the Volgs.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Keep your backs to the wagon at all times,¡± DeSelo?n barked. ¡°They may have us outnumbered, but they will not get to use those numbers to their advantage.¡±


    ¡°Sir, I see Jorvan!¡± Hang cried. Rudiger had to turn to see what he was referring to, but unfortunately, the wagon provided too much of an obstacle.


    ¡°Keep your attention to the front of you, Fonivan!¡± DeSelo?n snapped and Rudiger resumed his proper position. ¡°Merrin, what¡¯s Jorvan doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, sir. He was only in sight for a moment. He¡¯s in that little valley on the other side of the road. Wait! There he is again. It¡¯s like a storm over there. He¡¯s fighting two Volgs, sir. A magical battle, I think.¡±


    ¡°Two Volg wizards?¡± DeSelo?n said.


    ¡°No!¡± Corvinian screamed.


    ¡°Hey, kid!¡± Hang yelled. ¡°Don¡¯t! Get back here!¡±


    ¡°Corvinian!¡± Felit?a yelled.


    ¡°No, my lady! You mustn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Sir!¡± Greminy said. ¡°The boy took off, surrounded by a blue glow. Felit?a¡¯s followed him.¡±


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    In the distance, the Volgs began moving, some flying low, others running. ¡°They¡¯re charging!¡± Rudiger yelled.


    ¡°Tarson, Armida, at your discretion, take out as many of them as you can before they get here! Merrin, Siltons, get Felit?a and the boy. We¡¯ll hold as many of them here as possible! Watch out for those wizards! Go!¡±


    Two at a time, numerous arrows shot out. Rudiger wasn¡¯t sure just how many before the Volgs were upon them. At least two Volgs dropped and he was glad to note that their numbers were dwindling. How many were left now? Seven? Eight?


    To his side, Zandrue tossed aside her bow and drew her sword. Then the Volgs were there. A huge one, bigger than the wizard he had fought before, barrelled down on him. It swung a huge broadsword the size of Slay at him. Rudiger blocked it, but the force of the blow was staggering. He was not used to not having the strength advantage.


    Their swords clashed together again, and Rudiger tried to push forward to knock the Volg back, but it was the Volg that pushed him. His back collided painfully with the wagon. The Volg¡¯s sword swung round and Rudiger blocked again. And again. And again. He was getting a feel for the Volg¡¯s attacks. Almost always from the same direction. Predictable. As the Volg came at him once more, he brought Slay round at what he hoped was the right trajectory, trusting in his sword¡¯s sharpness. The swords clashed and Slay cut right through the other blade. Weaponless, the Volg stepped back. Rudiger swung again and cut the Volg in half.


    Zandrue fell in front of him, her sword sliding under the wagon. Rudiger turned to attack the Volg that had knocked her over. Slay grazed the Volg¡¯s hip. Only a superficial wound. The Volg¡¯s blow came in high. Rudiger raised Slay to block. Another Volg was coming round to his left. The blow slammed into his side, smashing him against the wagon, though his armour stopped the blade from cutting in.


    Another gush of wind preceded a thud and a shaking of the wagon. Rudiger scrambled to bring Slay round for another block, but he was too slow. A Volg¡¯s sword connected with his left shoulder, cutting through the mail and pushing him against the side of the wagon. He began to feel as if his back might snap. He could see the wings of the Volg standing on the wagon. Turning around, the beast snarled down at him, raised his sword.


    A loud horse¡¯s whinny startled the Volg, who paused. Then the Volgs besieging Rudiger on the ground were gone, one flying out of the way, the other crumpling under Borisin¡¯s hooves. With his powerful hind legs, Borisin kicked a third Volg that Rudiger hadn¡¯t even seen. Rudiger pulled himself away from the wagon.


    ¡°Now, Drago!¡± DeSelo?n cried.


    Various sacks and chests on the wagon sprung open, spewing their contents through the air. The two Volgs on the wagon batted at the fabrics and cloths spilling over them. As one, DeSelo?n and Stavan drove their swords up, each into one of the flailing Volgs.


    Above you!


    Rudiger raised Slay just in time to cut into the flying Volg right between the horns. The impact wrenched Slay out of his hands. The Volg spun wildly for a moment, then crashed into the wagon.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be one nasty headache!¡± Stavan quipped.


    Rudiger surveyed the surroundings. That seemed to be all of them. Only one Volg was still moving. The one Borisin had trampled twitched in spasms. The wings were crumpled and he had obviously suffered multiple broken bones. DeSelo?n drove his sword through the Volg¡¯s neck and the spasms stopped. Rudiger was reminded of his own wound, the pain of which was now very apparent. He was fairly certain nothing was broken, but wetness was seeping down his chest. At least he hadn¡¯t been trampled like¡ª


    Zandrue! She¡¯d been lying in that same area. Had Borisin trampled her? No, she wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°Foniva, Orcan, Armida, with me,¡± DeSelo?n commanded. ¡°Drago, tend to Tarson.¡±


    Rudiger sighed with relief as Zandrue climbed out from under the wagon. Although she was wet and dirty, she looked unharmed. Meleng followed her out and rushed round to the front. Sam lay there face down, unmoving, the snow around him darkening. Rudiger couldn¡¯t tell if he was dead or alive.


    Rudiger retrieved Slay, and followed DeSelo?n across the road to the edge of the slope. At the bottom, Jorvan stood on the beach, the waters of Lake Belone raging behind him. Beside him, Felit?a huddled over a glowing Corvinian. Hang and Greminy stood in front of the them, weapons raised.


    Part way up the hill, another Volg stood, arms outstretched in front of him. He was surrounded by dancing sparks of energy, much like Corvinian¡¯s, but yellow in colour. Streams of fire sprang from the Volg¡¯s fingertips, shot through the air at Jorvan. Behind the Isyar, a massive wave formed, threatening to splash down on him, Felit?a and the others. But instead, the wave leapt over them, connecting instead with the stream of flames and dousing it.


    ¡°Orcan, Armida, deal with the trapped one,¡± DeSelo?n said.


    Trapped one? Down the hill to Rudiger¡¯s right was another Volg. This one was dressed in thick, black robes like the one in Mesone had worn and had some sort of gold medallion round his neck. In one hand he held a dagger and was chipping frantically at a block of ice that encased his legs. In his other hand, he held a glowing white orb just like the one in Mesone. Two wizards, Hang had said.


    ¡°Move in quickly, try to take him by surprise.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°He¡¯ll smell us first.¡±


    ¡°Then do what you have to,¡± DeSelo?n replied. ¡°Be careful of that orb. I don¡¯t know what it is, but it can¡¯t be good. Fonivan, with me.¡± DeSelo?n led Rudiger to the left along the top of the slope until they were directly over the yellow-glowing Volg. The flames had changed to sharpened spikes, but the waters of the lake still knocked them aside.


    ¡°Your sword will cut through his shield?¡± Captain DeSelo?n asked.


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°Maybe. It did for the one in Mesone, but that one wasn¡¯t glowing. And it knocked me back.¡±


    ¡°Then I expect you to grunt and bear it. Hopefully, he¡¯s preoccupied with Jorvan, so you can get up to him. I¡¯ll be right alongside you.¡±


    The Volg spread his wings.


    ¡°Now, Rudiger! Before he gets away!¡±


    Rudiger drew Slay and charged. He wasn¡¯t sure how he kept his footing on the slippery surface, but he did. He was just about upon the Volg when a slab of stone materialised in front of him.


    ¡°Rudiger! Look out!¡±


    He tried to stop, but there was too much snow and ice. He collided face first with the wall, and slid to his knees. Blood ran down over his lips and chin.


    The Volg flapped his great wings and took flight.


    DeSelo?n bent down beside Rudiger. ¡°You all right?¡±


    ¡°Nose is broken, I think,¡± Rudiger mumbled.


    From the right, a gut-wrenching scream pierced the air. Both he and DeSelo?n looked in its direction. The other Volg was free of the ice. A figure, too far away to discern who, lay on the ground, while another one¡ªZandrue maybe?¡ªleapt at the Volg, knocking the orb out of his hands.


    ¡°Come,¡± DeSelo?n said. They crawled to the side of the stone slab and peered down the slope.


    The yellow Volg was coming in over the water towards Jorvan, spikes still firing from his fingertips. As Jorvan used his spells to knock them aside, another stone slab appeared in the air over his head. The Isyar waved his arms and a wind shot up from the ground to blow the slab aside. The Volg flew over and past Jorvan, flipping as he did so. Flames shot from his fingers again right into Jorvan¡¯s side. Jorvan fell into the water and the stone slab crashed to the ground almost on top of Felit?a and the others. The Volg landed and turned towards them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± DeSelo?n said. ¡°We try it again!¡±


    Rudiger pulled himself wearily to his feet and charged again. Hang and Greminy also charged the Volg from the other side, reaching him first. There was an explosion of yellow energy as their swords collided with the shield. Both men were hurled through the air to land beside Felit?a and Corvinian on the beach. Yellow sparks still danced around their unmoving forms.


    Rudiger raised Slay high and brought it down with as much force as he could manage. He felt it impact something and then cut through, but the explosion of energy threw him backwards. Not as far as it had Hang and Greminy, though. And he landed still conscious.


    DeSelo?n was immediately in there. His sword cut into the Volg¡¯s side. With a roar, the Volg spun round, batting DeSelo?n with his wing. The Captain stumbled and the Volg hit him across the side of his face. DeSelo?n fell over. He started to pull himself back up, but a savage kick from the Volg left him lying still.


    Struggling against the overwhelming pain, Rudiger forced himself back up. Forced his protesting arms to raise his sword one more time. The Volg was approaching Felit?a and Corvinian. The Princess¡¯s face was scrunched in concentration, hands clenching and unclenching. But the Volg continued his approach unaffected. The blue energy around Corvinian started to whip about frenziedly.


    Rudiger charged again, but he¡¯d barely made it two steps before he tripped over a rock that appeared out of nowhere, and fell face first into the snow.


    Rudiger looked to see Felit?a standing in front of the Volg, a dagger in her hand. But the Volg merely swatted her aside and grabbed the boy. Where the yellow energy met the blue, there was¡­nothing. The energies simply vanished as if they had never been there. The boy struggled, screaming, in the Volg¡¯s strong grip. Rudiger tried to stand again.


    The Volg yelled something¡ªa single word¡ªat the other Volg, then spread his wings, and leapt into the air.


    The effort to stand was too much. Rudiger fell back to the ground and watched as the two Volgs flew away into the darkness of the night.

 Chapter 8: Consequences (Part 1)

    Freezing water washed over Felit?a¡¯s shivering body and retreated, then again with the next wave. But she paid it no mind. It wasn¡¯t important. They¡¯d lost.


    Corvinian was gone.


    Will-Breaker.


    The Volg had just walked straight at her. Ignored everything she threw at him. Her spells wouldn¡¯t work.


    No, I think someone made a mistake. You are no Will-Breaker.


    He had towered over her. He was smaller than the one in Mesone¡ªat least as best she could remember¡ªbut still huge, and his wings dwarfed the rest of his body, making him seem even bigger still. He glanced down at her as he advanced, his white-bearded muzzle twisting into a mockery of a smile. His golden horns shone in the moonlight.


    Definitely a mistake.


    And he swatted her away like she was an insect. Perhaps to him, she was.


    Pathetic and weak.


    She landed in the water and, as she tried to rise, he snatched Corvinian, the yellow energy cancelling the blue. Helpless, she watched as Corvinian struggled and screamed, as the Volg called to his companion, and as they flew away¡ªall before she could get even get to her feet.


    You are no Will-Breaker.


    Why did people keep calling her that?


    Perhaps he was right. The Darkers, the Volg in Mesone, they all had the wrong person. Whoever this Will-Breaker was, it wasn¡¯t her. The Volg had entered her mind and she couldn¡¯t stop him. The walls of the Room shattered at his casual thought. He tore apart all her focus and concentration.


    And she could do nothing to push him out. Absolutely nothing to defend herself.


    Pathetic and weak.


    One final attack on her mind had sent her falling back into the water again.


    Compared to his powers, she really was nothing more than an insect to him.


    ¡°Rudiger! Over here! I need help with Stavan!¡±


    Zandrue¡¯s voice, hoarse and distant.


    She should get up. If she lay here too long, she¡¯d freeze to death. Part of her almost welcomed that possibility. But no. She had to get everyone together, try to find a way to chase after the Volgs.


    Felit?a stood and looked about. Rudiger was stumbling up the hill towards Zandrue and one of DeSelo?n¡¯s men¡ªshe couldn¡¯t tell who. Near where Corvinian had last stood, Hang and Greminy lay on the beach. Felit?a stumbled over to them. They stirred as she reached them.


    Confusion and fear invaded her head. Anger, disappointment, self-recrimination, more. All blurred together. The walls wouldn¡¯t reform; the Room in her head was just... She couldn¡¯t describe it. There was no floor anymore either. Just open space filled with indistinct blobs of feelings. She couldn¡¯t even tell whose were whose. If it weren¡¯t for the fact Hang and Greminy¡ªand DeSelo?n a little farther along the shore¡ªwere the only ones physically close to her, she would have thought there were dozens of people around her.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Felit?a stumbled back.


    ¡°Your Highness, are you all right?¡± Hang was getting up and reaching for her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± she said, backing away from him a bit. The feelings were so strong. They swarmed around her in the Room. Round and round, dizzying.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡±


    She nodded.


    She didn¡¯t believe it. She was clearly hurting, hunched over, clutching her head like that. Should she press the issue? Hold off for now? The Princess would probably...


    Wait, those weren¡¯t her thoughts. Those were Hang¡¯s. They were mixing with her own.


    ¡°Sergeant Siltons, Corporal Merrin, report.¡± Captain DeSelo?n was limping over to them.


    ¡°A few bruises, sir, but nothing serious,¡± Felit?a replied. She had a suspicion Hang said it, too, but she wasn¡¯t quite sure.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Hang said. She didn¡¯t say it with him. At least, she was pretty certain she didn¡¯t.


    ¡°My lady, you seem unwell,¡± she said to herself.


    No! No, that was DeSelo?n, damn it!


    Wasn¡¯t it?


    What had the Volg done to her mind?


    A hand touched her shoulder, but she pushed it aside. ¡°Please, stand back away from me for a few moments.¡± That was definitely her. ¡°I need a moment to regain control. Please!¡±


    She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to focus. First... What did she need to do first?


    A floor.


    Yes, the Room needed the floor back. It took huge effort, but slowly a bit of floor reformed. It wasn¡¯t much¡ªa couple subjective feet in diameter¡ªbut it was enough for her to sit on¡ªwell, in that subjective way sitting even happened in the Room. After all...


    No. Focus.


    Just focus.


    Why was it every time she thought she¡¯d worked through her concentration issues, something happened which showed how much she really hadn¡¯t?


    There was that lack of focus again.


    She took another deep breath. A bit of wall took shape again. Like the floor, it wasn¡¯t much, but it was something. It could help. She could use it to start organising things, separating the thoughts. Most importantly, separating herself from the others. She started the piece of wall rotating around her, knocking aside anything that wasn¡¯t her.


    That was new. She¡¯d never done that before!


    Felit?a opened her eyes and smiled. The three soldiers were staring at her, their faces and thoughts a mixture of concern and confusion. Their thoughts were still incredibly strong¡ªstronger than she could remember having ever received thoughts since that first day at the well¡ªand they still blended together, but at least she could tell her own self now.


    ¡°My lady?¡± DeSelo?n said.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay. For now.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Very well. We need to get back to camp. Merrin, Siltons, go. I¡¯ll help Felit?a.¡±


    ¡°Sir!¡± the other two intoned and headed away from the beach.


    DeSelo?n held back a moment.


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I don¡¯t need any help getting back to camp.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it,¡± he said. ¡°May I inquire, however, what just happened here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain,¡± she said.


    ¡°My lady, if I¡¯m to protect you, I need to understand what is happening.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little late for protection now, don¡¯t you think?¡± she snapped and stormed away from him.


    Her words stung him. His remorse was battering at her.


    She stopped and looked back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That wasn¡¯t fair. I¡¯m just a little out of sorts.¡±


    DeSelo?n straightened up. ¡°No apology necessary. I suspect we¡¯re all out of sorts at the moment. Shall we join the others?¡±


    Gods, if she was having such trouble keeping herself together around just a couple people, what would it be like with everyone around?

 Chapter 8: Consequences (Part 2)

    ¡°Get your fucking hands off me!¡±


    Meleng recoiled, almost dropping the cloth he was using to try to clean the scratches on Felit?a¡¯s cheek. He¡¯d never heard her speak like that before.


    Felit?a gasped. ¡°Oh, Meleng, I¡¯m so sorry. That wasn¡¯t me. That was...¡± Her gaze turned towards Zandrue, who was pacing back and forth by the wagon. Where he¡¯d lain Sam and Stavan down.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s okay. I understand.¡±


    Felit?a had been doing this since she came back up the hill, periodically speaking for other people. Saying the exact words they were about to say. When Captain DeSelo?n asked Meleng for a report on Sam¡¯s condition, she had responded before he could. She had told him exactly what Meleng would have said and went on to tell him about Stavan just as Meleng tried to do that. All without having any prior knowledge of the two men¡¯s conditions. It was unnerving.


    But also fascinating! What was it like to hear other people¡¯s thoughts? He¡¯d wanted to ask her, but Zandrue was always around and she would probably say something disparaging, so he hadn¡¯t bothered.


    He raised the cloth to her face again.


    ¡°But really,¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t bother yourself. You should tend to Sam and Stavan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve done all I can with them. They¡¯re sleeping now.¡±


    Sam had taken a blow to the side of his head. His right ear was gone, as were several layers of skin on his cheek. He¡¯d been lucky, though. Lying face first in the snow had helped staunch much of the blood flow. Meleng had cleaned the wound as best he could and wrapped Sam¡¯s head in bandages.


    Stavan was far worse.


    Rudiger had been the first one to return up the hill after the battle, carrying Stavan in his arms. Blood was pooling from the stump at Stavan¡¯s right shoulder where his arm used to be. Some tattered bits of cloak had been wrapped there to stop the blood, but they weren¡¯t working.


    Once they had lain Stavan in the cart beside Sam, Meleng set about trying to bind the wound better. There was blood everywhere, seeping into the wood. Into the sacks and chests. Sam¡¯s clothes.


    ¡°What happened to him?¡± Meleng asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know, didn¡¯t see,¡± Rudiger replied. ¡°Zandrue said something about the arm being dissolved away. But you should have heard him scream. Never knew a man could scream like that.¡±


    Meleng was glad he hadn¡¯t heard. He never wanted to hear something like that.


    ¡°I did hear it,¡± Felit?a said and Meleng snapped out of his reveries. ¡°I didn¡¯t know who it was, but I heard. Even felt it a little. You¡¯re wise not wanting to hear something like that.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t been there at that time, yet now she was talking about it like she was. She must have heard it in his thoughts. He shuddered. How could something be so fascinating and so unnerving?


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said. ¡°I can¡¯t help what I¡¯m doing at the moment. Almost everything¡¯s coming through. It¡¯s all I can do to stop crying uncontrollably and screaming in rage. Go ahead. Clean the wound. I know you¡¯re worried about infection, and you¡¯re right to be.¡±


    He dabbed the wet cloth on her cheek, wiping away the dirt and the blood there.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re doing fine.¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s just...well...I¡¯m not really trained for this. If I were a better...¡±


    ¡°Better wizard, yes, you could magically heal Stavan and everyone else. Like Agernon told you, you need to stop doubting yourself. And by the way, don¡¯t be afraid to ask me about my telepathy. I know I can seem a bit secretive, but it comes from a lifetime of having to be. I¡¯ll be happy to talk about it. Who knows? Maybe you can help me figure out things I haven¡¯t been able to.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay, I was wondering about...¡± he started.


    ¡°But it¡¯s probably best to wait till I¡¯m recovered a little more. I can¡¯t concentrate at the moment. Five horses lost, sir. Damn. See? That was Greminy over there.¡± She pointed to where Greminy was reporting to DeSelo?n. ¡°Four burned in the initial attack. The other one broke two legs trying to run while hobbled. She was still alive when I found her. Must have been in terrible pain. I put her out of her misery. I mean, Greminy put her out of her misery.¡± Tears were forming in Felit?a¡¯s eyes. ¡°Oh gods, it was Simeria. Now DeSelo?n wants to purchase replacement horses in Cromda. Poor Simeria.¡± Felit?a leaned forward, buried her face in Meleng¡¯s shoulder, and began to cry.


    Meleng hesitantly put his arms around her and held her. He had no idea what he should do or say to comfort her. He had always been terrible with these kinds of interactions. Truth was, he kind of wanted to cry himself. The full enormity of everything that had happened hadn¡¯t quite resonated with him yet, though once it did, he¡¯d need to find a secluded place to let his feelings out. Maybe he could talk to Jorvan about it? It dawned on him that he was probably telling Felit?a about it right now.


    She raised her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I won¡¯t say... No, you should worry. I could blurt anything out right now. I know what I need. Something to focus on. We need to get Corvinian back. I¡¯ll focus on that.¡± She let go of Meleng and wiped her face with the back of her hand¡ªwhich got rid of the tears, but also smudged grime from her hand across it. So much for trying to clean her wound.


    She snatched the cloth from his hand and used it to wipe her face. ¡°Better?¡±


    Meleng nodded.


    ¡°Captain!¡± Felit?a called out.


    DeSelo?n and Greminy turned to face her, snapping to attention as she approached them. ¡°My lady?¡± DeSelo?n said.


    ¡°You¡¯re planning to make all haste to Arnor City.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lady.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°My lady, tonight has demonstrated that we are not equipped¡ª¡±


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    ¡°I know your reasons, Captain, but I said no. We¡¯re going after Corvinian.¡±


    ¡°And just where would that be, my lady?¡±


    ¡°Wherever it happens to be. We have to find him. I¡¯ll look everywhere if necessary. I will not leave him to the mercy of the Volgs.¡±


    DeSelo?n nodded. ¡°Everywhere. That¡¯s a very big place, my lady.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mock me, DeSelo?n!¡±


    ¡°My apologies, my lady. I did not intend to mock. However, where do you plan to start? The Volgs could have gone anywhere.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll start locally! We¡¯ll¡­¡± Felit?a paused and scrunched her face in pain¡ªor maybe concentration. Meleng couldn¡¯t tell.


    ¡°My lady,¡± DeSelo?n said, ¡°when last seen, the Volgs were flying out over Lake Belone. Who knows where they¡¯ve gone?¡±


    ¡°They can¡¯t fly forever,¡± Zandrue said, coming over. ¡°I¡¯m with Felit?a. We should¡ª¡±


    ¡°My point exactly,¡± DeSelo?n interrupted her. ¡°They can¡¯t fly forever. Therefore, they had a specific destination in mind. Possibly a ship waiting for them out on the lake. Perhaps a location along the shoreline. Has it occurred to you that they must be receiving sanctuary from someone in Arnor? Are we supposed to board and search every ship on the lake? What of the ships that sail down the Tirin River? Shall we search every home in Quorge and Cromda, and every village from here to the Bay of Ras? When we don¡¯t find them there, shall we expand our search to Mesdinine, Tyl, and Dorg?¡±


    ¡°We have to try,¡± Felit?a said, stumbling a bit. Zandrue reached out and held her arm to help her balance herself. ¡°We have to try!¡±


    DeSelo?n stepped closer to her. ¡°My lady, the boy is lost. You¡¯re distraught. This is only natural.¡±


    ¡°Distraught?¡± Felit?a shoved him away from her. ¡°You don¡¯t know distraught until you have to feel it for everyone else as well!¡±


    DeSelo?n looked surprised as he recovered his footing, but he soon regained his composure.


    Zandrue whispered something to Felit?a. Meleng couldn¡¯t hear what, but it irritated Felit?a enough that she shoved Zandrue away from her as well.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re one to talk about anger, Zandrue! Most of this anger is yours, you know!¡± Felit?a was shrieking now. ¡°Gods, I can¡¯t handle it! All of you in my head! Get out! Get out, get out, get out...¡± She dropped to her knees, sobbing and repeating the words over and over. Zandrue knelt beside her. Then Felit?a fell over, the side of her face hitting the snow.


    Meleng jumped to his feet and rushed over. Zandrue lifted Felit?a¡¯s head into her lap. Felit?a¡¯s eyes were closed, but they flickered open as Meleng knelt beside them, then flickered closed again. They remained closed.


    ¡°The Volg did something to her mind,¡± Meleng said, taking another cloth from his scrip and using it to wipe Felit?a¡¯s face.


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°She can¡¯t control her telepathy right now. I¡¯ve seen her overwhelmed before, but not like this.¡±


    ¡°She should have told me about her telepathy,¡± DeSelo?n said.


    Zandrue looked up at the army officer. ¡°And if she had, would you have had a remarkable solution for right now or anything else that has happened?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps not,¡± DeSelo?n acknowledged. ¡°But nevertheless¡ª¡±


    ¡°Well, you know now. Let¡¯s leave it at that, shall we?¡±


    DeSelo?n took a second before replying, ¡°As you wish. Siltons, on watch. Everyone else to bed. We continue as planned in the morning.¡± He turned back to Zandrue. ¡°She will not object, I trust?¡±


    Felit?a was starting to come round, and Zandrue helped her sit up. ¡°We don¡¯t really have much other choice, do we?¡± both Felit?a and Zandrue said together.


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t, my lady.¡±


    Before bed, Meleng checked on Sam and Stavan. Stavan¡¯s wound was no longer bleeding as much, so he stitched it closed. It wasn¡¯t easy, but he did his best. When done, he bandaged it back up.


    As Meleng was preparing to sleep, Jorvan came and sat in the snow beside him. There was a distant look in the Isyar¡¯s eyes as he stared up at the starry night sky. Meleng knew not to interrupt him in these moments of prayer, so waited for the Isyar to finish.


    ¡°How are you?¡± Jorvan said a few moments later.


    Meleng sat beside him. ¡°Okay, I guess. You?¡±


    ¡°Not good,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°I failed.¡±


    ¡°We all failed tonight,¡± Meleng said. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    Jorvan shook his head. ¡°No. I was not here. I was alone. They...¡±


    Meleng waited while Jorvan searched for the right words. The Isyar still had difficulty with the language sometimes.


    ¡°Ambushed me. I should not have walked away. I told Sam, but...¡±


    Jorvan liked taking walks at night. Meleng knew he liked the cold, that it gave him to time to remember and think about his home in Isyaria.


    ¡°There was no way you could have known,¡± Meleng said. ¡°I mean, they ambushed all of us. We were all taken by surprise.¡±


    ¡°But we were...separate. That is not good. We should be...together.¡±


    Meleng shrugged. ¡°Well, it¡¯s done now. Can¡¯t really go back.¡±


    Jorvan took a deep breath and looked up into the sky again. ¡°Tell me something good.¡±


    Meleng grimaced. Was there anything good he could say? Especially when he felt so terrible himself? ¡°Uh, well, uh, I had a spell go well. Sort of.¡±


    ¡°Good. Tell me.¡±


    Meleng told Jorvan about the spell he¡¯d used in the battle. Truthfully, he knew he had just been lucky. When Captain DeSelo?n had come to him earlier in the evening asking about his magical capabilities, he had blurted out some ideas he had had about modifying the spell that had caused his book to burst back in Mesone. The Captain had been impressed and had immediately formulated a possible use for it should they find themselves in trouble. But Meleng hadn¡¯t told him it was only an idea, never tested. He had expected that there would be time to refine it before it was actually needed. Doubtful DeSelo?n had expected it, either. It had been pure luck that it had worked.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°You did good.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Meleng corrected him. ¡°It¡¯s you did well, not good.¡±


    Jorvan smiled. ¡°You did well. Thank you.¡±


    Sleep didn¡¯t come easily that night. Meleng lay on the ground, wrapped in the remnants of his sleeping blanket, much of which had burned in the Volgs¡¯ initial attack¡ªlucky for him, it had been between him and the fire, so he was grateful even if it meant being cold now. He stared at the stars up above, pinpricks of light that seemed colder than the air around him. They twinkled more than normal, though that was due to the tears in his eyes distorting them. Time almost seemed to stand still. Frequently, he heard movement in the camp and glanced to see who it was: someone different every time. It seemed no one else was sleeping well, either.


    Meleng tossed and turned, but still sleep did not come. At one point, he pulled a book out of his scrip to study a little. As luck would have it, it was the one that had been the basis of the spell he¡¯d used on the wagon, the one that had fallen apart when he¡¯d tried to impress Corvinian in Mesone. It nearly fell apart on him again now, and he barely managed to catch a couple of the pages that threatened to blow away in the wind. Closing the book again, he stuffed it back in his scrip, then went back to staring at the stars. Eventually, he did drift off to sleep and dreamt briefly of paper floating in the air. Each sheet had the same words scribbled on it: Why didn¡¯t you save me?

 Chapter 8: Consequences (Part 3)

    The next morning, they packed up their things and started back along the road. Sam was still unconscious in the back of the wagon, so Greminy drove. Meleng sat in the back so he could tend to Sam and Stavan. Felit?a sat with him, and tried to help. She was distracted a lot, though she claimed that she was getting better. Something she referred to as the ¡°Room¡± was partially rebuilt.


    Rudiger walked beside Borisin, with Zandrue beside them walking her horse, Lucinda. No one actually rode today. Too many of them were without horses now, and the few left were injured. Meleng had lost his own horse, as had Felit?a. Three of the horses DeSelo?n and his men used had also perished. Borisin was in bad shape. The stallion¡¯s neck and much of his back was covered in red blisters and mottled-brown burns. His mane was completely gone. Lucinda¡¯s snout was burnt and blackened along one side. Most of the other horses weren¡¯t much better off. Only Jorvan¡¯s horse seemed to have escaped any injury at all.


    Everyone was reserved for most of the day. DeSelo?n spoke to Jorvan early on, and Meleng overheard some of it. The captain was questioning Jorvan¡¯s whereabouts in the battle.


    Sam stirred briefly at that moment, drawing Meleng¡¯s attention away, so he didn¡¯t hear if anything else was said. Although Sam had stirred, he hadn¡¯t woken. For a couple of moments, he thrashed about in his sleep, but then he was calm again. Meleng checked that the bandages on his head were secure and felt his forehead for a temperature. He seemed fine. Probably just bad dreams.


    Zandrue was watching him and the two men. She walked alongside the wagon, Lucinda¡¯s reins in one hand, her other hand on the wagon¡¯s edge. When she saw him looking, she smiled.


    Meleng blinked. She smiled? It looked an honest smile as well!


    She must have seen something in his reaction. ¡°Don¡¯t get used to it.¡± She forced a chuckle.


    Meleng sighed. Typical. He was turning back to tend Sam, when she spoke again. ¡°They both took blows that were meant for me.¡± Her voice was quiet. ¡°I should be the one lying there. I should be dead. Yet they lie there dying in my place.¡±


    Meleng opened his mouth to try to say something comforting, but nothing came out.


    ¡°It was like a darkness. Inky blackness. Only noticeable in the night air because of the empty...nothingness where it was. It came from the orb. That fucking orb! DeSelo?n told us to be careful of it. I should have known better. I knew he was a wizard. But I apparently can¡¯t think straight around Volgs. You should have seen me in Mesone. But he looked like nothing more than a defenceless priest trapped by a block of ice! An easy stab through the heart. It would all be over with. And such a perfect hit it was, too. Right in. Anyone would have died instantly. But the bastard just laughed. The dagger came out clean. No blood. No wound left behind.¡±


    Meleng stared in disbelief. That was an incredibly powerful effect to achieve. The thought of someone being capable of that was terrifying. Perhaps it had only been a mentalism effect: the Volg had made Zandrue believe she had stabbed him when she really hadn¡¯t. Meleng didn¡¯t know a lot about mentalism, but he was sure that would be easier than the enchantment alternative.


    ¡°He knocked me aside,¡± Zandrue was saying, ¡°so I went at him again, this time for the orb. And that¡¯s when the darkness came. It was coming for me. Carcraime, he called me, and I deserved it. And then Stavan was there, knocking me out of his path. His arm just...dissolved away...¡± Her own voice seemed to dissolve away then.


    ¡°I¡­I had no idea,¡± Meleng said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Zandrue,¡± Felit?a said. Up until this point in the conversation, she had remained quiet, just staring at her hands in her lap. ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡±


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°Not your fault, Felit?a. Stavan saved my life. So did Sam. Two times I should have been dead, and two times I barely got scratched. Keep them alive, Meleng. You hear me? You keep them alive!¡±


    Meleng nodded without thinking. ¡°I will.¡± The truth was, he had no idea if he could. Sam, he was confident would make it, but Stavan... Perhaps if there was no infection, Stavan might get lucky. But he had lost so much blood.


    By the end of the day, Meleng was worried about Sam, as well. He hadn¡¯t woken yet. Meleng had been sure he would have by this time. Of course, if he had, Meleng would have just advised him to go back to sleep. At the moment, sleep would help him heal faster. So, perhaps it was best he hadn¡¯t woken. Then again... Gods! He wasn¡¯t suited for this! He had no idea what he was doing. And yet, everyone expected him to be able to keep them alive.


    Borisin went wild that evening when Greminy and Hang tried to hobble the horses. The stallion leapt between them and the other horses, screaming and kicking. Hang tried to calm him, but Rudiger advised him to stay away. Captain DeSelo?n agreed that the horses would not be hobbled that night.


    ¡°Borisin will keep them from wandering off,¡± Rudiger said.


    Sleep came no more easily that night than it had the night before. Meleng tried to sleep on the wagon, so he could be near Sam and Stavan in case one woke during the night. But the wagon was too cramped to lie out straight. So he tried to sleep from a seated position, huddling with his knees against his chest in an attempt to stay warm. He dozed off once or twice, but always awoke again shortly after with a start.


    Sam finally woke the next day, much to Meleng¡¯s relief. He heard him start to groan and try to say something, but Meleng shushed him, warning him of the bandages round his face. Grabbing his scrip, he pulled out his bag of Endorian herbs. It was difficult with the shaking of the wagon, but with Felit?a¡¯s help (she was doing a lot better this day herself), he was able to mix up a simple draught to help dull the pain and let Sam sleep some more.


    To Meleng¡¯s surprise, Stavan woke that day as well. ¡°Woah! That must have been one hell of a party!¡± Meleng turned to attend him. ¡°My head feels like it has a mountain sitting on it.¡±


    Once he confirmed that Stavan seemed lucid, Meleng called over Captain DeSelo?n and Zandrue. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± DeSelo?n asked.


    ¡°Well sir,¡± Stavan responded, ¡°apart from a terrible itch in my missing arm, I¡¯m feeling pretty good, all round. Weird irony, that. How you doing, Zandrue? I hope you killed that bastard for me.¡±


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°He got away. I did injure him though. I got the orb away from him and suddenly, he could be hurt. I¡¯d like to think he fled after that, but truth is, the other Volg ordered him away. I¡¯m really sorry about your arm. It should have been me in your place.¡±


    Stavan shook his head. ¡°Nah. I can stand to lose an arm. You¡¯re too pretty to mess up that way.¡±


    ¡°You should rest a bit more now,¡± Meleng said, taking the left-over draught he¡¯d made for Sam.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°That¡¯s what all you doctors, say,¡± Stavan protested. ¡°If it were up to you, everybody would sleep their lives away.¡±


    ¡°Do what your doctor says,¡± DeSelo?n told him. ¡°That¡¯s an order.¡±


    Stavan sighed. ¡°All right then. Let me have some of that. Oh right, don¡¯t have that arm anymore.¡± He laughed and held out his left arm. Meleng placed the cup in his hand and he drank from it. Shortly after, he was asleep again.


    ¡°I think he might be okay,¡± Meleng said, feeling pleased with himself for the first time in days.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°You did good.¡±


    They reached Cromda that afternoon. DeSelo?n and his men purchased replacement horses for those who had lost theirs, while Felit?a started up her merchant disguise by purchasing more fabrics to replace the ones ruined in the battle. At first, she had to be convinced to do this, but with a bit of prodding from Zandrue, eventually she did.


    It was nice to sleep in a real bed that night, and sleep Meleng actually did at last. He was sorry to see the inn go the next day. Sorry, as well, for Sam and Stavan who were stuck back on the wagon again after their one night of comfort.


    Both Sam and Stavan were awake several times that day. Meleng even agreed to loosen Sam¡¯s bandages a little to let him move his jaw to speak. The two soldiers joked with one another about the battle. They talked about diverse things, from women to weapons to the Cliffs of Elooria overlooking the Great Ocean. They even sang a few songs, urging Meleng to join in.


    ¡°Come on, Meleng!¡± Stavan said with a laugh. ¡°We Eloorin have to stick together in the face of Folith oppression!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really not a good singer,¡± Meleng said, feeling embarrassed. ¡°Besides, you should probably both get some more rest.¡±


    Stavan rolled his eyes. ¡°Fine then! Give us your draught. We¡¯ll drink to the Church and the army. The Church because we don¡¯t want to offend the gods, and the army because the Church is boring!¡±


    The two of them laughed and shared their drink. And for the next couple of days, things seemed to be getting better. Sam got steadily stronger. It would be a while, of course, before the bandages could be removed, but he was able to get up and move around a bit. Stavan was still weak, but that was only to be expected. Meleng was glad he was doing as well as he was. In general, everyone¡¯s mood seemed a little better. Not that anyone had forgotten Corvinian. But people were talking to one another again.


    Borisin put up a fuss each night if anyone tried to hobble any of the horses, so eventually, they agreed that they wouldn¡¯t hobble the horses at all on the journey. DeSelo?n made it clear to Rudiger that Borisin had better make sure none of the horses wandered off.


    Then the fever hit. Three days out of Cromda, Stavan awoke in the morning complaining of dizziness and nausea. A cursory check found that he was burning up with fever. When Felit?a pulled back the dressings on his wound, Meleng gasped.


    ¡°Dear gods,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°But how?¡± Meleng protested, wanting to retch. ¡°He was fine yesterday! We¡¯ve been changing the dressings! Keeping the wound clean. How could this happen?¡±


    The stench was overpowering. Overnight, the stump had blackened, even shrivelled. A brown, gooey puss seeped out from where some of the stitches had broken open.


    ¡°I take it your diagnosis is not good,¡± Stavan said.


    ¡°Gangrene,¡± Meleng replied.


    ¡°Better amputate then,¡± Stavan said with a smile.


    How could he joke? ¡°Amputate? You¡¯ve already been amputated! There¡¯s nothing left to amputate.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s...problematic,¡± Stavan agreed. ¡°Not much of a doctor then, are you? Now, if you don¡¯t mind, that dizziness is getting worse. I think I should lie down. Oh yes, I already am. That¡¯s good. Very...good.¡± His eyes closed and he fell back into a deep slumber.


    That was the last time they were able to have a lucid conversation with him. He awoke occasionally over the next several days, but always in a hallucinatory state. Sometimes, he would scream and thrash in his sleep. At other times, he would mumble, groan, and sigh.


    Zandrue stayed at his side constantly, helping Felit?a and Meleng when she could. The others checked on him as well, especially Sam, Greminy, and Hang. Captain DeSelo?n kept a greater distance, trying to keep everything running efficiently, making sure everyone was still doing their jobs. But Meleng could see in his eyes that he was just as affected as everyone else.


    When they reached Mesdinine, Meleng and Felit?a scoured the city, looking for herbs and medicines that might be able to help. They bought everything they could find, but nothing worked.


    Two days after leaving Mesdinine, Stavan died.


    They buried him off the side of the highway. At DeSelo?n¡¯s urging, Felit?a performed a simple burial ceremony. ¡°Why me?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°As I understand it, you have training as a priest,¡± DeSelo?n replied.


    ¡°Some. But I never finished. I ran away, remember?¡±


    ¡°It still makes you more qualified than the rest of us,¡± the Captain said.


    And so Felit?a did as she was asked. It all seemed appropriate enough to Meleng¡ªof course, he was no expert on religious ceremony, but it seemed dignified and gracious.


    Zandrue came up to Meleng after it was over, her face full of anger.


    ¡°Look, I tried, okay?¡± Meleng said. ¡°I tried!¡±


    Zandrue stared at him for a few moments, before finally saying, ¡°I know,¡± and walking off. Meleng felt useless.


    Moods improved slowly after that. For the next couple weeks, they rode sombrely, carrying out tasks mechanically. Sam continued to get stronger, and soon started driving the wagon again. When they reached Porthaven, his bandages were ready to be removed. It wasn¡¯t a pretty sight. Nor was it ever likely to be. When the scabs came off, he would be horribly scarred. But at least he was alive and healthy.


    It seemed that every time Meleng was in Porthaven, he had to leave it before he¡¯d spent any real time there. It was the biggest city in Arnor and one of the oldest, full of history and brilliant architecture. It had once been the capital of Elooria¡ªand the seat of the Dragon¡¯s power two centuries ago. That was a shameful part of Meleng¡¯s family¡¯s history, but there wasn¡¯t really anything he could do about that. He still wanted the chance to explore the city, visit the ancient Church of Elooria, the Royal Arnorin Museum of the Arts, and so much more. But they had to keep moving.


    On the ship from Porthaven, Meleng passed the time contemplating pieces of paper. Specifically, falling pieces of paper. He wasn¡¯t sure just what, but the book in Mesone and his spell in the fight with the Volgs had prompted something in his mind. The beginnings of an idea. So, he tossed pieces of paper into the air and watched them fall. Sometimes, he tossed a group together. Sometimes just one at a time. Other times, he tried folding them in various shapes to see how that affected the rate of fall. He didn¡¯t reach any conclusions, but it was something to do. When he wasn¡¯t watching falling paper, he spent his time talking to Jorvan about various things¡ªeven about paper on a couple occasions.


    People were gradually becoming their old selves again, Meleng noticed. Except Felit?a. She looked apprehensive most of the time. He asked her what was wrong once, and she just said she wasn¡¯t looking forward to the homecoming. He supposed he could understand that.


    ¡°What about your head?¡± he asked. ¡°That is, your mind, what the Volg did to it. Your telepathy.¡±


    ¡°Back to normal. I think. My telepathy is weird at times, even when it¡¯s normal. And even if I feel normal, I still worry about what that Volg did to me, whether it¡¯ll have long-term consequences.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure things out,¡± Meleng said.


    Felit?a smirked. ¡°It¡¯s been something like twelve and a half years since I first manifested the abilities, and I still haven¡¯t really figured them out. Elderaan tried to help me where he could, but I¡¯ve never had the benefit of anyone to properly teach me, and there¡¯s remarkably little written about it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you can find something in Arnor City.¡±


    Felit?a grimaced and Meleng immediately regretted saying it. ¡°Sorry. I was forgetting how much you really don¡¯t want to be going there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said. ¡°But I have to, don¡¯t I?¡±


    Meleng shrugged.


    ¡°And maybe you¡¯re right. Maybe I can find something in Arnor City. Whatever the case, I need to do something. I¡¯ve seen too many people die in the last few months. I have to find Corvinian. Find justice for people like Stavan.¡±


    ¡°Can we be sure Corvinian is even still alive?¡± It was a question he had been worried about bringing up with the others, though he was sure they must have all thought of it.


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°No, we can¡¯t. But they had a way to negate his powers. If they wanted him dead, why kidnap him and not just kill him?¡±


    That made sense, he supposed.


    Ten days after leaving Porthaven, a month and a half after Corvinian had been kidnapped, the towers of the Cathedral of the Gods came in sight, the first glimpse of Arnor City. Meleng was on deck talking to Jorvan when the call went out. He peered out, eager to see for himself what so many stories talked about. There was a short wait before those not in the crow¡¯s nest were able to see, but then, there they were, just a speck in the distance, gradually getting larger. Slowly the rest of the city formed around them, and around that the thin stretch of Arnorinn Island.


    They had arrived.

 Chapter 9: The Royal Palace (Part 1)

    As a very young girl, the palace had seemed immense, full of mystery and excitement. Felit?a¡¯s earliest memory was running room to room, looking in every door she could manage to open. Most were closed and she was too small to reach the handle, but a few pushed open at her touch. Inside each, she beheld wonders, sights never seen to her before. At the time, she didn¡¯t know what she was seeing, and her memory was too hazy for her to identify them now, but it was their newness that amazed her. She vaguely recalled some people reacting to her presence. She wasn¡¯t supposed to be there. Indeed, she had an impression that it was running away from someone that set her on this path in the first place.


    That soon became a normal part of life at the palace: running away. She would slink away from her attendants, skip out on her lessons with Matron Maris because they were boring, avoid her siblings like they carried the plague, ignore her mother¡¯s summons on those rare occasions that they actually came, steal a book or two from the library, and hide away in an old abandoned room in the basement where no one could find her. Until Garet did.


    She wasn¡¯t sure when she had gone from viewing the palace with awe to viewing it with scorn. It had just happened sometime along the way. Maybe it was the way her mother had virtually discarded her after her naming ceremony and had doted all her attention on Annai. Maybe it was because her older siblings¡ªchildren of her father¡¯s first two wives¡ªhad either ignored her or picked on her whenever they could. Perhaps it was something she¡¯d read in a book. Perhaps seeing too much politicking. Or maybe a combination of them all.


    All she knew was, by the time she was seven or eight, she hated palace life. And she made sure everyone knew it. Every chance she got, she told them how wrong they were. How they oppressed the common people by unfairly hoarding riches that were better spent elsewhere. How stuck up they all were. How just plain unintelligent they all were. None of that could have helped her relationship with them. Looking back at it now, even though she still harboured ill feelings towards her family, she had to admit that she was partly to blame, something she never would have admitted then. Still, some of them could have been more patient with her. She had been a bright young girl who had known a lot, but still hadn¡¯t known half as much as she thought she knew. Surely some of them could have realised that.


    Maybe her father had. She couldn¡¯t recall him losing patience with her, though she was certain it must have happened at some point. She remembered his kindly face looking down at her, remembered sitting on his knee and listening to him tell her stories about Egorthian knights, magical Isyar, and fire-breathing dragons. But that only occurred on rare occasions. Her mother had seen to that. There would always be something to call her father away¡ªand away he always went at her mother¡¯s every beckon.


    Despite the cold winter wind, Felit?a was sweating. The thought of returning to the palace she had left fifteen years ago terrified her. She wanted nothing more than to turn her horse around and ride the other way. Catch another ship. Leave the island. Pretend she had never come near it. DeSelo?n would never allow it though, even if she ordered him as Princess of Arnor. Even if Zandrue had tried to bribe him. He was her father¡¯s man through and through, loyal to the bone. And her father wanted her home.


    Sam brought the wagon slowly to a stop as they approached the wide, golden gates. Everyone else stopped, too, except Captain DeSelo?n, who rode up to the guards, several papers in hand. While he dealt with the formalities, Felit?a gazed through the stylised bars of the gates into the grounds beyond. Far in the distance, the palace looked little more than a speck. Before it, lay the broad expanse of the Royal Gardens. Even in winter, they maintained their majesty.


    Livia shifted her feet about. In general, the mare was more restless than Simeria had been, and Felit?a suspected that on this occasion, she was picking up on some of her rider¡¯s nerves as well. Patting the horse¡¯s neck, Felit?a whispered some soothing words to try to calm her down. It didn¡¯t work and Livia just became even more restless. With a sigh, Felit?a resorted to a calming spell. Too bad she couldn¡¯t do that to herself.


    After several minutes, a guard appeared on the other side of the gates. Using a large key, he unlocked them and pulled first one side open, and then the other. As he did so, a rider set off at a gallop down the path towards the palace.


    ¡°This is it,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Last chance to turn back.¡±


    Felit?a frowned at her friend, and then they rode through the gates together. Behind her, she heard the wagon start moving again, as well as the others on their horses, but she didn¡¯t look back. She kept her eyes planted firmly forward, trying to take short, deep breaths to calm herself. It wasn¡¯t working.


    They rode slowly down the cobblestone path through the gardens. More memories came flooding back. These gardens had been another great place to hide, particularly in the summer when in full bloom. There had been times, too, when she hadn¡¯t just been trying to hide here. She remembered sitting in the pavilions or alongside the fountains, reading, walking and talking with her father, playing hide-and-seek with Thilin.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    It was about a mile from the gates to the main courtyard, and Captain DeSelo?n took the approach slowly. It gave her time to take hold of her feelings. She closed her eyes and spent the next several minutes in her head, trusting Livia to stick with Lucinda and Zandrue.


    The Room was back together again and had been for a couple weeks now, but she still worried about lingering effects from the Volg¡¯s attack. She focused on the image of Corvinian in the line with the others. There was a cut on his hand now, though it was becoming less distinct as it healed. It had been a shock to discover that just a couple days ago. She had made a point to check the images of the others as well and had confirmed that all the images showed current injuries and states. It had been a bit frightening, but it also helped confirm that Corvinian was still alive. She was glad to see that he was healing from whatever had happened to him.


    When she opened her eyes again, their procession had made it almost halfway to the palace¡ªalmost to the Great Bear Fountain.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Zandrue asked. ¡°You were looking pretty intense for a while there.¡±


    Felit?a smiled and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    She could sense a mixture of emotions from everyone: anticipation mixed with a bit of fear and anxiety. Meleng gaped in awe at his surroundings, particularly as they got closer to the Great Bear Fountain. Jorvan, too, was studying everything with his eyes. Zandrue seemed the calmest of the group, but that didn¡¯t surprise Felit?a. Rudiger looked impatient, as did Borisin. The stallion had healed up nicely in the past month and a half. There were still scabby patches, and likely he would always bear marks from being burned, but his hair was growing back, especially his mane.


    They had all healed up quite well since the battle¡ªall except Stavan, of course, and the horses they¡¯d lost, she reminded herself. Even Sam looked somewhat better than he had when the bandages had first come off. Jorvan¡¯s burns had healed. Rudiger still bore the mark of a broken nose, but he was otherwise looking his old self. And Zandrue looked like she had never had any injuries at all.


    The Great Bear Fountain loomed before them, the path continuing up and over the bridge spanning the massive pool. The bridge was wide enough even for the wagon to pass over. The pool itself was as wide as some city blocks. Marble nymphs and faeries adorned either side of the bridge and the entire perimeter of the pool. In the centre of the bridge, spewing water off one side was the Great Bear of Arnor, and seated beside it, her back against a powerful hind leg, the goddess Nature.


    In the summertime, more of the statues would be spraying water, often making the bridge slick and treacherous, but Felit?a remembered how refreshing the cool water could be on a hot day. Now, water from the Bear mixed with regular snowfall had made the bridge even more treacherous, so Captain DeSelo?n took them the long way around the pool.


    ¡°This is taking forever,¡± Rudiger complained.


    ¡°What did you expect?¡± Hang replied.


    ¡°Well, for a start, to ride a little faster than a tortoise can walk,¡± Rudiger answered.


    Hang laughed.


    ¡°We have to give the people at the palace time to prepare for our arrival,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Suppose so,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°You know those noble types,¡± Hang added. ¡°Got to have everything proper-like.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure the stables here are fine,¡± Rudiger said.


    Hang shook his head. ¡°You and that horse, Rudiger, I swear...¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, how do I know? It¡¯s the Royal Palace! Of course... Well, no, I haven¡¯t been here before, but that makes... I just know, all right? It¡¯s the bloody Royal Palace!¡±


    Hang laughed. Felit?a found herself smiling, too.


    At long last, they passed under the Folith Arch into the main courtyard. Three sides of the large courtyard were defined by stables, servants quarters, guard barracks, and various buildings of state. On the fourth, the far side, stood the palace itself. Its gleaming white walls shone in the sunlight. The east and west wings were each three storeys tall, while the central building rose four.


    Lining each side of the great stairs leading to the main entrance was a row of soldiers in gleaming armour, the Bear of Arnor displayed on their tabards and shields. Standing on the steps between the rows of soldiers were numerous others, none of whom Felit?a could identify at this distance¡ªdoubtful she would be able to identify most of them when she got close up, either. Everyone was dressed in various shades of blue.


    As they reached halfway across the courtyard, streams of servants in blue livery appeared, taking the reins of their horses. Felit?a dismounted and let them take Livia away. Borisin protested loudly when a servant first tried to take his reins, pulling back from the boy. When other servants came in to help, for a moment it looked as if Borisin would trample them all. But then Rudiger dismounted and looked the horse in the eye. After a moment, he patted the side of Borisin¡¯s head and handed the reins to one of the servants. They had no further trouble with him¡ªat least, not while they were still in sight.


    Once the servants had cleared out of the way, even taking the wagon away, DeSelo?n approached Felit?a. ¡°Are you ready, your Highness?¡±


    Felit?a sighed. That was the first time he¡¯d called her that since Quorge. She supposed she¡¯d better get used to it quickly. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±

 Chapter 9: The Royal Palace (Part 2)

    Four figures at the bottom of the steps were now striding in their direction, followed at a discreet distance by several others. Felit?a began walking towards them, DeSelo?n at her left, Zandrue at her right, the others behind. She could feel a sense of fun from Zandrue, who was clearly enjoying herself.


    As they got closer, Felit?a could finally make out details. The one leading in the centre was who she thought it would be. Attired in dress military uniform, King Wavon II was fatter than she remembered¡ªand older. She felt terrible for thinking such things, but they were true. The King she remembered was fit and, while not actually young, youthful looking. This one¡¯s hair was greying and thinning. His face had rounded, made even more so by his beard, and his stomach had grown rounder.


    The King and the three with him stopped a short distance away to look over Felit?a and her group. His eyes rested briefly on Zandrue and then moved to Felit?a where they stopped. His face broke out into a wide smile.


    Beside her, Captain DeSelo?n fell to his knees, as did Zandrue. Felit?a, too, knelt down, but her father¡¯s boots were soon directly in front of her face and his hands on her shoulders. ¡°Rise, my dear.¡±


    She did so and he put his arms around her, gave her a kiss on each cheek. She returned the kisses. She wanted to say something, but she wasn¡¯t sure what. Her own emotions, mixed with the sheer joy coming from her father, were becoming overwhelming. So, she just stood there and gazed into his eyes.


    ¡°Let me look on you,¡± he said, taking a step back. ¡°My, how you¡¯ve changed. A woman grown. No longer the girl who used to sit on my lap. It¡¯s been so, so long. There is so much that we must discuss. And these others with you. Please, all of you rise. Let me look upon the people who have brought my daughter safely here.¡±


    The King approached DeSelo?n as he rose to his feet. ¡°Captain Agwinton DeSelo?n of the Royal Arnorin Army, your Majesty.¡±


    The King clasped DeSelo?n¡¯s arms and kissed his cheeks. ¡°You have my eternal gratitude, Captain. My eternal gratitude.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your Majesty,¡± DeSelo?n replied.


    The King nodded, still beaming, and moved past Felit?a to Zandrue.


    Zandrue curtsied. ¡°Zandromeda Armida, your Majesty. A friend to her Highness.¡±


    ¡°It is an honour to finally meet my daughter¡¯s friends.¡± The King took Zandrue¡¯s hand and kissed it. ¡°She has been too long out of my sight.¡±


    King Wavon then moved on to Felit?a¡¯s other companions, but her attention was drawn to the three others who had approached with him. Two men and one young woman. They were her siblings, she was sure, but she was embarrassed that she didn¡¯t know who was who. She had eight siblings total, one of whom had only been a year old when she¡¯d left the palace.


    The first approached her and kissed her cheeks; she kissed him back. ¡°Felit?a.¡± Also decked out in full military regalia, he was taller and slimmer than his father, with dark hair and a clean-shaven face. His eyes were the same as hers and their father¡¯s, but it was the nose that gave him away. Large and pointed. Nothing like their father¡¯s, but the spitting image of his mother¡¯s, the late Queen Delayus.


    ¡°Cerus,¡± she said. She didn¡¯t have a lot of memories of Cerus. He was older than her, and from her earliest memory, he had been in training for his role as heir. As such, she had seen little of him as he was dragged around from one political event to another, sometimes being sent on his own to the ones their father couldn¡¯t attend, often touring across the entire country.


    ¡°It¡¯s wonderful to have you back,¡± Cerus said. ¡°You broke all our hearts when you left.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of you to say, brother.¡± Cerus had always been a smooth talker, and stories told in Quorge said that he was almost the equal of their grandmother when it came to diplomacy. What surprised her most of all now was that his feelings actually seemed to lend truth to his words. As a girl, she had always assumed it was just an act.


    ¡°Merely the truth,¡± he said. ¡°I look forward to reacquainting ourselves.¡± Cerus gave only the briefest of acknowledgement to Captain DeSelo?n before moving on to Zandrue. He kissed her cheeks and then the back of her hand. ¡°It brightens my day to see such beauty grace the palace.¡±


    Zandrue curtsied. ¡°Your Royal Highness is too kind.¡±


    Felit?a felt like groaning. She wondered if Cerus realised Zandrue wasn¡¯t a Folith.


    The next one to approach her was not as tall as Cerus, but was huskier and brawnier. He, too, was dressed in royal blue military finery, but he didn¡¯t seem at ease in it the way Cerus and her father did. Like all of King Wavon¡¯s sons, he had dark hair and brown eyes, so that didn¡¯t help in the identification. She recognised the sword he wore at his side though¡ªSmasher.


    ¡°Hey Brains. Long time.¡± He kissed her cheeks and she his.


    Felit?a forced a smile. ¡°Hello Garet.¡± Next to Annai, Garet had always been the worst of the lot. He would chase her around, pick on her. They had had endless shouting arguments. Unlike Annai, who just ran to Mother whenever she had a gripe with Felit?a, Garet took things into his own hands. There were several occasions of being dunked in the pool of the Great Bear Fountain. Oddly, that was the one reason she found him more tolerable than Annai. At least he fought his own battles.


    Felit?a took a deep breath as the young woman came up to her. It had to be Annai. Of all Wavon¡¯s children, only Annai had blue eyes. Dressed in an emerald-blue gown with flowery white lace, she was a stunning beauty. In her slightly curled, long blonde hair, she wore several ribbons. She was the same height as Felit?a with a slender figure and long legs. Her cheeks dimpled as she smiled. Surprisingly, her feelings were of awe, excitement, and a little bit of wonder. Not what Felit?a expected from Annai.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re my older sister,¡± the young woman said. Not Annai, after all.


    Felit?a smiled and kissed her. ¡°You must be Sinit?a.¡± Sinit?a had just been a baby when Felit?a had left the palace. She had never known her. But she had heard stories about her.


    Sinit?a nodded happily. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± She bit her lower lip. ¡°Mother said I wasn¡¯t supposed to come see you, but Father said I should. So I came, but I don¡¯t know if that was the right thing to do. It¡¯s confusing when Mother and Father say different things. How do I know what to do?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Felit?a said, ¡°I think you did the right thing.¡± Anything that defied their mother was a good thing. There was no doubt that the Queen¡¯s attitude hadn¡¯t changed. Her absence was telling.


    ¡°I did?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did.¡±


    Sinit?a was truly overjoyed by that simple statement. ¡°Oh good!¡± she said, practically bouncing away. ¡°I do the wrong thing so often.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, my dear,¡± their father said, coming to stand between them. ¡°I think you do the right thing more often than you realise.¡± He put an arm around each of them, and stood there for a few moments, looking at each in turn. Finally, he nodded and said, ¡°Sinit?a, I¡¯d like to talk to your sister alone for a little while. Why don¡¯t you go meet her friends?¡±


    Sinit?a gave a quick curtsy. ¡°Yes, Father.¡±


    His arm still around her, the King began to lead Felit?a towards the steps. Felit?a glanced behind her, but Zandrue just waved her on. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± her father said. ¡°Someone will see to it that your friends and servant are looked after. Do you need anything from your servant before we go? Perhaps to prepare your apartments?¡±


    She looked at him. ¡°My servant?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the young lad with¡­¡± He trailed off. ¡°Oh dear. The modern world hasn¡¯t quite caught up with us at the palace, I¡¯m afraid, my dear. Would you excuse me for a moment?¡±


    Felit?a nodded, and her father turned away from her. She turned to watch as he strode over to Meleng, who was standing somewhat awkwardly beside Jorvan. ¡°My friend!¡± The King grasped the startled Eloorin¡¯s hand. ¡°Please accept my apologies. Welcome to the Royal Palace.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your Majesty,¡± Meleng stammered in response. Greminy, Sam, and Hang, standing not too far away, gaped.


    Her father returned to her. Putting his arm back around her, he led her up the stairs to the palace. ¡°Your mother won¡¯t like that one bit, I¡¯m afraid. Two Eloorin in the palace, who aren¡¯t servants. No, she won¡¯t like that at all. Oh, she sends her regrets by the way. She was held up in an important meeting of state and could not be here to greet you. She looks forward to seeing you again later.¡±


    Felit?a tilted her head and looked at him. ¡°Really?¡±


    At her look, he melted. ¡°No, not really. She¡¯s not happy about your return. Wanted you turned back at the gate, in fact. I¡¯m afraid she has no desire to see you.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t surprise me,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Come now, it¡¯s been fifteen years. Surely the two of you can put aside your differences.¡±


    Servants opened the wide double doors as they reached the top of the steps.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°You said something about another Eloorin.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes. Garet¡¯s fianc¨¦e. It¡¯s nice to see some of my children finally on the road to marriage. It¡¯s taken far too long. Your grandmother would have had you all married off years ago. Yes, even you my dear. No amount of running away would have gotten you away from her clutches. However, it was Ardon who suggested I let my children find their own spouses. No doubt he has some political motive behind that. Oddly enough, your mother agreed to it. No doubt she has a completely different political motive¡ªI¡¯m sure you remember how infrequently those two agree on anything¡ªbut I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s all beyond me. She¡¯s been making intimations recently about finding someone for Annai, though.¡±


    The Grand Foyer was just the way Felit?a remembered it. A red carpet with gold trim ran down the centre. Chairs were spaced at even intervals along the wall. Above them hung portraits of former kings and queens. The ceiling was a full two storeys up, allowing a balcony to overlook the room on three sides. Felit?a and her father began ascending the wide, sweeping staircase that led up to the balcony. Servants in palace livery bowed to them as they passed.


    ¡°Unfortunately, your brothers are bachelors through and through. They enjoy too much the freedom that comes with being unmarried. It was quite a surprise when Garet came home one day with this Quilla woman.¡±


    Felit?a stopped.


    Quilla.


    The image of Quilla loomed before her in the Room, the voices repeating her name.


    ¡°A pleasant surprise, of course.¡± Her father continued several steps before noticing she had stopped. He looked back at her. ¡°Everything all right, my dear?¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯m just a bit overwhelmed by all the memories.¡± She hurried back up to him. ¡°Please, you were saying?¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, Garet¡¯s always been a bit of a womaniser, so it¡¯s nice to see him settling down. Cerus plays political games with his availability, intimating to one lord with an available daughter that marriage might be in the making with the right political support, all the while doing the exact same thing with three other lords. I don¡¯t know. Seems a dangerous game to me, but he pulls it off somehow. Then again, you know me. I¡¯m not one for politics. I go through the motions and that¡¯s about it.¡±


    They stopped at the top of the stairs, where the King began to fiddle with a potted plant, whose leaves were drooping. Within moments, a servant was there to do it for him, but he shooed her away.


    Felit?a looked out over the hall. So large and extravagant. The massive chandeliers with their arms shaped like birds, and their hundreds of glittering candles; the frescoed ceiling with its images of clouds and angels; the statuary lining the sides of the staircase; each of these things was probably worth enough to feed a good-sized town for years. Elderaan and Agernon used to complain about Lord Belone not giving enough to the people of his province¡ªparticularly the wizards¡ªand hoarding unnecessary money to himself. But compared to the Royal Palace, Feodor Belone lived in poverty.


    The King looked at the plant, made another adjustment, looked again, and shrugged. He put an arm back around Felit?a. ¡°I can give you real regrets from your other brothers, though.¡± Again, he melted at a look from her. ¡°Well, at the very least, I assume they¡¯d give real regrets if they knew you¡¯d arrived. Unfortunately, they¡¯re hunting at the moment, and won¡¯t be back for another day or two. You arrived more quickly than we anticipated. Since we hadn¡¯t heard anything since you left Quorge, we assumed you hadn¡¯t yet made it to Porthaven. That Captain should have sent word from Porthaven.¡±


    ¡°He wanted to maintain anonymity,¡± Felit?a told him. ¡°For security reasons.¡±


    Her father shrugged. ¡°I suppose he knew what he was doing.¡±


    ¡°What about Annai?¡± she asked.


    The King sighed. ¡°Unlike Sinit?a, Annai listened to your mother and refused to come meet you.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°I pretty much guessed that. Gabriella?¡±


    Her father brightened up at the mention of his eldest daughter. ¡°Gabriella is in Dorg meeting Harrick Padara, who¡¯s been courting her for some time now.¡±


    ¡°Harrick Padara?¡± Felit?a asked. She knew who most of the Padaras were¡ªLord Amar Padara had been a frequent customer of Elderaan¡¯s¡ªbut that name was unfamiliar to her.


    ¡°Yes, Delayus¡¯s youngest brother Charlen¡¯s youngest son. Old Amar is over the moon at the potential marriage. Delayus¡¯s death severed some of the connections between House Folith and House Padara, and he¡¯s very eager to re-create those ties. Naturally, your mother is not amused. House Padara and House Friaz are not on the best of terms these days.¡±


    ¡°Were they ever?¡±


    Her father laughed. ¡°No, no. I suppose they weren¡¯t. So, you remember some of those details, then? You were never very fond of politics as I recall.¡±


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    ¡°I wasn¡¯t fond of it, but I was surrounded by it. I couldn¡¯t help but notice some of what was going on. I was very glad to get away from it all.¡± She stopped when she saw the look on her father¡¯s face, immediately regretting that she¡¯d said it.


    Nodding sadly, he led her from the balcony, and through a door into one of the long halls running down the west wing of the palace. Servants working here quickly moved aside, bowing as they passed.


    The two of them walked in silence for a few moments. His emotions were a tangle of uncertainty, fear, and love. Finally, he asked, ¡°Were you happy in Quorge, Felit?a? Truly happy?¡±


    Felit?a wanted to say, ¡°Of course,¡± but stopped just short of doing so. What should she say?


    ¡°You can be honest with me, my dear,¡± he said.


    ¡°I was happy.¡±


    He gave her a smile and put his arm back around her. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± But he wasn¡¯t feeling glad.


    Felit?a wanted to comfort him, but she wasn¡¯t sure how. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Father. I never meant to hurt you, but I had to be my own self. I couldn¡¯t do that here. Not in the palace. Not in the Church. It was too constricting. I tried. I really tried, but I couldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You were barely ten. How could you possibly know what you could or could not do?¡±


    ¡°I knew I wanted to be a wizard, and I knew I couldn¡¯t do that here.¡±


    They entered a large salon¡ªsmall, she corrected herself; the scale in the palace was so much different from what she had become used to in the last fifteen years¡ªand her father let go of her again. He approached a portrait of his great grandfather, Wavon the First, and began to examine it, his back to her. A servant approached with a tray of drinks and refreshments, but the King waved her away. When she simply returned to her post in a corner of the room, he turned and barked, ¡°Leave.¡± The servant curtsied, and was gone in a flash, the cups of wine jostling and splashing on the tray as she went.


    ¡°I remember one day, years ago,¡± the King said, still not facing her. ¡°Long before you were born. I was about seven or eight at the time. My old nan used to tell me stories about wizards and knights and dragons and such. The same tales I used to tell you, in fact. One day, I went to my mother and asked her why, if wizardry was such a terrible thing, did we tell stories about great wizards? Why did we hold Isyar in such awe? Why had she gone to wizards for help in her campaign against the Darkers?¡±


    ¡°What did she say?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°She said that wizardry wasn¡¯t a terrible thing. She agreed that some Foliths believed magic was in some way evil. Some even refused to believe in it. But she said that, in truth, magic is just a tool, like any other tool. One uses it to do a job, like a carpenter uses a hammer and nail, or a smith uses an anvil. And just as no one of noble birth would ever take up the job of carpenter or smith, no noble should take up the job of wizard. It would be beneath him. Or her.¡± He turned back round to face her again. A tear glistened at the corner of his eye. ¡°That was why I always refused you every time you asked.¡±


    ¡°A sword is a tool. Like any other. Yet there is great honour in using it. Why not magic?¡±


    ¡°Your grandmother would have had an answer for that, I¡¯m sure. However, I do not. I suppose because the sword has centuries of tradition behind it. Humans have always played second fiddle to the Isyar when it comes to magic, so perhaps that¡¯s why we¡¯ve never really built a tradition around it.¡±


    Except she knew there were Folith magical traditions, as Ezmelda had demonstrated during her graduation ceremony. Still, Felit?a doubted her father would be open to hearing about that now.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said, not knowing what else she could say. ¡°I just...¡±


    He nodded. ¡°It¡¯s all right, my dear. I forgive you. Are you a good wizard?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡± In truth, Felit?a had always avoided comparing her abilities with anyone else¡¯s. No real reason why. Other than perhaps a bit of fear over how she might measure up. But Agernon had said she would surpass him and Elderaan...


    ¡°If my daughter is going to be a wizard, she¡¯d better be the best damned human wizard there ever was,¡± the King said. ¡°If you happen to outdo a few Isyar along the way, that wouldn¡¯t go amiss with me either.¡± He paused. ¡°Just avoid anything that will make people compare you with the Dragon. Come, sit with me!¡± Removing his sword belt, he sat down in a chaise longue and patted the seat beside him.


    As she approached, he said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve grown a bit too big to sit in my lap, but you can sit beside me and rest your head against my chest. That¡¯s the way your sisters do it these days. Well, Gabriella and Sinit?a. Annai rarely spends any time with me. A shame.¡±


    Felit?a smiled and sat beside him, laying her head on his chest as he¡¯d asked. Memories of childhood flooded back again. The good and the bad. All the reasons why she¡¯d left, and all the reasons why she should have stayed. She hated feeling so conflicted, and once again wished she¡¯d never come back. But there was something comforting about being here with her father. The steady beat of his heart. His gentle patting of her arm.


    They sat there for several minutes, unmoving and silent. ¡°So,¡± her father said finally, ¡°there must be so much for you to tell me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure where to begin.¡±


    ¡°Try the beginning. You went to Quorge to find a teacher in wizardry, obviously. What a journey that must have been! Terribly dangerous for a ten-year-old girl alone.¡±


    ¡°It was perhaps a bit on the foolish side,¡± Felit?a agreed. ¡°But I was a little na?ve, and I was so determined to be a wizard. And I wasn¡¯t alone.¡±


    A young woman entered the salon then. Attired in an elegant yellow-gold silk dress, she was small and slim. Around her neck, she wore a thin gold chain with a locket, and in her shoulder-length, sandy-brown hair was tied a single bow. A Folith, but not of the Folith family, Felit?a was quite certain.


    The girl curtsied before them. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± she began, but King Wavon raised a hand to silence her.


    ¡°I would prefer not to be bothered at this time,¡± he said.


    ¡°My apologies, your Majesty, but her Majesty the Queen requests your presence.¡± There was a slight lilt to her voice that Felit?a found vaguely familiar.


    ¡°Tell her I¡¯m busy and will come to see her later.¡± He waved her away again, but she didn¡¯t go.


    ¡°She was most insistent, your Majesty. She said it is very important.¡±


    ¡°And just what is so important?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the specifics, your Majesty, but I believe it has something to do with money and Pastrin Nally.¡±


    The King sighed. ¡°Pastrin Nally always wants more money. She¡¯s never had any difficulty dealing with him before.¡±


    The girl gave him a blank look.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t need my presence, Tianna. She merely needs that my presence not be here.¡± He looked at Felit?a. ¡°I¡¯d better go to her.¡±


    ¡°Why not stay here?¡± Felit?a asked. ¡°If she doesn¡¯t really need you...¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°No, if I don¡¯t show, she¡¯ll deliberately botch things and then blame it on me.¡± He kissed her forehead and stood up, grabbing his sword belt.


    Felit?a grabbed his arm as he started to move away. He looked back. ¡°Why do you let her get away with these things?¡±


    The King smiled at her. ¡°We¡¯ll talk more later. Tianna, be a dear, and show my daughter to her apartments. As soon as we got word from Lord Belone that you were coming, Felit?a, I immediately had new apartments prepared for you. I hope you¡¯ll like them.¡± He strode from the room.


    Some things had not changed, it seemed. He still bent to her mother¡¯s every whim.


    Felit?a stood up and looked to Tianna. The young woman quickly changed her scowl to a forced smile, but she wasn¡¯t fooling anyone. She clearly was not pleased by the task set her.


    ¡°I¡¯m Felit?a.¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡±


    ¡°And you are...?¡±


    ¡°Tianna Friaz, daughter to Barnol Friaz, cousin to the Queen and her brother, Lord Samma.¡± Now Felit?a recognised the lilt in her voice. Her mother had the same lilt. It was common to the people of Friaz. ¡°This way.¡± Tianna spun around and walked from the room, not waiting for Felit?a to follow.


    Once again, Felit?a remembered all the reasons she hated palace life. With a sigh, she hurried after Tianna. ¡°Have you been in the palace long?¡± she asked, trying to be friendly.


    Tianna stopped and turned to face her. ¡°Don¡¯t presume that we are friends, your Highness. You may have the King wrapped around your fingers, but everyone knows that he¡¯s wrapped around everyone¡¯s fingers. You will not get me so easily.¡±


    Felit?a was shocked by the intensity of the hatred emanating from this young woman. How could she hate someone she had never met? ¡°If I¡¯ve done something to offend, I apologise.¡±


    ¡°Offend?¡± Her face was actually turning red. ¡°You offend by your presence. Do you have any idea the shame you brought upon this entire household when you ran away? Now you flaunt that by returning after fifteen years? You bring shame upon the Queen. Your own mother! How dare you!¡±


    Felit?a stood dumbly, not sure how to respond.


    ¡°If you must know, my father is Lord Samma¡¯s voice in the palace. I have lived here for nearly twelve years. In that time, the Queen has been like a mother to me, while my real mother continues to reside in Cilling. When you offend her, you offend me. You there!¡±


    The servant from earlier, still carrying her tray of refreshments, had been waiting in the hall to resume her post. She hastily approached and curtsied to them.


    ¡°Do you know where her Highness¡¯s apartments are?¡± Tianna asked.


    ¡°Yes, my lady,¡± the servant replied.


    ¡°Then show her the way there.¡± Tianna turned and stomped away.


    Excuse


    Tianna stopped and turned around, clenching her fists and then crossing her arms.


    you


    ¡°Are you ordering me, your Highness?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ordering you to obey my father¡¯s orders.¡±


    ¡°A good thing, then, that the Queen has already given me leave to disregard any of your orders. Good day, your Highness.¡±


    This time, Felit?a let her go. Seething with anger of her own, she slid into a nearby chair to calm herself. It was all starting again. This place brought out the worst in her.


    The servant approached her timidly and curtsied. ¡°Your Highness, would you like to see your apartments?¡±


    ¡°In a moment, thank you.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡± The girl curtsied again. ¡°Some refreshments, your Highness?¡±


    Feeling sorry for the girl, Felit?a took a glass of wine. ¡°Thank you.¡± She only took a sip of it before closing her eyes and concentrating on her relaxation exercises. The image of Quilla loomed in front of her again, but her anger did begin to subside. She relaxed and took another sip of wine.


    The servant was waiting nearby. She was a young Eloorin, only about fourteen or fifteen at most with brown eyes and golden brown curls. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°Marna, if it please your Highness,¡± the girl said with another curtsy.


    Felit?a finished the glass of wine. ¡°You may take me to my apartments now, Marna.¡±


    Marna curtsied again. ¡°As you wish, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to curtsy so much.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, your Highness.¡± The girl curtsied again and then scrunched her nose. ¡°This way.¡±


    Felit?a followed. It turned out the girl only knew the general area of the apartments, but not which specific ones were Felit?a¡¯s. However, with a few questions asked of other servants, Marna soon led her to the door. A guard stood outside. He snapped to attention as they approached.


    ¡°A guard?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°Queen¡¯s orders, your Highness,¡± the guard responded. ¡°To ensure your safety.¡±


    ¡°And report my movements?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, your Highness. To oversee your security, the Queen needs to be aware¡ª¡±


    ¡°Go away,¡± Felit?a told him.


    ¡°But your Highness, the Queen¡¯s orders require that I stay here.¡±


    Felit?a sighed. ¡°Very well.¡± She could hardly get the poor guy in trouble for just doing his job.


    ¡°Will your Highness be requiring my services any further?¡± Marna asked.


    ¡°No, thank you, Marna.¡±


    Marna curtsied and retreated.


    Felit?a reached for the door handle, but the guard beat her to it, opening the door for her. She groaned and strode through. Barely arrived and already her mother was setting spies on her! The guard closed the door behind her, and Felit?a looked around at her surroundings.


    When she had last lived in the palace, she had still resided in the children¡¯s apartments with most of her siblings. At the time she left, only Cerus, Garet, and Gabriella had their own rooms. Now she was grown up, she got her own. She gaped around her. What was she supposed to do in all this space?


    The salon she stood in was almost as big as the entire ground floor of Elderaan¡¯s Mystic Palace. The pale yellow walls were decorated with occasional strands of a darker gold colour mimicking thin vines. Several small paintings hung on the walls. Across the room¡¯s hardwood floor were placed several chairs, a chaise longue, and some small tables. A small spiral staircase in the far corner ascended to another level, while three other doors also provided exit. There was a tall window in the far wall; its yellow-green curtains were currently closed. Overall, the room was less extravagant than most of the rest of the palace, but it was still well beyond what she was used to.


    There was a fireplace in one wall. Over the mantle hung a large painting, which at first glance, looked like a portrait of her. Intrigued, she approached closer to inspect it. In truth, it was a portrait of her grandmother and namesake, Queen Felit?a, who must have been about her age when the painting was done. The resemblance was uncanny. The same golden brown hair, though worn shorter than Felit?a wore it. The typical Folith family brown eyes. The angular face and small but turned-up nose. Narrow shoulders. Much more richly dressed than Felit?a could ever imagine herself though.


    What had her grandmother been like? The whole country told stories of how great a monarch she had been, but how about what she¡¯d been like in person?


    There was a knock and then the guard entered the room. ¡°Pardon me, your Highness, but his Grace, Patriarch Ardon is here to see you.¡±


    ¡°Send him in.¡± As the guard bowed and turned back to the door, her heart began to pound. Ardon!


    As early as Felit?a could remember, Ardon had always been old. But there had always been an ageless quality about him as well. Despite the signs of great age¡ªhe must have been in his seventies or eighties by now¡ªhe moved with the grace and agility of a man half that age.


    ¡°Felit?a!¡± He threw his arms around her and kissed each cheek.


    ¡°Ardon, it¡¯s wonderful to see you again.¡± Felit?a kissed his cheeks in turn.


    ¡°Let me look on you!¡± The Patriarch clasped her shoulders and gazed at her. ¡°So changed. You have become a beautiful woman. So like your grandmother.¡± He, on the other hand, was exactly how she remembered him. The same deep-set eyes; the same prominent chin. She could almost swear that even his wrinkled skin had not changed, or that the very few wisps of grey hair on his mostly bald head had not changed in number.


    He let go of her shoulders and nodded. ¡°So like your grandmother,¡± he repeated. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I was not here to greet you when you arrived. I was in the city at the Cathedral. I had intended to be here, but I¡¯m afraid you arrived unexpectedly early. I came as quickly as I could as soon as I heard.¡±


    Felit?a smiled. ¡°I thought nothing was unexpected to you.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Some things get past even me, Felit?a. I expect it to happen once in a while. I also never expected to see you again.¡±


    ¡°I never expected to come back either.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you misunderstand me. I knew you would return one day. I just didn¡¯t expect to be alive for it. But it seems the gods have blessed me with good health and long life. I don¡¯t know what I did to deserve it. I suspect it¡¯s more divine retribution than an actual gift.¡±


    ¡°Divine retribution?¡±


    ¡°For letting you run away, perhaps. Or my pride. I had visions of you becoming my successor one day. Either way, they¡¯ve let me live long enough to be reminded of my sins.¡±


    Felit?a just looked at him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe that?¡± He had a hint of a smile.


    ¡°The Gods erected a barrier around the world that prevents them from affecting our lives. Divine retribution comes after death.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°I see you haven¡¯t forgotten everything I taught you.¡±


    ¡°You were a good teacher.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± he said, and she nodded. ¡°Surprising, considering the only student I ever had ran away on me.¡± He laughed and took a seat in one of the chairs. ¡°Now, you must fill me in on what you¡¯ve been up to. In particular, I¡¯d like to know two things. First, why did Lidda Plavin try to have you killed, and after she failed, why send word about you back here?¡±


    Felit?a sat down, surprise making her a bit clumsy. She had forgotten that part of palace life¡ªhow Ardon always seemed to know what people were doing before they knew themselves, even when they were half a continent away.


    ¡°I don¡¯t actually know,¡± she said. ¡°I think it might tie into something that happened to me nine years ago, though, and some other things that have happened since.¡±


    Patriarch Ardon rested his chin in his hand. ¡°That brings me to my second question. What happened to the magic boy you had with you in Quorge?¡±


    Felit?a almost laughed. Maybe Zandrue and DeSelo?n had been right about coming back here. Maybe there were resources here they could use. ¡°Did Lord Belone send word of that? Or did you learn it from your spies in his palace.¡±


    ¡°Lord Belone made no mention of the boy. He only said that you were on your way in the company of other companions. What his motives are for not saying anything, I don¡¯t yet know. My...spies as you call them were, however, able to give me a more accurate account of who your companions were. You apparently made a big deal about the boy while there, yet you didn¡¯t arrive with him. I find this most curious.¡±


    ¡°So, you came to see me as quickly as you could, but still had time to find out all the details of who I arrived with.¡±


    ¡°Naturally. As quickly as possible still entails learning everything. I mustn¡¯t show up unprepared. I suspect we have a lot to talk about. Why don¡¯t you begin with this event from nine years ago?¡±


    Felit?a took a deep breath. Could she trust him? As a girl, she had. But that was a long time ago, and she had had almost no knowledge of the world beyond the palace. How well did she really know Ardon? Still, he knew a lot already, and she hadn¡¯t really intended to keep most things secret anyway.


    The Patriarch leaned back in his chair and waited for her to begin.

 Chapter 9: The Royal Palace (Part 3)

    King Martan the Conqueror¡¯s portrait made him look less intimidating than Meleng had imagined. All the tales made him out to be a giant of a man, seven feet tall and able to wrestle a bear to the ground. According to his portrait, the man who had finally defeated King Everet¡¯s armies, conquered all of Elooria, and personally beheaded the Dragon himself was small and scrawny. Although it was hard to be certain of his height from just a painting, he looked to be no taller than Meleng, if even that tall. He didn¡¯t look able to lift the massive two-handed sword that he held in his hands with the point down and stuck in the floor at his feet, never mind overpower a bear. All in all, he was rather disappointing.


    Pretty much everything here was a disappointment. Oh, it was beautiful to look at. He was in awe of the grounds and the building and everything in them. They were stunning. But the people...


    There had been a couple of exceptions, but right from the start, almost everyone had assumed he was a servant. When the others had been shown to their rooms, he had been told he would be shown the servants¡¯ quarters after he had finished his duties for the day. Rudiger and Jorvan had both tried to say that he wasn¡¯t a servant, but no one would listen. They had nearly left him standing there alone in the courtyard. It had only been Prince Cerus¡¯s intervention that had changed that. The Prince had made it very clear that Meleng was to be treated as a guest and not a servant. For that, Meleng was grateful. But he had still ended up with what he was certain must be the smallest guest room in the palace. It was barely half the size of Rudiger¡¯s. And Zandrue¡¯s...! Why did she always get the best things? She was an Eloorin too, wasn¡¯t she? He hadn¡¯t seen Jorvan¡¯s accommodations¡ªthe Isyar had been taken to a special Isyar Pavilion¡ªbut he was sure they were better than his, too.


    After unpacking his things, he had left his room to explore a bit. That had been a mistake. Although Prince Cerus had also stated that they were all free to explore the palace at their leisure¡ªso long as they didn¡¯t invade anyone¡¯s personal rooms or apartments, and didn¡¯t interrupt any meetings¡ªalmost no one was aware of it. Meleng had been stopped by nobles, guards, and palace servants alike, all wanting to know whose servant he was, what his business in that location was, where he was going. He supposed he should feel lucky that since he didn¡¯t wear palace livery, no one actually mistook him for a palace servant. But being mistaken for somebody¡¯s personal servant wasn¡¯t much better.


    He was now heading back to his room where, hopefully, he could hide for a while. He had simply stopped briefly to take a look at the portrait of the Conqueror. As he turned away from it, a group of young noble women came down the hall in his direction.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ll never believe what happened then,¡± one of them, a small girl with sandy-brown hair, was saying. ¡°She tried to order me to show her to her rooms.¡±


    The one in the lead rolled her eyes. ¡°She sounds exactly like she used to be. Lots of mouth and no brain.¡± The other women with her all giggled. They all stopped, as the lead one turned around to face the others. She was a tall, full-figured woman, with golden-blonde hair tied back with a single red ribbon. Her red dress was cut low in the bodice to reveal a lot of cleavage and the skirts fanned out twice as wide as those of her companions. In her right hand, she held a fan.


    ¡°According to Tomaz, who went to see her arrival,¡± she continued, ¡°she was dressed in a common merchant¡¯s travelling clothes. Can you believe it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, she was!¡± the small one said. ¡°She looked quite comical trying to order me around.¡± She then made a face and spoke in a mocking tone. ¡°Excuse me. I believe my father told you to escort me.¡±


    They all laughed at that. Meleng scowled. He was starting to feel guilty for feeling down about his own experiences. It seemed like Felit?a was in for worse.


    One of the group, a chubby woman with brown hair, pointed in his direction and they all fell silent. The one in the huge dress turned to face him. ¡°You there. What are you staring at?¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Meleng bowed hastily. ¡°Uh, nothing, your Highness.¡± He hoped he had the right form of address.


    ¡°Then why are you standing there? Whose servant are you?¡±


    Oh, to hell with it. He¡¯d just tell them Felit?a. Maybe that would make her look good.


    ¡°He¡¯s not a servant!¡± another voice said. At the back of the group, he noticed Princess Sinit?a, who¡¯d been with the King when they¡¯d arrived. She moved up to the other princess. ¡°He¡¯s a guest!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, Sinit?a. He¡¯s an Eloorin. Of course he¡¯s a servant.¡± She looked back at Meleng. ¡°Now, are you going to answer¡ª?¡±


    ¡°But he isn¡¯t a servant!¡± Sinit?a protested.


    The other princess rounded on her sister. ¡°Sinit?a, stop interrupting me! Honestly, I don¡¯t know where you get your flights of fancy!¡±


    ¡°But Annai!¡±


    ¡°No buts, Sinit?a!¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Sinit?a turned away, pouting.


    ¡°Annai,¡± the chubby one said, ¡°if Cerus said, then maybe we should¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, Cerus said! We must do what he says because he¡¯s so dreamy.¡± Princess Annai fluttered her eyelids and fanned herself under the neck. The others laughed¡ªexcept the chubby one, who blushed.


    ¡°Now then,¡± Annai said, addressing Meleng again, ¡°I need you to do something for me.¡±


    ¡°What if he really isn¡¯t a servant?¡± one of the others said.


    ¡°Even so, he¡¯s still a commoner. Now then, I want you to take a message to my sister, Felit?a. Tell her...oh, what should you tell her? Tell her I am very unhappy with how she treated my good friend, Tianna, and that I expect her to make a public apology in front of the whole court. Yes, that will do. Now go on! Don¡¯t just stand there. Move!¡±


    Meleng bowed hastily and hurried down the hall. Behind him, they laughed. Once he was around a corner and they were out of sight, he stopped, realising that he wasn¡¯t even sure how to find Felit?a. Damn it, he shouldn¡¯t have let her bully him like that! Well, maybe he just wouldn¡¯t deliver the message. See how she liked that! But what if that caused problems for Felit?a? That wouldn¡¯t be good. He had better find out where Felit?a¡¯s room was.


    He was about to continue on when Princess Sinit?a came around the corner. His heart skipped a beat, but luckily, she was alone. Princess Annai and the others must have gone another way.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your Highness,¡± he said. ¡°I was just about¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± she said. ¡°Annai¡¯s just being mean. She does it all the time. She¡¯s like a big child. That¡¯s what Cerus and Gabriella call her.¡±


    Meleng nodded, not sure what to say.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Meleng, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Sinit?a.¡±


    ¡°A pleasure, your Highness.¡± He bowed. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me though, I should find Felit?a.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, of course,¡± she said.


    He started to turn away, but stopped and turned back. ¡°I hope it¡¯s not inappropriate of me to ask, but do you happen to know where Felit?a is?¡±


    She shook her head. Then her eyes widened and she smiled. ¡°But I know how to find out! Come.¡± She started off down the hall.


    Meleng hesitated a moment.


    ¡°Come on!¡±


    He followed after her.

 Chapter 10: Quilla (Part 1)

    Stela prepared to open the door, but Felit?a held up a hand for her to wait.


    She had a small army of servants now, and diminutive Stela was just one. She didn¡¯t want them, but there was nothing she could do about it. Her mother had assigned them, and dismissing them would get them in trouble more than it would her. Army was not truly an accurate word but it felt accurate. Even one servant would have felt like a lot. Five made her feel swarmed. Worse, she felt exposed. Not just because she had very little clothes on most of the time they were around, but because of the physical proximity, the constant touching. They insisted on bathing her, dressing her, doing her hair.


    She recalled this sort of thing when she lived in the palace. She didn¡¯t remember it bothering her so much, but then, at the time, she hadn¡¯t known anything else. Now, she was far too used to doing these kinds of things herself. She didn¡¯t need to be waited on hand and foot like a princess. Except she was a princess, and for the time being she couldn¡¯t get away from being treated like one.


    She had just sat through a session with another servant, Noma, doing her hair and make-up. She now had ribbons weaved through her hair and her face¡¯s angular features had been smoothed out¡ªwhich Noma insisted was important. Felit?a wasn¡¯t convinced, but she didn¡¯t have experience with this sort of thing. Make-up was a luxury she couldn¡¯t afford at Elderaan¡¯s. And she had to admit, the final result didn¡¯t look bad.


    She did worry these servants were spying on her for her mother, but Ardon assured her only one had been a spy and he had seen to it that that one had been reassigned and replaced with one more trustworthy. Ardon wouldn¡¯t confirm which one was the replacement, but she suspected it was Marna. It was otherwise a big coincidence that the random servant who had first shown her to her apartments would be one of the ones her mother assigned. But Felit?a had mentioned the girl to Ardon, so it made sense he might pick her. So now she worried that Marna and maybe one or more of the other servants were spying on her for him. She had very fond memories of Ardon, but she wouldn¡¯t put it past him. He had spies everywhere.


    She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Ardon, Garet, and, most importantly, Quilla were waiting for her in the next room. She had tried for two days to arrange this meeting. In the Room in her head, she brought up the line of people and moved along it, past Corvinian, whose wound was almost healed, to Quilla. So long she had had that image in her head and she was only now going to meet her! She still had no idea why Quilla was different, why her image was clear without having met her. Was it her possible relationship to Corvinian? Or just that Felit?a had heard her name?


    Felit?a nodded and Stela opened the door.


    Ardon was sitting in the same chair he had sat in two days earlier when she had first arrived, while Garet was pacing about the room. Seated in the chaise longue was Quilla looking exactly as she did in the Room¡ªexcept the real Quilla was wearing clothes: a light, but elegant red kirtle and red ribbons in her short, dark hair. A small, heart-shaped locket hung on a slender chain around her neck.


    ¡°Brains!¡± Garet strode over to her and gave her an intense bear hug.


    Felit?a coughed as he let go of her and she could get her breath back. ¡°Garet.¡±


    ¡°Quilla, this is my run-away sister, Felit?a. The one we all thought was dead, but was actually hiding out becoming a bloody wizard. Felit?a, this is my fianc¨¦e, Quilla.¡±


    Quilla stood up and curtsied. ¡°Your Highness.¡± She had a southern accent, similar to the one that the representatives of Amar Padara that she and Elderaan had frequently dealt with at the shop had.


    ¡°Just Felit?a, please.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Felit?a,¡± Quilla said.


    Garet put an arm around Quilla¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I call her Brains because she always liked to believe she was smarter than the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°She was smarter than the rest of you,¡± Ardon said.


    Garet scowled. ¡°Yeah, well, she didn¡¯t have to rub our faces in it, did she?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just call her Felit?a if that¡¯s okay, Garet,¡± Quilla said.


    Garet smiled. ¡°Oh yeah, of course.¡± He leaned over and gave Quilla a quick kiss on the lips, then let go of her and strode back over to Felit?a. ¡°Brains is just between the two of us. Right, Brains?¡± He squeezed her tight and when he let go, Felit?a had to rub her shoulder. Gods, he was ridiculously strong.


    ¡°Maybe just call me Felit?a, too?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, Brains.¡±


    Amusement was oozing from him. He was getting a kick out of what he¡¯d call ¡°just teasing¡±. The problem was, there was no way to respond. He would take whatever she said and make it work for him.


    ¡°Garet, be nice,¡± Quilla said. ¡°She¡¯s your sister.¡±


    ¡°Half-sister,¡± he said.


    Quilla put her hands on her hips and glared at Garet.


    Garet raised his hands. ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯m sorry, Felit?a. I won¡¯t call you Brains anymore.¡±


    Felit?a grinned at Quilla. ¡°You¡¯ll need to teach me how to control him like that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not that hard,¡± Quilla said.


    ¡°Hey, nobody controls me, okay? I do things¡ª¡±


    ¡°His Grace tells us you have something important to tell us,¡± Quilla interrupted him. ¡°That it might have something to do with...¡± She hesitated and Felit?a detected a flash of fear from her. ¡°Volgs.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Felit?a replied.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll be interested in what Garet and Quilla have to say, Felit?a,¡± Ardon said. ¡°Perhaps you should all take a seat.¡± He snapped his fingers towards Stela. ¡°We¡¯ll want some refreshments.¡±


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    The petite Eloorin hurried over to the table by the window where a decanter of wine and several glasses sat waiting. While she began pouring, Quilla sat down in the chaise longue again and Felit?a took a chair beside her. Garet paced a bit before plopping down in a chair off to the side. He bounded right back to his feet at a knock from the main doors.


    The guard Felit?a¡¯s mother had stationed on her apartments opened the door and announced that Zandrue had arrived. Zandrue strode right past him, stopped, and gaped. ¡°Wow,¡± she mouthed.


    Felit?a went over to her. ¡°Everyone, this is my friend, Zandrue.¡±


    After they had dealt with the introductions, they all took seats again¡ªalthough Garet fidgeted in his. Stela passed wine round to them. Garet downed his in one gulp and handed the cup back.


    ¡°Felit?a, perhaps you should begin,¡± Ardon said.


    Felit?a took a deep breath. Quilla was looking at her with wide eyes. The best thing to do was get straight to the point. ¡°Quilla, does the name Corvinian mean anything to you?¡±


    Quilla¡¯s eyes widened even more and her jaw quivered. A convoluted mix of emotions¡ªsurprise, fear, disbelief, happiness, excitement¡ªswarmed from her. She looked to be trying to say something, but couldn¡¯t quite form the words.


    ¡°Corvinian?¡± Garet said. He looked at Quilla. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that what you called your kid?¡±


    Quilla nodded.


    ¡°You better start talking, Brains.¡±


    Felit?a, with some help from Zandrue, began explaining everything that had happened concerning Corvinian, as well as everything else that seemed related, even if only peripherally, including the Darkers¡¯ attack at the time of Corvinian¡¯s birth and Felit?a¡¯s vision of Quilla and the others. Garet started to comment several times, but Ardon shushed him each time. By the time Felit?a finished, Quilla was sobbing in Garet¡¯s arms, while anger and rage emanated from him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to upset you,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°We really did everything we could, and we¡¯re still¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up, Brains, and give her a moment.¡±


    Felit?a nodded and leaned back in her chair. Zandrue placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.


    After a minute or so, Garet helped Quilla back onto the chaise longue and sat with her while she laid her head on his chest, a few tears still dripping down her face, leaving lines in her make-up.


    Felit?a was not surprised Quilla was upset. It couldn¡¯t be easy to learn of a son she hadn¡¯t seen for years, and to then learn he¡¯d been taken by Volgs. However, there was something else buried in the jumble of feelings Felit?a was receiving from her. Almost like a sense of familiarity, as if she wasn¡¯t surprised by the tale, but rather that it confirmed fears she already had.


    Ardon snapped his fingers again at Stela, who brought more wine round. Garet downed two more glasses, but Quilla refused more. Felit?a realised she hadn¡¯t even touched hers, so also shook her head.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ardon said, taking a glass for himself. ¡°Perhaps you should tell your tale, Quilla.¡±


    Garet looked at Quilla, who nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. It¡¯s hard for her. But I¡¯m gonna need more wine.¡±


    Stela hurried back over to the window and started to pour another glass.


    ¡°Just bring me the whole fucking thing.¡±


    Stela curtsied and hurried back. Garet took the decanter and frowned at how little was left in it.


    ¡°I can send for more, your Highness.¡±


    Garet just shook his head and waved her away. He took a gulp of the wine. ¡°Quilla was married years ago to a man named Dyle.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡ª?¡± Felit?a began, but Ardon shushed her. She sighed and fell silent.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess it¡¯s probably the same Dyle that attacked you,¡± Garet said. ¡°Anyway, their marriage started okay, but soon had problems. She says he was always kind and loving towards her, but he could be cruel to other people, and he kept having late-night meetings with people he wouldn¡¯t tell her about. Then one day she learned the meaning of a tattoo he had.¡± Garet chuckled. ¡°On his butt.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°A goat¡¯s skull?¡±


    Ardon shushed her and she glared at him, but Garet answered the question. ¡°Yep. She learned its meaning by chance when she told a friend about the tattoo. She didn¡¯t know anything about Darkers.¡±


    He gulped down the rest of the wine, then waved the decanter in Stela¡¯s direction. The servant hurried over to take it from him.


    ¡°Anyway, once she knew what her husband was, she decided she had to get out of there, so she made some preparations and took off one day while he was off at one of his meetings.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how he knew I was pregnant,¡± Quilla said, sitting up. She used a handkerchief to wipe the tears on her face. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know yet.¡±


    It only then sunk in for Felit?a. While she had guessed that Quilla was Corvinian¡¯s birth mother, she had never suspected that Dyle was his father.


    ¡°He sent people after me,¡± Quilla continued. ¡°Everywhere I went, there were people looking for me. I travelled as far away as I could, moving farther and farther north. For a short while just before and after Corvinian was born, I thought I¡¯d lost them. But then they found us again. When one group almost caught me, I realised I couldn¡¯t keep him. I couldn¡¯t put him through a life of running. So I gave him up to the people you met. I¡¯m glad to know they raised him well.¡±


    She paused to deal with more tears. After a moment, she went on. ¡°I kept running for a year, but slowly, they stopped coming. There were fewer and fewer. I thought maybe they were finally giving up, or I¡¯d finally given them the slip. After a while, I realised it might even be possible to return to a normal life. Except I now regretted giving Corvinian up. But I couldn¡¯t just go take him back, could I? I couldn¡¯t break his new parents¡¯ hearts, as much as it broke mine to let him go. But I made do. Until...¡±


    Felit?a could sense fear rising in Quilla¡ªa fear greater than what she had felt remembering running from Dyle. Quilla¡¯s hands were shaking, and Garet put an arm around her.


    ¡°Until the Volgs came for me.¡± Her voice cracked. ¡°They took me.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Zandrue muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s where I come in,¡± Garet said. ¡°I saved her.¡± Quilla nodded and he smiled.


    ¡°Like my knight in shining armour,¡± Quilla said.


    Well, that would have certainly inflated his ego, Felit?a thought.


    ¡°Except I didn¡¯t have shining armour.¡±


    ¡°Or a horse,¡± Quilla added. ¡°But you were close enough.¡± She kissed him on the cheek.


    ¡°I found their hideout, charged to the rescue, killed a bunch of them, and sent the rest running.¡±


    ¡°You found their hideout?¡± Zandrue said. ¡°How¡¯d you even know she¡¯d been kidnapped?¡±


    Quilla smirked and sniffled. ¡°He didn¡¯t find it. He just stumbled across it.¡±


    ¡°Same thing,¡± Garet said. ¡°I¡¯ll admit I could barely believe my eyes when I saw the first one. It came out of a cave, then flew off. It never noticed me. Well, I needed to know more, so I investigated the cave, found them, and the rest is history.¡±


    ¡°What were you doing there in the first place?¡± Felit?a asked.


    He shrugged and waved his hand. ¡°It¡¯s not important.¡±


    ¡°He was meeting a woman,¡± Quilla said.


    ¡°Okay, fine, I was meeting a woman and I didn¡¯t want anyone to know. She never showed, but that¡¯s okay, because I ended up meeting this much better woman right here.¡± He gave Quilla a squeeze.


    ¡°So there you have it,¡± Ardon said. He finished the last of his wine and motioned for Stela to take the glass. ¡°I think you¡¯ll agree that this was an enlightening conversation.¡±


    ¡°It has been,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Though I still have a lot of questions.¡±


    Ardon stood up. ¡°I¡¯m afraid those will have to wait. We all need to get ready for the banquet.¡±


    Felit?a sighed. She¡¯d almost forgotten about that.


    As if in response to Ardon¡¯s words¡ªas though he had timed it perfectly¡ªthere was a knock and the main doors opened. Marna entered with the tailor who was preparing her gown for this evening. They carried the finished product between them.


    Felit?a had been fitted for it shortly after she had arrived in the palace, in preparation for this banquet. Now that her brothers Malef, Pastrin, and Thilin had returned from their hunt, her father had ordered that the banquet should not be delayed any longer. It was in honour of her return to the palace, and she was not looking forward to it.

 Chapter 10: Quilla (Part 2)

    ¡°While the palace staff is convinced that it¡¯s completely Isyarian in style, in truth, it¡¯s a bizarre mixture of Isyarian and human styles,¡± Meleng was saying. ¡°The servants were really surprised when Jorvan asked if they had any backless chairs. They had no idea what he was talking about.¡±


    Rudiger nodded half-heartedly. He wasn¡¯t sure how they¡¯d gotten to this subject of conversation. Oh yes, he¡¯d asked Meleng what he thought of his accommodations, that was it, and somehow that had developed into Jorvan¡¯s accommodations. He was trying to pay attention to the answer¡ªhe really was¡ªbut the truth of the matter was, he wasn¡¯t interested. At the moment, his attention was on Zandrue.


    ¡°Out of curiosity,¡± Meleng continued, ¡°I decided to research the Isyar Pavilion in the palace library. It was originally built by Isyar, and was used to house Isyarian ambassadors to Arnor. However, since Isyar ambassadors have never been common, the Pavilion was frequently unoccupied. As a result, they started using it for some human guests as well, thus adding several human touches to the d¨¦cor.¡±


    ¡°Well, guess they had to do something with it,¡± Rudiger said.


    He had hardly believed his eyes when Zandrue had entered the Banquet Hall arm-in-arm with Prince Cerus. Now, there she was seated beside the Prince at the royal table, two seats down from Felit?a, three seats from the King himself. And having the time of her life, by the look of it. The smile on her face. The laughter as she chatted with both Prince Cerus to her left and Prince Thilin to her right.


    She looked perfectly at home, too, like she had always belonged up there with the Royal Family. Dressed in a stunning emerald gown perfectly fitted to accentuate her best features, she looked more beautiful than he had ever seen her look. Her hair had been styled to give it just a little bit more of the wave he liked so much, and something glittery had been added to it, too.


    Meleng asked him something.


    ¡°What? Sorry?¡±


    ¡°Have you seen Jorvan tonight?¡±


    Rudiger shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s around somewhere. The seats farther to the back are just benches, so no backs to bother his wings. He might be there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go see if I can find him. I¡¯ll see you later?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±


    Meleng pushed back his chair and rose out of it.


    Rudiger didn¡¯t watch him go, but instead turned his attention back to Zandrue. Three days they¡¯d been at the palace, and he hadn¡¯t seen her once since their arrival¡ªuntil now. When word was put out that there was to be a banquet this evening, Rudiger had thought he would finally get a chance to see her again. He missed the conversations they had on the road. He missed her smile.


    He had washed up well for the banquet. The new clothes he had been fitted for on the day of their arrival had also shown up earlier today, so he had chosen the best from that: a fine silk doublet with a pointed waist and puffy sleeves; over that, a high-collared red jerkin; paned trunk hose, padded to a bell shape at his thighs; soft leather shoes, which had provided quite the exercise in trying to figure out how to tie; and on his head, a flat beret with a single feather. He felt like quite the noble. All in an attempt to impress Zandrue. He had been certain she would be seated at the same table as him. After all, they were both part of Felit?a¡¯s group. But he hadn¡¯t counted on her conniving her way to the head table.


    Now, as he watched her and Prince Cerus, saw the little, brief touches of a hand on the other¡¯s arm, the whispers back and forth, the private smiles, he felt jealousy rising. He only had himself to blame. She had given him numerous opportunities in the months they had been travelling together, and he had passed up every single one of them. All because there were just too many other people around. Now he had to compete against the heir to the Arnorin throne. What chance did he have? Hang would make fun of him over that¡ªif he ever saw Hang again. He sighed. What a fool he¡¯d been.


    He had never had trouble with women before. All through his life, he¡¯d been popular with the girls, and he had never been shy about talking to them, flirting with them, or even sleeping with a few of them. So, why was Zandrue so different?


    Someone sat in the seat that Meleng had left. ¡°I understand you¡¯re a friend of Princess Felit?a.¡±


    Rudiger forced his attention away from Zandrue. The newcomer was a young Folith of about sixteen or seventeen. He had dark hair and eyes, and a wide brimming smile. His red velvet jerkin bore the insignia of a broadsword over the left breast. Rudiger felt sure he ought to recognise that sigil.


    The boy extended a hand. ¡°Calvan Plavin.¡±


    The Red Knights. Rudiger forced himself to be civil and shook the boy¡¯s hand. ¡°Rudiger Fonivan.¡±


    ¡°I hear you¡¯re a really great warrior,¡± Calvan said.


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°Who told you that?¡±


    ¡°Everybody¡¯s saying it. And you must be. Not everyone can be a princess¡¯s personal bodyguard.¡±


    Rudiger stared at the boy. ¡°Bodyguard? I wouldn¡¯t call myself a bodyguard. Just a friend.¡±


    ¡°My father is Mitchal Plavin, the greatest warrior in Arnor,¡± the boy went on. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard of him, but he¡¯s recently formed a new group called the Red Knights to provide a national security and justice that the army is too incompetent to provide. At the moment, we haven¡¯t expanded beyond the borders of Plavin-Tyl, but we are always looking for people like you to join our cause.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± This kid worried him. First, they tried to kill him. Now, they wanted him to join them?


    ¡°Absolutely. I just have to look at you to tell that you¡¯re strong and fit. A man your size is perfect for our cause. Protecting the weak requires the strong.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you do? Protect the weak?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes! The Red Knights are an organisation dedicated to the old codes of knighthood that have fallen out of favour these days. The codes that were followed back in the time of Martan the Conqueror or Tristan the Judiciar. The sorts of things you hear about in tales of Egorthian knights. The Red Knights are your chance to be like the heroes of stories.¡±


    Rudiger felt like laughing, but stopped himself. He was about to tell this boy just what he thought of the so-called Red Knights when the ringing of a bell brought silence upon the room.


    At the royal table, the King had stood up, a goblet of wine in his hand. He was dressed in shades of blue like he had been at the steps when they¡¯d arrived. However, this time, he was not in military uniform, but rich royal dress. The Bear of Arnor was etched in gold on the breast of his fine velvet jerkin. The sleeves of his doublet and his hose both puffed out in elaborate folds far more than those of anyone else present. Around his neck, he wore a starched, white ruff. There was at least one ring on each of his fingers, and on his head, the jewelled crown of Arnor.


    ¡°My lords and ladies,¡± the King said, ¡°thank you all for attending this fine evening. As you are all aware, my daughter, Felit?a, has returned to us after fifteen long years. Now, you know me. I am not a man for long speeches, but at this event to commemorate her return, I felt I should say something. Ever since she ran away those many years ago, I have felt as if there were a hole here in the palace. I love all my children deeply. I like to have all of them close by me. So, to have one of them gone, seemingly forever, was a terrible toll upon me. Now, at long last, that hole has been filled again. No matter what any of you might think of the rightness or wrongness of her actions, you cannot deny that her beauty and presence have a tangible effect on this household. And so, I would like to offer a toast to my daughter Felit?a. May she remain here for a good, long time yet to come!¡± He raised his goblet.


    ¡°To Princess Felit?a!¡± someone yelled. ¡°Princess Felit?a!¡± Rudiger cried, others joining in, too. All in all, it was rather subdued. Rudiger noticed that, while a few people joined the toast eagerly, the vast majority only did so half-heartedly. Especially the Queen.


    Queen Annai barely lifted her goblet from the table, and she did not say a word during the toast. Instead, she stared forward, looking at neither Felit?a nor the King. Rudiger was not sure what to make of her. She was a beautiful woman, but...cold. And that was just seeing her at a distance. The pale blue gown she wore helped add an iciness to her demeanour beyond what was already there. Like the King, she wore many rings on her fingers, but hers were finer and slenderer than the thick pieces of jewellery the King wore. Around her neck was a stunning silver necklace that hung down over her breasts. Over her blonde hair was an elaborately folded chaparon that was almost as tall as her head.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    The Queen¡¯s eldest daughter and namesake sat to her left. Like a younger version of the Queen, she too, had barely acknowledged the toast.


    The King urged Felit?a to stand. She looked out over the banquet hall, embarrassment plain on her face. Felit?a had also managed to look stunning for the occasion. Although her gown was simpler than those of most other women here, with fewer folds and fewer skirts, that simplicity gave a slightly realer quality to her. He found the ribbons in her hair a little odd, but that was a style many women in the room were following. ¡°My lords and ladies,¡± she began, ¡°thank you for your kind reception.¡±


    Rudiger sighed. Maybe there was a way he could make Zandrue jealous. He¡¯d seen women at the palace looking at him, servant girls and noblewomen alike. Maybe, just maybe... He shook his head. Stupid. She had Prince Cerus.


    Some light, token applause alerted Rudiger to the fact that he had missed Felit?a¡¯s speech. As she sat down, the King said, ¡°Now, before we enjoy the boar my sons caught for us, I have one more pleasant duty to perform. Please¡ª¡±


    ¡°One moment, Father,¡± Princess Annai interrupted, standing up. ¡°Felit?a¡¯s not finished yet.¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Yes, precisely,¡± Annai said. ¡°Felit?a would like to make an apology to someone. My lords and ladies, when my sister arrived the other day, she most grievously offended my good friend, Tianna Friaz, without just cause.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°You know what you did. You got my message. Now, be a good girl and apologise.¡±


    A small, thin girl seated farther down at Rudiger¡¯s table stood up and looked towards Felit?a.


    ¡°Now, now,¡± the King said. ¡°I hardly think this is the appropriate venue. If some insult was laid¡ªwhich I¡¯m sure was not intentional¡ªthey can work it out privately. This is meant to be a joyous occasion. Let¡¯s all¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wavon,¡± the Queen said, ¡°you yourself have said that we must all try to get along with one another. To do so, the air must be cleared. If Felit?a wishes to be our friend, perhaps she should take the first step and apologise to young Tianna.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, I¡¯m sure...¡± the King began, but stopped at a stare from the Queen. He sat down and turned to Felit?a. ¡°You¡¯d better do as they ask, my dear.¡±


    Felit?a stood slowly. All across the hall, nobles were whispering to one another. She took a deep breath. ¡°Tianna, I assure you that I did not intend any offence, but if something I said or did resulted in offence, then I apologise.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your Highness,¡± Tianna said, and curtsied. She had a self-satisfied grin on her face as she sat back down.


    Amid more gossiping whispers, Felit?a sat down. Prince Cerus patted her on the shoulder and said something quietly to her. Beside him, Zandrue stared at Princess Annai, a calculating look in her eye.


    The King stood up. ¡°Well then,¡± he said, glancing at his wife. ¡°Back to what we came here for. Please show in Captain DeSelo?n and his men.¡±


    The hall doors opened, and DeSelo?n, Hang, Greminy, and Sam marched in. They wore formal military uniforms, swords at their sides. They stopped in front of the King at the head table and knelt.


    ¡°Please, my friends, rise,¡± the King said. ¡°Agwinton DeSelo?n, Alhang Merrin, Greminy Siltons, Sammar Tarson. I, the Queen, and our entire family thank you for the service you have done the nation by escorting Felit?a home safely. I offer a toast in your names.¡± As the King raised his goblet, several people in the room cheered. The nobles took to this toast more readily than they had Felit?a¡¯s.


    ¡°Captain DeSelo?n,¡± the King said once the room had quieted down again. ¡°In return for your faithful service, you may ask of me one boon. If it is within my power to grant, you shall have it.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± DeSelo?n said with a bow. ¡°I ask only that you toast Stavan Orcan, another of our number who sacrificed his life to see the Princess safely here.¡±


    The King looked surprised, but pleased. ¡°Certainly!¡± He grinned and raised his goblet once more. ¡°To Stavan Orcan!¡± The hall erupted with cries of ¡°Stavan Orcan!¡±


    When at last things had quieted, the King spoke again. ¡°I admire your devotion to your men, Captain, but I must say that you have merely pointed out what we all, in good conscience, should have done anyway without being asked. Please, ask of me something else.¡±


    Before DeSelo?n could say anything, the Queen raised her hand to silence him. The King, confused, looked down at his wife. ¡°Is there something you wished to say first, my dear?¡±


    ¡°You offered him a boon, my love,¡± the Queen said. ¡°He asked it, and you granted it. We cannot set precedent that people may ask a second boon simply because the first was deemed minor. How do you determine what is minor? Where do we draw the line?¡±


    ¡°Well...I...but he...that is...I mean to say...¡± The King sat down.


    ¡°My apologies, Captain,¡± the Queen continued, ¡°but your boon has already been granted.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± DeSelo?n said with a bow.


    Shocked murmurs spread across the hall, not all of them supportive of the Queen.


    ¡°What kind of bloody queen does something like that?¡± Rudiger mumbled.


    ¡°One who talks sense, perhaps?¡± Calvan piped up. ¡°The King is much too giving at times.¡±


    Rudiger felt like talking some sense into this idiot and the Queen, too, but he held his tongue.


    Cerus did not. ¡°Then I offer him a boon,¡± the Prince said, jumping to his feet.


    ¡°Cerus, sit down,¡± the Queen responded.


    Cerus didn¡¯t look at her. ¡°No. He deserves a boon. Captain, ask of me what you will.¡±


    The Queen looked about to say something else, but turned her head away.


    DeSelo?n paused for a moment, glancing to the King, who nodded. ¡°Thank you, your Royal Highness. I would ask then to be inducted into the Kingsguard. Me and my men.¡±


    ¡°Done,¡± Cerus said with a smile. He held up his hand for DeSelo?n to wait a moment, and made the long walk around the royal table to the other side. Once there, he clasped the Captain¡¯s arms and kissed him on each cheek. ¡°You will be inducted upon the morrow. Tonight, I ask you to join our feast.¡±


    ¡°It would be our pleasure, your Royal Highness,¡± DeSelo?n replied. Several people cheered.


    ¡°Let the feast begin!¡± Cerus cried. Even more people cheered.


    ¡°Now, that was completely inappropriate,¡± Calvan said. ¡°He did that for no other reason than to humiliate the Queen.¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I said shut up.¡±


    ¡°Shut up? Who do you think you¡¯re talking to, sir? I am of noble birth! You! You are nothing. A commoner Folith. A wannabe Eloorin. You do not tell me to shut up.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, or I¡¯ll shut you up myself.¡±


    ¡°To think, I thought you were Red Knight material.¡±


    ¡°Hang!¡± Rudiger called out. ¡°Over here! I saved you a seat!¡±


    The big soldier came over and looked in confusion at all the filled seats. ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Calvan here was just leaving.¡±


    Calvan started to protest, but Rudiger glared at him. The boy got the message and was gone.


    Hang sat down. ¡°What was that all about?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask.¡±


    Things improved for a while after that. The food was brought in¡ªto the royal table first, but soon to the other tables as well. And there was a lot of it. In addition to the boar, there was goose served in a mushroom-wine sauce, and salmon with fresh lemon imported from the south. There were beans, onions, and carrots, as well as a seemingly never-ending supply of crusty bread. And wine aplenty.


    After two hours, Rudiger stared in disbelief at the latest trays of food being placed at his table. He was stuffed. Yet all around him, people were still eating. ¡°How do they do it?¡±


    Hang laughed. ¡°Take a look at how much they put on their plate. They take very small portions, which when spaced out lets them go all night. Not the huge portions you¡¯ve been taking!¡±


    Rudiger looked and saw that it was true. He groaned. ¡°You could have told me.¡±


    Hang shook his head. ¡°Nah, it was too fun this way.¡±


    A hush moved across the room. Everyone stared at the royal table, where a courtier was speaking quietly with the King and Queen. A moment later, both the King and Queen stood up and followed the courtier out of the room. Cerus was right behind them. The other princes and princesses followed.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Hang said.


    ¡°Any idea what¡¯s going on?¡± the man on Rudiger¡¯s other side said.


    Only three people remained at the royal table. One was Zandrue. Another was a copper-skinned Eloorin woman who had been sitting with Prince Garet. She was shaking and Zandrue moved over to her, speaking quietly to her. Captain DeSelo?n approached the third person at the table, a very old, bald man with a prominent chin. They, too, began speaking quietly.


    People around the room were getting restless. ¡°Would somebody please tell us what¡¯s happening?¡± someone called out.


    ¡°What?¡± a woman not far from Rudiger said. ¡°That¡¯s not possible! They don¡¯t exist!¡±


    At the royal table, the old man got up, and he and DeSelo?n left the room.


    Hang jumped to his feet. ¡°I¡¯d better go.¡±


    Greminy was at Hang¡¯s side. He said something, but a screech from another noblewoman nearby drowned him out so Rudiger couldn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Hang said. ¡°Come on, Rudiger. We may need your help.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°There are Volgs at the Palace gates.¡±

 Chapter 11: Split Up (Part 1)

    Everyone¡¯s feelings weighed on Felit?a: terror, revulsion, disbelief. The throne room was packed. Every noble who had been at the banquet was here, it seemed, lined up in haphazard rows along the side walls, the front wall, and behind the Bear Throne. Some of them wept openly; others proclaimed defiantly that they would not believe until they had seen with their own eyes; still others called for the bearing of arms to fight the menace. Many invoked the gods in some pointless hope that they would actually show up to intervene; many others cried that the gods had abandoned them. Even the guards spaced about the room looked uneasy. Their hands fingered the hilts of their swords, adjusted their bear sigil tabards, or fixed the positions of their helmets.


    Through it all, Felit?a tried desperately to concentrate on her own feelings, on her own sense of identity. But there were so many other feelings invading her mind. Tears ran down her face from the exertion. This was a terrible time for her telepathic abilities to flare. Luckily, the tears would only make her fit in with so many others here.


    At last, she found the focus she needed, and in her head, set the Room¡¯s walls spinning, knocking away all the feelings she wanted kept out. Despite the actual noise in the throne room, it was like a blissful silence. For a brief moment, she felt calm. Then the weight of her own feelings came upon her. But at least those she could deal with.


    Her sisters Annai and  stood to her left, and a short distance past them, her father sat in the Bear Throne. He was slouched so low that the bear on the back of his throne towered above him. His hands clutched the armrests shaped to mimic the forelegs of the bear, while he shifted the weight of the rest of his body back and forth to different spots on the throne¡¯s blue velvet cushions. Sweat trickled down his face and glistened on his beard. To his left sat the Queen, who was leaning over and patting her husband¡¯s arms and whispering to him, apparently trying to comfort him. Felit?a had never thought her mother could be the comforting type.


    On the other side of the thrones stood three of her brothers. Huge, muscular Thilin, whom she could hardly believe was the same tiny little boy she¡¯d left behind fifteen years ago, was shifting about uncomfortably. Short and skinny Pastrin with his trend-setting shoulder-length hair alternated between licking his lips and biting the lower one. Malef ran his fingers through his thick bushel of dark hair.


    Cerus stood in front of the two thrones, staring thoughtfully at the great double doors at the back of the room. He was the calmest-looking person there, though his fingers occasionally twitched at his side, and every now and then he shifted which leg he was putting the most weight on.


    Garet, in contrast, paced back and forth in front of Cerus, grumbling and doing nothing that could be described as calm. He was one of the ones calling for taking up arms against the Volgs. As part of his show, he had his sword drawn and held out in front of him. ¡°We mustn¡¯t believe their lies of diplomacy! But we mustn¡¯t show fear either! Forget the stories of their strengths and powers! Those are just stories! I¡¯ve faced them before! They¡¯re not unbeatable!¡±


    The doors at the back of the room opened. A train of Royal Guardsmen marched in surrounding three Volgs. At the sight of them, the servants holding the doors backed away in fear. Several people in the room fainted away. Sinit?a was one of them, landing at Felit?a¡¯s feet. Annai stared in abject terror. Felit?a bent down to help Sinit?a back to her feet.


    Some people in the room drew their swords, and at a nod from Garet, they started forward. The Royal Guard raised their shields and linked them side by side, forming a wall of bear sigils that completely encircled the three Volgs.


    Garet lowered his sword. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡±


    ¡°It would be really quite pointless to bring them all the way here just to kill them,¡± Cerus said. ¡°We could have done that at the gates. They are unarmed.¡±


    ¡°Only because we disarmed them,¡± Garet said. ¡°I say put them to the sword!¡± Several other people in the room responded with cries of ¡°To the sword!¡±


    Cerus raised a hand for silence. ¡°My lords and ladies, please! If we truly believe that we are more civilised than they, then let us show our civility by treating them with respect until they do something to warrant otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Folly!¡± Garet responded.


    ¡°Garet, enough,¡± the King said. ¡°Put away your sword.¡±


    Garet grumbled, but did as he was told.


    Throughout this, the Volgs had remained stationary. Two of them scanned the room with their eyes, watching everything. Guards. They were big, bigger even than most of the other Volgs Felit?a had seen. Their horns were thick and curled, their fur dark. Black eyes added to their menacing nature.


    The third one was smaller than the other two, probably the smallest Volg she¡¯d seen yet¡ªalthough still easily as large as Rudiger. He had grey fur and his beard was white. Dressed in voluminous black and gold robes that dipped down low at the back to allow for the wings, he stood there with his head lowered, gazing at the blue carpet and scratching the back of his left horn.


    The nobles were starting to quiet down. At a motion from Cerus, the Royal Guardsmen unlinked their shields and parted. ¡°Please approach,¡± Cerus said.


    The small Volg looked up and strode forward, his robes flowing about him. The other two Volgs followed behind, still watching the crowd for signs of trouble. When he reached the image of the bear on the carpet, the small Volg knelt and bowed his head. ¡°Your Majesties, your Royal Highness, your Highnesses, my lords and ladies.¡± His voice was smooth and soft, yet the sound carried easily across the room. ¡°I am Sidlove, son of Medrove of the Worker Caste. I come to you offering my services as ambassador to the Volganth people.¡± He paused, just long enough for the gasps of surprise to subside. ¡°I also bring a request from my King, Festroff, the seventy-sixth of his name.¡±


    The room fell quiet, a few whispers being passed back and forth by nobles the only sounds. Cerus looked to the King, who looked to his wife. She smiled at him. ¡°You may rise,¡± the King said.


    Sidlove stood up. ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Ambassador Sidlove,¡± Cerus began, ¡°how can we¡ª¡±


    ¡°How can we be certain of your good intentions?¡± the Queen interrupted him. Cerus frowned, but regained his composure.


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Sidlove answered, ¡°I understand your misgivings. However, there are only three of us, and as his Royal Highness so eloquently said before, we are unarmed. We would be most foolish if we bore you any ill will.¡±


    ¡°Liar,¡± Garet said. ¡°I know only too well the tricks you can pull.¡±


    ¡°Garet, enough!¡± the Queen snapped.


    ¡°I am not offended by his words, your Majesty,¡± Sidlove said. He turned to face Garet. ¡°Your Highness, it has been more than twenty-three hundred years since there was last regular contact between our peoples, and then it was in a state of war. It is only natural that there is fear on both sides.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°I do not fear you,¡± Garet grumbled.


    Sidlove went on, unperturbed. ¡°You have your stories about us, which I have no doubt make us out to be terrible monsters. Cruel, vicious, and evil. Likewise, we have the same such stories about you. It is these stories, however, which are our true enemies. We must learn to put aside the fears of the past and to work together for a better future for us all.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you.¡±


    Gasps shot about the room at the intensity of Garet¡¯s words. ¡°Garet, I will not tolerate such language in this room!¡± the Queen screeched.


    Then Garet was on Sidlove, grabbing a horn and pulling back his head. He raised a dagger to the Volg¡¯s neck. In a heartbeat, one of Sidlove¡¯s guards grabbed his wrist and wrenched the dagger from his grasp. Royal Guardsmen moved forward, swords pointed at both Garet and at the Volg who now held the dagger. The Volg flipped the dagger around to hold it by the blade and then offered the hilt to Cerus, who, looking surprised, took it.


    ¡°Your people kidnapped my fianc¨¦e!¡± Garet yelled. ¡°Your people tortured her! And you come in here speaking of trust and a better future. Your trust be damned!¡±


    ¡°Escort Prince Garet from the throne room,¡± the Queen said.


    Garet raged, but allowed two Royal Guards to show him out. As they left, Captain DeSelo?n and his men slipped into the room. Rudiger was with them. She wondered where Zandrue, Jorvan, and Meleng were.


    ¡°Our apologies,¡± Cerus said to the Volg ambassador, who was rubbing his neck.


    Sidlove nodded and scratched the base of the horn that Garet had grabbed. ¡°My thanks, your Royal Highness.¡±


    Cerus gazed at Garet¡¯s dagger. ¡°Did your people do such a thing to my brother¡¯s fianc¨¦e?¡±


    ¡°No, your Royal Highness.¡± Sidlove scratched the base of his horn again. ¡°At least, not as far as I know. If such a thing did happen, it was not under the sanction of our king. However, as much as we are loathe to admit it, we have a criminal element to our society just as you do. It embarrasses me no end to learn that such a thing might have happened at an inconvenient time as this.¡±


    ¡°I cannot imagine that there would be any time that could be called convenient,¡± the Queen said. She leaned forward in her throne. ¡°Ambassador Sidlove, twenty-three hundred years ago, the gods banished your people to Vast, in the centre of the Great Ocean. There you were to stay. How can you expect us to open a relationship with you if you now tell us you have been allowing criminals to come here? This gives us little faith in your competence to control your own people. We have not allowed our criminals to go to Vast.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Sidlove said, ¡°there is no proof at this time that is what has happened. I was merely postulating a possibility. However, for all we know, Prince Garet is mistaken.¡±


    ¡°That is not an easy thing to be mistaken about,¡± the Queen replied. ¡°Few people are likely to mistake a human for a Volg. You must admit, we don¡¯t look much alike.¡±


    Sidlove nodded. ¡°Perhaps, your Majesty. But perhaps the perpetrators were goblins or trolls.¡±


    The Queen waved her hand in dismissal of the idea and shifted back in her throne. ¡°Everyone knows what a goblin looks like, and there are no trolls in Arnor.¡±


    Sidlove shrugged in a very human-like manner. ¡°Then perhaps the prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e is delusional. I am merely offering alternatives, your Majesty. I do not pretend to know the real answers.¡±


    ¡°Might I say something, your Majesties?¡± Ardon strode into the room, past the Royal Guard and straight up beside Sidlove. He bowed.


    The King smiled. ¡°Of course, your Grace. Your wisdom is always valued here.¡±


    ¡°Quilla Steranovist is not the only one to run afoul of Volgs recently,¡± the Patriarch said. ¡°Your daughter, Princess Felit?a has also been harassed by them, which I¡¯m sure she will attest to. Captain DeSelo?n and all the others with her can vouch that she is not delusional.¡±


    Felit?a stared at Ardon, but he didn¡¯t even glance in her direction. They had agreed to keep that information from the court. Even DeSelo?n had agreed that, for the time being, it was best to say that Stavan had died in an attack by goblins. Of course, the arrival of Volgs at the palace changed the situation quite a bit. People were far less likely to ridicule her with the truth standing right in front of them. Still, she would have preferred if Ardon had said something to her first.


    ¡°Captain, is this true?¡± the Queen asked.


    DeSelo?n came forward and bowed. ¡°It is, your Majesty. One day out of Quorge, our group was attacked by a large mass of Volgs. We never got a clear count. Two of them were wizards. We dealt with most of them, but the wizards escaped. They kidnapped a young boy who was under her Highness¡¯s protection, and inflicted terrible injuries on most of the rest of us. My man, Stavan Orcan, perished several days later from those injuries.¡±


    ¡°Ambassador?¡± the Queen said.


    Sidlove scratched behind a horn with one hand while pulling on his tuft of a white beard with the other. He struggled for words. ¡°I am speechless, your Majesty.¡±


    The Queen stood up and looked down the steps of the dais at the Volg ambassador. Her face was one of grim determination and her stance rigid. Felit?a had to admit she could look commanding when she wanted to. ¡°Ambassador, your people have committed two acts of aggression against us. We will have to discuss the situation amongst ourselves to determine how to respond. Guards, escort the ambassador and his companions to a holding cell. Keep them there until I or the King summons them.¡±


    Sidlove bowed. ¡°As you wish, your Majesty. However, please allow me to deliver the message from my king first.¡± He pulled a rolled, sealed scroll from his robes, and looked at the Queen.


    The Queen nodded, and Cerus took the scroll from the Volg. After that, Sidlove bowed again and allowed himself and his two guards to be escorted from the room.


    As soon as they were gone, the room erupted in a roar as nobles yelled out various suggestions for how to respond, mostly involving ways to kill them, from beheading to hanging to boiling in oil. Someone even called for a crucifixion in the same vain as the Volgs were said to have done to humans during the Great War.


    The Queen had to motion repeatedly for quiet. Eventually Cerus yelled out, ¡°My lords and ladies, please! Let us be calm and rational!¡± Slowly, the roar died down to a dull murmur.


    ¡°The King and I must discuss this in private,¡± the Queen said, looking to her husband.


    King Wavon scratched his beard, then nodded and stood up from the Bear Throne. ¡°We will adjourn to my study. Cerus, your Grace, Felit?a, join us please.¡±


    ¡°Not Felit?a,¡± the Queen said. ¡°She does not need to be there.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Ardon said, ¡°your daughter has had first-hand experience of the Volgs. I think her counsel would be invaluable.¡±


    ¡°Captain DeSelo?n was there as well,¡± the Queen replied. ¡°He may join us.¡±


    ¡°Excellent idea, your Majesty!¡± Ardon said. ¡°It would be invaluable to have both of them there!¡±


    ¡°I meant only DeSelo?n,¡± the Queen said, but Ardon looked to the King.


    After a moment, Felit?a¡¯s father nodded. ¡°Both may attend us.¡±


    ¡°Then I wish Annai there,¡± the Queen said. ¡°And Barnol Friaz.¡±


    ¡°My dear,¡± the King said, ¡°if we bring too many, it will hardly be a private meeting.¡±


    ¡°I want them there.¡±


    ¡°But if we bring one provincial voice, we can hardly exclude the others.¡±


    ¡°We can and will,¡± the Queen said, descending the steps. The King followed after her, still protesting. As they followed the carpet to the doors, the ones named to go with them fell into line behind them.


    ¡°Why does Friaz get special attention?¡± a woman cried. ¡°Rivalle demands the right to speak!¡±


    ¡°Forget Rivalle!¡± a man called. ¡°What about the South? We¡¯re always ignored. Let Lothal and Southal have a voice!¡±


    ¡°This is bound to get messy,¡± Cerus said to Felit?a as they left the room. Felit?a didn¡¯t doubt him.

 Chapter 11: Split Up (Part 2)

    Felit?a had never been allowed in the King¡¯s Study. It was a room used for private meetings between the monarch and various nobles or courtiers. When she had last been in the palace, she had been far too young to be allowed to participate in such meetings.


    Although smaller than the throne room, it was still expansive, able to hold a lot of people when necessary. Its walls and floor were of fine walnut panelling, which gave it a darker, cosier feel, despite the fact that it was well lit by a large chandelier, the light from which was reflected in the large mirrors that graced the centre of each wall. Beneath each mirror stood a table, on three of which were books. On the fourth sat a small clock, its face held by two gold nymphs. The King¡¯s desk stood in one corner of the room at an angle in front of two alcoves. On the desk was an assortment of papers, a vial of ink, and several pens. Behind the desk, in the corner between the two alcoves was a cabinet on top of which was a bust of Queen Felit?a. In the corner opposite the desk, a fire burned lazily in a small fireplace.


    Upon entering the room, most of them found places to sit in the various red-cushioned chairs placed about the room. Felit?a¡¯s mother sat behind the desk, while her father wandered over to the clock, picked it up, and started lazily winding it. Apart from the King, only Ardon remained standing.


    ¡°Your Majesties, perhaps we should begin with the message,¡± Ardon suggested.


    The King put the clock back down on the table and turned to face the others in the room. ¡°Agreed.¡±


    Cerus stood up and came forward with the scroll. He was about to hand it to the King when the Queen said, ¡°Cerus, hand me the message.¡± Cerus scowled briefly before turning to face the Queen with a smile. Taking the scroll from him, she broke the seal and unrolled it on the desk. A moment later, she frowned. ¡°It¡¯s written in Folithan.¡±


    ¡°Curious,¡± Ardon said before walking forward and snatching the scroll.


    As he read it over, his eyes widening, Felit?a took a moment to stop the walls spinning in her head. Now she was away from the crowds in the throne room, it was probably safe to allow things in. Alas, the flare she¡¯d been experiencing had died, so she only got the barest hint of anyone¡¯s feelings.


    ¡°What does it say, your Grace?¡± Barnol Friaz asked. He was a big man, barely able to fit in his chair. His round face was barely noticeable behind his bushy grey beard and sideburns. The folds of his doublet sleeves and his hose added to his width. He bore little resemblance to his daughter, Tianna.


    ¡°Troubling.¡± Ardon held out the scroll to Felit?a. She took it from him and tried to read it. She was so out of practice with Folithan that much of it was incomprehensible, but she recognised enough for it to shock her.


    ¡°Well?¡± The Queen stood and planted her fists on the desk. ¡°Enlighten us!¡±


    ¡°It seems the Volgs want a meeting on Scovese.¡± The Patriarch found a seat and sat down.


    ¡°Outrageous!¡± Barnol Friaz said.


    ¡°Impossible!¡± the Queen said, throwing her hands wide and knocking over the vial of ink on the desk, spilling its contents over the papers there. She scrambled to try to rescue papers before they were spoilt, and for a moment, the scene was almost funny. Both the King and Cerus rushed forward to help her, Cerus first retrieving a cloth from one of the alcoves behind the desk.


    ¡°But Scovese is just a legend,¡± Annai said.


    ¡°The Volgs certainly believe it¡¯s real,¡± Ardon said. ¡°They¡¯ve even provided navigational coordinates to help us get there.¡±


    That would explain the numbers at the end of the message. Felit?a had no familiarity with the coordinate system used.


    ¡°Let me see that,¡± Annai said, reaching for the scroll.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Felit?a held the scroll out so her sister could reach it. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise you could read Folithan.¡±


    Annai stopped just short of taking the scroll and scowled. ¡°That¡¯s quite all right. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what it says. But how can we trust the Volgs? There might be nothing at the location they give. They could be laying a trap for us.¡±


    ¡°That, unfortunately, is a distinct possibility,¡± Cerus said, wiping his fingers off with the now darkened cloth.


    ¡°A great deal more than a possibility,¡± Barnol Friaz said, the Friazan lilt sounding odd on his deep voice. ¡°We don¡¯t even need to look to the stories of their treachery; they¡¯ve already proven it with their actions, both against Princess Felit?a, and against Prince Garet¡¯s fianc¨¦e.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Captain DeSelo?n said to Felit?a, ¡°perhaps you could read us the message. With a translation, of course, for those of us not versed in Folithan.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°Allow me,¡± Ardon said, taking the scroll back from Felit?a. ¡°¡®My dearest brother, Many centuries ago, our two peoples were able to stand side by side with all the other peoples of the world in friendship and harmony. We were as one people, working together for mutual benefit and prosperity. In those days, neither of our peoples feared or reviled the other. In most things, we agreed. However, for those occasions when we disagreed, our ancient forebears built a great city on the neutral island of Scovese, where delegates from all the different nations and peoples could meet to discuss and solve their differences. So brilliant and successful was this idea that the gods themselves blessed it and decreed that whenever any one nation or people should desire a meeting there, all others should oblige them. Such was the way our ancestors kept the peace.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Barnol interrupted. ¡°Volgs and humans living in harmony? They are creatures of Night. The point of Scovese was to keep them in line.¡±


    ¡°I do not need a lecture on theology, my lord,¡± Ardon said. ¡°I am merely reading what is written.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, your Grace,¡± Barnol said.


    Ardon cleared his throat and continued, ¡°¡®Alas, no peace is everlasting. There came a time when our differences were so great, that even discussion at the meeting place on Scovese could not solve them. A terrible war broke out between our peoples and Scovese was abandoned. For over two millennia, it has remained unused. For many, it has become a place of legend.


    ¡°¡®It is my firm belief that the time is long past for us to renew the friendships of long ago, and dearly hope that you, too, will share this belief. I hereby invoke the ancient law placed down by the gods themselves and call for a meeting on the island of Scovese between all the peoples of the world to take place as soon as all involved are reasonably able to make their journeys there. I look forward to meeting you, my brother, and rekindling the prosperity our two peoples once enjoyed. May our descendants reap forever more the benefits of the legacy we will create there.


    ¡°¡®In the names of the Holy Triumvirate: the Father, the Keeper, and the Spirit of Nature.¡¯ Then it¡¯s signed with a name written in a different script. That¡¯s followed with ¡®seventy-sixth of my name, son of,¡¯ and then another name written in the other script. Finally, in a post-script, he provides co-ordinates for the location of Scovese.¡±


    ¡°His little ending there about the the Holy Tri-whatsits,¡± Barnol said, scratching his beard. ¡°That gives his lie away quite clearly. Everyone knows Volgs are Darkness Worshippers, all of them.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± the Queen said. ¡°It¡¯s been over two millennia since a meeting was called there. Why call one now? It must be a trick.¡±


    ¡°Can we afford to take that risk?¡± Cerus asked. ¡°Your Grace, what about the Law of the Gods?¡±


    Ardon rubbed his chin. ¡°A difficult question to answer. If the Volgs are sincere, then we are obligated to go. The question is, how do we know if they are sincere?¡±


    ¡°They must be lying,¡± Annai said.


    ¡°Must they?¡± the Patriarch responded. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re¡­evil.¡±


    Ardon smiled at her. ¡°Even evil beings tell the truth sometimes when it suits their purposes, my dear. Think of it, your Majesties. What better ploy! They arrange for us to be suspicious of them by making attacks on members of the Royal Family and their friends. Then they call for a meeting on Scovese, going so far as to actually be prepared for one. However we, in our suspicions, believe them to be treacherous, so do not go. But because they were prepared to hold a meeting¡ªperhaps even actually hold one with those of other races who do show up¡ªwe are the ones who have broken the law. We are the ones who must pay in the afterlife.¡±


    ¡°Bah!¡± Barnol Friaz spat. ¡°Surely the gods would see through such subterfuge. They would know us innocent of any crimes.¡±


    Ardon gave a half nod¡ªmore a tilt of his head. ¡°That is a valid interpretation.¡±


    ¡°So, you believe we should make the journey, your Grace?¡± DeSelo?n asked.


    ¡°It is not an easy decision, my son. However, yes, I think it is probably the best course of action, as undesirable as it might be.¡±


    ¡°I disagree,¡± the Queen said. ¡°We will not be played for fools by these creatures. And I am willing to justify my decision in the afterlife to the gods if necessary. They will be my judge. All that¡¯s left to be decided then is what to do with the Volg ambassador.¡±


    ¡°I agree with his Grace,¡± Cerus said. ¡°I believe we should make the journey.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± the Queen snapped. ¡°You¡¯re overruled, Cerus.¡±


    So much for discussion, Felit?a thought. Personally, she wasn¡¯t certain what her own opinion was. Everything had happened so quickly. If the Volgs were sincere, though, it might be a chance to learn about Corvinian. But if they weren¡¯t sincere...


    ¡°Father, this is your decision,¡± Cerus said. ¡°However, at the very least, I believe it deserves further discussion.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a decision to be taken lightly, is it?¡± the King said. He fiddled with some of the spoiled papers on the desk, frowning at them.


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard my opinion, Wavon,¡± the Queen said. ¡°You would be a fool to disregard it. If the doubtful sincerity of the Volgs is not enough to convince you, think of the logistics of such a voyage. It would take ages to reach there. The Great Ocean is aptly named. Even with the coordinates, finding the island would be like searching for a needle in a haystack!¡±


    ¡°I suppose either decision will require a lot of discussion about how to handle it,¡± the King said with a sigh, heading over to the bust of Queen Felit?a. ¡°Bound to take all night. And I was so looking forward to the ball following the banquet. I suppose we¡¯ll have to reschedule.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we should take a vote,¡± Cerus suggested. ¡°Just to know for certain where everyone stands. It could be the basis of further discussion.¡±


    ¡°I vote no,¡± Annai said.


    ¡°Thank you, my dear,¡± the King said, ¡°but I don¡¯t think that will be necessary. Votes just produce deadlocks around here, anyway.¡± He ran his hand over the bust of Queen Felit?a, almost lovingly brushing the stone cheeks. ¡°It was so much easier when you made all the decisions,¡± he whispered.


    ¡°Wavon, your mother has been dead for many years,¡± the Queen said. ¡°She cannot make the decision for you. Either make it yourself or let me.¡±


    The King sighed and put the bust back on the cabinet. He turned around and placed his hands on his wife¡¯s shoulders, gently massaging them. ¡°Oh, I have made my decision, my love. I have.¡±


    ¡°Then do tell us, Wavon,¡± the Queen said.


    After he told them, the real debate began.

 Chapter 11: Split Up (Part 3)

    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, no?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°Last I checked, no only has one meaning,¡± Zandrue replied.


    ¡°You know what I mean,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Why?¡±


    Zandrue leaned on the desk. ¡°Please don¡¯t ask me to explain. Just accept that I can¡¯t go. Okay?¡±


    They were in the study cabinet at the top of the small spiral stairs in her apartments. Cabinet! There had been a time when she wouldn¡¯t have thought anything odd of calling it a cabinet, but fifteen years living as a commoner had made her realise that a room that was as big as a small home did not deserve to be called a cabinet.


    But what to call the room was not really a concern at the moment. Zandrue was. ¡°Zandrue, do you have any idea how long I had to argue to get them to agree to let you come? We were up all night.¡± At first, her mother had refused to even let Felit?a come along. Her father had agreed, but it had taken ages of arguing to get her mother¡¯s agreement, and ages more to get an agreement for any of her friends to come with her. In the end, they had decided that only one of them could come. She wanted Zandrue.


    Zandrue took a deep breath before continuing. ¡°I understand that, Felit?a. Really, I do. And I appreciate it. But you should have asked me first if I even wanted to go.¡±


    ¡°But I thought¡ª¡±


    ¡°You thought wrong. You¡¯re just going to have to accept that there is no way in hell that I am going to Scovese.¡±


    Felit?a sighed. She should have considered this. The fear coming from Zandrue was the same fear that always came with anything related to her secret past¡ªwhich Felit?a now knew had something to do with Volgs. But she had thought that since Zandrue had stood up to Volgs for the sake of Corvinian and wanted to help find and rescue him, she would be willing to go to Scovese and face the Volgs there.


    ¡°Zandrue, I don¡¯t suppose maybe you¡¯d be willing to tell me about...well, whatever your connection to the Volgs is?¡±


    ¡°You said I didn¡¯t have to, that you understood.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. I did.¡±


    ¡°Then stop fucking asking me about it!¡± Zandrue swung her arm across the desk, scattering papers and pens on it. A vial of ink landed with a smack on the hardwood floor, shattering and splashing its contents about. With a vicious kick, she sent the chair flying across the room. It landed precariously at the top of the stairs, teetered for a moment, and then toppled over. A moment later, it crashed into the floor of the salon below.


    Felit?a wiped a splotch of ink from beneath her eye and backed away from Zandrue¡ªand the anger spewing from her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have brought it up.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. You shouldn¡¯t have. Just like you shouldn¡¯t have assumed I¡¯d go anywhere you want without even discussing it with me first.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness?¡± The voice came from below. ¡°Is everything all right?¡±


    Felit?a hurried to the top of the stairs and looked down. It was Stela. ¡°Yes, everything¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°But the chair?¡±


    ¡°Just a little accident. Nothing to worry about. I¡¯ll get it in a minute.¡±


    ¡°Of course, your Highness. Prince Garet and his fianc¨¦e are here to see you.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Show them in. I¡¯ll be down in a minute. Better move the chair aside, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Of course, your Highness.¡±


    Felit?a turned away from the stairs. She could guess why Garet was here.


    Zandrue was leaning on the desk, taking deep breaths. The anger from her was subsiding, replaced by guilt¡ªthough less intense. ¡°Sorry for the ruckus. I got a little carried away. I just...uh...I can¡¯t go to Scovese, okay?¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°I know. I¡¯m sorry. I know how Volgs affect you, and I should have¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the Volgs,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about Volgs being there. It¡¯s got nothing to do with that. I just can¡¯t risk...that is, I mean, things might be a lot worse if I go than if I don¡¯t. That doesn¡¯t make any sense, I know, but trust me, okay?¡±


    ¡°Always,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°But I do need to go.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I agree. You definitely need to go.¡±


    ¡°What will you do?¡±


    Zandrue smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve got a few ideas. I¡¯ll take Rudiger and Jorvan with me. Meleng should go with you.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Brains! Get down here! We need to talk!¡±


    Felit?a groaned. ¡°I better¡ª¡±


    ¡°Go on,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I¡¯ll be down in a minute.¡±


    Felit?a gave Zandrue a quick hug and hurried down the stairs into the salon.


    Garet was pacing back and forth. He had changed out of his banquet finery from last night, and was now wearing a plain cream doublet without a jerkin and simple, knee-breeches. His sword was still belted at his side. ¡°There you are. No doubt you¡¯ve heard this nonsense about Scovese.¡±


    ¡°I just spent all night arguing the details with Mother and Father,¡± she replied.


    Stela came over to offer a glass of wine, but Felit?a shook her head.


    ¡°Arguing the details?¡± Garet said. ¡°You should have been arguing against it. You¡¯ve had experience with Volgs. You know they can¡¯t be trusted. Besides, when have you ever agreed with anything that woman does?¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Quilla was sitting in a chair opposite the fireplace. Like Garet, she had changed out of her banquet clothing and was now wearing a simple green kirtle, belted at the waist with a soft leather girdle. A small red purse hung from the girdle. She still wore the same heart-shaped locket she was wearing yesterday.


    Felit?a smiled at her, and Quilla smiled back.


    ¡°Well? Say something!¡± Garet was practically breathing down her neck now.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t Mother¡¯s decision. It was Father¡¯s.¡± She moved away from him and pulled up a chair beside Quilla.


    ¡°Father¡¯s decision?¡± Garet said. He looked unsure what to say next.


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°He made it pretty quickly, too. Mother was completely against the idea. The majority of the time was just working out the details, including who¡¯s going and who¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Garet began, ¡°then...whosever decision it was doesn¡¯t matter. We have to fight it!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°What do you mean, why?¡± Garet stomped across to the other side of the room, then turned around and stomped back again. ¡°Come on, Brains! You think you¡¯re so smart. Surely you can figure out that this is a trick.¡±


    ¡°Garet¡¯s right,¡± Quilla said. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly trust them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°But I still think we should make the journey.¡±


    ¡°What? So they can ambush us on the way, sink our ship and kill half the Royal Family with it?¡± Garet banged his fist against the wall. ¡°I thought you, of all people, would understand, Brains. You¡¯re smart. You¡¯ve met them before. You¡¯ve always gone out of your way to oppose everything this family does. Why the sudden desire to fit in?¡±


    ¡°My decision has nothing to do with fitting in,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I think we should go because it will give us the opportunity the learn what the Volgs are up to.¡±


    ¡°Fat chance we¡¯ll have of that if they sink us on the way.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re taking naval vessels along with us in case they try something like that.¡±


    Garet raised his hands in mock defeat. ¡°Oh, that¡¯ll solve all our problems.¡±


    He pulled up a chair in front of her and Quilla, sat in it, and leaned forward. ¡°Look Brains, you may be smart, but you obviously don¡¯t know much about naval tactics. We wouldn¡¯t stand a chance in a sea battle against the Volgs. They can fly, damn it! They won¡¯t even need to get close to board us. The battle will be over before it¡¯s begun.¡±


    He had a valid point there, Felit?a realised. She hadn¡¯t thought of that. ¡°There¡¯s the Law of the Gods to consider.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± He pushed his chair back and stood up again. He paced over to the fireplace and leaned against the mantle. ¡°Those laws mean nothing now. The gods abandoned us centuries ago.¡±


    ¡°They did that to protect us from Night,¡± Felit?a responded. Despite her religious training, she had never been particularly religious, so she was surprised to find herself defending this situation now, when at any other time, she would probably be agreeing with Garet. ¡°If they hadn¡¯t, we¡¯d all be living under Night¡¯s yoke.¡±


    Garet banged his fists against the mantle, causing the candles on it, and even the portrait of Queen Felit?a above to shake. ¡°She would never have fallen for this.¡±


    Felit?a sighed. ¡°Father seemed to think she¡¯d go. That¡¯s why he made the decision he did.¡±


    Garet turned back around to face her. ¡°Yeah, well, Father¡¯s never been particularly good at knowing what other people will do.¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± Quilla said, ¡°do we have to argue about this? Garet, why don¡¯t you sit back down and let¡¯s discuss this rationally?¡±


    ¡°I am discussing this rationally!¡± Garet pointed at Felit?a. ¡°She¡¯s just not being reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Garet!¡± Quilla snapped. ¡°Sit down and calm yourself. I don¡¯t like the idea of going to Scovese any more than you do, but give Felit?a a chance to explain her reasons. Maybe she has a point.¡±


    ¡°A point?¡±


    ¡°Garet!¡±


    Garet grabbed another chair and sat down in front of them. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and proceeded to scowl at Felit?a.


    ¡°I think we should go because it will help us find Corvinian,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Oh, you think he¡¯s going to be on Scovese? Get real, Brains.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to be on Scovese, but I think maybe someone who knows something will be. The timing between his kidnapping and now this meeting can¡¯t be coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Garet grumbled.


    ¡°And maybe we can find that person and find out where Corvinian is being held.¡±


    ¡°You really think there¡¯s a chance of that?¡± Quilla asked. Felit?a could sense a great deal of fear coming from her, but there was a hint of hope too.


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°But how can you be sure he¡¯ll still be alive?¡± Quilla said. ¡°It¡¯s a long way there, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°A couple months, at least,¡± Felit?a said.


    Garet jumped to his feet again. ¡°Which is exactly why this a stupid plan. Every day we waste is another day they could kill him. We can¡¯t afford to wait a couple more months.¡±


    ¡°I want to trust you, Felit?a,¡± Quilla said, ¡°but Garet¡¯s right. How can you be sure the Volgs won¡¯t kill him?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Felit?a said, ¡°but I know he¡¯s alive now, and there has to be a reason for that. If they wanted him dead, they¡¯d have killed him already.¡±


    ¡°And what if you¡¯re wrong?¡± Garet said.


    ¡°That¡¯s where I come in.¡± Zandrue had descended the stairs and was coming over to them. She grabbed a glass of wine from Stela on the way. ¡°My friends and I aren¡¯t going to Scovese. We¡¯re going to explore other options.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡± Garet said.


    ¡°For a start, I¡¯m going to check out that cave you found Quilla in. There might be some clues left behind.¡±


    ¡°Will you be able to find it?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°With some directions from Garet and Quilla here, it should be possible.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know the region well,¡± Quilla said. ¡°The Volgs took me there. I¡¯m not sure I could give precise enough directions. I didn¡¯t really pay attention. Garet?¡±


    Garet crossed and uncrossed his legs. ¡°About two days north of the city, past the Royal Hunting Grounds, a few miles outside the village of Elbeth. It¡¯s along the coast, in a low cliff. I could show you if I didn¡¯t have to go on this gods-damned journey.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I¡¯ll find it. What can you tell me about the Volgs who captured you, Quilla? Did Garet kill them all? Did any escape?¡±


    ¡°There was a priest or something, wasn¡¯t there?¡± Garet asked Quilla.


    Quilla nodded. ¡°He was called Nibdenoff. He¡¯s the one I saw most.¡±


    ¡°Describe him.¡±


    Quilla shrugged. ¡°He was big¡ªhuge¡ªbut they all are. Horns.¡±


    ¡°Long horns without a curve?¡± Zandrue asked. ¡°Seven and a half feet tall? Grey and brown fur?¡±


    ¡°I think so. Maybe. Honestly, they all look the same to me. Though he had long black fingernails. And they were sharp. He scratched my face with them more than once.¡±


    Zandrue nodded and looked to Felit?a. ¡°Sounds like the one I fought. The one that killed Stavan.¡±


    ¡°He called me Catalyst,¡± Quilla said. ¡°Any idea what that means?¡±


    Zandrue shrugged and looked to Felit?a again.


    ¡°A catalyst,¡± Felit?a said, ¡°is something that starts or boosts something else. I don¡¯t have any idea why they¡¯d call Quilla that. Unless she can boost Corvinian¡¯s powers somehow. Or someone else¡¯s. We need to get Jorvan to have a look at you, Quilla. Find out if you have magical talent.¡±


    ¡°There was another one called Castroff,¡± Quilla said. ¡°I think he was in charge, but he wasn¡¯t there often. Nibdenoff was in charge the rest of the time.¡±


    ¡°This Castroff,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°was he a wizard?¡±


    Quilla shrugged. ¡°He never did anything magical that I saw. Doesn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t, though.¡±


    ¡°Castroff wasn¡¯t there when I got there,¡± Garet added, ¡°so I never saw him.¡±


    ¡°Could be the one who took Corvinian,¡± Felit?a suggested.


    ¡°Seems possible,¡± Zandrue said.


    Garet sighed. ¡°All right then, Brains. Looks like I¡¯m trusting your friends to do this right while we go to gods-damned Scovese. This better work.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Zandrue said.


    But Felit?a could sense that all of them, Zandrue included, were still very worried.

 Chapter 11: Split Up (Part 4)

    ¡°Another truffle?¡± Barnol Friaz asked, holding out the tray to him.


    Dyle shook his head, and Barnol offered it to the others. Sam also passed it up, but Vellon grabbed a handful. Barnol actually looked displeased by that as it left fewer for himself. Their other companion didn¡¯t even bother to decline. He just sat there, unmoving.


    ¡°They¡¯re good,¡± Vellon said, stuffing his disgusting face full of the truffles. ¡°Give your cook my compliments.¡± He sprayed bits of the food around him as he spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to tell him,¡± Barnol said, wiping bits of the sprayed food off his jerkin before popping a truffle into his own fat face.


    ¡°So, who exactly is going on this trip?¡± Dyle asked. Nothing could have been more ill-timed and inconvenient than this sudden move by the Volgs. Damn them! What were they playing at? Someone should have warned him. Someone was going to pay.


    ¡°The King and Queen, of course,¡± Barnol answered once he¡¯d finished his next truffle. ¡°Prince Cerus as well.¡±


    Dyle raised his eyebrows. ¡°The King and his heir?¡±


    Barnol nodded. ¡°Oh yes, his Royal Highness was quite insistent on it. It was debated for quite a while, but eventually it was agreed to let him go. With Cerus going, that meant they had to decide to take Garet along as well. He¡¯s far too emotional to be left here in charge.¡±


    ¡°And Quilla?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, she¡¯ll be going, too. Garet doesn¡¯t go anywhere without her.¡±


    Dyle nodded. That was perhaps for the best. He was far too tempted to pay a visit to Quilla and her husband-to-be, but he¡¯d worked too long and too hard to throw it all away with a stupid move like that. With them gone, so was the temptation. The joy of killing Prince Garet could wait for another time. ¡°How about Felit?a?¡±


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s going, to be sure.¡±


    ¡°Damn!¡± Dyle said. ¡°This ruins everything.¡± He looked over at their silent companion, lounged out in the chaise longue. ¡°So much for your plan.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t jump to conclusions,¡± their companion said, speaking for the first time since they¡¯d arrived. ¡°Hear out your friend first.¡±


    Dyle looked back at Barnol, who continued, ¡°Princess Felit?a argued quite vehemently that she and her companions should be allowed on the journey. The Queen, you might guess, was opposed.¡±


    ¡°You, of course, argued that she should not go, as well,¡± Sam said.


    ¡°Oh, naturally,¡± Barnol told the bald man. He popped another truffle in his mouth. Dyle rolled his eyes. No wonder he was so fat.


    ¡°But you weren¡¯t convincing enough, I take it?¡± Sam said.


    ¡°Alas, no,¡± Barnol said. ¡°The King has a soft spot for his daughters, especially Felit?a. In the end, he agreed to let her and one of her companions go. The others have to stay behind.¡±


    Dyle leaned forward, intrigued. ¡°Which ones?¡±


    ¡°Initially, that woman Cerus has been flirting with was to go, but oddly, the next morning Felit?a announced that the Eloorin fellow was going with her instead. The others remain behind.¡±


    Dyle sighed with relief. ¡°Then not all is lost.¡±


    There was a knock at the door. ¡°Come!¡± Barnol yelled.


    A guard wearing the trout sigil of House Friaz entered. A brown-haired boy of about sixteen stood behind him.


    Barnol smiled. ¡°Calvan! Do come in!¡±


    The boy passed the guard and entered the room. Once he was in, the guard stepped back out and closed the door. ¡°Hello cousin,¡± the boy said. ¡°I came as quickly as I could. What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Barnol patted the seat beside him. ¡°Please, have a seat, my boy. Truffle?¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Calvan took one from the tray and sat beside his cousin. ¡°Who are these people?¡±


    ¡°Oh, these are just some friends of mine.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re Eloorin. The Queen will not be happy to have them in the palace.¡±


    Definitely his father¡¯s son, Dyle thought.


    ¡°Oh, now now,¡± Barnol said. ¡°You know the Queen and I are on the best of terms. I¡¯m her most trusted confidante. You don¡¯t think I¡¯d do something without her sanction, do you?¡±


    ¡°I suppose not,¡± Calvan said. ¡°What did you want?¡±


    Barnol pointed across the room to Dyle. ¡°This is Dyle Aderman. He has something he¡¯d like to say to you.¡±


    ¡°Mister Aderman,¡± Calvan said.


    ¡°I know we haven¡¯t met, Calvan,¡± Dyle began, ¡°but your father and I are associates of a sort.¡±


    ¡°I find that difficult to believe,¡± Calvan replied.


    ¡°So did your father apparently. You see, several months ago, we reached a little agreement, he and I. However, just as I¡¯d left Tyl, your father saw fit to breach that agreement by sending his cronies to kill me. Now, normally, I¡¯d respond by having your father killed. Unfortunately, I still need him. However, he does need to be taught a lesson.¡±


    The boy recoiled. ¡°How dare you threaten me! Cousin, how can you let him speak to me like that? I¡¯m a Folith! When my father finds out¡ª¡±


    ¡°I fully intend for your father to find out, boy,¡± Dyle said.


    The boy never saw it coming. He opened his mouth to spew more drivel, but all that came out was blood. He looked down in shock at the dagger sticking out of his chest and then at his cousin¡¯s hand still holding the hilt. ¡°Cousin, why?¡± he gurgled, and died.


    ¡°Oh dear, dear,¡± Barnol complained. ¡°You¡¯ve gone and got blood all over my nice, clean doublet.¡± Grumbling, he let go of the dagger and grabbed for the tray of truffles. ¡°Damn! It¡¯s all over my tray of treats, too.¡± In disgust, he tossed the tray and its contents onto the floor and looked accusingly at Dyle.


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame me. Blame Mitchal Plavin.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve certainly made an enemy of him today,¡± Barnol said.


    Dyle shrugged. ¡°Send him the boy¡¯s head. Dump the body in the sea.¡±


    Barnol nodded. He put his fingers to his lips and whistled. The door opened and the guard from before entered. ¡°Get rid of this thing, will you? Save me the head, but dump the body.¡±


    The guard bowed, and picked up Calvan Plavin.


    ¡°Oh, and make sure you¡¯re not seen,¡± Barnol added.


    ¡°Of course, my lord,¡± the guard said, then left the room carrying the boy¡¯s body.


    ¡°Now then,¡± Dyle said, ¡°I believe you were telling me who was going on the trip to Scovese.¡±


    Barnol dabbed at the blood on his clothes with a kerchief. ¡°Oh yes. Princesses Annai and Sinit?a will also be going. The rest of the Royal Family is staying here. With Gabriella still in Dorg, that leaves Malef in charge.¡±


    ¡°How malleable is Malef?¡± Sam asked.


    ¡°A damn sight more so than the Queen, I¡¯ll tell you that! We could use this to our advantage. Alternatively, this might be the time to make a bigger move. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard how much Malef loves to hunt. I¡¯m sure I could arrange for something to happen to him. Hunting accidents are known to happen. No one is likely to question it.¡±


    It was tempting. ¡°No,¡± Dyle said. ¡°It¡¯s too early for that. Just see to it that Prince Malef doesn¡¯t do anything that might¡­bother us.¡±


    ¡°As you wish,¡± Barnol said.


    ¡°What of Felit?a¡¯s latest cronies?¡± Sam asked. ¡°That army captain and his three men.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re Kingsguard now,¡± Barnol replied. ¡°They go where the King goes.¡±


    ¡°Which means they won¡¯t be with the Isyar and the others who stay behind,¡± Dyle said. ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Just what are you planning to do?¡± Barnol asked.


    Vellon laughed, showing those horrid, filed-to-a-point teeth of his. ¡°Should we tell him?¡±


    Dyle shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I intend to give them something they¡¯ll never expect. You don¡¯t need to know any more. Just inform me the moment Zandrue, Rudiger, and Jorvan leave.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Barnol said. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    Dyle shook his head. ¡°That will be all. We should be going now.¡±


    ¡°One last thing,¡± their quiet companion said, standing up from the chaise longue. He walked over to Barnol Friaz, patting Sam¡¯s bald head as he went by. The huge Eloorin did not look impressed.


    ¡°What would you like?¡± Barnol asked cheerfully.


    The man dropped a small velvet pouch on the fat Folith¡¯s lap. Barnol looked at it with interest, picked it up and went to draw the string. ¡°Ah ah!¡± the man said, stroking his moustache. ¡°Wait until after we¡¯re gone to look at it. Just know that it¡¯s to be kept safe until I return for it.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Barnol said. ¡°Anything you say!¡±


    ¡°What are you up to?¡± Dyle asked.


    ¡°Just preparing for eventualities. You don¡¯t need to know anything else,¡± the man said, mimicking Dyle¡¯s words the same way he had done in Tyl with Lidda Plavin¡¯s.


    Dyle scowled and the scar on his cheek began to itch again. This was another man he was growing impatient to kill.

 Chapter 12: Interrogation (Part 1)

    I¡¯ll be fine.


    Zandrue blinked as the cold sleet dripped from her forehead into her eyes. Instinct made her try to wipe it away, but the ropes binding her to the tree prevented that.


    I¡¯ll be fine.


    That was what she¡¯d told Felit?a when she¡¯d last seen her. That was what she¡¯d told Rudiger just earlier today when she¡¯d set out on her own to find the cave. Now, here she was, a rope wrapped several times around her chest and arms, binding her to a tree, another rope similarly binding her ankles. She was being drenched by driving sleet, and waiting for Darkers to decide who got to kill her.


    I¡¯ll be fine.


    She would, too. She¡¯d been in worse predicaments. This was nothing. Not like fighting for her life to protect Corvinian from the Volgs. Not like being sacrificed to the desert sun by a bunch of Collogs. Unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t quite sure yet how she was going to get out of this one. The rope was tied just a little too well and too tight. She couldn¡¯t free herself from it¡ªnot without ripping all the flesh off her arms.


    Nor could she hear what her captors were saying. They were huddled a short distance away, five of them in total, trying to use the trees as shelter from the weather, but they weren¡¯t having a lot of luck. She was certain they were discussing her fate, but that was all she could tell. The bald one frequently glanced in her direction to make sure she was still there. She flashed him a cold smile each time, but it was unlikely he could see it. It was too dark to see much more than shadows.


    Somewhere in the forest, a wolf howled. Another soon joined it. Her captors barely acknowledged them, but continued to talk amongst themselves. Perhaps they simply intended to let her freeze to death. It probably wouldn¡¯t take long. Her clothes were already soaked through, her skin icy cold. She wasn¡¯t sure, but she thought icicles might be forming on her chin and earlobes. Why was the weather always at its worst whenever she got caught?


    It had all started out well enough. A few days ago, Zandrue had begun looking into some old contacts in Arnor City. She would have preferred to wait a few more days so she could see Felit?a and Meleng off. She felt bad that she¡¯d had to refuse to go with Felit?a; the least she could do was be there when Felit?a left. However, Garet had insisted she start on the search for Corvinian as soon as possible, and she couldn¡¯t blame him. So much time had passed already. The truth none of them¡ªespecially Felit?a¡ªwas willing to admit was, finding Corvinian now pretty much required a miracle.


    So they¡¯d made do with spending a final evening together¡ªshe, Felit?a, Rudiger, Meleng, and Jorvan¡ªduring which they¡¯d drunk far too much, told tales, and sung songs. Well, Jorvan didn¡¯t sing due to religious reasons, but the rest of them sang, some of them¡ªRudiger mainly¡ªreally badly. The next day, Felit?a and Meleng had started preparations to set sail, and Zandrue had gone into the city.


    Arnor City had changed a lot since she¡¯d last been there, but some things were eternal. Finding what she wanted was not hard.


    ¡°Sonna!¡± Eggar had exclaimed upon seeing her. ¡°How wonderful to see you again! It¡¯s been so long. You are Sonna, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯ve grown a lot¡ªand filled out very nicely, I must say¡ªbut you still have her look.¡±


    She had simply nodded.


    Eggar looked down at the two guards, who were now sleeping soundly on the floor. ¡°You have Sonna¡¯s touch, too.¡± He turned to his other companions, seated at the table. ¡°To this day, I have still never met another sixteen-year-old girl who could beat the crap out of two full-grown men¡ªstrong men, I might add. Just waltzed in here unannounced like today, and insisted on being heard. My guards at the time learned the hard way you don¡¯t say no to her.¡± He laughed. ¡°Believe me, boys, you don¡¯t want to cross her.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think there are some ways I wouldn¡¯t mind crossing her,¡± one of the men at the table said with a laugh and nudged the man next to him. He looked at Zandrue with lusty eyes. The others at the table did not join his laugh.


    Eggar needed only a couple steps to reach the man. He grabbed the back of the man¡¯s head by his hair and slammed his face into the table, then pulled his head back up again. Blood from his shattered nose dribbled through the man¡¯s bushy beard.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say the exact opposite of that?¡± Eggar said. ¡°Next time, show respect, or you¡¯ll get worse than the two on the floor.¡±


    The man stuttered apologies.


    ¡°Now get out of here! Oh, and drag those two unconscious dolts out with you. When they wake up, tell them they¡¯re fired.¡±


    The man stumbled from his chair, grabbed one of the guards¡¯ arms, and hurried from the room.


    ¡°Looks like there¡¯s a free space at the table,¡± Eggar said. ¡°Care to join us?¡±


    Zandrue slid into the chair. Eggar took the chair he had vacated only a short while before.


    ¡°Mitch, Eraak,¡± Eggar said, ¡°this is Sonna. You are still going by Sonna, I take it?¡±


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s Zandromeda now. Zandrue for short.¡±


    The man whose seat she¡¯d just taken slunk back into the room to grab the second guard. Eggar glared at him, but said nothing while he dragged the guard from the room.


    Once he was gone, Eggar smiled. ¡°Zandromeda, huh? Good name. I think you could do it, too?¡±


    ¡°Do it?¡±


    ¡°Kill a Volg,¡± he said.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like to brag.¡±


    He laughed. ¡°Unfortunately, most people in these parts don¡¯t know the story.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Their loss.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this story then?¡± the one called Eraak said. He was a greasy-looking Eloorin with wide shoulders, a wide face, and a flat nose. Mitch, who could well have been Eraak¡¯s twin but for the longer nose, nodded his interest as well.


    ¡°See what I mean?¡± Eggar said and laughed again. Eggar himself was a big man, his girth a mixture of fat and muscle. He was dressed more richly than the other men, in a thick woollen jerkin that was perhaps a bit too warm for the smoky room. Beads of sweat on his bald head glistened in the dim lamplight. He placed a pipe in his mouth and leaned back, looking at Zandrue expectantly.


    Zandrue looked at Mitch and Eraak. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll tell you sometime.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like that,¡± Eraak said, a wide grin on his ugly face.


    ¡°Shall we deal you in?¡± Eggar asked, picking up the cards from the table, and shuffling them.


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°What¡¯s the game?¡±


    ¡°Crowns,¡± Eggar replied, and began to deal. ¡°What else?¡±


    Zandrue smiled. ¡°I should have known.¡± He¡¯d been playing Crowns the first time she¡¯d met him.


    The men tossed some coins onto the table. Only copper, she was glad to see since she didn¡¯t have a whole lot. Perhaps if she were lucky, though, she might win a bit. She tossed her ante onto the table.


    ¡°So, what can I do to help you?¡± Eggar asked as they began to play.


    ¡°I need information,¡± Zandrue answered while looking at her cards.


    ¡°As always,¡± Eggar said. ¡°What was it you wanted last time? Something about Ninifin herbs, wasn¡¯t it?¡± He then addressed the other men, ¡°When the right ones couldn¡¯t be found here in the city, I sent her to Quorge. Never saw her again. That was what? Seven? Eight years ago?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°So, what is it this time? Bread? Cattle?¡± He laughed and the other men laughed with him.


    ¡°I want to know all you can tell me about Darkers, and particularly about the Volgs who have been using a cave about two days north of the city.¡±


    The laughter stopped.


    And that had led her here, to a mostly deserted strip along the western coast of Arnorinn Island. Mostly deserted except for smugglers and Darkness Worshippers, who used the caves in the area as drop-off and departure points for contraband goods.


    Eggar couldn¡¯t confirm any Volgs, though he did say he had heard a few rumours of large shapes flying over the area at night. It had been ages since he¡¯d last heard anything like that, however¡ªnot since there had been some commotion in the area involving Prince Garet about eight months ago. However, he could confirm that Darkers had been active in the area more recently. There was word that they were transporting ¡°important items¡± on and off the island. What those important items were, though, he couldn¡¯t say.


    Once she had that information, she drilled Garet for a few more specifics about the cave and its location, then set out the next morning with Rudiger and Jorvan on the road leading north from Arnor City. That day was sunny, with temperatures above freezing. Unfortunately, that meant that the melting snow had turned the dirt road to mud. Other than that, though, the journey was pleasant enough.


    They travelled northwest past the Royal Hunting Grounds to Elbeth. Beyond that was mostly untamed forest. At Elbeth, the road became little more than a seldom-used trail that wound through the forest, eventually reaching Zunsen lands. However, they didn¡¯t need to go that far.


    They left Elbeth the following morning, following the trail a couple hours before Zandrue left them. Neither Rudiger nor Jorvan had been very happy about that¡ªRudiger out of concern, Jorvan out of distrust. ¡°Look,¡± she¡¯d told them, ¡°this requires stealth. They¡¯re not going to tell us anything if we just blunder in there.¡±


    ¡°What do you plan?¡± Jorvan asked.


    ¡°To watch, listen, and hopefully learn something.¡±


    ¡°But what if you¡¯re caught?¡± Rudiger protested. ¡°You need backup.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve done this sort of thing before. They won¡¯t see me. If you two are along, they likely will see us. Especially if we have the horses with us. Let¡¯s be honest, Rudiger, Borisin is not inconspicuous.¡±


    ¡°At least tell us where the cave is,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°Then we can come after you if needed.¡±


    ¡°Somewhere along the coast,¡± she told him. ¡°That¡¯s all I know. I have to find it first, myself. Just follow me up the coast. But go slowly. I¡¯ll meet you when I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°I can fly ahead,¡± Jorvan suggested. ¡°Then I can find them faster.¡±


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°A flying Isyar is pretty conspicuous. Trust me, it¡¯s best if I go alone.¡± She handed Lucinda¡¯s reins to Rudiger. The look of concern on his face almost made her reconsider and bring them along.


    She reached out and patted Rudiger¡¯s cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine. Trust me.¡±


    I¡¯ll be fine.


    What a fool she¡¯d been. She should have brought them along for all the good her bloody stealth had done her.


    The sleet had started just as she¡¯d reached the shoreline. But that hadn¡¯t been the problem. She had cursed the weather, as it meant she needed to get in closer to be able to see or hear anything. Yet she hadn¡¯t even had a chance to find the cave. As she was moving just inside the edge of the trees, a huge man stepped out from behind a tree in front of her. She turned around, but the others were already surrounding her. Then, the big one had her arms in a tight grip, and before she knew it, she was tied to this blasted tree, unable to wipe the cold, stinging sleet from her eyes.


    At long last, the group of Darkers broke apart and the bald one approached her. He wore woollen robes soaked through from the sleet. A thick scar ran from his forehead and across his cheek. He looked her up and down and scowled. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°You already asked me that,¡± Zandrue replied.


    ¡°Yeah, and I didn¡¯t like your answer.¡±


    ¡°I did say you wouldn¡¯t believe me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not Princess Annai.¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Flippancy was generally not a good response to people who might kill you over it, but she hadn¡¯t been able to resist. ¡°Maybe not, but I¡¯m still worth more to you alive than dead.¡±


    He sneered. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t kill me right away, which means you think I¡¯m worth something to you.¡± She had to blink several times to clear her eyes again, ruining the self-satisfied grin she tried to give him.


    ¡°Maybe we just want to know who you are and if you¡¯ve got any friends,¡± he said.


    The big one came over to them. ¡°Let me have her, Greb. I¡¯ll squeeze the truth out of her.¡± He grabbed her by the chin and sneered at her. He had a lot of strength and it felt almost like he might break her jaw, but she gritted her teeth against the pain and resisted making any noise.


    ¡°Enough, Dramon!¡± Greb said. ¡°Get back to your post.¡±


    Dramon slammed her head against the tree and let go. ¡°Whatever you say.¡±


    Only when the big man wandered off did Zandrue allow herself a groan from the pain. ¡°Is he supposed to frighten me?¡±


    Greb glared back at her. ¡°You should be frightened.¡±


    ¡°Really? Of what? It took five of you ganged up to catch me. Now all you¡¯re doing is a bit of posturing. Why should I be afraid of that? Seems to me, you¡¯re just a bunch of incompetents who got lucky when they caught me. A real interrogator would have had me blabbing ages ago.¡± Riling him might prove dangerous, but it might also get him to say things in the heat of the moment. She just needed to be careful not to push him too far.


    He slapped her hard across the cheek. Her neck twisted from the impact and her other cheek scraped against the bark of the tree. ¡°That¡¯s why you should be frightened,¡± he growled. ¡°Because I hold your life in my hands. Keep playing games with me and I¡¯ll give you to Dramon. So you better start telling me what I want to know.¡±


    ¡°Fine. What do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Name?¡±


    ¡°Annai.¡±


    He slapped her again. ¡°The truth!¡±


    She could tasted blood from biting her lip mixing with the sleet. She was going to look a terrible mess when she got back to Rudiger and Jorvan.


    I¡¯ll be fine. Ha!


    ¡°That is the truth,¡± she spat. ¡°I¡¯m not Princess Annai, but I happen to have her name. You can choose not to believe me if you want, but that¡¯s the truth.¡±


    He grabbed her chin with his hand. He was strong, too, though not as strong as the big guy. ¡°I know your name isn¡¯t Annai. It¡¯s...¡± He let go of her and stepped back, wiping sleet from his face. ¡°Fine, Annai it is then. What were you doing here, Annai?¡±


    Now, that was an interesting slip-up.


    ¡°Going for walk,¡± she said. Stupid, she realised a moment too late.


    He kicked her in the leg, knocking off her balance. Even with the bindings around her, she slid partway down the trunk. She ended in an uncomfortable squatting position, the ropes caught on a knot and refusing to let her slide all the way down.


    ¡°What are you, stupid? You must be a half-wit if you think I¡¯ll believe that!¡± He kicked her again, this time in the stomach and she couldn¡¯t help crying out. ¡°That¡¯s better. Now you¡¯re starting to learn who¡¯s in charge here. Now, answer the question.¡±


    She remained silent for a moment, turning her head to look away from him.


    ¡°Answer!¡±


    How far could she goad him? She¡¯d gotten him to make one slip-up, but could she get him to make another before he¡¯d had enough and just killed her? Best give him something he wanted. ¡°I was looking for you.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°That¡¯s better. And how did you know I was here?¡±


    ¡°Not you personally. I was looking for...your type.¡±


    ¡°Servants?¡± he said with a malicious grin.


    Zandrue sneered. ¡°Darkers.¡±


    ¡°How did you know there were Darkers here?¡±


    ¡°I have my sources.¡±


    He kicked her again and she groaned. ¡°Thanks for telling me the obvious, bitch. I want to know who those sources are!¡±


    When she stayed silent, he kicked her again. She bit her lip again, but she didn¡¯t cry out.


    ¡°Fine!¡± He began to pace around. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll just leave you here. Let you freeze to death!¡±


    A few choice comments came to mind, but Zandrue forced herself not to use them. This was one time she was not going to let sarcasm get the better of her¡ªat least not till it worked to her advantage.


    The scarred man was getting impatient. He was pacing back and forth, rubbing his hands together in an annoyed fashion, and kicking at twigs and rocks on the muddy ground. He repeatedly wiped his face. ¡°What about your friends?¡±


    ¡°What friends?¡± Zandrue replied, holding back the temptation to smile. She was getting the better of him. He¡¯d given up on his last question. The game was hers now. If she could keep it, she¡¯d won.


    ¡°Friends, acquaintances, companions, whoever the fuck you brought along as backup.¡± He went to kick her again, but stopped. Interesting. Was he afraid of hurting her too much? Something else she could use.


    ¡°Who says I came with any?¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve already demonstrated my foolishness with my sarcastic replies to your questions. Maybe I¡¯m foolish enough to do this without backup.¡±


    ¡°Like I believe that.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t done very many of these interrogations, have you?¡±


    His rage broke and he kicked her again. She gasped, but held in the cry of pain. Still raging, he turned away from her. Even in the dark of the sleet-infested night, she could see him shaking. ¡°Where...are...your...friends?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have a friend who set sail on a very long voyage this morning,¡± Zandrue replied. ¡°I suspect she¡¯s somewhere just south of the Arnorinn Strait right now.¡±


    Greb roared and slammed his fist into the trunk of the tree above her head.


    ¡°You missed.¡±


    ¡°Of course I missed!¡± he screamed. ¡°It wasn¡¯t supposed to hit.¡±


    ¡°Temper, temper. Interrogators should remain calm.¡±


    ¡°Calm? I¡¯ll show you calm when I smash your fucking head to a bloody pulp!¡±


    ¡°Then do it.¡±


    He took a step forward and raised a fist, as though he was going to actually do it. He hesitated.


    She grinned. ¡°You can¡¯t, can you? You¡¯re not allowed for some reason.¡±


    He lowered his fist, scowling, but then he smiled. ¡°You¡¯re right, but I¡¯ll tell you what I can do.¡± He fumbled through his wet robe and pulled out a dagger. He held it closer to her face, making cutting and stabbing motions as he spoke. ¡°I could cut off an ear, maybe blind one eye, cut off a finger or two.¡±


    He¡¯d probably do it, too. She¡¯d pushed him far enough.


    ¡°Okay, my friends. You¡¯re right. There are two of them. As for where they are, they¡¯re a bit behind me. I was scouting. They¡¯ll probably be here soon, though.¡±


    He lowered the dagger a little. ¡°Better.¡±


    ¡°If you start running now, you might get away.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± The dagger rose back up.


    ¡°One of my friends is an Isyar, but I think you know that already. Any idea what he¡¯ll do to you?¡±


    He shook the dagger at her. ¡°You¡¯ve got some nerve.¡±


    ¡°He might raise the seawater and drown you. Or have the earth swallow you whole. If you¡¯re lucky, he might just have the wind pick you up and carry you far away. Just hope he doesn¡¯t drop you.¡±


    Greb sneered. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard the stories, and I don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    A yell came from the distance. Then another one.


    ¡°What do you know? Maybe that¡¯s my friend now,¡± Zandrue said.


    One of the other Darkers came running from the direction of the shore. ¡°Greb! They¡¯re here!¡±


    ¡°About fucking time.¡± He lowered the dagger and turned away from her. ¡°Darm, watch her. Make her squirm. But don¡¯t damage her!¡± As he strode off, he glanced back at Zandrue for a moment. ¡°Oh, and by the way, bitch, there are more than five of us.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t surprising and she should have expected it. It hopefully wouldn¡¯t make a difference. Jorvan could handle them. Couldn¡¯t he?


    The newcomer smirked. ¡°Comfy?¡±


    Her legs were on fire, something she had been trying to ignore. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could help me back up into a standing position?¡±


    He stared at her. He was young-looking and not very big, probably no more than sixteen or so.


    ¡°Oh come on. I¡¯m not asking you to free me, just to help me stand. My legs are killing me.¡±


    He stared at her a bit longer, then sighed. ¡°Fine.¡± He approached her, standing directly in front of her, and grabbed her arms just below her shoulders. ¡°How¡¯d you get like this anyway?¡± He tugged on her, trying to pull her up.


    ¡°Your boss kicked me. It made me slide down and I couldn¡¯t get back up again.¡± He was so close to her, she could almost feel the warmth of his breath. She could certainly smell it. She could overpower him easily if she could just move.


    The boy chuckled and tugged some more. ¡°Kicked you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, in the leg. I deserved it.¡± She nodded to the side. ¡°The rope¡¯s stuck on that knot. You need to get it free.¡±


    He let go of her and moved over to the knot. As he tugged on the stuck wraps of the rope, Zandrue pushed forward just a little¡ªnot enough that he was likely to see, but enough that it reduced any slack and made it harder for him to free the rope.


    ¡°You might need to loosen the rope,¡± she said.


    He looked back at her. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not doing that.¡± He tugged on the rope some more and managed to get one wrap free.


    If she could just get a bit of slack in the rope, she might be able to slip out of it. ¡°It¡¯s getting hard to breathe.¡± To make it more believable, she added a slight rasp to her voice. ¡°If you won¡¯t loosen it a little, then tug harder.¡±


    More yells came from the distance, as well as a loud horse whinny, followed by someone screaming. The boy looked in the direction of the beach.


    Zandrue coughed. ¡°Please? What do you think your boss will do if he comes back and finds that I¡¯ve suffocated? You¡¯re not supposed to damage me, remember?¡±


    The boy tugged more on the rope, but it held fast. Zandrue¡¯s chest was starting to ache as much as her legs, as she maintained the pressure on the rope. She gasped for air.


    The boy let go of the rope and kicked the base of the tree. ¡°Fine. How do I loosen it?¡±


    Zandrue allowed herself a smile with her head turned so he couldn¡¯t see. ¡°Find the knot. It¡¯s behind me on the other side of the tree. Undo it.¡±


    ¡°But then you can get free.¡±


    ¡°Not if you don¡¯t let go of the rope. You just let it loosen a little and then retie it. Then you can tug the rope free of the knot and I can stand. You¡¯re only letting the rope loosen a tiny bit, not enough for me to get away.¡±


    The boy nodded and went round the back of the tree. He leaned back to her. ¡°No funny business.¡±


    ¡°Trust me, even if I did get away, I¡¯d just collapse. I¡¯m in that much pain. Please hurry!¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond, and for several seconds, there was only the sound of the blowing wind, and the cries in the distance. Zandrue readied herself. The rope was wrapped several times around the tree, so she was unlikely to able to apply enough strength to pull it away before the kid could do anything. But if she could just get one arm free...


    Finally, the rope loosened a little, and she pushed forwards on it, squirming to pull her arm free.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± the boy cried.


    ¡°Sorry, you loosened it too much and I fell forward.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit! You¡¯re trying to escape!¡±


    He was trying to pull the rope tighter again, and Zandrue squirmed some more. She had to twist her shoulder painfully, but her arm came out.


    The boy ran back round in front of her, a knife in his hand. ¡°Stay still!¡±


    Zandrue tested the rope. It held, but was considerably looser. He had done a poor job of retying the knot, as she¡¯d hoped. She straightened up. ¡°Oh gods, that feels better.¡±


    ¡°I said stay still!¡±


    Zandrue sighed. ¡°What are you going to do with the knife...Darn, was it?¡±


    ¡°Darm.¡±


    ¡°Darm it, got it wrong. But the question stands.¡±


    He waved the knife threateningly, but clumsily.


    ¡°Your boss is a moron. Leaving an inexperienced boy like you to guard me.¡±


    He waved the knife some more. ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kind of insulted.¡±


    ¡°I said shut up!¡± He lunged forward.


    Zandrue shot out with her free arm, caught his wrist, and twisted. He cried out and dropped the knife. He twisted round, trying to get free, but she held him fast. He yelled out.


    ¡°Darm,¡± Zandrue said calmly.


    He cried out again, louder.


    ¡°No one¡¯s coming, Darm. Listen.¡±


    He fell quiet.


    The sounds in the distance had stopped, and there was only the sound of the wind remaining. Darm stopped struggling.


    ¡°Now,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°if you untie me, I¡¯ll put in a good word with my friends, so they don¡¯t do to you whatever they did to your friends.¡±


    Darm didn¡¯t respond immediately, and she hoped she had sounded confidant enough. Truth was, while the battle was at least paused, she couldn¡¯t be sure Rudiger and Jorvan had won. Surely Greb didn¡¯t have that many more than five people. Even if he only had five (four with Darm removed), could she be sure Rudiger and Jorvan would prevail? She really needed to get free.


    ¡°Well?¡± she asked.


    He nodded and she let go of him. He stood up and walk round to the back of the tree. A moment later, the rope loosened again.


    ¡°Now the one around my ankles,¡± Zandrue said as she started to pull the wraps of the rope away from her. A short time later, the rope came loose enough that it fell to the ground. She stepped free of the loops with a grateful sigh, and picked up the knife Darm had dropped. Then she wiped her face with the back of her hand.


    At last.


    Of course, the sleet seemed to be stopping now. That figured.


    She looked back at Darm. He was standing by the tree, looking ready to dart away at any moment. She waved him forward with the knife. ¡°Don¡¯t even think of running. Come with me. I¡¯ll have some questions for you soon.¡± Not to mention she might need a hostage as well. She strode off towards the beach, Darm beside her.

 Chapter 12: Interrogation (Part 2)

    The wind was still howling, and it carried a familiar scent with it. A moment later, Jorvan landed in front of them and folded his wings behind his back. He was drenched, but smiling.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t time your arrival five minutes earlier?¡± Zandrue said.


    Jorvan tilted his head. ¡°I do not...¡±


    Zandrue rolled her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s a joke. I¡¯m already free. If you¡¯d gotten here five minutes ago, you could have rescued me. Get it? No? Never mind.¡±


    Jorvan looked at her blankly. ¡°I thought¡ª¡±


    ¡°This is Darm by the way. That¡¯s Darm, not Darn. I promised him we wouldn¡¯t harm him if he cooperated. Where¡¯s Rudiger?¡±


    ¡°The beach,¡± Jorvan replied. ¡°With other Darkers.¡±


    Zandrue began walking towards the beach. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±


    Jorvan sighed and stood to the side to let her pass.


    She stopped beside him. ¡°Oh, and Jorvan, thank you. If you and Rudiger hadn¡¯t arrived when you did, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten free so easily. So really. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You are...welcome,¡± Jorvan said.


    ¡°Come on.¡±


    When they emerged from the woods, Rudiger was standing over two motionless bodies on the shore, the waves washing up over one¡¯s legs.


    Seeing them, Rudiger limped over and hugged her. ¡°Thank the gods you¡¯re all right.¡± Although his armour pressing against her was cold and slick, there was warmth in his arms and his scent flooded her senses. It felt good.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m fine,¡± she replied, clinging to him. ¡°What about you? Your leg...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Twisted my ankle. The beach is rocky. And the water is freezing!¡± He let go of her.


    ¡°How many were there?¡±


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°Six or seven, I think. Maybe more. A couple ran off. Jorvan?¡±


    ¡°There were ten,¡± the Isyar said.


    Rudiger shrugged again. ¡°There you go. Ten. Who¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Darm. He surrendered. Did you see their leader? Bald guy named Greb. Big scar on his face.¡±


    Rudiger shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°He is this way,¡± Jorvan said, pointing to a cove of trees a short way up the beach.


    As they followed Jorvan, Zandrue touched Rudiger¡¯s arm. ¡°Thanks for not listening to me and coming after me.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make a habit out of it, though,¡± she added with a smirk.


    ¡°Hey! We just followed the beach like you told us to. It¡¯s not our fault you took so long that we caught up to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that all you did?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°Well, maybe Jorvan flew ahead a bit, and happened to notice that they¡¯d taken you. But that was just minor.¡±


    Zandrue laughed. ¡°If the words, I told you so escape your lips, I will tear out your throat, got it?¡±


    Rudiger raised his hands and laughed. ¡°Got it.¡±


    Greb stood against a tree, bands of ice wrapped around his legs, chest and arms holding him pinned there.


    Zandrue grinned. ¡°Ooh, karma! Nice one, Jorvan! Hello, Greb.¡±


    He spat at her.


    ¡°We¡¯ll ignore that one,¡± she said. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s my turn to ask the questions.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you.¡±


    ¡°Watch yourself, buster,¡± Rudiger growled.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, Rudiger,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°He¡¯ll come round. Darm, do you know where my stuff is? Particularly my sword. I don¡¯t want to lose that.¡±


    ¡°Uh...yeah,¡± the boy said. ¡°It¡¯s over that way.¡±


    ¡°Could you go get it?¡±


    ¡°Uh, sure.¡±


    She looked to Rudiger and Jorvan. ¡°Would one of you go with him? Not that I don¡¯t trust you, Darm, but...I don¡¯t trust you.¡±


    Darm gulped.


    ¡°I will go,¡± Jorvan said.


    Darm pointed. ¡°This way.¡± He led Jorvan back towards the beach.


    ¡°Traitor!¡± Greb yelled. ¡°You¡¯re dead, Darm! Dead!¡±


    Zandrue held Darm¡¯s knife to Greb¡¯s throat. ¡°That¡¯s enough of that.¡±


    Greb fell silent.


    ¡°Better,¡± Zandrue said.


    Greb growled. ¡°You won¡¯t get anything out of me.¡±


    Zandrue smiled. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll get something. Words or blood. Your choice.¡±


    When Greb remained silent, she pushed the dagger against his skin just enough to nick it.


    ¡°All right,¡± he said. ¡°Just remove the dagger and I¡¯ll speak.¡±


    ¡°Speak first and then I¡¯ll remove the dagger.¡±


    ¡°Fine, what do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s my name?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You heard me.¡±


    ¡°You said it was Annai.¡±


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t believe me because you already knew my name. I want to know how you knew who I am and that I was coming.¡±


    ¡°We were warned to be on the lookout for you.¡±


    ¡°Me specifically?¡±


    ¡°You and your friends. The three of you.¡±


    ¡°Who told you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know exactly. We received a message saying you were on the way here and that we should take care of you.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t do a very good job of that, did you?¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you kill me as soon as you caught me?¡±


    Greb sighed. ¡°Because I wanted to know why you were so important.¡±


    ¡°Important?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s been talk that a group including Princess Felit?a and an Isyar have been drawing attention from the high-ups in the Servants. The message said you had an Isyar with you and you were coming from the palace. I figured you had to be part of the same group. Look, can you let me free now? I won¡¯t run. I don¡¯t stand a chance against the Isyar. I¡¯ll tell you whatever you want to know.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Zandrue said and backed up. Now that he was talking, a bit of comfort might coax him to talk even more¡ªand she was very interested in learning more about these ¡°high-ups¡± who were so interested in her, Felit?a, and the others. ¡°We¡¯ll need Jorvan to release you though.¡±


    A few minutes later, Jorvan returned, carrying Zandrue¡¯s bow and sheathed sword in one hand, and her pack and quiver in the other. Darm was trundling along beside him, looking about furtively.


    Zandrue took the items from Jorvan. ¡°Thanks.¡± She leaned the bow, quiver, and pack against a tree away from the one Greb was bound to. She then strapped the sword to her belt and turned to face Darm. ¡°Get lost.¡±


    The boy looked at her blankly. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you anymore.¡± She nodded towards Greb. ¡°And I don¡¯t want him killing you. So get the fuck out of here. Go somewhere far away.¡±


    Darm glanced at Greb, then nodded to her.


    ¡°Go on!¡±


    The boy took off, stumbling through the mud and wet snow.


    ¡°Is that wise?¡± Rudiger asked.


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Maybe, maybe not.¡±


    ¡°He could go straight to more Darkers.¡±


    ¡°So? We¡¯d be gone by the time they got here.¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°He¡¯s just a kid, Rudiger.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s also a Darker.¡±


    Zandrue lowered her head to stare at the ground. ¡°True, but not all Darkers join by choice. Some are forced. Especially when they join young.¡±


    Rudiger frowned. ¡°Really?¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°Really.¡± She knew all too well what it was like to be forced to join something at an age too young to resist. ¡°So let¡¯s give the kid the benefit of the doubt.¡±


    ¡°You said you were going to release me,¡± Greb said.


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°Jorvan, release him, but keep an eye on him. If he tries to run, bind him again.¡±


    Jorvan nodded, and with a wave of his hand, the ice holding Greb to the tree melted away.


    ¡°Talk,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°You say people have taken an interest in us, but you don¡¯t know why?¡±


    Greb looked around him and then back at Zandrue. ¡°Yeah, like I said, I was hoping I could find that out from you.¡±


    ¡°And you were willing to disobey orders?¡±


    Greb smirked. ¡°I figured we¡¯d kill you in the end. Didn¡¯t realise just what an Isyar can do. I¡¯d heard stories, but I mean... I guess I never really believed them.¡±


    ¡°So, what do you know?¡± Zandrue asked. ¡°Any other stories being told? Gossip? Rumours? What are you Darkers up to these days?¡±


    Greb shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s something big going on. Only the high-ups know exactly what. The rest of us just follow orders. Recently, we¡¯ve had to send a couple of important shipments south, and before you ask, I don¡¯t know what was in them. I just know they were important and they had to get out of Arnor City without any chance of being found in an inspection.¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°Ninifin eventually, though my job was just to make sure they were on a ship to Lockanith.¡±


    ¡°Ninifin?¡± Lockanith made sense for Darkers, but Ninifin was the last place she expected.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was told,¡± Greb said. ¡°Word is, the order came straight from the Dusk Supreme.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Something about some kid or other. But I don¡¯t really know.¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Zandrue paused for a moment to think. She wasn¡¯t liking this at all.


    ¡°Could that be Corvinian?¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Zandrue turned back to Greb. ¡°Why ship to Lockanith if they¡¯re going to Ninifin? Why not to Bever?¡±


    ¡°We have a way into Ninifin from the south,¡± he said.


    ¡°What do you know of Volgs?¡±


    The scarred man was already shivering from the sleet, but the mention of Volgs made him shiver even more. ¡°There were Volgs here a while back. They were doing something in one of the caves.¡±


    ¡°You saw them?¡±


    ¡°A few from time to time. One spoke to me once.¡± He gulped.


    ¡°What did he say?¡±


    ¡°Just to stay out of their way. I didn¡¯t need telling twice.¡±


    ¡°Are they still around?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°No. Word is they were discovered by Prince Garet and cleared out after he killed a bunch of them.¡±


    ¡°Can you show us the cave?¡±


    ¡°I could, but there¡¯s nothing left there. They were careful to remove everything.¡±


    ¡°You can take us anyway.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll let me go?¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± She motioned to the others. ¡°Jorvan, Rudiger, a word. Oh, and Jorvan, can you make certain our friend here can¡¯t run away?¡±


    Jorvan waved his hand and the muddy ground rose up around Greb¡¯s feet, then froze in place.


    ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Greb said. ¡°I won¡¯t run.¡±


    ¡°Just being certain.¡± She led Rudiger and Jorvan aside.


    ¡°But the ground¡¯s cold!¡±


    ¡°So¡¯s everywhere else!¡±


    Once they were out of his earshot, she said, ¡°Something¡¯s not right.¡±


    ¡°You think he¡¯s lying?¡± Rudiger asked, glancing back at the sorry-looking man, who was struggling to free himself.


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He might be. It¡¯s just all too easy.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°First, I thought it was because you threaten him, but he speaks too easy.¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°Before you two got here, he was completely different. It¡¯s like he was just waiting for us all to be here so he could tell us everything. I mean, sure, fear for their lives can make people do all kinds of things, but he¡¯s not behaving afraid of us. Not anymore¡±


    ¡°You think they¡¯re laying a trap for us?¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°What would be the point? They had me already. Why not kill me before you got here? It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s telling the truth then,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°Maybe. Let¡¯s look at the cave first before we make any decisions.¡±


    They returned to Greb, and after Jorvan released him again, followed him along the wet beach for another half mile before reaching a ridge like the one Garet had described. Inside led to a few caverns connected by short, natural passages that would have been uncomfortable for most Volgs to pass through because of their wings, but they would have been able to squeeze through.


    After an hour of searching, the only thing they¡¯d found other than rocks, stalactites, and stalagmites was a small wooden carving of a goat¡¯s skull. ¡°Looks like one of the Volgs was a budding artist,¡± Zandrue commented when Rudiger showed it to her. It was still rough around the edges and had not been sanded down. ¡°Must have discarded it half-done when they abandoned the place. Or Garet killed him. Still, can¡¯t harm to keep it.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°You never know,¡± she replied. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s important to someone.¡±


    He shrugged and stuffed it in his pack.


    ¡°Can I go now?¡± Greb asked once they¡¯d decided there was nothing more to be found in the cave.


    Zandrue walked over and stood directly in front of him. He was the same height as her, so it was easy to look him directly in the eyes. She inhaled deeply and took careful note of his scent. The sleet was washing away most of his sweat and body oils, but it couldn¡¯t mask his odour entirely. There was a cloying sweetness to it, and just a hint of sea salt. It ought to be enough to recognise him by.


    ¡°Yeah, you can go,¡± she told him. ¡°But if I ever see you again, you won¡¯t get off so lightly. Also, if I find out you killed Darm, I will hunt you down and give you a slow and extremely painful death. Trust me, you won¡¯t be able to hide from me. Oh, and if you happen to know a fellow Darker named Dyle, tell him we know who he is now and that Princess Felit?a sends her regards.¡±


    Greb gulped and nodded.


    ¡°Now get the fuck out of here.¡±


    He ran off, stumbling several times in the mud as he went.


    ¡°Was it wise to tell him that?¡± Rudiger asked.


    ¡°What, to fuck off?¡±


    ¡°No, that we know about that Dyle character.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty certain they know that already. They¡¯ve been keeping tabs on us, remember?¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. So what now?¡±


    ¡°We get back to Arnor City. Where are the horses?¡±


    ¡°A couple miles back down the coast,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°Borisin¡¯s looking after them.¡±


    ¡°Do we go to Ninifin?¡± Jorvan asked as they began the trudge back.


    ¡°Not if we don¡¯t need to,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Ninifin isn¡¯t a place that¡¯s easy to get in and out of. Generally, if you go past the wall in either direction, you have no intention of ever going back the other way. It¡¯s hard to believe the Darkers have a way in and out.¡±


    ¡°Well, these Darkers knew we left the palace,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°They obviously have ins with powerful people. Maybe it¡¯s the same in Ninifin.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Maybe.¡± She turned to Jorvan. ¡°But Ninifins also don¡¯t like Isyar. The Book of Eleuia, their main religious text, calls Isyar the spawn of Nyx, their name for Night. Isyar basically fill the same role in Ninifin beliefs as Volgs fill in Arnorin beliefs.¡±


    Jorvan seemed to take the revelation in his stride. ¡°I see. And if we need to?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure things out then. We¡¯ll go to Lockanith first, and see if we can confirm the story.¡±


    Zandrue wished they could get the news of what they¡¯d learnt back to Felit?a, but Felit?a should be at sea already. They hadn¡¯t been able to make any solid plans for how they would get back together, since nobody knew how long they would be. They had just assumed that Zandrue, Rudiger, and Jorvan would be able to return to Arnor City without much difficulty. But if they were going to have to go to Ninifin, things could get much more difficult.


    Once again, she felt guilty about refusing to go with Felit?a, but it was for the best. She couldn¡¯t risk the galdraif coming upon her on an enclosed ship with nowhere to go.


    An abomination in the eyes of All-Father.


    The Keeper of the Secrets¡¯ words always haunted her.


    For only the sun can abolish the creatures of Night.


    And the Ninifins assigned Isyar that role.


    How little they knew.

 Chapter 13: Indeterminate Destinations (Part 1)

    A warm, humid breeze came off the ocean. Rudiger soaked it in, feeling it brush through his hair and under his arms. With his eyes closed, he could imagine himself back home in Fisvin. The smell of the sea, the taste of salt in the air. It felt just like home. With his eyes open and only looking out across the water, it looked like home, too. Small waves lapped up on the shoreline, falling well short of where they had been just a few minutes earlier (the tide¡¯s quickness was not quite like home, but he could ignore that). Farther out, the silhouettes of fishing vessels and other ships plied the sea.


    Looking in the other direction ruined the image of home, however, so for the moment, he didn¡¯t bother. It was simply nice to enjoy the view of the sea and, most importantly, the warm weather.


    Borisin snorted, and shifted his feet about. Are we just going to stand here? I could do that on the ship. I need exercise.


    Rudiger sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just taking a moment to enjoy the view.¡±


    What view?


    ¡°The sea. The water.¡±


    Any water I can¡¯t drink isn¡¯t worth looking at.


    ¡°I can¡¯t drink it, either,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°But there are lots of things worth looking¡ª¡±


    Good. Then there¡¯s no point sticking around here. The stallion turned and began walking along the beach. Rudiger tried to turn him back to face the water, but Borisin had never been a horse who obeyed his rider when he decided he didn¡¯t want to.


    Rudiger sighed and let him be. It wasn¡¯t as if he couldn¡¯t still look at the ocean. All he had to do was turn his head a bit. Anyway, he was starting to get tired of it himself. Lovely views were all well and good, but there was a limit to how long he could sit still and look at them.


    It had been just over three weeks since they had departed Arnor City, booking passage on a merchant vessel destined eventually for Lockanith. Blessed with good weather, the journey had been swift and had brought them here to Cilling much more quickly than anyone had anticipated. While the ship¡¯s owner haggled and sold his goods, Rudiger, Jorvan, and Zandrue had taken the opportunity to stretch their legs a bit. More particularly, the horses had been eager to get out of their confined space in the hold¡ªespecially Borisin.


    Rudiger rode Borisin by a group of warehouses along the shore. A few of the workers there glanced at their passing and then went back to their jobs. One even called out, ¡°Nice horse!¡± Other than that, the stretch north of Cilling was bare of anything. The beach was smooth and sandy, with only a rare stone or rock to break the monotony of its appearance. To their left, the water continued to recede farther away; to their right lay long grasses, then the main road, and then stretches of farmland.


    Rudiger rode for an hour or so, alternating between a trot, canter, and short gallops, before turning around and heading back towards the town. By this point, Borisin was actually in a good mood, and even seemed less disdainful of the sea. Rudiger, too, was feeling exhilarated from the open air. While the ocean could be nice to look at, being cooped up on a cramped ship was not his idea of a pleasant experience, and he had to go back to it to finish the journey to Lockanith. So, for the moment, he just lost himself in the ride, and the ship journey became, at least temporarily, a distant memory.


    At the warehouses, the same man who had called out before waved and approached. ¡°D¡¯you mind if I get a look at yer horse?¡± he asked, reaching out to Borisin as Rudiger rode slowly up. He was a short, muscular Eloorin wearing a dirty workman¡¯s tunic and breeches. Sweat glistened on his forehead and dripped from the ends of his stringy hair. His face was broad and flat, and his left eyelid drooped. He smiled at Rudiger, revealing teeth that were yellow and rotting.


    Borisin snapped at the man, who snatched his hand away. I don¡¯t like this man. He smells shifty.


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Rudiger asked.


    ¡°Begging your pardon, sir,¡± the man said. ¡°I meant jus¡¯ what I said. I meant no offence. I know horses and just thought I¡¯d like a look at yours. But I¡¯ll jus¡¯ be on my way then. That¡¯s a nice sword you got, too.¡± The man turned around and withdrew back towards the warehouses.


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Rudiger called after him. ¡°Borisin just isn¡¯t very good around strangers.¡± When the man didn¡¯t reply, he rode on back towards the city. ¡°What was that all about?¡±


    Exactly what I said. He smelled shifty.


    ¡°How the hell does someone smell shifty?¡±


    My sense of smell is better than yours. You wouldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Yeah¡­well¡­a dog¡¯s sense of smell is even better than yours!¡± Rudiger wasn¡¯t entirely sure just what that proved. He was well aware that horses had better smell than humans, and Borisin usually had a pretty good sense about these things, but he hated letting the horse get the last word. Still, it made him wonder just what the man had been up to. Probably nothing worth worrying about.


    Cilling had to be the ugliest town Rudiger had ever seen. Tight and cramped, dirty and smelly, and dark. The upper storeys of buildings jutted out over the streets, leaving little space between them and the buildings on the opposite side, and blocking most sunlight from falling on the street itself. The unpaved streets were just churned-up mud¡ªwell, that¡¯s the way Rudiger liked to think of it; he had no illusions that mud was only one of the components of the gook people had to walk through. Only a fool would walk or ride along the thin area between the buildings, not just because of what might be on the ground, but also what might come from above; at any moment, someone in a building above might choose to dump their refuse. So, it was necessary to stay in the shadowy areas under the buildings.


    Luckily, coming up the beach, Rudiger could avoid the main part of town and go straight to the market-docks, the only area of the town that was open to the sky. The only downside here was the streets were so wet and muddy¡ªreal mud this time, or at least Rudiger hoped it was real mud¡ªthat it was possible to actually sink into it. Upon first stepping off the quay at their arrival, his boots had quickly filled up. There was a good reason the sailors and people of the town wore knee-high boots.


    By lucky chance, Zandrue was leading Lucinda up ahead. They were trudging along through the muck. Zandrue had managed to acquire a pair of knee-high boots. ¡°Hey!¡± she exclaimed as he rode up beside her.


    ¡°You should ride,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s easier.¡±


    For you, maybe, Borisin said. But nobody thinks of the horses, do they?


    ¡°My weight was making her sink so low, she couldn¡¯t move,¡± Zandrue replied. ¡°Borisin¡¯s a lot stronger than she is, so you probably haven¡¯t experienced the problem. Of course, if you were truly valiant, you¡¯d let me ride Borisin while you led Lucinda.¡± She flashed him a smile.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Rudiger groaned and dismounted. ¡°Never let it be said I¡¯m not valiant.¡±


    With a laugh, Zandrue mounted. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it.¡±


    Why is it you can flirt with Zandrue, but I can¡¯t with Lucinda?


    ¡°Because we don¡¯t need¡­¡± Rudiger stopped and switched to silent communication. We don¡¯t need any pregnant mares.


    We don¡¯t need any pregnant Zandrues either.


    Yeah, well...whatever...


    ¡°So, what do you think of our beloved Queen¡¯s home town?¡± Zandrue asked.


    ¡°I think,¡± Rudiger began and then groaned as his latest step resulted in one boot filling with mud. How is it he lost all sense whenever she smiled at him?


    Beats me, Borisin said. She¡¯s got nothing on Lucinda.


    Rudiger shook his head.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Zandrue asked.


    ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± he said, pressing on. ¡°I think it¡¯s hard to believe the Queen ever lived here.¡±


    Zandrue smirked. ¡°That¡¯s because she didn¡¯t. Not really. She¡¯s technically from Cilling, but she¡¯s probably never been in it except to pass through it in a palanquin. She actually lived there.¡± Zandrue pointed to the south, where the round towers of Oceanwatch with their conical caps could just be seen in the distance. The massive castle was one of the few such buildings still in use in Arnor.


    ¡°That, I believe,¡± Rudiger remarked. ¡°If I lived in a castle, I wouldn¡¯t want to leave it either.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°I prefer palaces. They look nicer. And richer. They just scream, ¡®I have money.¡¯ Castles are dull, grey, cold, and boring. Oh, did I mention dull? You may need to be rich to build a castle, but they don¡¯t look rich.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°Still, you have to admire their defensive capabilities.¡±


    ¡°Really? I suppose they¡¯re good against human armies. But what good are big walls against an army of Volgs that can just fly over them?¡±


    ¡°I suppose, but how often do we have to worry about armies of Volgs?¡±


    ¡°Hopefully never.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    The docks were noisy and busy. They had to move slowly between bare-chested sailors carrying crates and barrels, and horses attempting to pull wagons through the mud. In one area, a group of men chased after a bunch of chickens that had escaped. At another spot, three off-duty drunken sailors clanged jugs of rum together and sang terribly off-key¡ªso badly, Rudiger couldn¡¯t even tell what song they were singing, if indeed they were all singing the same thing.


    By the time he and Zandrue reached the quay, both Rudiger¡¯s boots were filled with mud again. He could even hear them sloshing over the general din as he stepped onto the wooden platform. With a sigh, he sat down on the edge, pulled off his boots and emptied them as best he could. An old man, covered in mud himself, laughed toothlessly at him.


    His boots were still wet and slippery when he put them back on, but he would just have to live with it. He stood up and turned back to Zandrue. She waited patiently for him to help her down. Rudiger knew full well she didn¡¯t need any assistance, but he gave it to her anyway. She slid down off Borisin very close to him¡ªpressed up against him. His heart started beating faster. She looked up at him, grinning, a sparkle in her blue eyes. His first urge was to put his arms around her, lean over, and kiss her, but he didn¡¯t do it. He was much too dirty, covered in both wet and dried mud. Still, she wasn¡¯t much cleaner. It could hardly make a difference. His ears barely registered the sound of sailors whistling in support. Perhaps...


    Then Borisin¡¯s snout pushed between the two of them. Zandrue backed away, fanning her hand against the stench of the horse¡¯s breath. She tried to look angry, but soon burst into laughter.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Rudiger said to his horse. ¡°I ought to¡­¡±


    Is there a problem? Borisin asked. Wasn¡¯t that some sort of huddled conference on what to do next? I didn¡¯t want to miss anything.


    ¡°I think you know full well...¡± Rudiger trailed off. Zandrue had stopped laughing, her face now serious and her eyes looking past him down the quay. She pointed and he looked.


    At first, he couldn¡¯t see anything unusual, but as some cattle moved out of the way and down one of the long piers extending from the quay, he saw what she was indicating. A group of five men in pinkish plate and mail stood talking amongst themselves. They each wore a bright red cape, and carried a red shield bearing a broadsword sigil.


    ¡°Ah, hell,¡± Rudiger muttered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just head towards the Flying Fish,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Can¡¯t be looking for us,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°Probably emissaries or something. I met a kid at the Royal Palace who said something about expanding beyond Plavin-Tyl. Wanted me to join them.¡±


    Zandrue smirked. ¡°Nevertheless, let¡¯s be on the safe side.¡± She took Lucinda¡¯s reins from him and headed onto the pier their ship was docked at.


    Rudiger took another look at the five Red Knights. If the Bloods were looking for them, they certainly hadn¡¯t noticed them yet. He nodded to Borisin and followed Zandrue. ¡°Just what the country doesn¡¯t need. Bloods expanding out of Plavin-Tyl.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not likely to get warm welcomes everywhere,¡± Zandrue replied. ¡°Still, some places will probably welcome them. I don¡¯t know enough about Lord Samma Friaz to predict what he¡¯ll do, but it hardly matters. We¡¯re not staying in this province long enough to find out. I hope.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Jorvan, by the way?¡± Rudiger asked. If the Bloods were looking for them, he hoped Jorvan would be all right.


    ¡°He wanted to look around a little bit while he was here. All part of his quest to see all of Arnor. He should be fine. In the unlikely event those Bloods are after us¡ªand how they¡¯d know to look for us here, I¡¯ve no idea¡ªbut in the unlikely event they are, there¡¯s still no reason to believe they¡¯d be looking for Jorvan. They were only after you, me, and Felit?a back in Tyl.¡±


    That was true. Still, their enemies had a way of finding them, no matter where they were or who they were travelling with. And he was quite certain Zandrue was aware of that, no matter what she was saying now. However, he was probably being paranoid. They were surely only emissaries.


    The pier was long¡ªall the piers were, due to how far out the tide moved¡ªand the Flying Fish was near the far end of it, past several other ships. They walked the distance casually, not wanting to draw attention to themselves, but it wasn¡¯t long before the Bloods were out of sight, blocked from view by the numerous other people, animals, and crates moving back and forth along the pier.


    Eventually, they approached the place where the Flying Fish was berthed. The first mate stood on the pier, signing up three new sailors, all Eloorin. One was familiar, broad and muscular, with stringy hair, a flat face and a drooping eyelid. The man from earlier?


    Before Rudiger could think any more of it, a man carrying two thick, heavy rolls of cloth bumped into him. ¡°Terribly sorry, mate.¡± The local Friaz lilt very prominent in the man¡¯s voice. The right side of his face was stretched and misshapen, the ear completely gone.


    ¡°No prob¡ª¡± Rudiger began.


    Shifty smell, Borisin said.


    Steel glinted at the edge of Rudiger¡¯s vision. ¡°Zandrue, look out!¡± Everything was a blur after that. One of the thick rolls of cloth thudded into his stomach, knocking the air out of him. The man then hit him with the other, knocking him back perilously close to the edge of the pier.


    Cries rang out around him. As he tried to reach for Slay, three men rushed him, trying to throw him into the water below. They were strong men, and together maybe even a match for his own strength. He could feel the edge of the platform beneath the soles of his boots, and struggled to push back the other way. He was wearing his armour; a fall could mean death.


    Amidst the yells, and bleating of goats and other animals, Borisin¡¯s whinny rose above it all, as the horse lashed out again and again with his powerful hind legs, sending several men flying, a few right off the pier. The men holding Rudiger were distracted momentarily, and he tried to push them aside. With a cry, one of them slipped and fell into the water below. Then the other two were back on him. He grabbed one man¡¯s face and pushed him back, and a step with his right foot encountered nothing solid beneath it.

 Chapter 13: Indeterminate Destinations (Part 2)

    Everything slowed down at that moment. As Rudiger fell backwards, he grabbed at the other man, tried to use him as something to hold onto. With a sneer, the man tore at Rudiger¡¯s wrists. Rudiger¡¯s left foot slipped from the edge of the pier. The man cried out and fell with him.


    Rudiger heard the splash more than he felt it. It was like a boom in his ears, and then the water was all around him. Instinctively, he tried to kick out, tried to push himself back up to the surface. He grabbed at his mail, desperately tried to pull it off before he drowned in it.


    There was another, more distant thud of water, and a dark shape passed in front of his vision. Blurry shapes like long legs beat the water in front of him. Then something bit his arm and began to pull up. Hold tight, Borisin said. As they broke the surface, Rudiger gasped for air.


    ¡°Another man overboard!¡± a cry rang out.


    Rudiger wrapped his free arm around Borisin¡¯s neck to help keep his head above water. Careful, the horse said, don¡¯t pull my head down, or we both drown.


    ¡°Get a rope out to him! Quickly now!¡±


    ¡°Thanks pal,¡± Rudiger gasped.


    When the end of a rope appeared in the water near them, Borisin swam closer to it, and Rudiger grabbed hold. A short while later, he was pulled up onto the deck of a fishing boat. It had taken several men to get him there.


    ¡°You all right, mate?¡± one asked.


    Another indicated his mail and said, ¡°Not wise to be wearin¡¯ that stuff, mate.¡±


    Still another said, ¡°You see that? The bloody horse leapt right in the water and pulled him up!¡±


    ¡°Borisin,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°My horse. You¡¯ve got to get him out of there.¡±


    ¡°Easier said than done, mate, but we¡¯ll try.¡±


    It¡¯s all right, Borisin said. I¡¯m not breaking all my legs in one of their nets. I¡¯ll swim to shore.


    ¡°Zandrue,¡± Rudiger muttered. ¡°Excuse me.¡± He pushed aside the men surrounding him and rushed to the pier side of the deck. Most of the area by the Flying Fish was clear, but there were a few people still about, most with confused or shocked expressions on their faces. The broad, muscular man with the stringy hair had hold of Lucinda¡¯s reins and was patting her on the nose. Near the mare¡¯s feet were the trampled bodies of the first mate and the other two sailors who had been with him. The dagger protruding from the first mate¡¯s chest, however, showed that he had died before being trampled.


    The broad Eloorin began leading Lucinda away from the Flying Fish and back down the pier. He was definitely the man from the warehouses, but how he¡¯d gotten here ahead of them, Rudiger had no idea. Farther down the pier, local watchmen were moving in this direction. The Red Knights from earlier were coming, too. There was no sign of Zandrue.


    Rudiger drew Slay and made for the pier. ¡°Hey, mate! What¡¯re ya doin¡¯?¡± one of the sailors cried out. A couple others moved briefly to stop him, but backed away at the determined look on his face.


    Once he was back on the pier, he called out to the broad Eloorin. ¡°Hey! That¡¯s not your horse!¡±


    Then the man was in front of him, slashing with a dagger. The blade scraped across the links of Rudiger¡¯s mail, but didn¡¯t cut through. Surprised, Rudiger swung down with Slay, but the man ducked out of the way with a speed and agility Rudiger would never have expected from someone so bulky. The man lunged in with the dagger. Rudiger side-stepped him and brought round Slay again. Once again, the man zipped out of the way with remarkable speed.


    Rudiger lunged at the man, but in another eye-blink, the broad Eloorin was a good twenty yards farther down the pier. Well, that answered how he¡¯d gotten here so fast. A watchman tried to remonstrate with him, but the man was gone in a flash.


    Rudiger walked over to Lucinda and took her reins. ¡°He may have got away, but at least he didn¡¯t get you.¡± He half expected a witty reply as Borisin would have done, but the mare just stared ahead, not comprehending what he was saying.


    He looked around. Still no sign of Zandrue. Where was she?


    The watchmen were almost to him now. The situation shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to explain. After all, there were loads of witnesses about to corroborate his side of the story. ¡°I hope Zandrue¡¯s okay,¡± he said to Lucinda. ¡°They might have pushed her in the water, I suppose. If they did, she can swim, I¡¯m sure. Maybe she was rescued by one of these other ships even. Maybe she¡¯s waiting for us on the Flying Fish right now. Maybe¡ª¡±


    There was a deafening boom. A rush of hot air sent Rudiger sprawling to the deck, and Lucinda reeling in fright. Rudiger looked up. The Flying Fish was in flames, its hull cracked open like a shell. All along this portion of the pier, burning bits of wood, cloth, and rope lay about. Some had started small fires on other ships. The sailors of those ships were dashing about, desperately trying to put the fires out. On board the Flying Fish, the only sailors he could see were charred and bloody corpses.


    ¡°Dear gods.¡± Could one of those corpses have been Zandrue? He couldn¡¯t bear the thought.


    ¡°You there!¡±


    Rudiger reached groggily for Slay, which had landed a few feet in front of him, but a metal boot stepped between him and the sword. The man to whom the boot belonged was one of the Red Knights; he reached a hand down to Rudiger. ¡°You all right?¡± Warily, Rudiger accepted the hand and let the Blood help him to his feet. Standing about six and a half feet, only a couple inches shorter than Rudiger, the Knight was a wide-eyed Folith man¡ªno, boy was a more apt description¡ªwith an unblemished face and a broad grin. He couldn¡¯t have been more than seventeen or eighteen. He wiped some of the dirt and grime off Rudiger. ¡°Nasty business.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks,¡± Rudiger replied. He pointed at Slay. ¡°Uh, do you mind? My sword?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The boy bent down and picked up the greatsword, taking a moment to admire it. ¡°Nice weapon!¡± He tested the balance and almost dropped it. ¡°Heavy though!¡± The boy laughed. Rudiger grimaced. Last thing he needed was for this kid to accidentally drop Slay off the pier.


    ¡°Right, what¡¯s going on here?¡± The question came from a city watchman striding over to them. Behind him, another one of the watch was leading Lucinda away, and two others were questioning sailors. The other Red Knights were also questioning witnesses.


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure,¡± Rudiger answered, snatching his sword from the boy Blood.


    ¡°Several people have already placed you as being one of the ones in the centre of this whole mess,¡± the watchman said. He was a Folith of a much more mature age than the Blood. His dark hair and beard were streaked with grey and there was a weariness in his eyes that spoke of having been through too many situations like this in the past. His voice had less of the lilt than most of the locals¡ªperhaps because it was a very deep voice¡ªbut it was still present.


    ¡°That¡¯s because I was attacked,¡± Rudiger answered. ¡°Several people tried to kill me and my friend.¡±


    ¡°Where is this friend of yours now?¡± the watchman asked.


    Rudiger shook his head. ¡°Wish I knew. Haven¡¯t seen her since we were attacked. They threw me off the pier; might have done the same to her. Or she might have...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± the watchman pressed.


    ¡°She might have been on the ship.¡±


    ¡°The one that exploded, you mean?¡±


    Rudiger nodded.


    The watchman scratched his beard. ¡°I take it you weren¡¯t a crewmember on the ship.¡±


    ¡°Passenger. Bound for Lockanith.¡±


    ¡°And why do you think these people attacked you?¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d seen the fast one before. The one who ran off. He was interested in my horse. They might have been trying to steal him.¡± He didn¡¯t really believe that, but he doubted the watchman would believe the real explanation.


    ¡°So they destroyed the ship to get to your horse,¡± the watchman said.


    Rudiger shrugged again. ¡°I¡­I really don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°And what about you?¡± the watchman asked, turning to the young Blood.


    ¡°Sir Alaan Geravan of the Red Knights at your service!¡±


    The watchman shook his head and shrugged with one arm. ¡°That supposed to mean anything to me, boy?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re a new organisation, sir,¡± the boy replied. ¡°From Plavin-Tyl. I¡¯m part of an emissary group come to see Lord Samma about expansion into Friaz. We stand for the old ways of chivalry and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Spare me the speeches, boy. I¡¯m not interested in your politics. What¡¯s your involvement with this mess?¡±


    ¡°We saw the commotion from the quay and came to assist.¡±


    The watchman shook his head. ¡°Well, here¡¯s some advice for both of you. One, the watch doesn¡¯t need the help of emissary groups from other provinces. Two, you wander around these docks dressed like that, carrying those blatant weapons, you¡¯re asking for trouble. The armour¡¯ll kill you if you end up in the water, and the swords will just attract unwanted attention. Now then¡ª¡±


    ¡°Captain!¡± another watchmen called out. Two other watchmen by him were holding a short Eloorin man. ¡°We may have one of the perpetrators!¡± Rudiger didn¡¯t recognise the man they were holding, but he hadn¡¯t really gotten a good look at most of his attackers anyway.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there!¡± the captain said. He looked at Sir Alaan. ¡°All right, young man, let¡¯s put your chivalry to the test. Your word you won¡¯t leave this pier. I¡¯m not done talking to either of you.¡±


    ¡°You have my word,¡± the boy replied.


    ¡°Good,¡± the captain said. He indicated Rudiger. ¡°See that he doesn¡¯t leave either.¡±


    ¡°You have my word on that, as well,¡± the boy said.


    The captain¡¯s expression said nothing of whether he believed the boy or not, but he was obviously satisfied that they wouldn¡¯t be able to get anywhere, since he turned away from them and headed over to where they were holding the alleged perpetrator.


    Rudiger sighed. ¡°Didn¡¯t even ask me for my word.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry,¡± the young Blood said. ¡°It seems pretty clear that you were the victim in this. They probably just need to ask you a few more questions, get you to identify a few people. Those sorts of things. Then you¡¯ll be free to go.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°I¡¯m just worried about my friend.¡±


    The boy smiled at him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If she¡¯s alive, she¡¯ll show up, I¡¯m sure.¡± He grimaced. ¡°I mean... Sorry to suggest that she might be dead, but...well...if she was on that ship when it blew...¡±


    Rudiger nodded.


    ¡°So, are you good with that thing?¡± The boy tapped Slay¡¯s long blade.


    ¡°I try to be,¡± Rudiger replied.


    ¡°Great! You know, we¡¯re always on the lookout for new recruits. If you¡¯re interested¡­¡±


    Rudiger groaned.


    ¡°There a problem?¡± Alaan asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard the spiel before. You¡¯re not the first Red Knight I¡¯ve met.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great then! You know all about us. Somebody as big and strong as you would be a great asset to us. I can let my commander know that you¡¯re interested.¡±


    Rudiger was about to interject that he wasn¡¯t interested when the boy¡¯s commander came over to them. At least, Rudiger presumed it was the boy¡¯s commander, as the man had a definite commanding air to him. He was slightly shorter than the boy, but was at least twenty years his elder. He had long, light brown hair that was just beginning to recede and formed a very sharp widow¡¯s peak on his forehead. His face had a harshness to it that, when combined with the dirt and grime that covered everything in this blasted city, made him just plain intimidating. He strode up to them, carrying his helmet under one arm and his shield on the other, and somehow managed to look even more intimidating. ¡°Alaan.¡±


    The boy snapped to attention. ¡°Commander!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up here?¡±


    ¡°This man was one of the ones attacked, sir,¡± Alaan responded. ¡°He¡¯s been expressing interest in our order.¡±


    ¡°Has he now?¡± the commander said. Rudiger wanted to respond that he hadn¡¯t been, but the commander handed his helmet to Alaan and held out his hand to Rudiger. ¡°I am Sir Hardimon Mesters of the Red Knights. A pleasure to meet you, sir. You are?¡±


    Was it wise to give out his name? Rudiger wondered. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t really think of another name on the spot, and if he didn¡¯t say something, that would be sure to arouse suspicion. ¡°Rudiger Fonivan.¡± He shifted the weight of Slay to his left hand and grasped the commander¡¯s hand. As he did so, the commander¡¯s eyes fell on the sword, and what started as a vigorous handshake became lacklustre.


    ¡°Your sword, sir,¡± the Blood said. ¡°Might I inquire where you got it?¡±


    ¡°Exquisite, isn¡¯t it, sir?¡± Alaan said. ¡°I was commenting on it, myself.¡± The boy didn¡¯t seem to have noticed the change in his commander¡¯s tone.


    Hell, Rudiger thought. Just when he¡¯d thought that maybe these Bloods didn¡¯t know anything about him! This was likely to turn into Tyl all over again. ¡°Family heirloom,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°May I see it?¡± Sir Hardimon asked.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather it stayed with me,¡± Rudiger replied, and gripped Slay securely with both hands. He readied himself to flip the sword point-up if he needed.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, Rudiger,¡± Alaan said. ¡°Sir Hardimon is an expert swordsman. He won¡¯t be as clumsy with it as I was.¡±


    ¡°Enough, Alaan,¡± Hardimon said. ¡°This man is a wanted felon. Hand over your sword, sir, and submit to Lady Plavin¡¯s justice.¡±


    The boy was clearly shocked. ¡°Felon? Are you sure, sir?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m sure. The sword leaves little doubt and his name leaves none at all. He¡¯s wanted for the murder of several Red Knights, amongst other things.¡± Sir Hardimon took back his helmet, slipped it onto his head ,and drew his own sword. ¡°Submit, sir, or I¡¯ll have your head.¡±


    Rudiger flipped Slay around and took a defensive stance. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not looking for trouble. Those charges are false.¡±


    ¡°Then submit,¡± the Blood said. ¡°If you are innocent, that will be determined at your trial. You have my word you will be treated honourably.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I haven¡¯t had much reason to trust the word of a Blood.¡±


    Alaan had drawn his sword now. ¡°Come on, Rudiger. Don¡¯t make us do this.¡±


    ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on over here?¡± The watch captain stormed back over to them, his hand on the hilt of his own sword, although he had not yet drawn the weapon.


    ¡°This man is a wanted fugitive,¡± Sir Hardimon said. ¡°Lady Plavin has ordered his capture, dead or alive.¡±


    ¡°This is Friaz,¡± the watch captain said, ¡°not Plavin-Tyl. Lord Samma rules here. I still need to question this man about what happened here today.¡±


    Sir Hardimon lowered his sword. ¡°Of course. We won¡¯t stand in the way of your duty. We simply request the right to take him into custody when you¡¯re finished with him.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to see about that,¡± the watch captain said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me exactly who you are to begin with? And spare me any political speeches! What is the man accused of?¡±


    ¡°Alaan, watch him,¡± the older Blood said. The younger nodded briskly.


    While Sir Hardimon and the watch captain talked, Rudiger looked around, hoping for an avenue of escape. The other three Bloods were moving in his direction. If they got here, escape would be even less likely. Luckily, they were still some distance down the pier. He figured he had about a minute. Rudiger wasn¡¯t worried about being able to get past Sir Alaan, but if he was drawn into a fight with either or both of Sir Hardimon and the watch captain, he doubted he could get past them fast enough. Still, he might be able to slip by before they could do anything. But where would he go? It was beginning to look as if the only way out was back into the water, where he would just sink like a stone. And taking his armour off would definitely draw attention.


    Then he noticed Lucinda. The watchman who had been leading her away hadn¡¯t gone far, and was talking with another watchman. His hands were only very lightly on the reins, and neither he nor his companion were paying any attention to the horse at all.


    ¡°I¡¯m innocent, you know,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°Like Sir Hardimon said, you¡¯ll have a chance¡ª¡±


    Rudiger didn¡¯t give him a chance to finish. He slammed into the boy, using his shoulder to bull rush him aside. The boy was completely unprepared and toppled over. He cried out as he fell onto the pier, though. As Sir Hardimon spun round, his sword wheeling out, Rudiger ran for Lucinda.


    ¡°Stop him!¡± Hardimon cried.


    The two watchmen by the horse looked up just as Rudiger barrelled into them. One of them, a young Eloorin no older than Sir Alaan, fumbled for his sword, but Rudiger¡¯s elbow impacted with the side of his face before he could get to it. The boy reeled, spitting teeth out as he fell, and collided with his companion.


    ¡°Sorry about that!¡± Rudiger cried. Poor kid didn¡¯t deserve to lose teeth at so young an age. He sheathed Slay on his back, grabbed Lucinda¡¯s reins, and hopped onto her back. The mare was startled, but she was well-trained and quickly acquiesced to his control.


    The Bloods were almost on him; all of them had swords drawn. Rudiger took a deep breath and kicked Lucinda into motion. She wasn¡¯t trained for combat, wasn¡¯t trained to charge heavily armed men. Would she do it? If she didn¡¯t, he was dead. As she increased her speed to a gallop, Rudiger could tell she wasn¡¯t used to his armoured weight. Surely, she could manage it for a time, though.


    Ahead, the Bloods were holding their ground. Rudiger¡¯s instinct was to draw his sword. If Lucinda had been Borisin, he could have trusted the charge to him, and wielded the two-hander without worry. But not on Lucinda. The Bloods raised their swords. ¡°Go!¡± Rudiger urged the horse. She went.


    Two of the Bloods dived out of the way at the last moment. The third foolishly held his ground and swung at the galloping horse. Lucinda reared in fright to get away from the flashing metal. The blade passed mere inches from cutting into her front legs. Then those legs came back down on the Blood¡¯s chest, knocking him to the pier. Rudiger heard the thud of the metal hitting wood, almost felt Lucinda¡¯s hooves trample over that metal.


    Then they were past. People along the pier dived out of the way as they galloped by. When they reached the quay, Rudiger slowed the mare to a trot and then a walk. There was no way she would be able to manage a gallop through the thick mud. He doubted even Borisin could do that. Besides, the people here hopefully had no reason to go after him, and he didn¡¯t want to give them a reason by drawing their attention. The Bloods and watchmen on the pier had a quarter mile or so to walk back. It would take them some time to catch up.


    It quickly became clear that Lucinda didn¡¯t even like walking through the mud with him on her back, so he dismounted and led her on foot, his boots soon filling with mud again. Eventually, he made it out of the muddy market-dock and onto drier land.

 Chapter 13: Indeterminate Destinations (Part 3)

    Rudiger needed to find Zandrue. If she was still alive. He also needed to find Jorvan. And Borisin. ¡°Where do I start?¡± he asked Lucinda, but the horse ignored him. Jorvan wouldn¡¯t know anything had happened and would head for the Flying Fish once he was finished looking around. Rudiger needed to get to him before he did that. Zandrue and Borisin would know to stay out of sight, so he had to trust them to themselves for now. Luckily, he figured it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to find an Isyar in a town full of humans. Look for the crowds, he thought. Nobody here was likely to have ever seen an Isyar before. There would be people flocking around him.


    Sure enough, he found Jorvan surrounded by a throng of onlookers of all sizes and ages. Grown men and women lifted children on their backs so that the youngsters could see the Isyar over the crowd. Other people pushed and shoved to get to the front for a chance to see, and maybe even touch him.


    ¡°I saw an Isyar once before,¡± an elderly man boasted. ¡°I was just a young¡¯un then. He came down from the sky and hovered over me and my friends and poured a magical blessing on us. He promised us a long and fulfilling life. And that¡¯s why I¡¯m still alive today when most people in my generation are long gone.¡± Rudiger chuckled, shaking his head. He was pretty certain Isyar were not capable of hovering.


    Other people cried out to Jorvan, asking him to bless them and their families. Beseeching him to give them a good harvest for the year. Calling upon him to protect them from goblins and other monsters. One word that Rudiger heard frequently was angel. Rudiger had never really thought about it before, but it was true that Isyar looked a lot like angels. They were like humans with wings, which was really all that angels were. Although every picture of angels Rudiger had ever seen always depicted them with feathered wings, and an Isyar¡¯s wings weren¡¯t. Other than that though...


    The look on Jorvan¡¯s face when Rudiger finally pushed through the crowds to him was utterly flabbergasted. He tried to smile at the people and speak politely to them as he led his nervous horse slowly forward. It was very clear that he was not at all comfortable with the people clutching at him. His eyes met Rudiger¡¯s with a pleading look. Rudiger had no idea what to do. Then an idea hit him.


    ¡°All right!¡± he cried as loud as he could. He couldn¡¯t get loud enough to be heard over the whole crowd, but those nearby could hear. ¡°That¡¯s enough for today! The Isyar can only handle so many requests at once. You need to give him some space to fulfil them! He¡¯ll be back again tomorrow to listen to further pleas!¡±


    A few people actually listened. However, the majority kept pushing to get at Jorvan. ¡°I must see him!¡± someone cried. ¡°I must touch him!¡± another cried. ¡°He must heal my child!¡± from yet another.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Rudiger screamed. ¡°I am the Isyar¡¯s watcher! Let him pass! He will hear more of you tomorrow!¡± He sighed. It wasn¡¯t working.


    Just then, Jorvan spread his wings, accidentally batting a few people in the process. Luckily, those hit seemed to think it some sort of blessing. Jorvan began to move his hands about in a circular pattern, and a funnel of air began to swirl around him, drawing awed gasps from the crowd as Jorvan rose a couple feet into the air and floated there.


    Okay, so maybe Isyar could hover.


    Jorvan said something, but his voice was too soft to be heard.


    ¡°Quiet!¡± Rudiger cried. ¡°The Isyar speaks!¡±


    Remarkably, people listened. The people nearest scolded those behind to be quiet, and the effect cascaded out. Within moments, the street was silent.


    ¡°I hear you,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°I ask you listen to my...watcher and wait for...for...I return tomorrow.¡±


    It was clear that not everyone could hear him, so Rudiger repeated what he¡¯d said. There was a lot of reluctance among people to actually go, but slowly the crowd began to part and let him pass.


    Jorvan floated back to the ground and the funnel of air dissipated as he ceased the movements of his arms. ¡°Thank you.¡± His face was covered in sweat, and Rudiger noticed that his thin gown was also soaked right through. ¡°People often look at me, but not like this.¡±


    ¡°Isyar are like angels in these parts,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°People get you mixed up with them.¡±


    ¡°Thank you again,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°I do not return tomorrow, right?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not!¡± Rudiger replied. ¡°I mean, unless you want to.¡±


    Jorvan shook his head.


    They began walking through the streets. People still watched Jorvan as he passed, but most kept their distance, and the few who didn¡¯t were admonished by others nearby who had already heard the story. News spread fast, apparently.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could hover,¡± Rudiger said as they walked.


    ¡°I cannot,¡± Jorvan replied. ¡°I used magic to make air lift me.¡±


    Explained the funnel of air.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Rudiger asked. ¡°You¡¯re sweating a lot.¡± He hadn¡¯t thought about how the warmer weather here might affect Jorvan. He knew Isyar liked cold weather¡ªwhile they had crossed northern Arnor during the winter, Jorvan had never worn anything heavier than the thin gown he was wearing now¡ªbut it hadn¡¯t occurred to him they might not take well to heat.


    ¡°I will be fine at the ship,¡± Jorvan replied. ¡°It is cooler.¡±


    Rudiger groaned. ¡°We can¡¯t, I¡¯m afraid. The ship¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°It left? Why?¡±


    Rudiger shook his head. ¡°No, someone blew it up. Zandrue and I were ambushed on the pier. Don¡¯t know what happened to her. Worse, there are Red Knights here, too, and they want me arrested. I had to make a run for it, past city watchmen as well. Which, of course, means that the city watch will want me soon. We can¡¯t stick around here.¡±


    Jorvan nodded. ¡°Where do we go?¡±


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t know. We can take the road south of here a short distance and wait there. Borisin will be able to find us, and I¡¯m sure Zandrue will find us, too. If she¡¯s alive, that is.¡±


    ¡°I am sure she is,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°She is...resourceful.¡±


    Rudiger just nodded. He really hoped Zandrue was alive. He had no clue what he would do if it turned out otherwise. She¡¯d become too much a part of his life to die on him now. If she was alive, it was time he got over his fear of intimacy with her, though. Death was likely to keep following them around. Any of them could die at any time. He shouldn¡¯t be afraid to be close before that happened.


    They found her a mile south of the city, standing with Borisin on the beach. Rudiger let go of Lucinda¡¯s reins, ran up to her, picked her up, and spun her around. Then he kissed her. There was salt on her lips, but he didn¡¯t care. She was alive! He soaked in the warmth of her, the softness of her skin.


    ¡°We should get separated more often,¡± Zandrue said when their mouths finally parted. ¡°I could grow to like this.¡± She kissed him again.


    Borisin¡¯s snout pushed up against the sides of their heads. All right, break it up.


    In his excitement at seeing Zandrue, Rudiger had forgotten about Borisin.


    Doesn¡¯t surprise me, either, the horse said. After all, I only saved your life. Why should you be happy to see me?


    Zandrue slipped out of his arms with a sigh. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not into threesomes with horses.¡±


    Borisin snorted. That¡¯s just gross.


    ¡°I am happy you live, Zandrue,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°Rudiger told me what happened.¡±


    ¡°They blew up the ship,¡± Rudiger told her.


    She nodded. ¡°I heard. Literally, I heard it go.¡±


    ¡°I was worried maybe you were on board.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°No, I was in the water at the time. I heard your warning, but didn¡¯t have much time to react. I think I got the first mate, but then they threw me in the water. I swam under the pier and then to shore. With the tide out, it wasn¡¯t too far. Tell me everything else that happened afterwards.¡±


    So Rudiger told her of his own brush with drowning, of the unbelievably fast man, of the watch and the Red Knights, and of his own escape from them. When he was done, there was a worried look on Zandrue¡¯s face. ¡°Well, at least the two of you came south from the city and didn¡¯t go north.¡±


    ¡°What would have happened if we¡¯d gone north?¡± Rudiger asked.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have found me,¡± Zandrue replied with a grin. ¡°Sure, I¡¯d have found you eventually, but we need to go south, not north.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re suggesting we travel overland?¡± Rudiger asked.


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°Just as far as Bever and catch another ship from there. It¡¯ll take a little longer, but we made such good time from Arnor City that a couple days of overland travel won¡¯t really affect us that much.¡± She took hold of Lucinda¡¯s reins and patted the mare¡¯s nose.


    ¡°Most of our supplies were on the ship,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°Gone now,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I¡¯ve still got a few things in my pack. We should be able to make due until Bever where we can pick up some more. We can¡¯t risk going back into Cilling though. In fact, we¡¯d better get going now, before they catch up to us.¡± She mounted Lucinda, and waited for Rudiger and Jorvan to do the same with their horses. Then they were off.


    ¡°How did they know we were here?¡± Rudiger asked as they rode.


    Zandrue groaned. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have let those Darkers go.¡±


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°They weren¡¯t the only ones that got away that night. You think they had something to do with this?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but as I think about it, I doubt it. They would have to get a message ahead of us very fast. Considering how good a time we made from Arnor City, that seems unlikely. On top of that, why Cilling? Sure, it¡¯s a common stop-over port, but there was no guarantee that we would be on a ship that stops here. They would be more likely to send word to Lockanith or Ninifin. Plus, the way you described things on the pier, Rudiger, it sounds like it was a hastily planned ambush.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°You figured that out just from my description?¡±


    ¡°I think I understand,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°Why did they push you when you could...go on the ship and...¡± He stumbled over his words.


    ¡°Why did they attack us when they could have just let us die on the ship?¡± Zandrue completed for him. ¡°It¡¯s like they didn¡¯t know each other¡¯s plans.¡±


    Jorvan nodded.


    Rudiger grimaced. ¡°You mean we have multiple groups of enemies after us?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Darkers, Volgs, Red Knights, maybe even separate factions within each of those groups. I¡¯d call that multiple groups. What did you expect?¡±


    ¡°I was kind of hoping they were all just part of one large group working together.¡±


    ¡°That would be frightening,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Frankly, I¡¯d much prefer to go on the assumption that they¡¯re not. They¡¯ll be less organised that way. Still, we mustn¡¯t take anything for granted.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°With a little luck, maybe we¡¯ll learn something in Lockanith.¡±


    They rode long that day and the next couple, passing through a few small villages along the way, but not stopping until the second day to get as far from Cilling as possible. Rudiger kept a constant watch behind them for signs of anyone following. The farther they got, the less likely anyone would catch them, but he couldn¡¯t help thinking of the man with the drooping eye. He must have been a wizard of some sort to be able to move so fast. With his speed, he might actually be able to catch up to them. Rudiger also took first watch each night after they¡¯d set up camp, and again, he focused most of his attention on the road to the north¡ªalthough he didn¡¯t totally ignore the other directions, even up. But nothing came at them during the night.


    The third morning dawned hot and humid. Although it cooled somewhat each night, as soon as the sun was back in the sky, the temperature rose rapidly. By mid-morning, it was like the height of summer in Fisvin. Even Rudiger found it uncomfortable¡ªespecially in his armour¡ªbut Jorvan was far worse off. He slumped in his saddle, completely drenched¡ªnot from sweat, but from the miniature rain cloud that followed him along just above his head, showering him with water. His horse was quite unimpressed by the cloud¡¯s presence, but try as the young mare might, she couldn¡¯t get away from it. Jorvan kept her under control for the first while, but gradually began to be oblivious to her wanderings. Eventually, Zandrue had to take the reins from the exhausted Isyar. As the day passed, the rain from his cloud got lighter, and the cloud itself began to dissipate. Jorvan had been making small motions with his fingers, and those motions were getting slower and less pronounced.


    Rudiger wiped sweat from his forehead as they travelled the last stretch towards Bever. To their left lay long stretches of farmland and orchards. To their right was the beach and the long expanse of ocean. Up ahead, there was a group of people on the road, the first other travellers they had seen in a few hours. It had been nice having the road to themselves for a little while. Previous travellers they had passed on the road had all reacted to Jorvan and his rain cloud, most in awe, some in fear. Either reaction, however, resulted in no peace for Jorvan.


    ¡°How are you doing?¡± Rudiger asked.


    The Isyar looked weakly over at him and forced a smile. ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°More people coming. You can bet they¡¯ve never seen an Isyar before either.¡±


    Jorvan nodded. ¡°I will be fine.¡±


    ¡°We need to get him in, out of the sun,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Damn those Darkers!¡±


    The group on the road was surprisingly large. There had to be twenty to thirty of them. Groups that size generally only occurred with caravans or military patrols, but there was no sign of any vehicles or draft animals. Not a caravan then, and they wore no tabards nor carried any banners to identify them as soldiers. They could be pilgrims, although Rudiger was unaware of anything in this region worth going on a pilgrimage to. To be fair, he didn¡¯t know the region well.


    Zandrue was watching the group intently as well.


    ¡°Big group,¡± Rudiger commented.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Zandrue replied. ¡°It¡¯s probably nothing. We¡¯re just jumpy after events in Cilling. Still, keep alert.¡±


    Rudiger nodded. ¡°What do you think, Borisin?¡±


    I¡¯m not sure.


    ¡°What happened to your infallible sense of smell?¡± Rudiger joked. ¡°You know, smelling shifty and all.¡±


    They¡¯re not close enough yet, the stallion replied. Besides, I never claimed it was infallible.


    Rudiger rolled his eyes.


    The group was a mixture of copper-skinned Eloorin and tanned Foliths. All men, as best as Rudiger could tell. Most carried a sack or two. A few held pitchforks. Maybe they were just farmers.


    ¡°Thirty-three of them,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Strength in numbers, I suppose.¡±


    Something¡¯s not right, Borisin said.


    ¡°Something¡¯s not right,¡± Rudiger repeated out loud.


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s probably nothing. Move off the road anyway to let them pass. We don¡¯t want them surrounding us.¡±


    Shifty¡¯s here, Borisin said.


    ¡°What?¡± Rudiger said. Near the front of the group was a broad Eloorin with stringy hair and a drooping eye. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. How the hell did he get ahead of us? No, never mind. Stupid question.¡± He called out to Jorvan and Zandrue, ¡°It¡¯s a trap!¡±


    The people in the group opened their sacks and pulled out clubs and maces, even a few swords. The droopy-eyed man was gone in a flash. There was a blur of motion to Rudiger¡¯s right and Jorvan¡¯s horse reared, her reins pulling out of Zandrue¡¯s grasp. The stunned Isyar tried to calm the horse, but his saddle slipped from beneath him and he tumbled to the ground. There was a gash on the mare¡¯s side where the saddle¡¯s straps had been cut.


    The mob began to charge, waving their weapons above them. Rudiger let go of his reins and drew Slay. Borisin was already moving. It quickly became apparent that they were all untrained rabble. Most broke their charge and ran the moment they saw the huge roan horse galloping at them. The few who didn¡¯t offered very little resistance. Even with the limits using Slay on horseback caused¡ªhe didn¡¯t want to accidentally cut off his horse¡¯s head¡ªthey were no match for him. They quickly fell to Slay or Borisin¡¯s hooves.


    ¡°That was easy for a change,¡± Rudiger said.


    Zandrue yelled and Borisin spun around. Zandrue had dismounted and was wielding her sword, glancing in every direction. A blur sped past her and she cried out again, dropping the sword. Rudiger could see blood dripping from her hand.


    There was no need to give any indication to Borisin. The stallion was already on his way back, stopping right beside Zandrue, who picked up her sword. Rudiger looked about, trying to pinpoint where the droopy-eyed man had gone. He caught a brief glimpse of him farther up the road before the man became a blur and behind Zandrue again. His dagger sliced across her back. With a yell, she threw herself forward. As soon as she was out of the way, Rudiger swung. A moment later, the man was gone again, but the tip of Slay was red with blood.


    ¡°We have to get him,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°As long as he¡¯s alive, he¡¯ll keep getting ahead of us to set up more ambushes.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s injured,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°Maybe that will slow him down.¡± He dismounted, keeping an eye out in case the man came in for another attack. He moved so that he was standing over Zandrue.


    ¡°Don¡¯t count on it,¡± she said.


    ¡°There can¡¯t be that many Darkers. Surely their numbers will run out eventually.¡±


    Zandrue shook her head, groaned and pulled herself to her feet. ¡°He doesn¡¯t need Darkers. All he needs are people willing to do anything for a bit of money. The only thing working to our advantage is that he doesn¡¯t have the time to be picky about who he gets.¡± She touched her back and winced. Her hand came away red with blood.


    ¡°You going to be okay?¡± Rudiger asked.


    She nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll live, but I need to get the wound cleaned. Check on Jorvan, then come give me a hand. The problem with back wounds is they¡¯re a bitch to reach.¡±


    ¡°You think he¡¯s gone then?¡±


    ¡°He would have been back at us by now,¡± Zandrue replied. ¡°You wounded him. Depending just how badly, he might have to hold off for a while to get it taken care of. With a little luck, maybe it was a mortal wound. Now, go check on Jorvan.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Rudiger said.


    He found Jorvan face down in the dirt, apparently fast asleep. His horse was grazing just off the side of the road, free from the rain cloud, which had vanished. ¡°I will be okay,¡± Jorvan said as Rudiger reached down to help him.


    Rudiger stepped back. ¡°I thought you were out cold.¡±


    ¡°I think I was,¡± Jorvan replied. ¡°Is everyone all right?¡±


    ¡°More or less,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°I am sorry I did not help,¡± Jorvan continued. ¡°I am not at my best in heat.¡±


    ¡°No apology necessary.¡±


    Zandrue had started preparing a fire when they reached her, but a lack of good material was causing her difficulty. She had removed her tunic; her undershirt was drenched in blood. ¡°Jorvan, get this fire going for me. We don¡¯t have any alcohol, so we need to boil some water to sterilise the wound.¡± She tried to stand up, but nearly fell over. Rudiger caught her.


    ¡°You¡¯re really hurt. You should have said something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± she said with a grin, which quickly turned to a grimace. ¡°Just as long as we¡¯re quick. The wound must be deeper than I thought. I¡¯m losing a lot of blood.¡±


    Jorvan handed Rudiger a pair of rocks. ¡°I need a spark. There.¡± He pointed to where Zandrue had been attempting to start a fire.


    Rudiger knelt beside the spot and began slapping the rocks against each other. He stopped when he a small spark didn¡¯t vanish. He dropped the rocks into the small pile of kindling Zandrue had gathered.


    Jorvan was making gentle motions with one hand, repeatedly pulling in and then letting go. Each time he pulled in, the fire grew a little larger. Once it was the size of a campfire, Jorvan stopped his hand movements. The fire¡¯s small amount of fuel had already burned away, and it now seemed to be burning the ground itself, which was blackening.


    ¡°I need you to stitch the wound,¡± Zandrue told Rudiger.


    Rudiger looked at her wide-eyed. ¡°With what? We don¡¯t have anything!¡± Even if they¡¯d had something, he wasn¡¯t certain he would be any good at it. His big hands weren¡¯t well-suited for such delicate movements.


    ¡°Please.¡± She was sounding very weak now.


    The seriousness of the situation became apparent to him. She could be dying, and he was just standing there holding her. Rudiger sprang to action. He tore her shirt off and tossed the now-useless rag aside. Her back was covered with blood, and the wound was very apparent. A long, deep cut ran from just beneath one shoulder blade to the other.


    ¡°The water is ready,¡± Jorvan said.


    It barely occurred to Rudiger how fast Jorvan had prepared the water; he didn¡¯t really care. He grabbed the pot from Jorvan, saying, ¡°Something for her to bite down on!¡± Jorvan looked about them, and soon found a stick, which he stuffed in Zandrue¡¯s mouth. Rudiger then poured the scalding water over her back.


    The scream which emerged from Zandrue¡¯s throat was loud, guttural, and unnerving. A sound no one ought to have been able to make. Then she passed out.


    ¡°I need to stitch the wound,¡± Rudiger told Jorvan. ¡°Do you have anything? Check Zandrue¡¯s pack. Look around. There¡¯s got to be something. We can¡¯t let her die. Not now. If only we hadn¡¯t lost most of our stuff on the ship. Maybe there¡¯s something in one of these fields, or down by the beach, or maybe along the road. Check the bodies of the attackers, maybe they have something in those packs and stuff they were carrying or threads from their clothes or maybe¡ª¡±


    Jorvan put a hand on his arm. ¡°Wrap cloth around her for now. I will find something, then I will stitch her wound. You are too...upset.¡±


    Rudiger nodded meekly. While Jorvan wandered in search of something to use, Rudiger turned to Borisin, who had wandered up at some point, and looked through his pack. He pulled out a shirt and wrapped it tightly around Zandrue. Then he waited, holding her against him all the while. Eventually, Jorvan returned and took Zandrue from him. Rudiger stood beside Borisin and waited some more.


    Rudiger had no idea what Jorvan had found to use, but soon the Isyar announced that he had finished. ¡°I think she will be fine,¡± Jorvan said, and slumped over. Rudiger had to catch him.


    ¡°You all right?¡±


    ¡°Just the heat,¡± Jorvan replied.


    ¡°Heat, right,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°The fire!¡±


    ¡°I put it out already,¡± Jorvan responded.


    ¡°Oh, good. I guess we all need some rest. Can¡¯t stay here though. We need to find somewhere a bit more secure.¡±


    Rudiger walked over to where Jorvan had laid Zandrue. She was on her stomach, and the wound was clearly visible. The stitches were made from thin strands of rope, probably taken from their attackers¡¯ sacks. Jorvan had only made a few¡ªhe probably hadn¡¯t had much to work with¡ªbut it was enough to hold the skin together long enough for it to heal itself.


    Rudiger bent down, slipped his hands under her and gently rolled her over into his arms, then picked her up. Fast asleep, she looked strangely contented, and despite the dirt on her face and chest, still beautiful. Rudiger blushed when he realised he was staring at her bare breasts. A longing for her was definitely building in him. No. Not now, he told himself.


    Jorvan had taken a tunic from one of their attackers. He and Rudiger put it on Zandrue and then carried her over to Lucinda. She was beginning to stir, and together, they helped her into the saddle and made certain she was secure.


    ¡°We cannot go to the city,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°That is where they will expect us to go.¡±


    ¡°Not right away, at any rate,¡± Zandrue said with a groan.


    ¡°What about our speedy friend?¡± Rudiger asked. ¡°We need to deal with him. As long as he¡¯s alive, he can keep dogging us.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have the means to chase him,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°We need time to recover.¡±


    ¡°You say we,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°What about Jorvan? You¡¯ll recover, but the heat isn¡¯t going away.¡±


    ¡°I will be fine,¡± Jorvan said, though the sweat dripping down his face made Rudiger doubt that.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just head east,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°We¡¯ll put some space between us and the city, and figure out what to do tomorrow.¡±


    Rudiger nodded and helped Jorvan onto his horse. Then he mounted Borisin, and they were off.

 Chapter 14: Ninifin (Part 1)

    The heat was terrible. Even under the canopy of trees, the sun still imparted its intense heat. And while the humidity provided a ready source of water for condensation, its presence only created the need for even more condensation. It had rained earlier, but that had only taken the edge off for a short while. It seemed nothing would remove the heat permanently.


    After leaving the battle site, they had struck out south-east across the fields and orchards dotting the region. They had run afoul of a few farmers, but Jorvanultumn¡¯s presence had so awed them each time, they soon not only let them cross their lands, but even offered some of their produce for free. In better times, Jorvanultumn would never have accepted items offered practically in worship, but these were not better times. Their food supplies were low, and none of them was in the shape for hunting.


    Once they had made a wide berth to the side of the city, they rejoined the road running east. By then, it was well past nightfall, but they kept on. The farmland soon gave way to thick, virgin forest. It was in the forest that they were able to find an area to settle down at last. By then, Jorvanultumn was exhausted, but he gathered some last bits of strength for a flight over the area to learn the terrain.


    What he had learned on that flight had left him very eager to just hide away and sleep once he was back. He had slept late into this day.


    Jorvanultumn wiped a bit of water off a leaf and watched it glisten on his finger for a few moments before it evaporated. He did not know what type of plant the leaf belonged to. He did not know the plants of this area¡ªnot that he really knew the plants anywhere in Arnor very well. This one was green, but so were most Arnorin plants. That did make them more colourful than the usual grey of Arctic plants. Nevertheless, he preferred the Arctic plants, even if only because they were not associated with unbearable heat.


    Grabbing the stalk of the plant, Jorvanultumn gave it a good shake. The spray from the water left on the leaves provided only the barest of refreshment, but it was something. He was trying to find a balance between keeping cool and conserving his magical energy, and so did not have his rain cloud going at the moment. As such, any little relief from the heat was welcome.


    ¡°Careful what you touch,¡± Zandrue called. ¡°Some plants in this region can be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Which ones?¡± Jorvanultumn asked.


    ¡°Not that one.¡± She laughed a little and groaned in pain. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m no expert, so I¡¯d just suggest hands off everything unless necessary.¡±


    Jorvanultumn nodded. There went that plan. With a sigh, he began to gather water vapour between his hands, forming it into a small cloud. Then, with a slight flick of his wrist and the expenditure of a little energy, the cloud flew over his head and gave him a short, but vigorous, downpour. That was better. With a wave of his hand, the rain stopped, and the cloud dissipated.


    Zandrue was watching him. ¡°We need to get moving again. We¡¯ve been here almost a day already, and that¡¯s one day too long.¡±


    Rudiger, who had been brushing Borisin, looked over at her. ¡°Are you strong enough?¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m about as well off as Jorvan at the moment. I should be able to manage. I¡¯ll have to.¡±


    ¡°What about the goblins Jorvan saw?¡± Rudiger asked.


    ¡°We hope they don¡¯t catch us,¡± Zandrue replied.


    They had been out in large numbers last night. Hundreds of the beasts, a few miles south-east of Bever. At first, Jorvanultumn had thought they were just a large group of humans, but as he had flown over them, their hunched gait and long arms became more apparent. It had been too dark to get a good look at any faces, but on a few of them, their tusks had been noticeable. He had not remained to watch them for very long. However, he had noticed a single figure moving away from them at immense speed. Unless one of the goblins was also capable of such speed, there could be little doubt who it was. As such, Jorvanultumn could only assume that the goblins were looking for him, Zandrue, and Rudiger.


    ¡°We have a better chance of avoiding them if we keep moving,¡± Zandrue continued. ¡°If we sit here much longer, they¡¯ll stumble across us for sure.¡±


    ¡°What about sneaking past them, back into Bever?¡± Rudiger asked.


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°Too risky at the moment. Besides, if we did manage it, we¡¯d probably just walk into another trap laid for us in the city. I don¡¯t think they want us getting to Lockanith.¡±


    ¡°We continue east?¡± Jorvanultumn asked.


    Zandrue nodded and said, ¡°I don¡¯t like it very much, but we don¡¯t have any other choice.¡±


    ¡°Is there any other way to Lockanith?¡± Rudiger asked.


    ¡°Not really. There¡¯s nothing south of Bever before the Ninifin wall. The only other option would be to go all the way to the east coast, cross the Bay of Ras, walk down the Thumb, and then go overland back to the west coast, which would take forever, probably half a year or more.¡±


    ¡°Or we could go to Ninifin,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°That Darker said they had a way in.¡±


    ¡°That was from the south,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Yeah, but there¡¯s got to be gates in their wall, right?¡±


    ¡°One in the north and one in the south, yes, and they don¡¯t let just anybody through.¡±


    ¡°Then we find another way. Climb the wall or something. I don¡¯t know. If Corvinian¡¯s there...¡±


    ¡°And if he isn¡¯t?¡± Zandrue said. ¡°If that was a lie?¡±


    ¡°If that was a lie, then Lockanith was probably a lie, too, and if it wasn¡¯t a lie, Lockanith was just a stop on the way. If we can¡¯t sneak back into Bever and we have to head towards Ninifin anyway, why not just go all the way?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Zandrue snapped. ¡°Not until we¡¯re sure.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Jorvanultumn asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous. We might as well just walk up and surrender to the goblins. We¡¯d probably be treated better.¡±


    ¡°They do not like Isyar,¡± Jorvanultumn said. ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than just dislike. They will do terrible things to you if they get their hands on you, and in your weakened condition, you¡¯ll have a hard time defending yourself. Ninifin is farther south still and we haven¡¯t even hit summer yet. It will be much hotter.¡±


    Jorvanultumn thought for a moment. He was a bit surprised her reasons included concern for him, although he could not be certain she did not have other reasons as well. She kept so many secrets, and that bothered him. ¡°And you and Rudiger in Ninifin?¡±


    Zandrue sighed. ¡°It would be dangerous for us, too, although not to the same extent. If it was just me and Rudiger, I¡¯d be more willing to try it.¡±


    ¡°Then do not worry about me. We will go to Ninifin.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°We will go to Ninifin.¡± He did not want an argument with Zandrue¡ªshe did not like being contradicted and had a tendency to consider herself in charge¡ªbut Ninifin was the obvious next destination. He was willing to take the risks for Corvinian¡¯s sake. There was also his elispt to think of.


    ¡°Are you out of your fucking mind? I realise I¡¯ve only given you the broadest description of Ninifin, but I thought I¡¯d gotten my point across. They do terrible things to prisoners and I can only imagine what they might do if they got their hands on an Isyar. They will torture you. Scar you. Break your wings. Who knows what else? If you¡¯re lucky, you¡¯ll die quickly. Is that really what you want?¡±


    ¡°No, but that changes nothing. We must find Corvinian. I promised to protect him.¡±


    ¡°And we will find him. But we don¡¯t know he¡¯s in Ninifin. Let¡¯s at least find out first before you go and get yourself killed, okay?¡±


    They stared at each other for a few moments. There was anger in Zandrue¡¯s eyes. Her stare was intimidating enough to make him consider backing down. Perhaps he was being foolish. He did not like the idea of letting her win the argument, but perhaps she was right.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Rudiger put a hand on Zandrue¡¯s shoulder, but she pushed it away. ¡°Look, we have to go east for a little while anyway to get away from the goblins. Let¡¯s worry about that first.¡±


    Zandrue stared at Jorvanultumn for a few moments more, then took a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re right. We need to worry about the goblins first.¡± She looked away.


    Rudiger looked to Jorvanultumn, who nodded. ¡°Yes, you are right.¡±


    So they road east. Staying ahead of the goblins proved easier than they had expected, and it did not take long before they had left the goblins well behind. On this day, they passed a couple small villages and made certain to warn the locals. However, Jorvanultumn made far more of an impression on them than the threat of goblins. The people in these parts were familiar with goblins and did not appear worried about a large group of them. Clusters of goblins formed from time to time, and while they might cause problems for some farms by going after livestock, they mostly left human settlements alone, so there was little point bothering about them. However, an Isyar was worth gawking over. Jorvanultumn would never understand human motivations.


    The next morning, Jorvanultumn flew back west in an attempt to see how far behind the goblins were, but there was no sign of them.


    ¡°They¡¯re not following us then,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°The question is, are they still blocking the way back into Bever or have they headed off some other way?¡±


    ¡°Do we go back?¡± Rudiger asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jorvanultumn hurried to answer before Zandrue could. Her wide-eyed expression showed her surprise at his answer. ¡°If the goblins are not there, we go to Lockanith. If they are...¡±


    She picked up on his meaning. ¡°We continue east to Getavin and from there, we look into the possibility of Ninifin.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jorvanultumn said.


    Zandrue grabbed her horse¡¯s reins. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind me. I become an ass when I have to do something I don¡¯t want to do. I come round in the end though. Sometimes. If there¡¯s good reason.¡±


    The heat was not as bad today, and it rained a few times as well¡ªshort, brisk downpours, but they were refreshing. It meant that Jorvanultumn maintained enough energy to fly ahead a few times to look for signs of goblins. In the late afternoon, he spotted them. Still numbering in the hundreds in total, they were spread out in smaller groups through the forests and fields north and south of the road outside Bever. Unlike when he had first spotted them, they were not on the move. On guard, perhaps?


    Jorvanultumn did not have the strength to circle over the road for more than a couple minutes to determine the goblins¡¯ response to travellers, though he did spot a single merchant caravan that was moving without being attacked.


    He also spotted a single figure again moving at extreme speeds between the different groups of goblins. Jorvanultumn presumed that ¡°Mister Speedy¡± as Zandrue had taken to calling him must be keeping the goblins organised.


    ¡°Sounds like they¡¯re guarding against us,¡± Rudiger said when Jorvanultumn returned.


    ¡°Yeah, and I really wish I knew why they¡¯re so intent to keep us out of there,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Still, I guess we don¡¯t have any choice. I hope you two realise though that if there really are Darkers operating out of Ninifin, we¡¯re likely to encounter at least as much opposition to keep us out of there. And that¡¯s just from the Darkers, never mind the Ninifins themselves. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    After they passed the same two villages for the third time, the number of settlements they encountered decreased over the next few days to none, and the forest became thicker. According to Zandrue, this was one of the most sparsely settled areas in Arnor with only the extreme south and extreme north being more so. Even other travellers on the road were uncommon. All told, it made things peaceful, and the thick canopy of trees helped keep the excesses of the sun bearable.


    After nearly two weeks of travelling, they finally encountered a village again along the banks of the Sulaji River, which marked the border between the Provinces of Friaz and Nallin. The forest did not extend past the river, giving way instead to more farmland. Over the next two days, they passed through a few more villages before finally reaching Getavin.


    A weathered ziggurat towered over the city¡¯s other buildings, including the two other ziggurats on either side of it. Large, potted plants decorated the stepped levels of all three ziggurats as well as their flat tops, providing a burst of green dominating the centre of the otherwise grey and brown city.


    ¡°Saw a drawing of those once in Dorg,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°Didn¡¯t realise they were quite so big. Who built them?¡±


    ¡°Ninifins,¡± Zandrue answered. ¡°Or more precisely, the people who became the Ninifins and the locals. They¡¯re quite the sight up close.¡±


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t it surprise me you¡¯ve been here before?¡± Rudiger said.


    Zandrue smiled. ¡°I climbed to the top of the big one last time I was here. They don¡¯t actually like people doing that. Too dangerous. The thing¡¯s old and not well maintained. Still, I couldn¡¯t resist.¡±


    The rest of the city surrounding the ziggurats consisted of a very different architecture. Instead of stone, it was a maze of reed and thatch huts. It lacked any true streets other than the main road. Buildings had been built wherever there was space and did not conform to any standard patterns. Even the spaces between the huts did not make for good streets as they were generally filled with boxes and barrels, or had ropes tied from one building to the next, upon which laundry had been hung to dry.


    Most people had copper complexions and dark hair. They were obviously poor, but seemed happier about it than Jorvanultumn was used to seeing amongst human poor. Dirty, naked children played joyfully, while adults chatted or went about their business with smiles on their faces. Only the scrawny, ill-fed dogs all over the place were anything less than happy¡ªand then, only when Zandrue passed near them. As soon as she was out of their path, they stopped growling and went back to playing with the children.


    It was comforting to see people happy for a change, and Jorvanultumn found that he could almost forget about the heat for a while. Indeed, wandering amongst these people soon put a smile on his face. They did not even surround him in mobs the way people had in Friaz. A few rushed over to him, to ask his blessing or similar nonsense. Others, especially children, pointed at him and called after him. However, the majority did little more than watch him pass, awe in their faces, but not in their actions.


    Nearer to the inner city and the three ziggurats, a small crowd had gathered a short distance off the main road. Intrigued, Jorvanultumn moved closer to see what was happening. A mature, copper-skinned woman wearing a shawl and long skirt, both of vibrant mixed colours, sat on some boxes. On her head, she wore a tall headdress adorned with white feathers. To either side of her stood a human carrying a spear adorned with a few red and black feathers. Each warrior¡¯s face, neck, and bare arms bore multiple tattoos of various abstract designs. Both wore padded armour, but neither bore a tabard indicating allegiance like most human warriors Jorvanultumn had encountered. One of the two warriors was a woman, which was unusual. Jorvanultumn had not seen many women warriors amongst humans. Zandrue carried weapons, and he had seen a couple female guards at the Arnorin Royal Palace, but that was the extent that he had ever encountered. He had heard that it was customary for noblewomen to obtain some martial training, but he had not seen any who actually made use of that training.


    The woman with the feathered headdress was speaking to the small crowd in front of her. The crowd was predominantly young women and girls, although a few men stood along the edges, scowling¡ªthe first openly unhappy people Jorvanultumn had seen in this city. With only a few exceptions, even the young women and girls seemed only half interested in what the woman in the gown had to say.


    ¡°Throw off the yoke of your oppressors! Let Ninussa light your way to truth, freedom, and happiness. Look at the squalor your so-called rulers make you live in! Lord Elaster. King Wavon. Who are these men? Have you ever seen either of them before? No? Then why should they have a say in your day-to-day lives? What gives them that right? What do they do for you? Let me share with you the words of Eleuia, as transcribed by her disciple, Nin-Papan. She said¡ª¡±


    ¡°Go back to the shit you came from, bitch!¡± one of the men yelled. ¡°Let us live our own lives.¡±


    ¡°See how the dissenters turn to name calling whenever they do not get their way? Can any of you offer a true denial of my words?¡± The woman¡¯s eyes scanned the crowd, looking for dissenters. Several people started calling her down, but her gaze had stopped on Jorvanultumn. There was fear in those dark eyes, and soon the other people began to quieten and turn to see what she was looking at.


    Jorvanultumn offered her and everyone there a smile.


    ¡°Evil!¡± the woman screeched. ¡°See the evil that infests the world! Cast it out, I say! Cast it out!¡±


    ¡°An Isyar!¡± a young girl exclaimed, joy and awe on her face.


    ¡°Please,¡± Jorvanultumn began, ¡°I do not wish¡ª¡±


    ¡°Cast it out!¡± the woman cried again. Jorvanultumn had not seen her grab it, but she now had a rock in her hand and she lobbed it at him. Taking him by surprise, it struck him across the side of his forehead. He stumbled back, wiping blood from his eyes.


    The young girl screamed. Several people rushed the woman in the gown, but her guards moved to protect her, knocking down the first two men to get near. Dazed, one of the two men tried to grab a guard¡¯s foot, but she kicked him in the face. The small crowd quickly dispersed after that, the two men running with all the others. The young girl was still screaming when a slightly older girl picked her up and carried her off.


    The woman bent down and picked up another stone. ¡°Bastard of creation. Unholy child of the Dark Lady.¡± She threw the stone at him, but Jorvanultumn was ready this time. He caught it in a pocket of air and then broke it apart, letting the resulting sand fall harmlessly to the ground.


    A hand touched Jorvanultumn¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°She can do no more harm. No one¡¯s likely to listen to her once the story of how she attacked an angel spreads.¡±


    With a nod, Jorvanultumn gave a small tug on his horse¡¯s reins and followed Zandrue, the mare tagging along behind. He took a glance back to make certain the woman¡¯s guards were not trying to rush him, but she only yelled curses at him.


    Rudiger was waiting for them farther down the street. He grinned. ¡°Thought we lost you. You shouldn¡¯t wander off like that.¡±


    ¡°I was doing...research,¡± Jorvanultumn replied. He turned to Zandure. ¡°Was she a Ninifin?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zandrue replied. ¡°Technically, most people here are Ninifins, though they get called Eloorin because they don¡¯t actually live in Ninifin, or something like that. I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s complicated. Anyway, she was a Ninifin from Ninifin. I did warn you what things could be like. The only reason she didn¡¯t try to kill you is because she knows the local authorities would hang her if she did. In Ninifin, she¡¯ll have the law on her side. You still up for going there?¡±


    ¡°Do we have a choice?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, it doesn¡¯t look that way.¡±


    Rudiger put his arm around her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll figure out a way. We¡¯ve already survived far worse than anything the Ninifins can throw at us.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Zandrue said, laying her head against his chest and hugging her arms around his waist.


    Jorvanultumn watched in fascination. He had been trying to figure out for some time whether Zandrue and Rudiger were fomasee, but human mating rituals were bizarre. For some reason, they did not like admitting their connection to one another.


    ¡°So what do we have to do?¡± Rudiger asked.


    ¡°We stay here for tomorrow and possibly the day after,¡± Zandrue replied. ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste any more time, but if we go to Ninifin, we have to be prepared. I need to do a little bit of research first. I¡¯ll check in with some local contacts, see if I can find out about Darkers in the area.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡± Rudiger asked. ¡°They¡¯re probably looking for us just like every other Darker in the world.¡±


    Zandrue stared at him. ¡°You want to go to Ninifin, and you¡¯re worried about dangerous? Let¡¯s not forget, we don¡¯t know for certain Corvinian is even in Ninifin. Or they might have moved him by now. If I can pick up hints of anything like that, we may not need to go there at all. If this is going to work, you both have to listen to me very carefully and do exactly what I tell you to. Agreed?¡±


    Jorvanultumn nodded his acceptance and Rudiger said, ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Zandrue said, clapping her hands together. ¡°Well, if I¡¯m going to spend the next little while plotting our collective suicide, I think for tonight, I just want to get rip-roaring drunk! Come on, let¡¯s get out of these slums and into the real city.¡± She slipped away from Rudiger, grabbed her horse¡¯s reins, and began walking down the street towards the inner city.


    ¡°She is strange,¡± Jorvanultumn said to Rudiger, ¡°but I think I begin to understand her.¡±


    Rudiger smiled, the way someone did about their fomase when others said complimentary things about them. ¡°She¡¯s a pretty amazing woman.¡±


    Jorvanultumn nodded. If only she did not have so many secrets.

 Chapter 14: Ninifin (Part 2)

    Zandrue¡¯s head hurt. Too much drink. Too much bloody drink. She sat up and the room spun around her, so she lay back down and closed her eyes again. Sleep would be very nice right about now, but alas, there was too much work to do. She opened one eye experimentally. The room was still spinning¡ªor maybe her vision was just blurred. Yes, that was more likely. She opened her other eye, gathered her strength of will, and sat up again. Her head throbbed.


    Rudiger stirred beside her, reaching for her waist. ¡°Wh-where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Work to do.¡± Zandrue gently took his hands off her and slid out of the bed. She gathered up her clothes which lay scattered about the room and quickly dressed. She glanced back at Rudiger. He¡¯d fallen back asleep again, and she felt a bit envious. He looked so peaceful, while she had to endure this horrendous headache.


    With a sigh, she belted her sword to her waist and slung her pack over her shoulder. She glanced at her quiver of arrows and unstrung bow sitting in the corner of the room, but decided that she likely wouldn¡¯t need them, so she could leave them behind. She reached for the door handle, but hesitated, looking back at Rudiger instead.


    She¡¯d let herself get far too close to him. It wasn¡¯t the sex. She would have slept with him within a few days of meeting him if he¡¯d let her, having done so often enough with others: Cerus, Drummor, the list went on.


    When it came down to it, people were creatures of habit and instinct. They were capable of thought, capable of overriding their habits when necessary, but the vast majority of the time, they just did whatever came naturally to them. Zandrue was certainly no exception. Her habits had been guided, programmed. She had tried to escape them, but she was slave to them nonetheless.


    ¡°The single, greatest weapon you possess is not a sword or an axe. It is not a bow or spear or dagger. It is nothing with a blade or point, nor anything manufactured. Your greatest weapon is nothing other than your body. For nothing else you possess is so versatile. Be it for pounding your enemy with your fists or feet, or holding him in place. Be it for seducing him with your sex, or outwitting him with your mind, nothing¡ªabsolutely nothing¡ªwill ever be a superior weapon than what you were born possessing.¡±


    Habit. All just habit.


    Except Rudiger.


    If only she could just lump Rudiger in with everything else. But she couldn¡¯t. He had to bloody well be different, the bastard! He dared to lie there on that bed, tall, muscular, handsome, and playing with her feelings without even knowing he was doing it. In the past, she¡¯d avoided anything like this happening by simply not spending enough time around any man she felt close to. With Rudiger, she¡¯d spent far too much time around him, far too much time getting to know him, and now all she wanted to do was climb back in that bed with him and lie there in his arms forever.


    Gods, what would her mother think? Horror. Sheer horror and revulsion. She would go on about unhealthy fetishes and blame Zandrue¡¯s father for insisting on putting her in the arcraime in the first place. As for her father himself...well, her father had other reasons to want her dead. Falling in love with Rudiger would make little impact when mixed with everything else.


    With a shake of her head and a groan from the resulting pain, Zandrue reached for the door handle again and headed out.


    Getting in to see the people she wanted to see wasn¡¯t difficult. Getavin hadn¡¯t changed much since she¡¯d last been here. None of the hideouts had moved, and none of the people had changed.


    A girl wearing nothing more than a transparent shift offered her some wine. Zandrue took the crystal goblet from the tray and gave the girl a small smile. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The girl curtsied and slid off, closing the door behind her.


    Zandrue pretended to admire the goblet and then took a sip of the wine.


    ¡°A fine vintage, isn¡¯t it?¡± her hostess said. ¡°From the Orwin vineyards by the Bay of Ras, twenty-three oh nine. A magnificent year.¡±


    Zandrue looked over at Luana, spread out on her chaise longue with its red velvet cushions, and also sipping from a crystal goblet. Despite her advancing age, the woman was still undeniably majestic, and she flaunted it, too, in her slinky silk gown that tightly hugged her voluptuous figure. The Ninifin-style tattoos on her shoulder looked out of place on her pale, not-even-tanned Folith skin.


    ¡°You start them very young,¡± Zandrue commented.


    Luana looked momentarily surprised. ¡°Oh, you mean Alusha there. It keeps them off the streets.¡±


    ¡°She looks barely sixteen,¡± Zandrue said.


    Luana shrugged. ¡°I offer the girls a haven from a far worse life. It¡¯s either here or death on the streets¡ªor worse, Ninifin.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think things were so bad here in Getavin. People here seem happy. Even the poor ones.¡±


    Luana nodded. ¡°Oh they are, for the most part. But nowhere is a perfect paradise, Sonna.¡±


    ¡°Zandrue.¡±


    ¡°Of course, my apologies. I deal with people changing their names all the time. I should know better.¡± She took a sip of her wine. ¡°But as I was saying, nowhere is a paradise. There are always a few unfortunates. I offer them a life away from that. Here, they need only pleasure a few horny men, and in return make more money than they ever thought possible. Alusha, I¡¯m quite sure, is far richer than you are, Zandrue. Far richer than you ever will be, I¡¯d hazard a guess.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged, thinking of her own lost childhood. Her career had started the day she¡¯d learned to walk. ¡°There are pleasures other than money.¡±


    Luana smiled. ¡°On that, my dear, we can agree. However, money is a nice pleasure, too.¡± She gestured to the room around them, to the rich paintings on the gilded walls, and the statuary in the corners, to the giant chandelier hanging from the ceiling above. The room would not have been out of place in the Royal Palace. ¡°Now, tell me, what brings you back to Getavin? Not to take up my offer of employment, I suspect.¡±


    ¡°Not this time,¡± Zandrue said with a forced smile, her hangover flaring up again. ¡°What brings me here is a bit of a long story. However, now I¡¯m here, I wouldn¡¯t mind a little information.¡±


    ¡°Now, now, Zandrue,¡± Luana said. ¡°You know as well as I do that information doesn¡¯t come free. What sort of information were you looking for?¡±


    ¡°Darkers,¡± Zandrue said, placing her goblet down on the table in front of her and leaning back in her cushioned chair. ¡°A little bit about Ninifin would be nice, too.¡±


    Luana smirked. ¡°That sort of information doesn¡¯t come cheaply either, dear. What can you offer me in return?¡±


    ¡°Secrets,¡± Zandrue answered, rubbing her temples.


    ¡°What sort of secrets?¡±


    ¡°Royal ones.¡±


    Luana laughed. ¡°Come now, Zandrue, do you expect me to believe you¡¯ve ferreted out any royal secrets that I wouldn¡¯t already know?¡±


    Zandrue looked at her with a straight and serious face. ¡°Of course. You, of all people, should know that people can be made to talk in bed. Even princes.¡±


    Luana¡¯s eyes widened and she smiled.


    ¡°Your establishment may cater to the nobles of Nallin, Luana,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°but I¡¯ve catered to the nobles of Arnor.¡±


    Luana chuckled and took a sip of her wine. ¡°You have grown, Zandrue, my dear. Perhaps we can reach an arrangement.¡±


    * * * * *


    Rain was falling and the wind was blowing heavily as they made their way along the trail. The tops of the trees swayed back and forth, adding cascading leaves to the falling water. Up ahead of them, their guide, Ervin, trudged through the rapidly expanding mud, only occasionally looking back to see if they were still following him. Numerous times, Rudiger wondered if they just stopped and turned around, would the boy even notice?


    Zandrue had found the boy through one of her contacts, someone named Luana. He was leading them to a group of people that could supposedly help them get into Ninifin.


    Tell me why we¡¯re doing this again, Borisin complained.


    ¡°You want to go back to the stables in Getavin?¡±


    Hell, no. In protest, Borisin kicked at the ground.


    Rudiger didn¡¯t bother wiping the splashed mud away. The rain would wash it away soon enough. Besides, he was already drenched and muddy. A little more hardly made any difference. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s how you feel.¡± He let go of the reins and rushed forward as quickly as he could to where Zandrue was leading Lucinda. Borisin only snorted in response.


    ¡°Blasted weather,¡± Zandrue commented.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Tell me why we¡¯re doing this again,¡± Rudiger said.


    I heard that! Borisin yelled. Rudiger ignored him.


    ¡°You want to get into Ninifin, don¡¯t you?¡± Zandrue replied.


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°Yeah, but I didn¡¯t expect to be joining some sort of resistance group. I figured we¡¯d sneak in.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s always good to have allies, Rudiger.¡±


    ¡°I suppose, but are you sure we can trust this Luana woman?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. I certainly trust her more than I do the Darker who told us the Dusk Supreme was shipping things to Ninifin. And we trusted him enough to rush off there.¡±


    ¡°Hurry!¡± their guide called back. ¡°We¡¯re almost there!¡±


    The trail began to widen out and soon opened into a large clearing. With the parting of trees, the real strength of the wind and rain came bearing down, and Rudiger almost slipped. Zandrue grabbed his arm to help steady him. ¡°Careful.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Rudiger mumbled. He looked away so she couldn¡¯t see his embarrassment.


    There were several people in the clearing. Most were loading barrels and boxes into a covered wagon. Others held loaded crossbows aimed at the group coming out of the woods.


    ¡°Eleuia!¡± Ervin called, dashing across the clearing. The crossbow holders lowered their weapons and went back to their watches. ¡°Eleuia! This is them!¡±


    A woman broke away from the group loading boxes and met with the boy. She spoke briefly to him before crossing the clearing to Rudiger, Zandrue, and Jorvan. She was not a big woman, but she was athletic and muscular. Her short, black hair glistened in the rain, in contrast to her copper skin and dark eyes. She wore a sleeveless leather jerkin and coarse pants. One arm had a tattoo that looked something like a snake with wings, although it was in that abstract, blocky style he had seen on people in Getavin, so it was difficult to know what it was supposed to represent. Her other arm had a smaller tattoo near her shoulder of a some sort of cat. A jaguar, maybe? A slim sword hung from her belt.


    Zandrue held out her hand to the woman. ¡°Zandromeda Armida.¡± When the woman just glared, her heavy eyelids narrow, Zandrue turned to Rudiger and Jorvan. ¡°This is Rudiger Fonivan and Jorvanultumn. You¡¯re Eleuia, I take it.¡±


    The woman shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s what they¡¯re calling me these days. My real name¡¯s Ses-Izel. Somebody started the Eleuia thing as a joke, but now, disturbingly, some people have actually come to believe I¡¯m the reincarnation of Eleuia. I don¡¯t like it, but I put up with it. What I like even less, however, are last minute arrangements. I don¡¯t know what Luana¡¯s thinking, sending you out here. I smuggle people and goods out of Ninifin, not in.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but surely if you can get them out, you can get them back in,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°That depends.¡± Eleuia crossed her arms. ¡°Look, I¡¯ll do this, but only because Luana is a major source of funding. I can¡¯t risk offending her. I don¡¯t do this for any of you, got it?¡±


    ¡°As you say,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Once you¡¯re on the other side, our association is at an end until it¡¯s time to get you back out again. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯d want to do something so stupid as go into Ninifin¡ªwith an Isyar¡ªand I don¡¯t want to know. My people will have nothing to do with it. Got it?¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°Got it. Luana¡¯s given us some names to make contact with.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re not going to like it either.¡± Eleuia turned and strode towards the wagon. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    ¡°So, how do we get over the wall?¡± Rudiger asked.


    Eleuia reached down, picked up a box, and held it out to him. ¡°First, you make yourself useful.¡±


    Rudiger chuckled, and took the box.


    ¡°Something funny?¡± she asked.


    Rudiger shook his head briskly. ¡°No.¡± He handed the box to the man standing in the wagon.


    Jorvan reached for a box, but Eleuia placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve never met an Isyar before, so I might be way off, but you don¡¯t look well.¡±


    ¡°The weather here is too warm,¡± Jorvan replied.


    ¡°Do you have any idea what the Ninifins will do to you if they catch you?¡±


    ¡°He knows,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I¡¯ll see to it that he¡¯s fine.¡±


    Eleuia shrugged and let go of Jorvan. ¡°Suit yourself.¡±


    Rudiger placed his hands on either side of a barrel and heaved. It was difficult to get a good grip on the wet wood, especially with the weight. ¡°What have you got in these things, anyway?¡± He placed it on its side on the floor of the wagon, where the young man simply rolled it back into place.


    ¡°In the barrels,¡± Eleuia said, ¡°coffee beans. In the boxes, various assorted artwork.¡±


    ¡°What sort of artwork?¡± Rudiger asked.


    Eleuia shrugged. ¡°I only just got the shipment. Haven¡¯t looked at it yet. Ervin! Get the horses ready. The rest of you load up. Speaking of horses...¡± She looked over to where Lucinda and Borisin were grazing.


    ¡°What about them?¡± Rudiger asked. He knew what she would answer though. Zandrue had said that Luana had brought up the same concerns.


    Eleuia¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Why the hell did you bring them? Surely Luana told you to bring only what you can carry. That includes animals.¡±


    Borisin looked up, chewing slowly on the muddy grass in his mouth.


    Zandrue stepped between Rudiger and Eleuia. ¡°The horses come with us.¡±


    Eleuia raised her eyebrows and laughed. ¡°No, they don¡¯t. Not unless you can carry them or they¡¯re capable of climbing the wall themselves.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a matter for negotiation,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Damn right, it¡¯s not! They¡¯re not coming and that¡¯s that.¡± Eleuia turned away from them and walked over to where Ervin was tending the wagon¡¯s horses. ¡°Ervin, hitch those three horses up. We¡¯ll take them back to Getavin.¡±


    ¡°Now, wait a minute!¡± Rudiger marched up and grabbed Ervin before the boy could reach the horses. He glared at Eleuia. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving Borisin behind.¡±


    The boy struggled in his grasp. ¡°Let me go!¡±


    Eleuia didn¡¯t flinch. ¡°Consider them payment for our services.¡± She crossed her arms and returned his gaze equally.


    Zandrue approached and placed a hand on Eleuia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Look, at the very least, the stallion has to go over the wall. He¡¯s very important. Luana said it could be done.¡±


    Eleuia slipped away from Zandrue¡¯s touch. ¡°And what the hell does Luana know? Just because she gives us money makes her think she knows what goes on out here? She¡¯s never been within a mile of the wall! She takes in any pretty young girls we bring over, but other than that, she has no idea what it¡¯s like. No idea what those refugees have been through! No idea what I and my people have been through. Her sending you to me now is proof enough of that. If you want over the wall, the horses stay. I don¡¯t have the means to get them over too. Now, let Ervin go, or I end this deal right now.¡±


    Zandrue lowered her face and sighed.


    ¡°Zandrue!¡± Rudiger protested.


    ¡°Let him go,¡± Eleuia said.


    ¡°Let me go!¡± the boy echoed.


    Rudiger pushed the boy aside. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll find another way past the wall.¡±


    Ervin climbed to his feet, brushing mud from his face and eyes. He glared briefly at Rudiger before trudging across the grass towards the horses.


    Eleuia shrugged. ¡°Suit yourself.¡±


    Across the clearing, Borisin whinnied loudly. The stallion was rearing and Ervin was lying flat on his back, dangerously close to Borisin¡¯s dangling feet.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Eleuia swore. ¡°Manik! Ses-Abet! Help Ervin!¡±


    ¡°Borisin, that¡¯s enough!¡± Rudiger yelled.


    With a snort, Borisin lowered his front feet to the ground and backed up. Ervin crawled across the grass until two men from the wagon reached him and helped him to his feet.


    Eleuia pointed a finger at Rudiger. ¡°You keep that horse of yours under control until we¡¯re out of here.¡± She wheeled around and climbed into the driver¡¯s seat of the wagon. ¡°Have a nice trip. Don¡¯t blame me when they catch you and kill you.¡±


    Rudiger looked away, not wanting anything more to do with this discussion. He looked over at Borisin who was now just standing idly in the clearing looking back at him. Lucinda stood next to the roan, and Jorvan¡¯s mare was wandering a short distance away. Stupid woman! They didn¡¯t need her help anyway. They could do it alone. As Jorvan¡¯s horse reached down and began pulling at some roots, Rudiger sighed. The worst part of the situation was, he completely understood Eleuia¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°Look,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°can you at least give us some advice or suggestions?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Eleuia replied. ¡°Don¡¯t go to Ninifin.¡±


    ¡°I wish that were an option,¡± Zandrue said.


    You look awful, Borisin said.


    ¡°No worse than you,¡± Rudiger replied.


    Nah, I look good in the rain. As for you...


    ¡°Huh! You wish!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± Eleuia asked.


    ¡°Oh that,¡± Zandrue replied. ¡°He¡¯s¡­well¡­he¡¯s talking to his horse. They do that sometimes. Borisin talks to Rudiger in his head. That¡¯s kind of why we can¡¯t leave him behind.¡±


    ¡°Okay, now I know you¡¯re all crazy,¡± Eleuia said.


    She doesn¡¯t believe.


    ¡°Few do, buddy,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°Few do.¡±


    Borisin shook his head and then looked past Rudiger, staring at something.


    ¡°What?¡± Rudiger asked. ¡°What is it?¡± He turned to look.


    Zandrue and Jorvan backed away from the wagon, as Eleuia took the reins.


    ¡°Look,¡± Eleuia said, ¡°I don¡¯t bear you any ill will, but there¡¯s nothing I can do for you. I don¡¯t have the equipment to get a horse over the wall. A few barrels and boxes is the best I can manage. Even those I can only do a couple at a time. I suppose you could try bluffing your way through the gate if you really insist on taking the horse, but the chances of you pulling that off are slim, at best. Sorry I couldn¡¯t be of more...¡± She turned her head and looked out across the field at Borisin. ¡°...help. I...¡±


    Rudiger looked back at Borisin, who was just standing there. The horse turned his head slightly to meet Rudiger¡¯s gaze.


    What¡¯s going on? Rudiger asked.


    ¡°Of course...I suppose, maybe,¡± Eleuia stuttered. ¡°With better equipment...Even then, it would...it would take...too...long.¡±


    What are you doing? Rudiger said.


    Who, me? Borisin replied.


    ¡°That might work, I guess,¡± Eleuia said. ¡°It would take a lot of planning...a lot of time. Yeah, I could do that instead. It¡¯ll take time, too. But it wouldn¡¯t be difficult.¡±


    ¡°You did something!¡± Rudiger said. Borisin turned around and began grazing. ¡°You did something!¡±


    ¡°What did he do?¡± Zandrue asked, coming up beside Rudiger.


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°He won¡¯t say.¡±


    ¡°Ervin,¡± Eleuia said, ¡°take the wagon back to Getavin. Manik, Ses-Abet, come with me. I, uh, guess we¡¯re going back to the wall, after all.¡±


    ¡°Why do you change your mind?¡± Jorvan asked.


    ¡°He spoke to me.¡±


    Rudiger turned around and stared in surprise at Eleuia as she climbed down from the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°Why impossible?¡± Jorvan asked. ¡°He speaks to you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, he¡¯s only ever spoken to me. I always assumed that there was some special connection between the two of us, that he couldn¡¯t speak to anyone else.¡±


    ¡°He spoke to me.¡± Eleuia was staring across the clearing at Borisin, her gaze unwavering.


    ¡°He never speaks to anybody else,¡± Rudiger said.


    Says you.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Jorvan said.


    ¡°I...I can¡¯t get the horses across now,¡± Eleuia said, still staring at Borisin. ¡°However, there¡¯s a way I can maybe do it later. It¡¯ll be a few months though. I¡¯ll...uh...I¡¯ll look after them until then.¡±


    Borisin snorted. We¡¯ll see about that. More likely I¡¯ll look after her.


    Rudiger stared at his horse. In all the time he¡¯d had Borisin, the horse had never done anything like this. Rudiger hadn¡¯t even known it was possible. How much more was Borisin holding out on him?

 Chapter 15: Scovese

    Felit?a hadn¡¯t known what to expect. Cerus speculated that whatever was there would have long since fallen into ruin, possibly overgrown with the local flora. The meeting would have to be wherever space could be cleared. With luck, he said, the Volgs would have done that work for them by the time they arrived. Meleng pointed out that stories claimed the meeting place was protected by powerful ancient magic. It was possible that magic still functioned and the meeting place would not be in ruins at all, though he admitted that was unlikely. Either way, it had been untended for centuries, and there was little magic could have done to keep it pristine. But speculations about the condition of what they would find on Scovese said nothing about what it might look like. Both Cerus and Meleng had discussed several possibilities. Sinit?a even drew a few chalk pictures of what she imagined it might look like. But in the end, it was all just guesswork. No one had any real clue what to expect, and Felit?a preferred not to let wild speculations influence her expectations.


    She was still surprised by what they saw when they arrived.


    Scovese was inhabited.


    When they first saw people at the quay, that wasn¡¯t unexpected. Felit?a assumed they were people who had arrived before them. There were several other ships already docked there. Felit?a didn¡¯t recognise any of their makes, although Cerus identified one of them as Singean and another as from Corunglain. The quay itself was in good shape, but that was either the magic Meleng had spoken of or those earlier arrivals had worked to get it in shape. Given that the Volgs had known the location of the island and had called the meeting, it made sense that they were already here, too, and might have been for a while. Nevertheless, there was still no indication that anyone lived here.


    The people at the quay pointed them towards a trail that led across the hills towards the mountains looming in the distance. The landscape was dotted with strange, mushroom-shaped trees with spindly needle-like leaves, and smaller trees with bulbous trunks and bright red and pink flowers. Small lizards scurried at their feet, while goats chewed at low leaves, and small birds with orange-yellow, wrinkled faces perched on rocks and branches. It looked unlike any location Felit?a had ever seen before; she couldn¡¯t even remember reading a description of any place like it.


    The air was hot and dry, the ground hard and rocky. The hills were steep, with numerous cliffs and outcroppings. While the trail wound about to keep to the gentlest slopes, it was still a tiring walk. Nothing yet pointed towards permanent habitation.


    But when the trail brought them over another hilltop, they saw it. Nestled in a rocky valley, alongside a small lake of crystal water, was a large coliseum-like building with a domed roof. And around the building, a small village.


    Most of the buildings were stone, and between them were gardens of colourful plants. People moved about them, leading goats, chickens, and some cattle. Along the village¡¯s outskirts were rows of trees whose long leaves fanned out from their tops. Past the trees were fields of crops¡ªwheat or rice, Felit?a wasn¡¯t sure which.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be,¡± Cerus said when they first saw the village.


    ¡°Thank goodness,¡± Annai said. ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll have a place for us to rest and some proper beds. I¡¯m already sick of this island.¡±


    ¡°I like it here,¡± Sinit?a said. ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty.¡±


    Annai scowled, sweat dripping down her face. ¡°No place should be this hot. It¡¯s not right.¡±


    ¡°Welcome to the rest of the world,¡± Felit?a said, and Annai¡¯s scowl deepened.


    She would never admit it to Annai, but Felit?a did understand where Annai was coming from¡ªat least a little. The heat didn¡¯t bother her quite so much, although she was sweating more than she could remember ever having done. However, the idea of a place to rest was appealing. Considering they had spent seventy-five days at sea doing virtually nothing, it was a little odd to desire rest, but she wanted it nevertheless. Those seventy-five days of doing nothing had been tiring.


    Maybe it had been the swaying of the Silver Fish. It had been so constant, she had forgotten about it until stepping off the ship at the quay. Now the lack of swaying on the hard, unmoving ground threatened to make her dizzy.


    But really, it was the mind-numbing boredom that had made her so very exhausted.


    The first few days, she had contented herself with watching the sailors, and getting a feel for how the whole process of sailing worked. After a while though, watching just became monotonous. She offered to help on many occasions, but the crew always refused any assistance, proclaiming¡ªalways politely¡ªthat it wasn¡¯t work for royalty. She suspected it was more because they didn¡¯t want her getting in the way. She could understand. She had no experience in this sort of thing. But it wasn¡¯t like she was asking to climb the rigging. She would¡¯ve been happy mopping the deck if they¡¯d let her.


    Watching the sea became her primary pastime. That lost most of its interest after a day, though she kept it up because there was simply nothing else to do. Once in a while, she caught sight of a large fish or whale, but most of the time, there was nothing but waves. By the end of the journey, she had mentally catalogued over three dozen different wave shapes.


    Travelling overland had never seemed so tedious, even though she had spent just as much time doing it in the last year as she had sailing on the Silver Fish. Was that because she had had Zandrue with her, or was it just because overland travel felt more like she was doing something? If she had been able to help out with the duties on the ship, the journey might not have been quite so boring.


    In retrospect, she realised the journey had been the ultimate test of her concentration and focus. And she had failed. Well, maybe not. The journey had lasted seventy-five days. Even the most focused person in the world would have been distracted a few times in that length of time.


    It hadn¡¯t been all bad. Conversations with Meleng and Cerus helped to pass the time, and it was usually possible to find interesting things to talk about. Cerus certainly had a great skill at talking, even about the most mundane of things. She also envied his skill at always seeming content and happy, even when he wasn¡¯t (and she could sense he was just as bored as she was). He, too, had offered to help out on the ship, but had been rebuffed¡ªwith one brief exception.


    One day in the second week of travel, he had convinced some of the crew to let him help with the fishing that day. Nothing had gone wrong with it, but the captain had not been very pleased. He requested a private meeting with Cerus to discuss it. According to Cerus, the captain was terrified of the King and Queen finding out and thinking that he had pressed Cerus into doing it rather than Cerus doing it of his own volition. He begged Cerus not to continue.


    ¡°I could have pressed the issue,¡± Cerus said to Felit?a afterwards. ¡°However, it occurred to me that if your mother found out, it wouldn¡¯t matter what she believed. She would punish the man as a way to disgrace me. I couldn¡¯t have that on my conscience.¡±


    One good thing that had come out of the journey was that Felit?a had developed a lot of respect and admiration for Cerus. To her surprise, she had discovered that she actually liked him. As a child, she never had, but then, she hadn¡¯t liked any of her family back then.


    She had grown to like Sinit?a too, although Sinit?a hadn¡¯t been around during Felit?a¡¯s childhood in the palace, so she couldn¡¯t count that as a change in her attitude. Sinit?a was not the greatest of conversationalists, but she approached everything with such wonder and innocence that Felit?a couldn¡¯t help but be just a little in awe of her sister. And a little envious too.


    ¡°Have you ever imagined being a fish?¡± Sinit?a asked one day while she and Felit?a were standing on deck looking out over the endless expanse of water.


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°Not that I remember.¡±


    ¡°I think about it a lot. It would be so peaceful, just swimming around everywhere. But then I think about getting eaten by a bigger fish, so I imagine being an even bigger one, or a whale. Then it¡¯s peaceful again. You should try. Whales aren¡¯t fish, you know. Meleng told me that. I didn¡¯t know that.¡±


    Felit?a did try imagining life as a fish after that. It surprised her how relaxing it really was.


    Sinit?a was a talented artist, too. Despite not having much to work with on the ship, she had produced a large portfolio of chalk drawings by the end of the journey, using whatever medium was at hand¡ªoften the walls and decks of the ship. Most of the drawings didn¡¯t survive very long, but their cabin ended up highly decorated. She had even drawn one which she said was her perspective as a fish.


    Felit?a¡¯s opinion of Annai, however, did not change. If anything, it got worse. Her older sister was very vocal about her displeasure, and early on, took every opportunity she could to complain to the captain or first mate about the inadequacies of their cabin, or various slights she accused the crew of committing. After a couple of weeks, she gave up on that, but she continued to complain to Felit?a and Sinit?a, who were stuck sharing a cabin with her.


    Annai also started to treat Marna and Della, Sinit?a¡¯s handmaid, like they were her own. She had all three handmaids running about attending to her every whim, something which Felit?a tried on several occasions to put a stop to.


    ¡°How dare you order me around!¡± she responded the first time Felit?a brought it up in their cabin.


    ¡°I¡¯m not ordering you around,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I asked you if you would please stop using Marna and Della, who are not your handmaids.¡±


    ¡°Why should I? It¡¯s not like you ever use Marna. You let her wander around and do whatever she wants. It¡¯s entirely inappropriate behaviour for a servant. I¡¯m just setting her to work she should be doing anyway. Besides, I can¡¯t survive with just one handmaid. Yesterday, I had to wait two hours for my dinner because Veruva was doing my washing and I couldn¡¯t find the other two. I had to go to the captain to make sure a sailor brings it from now on.¡±


    ¡°You could have just gone to the mess hall yourself,¡± Felit?a said.


    Annai had just stared at her.


    It boggled Felit?a¡¯s mind. Annai was twenty-seven years old and she acted like she was twelve.


    To be fair, there had been moments when they had had less hostile interactions, few though they had been. There had been a bad storm five weeks into the voyage. Felit?a, Sinit?a, Annai, and the three handmaids spent it huddled in their cramped, rocking cabin, trying not to fall out of their bunks and not get hit by their supplies that had not been adequately secured in place. Most of them also spent the storm vomiting into buckets and then trying their best to keep those buckets from falling over. There was a lot of clean-up to be done afterwards.


    ¡°Will this journey ever end?¡± Annai asked at the end of it.


    ¡°Meleng says we have two weeks left if the weather isn¡¯t too bad,¡± Sinit?a said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Annai said. ¡°How does he know?¡±


    ¡°He asked the first mate.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Annai said. ¡°I don¡¯t think the first mate likes me. None of the crew do.¡±


    ¡°You should be nicer to them,¡± Sinit?a said.


    ¡°Felit?a, how do you do it?¡±


    Felit?a looked up from mopping the floor. ¡°Do what? Be nice to people?¡±


    ¡°No, get by without servants. Do things like that.¡± Annai pointed at the mop.


    ¡°I just pick it up and do it,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Like most of the rest of the world. There¡¯s really nothing else to it.¡±


    Annai did not help with the clean-up, but Felit?a did pick up a hint of guilt from her.


    Time spent with Meleng had involved a lot of technical discussions about magic, science, sailing, the sea, and numerous other topics. Felit?a was always impressed by the wide breadth of knowledge Meleng possessed. He lacked self-confidence though, and constantly second-guessed himself.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been working on this idea,¡± he said one time. ¡°It has to do with the conversion of potential into kinetic energy. It was inspired by that spell I tried to show Corvinian in Mesone, the one where I tried to levitate the books, but they burst apart? Well, I¡¯ve been having some ideas about it, but I keep getting them wrong. The equations just won¡¯t work out.¡±


    ¡°Do you want some help?¡± Felit?a asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know a lot of math, but I might notice something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, no, that¡¯s okay. It doesn¡¯t really matter. It¡¯s pretty silly, really.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯d be happy to.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay, honest,¡± he said and didn¡¯t bring it up again.


    He did spend most of his time in his cabin, which he shared with Cerus, scribbling away at diagrams and equations. Cerus confirmed it all seemed to be the same ¡°project¡±, but Cerus also confessed he didn¡¯t really understand any of it, no matter how much Meleng tried to explain it to him.


    Once in a while, Cerus managed to drag Meleng out on deck. ¡°A bit of fresh air will do you good, Meleng. As will a little bit of socialisation.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Meleng would reply and go on to do little in the way of socialisation.


    He did spend a lot of time with Sinit?a, though¡ªor rather, it was the other way round. Sinit?a spent a lot of time with Meleng, following him around, asking him questions, and listening to his carefully explained answers. Felit?a suspected it might have started as a way for Sinit?a to avoid Annai, though she seemed to really enjoy the time spent with Meleng.


    Also, as best Felit?a could tell, Cerus and Meleng had struck up a friendship of sorts on the trip. Cooped up together in a cramped cabin for eleven weeks would do that¡ªeither that or put them at each other¡¯s throats, but thankfully that hadn¡¯t happened. Felit?a had been quite impressed when Cerus had first offered to share his cabin with Meleng before they left. The Queen had not approved, but Cerus had argued that there really was nowhere else to put him. He had refused to see him put with the servants as the Queen had wanted. ¡°Besides,¡± he had told her, ¡°you and he will be on different ships. What will it matter to you whose cabin he shares?¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°He will be on the same ship as my two daughters!¡± the Queen had said.


    ¡°Your three daughters,¡± Cerus had corrected her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? It¡¯s not like he¡¯s sharing their cabin. Or are you afraid he might charm his way into theirs?¡±


    The Queen had gone deep red at that, but had let the matter pass.


    The friendship that had developed between Cerus and Meleng did seem somewhat dominated by Cerus, though. Whenever Felit?a encountered them together, Cerus was usually the one talking, with Meleng standing awkwardly nearby and not saying much. She never sensed annoyance from Meleng though. Instead, she often sensed a small amount of enjoyment coming from him, passing through the overall boredom that he and everyone else was feeling.


    The seemingly endless boredom.


    The first and only real excitement on the trip had come when the lookout in the crow¡¯s nest called out that there was land ahead¡ªthe first sign that the boredom would be coming to an end at last. A short while later, they saw the mountains of Scovese come into view on the horizon. It was still several hours before they reached the island, and there were several other islands in the vicinity to sail between. The Silver Fish and two of the naval vessels arrived first at the quay, with the remaining seven Arnorin ships still some distance behind. Felit?a was glad of that as it meant she could avoid seeing her mother for a little while longer. It wasn¡¯t difficult to convince Cerus to start along the trail right away and not wait for the Royal Folith and the other ships.


    Now, as they followed the trail down the side of the cliff and then onto the streets of the village, Felit?a found the idea of collapsing onto an actual bed to be what she most wanted in the world.


    But she wasn¡¯t about to admit that to Annai.


    The locals, as well as the people they had met at the quay, were all Sanalogs¡ªor closely related at any rate. They had the same dark yellow-brown umber skin of Sanalogs, though Felit?a didn¡¯t know the different peoples of Endoria well enough to say for sure. Their clothes were light and airy, and some, particularly those working in the fields, wore wide-brimmed hats. There weren¡¯t many children, but the few there were wore little, if any, clothes at all. A couple of times, Felit?a noticed Annai, Sinit?a, or one of the handmaids blushing at the sight of a naked child running past them. Yet she also picked up a hint of envy from them as well. She could understand that. The gowns she and the other women wore were not at all practical for the environment, and she suspected even Annai was coming to realise that.


    The locals were clearly expecting visitors, but none of them spoke Arnorgue, so they just smiled and pointed towards the coliseum. As Felit?a and the others got closer to the building, though, it became clear the locals were actually directing them to the other side of it. There they found several rows of long, stone buildings. A small group of people was approaching them from that direction.


    Leading them was a tall, wiry man. His brown skin¡ªa little lighter than that of the other people they¡¯d seen¡ªwas wrinkled and mottled with age. His head was mostly bald, but he had a short, but thick grey beard. In addition to his thin, multi-coloured robe, he wore several beaded necklaces and bracelets. Accompanying him was a younger woman dressed similarly. The remaining four were all bare-chested muscular men carrying spears.


    The elderly man raised his arms out to either side. ¡°Eles,¡± he said and smiled.


    Cerus stepped forward and bowed. ¡°Eles,¡± he repeated. In his usual way, he looked and sounded confident, but nervousness emanated from him.


    ¡°You are Arnor?¡± the elderly man said. He had a heavy accent, but his words were discernible.


    Cerus smiled and Felit?a could feel relief flood from him. ¡°Yes, we have just arrived.¡±


    ¡°King Wah-von?¡± the elderly man said, mispronouncing the name.


    Cerus shook his head. ¡°No, Prince Cerus. The King is behind us and should arrive soon.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± the man said. ¡°Apologies. I am Adranaska. I watch the meeting place.¡±


    Cerus gave another low bow. ¡°I am honoured, Adranaska. Allow me to introduce my sisters, Annai, Felit?a, and Sinit?a. This here is Meleng Drago, and the rest are our entourage.¡±


    Adranaska nodded as Cerus named and indicated each person. ¡°Welcome to Scohovasta, you call Scovese. And apologies for poor speaking your words.¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Cerus said. ¡°You speak our language far better than I could speak yours. And thank you for your hospitality. We have had a long journey and I hope that there is a place that we can rest.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I show you.¡± Adranaska motioned towards the long buildings, but was interrupted by a gust of wind and the flapping of wings. The old man grimaced as a Volg landed in front of him, the Volg¡¯s wings almost knocking him aside as they folded behind the Volg¡¯s back.


    The Volg bowed low to Cerus and the others. He wore a gold-coloured breastplate and a dark red cape with gold trim, the top of which hung low beneath his wings. When he rose from the bow, he stood close to seven feet in height. His beard and the fur on his face were grey, and his horns were more expansive than those of other Volgs Felit?a had seen, curling around in several complete circles and protruding wide from the side of his head.


    As the Volg rose back up, Adranaska hissed something in the local language and the warriors with him raised their spears. The Volg looked back at him and said something in the same language in return. The Volg¡¯s voice was deep and calm, but also harsh and grating. Anger emanated from Adranaska and amusement from the Volg. The two of them began to speak back and forth, Adranaska in anger and the Volg almost laughing in return.


    Felit?a looked to Cerus, who gave an uncharacteristic shrug. He then straightened up and said, ¡°Excuse me for interrupting, but we were about to be shown to our accommodations.¡±


    The Volg turned to face Cerus, leaving Adranaska scowling. ¡°Ah, Arnorins. Foliths, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Cerus said. ¡°I see you speak our language. However, I was addressing¡ª¡±


    ¡°I am versed in the languages of all the peoples expected to be here,¡± the Volg interrupted, ¡°which is more than I can say for you or most of the others, except Adranaska here. I am Agranim, son of Ekrafim of the Warrior Caste. Where is your king? It is not you, I think. You are too young.¡±


    ¡°I am Prince Cerus Folith, son of King Wavon the Second Folith. My ship arrived ahead of my father¡¯s, but he will join us soon. Now, if you don¡¯t mind, I do believe Adra¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, we were told the Arnorins would likely come in large numbers, requiring large amounts of resources. Typical.¡±


    ¡°I apologise if that is an issue,¡± Cerus said. ¡°We had no idea how many of us were expected to come. If it¡¯s a problem, we can¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not a problem to me,¡± Agranim said. ¡°It¡¯s his business.¡± The Volg pointed to Adranaska, who responded with more angry words in his language.


    Agranim laughed. ¡°He doesn¡¯t like it when I or my men come out into the streets.¡±


    ¡°You scare people,¡± Adranaska said. ¡°You agree with Emperor to stay inside.¡±


    Agranim addressed Cerus. ¡°He doesn¡¯t like me very much.¡±


    ¡°Gee, I wonder why,¡± Annai muttered.


    Cerus was more diplomatic in his response. ¡°It is not my place to comment on the private relations between you and our host, Agranim, son of Ekrafim. However, I would ask that you allow our host to continue with his duties. He was about to show us to our accommodations. As eager as we are to begin relations between our people and yours, we have had a long trip and need time to rest and freshen up. We ask kindly that you allow us to do so.¡±


    Agranim¡¯s snout twisted into an approximation of a smile. ¡°Of course, Prince Cerus, son of Wavon. I will not stand in your way.¡± The Volg bowed again and then stepped aside.


    Adranaska took a deep breath and nodded. The four warriors with him relaxed and lowered their spears. He pointed towards the long buildings. ¡°This way.¡± He started walking in their direction, followed by the young woman and the four warriors.


    Cerus nodded to the others and they followed, Annai and most of the others moving wide to the side to avoid the Volg. Cerus came up close beside Felit?a. ¡°That was a very strange display of rudeness. Any idea what he was trying to achieve?¡±


    ¡°Not a clue,¡± Felit?a replied.


    ¡°He said he was warrior caste. Maybe that means he¡¯s not supposed to be a diplomat and won¡¯t be one of the ones we¡¯ll be dealing with here. I¡¯d hate to see how he and your mother got along. Sidlove said he was worker caste. Perhaps that¡¯s the caste of diplomats.¡±


    ¡°It would make sense,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°I just hope we¡¯re not walking into a trap.¡±


    ¡°Same here.¡±


    A hand gripped Felit?a¡¯s shoulder, long, thick nails digging into her gown and pressing into her skin. She stopped. Agranim stood behind her, close enough for her to feel his warm breath on the top of her head.


    Cerus stopped as well. ¡°Did you want something, Agranim, son of Ekrafim?¡±


    ¡°Only a moment to speak to her,¡± Agranim answered. ¡°In private.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s a good idea,¡± Cerus replied.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Agranim said. ¡°It is good you look out for your females. I would be equally protective of my sister. But do not worry. I mean her no harm.¡± He let go of her shoulder. ¡°I wish only to talk.¡±


    Felit?a took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s all right, Cerus. I¡¯d like to talk to him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t, but she nodded anyway. Something like this had to happen eventually if she was to find any information about Corvinian. Might as well start now.


    ¡°Very well, but I won¡¯t be far away,¡± Cerus said.


    ¡°I would expect nothing less,¡± Agranim replied.


    Cerus nodded and walked away, urging Meleng and Sinit?a, who had also stopped a short distance ahead, to move with him. Meleng protested briefly, but followed when Felit?a nodded to him.


    Felit?a then turned to face Agranim, staring up at him and doing her best to look defiant¡ªand more importantly, not show any fear. Her heart was beating so heavily, she half expected him to be able to hear it. ¡°What would you like to talk about?¡±


    Agranim lowered his head closer to hers and peered into her eyes. This close, she could see that his left eye drooped a little, possibly because of a thick scar beneath it. ¡°I know who you are.¡±


    She shivered. ¡°I¡¯m Princess Felit?a Asa Folith, daughter of King Wavon the Second Folith. Why wouldn¡¯t you know who I am?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean, and you know it.¡±


    ¡°Of course it isn¡¯t. What do you want?¡±


    He smiled. ¡°To see if you can fear, and I see that you can.¡±


    ¡°You think I fear you?¡±


    ¡°I know you fear me. I felt you shake when I grabbed you. I smell your fear now.¡±


    This close, she could also sense his feelings a lot more clearly. He was amused and proud, but there were other emotions underneath that. She needed to find a way to bring his fear out, crush his confidence. ¡°Only fools never fear, Agranim. Are you a fool? Do you not fear me?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°You have shown me your weakness. There is no need to fear you.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you not say who I am? Are you afraid that I¡¯ll confirm it?¡±


    That did it. His fear was starting to wear at his pride and amusement. ¡°You are not what they say. I do not fear you.¡±


    Her heart was beating even faster now, pounding in her chest. She had to be careful. Focusing on his fear could end up exacerbating her own. ¡°That¡¯s all right. I¡¯m the Will-Breaker. I¡¯ll make you fear me. That¡¯s what I do, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    He took a step away from her, his fear getting much stronger now. ¡°We shall see.¡± Then he spread his wings and flew away.


    Felit?a nearly collapsed, but held herself upright until the Volg was out of sight. Then she turned and walked back to Cerus and Meleng, shaking all the way.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Meleng asked.


    ¡°I will be. In a little while. I hope.¡±


    ¡°That was amazing!¡± Sinit?a said. ¡°You just stared up at him and he flew away!¡±


    Annai was ashen-faced.


    ¡°Did you learn anything?¡± Cerus asked.


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°Not really. Just confirmed that there¡¯s stuff to learn.¡±


    ¡°Is there problem?¡± Adranaska called from up ahead.


    ¡°Our apologies,¡± Cerus called back. ¡°We¡¯re coming.¡±


    When they reached the old man, Felit?a went over to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s my fault we delayed. The Volg wanted to talk to me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± the old man said. ¡°Do not trust that one. He is...bad.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t, but thank you.¡±


    The buildings each had numerous entrances along their lengths. While there were a lot of doors, there didn¡¯t seem quite enough for everyone, so Felit?a guessed each door must go into a group of apartments¡ªthough the individual apartments would have to be small.


    When they reached partway along one of the buildings, Adranaska stopped and pointed to the door he was beside. ¡°All places from here to end are Arnor. You use as you wish. When King arrive, Kindanog come speak to him.¡±


    ¡°Kindanog?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a word I recognise,¡± Cerus said. ¡°I tried to brush up a bit on what we know about Endorian society before we left. A title, isn¡¯t it? Head of the Emperor¡¯s personal guard?¡±


    Adranaska nodded. ¡°He will speak of security.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just a title,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°It¡¯s his name, too. They take their titles as their names. Adranaska is a title, too, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Adranaska nodded.


    Her heart started beating faster again. How had she known that?


    ¡°It appears you¡¯re better versed in this than I am, Felit?a,¡± Cerus said. He turned back to Adranaska. ¡°We look forward to the Kindanog¡¯s visit.¡±


    Kindanog.


    A familiar sensation that she hadn¡¯t felt in a while swept over Felit?a, and she was looking over the line of people in her head again. Her gaze swept past Zandrue, Rudiger, and Borisin, past Meleng, Corvinian, and Jorvan. It lingered briefly on Quilla before moving to the eighth figure, still blurred. The voices continued to call out their names. And amidst them all, an eighth name.


    Kindanog.


    As they said the name, the eighth figure came into focus. A muscular Sanalog man just short of six feet tall. He had short hair with tight curls. His eyes were dark, his ears small, and his face lean. He had a long neck with a pronounced Adam¡¯s apple and his left leg was just a bit shorter than his right, giving him a slight limp when he walked. As usual, she knew more about his appearance than she did her own.


    She pushed the Room away from her, and with it the line of figures.


    ¡°Everything all right?¡± Cerus asked.


    She realised she was staring away from everyone. She must have looked as if she¡¯d dazed out¡ªwhich wasn¡¯t far from the truth. ¡°Fine.¡±


    As Adranaska began to show them the apartments and explain where they could find various things around the village, Felit?a leaned in close to Meleng. ¡°I just saw number eight.¡±


    ¡°Number eight?¡± he replied. ¡°What do you...oh.¡±


    ¡°I really need to see this Kindanog.¡±


    They¡¯d barely arrived and already a Volg had threatened her and she¡¯d discovered who another figure in the line was.


    At least it meant the boredom was over.

 Chapter 16: Maneshka (Part 1)

    The library was unlike any Felit?a had ever seen.


    What was surprising about the Nabrinja, however, was how little the interior looked like the exterior. The outside was ancient stone; even though it was in good shape, it looked old. Inside were gleaming and pristine white walls made of a material Felit?a didn¡¯t recognise, but Meleng said might be some sort of plaster. Light emanated from the ceilings by a method that nobody seemed to understand, apart from it definitely being magical. In fact, Meleng¡¯s suggestion that magic might have been used to keep the meeting place on Scovese from falling into ruin had turned out to be true, but the magic performed other tasks as well, from keeping it lit to keeping the interior much cooler than outside. Some of the magic had failed over the years. There were lifts that, in the past, would have magically moved people between floors. Now, it was necessary to use the stairs. However, most of the Nabrinja still worked as intended.


    Meleng had been asking a lot of questions about the Nabrinja and Scovese as a whole to anyone who could understand him but had not gotten many definitive answers. However, Adranaska suggested to Felit?a that they try the library.


    It had been two days since they¡¯d arrived. She had not gotten to see Kindanog. Her mother had forbidden her from being present when he came. She wouldn¡¯t even let Cerus be there, saying it was a meeting for her and the King only, though Felit?a suspected it was more out of spiteful anger that they hadn¡¯t waited for the other ships to arrive before heading to the village. Felit?a had heard the Queen screaming at Cerus about the risk he had put himself, Annai, and Sinit?a in by not having an armed escort. Felit?a didn¡¯t fail to notice that she was not included in that list.


    After Kindanog left the King and Queen¡¯s apartment, Ardon came out as well. So he had managed to get in there. When she talked to Ardon later, however, there wasn¡¯t much he would tell her, other than it was a fairly dry discussion about how the security and safety of everyone on Scovese was being maintained. The King and Queen didn¡¯t get any say in it. Kindanog was just there to inform them of what was already the case. He did confirm, though, that the Volgs had agreed to stay inside the Nabrinja in their apartments on the top floor, except for limited excursions into the wilderness to exercise their wings. The Isyar¡¯s apartments were also inside the Nabrinja, since the heat outside was potentially deadly to Isyar. However, the Isyar had not yet arrived.


    So now she and Meleng stood in the large foyer at the library¡¯s entrance. It was in the first basement level of the Nabrinja, and was as brightly lit as the rest of the building. Half a dozen long white tables with benches on either side were spaced evenly across the room. At the far side, steps led up to a round dais flanked by a pair of marble statues, one of a man, the other a woman, each holding a book pressed to their chest. At the back of the dais, doors on either side led to other areas of the library.


    The woman held out a hand to Felit?a. ¡°My name is Maneshka. The library can be confusing to new users, but I am happy to help in any way I can.¡±


    Maneshka¡¯s mouth was not moving in time with her words. She was not speaking Arnogue at all, yet Felit?a could feel something actively trying to keep her from noticing that.


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing,¡± Meleng said, peering closely at Maneshka¡¯s mouth. ¡°I think I¡¯m starting to notice what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


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    ¡°That has to be one of the most useful things ever,¡± Meleng said. ¡°I mean, apart from those things that don¡¯t quite work. Still amazing.¡±


    She led them over to one of the window-like panels and held out a hand towards it. When she touched the glass, it lit up, displaying words in large letters. It was difficult to read them, though. For a moment, Felit?a was certain they said Welcome to the Library of...something, but then the script was one she didn¡¯t recognise, and then it was blurry. It continued to shift for a few moments before settling on the script she couldn¡¯t read.


    ¡°You can see now the difficulty of using the catalogue,¡± Maneshka said. ¡°We cannot rely on the translation spell and have had to decipher the symbols ourselves. We have deciphered an extensive vocabulary, but it still takes time to find things.¡±


    Maneshka smirked. ¡°We have been coming to Scovese intermittently for a few centuries. However, we started a permanent presence here a little over fifty years ago. The main purpose was to study the meeting place, but in order to have people here for long periods, it was necessary to establish a fully functional community, one that could be as close to self-sustaining as possible, so that the people here would not be reliant on shipments of supplies. The Great Ocean is treacherous and travel times are unreliable. I first came to Scovese five years ago as an apprentice, and I became a librarian three years ago. I spend six months of every year here, and the other six months at my home in Jugenja. Minus travel time, that is.¡±


    ¡°I am not embarrassed,¡± Maneshka said. ¡°A couple of months ago, a visiting mentalist had me saying things that would wither your ears away if you could hear and understand them. You ask nothing that I have not done before.¡±


    Felit?a took a deep breath and entered the Room again, but kept her eyes focused and locked on Maneshka. She identified both the Sanalog woman¡¯s and the spell¡¯s presences and, as she did so, Maneshka¡¯s emotions began to flood into her more strongly¡ªa mixture of amusement and intrigue, but also tired resignation.


    she was. There had to be a reason her enemies were calling her Will-Breaker, and a reason why mention of the name made Volgs like Agranim afraid of her.


    This time, when Maneshka opened her mouth to speak, Felit?a didn¡¯t bring the walls straight in. Instead, she bent them, twisted them around the spell¡¯s presence, gave it nowhere to move to avoid them. This time, Maneshka¡¯s mouth moved and she heard the word.


    Felit?a grinned some more. She was starting to feel a little giddy, whether from the stress of her actions or from excitement, she wasn¡¯t sure. She was definitely receiving a lot of excitement and wonder from Maneshka. Nothing from Meleng though. Was he even paying attention? No, he was still moving words about on the glass. The man Maneshka had been talking to when they had arrived had joined him and was demonstrating things for him.


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. It just took a lot out of me. That¡¯s all. At least, I think that¡¯s all.¡± She laid her head down on the table and shifted positions so that she could still look at Maneshka. ¡°How about the first word? How did I do with that?¡±


    Felit?a tried to shrug again. ¡°I sort of know. See, there¡¯s this room I form in my head and I move the walls of the room around. But that doesn¡¯t really explain what I do. I don¡¯t really understand my abilities at the best of times. All I can really say is, it wasn¡¯t actually my skills at mentalism that let me do that, although I¡¯m sure they¡¯re probably related. Am I making sense?¡±


    Maneshka stood up. ¡°I should let you rest. I will see how your friend and Nebrovich are doing.¡±

 Chapter 16: Maneshka (Part 2)

    Felit?a spent most of the rest of the day feeling embarrassed. She slept for nearly an hour and her forehead ached when she woke. Meleng was sitting nearby. He had acquired several books and was perusing them. Books on the history of the Nabrinja, he said. She tried to help him go through them, but her headache made concentration impossible, so she told him they should come back tomorrow. She then excused herself and hurried back to her apartment, where she slept for a short while again until the sound of Annai screaming woke her.


    The screams brought most people in the nearby apartments running, but it turned out that a goat had nibbled on some of Annai¡¯s hair. Her screams had sent the goat running and screaming too. But there was no other actual danger.


    Quilla and Garet came by shortly after that, Garet pushing past Marna before she¡¯d even had a chance to open the door all the way. ¡°So did you go to the library? Did you find out anything?¡±


    Felit?a sat up. ¡°Yes, I went to the library, No, I haven¡¯t learned anything yet.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°These things take time, Garet. You could come help, you know? It would make things go faster.¡±


    He stared at her.


    ¡°I can come tomorrow, if you¡¯d like, Felit?a,¡± Quilla said, taking a seat in the only chair in the small apartment. ¡°In fact, I¡¯d really like to help.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate that. Thanks, Quilla. See how easy that was, Garet?¡±


    Garet scowled. ¡°So what about this Volg, Agra-dumb or whatever his name is?¡± He laughed at his own joke.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him since I arrived,¡± Felit?a said.


    Garet began pacing back and forth. ¡°I don¡¯t like all this waiting around. I had enough of that on the fucking ship here.¡±


    ¡°What would you have me do?¡± Felit?a said. ¡°March into the Volg areas of the Nabrinja without any idea what to expect?¡±


    Garet didn¡¯t answer, just growled.


    She did her best not to show it, but Felit?a did feel embarrassed over not having anything to tell him and Quilla. She had hoped she¡¯d have a least some progress to report to them. She didn¡¯t understand why the trick with the translation spell had taken so much out of her. It hadn¡¯t felt that strenuous at the time. Would she ever understand her abilities? Or would they keep causing problems and getting her in trouble?


    ¡°We have time, Garet,¡± she said. ¡°Corvinian is still all right and there¡¯s no reason to believe that will change, so we have at least until everyone gets here, and there are still a lot to show, including the Isyar. They have the farthest to travel, so they might be a while.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, whatever,¡± Garet said.


    There was a knock at the door and Marna opened it to admit Meleng.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Garet snapped.


    Meleng gulped. ¡°Oh, I...I¡¯m sorry...I...I didn¡¯t mean to interrupt anything.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, Meleng,¡± Quilla said. ¡°Garet¡¯s just being grumpy.¡±


    Meleng nodded and tried to smile. ¡°Oh, okay. I just came to tell Felit?a what I learned at the library.¡±


    ¡°You learned something?¡± Garet shot over to Meleng¡¯s side and put an arm around his shoulders. Quilla sat forward in her chair, her eyes lighting up.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Meleng said. ¡°I¡¯ve been learning to use the catalogue system.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and?¡± Garet prompted.


    ¡°I know how to use it now. The problem is I don¡¯t know the language and it would take ages to learn.¡±


    Garet removed his arm from Meleng¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Basically. We¡¯re going to have¡ª¡±


    ¡°Fucking hell! You¡¯re more useless than she is!¡± Garet pointed at Felit?a.


    Felit?a ignored him. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to what, Meleng?¡±


    Meleng took a few steps away from Garet. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to rely on one of the librarians to translate for us, which means we have to tell them what we¡¯re looking for. We¡¯ll have to let them know what we¡¯re doing.¡±


    Felit?a had been expecting something of the sort. ¡°Maneshka. We¡¯ll tell Maneshka.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± Meleng said. ¡°Because the guy I was working with seems¡ª¡±


    ¡°Maneshka. I think we can trust her.¡± If Maneshka didn¡¯t think they were out of their minds.


    * * * * *


    The next morning, Felit?a, Meleng, and Quilla arrived back at the library and took seats together at one of the tables. The man who had been there yesterday came over to greet them. He was a tall man, mostly bald, but with a short, grey-black beard. ¡°Good morning, Meleng, Felit?a,¡± he said and paused.


    ¡°Oh, this is our friend, Quilla,¡± Meleng said.


    The man bowed his head. ¡°Ms Quilla. Welcome all. I am Nebrovich. How may I be of service?¡±


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    ¡°Is Maneshka in?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Nebrovich replied, ¡°but I can send her to you when she arrives.¡±


    ¡°That would be great, thank you.¡±


    Nebrovich nodded. ¡°Is there anything else I can help you with in the meantime?¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes,¡± Meleng said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind having another look at the same books I was looking at yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I will retrieve them for you.¡±


    As Nebrovich walked to the far doors, Quilla turned to Felit?a. ¡°I didn¡¯t see it.¡±


    Felit?a had warned her about the translation effect. ¡°It takes awhile to notice. Believe me, you¡¯re better off for now. It makes you really dizzy as your mind tries to fight off the effect.¡±


    Nebrovich returned a short while later with the books and then left them alone. Felit?a grabbed a couple and passed one to Quilla. ¡°They¡¯re not really relevant to what we want, but until Maneshka gets here, we should look like we¡¯re doing something.¡±


    Sometime later, Quilla spoke up. ¡°Have you noticed that picture?¡± She closed her book, stood up, and went over to one of the paintings on the walls. ¡°What a different time that must have been.¡±


    Felit?a looked over to see what she was referring to. It was a painting of a Volg and a human woman. The Volg had his arm around the woman¡¯s shoulder, and her head was leaning against his chest in a familiar, somewhat intimate manner.


    One of the far doors opened and Maneshka entered the room. She crossed the dais and headed towards Felit?a and the others. ¡°Welcome back. Nebrovich says you wished to see me.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me about this painting?¡± Quilla asked.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Maneshka crossed over to Quilla. ¡°All paintings in this room date from before the Great War, but this one draws particular interest. It is from a time when humans and Volganths got along.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s getting along and then there¡¯s getting along,¡± Quilla said. ¡°These two look like they¡¯re doing a lot more than getting along.¡±


    Maneshka shrugged. ¡°Perhaps they are. Does it matter? It gives us insight into a forgotten era.¡±


    ¡°It makes me shudder, is all,¡± Quilla said. ¡°I just can¡¯t imagine getting along with those beasts.¡±


    ¡°Is that not why you are all here? To find a way to get along?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Quilla said.


    Maneshka looked over to Felit?a. ¡°Is this what you wished to see me about? Nebrovich could have told you this.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Felit?a said.¡±We¡¯d like your help finding some information. We don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s here. It¡¯s a long shot, really, but we need to ask a favour of you.¡±


    ¡°What sort of favour?¡±


    ¡°No one can know what we¡¯re doing. Even Nebrovich and any other librarians, and especially the Volgs. If anyone asks, we¡¯re just reading up on history.¡±


    There was a bit too much space between them for Felit?a to sense Maneshka¡¯s feelings at the moment¡ªher abilities were going through one of their light phases since yesterday¡¯s incident¡ªbut Felit?a didn¡¯t need them to know that Maneshka was uncertain. She took a moment before replying. ¡°So far, no Volganth has entered here. They do not seem to have any interest in the library.¡±


    ¡°Some might come here looking for me or my friends,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Who are you people? Why would Volganths come looking for you specifically?¡±


    ¡°Well, you know our names,¡± Felit?a said, pointing to herself and Meleng. ¡°This is Quilla, another friend of ours. More specifically, I am Felit?a Asa Folith, a princess of Arnor, but that¡¯s not why...¡± Felit?a stopped as Maneshka bowed.


    ¡°Forgive me, your Highness.¡± Maneshka directed her gaze at the floor, not Felit?a. ¡°I have been too forward. I did not know. Neither did Nebrovich. Royalty rarely visits libraries. They usually send others in their place, and that is what we assumed with you. Please, forgive us.¡±


    Felit?a just stared at Maneshka for a couple of moments. ¡°There...there¡¯s nothing to forgive.¡±


    ¡°I have been too casual. I laughed with you yesterday. I have not shown the proper respect.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Honestly, fine. You¡¯ve done nothing wrong. There¡¯s nothing to forgive.¡±


    ¡°If I had been so casual with a member of the Imperial Family, I would have been punished.¡±


    ¡°Well, not me. I don¡¯t care that you¡¯ve been casual. I prefer that.¡±


    ¡°You are certain, your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And just call me Felit?a please. I hate the Highness business.¡±


    ¡°You would have me address you as I would a friend?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I kind of hoped we could be friends.¡±


    Maneshka lifted her head. ¡°You do me great honour.¡±


    Felit?a tried to hide a grimace. ¡°Perhaps I should explain what we¡¯re doing here. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve heard anything about someone called the Will-Breaker, have you?¡±


    Maneshka shook her head. ¡°No, I am sorry. I have not. Do you wish to research this person?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and some other things as well. In particular, we want any information there might be about Volgs and their history, their beliefs, and why they might want to kidnap a young boy. This could take awhile to explain.¡±


    So Felit?a began to tell what had happened with the Darkers, the Volgs, and Corvinian. Maneshka listened without saying much, just the odd question of clarification. She remained guarded and stoic the entire time. When Felit?a finished, Maneshka and Meleng went to the catalogue, searched through it, and then went together to collect some possible books from the stacks.


    When they were gone, Felit?a buried her head in her hands on the table.


    ¡°That was awkward,¡± Quilla said.


    ¡°I¡¯m an idiot,¡± Felit?a said with a sigh. ¡°I should have asked Cerus what he knew of Endorian customs. I had the whole damn journey to do that. In the last couple of days, I could have asked Adranaska, or hell, I could have just told her who I was right from the start.¡±


    Quilla sat down beside her. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have known.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my point. I could have found out. One thing I¡¯m grudgingly learning since returning to royal life is that, despite my anti-royalty beliefs, some people put a lot of stock in it, and changing their minds isn¡¯t easy. There¡¯s still too much of the rebellious child in me. Don¡¯t tell Garet I said this, but he¡¯s right about one thing. I could be a bit of a brat when I was a child.¡±


    Quilla grinned. ¡°Your secret is safe with me. Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯ll come round. She seemed nice.¡±


    ¡°She is. I don¡¯t doubt that. She just needs time. I like her though.¡±


    ¡°I noticed you were very eager to bring her in. You never gave Meleng a chance to recommend the other guy.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I?¡± Felit?a sighed. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. I didn¡¯t, did I?¡±


    Quilla shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s your prerogative though. You¡¯re the princess after all, right?¡±


    Felit?a rolled her eyes. ¡°Right. Thanks for pointing that out to me and how I botched it again.¡±


    Quilla laughed. ¡°My pleasure. Don¡¯t worry. I think Meleng¡¯s forgotten about it. He¡¯s too interested in the books. Did you see him? He was practically devouring them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s Meleng. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°For trying to cheer me up. Honestly, thank you.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure again. And let me thank you for everything you¡¯re doing. I appreciate it more than I can say, and believe me, so does Garet. He¡¯s not good at expressing it, but he really is grateful.¡±


    They sat there and chatted awhile longer until Meleng and Maneshka returned with a pile of books. Then the real work began.

 Chapter 17: Arrivals (Part 1)

    ¡°


    ¡°Of course,¡± Felit?a said. As Adranaska turned away, she sighed. ¡°There¡¯s got to be some way I can get in to see him.¡±


    Not that they¡¯d accomplished much so far anyway. He had read through a lot of material, but none of it had turned out to be helpful. Despite the large selection of works, the amount of material they had found about Volgs was small and they had found nothing mentioning the Will-Breaker. Not only was the catalogue difficult to decipher¡ªeven Maneshka with her years of experience using it, had to consult copious notes to translate it¡ªbut the stacks were confusing as well. There was a pattern to the arrangement of books, but it was complex, based partially on author, partially on subject matter, partially on place of origin, and partially on something called religious significance, which just seemed to be an arbitrary value created by whoever designed the system¡ªa value that could cause a work to be located in a completely different place than it would otherwise.


    It was Queen Annai calling out. She was striding down the path between the apartments towards the old man. The King hurried a short distance behind her, along with several Kingsguard, including Captain DeSelo?n¡ªalthough Meleng was unsure if his rank was still captain.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go eavesdrop,¡± Felit?a said, and walked up towards her mother and the old man.


    Queen Annai didn¡¯t wait for him to rise before spinning around and storming off back to her apartment.


    Cerus made his way over to Meleng and Felit?a. ¡°This could be awkward. I was worried this would happen. To be honest, I was hoping the Ninifins would decide not to come.¡±


    Cerus nodded. ¡°I must say, I find myself missing our conversations on the Silver Fish. Even if I didn¡¯t always understand half of them, it felt a much simpler time. Well, keep me informed, both of you. I¡¯d better go try to placate your mother, Felit?a. Wish me luck.¡±


    When he reached his apartment, he found Sinit?a waiting by the door, her face red from the sun and damp with sweat.


    ¡°Oh come on, it¡¯s still light. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t take long. It¡¯s not far away.¡± She grabbed his hand and tried to pull him along with her. He sighed and let her.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± Sinit?a rushed forward. ¡°No, no, shoo, shoo!¡± The goats stepped to the side to avoid her, but otherwise ignored her protests. Sinit?a grabbed the pail of brushes and hugged it against her chest. She began examining them. ¡°Most of them are okay. They didn¡¯t get very many.¡±


    Sinit?a glared at the goats for a moment, then turned back to Meleng. ¡°Okay, you have to stand over here.¡± She led him over to a spot just outside the cave where one of the mushroom-shaped trees grew a short distance from the pool.


    ¡°Not long,¡± Sinit?a said. ¡°A few hours at most. Okay, stand there and don¡¯t move.¡± She headed back over to her easel.


    Meleng glanced in the direction of the sun, which was getting low on the horizon. He did that several times, noting as the sun got lower and lower, and the light began to vanish from the sky. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re going to have enough light for this?¡± he called to her.


    They were four young women with coppery skin similar to Quilla¡¯s but covered in tattoos. They were also of lither build than Quilla and had more angular faces and heavier eyes. Each wore dark red leather jerkins, with short, black skirts, and sandals on their feet.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    The one who had already spoken turned to Sinit?a. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Painting,¡± Sinit?a stuttered.


    The woman stared at Sinit?a with wide eyes. ¡°You¡¯re on a dangerous island where Volgs roam free and you¡¯re painting? Typical Folith.¡± She spat on the ground.


    ¡°What...what are you doing here?¡± Sinit?a asked.


    The woman spun on her heels and stepped up close in front of Meleng, peering at him. She was young, seventeen or eighteen, nineteen at most. She had dark eyes that looked black in the dim light. Her hair was a glossy black, and cropped short. Each side of her face bore a stylised tattoo of a jaguar¡¯s head done mostly in black, each a mirror of the other. The necks of the jaguars continued down her own neck, and her arms and legs bore tattoos of the jaguar¡¯s legs, with the paws on the backs of her hands and tops of her feet. Meleng suspected the tattoos must cover most of her body. ¡°I wasn¡¯t speaking to you. Though I do admire your gall to speak without your liege¡¯s leave. We could liberate you from her if you wish, give you sanctuary with our delegation.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Free you from slavery. The people of Elooria are enslaved by the Foliths, right?¡±


    ¡°Hostage?¡± Sinit?a whimpered.


    ¡°No, I told you. We¡¯re looking for strategic places to take the Queen. She fears the Volgs might be treacherous. I agree with her, and her safety is paramount.¡± She turned to the other woman who had spoken. ¡°I think they¡¯re harmless, and we don¡¯t need a hostage. You can both go.¡±


    ¡°We can?¡± Sinit?a squealed. ¡°Can I take my easel and paints?¡±


    Meleng helped Sinit?a gather and carry her things. The painting was about half done and was looking pretty good. He suggested to her that they could come back another time to finish it. Sinit?a was just eager to get away.


    ¡°


    shrugged. She gave a quick wave to Felit?a and Quilla, who were seated at the table closest to the dais with Maneshka standing nearby, then walked over to the nearest painting¡ªthis one of an Isyar¡ªand began to study it.


    spun around. ¡°Oh, hi.¡±


    held out her hand, palm down, to Maneshka. ¡°Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith.¡±


    stood there with her hand still out.


    flinched at her touch.


    shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not you. My hand is really sunburnt.¡±


    lowered her head and nodded. ¡°I was outside all day yesterday waiting for Meleng so I could paint him.¡±


    nodded her head rapidly. ¡°You have some really good paintings here.¡±


    and Maneshka to talk about painting and went over to Felit?a and Quilla.


    , who were moving from one painting to another.


    called to him. ¡°You should look at these! They¡¯re really good!¡±


    again. She was engrossed in one of the paintings, her head tilted to the side and her body bent so that she was looking at it almost upside down. Was Quilla right? He was bad at recognising these kinds of things. When he looked back, Quilla was smiling broadly and Felit?a looked ready to laugh. He felt like withering away. He didn¡¯t need this.


    .¡±


    ¡°I suppose. She was both scary and nice. Which is weird.¡±  giggled. ¡°She thought Meleng was my slave and was going to free him.¡±


    nodded.


    scrunched her nose and mouth in thought.


    said. ¡°I¡¯m good with names.¡±


    asked after a moment. ¡°Why are you staring at me like that?¡±


    as staring through her. Meleng had seen her get like this before, just recently.


    , are you all right?¡± Quilla asked.


    said. She looked at Meleng. ¡°Are jaguars cats?¡± Before he could respond, she looked back at Felit?a. ¡°Because if they are, how did you know? Have you met her?¡±


    looked at Meleng for an explanation.


    .¡±


    said and turned to Meleng again. ¡°What did I do?¡±


    . Quilla, you can come if you want. I¡¯d appreciate the company, but no pressure.¡±


    asked together. Meleng was actually pretty certain he knew what she was talking about, but he preferred to play ignorant in case he was wrong. It also meant people were less likely to talk about these things around him in future.


    I think they¡¯re cute.¡±

 Chapter 17: Arrivals (Part 2)

    The old woman patted the top of a barrel, then picked up one of several jars from the table beside her. She looked at Felit?a, said something, and gestured at the barrel. Maneshka touched her arm and also gestured to the barrel.


    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Felit?a muttered and went over to the barrel. It didn¡¯t look very sturdy. She held her breath as she sat on it. She exhaled when it didn¡¯t collapse.


    The old woman opened the jar, stuck in two fingers, and scooped out some of the thick lotion within. She came forward and began to apply it to Felit?a¡¯s forehead. It stung and Felit?a flinched. The old woman said something that sounded admonishing and continued to rub the lotion into her forehead. The stinging subsided after a few moments, though every time the woman moved to a new area¡ªFelit?a¡¯s cheeks, chin, neck¡ªthe sting returned briefly. Felit?a soon got used to it though.


    One thing Felit?a had failed to consider when she agreed to accompany Maneshka on this trip was that, once they were out of the library, they couldn¡¯t actually talk to each other. She was enjoying wandering around the village, but the lack of common language was proving a little awkward. She wished she had time to learn the local language.


    Still, it was nice to be away from the library. Studying could be a fulfilling thing, but at the moment, it was frustrating because she wasn¡¯t learning anything. Hours and hours of it, mixed with reports to Cerus called for a break once in a while. A part of her felt guilty with every break¡ªworry that she was somehow letting Corvinian and Quilla down by not spending every moment of every day in deep study¡ªbut she also knew that she had to rest once in a while or else she¡¯d exhaust herself and nothing would get done.


    Besides, she had time to kill before meeting Cerus again. He had agreed to go with her to the Ninifins to protest their treatment of Sinit?a.


    By the time the woman had finished Felit?a¡¯s arms, she was feeling a lot better. Not only had the sting of the lotion faded, but so had the sting of her sunburns. The old woman held up the jar and said something.


    ¡°Yes, please,¡± Felit?a said and took the jar.


    The old woman smiled and held out her palm.


    Felit?a grimaced and reached for her purse, dumping a few coins into her hand. She didn¡¯t have any local currency and had no idea how much she was being asked for. So she proceeded to show the herbalist the coins in her hand.


    The old woman squinted, a hint of exasperation flowing from her. After a moment, the herbalist picked up a couple of coins and held them close to her eyes, turned them back to front. Then she took the remaining coins from Felit?a and pressed another bottle of lotion into Felit?a¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Felit?a said. She hadn¡¯t expected the second bottle, though she supposed it was because she had held out more money than she¡¯d needed to. Such were the communication problems.


    She placed the jars and her purse in her scrip, and hopped off the barrel. ¡°Where to next?¡±


    Maneshka took her arm and led her along the streets of the village, along the edges of the gardens and along the rows of trees¡ªcoconut trees Felit?a had learned¡ªnear the rice fields. Everyone seemed to know Maneshka. As they went, people called out to her and Maneshka responded, sometimes stopping to talk. This would then involve Maneshka introducing Felit?a, which would then make Felit?a feel a little awkward because she couldn¡¯t understand what they were saying. One thing she did clue into after the first couple, though, was that Maneshka was not introducing her as a princess, to which she was very grateful.


    The heat was unrelenting as usual, and Felit?a wished she could get away with wearing clothes as light as Maneshka¡¯s. But other than that, Felit?a found she was enjoying herself. Even the language difficulties began to feel less awkward and more just a challenge for her to overcome.


    As they neared the edge of the village by the path that led back to the quay, Felit?a felt a surge of surprise and a touch of fear from Maneshka. Similar feelings filtered in from other people nearby. Maneshka pointed towards the top of the valley.


    Coming over the top of the valley, along the path was...a storm. Felit?a wasn¡¯t sure how else to describe it. Not a storm from the sky, but a a storm that seemed of very contained volume, spread out over the path and moving along it. Swirling clouds of...snow? She was sure it was snow.


    There were yells about her and people in the rice fields were rushing back towards the village. Other villagers darted about, trying to round up chickens and goats. Maneshka called out to them. As best Felit?a could tell, Maneshka was trying to call for calm, though Felit?a could definitely feel the nervousness and fear coming from her.


    Snow. As the strange storm got closer, there was no doubting it. It was a storm of swirling snow. And within it walked a couple dozen or more winged figures.


    ¡°Isyar!¡± Felit?a said. The storm made sense now, as the local heat would be deadly to Isyar.


    Maneshka understood the word and began calling out to the villagers, and Felit?a felt the librarian¡¯s fear abate.


    There was an Isyar at each of the two front corners of the approaching the storm, and as the storm got closer, she could see that there was another Isyar at each of the back corners. All four of these Isyar were engaged in what looked like a complex dance¡ªlegs, arms, wings all partaking in fluid motions as the Isyar seemed to float across the ground, bouncing and spinning at various intervals. Their movements reminded her of Jorvan¡¯s when he cast a spell, although much more complex. Most remarkable was that all four of these Isyar were moving in perfect unison, every motion copied perfectly by the others.


    The remaining Isyar walked in the centre of the storm area. At their front were a row of Isyar wearing slender swords at their sides.


    The villagers¡¯ panic had subsided and many were now gathering around Felit?a and Maneshka to watch the Isyar¡¯s approach.


    The calm was short-lived, however, broken by gusts of wind and the sound of flapping wings. Armed Volg soldiers flew down and landed on the path between the village and the Isyar. Panic gripped the villagers again, who grabbed their children and rushed for their homes.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Maneshka pulled on Felit?a¡¯s arm and urged her to come away. Felit?a shook her head and squeezed Maneshka¡¯s hand. ¡°No, please wait. I want to see this. I need to know what¡¯s happening.¡±


    Maneshka pulled a little less strongly for a moment, but then sighed and nodded.


    A least a dozen Volg warriors had landed and were moving to form lines on either side of the path. The Isyar procession had paused, although the ones at the corners continued in their dance, maintaining the snowstorm.


    More Volgs landed, joining in the lines. Then two more Volgs arrived and began walking towards the Isyar. One was Agranim. The other... Oh gods, could it be?


    Felit?a would never forget that mixture of black and grey fur, the white beard, and especially those gold horns twisting around.


    He was the one who had taken Corvinian, the one who had nearly torn her mind to shreds.


    Felit?a found herself shaking, grasping at breath, heart thumping, losing her footing. Maneshka bent over her, putting her arms around her and speaking panicked words.


    Felit?a hadn¡¯t thought much about what she would do if¡ªwhen¡ªshe saw the Volg again. Part of her had wanted to believe the next time would go much better. She would just approach him and be able to fight off whatever he did. Now, she could barely stand¡ªand he wasn¡¯t doing anything to her at all. He hadn¡¯t even noticed her.


    Or had he?


    As he and Agranim approached the Isyar, he turned his head in her direction.


    Impo¡ª


    It was just a moment and he turned away again, continued towards the Isyar.


    He had started to say impossible; she was sure of it. He was surprised. Even at this distance, with Maneshka¡¯s fear drowning most other things out, she¡¯d felt his surprise. It was gone in a flash, but it had been there.


    He was surprised she was alive.


    Her fear was making the Room uncooperative. The walls were not obeying her the way she wanted them to, so she took a moment to concentrate on some breathing exercises. Get her fear under control, block Maneshka¡¯s. Use his surprise to her advantage. If he was surprised, then she was stronger than he had expected. She had never figured out just what he had done to her mind, but it was clear now that he had intended to kill her. Yet she had survived. There was less reason to fear him now.


    As she calmed the shaking in her body, the Room¡¯s walls came under control, and she began to search through the swarm of mental presences¡ªvillagers, Volgs, Isyar¡ªlooking for his. But there was no sign of him. He must have blocked her somehow. That was why his words and feeling of surprise had vanished so fast.


    She dismissed the Room, straightened up, and offered Maneshka a comforting smile. She then focused her vision on the Volg. If telepathy wasn¡¯t going to work, maybe a spell would. The distance might be a problem, but she was certain she could manage it. She curled the fingers on her right hand, used her pinky to push aside the interference of the Volgs between her and him. Just a gentle probe to establish a connection. It wouldn¡¯t do anything, and most people wouldn¡¯t even notice it. However, he wasn¡¯t most people.


    He turned his head just a little, before refocusing on the Isyar.


    That was all she¡¯d wanted. And all she dared at the moment.


    Agranim and Corvinian¡¯s abductor stopped just in front of the chaotic swirl of snow. The armed Isyar parted and four elderly Isyar hobbled forward. The Volgs and Isyar began to talk¡ªand Felit?a wished she could hear what they were saying. Not that she would understand them. She probably wouldn¡¯t, so it was a pointless wish. She continued to watch, however, determined to see this all the way to the end.


    After several minutes, sounds came from behind. Both she and Maneshka turned to see Sanalog soldiers rushing through the village streets. They hurried past the two of them and took up positions along the road facing the Volgs. Felit?a felt Maneshka relax somewhat.


    Behind the soldiers came Kindanog and Adranaska, who was breathing heavily from exertion. It didn¡¯t stop him from screaming at the Volgs as he approached them. He continued after he reached them, waving his arms about at the Volgs. Whenever he turned to the Isyar, however, he toned his motions down considerably. The three groups continued to talk for several more minutes.


    Finally, Agranim turned and yelled out an order. The Volg warriors all turned to face the village, then began to march in the direction of the village and the Nabrinja. At a word from Kindanog, the Sanalog warriors moved with them, keeping their eyes on the Volgs the whole time. Agranim and Corvinian¡¯s abductor followed behind them with Kindanog, and then the Isyar began to move again as well. Adranaska moved to the side of the path to let them past.


    As Agranim and Corvinian¡¯s abductor got close, Felit?a took Maneshka¡¯s hand and moved to the side of the path, but not far. She wanted to be close when they passed. She just hoped she wasn¡¯t putting Maneshka in any unnecessary danger. Perhaps she should have let her leave. Why had she pressured her to stay?


    Agranim turned to sneer at her has he got close, but the other Volg put a hand on his shoulder and said something to him. Agranim growled and looked straight ahead again.


    Hello, Felit?a said to the other Volg.


    He didn¡¯t respond.


    I know you can hear me, and I want you to know, this isn¡¯t over.


    He remained unresponsive, and soon he and Agranim walked out of sight.


    Felit?a nearly collapsed once he was gone. She and Maneshka clung to each other for support. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I put you through that.¡±


    They were both hit by a blast of cold air as the Isyar reached them, and snow whipped at their bodies. It was refreshing against the heat at first, but by the time the Isyar had passed, Felit?a was shivering. The snow melted fast in the hot sun, however, and her wet clothes would dry fast as well.


    At the very end of it all, Adranaska panted along. Felit?a stopped him as he approached. ¡°Who was the Volg with Agranim?¡±


    Adranaska¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Prince Castroff. He speak for Volgs here. Volgs call the meeting, yet their king not come. Ill they say. So Prince speak in his place. He is... I do not know word in your language. Bad. Now, excuse me, Highness. I have duties. Everyone here now. Meeting will start soon.¡±


    Felit?a nodded and let him pass. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Prince.


    Given his arrival with Agranim, Felit?a had guessed he was someone important, but she hadn¡¯t expected prince. At least it confirmed that the same Volg behind Quilla¡¯s kidnapping was the one behind Corvinian¡¯s. She needed to find out more about him, what exactly his abilities were, how much of a threat he really was.


    She sighed. Yet another task. It seemed like every time she learned something new, it just created a dozen more questions. Oh well. One thing at a time.

 Chapter 18: Nin-Akna

    It was strange. Standing in place, not doing anything, not exerting herself in any way, made the mid-afternoon heat worse than wandering around the village with Maneshka had. Felit?a knew it was because there had been more things to distract her from the heat then, but it still felt weird. At least the lotion was helping her sunburn, but she worried her sweat would wash it away. There was so much sweat, and it seemed as though she could feel every single drop of it sliding down her face, neck, arms, legs, everywhere.


    Cerus was sweating, too, but he still managed to look calm and unaffected. She could sense his impatience though. Or was that her own impatience? Yes, it was her own impatience, not his. She hated when she couldn¡¯t tell the difference between her own emotions and other people¡¯s. It had a way of happening when she was agitated. Like now.


    Or maybe she was just denying to herself that she was capable of agitation and similar feelings. Agitation, irritation, impatience¡ªthey messed with concentration. She needed to figure out a way to deal with that.


    The two Ninifin warriors standing guard at the door to the Ninifin apartments didn¡¯t seem anywhere near as affected by the heat. Of course, they were wearing a lot less than either she or Cerus was, so it was perhaps not so surprising.


    A young Ninifin girl came out the door and curtsied before Cerus and Felit?a. She held out a folded piece of paper, which Cerus took with a soft word that Felit?a was fairly certain was the Ninifin word for thank you. According to Cerus, he had picked up bits and pieces of Ninifin over the years, but never enough to be fluent, and now he was attempting to improve his Ninifin as much as he could.


    The girl waited while Cerus read the paper. When he was done, he said, ¡°Give her Holiness our thanks for her wise words and actions regarding our sister, and tell her that we hope she will be willing to meet with us soon. It is imperative that we ease over any diplomatic tensions as soon as possible.¡±


    The girl curtsied again and without a word, returned inside the apartments.


    ¡°I take it we haven¡¯t been granted an audience,¡± Felit?a said.


    Cerus passed her the letter, but proceeded to tell her the contents without her needing to read it. ¡°She has apologised for her guards¡¯ behaviour with Sinit?a and says that they will be appropriately punished, whatever she means by that. She has also agreed that we should meet, but says it must be at a later time. To be fair, it¡¯s the most positive response I¡¯ve gotten so far. The situation with Sinit?a, as unpleasant as it must have been for her, has given us an advantage.¡±


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°We wait. I¡¯ll make another request in a day or two if we haven¡¯t heard by then.¡±


    ¡°The meeting with the Volgs may have started by then. Once that starts, we¡¯ll never get in.¡±


    Cerus shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s the risk we take. Welcome to the world of diplomacy. These things take time. Sometimes, a lot of time.¡±


    ¡°All I really want is to see Nin-Akna, not the Queen.¡±


    ¡°I know, but you were right to make the complaint to the Queen, not just for Arnor¡¯s sake, but also because it gives you an official reason to speak to one of her bodyguards. Without that reason, you would be far less likely to get near her.¡± He placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Be patient.¡±


    Felit?a sighed. After seventy-five days at sea and five days of ineffective studying, she was discovering that she didn¡¯t have much patience left. Nothing was working out. No meeting Kindanog. No meeting Nin-Akna. They weren¡¯t finding any information of value in the library. She had one option left. She needed to get into the Volg apartments and find the information from the source.


    Cerus motioned to the two Arnorin soldiers standing behind them, and turned to leave. Felit?a was about to follow when the door to the Ninifin apartments opened again, and a young woman came out. The twin tattoos ran from her face down her body, over skin hardened by the sun. She was unarmed, but was dressed similarly to the other female Ninifin warriors Felit?a had seen, except that her jerkin was dyed a dark red.


    Felit?a touched Cerus¡¯s arm to hold him back. ¡°She¡¯s here.¡±


    Cerus paused and looked back. ¡°Nin-Akna?¡±


    Nin-Akna bowed before Felit?a and Cerus. ¡°I am glad that you have not left yet. May I be permitted to speak?¡±


    ¡°Please do,¡± Felit?a said, jumping in before Cerus.


    Nin-Akna raised her head. ¡°I wanted...I wanted to apologise personally for the behaviour of...of me and my guards.¡± She stumbled over her words and it was not just an imperfect command of the language. Her nervousness and fear flowed in waves from her. She was so young, barely more than a girl. ¡°We acted rashly, and I regret if we frightened your sister. Her Holiness has ordered that I administer punishment to those of us responsible, especially Ses-Inhuan, who was the one who suggested holding the young princess for ransom. In order to...to make the most of it, I...¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I wondered if you might have any preferences on what the punishment should be.¡±


    Felit?a looked to Cerus, who, after a brief pause, said, ¡°An apology will be sufficient. But not to us. To our sister, Sinit?a. In person.¡±


    Felit?a felt the relief wash over Nin-Akna, and the Ninifin¡¯s stance relaxed. ¡°Of course. It will be done. Name the time and place.¡±


    ¡°The sooner, the better,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I could take you to her now.¡± This would be an ideal opportunity to talk to her.


    But Cerus held up his hand. ¡°However, I would ask one more thing.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Nin-Akna said, looking a little wary. ¡°What would you like?¡±


    Cerus smiled. ¡°Simply put in a good word for me with your queen. I wish to do whatever I can to smooth over relations between our two countries before it leads to hostilities. She and I need to meet.¡±


    Nin-Akna relaxed again. ¡°Of course, I would be happy to.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Cerus said. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll leave you in my sister Felit?a¡¯s excellent hands. She can take you to our sister Sinit?a.¡± He bowed his head to her.


    Nin-Akna bowed in return, then looked to Felit?a. ¡°Should I summon the others from last night?¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°Just you should be enough. All of you at once might frighten Sinit?a.¡±


    ¡°As you wish. If you¡¯ll give me a couple minutes, I need to inform the Queen of what I am doing. She might not permit me to come right away, but I will come as soon as I can.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll wait here until I hear from you.¡±


    ¡°If I can¡¯t come immediately, I will send word right away.¡± Nin-Akna hurried back into the Ninifin apartments.


    ¡°I should check on what Father and your mother are doing,¡± Cerus said. ¡°Will you be all right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, something is finally going the way I want it to.¡±


    Cerus motioned to one of the Arnorin guards, and then the other. ¡°You, stay with Princess Felit?a. You, come with me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need a guard,¡± Felit?a said.


    Cerus opened his mouth as if to protest, but stopped. ¡°No, I suppose you don¡¯t. Very well.¡± He motioned to both guards to follow him and headed off.


    Despite the blistering heat, Felit?a was starting to feel better. The sweat dripping down her face didn¡¯t seem so noticeable now. After a few minutes, the door opened again and Nin-Akna stepped out.


    ¡°Her Holiness has granted me leave to accompany you,¡± the Ninifin said.


    Felit?a smiled. ¡°Good. My sister is in the library in the Nabrinja. Shall we?¡±


    As they walked, Nin-Akna said, ¡°Your guards are gone. Forgive me if I speak out of hand, but do Arnorin royals normally go unprotected? Your sister also had no guards.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°No,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Most of my family wouldn¡¯t go anywhere without a retinue of guards. I¡¯m the odd one out there. And Sinit?a has no experience of being out of the palace. She¡¯s copying me, I suspect. For good or ill.¡±


    ¡°But you are unarmed,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    ¡°So are you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I am here in humility seeking forgiveness. It would not be proper for me to be armed in your presence or in your sister¡¯s. There are so many other armed people here. Don¡¯t you fear attack?¡±


    ¡°The Sanalog Emperor has promised security.¡±


    ¡°And you trust him?¡±


    Felit?a shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve never met him, but I¡¯ve seen no reason not to trust him. Like you said, there are a lot of armed people here from all over the world. It¡¯s in everyone¡¯s best interest for security to be maintained. If hostilities broke out, it would be mayhem. Don¡¯t you trust him?¡±


    Nin-Akna¡¯s face clenched. ¡°He let Volgs here and I don¡¯t trust them.¡±


    ¡°Well, on that, we¡¯re alike,¡± Felit?a said.


    They walked in silence for a minute or two. As they neared the entrance to the Nabrinja, Felit?a said, ¡°Tell me about yourself, Nin-Akna.¡±


    The Ninifin tensed again. ¡°There is not much to tell.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one of the Queen¡¯s personal bodyguards. That¡¯s pretty prestigious. I¡¯d call that worth telling.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    Felit?a could feel nervousness coming from the Ninifin again. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me anything you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°No, it...it¡¯s all right,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°I am head of Queen Nin-Xoco¡¯s personal bodyguard. It is a very prestigious position, yes.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me for saying,¡± Felit?a said, ¡°but you¡¯re very young for such a position. You must be very skilled.¡±


    A pulse of fear passed from Nin-Akna, though visually, she was clearly trying to hide her nerves. ¡°Yes, I...I am. Skilled. Very skilled. Forgive me, your Highness. Talking about myself like this...embarrasses me.¡±


    ¡°I apologise then,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°We can talk about something else.¡±


    Nin-Akna nodded and her stance relaxed a little, but Felit?a could still sense the nerves emanating from her. What was she so nervous about?


    The cool interior of the Nabrinja came as a relief to Felit?a. As they passed through the entrance hall, past the throngs of people milling and moving about, Felit?a tried to ease Nin-Akna¡¯s nerves by talking about the Nabrinja and when she thought the meeting might start¡ªcasual talk to get the girl to relax. None of it worked. She supposed it was understandable. Nin-Akna must be feeling very out of place at the moment. Skilled she might be, but she also seemed very inexperienced.


    When they entered the library, Meleng was standing at one of the catalogue screens. Quilla sat at the nearest table staring blank-eyed at a manuscript in front of her, while across from her, Sinit?a had her head down on the table. They all looked over to Felit?a and Nin-Akna.


    Sinit?a gasped and sat bolt upright. ¡°It¡¯s her!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, Sinit?a,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Nin-Akna is just here to talk. She wants to apologise.¡±


    ¡°She does?¡± Sinit?a said.


    ¡°Yes, I...¡± Nin-Akna started, but Felit?a could feel confusion coming from her. She looked at Felit?a. ¡°Why are you speaking Ninifin now? You know Ninifin?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s the library,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°There¡¯s a spell that translates what you hear into your native language.¡± Felit?a was getting so used to the translation now that she was starting to forget it was there.


    ¡°So if I speak Ninifin...¡± When Nin-Akna started again, Felit?a could see that her mouth was moving out of sequence with the words that seemed to come out of it. ¡°Can you understand me?¡±


    Felit?a nodded.


    ¡°I see,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°It is convenient, I suppose.¡± She turned to Sinit?a and breathed deeply. ¡°Your Highness, Princess Sinit?a, I would like to apologise on behalf of myself and the others under my command for our treatment of you. It was inappropriate, and we should not have scared you.¡±


    Nin-Akna¡¯s voice was completely different now. The base sound at its root was unchanged¡ªit was possible to tell that it was still her voice¡ªbut the intonation had changed, all hints of a non-native accent were gone, and the words proceeded one after the other with less indication of hesitation, although Felit?a could still sense nervousness from her. That was interesting, Felit?a thought. It seemed that the spell also removed most occurrences of um and ah. This was the first time Felit?a had heard the effects on a non-native Arnorgue speaker whom she had also heard outside the library.


    ¡°It was also highly inappropriate for us to suggest taking you hostage,¡± Nin-Akna continued. ¡°Please accept my sincerest apology. It will not happen again.¡±


    Sinit?a smiled. ¡°That¡¯s okay. You were actually kind of nice. Sort of. It was the others with you who were mean. You should tell them off.¡±


    ¡°I will, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Okay then,¡± Sinit?a said. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for accepting my apology, your Highness. I will take my leave of you now.¡± Nin-Akna bowed to Sinit?a, then walked over to Meleng. ¡°You may not be a slave, but your rulers apparently do not consider you worthy of an apology.¡±


    Felit?a grimaced.


    Meleng looked up from the catalogue. ¡°That¡¯s kind of normal.¡±


    Felit?a felt an urge to turn away in embarrassment. How could she have left him out? Was she becoming like her family?


    ¡°However,¡± Nin-Akna continued, ¡°I believe you deserve an apology too, so I am offering you one. We were over-zealous, and I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Meleng said. ¡°That¡¯s nice of you.¡±


    ¡°I hope we have a chance to see each other again under more pleasant circumstances.¡±


    ¡°That would be nice,¡± Meleng said.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to stay a little longer now,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to rush off.¡±


    ¡°I have duties to return to, your Highness,¡± the Ninifin replied. ¡°My Queen would not want me to remain here now that I have executed what I came here to do.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I¡¯ll walk back with you if you like.¡±


    Nin-Akna shook her head. ¡°Please do not trouble yourself. I will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Then perhaps we can speak again later.¡±


    Nin-Akna sighed. ¡°I do not believe my Queen would approve of my socialising with you, so I must respectfully decline. I thank you for your offer, however.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°I understand.¡± It looked like she was going to have to find another way to spend time with this young woman.


    Nin-Akna bowed again and left the room.


    ¡°Well, you got to speak to her, at least,¡± Meleng said, coming over from the catalogue.


    ¡°Did you learn anything?¡± Quilla asked.


    ¡°Only that she¡¯s nervous about speaking about herself,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°But maybe she¡¯s nervous speaking to non-Ninifins. She¡¯s young and I get the impression she¡¯s never left Ninifin before.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think anybody ever left Ninifin, to be honest,¡± Quilla said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Oh well. I¡¯m just going to have to trust that another opportunity to speak to her comes up. I¡¯d better go fill Cerus in. Is Maneshka here?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s down in the stacks,¡± Meleng said. ¡°We may have found a collection of Volg documents. She¡¯s trying to locate them now while I try to figure out if there are any other related collections.¡±


    ¡°Will she be back soon?¡±


    Meleng shrugged. ¡°Depends how long it takes her to locate them. It might be a while though.¡±


    ¡°Oh well,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I¡¯ll see her when I get back then.¡±


    ¡°Would you like me to ask her about Kindanog?¡± Meleng asked. ¡°I could if you want.¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°No. I¡¯d rather do that myself, if you don¡¯t mind. I want to fill her in on my telepathy and my weird line-up of people vision. I shouldn¡¯t be very long either.¡±


    ¡°As you wish,¡± Meleng said, and Felit?a hurried from the library again.

 Chapter 19: The Ball (Part 1)

    ?¡±


    ¡°In the stacks,¡± Maneshka replied. ¡°Meleng is answering Sinit?a¡¯s questions. Suspecting it would take awhile, I decided to bring some of the books we found up to you.¡±


    ¡°The other books,¡± Maneshka said, reaching to take one of them, ¡°are more from the Volganth collection. Meleng and I will continue our attempts to decipher them.¡±


    A short while later, she looked up from the book. Maneshka had moved down the table a short distance and was writing notes on the book she was reading. ¡°You know,¡± Felit?a said, ¡°this is reminding me of the lessons I had with Ardon when I was young.¡± Ardon would probably be better at reading or deciphering this than she would. She wondered what he was up to. She¡¯d seen very little of him on Scovese. She should seek him out and inform him what she¡¯d been doing. Then again, he probably already knew.


    So Felit?a began to tell Maneshka about how she¡¯d travelled across Arnor, how she¡¯d met Elderaan, and how he had taken her in. She told her about Zandrue and eventually about her telepathy. Felit?a paused at that moment and waited for a response from Maneshka.


    Maneshka smirked. ¡°And then you fell asleep.¡±


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    They spent several moments just staring into each other¡¯s eyes. Felit?a could feel that attraction emanating from Maneshka again. No, not just attraction. Lust. There was lust there. It was starting to become difficult to tell where her own feelings ended and Maneshka¡¯s began. Her heart was beating fast again. A sense of panic passed over her¡ªshe was pretty certain it was her own.


    Maneshka lowered her head with a smile. ¡°I once kept pet rats in secret. My mother would have been very angry if she had ever found out. I was always afraid she would. Does that count?¡±


    Once more, panic flooded Felit?a and she pulled away. ¡°I should get back to work.¡± Again, she blurted the words. Again, she regretted it almost immediately.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Maneshka said, disappointment coming from her. ¡°Apologies. I have been too forward again.¡± Maneshka picked her pen back up, dipped it in her inkwell, and returned to the book she had been deciphering.


    ¡°No, no,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I...I just...I¡¯m just a little scared. That¡¯s all. This is new to me.¡±


    Maneshka put the pen down and looked back at her. ¡°You have never...?¡±


    ¡°It is all right. We will go more slowly then.¡±


    Felit?a laughed and shook her head. ¡°No, just the telepathy. Although there is this weird thing, and it¡¯s related to something I¡¯ve wanted to ask you. I have this...vision or dream or something. In my head. I think it¡¯s been there a long time, for years probably. At least as long as I¡¯ve known Zandrue, I think, although I didn¡¯t realise it at the time. There are these people in my head. Not literally, of course. They¡¯re real people, and I see them in complete, total detail. I¡¯m not sure how many there are. They¡¯re only revealed to me as I meet or learn of them in real life. Anyway, one of them is the head of Emperor Rojdan¡¯s personal guard, a man named Kindanog. I was wondering if maybe you knew a way I could make some sort of formal petition to see him. I asked Adranaska and he said he asked for me, but Kindanog is too busy. But if you know some sort of process, a waiting list I can be put on...¡±


    ¡°No, not at all. I just wanted¡ªCan you get me a meeting? No, no, that¡¯s not what I¡¯ve been after. I want a meeting with him, yes, but I just wondered if you knew the process. Why would that be a problem? I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Now I don¡¯t understand again,¡± Felit?a said.


    The four Isyar spread their arms in the same manner. One of them said, ¡°We represent the Isyar Lords. Their Honours would like to visit the library. They have sent us to make the appropriate arrangements.¡±


    Felit?a watched Maneshka until she disappeared through one of the back doors. Then she looked back over at the four Isyar, who were talking amongst themselves, commenting on the library and the translation spell, which they had all noticed already.

 Chapter 19: The Ball (Part 2)

    ¡°Do you intend to stare at that young woman all night?¡±


    Felit?a looked over at Cerus. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Was it that obvious?


    ¡°You¡¯ve barely taken your eyes off her since she arrived,¡± Cerus answered. ¡°I will confess that she is very attractive and can understand a desire to look at her, but unless you intend to go over and talk to her, I can¡¯t see that staring will accomplish much.¡±


    Felit?a blushed. She felt like she was doing that a lot these days. ¡°I¡¯m not staring.¡±


    Cerus chuckled. ¡°Ah, my apologies. Clearly she¡¯s just standing where you¡¯re looking.¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactly,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°And when she moves, you¡¯re not following her with your gaze. She just happens to be moving where you¡¯re choosing to look.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Felit?a said, and forced herself to look around the rest of the room.


    The ballroom was crowded with people of all different races, ethnicities, and nationalities. Felit?a was hard-pressed to identify even a small fraction of the peoples here. Many of them wore extravagant outfits particular to their customs. Many danced to the music of the small orchestra on one of the four daises. Many more milled about the circumference on both the main floor and balcony.


    ¡°I take it she¡¯s the librarian you¡¯ve spoken of?¡± Cerus said.


    ¡°Yes, how did you know?¡± Felit?a made a conscious effort not to look at Maneshka.


    ¡°Because you speak so enthusiastically about her and so frequently that it simply made sense that the person you haven¡¯t been able to take your eyes off of for the last hour would be her.¡±


    ¡°Have I really talked that much about her?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes. Meleng and I were talking about it this afternoon, weren¡¯t we, Meleng?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Meleng was struggling with his cape and trying to loosen his collar. Sinit?a was trying to help him. ¡°Oh, yeah. It¡¯s been pretty obvious, really.¡±


    ¡°You should go ask her to dance,¡± Sinit?a said.


    Most of Felit?a wanted to do just that, but the terrified part of her held her back. ¡°Maybe later.¡± She¡¯d been hoping that maybe Maneshka would come to her instead. Unfortunately, Maneshka hadn¡¯t made any moves in her direction.


    Felit?a found that her gaze had wandered back to Maneshka, who was talking to Nebrovich and another Sanalog woman. Maneshka hadn¡¯t even glanced in Felit?a¡¯s direction the entire time. Felit?a forced herself to look elsewhere again.


    ¡°You want to dance, Meleng?¡± Sinit?a said.


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be very good,¡± Meleng replied.


    ¡°Oh, that doesn¡¯t matter, silly! Come on.¡± Sinit?a grabbed Meleng¡¯s arm and pulled him along as he tried to protest. She led him down one of the two wide staircases that connected the balcony to the main floor of the ballroom. Even with her vantage point by the balcony¡¯s edge, Felit?a soon lost them amongst the crowd.


    Felit?a let her gaze sweep the room, still making an effort not to look at Maneshka. Rojdan VI, King of Sanalogia, Emperor of Endoria, and about a dozen other titles that had been announced on his arrival, sat in a high-backed chair on the dais opposite the one where the orchestra played. It was the first Felit?a had seen him, and as best she could tell, it was the first almost anyone had seen him. He had arrived about two hours earlier to great fanfare, and had remained seated in that chair ever since. The Emperor was dressed in heavy crimson red robes and wore a feathered headdress over his grey hair. Kindanog stood to his right, a spear clutched in his right hand. People were lined up in front of the dais waiting a chance to meet the Emperor.


    Felit?a and her family had been amongst the first in that line. At the time, Felit?a had hoped it might present an opportunity to speak with Kindanog¡ªeven if only briefly. However, the only ones in her family who got to do any talking were her mother and father, and the meeting had ended in only a couple minutes. Her mother had not been happy, and had complained for some time afterwards that it wasn¡¯t right that the Emperor be treated as their superior. Arnor controlled a greater area of land than Endoria, after all. Felit?a had enjoyed seeing her mother treated in such a ¡°lowly¡± manner.


    But she would have liked to talk to Kindanog. Oh well. She reminded herself that Maneshka had said she would try to arrange something. Maneshka, who had not even looked at Felit?a since arriving an hour ago.


    Her mother and father were now a short distance away, separated by only a dozen or so people from Felit?a and Cerus. They were talking to three men, one older and the other two younger, all dressed in a military uniform similar to the Arnorin one, though a dull red in colour. Egorthian, if Felit?a wasn¡¯t mistaken. The three men could easily be Foliths, and Felit?a seemed to recall that Egorthians and Foliths came from the same root people.


    Felit?a¡¯s mother had a smile on her face, and Felit?a couldn¡¯t tell if it was real or forced. She glanced over in Felit?a¡¯s direction and for a moment, her smile almost looked like a sneer.


    Annai stood beside their mother, beaming at one of the two younger men.


    ¡°Sinit?a¡¯s right, you know,¡± Cerus said.


    ¡°Right about what?¡±


    ¡°Asking her to dance.¡±


    ¡°You think I should ask Sinit?a to dance?¡± Felit?a grinned. ¡°Okay then. When she¡¯s done with Meleng, I¡¯ll ask her.¡±


    Cerus laughed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you still at least have a sense of humour.¡±


    ¡°Honestly,¡± Felit?a said, ¡°I¡¯ve been hoping she¡¯d come ask me.¡±


    ¡°Then you might have a problem,¡± Cerus said.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°As I understand it, Sanalogs have a very rigid hierarchical system. Although we may come from outside it, we are placed within it. You and I have a position similar to any of the Emperor¡¯s children.¡±


    Felit?a grimaced. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve seen a bit of that. You think that¡¯s holding her back? She¡¯s relaxed a lot since finding out I¡¯m royalty.¡±


    ¡°In private, perhaps. This is very public. It would be the height of impropriety for her to talk to you without you talking to her first.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I should have thought of that. She must be even more on edge than me, waiting for me to say something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m no expert. This is merely what I¡¯ve picked up speaking to Adranaska and others.¡±


    ¡°All right then. I suppose I¡¯d better go to her.¡±


    ¡°You might want to hurry, too. I think your mother may have other plans for you.¡± Cerus nodded in the Queen¡¯s direction, and Felit?a noticed that her mother was looking at her again.


    ¡°I do wish you¡¯d stop making a point of calling her my mother.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not mine,¡± Cerus said with a grin.


    ¡°Felit?a!¡±


    ¡°There you go,¡± Cerus said. ¡°You¡¯ve lost your chance.¡±


    Felit?a took a deep breath. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡±


    ¡°Felit?a!¡± her mother repeated. There was no anger in her voice, which surprised Felit?a. Instead, she sounded almost friendly.


    Steeling herself, she walked over to her mother, father, and Annai.


    ¡°Felit?a, my darling,¡± the Queen said. ¡°We¡¯d like to introduce you to some people.¡±


    Darling? Felit?a had never heard her mother utter those words in relation to her before.


    The Queen indicated the older of the three men. ¡°This is his Majesty, King Stoban of Egorthia. Your Majesty, this is my second daughter, Felit?a.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Felit?a curtsied and held out her hand.


    King Stoban took her gloved hand, and bent low to kiss it. ¡°Enchanted, my dear. Your mother and father have had many fine things to say about you. They are very proud of you.¡±


    Felit?a forced herself to keep looking at the King, a smile on her face. Her mother would never say she was proud of Felit?a without an ulterior motive, and Felit?a could guess what it was. Separate from that, though, the King¡¯s out-of-synch lip movements were making her dizzy. She had thought she¡¯d gotten used to it in the library, but the spell here seemed to work a little differently, and so she was having to get used to it all over again. That made looking at a person in the face difficult.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°May I present my sons, Stoban the Younger, and Restov?¡± The King indicated the other men.


    Felit?a curtsied to each of the younger men and offered them her hand as well.


    ¡°His Majesty, your father, and I were thinking that you and Annai would get along splendidly with his sons,¡± Felit?a¡¯s mother said as Stoban the Younger kissed Felit?a¡¯s hand. As Restov took his turn, her mother continued, ¡°Stoban the Younger has already asked your sister to dance.¡±


    ¡°And I would be deeply honoured if you would grant me a dance,¡± Restov said as he rose from his kiss, not having let go of her hand.


    ¡°We thought it would make for a regal sight if the four of you headed to the dance floor together,¡± her mother said.


    Felit?a thought fast. She was not about to have her mother playing match-maker, maybe even arranging a marriage between her and someone she had only just met. So she smiled and curtsied again. ¡°I would be delighted to dance with you. However, I have already promised my first dance to my girlfriend. I hope you will not be offended to wait for the second dance.¡±


    Restov removed his hand from hers. ¡°Your...girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°My lover, my... Perhaps the translation spell is not working properly. The person I intend to sleep with tonight, to have sex with. I have promised her the first dance, but I will be happy to dance with you after we are done.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Prince Restov stammered. ¡°I would be happy to wait.¡±


    Felit?a smiled and curtsied again. ¡°Thank you, your Highness.¡±


    Her mother¡¯s face had gone pale, as had Annai¡¯s. Her father, on the other hand, looked stoic, but Felit?a thought she could detect amusement from him, though it was hard to tell with so many other people around.


    ¡°If you will excuse me, then, I will return as soon as I can.¡±


    Felit?a hurried to the stairs, doing her best to hide her joy. As she left, King Stoban said, ¡°Your daughter is involved in carnal relations before marriage? And with a woman?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t hear what, if anything, her mother said as she was too far away now. She was glad she could still remember some of the things she¡¯d learnt under Ardon¡¯s tutelage, notably that Egorthians had very traditional views¡ªlike Foliths, but even more so.


    When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she glanced up at Cerus, who nodded to her. Then she made her way around the circular room towards where she last seen Maneshka. Past the tables full of food and drink on one of the other daises. Past where the four ancient Isyar¡ªthe Isyar Lords¡ªstood.


    She wanted to run, but she kept herself to a dignified walk. There were too many people around to run anyway. She found her way to where Maneshka was still talking with Nebrovich and the other woman. When the three saw that she was approaching them, they all bowed.


    Felit?a held out a hand. ¡°Maneshka, would you do me the honour of dancing with me?¡±


    Maneshka straightened up and smiled. ¡°I would be honoured, your Highness.¡±


    Felit?a took her hand and led her towards the dance floor.


    ¡°I was beginning to wonder if you would come at all,¡± Maneshka said.


    ¡°I just had to work out some issues with my nerves,¡± Felit?a replied. ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m really not experienced in this sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°There has never been anyone else at all?¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°Some people I¡¯ve been interested in, but nothing¡¯s ever come of it.¡±


    ¡°Where are you taking me?¡± Maneshka asked a few moments later. ¡°We have crossed almost the entire room.¡±


    ¡°Just over here. I want to make sure my mother can see us.¡±


    Maneshka smiled and squeezed Felit?a¡¯s hand a little tighter. ¡°I am doubly honoured that you wish to display me to your mother.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that, exactly. She won¡¯t like it. She just tried to set me up with a prince of Egorthia.¡±


    ¡°That would be a prestigious union.¡±


    Felit?a laughed. ¡°Not for me, it wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You would defy your mother¡¯s wishes?¡±


    ¡°I would.¡± They reached a spot where Felit?a could be reasonably certain her mother would be able to see them¡ªif she even looked in this direction. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I haven¡¯t danced in a very long time. Not since I was a child.¡±


    Maneshka took both of Felit?a¡¯s hands. ¡°Do not worry. I have danced many times. I am told I am very good. I will lead.¡± As they began to dance, she continued, ¡°I could never do what you do, defy my mother like that, and my mother is not a queen.¡±


    ¡°Though you don¡¯t seem to disapprove,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°You are right. I do not. I should, but I do not. I find it strangely exciting.¡±


    ¡°Good. My mother and I don¡¯t get along.¡±


    ¡°You will have to explain why sometime,¡± Maneshka said. ¡°For now, though, let us just dance, and enjoy our time together.¡±


    Felit?a had intended to look to see if her mother was watching, but once they started dancing, she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off Maneshka again. They danced together through several pieces the orchestra played, each time getting closer and closer together, her own feelings of desire becoming indistinguishable from Maneshka¡¯s and getting stronger.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been very quiet,¡± Felit?a said eventually. She could barely get the words out over her own nerves.


    ¡°There will be ample time for talking. Sometimes it is best just to enjoy the moment.¡± After another minute or so of dance¡ªor maybe it was just seconds; Felit?a couldn¡¯t tell¡ªManeshka added, ¡°However, I will remind you that I could never defy expectations like you.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Felit?a said.


    Maneshka smirked. ¡°No, you are not understanding me. I mean that you must kiss me first.¡±


    Felit?a pushed aside the sense of panic that threatened to wash over her that moment. ¡°Oh, right.¡± She leaned in closer, tried to swallow, but her mouth had gone dry. She took a deep breath and touched her lips to Maneshka¡¯s.


    And everyone else vanished.


    No, that wasn¡¯t right. They were still there in the ballroom, but in the Room, Maneshka¡¯s was the only presence other than Felit?a¡¯s own¡ªand it was almost overlapping hers. All her feelings, not just her desire, overlapped and became indistinguishable from Maneshka¡¯s.


    And that was only the beginning.


    * * * * *


    The library was dark. Meleng had never seen it like this before. Was it because it was late at night and no one was here? Perhaps. Whatever the case, he had no idea how to make it light again.


    It did remind him, though, that when he had first entered the Nabrinja, he had wanted to study the way it stayed lit and find a way to replicate it, but because of all the time spent in the library, he had forgotten about it. He would have to make sure to take a look at it before leaving Scovese.


    And that translation spell! He¡¯d love to know how that worked. Except that was mentalism-based. He¡¯d have no chance of understanding that, as interesting as it was bound to be. The lighting, on the other hand, would be enchantment, and although he probably still wouldn¡¯t be able to understand all its intricacies¡ªthe magic was likely way beyond his skill¡ªhe might be able to work out the basics.


    He edged forward into the darkened room, feeling for the nearest bench and table. He had only gone a few steps when the room lit up. With a sigh of relief, he picked up his pace to the table. Some sort of motion detection, he suspected. He was even more intrigued by the spell now.


    He was glad to see neither Maneshka nor Nebrovich had put away the books and papers he¡¯d been working through. They were sitting on the table where he¡¯d left them. He¡¯d hate to have to search through the stacks for them again.


    He was glad to have gotten away from the ball. Sinit?a would have kept him dancing all night if she¡¯d had her way, but he just didn¡¯t like dancing. Besides, he wasn¡¯t any good at it. And the people. Too many people. He¡¯d always been uncomfortable with so many other people around¡ªother people who might be watching. Plus, he hadn¡¯t been able to get his mind off something he¡¯d noticed earlier.


    Undoing the clasp of his cloak, he slipped it off and tossed it over the table. Another reason he was glad to get away from the ball. That cloak was too tight and far too warm for the climate here, even the cooler air of the Nabrinja. Cerus had insisted he wear it this evening.


    He pulled the book he had been looking at earlier over to him, as well as the vocabulary list Maneshka had been working on. As best they could tell, the book was a compilation of Volg legends and stories, perhaps their most promising find so far. Like all the books here, it was old and was written in a language that was likely long gone, this time an ancient Volg language. The problem was, with books in human languages, they could look for modern languages that had similarities¡ªones that the ancient language might have evolved into¡ªbut in this case, no one had knowledge of, or access to any modern Volg languages, so the only things to base a comparison on were a few faded illustrations in the few manuscripts they had. Some previous scholars, librarians, and other visitors to the library had attempted to decipher a vocabulary list, and Maneshka was attempting to add to it, but it was far from complete and not very reliable.


    Nonetheless, something Meleng had seen had been bothering him all evening, and he turned to the page.


    ¡°This Volganth language seems to have two different, but similar words for child or youth,¡± Maneshka had told him earlier when he had asked her assistance with a confusing passage. ¡°At first, I thought it was either a gender variance or simply a different declination. However, the change is not consistent with known declinations, and there are no indications that this language is gendered at all, unlike the other two Volganth languages. I have not even found a way to differentiate between a man and a woman. Of course, it is still very early, so I cannot be sure. However, I may have found an explanation. It appears that these Volganths might have used separate words to indicate species, this one here for a child of their own people, and this one for a child of another people.¡±


    The explanation had made sense for what he was reading, and Meleng had continued struggling through the work, picking up on maybe one tenth of its total meaning¡ªif that much. But then he¡¯d come across another use of the word for youth of another people, but not in that manner¡ªat least he didn¡¯t think it was in that manner. Maneshka had already left to prepare for the ball, and he knew he should be doing the same. So he had shrugged it off, put the book aside, and gone to change.


    But it had continued to nag at the back of his mind.


    The word appeared alongside the one word Maneshka was close to one hundred percent certain on the translation of: the Volg word for their own people, the Volg word for Volg. However, if she was right about the word for youth, then the implication seemed to be a Volg youth who was not of the Volg people. Could it be referring to a different nation of Volgs?


    Yet there was something else on the page that he had skimmed over at the time. It was a number¡ªa date, he felt certain¡ªand, although they had a pretty good idea of Volg numbers, Meleng had been skipping over them as he felt knowing the exact number wouldn¡¯t be necessary unless something else in the text indicated the number was relevant. He realised now, though, that his subconscious had half translated that particular number, and that was what was bothering him.


    He pored over the vocabulary lists, comparing the individual digits of the number, the words indicating the date. The number was a year¡ªa very recent year, long past the time this manuscript had been written.


    A few words before the one for youth was another word that was listed as creation, though with an indicator that the translation had a high uncertainty. Meleng now wondered about another possible translation: birth.


    The date was the first day of the two thousand three hundred twenty-third year. Just over nine years ago.


    The day Corvinian was born.


    The child of the Volgs.

 Chapter 20: Queen of the Ninifins (Part 1)

    The first rays of morning light were creeping round the edges of the curtains as Felit?a stood up and tip-toed across the room. Someone had collected her clothes from the floor. And Maneshka¡¯s.


    Felit?a looked back at Maneshka, still fast asleep in the bed, and smiled. And blushed some more. Held back a laugh. Blushed again.


    And it could be counted as productive as well, since Felit?a had learnt something new about herself, about her telepathy. And it was both exciting and terrifying.


    Felit?a couldn¡¯t help but see into Maneshka¡¯s thoughts. It wasn¡¯t a complete view¡ªthere was something there blocking full view¡ªbut she got flashes of images, memories. Kindanog. Maneshka¡¯s mother. Her pet rats. For a brief moment, Felit?a even saw herself through Maneshka¡¯s eyes.


    With her physical eyes, Felit?a saw Maneshka¡¯s widen, saw her gasp. She was aware!


    not of her own creation.


    Somehow, for a brief time, she had broken through those walls, but they were back again, just beyond her reach.


    She is here with us.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Zandrue. Rudiger. Borisin. Meleng. Corvinian. Jorvanultumn. Quilla. Kindanog. Nin-Akna...


    She is powerful indeed if she can see us in this place.


    Who are you? she called.


    You are not invulnerable, she said as she tried to push them aside, tried to find a way around them. You fell last night. You can fall again. Get out of my head!


    Felit?a.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, your Highness. I understand. I think the way you look at her is very sweet. I wish I had someone I wanted to look at like that. But there is a messenger here for you from the Ninifin delegation.¡± Marna held out the robes. ¡°You may want these. One for you and one for your friend.¡±


    Marna curtsied, then hurried over and slipped out the door. Felit?a tossed one of the robes to Maneshka and slipped the other on. Marna returned a moment later, made some adjustments to Felit?a¡¯s hair, and helped with the robe.


    A couple minutes later, Marna showed a Ninifin girl into the room. No more than fourteen or fifteen, she carried with her a piece of paper, folded and sealed. The girl knelt and bowed her head. ¡°Your Highness, Princess Felit?a of Arnor?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    My sister,


    A matter of great importance has come to my attention, and I ask that we meet so that we might discuss it. If you are able, please come immediately. The servant who carries this message will bring you before me. If you cannot come at once, then I ask that you delay as short a time as possible.


    I would also ask that you do not inform your family of this meeting at this time. I am aware of your brother¡¯s attempts to speak with me, but this matter is not related to that. Nor is it related in any way to the offences committed by the Arnorin delegation against the Ninifin delegation. I hold you in no way responsible for the actions of your mother and father. The matter I wish to discuss pertains to me and to you only. You may bring an attendant if you wish, but I otherwise ask that you come alone.


    I swear to you that there is no subterfuge in this invitation and that your safety is assured. I swear this in the name of Eleuia, Prophet of the True Gods, and in the name of her disciple, Nin-Papan.


    Your sister,


    Nin-Xoco,


    12th Queen of Ninifin,


    Bearer of the Rod of Nin-Papan,


    Voice of Ninussa


    Felit?a looked up from the letter and at the messenger who was still on her knees. ¡°I¡¯ll come right away. Just give me fifteen minutes to dress. Wait outside until then.¡±


    Once Felit?a had finished dressing and Marna had hurried off, Felit?a went back over to where Maneshka was still sitting in the bed, and sat beside her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I have to go.¡± She tried to mime herself leaving.

 Chapter 20: Queen of the Ninifins (Part 2)

    ¡°I think I might have found something about Corvinian,¡± Meleng said, rubbing his eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t be sure. I¡¯m going to need to check some of the translations with Maneshka who¡¯s a lot better at that sort of thing than I am. But I¡¯ve found something about a child¡ª¡±


    Felit?a placed a hand on his arm to stop him. ¡°This is probably not the best place. Tell me later.¡± The two guards probably didn¡¯t know Arnorgue, but better safe than sorry.


    Meleng nodded. ¡°Right.¡±


    He was still dressed in his formal wear from last night.


    ¡°Were you up all night?¡± Felit?a asked.


    He nodded.


    ¡°Did you get any sleep?¡±


    ¡°I nodded off a couple of times. I¡¯m not sure for how long. It couldn¡¯t have been very long, though.¡± He yawned.


    The door opened to reveal the young messenger who had brought them here. She bowed, then stood aside, and motioned for them to enter.


    The Ninifin apartments were laid out similarly to the Arnorin ones¡ªsimilarly to all the apartments as best Felit?a could tell. Queen Nin-Xoco¡¯s was one of the larger apartments, like the one Felit?a¡¯s parents were using. It was broken up into more than one room¡ªan initial meeting room and a couple of bedrooms beyond that.


    A chair had been set up opposite the front door, a little in front of the far wall. Sitting in it was a young Ninifin woman dressed in a shawl and skirt of mixed colours, though predominantly green. She wore several heavy necklaces, bracelets on her wrists, and anklets on her bare feet. On her head was a tall headdress adorned with green peacock feathers. Her long black hair was draped over her chest and hung down to her legs.


    To the Queen¡¯s right stood Nin-Akna, a spear in hand. Another warrior stood to her left, and others were spread around the room. All of them had red jerkins like Nin-Akna¡¯s. Three other women stood in the room behind the Queen, one in green robes, the second in white, and the third in yellow. Several others¡ªservants, Felit?a presumed¡ªalso stood around the room.


    Felit?a and Meleng bowed.


    The Queen leaned forward and peered at Meleng. ¡°Your attendant is a man?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your Holiness.¡± It dawned on Felit?a that everyone else in the room, even all the warriors, was a woman. Meleng was the only man.


    ¡°How strange,¡± the Queen said.


    ¡°He is the same one who was with the young sister, Holiness,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    ¡°This is Meleng,¡± Felit?a said.


    The Queen smiled. ¡°Ah, yes. Forgive my rudeness. I am Nin-Xoco. Thank you for coming so quickly. Can I offer you some refreshments?¡± She motioned to a couple of the servants, who came forward, one carrying a tray of white fruit chopped in cubes, the other a tray of wine.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Felit?a took a goblet of wine and a piece of fruit.


    Almost everyone in the room was very young. The Queen, the guards, the servants¡ªnone of them looked out of their teens. Many of the servants looked barely in their teens. The Queen herself was maybe eighteen at most. Only the three robed women behind the Queen were older, two of them mature women of fifty or more, the third¡ªthe one in yellow robes and with a tattoo of an eye on her forehead¡ªlooked close to Felit?a in age, maybe a little older.


    After Meleng selected a piece of fruit and a goblet, the Queen took a fruit piece herself. ¡°It is a local fruit. Unusual. Tasty, but dry. I do not know the word for it in your language. I apologise that my command of your language is not good.¡±


    ¡°It is called coconut, Holiness,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°But I didn¡¯t know that before coming to Scovese. Believe me, your command of the language is excellent so far.¡±


    ¡°The Sanalogs are good hosts, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± the Queen said.


    ¡°Yes. They¡¯ve been very good hosts, very welcoming. They¡¯ve gone out of their way to make everyone comfortable. The ball last night was more than anyone would have expected of them, I think. I don¡¯t recall seeing you there, Holiness.¡±


    ¡°No, I chose not to go. I must be careful about my public appearances. The Sanalogs are good hosts, but I do not trust the Volgs. Do you not find them frightening? Or the Isyar?¡±


    ¡°The Volgs, yes, at times,¡± Felit?a said. The Isyar?


    ¡°It is still strange to me,¡± the Queen continued. ¡°I did not think they existed. Eleuia revealed that the Volgs are a creation of the Isyar, to misdirect our attention away from their evil. I always thought that meant the Isyar created stories of Volgs. Most others believe the same, but now my advisors tell me it is more literal than that. The Isyar actually created the Volgs. Such powerful evil frightens me.¡±


    There was genuine fear emanating from the Queen, but Felit?a got the impression it was more than just fear of Volgs. Some of that fear seemed directed at her. The emotions from the rest of the room were a mixture of confusion, uncertainty, fear, and a small amount of hatred, but it was difficult to separate where the individual emotions originated¡ªnot and keep her attention on the Queen.


    ¡°Forgive me, Holiness,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°You said you had something urgent to discuss with me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is correct.¡± The Queen looked to Nin-Akna and nodded.


    Nin-Akna tensed and Felit?a felt intense uncertainty from her. ¡°Are you sure, Holiness?¡±


    ¡°You said you believed her trustworthy,¡± the Queen replied.


    ¡°Yes, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then I will take the chance. You need not go far. I will call if I need you, but go you must. This is not for your ears.¡±


    Nin-Akna snapped to attention. ¡°As you wish, Holiness.¡± She raised her spear and motioned to the others in the room. The servants left, followed by the guards, and finally Nin-Akna. She paused at the door to look back at the Queen. ¡°I will be just outside the door, Holiness.¡± The Queen nodded and Nin-Akna exited the room, closing the door behind her.


    The only people remaining in the room were Felit?a, Meleng, the Queen, and the three older women. There was silence for a moment as Nin-Xoco looked behind to the older women, who each nodded in turn. She turned to face Felit?a again. When she spoke, there was a waver to her voice. ¡°Thank you for coming so quickly. I asked you here because I need your help.¡±


    ¡°My help?¡±


    ¡°I fear for my life while I am here on this island.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want my help with that? What of your own people? Your guards?¡±


    ¡°Nin-Akna is devoted and loyal, but she is young and inexperienced, new to her position. I also fear that soldiers and weapons will be ineffective against the threats that may come against me.¡±


    ¡°What do you think I can do that your guards can¡¯t?¡± Felit?a asked. New and inexperienced? On an important journey like this? As she thought about it, apart from those three women standing behind the Queen, all the Ninifins Felit?a had seen so far were very young. The male soldiers outside were twenty at most.


    The Queen took a long sip of her wine. ¡°Before I came here, I was advised to seek you out if I felt threatened.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Why me?¡±


    ¡°Because you are the Will-Breaker.¡±


    Felit?a wasn¡¯t sure whether to groan or shout in excitement. Yet another person was using that term for her, yet for once, it wasn¡¯t someone trying to kill her. Maybe she could actually learn something about it.


    ¡°Who told you this?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°How much do you know of Eleuia and her disciple, Nin-Papan?¡± the Queen asked.


    ¡°Very little, Holiness.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Eleuia lead a resistance against King Everet and Stark Drago?¡± Meleng said.


    The four women all gasped. ¡°Never speak that name aloud!¡± the one in the green robes snapped.


    Nin-Xoco held up a hand to silence the others. ¡°Please refer to that person only as the Dragon.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Meleng stammered. ¡°My apologies, Holiness.¡±


    ¡°However, you are correct,¡± the Queen continued. ¡°Eleuia is our greatest hero and the mother of the Ninifin people. Not literally, of course, but she brought the words of the true gods to us, and Nin-Papan recorded her words and actions for posterity. Thanks to Nin-Papan, every child in Ninifin knows the story of Eleuia. We base our whole society on what she taught us. However, there are things that not every child knows. That very few know. Before I tell you more, I must ask that you swear never to divulge this to any other living soul.¡±


    Part of Felit?a wanted to agree without hesitation¡ªanything to find out what was going on¡ªbut something continued to bother the other part of her. Nin-Xoco was terrified; so were two of the other women. The third¡ªthe one in yellow robes¡ªemanated hatred over her fear. And all of it¡ªthe fear and hatred¡ªwas directed at Felit?a.


    ¡°I will keep your secret,¡± Felit?a said.


    There was silence a moment, and Felit?a nudged Meleng. ¡°Oh yes,¡± he said. ¡°I swear it, too.¡±


    Nin-Xoco glanced at the other three, who nodded one-by-one. Then she continued, ¡°Nin-Papan wrote of several things that Eleuia said and did that are not in the official story. Many of these were words the gods spoke through Eleuia telling of the future. Some of these refer to a person called only the Will-Breaker. The writings say that the Will-Breaker will first make herself known the next time all the peoples of the world come together in one place to talk.¡±


    ¡°What else do these writings say?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°I am not certain,¡± the Queen said. ¡°I have not read them myself. Only a few specialised members of our clergy ever study them.¡±


    That probably meant they wouldn¡¯t let her look at them either. ¡°How do you know I¡¯m the Will-Breaker?¡±


    The Queen motioned to the woman in yellow. ¡°This is Ses-Tlacotl. She is one of our greatest wizards. It was her task to locate you.¡±


    Ses-Tlacotl touched her eye tattoo with the tips of the fingers of both hands and bowed her head. ¡°As soon as we arrived here, I began subtly probing people,¡± she said, lowering her hands. She was a full-figured woman with silky black hair. ¡°When you came with your brother the other day to protest the treatment of your sister, I noticed you. Not only did you have mental defences¡ªwhich most people do not have at all¡ªbut you had defences of a type I have never encountered before. I could not breach them. This left little doubt that you were the one I sought.¡±


    ¡°I never even noticed,¡± Felit?a said.


    Ses-Tlacotl touched her eye tattoo and bowed her head again. The hatred still poured from her.


    ¡°Ses-Tlacotl is very good at what she does,¡± the Queen said.


    ¡°That was three days ago,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Why have you waited so long to contact me?¡±


    ¡°Because I didn¡¯t yet know that I would need your help.¡±


    ¡°So why do you contact me now?¡±


    ¡°There is a Volg here by the name of Agranim. Do you know him?¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve had the displeasure of meeting him, yes.¡±


    ¡°He has made threatening remarks towards me.¡±


    ¡°What sort of threats?¡±


    ¡°He said that once the meeting is over, when we are no longer under the protection of diplomacy, he would see to it that I died. He said that I would not see it coming, that it would come from a source I did not expect.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Why are you afraid of me?¡±


    Nin-Xoco grimaced. ¡°Is it that obvious?¡±


    ¡°You or your associates must know something of my abilities if you think I can help you. I would have thought you¡¯d know I¡¯d notice something like that.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± the Queen said.


    ¡°Because Eleuia said the Gods foretold that your coming would herald a time of terror worse even than that wrought by the Dragon,¡± Ses-Tlacotl said. ¡°Who would not be afraid of you?¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m worse than the Dragon?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the Queen said. ¡°As I understand it, you are not responsible for the bad times. They just follow you. However, it is also said you have incredible powers that can seem terrifying.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Thank you for answering my questions.¡±


    ¡°Will you help me?¡±


    Opposing Agranim seemed a likely course of events regardless, so the decision was easy to make. ¡°I will do what I can, Holiness. But I would ask one thing of you too.¡±


    ¡°Of course. What do you wish?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see these writings that foretell the future.¡±


    A sharp pang of annoyance came from Ses-Tlacotl.


    ¡°We do not have any copies here,¡± the Queen said.


    ¡°That¡¯s all right. It doesn¡¯t have to be right away. At some point in the future.¡±


    The Queen nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure that can be arranged.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. If I haven¡¯t already dealt with Agranim by the time the meeting¡¯s ended, I¡¯ll come to you and do whatever I can to keep you safe.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Will-Breaker.¡±


    ¡°If you will excuse me then, Holiness. I need to make plans.¡±


    The Queen nodded her assent, and Felit?a and Meleng bowed.


    As they left the apartment, Felit?a paused by Nin-Akna. ¡°You can trust me.¡±


    ¡°I believe you,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°But there are things you don¡¯t know.¡±


    That was certainly true. Far too many things. ¡°Perhaps we can talk at some point? If the Queen gives you leave?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Nin-Akna replied.


    As they walked back towards the Arnorin apartments, Felit?a said to Meleng, ¡°I hate pretending I know what people are talking about when I really have no clue.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least we¡¯re learning something,¡± Meleng said. ¡°These prophecies or whatever they are seem really fascinating.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get a look at them,¡± he said. ¡°That reminds me what I was trying to tell you earlier. I found something that I think mentions Corvinian. It talks of a child who is of the Volgs but not of the Volgs. Or something like that. It¡¯s kind of confusing.¡±


    ¡°This was written how long ago?¡± Felit?a asked after he had filled her in on the details of what he¡¯d found.


    Meleng shrugged. ¡°Not sure exactly. Twenty-four hundred years ago at least.¡±


    ¡°And it predicted the exact date of Corvinian¡¯s birth? Using a dating system that hadn¡¯t even been created yet?¡±


    Meleng nodded. ¡°Assuming it¡¯s talking about Corvinian. It¡¯s really fascinating. That¡¯s two examples we¡¯ve discovered of people accurately predicting the future in just the last few hours. I wonder how they do it. I¡¯d love to figure it out.¡±


    Felit?a stopped walking and it took Meleng a moment to notice and stop as well.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this, Meleng,¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t you find this predicting the future disturbing?¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose it is a bit, but think what we could learn.¡±


    ¡°What, that we have no choice? Someone two hundred years ago decided that I would come here now, and so here I am? Do I get a choice? Do you? Corvinian? If the future can be foretold, then what does that say about our ability to make decisions for ourselves? What does that say about free will?¡±


    Meleng gulped. ¡°I didn¡¯t think of that. But we should still find out what these things say.¡±


    Will-Breaker. They kept calling her Will-Breaker. That implied breaking, ruining, destroying will. Removing free will.


    No. She would not be part of that. Nor would she let her life be predetermined for her.


    She would find another way.

 Chapter 21: The Locket (Part 1)

    Her mother¡¯s eyes bore into her, waiting. Felit?a had already blocked the feelings of disgust and hatred¡ªin the Room in her head, her mother¡¯s presence was enclosed by the walls¡ªbut it made little difference. Her mother¡¯s look conveyed the feelings without the need of telepathy. To her mother¡¯s left, Annai stood, arms crossed, a smug look on her face.


    ¡°I have nothing else to say,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± The Queen turned her attention back to Felit?a. ¡°As for you, don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice your own little smile. You think this is some little game you can play, where you can run around making mockeries of your family and betray them without consequence?¡±


    ¡°Will you explain yourself?¡±


    Cerus, standing beside their father, interrupted her, ¡°If I may intercede, Felit?a did not go behind my back. I had full knowledge of her activities. In fact, we have been working together on this.¡±


    ¡°Then Annai¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, of course you aren¡¯t,¡± Ardon muttered. He bowed and said, ¡°My apologies, your Majesty. Please continue.¡± He sat back down.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even have the decency to come back after your dance like you promised. No, you left with her. I put my back out for you. I arranged a great opportunity for both you and your sister and Arnor, too, and you spat in our faces.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll go through this with me every fucking time you call her that.¡± Garet took another step towards the Queen, waving his finger at her.


    ¡°Stop being so soft on her, Wavon. Your softness is what makes her think she can get away with her behaviour. And it¡¯s not just her I¡¯m concerned about either. She¡¯s a terrible influence on Sinit?a. Did you know that Sinit?a has been spending the last few days almost entirely in the library with Felit?a and her whore, as well as that Eloorin you allowed to come with her.¡±


    ¡°You mean, you don¡¯t want her thinking for herself. Sinit?a is there out of her own choice. She¡¯s an adult now and can make her own decisions. Perhaps it¡¯s time you started thinking about the reasons why she¡¯s making the decisions she is.¡±


    Sinit?a, standing beside Annai, stared at the floor. She gave a slow nod of her head. ¡°Yes, Mommy.¡±


    Annai put an arm around Sinit?a, who had started to cry. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother. I¡¯ll look after Sinit?a, and make sure Felit?a¡¯s friends stay away, especially that Eloorin.¡±


    ¡°Felit?a, you will apologise to your sister at once!¡± the Queen snapped.


    ¡°No.¡±


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    Ardon came over to her and touched her lightly on the shoulder. ¡°You play up your rebellion against her. You like your actions to be seen. Not that I don¡¯t understand your reasons. But there are times when there are more important concerns and you should step back a bit.¡±


    Felit?a hesitated a moment longer, but then went to join Garet outside.


    The library was the most crowded Felit?a had seen it. The Isyar Lords sat at one of the far tables, surrounded by about a dozen other Isyar. Maneshka and two of her librarians had been running back and forth from catalogue to stacks and back again to meet all their needs. Nebrovich was moving back and forth between a pair of Singean priests and a small group of Dangorin scholars.


    She wasn¡¯t sure how much she¡¯d be able to focus on planning anyway. Her head was full of thoughts about what had just happened with her mother.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Maneshka asked. She ran her hand down the back of Felit?a¡¯s neck.


    ¡°More rebelling?¡± Her touch was making Felit?a shiver.


    ¡°I suppose you could call it that. There is a distinct possibility I might have been disowned. I¡¯m not entirely sure yet.¡± She smiled, feeling better for just a moment. But it passed as she remembered Ardon¡¯s words. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m overdoing it?¡±


    ¡°I used to think I knew what I wanted.¡± Felit?a placed her own hand over Maneshka¡¯s and holding it there. ¡°For so long, I wanted to be a wizard. That was my whole purpose, and so I became one. Then I realised I¡¯d never thought about what came next. Ever since Elderaan died, I haven¡¯t had a clue where my life is headed. And now I start to learn about people dead two hundred years who predicted my coming here. I have visions in my head of people that I meet in a pre-ordained order. My mother tries to arrange a marriage for me and Ardon won¡¯t let me speak up for myself. Hell, even Cerus wouldn¡¯t let me speak for myself. I mean, he was just trying to help, lied to my mother to get me out of trouble. He¡¯s going to want an explanation about this morning from me soon, I¡¯m sure. But whatever the case, I just feel like I don¡¯t have any control over my life. Do you know the Ninifins believe the Will-Breaker heralds a time of death and destruction worse than what the Dragon wrought? What kind of life for me is that? I shouldn¡¯t have told you that. I promised not to say anything.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever thought of getting some pet rats?¡± Maneshka said.


    ¡°Before I forget,¡± Maneshka said, removing her hand to Felit?a¡¯s disappointment. ¡°I spoke to Kindanog. He has some time in two days that he has scheduled to be with me, and he has agreed that you should join us for dinner.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great! I didn¡¯t think there was much likelihood left of getting to see him.¡±


    ¡°Very knowledgeable,¡± Maneshka replied. ¡°Very direct. They do not like to waste time.¡± She shrugged. ¡°They are hard to describe. But I must go to them. I will see you later, Felit?a.¡± She bent down and they kissed.


    Felit?a blushed again. This was becoming a bad habit.

 Chapter 21: The Locket (Part 2)

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    That

 Chapter 21: The Locket (Part 3)

    To Felit?a''s surprise, the guards were gone. They must have followed the other Volgs. Still, she could sense other presences nearby, but there was no sign of anyone in the hall. The others must be in nearby rooms.


    There was no way of knowing which way Agranim and the other Volgs had gone, so she decided to continue along the main hall in the same direction they had been going before. With no one to follow this time, the best option was to open doors and see what was on the other side. She went to the closest one, waited for Garet to get in position, and opened it. They did the same with the next. And the next. At first, Felit?a moved back and forth across the hall, trying the doors on both sides, but after the first couple, she decided to stick entirely to the doors on the right hand side, reasoning that if they didn¡¯t find anything in any of them¡ªor the side passages going off it¡ªby the time they¡¯d made a complete rotation, they could switch to the other side then.


    Most of what they found were small bed chambers. None were occupied or had anything of interest in them. In the first one, Garet gazed at the bed for several seconds before commenting, ¡°Ever wonder how a Volg sleeps with those wings?¡±


    Felit?a decided not to shush him this time. The bed was plain and simple, like the bed she had in her own apartment and like all the beds she¡¯d seen in any of the apartments here. ¡°I know Jorvan sleeps on his stomach. I¡¯d guess Volgs probably do the same.¡±


    ¡°I always figured they¡¯d hang upside down like bats,¡± Garet said. ¡°Don¡¯t know why. It just made sense to me.¡±


    ¡°Well, if they do, there¡¯s nothing in here for them to hang from. Come on, let¡¯s keep moving. And keep quiet.¡±


    One of the doors led to a mess hall. It was thin and long¡ªlong enough that it curved with the outer walls of the Nabrinja. Numerous long tables were spread along its length, some of which had Volgs seated at them, eating, drinking, talking. They seemed almost human in their movements and activities. The hall wasn¡¯t packed, but there were enough of them to put some strain on the spell, so Felit?a decided to retreat back into the main hall right away.


    She motioned Garet back out, but paused. On the near wall, hung a portrait showing two Volgs. One was clearly Prince Castroff, although the artist had been a little too flattering of Castroff¡¯s appearance, making him more muscular than Felit?a recalled him being. The other was a shorter, older Volg with frail limbs, withered wings, and a crown on his head. The Volg king perhaps? An interesting choice to make the king appear so weak and the prince so powerful. Interesting, too, that the Volg king had not come to Scovese.


    She ushered Garet back into the main hall, and they continued on their way. A little farther down, one of the doors on the other side of the hall had two Volg guards. Thinking that might indicate something important, Felit?a decided to change tactics again and went towards it. She took hold of the door handle and turned. It clicked. Much more loudly than she had expected.


    One of the guards began to turn his head.


    Heart thumping, Felit?a tossed off another spell. It was rushed. She didn¡¯t cross her thumb and index finger properly or put enough force behind the breath of air she blew, but it was enough to create a sensation of another sound down the hall in both Volgs¡ªenough to distract their attention away from the door. One of them took a step forward to look down the hall, while Felit?a doubled her focus on the invisibility spell. Now they were actively looking for something, the strain was greater. She pushed at the door, fighting the urge to rush through, instead keeping her movements slow and precise. She didn¡¯t look at what Garet was doing, only knew he was adding some extra strain, though it wasn¡¯t extreme, so he must have been behaving himself.


    Once the door was open, she stepped in and to the side. Garet followed¡ªtoo fast. For a moment, the strain was unbearable. She felt as though her insides would be ripped out. But she held on to the spell. After another moment, she closed the door closed and relaxed.


    They were in another bedchamber, this one a little larger than the others they¡¯d seen, though still small. It had more furnishings as well. In addition to the bed, which was also larger, there were several chests, a wardrobe, and two high stools. A portrait of Prince Castroff hung on the wall over the bed. Like the one in the mess hall, it exaggerated his musculature. It wasn¡¯t even that good a painting. Still, it meant that this room stood a good chance of being his.


    Felit?a motioned Garet to stay by the door and moved across the room to the wardrobe.


    ¡°Is that him?¡± Garet said.


    Felit?a looked back with the intent of shushing him, but saw he was pointing to the portrait. ¡°That¡¯s Castroff, yes. He¡¯s got quite the high opinion of himself. He¡¯s not that muscular in real life.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Garet said. ¡°¡¯Cause I intend to bash his head in one day.¡±


    ¡°Just not today, please.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s probably at the meeting, anyway,¡± Garet said.


    The wardrobe contained Volg size robes and other clothing. Felit?a leafed through it, but found nothing interesting. She closed the wardrobe and went over to the row of chests near the bed. Opening the first, she found more clothes¡ªmostly underclothes¡ªas well as some linens. The second contained mostly personal effects, including a couple books, some candles, and a bar of soap. She pondered taking the books. They might have something useful in them.


    There was also a jewellery box. Inside, it was mostly empty. He was probably wearing a selection of jewellery right now. What remained were a couple thick, heavy rings, several gold necklaces, and a heart-shaped locket. That seemed a rather sentimental item, so she picked it up. It probably wouldn¡¯t help with finding Corvinian, but it might reveal some details about Castroff himself.


    The locket was large¡ªalmost as big as her hand¡ªand heavy. It had a small latch, which Felit?a opened. Inside was another portrait, though just heads rather than full bodies. This one was much more true-to-life than the one on the wall or the one in the mess hall. Like the one in the mess hall, it had two people in it. One was Castroff. The other was a human woman with the coppery skin of a Ninifin. Like the woman in yellow with Queen Nin-Xoco, this woman had a tattoo of an eye on her forehead. Not the same woman, though. This one was older, with greying black hair. Her head leaned against Castroff¡¯s.


    Felit?a walked over to Garet and showed him the picture. ¡°Look at this.¡±


    Garet looked at the picture and then at Felit?a. ¡°He¡¯s into human women? I guess that explains why he kidnaps them.¡± He shuddered.


    ¡°There¡¯s a portrait in the library of a Volg and a human woman. Have you seen it?¡±


    Garet shrugged. ¡°Might have. Guess Volg men just have a kink for human women.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure of that. Have you ever heard the stories of Volg shapeshifters?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pay much attention to stories.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t surprise me. Agernon always scoffed at those stories¡ªAgernon scoffed at anything about Volgs¡ªbut Drummor used to talk about them all the time. What if they¡¯re not just stories?¡±


    ¡°You think Volgs are shapechanging into human women to pose for portraits?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe. Why are there no Volg women here? At all. Previously, I figured Volgs were just male dominated chauvinists, but what if it¡¯s something different?¡±


    ¡°Like?¡±


    Felit?a shrugged. ¡°Just some thoughts.¡±


    Oh gods, Zandrue. I think I¡¯m starting to understand. No wonder you didn¡¯t want to come.


    Felit?a headed back over to the chests. ¡°This locket could be useful. Nin-Akna or Nin-Xoco might recognise the woman.¡± She placed the locket in her bag.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°You think they¡¯re likely to?¡±


    Felit?a shrugged. ¡°Nin-Xoco¡¯s afraid someone¡¯s going to kill her and that it might come from within her own people. It¡¯s a long shot that it¡¯s this particular woman. There aren¡¯t many older people with the Ninifins. But you never know.¡± She bent down to continue examining the chest.


    ¡°Sound outside!¡± Garet hissed.


    Felit?a closed the chest and motioned Garet to move closer to her. As he did, she recast the invisibility spell and prepared to wrap it around anyone at the door.


    Agranim stepped into the room, followed by two other warriors and then the two guards who had been at the door. His gaze swept the room.


    Felit?a breathed deeply and wrapped the spell over them.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, Will-Breaker,¡± Agranim said. ¡°I know you¡¯re in here.¡±


    Felit?a¡¯s heart dropped.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get by the Prince¡¯s guards that easily. He has them well trained for your trickery. They summoned me as soon as you entered.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, game¡¯s up!¡± Garet announced and launched himself at Agranim.


    As soon as the strain hit her, Felit?a let the spell go. There was no point. Sorry Cerus.


    Garet swung at Agranim, but one of the other Volgs knocked him aside. He stumbled at the edge of the bed, tried to regain his footing.


    Felit?a bit her lower lip, focused on the Volg bearing down on Garet, let loose a spell to cloud the Volg¡¯s mind. The Volg paused, just a moment to regain his bearings, but just long enough for Garet to run him through with his sword.


    ¡°Use the close quarters to our advantage!¡± Garet yelled. ¡°They can¡¯t manoeuvre with those wings!¡±


    He was right. They didn¡¯t have much space. She bit down harder, drawing blood, and spread the spell across them all with a slight crook of her index finger. The other Volg warrior stumbled and collided with Agranim. But the two guards seemed unaffected by the spell.


    That wasn¡¯t right. They should have been.


    She didn¡¯t have time to think about it. Agranim leapt over the bed and at her. He grabbed her by the neck and shoved her against the wall, his fingers pressing into her throat. She gasped, tried to get air.


    ¡°I was so hoping you¡¯d try something like this,¡± Agranim growled. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t let me go after you, but defending his Highness¡¯s chambers? I¡¯ll be a hero.¡±


    Garet yelled something, but Felit?a couldn¡¯t make out the words. The sound of Agranim¡¯s rasping breath and her own crackling attempts to grasp at air were too loud right now. There were other shouts, too. More Volgs, perhaps. There would certainly be more Volgs coming soon. There was no chance of getting out of this alive. Agranim would crush her throat well before the asphyxiation took her.


    She closed her eyes, brought up the Room. Brought the walls in close, as close as she¡¯d ever brought them, blocking even her own sensations. Blocking the pain. Blocking her desire for air. For a moment, it was as if nothing existed, not even herself.


    She clenched her fist, opened her eyes and stared straight into Agranim¡¯s, past the grey colour, through the pupils, into whatever lay within. And he stared back.


    And screamed.


    His hands fell away from her neck as he clutched at his own head and fell backwards against the bed. As he continued to scream, Felit?a placed a foot on his chest, pushing him against the bed, which shifted along the floor from the force. She wanted to cause as much discomfort in his wings as possible, anything to add to the pain and terror of the imaginary flames burning his face.


    Then she took a grateful breath and extended the Room¡¯s walls away from her again.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they let you come after me, Agranim?¡± she said through clenched teeth. ¡°Was it because they knew you were no match for me? I¡¯m the Will-Breaker, and I will break your will to live.¡±


    His only response was to continue screaming in terror. Then he stopped. She gave his lifeless body one last kick.


    Garet was backed into a corner, the two guards bearing down on him. Blood dripped from a gash on his arm. The other Volg who had arrived with Agranim lay in a pool of blood on the floor.


    Felit?a clenched both fists this time and placed the same spell on the two guards. Again, they seemed unaffected, but this time, she didn¡¯t let go. She kept it going, intensified it, digging her fingernails into the palms of both her hands until she drew blood. One of the guards stumbled.


    Oh, they felt it. They were just well trained to ignore it. She would see about that.


    Garet brought Smasher down on the guard¡¯s arm, cutting deep. With his elbow, he knocked the Volg¡¯s sword out of his hand, then spun aside to avoid an attack from the other guard.


    The disarmed guard began to scream, the spell becoming too much for him at last.


    The strain was becoming unbearable. She couldn¡¯t keep this up much longer, and there were more Volgs rushing into the room. It was only the lack of space that kept them from immediately overrunning both her and Garet.


    Finally, the second guard joined the first and screamed. Garet wasted no time in running each one through before turning to face the next arriving Volgs.


    ¡°Garet, stop!¡± Felit?a yelled. Free of the strain of the spell, she felt like collapsing. Her throat hurt terribly and breath was still hard.


    ¡°What?¡± Garet said as he blocked a blow from a Volg. Two bore down on him again, pushing back against the wall. Another had his eyes on Felit?a, though couldn¡¯t navigate past the other two.


    ¡°Just do it, damn it!¡±


    She could sense the uncertainty from him, combined with a certainty that he would die if he listened to her.


    ¡°Trust me! Please!¡±


    Garet stopped.


    Felit?a rasped the word, tilted her head, flexed her fingers, and cast the spell.


    The Volgs attacking Garet swung their swords down at him, and he ducked aside as she knew he would. It was a strain, but she could manage it for the moment. When their blades hit nothing, the Volgs began to look around in confusion, as did the others by the door.


    ¡°I¡¯ve hidden us from them again,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Now we have to get out of here.¡±


    Garet raised his sword. ¡°I can take them.¡±


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t! Now, run!¡±


    Part of her didn¡¯t want to wait for him, but she needed to keep him in sight if there was to be any chance of the strain not overwhelming her.


    He hesitated only a moment longer, then ran, pushing aside and past the Volgs at the door. The Volgs reacted to his actions, but she kept him and herself hidden, refused to give into the strain.


    She jumped over Agranim¡¯s body and followed Garet. The strain was worse than the pain of being strangled had been, worse than having her neck nearly crushed. She was approaching the point of burn-out. She knew it.


    In her head, she pounded at the Room¡¯s other walls, the grey ones she¡¯d only recently discovered, the ones that didn¡¯t respond to her. If they weren¡¯t there, she wouldn¡¯t have this strain. She was sure of it. What else were they holding back?


    But they still didn¡¯t respond.


    Garet reached the doors to the stairs, threw them open and ran through. Felit?a followed. The guards at the door stumbled about, looking for what had accosted them. Felit?a paid them no mind and hurried down the stairs. After they¡¯d made it a couple of floors, she let go of the spell and fell over, crashing down several steps. Her shoulder wrenched in the wrong direction. One leg tangled with the other and pain shot through her. Step after step. Body part after body part. All colliding.


    When at last it stopped, she looked up through blurry eyes. Someone leaned over her. Garet. She was sure it was Garet. Then she passed out.

 Chapter 22: War (Part 1)

    Pale grey. Not the black of my walls. Almost indistinguishable from the general greyness of the Room. No wonder I¡¯ve never noticed you before.


    Where did you come from? Or did you come from anywhere at all? You¡¯ve been here the whole time, haven¡¯t you? I just didn¡¯t notice you. Like the vision of the people in my head. They were there long before I noticed them. For how long? The well? It all goes back to the well, doesn¡¯t it?


    Why are you here? Who put you here?


    She is powerful indeed if she can detect us in this place.


    Who are you? Where are you? No, no. That¡¯s not now, is it? That was then. I saw something then and you won¡¯t let me remember. What are you hiding?


    The most beautiful woman.


    I can almost see. It¡¯s there, hidden from me, but I know it¡¯s there. I need to remember.


    Felit?a.


    Yes?


    Felit?a.


    Who are you? What do you want?


    Felit?a.


    Stop calling my name if you¡¯re not going to reveal yourself to me.


    Felit?a, you must listen to me.


    I can see you! Except...I can¡¯t see you. But you¡¯re right in front of me. I know you¡¯re there! Show yourself!


    Felit?a, you must listen to me.


    No wait. This was then. It¡¯s not now. I saw you then, and I can¡¯t remember now because you won¡¯t let me. Why won¡¯t you let me?


    Felit?a, you must listen to me. You will soon forget this, but you must remember.


    I¡¯m trying.


    Zandrue. Rudiger. Borisin.


    Pain.


    Meleng. Corvinian.


    I¡¯ve dealt with her shoulder, but the ankle¡¯s going to be the difficult part. I¡¯ll need a splint.


    Wait, what?


    Jorvanultumn.


    Quilla. Kindanog.


    No! No, not yet! I¡¯m remembering! I¡¯m finally remembering! Don¡¯t do this yet!


    Nin-Akna.


    about her rather than to her, but she decided to heed Meleng¡¯s earlier words and not speak. Her throat hurt too much anyway. And she was so tired.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Yes, you do. They used me. They knew I¡¯d want to do something like this, so they set things up so I could. I was so sure I could get in and out undetected.¡±


    ¡°Okay, now you¡¯re just being stupid, Felit?a,¡± Quilla snapped. ¡°You don¡¯t know the Volgs used you. You don¡¯t know they set you up. You¡¯re trying to help me. You¡¯re trying to do good.¡±


    Her initial instinct was to insist that no, Quilla was wrong. She had messed up. But if Cerus was right, if the Volgs really had been itching for war the entire time, they would have found something else. They probably would have blamed her anyway.


    ¡°Garet said you found something,¡± Quilla continued.. ¡°A locket or something that might help.¡±


    Cerus cleared his throat. ¡°Those were her words, yes.¡±


    ¡°No one knows it was him,¡± Cerus replied. ¡°The Volgs said you had an accomplice, but they did not identify him. Your mother has assumed it was Meleng, though no one else has. So Garet has not been banished. Neither has Quilla. Yet. Though I think your mother is actively looking for an excuse. Oh, Sinit?a sends her best wishes. She would really like to come see you, but Annai is being too attentive. Luckily, Annai hasn¡¯t recognised the crutches Sinit?a¡¯s making for you for what they are. She just thinks they¡¯re another of Sinit?a¡¯s silly art projects. Sinit?a says they should be done soon.¡±


    Cerus started to leave, but paused again. ¡°One more thing. You should stay down here. I know it¡¯s not the most comfortable place, but I¡¯ll make sure you are supplied with amenities. Whatever you do, don¡¯t try to return to your apartment.¡±


    Maneshka ran her fingers through Felit?a¡¯s hair. ¡°Do not worry. I made my decision as much as you made yours.¡±


    are big,¡± Meleng said. ¡°I guess it makes sense they¡¯d want big jewellery.¡±


    Quilla took the locket back from Meleng. ¡°We¡¯ll find her.¡±

 Chapter 22: War (Part 2)

    The streets between the apartments were awash with activity. There were soldiers everywhere. No one did anything without soldiers guarding them now. And the non-soldiers busied themselves preparing to leave. Though not everyone was leaving yet. Meleng had heard that some nations were still discussing things in the Nabrinja, hoping to find some sort of solution. Even though the Volgs had pulled out of the discussions, nations like Singea were desperate to avoid war. Most had pulled out of the talks, though, including Arnor. And those who had pulled out were preparing to leave.


    Meleng kept worrying people were looking at him. He knew nobody had any reason to. Nobody who wasn¡¯t an Arnorin even knew who he was. But he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling. He¡¯d tried to act brave around Cerus and Felit?a, but truth was, the Queen¡¯s threats to execute him had shaken him a lot. Although, come to think of it, Felit?a had probably sensed that in him.


    He wished he could be more help than he was. If he were a better wizard, Felit?a wouldn¡¯t have to tell him to leave things to Nin-Akna. If he were a better wizard, he could just use magic to heal her throat and ankle, and she¡¯d be back to herself in no time.


    But he hadn¡¯t really known what to do. He¡¯d looked after her as best he could, but when going back outside to collect supplies, he¡¯d been apprehended by Arnorin soldiers and brought before the King and Queen. He¡¯d begun to have visions of her dying, just like Stavan had died under his care.


    ¡°Look, I know this isn¡¯t a good time,¡± Quilla said to the Ninifin soldier, ¡°but it¡¯s really important we see the Queen. Her Majesty is expecting us.¡±


    ¡°Holiness,¡± Meleng corrected.


    ¡°Sorry, her Holiness is expecting us,¡± Quilla said.


    Meleng wasn¡¯t sure the guard even spoke their language, as all he had done the entire time they¡¯d been there was shake his head at everything they said.


    ¡°Can you at least send a message?¡± Quilla said and the guard shook his head once more. ¡°Argh!¡± She grabbed Meleng¡¯s arm and pulled him back into the street. ¡°What do we do?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. We could wait, I guess, until someone goes in or out, and ask them.¡±


    Quilla sighed and dragged him back over in front of the guard, who shook his head once more. ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± Quilla said. ¡°We¡¯re just going to wait.¡±


    The guard shook his head again, but didn¡¯t do anything to make them leave. So they stood there for a few minutes until Quilla pulled Meleng aside again.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we waiting?¡± Meleng said. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just going to wait here,¡± Quilla said. ¡°I don¡¯t like the way he¡¯s looking at me. I can see the lust in his eyes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay, sure.¡± Meleng hadn¡¯t noticed anything like that, but then again, he wasn¡¯t any good at noticing those sorts of things.


    They waited a few more minutes, Quilla fidgeting the whole time. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just nervous. I¡¯m not used to this sort of thing. It¡¯s weird. When Garet¡¯s around, he does all the pacing and I¡¯m perfectly fine. Do you and Felit?a do this sort of thing all the time?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say all the time,¡± Meleng said. ¡°Not often, really. Felit?a¡¯s a lot better at it though. She always seems to know what to say and do.¡±


    A few minutes later, the door to the Ninifin apartments opened and a girl of about fourteen stepped out. She nodded to the guard and started into the street. Meleng and Quilla rushed over to her.


    ¡°Excuse me!¡± Quilla called. ¡°Can you help us?¡±


    The girl stopped and turned to face them.


    ¡°We need to see the Queen,¡± Quilla said. ¡°It¡¯s very important.¡±


    ¡°The Queen is not seeing anyone,¡± the girl replied.


    ¡°Please,¡± Meleng said. ¡°Her Holiness knows us. Well, me anyway. Sort of. She¡¯s expecting us. Nin-Akna can vouch for us.¡±


    A look of recognition came across the girl¡¯s face just as a shadow fell over the three of them. The guard from the door had come over and was staring at them, his spear held not quite threateningly, but in a manner to make its presence clear.


    ¡°All right, all right, we¡¯re going,¡± Quilla said. ¡°And stop leering at me!¡± She stormed off.


    Meleng started to follow, but the girl placed her hand on his arm. ¡°You were with her, weren¡¯t you? The one they say started the war. I remember seeing you with her.¡±


    Meleng was unsure what to say. On the way over, he and Quilla had agreed they should avoid using Felit?a¡¯s name, given the possible ramifications. He gave a slow nod.


    The girl stepped up closer to him and whispered, ¡°The Queen is not here. Nin-Akna said you would know where to find her.¡± She stepped away again, said something to the guard in Ninifin, then went on her way.


    The guard glared at Meleng some more. ¡°Yeah, going,¡± Meleng said and rushed off.


    Quilla was waiting for him a short way up the street. ¡°Now what do we do?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± he said. ¡°The Queen¡¯s not there, but I think I know where she is.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t be sure he was right, but it was the only thing that made sense. There was no other place he might know that Nin-Akna could have been referring to. He led Quilla away from the apartments and the Nabrinja, through the Sanalog village, and along the trail that led around the small lake, all the way to the cave and pool where Sinit?a had tried to paint his picture.


    ¡°How can goats be so adorable and so annoying at the same time?¡± Quilla asked as they approached the cave. They¡ªQuilla mainly¡ªhad attracted a group of goats along the way and several were nipping at her skirts. She tried to shoo them away, but that only made them more determined.


    Several Ninifin warriors stepped out of the cave, spears raised. ¡°Far enough!¡± one called.


    Quilla and Meleng stopped. One of the goats let out a loud bleat.


    The warrior who had spoken came forward. Meleng was pretty certain she was the same one who had suggested holding Sinit?a for ransom. He remembered the snake tattoos on her arms and legs, and the sun on her cheek. She pointed her spear at Meleng. ¡°You, I know.¡± She called back to the cave. ¡°Tell Nin-Akna her cute one is here.¡±


    Cute? And why had she said it in such a mocking tone?


    Then she pointed her spear at Quilla, this time close enough that the tip came just short of touching Quilla¡¯s neck. ¡°But you, I don¡¯t. What is she doing here? And where is the princess?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s¡ª¡± Quilla started.


    The Ninifin pressed her spear closer. The tip was touching Quilla¡¯s throat now. ¡°Not you. He answers.¡±


    ¡°Felit?a...er...the Will-Breaker is engaged in important business,¡± Meleng said.


    ¡°Hiding from those who want her head?¡± the Ninifin said.


    ¡°No, engaged in important business. She sent us to talk to her Holiness about important matters.¡± He hoped he sounded authoritative enough. He really wasn¡¯t suited for this kind of thing.


    ¡°Hiding it is, then.¡±


    ¡°Ses-Inhuan! Enough!¡± It was Nin-Akna, who was now crossing the space between the cave and the three of them.


    Ses-Inhuan lowered her spear, and Quilla exhaled slowly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They are unharmed.¡± As Nin-Akna reached her, she leaned in closer. ¡°See? Your cute one is intact.¡±


    Nin-Akna froze in place for a moment, then bit her lower lip. ¡°Yes, good. They are both welcome.¡± She looked at Quilla and tilted her head. ¡°Even if one is not who we thought they would be.¡±


    ¡°I asked them about that,¡± Ses-Inhuan said. ¡°The princess is engaged in important work, they say.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Quilla said, straightening her posture. ¡°Princess Felit?a regrets not being able to come at this time. She sent me in her place.¡±


    Nin-Akna nodded. ¡°Very well. Her Holiness awaits.¡± She motioned for them to head to the cave. ¡°Ses-Inhuan, stay on guard.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Meleng said to Nin-Akna as he passed her.


    Nin-Akna looked away from him.


    ¡°I think someone¡¯s got a fan,¡± Quilla whispered as she came up beside him.


    ¡°Fan? Huh? What?¡±


    Quilla rolled her eyes.


    Queen Nin-Xoco was seated on a small pile of cushions to the side of the pool in the cave. The same three robed women who had been present last time stood behind her. Two guards stood to either side. The Queen straightened up as they approached.


    Nin-Akna, Meleng, and Quilla bowed.


    ¡°Where is the Will-Breaker?¡± the woman in yellow robes¡ªthe one with the eye tattoo on her forehead¡ªsaid. Meleng wasn¡¯t sure he remembered her name.


    ¡°Not here,¡± Nin-Akna said. She indicated Quilla. ¡°This one comes in her place.¡±


    Quilla gave another bow. ¡°My name is Quilla Steranovist, Holiness. I am a friend to Princess Felit?a. She regrets she cannot be here right now, but sent us with some important information for you.¡±


    The Queen nodded to the guards and Nin-Akna. The two guards bowed and left, heading to the cave mouth. Nin-Akna hesitated a moment.


    ¡°Nin-Akna,¡± the Queen said.


    Nin-Akna bowed, then followed the two guards.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°I hoped the Will-Breaker would come herself,¡± the Queen said when the guards were out of earshot. ¡°I know Agranim is dead and I have her to thank for that, and I am very grateful. However, I still fear for my life. He said it would come from a source I did not expect. Can she assure me that this source, whatever it may be, is also dealt with?¡±


    ¡°No, she can¡¯t, Holiness,¡± Meleng said and the Queen slumped. ¡°But that¡¯s part of why she sent us. She¡¯s found something that may give a clue and she wants you to see it.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± the Queen said. ¡°Show it to me.¡±


    Quilla reached for the locket in her bag, but Meleng shook his head.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± the Queen asked.


    Meleng took a deep breath. They weren¡¯t going to like this. ¡°Apologies, Holiness, but Felit?a was precise in her instructions. We can show it only to you or Nin-Akna. No one else.¡±


    ¡°Nin-Akna is not part of this,¡± the yellow robed woman said.


    ¡°Then only with her Holiness. Everyone else must go.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± the woman in green said.


    ¡°We are the Queen¡¯s top attendants and advisors,¡± the woman in white said. ¡°She does not do anything without us.¡±


    Meleng gulped. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but Fe¡ªthe Will-Breaker¡¯s instructions were very specific. The Queen or Nin-Akna. No one else. At all.¡±


    Quilla nodded in support.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± the Queen said. She looked back at her advisors.


    ¡°It is too risky, Holiness,¡± the one in green said. ¡°The Will-Breaker is a harbinger of death and destruction. We cannot be sure we can trust her. What if these two are the assassins?¡±


    The Queen shook visibly at that and looked at Meleng and Quilla again.


    ¡°I assure you, Holiness,¡± Quilla said. ¡°We are not assassins. Please, trust us.¡±


    ¡°While I do not think these two are assassins, Holiness,¡± the woman in yellow said, ¡°I think the Will-Breaker is mistaken to exclude us. We deserve to be part of this.¡±


    ¡°But you would otherwise trust the Will-Breaker, Ses-Tlacotl?¡± the Queen asked.


    Ses-Tlacotl nodded. ¡°Yes, but you should insist¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then go. I will look at what they have to show me.¡±


    ¡°This is intolerable!¡± the woman in green said.


    ¡°I said go, Nin-Zyannya,¡± the Queen repeated.


    ¡°You cannot order us¡ª¡±


    The Queen clapped her hands and pointed to the cave mouth. ¡°Go!¡±


    Nin-Zyannya nodded. ¡°Of course, Holiness.¡±


    ¡°Wait by the cave mouth. And send Nin-Akna to me. If the Will-Breaker wants her included, then I will include her.¡±


    Nin-Zyannya scowled. ¡°You overstep your¡ª¡± The woman in the white robes placed a hand on her shoulder with a soft hiss, and Nin-Zyannya fell silent.


    ¡°It will be done, Holiness,¡± Ses-Tlacotl said. ¡°We will not be far. Call us if you need us.¡±


    The three women stalked away.


    ¡°When Nin-Akna gets here, you will show us what the Will-Breaker wants us to see,¡± the Queen said. She was sitting tall, but there was a wavering in her voice.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Meleng said.


    ¡°I hope it¡¯s not too forward of me, Holiness,¡± Quilla said, ¡°but your advisors seem very disobedient.¡±


    ¡°They are just not used to being sent away,¡± the Queen replied.


    Quilla shrugged. ¡°I guess I can see them being surprised at first, but that one was outright talking back to you.¡±


    ¡°They are...¡± The Queen looked away. ¡°They¡¯re new. They just have not learned all the proper decorum yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Quilla looked confused.


    Meleng was too. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say Nin-Akna was also new?¡±


    The Queen nodded, but continued not to look either of them in the eye. ¡°Yes, she is also new.¡±


    Nin-Akna arrived at that time. ¡°Is there a problem with that?¡±


    Meleng shook his head. ¡°No, of course not. It¡¯s just a little surprising that there are so many new people in her Holiness¡¯s service.¡± And young. Apart from those three attendants, they were all so young. He had no idea what that meant, if anything, but it was weird.


    Nin-Akna and the Queen glanced at each other.


    ¡°It is just coincidence,¡± the Queen said.


    ¡°It does explain why you¡¯re so worried about being assassinated,¡± Quilla said. ¡°If most of your staff is new, it would be easy for the Volgs to place an assassin in your midst.¡±


    The Queen grimaced. ¡°Perhaps. Now, please show us what the Will-Breaker has found.¡±


    Quilla pulled the locket out of her bag and held it out to the Queen.


    ¡°A locket?¡± Nin-Akna said.


    ¡°We should probably fill you in on what¡¯s going on,¡± Meleng said. ¡°See, the Queen asked Felit?a, that is, the Will-Breaker¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± the Queen said, taking the locket. ¡°She already knows.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Meleng said. ¡°But I thought you sent her away because¡ª¡±


    ¡°I filled her in later,¡± the Queen said. ¡°I do get some brief moments of privacy to myself, and I filled her in. Nin-Akna, sit beside me so that we can look at this together.¡±


    Nin-Akna lowered herself down beside the Queen. ¡°Chica, maybe we should¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shh!¡± the Queen hissed and held up the locket. ¡°It is very big.¡±


    ¡°Chica?¡± Quilla asked. ¡°Is that a Ninifin word?¡±


    The Queen lowered the locket, still unopened. ¡°It is a nickname. From childhood. Now¡ª¡±


    ¡°We should tell them,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°If this Will-Breaker is half as powerful as Fra-Atl says, she¡¯s probably figured it out already, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Tell us what?¡± Quilla asked.


    The Queen sighed. ¡°Later. Maybe. First, I wish to see this locket.¡± She held it up again, and opened it. Nin-Akna stiffened, and the Queen gasped.


    ¡°Do you recognise her?¡± Meleng asked.


    ¡°Ses-Xipil,¡± the Queen breathed. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Where did you find this?¡±


    ¡°Felit?a found it in the Volg apartments, amongst the personal belongings of Prince Castroff. He¡¯s the Volg in the picture with her.¡±


    Nin-Akna took the locket and held it close to her face.


    ¡°Nin-Akna!¡± the Queen said.


    ¡°Sorry, Chica. Just memorising his face. Why is she pictured with him?¡±


    ¡°Presumably she posed with him,¡± Quilla said, turning her nose up. ¡°Though gods know why anyone would do that.¡±


    ¡°She would not pose with him!¡± the Queen snapped. ¡°This must be an artist¡¯s fancy.¡±


    ¡°Someone who knows what they both look like well enough to paint them together?¡± Quilla said.


    ¡°Look,¡± Meleng said, ¡°we don¡¯t know for sure why she¡¯s pictured with him, but it does point towards an association between the two. Felit?a wanted to know if you recognised the woman, and if she¡¯s here. Because if so, she might be the one you need to be worried about.¡±


    Nin-Akna handed the locket back to the Queen. ¡°She¡¯s not here. She¡¯s still in Ninifin.¡±


    ¡°Who is she?¡± Quilla asked.


    ¡°Ses-Xipil,¡± the Queen replied. ¡°Master of Wizardry and Voice of Sestin.¡±


    ¡°That means she¡¯s high priest of Sestin,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t she come to Scovese?¡± Quilla asked.


    ¡°Obviously we couldn¡¯t bring everyone,¡± the Queen said. ¡°Some people had to stay behind and run things there.¡±


    ¡°It also means she cannot be the assassin,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°Which means the Will-Breaker has found nothing to help us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it leaves us at a bit of a dead end,¡± Quilla said. ¡°Do you know why Agranim wanted to kill you, Holiness?¡±


    The Queen shook her head.


    ¡°Does it have anything to do with the other thing you might or might not tell us?¡± Quilla asked.


    ¡°No,¡± the Queen said, but at the same time Nin-Akna said, ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± the Queen amended her answer. ¡°I suppose it is possible, but I really do not know.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should tell us,¡± Quilla said.


    The Queen looked up and past Quilla, towards the cave mouth. Meleng glanced that way, too. The silhouettes of her advisors stood there with the Queen¡¯s bodyguards, the light dimming behind them.


    ¡°They are afraid I will tell you,¡± the Queen said. ¡°That is why they do not want me alone with you.¡±


    ¡°Tell them, Chica,¡± Nin-Akna said, placing a hand on the Queen¡¯s shoulder and the other on the Queen¡¯s arm.


    ¡°You should not be using that name right now, or treating me so personally.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing it because you have to tell them.¡±


    The Queen closed her eyes and lowered her head. ¡°Very well, tell them.¡±


    Nin-Akna motioned Meleng and Quilla in closer. ¡°This is not Nin-Xoco. She is not the Queen.¡±


    Meleng had realised something odd was going on, but he hadn¡¯t quite expected that.


    ¡°Her name is Nin-Chicahua,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°She is one of the Queen¡¯s personal attendants.¡±


    ¡°So, then, who is... Wait, are you the queen?¡± Quilla said.


    Nin-Akna laughed and shook her head. ¡°No, of course not. My name is Nin-Akna. However, I am not the head of the Queen¡¯s bodyguard. I am not even technically part of her bodyguard yet. I am a member of the Youth Guard in training to serve the Queen. All the bodyguards here are.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the real Queen?¡± Quilla asked.


    ¡°Still in Ninifin. It was decided that the Queen¡¯s life could not be risked for this mission, but that Ninifin should still attend. So Chica was chosen to play the role of the Queen and the Youth Guard was chosen to be her bodyguards. I was chosen to be the leader. Ses-Inhuan thinks I only got the position out of favouritism. Chica and I have been close friends our entire lives, though she had nothing to do with making the choice. Her attendants over there are attendants to the real Nin-Xoco, but not the senior attendants. Nevertheless, they are technically the most senior government officials here.¡±


    ¡°And thus, not used to taking orders from you,¡± Quilla said.


    The Queen¡ªno, not the Queen¡ªNin-Chicahua nodded.


    Quilla looked back towards the cave mouth again. ¡°They must be very uncomfortable with you talking to us alone then.¡±


    ¡°That is why we do not have much time,¡± Nin-Chicahua said. ¡°What will the Will-Breaker do now? She promised to help me.¡±


    Quilla looked to Meleng, who shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll have to talk to her, I guess,¡± Meleng said.


    ¡°Please do so quickly,¡± Nin-Chicahua said. ¡°And ask her to come to me, please.¡±


    Nin-Akna grabbed her spear and stood up, her attention towards the cave mouth. The Queen¡¯s attendants were returning.

 Chapter 22: War (Part 3)

    Nin-Akna moved past Meleng and Quilla to stand between them and the attendants. ¡°We are not finished.¡±


    ¡°This has gone on long enough,¡± Nin-Zyannya, the woman in green, said.


    ¡°Her Holiness has ordered¡ª¡±


    ¡°Her Holiness is young and makes unwise decisions,¡± Nin-Zyannya said. ¡°It is time we step in to show her the error of her ways. We demand to see what you have shown the Queen.¡±


    Nin-Chicahua stood, clutching the locket to her. ¡°The Will-Breaker was clear in her instructions.¡±


    ¡°The Will-Breaker does not rule here,¡± Nin-Zyannya said.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I do, and I have decided to follow the Will-Breaker¡¯s instructions.¡±


    ¡°Enough of this nonsense,¡± Ses-Tlacotl said. ¡°She has already told them the truth of who she is. They know she does not rule. So there is no need for any of us to keep up the act.¡±


    ¡°You told them?¡± the woman in white gasped. ¡°What has come over you? If the rest of the world finds out we sent a false representative¡ª¡±


    ¡°The Will-Breaker has obviously bewitched her, Fra-Cualli,¡± Ses-Tlacotl said. ¡°It seems she could not be trusted after all.¡±


    ¡°Nin-Chicahua, you will hand over whatever is in your hands right this instant,¡± Nin-Zyannya said. She held her hand out, palm up, and waited for the locket to be placed there.


    Nin-Akna raised her spear. ¡°No one has bewitched anyone, Nin-Zyannya. They were on the verge of figuring it out anyway. That¡¯s the only reason we told.¡±


    ¡°It does not matter,¡± Nin-Zyannya replied. ¡°Hand over what you have been shown.¡±


    Nin-Akna did not lower her spear, but she did look back to both Nin-Chicahua and Meleng. Nin-Chicahua just clutched at the locket, but Meleng wasn¡¯t sure what they should do. Maybe they should show them?


    Ses-Tlacotl swung a spear and knocked Nin-Akna¡¯s spear from her hands. The startled young bodyguard moved to recover her spear, but Ses-Tlacotl positioned her own spear at Nin-Akna¡¯s throat.


    Where did Ses-Tlacotl get a spear? Meleng couldn¡¯t remember seeing her with one.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± Nin-Zyannya demanded. ¡°Ses-Tlacotl, how dare you bring a weapon against a devoted Youth Guard!¡±


    ¡°We are getting nowhere,¡± Ses-Tlacotl sneered. ¡°As I said, they are bewitched.¡±


    The woman in white, Fra-Cualli, moved forward and placed a hand on the spear shaft. ¡°Bewitched or not, there is no need for violence. Nin-Chicahua is scared and understandably so. Her life has been threatened and¡ª¡±


    Ses-Tlacotl spun the spear around and thrust it into Fra-Cualli¡¯s chest, then tore it back out just as fast. Fra-Cualli¡¯s eyes widened as the spear ripped open her chest, and she coughed up blood.


    Nin-Chicahua gasped and Quilla screamed. Nin-Zyannya¡¯s mouth quivered and her body shook as she stared down at the blood that had sprayed over her green robes. Nin-Akna dived for her spear.


    Ses-Tlacotl stabbed one more time at Fra-Cualli, who fell to the ground in a growing pool of blood. Then Ses-Tlacotl was gone.


    ¡°Where did she go?¡± Quilla stammered.


    ¡°She¡¯s a mentalist,¡± Meleng said. ¡°She¡¯s manipulating our perceptions.¡± She must have had the spear the entire time; she had just hidden it with magic. She may have even been present for the entire discussion, hidden by her spells. It would explain how she¡¯d known what Nin-Akna had told them. Gods, he was an idiot for not considering this!


    Nin-Akna yelled something in Ninifin towards the cave mouth and the bodyguards there jumped to attention and began running towards them.


    That was it! ¡°Move!¡± Meleng yelled. ¡°We have to keep moving! The more we force her to move after us, the harder it will be for her maintain her spell.¡± He motioned to Quilla and Nin-Chicahua, and began running towards the approaching guards. He didn¡¯t look back until he¡¯d reached them, and was glad to see that Quilla was right behind him. Nin-Akna was right beside Nin-Chicahua, ushering her forward. Nin-Zyannya brought up the rear.


    Nin-Akna began yelling orders at the guards, and they began to form a tight circle around Nin-Chicahua, Meleng, and Quilla. Nin-Zyannya reached the edge of the circle, gasping for breath. As the guards parted a little to let her past, a spear broke through the front of her neck.


    Meleng fought back at the bile forming in his throat at the sight of the blood spraying over the guards and the now partially decapitated body falling to the ground. He tried to focus on the spot right behind where Nin-Zyannya had stood. For a moment, there was something there. Like a flicker. No, more like a shadow. It was moving.


    Nin-Akna yelled something that sounded like a curse. Distracted by the sound, Meleng lost sight of the shadow.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Nin-Akna asked.


    It took a moment for Meleng to realise she was asking him. Him? Why would she... Oh gods, right. He knew better what was going on. He really wished Felit?a was here. ¡°Like I said, keep moving!¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Anywhere. It doesn¡¯t matter. The point is to keep her moving after us.¡±


    At a motion from Nin-Akna, they began moving towards the cave mouth, the guards maintaining their tight circle around the non-warriors. A gargle came from behind him, and something wet hit the back of Meleng¡¯s neck. He took a quick look behind him to see that one of the guards had met the same fate as Nin-Zyannya. Once again, he fought back the urge to vomit.


    ¡°How do we fight someone we cannot see?¡± Ses-Inhuan hissed.


    Meleng kept looking all around as he answered. ¡°Look for anything out of place. A stone or plant that looks blurred, or a shadow that doesn¡¯t connect to a source. Or a distortion in the air like mist. Anything that doesn¡¯t look right. Just remember, she¡¯s not really invisible. She¡¯s forcing our minds to ignore what we see, but we can fight that and make it harder for her.¡±


    A hand clutched his arm. It was Quilla. She was shaking. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but doubted it came off well.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    They were outside the cave now. The sun was low on the horizon and the light was getting ever dimmer. That was not going to help at all.


    The guard to his front and right gasped as a spear pierced her stomach and she doubled over, her own spear clattering to the ground. She tried to grab at the spear as it ripped back out of her, but she only succeeded in tearing her hands open.


    Ses-Inhuan lunged at that moment, her spear scraping across something and drawing blood. Ses-Tlacotl cried out in pain, and for a moment, Meleng could see her as she took two quick steps backwards. She vanished again as Ses-Inhuan lunged forward. This time, the young Ninifin struck only air. Then, something clattered against her spear, knocking it from her grasp. She took several hurried steps backwards, her hands held in front of her, looking each way.


    Another of the guards rushed forward. Her spear was held high but it fell from her grasp as Ses-Tlacotl¡¯s spear ran through her throat.


    The guard Ses-Tlacotl had stabbed in the stomach collapsed then as well. Meleng rushed to her side, and bent over her, but it was too late. She was already dead. She looked only fifteen or sixteen.


    Ses-Inhuan picked up her spear. ¡°She is injured. There is a blood trail.¡±


    Unfortunately, the trail vanished only a short distance farther. ¡°She must have bandaged the wound,¡± Meleng said.


    ¡°This is not working,¡± Nin-Akna growled. ¡°One injury to her and she¡¯s killed five. She will keep taking us out one by one.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re moving too slow,¡± Meleng said. ¡°We have to run. Force her to run after us.¡±


    ¡°If we run, we cannot maintain formation around you.¡±


    ¡°If she kills you all, you won¡¯t be able to maintain formation either. Trust me, we have to run.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we should make for the village,¡± Ses-Inhuan suggested. ¡°She may be less willing to attack if there are more people around.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°On my mark, run. We regroup at the edge of the village. Ready? Run!¡±


    The remaining bodyguards spread out and they all began to run along the trail. Goats bleated and screamed in protest at their passing. The chicken-sized vultures that perched on the dragon blood and bottle trees took to the air and flew back in the direction the humans had come from.


    The journey around the lake felt like forever. Meleng soon found himself gasping for air and his heart felt about to burst from his chest. He wasn¡¯t in the right kind of shape for this. The guards and Nin-Chicahua had pulled well ahead of him, though Quilla was still close to him, struggling almost as much as he was. She looked back at him. ¡°Come on! Hurry up!¡±


    He nodded and tried to push himself faster. At last, he reached the streets of the village. The others were already there, huddled together. He almost collapsed as he pulled to a stop. ¡°We...we can¡¯t stop.¡±


    ¡°We need the Will-Breaker,¡± Nin-Chicahua said. ¡°She¡¯s the only one who can help us now.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°Take us to her.¡±


    Meleng almost agreed, but something was bothering him.


    ¡°Why do you hesitate?¡± Nin-Chicahua protested. ¡°She is the only one who can face Ses-Tlacotl. You must take us to her.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re right, Meleng,¡± Quilla said. ¡°There¡¯s nothing more we can do.¡±


    Meleng wracked his brain. Something was wrong. Ses-Tlacotl had had her spear at Nin-Akna¡¯s throat. She could have killed her right away, yet she had killed the unarmed attendant. It didn¡¯t make any sense. Nin-Akna was the greater threat and she¡¯d been at her mercy. And then Ses-Tlacotl had killed the other unarmed attendant, then other guards.


    ¡°No. Don¡¯t you see? The people she¡¯s targeting, the ones she¡¯s killed so far are the people without a reason to run to Felit?a for help. She wants us to go to Felit?a. Nin-Chicahua, you¡¯re not her target. At least, not at the moment. Felit?a is. We need to keep moving. Through the streets. The more people there are around us, the harder it will be for her.¡±


    Nin-Akna sighed and nodded. ¡°Move.¡±


    They moved through the streets towards the Nabrinja. Most of the people they passed paid them little mind. There were enough strangers and warriors moving about that their small group didn¡¯t stand out, and no one looked close enough to see the blood on them. If they started dying, they might, though. Meleng really hoped he was right the added people would make it harder for Ses-Tlacotl.


    ¡°How long are we supposed to keep moving like this?¡± Nin-Chicahua asked after several minutes. ¡°She can just keep picking us off. We will all die! I understand that it might be what she wants, but she has forced the situation. We don¡¯t have any other choice. The Will-Breaker has great powers. Ses-Tlacotl herself said that she couldn¡¯t pierce her defences. The Will-Breaker will defeat her. Please!¡±


    Quilla placed a hand on Meleng¡¯s arm. ¡°I think she¡¯s right, Meleng. We don¡¯t have any other choice. It¡¯ll be night soon. There¡¯ll be less people on the streets, and she can start picking us off again.¡±


    ¡°Felit?a almost burnt herself out,¡± Meleng whispered at her. ¡°Plus, with her ankle, she¡¯s in no condition to fight right now.¡±


    Quilla frowned. ¡°I was forgetting that.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Nin-Chicahua demanded. ¡°What are you whispering about? Why will you not take us to the Will-Breaker?¡±


    Meleng sighed. ¡°Because she¡¯s badly injured. She¡¯s in no condition to face Ses-Tlacotl right now.¡±


    Nin-Chicahua bent over forward, clutching at her stomach, and began to wail. ¡°I¡¯m going to die. She¡¯s going to kill me. She¡¯ll kill all of us!¡±


    People in the street stopped to look at the commotion.


    Nin-Akna leant over her. ¡°Chica.¡± She began speaking to her in Ninifin, Nin-Chicahua giving loud, wailing responses.


    Ses-Inhuan lowered her spear in front of Meleng to block his way. ¡°I don¡¯t know who this Will-Breaker is, or why Nin-Chicahua places so much trust in her, but you must take us to her. It does not matter if she is injured. If she has the skills we need, then we must go to her. I give you my word, I will defend her with my life while she does what she needs to do. But there must be no more delay.¡±


    Meleng lowered his head. They were right. He¡¯d let the fact they were turning to him for advice and instruction go to his head. He wasn¡¯t a warrior or a commander. He didn¡¯t have the skills needed to keep them alive. But Felit?a did.


    ¡°All right,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll go to her.¡±


    Nin-Chicahua looked up at him.


    Ses-Inhuan removed her spear from his path. ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in the same direction we were going anyway,¡± Meleng said.


    They began walking. Meleng continued to look around for signs of Ses-Tlacotl¡¯s presence, but could find none. It was getting too dark.


    ¡°What if I go find Garet?¡± Quilla suggested. ¡°And Cerus.¡±


    ¡°By yourself?¡± Meleng asked.


    ¡°The Ninifins will never be allowed near the Arnorin apartments,¡± Quilla said.


    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°But surely the worst she¡¯ll do is follow me. By the time she finds out I¡¯m not going to Felit?a, I¡¯ll have Garet¡¯s protection, and all the Arnorin soldiers. It might even give you enough time to get to Felit?a without her being able to follow you.¡±


    ¡°No, by yourself, she wouldn¡¯t need to kill you. She could do the actual bewitching thing. It would be kind of like hypnotising you into taking her to Felit?a.¡± Meleng wasn¡¯t actually sure Ses-Tlacotl had spells that could do that, but he didn¡¯t want to take the risk.


    Quilla shuddered. ¡°Forget I mentioned it then. Let''s go.¡±

 Chapter 22: War (Part 4)

    There were a few people in the entrance hall of the Nabrinja, mostly Sanalog guards, but also a few Volgs passing through. The humans and Volgs were too busy eyeing each other to pay any attention to the group of blood-spattered Ninifins and Arnorins who scurried past.


    Once they reached the library, Meleng waited for everyone to get inside, then closed the doors. He placed his hands over the latch and began to trace equations along it.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Nin-Akna asked.


    ¡°I think I might be able to slow her down a little.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure this would work, but in principle it ought to. All he needed to do was bend the frame and latch a little to jam the door. He hated to ruin the craftsmanship, but there wasn¡¯t much other option. Ses-Tlacotl would be able to force her way through, but it would take her time.


    He spoke the words of the spell and a shock jolted through him. He jumped back in alarm. He should have realised there would be magical protections on the door. But the door and frame still bent¡ªnot as much as he¡¯d hoped, but it was something. The shock had left a tingling in his hand, which he proceeded to rub with his other hand. The protective spells must be breaking down like the translation spell and other spells in the Nabrinja. He suspected that jolt was intended to be a lot stronger.


    ¡°You are a wizard, too, cute one?¡± Ses-Inhuan said.


    Meleng groaned. ¡°Please don¡¯t call me that.¡±


    ¡°Apologies. You have earned greater respect. I also did not know you spoke our language. You are full of surprises. It seems you have better taste in men than I thought, Nin-Akna.¡±


    Nin-Akna looked away from him and Ses-Inhuan. ¡°The library translates for us.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Nin-Chicahua asked. ¡°Everything?¡±


    Meleng nodded. ¡°Just about.¡±


    ¡°That is fascinating. I guess it means we cannot hold secret conversations about him in front of him, can we, Akna?¡±


    ¡°Chica!¡± Nin-Akna protested.


    Nin-Chicahua patted Nin-Akna¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I am only teasing. To keep my mind off the horrors. Which way?¡±


    ¡°This way,¡± Quilla said, leading across the room to the dais.


    They¡¯d made it about halfway when Nin-Chicahua jerked to a stop as Ses-Tlacotl¡¯s spear rammed up under her chin and into her head. This time, Meleng couldn¡¯t help but be sick.


    ¡°Chica!¡± Nin-Akna caught her body as at it fell when Ses-Tlacotl pulled the spear back out.


    Ses-Inhuan pounced, thrusting her spear towards the still visible Ses-Tlacotl, who knocked it aside. One of the other bodyguards lunged as well, but Ses-Tlacotl curled her fingers on one hand, and the guard fell against one of the tables, clutching at her head and screaming.


    Ses-Inhuan and the two remaining bodyguards grabbed the edges of one of the tables and shoved it into Ses-Tlacotl, who stumbled into the male statue by the dais. The two bodyguards climbed over the table. One knocked Ses-Tlacotl¡¯s spear aside, while the second wrenched it from her grasp and held it away from her.


    Then Ses-Inhuan jumped onto the table and jabbed with her own spear, but Ses-Tlacotl rolled around the statue, pushing it towards her attackers. They stepped aside and it clattered against the table, rolled sideways, and smashed into the ground. As Ses-Tlacotl regained her footing, she tilted her head to the side and vanished again.


    Meleng looked back at the entrance. It had not been broken through. She had already been in here by the time he¡¯d jammed it. Now he¡¯d blocked them in with her.


    ¡°You said she was not after us!¡± Nin-Akna screamed at him. She was cradling Nin-Chicahua¡¯s body in her arms, the pretend queen¡¯s blood soaking her. ¡°You said she wanted the Will-Breaker!¡±


    Meleng stumbled against one of the benches and sat down. What was he supposed to do? ¡°We already led her here. She doesn¡¯t need... Oh gods, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± He¡¯d messed everything up.


    ¡°Now is not the time to lose our nerve,¡± Ses-Inhuan yelled. She was helping the guard who had been screaming a moment earlier back to her feet. ¡°We keep going to the Will-Breaker.¡±


    Meleng wiped the sick from his face. ¡°Yes, right. We...ah...Follow Quilla.¡±


    But Quilla wasn¡¯t there.


    Meleng looked around the room, but there was no sign of her. ¡°Where did she go?¡±


    ¡°Did she run?¡± one of the bodyguards asked.


    ¡°I did not see,¡± Ses-Inhuan replied.


    ¡°We¡¯ll...we¡¯ll find her,¡± Meleng said. ¡°I hope. Follow me then.¡±


    He hurried to the dais and went to the right hand door. He waited for the others to catch up. Nin-Akna was still cradling Nin-Chicahua¡¯s body.


    ¡°Nin-Akna, we have to go,¡± Ses-Inhuan said.


    ¡°I cannot leave her,¡± Nin-Akna whimpered.


    ¡°And you cannot avenge her if you do not. Now move!¡± Ses-Inhuan grabbed Nin-Akna and pulled her away from the body. Nin-Akna resisted for only a moment, then grabbed her spear and stood up.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry,¡± Meleng said to Nin-Akna as she reached him.


    She stopped and stared at him for a moment, her body stiff. ¡°Just give me the chance to kill her.¡±


    ¡°I...I¡¯ll try,¡± Meleng said.


    Then she marched past him through the door.


    Meleng usually found the dimmer lighting in the stacks to be calming. Although it sometimes made reading a little trickier, it also made it feel more private, more isolated. Meleng could lose himself in that isolating effect. Now, however, the dim light meant more shadows for Ses-Tlacotl to hide in, more ways for her to fool their minds into thinking she wasn¡¯t there.


    The aisles were narrow and they had to proceed single file. Meleng took the lead, but Ses-Inhuan held him back. ¡°You should not be in front.¡±


    ¡°But I know the way.¡±


    ¡°You can tell me when to turn.¡± Ses-Inhuan took the lead, with Meleng right behind her, then Nin-Akna, and then the remaining three Youth Guards.


    ¡°This is a bad place to fight,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°Too close quarters. Daggers.¡±


    Not stopping, Ses-Inhuan held out her spear in one hand to Meleng and drew her dagger with the other. ¡°Take it,¡± she hissed when Meleng didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do with it? I don¡¯t know how to use it.¡±


    ¡°Just hold it. It is too long to use effectively in here.¡±


    ¡°And these,¡± Nin-Akna said, passing him five more spears. They clacked and rattled as he tried to hold all of them together, and their shafts clanged on the metal floor. The one taken from Ses-Tlacotl was obvious, caked in blood and viscera.


    Meleng directed them along the aisles to the far side of the large room and the metal staircase that led down to the floor below. Ses-Inhuan started down and Meleng had stepped onto the first step when a clattering behind him made him pause. He and Nin-Akna looked back.


    ¡°Watch where you are going,¡± the second-to-last guard said to the one at the back.


    ¡°I am sorry, Netl.¡± She was the one that Ses-Tlacotl had caused to scream earlier.


    ¡°You are always so clumsy.¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Nin-Akna hissed. ¡°This is no time for petty arguments.¡±


    ¡°I am just very dizzy,¡± the girl at the back said. ¡°I do not know why.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Dizzy?


    ¡°Fra-Nenetl, take the rear,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°Fra-Chan, come to me. I will support you.¡±


    Something wasn¡¯t right. Meleng stared along the guards as they shuffled their positions. Was that a distortion in the air? ¡°She¡¯s here!¡± He pointed and the spears he was carrying clattered to the ground, the banging echoing through the stacks.


    Fra-Nenetl¡¯s head twisted back as though something had grabbed her chin. Then Meleng could see the eye tattoo on Ses-Tlacotl¡¯s head, her hand on Fra-Nenetl¡¯s chin, her other hand tearing a dagger across the girl¡¯s neck.


    Nin-Akna and the other guard whose name Meleng still did not know lunged forward. Fra-Chan tried to spin round, but tripped on the pile of spears and fell face first onto the floor. Meleng bent down to try to help her.


    There was a cry from Ses-Tlacotl and Meleng looked up to see her shove Fra-Nenetl¡¯s body into Nin-Akna. A new gash on her arm dripped blood.


    He reached out a hand to Fra-Chan just as Ses-Inhuan pushed past him. She did a better job of navigating the spears that were still clattering about.


    Fra-Chan took his hand and he helped her back to her feet. Her legs twisted several times as she tried to find her footing, but he held onto her. Finally, she was standing again. And shivering.


    ¡°I do not know why I am so clumsy right now,¡± Fra-Chan said. ¡°I am just so scared.¡± She had to be one of the youngest members of Nin-Akna¡¯s warriors. No more than fourteen.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s you,¡± Meleng said. ¡°It¡¯s...¡±


    He looked and realised Ses-Tlacotl was gone again. He saw Nin-Akna¡¯s mouth move, her body shake as she kicked at the ground, but the library didn¡¯t let him hear what she said. He suspected he didn¡¯t want to.


    ¡°Another dead,¡± Fra-Chan said.


    Nin-Akna clenched her fists.


    ¡°They will all be avenged,¡± Ses-Inhuan said, ¡°but for now, we must keep moving.¡±


    Nin-Akna nodded.


    They descended the stairs, Ses-Inhuan in the lead again, skipping every other step. ¡°Down as far as they go,¡± Meleng said. He tried to keep up, but he wasn¡¯t comfortable skipping steps in the same way.


    At each new floor, they rushed around and descended the next flight, down four flights to the second-to-lowest level, where the stairs ended.


    Meleng had gotten much more used to the library¡¯s layout during his time here. He could find his way around without problem now. However, there were aspects that still puzzled him. Two separate sections of stacks with no connection between them other than the entrance hall, and the lowest level of this one¡ªbut not the other¡ªrequired crossing the entire floor above to reach the stairs, which did not join the stairs to the other floors. Maneshka had said some scholars theorised it was to give that level an extra degree of privacy, but no one knew for sure why it had been designed that way. It did make it a convenient place to hide Felit?a, though it also made running for your life a lot more inconvenient.


    Just before they reached the spiral stairs leading to the lowest level, Ses-Inhuan held up her hand, motioning for them to stop. She knelt down and looked closely at something in front of her. ¡°Blood. It is fresh. She must be nearby.¡±


    ¡°On full alert,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°As Meleng told us, look for shadows or distortions in the air. No more of us are to die today.¡±


    Meleng looked about as they edged forwards. So many books. So many ancient, beautiful books full of knowledge. There could be untold secrets waiting for discovery here: lost disciplines of magic like light and sound; historical accounts from before the Great War; forgotten works of art from plays to stories to music, paintings, and more; scientific and engineering treatises; medicine; and so much more.


    Ever since the incident with the books in Mesone, he¡¯d had an idea in his head. Explosions were bizarre things. Dangerous and potentially deadly, but what if they could be controlled? What sort of energies could be tapped into? On the trip to Scovese, he¡¯d spent a lot of time trying to figure out the equations. For the most part, he¡¯d made no progress, but a few things had presented themselves to him.


    Some things were easier to break apart, for one. It seemed obvious, but when it came to applying force in the right place and the right way, the specifics became less obvious. Paper tore to shreds easily; metal, less so. But he didn¡¯t need to shred metal right now. He didn¡¯t need a controlled explosion either.


    He stopped walking. ¡°I have an idea.¡±


    The others stopped. ¡°Tell us,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to try something that will hopefully catch her. It probably won¡¯t hurt her much, but with a little luck, it will make it impossible for her to hide from us. When I say run, run for the edge of the stacks, but don¡¯t go down the stairs. Turn and face what happens.¡±


    Nin-Akna nodded. Her body tensed, as did the others¡¯.


    Meleng ran his fingers along the metal of the shelves on both sides of the aisle, then up along the books as well, tracing equations of disruption. It was just a matter of finding the right frequencies.


    The beautiful books.


    It was just one floor. And most of the books would survive. Probably. Maybe. Truth was, he couldn¡¯t be sure this would even work. This was way beyond anything he¡¯d ever done. Beyond the small explosion of clothes he¡¯d caused on the trip from Quorge. Hell, even if it worked, Ses-Tlacotl could have been watching and listening, could have gotten herself to a place of safety. Would there even be one?


    Stop being stupid, he told himself. Everyone kept saying he needed more confidence. Well, now was the time. He could do this.


    ¡°Run.¡±


    The others ran and Meleng traced the final part of the spell. Then he ran after them.


    Behind him, the books burst open and the shelves themselves creaked and cracked. A massive cacophony of metal against metal rang through the room.


    Nin-Akna and the others had already reached the stairs and were looking back at what was happening. They raised their arms to shield their faces.


    Meleng reached them and spun around. The shelves had broken free of their supports and had crashed into the aisles beside them, causing a cascading effect outwards, shelf after shelf crashing into the next. Books and paper flew into the air along with pieces of metal. He too shielded his face as the onslaught pelted over them.


    ¡°There!¡± Nin-Akna cried.


    Meleng lowered his arm to see where she was pointing. Stumbling out of the wreckage, paper and book covers still battering down on her, was Ses-Tlacotl.


    The four guards ran for her, leaping over the tangled book covers and bits of paper in their way. Meleng couldn¡¯t see her very well, but even though she looked bruised and even seemed to be limping, she still managed to dart aside from their attacks. Fra-Chan fell back, clutching at her head and screaming again. Ses-Inhuan swiped at her, but Ses-Tlacotl grabbed her by the wrist and wrenched her arm back. The dagger in her hand went flying to the floor and Ses-Inhuan cried out as Ses-Tlacotl bent the Youth Guard¡¯s arm backwards at the elbow over her own arm. Meleng was certain he couldn¡¯t actually hear the crack of bone, but he imagined he could.


    Then he realised there was someone beside him. It was Felit?a, supporting herself on crutches. Sinit?a must have had them delivered.


    ¡°Enough.¡± Felit?a¡¯s voice was still hoarse, but commanding and assured.


    Fra-Chan stopped screaming and stumbled against the wall for support. At the same time Ses-Tlacotl¡¯s body went rigid. Nin-Akna and the other Youth Guard moved in towards her, but then Felit?a gasped and Ses-Tlacotl vanished.


    ¡°No!¡± Nin-Akna yelled.


    Felit?a tried to steady herself, but her good leg was shaking as were her arms.


    A piece of paper still floating in the air near Nin-Akna bounced off its trajectory. Meleng started to point it out, but Nin-Akna had already seen it. She pounced, looking like a jaguar leaping through the air, and landed on Ses-Tlacotl¡¯s back, sending the mentalist sprawling face first to the ground. She had been running for Felit?a.


    Nin-Akna grabbed Ses-Tlacotl¡¯s hair and yanked her head up, then smashed it back down into the floor. ¡°Pain breaks your concentration, does it? Then have pain.¡± She did it again.


    ¡°Nin-Akna, that¡¯s enough,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I have control now. She¡¯s not causing any more damage.¡±


    Nin-Akna pulled up on Ses-Tlacotl¡¯s hair again. The mentalist spat out blood and broken teeth. Her face was a mess, nose clearly broken, eyes swollen. ¡°She killed Chica,¡± Nin-Akna spat. ¡°She killed half of my command. She dies!¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Felit?a said, ¡°but we need information.¡± She hobbled over to the Ninifins.


    Nin-Akna let go of Ses-Tlacotl¡¯s hair. ¡°Why did you do it?¡±


    Ses-Tlacotl said nothing.


    ¡°Who else are you working with?¡± Felit?a asked.


    Still, Ses-Tlacotl did not reply.


    ¡°I could make you talk,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°No, you cannot,¡± Ses-Tlacotl said. ¡°You are too weak. I pierced the fabled Will-Breaker¡¯s defences. You have no power over me right now.¡±


    Felit?a sighed. ¡°She¡¯ll kill you, you know.¡±


    ¡°I die in the glory of Nyx.¡±


    Nin-Akna recoiled. ¡°You dare use that name? You are no better than a Volg or Isyar.¡±


    ¡°They are both your betters, girl.¡±


    Nin-Akna grabbed Ses-Tlacotl¡¯s hair again and rammed her face into the floor, over and over. Meleng doubled over and vomited.


    ¡°Nin-Akna,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Nin-Akna, it¡¯s over. She¡¯s dead. You can stop now.¡±


    Nin-Akna slammed what used to be a face into the floor one last time then stumbled to her feet, her body shaking. ¡°I...I...¡± She fell back against the wall and slid to the floor, hugging her legs.


    Felit?a hobbled over to her and struggled to lower herself beside her.


    ¡°She killed so many,¡± Nin-Akna muttered. ¡°She killed Chica. She had to die.¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s all right. Time to sleep for now.¡± Felit?a half closed her eyes and tilted her head¡ªand Nin-Akna slumped over, fast asleep.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need some help getting back up again,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Oh right.¡± Meleng hurried towards her, but she shook her head.


    ¡°Help that one first.¡± She motioned to Ses-Inhuan, who was lying on the ground, cradling her broken arm.


    As Meleng got to the Ninifin, Felit?a said, ¡°That was a good trick with the stacks. Don¡¯t know what Maneshka will think of it.¡±


    Meleng grimaced as he made a quick check of Ses-Inhuan¡¯s arm, confirming that it was broken. When he looked up, Maneshka was coming up the stairs, and he grimaced again.


    ¡°Now I understand the noise,¡± Maneshka said.


    Behind her was Quilla.


    Meleng breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°You¡¯re all right!¡±


    ¡°When she attacked upstairs, I rushed down here to warn Felit?a,¡± Quilla said.


    ¡°Unfortunately, it was all I could do to get up the stairs to this level,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°So I had to wait for you here. You¡¯re lucky I wasn¡¯t hiding in the aisles when you set off that spell.¡±


    Meleng groaned. He hadn¡¯t thought of that. He really wasn¡¯t cut out for this kind of thing.


    ¡°Still, you did well, Meleng,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°A lot of people died,¡± he answered.


    ¡°And these ones survived.¡±


    ¡°She is right,¡± Ses-Inhuan said. ¡°You did well. Now, please do something about my arm before I pass out from the pain.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Quilla, help me find something for a splint.¡±

 Chapter 23: Departures

    A wind was blowing as they stepped onto the quay. It was a warm wind, but tinged with enough ocean moisture to take the edge off the heat. Even now, barely past dawn, the day was already burning up. Meleng wouldn¡¯t miss the heat of the island. That was for certain.


    He would miss the library, though. Maneshka had been understanding about the damage he¡¯d caused. It had been life or death, after all. Nevertheless, he felt guilty about it. Part of him wished Maneshka had been angry. He deserved to be yelled at. Although that wasn¡¯t so much guilt about the library. It was guilt about all the people who had died. No one seemed to think that was his fault, but the library was, whether it was justified or not. Being told off about that might...he wasn¡¯t sure, but it felt appropriate.


    The ship the Ninifins were travelling on was docked at the near end of the quay, so they didn¡¯t have to travel far to reach it. Neither did they need to push through the crowds heading to, and readying their own transportation, something Meleng was glad about. The quicker he could find a place to hide away below decks, the better.


    It wasn¡¯t a big ship, and Meleng knew it was going to be crowded on board. He was going to be berthed with a dozen Ninifin warriors, both male and female, and Garet in a cabin that apparently only had half a dozen bunks. That was not going to be fun. He expected to be sleeping on the floor a lot.


    The ship was an Arnorin vessel from Lockanith, which Meleng had been surprised to learn.


    ¡°We¡¯re a landlocked nation,¡± Akna had told him. ¡°We don¡¯t have ships capable of ocean travel. So we hired one of yours. Got a problem with that?¡±


    He didn¡¯t have a problem with that, especially as it was the only method he and Felit?a had of getting off Scovese and back to Arnor. Considering they needed to go to Ninifin now anyway, it was also convenient that they travel with the Ninifins. The ship would take them to Lockanith and then they would walk from there.


    Finding a place to vanish below decks was going to have wait, though. Upon reaching the ship, they learned they couldn¡¯t board right away. They had to wait for the crew to finish loading supplies.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably easier to say goodbye to people here, anyway,¡± Felit?a said. She was leaning on her crutches and sweating more than the rest of them. The bruising on her face, arms, and legs had diminished a bit. However, the bruising on her neck remained heavy, which wasn¡¯t surprising. Her voice was sounding a lot better, though.


    ¡°Will you be all right standing?¡± Akna asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Felit?a said.


    They had hired a cart from the village so Felit?a could keep off her ankle, but it had not been able to come onto the quay, so she said she¡¯d walk the short distance remaining. Meleng had said it would be okay, but he hadn¡¯t expected to be stuck waiting.


    ¡°Really, I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Felit?a repeated, looking directly at Meleng.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± he said.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t need to.¡±


    Akna nudged him in the side with her elbow. ¡°She reads minds, remember?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that precise,¡± Meleng said.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t need to be,¡± Felit?a said. She smiled at him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As soon as we¡¯re on board, I¡¯ll put the leg up, okay?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than just the ankle,¡± he said. ¡°You overtaxed yourself. You should be resting.¡±


    ¡°And I will. I slept on the cart here, and I¡¯ll sleep some more on board. Believe me, there¡¯s nothing I want to do more right now, but I don¡¯t really have a choice.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. Sorry.¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s fine. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. We¡¯re all just still on edge after everything that¡¯s happened. How about you, Nin-Akna? How are you doing?¡±


    Akna turned aside in that way Meleng had noticed she did whenever she didn¡¯t want to admit something. ¡°Me? Fine. Never better.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°If you need someone to talk to, I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, honest.¡±


    ¡°All right then. I¡¯ll...¡± Felit?a straightened up and looked past Meleng and Akna. A smile spread across her face.


    Ses-Inhuan, Fra-Chan, and Ses-Iktan¡ªhe¡¯d made a point of learning her name¡ªhad arrived on the quay with Maneshka. Behind them were the others from the Ninifin delegation¡ªthe other warriors and servants.


    Felit?a moved towards the new arrivals¡ªtowards Maneshka. She hopped more than walked with her crutches along the wet quay. Meleng grimaced, hoping she didn¡¯t slip.


    ¡°She knows I¡¯m lying, doesn¡¯t she?¡± Akna said. ¡°She can read my mind.¡±


    ¡°I told you, her abilities are not that precise,¡± Meleng said. ¡°But yes, she knows you¡¯re lying. You¡¯re not very good at it.¡±


    ¡°I see her every time I close my eyes. Not the Will-Breaker. Ses-Tlacotl. I see her kill Chica over and over. And I see what I did to her.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Meleng said. ¡°I see similar things. I guess it¡¯s normal.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really want to talk about it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Akna touched his arm. ¡°Tell me, Meleng. You and the Will-Breaker...Felit?a...you¡¯re not...together, are you?¡±


    ¡°What? No. No we¡¯re not.¡±


    ¡°What about the younger sister?¡±


    ¡°Sinit?a? No.¡± He had an uncomfortable idea where this conversation was headed.


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Akna said. ¡°Because I was wondering...I mean, Ses-Inhuan has already given away my thoughts...um...¡±


    Gods, he hated these kinds of situations. Luckily, he rarely had to deal with them¡ªokay, he pretty much never had to deal with them, but that just made a moment like now all the worse.


    ¡°I mean, if you¡¯re not interested, that¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said, feeling very small.


    ¡°Oh, okay, then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just not into that sort of thing. Not with you. Not Felit?a, Sinit?a, anybody really.¡±


    ¡°Men then? I don¡¯t have any brothers to recommend to you.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°No, not men either. No one.¡±


    ¡°I apologise then.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Meleng said. ¡°I¡¯m fine with being friends though. We¡¯re friends, right?¡±


    ¡°I gave you permission to address me without my honorific. Yes, we¡¯re friends.¡±


    From nearby, Felit?a made a... Meleng wasn¡¯t sure how to describe it. A squeal? He had never heard anything like it from her before. Both he and Akna turned to see what was happening.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°They¡¯re absolutely amazing! Thank you! Thank you so much!¡±


    Felit?a was holding a small cage with two rats up to her face and wobbling on her unsteady supports. Maneshka was attempting to hold her steady.


    ¡°Felit?a, you really need to be more careful,¡± Meleng called.


    She turned towards him and held up the cage. ¡°Look what Maneshka gave me! I¡¯m calling the white one Lon. Lon the Fiftieth. I think that¡¯s where I left off. I¡¯ll call the other one Nesh, after Maneshka.¡± She let go of her crutches, which clattered onto the quay, and put her arms around Maneshka. They kissed.


    Meleng groaned and started forward to pick up the crutches for her. Why did people always seem to lose control of their common sense whenever they got involved in these relationships? He had always thought that Felit?a would be an exception to that. She seemed much more level-headed.


    Ses-Inhuan beat him to the crutches, picking both up with her good arm. Her other arm was still wrapped in the sling he¡¯d made for her. She handed the crutches back to Felit?a as soon as Felit?a and Maneshka finished their embrace.


    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you,¡± Felit?a said to Maneshka. ¡°And I promise the next time I see you, I am going to learn to speak your language.¡±


    Meleng had to admit, he was going to miss Maneshka too. He¡¯d gotten used to working with her on the translations. Indeed, they would never have made the progress they had if she hadn¡¯t been helping. He wouldn¡¯t have found the reference to the child that was not a Volg, but still of the Volgs. And she was the one who discovered the Ninifin link in the same passage.


    The morning after the fight with Ses-Tlacotl¡ªthe morning after so many died¡ªMeleng had been sitting in the entrance hall leafing through the books they had been studying. He hadn¡¯t slept at all during the night. He hadn¡¯t even tried. He didn¡¯t want to face the nightmares he knew would come¡ªthe ones that had since come.


    Maneshka sat down across from him. ¡°I thought you might like some good news.¡± She placed several pages of writing on the table. ¡°I finished my translation of the Volganth piece you found. It is incomplete and probably imprecise, but it does have an interesting revelation. Near the end, it refers to the child¡¯s tenth birthday. Something called the end will happen then.¡±


    ¡°End?¡± Meleng said.


    ¡°I cannot be sure of that translation,¡± Maneshka said, ¡°or what exactly it means. Something stopping, or a completion of something. It is definitely something in relation to the child.¡±


    ¡°Death?¡±


    Maneshka flipped through the pages, and took several seconds to answer. ¡°It is possible, yes. At any rate, it also references a location.¡±


    Meleng perked up for the first time in what seemed like months or years. He almost leapt out of his seat. ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°At the confluence of two rivers in the central lands of the continent of Arnor. The rivers are named, one after an animal that I thought might be tiger, but Felit?a suggested jaguar, an animal I have never heard of, but does apparently have a word in my language.¡±


    ¡°The Jaguar is a major river that runs through most of Ninifin,¡± Meleng said. ¡°It meets with the Toucan. I didn¡¯t realise the names were that old though.¡±


    ¡°It would appear they are.¡±


    And so everything pointed to Ninifin. It was a fascinating idea. How could someone over two thousand years ago predict something now? It was also worrying though. What Felit?a had said to him about the implications of accurate prophecies had lain heavy on his mind. He was starting to understand her concerns. If an event could be pre-ordained, what did that say about free will?


    Of course, there was no proof this ancient writing was trustworthy. But the locket with the portrait of the Ninifin High Priest of Magic also pointed to a Ninifin connection. Akna said, after Ses-Tlacotl¡¯s betrayal, she could no longer be sure Ses-Xipil wasn¡¯t a traitor also. It created the disturbing possibility Ses-Tlacotl was working under orders and whoever she was working for did not expect Akna or any of the other Ninifins to return home. However, whether Ses-Xipil was a traitor or not, the locket definitely showed a connection between the Volgs, Darkers, and Ninifin.


    ¡°Felit?a!¡±


    The sound of Sinit?a¡¯s voice brought Meleng out of his reveries. Sinit?a ran up and threw her arms around Felit?a, who stumbled back and almost lost her crutches again.


    ¡°Careful,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I¡¯m still store and can¡¯t stand very well.¡±


    ¡°Oh sorry,¡± Sinit?a said. ¡°I just wanted to see you before you left.¡±


    ¡°How did you get away?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°I snuck out!¡±


    ¡°With a little help,¡± Cerus said, coming up behind Sinit?a. He was carrying a large, rolled-up piece of canvas. Garet and Quilla were a short distance behind him.


    Sinit?a wrinkled her nose. ¡°Yeah, Cerus and Garet helped me. They distracted Annai and I got away. I¡¯m probably going to get in a lot of trouble, but that¡¯s okay. This was more important.¡± She began looking around her, but stopped when her eyes fell on Meleng. ¡°Meleng!¡±


    She ran over to him and threw her arms around him, hugging him fiercely for several seconds. Meleng thought it might soon get difficult to breathe, she was almost smothering him. ¡°I brought you something,¡± she said when she finally let go. ¡°Cerus!¡±


    ¡°Ardon sends his best wishes,¡± Cerus was telling Felit?a. ¡°One moment, Sinit?a,¡± he said without looking towards her. ¡°He also says he will do everything he can to convince Father to overturn your banishment. And I promise you I will do similarly.¡±


    Sinit?a tapped her feet and fidgeted. ¡°Come on, come on. I want him to have it!¡±


    ¡°I suspect it won¡¯t take long,¡± Cerus continued. ¡°By the time you¡¯re finished in Ninifin, it should be possible for you to come home.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see if I want to,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Come on!¡± Sinit?a called.


    ¡°Excuse me a moment,¡± Cerus said, and came over to join Sinit?a. ¡°You could have carried it yourself, you know.¡±


    Sinit?a snatched the canvas he was holding. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to smoosh it when I hugged them.¡± She held it out to Meleng. ¡°It¡¯s the painting of you I did. I finished it.¡±


    Meleng took the canvas. He wasn¡¯t sure exactly how to respond. ¡°Thank you. Yes, thank you.¡± He had never received a gift like this before. He started to unroll it.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t look at it yet. I had to finish it from memory, so it¡¯s not very good, but I did my best. Look at it when there¡¯s no one else around. You can show Felit?a if you want, but no one else.¡±


    Meleng nodded. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll treasure it.¡±


    Sinit?a¡¯s face tightened and her eyes scrunched. She put her arms around him again and he only just got the painting out of the way of the smooshing she had wanted to avoid. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± he said.


    She stood back again, sniffled, and wiped a few tears from her eyes. She looked at Akna, who had been standing in quiet beside Meleng. ¡°I thought you were scary at first, but you turned out to be nice. Look after him, will you? He¡¯s the only friend I¡¯ve ever had.¡±


    Akna glanced at Meleng, then bowed to Sinit?a. ¡°You have my word, your Highness. I¡¯ll see that he comes to no harm and you get to see him again.¡±


    Sinit?a sniffled some more, then hugged Akna. ¡°You can see the painting, too, if you want. Meleng, it¡¯s okay to show her the painting. But no one else.¡±


    Meleng nodded.


    ¡°Except Felit?a. You, her, and Felit?a. No one else.¡±


    ¡°I promise,¡± Meleng said.


    Sinit?a fidgeted for a few moments, shifting her weight from one foot to another. Then she leaned forward, kissed Meleng on the cheek, turned around, and ran off.


    ¡°I¡¯d better go make sure she¡¯s all right,¡± Cerus said. ¡°Take care, Meleng. I¡¯ll miss your companionship on the trip home.¡± He gave Meleng a quick hug, then turned to find Sinit?a, pausing to hug Felit?a on the way.


    With Maneshka supporting her, Felit?a hobbled over to Meleng and Akna. Quilla, Garet, Ses-Inhuan, and the other Ninifins followed. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re about ready for us to board,¡± Felit?a said.


    Garet looked at the ship and shook his head. ¡°What a piece of junk. We¡¯re sailing on that?¡±


    ¡°You could always go back to Arnor City with the rest of the family,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Yeah, fuck that, Brains.¡±


    Garet had made it clear there was no way he wasn¡¯t going with them, as much as Felit?a had tried to suggest he shouldn¡¯t. He had said something about not letting Felit?a take all the glory, and that she needed someone who could smash Volg heads in. Meleng started tuning him out at that point. Having seen what Akna did to Ses-Tlacotl, the images Garet was evoking did not sit well with his stomach.


    ¡°The ship is seaworthy,¡± Akna said, ¡°the crew competent. We made it here. We¡¯ll make it back.¡±


    ¡°I hope so,¡± Garet said.


    ¡°Ses-Inhuan,¡± Akna called. ¡°Start the boarding.¡±


    Ses-Inhuan nodded and slowly, the Ninifins began making their way onto the ship.


    ¡°What did you tell them?¡± Quilla asked. ¡°About everything that happened, I mean.¡±


    ¡°The truth,¡± Akna replied. ¡°They deserved to know of Ses-Tlacotl¡¯s treachery. They also know that we could be returning to people who did not expect us to come back alive, and who may try to finish what Ses-Tlacotl started. They are rightly scared, but what else can we do?¡±


    Quilla nodded. ¡°Believe me, I understand.¡±


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t delay any longer,¡± Felit?a said. She kissed Maneshka. ¡°We¡¯ll see each other again. Eventually. I still have to speak to your husband.¡±


    Maneshka just nodded and smiled.


    ¡°Quilla, I might need your help getting up the gangplank.¡± Felit?a took Quilla¡¯s arm and they proceeded towards the ship.


    ¡°Come on, pipsqueak,¡± Garet said and followed them.


    ¡°Did he mean me?¡± Meleng asked.


    Akna shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine he meant me, and if he did, I might have to teach him a lesson.¡±


    ¡°No, he meant me.¡± Meleng sighed. ¡°Goodbye,¡± he said to Maneshka, who just nodded.


    Akna took his hand and they followed the others.

 Chapter 24: The Resistance (Part 1)

    The mosquitoes were particularly annoying. Buzzing around Rudiger, around the horses. Everywhere. On the best of days, there were a lot of them, but today, they were out in double force. It was the humidity. Fisvin could be like this too. Whenever it got humid, the mosquitoes came out to party. And the humidity today was horrible. There were dark clouds to the east, though, and maybe the storm they brought would bring some relief. It probably wouldn¡¯t last long, but it would be something.


    Still, mosquitoes aside, he¡¯d been enjoying the weather the last couple months. It reminded him of home, something he¡¯d found himself thinking a lot about recently. Maybe it was the staying in one spot. He¡¯d been travelling for so long now¡ªand so rarely with any real destination in mind¡ªthat he almost never had time to think of home. Staying in one place for two months now had given him time for reflection.


    No, it was more than just staying in one spot. It was a whole mixture of unrelated things. He¡¯d travelled by himself a lot, but had never felt alone. Now, he had people to interact with regularly, but loneliness was all he felt. No Borisin. No Zandrue now. And Jorvan had to stay hidden, so Rudiger only saw him for brief periods of time. Even when he¡¯d travelled alone, he¡¯d had Borisin with him.


    It had been over two months since they¡¯d gotten over the wall and into Ninifin. Two months since Eleuia had taken Borisin, since Borisin had talked to her. Rudiger still wasn¡¯t certain whether to be amazed or jealous. Not that it mattered really. He just wanted Borisin around again. As annoying as that horse could be, Rudiger couldn¡¯t stand being without him.


    ¡°You¡¯re not hiding a secret ability to talk to me, are you?¡± he asked Xoco, who had come to graze near him.


    Better to think of home and his parents. Of course, there was no way she could have known the day she¡¯d chosen to take off without explanation was the anniversary¡ªthree years to the day¡ªof the day he¡¯d come home to find his parents murdered. His mother lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood, her throat slashed. His father hanging from a hook that had been slammed into their bedroom door. The house was a mess, wardrobes and desks ransacked, furniture overturned, holes smashed in walls, but nothing missing as best Rudiger could tell. And no one willing to do anything about it, either.


    No, there was no way Zandrue could have known that. It was a ridiculous coincidence, but it didn¡¯t soften the blow. The terrible irony was, he¡¯d been coming to talk to her about his parents. Knowing the anniversary was approaching and thinking about them more than usual, he¡¯d begun to wonder if their deaths were somehow linked to everything he, Zandrue, and the others had been going through. It certainly seemed a strong possibility his parents¡¯ killers had been after Slay. It would have been the first time in a long time he¡¯d spoken more than the briefest words about his parents. And she¡¯d told him she was leaving.


    Gods damn it, he was thinking about her again. He¡¯d spent the last few nights crying himself to sleep; he wasn¡¯t about to do that again.


    The storm clouds were getting closer and the wind was picking up. Lightning flashed in the direction of the Jaguar, and he wondered if he should take the horses in. They hadn¡¯t been out long and probably wouldn¡¯t want to go in just yet. He didn¡¯t relish the idea of standing in the storm, though, especially if it wasn¡¯t a quick one. A short one might be refreshing. A long one...


    ¡°Not for long,¡± Zandrue said. She was shoving articles of clothing into her bag. ¡°A week. Maybe ten days.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on. What¡¯s up? I¡¯ll come with you. Help out. Be nice to move about a bit.¡±


    She went back to tying her bag. ¡°It¡¯s nice of you to offer, but there¡¯s nothing you can do. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°At least give me a little hint what you¡¯re up to.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know. We¡¯re stuck in this gods-forsaken country, can¡¯t go anywhere, can barely interact with other people. How the hell can you have business to take care of?¡±


    ¡°I have other things going on, okay? Let¡¯s just leave it at that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not throwing it away. I¡¯m coming back. Look, just trust me, okay?¡±


    ¡°Owe you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of this interrogation.¡±


    She had stumbled the day before, too, out of the blue with no apparent reason. She¡¯d said it was just a passing dizziness, and he hadn¡¯t thought much more of it at the time. ¡°I just want to help,¡± he said. ¡°Know you¡¯re okay.¡±


    She growled¡ªactually growled, like a dog¡ªopened the door, and walked out.


    That had been three days ago. Now he just wasn¡¯t thinking of her¡ªexcept he wasn¡¯t doing a very good job of it. He doubted she really meant the whole thing about not coming back. That was her temper speaking. But it didn¡¯t matter. Things wouldn¡¯t be the same when she came back. She didn¡¯t trust him. And he was starting to understand why Jorvan had such a hard time trusting her.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Rudiger told her. He still struggled with Ninifin, but he was getting better at the language. ¡°I know she doesn¡¯t deserve it, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°She definitely doesn¡¯t deserve it,¡± the old woman said. ¡°I¡¯m covering for her for your sake and for mine. I have put my life on the line for her, and she¡¯s quite possibly ruined it all. The inspection committee was prepared to see her. Now, it will take months before they agree to another chance, if they ever agree at all. When she comes back, I will make her regret the day her father fucked her unfortunate mother.¡±


    Gods, sometimes being in love wasn¡¯t what it was cracked up to be.


    The storm only lasted a half hour or so before the winds and rain calmed down, and the sun came out again. Rudiger spent the remainder of the afternoon cleaning and brushing the horses, and trying not to think of Zandrue or Borisin.


    After a quiet dinner with Fra-Mecatl and Fra-Tepeu, he went to the cellar to see Jorvan. The Isyar was kneeling on the floor, face turned to the ceiling, eyes closed. Rudiger waited while he finished his prayers or meditation¡ªas Rudiger understood it, Jorvan could be doing either or both of those.


    Both Fra-Mecatl and Fra-Tepeu accepted that Isyar were not the creatures of evil their religion made them out to be. Fra-Mecatl even argued all references to Isyar in the religious texts were singular, referring only to the Dragon¡¯s consort. However, both she and Fra-Tepeu still had a lifetime¡¯s worth of prejudices to overcome, so they tended to stay away from Jorvan. Fra-Mecatl must have thought it very important to tell him herself and not wait for Rudiger to do it.


    ¡°We¡¯re not suggesting they do,¡± Zandrue had said. ¡°Just that there are Darkers in Ninifin.¡±


    It was what they usually ended up talking about. More precisely, Rudiger would end up telling Jorvan what the horses had been up to that day while the Isyar just listened. There usually wasn¡¯t anything else to talk about. There was something else today, but Rudiger wasn¡¯t prepared to talk about her. So he told Jorvan of the horses again.

 Chapter 24: The Resistance (Part 2)

    The next day, Fra-Tepeu asked Rudiger to come with him into the City. This was normally Zandrue¡¯s job. Twice a week, they went into the City, met with Fra-Mecatl¡¯s son Nin-Chamer, and brought back supplies. Fra-Tepeu was too old and frail to carry everything himself and Nin-Chamer had lost an arm in an accident a few years ago, so Zandrue did most of the carrying.


    Rudiger chose Xoco to pull the wagon this time. She hadn¡¯t gotten a lot of exercise lately, so this would help rectify that. It was about a half hour walk along the road southwest to the City, although Fra-Tepeu needed to take a slow pace¡ªhe refused to ride in the wagon, saying he wasn¡¯t that frail¡ªso it took them closer to an hour. The thick canopy of the forest meant the City wasn¡¯t visible until one was right upon it. Until then, there were just trees, and the sounds of animals. But then, the trees parted and the City spread out in front of them.


    The Grand Temple was the most prominent sight at the west corner of the City, framed by the Jaguar Falls behind it. The stepped pyramid towered over everything else, even the other pyramids at the three other corners of the city, and the Palace to the side of it. Every tier of the temple was adorned with colourful, leafy plants and statuary representing various animals, particularly jaguars. The top tier contained the entrance to the temple, which was flanked by massive statues, one of a jaguar again and the other a serpent. The other pyramids were not quite as majestic, but they were similarly adorned.


    Rudiger had only been to the City a couple times, and he still found the Temple a stunning sight. Though he did wonder if that was simply to draw attention away from the rest of the City. With attention focused on the pyramids, it was easy to miss the squalor.


    The rest of the City was a lot like Getavin, but without the higher-class inner city. Moving through the City was confusing, as there were no roads and the wattle and daub buildings with their thatched roofs stood wherever there was space for them. The only means of navigation were the pyramids and Palace (another way attention was drawn away from the squalor), but if one was headed anywhere other than the edges of the City, even they weren¡¯t much help. Rudiger had no doubt if he didn¡¯t have Fra-Tepeu with him, he¡¯d be lost in no time.


    One thing that was very different from Getavin, though: the people. Although Rudiger hadn¡¯t seen a lot of Getavin in the brief time he was there, the people had seemed relatively happy. Not here. A few children played here and there, but on the whole, the City was very subdued. People stayed in one place, looking out doors and windows, or sitting outside on barrels. Many of them were doing work like chopping wood or hanging clothes, but it all seemed slow and sluggish.


    And almost everyone was skinny and underfed. The few who weren¡¯t, like the soldiers who patrolled the streets or the priests who passed out blessings, stood out not just from the fat and muscles on their bones, but also from their higher-quality clothes and weapons. Rudiger felt self-conscious following behind Fra-Tepeu. His clothes weren¡¯t as fancy as the colourful skirts of the priests, but they were in better condition than those of most of the people here. He was tall and muscular, and obviously well-fed. More than that, he was an outsider. There weren¡¯t many Foliths in Ninifin.


    Most people knew who Fra-Tepeu was, and they bowed to him as he came close, then scurried to remove any obstacles blocking the passage of Xoco and the wagon. However, the reverence was for Fra-Mecatl, not Fra-Tepeu. It was just his relationship to her that carried the reverence through to him.


    They reached the home of Nin-Chamer, who was standing at the door waiting for them. The middle-aged man hugged Fra-Tepeu with his one arm. ¡°Uncle,¡± he said¡ªor rather, he used the Ninifin word that meant something like father uncle; the word had no equivalent in Arnorgue.


    Rudiger was still embarrassed that it had taken him almost a month to realise that Fra-Tepeu and Fra-Mecatl were not husband and wife, but brother and sister. Their behaviour was so much like what Rudiger tended to associate with that of elderly couples. They finished each other¡¯s sentences. They squabbled. They lived together. They didn¡¯t share a bedroom, but Rudiger had just assumed that was a weird Ninifin thing.


    Still, there was at least some basis for Rudiger¡¯s initial assumptions. The word Nin-Chamer had just used had an association with father, which was the part of the meaning Rudiger picked up on first. Fra-Tepeu had assisted in raising Nin-Chamer. That was an aspect of Ninifin society Rudiger still didn¡¯t quite understand. Men were not expected to help raise the children they fathered. Instead, they were expected to help raise their sisters¡¯ children.


    Rudiger took his hand. ¡°Yes,¡± he said, remembering the directive to speak as little as possible.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Rudiger was glad Fra-Tepeu had answered. Not just because of the language issue, but because he wouldn¡¯t have known what to say. It seemed even Fra-Mecatl¡¯s children were to be told the lie.


    ¡°Well enough,¡± Nin-Chamer corrected with a laugh.


    ¡°The real reason is that it was part of Zandrue¡¯s training,¡± Fra-Tepeu said. ¡°And to get the locals used to Zandrue¡¯s presence.¡±


    They made their way through the City, zigzagging from one location to the next. Another confusing aspect of the City: there was no marketplace. Or rather, nobody used the marketplace. There was one in the courtyard of the palace, but according to Fra-Tepeu, it was so heavily taxed that no one had used it in decades. Everything was bought at the seller¡¯s home, which could be anywhere in the city. People who lived here just learned where everything was.


    ¡°An announcement from the Queen yesterday,¡± Nin-Chamer said. ¡°Word has arrived that the Youth Guard expedition has met a terrible accident on the Jaguar. There was only one survivor.¡±


    ¡°There wasn¡¯t an accident,¡± Fra-Tepeu said. ¡°It is a lie. Though I am curious to know who they claim the survivor is.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they are certainly dead,¡± Fra-Tepeu said. ¡°It just wasn¡¯t by accident. Nin-Zyannya and Nin-Chicahua were two of the advisors sent, both in line for the throne if Nin-Xoco doesn¡¯t produce an heir¡ªand she won¡¯t. Fra-Ichtaca will have seen to that. A couple of the Youth Guard are also a little further down the line. With them out of the way, she can manoeuvre her personal choice into position. If Nin-Xtab becomes queen, Fra-Ichtaca will effectively rule Ninifin.¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Nin-Chamer said. ¡°We know they did leave and go somewhere, but it wasn¡¯t into the wilderness. My sources tell me they passed through the southern gate and left Ninifin entirely. Such a thing is completely unprecedented. Gods know what they thought they were doing.¡±


    Nin-Chamer nodded.


    They walked in quiet for the next while, collecting small items like a broom, some new brushes for the horses, a few pails for collecting water, a couple cooking pots. Rudiger knew Fra-Tepeu had more than enough of these things already. It really was just an excuse to walk through the city. Rudiger¡¯s help was also not that needed, though he was told there would be heavy stuff coming later, feed for the horses in particular.


    As they walked, they neared a pair of soldiers accosting a young man, throwing him down into the mud. Rudiger didn¡¯t see what started the situation, but he tensed when one of the soldiers placed his foot on the young man¡¯s chest to hold him down.


    Rudiger looked away and nodded. He focused on leading Xoco and the wagon through the narrow space between buildings.


    ¡°Even if he did, wasn¡¯t their reaction a little over the top?¡± Rudiger couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of the Bloods in Plavin-Tyl.


    Rudiger nodded. The old man was right. Starting something now would just make matters worse in the long run. It would be just like with the Bloods, only this time, he wouldn¡¯t have Felit?a to get him out alive. Besides, he wasn¡¯t here to start a revolution. He was here to find Corvinian. He¡¯d just managed to somehow get himself involved with revolutionaries.


    Their final couple of stops were at farms on the south side of the city. At the first, they picked up feed for the horses, and Rudiger had the first heavy lifting of the expedition. At the next couple, they picked up corn, squash, chilli peppers, and honey¡ªmuch more than they needed. The fields they passed were so full, it was hard to believe so many people were so underfed. But Rudiger knew the reason for that.


    On their way back, they stopped at Nin-Chamer¡¯s home again, not just to drop off Nin-Chamer, but also to have Rudiger unload half the supplies Fra-Tepeu had just purchased. Over the next several days, Nin-Chamer would gradually distribute food to people in need. The amount left in the wagon was still more than was needed for just Fra-Tepeu, Fra-Mecatl, Jorvan, and himself¡ªand even Zandrue, if she came back¡ªbut as Fra-Mecatl had explained to him and Zandrue several weeks back, they had to keep a certain amount of excess to maintain appearances. By law, farmers had to sell a minimum amount of their produce to the priests and nobility, which left little for the rest of the populace. To introduce too much back into the general population would draw attention. So the remaining excess would either be added to the horses¡¯ feed or thrown away.


    Not for the first time, Rudiger wished he could leave Ninifin altogether. He liked Fra-Tepeu¡ªhe really did¡ªand he...well, he wouldn¡¯t say he liked Fra-Mecatl, but he respected her. However, he didn¡¯t think he had the patience or hardened heart to be a successful revolutionary.

 Chapter 24: The Resistance (Part 3)

    Later that night, well past sunset, Nin-Chamer arrived at the house, and over the next hour, so did several more. Rudiger had met a couple of them before, but had not interacted much with them. At previous meetings, he¡¯d let Zandrue do all the talking as his command of the language was still poor. He would have to do the talking this time, though.


    One of the men clasped Rudiger¡¯s arm. ¡°Good to see you again, Rudiger.¡±


    ¡°And you,¡± Rudiger replied. He couldn¡¯t remember the man¡¯s name at all, though he did vaguely recall seeing him at previous meetings. He was a short, wide-set man, muscular but also underfed like so many Ninifins.


    ¡°Getting better with the language, I see,¡± the man said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing my best to learn,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°When the people around you only speak the one language, it forces you to learn, I guess.¡±


    The man leaned back a little and looked at Rudiger. ¡°You do realise, don¡¯t you, that both Fra-Mecatl and her brother speak your language?¡±


    ¡°They do?¡± Rudiger looked over at Fra-Mecatl, who had taken a seat in the centre of the kitchen. She was looking at him, a smirk on her wrinkled, tattooed face. He sighed. ¡°That figures.¡±


    The man laughed and slapped Rudiger¡¯s arm. ¡°Like you said, it forces you to learn.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Rudiger said.


    Another man came in the front door and put his arm around the first. He was a little taller, though similarly built. They both had matching sun tattoos on their arms. Now Rudiger remembered them. ¡°Something funny?¡± the second asked. Rudiger still couldn¡¯t remember their names, though.


    ¡°Just some gentle ribbing,¡± the first said.


    Once everyone had arrived, they all crowded into the kitchen building, fourteen people total, including Rudiger. Fra-Tepeu started things off by going over the situation regarding the Youth Guard. When he was done, everyone looked to Fra-Mecatl for her opinion first.


    ¡°Fra-Ichtaca is clearly making a move for power. It is a concern, yes, but so is just about everything that happens these days. We are not ready yet. We will have to wait and pray for the best.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mecatl, but I disagree,¡± Fra-Tepeu said. ¡°I think our hand is being forced. We need to act soon, or we may not be able to act at all.¡±


    ¡°Where is the other outsider?¡± one of the women there said. ¡°The young woman. Is she ready for her inspection?¡±


    ¡°No, she is not,¡± Fra-Mecatl snapped. ¡°She is meditating in the wilderness. It will be a few months at least before an inspection can be arranged.¡±


    ¡°Do we have a few months?¡± someone else asked.


    ¡°As I said, we will just have to pray for the best,¡± Fra-Mecatl answered.


    ¡°There has to be something we can do,¡± the shorter of the two men with sun tattoos said. He was standing beside Rudiger, his taller partner on his other side. ¡°Our numbers are growing.¡±


    ¡°Not by enough,¡± Fra-Mecatl said.


    ¡°Kianto and I can round up at least half a dozen sympathetic people. If we could all do the same...¡± Several of the others nodded and murmured their agreement.


    ¡°The concern is more than numbers,¡± Fra-Mecatl said. ¡°It is skill as well. Ses-Patli is our only experienced warrior. How far are the rest of you in your training?¡±


    ¡°I can fight,¡± Rudiger said.


    Fra-Mecatl waved her hand at him. ¡°Yes, fine, you and Ses-Patli. What of the rest of you?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re making progress,¡± a muscular woman said. ¡°They¡¯re not highly skilled, but I think we¡¯re in a better shape than you may realise, Reverence.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not suggesting we attack the Palace in force or anything like that,¡± the short man said. ¡°Just that we make a few calculated strikes. Start creating some disturbances.¡±


    ¡°Still too risky,¡± Fra-Mecatl said.


    The taller of the two men with sun tattoos¡ªKianto? though Rudiger didn¡¯t know if there should be an honorific in front of that¡ªspoke up. ¡°What about Eleuia? She has trained warriors with her.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Her name is Ses-Izel,¡± Fra-Mecatl snapped. ¡°Do not ascribe a sacred name to a normal woman, no matter how good or accomplished she may be.¡±


    ¡°Apologies, Reverence,¡± Kianto said.


    ¡°At any rate,¡± Fra-Mecatl continued, ¡°she doesn¡¯t have the kind of numbers we would need.¡±


    ¡°But as we said, we are only suggesting something small,¡± Kianto said.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Ses-Izel is not here, and not due back for months. Even if she were here, she would agree with me. She may not be Eleuia reborn as you and others have somehow begun to believe, but she is wise and experienced. She knows when to act and when to wait. She would know to wait.¡±


    The conversation went on in this vein for some time. The others made various suggestions for how they might take action, and Fra-Mecatl shot them all down. Rudiger, however, was more concerned that it could be months before Eleuia¡ªSes-Izel, rather¡ªreturned, meaning months more of no Borisin.


    He did manage to pick up on a few names though. The shorter of the two men with the sun tattoos was Acat. Neither he nor Kianto seemed to have an honorific, so they were either too low a social class for one, or they had given theirs up, something some Ninifins were doing in protest of the despotic rule of the priesthood.


    The broad-shouldered, muscular woman was Ses-Patli, who had some contacts in the military she offered to speak to. Fra-Mecatl agreed to it, as long as it was kept surreptitious. She agreed that the time to act would come some day, and it was good to know their options.


    After a couple hours, however, there had been little other progress. Fra-Mecatl was determined to keep to her plans with Zandrue, even if it took a year or more before they were in a position to take any action. This produced a great deal of frustration. It all assumed, too, that Zandrue would even come back, but at least the others didn¡¯t know she might not.


    It was well past midnight when the meeting began to break up. Each person there asked Fra-Mecatl one-by-one for her blessing before heading out into the night. After Acat received his blessing, he came over to Rudiger and said, ¡°Rudiger, any chance you could show me and Kianto the horses? We¡¯ve heard good things about your work from Fra-Tepeu.¡±


    Rudiger glanced at Fra-Tepeu, who nodded his approval.


    Outside, he and Acat were joined by Kianto and Ses-Patli. Rudiger led them across the darkened field to the barn. Once he¡¯d gotten the doors open and they were all inside, Acat said, ¡°You¡¯ve probably guessed this isn¡¯t really about seeing the horses.¡±


    ¡°I had a feeling. Is this about arranging something behind Fra-Mecatl¡¯s back?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that we want to go behind her back,¡± Kianto said, putting an arm around Acat.


    ¡°We just think something needs to be done,¡± Acat said.


    ¡°We¡¯ve waited a long time,¡± Kianto continued.


    ¡°And there¡¯s not much time left before things get even worse,¡± Acat concluded.


    ¡°And if Fra-Mecatl finds out?¡± Rudiger asked.


    ¡°Fra-Mecatl is a good woman,¡± Ses-Patli said. ¡°Wise and respected. We owe her a lot. But she is old and overly cautious. You said you know how to fight. We were wondering if you¡¯d help.¡±


    ¡°Do what exactly?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know yet,¡± Ses-Patli said. ¡°At the moment, we just want to be sure what support we have.¡±


    Rudiger walked over to where Mulac was sticking his head out of his stall and began to stroke the horse¡¯s nose. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Fra-Mecatl and Fra-Tepeu have been good to us, giving us a place to stay, food, a job.¡±


    ¡°We understand,¡± Kianto said. ¡°And we don¡¯t ask this lightly. But it¡¯s for her good, too.¡±


    ¡°Can I ask a question, Rudiger?¡± Acat said.


    Rudiger turned back to them and nodded.


    ¡°Why did you and Zandrue come to Ninifin in the first place? It¡¯s not completely unknown for outsiders to come here, though it¡¯s rare. But what¡¯s really unusual is outsiders who come straight to the resistance. Why is that?¡±


    Rudiger wasn¡¯t sure how he should answer. How much could he trust these three, especially as they were already keeping things from their other allies? Zandrue would be a better judge of this, but she wasn¡¯t here. He had to make the decision.


    ¡°We¡¯re looking for someone,¡± he said. ¡°Someone we think is somewhere in Ninifin.¡±


    ¡°And how did you wind up with Fra-Mecatl?¡± Kianto asked.


    ¡°One of Zandrue¡¯s contacts is also one of Eleuia, I mean Ses-Izel¡¯s contacts.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re willing to wait months to find the person you¡¯re looking for?¡± Acat said.


    Rudiger sighed. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know what to do. I can¡¯t deny I¡¯m getting anxious, though. We haven¡¯t made any progress since coming here.¡±


    Acat and Kianto nodded. ¡°You don¡¯t have to make up your mind right now,¡± Acat said. ¡°We can¡¯t do anything right away anyway. We don¡¯t want to wait as long as Fra-Mecatl does, but we acknowledge we have to wait a little.¡±


    ¡°What if I tell Fra-Mecatl?¡±


    The two men shrugged, and Ses-Patli frowned.


    ¡°That¡¯s your choice,¡± Kianto said. ¡°If you do, we¡¯ll admit to everything and beg her forgiveness.¡±


    ¡°The way we see it,¡± Acat said, ¡°you can¡¯t win a revolution without taking a few risks, so we¡¯re taking a risk with you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give it some thought,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°That¡¯s all we ask,¡± Kianto said.


    ¡°Thanks for showing us the horses,¡± Ses-Patli said.


    After they were gone, Rudiger remained in the barn for a while longer. Was it wise to get involved in a conspiracy within a conspiracy? Acat¡¯s words remained on his mind, though.


    You can¡¯t win a revolution without taking a few risks.


    They weren¡¯t going to find Corvinian without taking a few risks, either. So perhaps it was time to take one.


    Gods, he wished Zandrue was here.

 Chapter 25: Borisin (Part 1)

    She began to pace about the communal room. ¡°Very well, we will return to the basics. The sacred animals, name them.¡±


    ¡°Sacred colours?¡±


    Or maybe she was dead. He couldn¡¯t shake the memory of her stumbles and the thought that she was ill. In that case, he should have gone after her, made her listen, insisted she let him or someone else help her. He couldn¡¯t stand the thought of her body lying forgotten and undiscovered somewhere.


    There was a thud as a book slammed onto the table in front of him. ¡°Read,¡± Fra-Mecatl said. ¡°We will resume tomorrow.¡±


    He stashed the book in his room and headed out to the barn.


    He was getting sick and tired of doing nothing day in, day out. He didn¡¯t mind tending the horses, but it wasn¡¯t accomplishing anything. Nearly three months and they¡¯d made no progress finding Corvinian. Was there any point any more? The poor kid was probably dead, and even if he wasn¡¯t, the trail was so cold by now, there was no likelihood of picking it up again.


    This resistance he had somehow found himself part of also wasn¡¯t doing anything other than waiting. Even the ones who were tired of waiting were still waiting. He had decided to take a risk and agree to support Acat, Kianto, and Ses-Patli, but he hadn¡¯t even been able to tell them that as he hadn¡¯t heard from them in nearly three weeks.


    And there was no Zandrue. No Borisin.


    Part of Rudiger just wanted to collect Jorvan and sneak away in the dark of night. They could find a way to scale the wall¡ªJorvan could just fly over it¡ªand they¡¯d be away from Ninifin forever. Except he doubted Jorvan would do it. Plus, any time he put serious thought into it, he worried Zandrue would come back the day after they left. So he always ended up choosing to wait one more day.


    The horses were eager to get out of their stalls. Mulac and Nelli wasted no time hurrying outside, and Tepin was only a short distance behind them. Xoco decided to be contrary and just stood in her stall when Rudiger opened it. When he threatened to close it again, she pushed past him and out into the field.


    Outside, there was activity back by the house. A large group of people had arrived with a covered wagon and several horses. Some sort of delivery? While Fra-Tepeu preferred his trips into the city, he did occasionally have things delivered. Though this seemed bigger than what Rudiger would expect for a delivery.


    He walked a short distance towards the house to get a better look, but he couldn¡¯t go far as he still had to keep an eye on Fra-Tepeu¡¯s horses. Though Mulac was already wandering in that direction anyway. Rudiger was about to whistle to bring the horse back, but paused. One of the horses with the new arrivals was much larger than any of the others¡ªa huge roan horse looking in his direction.


    The horse continued to look at him. If it was Borisin, they were too far apart for communication. Rudiger wanted to head straight over there to find out, but he couldn¡¯t leave the horses. He could take them with him, though. A little walk across the field for some exercise. It would be good for them.


    Took you long enough, Borisin said.


    Took me long enough? You¡¯ve been gone for months!


    Figured you must have forgotten me, the amount of time you just stood over there gaping.


    This is how you greet me after all this time?


    Okay, now you¡¯re just embarrassing me, Borisin said.Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Oh come on, you¡¯re happy to see me and you know it.¡±


    If that¡¯s what you choose to believe.


    Your horse? I think you mean you¡¯re my human.


    ¡°Yes, I gathered that,¡± Fra-Tepeu said. ¡°Just don¡¯t lose sight of my horses.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re speaking Ninifin now. You¡¯ve adjusted well, it seems.¡± Eleuia was standing a short distance away, arms crossed.


    Ses-Izel, Borisin corrected.


    Right. Rudiger knew that¡¯s what he should be calling her, but for some reason, he couldn¡¯t help think of her by the name Eleuia. Maybe because so many other people referred to her that way. ¡°Haven¡¯t had much choice,¡± he said aloud.


    ¡°I doubt that.¡±


    I¡¯m no handful. You lot are either lazy or incompetent.


    She sighed. ¡°Look, officially I¡¯m a merchant. I have a very difficult-to-get pass that lets me through the gate twice a year, once in each direction. So I have to be very picky about when I cross. There was no way I was going to cross back that early. On top of that, horses are not an item that I am licensed to trade in. So I have to have the exact same number coming back in as I had going out. In the case of your other two horses, I was able to sell two of mine, which I then replaced after getting back inside. Borisin was tougher.¡±


    Look at that thing. Look at those poor horses hitched to it now. You really think I was going to let anyone hook all that up to me?


    You¡¯re not going to like this, Borisin said.


    That¡¯s exactly what she¡¯s about to tell you.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me,¡± Eleuia said, turning away from him again. ¡°I¡¯ll turn him over to the Queen, and then he¡¯s out of my hands. He¡¯s your problem then.¡±


    I figured we¡¯d figure things out, Borisin said.


    She can¡¯t hear me when I talk to you.


    She likes me.


    ¡°I understand why you don¡¯t want to lose him, but there¡¯s nothing else I can do, and I can¡¯t risk myself or my operation. So unless you have some amazing solution, I really am walking away from this as soon as I turn him over to the Queen.¡± She stood there, glaring at him, and waited. ¡°Well?¡±


    She doesn¡¯t know you like I do. So where¡¯s the smelly one?


    Zandrue. I¡¯ve told you before she smells weird.


    Nah, to me she¡¯s smelly. So where is she?


    ¡°Wish I knew, buddy. Wish I knew.¡±


    What? You¡¯re running the stables here? Hallelujah! Good service at last!


    Fra-Tepeu peered at Borisin and walked slowly alongside the horse. ¡°He¡¯s a good horse. Obviously seen some combat. A bit of scarring, but in good shape. I can see he hasn¡¯t been under your care for some time though. I¡¯ll convince Ses-Izel to stay an extra day, so you can clean him up properly before he¡¯s presented to her Holiness.¡±

 Chapter 25: Borisin (Part 2)

    What did you do to that kid? Rudiger asked early on.


    Nothing, I swear. Nothing at all. Well, I might have threatened to bite him once or twice.


    Uh huh.


    I wouldn¡¯t have actually done it, but he skips spots when he¡¯s brushing me.


    Maybe because he¡¯s afraid of you.


    No, he¡¯s just lazy.


    Rudiger left tending Borisin until last, which initially annoyed the horse, but he acquiesced to the argument that going last meant he got the most time. It also meant Rudiger could send Ervin on his way and have time alone with Borisin¡ªand the other horses.


    I think you just did.


    Sometimes, but the service was terrible.


    Already told you, he¡¯s lazy.


    Ses-Izel.


    Izel hates being called Eleuia. Doesn¡¯t think she deserves it.


    ¡°You just referred to her without her honorific.¡±


    I told you. She likes me.


    She¡¯s not much of a horse person, but I grew on her. So a bit more frequently as time went on, and she became a bit more open to talking.


    You mean you still haven¡¯t gotten to it? I thought it was the question about whether they ever brushed me.


    Borisin shifted his rear legs a couple of steps and snorted. Fine. You want to know about me talking to others?


    ¡°Yeah, pretty much.¡± Rudiger moved on to brushing Borisin¡¯s neck. ¡°Didn¡¯t even realise you could do it, since you never did. Least, far as I ever saw.¡±


    I don¡¯t usually.


    Yeah. Sort of.


    It¡¯s hard sometimes. Takes a lot of effort.


    No, you¡¯re different. Don¡¯t know why. You just are. Could you scratch behind my ear? I have a terrible itch. Besides you didn¡¯t brush there enough.


    Don¡¯t know.


    A little.


    I¡¯m not really sure where to start.


    ¡°Start with yourself. You¡¯re the common factor. Who are you? What are you?¡±


    I¡¯m a horse! At least, I think I¡¯m a horse. I look like a horse. I smell like a horse. Other horses treat me like a horse. I¡¯m a horse. But I¡¯ve always been different. Smarter. I learned when I was very young that I could talk to the other horses in ways they couldn¡¯t do with each other.


    All the time, Borisin said. Though it¡¯s not conversation the way you think of conversation. They don¡¯t have language. They pick up on a few words you and other humans use with them, but they don¡¯t have actual language skills, so they communicate...it¡¯s hard to explain...in images, I suppose, though even that¡¯s not quite right. It¡¯s not the most interesting conversation. They can only express very simple concepts like happiness, fear, hunger. Ooh, that reminds me. I¡¯m hungry. Anything to eat here?


    You¡¯re no fun. Anyway, neither were they for the most part. At some point, I started to wonder if I could communicate with non-horses. It didn¡¯t work with other animals, but I discovered it could work with humans. Scared my so-called owner of the time half to death when I spoke to him. He declared me a creature of Night and sold me to the first merchant he could find. I tried with a few other humans after that. Always scared them too. And like I said, communicating with humans took effort. Different amounts for different people, but always at least some effort, which would tire me. I also had to learn your language. Unlike horses, you humans think in words.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Yeah, I spent the last few months learning it, just like you.


    Anyway, eventually, I stopped trying to communicate with humans. Until you came along. I could tell there was something different about you. Not in your scent or appearance, just a feeling. So I tried and it took no effort at all. It was like talking to other horses. You were also the first human not terrified by what I¡¯d done. So I decided to stick around. And that¡¯s about it.


    You¡¯re welcome.


    They¡¯d take effort. Not worth it.


    Borisin¡¯s muscles tensed. I considered it.


    I realised she was...different after first meeting her. I could tell she had an ability like mine, only she was far more powerful. Except...


    Don¡¯t know. Can¡¯t explain it. There¡¯s something...something around her mind. Encompassing it, like a ball. It¡¯s a wonder she can use her abilities at all. I tried contacting her once. Couldn¡¯t get through. It wasn¡¯t pleasant. I¡¯m not doing that again.


    ¡°I never had any clue,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°About any of this.¡±


    I¡¯ve never been one to talk about myself; you¡¯ve never been one to ask. It worked well for me.


    Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll figure out a way to get me away from the Queen. You and I have been through too much to be separated permanently.


    Sounds good. Now, why don¡¯t you tell me what you¡¯ve been up to? And where¡¯s the Isyar?


    Rudiger continued to work on Borisin¡¯s hooves while he informed Borisin what had happened since they¡¯d last seen each other.


    Fra-Tepeu rose from his seat and leaned on his cane. ¡°Ses-Izel has been gracious enough to stay an extra day.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, and more,¡± the old man eagerly continued. ¡°I will prepare a letter for you outlining something along the following. After seeing the magnificent horse that Lord Elaster was gifting to her Holiness, I realised the mistake he had unwittingly made. He did not send someone to tend to the animal. The Queen, or more specifically her advisors and attendants, will love the idea of a Folith screwing up. Anyway, they all know of the many prized horses I have raised and tended throughout my life. I will explain in the letter that I am too old now to commit to tending the horse myself, but that I am sending her Holiness my most favoured apprentice, who just happens to also be a Folith and so is well-versed in Folith animals.¡± He walked over to Rudiger. ¡°I¡¯ll be sorry to lose you, Rudiger. The last few years, I¡¯ve been unable to tend my horses properly, and you have been a gods-send. But you are far more valuable to us on the inside.¡±


    ¡°If this works,¡± Fra-Mecatl said, ¡°it could put you close to the Queen¡¯s court, even closer than I hoped to get with Zandrue. Once we have you on the inside, we can start making long-term plans.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯m going to be a spy?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow, we begin new lessons,¡± Fra-Mecatl said. ¡°There¡¯s a lot you need to learn and we only have the one day, so unfortunately, we¡¯ll need to...skim most of it.¡± She shuddered. ¡°We start at dawn and go straight through till dusk.¡±


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve got your work cut out for you,¡± Ses-Izel said. ¡°I don¡¯t envy you. Fra-Tepeu, if you or Fra-Mecatl need me or any of my people, we¡¯ll be at our camp outside.¡± She motioned to the other two with her, and they left the house.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning to.¡± He hadn¡¯t even thought of that. He doubted she would be willing, anyway, given how little she seemed to like him. Maybe Jorvan could help. How well did Jorvan speak Ninifin anyway? Could Jorvan read it too? He needed to talk to Jorvan anyway. Right after he got the squash for Fra-Tepeu. And there were other things he should talk to Ses-Izel about as well¡ªif she was willing.

 Chapter 25: Borisin (Part 3)

    It was raining outside. Rudiger could hear the drops hitting the roof and walls of the barn. Inside, it was stuffy, even more so than usual. Eleven horses all together could do that.


    He rubbed the sore part of his right hand. Fra-Mecatl had hit it numerous times that morning as he had tried to remember all the names and rules she was trying to teach him. Surprisingly, however, she had done nothing in response to his lack of progress on the book. He told her first thing that he had tried to read it, but he simply couldn¡¯t. While he could speak the language now, he had not learnt to read it. Her response was just to launch into the day¡¯s lessons.


    He now had a large list of names of people he should listen for news on or even watch if he had the opportunity. There were so many people to remember, he wasn¡¯t sure how to keep them all straight. At least he had a written list, complete with descriptions. It was even written in Arnorgue.


    ¡°Only because there is no other choice,¡± Fra-Mecatl had said when giving it to him. ¡°There is simply not enough time otherwise. Once you¡¯ve memorised it, destroy it. You could probably explain it if caught with it, but better safe than sorry.¡±


    He¡¯d made a point of packing the list right away so he wouldn¡¯t leave it behind.


    The barn door opened and a short figure entered. In the dim light, Rudiger thought at first that it must be Acat, but the individual was slenderer than Acat. The figure came forward into the light of his lantern. It was Ses-Izel.


    ¡°Believe it or not,¡± she said, ¡°I¡¯m actually glad to see you, too.¡±


    ¡°You are?¡± Rudiger said. ¡°I never said anything about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you.¡± She walked past him to Borisin¡¯s stall. She patted the stallion¡¯s head.


    Right, Rudiger thought. Now he understood how other people must feel whenever he talked to Borisin. He would have to make more effort to remember to use silent conversation in the future.


    Told you she liked me, Borisin said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you were coming,¡± Rudiger said to her.


    She had been furious when he¡¯d asked her to come out and had told her why. She¡¯d screamed at him for several minutes. ¡°This is not your fight, Rudiger. You do not get to start making plans for us! Just stick to what Fra-Mecatl and Fra-Tepeu tell you to do, and no more.¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± he said. ¡°But I¡¯ve been dragged into this. They asked me to get involved. I¡¯m just trying to find someone, and I¡¯ve no idea if all this revolution stuff is helping or hindering me.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯re in way over your head, and you are not taking me down with you.¡±


    He had tried for a little longer to convince her, but had just made her angrier. So he was very surprised to see her here now.


    ¡°Fra-Tepeu asked me to come,¡± Ses-Izel said, not taking her eyes off Borisin. ¡°I respect him a great deal, so I came. Don¡¯t expect me to leap on board whatever you¡¯re planning.¡±


    ¡°All I was hoping you¡¯d do is listen,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°Yeah, sure, listen,¡± she said, finally turning away from Borisin.


    They stood in silence for a few minutes, while they waited for the others to arrive. Rudiger wasn¡¯t sure if he should say something. Just casual talk to pass the time. Or would she scream at him?


    She was the one who broke the silence. ¡°So, what have you been doing with the Isyar? I assume you must be hiding him somewhere.¡±


    ¡°He spends almost all his time in the cellar,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°But right now, he¡¯s at the back, praying or meditating or something.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s here?¡± She began to look around.


    ¡°I¡¯ve asked him to stay in the dark until I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to reveal him to them? Gods, you¡¯re stupider than I thought.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to find out their attitudes towards Isyar first. I¡¯m not quite that stupid. I¡¯ve learnt a little bit about what goes on in Ninifin. I know Fra-Mecatl teaches it¡¯s only one Isyar that¡¯s evil, not the lot of them. If they agree with her teachings, hopefully they¡¯ll be okay with learning about him. He could be a resource to them, and if Borisin and I are going to get away from the Palace eventually, we¡¯ll need him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re taking a hell of a risk.¡±


    ¡°Need to. Otherwise, nothing¡¯s ever going to get done.¡±


    ¡°I ought to just walk out of here right now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your choice, but I could use your help.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    She stepped up to him. ¡°See, there¡¯s the problem Rudiger. You need my help? Again, this isn¡¯t your fight.¡±


    ¡°I meant we need your help. The resistance, everyone. They admire and trust you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯m out of here. I gave you a chance, and that¡¯s all Fra-Tepeu can expect.¡± She turned for the exit, but the door was opening. ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°Eleuia! Is that you?¡± It was Ses-Patli. She leaned the spear she was carrying against the wall, and rushed forward to greet Ses-Izel. ¡°Thank Ninussa! We didn¡¯t expect you back for some time yet. No wonder Rudiger wanted to see us.¡±


    ¡°Good to see you again, Ses-Patli,¡± Ses-Izel said. Her stance relaxed a bit, but Rudiger couldn¡¯t decide if that was because she was genuinely happy to see the other Ninifin or if she was just putting on a good act.


    Once Acat and Kianto arrived a few minutes later, Rudiger filled all three in on the situation with Borisin. ¡°There¡¯s still a chance the Queen might turn me away,¡± he finished.


    ¡°A pretty good chance, I¡¯d say,¡± Ses-Izel interrupted.


    ¡°Okay, a pretty good chance, but assuming she doesn¡¯t, then...well...I figured you¡¯d all want to know about this.¡±


    ¡°This could be a great opportunity,¡± Ses-Patli said.


    ¡°And an incredibly risky one,¡± Ses-Izel said. ¡°Rudiger should stick to gathering information and that¡¯s it. We don¡¯t have the resources to plan anything more extravagant than that.¡±


    ¡°But surely now is the time to start building towards that,¡± Acat said.


    Ses-Izel shook her head. ¡°Eventually, maybe. In a few years. But not now. We¡¯ve always known this operation would take years. In the meantime, I¡¯ll continue¡ª¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s already taken years,¡± Kianto said, ¡°and in that time, Fra-Ichtaca has just strengthened her position.¡±


    ¡°Have you heard about the Youth Guard?¡± Acat said.


    The talk went back and forth for some time after that. Rudiger decided to add as few comments as possible, except when directly asked. These four knew far more about the political situation and the strengths of the Resistance than he did. He just listened and tried to put as much to memory as he could, since he was going to need a lot of it.


    Ses-Izel continued to push for caution and patience, and Ses-Patli was quickly convinced. Acat and Kianto, however, continued to push for being more proactive and to make preparations to extract Rudiger should it become necessary. Ses-Izel agreed to the latter, saying that she and her people would take care of that, and the rest of the Resistance should stay out of it.


    ¡°However, Rudiger, if we have to extract you through any sort of covert means, I can make no guarantees about Borisin. To be honest, I can¡¯t even make any guarantees about you, but Borisin will be virtually impossible.¡±


    ¡°Oh hell,¡± Rudiger said, but bit his lip to stop himself saying anything more. He didn¡¯t need another argument with her right now, especially what would be practically the exact same argument he¡¯d had with her the very first time they¡¯d met. And like that time, he understood her reasons as much as he hated them.


    ¡°Is the horse really that important?¡± Ses-Patli asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rudiger said, and to his surprise, Ses-Izel said the same thing at the same time.


    Ses-Patli walked over to Borisin¡¯s stall and Borisin pulled his head back. ¡°I know the horse is what is getting you in there in the first place, but what other value does it have?¡±


    Borisin snorted and shuffled his feet. Value? What am I, a commodity? See, this is why I don¡¯t like most people.


    ¡°A lot,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°He¡¯s a magnificent horse, Rudiger,¡± Kianto said, ¡°and I understand you must have a great deal of attachment to him, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not a typical horse,¡± Ses-Izel interrupted. ¡°He¡¯s intelligent, he can understand every word you¡¯re saying, and he can talk.¡±


    Acat laughed, but stopped when he saw Ses-Izel staring at him, arms crossed. ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡±


    ¡°Very. Which is why I regret that getting Borisin out in a crisis will be almost impossible, but it¡¯s the truth.¡±


    ¡°A horse like that would be a shame to lose,¡± Kianto said, ¡°but Eleuia¡¯s right, Rudiger. There may be no other choice.¡±


    ¡°I understand that,¡± Rudiger said, ¡°but what if I have another resource I can offer you?¡±


    ¡°What sort of resource?¡± Kianto asked.


    Ses-Izel stiffened and looked at Rudiger. She shook her head and mouthed the word, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Before I say,¡± Rudiger said, ¡°can I ask you a question? All of you?¡±


    Kianto put an arm around Acat¡¯s shoulders and they both nodded. ¡°Of course,¡± Acat said.


    Ses-Patli came back over from Borisin¡¯s stall. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Fra-Mecatl. Do you agree with her teachings?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Acat said. ¡°I think she¡¯s overly cautious, but she¡¯s a wise woman.¡±


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be here if we didn¡¯t believe what she has to say,¡± Ses-Patli said.


    ¡°Good,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°Because what I¡¯m about to show you may be a little shocking at first, and your first instinct may be one of fear or hatred.¡±


    ¡°What are you going on about?¡± Ses-Patli said.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to introduce you to someone. Zandrue and I aren¡¯t the only outsiders staying with Fra-Mecatl and Fra-Tepeu. There¡¯s a third, and he¡¯s here with their full knowledge and blessing. It¡¯s important that you know that.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what he¡¯s talking about, Eleuia?¡± Ses-Patli asked.


    Ses-Izel lowered her head. ¡°Yes, I do. I advised him not to do this, but since he¡¯s ignoring my advice, I should just tell you that you have nothing to fear from this person. He is ill and weak in this environment, so I question how much of a resource he¡¯ll be to you, but... Fuck it, you should just meet him. Jorvanultumn, come forward.¡±


    Ses-Patli stumbled back as the silhouette of Jorvan¡¯s wings became visible in the dim light, and she ran to grab her spear. Acat whimpered and clutched at Kianto.


    You humans are so weird, Borisin said.

 Chapter 26: Nin-Xoco (Part 1)

    castle was correct, but the very first time they¡¯d passed through the city, Zandrue had insisted palace was the correct translation.


    They didn¡¯t design this place for horses, did they? Borisin said.


    I can tell I¡¯m not going to like it here.


    some of Fra-Mecatl¡¯s teachings.


    I don¡¯t think they like each other very much, Borisin said.


    She didn¡¯t use Ses-Izel¡¯s honorific, Rudiger replied. In general, only close friends and family received the right to address someone without their honorific. These two did not seem friends, but he could not remember there being any mention on his list of anyone being Ses-Izel¡¯s family.


    Careful, Rudiger warned.


    Made her jump.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    I don¡¯t think she likes you, either, Borisin said.


    And you passed up your opportunity to win her over, Rudiger replied.


    I don¡¯t win people over. I don¡¯t even like people. She¡¯s got an unusual smell on her though.


    What do you mean by unusual?


    It¡¯s not her smell. Something she¡¯s in regular contact with, though. An animal I don¡¯t recognise.


    Hey! I am not stubborn. I just don¡¯t let up when I¡¯m right, and I¡¯m right most of the time.

 Chapter 26: Nin-Xoco (Part 2)

    The main building had a lot of doors, close to a dozen on just this side. Most of those doors opened simultaneously at that moment and more Ninifin warriors emerged¡ªall women dressed in the red jerkins and black skirts of the Queen¡¯s Guard. About two dozen in all. Behind them came five priests, two each in the green of Ninussa and the yellow of Sestin, and one in the white of Frana. Fra-Atl joined them and the six priests spread out in a line with a gap in the centre, one priest of each of the three gods on each side. Next came a succession of young girls and boys dressed in white and carrying wreaths of multicoloured feathers.


    Finally, two figures emerged from the central door and approached the gap in the line of priests. One was a young woman, a little paler than typical for a Ninifin, though still with a coppery sheen to her skin. She wore a green shawl and green skirts, and a feathered headdress similar to the ones worn by the priests but taller and with larger feathers. More feathers of various colours, but mostly green, adorned her long hair, which reached almost to her thighs. She also wore numerous necklaces, bracelets, and anklets. She only had one noticeable tattoo¡ªa sun¡ªon the side of her neck.


    At the young woman¡¯s side was a massive orange cat with black spots. Rudiger had never seen one before, but he could only assume it was one of the jaguars Ninifins were so fond of. Circling the cat¡¯s neck was a thick red leather collar attached to a lead held by the Queen. The cat growled at the yellow-robed priest who ended up beside it¡ªan older woman with an eye tattoo on her forehead. The Queen hissed something at the cat, which continued to growl, but more softly.


    Two of the wreath-bearing children approached in front of the Queen and the jaguar and turned to face Rudiger, Borisin, and Ses-Izel. ¡°Presenting her Holiness, Nin-Xoco, Twelfth Queen of Ninifin, Bearer of the Rod of Nin-Papan, Voice of Ninussa,¡± they chanted. Then they moved aside again.


    ¡°Kneel,¡± Ses-Izel whispered and knelt. Rudiger followed suit.


    Queen Nin-Xoco stepped forward a couple steps, the jaguar following beside her. She held out the jaguar¡¯s lead and Ses-Zeltzin came forward and took it from her hands. The guard led the cat off to the side, where it lay down on the stone ground.


    That¡¯s the source of the scent on Ses-Zeltzin, Borisin said. Izel says it¡¯s what Ses-Zeltzin threatened to feed me to.


    Better watch yourself, buddy, Rudiger replied.


    I¡¯m not worried. I could take that thing with my eyes closed.


    Hate to break it to you, buddy, but I suspect that thing would rip you to shreds.


    Guess we¡¯ll just have to wait and see.


    How ¡¯bout we don¡¯t? Just behave yourself, okay? And be careful.


    ¡°You may present yourselves,¡± the Queen said.


    Ses-Izel produced her letter and held it out. ¡°Holiness, I am Ses-Izel, a merchant who regularly passes the northern gate out of Ninifin to trade with the Arnorins. On my latest trip, I was contacted by the lord of the province of Nallin, who paid me to deliver a gift to you: this letter and this warhorse.¡±


    One of the children came forward, took the letter from Ses-Izel, and delivered it to the Queen. She broke the seal and glanced at the letter. With a sigh, she then tossed it aside. Another of the children scurried forward to retrieve it. ¡°He has written it in his tongue again. I tire of reading that uncivilised language.¡± The Queen approached Borisin. ¡°This, however, is a better gift than he usually sends. You called it a warhorse. I confess I don¡¯t know much about horses. Are they suitable for war? This one is bigger than any other horse I¡¯ve seen. Zeltzin?¡±


    ¡°Foliths use them for war, Holiness,¡± Ses-Zeltzin replied. ¡°They are inefficient in the forest, but on an open plain, they have some benefits. Their main use is that warriors can ride them into battle.¡±


    ¡°I would be interested in seeing that,¡± the Queen said. ¡°Perhaps I will ride this one into battle myself one day.¡±


    Not a chance, Borisin said. She¡¯s not getting on my back.


    Sorry, buddy, but if she wants to ride you, you¡¯re going to let her. While we¡¯re here, you¡¯re going to treat her like she¡¯s me.


    Ugh, fine.


    ¡°I suppose we should compose a thank you letter,¡± the Queen continued. She turned around to face the line of priests. ¡°Fra-Atl, see to it, will you? Make sure the letter is in Ninifin. Be polite if you must, but turn down any requests for a meeting or courtship.¡±


    Fra-Atl bowed her head and replied, ¡°As you wish, Holiness.¡±


    The Queen turned back around and looked to Rudiger. ¡°And you?¡±


    Rudiger produced his own letter and held it out. He went through the same lines he had started with Ses-Zeltzin, getting through them all this time. As with Ses-Izel, one of the children came forward and delivered the letter to the Queen. She broke the seal and appeared to read the letter this time.


    ¡°It is good to read proper words. It is signed by Fra-Tepeu, but I detect Fra-Mecatl¡¯s hand in some of the words. It has her style to it. I do miss Fra-Mecatl. She does not come to the city often enough anymore.¡± The Queen turned to face the priests again. ¡°Didn¡¯t I hear that she was preparing a foreign convert for the priesthood? What is happening with that? Ses-Xipil?¡±


    The yellow-robed priest with the eye tattoo answered. ¡°There have been some delays as I understand, Holiness. You know these foreigners. They are slow to learn.¡±


    ¡°I hope she succeeds. It would be the crowning achievement to a brilliant career, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±


    ¡°Agreed, Holiness,¡± Ses-Xipil said.


    The Queen turned back to Rudiger. ¡°It is quite something that Fra-Mecatl and her brother should have two foreigners with them. What is your relationship to the other one?¡±


    Rudiger did his best to avoid grimacing. No one had given him any tips on what to say if he was asked about Zandrue. It hadn¡¯t even occurred to him that it might happen. How should he reply? ¡°We came to Ninifin together, Holiness. She is my...sister.¡± He hoped no one caught his hesitation.


    ¡°You may stand,¡± the Queen said. ¡°I would like to look at you better.¡±


    Rudiger stood up and the Queen came closer to him. ¡°So very tall. You understand this animal?¡±


    Rudiger looked at Borisin. ¡°He is relatively new to me, Holiness, but I have much experience with horses.¡±


    ¡°A tender of horses seems a lowly profession for one with a physique such as yours. Although this is a warhorse. Have you ever ridden a horse into battle, Rudiger?¡±


    He had been told to deny that he was in any way a warrior, though he had also been told circumstances might mean he would need to change any of the things he had been advised to say. Perhaps this was one of those occasions. If it made the Queen more well-disposed towards him... ¡°I have on a couple occasions, Holiness.¡±


    ¡°That is good.¡± She stepped closer to him. ¡°You have the bearing of a warrior. Perhaps you¡¯ll train me to ride the beast.¡±


    ¡°If you desire it, Holiness.¡±


    ¡°I do desire it.¡±


    ¡°Then I would be happy to, Holiness.¡±


    She ran her hand down his arm and looked up at him. ¡°That makes me very glad.¡± Her lips twitched in a slight smile, and then she stepped back.


    Was she coming on to him? No, he was probably imagining it.


    Good grief, Borisin said, can¡¯t we go anywhere without you flirting with every woman you meet?


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    I do not flirt with every woman I meet, and I¡¯m certainly not flirting now!


    The Queen moved back closer to the line of priests, then addressed him and Ses-Izel again. ¡°These are fine gifts. I accept them. Have a place of stabling prepared for the horse. Oh! I shall have to name him.¡±


    Name me? I have a name! Rudiger, tell her I have a name and I like it just fine.


    And how do I do that without giving away that you can talk? Rudiger replied.


    ¡°Ses-Izel,¡± the Queen said, ¡°did the Folith lord provide a name for the horse?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Holiness,¡± Ses-Izel said. ¡°Borisin.¡±


    The Queen frowned. ¡°Borisin? Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I believe so, Holiness,¡± Ses-Izel said. ¡°It is probably in the letter if you wanted to check.¡±


    The Queen shook her head. ¡°No matter. It is a poor name. A Folith name. He needs a warrior¡¯s name. Zeltzin, suggest a good name for this horse.¡±


    ¡°Buluc, Holiness.¡±


    ¡°Yes, perfect. Thank you, Zeltzin. I shall call him Buluc.¡±


    I don¡¯t like Buluc. My name¡¯s Borisin. Tell her I don¡¯t like Buluc.


    Sorry, buddy. She¡¯s the Queen. We can¡¯t risk crossing her.


    ¡°Ses-Izel,¡± the Queen said. ¡°You may stand.¡±


    Ses-Izel did as instructed.


    ¡°Thank you for bringing Buluc to me. He is a fine gift. I am only sorry that you had to deal with that cretin of a Folith lord. He has been a thorn in my side of late.¡±


    ¡°It was no bother, Holiness. I am happy to serve. Besides, he paid well.¡±


    ¡°I should hope so. I would hate to think you did this service without some reward. Still, I feel I should provide you with some form of repayment.¡±


    ¡°Being in your presence is reward enough, Holiness.¡±


    ¡°Yes, an excellent suggestion! I grant your request.¡±


    ¡°My request, Holiness?¡± Ses-Izel said.


    ¡°Yes, you shall be my guest. You can tell me all about your experiences outside Ninifin. I would love to hear them.¡±


    ¡°I would be honoured to stay a short time, Holiness,¡± Ses-Izel said. ¡°A few days, perhaps?¡±


    ¡°I would not disgrace you with such an offensively short stay,¡± the Queen replied. ¡°You must stay a week or two at least. Oh! I have an idea. You must stay until New Year¡¯s, watch the sacrifices with me. I am told they will be spectacular this year.¡±


    ¡°New Year¡¯s,¡± Ses-Izel said, her voice wavering. ¡°Holiness, I am honoured, but that¡¯s...months away. I would...I would hate to be a burden to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, nonsense. You will not be a burden. It¡¯s not just for the horse. You have done many services for Ninifin. You are part of a very small, select group who are granted the right to leave and venture into the outside world. You brave the dangers of Arnor for the benefit of Ninifin. You deserve to be honoured for that. And think of the prestige it will bring your business. When the people see you standing with me at the sacrifices, they will be lining up to do business with you.¡±


    ¡°You are...very...wise, Holiness.¡±


    The Queen waved the compliment aside, but smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t like to brag, but people frequently tell me that¡¯s one of my finest qualities. You accept then?¡±


    ¡°I am truly honoured, Holiness. I accept.¡± Ses-Izel bowed just low enough to come below Borisin¡¯s neck. At that moment, she turned her head a little towards Rudiger and sneered at him.


    Now what had he done?


    ¡°Wonderful!¡± the Queen said. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to spend time together. Fra-Atl, please oversee providing my guests with accommodation. Rudiger, I would like to visit my horse tomorrow. Please make sure that you and he are ready.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Holiness,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°I look forward to it.¡±


    ¡°As do I,¡± she said with a smile, and Rudiger groaned inwardly.


    Nin-Xoco walked over to Ses-Zeltzin and took back the jaguar¡¯s lead. She then proceeded through the gap in the line of priests, the jaguar at her side again. As they passed, the jaguar snapped at the priest with the eye tattoo¡ªSes-Xipil, high priest of Sestin, if Rudiger remembered correctly. The priest reeled back with a scowl.


    ¡°Really, Bahlam,¡± the Queen hissed, her voice becoming harder to hear as she got farther away. ¡°What do you have against her? She has done...¡±


    That priest smells strange, Borisin said. Must be why that jaguar thing doesn¡¯t like her. It¡¯s a familiar smell though. It¡¯s similar to¡ªoh, wait a moment. Izel says this is all your fault.


    The people attending the Queen began to file out in the reverse order they had arrived in.


    Rudiger looked over at Ses-Izel, who was glaring at him. My fault? What did I do?


    Borisin snorted. Just a sec. She says that if you and Zandrue had never come here, none of this would be happening right now.


    The last of the children disappeared through the doors, and the priests, except for Fra-Atl, headed for the doors as well.


    Yeah, well, tell her we didn¡¯t have a choice, and this is absolutely not our fault.


    Borisin snorted. Fine, just a moment.


    Fra-Atl came over to them.


    She says it is your fault because you proceeded to get involved in local politics. Arnorins always think they have a right to interfere with what Ninifins do.


    ¡°Please come with me,¡± Fra-Atl said. ¡°I will show you the stables first and then take you to your accommodations.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Reverence,¡± Ses-Izel said.


    What¡¯s the big deal anyway? Rudiger asked. Why is being the Queen¡¯s guest a problem? Won¡¯t that help the resistance even more than me being here will?


    Fra-Atl began to lead the way across the courtyard, but not towards the main building. Several guards fell into formation behind them.


    Izel wants me to quote her precisely on this. You¡¯re a fucking idiot. Sorry about the language. That was me, not her. She¡¯s not apologizing for anything. Anyway, she says that if anyone sees her with the Queen and makes the association between her and her sideline business, everything she¡¯s worked her entire life for will be ruined. So yes, you¡¯re an idiot and this is all your fault.


    Well, you tell her¡ª


    Look, can you two argue between yourselves? Borisin interrupted. I refuse to be part of this any longer. I¡¯m telling her that, too.


    Fra-Atl led them around and past some of the side buildings to a path that led along the north side of the main building and past several more side buildings.


    Anyway, Borisin said after a few moments. I wanted to tell you about that priest¡¯s smell.


    Rudiger sighed. Another shifty smell that you can¡¯t really explain? Seem to be a lot of those these days. How¡¯s this one any different?


    No, this one I can explain, but if you¡¯re too grumpy to listen...


    No, sorry buddy. Like you said, I¡¯m just grumpy. Ses-Izel infuriates me sometimes. But I¡¯ll listen. Go ahead.


    Borisin snorted. Okay, basically, everyone has their own unique smell. I can recognise you by yours, for example.


    Right, I understand that.


    But your unique smell is in a range of smells I recognise as human. Every human smells a certain way. Same goes for horses or dogs or any other animal. I learned the jaguar smell for the first time today, for example.


    Okay, I get that. What does this have to do with the priest¡¯s smell?


    I don¡¯t think she¡¯s human.


    What?


    Her scent¡¯s not far from human, but there are distinct differences. In the past, I put it off as just weird, since I¡¯d never encountered it before, but now...


    Okay, just a minute. In the past? When in the past? You know this smell?


    I¡¯ve told you since the day you met her Zandrue smells strange. I can¡¯t tell you what it means or what they are, but I can tell you Zandrue and that priest are the same kind of...thing...creature...animal, whatever.


    Rudiger nearly stopped walking and ended up stumbling. But that doesn¡¯t make any sense. She¡¯s human. I mean, you just have to look at her. She doesn¡¯t have wings or horns or anything. All her parts are human. Believe me, I¡¯ve seen them.


    Well, if she¡¯s human, she and that priest are a different sort of human than any I¡¯ve ever encountered before.


    Rudiger followed Fra-Atl in silence.


    Zandrue not human? Borisin had to be wrong somehow because if she wasn¡¯t human, what the hell was she? And where was she?

 Chapter 27: Carcraime (Part 1)

    The boy and girl each placed a bowl on the table¡ªone of squash, one of corn¡ªand bowed to Ses-Xipil. The boy had a bandage around his head. He¡¯d just earned his eye tattoo and it hadn¡¯t healed yet. Zandrue had seen him about a couple of times, but she didn¡¯t have much interaction with the students.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ses-Xipil said. ¡°You may leave us.¡±


    As the boy and girl left, Ses-Xipil selected a still-steaming ear of corn and began to peel it. The heat didn¡¯t seem to affect her calloused fingers. ¡°He said he was your brother. An obvious lie, even to someone who doesn¡¯t know you as I do. However, Nin-Xoco seemed not to notice. She seemed very taken by him. That woman is none too bright. However, I am curious. What is your relation to him? You¡¯ve never said, and I never thought to ask.¡± She pushed the bowl of corn towards Zandrue.


    ¡°I knew getting into Ninifin would be dangerous and I needed some muscle.¡± Zandrue selected an ear of corn. It was hot and she dropped it onto her plate. ¡°So I hired him. Paid him enough not to ask too many questions. He was good with horses, so one way to pay back Fra-Mecatl and her brother was for him to tend their horses. They believed we were lovers.¡±


    ¡°Were you lovers?¡± Ses-Xipil asked.


    Zandrue looked down at her plate and tried to pull the hot leaves off the corn.


    ¡°There is no need to be embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°It helped keep him compliant,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Of course it did. You also need not be embarrassed if you enjoyed it, no matter what you might have been taught.¡±


    Zandrue managed to pull a leaf off the corn, allowing some of the steam to escape. She looked up and Ses-Xipil smiled at her.


    ¡°Let me guess. Ofstakim told you, you should be willing to seduce humans to get what you want, but you should never enjoy it. Enjoying it would make you unclean, unworthy of reward in the afterlife.¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Zandrue said. Her mother had drilled it into her, too, when she was too young to even understand it.


    ¡°As I have told you many times now,¡± Ses-Xipil said, ¡°that man is a dangerous idiot. He has no idea what it¡¯s really like in the field. You would be far from the first arcraime to enjoy taking a human lover. I myself do not prefer them, but when there is no one else to choose from, they are better than nothing. And I am not ashamed to admit most of my human lovers have been for pleasure not business. You will not suffer in the afterlife because of it. Ofstakim is preaching archaic beliefs.¡±


    Zandrue managed to peel the remaining leaves from the corn, while Ses-Xipil bit into hers. ¡°Thank you. I know all that in principle, but sometimes childhood experiences are hard to ignore.¡±


    Ses-Xipil nodded. ¡°I know that only too well. However, I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to mention this, but just to be sure, you must make no attempt to see him or otherwise contact him.¡±


    ¡°I know. And you have my word that I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Good. His presence at the palace means any hope of getting you in there will not happen now. But no matter. I think I have a better place to put you anyway. I can tell you no more of it until I¡¯ve spoken to Fra-Ichtaca, but I¡¯m sure once she¡¯s heard my plan, she will agree. You will not need to spend much more time doing common servants¡¯ chores.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯m eager to start real work.¡± That was a lie, but Ses-Xipil¡ªreal name Tadstaime¡ªwas not good at detecting lies, which made her comments about Nin-Xoco almost funny. It was becoming hard to lie to her, though. Not because she was likely to notice the lie, but because Zandrue didn¡¯t like lying to her.


    ¡°I know you are,¡± Tadstaime said. ¡°I needed some time to be sure of you, but I am now willing to take a risk. Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    Why did people have to be so complex? Tadstaime was a Darker, for gods¡¯ sake. Yet she had shown Zandrue nothing but kindness. It hadn¡¯t even been two weeks, and Zandrue was starting to see her as a mother-figure.


    She grew attachments too easily. Felit?a. Rudiger. She knew that. It was why she had never been suited to life as arcraime.


    Gods, Rudiger. She wanted to see him more than anything, and she was beginning to think she¡¯d never see him again.


    That hadn¡¯t been the plan. She had intended to return as soon as the galdraif concluded. In a fit of rage, she had screamed at Rudiger about not coming back, but she hadn¡¯t meant those words. And now, he must think she did.


    Tadstaime continued to talk while they ate, filling Zandrue in on various aspects of the court that Fra-Mecatl hadn¡¯t gotten to. Zandrue responded when called upon, but otherwise remained silent, only half listening, her mind stuck on Rudiger.


    She had known a galdraif was likely to occur. It was why she had refused to go to Scovese with Felit?a, part of why she had resisted coming to Ninifin. Outside Ninifin, it would have been easier to find an excuse to get away for a week. Even so, she¡¯d worked out an excuse, a whole story to give both Rudiger and Fra-Mecatl for why she had to disappear for a while. But when it had come time to give it, she just couldn¡¯t lie to Rudiger. Stupid. So stupid.


    If she had told the lie as planned, it probably wouldn¡¯t have changed events that resulted in her being here now, but at least her last time with Rudiger wouldn¡¯t have ended up an argument. He might actually be trying to find her, instead of becoming Fra-Mecatl¡¯s next plant in the palace. At least, she assumed that¡¯s what he was doing. It made sense of his actions.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The galdraif had been an easy one¡ªeasy compared to last year¡¯s delgaldraif. That had been the worst it would ever get. From now on, each would be easier and less frequent. So she¡¯d been told. She was actually surprised it had been almost a year since the last. That was comforting. Less lying to Felit?a and Rudiger. Then again, maybe it was time she told them the truth so there¡¯d be no lying at all. No need for stupid arguments.


    Gods, she¡¯d really fucked things up with that.


    She¡¯d been considering telling Rudiger everything when she returned. She hadn¡¯t made a final decision and gods knew if she would have gone through with it if she had, but she had at least been considering it as she walked along the road south of the city of Ninifin, on her way back to Fra-Mecatl and Fra-Tepeu¡¯s ranch. She was going to stop in the City and find some mollifying gifts to buy for Fra-Mecatl and Rudiger, and was readying herself mentally for their probable anger at her and to make sure she didn¡¯t respond in anger.


    As she neared the City, there was a small group up ahead coming towards her: a covered wagon painted yellow with an escort of a dozen warriors. A priest of Sestin. Probably an important one.


    Zandrue stood to the side of the road and bowed her head. ¡°Sestin¡¯s blessings on her Reverence,¡± she said to the warriors as they passed. A woman was looking out the wagon¡¯s window.


    They had only gone a short distance past Zandrue¡ªjust far enough that she was about to continue on her way¡ªwhen the wagon came to a stop and one of the warriors called out, ¡°You! Halt!¡±


    Zandrue stopped. The warrior was approaching her. ¡°Her Reverence has asked to speak to you.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m happy to speak with her Reverence.¡± It was inconvenient, but not worrying. The priest had probably noticed she wasn¡¯t a Ninifin and was curious. She just needed to drop Fra-Mecatl¡¯s name, as the priest had probably heard that there was an outsider with the elderly priest of Frana.


    The warrior led her to the back of the wagon and knocked on the door.


    ¡°Enter,¡± a voice called from inside.


    The warrior opened the door and Zandrue climbed onto the step. She put a foot into the wagon and a scent hit her nose¡ªa scent she hadn¡¯t smelled in a very long time.


    Zandrue¡¯s first instinct was run. But she¡¯d be dead in seconds if she did that. She forced herself to continue into the wagon. This way, she might have minutes remaining to her life.


    The older priest of Sestin inside stared at her, eyes wide and mouth half-open. There was no way she could have smelled Zandrue on the road from inside the wagon, but she had to have smelled her now. ¡°In,¡± she said after a moment. ¡°Sit.¡±


    She turned to the teenage girl in the wagon with her. The girl wore a yellow robe but did not have the eye tattoo. Either she hadn¡¯t earned it yet or she lacked magical potential. ¡°Out,¡± the priest said.


    ¡°Reverence?¡±


    ¡°You heard me. Out. I wish to speak to this outsider alone. I think I know who she is, and what I have to say to her is not for your ears. You will walk with the guards to the villa.¡±


    The girl bowed. ¡°Yes, Reverence.¡± She hurried out of the wagon, closing the door behind her.


    Zandrue sat in the seat the girl had vacated and looked across at the priest. The older woman had a thin face¡ªnot thin from lack of food like so many Ninifins, but naturally thin. Her hair was mostly grey and her skin was starting to show hints of wrinkles. Like all wizard priests of Sestin, she bore a tattoo of an eye on her forehead. Zandrue couldn¡¯t be sure, but she suspected this person was Ses-Xipil, Voice of Sestin. She matched the description. But if she was, that meant Ninifin had far worse people in control of it than even Fra-Mecatl thought.


    ¡°Name,¡± the priest said.


    ¡°Zandromeda Armida.¡±


    ¡°I mean real name. And your division controller.¡±


    Zandrue had known what the priest meant, but she needed some time to think. She could give a false name, but not having had any time to prepare a cover story, she could be found out with a couple incorrect answers to questions. Or she could give her real name and hope this woman had been in Ninifin too long to recognise it. To become the high priest of Sestin, she would have had to be here a long time. Of course, she would still have some contact with home, but Zandrue hoped it was infrequent enough that she wouldn¡¯t have bothered keeping up on the identities of any carcraime.


    ¡°Lacquaime, Daughter of Emclenim of the Warrior Caste. My division controller is Ofstakim, Son of Efdratim of the Warrior Caste.¡±


    Zandrue held her breath.


    ¡°You poor thing,¡± the priest replied. ¡°I would never wish Ofstakim on anyone. That man is an idiot, and a dangerous one at that. I am Tadstaime, Daughter of Afragim of the Warrior Caste, but I presume you know that. Why are you here?¡±


    Zandrue let out her breath. On the one hand, she was relieved she hadn¡¯t been recognised, but on the other hand, she now had to come up with a cover story for being here. ¡°I was sent to find you and be your assistant.¡± She held her breath again.


    ¡°Really.¡± Tadstaime sighed. ¡°Of course, nobody saw fit to tell me. I suppose this has something to do with the ceremony at New Year¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was just told that I was to serve you.¡± Playing ignorant on this would help avoid other questions she couldn¡¯t answer. She hoped.


    ¡°Typical. There are too many secrets these days. The left hand doesn¡¯t know what the right is doing half the time. I don¡¯t need an assistant and I don¡¯t want one. However, as you¡¯re here, we should find something for you to do. We are headed to my villa by the Toucan. We will talk more there where I can set up a space where we won¡¯t be overheard. For now, remain quiet so I can think. Keep in mind, when we are amongst Ninifins, I am Ses-Xipil, Voice of Sestin. Address and treat me appropriately.¡±


    Zandrue nodded.


    Ses-Xipil¡¯s villa was a lot like Fra-Mecatl¡¯s ranch. There was a lot of open land, though with a few more trees, and it was closer to the Toucan than Fra-Mecatl¡¯s was to the Jaguar. The main house was a little larger than Fra-Mecatl¡¯s, though of the same style. The kitchen building, however, was quite a bit bigger than Fra-Mecatl¡¯s. There was also no barn, but there was a servants¡¯ building. And there was another, smaller building. Unlike the others at the villa, it was made of stone with a hole in the centre of its roof. It turned out to be a sauna and was where Ses-Xipil took Zandrue when they arrived.


    They sat there in silence for several minutes while the servants heated the stones and brought pails of water. Once the servants were finished and had left, Ses-Xipil¡ªTadstaime; Zandrue wasn¡¯t sure what name to think of her with¡ªflicked both of her hands towards the door and a bar of metal sprung into being across it, blocking it from opening. She then brought her closed fists up against her face, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. After a moment, she opened her eyes and punched her hands at the air in front of her, fully extending her arms. The walls, ceiling, and floor began to shimmer.


    Ses-Xipil stumbled back onto one of the stone benches. Zandrue rushed over to her, but she held up her hand. ¡°It¡¯s all right. That is a difficult spell and takes a lot out of me. However, the field will block sound from travelling in or out of the building. It will prevent anyone eavesdropping on us. It is a little unpredictable how long it will last, but we should have about an hour. Pour a bit more water on the stones, have a seat, and enjoy the sweat house for a minute or two while I catch my breath.¡±


    Zandrue did as she was told, then sat down. She couldn¡¯t enjoy the sauna, however. She was too busy trying to come up with answers to potential questions, and thinking about ways she could escape if she needed to. And thinking about the fact she was probably going to die soon.

 Chapter 27: Carcraime (Part 2)

    ¡°Now then,¡± Ses-Xipil said at last, no longer speaking Ninifin. ¡°Ah, it is nice to be able to use a civilised language for a change. I suppose that will be a benefit to having an assistant. I presume you are the outsider that Fra-Mecatl hoped to see raised to the priesthood.¡±


    Zandrue hadn¡¯t spoken this language in a very long time. It was her first language from childhood, but even first languages could decay through years of disuse. ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± She coughed from the long-unused sounds required. ¡°Apologies. It must be the steam.¡±


    Ses-Xipil chuckled. ¡°When you¡¯ve been away from home awhile, that can sometimes happen. What were your intentions with Fra-Mecatl?¡±


    ¡°A contact outside Ninifin gave me her name as someone more open to outsiders than most. I knew that if I just walked up to the Grand Temple or Palace, I wouldn¡¯t be allowed in to see you, so I thought going to Fra-Mecatl was a better place to start. If I could convince her to give me religious instruction and to sponsor me to the priesthood, I would have a chance of finding my way to you. My birthday falls under the sphere of Sestin, so I would be given the Ses- honorific and possibly placed under your direct tutelage. Even if I wasn¡¯t, it would improve my odds of meeting you. I never expected to bump into you by chance on the road.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Ses-Xipil lay on the bench and stretched out. ¡°Feel free to make yourself as comfortable as you wish. Now you¡¯ve bumped into me, there is little reason for you to return to Fra-Mecatl.¡±


    ¡°She will wonder where I am.¡± Zandrue remained sitting upright.


    ¡°Yes, she will, but we will let her think you have run off or been killed. Some of my associates have reason to want to see her disgraced in such a fashion.¡±


    ¡°Will it be bad for her?¡±


    Ses-Xipil rolled onto her side. ¡°Have feelings for her, do you?¡±


    ¡°Only enough to not want to see her unnecessarily hurt. She was kind to me.¡±


    Ses-Xipil rolled onto her back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It will be a loss of honour, but will hurt nothing more than her pride. The question becomes what to do with you. The coincidence of another outsider will draw attention, so we cannot prepare you for the priesthood as much as I would love to claim the honour Fra-Mecatl hoped to claim. I will have to keep you here at the villa, at least until memories of Fra-Mecatl¡¯s outsider have faded. Word that I have an outsider here will undoubtedly reach others, but I think I can deal with that.¡± She sighed and sat up. She looked at Zandrue and frowned.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Zandrue asked.


    ¡°Yes, though it is not your fault. It¡¯s Ofstakim¡¯s, or whoever turned to him for an agent. Are there no arcraime who look Ninifin?¡±


    ¡°Not in my division. I don¡¯t know about any others.¡±


    ¡°As I said, that man is an idiot. If I had to guess, he didn¡¯t even consider your appearance when selecting you. He just chose from whoever he had available.¡±


    Zandrue just nodded.


    ¡°Nothing to say to that? Not going to defend him?¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°Good. If you are going to work under me, you need to know that I will trash-talk him.¡±


    ¡°I hate him,¡± Zandrue said.


    Ses-Xipil nodded. ¡°Most who serve under him do, but unfortunately, many are also brainwashed. They hate and love their tormentor at the same time. Enough that they will defend him against any accusation and even willingly die to protect him.¡±


    ¡°I told my father once that I wished I could be transferred to a different division. He told me I should be honoured to be where I am, that Ofstakim would turn me into a skilled and deadly warrior. Then he told Ofstakim, and Ofstakim had me whipped.¡±


    ¡°How old were you?¡±


    ¡°Eight or nine, I think. I don¡¯t remember for sure anymore.¡±


    ¡°The man¡¯s methods are abusive. Tell me, Lacquaime, how old were you on your first mission?¡±


    ¡°Ten.¡±


    Ses-Xipil lowered and shook her head. ¡°It should be sixteen at least, and then only if the girl has shown herself exceptionally skilled. What happened?¡±


    ¡°I was caught. Nearly executed. I returned in failure.¡±


    ¡°All sent at that age do. Ofstakim would say it¡¯s to build resilience and determination.¡±


    Zandrue wiped a tear from her eye. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what he told me.¡±


    ¡°So many die, so many turn carcraime, and yet he still has his position. I am glad you are willing to tell me these things, Lacquaime. If you are going to serve me, I need you to be open with me.¡±


    Zandrue was a bit surprised she was being so open and truthful with her, but it was working. It was gaining her trust. And she had never really had the opportunity to talk about these things with anybody. She could have, if she had just told Felit?a. She could have told Felit?a everything, and Felit?a would have listened and understood. But it had been too terrifying a prospect.


    ¡°You poor soul,¡± Tadstaime said and Zandrue realised she was crying. ¡°Feel free to let it out. Remember no one else can hear you, and know that I understand and sympathise.¡±


    But if Tadstaime found out Zandrue was carcraime, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill her, no matter how sympathetic she might also be.


    Zandrue began to sob, then wail. Years of pent-up emotions burst from her, and she pounded and kicked at the stone walls. She wasn¡¯t sure how long it went on, but when it finally came to a stop, she looked over to see Tadstaime pouring some more water on the stones. It was hard to tell through the steam, but she looked like she had been crying too.


    ¡°Come closer to me,¡± Tadstaime said. Zandrue approached her and she reached a hand out towards her face. ¡°May I? You do not need to say yes, and I will honour your wishes, but I would like to touch your face. I so rarely get to feel another of my kind.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Tadstaime placed both hands on Zandrue¡¯s cheeks and wiped away some of the tears. Then she leaned closer and breathed in Zandrue¡¯s scent. Zandrue took the opportunity to do the same with her. It had been so long since she had taken in a scent like this. Tadstaime reminded Zandrue a bit of her mother, which brought back a flood of memories¡ªsome good, most bad.


    Tadstaime ran her fingers around Zandrue¡¯s ears and then through her hair, probing her scalp. She stopped when she found the slight indents of Zandrue¡¯s recessed horns. The new skin was still tender to the touch and Zandrue flinched.


    ¡°My apologies. There is some scabbing here. You have recently been through your galdraif?¡±


    Zandrue nodded.


    ¡°Was it a bad one?¡±


    ¡°No. I had my delgaldraif last year. This was easy compared to that.¡±


    ¡°I am glad to hear that.¡± Tadstaime removed her hands from Zandrue¡¯s head. ¡°Thank you for that. I will confess that I am beginning to like the idea of having an assistant, an associate here with me. But know this. I expect obedience, complete obedience, but I will never be unfair and I will always treat you with dignity, so long as you do the same for me.¡±


    ¡°You have my word,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°And I will make you a promise, Lacquaime. I am not without influence. I even have the ear of Prince Castroff himself. I am, of course, wise enough not to overuse my influence, but if you prove yourself to me, if you please me and are loyal, I promise you I will use what influence I can to have you transferred to a different division. Perhaps even placed with me permanently. I will not live forever and it would please me to know that I have a well-trained and trustworthy successor to turn things over to when my time comes. I also promise you, if the opportunity ever presents itself, I will kill Ofstakim for you. You need not do it yourself.¡±


    ¡°Did I say that during¡ª¡±


    ¡°You screamed multiple times that you want to kill that motherfucker.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I was pretty incensed.¡±


    ¡°Think nothing of it. Now then, I know what your first task for me will be. Your chance to prove yourself to me. I confess I did some unwise things when you arrived. I was taken by surprise, and I reacted poorly. If I had been thinking, I would have simply treated you as nothing more than an outsider whom I suspected of being the one with Fra-Mecatl. That¡¯s why I stopped you, after all. Once we were here in private, we could talk. The girl who was here with me¡ªSes-Ihuicatl¡ªshe is very talented and a very promising conjurer. She is very smart and my actions will make her question things. She also ascribes to the teachings of people like Fra-Mecatl and Fra-Atl. I fully accept that this is my fault and not yours, Lacquaime, but I am now asking you to clean up my mistake. Deal with her and make sure no one ever finds the body.¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    Tadstaime wiped sweat from her forehead and walked over to the door. ¡°I think I have had enough of the sweat house for today. You do not need to deal with the girl immediately. Sometime in the next forty-eight hours will be fine. I¡¯ll let you choose the exact time and means. Until then, enjoy the sweat house as much as you want. When you are ready to leave, there will be a servant outside who will show you where you can bunk. Do not use the name you were using with Fra-Mecatl. Pick a new one. I don¡¯t care what as long as it¡¯s Arnorin. I look forward to the possibilities your presence brings, Lacquaime. I think I will enjoy working with you, and I hope you enjoy working with me.¡± She reached for the door, but paused. ¡°But know this: If you ever betray me, I won¡¯t hesitate to kill you.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± As you will when you find out I¡¯m carcraime, Zandrue thought.


    ¡°Back to being Ses-Xipil then and that annoying language. I will see you soon.¡± The metal bar on the door vanished. She opened it and left.


    That was twelve days ago. And now Zandrue sat eating dinner with Tadstaime/Ses-Xipil like she had most evenings since, having apparently proven herself.


    ¡°I shall be returning to the City in the morning,¡± Tadstaime said. ¡°I will probably be gone two days. When I return, I will have word on that assignment for you. If Fra-Ichtaca is not on board, I will come up with something else for you.¡±


    ¡°Just two more days of patience then,¡± Zandrue said.


    Tadstaime nodded and smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s quicker than I expected, actually.¡±


    ¡°You have pleased me. I know I haven¡¯t said much of it, as I have been waiting to see what comes of it, but I am very impressed with the Ses-Ihuicatl situation.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Do you wish to know what I did?¡±


    ¡°No. I only care that it is done. And the fewer people who know, the better. Including me. But assuming she remains unfound, you have done an exemplary job.¡±


    It had been a long time since Zandrue had killed in cold blood. She had killed in defence of herself or others like Felit?a, and sometimes because the other person simply deserved it¡ªwhich she supposed counted as cold blood. But an innocent in cold blood was altogether different.


    Getting the girl out to the sweat house in the late evening had been easy. A simple statement that Ses-Xipil had summoned her was enough. It had also been easy to slip her a sleeping draught while she waited for Ses-Xipil to arrive. Then Zandrue simply carried her into the darkness of the night to a muddy pool fed by the Toucan and waited for her to wake up.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± the girl cried. ¡°Why am I here? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Zandrue knelt beside her. ¡°One of two things. Hopefully the better one. The mud? That¡¯s either to dilute the blood when I slit your throat or to get you really dirty and cover up your tattoos.¡±


    The girl was crying and Zandrue couldn¡¯t blame her.


    ¡°Look, Ses-Xipil is an evil woman and she has ordered me to kill you, but I don¡¯t want to do that, so here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen. I¡¯m going to let you go. I¡¯ve brought a change of clothes for you. You¡¯ll put them on, get yourself nice and dirty so no one recognises you and no one wants to come near you. Then you¡¯ll head north. Go around the City and then go straight to Fra-Mecatl¡¯s ranch. Tell her Zandrue sent you and that you need to get out of Ninifin as soon as possible. Tell her you¡¯re a dead woman otherwise. She will be really annoyed and she will bitch and complain, but in the end, she will make arrangements for you. Do your best not to let her brother or anyone else there see you, especially not an outsider man staying with them. Fra-Tepeu does frequent trips into the city and without me there, he¡¯ll probably take the man with him. Wait until they¡¯re away before you present yourself to Fra-Mecatl. Oh, and tell Fra-Mecatl not to worry about me or to tell anyone about me. They can¡¯t come looking for me. If they do, it could get a lot of people killed. Anyway, once you¡¯re out of Ninifin, look for a woman people are calling Eleuia. She¡¯s not the real Eleuia obviously, but never mind, just look for her. If you can¡¯t find her, go to a woman in Getavin named Luana. But on no condition are you to ever return to Ninifin. If you do, you will die. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do. You. Understand?¡±


    The girl nodded and between sobs, gasped, ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±


    ¡°Will you follow my instructions exactly?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will.¡±


    ¡°If you give me your word, I¡¯ll believe you and trust you. Just remember that if you don¡¯t do what I say, you will die, as will I and probably lots of other people too. Give me your word.¡±


    ¡°I give you my word.¡±


    Zandrue smiled at her. ¡°Thank you.¡± She took her dagger out and the girl flinched. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She reached out and cut the girls bonds. ¡°The clothes are lying over there. Put them on, roll around in the mud a bit, and then get the fuck out of here.¡±


    Zandrue got up and walked away, not watching to see how well the girl followed her instructions. The fact Zandrue was still alive now was a good indication she had done as told¡ªor at the very least, had proven to be very good at hiding herself. Either way worked.


    Zandrue smiled at Tadstaime. ¡°Thank you for everything and for being so good to me after knowing me for so little time.¡±


    Tadstaime reached out and took her hand. ¡°I have seen too many young women in your situation. It makes me happy to be able to help one for a change.¡±


    It was going to be hard to betray this woman, which Zandrue knew she would have to do eventually¡ªand that would likely mean killing her if she wanted to avoid dying herself. She really liked her. But the fact Tadstaime had ordered the death of an innocent girl as a test of loyalty was a constant reminder that, as much as Zandrue liked her, she was no innocent herself. Tadstaime didn¡¯t yet know it, but that test of loyalty had ensured disloyalty in the end.

 Chapter 28: Lockanith

    Dyle hated taverns. Especially ones frequented by sailors. Loud and raucous, they were uncouth, uncivilised places. This one was particularly busy, filled with sailors from several recent arrivals in town. Some were bragging about sailing a group of Ninifins to the long-lost island of Scovese, the same place the Arnorin Royal Family had gone to.


    Some of those Ninifins were in the tavern now, which was why Dyle was even here. Two were seated just a couple chairs away from him, both young women around eighteen or nineteen, both covered in ridiculous tattoos. Dyle had never desired tattoos beyond his tattoo of allegiance to the Servants, but he could understand why people might want a couple. He even tried to think of the scar on his cheek as a kind of tattoo to make himself hate it less¡ªthe damn thing still itched constantly. But to cover your entire body in them like these two seemed to have done was just ridiculous. Ninifins were such barbarians.


    But Dyle was more interested in the person with them¡ªthe young Eloorin who had accompanied Princess Felit?a to Scovese.


    So Felit?a had discovered the connection with Ninifin. Perhaps his own manoeuvring to get her friends there hadn¡¯t been necessary. It certainly would have avoided working against Aylor¡¯s people trying to stop them. But not only had he not expected Felit?a to find the connection on Scovese of all places, he also hadn¡¯t expected them back so quickly. He had expected nine to ten months, eight at the very least. Yet it had only been five and she was already back on Arnorin soil. Maybe another month of journey to get to Ninifin? What had happened on Scovese to speed things along?


    These three might provide him with some answers, so he nursed his drink and listened to the boy, Meleng, and his two young friends, all three unaware of who was sitting right next to them.


    ¡°Because I didn¡¯t want to deal with a lord who treats his subjects so poorly,¡± the girl with the jaguar tattoos was saying. ¡°I¡¯m a warrior, not a diplomat. That was more Chica¡¯s field. I¡¯d probably lose my temper and try to smash his face in.¡± She grimaced at that. ¡°Maybe not that last thing. Forget I said that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t follow you,¡± Meleng said. ¡°I mean, about Lord Balmoth not treating his subjects well. You know they¡¯re not slaves, right? I told you that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course I know they¡¯re not slaves,¡± she responded, giving him a light push. ¡°But I¡¯m talking about the poverty and starvation, how Folith lords take all the crops that Eloorin slave to produce. Or not slave, I guess, but I mean... I¡¯ve got it all wrong, haven¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Maybe not all wrong,¡± Meleng said. ¡°I don¡¯t know a lot about Lothal or Lord Balmoth, but if it¡¯s anything like Elooria or other places in northern Arnor, there is poverty and taxes can be high, but they don¡¯t take everything. It¡¯s bad, but not as bad as you think. Most of these sailors are Eloorin and they have money.¡±


    The girl frowned. ¡°I didn¡¯t think of that. Wow, I¡¯m not too bright, am I?¡±


    Meleng shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. You¡¯re just misinformed and maybe not...uh...very observant.¡±


    The other girl¡ªwith a sun tattoo on her cheek and serpent tattoos on her arms¡ªlaughed.


    The jaguar girl took hold of Meleng¡¯s arm and leaned her head on his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re sweet for trying, but I¡¯m really not very bright. You can admit it.¡±


    ¡°Honest,¡± Meleng said. ¡°You¡¯re not stupid. I am curious about something though.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°You crossed through southern Arnor on your way to Scovese, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°You were here in Lockanith, you travelled on the ship, and you never noticed people weren¡¯t slaves?¡±


    The girl buried her face against his chest and mumbled something unintelligible.


    ¡°To be fair,¡± the other girl said, ¡°Nin-Zyannya, Fra-Cualli, and...¡± She hesitated and spat on the floor before continuing. ¡°Ses-Tlacotl. They insisted we avoid interacting with Arnorins as much as possible. They made all the arrangements with Lord Balmoth for the ship. I don¡¯t think any of us in the Youth Guard ever said two words to them. We all believed the same as Nin-Akna.¡±


    Jaguar Girl looked up.


    ¡°Sorry to embarrass you,¡± Meleng said.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll live.¡±


    ¡°I hate to say this, Nin-Akna,¡± Serpent Girl said, ¡°but this extra information means you really should have gone with Felit?a to see Lord Balmoth. You¡¯re the most senior amongst us. Technically, you¡¯re in line for the throne.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re in line for the throne?¡± Meleng said.


    Jaguar Girl shrugged. ¡°Yeah, like twentieth or something.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s fifteenth,¡± Serpent Girl said. ¡°I only know that because I¡¯m sixteenth. At any rate, Felit?a¡¯s negotiating for Ninifin passage across these lands. There ought to be a Ninifin at that meeting.¡±


    ¡°I trust her to argue for us.¡±


    ¡°So do I,¡± Serpent Girl said. ¡°But even so, there should be a Ninifin there. And I don¡¯t trust Garet not to mess it all up.¡±


    Garet? As in Prince Garet? He was here? That meant Quilla would be here too. Not good news.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Jaguar Girl chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s a fair point. Oh, you¡¯re right. I should have gone, shouldn¡¯t I?¡± She buried her face against Meleng¡¯s chest again.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s too late now,¡± Meleng said and shifted positions, trying to extract his trapped arm. Once he had it free, he held it in the air for a few seconds before deciding to put it around her. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s just a routine meeting. We¡¯ll be off tomorrow and you can make sure you go to any future meetings with...um...anyone else we might need to have meetings with.¡±


    Jaguar Girl just whined.


    ¡°Oh pull yourself together, Nin-Akna,¡± Serpent Girl snapped. ¡°You know, this is the exact reason why I felt I was more qualified for your position than you. However, most of the time you¡¯re pretty good at it. If you¡¯d just work on those other times, you¡¯d make a fine head of the Queen¡¯s Guard one day. There, I complemented you. Happy?¡±


    Dyle had heard enough. He doubted he would learn much more from these children. Still, he had learned a couple of interesting things. He downed the rest of his drink and stood up, bumping Meleng in the process.


    Meleng and Jaguar girl looked up at him.


    ¡°Sorry. Wasn¡¯t looking where I was going.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Meleng said. ¡°No harm done.¡±


    Dyle continued on his way.


    No harm done.


    Not yet, at any rate.


    Once outside, he made his way through the dock district and found where Sam and Vellon were waiting for him. Moustache Man was there, too. He was always there. Dyle rarely got any time away from him these days. It had been nearly a year since he¡¯d shown up out of nowhere in Plavin-Tyl, and Dyle still didn¡¯t know the man¡¯s name. Maybe he should have stayed at the tavern and listened to more childish banter from Felit?a¡¯s brats.


    ¡°Prince Garet¡¯s here with Felit?a,¡± Dyle told them. ¡°I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re trying to keep both his and Felit?a¡¯s presence a secret from the masses as word is not spreading.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d you find out?¡± Vellon asked.


    ¡°Heard it from a couple of the Ninifins and that boy, Meleng.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if Omer knows,¡± Sam said. ¡°He¡¯s here in Lockanith. I spotted him a few minutes ago.¡±


    Dyle sighed. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s not surprising, but I¡¯d hoped he wouldn¡¯t be here yet.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Omer?¡± their moustachioed companion asked.


    Dyle smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± It was rare the man didn¡¯t know something, and Dyle liked to savour those rare moments.


    ¡°I would hardly ask if I did.¡±


    ¡°Nobody too important,¡± Dyle said.


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    Dyle chuckled. ¡°He¡¯s one of Aylor¡¯s loyalists. Aylor somehow granted him super speed. He can cross a mile in a blink of an eye.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± the man said, stroking his long moustache. ¡°The one the carcraime calls Mister Speedy.¡±


    ¡°She does? How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    Dyle lowered his head and seethed. He hated when that man managed to turn one of those rare moments of ignorance around on Dyle¡¯s head.


    ¡°Can we just kill ¡¯em all?¡± Vellon asked.


    Gods, Vellon was single-minded. Still, Dyle was glad of the topic change. ¡°No, and you know it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I figure eventually, you¡¯ll change your mind,¡± Vellon said.


    ¡°Not until our friend here delivers on his promises. Then they¡¯ll be fair game. Still, as I think about it, only Felit?a, Meleng, and Quilla are out of bounds. The others aren¡¯t. The boy, Meleng, appears to have a girlfriend now. One of the Ninifins. She has a pair of jaguar tattoos covering her body. You can¡¯t miss her. Kill her.¡±


    Vellon grinned, displaying his sharpened teeth. ¡°With pleasure.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re at a tavern. I forget the name.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Vellon sneered at Moustache Man. Dyle was tempted to as well, but Vellon¡¯s was much more intimidating than his.


    ¡°Why?¡± Dyle asked.


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t trust him to stay away from Felit?a or Meleng. Besides, the girl is a bad choice.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Dyle said again.


    ¡°Because if her relationship with the boy is as you say, her death will just rouse the Will-Breaker¡¯s wrath.¡±


    ¡°That was kind of the point,¡± Dyle said.


    ¡°Then it was a bad point.¡±


    Dyle turned away, shaking his head. ¡°Fine. No killing today, Vellon.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I kill him,¡± Vellon said.


    Dyle turned back to face them again. Vellon was bearing his teeth, mere inches from the man. In return, the man continued to stroke his moustache.


    ¡°You want to try?¡± Dyle said. ¡°Be my guest. But you know you¡¯ll lose.¡±


    Vellon sneered a moment more, then turned away with a grunt. He stomped off into the streets.


    ¡°He better not try¡ª¡± Moustache Man began.


    ¡°He won¡¯t,¡± Dyle interrupted. ¡°He knows how to obey orders.¡±


    There would come a time when Vellon would disobey orders. Dyle was certain of that. He half hoped it would be today, although that was unlikely. It was also for the best. Dyle had put too much at stake to abandon the course now. Once that course was done, however, he would probably order Vellon to kill the man with the moustache. It would be a good way to study the man¡¯s abilities, so Dyle could find a way to kill him himself.


    Until then, he could only wait and be patient.


    Just a few more months.


    Then the time of glory would begin.

 Chapter 29: Horses, Lovers, and Darkers (Part 1)

    Tell her it¡¯s because I don¡¯t like her, Borisin said. I dare you.


    Rudiger resisted glaring at Borisin and kept his eyes on Nin-Xoco. Oh behave. Out loud, he said, ¡°Hard to say, Holiness. Every horse has its own personality and can react differently to the same circumstances. Buluc here is pretty stand-offish, and stubborn. It might just be his way, or he might be taking awhile to get comfortable with you.¡±


    It¡¯s definitely my way, Borisin said, but I¡¯m not getting comfortable with her.


    Oh, come one, Rudiger said. She¡¯s not that bad.


    ¡°It¡¯s been five weeks.¡± Nin-Xoco started untying her hair. ¡°I hoped he¡¯d be used to me by now.¡±


    Sure, not that bad, but still bad, Borisin said.


    You say that about everyone, Rudiger said. Then to Nin-Xoco, ¡°Give him time.¡±


    Time, hah!


    She let her hair fall over her shoulders and down her back. ¡°He seems comfortable with you in that time.¡±


    Stay put, Rudiger told the horse.


    You¡¯re no fun.


    Nin-Xoco stroked Borisin¡¯s snout, gazing across the field at the river and the falls. ¡°I do wish you¡¯d like me.¡±


    Not a chance.


    You should be annoyed at her. She¡¯s forcing me to be a damn training horse.


    I¡¯ve already told you, Rudiger said. The other horses here haven¡¯t been trained for riding. Otherwise, I would have started her with one of them.


    If she ever gets her hair caught in my saddle again, I¡¯m going to gallop off and drag her on the ground behind me.


    That was one time! And it was my fault for not telling her to tie her hair up first. He¡¯d nearly been skewered by Ses-Zeltzin for it, too.


    Doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll do it.


    Just drop it, would you?


    ¡°No, of course not, Holiness.¡± Now look what you¡¯ve made me do! ¡°I was just distracted for a moment. I was...reminded of Zandrue for a moment, and it got me thinking. That¡¯s all.¡± He hoped that sounded convincing.


    Don¡¯t get used to it, Borisin grumbled.


    No, I just wasn¡¯t thinking.


    No, you just don¡¯t hate her as much as you claim.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they would be, Holiness,¡± Rudiger said.


    She tilted her head and shrugged. ¡°What is and isn¡¯t wise in politics is an ever-changing thing, and it can be hard to decide what¡¯s wise in any particular situation. At the moment, this seems the wisest course of action.¡±


    ¡°If you say so, Holiness.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure he followed what she was saying.


    ¡°Walk with me back towards the Palace.¡± She began leading Borisin in that direction. Borisin followed without objection.


    I¡¯m going to the stables, Borisin said. They just happen to be in the same direction.


    Rudiger kept beside her, and the Queen¡¯s Guards shifted their positions to maintain their wide circle as she moved. Nin-Xoco linked arms with Rudiger as they walked.


    At the slow pace Nin-Xoco set, it took close to a quarter hour to cross the field back to the palace. The Queen spent the time asking Rudiger about his and Zandrue¡¯s childhood. He had to spin a tale that he hoped he¡¯d remember later if he needed to.


    ¡°Of course, Holiness.¡± This was the part where he always got uncomfortable¡ªwhen she started getting more physical with him. It wasn¡¯t just that he wasn¡¯t interested in her in that way. There was something off about it, too. Something he couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on. It was inconsistent.


    She only does it when there are lots of other people to see it, Borisin said.


    That was it! She was friendly and casual with him during their sessions, but not so touchy. But during her sessions, there were only her bodyguards to see. But now they were in sight of servants and Palace guards, maybe even priests and nobles.


    Now you understand why I don¡¯t like her. She¡¯s using you.


    Except you do like her, Rudiger said. Don¡¯t try to deny it again.


    Okay, so she¡¯s savvy, and I kind of admire that. But I don¡¯t like what she¡¯s doing with you.


    You could have told me.


    I would have, except I only just figured it out myself.


    Nin-Xoco let go of him and handed him Borisin¡¯s reins. ¡°Thank you, Rudiger. I will see you again in a day or two.¡± She motioned to Ses-Zeltzin. ¡°I will head to the Council now.¡±


    ¡°I am guarding her.¡± The warrior stomped away and into the Palace.


    Now that one I really don¡¯t like, Borisin said. Just give the word and I¡¯ll bite her next time.


    Really don¡¯t think that¡¯d be a good idea, buddy. Remember her threat to feed you to that jaguar?


    I told you, I¡¯m looking forward to that. I will savour the look on her face when I trounce that oversized cat.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Rudiger sighed and closed the doors. He still hadn¡¯t gotten used to her talking to Borisin.


    She sat down on the pile of hay near the doors. ¡°And what¡¯s that mean for me?¡±


    Rudiger squeezed past Borisin to retrieve some brushes and a hoof pick from the supply shelves. The old mare in the stall next to Borisin¡¯s peered out.


    The stables were small with stalls that were also small¡ªtoo small for Borisin. In the days following their arrival at the Palace, Fra-Atl had ordered an extension built, one with a larger stall capable of fitting Borisin. It had gone up in just a couple of days and was a very hasty job. The rain leaked in and the walls wobbled whenever the wind picked up. And the stall still barely fit Borisin.


    Rudiger was pretty sure she wasn¡¯t talking to Borisin anymore, as he had heard this before. He had learnt that the best response was to say nothing and just let her vent. He started to brush Borisin.


    ¡°I had a meeting with the Queen earlier. First time in a week. She went on about the New Year sacrifices. What am I supposed to do? If I appear at the sacrifices with the Queen, my life¡¯s work is ruined. No one will ever look to me again. If I refuse, gods know how she¡¯ll react. She has a reputation for being petty. She¡¯ll probably execute me and my life¡¯s work will still be ruined. I suppose I¡¯ll die a martyr that way though. Maybe I should try to kill her. Just before the sacrifices start, I launch myself at her. Zeltzin or one of her guards kills me, and I die a hero to the cause. It will probably cement the whole Eleuia thing, but I can live with that. Well, not really. I¡¯ll be dead, so I won¡¯t have to. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Welcome to politics. Still eager to intrude into it? I told you you don¡¯t belong here.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± She sighed. ¡°Look, can we get straight to sparring today? I need to release a lot of pent-up anger and I¡¯ll do that best by beating the crap out of you.¡±


    Damn right.


    When he was done and Borisin was in his stall, she tossed him one of the poles they had been using as practice spears. She had suggested a week back that they should spar regularly to keep in practice and relieve tensions. Rudiger liked the idea at first. He had had little opportunity for actual practice since coming to Ninifin, and that was even more so in the Palace.


    ¡°But I can just cut your spear in half when you thrust at me,¡± he said, knocking the pole aside with the practice sword. ¡°Trust me. Slay would cut through it without any effort.¡±


    So, for the last few days, they¡¯d been sparring with practice spears. And she¡¯d been beating him every time. He was learning, though, and it was taking her longer to beat him¡ªif not by much. This time, he¡¯d barely gotten a grip on his weapon when she jabbed him in the stomach.


    He lunged at her, but she took several steps back out of his reach. He lunged again, and she moved to the side. His pole hit the wall and he nearly jabbed himself with the other end. Then she thrust her pole into his side.


    He backed away from her, taking a quick look behind to make sure he didn¡¯t collide with the large haystack at the back of the stables. He raised his spear. He had longer reach than she did just by virtue of being bigger. He had to be able to make that work for him. When she moved closer, he struck before she was close enough to strike herself, but she darted back again.


    Then she moved round to his left, her spear raised. Rudiger lunged at her, but she switched directions and came in from his right instead. He tried to back away from her, but found himself pressed against the hay stack. Her spear struck him in the chest.


    She came at him again, but this time he was ready. He moved his spear to block and...she hit him in the stomach again. He could have sworn she was coming in high, but she came in low instead. He was usually better at predicting his opponents¡¯ movements than this.


    She had him pinned against the haystack, so Rudiger decided his only option was to push past her. He levelled his spear and rushed forward. She dived aside, colliding with the wall and rattling the entirety of the stables. He took the opportunity to stab at her, but she dropped to the floor and thrust up with her spear. It hit him in the chest with enough force to wind him and make him stumble into the door of one of the stalls. The old mare inside squealed and the entire stables rattled.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± she said, pulling herself to her feet. ¡°Not good enough yet, but not bad.¡±


    He groaned.


    Don¡¯t bring me into this.


    Does she remind you of Zandrue?


    No. For a start, Izel is human.


    Not that again.


    I told you not to bring me into this.


    you want this?¡± he asked her.


    He bent his head down to try to kiss her. At his height, Rudiger was used to bending over to kiss women, but Ses-Izel was shorter than any other woman he¡¯d kissed. His back was pressed against the gate to Borisin¡¯s stall and she was too close to him, so he couldn¡¯t bend at the back and his neck wouldn¡¯t bend far enough.


    Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. You are not doing that here! Borisin¡¯s snout pushed him in the back, and he stumbled forward, but kept hold of her.


    Nothing to do with me? I¡¯m right here. It has everything to do with me. I don¡¯t want to watch this.


    ¡°Then don¡¯t watch it,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°Turn around the other way. Like Ses-Izel said, this is between me and her.¡±

 Chapter 29: Horses, Lovers, and Darkers (Part 2)

    ¡°How¡¯s this, Rudiger?¡± Eztli asked.


    Rudiger inspected the young boy¡¯s work, walking around the mare and checking her hooves. ¡°Looks good.¡±


    ¡°Does this mean I can leave early?¡± the boy asked.


    Rudiger nodded. ¡°Put her back in her stall and you can go.¡±


    With a wide smile, the boy took the reins and led the mare to her stall, then dashed away.


    Rudiger double-checked that the stall was closed securely. The mare stared at him with sleepy eyes. She was getting on in years and probably shouldn¡¯t be pulling wagons any more. The same went for most of the other horses here. He should probably think about acquiring some new, younger horses to replace the older ones. The problem was, he¡¯d need to secure funds for that. The budget he¡¯d been given covered feed and care, and barely that.


    When he¡¯d first got here five weeks ago, he hadn¡¯t expected to take over the stables entirely, just be there to take care of Borisin and probably help out in the rest of the stables. The old man who had previously been in charge had had different ideas.


    ¡°Yes, I heard about you,¡± the old man said after Rudiger introduced himself. ¡°I hear you know horses.¡±


    ¡°Some,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°Excellent.¡± The old man indicated the young boy and girl standing to either side of him. ¡°This is Eztli and Itotia. They¡¯re your staff. They¡¯ll show you the ropes. Best of luck to you, Rudiger.¡±


    As the old man walked away, Rudiger called after him, ¡°If I could just ask a couple questions...¡±


    ¡°Ask Eztli or Itotia. I¡¯m retired now.¡± And then he was out the doors.


    The old man had never even told Rudiger his name.


    In the weeks that followed, Rudiger had come to understand why the old man had been in such a rush to leave. Ninifins weren¡¯t really into horses. They used them to pull wagons and other heavy things, but otherwise mostly ignored them. That applied to the Palace stables as well¡ªperhaps even more so. The priests and nobles travelled to and from the Palace by horse-pulled wagon, but most of the time, the other side of their journey was their villas just outside the City, meaning they didn¡¯t use the Palace stables for their own horses. They just sent the horses back to their villas and summoned them later when they were needed. Only those travelling from other cities like Nin-Dzibil ever used the stables, and in the five weeks Rudiger had been here, that had happened once. The Palace¡¯s horses were used only to pick up Palace supplies, which happened a couple times a weeks, but otherwise, the stables were ignored.


    They were so ignored that it had taken Rudiger a few days to learn who he was supposed to report to and how to acquire supplies, which the stables had been rather low on at the time. Eztli and Itotia were good workers, but they hadn¡¯t known the answers to most of his questions. They had just done what the old man had told them to do. The old man had handled all the administrative stuff.


    Rudiger walked over to Borisin¡¯s stall. The horse was facing away from the door.


    ¡°Still not talking to me?¡±


    Hmph.


    Ever since Rudiger had started having sex with Izel, Borisin had refused to talk to him beyond grumbles and one threat regarding the next time the mares were in heat. The refusal to talk even went as far as not complaining when Nin-Xoco had come to ride him earlier today.


    ¡°Come on, buddy, it¡¯s been two days. You gotta talk to me eventually.¡±


    Hmph.


    Rudiger didn¡¯t entirely blame him. People having sex in the servants¡¯ quarters happened from time to time, and even though Rudiger didn¡¯t watch, he could hear. It was difficult to sleep when that was going on. He didn¡¯t understand how it didn¡¯t bother others. So he understood how it could bother Borisin. Even knowing Borisin was there hearing and potentially watching bothered him a little, and he was a bit surprised he could even manage to have sex in those conditions.


    But it had happened several times now.


    He sighed and shook his head. ¡°Okay then. I¡¯m going to go find Fra-Atl. I need to talk to her about something. I¡¯ll be back in a little while.¡±


    He gave Borisin a brief moment to reply, and when the horse remained silent, he left the stables.


    One advantage to having to figure everything out himself was it had given him an excuse to move about and talk to other people, to learn about not just his own job, but about the Palace in general. He wasn¡¯t allowed inside the main Palace building, but he could otherwise move about reasonably freely.


    ¡°Kisin!¡± Rudiger called to one of the servants limping out a side door of the Palace as he passed by. ¡°Need a hand?¡±


    Kisin was carrying a stack of baskets that obscured his vision. ¡°Rudiger, you¡¯re a life saver.¡±


    Rudiger took all but the bottom basket, each filled with blankets and furs. ¡°Quite the load.¡±


    ¡°Fra-Ichtaca is back, and in my wing,¡± Kisin said. Free of the excess weight, he straightened up and proceeded forward, his limp less prominent.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Rudiger said, following beside Kisin.


    ¡°Oh, you barely know the half of it.¡±


    Rudiger had heard that the Voice of Frana expected all textiles and furs in her wing to be replaced with fresh, clean ones on her arrival¡ªeven if they had been replaced a few hours before.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know if Fra-Atl is in the Palace?¡± Rudiger asked.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her,¡± Kisin said. ¡°But Fra-Ichtaca is staying in my wing, so she won¡¯t be.¡±


    Rudiger chuckled. Fra-Atl and Fra-Ichtaca were well known for not getting along.


    ¡°What do you need Fra-Atl for? More money?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°The horses in the stable are getting too old to do the work expected of them. We need younger ones.¡±


    ¡°You could always ask Fra-Ichtaca,¡± Kisin said.


    ¡°Yeah, like she¡¯d speak to me.¡±


    Kisin laughed, but abruptly stopped. ¡°They say if you speak the Dark Lady¡¯s name, she appears.¡±


    Up ahead, Fra-Ichtaca had come around the northeast corner of the Palace. An escort of four Queen¡¯s Guards walked with her.


    Rudiger and Kisin stepped to the side and bowed their heads. ¡°Blessings upon her Reverence,¡± they intoned as she passed. One of the Queen¡¯s Guards eyed them as she went by, but otherwise Fra-Ichtaca and the guards ignored the two servants. A short distance farther along, they turned to one of the side buildings. Fra-Ichtaca went inside, while the guards remained outside.


    ¡°Why does Fra-Ichtaca get Queen¡¯s Guards?¡± Rudiger asked as he and Kisin continued on their way. ¡°The other priests usually just have Palace Guards.¡±


    Kisin shrugged. ¡°She always gets Queen¡¯s Guards. Probably because the Queen favours her, though there is talk that it¡¯s actually Ses-Zeltzin who favours her, not the Queen at all.¡±


    ¡°Ah, politics,¡± Rudiger said.


    Kisin laughed. ¡°Probably. Best idea, my friend, is to ignore it. Don¡¯t let it bother you.¡±


    They reached the laundry building and headed inside, where they emptied the baskets into the pile of material waiting to be washed.


    ¡°Thanks again,¡± Kisin said. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out for Fra-Atl, and let you know if I see her.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Rudiger said.


    They returned outside and Kisin crossed over to the nearest Palace door and went inside. Rudiger continued round to the front, hoping to find someone else he could talk to.


    A yellow-robed priest with an eye tattoo on her forehead rounded the northeast corner. Ses-Xipil. This was the first time he¡¯d seen her since his arrival. Two Palace guards escorted her.


    Rudiger stepped to the side and bowed his head. ¡°Blessings upon her Reverence.¡±


    She stopped and turned to look at him. ¡°You. Horse tender.¡± Her escorts turned their attention towards him as well.


    ¡°Yes, Reverence?¡±


    ¡°Rudiger, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Reverence.¡±


    She walked up to him and looked up at him. ¡°Have you heard word of you sister? I am curious about her progress.¡±


    Rudiger shook his head. ¡°No, Reverence. I am sure she is very busy with her studies and has little time for correspondence.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Fra-Mecatl is keeping her well out of sight, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Fra-Mecatl is a strict teacher, Reverence.¡±


    Ses-Xipil lowered her head. ¡°So they say. Thank you, Rudiger. I will let you go tend your horses now. Blessings upon you.¡±


    ¡°And upon you, Reverence.¡±


    Ses-Xipil paid him no further attention and continued on her way. When she reached the building Fra-Ichtaca had gone into earlier, the Queen¡¯s Guards there bowed to her, and she went inside. Her two guards remained outside with the Queen¡¯s Guards.


    A meeting between the two Voices? That sort of thing was probably normal, but in a building used by servants? Rudiger had never been in that particular one and wasn¡¯t sure what it was for, but all the buildings along the north side of the Palace were for things like cooking, laundry, and storage. Not where he¡¯d expect the Voices to congregate.Stolen story; please report.


    He needed to move on. If he stood here staring, the guards would likely notice. Still, he wanted to know what was going on in that building. What would Zandrue do? Gods, he wished she were here.


    Of course, the stables were in that direction. He had every reason to be going that way. He just needed to walk straight past them, maybe get a glance at something.


    He steeled himself and set forward.


    He was about halfway there when a Palace door close to the group of guards opened. The guards snapped to attention as Ses-Zeltzin walked out. Just who he¡¯d hoped not to see.


    Turning around would look suspicious, so he kept going.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Ses-Zeltzin said as he got close to them, moving to block his way.


    ¡°To the stables,¡± Rudiger replied, slowing to a stop.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you there already?¡±


    ¡°I was looking for Fra-Atl. The horses are getting very old and need to be replaced.¡±


    ¡°We just got a new horse. Buluc I think it¡¯s called.¡±


    ¡°Buluc¡¯s a warhorse, not a draught horse,¡± Rudiger said.


    Ses-Zeltzin laughed and looked back at the other guards. ¡°Like a horse is good for war.¡± The others laughed with her. She turned back to Rudiger. ¡°Fra-Atl isn¡¯t here right now.¡±


    ¡°I gathered that,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m heading back to the stables.¡±


    ¡°Then get going.¡± She nodded in the direction of the stables.


    Rudiger gave a slight bow, walked around her and the guards, and continued towards the stables. They laughed as he went. He resisted the urge to look back. That might look suspicious. Either that or it would look like he was fearful of them, and he didn¡¯t want Ses-Zeltzin thinking something like that.


    After he was around the northwest corner, he paused. For all Rudiger knew, whatever was going on in that building was probably just simple Palace or religious business, or maybe just a friendly conversation in a quieter location. From Izel¡¯s descriptions, the Palace was a busy and noisy place.


    But Fra-Ichtaca was the person whose activities the Resistance was most interested in. Just the knowledge that she was having meetings with Ses-Xipil wouldn¡¯t be new to them. Ses-Xipil was known to be one of Fra-Ichtaca¡¯s supporters. If he could find out what they were discussing... If he could get close to the building, listen at a window or something...


    Unfortunately, that entire row of buildings was against the edge of the cliff, so there was no sneaking up at the back. Not that he was built for sneaking, anyway.


    He approached the corner of the Palace and peaked around. He could probably give a convincing excuse for going back that way again. As long as Ses-Zeltzin was gone. She¡¯d question anything he did.


    All the guards were gone.


    Had the Voices¡¯ meeting ended already? That was fast. Maybe they hadn¡¯t had much to say.


    Rudiger walked around the corner and headed for the building. He passed a couple of servants coming the other way. ¡°See all those guards out here a few moments ago? Any idea what that was about?¡±


    They shrugged and shook their heads.


    Rudiger approached the side building the Voices had entered. It was made of stone like all the others. There was very little space between it and its neighbours, and as best Rudiger could tell, there were no windows. There was only the single door at the front. It might be one of the kitchens. The Palace had several and he knew they were along this stretch. It would have a hole in the roof if so, but he wasn¡¯t about to climb up to check. That would draw attention.


    Hell, he might be drawing attention now.


    He looked down both directions of the path. The two servants he had passed were just turning around the northwest corner of the Palace. There was no one else in sight.


    Anyone could walk around either corner at any moment and see what he was up to, but what the hell? Risks were necessary, he reminded himself, and pressed his ear against the door.


    ¡°...trust her. You shouldn¡¯t either.¡±


    So their meeting wasn¡¯t over. Had the guards had been sent away so they didn¡¯t draw attention?


    ¡°I told you, I have good reason to trust her, and you should trust me.¡±


    The voices were muffled, but comprehensible. Unfortunately, Rudiger couldn¡¯t tell whose was whose.


    ¡°Your mysterious organization. Yes, so you¡¯ve said, but I require more. So no, she will not be let anywhere near the boy.¡±


    ¡°Very well, but I would like to see the boy myself.¡±


    Boy?


    ¡°That can be arranged. In a day or two.¡±


    ¡°Tonight.¡±


    ¡°A day or two.¡±


    Rudiger took another quick look around. The coast was still clear, so he pressed his ear back against the door again, but the next statement was loud enough that he didn¡¯t really need to.


    ¡°Watch your tone with me!¡±


    ¡°I should have free access to him. I cannot prepare for the ceremony properly without it.¡±


    ¡°You will be given your access when I decide.¡±


    ¡°That decision shouldn¡¯t be yours.¡±


    ¡°The Dusk Supreme put him in my care.¡±


    ¡°The Dusk Supreme. You don¡¯t get to deny his authority one moment and then invoke it when it suits you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t provoke me, Ses-Xipil. I don¡¯t care what standing your mysterious organisation has. Cross me and I won¡¯t hesitate to expose you to the Queen and Council.¡±


    ¡°Neither will I.¡±


    ¡°Reverences, please. This is not the time to fight with each other.¡± A third person. And Rudiger recognised the voice.


    Ses-Zeltzin.


    Shit. She was involved in this too?


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Ses-Xipil said. ¡°My apologies. I spoke above my station.¡±


    ¡°Apology accepted. I will arrange for you to see the boy in a day or two. I¡¯ll be in touch.¡±


    That was probably the signal to get out of here. Rudiger straightened up and walked away from the building. A couple Palace guards came around the northeast corner at that moment, so he¡¯d chosen the right time. He headed for the stables.


    The boy they¡¯d been talking about had to be Corvinian. So these last few months were finally starting to pay off.


    Where was Fra-Ichtaca keeping him? Probably not the Palace. Her villa maybe? Or somewhere in the City? Maybe one of the temples? Still a lot to figure out, but it was a step in the right direction.


    ¡°Hey buddy,¡± he said when he arrived at the stables. ¡°You¡¯ll never guess what I just learned.¡±


    Borisin peered out of his stall, but didn¡¯t otherwise respond.


    Rudiger gave him a moment, then said. ¡°Oh well, if you don¡¯t want to know, that¡¯s okay. But it¡¯s big. Maybe big enough to make all this worth it.¡±


    Careful. Company¡¯s coming.


    Rudiger clamped his mouth shut as the stable doors opened. At least you¡¯re talking to me.


    Ses-Zeltzin entered. ¡°You were out of your stables again, horse tender.¡±


    Damn. She must have seen him walking away.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware I was confined here,¡± Rudiger replied.


    ¡°What were you up to this time?¡±


    ¡°Making further enquiries. Since Fra-Atl might not be back for a while, I wanted to find someone else who could authorise the purchase.¡± Was he getting good at this lying? Maybe. He hoped so.


    Ses-Zeltzin smirked and approached Borisin¡¯s stall. The horse backed away from her. ¡°I¡¯ll be surprised if you convince anyone else to give you the money, but you¡¯re welcome to try. It could be amusing. Why does he back away from me?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t like people very much. Stallions can be like that.¡±


    ¡°Yet he lets the Queen ride him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good at what I do. He knows I¡¯m in charge and he does what I say.¡±


    ¡°Then make him come closer to me. I want to take a closer look.¡±


    Rudiger shrugged and went over to the stall. Ses-Zeltzin moved aside as he opened the gate. ¡°Buluc, approach.¡±


    Borisin stepped forward. Can I bite her?


    No.


    Ses-Zeltzin looked Borisin in the eye, then moved slowly alongside him. She ran her hand along his neck and then back. ¡°Such a strange texture.¡±


    ¡°Be careful if you move behind him. Horses can kick suddenly if they¡¯re spooked.¡±


    Can I do it if she goes behind me?


    No.


    You¡¯re no fun.


    Ses-Zeltzin stopped just before Borisin¡¯s hind legs and turned to face Rudiger. ¡°I don¡¯t like how much time the Queen spends with you.¡±


    ¡°I have no say over the Queen¡¯s actions,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t, but that doesn¡¯t mean I have to like it.¡± She ran her other hand along Borisin¡¯s side and approached him. ¡°I hear my sister spends a lot of time here. Are you aware Izel is my sister?¡±


    ¡°She did mention that, yes.¡±


    ¡°Really? Surprising. We don¡¯t get along very well. Did she mention that, too?¡±


    ¡°No, not really,¡± he lied. ¡°Izel doesn¡¯t talk about you much.¡± That part was true.


    She looked up at him with an odd smile. ¡°Izel, is it? You¡¯re that close?¡±


    Rudiger grimaced. ¡°Oh well, we¡¯re...friends.¡± Warmth passed through his cheeks.


    ¡°Are you fucking my little sister?¡±


    ¡°What? No, we¡ª¡±


    ¡°You are, aren¡¯t you? That explains why she¡¯s at the stables so often.¡± She laughed and slapped Rudiger¡¯s arm. ¡°She always had terrible taste in men, but I suppose I¡¯m happy for her.¡±


    ¡°Uh, thanks,¡± Rudiger said.


    Her smile changed to a scowl. ¡°But I still don¡¯t trust you.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be watching you, horse tender. Step out of line and the Queen will learn of your treason.¡±


    ¡°Treason?¡±


    Ses-Zeltzin smirked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you¡¯re up to. I¡¯ll make it sound bad enough that she¡¯ll order your death. Got it?¡±


    Rudiger nodded. ¡°Yeah, I got it.¡±


    She grinned and slapped his arm again. ¡°In the meantime, have fun with my sister. You might not get much more opportunity.¡± She laughed and left the stables.


    Okay, I changed my mind. I don¡¯t want to bite her anymore. I just want to kill her.


    That would get us killed even faster, Rudiger said.


    Might be worth it.


    She¡¯s a Darker.


    Even more worth it.


    No. There¡¯s a chance she knows where Corvinian is. If she doesn¡¯t, I know who does.


    What would Izel think of her sister being a Darker? What would Fra-Mecatl think of Fra-Ichtaca being a Darker? He needed to get a message to the Resistance.

 Chapter 30: Anniversary Plans

    A piece of wall broke off and floated around the Room. Under Felit?a¡¯s direction, it stretched and bent around upon itself, forming its own little chamber. That was the easy part. The next part had failed on all her previous attempts, but she wasn¡¯t about to give up.


    Felit?a took a deep breath and pushed the new chamber against the edges of the Room. The Room didn¡¯t really have edges, but she wasn¡¯t sure how else to describe the Room¡¯s boundary that somehow both existed and didn¡¯t exist¡ªa boundary that was both within and beyond the grey walls that she had no control over.


    It had not been easy finding the edges. It had taken every day of the sea voyage from Scovese and most of the overland trip to Ninifin, but she had known there had to be a boundary of some sort. The whole time, she was terrified that the grey walls blocked access to it entirely. But geometry didn¡¯t work properly in the Room, so she reasoned those walls could be confounded somehow. A week ago, she had found the edges. In the weird way that things worked in the Room, now she knew where they were, they seemed obvious, and she wondered how she could have ever missed them.


    She pushed again. And again. She clenched her fists painfully and pushed one more time.


    The small chamber slipped over the edges and outside the Room completely. There it formed a new Room just like the old.


    Felit?a smiled.


    This was the perfect day to succeed at this.


    The black walls stretched up and rose towards infinity, just like the primary Room. She could pull them in, push them out, spin them round. And beyond them...


    Damn.


    More of the dull grey walls.


    She opened her eyes and almost cried.


    This was the worst day to fail at this.


    Lon looked up at her from her lap, nose twitching. She picked him up and stroked his neck and back. ¡°Failed again. I¡¯ll figure it out eventually though. You¡¯ll see. Those grey walls will come down.¡±


    She picked up Nesh, who was poking through some leaves beside her. Then she stood and placed both rats in the hood of her white travelling cloak. Lon blended in well with it. Nesh, with his darker fur didn¡¯t blend so well, but the folds of the hood generally obscured him.


    Their camp was at the side of the road, just a few miles south of the city of Ninifin. To the east, a dull glow was forming over the treetops as dawn approached. Apart from those on watch, Felit?a was the only one awake. It was easier to meditate at this time, when there were fewer distractions.


    It had been a long trip, but their destination was almost at hand, and with it, Felit?a hoped, an end to all the troubles of the last year and more.


    By this point, their enemies either knew they were coming or they¡¯d know very soon. The soldiers at the south gate would have sent word ahead that the Youth Guard had returned. Even if they hadn¡¯t, the authorities in Nin-Dzibil, which they passed through a day after the gate, certainly would have. Or any of the small villages they¡¯d passed through over the last few days.


    There was no telling what kind of reception they would receive. Nin-Dzibil had greeted the Youth Guard with great ceremony and celebration, but they also learned there that everyone thought the Youth Guard had all died in a terrible accident in the wilderness. The people of Nin-Dzibil offered celebrations because the Youth Guard was still alive¡ªat least some of them.


    It was clear they had never been expected to return to Ninifin. The people who had arranged that must reside in the capital, so there was no way of knowing how they would be greeted there. They needed contingency plans, and Felit?a had a couple ideas. Not everyone was going to like them though¡ªespecially Garet.


    She walked back over to the centre of camp, sat down on a log, and waited for people to wake up.


    Today was one year from the day Elderaan had died. It was hard to believe it hadn¡¯t been longer. She¡¯d been lost for so long following that day. At least she had a purpose of sorts now.


    As the sun rose, so did people in the camp. While the soldiers and servants began packing, Felit?a gathered the others together and had them sit with her.


    ¡°We should get ready if we want to reach the City today,¡± Ses-Inhuan said, not yet sitting.


    ¡°The others can pack,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°They won¡¯t miss the six of us for a few minutes. Please sit.¡±


    Ses-Inhuan looked to Nin-Akna, who nodded. They both sat.


    ¡°We need to know what we¡¯re doing when we reach the City and after that,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°I already know what I need to do,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    ¡°Good, I¡¯m glad,¡± Felit?a replied.


    ¡°I must present myself at the Palace, no matter the danger. Please don¡¯t oppose me on this.¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°I have no intention of doing so. This is your home, your business.¡±


    ¡°Then what are we discussing?¡± Nin-Akna asked.


    ¡°Contingencies. We can¡¯t all go to the City. We need people outside in case those going in are slaughtered on sight. It¡¯s a disturbing thought, I know, but we have to be prepared.¡±


    ¡°The more we split ourselves up, the weaker each group becomes,¡± Ses-Inhuan said.


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°I know. That¡¯s why most should go to the city. Definitely all the Youth Guard and warriors.¡±


    ¡°You think we should leave the servants behind?¡± Nin-Akna asked.


    Felit?a shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s up to you. But Meleng, Quilla, you should stay out. You too, Garet.¡±


    Garet laughed. ¡°Yeah, not happening, Brains.¡±


    ¡°It needs to happen, Garet. The Ninifins don¡¯t trust outsiders. Your presence will make Nin-Akna¡¯s job harder.¡±


    Garet stood up, anger flowing from him. ¡°Oh, but you get to go, right? You¡¯re the special outsider?¡±


    Before Felit?a could reply, Nin-Akna spoke up, ¡°Yes, she is. She¡¯s the Will-Breaker. Her coming was foretold by Eleuia. They have to let her in.¡±


    Garet threw up his hands and started to pace. ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯m the Will-Breaker¡¯s brother. They¡¯ll accept that.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Nin-Akna said, ¡°but I can¡¯t guarantee it.¡±


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    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll take that chance.¡±


    ¡°No you won¡¯t, Garet,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Now listen here, Brains.¡±


    ¡°No, you listen for once. I need you on the outside looking after Quilla and Meleng because they¡¯ll be in danger too. Not going into the city doesn¡¯t automatically keep them safe.¡±


    ¡°Then we should all stick together. None of this splitting up bullshit.¡±


    ¡°No, this is the way we¡¯re doing it. Now, sit down and shut up.¡±


    Garet stopped pacing and glared at her. ¡°Just because you¡¯re this bloody Will-Breaker or whatever doesn¡¯t give you the right to¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, it doesn¡¯t. But I¡¯d hope you would have realised by now that I¡¯ve got a far better idea of this situation and how to handle it than you do. That¡¯s what gives me the right. Sit down.¡±


    He sputtered and gaped at her. His anger continued to wash through her.


    ¡°Garet, do as she says,¡± Quilla said. ¡°Felit?a¡¯s in charge here.¡±


    ¡°No, Nin-Akna is in charge while we¡¯re in Ninifin,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I just happen to be higher in the hierarchy than Garet.¡±


    ¡°Garet, sit down and shut up before I have to make you,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    Garet sat down, still gaping. His anger was bubbling up again, but it was being overpowered by embarrassment and shame. Felit?a almost felt like laughing.


    Nin-Akna did laugh, sharing a giggle with Ses-Inhuan. She looked at Felit?a and smiled.


    ¡°So, what are we supposed to do out here then?¡± Garet grumbled.


    Felit?a frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not actually sure. Nin-Akna, Ses-Inhuan, do you have any suggestions? Is there anywhere they could go? Someone sympathetic they could contact?¡±


    Nin-Akna and Ses-Inhuan looked at each other. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°I¡¯ve spent almost my entire life going back and forth between the Palace, Grand Temple, and a couple noble villas. A couple training excursions in the wilderness, but never really getting to know much of what¡¯s out there. We both have. All the Youth Guard. This trip has really taught me how little I know even my own land. Meleng made me realise I need to pay more attention. In Nin-Dzibil and the villages we¡¯ve passed through, I¡¯ve noticed poverty I thought only existed outside our lands. I don¡¯t think we¡¯re the best people to ask about where to go in our own home.¡±


    ¡°What about Fra-Mecatl?¡± Ses-Inhuan said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Fra-Mecatl?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s an elderly priest of Frana,¡± Ses-Inhuan explained. ¡°She¡¯s rarely in the City anymore, but I heard her preach once that we should be more open to outsiders. She also says that the Isyar mentioned in Nin-Papan¡¯s writings is actually just one Isyar¡ªthe Dragon¡¯s consort¡ªnot the entire race. It¡¯s a pretty radical thought.¡±


    Felit?a looked to Nin-Akna, who shrugged and frowned. ¡°I guess some of us are more observant than others.¡±


    ¡°There is one difficulty though,¡± Ses-Inhuan said. ¡°Fra-Mecatl¡¯s villa is north of the City, so you¡¯ll have to go through the City or around it to get to her. Most of the priests and nobility have villas south of the city. We¡¯ll start passing by them in a couple hours after we set out. But Fra-Mecatl resides on the other side.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Garet, can you get them there?¡±


    Garet grumbled a bit and shifted his weight around. ¡°Yeah, I can get us there.¡±


    Nin-Akna turned to her fellow Youth Guard. ¡°Ses-Inhuan, I want you to go with them, too.¡±


    Ses-Inhuan titled her head and looked at Nin-Akna. ¡°But I should be with you and the rest of the Youth Guard, surely.¡±


    ¡°When we left Scovese, I gave Felit?a¡¯s sister Sinit?a my word that I would keep Meleng safe.¡± Nin-Akna took Meleng¡¯s hand. ¡°If I can¡¯t be with him, I need someone with him I can trust.¡±


    ¡°I can do that,¡± Garet said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let any harm come to the pipsqueak.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s calling him names like that that makes me not trust you,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°No, you haven¡¯t earned my trust yet. Ses-Inhuan has. We haven¡¯t always gotten along, but I¡¯d trust her with my life. I would consider her like a sister if she¡¯ll have me.¡±


    Ses-Inhuan gaped a moment, then smiled. ¡°I would be honoured, Akna.¡±


    ¡°Then keep Meleng safe, Inhuan.¡±


    ¡°I will protect him with my life.¡±


    The two young warriors hugged each other.


    Felit?a felt dizzy for a moment. It had been a long time since she had felt overwhelmed by affection, if she ever had¡ªexcept with Maneshka, of course, but that was different. It was usually anger that got to her, so she¡¯d had very little practice defending against affection¡ªas odd as that seemed to think about. But there was now a lot of affection pouring from Nin-Akna and Ses-Inhuan, even Meleng. Quilla, too, though hers was more of the sort of joyful reaction people have to other people¡¯s joy.


    ¡°Meleng, Inhuan will be your bodyguard while I¡¯m away,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    ¡°Um, okay,¡± Meleng said.


    There was confusion coming from Meleng, too. Felit?a had detected that a lot from him recently. She could sense that he cared for Nin-Akna a great deal, but in a different way to how she cared for him, and it confused him.


    ¡°You will need to explain my absence, though,¡± Ses-Inhuan said to Nin-Akna. ¡°They probably know by now how many of us passed the gate.¡±


    Nin-Akna nodded. ¡°We can say we lost you on the way. They¡¯ll probably be happy there¡¯s one less of us.¡±


    ¡°Just so long as you say I went out fighting. No sickness, no falling in a pit. I died protecting you all from a jaguar. I killed it, but unfortunately, it took me with it.¡±


    Nin-Akna giggled. ¡°If you want.¡±


    ¡°Or you can make up something realistic,¡± Ses-Inhuan said. ¡°Just make it a little flattering.¡±


    Nin-Akna nodded. ¡°I will.¡±


    Ses-Inhuan stood up. ¡°Then we should get ready to move. Meleng, Quilla, Garet, collect your things. We¡¯ll leave ahead of everyone else and make our way east.¡±


    Garet jumped up. ¡°First, let¡¯s get one thing straight.¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s,¡± Ses-Inhuan said. ¡°I¡¯m in charge.¡±


    Garet groaned.


    ¡°You can be in charge in Arnor all you want,¡± Ses-Inhuan said, ¡°but not in Ninifin. I¡¯m in charge, right, Akna?¡±


    ¡°Inhuan¡¯s in charge, Garet.¡±


    Garet clenched his teeth and stomped off.


    Quilla got to her feet. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep him under control.¡±


    Meleng waited a bit longer, held back by Nin-Akna. ¡°Be careful,¡± the young Ninifin told him.


    ¡°I will,¡± he said.


    They hugged and she kissed him on the cheek. ¡°See you soon, I hope.¡±


    After a few more moments, Felit?a and Nin-Akna were the only ones still sitting there, while the camp was deconstructed around them.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to delay our arrival a little bit,¡± Nin-Akna said, breaking the silence. ¡°Just till tomorrow morning. If we arrive shortly after dawn, they¡¯ll have to prepare any reception for us during the night.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. She could see an advantage to that.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know what will happen to you there,¡± Nin-Akna continued. ¡°I told Garet they would have to accept you because you¡¯re the Will-Breaker, but I don¡¯t actually know that. Given they appear to have wanted the entire Scovese delegation dead, I doubt they¡¯ll care much about killing the Will-Breaker.¡±


    Felit?a smiled at her. The girl was more observant than she realised. She just lacked confidence. She was a bit like Meleng in that regard. Maybe that was part of what attracted them together.


    ¡°I know,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I fully expect to be arrested at the very least, if not outright attacked. Don¡¯t worry. I can defend myself.¡± She wasn¡¯t entirely sure of that, but best to let Nin-Akna believe it. ¡°Most of the pressure¡¯s going to fall on you, though, once we¡¯re there. I¡¯ll do what I can to help, but most of it will be up to you. At least at first. Feel up to it?¡±


    ¡°I want to say yes, but you¡¯ll just see through that, won¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°My telepathy¡¯s not perfect, Nin-Akna. I can sense your fear and anxiety, but that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re not ready.¡±


    Nin-Akna closed her eyes and lowered her head for a moment. The emotions flowing from her shifted. They were still the same emotions, but more ordered, controlled. ¡°I think I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°I think you are, too.¡±

 Chapter 31: Pomp and Circumstance (Part 1)

    So Rudiger had spent the last couple hours getting all the horses ready. He was told by Fra-Atl that there was a possibility all of them might be called on. However, Borisin was the important one. The Queen wanted to be riding him when she greeted the Youth Guard. He had groaned when Fra-Atl told him she also wanted to do it without a handler at her side.


    Yeah, you can trust me. Of course you can trust me.


    I¡¯ll make sure she looks like a reasonably competent but inexperienced rider. But don¡¯t worry. If she makes any big mistakes, I¡¯ll compensate to make sure nothing bad happens.


    Oh, forget about it. It¡¯s not that bad, though you look utterly ridiculous at times. I just want you to recognise you¡¯re a hypocrite.


    Hah! That¡¯s an understatement.


    you can.¡±


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    Not sure you¡¯re close enough to hear me right now, Borisin said.


    I hear you, buddy, Rudiger replied.


    These priests are idiots when it comes to horses. Did you see that? Any other horse would have kicked her for doing that. I should have, too, but it would¡¯ve spooked the stupid cat. See? I¡¯m behaving.


    Thanks, buddy.


    She¡¯s completely forgetting everything in her distress, Borisin said.


    Just take her inside, Rudiger said.


    Yeah, all right. And I was so looking forward to my big parade at the end of the ceremony.


    No you weren¡¯t.


    Yeah, you got me.

 Chapter 31: Pomp and Circumstance (Part 2)

    The Council chamber was a chaotic mix of emotions, despite the relatively small number of people there. Queen Nin-Xoco sat in a throne in the centre of the recessed circular chamber. Some of the pins holding her hair up had fallen out, leaving her hair a tangled mess, some of it drooping over her face. A heavy tome sat open in her lap, but she wasn¡¯t looking at it. A significant portion of the rage in the room was coming from her.


    Only four of the twelve Council seats that circled the throne were occupied¡ªby the four priests who had been outside. Apparently, most of the Council members were not back in the City yet, though servants had gone to fetch the ones who were.


    Of the priests, Felit?a had recognised the one in yellow robes right away. She was older than her portrait in the locket, but no more than ten years. From her, Felit?a sensed mostly annoyance, but a bit of anger as well and even a touch of amusement. She was staring across the room, past Nin-Xoco, at the white-robed woman on the opposite side.


    ¡°Fra-Ichtaca,¡± Nin-Akna told Felit?a. ¡°Voice of Frana. She¡¯s in charge of educating the Palace children. I never liked her. None of us did, except her chosen favourites. She was strict and cruel.¡±


    There was anger coming from the Voice of Frana, but also hatred¡ªhatred like Ses-Tlacotl had had, and directed at Felit?a. She looked up, caught Felit?a looking at her, and sneered. She was a mature woman with deep black hair. Unlike some Ninifins like Nin-Akna who had a small number of large tattoos, she had numerous small ones that started on her face and ran down her neck onto her shoulders, and presumably beyond. Felit?a saw a mix of animals, human faces, and even skulls.


    Beside the Voice of Frana sat another white-robed priest, this one an older woman whose face and neck were bare of tattoos. Felit?a sensed contentment and some excitement from her.


    ¡°Fra-Atl,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°She¡¯s always been my favourite. She used to sneak me and others in the Youth Guard sugar candies. She¡¯s also the one who told Chica to seek you out. We should probably talk to her later.¡±


    Felit?a nodded.


    The final priest there wore green robes and sat on the opposite side of the Queen to Felit?a, so it was difficult to get a good look at her. From her, Felit?a just felt confusion.


    ¡°Nin-Centehua. I don¡¯t know much about her. She spends most of her time in Nin-Dzibil, only comes here once or twice a year. It¡¯s kind of ironic that she¡¯s one of the few people here now when so many others are missing.¡±


    There were also several of the Queen¡¯s Guards stationed around the room. Nin-Akna pointed each one out and named them, but Felit?a was most interested in their leader, Ses-Zeltzin. There was hatred coming from her as well, but not towards Felit?a like with Fra-Ichtaca. Ses-Zeltzin¡¯s was directed at the Queen.


    ¡°You did well out there, by the way,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Nin-Akna said, looking away. Embarrassment flooded from her, but also self-pride, which was a step in the right direction. ¡°I thought it was time a few secrets were said openly. The horse surprised me a bit, but I adjusted. What was she doing on a horse? Ninifin queens don¡¯t ride horses.¡±


    Felit?a smirked. ¡°That¡¯s not an ordinary horse.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s probably not enough time to explain right now. I¡¯ll fill you in later when we have a bit more privacy. Just know that if that horse is here, then some of my friends are too.¡±


    Seeing Borisin had reminded her just how much she missed Zandrue. It had been six months¡ªto the day, now that she thought about it. They had never gone this long apart since they¡¯d met. She was overjoyed that Zandrue had somehow found her way here amidst all the craziness that had been happening. She hoped Zandrue was well. Rudiger and Jorvan too. She didn¡¯t have the same level of connection to them, but she missed them as well.


    A spear of determination shot from the Queen. ¡°I am tired of waiting! We will start without the others. They can join us when they get here.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Holiness,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said.


    ¡°Nin-Akna, you will give a full account of your journey and experiences,¡± the Queen said. ¡°And you will explain the presence of this outsider, this Will-Wrecker or whatever you call her that has my supposedly loyal Council members refusing to speak openly with me. And when she is done, I will hear explanations from the rest of you, and if anyone¡¯s explanation displeases me¡ªNin-Akna, Fra-Atl, Ses-Xipil, any of you¡ªI will start ordering excommunications or even executions. Nin-Akna, begin!¡±


    Nin-Akna stood up from her seat and walked down the steps to the pedestal in front of the throne. ¡°Holiness, let me begin by apologising for any role I may have played in the chaos outside. I answered your questions with no expectation of the response that occurred. I wished only to serve you faithfully and answer your questions truthfully.¡±


    Felit?a felt a ping of anxiety from Nin-Akna at the lie, but she was holding herself together well.


    ¡°I accept your apology,¡± the Queen said. ¡°I know that my devoted Youth Guard would not purposely distress me. Please continue.¡±


    Nin-Akna launched into a description of everything that had happened since the Youth Guard first left Ninifin, including their journey to Scovese, all that had happened there and on the way back. It took her well over an hour to get through everything, during which time several of the missing nobles arrived and took their places in the Council chamber.


    Felit?a listened intently to every word, even though she knew it all already. There were still a few rough spots in her understanding of the language, and listening to everything helped iron those out.


    On the journey back, Felit?a had asked Nin-Akna and the other Ninifins to speak only Ninifin to her, Meleng, Quilla, and Garet, except when they were in the company of the Anorin ship¡¯s crew or Arnorins in Lothal. They were all mostly fluent now. Quilla had had the most difficulty, which had surprised her¡ªshe had expected that to be Garet, though she realised now that was just her own biases influencing her. Garet had complained about it at first, but ended up picking up the language faster than any of them except Felit?a.


    ¡°I find it shocking that Ses-Tlacotl would be do such things,¡± Ses-Xipil said when Nin-Akna finished. ¡°You suggest that she was part of some conspiracy?¡±


    ¡°I do, Reverence,¡± Nin-Akna replied.


    ¡°Preposterous,¡± Ses-Xipil said.


    ¡°Perhaps I might suggest another explanation,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said. ¡°You were on an island with large numbers of Isyar and Volgs. According to you, one of those Volgs even threatened Nin-Chicahua. Clearly that Volg was involved in some conspiracy. Ses-Xipil, you are our magical expert. Is it possible that Ses-Tlacotl acted under the control of some sort of magical influence?¡±


    ¡°Ses-Tlacotl was our finest mentalist,¡± Ses-Xipil said. ¡°Such control would be difficult to maintain on a mind such as hers, but not impossible. If one possessed the ability to do it, she would be the most practical choice to control, and the Volgs and Isyar are ever wily creatures. I will mourn her passing and erect a monument to her at my villa.¡±


    ¡°There you are, Holiness,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said. ¡°This would seem to be the most likely explanation. Ses-Tlacotl fell victim to the evils of Isyar and Volgs.¡±


    ¡°It does sound a reasonable explanation, do you not think so, Nin-Akna?¡± the Queen said.


    ¡°It does sound reasonable. I agree, Holiness. However, there are a couple other things that suggest it is not the correct explanation.¡±


    ¡°Explain,¡± the Queen said.


    ¡°Who told you that we were dead? Holiness, when we returned to Ninifin, we learned that people already thought us dead. A lone survivor of a terrible accident had made it back. Now, I know that the cover story for our journey was that we were on a training mission in the wilderness, so the cover story for our deaths being an accident in the Jaguar makes sense, but again, who said we were dead?¡±


    ¡°That is a good question,¡± the Queen said. ¡°Fra-Ichtaca, Fra-Atl, any of you, can you tell me who bore the news? It occurs to me now that it was merely passed on to me by the Council. I naturally believed you and did not think to question you about the source.¡±


    ¡°It was a young serving girl from the expedition, Holiness,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said. ¡°She must have made the story up. She must have gotten ahead of the main expedition, perhaps another under the control of the Volgs and Isyar.¡±


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    ¡°All our members are accounted for, Holiness,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°Plus, from what I can tell, the announcement of our deaths came before we made landfall in Lockanith. We were still sailing. No one could have gotten that far ahead of us.¡±


    ¡°Where is this serving girl?¡± the Queen asked. ¡°I would like to question her.¡±


    ¡°I will have her brought before us as soon as possible, Holiness,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said. She was very calm. Could she really believe this serving girl existed? If she were lying, Felit?a would have expected at least some twinge of emotion to give her away. Or perhaps she was just very good at controlling her emotions¡ªbut that didn¡¯t fit with the hatred coming from her throughout the entire session.


    ¡°Make it quick,¡± the Queen said.


    ¡°I will see to it personally following the adjournment of this Council,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said.


    ¡°Do not worry, Nin-Akna,¡± the Queen said. ¡°We will get to the bottom of this terrible tragedy. You loved Nin-Chicahua, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I did, Holiness. Chicahua was my dearest friend, sometimes lover.¡±


    ¡°I promise you she will be avenged. Now, there is the matter of this Will-Breaker person. You say Fra-Atl told Nin-Chicahua to seek her out and that all three of Nin-Zyannya, Fra-Cualli, and Ses-Tlacotl were familiar with her?¡±


    ¡°I believe so, Holiness. However, I only learned at a later time, and have only second-hand information on how long they knew. They certainly knew by the time Chicahua told me.¡±


    ¡°Fra-Atl, explain yourself.¡±


    The elderly priest stood up and looked about the room. ¡°I did indeed advise Nin-Chicahua to seek the Will-Breaker if she felt threatened on Scovese, Holiness. I also took Zyannya into my confidence and allowed her her own discretion over who else to confide in.¡±


    ¡°And who is this Will-Breaker? Why is her name passed around as if it is well-known yet I have never heard it?¡±


    ¡°You know of the secret writings of Nin-Papan, Holiness?¡± Fra-Atl said.


    Queen Nin-Xoco nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And you are aware that I am amongst the very few to have studied them?¡±


    The Queen nodded again.


    ¡°There are secrets in them kept even from queens, sometimes for reasons Eleuia and Nin-Papan took to their graves.¡±


    ¡°The Will-Breaker is one of these secrets?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Holiness.¡±


    ¡°Then why are so many others aware? Fra-Ichtaca, Ses-Xipil, neither of you study the secret texts, yet you recognised the name. Explain.¡±


    Fra-Ichtaca and Ses-Xipil looked back and forth at each other and shifted in their seats. Yet Felit?a didn¡¯t detect any discomfort from them. Were they trying to look uncomfortable? Were things actually happening in a way they liked?


    ¡°Some secrets are revealed to the Council, but not the queen, Holiness,¡± Fra-Atl said. Felit?a was still detecting excitement from her, but also anxiety.


    ¡°I do not like this,¡± the Queen said. ¡°Not one bit. I feel lied to. Perhaps changes need to be made to the rules governing this secrecy.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, Holiness,¡± Fra-Atl said. ¡°Are you displeased with me, Holiness?¡±


    Nin-Xoco looked away from Fra-Atl. ¡°I don¡¯t know. You have always been my favourite, Fra-Atl, and I do not wish to think poorly of you, but I feel betrayed. I will need to think on it.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Holiness.¡± Fra-Atl bowed. ¡°I will submit to whatever judgement you make.¡±


    Nin-Xoco took a deep breath. ¡°Be seated. You too, Nin-Akna. Come forward Will-Breaker. I wish to hear from you.¡±


    Felit?a stood up and approached the pedestal, giving Nin-Akna an encouraging smile as they passed each other.


    ¡°Do you have a real name, Will-Breaker, that I may call you instead of this clumsy title?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Holiness. My real name is Felit?a Asa Folith.¡±


    ¡°Folith? Do Folith people give their own race as their name?¡±


    ¡°There is a Folith family the Folith people are named after, Holiness. I am part of that family.¡±


    ¡°You are a strange people.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, Holiness.¡±


    ¡°Tell me what it means to be this Will-Breaker.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t entirely know, Holiness. I know very little about what is foretold of me or what my role is supposed to be. Part of the agreement I made with Nin-Chicahua was that I would be able to look at these secret texts in return for my help.¡±


    ¡°Completely out of the question,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said. ¡°It is strictly forbidden.¡±


    Nin-Xoco scowled at the Voice of Frana. ¡°Only if I do not change the rules. If I do, I might make them anything I choose and allow her to view them.¡±


    Fra-Ichtaca bowed her head. ¡°Of course, Holiness. I apologise for my outburst.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Continue, Felit?a.¡±


    ¡°I will tell you all I know,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I first heard the term Will-Breaker when I was sixteen.¡±


    Ses-Xipil rose to her feet. ¡°Please excuse the interruption, Holiness, but one reason for bringing this person into the Council was to determine if she is who she says she is.¡±


    ¡°That is a fair question,¡± the Queen said. ¡°Nin-Akna, how was it determined who this person is?¡±


    Nin-Akna stood back up. ¡°It was Ses-Tlacotl who determined it, Holiness. With her magic.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Ses-Xipil gave a small laugh. ¡°Apologies, Holiness, but given what we¡¯ve heard today, how can we trust anything Ses-Tlacotl said before her death. Whether she was acting of her own volition or magically controlled is irrelevant. As much as I mourn for a colleague I respected, I must acknowledge that her words are now untrustworthy. This could be part of the plot. Perhaps the intention was to get this woman in here as a spy, someone to spread the secret writings of Nin-Papan to the Volgs and Isyar.¡±


    While Ses-Xipil spoke, Nin-Xoco¡¯s eyes gradually widened and her body slumped. Felit?a felt fear emerge from her. Damn. And things had been going well, too.


    ¡°Ses-Xipil makes an excellent point, Holiness,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said.


    ¡°Holiness, if I may,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°I have seen Felit?a¡¯s abilities. She has great mental powers. She can read minds.¡±


    ¡°Many such things can be duplicated with mentalism magic,¡± Ses-Xipil said. ¡°Ses-Tlacotl herself was a talented mentalist and could have faked such a role for those who knew little of the part. But perhaps there is a way to be sure, Holiness.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± the Queen said, her posture straightening again.


    Ses-Xipil turned to Fra-Atl. ¡°Fra-Atl, would it be too much to ask if the secret writings contain any method of testing this Will-Breaker? You do not need to reveal specifics, just whether such a thing exists. Of course, if you cannot reveal even that much, I¡¯m sure her Holiness will understand.¡±


    Felit?a wasn¡¯t sure if it was her own heart sinking she felt, Fra-Atl¡¯s, or Nin-Akna¡¯s, but the brief hope they¡¯d had faded.


    ¡°There is no such test, Holiness. The secret texts provide no method of identifying the Will-Breaker beyond events that will occur following her arrival.¡±


    ¡°What sort of events?¡± the Queen asked.


    ¡°She will try to prevent a terrible catastrophe, but will fail.¡±


    Fra-Ichtaca stood up. ¡°So you are saying she is a harbinger of destruction.¡±


    Fra-Atl shook her head. ¡°She will help save many who would otherwise die.¡±


    ¡°This disturbs me greatly, Fra-Atl.¡± The Queen¡¯s lips trembled as she spoke. ¡°This person frightens me. Felit?a, you seem...a fine person. But whether you are this Will-Breaker or not, I cannot say without knowing much more, and I cannot risk whatever destruction follows you. Zeltzin, arrest her. Hold her until I say otherwise. Felit?a, I am not declaring any other sentence at this time. Not until I know more. But know I will not hesitate to have you executed if I deem it necessary.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Holiness.¡±


    Ses-Zeltzin began crossing the room to Felit?a.


    ¡°This Council is adjourned until I say otherwise. I am distressed and need stress relief. I wish to go riding. Tell Rudiger to have Buluc ready for me.¡±


    Rudiger.


    Ses-Zeltzin grabbed Felit?a¡¯s arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± She tried to pull her arm free. ¡°I can walk myself. I won¡¯t try to run.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not taking any chances,¡± the Queen¡¯s Guard replied. She twisted Felit?a¡¯s arm around and Felit?a gasped. ¡°I said, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Felit?a looked towards Nin-Xoco, but the Queen was already leaving the room. She sighed, gritted her teeth against the pain, and let Ses-Zeltzin lead her from the room.

 Chapter 32: Waterfalls and Preparations (Part 1)

    That was short, Borisin complained.


    Sorry buddy. The Queen could be here any moment. She didn¡¯t give much warning. Rudiger lifted the saddle off the wall and carried it over to Borisin.


    It¡¯s all right. This is my second cleaning today anyway, so I¡¯m good.


    ¡°Give me a minute,¡± Rudiger said, placing the saddle over Borisin¡¯s back.


    Izel rolled her eyes. ¡°Rudiger, I¡¯ve been doing this sort of thing my whole life. I know what I¡¯m doing. Both Fra-Mecatl and Fra-Tepeu know the code.¡±


    He finished bridling Borisin, and she took his arm and pulled him round to face her. ¡°Look, you¡¯ll be fine, okay?¡±


    Rudiger waited a moment, then led Borisin out of the stables just in time to see Queen Nin-Xoco and a half dozen Queen¡¯s Guards coming in his direction. Ses-Zeltzin was not among them, thankfully.


    ¡°I will ride Buluc there then.¡± She took the reins from him and mounted. Within moments of starting off, all signs of tears were gone from her face and she appeared stoic.


    Rudiger walked to the side of Nin-Xoco and Borisin as they crossed the field. They said little, although Rudiger offered an occasional comment on her posture and handling of the reins. The Jaguar Falls rumbled ever louder as they neared the river. Nin-Xoco brought Borisin to a stop just as the misty spray from the falls began to drizzle over them.


    ¡°Zeltzin would say the same thing, but I would have you know, I¡¯ve been to the edge many times. The current is not strong at the base of the falls. It¡¯s even safe for swimming as long as you don¡¯t get too close to the falls.¡± She looked away from him. ¡°Or so I¡¯m told. I, of course, have never engaged in such uncouth activities.¡±


    Rudiger hadn¡¯t been this close to the base of the falls. The Jaguar¡¯s current didn¡¯t look extreme here, not like it was closer to Fra-Tepeu and Fra-Mecatl¡¯s ranch. The falls themselves were majestic and beautiful. Their height was the most inspiring thing. It had to be well over a hundred feet to the top. The water poured down in a thick sheet, throwing up a cloud of spray at the bottom.


    Should I? Borisin asked.


    A little closer should be fine.


    ¡°I used to love coming here as a girl,¡± the Queen said, staring out at the river and the falls. ¡°It is very relaxing and helps me forget my tensions.¡±


    Once they were away from the worst of the spray, Rudiger reached inside his tunic to check the letter. It still felt dry.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s fine, Holiness. I understand.¡±


    ¡°She might intercept it,¡± Nin-Xoco said, dismounting. ¡°Zeltzin is loyal, but over-protective at times. It¡¯s part of her job. But once she¡¯d read the letter and found nothing wrong, she would send it on its way.¡± She looked up at him now. ¡°She would find nothing wrong, right?¡±


    He nodded.


    Ahem. That was me, not you.


    and stay alive in the process.¡±


    Don¡¯t suppose you could talk to her, buddy, like you did with Izel? he asked Borisin.


    What good would that do?


    Don¡¯t know. Maybe she¡¯ll be more likely to believe me if she¡¯s in awe of your ability to talk.


    Why would that work?


    Worked with Izel.


    Yeah, because we needed to convince her that I was important. My ability to speak says nothing about Ses-Zeltzin¡¯s loyalty.


    I suppose you¡¯re right.

 Chapter 32: Waterfalls and Preparations (Part 2)

    There were more guards than usual in the upper courtyard. There weren¡¯t as many as there had been for the arrival of the Youth Guard yesterday, but that had been ceremonial. Rudiger couldn¡¯t be sure why there were more than usual now, but it was clear the whole Palace was on edge.


    During the night, the servants¡¯ quarters had been a hotbed of gossip. The Council had been in session with the Queen late into the night, with some of the nobles and priests who had been missing earlier showing up well past midnight. That meant people were coming and going from the servants¡¯ quarters all night, too, which made it all the noisier and harder to sleep. After a month in the Palace, Rudiger still hadn¡¯t figured out how people slept through the regular noisy conditions, never mind the conditions of last night.


    Pure exhaustion, he supposed. It was what had allowed him a couple hours sleep in the end.


    This morning, he had woken to talk that the Queen had excommunicated Fra-Atl. He hoped that wasn¡¯t true, even though Xoco had said she might have to do it. Although he hadn¡¯t seen Fra-Atl very often, he had seen her more often than most other priests or nobles, and had grown to like her. She seemed the only one interested in getting to know people who weren¡¯t priests or nobles.


    Two guards watched him as he went round the northeast corner towards the stables. He nodded to them; they scowled back. They didn¡¯t try to stop him though, so he continued on to the stables.


    I snapped, but nowhere near close enough to bite her. You should have seen her jump. She grabbed the post and got splinters in her hand.


    ¡°When you are in her Holiness¡¯s presence, you are not to touch her in any way, shape, or form. Do you understand?¡±


    Never again.¡±


    The Queen¡¯s Guard approached him. ¡°Place your hand on the post, please.¡±


    Rudiger raised his hand partway, but hesitated. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°This is your punishment for yesterday,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said. ¡°If you ever repeat the offence, next time will be worse. You will be watched constantly.¡± She glared into Borisin¡¯s stall. ¡°And keep this horse under control.¡±


    Enough, buddy, or you¡¯ll bring the whole place down. I¡¯ll be fine.


    Rudiger ripped the knife back out. ¡°Fuck!¡±


    Izel rushed over to the storage shelves. ¡°We need to stop the bleeding and sterilise the wound. Zeltzin would have made a point to use a dirty blade.¡±


    She grabbed the indicated items as well as a brush, and came back over to him.


    ¡°Today they¡¯re for you.¡± She handed the brush to him. ¡°Bite down on the handle. Let me know if you start getting numb or feeling woozy, anything like that. I wouldn¡¯t put it beyond her to have poisoned the blade.¡±


    ¡°Can I kill her?¡± Rudiger asked.


    She looked up at him and smirked. ¡°I think that¡¯s the most violent I¡¯ve ever heard you.¡±


    ¡°Keep an eye on that in case we have to cauterise it. I came to ask how things went with the Queen yesterday, but I think I can guess.¡±


    very heartfelt conversation. No wonder Zeltzin¡¯s stabbing you.¡±


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± Izel said, then smiled. ¡°You didn¡¯t say our side.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t think she poisoned me.¡±


    She went back to the supply shelves. ¡°We¡¯ll probably need to stitch the wound. You¡¯ll have quite a scar there and there¡¯s no telling what kind of internal damage she did. You might lose some mobility.¡±


    Someone¡¯s coming, Borisin said. Smells familiar, but not a scent I know well.


    She stepped into the room and two others followed her in. They wore the same outfit and carried spears, but were more girls than young women. One couldn¡¯t have been more than thirteen or so.


    ¡°These are Fra-Chan and Ses-Iktan,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°We¡¯re the Youth Guard. Felit?a told us to find you. Can we talk?¡±


    ¡°We were just talking about you, so you might as well join in,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°This is...¡± He hesitated, trying to remember the etiquette of introducing someone he no longer used the honorific for. He seemed to recall, when meeting Fra-Tepeu and Fra-Mecatl for the first time, Fra-Tepeu had introduced his sister with the honorific. ¡°Ses-Izel.¡±


    Rudiger nodded. ¡°We argue a lot, but I¡¯d trust Izel with my life.¡± He made a point of using her name, knowing that the lack of honorific would strengthen his statement of trust.


    Hey, I¡¯m here as well.


    I¡¯ve been asking the same question for some time now.


    I¡¯m saying lots. I¡¯m just choosing not to say them to you, kid.


    ¡°You mention Meleng,¡± Rudiger interrupted. ¡°How is he? Where is he? And how¡¯s Felit?a? Apart from being in prison, I mean.¡±


    ¡°And I think we¡¯d like to know what you¡¯ve been up to,¡± he replied. Izel nodded her agreement.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we start and then you can fill us in?¡± Nin-Akna suggested.


    It took a couple of hours for them to tell their stories, which were interrupted on several occasions by someone with questions, in particular when Nin-Akna told of a locket Felit?a had found with an unusual picture in it.


    ¡°That¡¯s Ses-Xipil all right,¡± Izel said when she looked at the open locket. ¡°And that¡¯s a Volg?¡±


    ¡°Felit?a thinks Ses-Xipil might not be what she claims,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    Rudiger was about to reply when Izel went on. ¡°No, I¡¯m not calling you a liar. I¡¯m saying you¡¯re mistaken. Just because she smells strange doesn¡¯t make her not human. No, you know better than to argue with me. I don¡¯t care how good your sense of smell is. I¡¯m not denying that she smells weird. I¡¯m saying¡ªOh for gods¡¯ sake. Fine. Have it your way.¡±


    ¡°Felit?a thinks she might be some sort of Volg shapeshifter or something,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    Nah, doesn¡¯t smell like a Volg, Borisin said. Although now I think of it, the smell¡¯s not that different. Kind of how it has similarities to a human smell, it also has some similarities to a Volg smell.


    But that means Zandrue... Rudiger replied.


    The similarity¡¯s there too. Didn¡¯t even occur to me before. One spot where I let my vision override my smell. Sorry.


    ¡°I¡¯m fifteen,¡± Ses-Iktan said.


    ¡°They are a training organisation, Rudiger,¡± Izel said. ¡°They¡¯re not meant to see real action. It¡¯s disgraceful they were even sent to that island, and horrifying they were forced into action. My condolences on your losses.¡±


    ¡°Those of us alive owe our lives to Meleng,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°Felit?a too, but mostly Meleng.¡±


    When Fra-Chan returned, she set about tending to his hand, first recleaning the wound and then stitching it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± the young girl said as she started, ¡°I¡¯m trained in first aid.¡±


    he told you he had an accident while stripping leather for new tack and accidentally stabbed himself in the hand. Give no indication you know Fra-Ichtaca or Zeltzin were involved. Contact us if you learn anything. We¡¯ll do the same with you, but we should keep further interaction between us to a minimum.¡±


    Not again!

 Chapter 32: Waterfalls and Preparations (Part 3)

    The grey walls were smooth and featureless¡ªand seemingly endless. Felit?a pushed herself back and forth across the boundary separating the two Rooms, comparing the walls on both sides. They were identical¡ªwhich made sense. The walls weren¡¯t literally walls, the Rooms not literally rooms. They were her mind choosing to visualise them in this manner. Years ago, when she had first formed the Room as a way to try to better understand her telepathy, she had consciously chosen to visualise it as a room. Since then, her unconscious mind had done the rest.


    In that sense, the grey walls were her own creation. Her mind was viewing whatever the reality was¡ªsomething imposed on her from without, she was certain¡ªas walls. Perhaps it was time to view the reality. Remove the visualisations. Just ¡°see¡± what was there.


    Could she even do that?


    She¡¯d never know if she didn¡¯t try.


    She dismissed the second Room and let the original Room stand for a moment, then folded it away. She took a couple breaths, then opened her mind¡¯s eye and let herself see what was there.


    It was the Room.


    She sighed.


    The mistake was obvious in hindsight. Just thinking of a ¡°mind¡¯s eye¡± and ¡°seeing¡± created a visualisation, and the Room returned. It was part instinct, part habit from years of doing it that way. She had to stop thinking of it as ¡°seeing¡±.


    Easier said than done.


    She folded the Room away again and focused on just her mind and her thoughts, trying not to think of them in any kind of concrete terms.


    There was only darkness.


    But that was a visual term again.


    There was a click and a slight creak in the musty cell.


    Felit?a opened her real eyes.


    Her jailer was opening the cell door slowly. Trying to sneak in? ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to disturb you. Meditating, were you?¡± She was a burly woman, her muscular arms covered in tattoos of animal skulls. Felit?a wondered if one of them was a goat skull, and even if one was, if the woman had it just because it was another animal in the collection, or if it was to indicate her allegiance to the Darkness Worshippers. She had a couple daggers and a small axe strapped to her belt.


    ¡°I understand the traditional thing in Ninifin is to meditate in the wilderness,¡± Felit?a said, ¡°but I figured I¡¯d make do. It saves having to break out and walk all the way out of the City to the wilderness.¡± She smiled¡ªmostly at herself. That was a very Zandrue-like comment.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The jailer smirked, but apprehension and uncertainty emanated from her. Also determination. She wasn¡¯t carrying any food or water, which was the only reason she had opened the cell since Felit?a had arrived. She pushed the door the rest of the way open. Then she reached for a dagger, but didn¡¯t draw it.


    There was very little space between the two of them. The cell was cramped, with only a single hard slab of stone to sleep or sit on. It would take only a second for the jailer to draw the dagger and lunge at Felit?a.


    ¡°Is there something I can help you with?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t struggle,¡± the jailer replied. ¡°I knew it was unlikely I¡¯d sneak up on you, but figured I¡¯d give it a try. I¡¯d have waited till you were asleep, but my instructions were to get this done as soon as possible. No one will hear you scream¡ªapart from the other prisoners, who can¡¯t help you¡ªno other guards, and no way you¡¯re getting past me. So you might as well just let it happen. I promise I¡¯ll make it as quick and painless as possible.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°I expected something like this, and I¡¯m ready for it. No struggling, I promise.¡±


    The jailer drew the dagger. ¡°Nice to have a cooperative subject. No hard feelings, you understand. Just business.¡±


    Felit?a half-closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly. ¡°Understood. Time to sleep.¡± She released the spell, and the jailer dropped the dagger. Felit?a jumped up and caught the woman as she fell.


    Gods, she was heavy. Felit?a struggled to lower her gently to the ground. If she¡¯d hit her head in the fall, she might have woken back up. Felit?a glanced at the jailer¡¯s belt, then at the door. The key was still in the lock, the other keys to the jail dangling underneath it.


    Felit?a hurried out of the cell, pulled the door shut, and locked it.


    This was a much quicker escape than she had wanted, although not an unexpected one. She had hoped to give Nin-Akna a bit more time to contact Rudiger and make other preparations, but they had both known there was a good chance someone would try to kill her.


    In the front, room, she took a quick look about for her things. In a chest, she found her bag and white cloak, rolled up. The bag was empty, but she hadn¡¯t had much in it beyond basic provisions anyway. She had left most of her things, including Lon and Nesh, with Nin-Akna before they had even reached the City. With a shrug, she slung the bag over her shoulders and stuffed the cloak in it.


    She¡¯d need to figure out what to do about food and other basics, since she now had no money to buy some more. But that was something that could wait.


    The next trick was getting through the City without drawing attention. Her pale burnt skin would stand out, and wearing a cloak or robe with the hood up would draw just as much attention as Ninifins didn¡¯t usually wear that type of clothing.


    There were a few other things in the chest as well, presumably belongings of the other prisoners, including a brimmed hat. She felt a bit guilty at the idea of stealing it, but it might prove useful, so she pulled it out and stuck it on her head. It was a poor fit, so she shrugged and put it back.


    She considered releasing the other prisoners as well, but she didn¡¯t want to draw attention to a jail-break at this time. This way, she had at least until the jailer woke up and hopefully for however long it was until someone else came and found her trapped in the cell. Besides, some of the other prisoners might be there for legitimate reasons, and she didn¡¯t have time to figure out who were political prisoners and who were actual criminals.


    She headed to the door and opened it a crack. It was starting to rain outside.


    She didn¡¯t need to make herself completely invisible. That would take too much strength in a populous city. She just needed to make people less inclined to notice her, make her seem part of the crowd. She should have enough strength for that. She hoped.


    Felit?a took a deep breath and opened the door.

 Chapter 33: A Discovery (Part 1)

    The bumping stopped as the wagon stopped. It had been a short ride and with the bumpiness of the road, Zandrue would have preferred to walk. However, Tadstaime had insisted. ¡°Voices don¡¯t walk,¡± she¡¯d said.


    One of the guards outside opened the door for them and Zandrue stepped into the rain. She helped Tadstaime down after her.


    Fra-Ichtaca¡¯s villa was larger than Tadstaime¡¯s by a wide margin. There were several buildings¡ªsome even made of stone¡ªspread about a large area of gardens and fields. It was almost like a small palace, complete with a short wall around the property.


    Fra-Ichtaca waited under the arched gateway, which rose higher than the remainder of the wall. Four spear-carrying warriors stood near her. Zandrue and Tadstaime approached, followed by Tadstaime¡¯s own guards. The Voice of Frana bowed her head to the Voice of Sestin, who did the same in return.


    ¡°We have a lot to talk about,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said. ¡°Please walk with me, Ses-Xipil.¡± She pointed to Zandrue and scowled. ¡°You, remain behind us and silent.¡±


    Zandrue bowed her head. ¡°Of course, Reverence.¡±


    The Voice of Frana had taken an instant dislike to Zandrue on their first meeting.


    ¡°This is the one Fra-Mecatl was preparing?¡± Fra-Ichtaca had asked. ¡°No wonder there have been delays presenting her. How did you end up with her?¡±


    ¡°I was the one she came here to find,¡± Tadstaime replied. ¡°She ran away from Fra-Mecatl first chance she got.¡±


    ¡°She should have stayed, continued the process she started. It would have gotten her to you in the end and avoided the difficulty in explaining her presence now.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t entirely her choice,¡± Tadstaime said.


    ¡°Still shows poor and incompetent planning on her part. And you wish me to take her into my confidence? You should know better than that, Ses-Xipil.¡±


    So the job Tadstaime had intended for Zandrue never happened. Zandrue had spent the last month observing every visitor to Tadstaime¡¯s villa and keeping a note of all their activities. There were a lot of them¡ªmostly messengers and representatives of nobles and priests. The only ones who were ever up to anything suspicious were the ones Tadstaime already knew about, but it had kept Zandrue occupied. She was still a long way from getting where she wanted to be¡ªwhich was closer to what Tadstaime and Fra-Ichtaca were up to.


    She hoped today would present an opportunity though. Tadstaime usually met with Fra-Ichtaca at the Palace, and on a couple of occasions, Fra-Ichtaca had come to Tadstaime¡¯s villa. Today was the first time a meeting had taken place at Fra-Ichtaca¡¯s and Tadstaime had agreed that Zandrue should come along. Tadstaime was still eager to convince Fra-Ichtaca to take Zandrue into their confidence.


    The downpour was getting lighter when Fra-Ichtaca took Tadstaime¡¯s arm and began walking along the path towards the largest building in the villa. Zandrue fell in behind them. She made certain not to get too close, but she also wanted to hear them¡ªwhether Fra-Ichtaca liked it or not.


    ¡°What of the Will-Breaker?¡± Tadstaime asked.


    ¡°She should be dead by now,¡± Fra-Ichtaca answered. ¡°The jailer is loyal to me. Even if she hasn¡¯t acted yet, she will by nightfall.¡±


    Tadstaime shook her head. ¡°I think you are underestimating her abilities. She bested Ses-Tlacotl. A mere jailer will not challenge her.¡±


    ¡°And I think you underestimate the power of a blade to the throat or heart of even a wizard.¡±


    When Tadstaime had first told her about the arrival of a person calling herself ¡°Will-Breaker¡±, Zandrue had been stunned and had almost let Tadstaime see it. Now, she was full of questions as to how Felit?a had managed to find her way here, but those were questions for another time. For now, she was exuberant Felit?a had arrived. This jailer might have killed Felit?a, but Zandrue suspected and hoped Tadstaime¡¯s assessment was correct.


    ¡°We shall see,¡± Tadstaime said.


    ¡°Regardless,¡± Fra-Ichtaca continued, ¡°whatever her intentions, her arrival has only helped us.¡±


    ¡°Again, we shall see,¡± Tadstaime said.


    ¡°Still think I¡¯m underestimating her? Very well. If she survives, I¡¯ll put you in charge of removing her. This might even be a good test for your new prot¨¦g¨¦.¡±


    Zandrue wouldn¡¯t have minded that. She had little doubt Felit?a would willingly be part of a deception to make it look like Zandrue had killed her.


    ¡°No,¡± Tadstaime said. ¡°If she survives, I will handle her myself.¡±


    Oh well, Zandrue thought. She was still in a position to help make sure Felit?a survived.


    ¡°What of the Youth Guard?¡± Tadstaime asked.


    Fra-Ichtaca took several seconds to respond. ¡°I am still working on that. For the moment, they have Nin-Xoco¡¯s sympathies. If they die now, it will raise her ire, which might be to our advantage if we can channel it in the right direction. We will need a scapegoat for that.¡±


    ¡°Fra-Atl?¡±


    Fra-Ichtaca shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Nin-Xoco still bears a great deal of love for Fra-Atl.¡±


    ¡°And if she learns Fra-Atl has killed the Youth Guard and was behind the original attempt on their lives as well? There is no greater source of rage than a love betrayed. And this would be her second betrayal.¡±


    ¡°You may have a point. I will consider it.¡±


    They were just reaching the house, and Fra-Ichtaca released Tadstaime¡¯s arm. She turned around and faced Zandrue. ¡°Ses-Xipil and I have business to discuss in private.¡± She motioned to one of her guards. ¡°Take this one to the guest pavilion and provide her with refreshments. If she wishes, she may use the sweat house. Watch her at all times. We wouldn¡¯t want anything untoward to happen to her while she¡¯s here.¡±


    The guard bowed. ¡°Yes, Reverence.¡±


    ¡°I will come for you when we are finished, Sonna,¡± Tadstaime said.


    Zandrue bowed. ¡°The blessings and love of the gods go with you, Reverences.¡±


    One of Fra-Ichtaca¡¯s other guards opened the door for them, and the two Voices entered the house. The guard closed the door behind them, and he and the remaining two of Fra-Ichtaca¡¯s warriors took up positions in front of it. Tadstaime¡¯s own guards remained where they were.


    The guard Fra-Ichtaca had singled out motioned to Zandrue. ¡°This way.¡± He led her through the gardens on the river side of the house to a large pavilion not far from the river bank. It contained several wooden tables and chairs. Delicate curtains hung between the columns that supported the stone roof. It would provide a dry place from the rain¡ªalthough the rain had nearly stopped now anyway.


    The guard stopped a servant they passed on the way. ¡°Her Reverence has ordered refreshments for her guest here. Bring them.¡± The servant bowed and hurried off.


    The guard pointed to the pavilion¡¯s interior. ¡°You may sit here.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Zandrue climbed the entrance steps, went to the nearest chair, and sat down.


    She had expected something like this. The chances she would have been invited to join Fra-Ichtaca and Tadstaime were near zero. But that was fine. She preferred to look around on her own. She just needed to ditch this guard first¡ªpreferably without him realising she was ever gone.


    ¡°My name¡¯s Sonna,¡± she said.


    The guard just nodded.


    ¡°Do you have a name? I¡¯m sure her Reverence wouldn¡¯t mind if you told me. It would make it easier to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Nin-Yuluk.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Nin-Yuluk. You can have a seat too, if you want.¡± She indicated the chair beside her, but he continued to stand at the top of the steps, watching her. ¡°No need for you to stand the whole time. Relax. Join me in some of those refreshments when they get here.¡±


    He shook his head.


    She shrugged. ¡°Suit yourself.¡±


    A few minutes later, two servants arrived. One carried a tray of pineapple, avocado, and papaya, the other a tray with a wine pitcher and clay cups. They placed the trays on the table, bowed, and left.


    Zandrue selected a piece of pineapple, popped it in her mouth, and poured herself a cup of wine. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want one? They brought more than one cup. It¡¯s fate.¡±


    The guard shook his head again.


    No, it wouldn¡¯t be that easy. Besides, this wouldn¡¯t be the best place to leave a sleeping guard.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s it like working for her Reverence?¡±


    Nin-Yuluk remained silent.


    ¡°Oh come on. You¡¯re supposed to watch me, but nothing about that says you can¡¯t talk to me, too. Why should we both sit here¡ªokay, you stand¡ªbeing bored when we could entertain each other with some conversation? Besides, you¡¯re supposed to make certain nothing untoward happens to me, and frankly, I classify boredom as something untoward.¡±


    A glimmer of a smile passed his lips.


    ¡°So tell me, what¡¯s it like working for her? I¡¯ve heard all kinds of stories.¡±


    ¡°What kind of stories?¡± he said.


    ¡°That she¡¯s a pretty harsh task mistress, for one.¡±


    ¡°She is strict. Strictness is necessary for discipline.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s one way of looking at it.¡± She took a sip of wine. It was a honey wine¡ªmore a liqueur than a wine, but sweet and pleasant. She¡¯d need to be careful not to drink too much.


    ¡°What of Ses-Xipil?¡± he asked.


    That was better. He was opening up a little, and it hadn¡¯t taken too long. ¡°She¡¯s strict, too. But in a different way. She¡¯s very open and friendly if you work well, and very rewarding. I¡¯ve been with her less than two months now, but I couldn¡¯t imagine ever working for anyone else. I love her. She¡¯s like a mother to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard anyone speak that way about a Voice before,¡± he said.


    ¡°I take it you don¡¯t think of Fra-Ichtaca that way.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°No one thinks of Fra-Ichtaca that way.¡±


    Zandrue laughed. ¡°Based on her reputation, I¡¯m not surprised.¡± She downed her drink and poured herself another cup. ¡°Sure you don¡¯t want one?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Fra-Ichtaca has a very nice place here. But I¡¯ve never been one to sit around. Do you think we could take a walk through the gardens? From what I saw on the way here, they¡¯re very beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Fra-Ichtaca¡¯s instructions were here or the sweat house.¡±


    ¡°Oh well. Then again, I don¡¯t suppose we¡¯d have to pass through the gardens to get to the sweat house, would we?¡±


    He smirked. ¡°Yes, I suppose we would.¡±


    ¡°Perfect! Take me to the sweat house, please.¡±


    Nin-Yuluk motioned to the path. ¡°This way.¡±


    Zandrue picked up her cup and the pitcher as well. ¡°I think I¡¯ll just take this along, if that¡¯s okay.¡±


    He nodded and led her back along the path again. She continued to chat about inconsequential things along the way¡ªcommenting on the gardens and the differences between Fra-Ichtaca¡¯s and Ses-Xipil¡¯s villas, always asking his opinion on everything she said. Kept him talking as much as she could. When they passed a couple of servants, Nin-Yuluk ordered them to have the sweat house prepared.


    Zandrue finished her latest cup of wine, poured another, and offered him some again. Once more, he refused, but she didn¡¯t make a big deal of it. Just sipped at it herself, kept her hand near the small pouch on her belt for when he finally gave in.


    They reached the sweat house and waited for servants to arrive and prepare it. Zandrue continued to sip her drink, and when she reached the bottom of her cup, she refilled it again and offered some to Nin-Yuluk. She hoped she didn¡¯t have to drink the whole pitcher before he agreed to a sip.


    Once the servants had the sweat house ready, Zandrue stepped inside. She turned around and acted surprised that Nin-Yuluk hadn¡¯t followed her in. ¡°You¡¯re not coming in?¡±


    ¡°That would not be appropriate.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I suppose that¡¯s true. Still...¡±


    ¡°I cannot come in with you, Sonna.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just...¡± She put the pitcher and cup down on one of the stone benches and approached him, touched his arm. He shivered and she stepped a little closer. ¡°As much as Fra-Ichtaca said you¡¯re supposed to make sure nothing bad happens to me, you and I both know your real job is to make sure I don¡¯t take off into parts of the villa where I¡¯m not allowed, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re there and I¡¯m in here with the door closed, how do you know I won¡¯t just take off, then slip back later without you knowing?¡±


    He looked at her and laughed. ¡°There¡¯s only one door. I¡¯d see you leave.¡±


    ¡°Very good point, and it would be true with most people. You know Ses-Xipil is a wizard, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m her personal servant, her closest associate. You don¡¯t think maybe I might be a wizard, too?¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me that you¡¯re going to sneak off with magic if I don¡¯t come in?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not!¡± She gave him a playful shove. ¡°I intend to enjoy the sauna. But it occurs to me that Fra-Ichtaca is also aware of my wizardly powers. What if she and Ses-Xipil come back before I¡¯m done in here, and she sees you out here? Ses-Xipil trusts me, and I¡¯m getting the sense that you trust me, too, but Fra-Ichtaca really doesn¡¯t. She¡¯s disliked me since day one. I¡¯m saying this for your sake, Nin-Yuluk, because I like you and I don¡¯t want to see you getting in trouble, and honestly, if she sees you without your eyes directly on me, don¡¯t you think she might be a little upset?¡±


    He remained silent for a moment, thinking. ¡°I suppose you have a point.¡±


    She took hold of his arm. ¡°Come on. It¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± he said and let her lead him into the sweat house.


    She closed the door behind them. ¡°I¡¯ll just lie on the bench over there, and you can stand by the door here, where you¡¯ll have a good view of me. Unless of course, you¡¯d like to join. No, I know that would actually be inappropriate.¡±


    She collected her cup and took the last sip from it, then removed her shawl, placing it and its collection of yellow feathers on the bench. Keeping her back to him and her body between him and the cup and pitcher, she took the pouch from her belt and sprinkled some of the contents into the cup. Then she refilled the cup from the pitcher.


    Tadstaime had quite the collection of herbs and poisons, including all the ones Zandrue had been sent to retrieve all those years ago¡ªthe mission that had led her to meet Felit?a, and to abandon the arcraime once and for all. In fact, Tadstaime had such a large collection, that she was unlikely to notice that Zandrue had taken this small amount. Even if she did, she had given Zandrue access to the supply at her discretion. It wouldn¡¯t be hard to come up with a reason.


    She turned around and raised the cup to her mouth, but stopped. ¡°My, you¡¯re getting sweaty already.¡± She approached Nin-Yuluk and ran a finger over the sweat forming on his tattooed chest. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want a bit of this. It¡¯s the last. I¡¯m afraid I drank the entire rest of the pitcher. I might just be getting a bit tipsy, but that¡¯s okay. Anyway, you want a sip before I finish it?¡± She put her free hand on his shoulder and held the cup up to him. ¡°Come on. One sip won¡¯t hurt. For me?¡±


    He sighed. ¡°One sip. But that¡¯s it.¡±


    She raised the cup to his mouth and tipped it just enough for him to take a sip. ¡°Good, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve heard her Reverence only buys the best.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Zandrue lowered the cup and stepped back from him. ¡°It¡¯s a shame you can¡¯t join me in drinking more.¡± She held the cup to her lips again, but didn¡¯t drink.


    ¡°Maybe not now,¡± he said. ¡°But maybe some time when we¡¯re...both off...duty...we...¡± He fell over and hit the ground with a heavy thud.

 Chapter 33: A Discovery (Part 2)

    Zandrue grimaced. She felt a bit guilty for not catching him, but she needed him to be in pain when he woke to fit her story. The dose she had given him should keep him asleep for forty to forty-five minutes or so. The hit to his head might cause him to sleep longer, but she couldn¡¯t rely on that. It wasn¡¯t a lot of time, so she could be confident Fra-Ichtaca and Tadstaime would not be done before she got back, but she would also have to make the most of her limited time.


    She took servant¡¯s clothes from her pack and changed into them. Up close, she wouldn¡¯t pass for one of Fra-Ichtaca¡¯s servants, but she hoped from a distance, she might not be as noticeable.


    She opened the door a crack and peered out. Once she was certain there was no one about, she slipped out, closed the door behind her, and struck out across the grounds. She did her best to keep close to as many trees and plants as she could. As soon as she saw anyone in the distance, she changed direction and got a tree or other obstruction between her and the other person as fast as she could.


    Getting into the main house was out of the question. She¡¯d be caught for sure. However, Fra-Ichtaca was not likely to keep her biggest secrets in the main house. If she had as many visitors as Tadstaime, she wouldn¡¯t want to risk anyone stumbling on something they shouldn¡¯t know. Just like Tadstaime didn¡¯t keep her collection of poisons on display.


    Zandrue made her way to one of the side buildings, a building about the size of a common person¡¯s house in the City. She scurried through the chicken coop to its side, which caused more than a few squawks from the birds, but that didn¡¯t bother her. People here were surely used to hearing chickens making a ruckus from time to time.


    She sneaked up to the back window and peered inside. Just a kitchen with some servants cooking. She should have clued in with the chicken coop right outside it.


    She peered round the front again. A couple servants walked past, and nearby a couple of guards headed in the opposite direction. She waited until they were out of sight, and continued on.


    She made her way to a couple more buildings, one a grain silo, the next a tool shed. She circled clear of what was obviously the servants¡¯ building. Too many people would be coming in and out.


    The next building was the shape and size of a common house again, but no chicken coop this time. She sneaked round to the back window and ducked under it. A woman¡¯s voice came from within.


    ¡°As the fires rose and prepared to engulf her, Eleuia showed no fear. Instead, she made a final proclamation. Nin-Xtab, can you tell me what she said?¡±


    Nin-Xtab. Fra-Ichtaca¡¯s adopted daughter.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember the exact words, Reverence,¡± a child¡¯s voice replied.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need the exact words, child, just the meaning behind them.¡±


    ¡°She said the Dragon would be defeated.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but she said a bit more than that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Reverence. I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°Nin-Cakulha, what about you?¡±


    ¡°She said the Dragon¡¯s defeat would come soon,¡± another child replied, the voice familiar. ¡°That the fires he spread across the land would be put out, and he himself would be executed. He laughed at her as she died, but he was captured and executed by the Foliths the very next year.¡±


    Could it be?


    ¡°Very good, Nin-Cakulha,¡± the woman said.


    Zandrue sniffed at the air. Too far to tell, and his scent had always been strangely hard to identify anyway. Heart pounding, she pressed her back against the wall of the house and rose up beside the window, peered in.


    Jackpot.


    There were only three people in the room: a young woman dressed in the white robes of a priest of Frana, a young girl, and Corvinian.


    He looked different. His skin was tanned and his hair was no longer the sandy brown it used to be, but black like most Ninifins¡¯. Hair was easily dyed though. It was definitely Corvinian.


    There was no way to get him out now, but at least she knew where he was.


    She made her way back to the sweat house as fast as she could, hoping Nin-Yuluk hadn¡¯t awakened early or that a servant hadn¡¯t intruded upon the sweat house. In general, servants knew not to disturb nobles using sweat houses¡ªand she¡¯d been dressed like a noble on arrival¡ªbut if one had noticed the lack of a guard outside, they might have thought Zandrue had left already.


    Nin-Yuluk still lay on the floor when she slipped inside, and she sighed with relief. She changed her clothes, then picked up Nin-Yuluk by the shoulders and dragged him over to the benches. He was heavy, but she managed to get him onto a bench. Then she grabbed the wine pitcher. It was supposed to be empty, so she dumped the remaining contents over the embers. The sweat house needed steaming up anyway. Unfortunately, it also caused the building to smell of burnt honey, but that cleared after a few minutes. Zandrue sat beside Nin-Yuluk and placed his head on her lap. Then she waited.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    About fifteen minutes later, he groaned, put a hand to his head, and opened his eyes.


    ¡°What? What the hell? What happened?¡±


    ¡°You slipped and fell,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember?¡±


    ¡°Fell?¡± He jumped to his feet, then swayed a bit, and clutched at his head.


    ¡°Careful! You don¡¯t want to fall again.¡±


    ¡°I fell?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was very sudden. You walked over to give me a hand with the water bucket, but the floor must have been a little wet. You really don¡¯t remember?¡±


    He shook his head and rubbed at his temples.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard hits to the head can cause memory loss,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Hopefully, it¡¯s not too serious. You remember me, don¡¯t you?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Yes, I remember you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, good. I was so worried. I¡¯ve been trying to tend to you, but I didn¡¯t really know what to do. I thought of going for help, but I worried you might get in trouble for letting me out of your sight. So I waited here and just hoped you¡¯d wake up.¡± She sighed deeply. ¡°I feel so relieved now.¡±


    Nin-Yuluk went over to the door and retrieved his spear.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Zandrue continued. ¡°Their Reverences haven¡¯t returned. Nobody knows, and I won¡¯t tell if you won¡¯t. I was thinking, maybe we should go back to the pavilion. That way, they¡¯ll never even know you came inside the sweat house.¡±


    He nodded.


    Zandrue put her shawl on, picked up the empty pitcher and cup, and headed to the door. ¡°You¡¯re sure you¡¯re okay?¡±


    ¡°I think so. Just don¡¯t tell anybody I fell.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I won¡¯t tell a soul.¡±


    The fruit was still sitting on the table at the pavilion. It had attracted some flies and wasps, but Zandrue shooed them away. Then she enjoyed the fruit while she waited for Tadstaime to return. Nin-Yuluk was too confused and embarrassed to do much more talking, which suited her fine. He did suggest they get together some time, and she agreed, but was non-committal about a specific time.


    ¡°Ses-Xipil keeps me busy,¡± she said. ¡°But I¡¯ll get word to you as soon as I can.¡±


    She felt bad for him. He seemed nice enough, but there were too many other important things going on to even consider something like that at the moment.


    Later, as soon as the wagon began its journey back, Tadstaime said, ¡°Tell me what you learnt today, Lacquaime.¡±


    Zandrue peered across the wagon at her.


    ¡°I assume you spent your time gathering information, not just lounging in the pavilion getting drunk or sweating away in the sweat house.¡±


    Zandrue smiled. ¡°You knew I¡¯d do something?¡±


    ¡°You are arcraime. You would not pass up a chance like that. Especially at your age, young and eager to prove yourself. I would not have taken you with me if I did not want you to try something like that, which I¡¯m sure you know. So tell me, what did you learn?¡±


    ¡°I have a good idea of the layout of the villa now.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°I saw Fra-Ichtaca¡¯s daughter, and a boy with her.¡±


    Tadstaime nodded.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the boy?¡± Zandrue asked.


    Tadstaime smiled. ¡°I will tell you, but first, I want to give you something.¡± She stood up and went over to a storage chest, stumbling as the wagon rattled on the bumpy road. She opened the chest and took out a wooden box, then carried it back to her seat and sat down. ¡°I got a shipment of these in last week, but I¡¯ve been waiting for a special occasion before opening them. However, I can¡¯t wait any longer, and now is special enough.¡± She opened the box, reached in and took out a small candy cube.


    The scent reached Zandrue and her mouth started to water.


    Tadstaime closed her eyes and placed the cube in her mouth. She chewed slowly.


    ¡°Albekt?¡± Zandrue hadn¡¯t had albekt in over a decade.


    ¡°Humans don¡¯t know how to make good candy,¡± Tadstaime said. ¡°They never make it sweet enough. They don¡¯t have the capacity to understand true sweetness.¡±


    Tadstaime took another piece from the box, then passed it to Zandrue. ¡°Help yourself, my dear.¡±


    Zandrue took out a piece. ¡°How did you get these?¡±


    ¡°I had them shipped from home. It costs a fortune, so I can¡¯t do it often. Once a year, generally.¡±


    Zandrue looked at the piece of candy. ¡°My mother used to make these.¡±


    ¡°So did everyone¡¯s mother. I think you¡¯ll find these a particularly fine variety.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Have as many as you want.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I couldn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    Tadstaime laughed. ¡°Nonsense. It does me good to share them with someone who will appreciate them. All I ask is that you leave a few for me.¡±


    Zandrue stuffed the piece in her mouth. Then another. And a couple more.


    She didn¡¯t have many good memories of childhood, but eating albekt was one of the few. She closed her eyes and let the tears run down her face.


    When she opened her eyes again, Tadstaime was smiling at her. ¡°Now then. You wanted to know of the boy. Fra-Ichtaca and her human allies don¡¯t understand the full extent of what he is and represents. We call him the Child of the Volgs.¡±


    ¡°Child of the Volgs? But he¡¯s human.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s human, but he¡¯s important. He is the End. Or rather he will be.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. The end of what?¡±


    ¡°The end of our imprisonment. Through him, we will roam the world again. I¡¯ll explain in more detail later, but know that through that child, humans and Isyar will never again be able to stand against us. We shall retake our rightful place, and perhaps even repay humans and Isyar in kind and imprison them the way they imprisoned us. But whatever we do, the Volganth people will never be imprisoned again. We will be free. Say it with me, my dear. Enjoy all that it portends.¡±


    Zandrue swallowed her latest piece of albekt. She needed to find a way to get Corvinian out of there, and find Felit?a and Rudiger. And she needed to do it fast. ¡°We will be free.¡±

 Chapter 34: Reunions (Part 1)

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 Chapter 34: Reunions (Part 2)

    Felit?a stepped out of the cover of the trees and into the latest downpour. She had her cloak on and the hood up. It might not have been a very Ninifin-style garment, but it kept the rain off. Besides, it was so dark, people wouldn¡¯t be able to see there was anyone there, let alone what she was wearing.


    She had spent last night and today by the banks of the Jaguar, not far from the top of the falls. It was isolated and only a short walk away from a good view of the City. She¡¯d taken a couple looks at the City during the day to see if she could see anything noteworthy. Alas, while the view itself was gorgeous, it wasn¡¯t possible to make out what individual people were doing, though she did see someone riding a horse in the field behind the Palace. Borisin maybe? The Queen or Rudiger?


    She struck out now along the north road back towards the city. Her stomach grumbled. Although she had managed to forage a bit of food in the woods, it had not amounted to much, and she was getting hungry again. Still, a little hunger wouldn¡¯t harm. Once she¡¯d made contact with Nin-Akna or Rudiger, she could get more food. That was the plan, at any rate.


    She had considered going after Meleng and Quilla. She was on the right side of the City for that. However, she wanted to wait until she had more to tell them. At the very least, she wanted an idea where Zandrue and Jorvan were first. That way, she could send Meleng and Quilla to find them.


    Of course, seeking out Nin-Akna or Rudiger meant going back into the City, which she¡¯d barely got out of yesterday. Going in at night under cover of darkness made things easier though. The overcast sky and rain made it even better. She could save energy and maybe even recuperate from yesterday.


    The City itself wasn¡¯t pitch dark like the road leading to it. Flickering lights came from the windows of homes and especially the Palace itself. But it was still dark enough to make movement through it unseen simple, especially considering there weren¡¯t many people outside anyway.


    Felit?a made her way along the northwest edge of the City, towards the Grand Temple and the Palace on the other side. In the darkness, the Grand Temple was only noticeable as a roughly triangular shadow blocking lights from the palace. As she got closer and it blotted out more and more of the Palace lights, it took on a more ominous feel. In the daylight, from the top of the falls, it looked beautiful. Now, it looked like a gaping maw of darkness waiting to swallow her whole.


    Silly thought. It was no different just because there was no light.


    Her path took her past the northeast corner of the Temple, where the Palace¡¯s flickering lights were visible again. As she passed the steps leading to the Temple¡¯s entrance, a chill passed through her.


    Felit?a.


    She stopped and listened. The patter of the rain on the stones of the pyramid and the dull roar of the Jaguar Falls in the distance were the only sounds.


    Had she really heard something?


    Felit?a.


    It was barely audible in her head. She couldn¡¯t even say for sure that it was using her name. It could be something different. Maybe just her imagination spurred on by the darkness.


    She turned and looked up at the foreboding Temple beside her. Once again, she felt a chill in her bones. The plants and statues on its tiers were like dark shadows swaying with the breeze and rain against the much larger shadow of the Temple itself.


    But only the plants should be swaying, not the statues too. It was hard to tell the difference between the two, but all appeared to be swaying.


    Anxiety spread through her and her heart started to beat faster. She walked back to the steps and stood at the bottom, staring up. They were steep and narrow, and likely slippery from the rain.


    Was this wise? Her ankle was mostly healed now, but it still gave her a bit of pain and stiffness from time to time.


    She put her right foot onto the first step, then her left onto the second.


    FELIT?A!


    Her foot slipped. She fell back and landed on her butt. The intensity of the mental contact had startled her, but so had the familiarity of it.


    The wet ground was starting to soak through her skirt, but she let it and didn¡¯t get back up. Instead, she unfolded the Room and brought forward the line of people. The image of Nin-Akna loomed at her, the jaguar tattoos swiping. Felit?a gasped and almost lost control of the Room.


    She took a deep breath and focused. The line was again as it always was, everyone up to Nin-Akna clear and the remainder, still an unknown number, blurred. But she wasn¡¯t interested in the line this time. She was interested in the voice calling out the names.


    Felit?a.


    Zandrue. Rudiger. Borisin. Meleng. Corvinian. Jorvanultumn. Quilla. Kindanog. Nin-Akna...


    Ever repeating.


    It was the same voice.


    Except not exactly a voice this time. More an impression. It hadn¡¯t so much said her name as it had felt her name.


    But somehow the source was the same. She was sure of it.


    She folded the Room away and stood up, wiping dirt and water droplets off her skirt.


    No, climbing those stairs right now was not a good idea. That was a task for later. There had to be answers there. First though, she needed to find Nin-Akna or Rudiger. Besides, she¡¯d want others with her when she finally did enter the Temple.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Felit?a.


    She paid it no mind and hurried towards the Palace.


    Despite the late hour and the rain, there were guards on duty in the lowest courtyard. Just a couple. Covered torches spaced around the courtyard provided some dim light, so she would need a bit of magic to get by, but it would still be an easy task. The torches also created a lot of shadow, which she could use to her advantage.


    She encountered similar situations at the middle and top courtyards. The top one had more warriors on duty, but it was still near effortless to avoid them. She¡¯d discovered recently that turning her head a tiny bit to the right before tilting it made the invisibility spell use a mere fraction of the energy it had before.


    Now, where would Nin-Akna or Rudiger be? Rudiger was working in the stables, so perhaps finding the stables was the way to go. At this time of night, he was probably somewhere else sleeping, but she could wait in the stables until he showed up in the morning. If anyone else showed up in the meantime, it would be easy to hide from them. It would mean staying awake all night, though.


    Nin-Akna was probably in the barracks with the other two Youth Guards. There would be a lot of other warriors there as well, so it wasn¡¯t the best choice.


    The stables it was then.


    She couldn¡¯t be sure where the stables were, but close to the field she¡¯d seen someone riding in made sense. That meant the back of the Palace.


    She followed a path that led around the north side of the main building. Along the way, she passed a few more warriors and servants hurrying through the rain, but she kept herself hidden from them all. There were several buildings along this path, so she glanced at each of them as she passed, but none of them looked much like stables. None of them had doors big enough for horses for a start.


    The path led to the west side of the main building, behind which was the field she had seen earlier in the day. A short distance away, near the back of the main building but not right against it, was a large wooden building with wide doors like a barn. That seemed promising, and she hurried over to it.


    Sounds came from inside. A thud followed by a grunt. Then a moan, an excited... Oh.


    Then the emotions hit her. Lust. So much lust flooded through her, and she found herself thinking of Maneshka, remembering... No. Now was not the time. These were not her feelings. They were...


    Wait. Was one of them Rudiger? Yes, that was Rudiger. Oh gods, that was embarrassing.


    The woman wasn¡¯t Zandrue, though. The two of them hadn¡¯t been sexually active when she¡¯d last seen them, but she¡¯d always assumed they would end up that way.


    ¡°What?¡± Rudiger said, speaking Ninifin. ¡°She is? Shit.¡± The sexual thoughts faded in an instant.


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± the woman said.


    ¡°Borisin said he smells¡ª¡±


    ¡°Never mind, he just told me too.¡± The woman laughed.


    ¡°Just give me those,¡± Rudiger said.


    A moment later, one of the doors creaked open a crack and Rudiger peered out. ¡°Felit?a! How wonderful to see you again!¡±


    She just looked at him, her cheeks getting warmer. Hopefully, in the darkness, he couldn¡¯t see.


    ¡°Come in.¡± He stepped back and opened the door wider. Felit?a stepped inside, and he closed the door behind her. Then he came round in front of her. ¡°So, uh...¡± He looked away from her. He was topless, and his breeches were hastily tied. One hand was bandaged.


    Felit?a looked around. Borisin was sticking his head out of one of the stalls, and a Ninifin woman was standing up from a haystack. She was still mostly naked.


    ¡°We were just, um,¡± Rudiger began. ¡°I mean...we...this isn¡¯t...¡±


    The woman rolled her eyes.


    ¡°I know what you were doing, Rudiger,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°And it¡¯s all right. I¡¯m the one who came here unannounced in the middle of the night.¡±


    ¡°Going to introduce me?¡± the woman said.


    ¡°Oh right!¡± Rudiger responded. ¡°Felit?a, this is Ses-Izel. Izel, this is Felit?a.¡±


    The woman came up to Felit?a and held out her hand. Felit?a shook it, but then looked away to hide her own embarrassment.


    ¡°Oh good grief,¡± Ses-Izel said. ¡°You¡¯re as bad as he is.¡± She began picking up pieces of clothing from the floor. ¡°It¡¯s just human bodies, just sex. In Ninifin, only the rich get bedrooms to themselves. Everyone else shares with the people they live with, usually their family. You get dressed in front of each other. You have sex in front of each other. Believe me, growing up watching your mother having sex, your uncles having sex, your older siblings too, permanently drives away any embarrassment.¡± She pulled a blouse over her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not offended. Just amused. Anyway, I¡¯m impressed to see you here. The entire Palace is on high alert. Everyone is looking for you since you killed your jailer and escaped.¡±


    ¡°What? I didn¡¯t kill the jailer.¡± Felit?a¡¯s heart sank. ¡°I just put her to sleep.¡±


    ¡°I told you she wouldn¡¯t have done it,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°Not if there was another way.¡±


    ¡°And I told you, it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Ses-Izel said, tying her skirt. ¡°She knows what I mean.¡±


    Felit?a sighed. ¡°They killed her so they could blame it on me.¡±


    ¡°And as a punishment for letting you get away,¡± Ses-Izel said. ¡°But basically yeah.¡± She slipped on a jerkin and began lacing it up.


    ¡°Glad you made it here, though,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°We were a little worried. Well, I was. It is good to see you.¡± He spread his arms.


    ¡°You, too,¡± Felit?a said. She took up his offer and hugged him. He was sweaty, but it was good to see him again. ¡°Has Nin-Akna contacted you yet?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Spoke to her yesterday before you escaped. Probably while you were escaping now I think of it. Guess you haven¡¯t spoken to her since, which means I need to fill you in on everything.¡±


    ¡°That would be good,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°First, where¡¯s Zandrue and Jorvan?¡±


    ¡°Ah, see...¡± He turned aside and looked along the ground, picked up his clothes. ¡°That¡¯s, uh...¡±


    Ses-Izel poked him on the shoulder. He straightened up a bit. ¡°Stop being so embarrassed. You don¡¯t know where she is. Just tell her that.¡± She kissed him. ¡°I¡¯ll let you two get caught up. See you in the morning.¡± She headed for the door, but paused beside Felit?a. ¡°It was good meeting you.¡±


    ¡°Same,¡± Felit?a said.


    Ses-Izel continued out of the stables.


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t know where Zandrue is,¡± Felit?a said.


    He shrugged.


    Why didn¡¯t that surprise her?

 Chapter 35: A Call to Arms (Part 1)

    ¡°They all do that,¡± Rudiger replied. ¡°That¡¯s horses for you.¡±


    Felit?a stood up and brushed straw and dirt off her body, then began pulling bits of straw from her hair. ¡°You have to do this every day?¡±


    ¡°New rules. Inspection at dawn. I¡¯ve slept here the last couple nights to make sure I¡¯m here on time. Also have to have Borisin ready to be summoned on a moment¡¯s notice. Fortunately, none of them can tell when a horse has been properly prepared. Haven¡¯t done a thing with Borisin this morning. We were up too late; I slept in. Uh huh. Yeah, sure, okay. He says I should be ashamed of that. Not the talking with you part, the not having him ready part.¡±


    ¡°I got that, thanks,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°All right. Be back soon.¡± She heard him rummaging about for a few moments and then the doors opening and closing behind him.


    She went over to the doors, cracked one open, and looked out. It was still dark, but not the pitch darkness of last night. The dim glow of dawn provided some light, and the clouds had parted so the stars provided a tiny bit more. She closed the doors again.


    Moving around in the daytime would not be ideal, but she could get Rudiger and Nin-Akna to make the initial enquiries. Once they¡¯d determined where the priest was, she could go herself.


    The news she had sent Meleng and Quilla straight to the headquarters of the Ninifin Resistance was unexpected but welcome. That would have reunited them with Jorvan, and they were hopefully now working with the Resistance and whatever the Resistance was planning. It would give Garet something to do, at least. Perhaps they might even make some insights into Zandrue¡¯s location.


    Zandrue¡¯s disappearance concerned her. She wasn¡¯t particularly worried about Zandrue¡ªshe knew full well Zandrue could take care of herself. It was the manner of it, a lot like when she used to take off in Quorge: sudden, no explanation other than it was for everyone¡¯s safety, no indication of where she was going, and only a vague statement of when she¡¯d be back. Felit?a had hoped the disappearances had stopped, though Zandrue had said they¡¯d be at a reduced frequency, not stopped completely. But at the very least, Felit?a had hoped Zandrue would have the decency not to take off during a delicate time like this. Yet that was another similarity. These disappearances happened regardless of what else was going on, like Zandrue really had no choice and somehow no advance warning of them either. That Rudiger said she¡¯d seemed ill did worry Felit?a. There hadn¡¯t been any indication of illness on her previous departures, although on those occasions, it had been easier for her to get away. What if Zandrue had tried to wait longer this time? What if what Rudiger saw was an example of what happened to her while she was away? Had it always been to cover up some illness?


    Felit?a hurried back into hiding as the two children who assisted Rudiger arrived. They cleaned the other horses and swept the floors. None of them looked into her stall or came in though, so she didn¡¯t need to expend any magical energy to hide from them.


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    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± the woman said. ¡°We don¡¯t actually need him here. Check all the stalls. You two, stay out of our way.¡±


    Felit?a made a quick check of how many mental presences there were and cast the spell to hide herself from them. A moment later, a warrior opened the stall door, walked in, looked around, and walked back out. Felit?a could hear others moving about in the stables, and two others passed her stall.


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s go,¡± the first woman said. ¡°She can¡¯t have gotten far.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Everything looks good. Why don¡¯t you two take your afternoon break a little early? Come back in a couple hours.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully,¡± Felit?a said, though she wasn¡¯t feeling hopeful at the moment. The Ninifin secret writings said she was the harbinger of a time of destruction, one that might be starting right now. ¡°Were you able to find out anything about Fra-Atl?¡±


    She awoke to the sound of Ses-Izel¡¯s voice. ¡°Your friend¡¯s arrival has really shaken things up, and Fra-Ichtaca has started moving faster than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Does it really matter right now?¡± Rudiger said. ¡°It¡¯s done. We have to deal with it, so let¡¯s deal with it.¡±


    Ses-Izel took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. I came here to tell you that I¡¯ve received a message back from Fra-Tepeu. They¡¯re coming today. I¡¯ll let Nin-Akna know to be ready.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll pin this on me whether I¡¯m there or not,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°They¡¯re already doing that. I¡¯ll get her out.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Clever,¡± Felit?a said.


    After what seemed an eternity, Nin-Akna arrived. She was alone, but carrying three spears and a shield. She passed a spear to Rudiger. ¡°Ses-Izel wanted you to have this. She said you¡¯d go for your sword if I didn¡¯t push it on you.¡±


    ¡°With Ses-Izel,¡± she said.


    Nin-Akna nodded. ¡°As long as you can keep us unseen, I can get us exactly where we need to go. Whenever you¡¯re ready.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Move casually, no sudden movements. Don¡¯t do anything to draw attention to yourselves. Let me open any doors. Just point to them when we need to go through. Ready?¡±

 Chapter 35: A Call to Arms (Part 2)

    There weren¡¯t many corridors either. Rooms connected to other rooms, which meant they passed a lot of people. Every room had multiple people in, from nobles lounging to servants doing chores to warriors standing guard or searching. Even the ¡°private¡± rooms tended to have two or three people in them and nothing but a curtain to separate each room from the next.


    The small number of doors made things easier, but the large number of people meant this was not turning out as easy as she had started to think it would. It was also cramped at times. Walking between two people talking¡ªsomething they had to do several times¡ªwas something of an attention-drawing act, and not only did Felit?a have to convince the speakers¡¯ minds that there was no one new in front of them, but also that they could still see the people they were speaking to. The number of adjustments she had to make to the spell rose quickly and after only a short time, she started to feel a hint of strain.


    The Palace¡¯s small size, however, meant it didn¡¯t take long to reach their destination. Nin-Akna pointed to a curtained archway. Four warriors stood on guard, two to either side of the archway and two more several feet in front of them.


    She moved the curtain back into place and returned to Rudiger and Nin-Akna. ¡°Be ready. There¡¯s a high chance we¡¯ll need to fight our way out. But don¡¯t do anything unless they see you.¡± Then she went back to the curtain and stepped through it.


    On the other side, they walked to where Rudiger and Nin-Akna were waiting. Fra-Atl gave Nin-Akna a vigorous hug, and Felit?a struggled to maintain the spell. ¡°No. Too much strain.¡±


    Felit?a motioned to Nin-Akna. ¡°Closest¡ª¡±


    The four guards snapped to attention and raised their spears. Felit?a made a quick adjustment to the spell to account for the added scrutiny. She¡¯d hoped it would take them a little longer to notice Fra-Atl¡¯s absence. This was going to get difficult.


    The guards inside Fra-Atl¡¯s room came running out. ¡°The prisoner¡¯s gone!¡±


    Felit?a motioned to Nin-Akna and whispered, ¡°Closest exit.¡±


    From room to room, it was the same. Warriors running about. People huddling aside. Servants dropped trays they were carrying in their rush to move aside. People yelled. Emotions flared. So many emotions. Felit?a hadn¡¯t expected this. It wasn¡¯t like with the Volgs. Dealing with the emotions and the spell was... No, it didn¡¯t matter. She had to do it.


    After a couple more rooms, they reached the next exit. Like before, it was a small entry room with some plants and statuary¡ªand three guards positioned shoulder-to-shoulder against the door.


    She waved Nin-Akna over to her and leaned in beside her ear. ¡°I¡¯m going to try something I¡¯ve never tried before. It probably won¡¯t work. Be ready to fight our way out.¡±


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    Felit?a dropped the spell. She grabbed hold of Fra-Atl and pulled her back against the wall. She placed herself in front of the old priest.


    Nin-Akna had spun around and was blocking attacks from the warriors coming in the other way.


    And why had the ones on the other side of the door not re-opened it yet?


    ¡°Shit! They¡¯ll have bows!¡± Nin-Akna cried. ¡°The cliff! Run!¡±


    On each side, a volley of arrows flew over the heads of the warriors. Felit?a tried to keep beside Fra-Atl, tried to shield the priest¡¯s body with her own. Arrows thudded all around them. One tore through Felit?a¡¯s cloak. Another scraped against the armour on Rudiger¡¯s back.


    ¡°They¡¯ll be expecting us to do this,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°They probably even want us to do this. But there¡¯s no other way. Unless you can provide another one.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hide us again,¡± Felit?a said. She recast the spell just as two more volleys of arrows launched. Her right shoulder exploded in pain as an arrow tore through it. She cried out and lost the spell.


    Arrows thudded against the ground near her. Felit?a ran for the outcropping, slipping, sliding, but somehow staying on her feet. She dived under it, pushed herself against it. Her feet continued to slip as she sought for a handhold. At last, she found one, and held on for dear life.


    Nin-Akna and Fra-Atl were there with her. They looked in more stable positions, though they still grasped at small handholds in the rock. Nin-Akna no longer had her shield.


    Nin-Akna and Fra-Atl had already made it to their next stop, where Nin-Akna helped Fra-Atl over the rock. ¡°Hurry!¡± she called to Felit?a.


    Fra-Atl gasped for breath. She was covered in dirt and grime, but otherwise looked uninjured.


    Felit?a spat out the rock. She had loved that cloak.


    There were arrows lying on the ground near them. Nin-Akna¡¯s shoulder was bleeding.


    ¡°Once we¡¯re at the bottom, first thing we do is find Rudiger. Then we find a spot to rest.¡± Felit?a concentrated, then cast the spell. The pain threatened to wreck her concentration, but she adjusted her finger position a little to redirect the energy flow. That was a little better. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    There was a loud bang and crash from the east.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s diverted their attention,¡± Nin-Akna said, pointing to the top. The warriors were gazing to the east as well. A moment later, they began rushing to the source of the sound. Their pursuers coming down the side after them had also paused and were calling back up to the top.

 Chapter 35: A Call to Arms (Part 3)

    The wagon was cramped and hot. The heavy cloak Jorvanultumn was wearing did not help matters any, either. Not only did it make him hotter, it cramped his wings, which were already cramped by the wagon¡¯s benches being right against the side. He had to sit leaning forward, bent almost fully over. Then there were the constant bumps along the road.


    Jorvanultumn hoped this ride would be over soon.


    Still, at least he was out of the cellar, and he would not have to remain in the wagon for too long. Unfortunately, the cloak had to stay, though.


    He was one of a dozen people, along with several crates, packed into the back of Ses-Izel¡¯s covered wagon. One of Ses-Izel¡¯s people, Ses-Abet, was driving it and the boy Ervin was riding at the front with him. The rest of the Resistance were already in the City, positioning themselves in areas close to the Palace, waiting for the wagon¡¯s arrival.


    The wagon came to a bumpy stop. This was not the first time. It had happened multiple times as they had tried to manoeuvre through the cramped and crowded City. Jorvanultumn hoped this was the final time. As usual, it was not, and after a moment, it jolted forward again, shook, and tilted a bit to the side as it made a tight turn.


    ¡°Who planned the layout of this stupid city anyway?¡± Garet grumbled.


    No one answered him.


    Jorvanultumn wished Meleng were there, but Meleng, Quilla, and Ses-Inhuan had remained at the ranch. As they had little weapon or combat training (except Ses-Inhuan, who went wherever Meleng went), they were helping Fra-Mecatl and Fra-Tepeu prepare to take in the injured, of which there was likely to be a lot.


    ¡°Remember,¡± Fra-Tepeu had told them, ¡°the warriors you will face are not our real enemies. They are merely doing their duty, misguided though their loyalty may be. If possible, try to incapacitate rather than kill. This might put you at more risk, and if there is no other choice, then by all means, do what you need to survive. However, if we want to gain and keep public support, people must not think of us as butchers.¡±


    A few minutes passed before the wagon stopped again¡ªthe longest length of time since they had entered the City.


    Ses-Ihuicatl, seated beside Jorvanultumn, whimpered. ¡°I¡¯m scared.¡±


    ¡°It will be all right,¡± Jorvanultumn told her.


    ¡°How do you know? What if Ses-Xipil is there? What if she finds out I¡¯m alive?¡±


    ¡°Then she does,¡± Garet said. ¡°It makes little difference now.¡±


    Ses-Ihuicatl whimpered again.


    A full minute passed without the wagon moving again. Three knocks came from the front¡ªthe signal to be ready.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± a woman outside said. Her voice was muffled, but the words were still audible.


    ¡°We¡¯d like to set up in the market,¡± Ses-Abet said.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± the woman replied.


    From what Jorvanultumn had been told, this very rarely happened.


    ¡°You bet. Why wouldn¡¯t we be?¡±


    ¡°No one ever sets up here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you charge so much,¡± Ses-Abet replied. ¡°Most people can¡¯t expect to make enough to pay off the price.¡±


    ¡°And you can?¡±


    ¡°We think so. See, we¡¯re part of Ses-Izel¡¯s crew. People will be lining up to buy our stuff.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t heard of her? Wow, we thought she¡¯d be famous by now. She¡¯s a guest at the Palace, invited by the Queen herself.¡±


    ¡°The Queen has a lot of guests,¡± the woman said. ¡°No reason why I should remember them all.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been invited to stand with the Queen at the New Year¡¯s sacrifices. The one who brought the horse last month?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that one.¡±


    ¡°See? You have heard of her. Anyway, we¡¯re sure our association with her will bring out more than enough people to pay the fee.¡±


    ¡°What are you selling?¡±


    ¡°Exotic goods from beyond Ninifin.¡±


    ¡°This really isn¡¯t a good time, you know. There was a murder in the Palace last night, and they¡¯re chasing down the perpetrator right now. Things could get dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Ses-Abet said. ¡°We¡¯ll stay out of the way.¡±


    ¡°Fine. You got the money?¡±


    ¡°We do.¡±


    There was a pause as, Jorvanultumn presumed, the money was exchanged.


    ¡°All right, set up over there,¡± the woman said.


    The wagon began moving again, but only for a short time before coming to a stop once more. Another series of knocks came from the front. Kianto and Acat, who were sitting at the back, got up and untied the canvas that covered the back, but did not pull it open. They lifted it just enough to slip through, then dropped it closed again.


    Ses-Patli and another Resistance member¡ªa one-armed man, Fra-Mecatl¡¯s son¡ªstarted sliding the crates to the back, and pushed them through just far enough for Kianto and Acat to collect them.


    Jorvanultumn found this part of the plan to be the riskiest. Anyone watching was bound to wonder why Kianto and Acat did not remove the canvas completely, and might become suspicious. However, it was too soon to reveal just how many people were in the wagon, so they had to keep the canvas in place.


    Once all the long crates were off-loaded, Ervin began his role.


    ¡°No! You can¡¯t make me do it! I won¡¯t!¡± His words became harder to hear as he ran out into the courtyard, although Jorvanultumn knew what the boy was saying next. He was calling for help from the guards and complaining that his uncle was making him wear a ¡°stupid outsider costume¡±. The idea was to keep making a fuss until none of the guards (or any other non-Resistance present) were looking at the back of the wagon.


    Jorvanultumn moved into position. He needed a clear view for this to work, and so they needed to pull back the canvas all the way. After several more seconds, the canvas moved aside and Jorvanultumn took stock of what he could see.


    The back of the wagon faced the south wall of the courtyard. Beyond it, the forest trees rose above it, several of which Jorvanultumn estimated were large enough for the task. This was going to take a very powerful gust of wind. He hoped he could still manage it in his weakened state.


    Everyone else still in the wagon had crammed themselves to the front to give him enough room.


    He circled his right arm around, catching on to the currents of air. With his left, he began to stir those currents up, coagulating them together into one larger mass. With both hands and arms working together, he sent the new-formed wind past the tree, then drew it back in in one quick motion. For a brief moment, a swirling funnel of air materialised around the tree, tore it from the ground, and hurled it at the courtyard wall. It hit with a loud bang, smashing right through the wall.


    There were startled cries and yells from outside as Jorvanultumn collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. They had wanted something big enough that all their allies would recognise as a sign to begin. Jorvanultumn was confident he had given them just that. He felt sorry for the tree, though.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Garet was the first past him, leaping out of the wagon. Jorvanultumn moved aside to let the others out. Acat and Kianto were already ripping open the crates, which contained mostly spears and daggers, along with a few axes, crossbows, and bolts¡ªand Garet¡¯s sword. The Resistance members grabbed what they could and rushed into the courtyard.


    Jorvanultumn sat where he was for several moments. He had warned them he would need a short time to recover. He was worried now that it would be longer than he had expected. Ses-Ihuicatl remained beside him.


    From outside, he heard yells and cries, a scream here or there. Occasionally, the wagon shook from someone falling against it.


    After a minute, he stood up, and adjusted the cloak. They wanted him to do his best not to reveal his features. He was not sure that the cloak did a very good job of hiding his bulkiness compared to humans, though it did cover his wings¡ªif somewhat painfully¡ªso in the heat of battle, people might not notice.


    He raised his head, said a quick prayer to Power, then held out his hand to Ses-Ihuicatl. ¡°Come.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve never been in a battle before.¡±


    ¡°I will protect you, but I also need your help. Please come.¡±


    There were tears running down her face, but she nodded and took his hand. Together, they climbed out of the wagon.


    Things were going well for the Resistance so far. There were a couple dozen members in the courtyard now, all wearing white tunics or feathers to mark their allegiance. A couple guards had been tied up; a couple others lay on the ground in pools of blood, as did a few Resistance members. There did not appear to be any more opponents for him to help with.


    ¡°You missed the fun,¡± Garet said, coming over to him and Ses-Ihuicatl while wiping blood off his sword with a cloth. ¡°Still, pretty impressive with the tree.¡± He slapped Jorvanultumn against the wing, causing Jorvanultumn to gasp. ¡°Oh, sorry. Forgot that¡¯s not your back.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re coming!¡± someone yelled.


    ¡°Now the real task begins,¡± Garet said. ¡°This was just the warm-up.¡±


    Ninifin warriors were running down the steps of the upper courtyard. Others were already spreading along the edge of the middle courtyard, raising bows and nocking arrows.


    ¡°Look out for arrow fire!¡± Garet yelled.


    ¡°I will take care of it,¡± Jorvanultumn said. He waited for them to release. Then, with a much simpler variation of what he had done to the tree, he sent a strong gust of wind which drove the arrows off path. A cheer rose from the Resistance.


    The warriors raised their bows and fired again. And again Jorvanultumn sent the arrows spiralling to the ground far from any potential target. They tried one more time. Then they tossed their bows aside and joined the other warriors rushing down the stairs.


    Perhaps emboldened by Jorvanultumn¡¯s actions, the Resistance charged forward to meet the oncoming warriors. Garet roared and ran forward with them.


    Jorvanultumn began gathering air around himself. He would need a ready supply. The wind had a welcome cooling effect, but also blew the edges of the cloak up. No matter. With the other elements mixed in, his form would be blurred anyway.


    ¡°Ses-Ihuicatl, water and fire please.¡± Fire was the only element he couldn¡¯t easily gather from the environment, although water was only in limited supply, so he and the young conjurer had agreed that she would keep him supplied with both.


    The expected supply did not appear.


    Jorvanultumn looked to Ses-Ihuicatl. She was backing away, tears streaming down her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t do this. I just can¡¯t. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± She turned and ran from the courtyard and into the City.


    Jorvanultumn shook his head. He did not blame her. What they were doing terrified him as well, and she was so very young.


    He could condense water out of the air. It would not be a large supply, but it would be something. There were rain clouds in the distance. Too far to use right now, but maybe they would come fast. They would be very useful. For fire, there were a few torches about the courtyard. He could draw from those. For now, though, he would make do with air and water, and add earth in as necessary.


    A supply of air ready, he began condensing water and looked to see where he could help. The Palace warriors were pushing forward, overpowering the Resistance members in their path. Garet opposed three warriors. The Arnorin prince tried to swing at the one in front of him, but did not have the reach. The two warriors to either side did have the reach though. They thrust their spears forward, but Jorvanultumn sent a gust of wind to knock their blows aside. Garet backed away.


    Jorvanultumn turned his attention to helping others in the same way. Anywhere he saw a Palace warrior bearing down on someone who looked unable to block, he sent a gust of wind to help.


    He was not fast enough. Wind knocked many aside, but there were just too many. He could not watch them all. He was also tired. The tree had taken a lot out of him. The heat had taken more. Resistance members were falling.


    He had not condensed much water yet. It might help though. He sent the water in a small wave along the bottom of the steps where warriors were still arriving. A burst of air made some of them slip on the now-slick ground. The water would dry fast, though.


    ¡°Blasted spears!¡± Garet yelled. He sheathed his sword, and picked up a spear from one of the fallen.


    The Resistance was falling back.


    There were yells from farther up. More warriors arrived at the top courtyard and began hurrying down the stairs. Isolated from the rest of the battle as they were, perhaps he could disrupt them.


    They were different though. They wore the outfit of the other Palace guards, but they had white feathers tied to their arms. Leading them were three people. Two wore red jerkins and black skirts, but also had white ribbons on their arms and in their hair. The third wore a white jerkin and white feathers like the others. Jorvanultumn recognised her.


    Ses-Izel.


    ¡°In the name of Eleuia!¡± she yelled.


    ¡°Eleuia!¡± the Resistance chanted. ¡°Eleuia! Eleuia!¡± Even Garet joined the chant.


    Why not? Jorvanultumn thought. He joined in too.


    ¡°Eleuia! Eleuia!¡±


    The Resistance pushed forward again, and the new arrivals came in to flank the Palace guards.


    Jorvanultumn searched within himself for every bit of strength he could find. Then he began to draw more air in. The rain clouds were still too far, though maybe he would not need them now.


    Again, he used air currents to knock spears aside. Then, as the Resistance moved in from two sides and forced closer combat, people drew blades and axes. Those would be much more difficult to blow aside.


    Garet yelled in triumph. He was again wielding his sword. As Jorvanultumn watched, he took down one Palace guard and then another.


    Jorvanultumn needed a new tactic. There were so many people in close quarters now. It was difficult to tell friend from foe. He looked around for something else he could use.


    The collapsed portion of the wall. The stone.


    He clenched his fist and twisted his arm slowly round. Stones and gravel rose from the wreckage. He only wanted the smallest. The gravel he kept. The tiny pebbles and pieces of stone he kept. The rest he let drop to the ground again. Then he guided it across the air.


    Wherever he spotted an enemy, he used a small puff of air to blow gravel into their eyes. One after another. They stumbled. They rubbed at their eyes. The Resistance knocked them to the ground. Or grappled them. Sometimes killed them.


    The Palace guards began dropping their weapons. One after another called for surrender.


    Jorvanultumn relaxed and the remaining gravel and stones dropped to the ground. The air swirling around him dissipated. The water splashed on the stone floor. He dropped to the ground himself. All he wanted to do was lie down and sleep, but he contented himself with sitting there. As an afterthought, he pulled his hood down lower to keep himself hidden.


    Resistance members tied the surviving guards¡¯ hands behind their backs and led them aside. Others checked who amongst the fallen was still alive, then called others over to tend to them.


    There were people at the gate. People from the City, presumably. Come to investigate the commotion, no doubt. Jorvanultumn looked to see if maybe Ses-Ihuicatl had returned, but there was no sign of her.


    Ses-Izel came forward, followed by the two girls in red tunics. They had to be from the same group Ses-Inhuan was part of. ¡°Bring me some of those boxes!¡± Ses-Izel called.


    Acat and Kianto rushed forward with the crates that had transported the weapons. Jorvanultumn was glad they had survived. They stacked the boxes on the ground in a small pile. Then Ses-Izel climbed on top, the two Youth Guards to either side.


    ¡°People of Ninifin!¡± she cried to the crowd gathering at the gate. ¡°For too long, we have lived under the rule of a corrupt priesthood, one that sees to its own needs over the needs of the people. They keep us half-starved. They over-tax us, and they execute us for the smallest of offences. They manipulate our queens, isolate them from the people so they do not know the truth of what is happening in their own kingdom.


    ¡°This is not the first time we have endured such treatment. Two hundred years ago, we lived under the thrall of Elooria. They enslaved us, and beat us down. But then one rose amongst us, who said, ¡®No more!¡¯ She gathered the best of us. She stood up to the Dragon and his cruelty. Her defiance brought her death, but even as she burned at the stake, she remained committed to our freedom. Through her, we were inspired to rise up. We said, ¡®No more!¡¯ We fought and gained our freedom.


    ¡°To this day, she continues to inspire us. Once again, it is time to follow her example. We say, ¡®No more!¡¯ Today, it ends! The rule of the priests shall be no more!¡±


    She raised her spear above her head. ¡°For Eleuia!¡±


    ¡°For Eleuia!¡± the two girls at her side cried.


    ¡°For Eleuia!¡± the Resistance joined in.


    People in the crowd joined in as well. Soon, the sound was almost deafening.


    ¡°Eleuia! Eleuia!¡±

 Chapter 36: The Grand Temple (Part 1)

    After finding each other, they spent a few minutes tending wounds and resting, but it soon became clear there was fighting at the entrance to the Palace. With a distraction like that, they wouldn¡¯t get a better chance to move about. Felit?a could conserve energy that way.


    ¡°I felt something when I passed it last night,¡± Felit?a told her. ¡°There¡¯s something important there. Not just the secrets, and I get the impression it¡¯s important I get a look at them.¡±


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    was arrested,¡± Fra-Atl said. ¡°The Queen was understandably distraught at her cousin¡¯s death and lashed out at me because she was still angry from learning about the secret texts.¡±

 Chapter 36: The Grand Temple (Part 2)

    The Foretellings of Eleuia. It was written in Ninifin.


    The Foretellings of Eleuia, as Recorded by Her Devoted Disciple Nin-Papan in the Days Leading to Her Death at the Hands of the Dragon and the Hated Isyar.


    almost never,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Maybe this is one of those rare occasions.¡±


    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ! Come on!¡± Rudiger called.

 Chapter 36: The Grand Temple (Part 3)

    Felit?a.


    A jolt of pain.


    Felit?a.


    Another jolt. Eight all together one after another. Not as bad this time.


    At least, she didn¡¯t think it was as bad. But everything was pain now.


    Felit?a.


    There was a cacophony of emotions around her, but most of them were hers. Some concern and worry for her, though. Those were from others. One or two others. One? No, two. Two others.


    Wait, three? Four?


    The third and fourth were faint presences. Lon and Nesh. They were confused, and a bit panicked. They were still in the tattered remains of her cloak. No. One had gotten under her clothes. She could feel his feet on her back, crawling round to her stomach. The other was crawling along her leg. They did that sometimes.


    Odd how their presences could help her forget everything else for a moment.


    She opened her eyes.


    It took a moment for her vision to clear, but she soon saw she was on the top of the Grand Temple pyramid, just outside the entrance doors. She was propped up against the jaguar statue. Nin-Akna sat beside her, holding her right hand and tying a splint into place on her index finger. The other fingers on her hand were already splinted, and all tied against each other. Her left hand was similarly splinted.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised they let you do that.¡±


    Nin-Akna smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re awake.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Rudiger said. He was sitting on the other side of Nin-Akna. ¡°They¡¯re probably going to kill us soon, though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised they haven¡¯t killed us already,¡± Nin-Akna said. She finished splinting the finger and let go of Felit?a¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Same reason I was blamed for the death of the Queen¡¯s cousin and the jailer,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°They want scapegoats. They intend to kill more people, and they need us alive to pin the blame on.¡±


    She wanted to bend her fingers. It was a silly thought, but she really wanted it. The splints held them firm though. Even if the splints weren¡¯t there, she doubted she would have been able to move them. Looking at them now, they were puffy and swollen.


    She looked from her hands to Nin-Akna. ¡°What¡¯s my prognosis?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an expert,¡± Nin-Akna said, ¡°but the breaks don¡¯t seem bad. I¡¯ve had a couple broken fingers before. Never more than one at once, but they don¡¯t seem any worse than mine were. They took a little over a month to heal. You might want to get them checked by somebody who knows more than me though. If we survive, that is. Why do this to you?¡±


    ¡°Fra-Ichtaca knows I use my fingers as a significant part of my spellcasting,¡± Felit?a said. But how did she know? ¡°I really need to develop some alternative methods.¡±


    ¡°Thoughts for another time, I suppose.¡± Nin-Akna offered another smile.


    Felit?a looked around her. Fra-Ichtaca and six Queen¡¯s Guards stood by the top of the stairs. The priest and three of the Queen¡¯s Guards were looking out over the edge. The other three were facing towards Felit?a, Rudiger, and Nin-Akna. Two more Queen¡¯s Guards stood at the entrance to the Temple.


    ¡°How many Queen¡¯s Guards are there in total?¡± Felit?a asked Nin-Akna.


    ¡°About two dozen at the moment, I think. Active members, that is. Probably a dozen or so older inactive members. The number can vary a bit, though. It can be a dangerous profession. Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to keep track of everyone. If we¡¯re going to get out of here, we need to pay attention to who still stands between us.¡±


    ¡°Got any ideas?¡± Rudiger asked.


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°Not really. But if I don¡¯t focus on getting out of here, I think I¡¯ll just curl up into a ball and cry. I¡¯m fighting the urge to do that right now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, know what you mean,¡± Rudiger said.


    Three more Queen¡¯s Guards appeared coming up the pyramid stairs, Ses-Zeltzin one of them and carrying the lead of the jaguar beside her. Behind them was Queen Nin-Xoco, and behind her, three more Queen¡¯s Guards.


    ¡°We have the so-called Will-Breaker and her associates, Holiness,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said.


    ¡°Here?¡± the Queen said.


    ¡°Do not worry, Holiness. They cannot harm you. Unfortunately, they killed Fra-Atl.¡±


    The Queen lowered her head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°It seems we were wrong. Fra-Atl was not helping them. She was their prisoner.¡±


    ¡°I always knew she could not be guilty of such crimes.¡±


    ¡°I apologise, Holiness,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said. ¡°This was my error of judgement. I will, of course, accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate.¡±


    The Queen shook her head. ¡°No. You did your best. It is that outsider¡¯s fault. Show me her.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, Holiness?¡±


    ¡°Show me!¡±


    ¡°Over here, Holiness.¡±


    Fra-Ichtaca led the Queen and her guards to Felit?a and the others. The Queen¡¯s Guards remained in a circle around her, but she pushed past them to the front. Ses-Zeltzin held up a hand to caution her, but she shook her head.


    ¡°No, I must see them up close.¡±


    Ses-Zeltzin nodded and stood beside the Queen. The jaguar growled.


    The Queen¡¯s eyes looked down at Felit?a, then Nin-Akna. They came to a stop at Rudiger. Her mouth quivered. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, Holiness,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said, ¡°but it¡¯s true. He is in league with the woman. They are lovers apparently.¡±


    Tears trickled down the Queen¡¯s face. ¡°You betrayed me?¡±


    Rudiger shook his head. ¡°I never betrayed you, Xoco. We haven¡¯t done the things they say. Fra-Ichtaca and Ses-Zeltzin are Darkers. I tried to warn you about them. They¡ª¡±


    The Queen spat at him. ¡°I gave you the right to address me in that way. I called you my brother, and you make a mockery of it! Zeltzin!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Holiness?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want my horse anymore. Kill it.¡±


    Ses-Zeltzin smiled. ¡°It will be done as soon as the crisis is over, Holiness.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Rudiger cried. ¡°Xoco, you must believe me.¡±


    ¡°Make him shut up,¡± the Queen said.


    Ses-Zeltzin stepped forward and kicked Rudiger in the stomach. ¡°Not so big now, are you?¡±


    Rudiger groaned, but kept his mouth shut.


    ¡°And one of my Youth Guard,¡± the Queen said. ¡°What do you have to say for yourself?¡±


    ¡°Holiness, I still serve you devotedly,¡± Nin-Akna replied.


    ¡°The other two were seen assisting the attack on the Palace,¡± Ses-Zeltzin said.


    ¡°That is what you call devoted?¡±


    ¡°If I might intercede, Holiness,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said. The Queen nodded and the priest continued, ¡°We have reason to believe the Youth Guard may be under some form of magical control. As Ses-Xipil said of Ses-Tlacotl, the woman outsider has strong magical powers. I believe it is called mentalism, but I¡¯m not the expert. You will have to ask Ses-Xipil for specifics. However, we believe she has been mind controlling the Youth Guard. Free of her influence, they will be devoted to you again.¡±


    The Queen¡¯s eyes widened and she turned to face Fra-Ichtaca. ¡°Could she be mind controlling Rudiger, too?¡±


    ¡°It is possible, Holiness, but we have evidence suggesting they have been in association for many years. If she is controlling him, it has been for so long now there is no freeing him from it. The Youth Guard are more recent and might still be recovered.¡±


    The Queen¡¯s face fell and she turned back to face Felit?a. ¡°I want her to die.¡±


    Fra-Ichtaca nodded. ¡°It will happen, Holiness. However, it should be a public execution. The people need to see that the instigator of the troubles has been caught and dealt with. Otherwise, her followers can continue to claim she lives and use her name as a way to generate fear.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that. I want her dead now. Kill her, Zeltzin.¡±


    Ses-Zeltzin handed the jaguar¡¯s lead to one of the other Queen¡¯s Guards, then clutched her spear in both hands. ¡°If you command me, Holiness, I will obey, but I believe you should listen to her Reverence on this.¡±


    ¡°I have already listened, and I have decided.¡±


    ¡°So be it, Holiness,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said. ¡°Kill her, Ses-Zeltzin.¡±


    Ses-Zeltzin raised her spear and rammed it through the Queen¡¯s stomach. The jaguar growled.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°No!¡± Nin-Akna and Rudiger screamed.


    Ses-Zeltzin withdrew the spear and Nin-Xoco dropped to the ground, coughing up blood. Rudiger scrambled over to her, tried to place pressure over the bleeding wound in her chest. ¡°Oh gods no, please no.¡± But the Queen was already still and unmoving.


    Ses-Zeltzin dropped the spear at Nin-Akna¡¯s feet.


    ¡°I am appalled, Ses-Zeltzin,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said, a smile on her face. ¡°How could you let that man get hold of a spear so close to the Queen?¡±


    ¡°You had a vow!¡± Nin-Akna yelled. ¡°You were sworn to protect her! All of you! How could you just stand there?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a Darker, Nin-Akna,¡± Rudiger said. He laid Nin-Xoco¡¯s head in his lap, stroked her hair with his blood-soaked hands. ¡°I told you that. The others probably are, too.¡±


    ¡°The vow is not to the Queen,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said. ¡°It is to the throne. If the person on the throne is a threat to Ninifin, then that person must be removed.¡±


    ¡°How was she a threat?¡± Nin-Akna jumped to her feet, but two of the Queen¡¯s Guards pushed her back down again.


    There was a lot of anger emanating around.


    ¡°She was an ineffective leader,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said. ¡°She would have ruined Ninifin.¡±


    That there was anger didn¡¯t surprise Felit?a. The source of some of it did, however. There was also confusion and uncertainty. Although they were staying out of it, not all the Queen¡¯s Guards were comfortable with what had happened.


    ¡°It was too soon,¡± Ses-Zeltzin hissed.


    Fra-Ichtaca shrugged. ¡°She gave us no other choice. She was ever so flighty.¡±


    ¡°She just led you to think that, you stupid¡ª¡± Rudiger began, but the Queen¡¯s Guard now holding the jaguar¡¯s lead kicked him in the face.


    Ses-Zeltzin pointed at Felit?a. ¡°We could have just killed her.¡±


    ¡°And then what would we do?¡± Fra-Ichtaca said. ¡°We cannot present the people with the head of a mass murderer if she dies before the people she¡¯s supposed to have killed.¡± Anger was rising in Fra-Ichtaca now, too.


    ¡°We could find someone else. Any of her associates or followers would do.¡±


    ¡°No, it must be her.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Do not question me!¡± Fra-Ichtaca snapped.


    Ses-Zeltzin snapped to attention.


    Was there a way to set these two against each other?


    ¡°What about the attack on the Palace, Reverence?¡± Ses-Zeltzin asked.


    ¡°The rebels have scored only a minor victory. Ses-Xipil should be in position soon. She will take care of them.¡±


    Felit?a.


    It was that presence again. She¡¯d felt it a short while ago, too. Just before she woke up, but she¡¯d forgotten, distracted by everything else.


    Felit?a.


    It seemed distant, hard to make out. She needed to find out what it was.


    Felit?a.


    But she couldn¡¯t do that here. She had to get the three of them away before Fra-Ichtaca gave in and killed them.


    Felit?a.


    Two of the Queen¡¯s Guards picked up Nin-Xoco¡¯s body and moved her to the blood-stained stone. There was a gruesome irony to that. Felit?a was fairly certain that was the stone where sacrifices took place. The guards placed the spear that had killed her beside her.


    Fra-Ichtaca and Ses-Zeltzin moved farther away, but were still...discussing, Felit?a supposed the correct word was. She strained to listen.


    ¡°They were well armed,¡± Ses-Zeltzin said.


    ¡°They clearly have resources,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said.


    ¡°Yes, and where are they getting them?¡±


    ¡°They must have had help. It was probably Fra-Atl.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t have the money for something like this,¡± Ses-Zeltzin said.


    Felit?a leaned closer to Nin-Akna. ¡°Can I ask a favour?¡± she whispered.


    Nin-Akna nodded.


    ¡°This might get a bit embarrassing. One of my rats is sitting on my stomach right now. See the little bulge? I can¡¯t use my hands. Can you get him? He won¡¯t want you to pick him up, so he¡¯ll try to get away.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡±


    ¡°Just try not to let the guards see.¡±


    Nin-Akna sidled closer to Felit?a so that their sides were touching. She lifted Felit?a¡¯s tunic and blouse and slid one hand along her belly. The rat scurried off.


    ¡°Up by my right shoulder now. The other¡¯s on my thigh. I just need one.¡± She hoped he didn¡¯t aggravate her wound.


    Nin-Akna changed positions and reached across Felit?a¡¯s chest.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± one of the guards asked.


    Fra-Ichtaca and Ses-Zeltzin stopped their conversation, turned, and looked back.


    ¡°Her shoulder was injured earlier,¡± Nin-Akna replied. ¡°I¡¯m checking the bandages.¡±


    ¡°All right, but be quick about it,¡± the guard said.


    Fra-Ichtaca and Ses-Zeltzin returned to their conversation.


    Nin-Akna shifted positions again and this time came at the rat with both hands, one from each direction. The movement of the rat and Nin-Akna¡¯s hands was rather ticklish, and Felit?a held back a giggle. It was nice to feel something other than pain, though.


    Nin-Akna sat back, having successfully retrieved Lon, who squeaked in annoyance.


    ¡°What was that?¡± the guard said.


    ¡°Just a rat,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a rat up here before,¡± the guard said.


    ¡°Rats get everywhere,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    The guard shrugged.


    ¡°What now?¡± Nin-Akna whispered.


    ¡°Just hold on to him for a moment,¡± Felit?a said.


    Fra-Ichtaca came back over to them. Ses-Zeltzin followed at a short distance. ¡°The revolutionaries attacking the Palace,¡± the priest said, ¡°where did they get their supplies?¡±


    ¡°How should we know?¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°I think you do. However, you don¡¯t need to tell me. I have a strong idea already. You.¡± She indicated Rudiger. ¡°Isn¡¯t it an interesting coincidence that Fra-Tepeu should happen to send you to the Palace? That your lover is one of the lead revolutionaries? And that she happened to stop at Fra-Mecatl¡¯s on the way to the Palace to pick you up?¡±


    ¡°Quite the coincidence, yeah,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°Ses-Zeltzin,¡± Fra-Ichtaca said, ¡°please take a contingent of your most trusted warriors to Fra-Mecatl¡¯s ranch. Kill everyone there.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Rudiger growled.


    Ses-Zeltzin bowed. ¡°As you wish, Reverence. What of Fra-Tepeu¡¯s horses? I hear he used to be some sort of prize winner because of them. Shall I claim them for you?¡±


    ¡°I have no interest in horses. Slaughter them. We¡¯ll serve them in the feast when this rebellion is quelled.¡±


    Rudiger lunged forward, but two Queen¡¯s Guards were on him in a moment, pushing him back until he was against the statue again.


    ¡°Keep him under control!¡± Fra-Ichtaca snapped.


    The guards tied Rudiger¡¯s hands behind his back, then tied his legs together.


    Ses-Zeltzin motioned to several of the guards and they started down the steps.


    Four left. Plus Fra-Ichtaca and the jaguar. Those were slightly better odds.


    Fra-Ichtaca walked over to the Temple entrance. ¡°Watch them carefully.¡± She pointed to Felit?a. ¡°Especially her.¡± One of the guards opened the door for her and she went inside.


    Even better odds.


    She needed to wait a bit longer though, give Ses-Zeltzin more than enough time to reach the bottom and be gone before she tried anything.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to create a distraction in a few minutes,¡± Felit?a whispered to Nin-Akna. ¡°When it happens, can you get to the spear by the Queen¡¯s body?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    ¡°I really wish Rudiger hadn¡¯t been bound. Get the spear, then free Rudiger. Do you know what they did with his sword?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I was unconscious at the time. Though he might. I¡¯ll ask.¡± She leaned over to Rudiger, then returned to Felit?a a few moments later. ¡°He says he thinks it¡¯s inside, in the room with the sacrificial knives, where those two priests were when we first went in.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll need to get there then,¡± Felit?a said.


    She let several minutes pass. Then she let several more pass just to be sure.


    ¡°Place Lon on my lap and hold him there,¡± Felit?a whispered to Nin-Akna.


    When Lon was in position, she held her hand over him and stroked him with her thumb. Elderaan had used rats with the very first magic he had ever taught her. She had practised her earliest spells on the rats in the shop, many of them previous Lons. Simple calming spells at first, that she often overdid and ended up putting them to sleep. Minor spells to influence their actions, convince them to go one way instead of another, once even to roll over. She hadn¡¯t done anything like this in a long time.


    This could get Lon killed. She knew that. She hoped it didn¡¯t happen, but if she didn¡¯t try something, they would all die anyway.


    She stroked the rat a few more times, whispered some loving words to him, and then muttered the incantation of the spell. Then she jabbed her thumb into the back of his neck. Lon squealed and took off. She jerked her head and Lon changed directions.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± the nearest guard said.


    ¡°It¡¯s that rat again.¡± Felit?a jerked her head again and sent Lon running around the guard¡¯s feet. ¡°There he is!¡±


    The guard stepped back, lifted her foot and brought it down. A jerk of Felit?a¡¯s head sent Lon out of the way just before the foot squashed him. She turned Lon back to run round the guard¡¯s feet again.


    The other three turned to see what was happening. A couple of them laughed as the first tried to stomp her foot on Lon. The jaguar looked up from where it had lain down, growled in annoyance, then put its head back down again.


    Nin-Akna leapt to her feet and dashed for the sacrificial stone.


    Felit?a half-closed her eyes, tilted her head and put the jaguar to sleep. Then she did the same to the guard trying to squash Lon. The guard slumped against the statue and slid to the ground while Lon darted out of the way.


    Felit?a smiled. She wasn¡¯t entirely reliant on her hands.


    Nin-Akna dived for the spear and grabbed it. She rolled out of the way as one of the other guards thrust her spear at her.


    There was a thud to Felit?a¡¯s left as one of the other guards fell to the ground. Rudiger had somehow rolled around to trip her. Felit?a put her to sleep before she could get back up.


    The fourth guard yanked on the jaguar¡¯s lead. ¡°Come on, you stupid cat.¡± When the jaguar didn¡¯t respond, she jabbed her spear down at Rudiger. He tried to roll, but the spear caught the side of his armour. It tore through the links of his chain but didn¡¯t appear to hit any flesh. Felit?a put that guard to sleep as well.


    Nin-Akna and the remaining guard were circling around the sacrificial stone and the Queen¡¯s body, each just out of reach of the other. The distance was a bit too much to get a good flow of energy on the sleep spell.


    The guard jabbed forward, but Nin-Akna stepped back. Then Nin-Akna came in high, and the guard blocked.


    Felit?a looked about, found Lon, and jerked her head towards the guard. Lon dashed under the guards feet.


    ¡°Damn rat!¡± the guard yelled, glancing down. Nin-Akna thrust her spear through the guard¡¯s neck. The guard fell on top of Lon.


    Nin-Akna circled round the stone and ran her spear through the first of the sleeping guards, and then the second.


    Felit?a grimaced.


    ¡°They betrayed their vow,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°Plus, like you said, we need to be sure where our enemies are at any time. This gets rid of a few.¡± She ran her spear through the last sleeping guard. Then she bent down to untie Rudiger.


    There was a squeal from near the stone. Felit?a looked over to see Lon squeezing out from under the guard¡¯s body. He was covered in blood¡ªthe guard¡¯s¡ªbut seemed otherwise fine. With a jerk of her head, she brought him back to her and guided him under her clothes again. Then she released the spell. Nesh scurried over to him, and the two rats circled on her stomach, both squealing at her in protest.


    ¡°Help me up,¡± Felit?a said to the others. ¡°We¡¯ve got a lot of work to do.¡±

 Chapter 37: The Child of the Volgs

    The stone was still slick from the recent rain, but hopping the wall wouldn¡¯t be a problem. It was everything beyond that could present problems.


    The sun was starting to disappear beneath the treetops and the light was dimming. Zandrue would have preferred to wait until it was fully dark, but there was no way of knowing how much time she had before Tadstaime returned and discovered she was gone. The more time she had without an active pursuit against her, the better.


    A messenger had arrived a couple hours ago, summoning Tadstaime¡ªor rather, Ses-Xipil¡ªto the City. There was an attack under way on the Palace. The message contained few details, but Tadstaime had taken off immediately.


    ¡°It must be something to do with that Will-Breaker,¡± Tadstaime had said. ¡°I warned Fra-Ichtaca of this, but would she listen? That woman is brilliant in some ways, but unbelievably stupid in others. I¡¯ll deal with this Will-Breaker once and for all. Stay here. To launch an attack, she must have followers. They may try to attack the villas while we are distracted in the City. I¡¯m putting you in charge of security. The guards already know to listen to you. If anyone tries an attack, kill them.¡±


    ¡°You have my word,¡± Zandrue had said.


    As soon as the old woman was gone, Zandrue sprang into action¡ªjust not in the way Tadstaime had expected. She changed out of the yellow Tadstaime had been having her wear recently, into darker, duller colours better for sneaking about in. She retrieved her bow and sword, as well as more sleep powder from Tadstaime¡¯s poison collection. As an afterthought, she also snatched three pieces of albekt. She gave a few orders to the guard captain to remain alert and then took off.


    Even on foot, it was a quick trip to Fra-Ichtaca¡¯s villa. Of course, the weather chose that time to rain and she was drenched through when she got there. She wouldn¡¯t have minded if it had kept raining. A good downpour obscured vision and made it easier to move about¡ªFra-Ichtaca¡¯s villa was likely on alert, too. But of course, it stopped just as she got there, and the clouds began to part.


    She took out a piece of albekt, popped it in her mouth, and let it sit on her tongue to savour the flavour. Then she vaulted over the short wall and dashed to a small copse of trees. She had chosen the location to hop the wall specifically for this. Nowhere along the perimeter were there any trees or large plants directly against the wall, but this spot provided the best opportunity to avoid early discovery.


    Once at the trees, she took a moment to string her bow while chewing and swallowing the candy. She pulled an arrow from her quiver and held onto it, ready to use it if necessary.


    There were many guards wandering the grounds, most near the main house¡ªmore than she remembered seeing last time. There was no doubt they were on alert.


    Her first priority was to locate Corvinian. There was no guarantee he¡¯d be in the same building as last time. It was possible that was the building he was held in all the time, or it could just be a place where he had his schooling. His tan indicated he was allowed at least some time in the sun. Whatever the case, she¡¯d try there first. If he wasn¡¯t there, he was likely in the main building.


    That would be the tough one.


    As soon as there were no guards looking in the right direction, she dashed to the next cover of vegetation. Again and again, she darted from tree to tree, avoiding guards and servants. She passed the pavilion and then made her way around to the smaller buildings to the side of the main one¡ªpast the kitchen, grain silo, and tool shed. She stayed away from the servants¡¯ building again and made her way round to the back of the house she had seen Corvinian in.


    She edged up to the side of the window and peered in. The interior was dark and there was no sign of any people.


    Oh well. So much for any hope of this being easy.


    She returned to the front, waited for some guards to pass, then backtracked to the main house.


    Assuming the main house kept to typical Ninifin style, there wouldn¡¯t be a lot of rooms in it. Fra-Ichtaca might have her own private bedroom, and there might be one or two other rooms that were for just one or two people. The remaining rooms would be for either storage or expected to be used by several people at the same time, whether for sleeping, eating, or entertainment.


    There wouldn¡¯t be a lot of windows, either. As she approached it, she tried to remember where she had seen windows previously. There was one on the front of the building. Two on the back, and none on the side where she was currently. She had never gotten a good look at the remaining side. She¡¯d try along the back first.


    She positioned herself first by a tree that gave her a good view of the entire length of the back of the house. Like the wall around the villa, there were no trees or other tall vegetation growing up close. That meant to get to either of the windows, she would be exposed to anyone who came out the back door or along the path crossing the grounds behind the house.


    She looked to the west. The light was getting dimmer and the orange glow of the setting sun was barely visible over the treetops. Could she risk waiting for full dark?


    No. Even the tree she was at couldn¡¯t hide her entirely from anyone looking directly at it. She needed to keep moving, so she might as well get a look in those windows if she could.


    She waited until there were no guards in sight. Then she waited to see how long it was until guards came into sight again. Not long. She did it again, always making certain there was no one coming from behind her¡ªthe direction of the river¡ªeither.


    It might just be possible to get to the closest window, take a very quick look inside, and then run for cover again. After that, she might be able to try the second window. All that was left was to try.


    When the next break in the guards came, she dashed along the side of the house to the window. She glanced in and dashed for tree cover again. She couldn¡¯t be bothered to think about what she¡¯d seen until she had a least a little cover again.


    A bedroom.


    With no one inside.


    Could it be Fra-Ichtaca¡¯s? Had she given herself a private bedroom with a window? That didn¡¯t fit with typical Ninifin patterns¡ªespecially for nobles.


    Zandrue was starting to understand Tadstaime¡¯s frustration with the Voice of Frana.


    Still, she wasn¡¯t one to pass up good fortune. She stashed her bow and quiver in the branches of the tree. They wouldn¡¯t be any use inside the house and jumping through the window with them would be awkward. She just hoped no one spotted the items.


    When the next gap in the guards came, she ran for the same window, grabbed hold of the ledge, pulled herself up and over. She rolled when she hit the floor, and sat against the side of the bed.


    It had occurred to her as she ran for the window that it was possible someone could have come into the room in between looking in it and coming back again. Fortune had stayed on her side though.


    Maybe not fortune.


    If she was right and this was Fra-Ichtaca¡¯s room, it was unlikely anyone would enter. Maybe a servant on cleaning duty, but the room look tidy already, so Zandrue hoped all the day¡¯s tidying was already done.


    The room even had a proper door rather than just a curtained opening.


    She took out her second piece of albekt and tossed it in her mouth, savoured the intense sweetness for a few seconds, then chewed and swallowed it, and went over to the door.


    There were voices on the other side of the door, though she couldn¡¯t make out what anyone was saying. Scents weren¡¯t close or strong enough to determine anything other than they were all human¡ªwhich was hardly surprising.


    She listened for a minute or so, until she could be certain there was no one on the immediate other side. Then she opened the door a crack. There was a short corridor with two further doors, one per side. The corridor led to a curtained archway, and the voices were coming from beyond there.


    A shadow passed by the curtain, causing it to sway, and Zandrue shut the door. When no sound came towards it, she cracked it open again. The corridor was still empty, so she slipped through the door, and walked the few steps to the other doors. She opened the one to the right, slipped through, and closed it behind her.


    She turned to see where she was. Another bedroom. This one had two beds, both occupied.


    ¡°Hello, Corvinian,¡± she said.


    ¡°Zandrue!¡± He was sitting in the bed to the right, angled towards the other bed, but his head turned to look at her. ¡°Xtab, this is my friend, Zandrue. I told you about her. Zandrue, this is my best friend, Nin-Xtab.¡±


    Sitting up in the other bed was the same young girl Zandrue had seen with Corvinian last time. She, too, was angled to face the other bed, but with her head turned to look at Zandrue. The two of them must have already been sitting up talking to each other.


    ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to be here,¡± Nin-Xtab said.


    ¡°How do you know?¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I¡¯m here, aren¡¯t I? I must have been allowed in.¡±


    ¡°I think you snuck in.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Because Cakulha told me you¡¯d come to take him one day, and Mother would never allow that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to know you have such faith in me, Corvinian,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it would be you specifically,¡± he said. ¡°I just knew Meleng and Felit?a and the rest of you would never give up on me.¡±


    ¡°His name¡¯s not Corvinian anymore,¡± Nin-Xtab said. ¡°It¡¯s Nin-Cakulha. He¡¯s a noble and you shouldn¡¯t speak to him with a common outsider¡¯s name.¡±


    Zandrue sat down on the end of Corvinian¡¯s bed. ¡°You¡¯re a noble now, are you?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Corvinian said. ¡°But they did give me the new name.¡±


    ¡°He will be when I¡¯m queen,¡± Nin-Xtab said. ¡°I¡¯m going to make him one.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°Oh, and you¡¯re going to be queen? Sounds like you both have bright futures. What would you say if I took Corvinian¡ªI mean Nin-Cakulha¡ªwith me?¡±


    Nin-Xtab shrugged. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say anything. I¡¯d scream until the guards came and killed you.¡±


    ¡°I see. And what if I told you that I work for Ses-Xipil, and I¡¯m actually just taking him to the City so she and your mother can prepare him for a special ceremony?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say you¡¯re lying. Mother would have told me. She would have told Cakulha, too.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Corvinian said. ¡°What if Xtab comes with us? Do you want to come with us, Xtab?¡±


    ¡°Then I can¡¯t be queen.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s already a queen,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Yes, but she won¡¯t always be queen. I¡¯ll be queen after.¡±


    ¡°Then you just have to make sure you come back in time for that,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°No,¡± the young girl declared. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving and neither is Cakulha.¡±


    Zandrue slapped her thighs and stood up. ¡°If that¡¯s your wish, future Holiness, then I will honour it. I won¡¯t take Nin-Cakulha. You¡¯ll have to stay here, okay, Nin-Cakulha.¡±


    Corvinian frowned. ¡°Oh. I guess that¡¯s okay. At least I¡¯ll still get to see Xtab. But I thought¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everything will be fine in the end. I¡¯ll leave now, but before I go, I¡¯ve got a little gift for you.¡± She took out her last piece of albekt.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Nin-Xtab asked.


    ¡°Candy. I only have one, though, so I need to cut it in half. I¡¯ll just use your table for a moment.¡± She placed the candy on the table, positioning herself so that she was blocking both of them from seeing what she was doing. Then she drew her dagger and sliced it in half. Finally, she took the pouch of sleeping powder and sprinkled some over the piece for Nin-Xtab. She hoped the girl didn¡¯t notice that Corvinian¡¯s piece didn¡¯t have the same ¡°frosting¡± as hers.


    ¡°It¡¯s called albekt.¡± She handed each of them their piece. ¡°It¡¯s a treat that Ses-Xipil makes.¡±


    They each popped their piece in their mouth. After a moment, both of them pulled faces.


    ¡°Yuck!¡± Nin-Xtab said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°It¡¯s too sweet! It¡¯s gross!¡± the girl replied, trying to spit out the bits of the chewy candy now stuck to her teeth.


    ¡°She¡¯s right, Zandrue,¡± Corvinian said. ¡°It¡¯s too sweet.¡±


    ¡°But I thought kids liked sweet things.¡± She had known they¡¯d hate it. Tadstaime was right about one thing: Humans had no appreciation for sweets.


    ¡°Sure, but not this sweet,¡± Corvinian said. ¡°Right, Xtab? Xtab? Is she okay?¡±


    Zandrue rolled the unconscious girl over, laid her out, and threw the bed¡¯s blanket over her. ¡°She¡¯s just sleeping. She¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°You put something in the candy, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry I had to use such awful candy. It¡¯s all I had. It¡¯s really old. That¡¯s why it tasted so bad.¡± That sounded believable, didn¡¯t it? ¡°Come on, get dressed and let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    Corvinian climbed off the bed and pulled on a tunic and some sandals to go with the pants he was already wearing. He then took Nin-Xtab¡¯s hand. ¡°Bye, Xtab. I hope we see each other again some day.¡± He let go of her hand and looked at Zandrue. ¡°She really was my friend.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°If you really want to stay, I won¡¯t force you to leave.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°No. I like Xtab, but not her mother. The Volgs gave me to her after they caught me.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Ready?¡±


    The door opened and a servant entered. ¡°I have your evening meals,¡± she started, then stopped.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Intruder!¡± the servant screamed.


    ¡°Behind me, Corvinian!¡± Zandrue drew her sword and held it out in front of her. ¡°Move aside and you won¡¯t get hurt.¡±


    The servant did as she was told.


    Zandrue stepped into the hall just as a man pushed the curtain aside. He wasn¡¯t dressed in the uniform and armour of the guards, but he did carry an axe. He swung at her and Zandrue blocked the blow, twisted the sword into a downward arc as it contacted the shaft of the axe, and wrenched it out of his hands. He yelped. Not a warrior; probably a family member or visiting noble.


    Zandrue didn¡¯t want to hurt him, but he lunged at her with his bare hands. He practically landed on the point of her sword, she had to do so little.


    She turned for the bedroom she¡¯d entered by, taking a brief glance to make sure Corvinian was following her. A blue glow was forming around him.


    She threw open the door and ran to the window. ¡°Through!¡± She wasn¡¯t sure it was safe to touch the boy while he was glowing, but he was going to have difficulty without help. Her hands tingled when she grabbed him to lift him up. Pins and needles shot up her arms as she shoved him through the window. Once she let go of him, her hands and arms returned to normal.


    A guard ran into the room just as Zandrue dove through the window.


    ¡°She¡¯s out back!¡± the guard yelled.


    Zandrue grabbed Corvinian¡¯s hand and ran with him back to the tree where she¡¯d stored her bow. The tingling returned, but she paid it no mind. It didn¡¯t seem to be doing any lasting harm.


    His shorter legs made him a lot slower than her. She was dragging him during much of the run, and even then it took much longer than she would have liked. Warriors were running around the sides of the house. A thrown spear struck the ground in front of her.


    She swung around it and reached the tree. Letting go of Corvinian, she jumped up to grab the lowest branch. She pulled herself onto it and retrieved the bow. She took an arrow and fired it at the nearest approaching guard. The man fell in a lump.


    She jumped back down beside Corvinian. The glow around the boy was getting brighter and larger. She shot another arrow at the next guard, then took the boy¡¯s hand again, and ran. Her hand burned this time, and after a few seconds, she couldn¡¯t hold on any more.


    They just needed to get over the wall and into the forest. They could lose pursuers there.


    More guards appeared in front of them. These ones with bows.


    ¡°Shit! Down!¡±


    Ignoring the burning sensation, she grabbed him and pulled him to the ground as the guards loosed their arrows.


    The blue glow exploded out from Corvinian, pushing her hand and then her whole body away from him. As she rolled onto her back, the glow enveloped the arrows about to rain down on them¡ªand disintegrated them. They vanished like they had never existed.


    Corvinian jumped to his feet. ¡°Come on!¡± He ran for the wall. The glow now extended several feet in every direction around him.


    Zandrue jumped up and followed.


    When they reached the wall, there were already two guards running along the outside towards them. They thrust their spears over the wall, but the ends vanished as they hit the blue glow.


    ¡°Can you get over?¡± Zandrue asked him. ¡°I can¡¯t help you in your current state.¡±


    ¡°I can do it,¡± he said.


    She vaulted over and landed on her feet on the other side. He was a bit slower.


    The guards, minus their spears, drew short blades and moved in towards Zandrue.


    ¡°Sonna?¡± one of them said.


    The other stabbed at her, but she parried the blow. ¡°Hey, Nin-Yuluk. How are you?¡±


    The other lunged at her again, but she moved aside. His momentum took him too far forward, and she sliced him along his side. He stumbled back round. She parried an attack by Nin-Yuluk, then swung at the injured one again. He tried to block, but the force of her blow knocked his smaller weapon to the ground and shredded his hand. She swung down, cut him across the chest, and he collapsed.


    Corvinian was just making it over the wall.


    Zandrue spun back round to Nin-Yuluk.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± he said.


    Corvinian came closer, the blue glow stretching out between Zandrue and Nin-Yuluk.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, Corvinian. I¡¯ve got this.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t really control it,¡± the boy said, but the glow receded a couple paces.


    She began to circle Nin-Yuluk, knocking aside each attack he made. She had the reach advantage at the moment, but his stance was slack and his lunges feeble. He wasn¡¯t putting his all into it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± he said.


    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t mean you any harm,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°It¡¯s just business. You¡¯ve got a choice. You can leave. I won¡¯t stop you. Get out of here. Get as far away from Fra-Ichtaca as you can. Maybe one day, we¡¯ll run into one another again, and we can get together like you wanted. Or we can finish this here. But only one of us will walk away, and that won¡¯t be you.¡±


    He continued to circle her for a moment. Then he stepped back and sheathed his dagger. He looked at her for a moment more, then turned and ran.


    Zandrue breathed a sigh of relief. She kind of liked him.


    ¡°Zandrue!¡± Corvinian called.


    More guards were coming over the wall. Corvinian¡¯s glow was disintegrating their spears, but it was retracting away from touching the guards themselves.


    ¡°Into the forest!¡± Zandrue yelled. ¡°Run!¡±


    He ran.


    She sheathed her sword and took her bow. As soon as Corvinian was past her, she fired an arrow into the chest of the first guard, and then another at the second. It only hit his arm.


    Then she ran as well.


    As they reached the trees, the glow around Corvinian spread farther out. It barrelled straight towards her. Her instinct was to drop, but the glow touched the ground as well.


    She gritted her teeth, stopped running, and braced herself.


    The glow split and went around her. The ground itself began to rumble.


    She spun around to see the glow had rejoined on the other side of her. It was tearing up the ground, spraying dirt at the pursuing guards, partially burying them and building up another wall.


    A moment later, the glow retracted.


    ¡°Okay, that was fucking awesome,¡± she said, running up to him.


    ¡°Yeah, fucking awesome!¡± Corvinian repeated.


    She grimaced. ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t use that language?¡±


    ¡°You did.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Fair point. Come on. They¡¯re slowed down. Let¡¯s not waste the advantage you¡¯ve given us.¡±


    His glow was fading, so she took his hand. Together, they ran into the woods.

 Chapter 38: Death and Destruction (Part 1)

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 Chapter 38: Death and Destruction (Part 2)

    With the sun almost set, it was starting to cool down. The rain earlier had helped, too. However, it was still insufferable.


    Jorvanultumn was grateful the attack had paused for now. After taking the lower courtyard, Ses-Izel had led an advance group, including Jorvanultumn, to the middle, unoccupied courtyard. She left the bulk of the forces¡ªwhich consisted, in large part, of people from the City who had only just now joined the cause¡ªin the lower courtyard, stating she didn¡¯t want anyone coming up behind them and boxing them in. She did not want to advance any farther yet.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t seen everything they can throw at us yet,¡± she said when Garet tried to insist they storm the main building. ¡°We don¡¯t know where the Queen is or the Queen¡¯s Guard. More importantly, we don¡¯t know where the priests of Sestin are. When they get here, we could be in lots of trouble. You saw how much trouble Jorvan was to them. Just imagine how much a dozen Jorvans could be to us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but Jorvan¡¯s an Isyar,¡± Garet said.


    ¡°Yes, an overheated, sick Isyar, who¡¯s exhausted. They¡¯re none of those things. Until we have better information, we hold on to what we have.¡±


    A few hours had passed.


    There were warriors on the upper courtyard keeping watch on them, though not many. There had been no sign of Ses-Xipil and the priests of Sestin, no sign of the Queen¡¯s Guard, no sign of any form of counter-attack from the Palace. However, there was word from Resistance members watching the side entrance by the Grand Temple that several priests and nobles had been going in and out there, and it was possible Ses-Xipil and other priests of Sestin might have hidden themselves amongst them.


    Garet spent most of the time pacing about and grumbling. Jorvanultumn chose to spend it in prayer and meditation, allowing what he could of his energy to return. It came back at such a drizzle. It had been months¡ªthough it felt like years¡ªsince he had last been at full strength. He had used more of his strength today than he had in all that time, and only a tiny fraction had returned in the few hours since. If he had to use much more in another battle, he might put himself in danger of burning out.


    ¡°Something¡¯s happening!¡± Garet called.


    Jorvanultumn rushed his ending prayers, lowered his head, and stood up.


    Lining up along the edge of the upper courtyard were people in yellow robes and headdresses adorned with yellow feathers. Although it was too far and too dark to see, Jorvanultumn had been told that all of them also had an eye tattoo on their foreheads, with a slight variation of the eye depending on what magical discipline they practised. There were ten of them.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t get them all together,¡± Ses-Izel said. ¡°Must have been what delayed them. Well, that¡¯s good for us. Right, everyone! Our purpose is to draw the attention of the priests from the bulk of our forces in the lower courtyard. Ses-Patli, take command of those forces. Wait for our signal before you move. The rest of us are going after those priests. Up close and personal. That¡¯s the only hope we have against them. Jorvan, your job is to create a path for us to do that. Ses-Patli, when the signal comes, advance all the way to the top. Your priority will be to secure the barracks. Once the barracks are secure and the priests of Sestin are dealt with, we¡¯ll turn our attentions to the Palace itself. Remember, harm as few nobles as possible. Especially the Queen. The Queen must not die!¡±


    ¡°Surrender!¡± One of the priests had moved to the top of the stairs. Warriors moved into formation behind her. ¡°This is the first and only chance I intend to give you. This foolish rebellion ends now. Surrender, turn over the Will-Breaker, and you can all go home. Palace servants and warriors will be relieved of their positions, but otherwise we will let you go unharmed with no further repercussions. Continue to resist, and we will put you down. Each and every one of you!¡±


    Ses-Izel moved forward. ¡°You represent a corrupt order, Ses-Xipil! Like Eleuia before us, we will fight for our freedom. We will not stand down. Instead, we offer you the same offer you have given us. Stand down, abdicate your positions, and you can go free. Otherwise, we will continue to resist!¡±


    ¡°So be it!¡± the priest said.


    Ses-Izel turned back to face the others. ¡°This is it, everyone. Good luck. Jorvan. Try to get the jump on her.¡±


    Jorvanultumn was already gathering air currents together. He targeted the lead priest first, sending a funnel of air to sweep her off her feet. She punched out with her hand and the wind burst against an invisible barrier.


    ¡°Go!¡± Ses-Izel ordered. She, Garet, the Youth Guards, and the rest of her troops rushed the steps.


    Five priests raised their hands, and in unison chopped down with them. Boulders appeared above the middle courtyard. Too many for him to grab them all. However, there was still moisture on the ground from the recent rain. Jorvanultumn swept up every drop he could grasp. He sent the water over the Resistance members¡¯ heads and froze it into an ice bridge to block the boulders. The boulders smashed through it¡ªtoo large and too heavy for the ice. But it did slow them down. Resistance members dived away. Most of them succeeded. Jorvanultumn winced as a few were crushed.


    Jorvanultumn pulled at and melted the ice fragments, then brought the water back together as a large wave. He sent it to the upper courtyard. Going after Ses-Xipil had been a mistake. He should have taken out the troops first.


    Just before the wave crashed over the priests, he froze it. A solid block of ice collided with them. They stumbled, fell out of formation, but the effect was less than he had hoped. They had defences up.


    Five conjurers. The other five a mix of the other two human disciplines.


    Wait. Three were missing.


    More boulders fell on those at the rear of the Resistance attack. Jets of flame shot from two of the conjurers down the steps, towards Garet and the Youth Guard.


    That was better.


    Jorvanultumn snatched the fire away from the conjurers, turned it around, and sent it right back at them. The two priests screamed as their robes and headdresses went up in flames and their skin burned. He hated having to resort to killing, but they were not giving him much other option.


    He gathered together the now larger concentration of fire, mixed it with some additional fire from nearby torches, and brought it all under his control.


    The three missing priests had to be mentalists. He needed to keep an eye out for them.


    With a sweep of his right arm, he sent the swirling flames barrelling towards the remaining conjurers. The two remaining priests¡ªthe enchanters¡ªran forward and traced lines along the ground, then dived out of the way of the flames. The ground beneath the flames rose up and boxed them in.


    Jorvanultumn shifted control of the air currents to his left leg, then used his arms to rip apart the stone surrounding his fire. The flames had diminished from lack of air, but had not gone out.


    He sent the fire against the two enchanters, half towards one, half the other. In both cases, the folds of their robes expanded and engulfed the flames, quenching them. Damn. That was it for his fire, and the remaining conjurers were not likely to repeat the mistake of making more.


    There were torches still lit in the lower courtyard. He could take the fire from there, but that would take time away from the battle.


    He took quick stock of what everyone else was doing. Many Resistance members lay dead or incapacitated. Garet had fallen back to only halfway up the steps, but he was pushing forward. There was no sign of the Youth Guards or Ses-Izel.


    Where was Ses-Xipil?


    He gathered the water again. This time, he made spears of ice, sending them at the three remaining conjurers. One drove through a priest¡¯s neck, but the other two priests created shields of stone in time to protect themselves. Jorvanultumn snatched the stone and slammed it into their heads.


    The conjurers were down, except Ses-Xipil herself.


    He guided the stone shields towards the enchanters. Pain shot through his head, and the stone dropped to the ground. More pain and he lost control of the air currents.


    One of the missing mentalists appeared beside him. She held out her hand, palm open and close to the side of his head. He stiffened and could not perform the necessary actions to recast the spells.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Another of the mentalists appeared on his other side. She too held her palm out in the same manner. He could not move at all now.


    The third mentalist and Ses-Xipil appeared in front of him.


    ¡°The rebels¡¯ secret weapon,¡± Ses-Xipil said. She made a swift swipe with her hand as if to slap him, but she was too far back to connect. His heavy cloak shredded and flew away.


    The mentalists gasped and for a moment, Jorvanultumn could move a little. But not for long.


    Ses-Xipil laughed. ¡°And to think I assumed you were a fat slob. The rebels really have spelled their own doom. Take him to where the people below can see him. Their new-found support will vanish in an instant.¡± She leaned in close to him. ¡°Then I will make you watch your friends die as you have forced me to watch some of my dearest friends die. Then I will kill you myself.¡±


    The two mentalists holding him turned their hands slightly. Jorvanultumn tried to resist. He used every fibre of his strength, but his leg still moved. Coordinating their movements, the two mentalists made him walk with slow, jerky steps to the top of the stairs leading down to the lower courtyard.


    As they went, he tried to look around. Garet was being led forward by several warriors. One of the Youth Guards was leaning on the other for support, one leg covered in blood. They, too, were held at spear point. Three other surviving Resistance members were being bound near to them. Ses-Izel was on her knees. One cheek was pressed to the ground, the boot of a warrior in a red jerkin pressing down on the other.


    In the dimming light, it was doubtful the people in the lower courtyard could see more than silhouettes of those above, but that was all that was needed to identify Jorvanultumn as an Isyar. Gasps, yells, even screams rang out from below as he came into view of the crowd.


    ¡°Look what you fight with!¡± Ses-Xipil cried out. ¡°One of the very beings the world itself fights against! Did they tell you of him? No, they did not because they know full well what he represents. They knew his presence would reveal their lies. You have been misled by foreign conspiracies. We have warned you of the Will-Breaker, and she has many dangerous allies like this beast. Do not listen to them! Ninifin has never been more prosperous or free than it is today. We fought for our freedom two hundred years ago and we claimed it! Will you give it up to this Isyar and the Will-Breaker? If you do, she will bring destruction upon us worse than the Dragon himself.


    ¡°Look around us! We are infested with outsiders, from the Queen¡¯s horse tender to this one here!¡±


    The warriors brought Garet forward. He was struggling. Even bound, it took two to hold him.


    Jorvanultumn struggled to free himself of the spell, but still could not move.


    ¡°We don¡¯t even know when or how this one got here! He has not been seen before today. This only goes to show how insidious the Will-Breaker has been. But do not let her name fool you. We are rooting out her allies. Soon we will break her will. What would you have us do with this one?¡±


    The crowd roared. Jorvanultumn could see some of them were trying to call out against Ses-Xipil. Ses-Patli pleaded with those around her. Acat and Kianto huddled to the side.


    But most called for Garet¡¯s death.


    Ses-Xipil raised her arms, motioning for quiet. ¡°I have heard you! Never let these rebels tell you we do not listen. We are here to serve and protect you.¡± She turned to Garet. ¡°What do you have to say for yourself?¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, bitch.¡±


    ¡°Typical,¡± Ses-Xipil replied. ¡°Kill him.¡±


    Garet roared and struggled against the two warriors holding him. He managed to knock one aside, but a third had come up behind him. That one drove his spear into Garet¡¯s back. Garet bent backwards from the blow. He was still yelling and struggling. The warrior ripped the spear back out again, and Garet fell to the ground. His arms tried to grab hold of something, tried to pull himself back up. The warrior drove the spear through Garet¡¯s neck and the Arnorin prince stopped moving.


    ¡°Now, go home, all of you!¡± Ses-Xipil yelled at the crowd.


    People ran. A stampede resulted.


    Jorvanultumn wanted to wipe the tears from his eyes, but he still could not move.


    ¡°That should reinstate their fear very nicely,¡± Ses-Xipil said, turning to Jorvanultumn. ¡°Thank you for your help. Now. who do you wish to see die next? The merchant who deals with outsiders? One of the two Youth Guards? Any of the few others who remain? Tell me where the Will-Breaker is and I will let them live. You will still die, but your friends will live. Allow him to speak.¡±


    Jorvanultumn found he could move his mouth. He took several slow, deep breaths.


    ¡°Do you wish to tell me?¡±


    ¡°I tell you this: Not all spells require movement.¡± He sucked in, pulling the breath out of his four captors. They all clutched at their throats and chests, and Jorvanultumn could move again.


    He ran. He pulled up a heavy whirlwind to knock aside the guard holding Ses-Izel down. He sent a blade of rock to knock out the legs of the Youth Guards¡¯ captors.


    He spread his wings and took to the air for the first time in ages. They ached and protested at the exertion, but he kept going. The air against him felt invigorating.


    He glided round for a pass over the middle courtyard. Ses-Xipil and the three mentalists were recovering. One of the mentalists vanished from sight. Metal blades shot from Ses-Xipil¡¯s hands and through the air towards Jorvanultumn. He banked to the right and they missed by a wide margin.


    Jorvanultumn directed air beneath him as support while he beat his wings to build up more air currents. He sent the funnels cascading across the three courtyards. They zipped around allies and knocked over enemies. One barrelled into Ses-Xipil, who stumbled backwards. Her feet met only air, and with a cry, she toppled over the cliff edge.


    The power flowing through him was exhilarating. but his body was screaming at him to stop. If he kept this up much longer, burnout would be inevitable.


    So he stopped. He let the magic go and glided down beside Ses-Izel, who was standing up. It was all Jorvanultumn could do to stay standing when he landed. Now he just wanted to sleep. ¡°Is it over?¡±


    Ses-Izel stared across the battlefield, at the bodies scattered there. Most of them were Resistance members. The Palace warriors Jorvanultumn had knocked over were struggling to get back up.


    Ses-Izel¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°For now. Probably for a long time. It was too soon. We acted too soon.¡± She looked in the direction of the two Youth Guards and called out, ¡°Fra-Chan, can you walk?¡±


    ¡°Sort of,¡± the Youth Guard replied.


    Ses-Iktan was untying the other Resistance members¡¯ bonds.


    ¡°We need to get out of here before the guards recover and reinforcements arrive,¡± Ses-Izel said. ¡°If you find any of us still alive, try to help them along, but if you can¡¯t help, free them from their misery and keep moving.¡±


    Ses-Izel led the way down the steps to the first courtyard, followed by the remaining Resistance members and Jorvanultumn. The two Youth Guards fell well behind, and were not even halfway down when the others reached the bottom. Fra-Chan stumbled along on her injured leg, supported by Ses-Iktan. In the middle courtyard above them, the Palace guards were rushing to the stairs.


    Jorvanultumn took a deep breath, spread his wings, and took to the sky again. He landed in front of the Youth Guards.


    One more spell. He could manage one more spell.


    With a sweep of his wings, he distorted the top few steps, raised them up to create a wall blocking the approaching warriors.


    ¡°Will you trust me?¡± Jorvanultumn asked Fra-Chan.


    The young girl was shivering, but her head moved just a little more than the rest of her body. Jorvanultumn took that to be a nod.


    ¡°Go,¡± he told Ses-Iktan. ¡°I will get her to safety.¡±


    Ses-Iktan hesitated a moment, but then nodded and hurried down the stairs.


    Jorvanultumn stepped behind Fra-Chan and put his arms around her. ¡°Hold tight.¡± Her body stiffened but still shook, and she clutched his arms. Jorvanultumn spread his wings and took to the air.


    He had never before carried another person while flying, and had not even been sure he could manage it. But the girl was small and light for a human, so it was manageable. Nevertheless, it was a strain, and he could not use his arms to guide his movements as he could not let go of her. He could not keep this up for long, but he could at least get her away from the Palace and maybe even to the other side of the City before needing to land again.


    Her shivering subsided gradually as they flew. ¡°This is incredible,¡± she muttered.


    They reached the woods north of the City, but his wings and arms could bear the strain no longer. He landed at the edge of the trees, let go of Fra-Chan, stumbled a short distance into the forest¡ªjust enough for the trees to cover him from casual observance¡ªand collapsed into the vines and mud.


    A moment later, a hand touched his shoulder and he looked up. It was Fra-Chan. She had sat down beside him and was sobbing.


    ¡°It is all right,¡± Jorvanultumn said, straining to sit up. ¡°You are safe now.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she said. ¡°But so many died.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for your friend.¡±


    ¡°My friend?¡±


    ¡°Garet.¡±


    ¡°He was not my friend, but I do mourn him. I mourn them all.¡±


    They sat there for some time, crying together in the dark.

 Chapter 39: Flight and Pursuit (Part 1)

    Another bundle of cloth bandages dropped beside Meleng.


    There were bundles of cloth all about the room now. Some were stacked against the walls, but when those stacks became too precarious, smaller piles began appearing in other parts of the room, too. It was now getting difficult to move in some spots.


    ¡°Then we will learn that in due time,¡± Fra-Mecatl said. ¡°Honestly, young woman, you are nearly as bad as your lover. Except I have not seen this from you previously.¡±


    Quilla groaned. ¡°I know. Garet just sort of sucks it right out of me. When he¡¯s around, I¡¯m calm. When he¡¯s gone, my natural impatience and worries return.¡± She stood up and resumed her pacing.


    Ses-Inhuan whispered in Meleng¡¯s ear, ¡°I wonder which learned it from the other, or were they both like that and that¡¯s what brought them together?¡± She giggled and Meleng couldn¡¯t help laugh too.


    At any rate, if this worked, it would make the house at least a little more resilient to a counter-attack. It might give them enough time to get away. He had done most of the house and was just finishing up with the communal room.


    Quilla passed by the window again and looked out again. She stopped. ¡°There are people coming! They¡¯re on the road near the gate.¡±


    Quilla helped Fra-Mecatl to the back of the house. Meleng helped Fra-Tepeu, and Ses-Inhuan grabbed a spear, bow, and quiver of arrows, then took the rear.


    They hustled out the door, and Ses-Inhuan closed it. ¡°We are not going to make it,¡± she whispered to Meleng as he activated the locking equations. ¡°They are too slow. Be ready to fight for them.¡± She held out her dagger to him.


    They hustled into the field. They were fully exposed at the moment, but there was a depression in the direction of the river. If they could reach it before any of the warriors made it round, it would hide their movement. After that, they would make for a place to hide¡ªthe barn or the river and the forest.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Yes, but that doesn¡¯t say much,. She smirked. ¡°We must keep moving. They will be here soon. Make for the trees.¡±


    She knocked aside another blow and hurried back to him. ¡°We¡¯re probably going to die together here, so you might as well call me Inhuan.¡±


    ¡°We must go, lad!¡± Fra-Tepeu said.


    Meleng wiped the tears from his eyes and helped Fra-Tepeu farther into the woods.


    Of course!


    Except, could he make it work? He would need precise control, and he¡¯d never had very good control. Not to mention the energy it would require. He¡¯d expended a lot of energy already. At full strength, he couldn¡¯t be sure he¡¯d have enough; at the moment, there was no way he¡¯d have enough. But perhaps if he only did it to one of them...


    ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea. This won¡¯t be very comfortable. Just stay still and quiet.¡± He scribbled the equations as fast as he could on the dirt, leaves, and bits of branches at Fra-Tepeu¡¯s feet. The underbrush began to rise up, covering over the old man. It wasn¡¯t perfect. There were a lot of gaps in addition to the ones Meleng had purposely left for Fra-Tepeu to breathe through. In daylight, it would be obvious, but in the dark, with other targets to follow, the warriors might miss it.


    Then Meleng took off full speed into the woods, yelling and making as much noise as he could to draw the attention of the nearest warriors. A couple behind him picked up speed in his direction. After a few more seconds, he cut the yells and kept running in what he hoped was a quieter manner.

 Chapter 39: Flight and Pursuit (Part 2)

    That Ses-Zeltzin had beaten them to the house was plainly obvious. There were dents and chips in the front door from an attempt to break it open. They must have been interrupted, though, since the door hadn¡¯t been broken through. Probably spotted the inhabitants escaping from the back, though Rudiger was surprised the door had lasted for even one blow. It was sturdier than it looked.


    Yells from the direction of the river drew them away from door and to the back of the house. There were shadowy outlines of several figures at the top of the hill leading to the river. At this distance in the dark, it was hard to discern details, but the figures appeared to be holding bows, so enemy warriors seemed a good bet as to their identities.


    Nin-Akna yelled, and the figures turned.


    ¡°So much for sneaking up on them,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want them killing anyone while we¡¯re sneaking up on them,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°If we can draw even a few towards us...¡±


    There were yells from the distance. The shadowy figures raised their bows and fired. Rudiger and Nin-Akna dived in opposite directions. Even in daylight, the distance would be long enough to make it unlikely the arrows would hit, but Rudiger didn¡¯t want to take the chance an archer got lucky.


    Both he and Nin-Akna then charged forward, their spears held in front of them. The archers fired another volley of arrows. One whizzed a short distance over Rudiger¡¯s head, close enough he could feel the rush of air. Then the archers dropped their bows and picked up spears from the ground. They charged at Rudiger and Nin-Akna.


    Two came at Rudiger. One from the left, the other from the right. Rudiger stopped. He jumped to the left, tried to block the left attack and dodge the right. It wasn¡¯t a graceful move, but he came out of it. His spear clattered against the left attacker¡¯s spear. For a moment, he lost track of the right attacker. It was getting very dark.


    He thrust at the left attacker, who dodged backwards. His other opponent came up on his flank, Rudiger backed off to the side, trying to keep both of them in front of him. Rustling came from behind him, so he charged forward, straight for the attacker on his left. He knocked aside her spear with his own and kept going, ploughed right into her, knocking her over.


    He stumbled about, avoided her attempt to grab his leg and pull him down too. His spear was gone, lying on the ground somewhere, impossible to see in the dark. He spun round. Two more were coming at him.


    Rudiger dove between the two of them. He landed half on the warrior he¡¯d knocked to the ground. He kneed her face into the dirt, then scrambled to his feet. A spear split his side, the same spot where he¡¯d been injured earlier. It was painful, but he could still move, which was all that mattered.


    He drew Slay and went straight at the one who¡¯d just attacked him. He sliced the spear in half, and then barrelled down on the attacker. Another swipe cut the man in half.


    He spun around again. One immediate attacker remained. The one he¡¯d knocked over was getting back up, though. Two other figures in the distance were fighting each other.


    His remaining opponent didn¡¯t come straight after him. Instead, she was holding guard over the one standing up, who was now searching for her spear. They wanted two-on-one. He wouldn¡¯t give them a chance.


    Rudiger charged forward again, and the spear thrust at him. He swung but didn¡¯t quite connect with it. The spear tore another hole in his armour on his other side. It cut his flesh, but he had knocked the aim off enough that it didn¡¯t go in. He brought Slay up again, and back down on the warrior. He then spun at the other one who had just retrieved her spear. She dropped the spear again, tried to draw her dagger, but Slay cut her down.


    He rushed towards the two in the distance. One went down. He hoped it wasn¡¯t Nin-Akna.


    She was panting when he reached her, but otherwise looked unharmed.


    Three more spear-wielding warriors were approaching them.


    ¡°I told Fra-Ichtaca she should have let me kill you,¡± one of them said. Ses-Zeltzin. ¡°She needs to realise that politics and battle don¡¯t always line up the way you¡¯d like them to.¡±


    ¡°Ses-Zeltzin¡¯s mine,¡± Nin-Akna hissed. ¡°You take the other two.¡±


    Rudiger would have liked to settle his own grudge against Ses-Zeltzin, but now was not the time to argue. Ses-Zeltzin and the warriors weren¡¯t going to honour her declaration, however, as the other two went for Nin-Akna.


    Rudiger went for the nearest of those two, hoping to take them off guard. That one turned his spear towards Rudiger and thrust. Rudiger jumped back. Damn! They¡¯d lulled him in off-guard.


    Nin-Akna clashed briefly with the second, but that one circled round her to Rudiger as well.


    Once again, Rudiger found himself outflanked by two opponents with greater reach than him. He lunged at one. He had to keep them reacting, couldn¡¯t give them a chance to coordinate their attacks. Slay cut through that one¡¯s spear, just as the other¡¯s spear hit the armour on his back. He had enough forward momentum, though, to take him out of reach before it could do any damage.


    He ploughed into the opponent in front of him. An elbow to the side of the face sent the man plummeting to the ground¡ªunconscious, hopefully. He spun around again to face the other attacker. The warrior thrust forward and Rudiger swung Slay around to cut the spear in half just in time. The warrior drew a dagger, but Rudiger was on him before he could do any more.


    The one Rudiger had knocked over was not unconscious after all, and was getting back up. Rudiger drove Slay through the man¡¯s chest.


    Nin-Akna and Ses-Zeltzin¡¯s fight had taken them some distance away from Rudiger. Nin-Akna was blocking attacks from Ses-Zeltzin, but was being forced to back up after every attack.


    Rudiger rushed in their direction.


    Nin-Akna blocked another attack against her, but Ses-Zeltzin twisted her spear around and knocked Nin-Akna¡¯s spear out of her hand. The butt of the spear hit Nin-Akna in the side of the head, and she fell over. Ses-Zeltzin stepped over the younger Ninifin, angled her spear down.


    Rudiger yelled as he charged in. Ses-Zeltzin swung her spear round to meet Rudiger¡¯s attack. He swung Slay to block, but she was lower than he thought. The spear pierced his leg, and he stumbled aside. The same damn trick Izel had used on him!


    Nin-Akna had drawn a dagger and she drove it into Ses-Zeltzin¡¯s thigh. The Queen¡¯s Guard stumbled back with a cry.


    Rudiger lunged forward, ignoring the pain as he put pressure on his injured leg. He swung Slay up and back down. Ses-Zeltzin dodged aside. They circled each other for a moment, both hobbling on their injured legs.


    Nin-Akna reached for her spear, but had to roll aside to avoid Ses-Zeltzin¡¯s spear. It slammed into the ground where she had been. Rudiger rushed at the Queen¡¯s Guard, who spun round and knocked him in the side of the head with the shaft of her spear.


    Nin-Akna rolled back and grabbed her spear. She thrust it up at Ses-Zeltzin, but the Queen¡¯s Guard knocked it aside again and kicked Nin-Akna in the stomach. She exposed her back though, and Rudiger swung Slay down. The sword slammed into Ses-Zeltzin¡¯s back and cut straight through her spine. Her two pieces fell on top of Nin-Akna, who scrambled out from under them.


    Panting, Rudiger looked around in case other opponents had presented themselves. Everything looked clear for the moment.


    Nin-Akna stood up, and leaned over, her hands clutching her thighs, breathing heavily.


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°I know you wanted her, but...¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± she said between gasps for breath. ¡°Really, it¡¯s fine. I took on more than I could handle. That sword of yours, though. It...it just cut through her, and everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a bit unusual that way.¡±


    She straightened up. ¡°We need to find Meleng and the others. Hopefully, they¡¯re still alive.¡±


    They hurried to the top of the hill where the archers had been standing. The silhouettes of the trees were barely visible against the dark sky.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing they went into the woods,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°They¡¯ll be hard to find in there now, though hard for the warriors to find too.¡±


    ¡°Looks like there are some bodies at the bottom of the hill over there,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°Let¡¯s check who they are, and hope for the best.¡±


    ¡°Just give me a minute,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°I took a few hits back there. I need to get them bound before I bleed out.¡±


    ¡°Oh gods, sorry,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°Let me help.¡±


    Once Rudiger was bandaged¡ªor had bandages replaced in the case of the previous wound on his side¡ªthey slid down the slope. The first couple bodies were of warriors, one a Queen¡¯s Guard.


    ¡°I knew her,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°She was still in the Youth Guard when I joined. So much death.¡±


    Rudiger spotted a body lying in the mud, an arrow sticking out of the back. It was not dressed as a Ninifin warrior. He was certain he knew who it was before he turned the body over. ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°I always liked Fra-Mecatl,¡± Nin-Akna said, shaking her head. ¡°There¡¯s another body over here.¡±


    Nin-Akna went over to examine the next body while Rudiger picked up Fra-Mecatl and slung her over his shoulder. At the very least, they could make sure she got a proper burial.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± Nin-Akna wailed. ¡°No, please no.¡±


    Rudiger took a deep breath, braced himself for finding out who it was.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Nin-Akna was cradling the body of a woman about her age, dressed in the same uniform as the Queen¡¯s Guard and Youth Guard. It had to be Ses-Inhuan.


    ¡°Shit, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Rudiger said.


    Nin-Akna wiped her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s not your fault. She must have died trying to protect the others. She died fulfilling her vow and duty. It¡¯s an honourable death.¡± She broke down in sobs.


    After a minute, she wiped her eyes and nose, and stood up. ¡°Some leader I turned out to be.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Rudiger asked.


    ¡°Since I took command of the Youth Guard, almost everyone has died. Maybe everyone. For all I know, Fra-Chan and Ses-Iktan are dead by now too.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself. No one could be expected to do better given the circumstances. Your group was never meant to see real combat.¡±


    She sniffled. ¡°We need to keep looking for the others.¡±


    ¡°They could be anywhere in there.¡±


    ¡°I have some tracking skills. We¡¯re taught them in the Youth Guard.¡±


    ¡°In the dark?¡±


    ¡°Yes, some of the training was in the dark. It¡¯s harder, but they could still be in trouble. They may need our help.¡±


    ¡°All right. Help me with your friend.¡± He grunted against the pain still coming from his wounds and lowered himself into a position to take Ses-Inhuan¡¯s body once Nin-Akna lifted her to him. He then flung her over his other shoulder. He hoped no one else was dead. He couldn¡¯t carry any more bodies.


    They had only gone a short distance into the woods when Nin-Akna held up her hand. ¡°I hear movement ahead.¡±


    Rudiger had been too busy trying to keep the two bodies from sliding out of his grip that he hadn¡¯t noticed anything, but he stopped and tried to listen.


    Nin-Akna crept forward, her spear held out. She peered around a tree and someone lunged out, tried to grab her spear. She pulled it away.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m on your side.¡±


    The thin, frail figure heaved a heavy sigh of relief. It was Fra-Tepeu.


    Rudiger headed forward and joined them. ¡°Oh, thank goodness.¡±


    ¡°Rudiger, my lad, I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re covered in mud.¡±


    Fra-Tepeu nodded. ¡°The young man, Meleng, used a spell to hide me in the dirt. I couldn¡¯t move fast enough to stay ahead of our pursuers.¡±


    ¡°Meleng was still alive when you last saw him then?¡± Nin-Akna asked.


    ¡°Yes, and so was Quilla.¡±


    ¡°Do you know which way they went?¡±


    Fra-Tepeu shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I couldn¡¯t see much. The original plan, however, was to circle through the forest and try to reach the barn. If they¡¯re still alive, that¡¯s where they¡¯ll be heading.¡±


    ¡°Then we should head to the barn,¡± Rudiger said.


    Nin-Akna shook her head. ¡°No, we have to keep looking. They could die between now and getting to the barn. We have to help if we can.¡±


    ¡°They might have already made it to the barn,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°We¡¯ll keep going through the woods, but we¡¯ll go in the direction of the barn. That¡¯s their most likely path.¡±


    Nin-Akna nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. We¡¯ll do that.¡±


    Fra-Tepeu reached out to Fra-Mecatl¡¯s body, closed his eyes, and sighed. ¡°There was never a finer person who lived than my dear sister. I shall miss her.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°I¡¯ve been so caught up trying to find the others that I wasn¡¯t thinking. I¡¯m very sorry for your loss. We should go, though.¡±


    ¡°There will be time to mourn later if we survive,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve lost my cane. I¡¯ll need support.¡±


    Nin-Akna looked to Rudiger. He shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s all I can do to carry these two.¡±


    She nodded and took Fra-Tepeu¡¯s arm. ¡°I may need to let go if we¡¯re attacked.¡±


    It was slow moving. Fra-Tepeu couldn¡¯t go fast and Rudiger was starting to tire from carrying the bodies. It was also hard to keep track of where they were going in the dark. Rudiger had been through these woods on several occasions before, but never at night. Fra-Tepeu seemed to know where he was going though, and as long as they stayed on this side of the river, they should be fine.


    After many minutes, they came across the body of a warrior sitting against a tree. Nin-Akna left Fra-Tepeu against a nearby tree and went over to the body. ¡°Stab wound to the heart. There¡¯s a hole in the ground over here, and this tree and everything around here is splattered with dirt.¡±


    ¡°One of the young lad¡¯s spells,¡± Fra-Tepeu said. ¡°He did something similar earlier to the other warriors chasing us.¡±


    ¡°That means they made it this far,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°We keep going,¡± Nin-Akna said. She took Fra-Tepeu¡¯s arm again and they set off.


    After several more minutes, Fra-Tepeu said, ¡°We should be in line with the barn about now.¡±


    Rudiger looked about. ¡°Yeah, this looks familiar.¡± This was the way down to the pool off the side of the river where he used to bathe. Thoughts about the time spent there with Zandrue came back to him. He hadn¡¯t thought about her in... He wasn¡¯t sure how long now. At least a week. Izel had distracted him.


    They made their way back up the hill. The barn was a dark shadow straight ahead. They made their way to it, and Nin-Akna tried to open the doors. They were barred from the inside.


    ¡°Meleng?¡± Nin-Akna called. ¡°Are you in there? It¡¯s me, Akna! Please let us in!¡±


    Rudiger heard scuffling on the other side and after a moment, the doors opened. They rushed inside and Quilla closed the doors behind them. ¡°Oh gods, it¡¯s so good to see you,¡± she said, replacing the bar on the doors. She ran forward to hug Nin-Akna.


    Rudiger placed the two bodies on the floor. It was actually closer to dropping them. He felt a bit guilty about that, but his arms were screaming at him.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Meleng?¡± Nin-Akna asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Quilla said. ¡°We got separated. He hasn¡¯t made it here yet. I¡¯m sorry, but Ses-Inhuan...¡± Her eyes fell on the bodies on the floor. ¡°Oh, you found them.¡±


    Nin-Akna nodded. ¡°And I don¡¯t want any more added. I¡¯m going back out to find Meleng.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right with you,¡± Rudiger said, trying to stretch his complaining arms. ¡°Quilla, look after Fra-Tepeu. We¡¯ll be back as soon as we can.¡±


    Outside, they slid back down the slope. It was much easier now Rudiger had his hands free. ¡°Where to?¡± he asked.


    Nin-Akna looked about, back and forth. ¡°We retrace our steps to where we found the dead warrior. We know Meleng passed there. Then we figure out where he went. If he¡¯s rushing, he won¡¯t be covering his tracks.¡±


    Rudiger nodded. ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    They found the body again without difficulty¡ªand much more quickly now they didn¡¯t have Fra-Tepeu and the bodies slowing them down.


    ¡°His spell made a mess of the ground,¡± Nin-Akna said after a brief look around, ¡°but that¡¯s actually helped things. There are foot prints over here that don¡¯t appear to be ours from earlier. They went that way.¡± She pointed in a direction close to the way they had gone last time, but went closer to the river.


    They set off, Nin-Akna in the lead. ¡°Meleng!¡± she cried. ¡°Meleng, are you there?¡±


    There was no reply.


    They continued on. Rudiger joined in Nin-Akna¡¯s calls. He knew they would draw the attention of anyone still pursuing Meleng as well, but that would probably be a good thing. He and Nin-Akna just needed to be ready.


    After several minutes, Nin-Akna¡¯s voice was getting noticeably hoarse. Rudiger¡¯s wasn¡¯t much better. As Nin-Akna passed between a pair of close trees, she leapt backwards, nearly colliding with Rudiger. Two spears had thrust out into the space where she had just been standing. She whipped her spear down into position and Rudiger drew Slay. Two warriors stepped out from the trees.


    ¡°Use the trees,¡± Nin-Akna whispered. ¡°I¡¯ll keep them busy.¡± She lunged at one of them. The warrior avoided the blow, while the second thrust at Nin-Akna. She ducked aside, using a tree as cover.


    Rudiger backed away and circled behind another tree. He kept trees between himself and the two warriors until he made it around to the opposite side of them. It was hard to see them, but between the clatter of the spears and Nin-Akna¡¯s yells, it was easy to keep track of their position.


    He moved closer again until he could see the shadow of their forms. They¡¯d pushed Nin-Akna back to a more open position. They¡¯d be watching for him, too, so he needed to be careful. He waited until they both lunged at Nin-Akna. Then he charged through the underbrush, got to the nearest one before she could turn around. Slay cut through the warrior¡¯s back and she fell to the ground.


    The second tried to reposition herself to keep track of Rudiger. Nin-Akna¡¯s spear flew forward into her side, then Rudiger sliced down across the warrior¡¯s chest. The warrior fell back against a tree and slid to the ground.


    ¡°Meleng!¡± Nin-Akna yelled again.


    ¡°Up here!¡±


    Nin-Akna looked up and about. ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Over here! I¡¯m coming down. Or trying to. I¡¯m not very¡ªaah!¡±


    There was a thud and Nin-Akna took off at a run. Rudiger followed.


    They found Meleng a few trees away, rubbing his head. ¡°I fell. I¡¯m surprised I managed to climb it in the first place.¡±


    Nin-Akna ran up to him and threw her arms around him. ¡°Thank the gods. I was so worried.¡±


    ¡°I heard you call, but I couldn¡¯t answer without giving my position away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± she said, hugging him tighter. ¡°You did the right thing.¡±


    ¡°I, uh, lost track of Quilla. But Fra-Tepeu is back at¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know. We found them.¡±


    ¡°And...um...Inhuan...¡±


    ¡°We found her too.¡±


    Nin-Akna hadn¡¯t let go of her hug, and Meleng hugged her back. The two of them stood there for a while, each sobbing into the other¡¯s shoulder. Rudiger stood nearby and waited.


    ¡°Rudiger, is that you?¡± Meleng said, after he and Nin-Akna finally separated from each other.


    ¡°Hey, Meleng. Been a while.¡±


    Meleng hugged him. Rudiger was a bit taken aback at first, but he returned the hug.


    ¡°We should get back to Fra-Tepeu and Quilla,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°They¡¯re at the barn.¡±


    Meleng nodded. ¡°That¡¯s where I was trying to go if I hadn¡¯t got cornered.¡±


    They started walking back towards the barn.


    ¡°Oh, uh...¡± Meleng took out a dagger from his belt and held it out to Nin-Akna. ¡°It was Inhuan¡¯s. She gave it to me to protect myself and the others. You should take it now. I keep cutting myself on it.¡±


    Nin-Akna shook her head. ¡°If she gave it to you, it¡¯s yours now. You keep it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really used to carrying weapons.¡±


    ¡°With the life we lead these days, Meleng. you¡¯d better get used to it,¡± she replied.


    Rudiger nodded. Death and destruction seemed to follow them everywhere.

 Chapter 40: Reckless Desperation (Part 1)

    Bodies lay about the lower courtyard. A couple dozen at least. Maybe more. It was hard to tell in the dark and all the torches on this level had been extinguished.


    Torches still flickered from the upper courtyard, and there were a few guards moving about. The rebellion had obviously failed, but no one had come to remove the bodies yet. Probably waiting till morning. Or no one had thought to order it yet.


    ¡°Stay here,¡± Zandrue told Corvinian. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    She left Corvinian sitting in the guards¡¯ cubby by the entrance and ventured into the courtyard. She moved from body to body, primarily to find out if any were her friends, but she took a moment at each to check if any were alive as well.


    There were a mix of bodies. Several were palace guards, so the rebels hadn¡¯t been totally slaughtered. But the majority were not guards, nor did they look much like warriors at all. Many had been trampled. Many of them¡ªparticularly those near the entrance¡ªhad also been looted.


    She recognised a couple of them: people she¡¯d seen at Resistance meetings. Nin-Chamer, Fra-Mecatl¡¯s son, was one of them. A shame. She¡¯d liked the guy.


    She glanced up at the upper courtyard on numerous occasions. It was unlikely they could see her in the dark, starless night, but she didn¡¯t want to take any chances.


    Beside the stairs leading to the middle courtyard lay a body in yellow robes. Zandrue closed her eyes for a moment and sighed, then bent down to examine it.


    The individual groaned as Zandrue turned her over. She was still alive.


    Blood and dirt covered the right side of Tadstaime¡¯s face and parts of her jaw bone were visible. Her right arm and shoulder were shattered as well. She must have fallen from above. Her left eye opened and the right eyelid twitched, but remained closed.


    ¡°Lacquaime?¡± she managed to say.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, Tadstaime.¡±


    ¡°I am so glad you came.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to speak. I¡¯m going to get you some help.¡±


    ¡°There is no point. I will not live much longer. You should not have moved me.¡±


    ¡°Shit, I¡¯m sorry. I thought you were dead. I didn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do not apologise. Death was inevitable. This way shortens the suffering. And I am glad to see you before I go. Promise me something.¡±


    ¡°Anything,¡± Zandrue said, wiping away her tears.


    ¡°Carry on my legacy. It will not be easy. Fra-Ichtaca will take total control now, and she will attempt to have you removed or killed. Save as much of what I accomplished as you can, and rebuild.¡± She coughed, bringing up blood and stirring up the festering wound on the side of her face.


    ¡°I promise,¡± Zandrue lied.


    ¡°You must also make sure you are present at the ceremony on New Year¡¯s day. Prince Castroff¡¯s men are under the Grand Temple. Go to them. Tell them who you are and that I want you present at the ceremony. Promise this to me.¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    Tadstaime reached out with her good arm and tried to grasp Zandrue¡¯s. Zandrue took her hand.


    ¡°This last month since you arrived has been amongst the happiest of my life,¡± Tadstaime said, her voice getting hoarser and quieter with each word. ¡°I know you will not let me down. Now please voice the last rites for me.¡± She coughed again.


    Zandrue placed her hands on Tadstaime¡¯s blood-soaked cheeks¡ªwhat was left of them. ¡°Go into the embrace of Nyx afraid and whimpering for mercy. But know that, if you are found worthy, you shall receive glory in the world that is to come. All hail the Lord of Darkness. All hail Nyx.¡±


    ¡°All hail...¡± Tadstaime coughed again. ¡°Nyx. We will...be...free.¡± Her body went still.


    ¡°We will be free.¡± Zandrue closed Tadstaime¡¯s eye and laid her out flat on the ground.


    She hadn¡¯t said words in praise of the Lord of Darkness for a very long time. They made her shudder now. But she also felt relieved that Tadstaime had never learned she betrayed her¡ªthat she had never been on the arcraime¡¯s side in the first place.


    She wiped the tears from her face and ascended the stairs to the middle courtyard. There were fewer bodies here, though most of them were Resistance members she recognised. There were still a few palace guards as well. Near the spot where Tadstaime must have fallen from, she saw a large body, bigger than everyone else here.


    Oh gods, no.


    She sighed with relief to find out it wasn¡¯t Rudiger. It was Prince Garet. What the hell was he doing here?


    He must have come with Felit?a. If she had Quilla with her, he wouldn¡¯t have left her behind. Did Quilla know yet?


    Satisfied none of the bodies were Rudiger¡¯s or Felit?a¡¯s, Zandrue headed back to Corvinian.


    ¡°What took you so long?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°Sorry, there were a lot of bodies to check. Look, Rudiger was supposedly working in the stables at the Palace. I need to find out if he¡¯s there. It¡¯ll be easier for me to get in there by myself, so I want you to go back to the forest and wait there for me, okay?¡¯


    ¡°But I want to come,¡± Corvinian said. ¡°I want to see Rudiger too.¡±


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If I find him, we¡¯ll both come back to you, okay? You¡¯ll get to see him then. But it really will be easier for me by myself. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, okay,¡± Corvinian groaned.


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    ¡°Good, run along and stay hidden till I get back.¡±


    Corvinian nodded and headed off. He wasn¡¯t moving very fast¡ªprobably sulking because he couldn¡¯t come with her¡ªbut he headed in the right direction.


    The next trick was to find the stables without getting caught. She had no idea where they were, but they¡¯d want an open area for the horses. Since there wasn¡¯t such an area at the front, the back seemed the best place to start. There also had to be another way in and out of the Palace grounds than just these rising courtyards, a place more amenable for horses and wagons. The south side of the Palace was bordered by forest and the west by the Jaguar, so it had to be along the north side between the Palace and the Grand Temple.


    She hurried out of the courtyard and around to the north side. There were several common homes along this stretch of the City, but they cleared away before the Grand Temple. There was a path between the Temple and the Palace and at the far end of the Temple, there was a portion of the Palace wall joining it, with a closed gate in the middle. She could just make out the outlines of warriors on top of the wall and a couple in front of the gate.


    That was not going to be an easy way to get in. However, maybe there was a way that wasn¡¯t so heavily guarded.


    She returned to the front of the Grand Temple. There was an unfamiliar scent in the air and a shadowy shape moved past the base of the stairs and paused. Four-legged, it stood about half her height and was easily as long as Rudiger was tall. Despite the near-pitch black night, its eyes glinted with what little light there was. And it was looking right at her.


    Shit. She didn¡¯t need this right now.


    ¡°Nice kitty,¡± she muttered. ¡°Trust me, I don¡¯t taste very good.¡± One day, she wanted to learn just what it was about her scent¡ªand that of other Volgs¡ªthat spooked animals so much.


    It crouched low, ready to pounce. A growl rumbled from its throat.


    Zandrue placed her hand on the hilt of her sword. There was no way she could outrun the jaguar, and little chance she could fight it either. Of all the ways she¡¯d imagined going out, this had never been one of them.


    ¡°Bahlam!¡±


    The jaguar twitched, turning its head in the direction of the voice. As it moved, something long and dangling from its neck moved along with it, dragging on the ground. A lead?


    ¡°Down!¡±


    The jaguar growled, but lay down on the ground. Two Queen¡¯s Guards emerged from the darkness. One had her spear ready. The other cautiously approached the jaguar and picked up the lead. Once she had it securely wrapped around her wrist, she looked in Zandrue¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Sorry. He got away.¡±


    ¡°Will that lead actually do any good?¡± Zandrue asked, removing her hand from her sword. She hoped they couldn¡¯t tell she had a sword in the dark and that her bow tied to her back looked like nothing more than a staff.


    ¡°No,¡± the Queen¡¯s Guard said. ¡°If he decides to pounce, I can¡¯t stop him. If you¡¯re lucky, my friend here will kill him before he kills you, but they¡¯re not good odds. Return to your home.¡±


    ¡°Right away,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Thank you.¡± She walked away, towards the homes of the City, but kept her pace slow, paying attention to what she could hear from the two Queen¡¯s Guards.


    ¡°How the hell did he get here?¡± the second one asked.


    ¡°How should I know? Let¡¯s get him back to the Palace and find Captain Ses-Zeltzin. After...¡±


    Their voices faded out as Zandrue got farther away.


    She wandered between the nearest buildings for several minutes while she gave the guards enough time to leave. Then she returned to the Temple. After confirming the coast was clear, she approached the steps and began to ascend.


    Once she was up a couple tiers, she hopped off the steps onto the tier itself. She had to squeeze around statues and plants, sometimes even climbing up or down a level to get past tight spots. It took awhile, but eventually she made it to the back and past the Palace wall. Then she climbed down the pyramid tiers onto the Palace grounds. Thankful for the cloudy night to hide her, she darted across the open field towards the back of the Palace.


    Finding the stables proved easy, and she got herself inside unseen.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    There was no Rudiger.


    Of course, it was the middle of the night. He could be sleeping somewhere. Though if he¡¯d had any involvement with the attack¡ªand there was no reason why he wouldn¡¯t have¡ªhe might not have been allowed back to wherever he¡¯d been sleeping. So where would he be?


    A horse snorted.


    She looked over at the big roan snout that was sticking out of one of the stalls. ¡°Hello, Borisin! Happy to see me?¡±


    The horse snorted again.


    ¡°Rudiger around?¡±


    Borisin just stared at her.


    Zandrue sighed. ¡°Look, I know you don¡¯t like me very much, but we both like Rudiger, and I suspect we would both like to get back to him. So here¡¯s what I propose. I¡¯m going to get you out of these stables. I know how much you hate stables. And then, if you have any idea where Rudiger is, you¡¯re going to take me to him. Okay?¡±


    Borisin continued to stare.


    She waited a moment, but he continued to do nothing else, so she set about tacking and saddling him. He didn¡¯t protest, so that was a good sign, wasn¡¯t it? Once he was ready, she opened his stall and went to the stable doors. She paused.


    Even in the dark, the guards would spot Borisin. He was big enough. She needed a distraction.


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t go out right away.¡±


    She went to the other stalls and opened them one after the other. There weren¡¯t a lot of horses, but there were a few. She goaded them towards the stable doors. Borisin started to help her, nudging the horses in the right direction with his head.


    ¡°Think you can startle them into running out?¡±


    Borisin snorted, which she decided to take as a yes.


    Zandrue opened the stable doors and darted out of the way. Borisin squealed and kicked at the horse nearest him. He didn¡¯t hit the horse, but it was enough to make the horse dart forward into the next horse. Then they were all squealing and running from the stables¡ªin different directions, too.


    With a smile, Zandrue mounted Borisin. They waited, listening to the sounds of yells from the guards, gave it enough time for the guards to be distracted enough rounding up the horses and spread out enough that they couldn¡¯t easily go after Borisin as a group.


    ¡°Okay, big guy, take me to Rudiger.¡±


    Borisin bounded out of the stables at a gallop.


    ¡°The Queen¡¯s horse!¡± someone cried. ¡°Someone¡¯s stealing the Queen¡¯s horse!¡±


    Borisin rounded the north corner of the Palace and galloped down the path, knocking over a pair of guards. He rounded the east corner into the upper courtyard, barrelling past more startled guards.


    He wasn¡¯t going to...? No way.


    He leapt down the stairs and Zandrue clutched onto his main as she bounced about. Going down these stairs could not be good for him¡ªor easy. They were so narrow. He stumbled a couple times and Zandrue held on for dear life. Yet somehow he made it to the middle courtyard. He darted across it, leaping over bodies, and then down the next flight of stairs. Once again, it was a bumpy ride, but they made it to the bottom. Then he galloped out of the Palace and turned to the north.


    Borisin slowed to a canter as he navigated around the houses, kitchens, and other structures. The whole while, though, he kept looking in the direction of the Grand Temple, and eventually he brought her round to the steps there.


    ¡°Here?¡± she said. Borisin snorted. ¡°Gods fucking damn it, I was just here. I should have gone inside.¡± She dismounted. ¡°Okay, they¡¯re going to be coming after you, so get yourself out of sight. I¡¯ll find Rudiger. Oh! Corvinian¡¯s hiding in the woods south of the Palace. Go find him and wait with him. Rudiger and I will get there as soon as we can.¡± She patted the horse¡¯s rump and he galloped off.


    Zandrue hurried up the stairs as fast as she could. There were probably guards coming, and she¡¯d be an obvious target.


    There were several dead bodies in front of the Temple¡¯s entrance. Most were Queen¡¯s Guards¡ªRudiger¡¯s work?¡ªbut the body on the sacrificial stone took her by surprise. She had never seen Nin-Xoco, but the body matched descriptions she¡¯d heard.


    So the Queen was dead.


    Zandrue approached the Temple doors.

 Chapter 40: Reckless Desperation (Part 2)

    ¡°Zandrue!¡± Felit?a stepped back through the arch.


    ¡°Felit?a? Oh gods, Felit?a!¡±


    Zandrue rushed forward and hugged her. Felit?a hugged her back as best she could, although it was hard to apply any pressure to the hug without using her hands. Feelings of relief and joy¡ªboth hers and Zandrue¡¯s¡ªswam through her head


    A huge weight lifted off Felit?a. Since getting to Ninifin, she hadn¡¯t had a chance to even begin a search for the boy. She had been hoping learning the Ninifin secrets would help her, but that hadn¡¯t gone well so far.


    ¡°We should go collect him,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°and then head for Fra-Mecatl¡¯s ranch. Rudiger and the others might need our help.¡±


    ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I¡¯m waiting for them to come back. We¡¯ll regroup here.¡±


    Zandrue nodded, but disappointment flooded Felit?a¡¯s senses. ¡°You¡¯re right. I guess I¡¯m just anxious to...¡±


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    Felit?a nodded. ¡°Of course. Whatever makes you comfortable.¡± She felt anxiety again, but this time it was her own. She had a strong suspicion of some of what Zandrue was going to say, but there was a lot she still didn¡¯t know either¡ªsuch as why she needed to keep taking off with so little notice. The thought that Zandrue might finally tell her was nerve-wracking.


    Felit?a.


    Felit?a.


    Felit?a!


    Felit?a!


    ¡°Felit?a!¡±


    A familiar child looked back at her. ¡°Corvinian?¡± His hair had been dyed black and he was tanned, but it was him. She confirmed it by checking the Room and finding no presence of him there. She looked to Zandrue who was standing by the stairs.


    She motioned for him to sit at the table. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it took so long. Tell me what you¡¯ve been up to all this time.¡±


    knew it! ¡±

 Chapter 40: Reckless Desperation (Part 3)

    am your mother!¡± Fra-Ichtaca cried. ¡°I may not have birthed you, but I have cared for you like you were my own.¡±


    And they have the means to do it! I am trying to find a way to access your powers without killing you. I¡¯m doing it for your own good. So you can grow up and remain at Xtab¡¯s side, help her raise her children, be her bodyguard. You¡¯ll have a good life. I love you, Cakulha. Both you and Xtab.¡±


    ,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°I think we¡¯re getting a little off track.¡±


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    your organisation and rescue Corvinian. Ses-Xipil didn¡¯t betray you. I betrayed you both. I¡¯ve been with Felit?a from the start.¡±

 Chapter 40: Reckless Desperation (Part 4)

    , there are dozens of Volgs down there,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Maybe more. It would be suicide to walk into that. Especially with your hands in their current state.¡±


    Felit?a.


    Felit?a.


    Felit?a.


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    The Foretellings of Eleuia, but realised that it was hard to point at anything when she couldn¡¯t bend her fingers. ¡°That is, I mean...¡± Pointing with her thumb was awkward too as it looked more like she was holding out her hand to tell Meleng to stop.


    Felit?a.


    Felit?a.


    Felit?a.


    Felit?a. They and the extra presence were all the same voice, really.


    ?¡± Zandrue said.


    Felit?a.


    Felit?a, you must listen to me. Zandrue. Rudiger. Borisin.


    Meleng. Corvinian. Jorvanultumn.


    Quilla. Kindanog. Nin-Akna.


    Felit?a, you must listen to me.


    Why? Felit?a asked. Why must I listen to you?


    You will soon forget this, but you must remember.


    I can¡¯t remember anything you don¡¯t actually tell me. Tell me what you want me to remember.


    Felit?a, you must listen to me.


    might work.

 Chapter 41: Endings (Part 1)

    Felit?a hadn¡¯t thought about light. She should have planned this better. She really should turn around, rejoin the others, and plan this better.


    Then again, as long as there was no light, it would be easier to remain unseen. And this had to be done now. She was sure of it.


    She would have to feel her way forward, and that was yet another thing that would be more awkward with her fingers in their current state. She prodded with her elbow again to find the wall, and prodded with her feet to find the edge of each step. It was slow going, but eventually she reached the bottom.


    It was still pitch black in the burial chamber of the ancient Ninifin ruler. How would she find the next secret door?


    Felit?a.


    The presence felt louder now. Closer.


    Felit?a.


    Perhaps she could follow it like a sound¡ªthe way she perceived it to sound anyway. She dismissed the Room first; it¡¯s jumbled locations would be no help in this case. She had to do this blind.


    Felit?a.


    She stepped forward into the dark.


    Felit?a.


    Another step. And another. Each one slow and deliberate. She didn¡¯t want to walk into a wall.


    After several minutes, her foot hit something. A wall? She probed a bit. No. A step. The dais in the room¡¯s centre? She stepped onto it, moved forward until her knee brushed against the sarcophagus.


    Felit?a.


    Was it in the sarcophagus? No, it was still too far away.


    A sliver of flickering light appeared ahead of her along with a grinding noise. In the silent dark, the light was blinding and the sound deafening. The light expanded as the door where Fra-Atl had died ground open.


    Felit?a cast her spell. The energy flowed through her in an unfamiliar way. It sent tingling through her stomach and thighs, then her knees and lower legs. Oddly, pain shot through her arms and hands, exacerbating the pain in her fingers. Her body protesting the unusual energy distribution, perhaps? But the spell worked.


    She hoped.


    It wasn¡¯t as stable as she might have liked, and its demand on her energy reserves was much greater than she had experienced from this spell in a long time.


    A Volg holding a torch stood in the now-open doorway. He stepped into the room, and the light spread out, providing dim illumination to most of the chamber. Two more Volgs with drawn swords followed him. They moved to the side and another entered. This one wore black robes and a heavy gold medallion in the shape of a goat¡¯s skull.


    The one who had been with Castroff at Lake Belone. The one Felit?a had spotted the last time she¡¯d been in this chamber. Nibdenoff.


    In his hands he held a tall wooden staff that looked short against his great height. It was hard to make out in the dim light, but the top of the staff was carved in a design. Felit?a could make out wings and hollow eye sockets. The missing Staff of Sestin?


    FELIT?A!


    The staff was calling to her.


    The Volg with the torch said something in the Volg language, and Nibdenoff replied. The Volg with the torch and the two armed Volgs spread out and moved farther into the room. All three were gazing from side to side and up and down as they moved. Did they suspect she was here?


    FELIT?A!


    Nibdenoff peered at the staff.


    FELIT?A!


    He sneered.


    The staff was giving her presence away.


    The torch-bearing Volg reached the edge of the dais and placed the torch in a holder there. He then drew his sword, still looking about.


    Felit?a backed off the dais. Each step intensified the pain in her arms. Why the hell was that happening? When she next had a moment to practice, she would have to study the effects of this casting method and find a way to fix them.


    If she didn¡¯t die first.


    The added pain was making maintaining the spell ever harder.


    The other two Volgs moved past the dais and circled around. One of them looked up the stairs and called something back. Perhaps an all clear since he moved away from the stairs again?


    Nibdenoff scowled and moved towards the dais. Behind him, another smaller figure came into view. The figure appeared human and followed the Volg across the chamber. But the figure¡¯s head was too round, too perfectly spherical for a human head. And it glittered in the torch light.


    It wasn¡¯t a head at all, but a crystal ball, like the one Nibedenoff had carried at Lake Belone. But sitting atop a walking, headless body.


    Dear gods. It was Fra-Atl.


    The Volg stepped onto the dais and laid the staff on top of the sarcophagus. Fra-Atl stood beside him, and he placed his hand on the crystal ball. It began to glow much more brightly than the torchlight. Yellow energy crackled and danced across its surface.


    This was impossible. Fra-Atl was dead.


    Necromancy?


    But necromancy was a lost discipline¡ªlost to humans and Isyar, at any rate. Could the Volgs have retained knowledge of magic even the Isyar no longer retained?


    Nibdenoff placed his other hand on the staff and crackling yellow energy flowed from the crystal ball over his body and to the staff.


    The staff screamed.


    Felit?a stumbled and struggled to hold on to the spell. Was it really screaming? No, not out loud. In her head. It was deafening, and threatened to tear away her concentration. She scrambled to move the Room¡¯s walls into a tight circle around the staff¡¯s presence, blocking it out. That was better, though she could still hear it faintly. And it was getting louder again.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    She had to do something.


    Only one thing came to mind. She would lose the hiding spell, but she was going to lose that anyway once her concentration broke. This way, she might accomplish something before dying.


    The crackling energy was lighting the entire chamber like the sun now. The energy continued to flow from it, across the robed Volg, and into the staff. And the staff continued to scream louder in her head. The walls she¡¯d put around its presence were beginning to crack.


    Felit?a took a deep breath, tossed aside the spell, and ran for the dais and the staff. As she ran, she opened her mouth and screamed as loud as she could.


    The three armed Volgs turned in her direction and Nibdenoff looked up. His hand clenched around the staff and he sneered.


    At the last moment, Felit?a turned to the side and ran straight into Fra-Atl, knocking the old woman¡¯s body over. The crystal ball crashed to the floor. It shattered and its light and energy vanished.


    The staff stopped screaming.


    Felit?a, however, only stopped screaming long enough to take a breath. She had no idea if she was loud enough for Zandrue and the others to hear, but she could hope.


    ¡°Will-Breaker,¡± Nibdenoff said.


    Felit?a scrambled to her feet, accidentally putting pressure again on her broken fingers, but she was starting to get used to the pain now. At the very least, it was a reminder that she wasn¡¯t dead yet.


    One of the other Volgs leapt at her. Felit?a stopped screaming and put him to sleep. He crashed into the side of the dais. It woke him back up, but it slowed him down. As the second came at her, she did the same to him. He fell forward smashing his snout on the floor. The third was still too far away.


    More sounds came from behind as more Volgs entered the room. Nibdenoff reached for the staff.


    ¡°I have the Child of the Volgs,¡± Felit?a said, her voice hoarse and rough.


    Nibdenoff hesitated.


    ¡°I took him back from Fra-Ichtaca.¡±


    ¡°Then you will die,¡± the Volg said.


    ¡°Only I know where he is.¡±


    The Volg shrugged. ¡°Then we will find him again. You will still die.¡±


    Metal clanging against stone sounded from the stairs. Nibdenoff turned to look in that direction just as Rudiger ran into the room, Nin-Akna close behind.


    Felit?a ran forward and reached for the staff. She couldn¡¯t grab hold of it, but she could knock if off the sarcophagus, out of the Volg¡¯s reach. Nibdenoff turned on her, so she put him to sleep.


    Except it didn¡¯t work.


    He grabbed her by the shoulder and something else grabbed her foot¡ªthe Volg that had collided with the side of the dais. An arrow then tore through that one¡¯s neck and he released her foot.


    Nibdenoff still had her shoulder¡ªluckily, not the injured one, but his grip was painful enough anyway. He pulled her towards him, grabbed her other shoulder with his other hand. This time, the pain was excruciating. He was strong enough to rip her apart like a doll¡ªshe had no doubt of that¡ªand she couldn¡¯t stop him the way she¡¯d stopped Agranim.


    There was a dull thud and the Volg let go of her with a hiss. Felit?a kicked him, then rushed around to the other side of the sarcophagus where the staff lay. There was an arrow sticking out of Nibdenoff¡¯s back between his wings. Across the room, by the stairs, Zandrue was firing arrows.


    Rudiger and Nin-Akna were fighting back-to-back. A couple Volgs lay on the ground at their feet, but they were being surrounded by more.


    ¡°Carcraime!¡± Nibdenoff said as Zandrue fired another arrow at him. It thudded into his chest, but he still didn¡¯t fall.


    Felit?a bent over and fumbled for the staff. She tried to get a thumb under it, hook onto it that way. If she could somehow get it between her elbow or under her armpit, maybe she could hold onto it long enough to get it out of here.


    ¡°Felit?a! Look out!¡± a voice called¡ªCorvinian¡¯s.


    Felit?a rolled aside, just as a Volg flew down at her. She put him to sleep and he crashed into the sarcophagus.


    Her fingers and arms burned. Her feet and legs ached. She couldn¡¯t keep this up for much longer.


    But the room was bathed in light again¡ªmore than could be provided by the feeble torch. It was a blue light, and it gave everything in the room a dark, shadow-like quality. Felit?a peered around the sarcophagus to see Corvinian standing beside Zandrue. The boy was bathed in the familiar blue energy.


    The energy shot out in streams across the room. It knocked aside the Volgs attacking Rudiger and Nin-Akna. It circled around the two humans and bent upwards to knock aside Volgs flying in the air. Another stream shot at the robed Volg who rushed around the sarcophagus and reached for the staff. Felit?a kicked at him, tried to trip him or knock him aside, but failed. With a single swipe of his arm, he smashed her into the side of the sarcophagus, knocking the breath from her.


    The Volg wrapped his hands around the staff just as the blue energy hit him. It sent him sliding across the floor, but he kept his grip on the staff which began to glow with the yellow energy.


    Felit?a struggled to stand, groaned with the pain that was her whole body.


    All around the room, the blue energy was driving the Volgs back to the door they had come from¡ªall except Nibdenoff. Both he and the staff were surrounded by the yellow energy now, and whenever it and the blue energy encountered each other, they both winked out.


    Just like at Lake Belone.


    ¡°Felit?a! Come on!¡± Zandrue yelled.


    Nibdenoff was standing back up. The blue energy from Corvinian intensified its assault. Several streams shot at the Volg, but the blue continued to vanish as soon as it hit the yellow.


    ¡°We have to get the staff!¡± Felit?a cried back.


    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous! We have to go now!¡±


    Nin-Akna ran up to Felit?a and took her arm. ¡°We go. That¡¯s an order.¡±


    Felit?a took another look at Nibdenoff, who was now striding towards Corvinian. She nodded. They had to get Corvinian out of here. She and Nin-Akna ran towards the stairs. They passed Rudiger, who followed after them.


    At the stairs, Zandrue was already ushering Corvinian through the door. Meleng was waiting on the other side. ¡°Go on, quickly,¡± he urged.


    Corvinian ran up the stairs, followed by Zandrue, Nin-Akna, and Felit?a. Part way up, Felit?a paused and glanced back. She could only make out shadows in the fading light of Corvinian¡¯s blue energy farther above, but the door was closed now, and Meleng appeared to be tracing designs onto it.


    ¡°Are you sure of this?¡± Rudiger, standing beside him, asked.


    ¡°Sort of.¡± Meleng finished what he was doing and both he and Rudiger darted up the stairs.


    ¡°Keep going!¡± Rudiger yelled at Felit?a.


    She turned and continued running up the stairs.


    When she reached the next level, Zandrue, Nin-Akna, and Corvinian were waiting in the hall. Corvinian¡¯s blue energy had vanished, but there was still light from the torches they had procured earlier.


    Rudiger and Meleng reached the hall. They paused there and Rudiger raised his hand for silence.


    A moment later, Rudiger said, ¡°I don¡¯t hear anyone coming. Looks like your trick worked Meleng.¡±


    There was a loud bang from below, the sound of crashing stone.


    ¡°Or maybe not,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Well, it slowed them down a little,¡± Meleng said with a frown.


    ¡°Up the stairs!¡± Zandrue said.


    They hurried up staircase after staircase, making their way to the top and the exit. The sounds of pursuit remained constant behind them. When they finally reached the top, they were all gasping for air, even Rudiger and Nin-Akna, who were the fittest amongst them. Poor Meleng was coated in dripping sweat and looked ready to fall over.


    ¡°Fra-Ichtaca¡¯s gone!¡± Nin-Akna screeched. ¡°I knew we should have killed her.¡±


    ¡°No time to worry about that now,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°We need to keep going. The Volgs are still coming and very soon, they¡¯re going to have a lot more space available to them.¡± She hurried out of the Temple. The others followed.

 Chapter 41: Endings (Part 2)

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    Felit?a.


    Felit?a.

 Chapter 42: Beginnings

    Felit?a.


    Who are you? What are you?


    Felit?a.


    Can you tell me anything?


    You must listen to me.


    Yes, I know. I¡¯ve been trying to listen, but you¡¯re not telling me anything.


    Felit?a. Zandrue. Rudiger. Borisin. Meleng. Corvinian. Jorvanultumn. Quilla. Kindanog. Nin-Akna.


    The names went on. She strained to hear them¡ªalmost thought she could for a moment, but they slipped away, like the fleeting memory of a dream upon waking.


    I¡¯m not going to learn anything this way, am I?


    The staff was broken. Not physically. Mentally. Though how a staff could even have a mental presence, she wasn¡¯t sure. But it wasn¡¯t all there. It was damaged, missing part of itself.


    She ran her thumb over the end of the staff where it lay in her lap, along the wings and then the back of the serpent, around the circumference to the head. The empty eye sockets were just wide enough for her thumb to fit in them, a little under half an inch in diameter, maybe a quarter inch deep. Lon and Nesh scurried along the staff to her hand to see what she was doing.


    In the Room, she looked... It was a direction she hadn¡¯t looked before. She decided to call it up for lack of a better word, but the dimensions of the room didn¡¯t really match the dimensions of the real world. There were too many of them for a start.


    There, above the line of revealed and blurred people floated the staff, but this staff¡¯s eyes were not empty. In the sockets, two white pearls gleamed. Then the image vanished.


    ¡°Damn it.¡±


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Zandrue asked.


    Felit?a dismissed the Room and looked over at her best friend. ¡°Just more vague clues about the future. I think the staff wants me to find its missing eyes.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I bet that¡¯ll be loads of fun.¡± Zandrue passed Felit?a a bowl of soup, placing it carefully in Felit?a¡¯s cupped hands. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s a little cold now. You¡¯ve been meditating awhile.¡±


    Felit?a took a sip. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°So, learn anything else? How does it generate that yellow energy?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it does. Nibdenoff used the crystal ball to put the energy in. I think the staff was screaming because it didn¡¯t want it. But Nibdenoff didn¡¯t have full control of it either. It wouldn¡¯t let him use its powers against me if I was close enough. Or something like that. I can¡¯t really be sure. I think the energy¡¯s expended now though, or if it isn¡¯t, I don¡¯t know how to draw it out.¡±


    ¡°And what about the secrets?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll read them soon enough. Once we¡¯re out of Ninifin. I¡¯ll find out what they have to say about me. Maybe we¡¯ll learn something.¡±


    ¡°All the things you¡¯re destined to do?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be a slave to prophecy, Zandrue.¡±


    ¡°I never said you would, but what if you don¡¯t have a choice?¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t have a choice, then what¡¯s the point of anything? If my life is laid out already, then any decision I make is meaningless. Life has no value.¡±


    Zandrue grimaced. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty morbid view of things.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I don¡¯t accept it. Not long before she died, Fra-Atl asked me why I let other people define me. She was referring to the Will-Breaker title and the role I¡¯m supposed to play. She asked me if it¡¯s what I really wanted. I told her it wasn¡¯t, not all of it. I still don¡¯t understand all the ramifications of being this Will-Breaker, but I do know I won¡¯t accept any role I don¡¯t want. I don¡¯t have any desire to break people¡¯s wills, whatever that portends. I also won¡¯t let my life be dictated. My decisions are my own, and my life will be what I make of it.¡±


    ¡°In concert with your friends, I hope,¡± Zandrue said.


    Felit?a smirked. ¡°Yes, of course, in concert with my friends. I understand that my life will be affected by others, and I can¡¯t control that. But I will control how I react to it all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there with you,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°If you¡¯ll have me, that is.¡±


    ¡°I so choose you, my loyal subject.¡± Felit?a tried to take a sip of her soup, but she couldn¡¯t keep a straight face and ended up spilling half the bowl.


    Zandrue laughed with her.


    They were seated in the woods a short distance away from the main camp, a day¡¯s journey north of the city of Ninifin. Despite exhaustion, they had travelled the entire day after the night of the attack on the Palace at the insistence of Ses-Izel. There hadn¡¯t been much night left after the battle at the Grand Temple, so none of them had gotten more than an hour or so of sleep. But now they were a good distance away from the City and safely hidden in the woods, they had finally been able to rest.


    None of them were in good shape. The few who had come through it all physically unscathed, like Quilla or Meleng, were still mentally scarred. Recovery was going to be a long, slow road.


    Meleng was doing what he could to tend the injured. Jorvan had a broken wing. Fra-Chan¡¯s leg was fractured. Rudiger and Nin-Akna both had multiple wounds. And of course, there was Felit?a¡¯s fingers and shoulder¡ªand her ankle, which she thought had healed since Scovese. Alas, the other night¡¯s events had aggravated it. She couldn¡¯t walk without a limp again. At least she didn¡¯t need the crutches. She¡¯d never be able to hold on to them.


    Rudiger limped over. and sat several feet from them. ¡°So.¡±


    ¡°I asked him to come over once you finished your meditations,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°You were laughing. Figured that meant you were done.¡±


    Fear and anxiety rose in Zandrue, so Felit?a placed her hand on Zandrue¡¯s arm. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°There are things I need to talk to you about.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°But a lot of it¡¯s private, don¡¯t you think? No offence, Felit?a, but...¡±


    ¡°I need you both here,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°This is going to be hard enough to do once, never mind twice. Please?¡±


    Rudiger took a moment, but then nodded his head. ¡°Fine.¡±


    Zandrue glanced over at the main camp. ¡°I¡¯d prefer if the others don¡¯t hear though.¡±


    Rudiger looked over at the camp as well, and sighed. He got up, limped closer and sat beside Felit?a. There was a ping of disappointment from Zandrue that Rudiger hadn¡¯t sat beside her. It was brief, but it was strong.


    ¡°Well?¡± Rudiger¡¯s emotions were a mash of anger, confusion, disappointment, desire, and love.


    Between the strong emotions coming from both Zandrue and Rudiger, Felit?a began to feel a bit overwhelmed. Her abilities rarely had weak days anymore like they used to. She found herself wishing for one of those now.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure where to begin,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I need to tell you about...¡± She swallowed and took a couple deep breaths. ¡°I need to tell you about who I am, where I come from. I¡¯m...¡±


    ¡°Not human?¡± Rudiger said.


    Zandrue looked away, fear rising in her. Felit?a reached out again, but she pulled away. ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°What are you then? A Volg? Borisin says you don¡¯t smell like one, but there are similarities. Just like you don¡¯t smell human, but there are similarities.¡±


    ¡°You knew,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°How long?¡±


    ¡°Only recently,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°Borisin told me you smelled strange the first time we met you, but he didn¡¯t realise the reason until he smelled Ses-Xipil. She was one of you as well, wasn¡¯t she?¡±


    Zandrue nodded.


    ¡°I heard something about you working with her from Corvinian. That why you took off? To be with your own kind?¡±


    ¡°No. No. It was an accident. I didn¡¯t mean for that to happen. I didn¡¯t know she was here, but when I bumped into her, I didn¡¯t have a choice. If she¡¯d found out I was carcraime, I¡¯d be dead.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what that means,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°But frankly, I don¡¯t give a damn. You took off without notice. You said you didn¡¯t want to see me again. I didn¡¯t believe you at first, but then you didn¡¯t come back. I spent two months thinking you must have died, hoping against hope you hadn¡¯t. Every single day, I hoped you¡¯d come back, but now you¡¯re here, I can barely look at you.¡±


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry all right?¡± Zandrue snapped. ¡°If you¡¯d just let me explain everything first. Then you can decide if you hate me or not. Then you can decide if you never want to look at me. All right?¡±


    Felit?a put a hand on Rudiger¡¯s arm. One advantage to being between the two of them. ¡°Give her a chance.¡±


    Rudiger shifted about for a few seconds. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ve been wanting an explanation. Let¡¯s hear it.¡±


    Zandrue closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a Volg. We¡¯re not all evil maniacs, you know? Most of us are good people. We¡¯re just ruled by evil assholes. Like the Ninifins. They¡¯re mostly good people who are ruled by evil assholes.¡±


    ¡°But you don¡¯t look like a Volg,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°Male and female Volgs look different. It¡¯s just the way we are. Most of the time, anyway. On rare occasions, a girl with wings is born or a boy without wings. That usually results in them being misidentified at first. But anyway, yeah. Volg women look more human. Did you know, too, Felit?a?¡±


    ¡°I guessed,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°We found some things on Scovese I haven¡¯t told you about yet. A locket, a portrait. And there¡¯s the fact every single Volg always seems to be male. Pictures of Volg men with human women make you start to wonder. There are still things I don¡¯t understand though, like why do you have to go away so often?¡±


    ¡°Every now and then, two or three times a year to start, less often later, Volg women go through...We call it the galdraif. There isn¡¯t a word for it in any human tongue I know. The closest analogy for it would be the human menstrual cycle, but it¡¯s not the same thing. Not exactly.¡±


    ¡°But you have a period, too,¡± Felit?a said.


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°Not really. I¡¯ve been faking it for years. But the galdraif is kind of similar, except it changes our appearance. We become more...Volg-like. I have horns, you know.¡±


    Felit?a wasn¡¯t sure how to respond. ¡°Horns?¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± Zandrue continued. She bent her head over towards the two of them, and probed with a finger. ¡°Here and...here. Go ahead. Touch them.¡±


    Felit?a reached with her thumbs. Sure enough, there was a hint of a depression. Some scabbing over softer, more pliable skin, but no bone underneath. Or wait... In the centre of the depression, a hint of something hard. The other was the same. Felit?a withdrew her hand and looked at Rudiger.


    He reached out slowly and felt as well. ¡°I never noticed before.¡±


    ¡°No reason why you would,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°It¡¯s the sort of thing you don¡¯t notice unless you¡¯re looking for it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never noticed either,¡± Felit?a said, ¡°and I don¡¯t understand why.¡±


    Rudiger scoffed. ¡°To be fair, Felit?a. I¡¯ve been more up close and personal with Zandrue, if you know what I mean. If I never noticed¡ª¡±


    ¡°Rudiger, you have a small birthmark on your inside upper thigh, and no, I don¡¯t know that because Zandrue told me. I can go into more detail, though, if you want.¡±


    Rudiger shifted his legs and slid a little away from her.


    ¡°Remember how embarrassed I was around you when I first met you? I know every detail of everyone in that line in my head, and yet I didn¡¯t notice Zandrue¡¯s horns.¡± She pulled up the Room and the line of people, focused in on Zandrue. The indents in her head were there. Felit?a could even tell the shape of the horns themselves beneath the skin¡ªonly about an inch long in total, narrower at the top, but rounded and not pointed. Why had she not noticed them before?


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you didn¡¯t notice. It never even occurred to me before that you should have been able to. Your head is weird, Felit?a.¡±


    Maybe it was because she only tended to consciously notice very specific details when she first met each person in the line or when she specifically wanted to notice them. Things had happened differently with her introduction to Zandrue though. She hadn¡¯t discovered the line-up in her head yet.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Zandrue continue, ¡°most of the time, my horns are recessed like they are now, but during the galdraif, they protrude out. It can be quite painful. We also grow more hair on our face. Our nose and chin stretch out a little. No wings though.¡±


    ¡°Volg shapechangers,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°We¡¯re not really shapeshifters, but yeah, that¡¯s where all those stories come from. Volg women who were caught during their galdraif. That¡¯s why I have to leave each time. I can¡¯t be seen like that. I¡¯d be executed. But it comes on suddenly. We get very little warning. That¡¯s why I always have to take off so suddenly.¡± She placed her hands on Felit?a¡¯s cheeks. ¡°I wanted so bad to be at your graduation, Felit?a. I looked forward to it for so long. I was so proud. And then... I¡¯m sorry.¡± She pulled her hands back and wiped the tears from her face.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Felit?a said, wiping her own tears on her sleeve. ¡°I understand now. But why could you never tell me? I would have understood. I wouldn¡¯t have hated you.¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t trust you. But you have to understand, this is a secret the Volgs take very seriously. I¡¯ve lived my life in terror that I would be found, but I could live with that knowing the arcraime wouldn¡¯t harm you if you didn¡¯t know. But if they found out you knew, they¡¯d kill you too. To protect the secret. I couldn¡¯t bear that thought.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve said that word a couple times,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°What¡¯s this...carcrime?¡±


    ¡°Arcraime,¡± Zandrue corrected. ¡°I¡¯m carcraime because I betrayed them. I¡¯m part of the Volg warrior caste. My real name is Lacquaime, Daughter of Emclenim. The arcraime is an organisation for warrior caste women. It¡¯s the single most prestigious organisation a warrior caste woman can belong to. It brings our fathers great honour. We are trained from the moment we can walk to be warriors, assassins, spies. Our job is to infiltrate the human world. To leave the arcraime by any method other than death, to be carcraime, however, brings the highest level of dishonour to our fathers and families.


    ¡°When I left you Rudiger, I got angry, I know. I wanted to tell you the truth, but...I¡¯ve lived this lie so long. I said things I shouldn¡¯t have. But I always intended to come back. And I was on my way back too. I even hoped to tell you the truth. But I met Tadstaime¡ªSes-Xipil¡ªby chance on the road. She recognised me as a Volg. We have better senses of smell than humans.¡±


    That explained a few things.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t let her know I was carcraime,¡± Zandrue continued. ¡°She had to believe I was still arcraime, so I convinced her I¡¯d been sent to work with her.¡±


    ¡°Or she¡¯d have killed you,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°That would be the best-case scenario.¡±


    ¡°Best?¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°Worst-case scenario, she¡¯d have shipped me off to my father or sister so they could kill me.¡±


    ¡°You have a sister?¡± Felit?a said.


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°And the only way my family can ever regain its honour is if one of them kills me. That¡¯s why they¡¯ll still be looking for me. Until recently, most people probably thought I was dead. Even my father and sister probably thought that, but it was also their greatest fear. If I die by any other means, they never get their honour back.¡±


    ¡°Is your sister ar...um...part of this organisation too?¡± Felit?a asked. The Volg words barely shared any consonants she was used to. It sounded strange to hear them from Zandrue, isolated amongst all the Arnorgue words.


    ¡°She¡¯s arcraime, yes,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°However, she won¡¯t have been given any other assignments since I went rogue. Her sole assignment now will be to kill me. She¡¯ll have that until she succeeds or dies.¡±


    Zandrue took a long breath and looked at Rudiger. ¡°That¡¯s why I took off. It¡¯ll happen from time to time. Less often these days. In our mid-twenties, we experience a really intense galdraif. I experienced mine last year. After that, they¡¯re usually shorter and less frequent. So can you, um, maybe forgive me?¡±


    Rudiger looked at the ground and shifted his position again. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I...I mean...¡±


    ¡°If you hate me, I guess I understand. But I just want you to know I didn¡¯t mean that stuff about not coming back. I have a terrible temper, I know. I just...I love you, Rudiger. I¡¯ve never really loved someone in this way before, but I do love you and I can¡¯t bear the thought of losing you. So please? Please say you forgive me.¡±


    Rudiger looked at her and nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah. I forgive you. I love you, too. Never really thought I¡¯d hear you say it, though.¡±


    Zandrue threw herself across Felit?a and onto Rudiger, her arms wrapping around him. She kissed him and then sobbed into his chest.


    Felit?a shifted away from them to give them room, and wiped the tears from her face. She sat there a bit longer, then decided to give them some more space. With a bit of a struggle, she rolled the staff onto her elbows and wrapped her arms around it. She got up and limped back to the main camp.


    Most of the people there were busy packing supplies, and getting ready to move on. Quilla, however, was seated by the embers of the fire. Felit?a sat beside her, letting the staff roll onto the ground. ¡°Hey.¡±


    Quilla looked at her with swollen eyes. ¡°Hey.¡± Then she looked back at the fire pit.


    ¡°How are you doing?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°How do you think?¡±


    ¡°Sorry. Silly question.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. You¡¯re just trying to help. But you can¡¯t, all right? Life is shit right now and there¡¯s nothing you can do to change that.¡±


    Felit?a nodded, and fought off the urge to break down crying herself.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan when we¡¯re out of Ninifin?¡± Quilla asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to talk about that,¡± Felit?a answered.


    ¡°I¡¯m going back to Arnor City,¡± Quilla said. ¡°I have to tell your family what happened to him.¡±


    Felit?a nodded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even have his body. Gods, they hate me enough already. They¡¯re going to blame me.¡±


    ¡°No they won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they will, Felit?a, and you know it.¡±


    ¡°No, they really won¡¯t,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°They¡¯ll blame me. Or my mother will, and that¡¯s who we¡¯re really talking about here. Trust me. Your best defence against my mother is me. Make it out to be my fault. Blame me all you need to. I¡¯ll understand.¡±


    Quilla looked up at her. ¡°Won¡¯t you be coming too? There¡¯ll need to be a funeral. Surely, you¡¯ll want to¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was banished, remember? Cerus was confident my father would reverse the decision, but after this... Besides, there are things I need to do.¡±


    ¡°He was your brother.¡±


    ¡°I know, and missing his funeral doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t mourn him. But I won¡¯t be welcome there. My mother may not have liked Garet much, but she hates me even more, and she¡¯ll use anything to destroy me. Like I said, your best defence against her is to let her blame me. And that¡¯ll work better if I¡¯m not there.¡±


    Quilla lowered her head and stared into the fire pit again. Felit?a did the same, and they sat there in silence for several minutes.


    ¡°I should help with the packing,¡± Felit?a said eventually and started to stand up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry yourself,¡± Ses-Izel said, coming over to them. ¡°It¡¯s almost done, and you¡¯re too injured to help anyway.¡±


    Nin-Akna, Meleng, Jorvan, and Corvinian were with her. Fra-Chan and Fra-Tepeu stood a short distance behind. Both were leaning on Ses-Iktan for support.


    Ses-Izel sat beside Felit?a. ¡°We need to talk.¡± She motioned to Meleng, Jorvan, and Nin-Akna.


    Jorvan eased himself down. His broken wing hung limp to the side, supported by a makeshift splint Meleng had put together. Wing breaks were difficult to fix, Jorvan had told them earlier. He felt his own odds were good, and Meleng concurred, but there was a chance he might never fly again. ¡°If a loss of flight was needed to ensure Corvinian¡¯s safety, then it will be worth it,¡± he had said.


    Meleng sat beside the Isyar, keeping an eye on the broken wing. Corvinian sat beside Meleng.


    Ses-Izel motioned to Nin-Akna again, but Nin-Akna shook her head and stood behind Meleng.


    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± Ses-Izel said with a shrug. She peered off to the side. ¡°I see Rudiger and Zandrue have made up. Hey, you two! Get over here!¡±


    A few moments later, they came over, Rudiger leaning on Zandrue for support as he walked. They sat with Felit?a and the others.


    ¡°Ses-Patli got back a couple hours ago,¡± Ses-Izel said. ¡°She travelled through the night to get to us. Yesterday, more nobles were murdered¡ªall of them people in the line of succession for the throne.¡± She looked at Felit?a. ¡°And Fra-Ichtaca has blamed you for every single one. The people believe you killed Nin-Xoco. They¡¯re calling for your head.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°What happens now?¡±


    ¡°First, you and your friends get the hell out of Ninifin. I hope you¡¯ve learnt your lesson, and I don¡¯t want to see any of you back here any time soon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think we¡¯ve learnt it,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re being overly harsh,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    ¡°When I want your opinion, I¡¯ll ask for it,¡± Ses-Izel snapped.


    Nin-Akna scowled, but said nothing else.


    Felit?a looked back and forth between them. The irritation from both was drowning most of the other emotions in the area, except Quilla¡¯s grief. What had happened between them?


    ¡°The problem, however,¡± Ses-Izel said, ¡°is how you¡¯re going to get past the wall. My people can get you over, but once again, we have a problem with the horses. We can¡¯t do horses, so I don¡¯t know what Fra-Tepeu is thinking giving you all of his.¡±


    ¡°I can get us through the gate,¡± Felit?a said.


    Ses-Izel scoffed. ¡°In your injured state?¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll have to take people and animals through one at a time, so it¡¯ll be slow, but I can do it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost sorry I won¡¯t be there to see it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not coming to the wall with us?¡± Rudiger asked.


    Ses-Izel shook her head. ¡°No. I¡¯m heading back to the City with Ses-Patli. My career smuggling people out of Ninifin is over. I¡¯m a known Resistance leader. I¡¯ll never be able to pass through the gates again. I¡¯m going to focus entirely on rebuilding our strength, and I intend to start right away. I have one thing to ask of you though.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Rudiger said, but Zandrue and the others looked to Felit?a first before answering.


    ¡°Name it,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Take Nin-Akna with you.¡±


    The Youth Guard¡¯s scowl deepened.


    ¡°Why?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°Anyone ahead of Nin-Xtab for the throne who¡¯s still alive will be holing up right now, spending their fortunes on defence. They¡¯ll survive a little while because Fra-Ichtaca¡¯s got some rebuilding to do first, and she¡¯ll want to keep them believing you¡¯re the villain. But they¡¯ll die eventually. Fra-Ichtaca will also do everything in her power to track Nin-Akna down and kill her too. She¡¯s the one chance we have of keeping Fra-Ichtaca¡¯s hands off the throne. But she has to stay alive. That¡¯s where you come in. Take her with you and keep her alive.¡±


    Felit?a looked to the Youth Guard. ¡°What do you want, Nin-Akna?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to go with you. But I want to fight for my home.¡±


    ¡°And you will,¡± Ses-Izel said. ¡°When the time is right.¡± She addressed Felit?a again. ¡°When we¡¯re ready to strike again, I¡¯ll get word to you, and then you bring her back.¡±


    ¡°If she doesn¡¯t want¡ª¡±


    ¡°What she wants right now is irrelevant.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m standing right here!¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°The least you can do is talk to me. And what I want is not irrelevant!¡±


    Ses-Izel turned to her. ¡°Yes, it is. One day, you¡¯ll be queen, and when that day comes, I¡¯ll bow to your authority. But until then, I intend to do everything in my power to keep you alive, and if the best way to do that is to send you packing for a while, then that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t fair!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s not,¡± Ses-Izel said. ¡°But that¡¯s life, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get to come back eventually,¡± Felit?a said.


    Nin-Akna didn¡¯t reply.


    Felit?a turned to Ses-Izel. ¡°I won¡¯t force anyone to come with me who doesn¡¯t want to, no matter how important you think your reasons are.¡±


    ¡°You owe us,¡± Ses-Izel said.


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°Yes, I do. But I¡¯ll repay you in a way that doesn¡¯t force other people to do things they don¡¯t want. If Nin-Akna doesn¡¯t want to come with me, she doesn¡¯t have to. And that is final. However, if she chooses to come, I welcome her.¡±


    ¡°You do still have to get me back to Sinit?a unharmed,¡± Meleng said.


    Nin-Akna shifted on her feet for several seconds. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go.¡± She turned and stomped off to Ses-Iktan and Fra-Chan, where she embraced them.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled,¡± Felit?a said to Ses-Izel. ¡°You have my word, I¡¯ll do everything in my power to keep her alive.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Ses-Izel stood up. ¡°I need to get ready. Ses-Patli¡¯s waiting for me.¡± She walked over to Rudiger, looked at him, and smirked. ¡°Even seated, you¡¯re almost as tall as I am.¡± She leaned over and kissed him. ¡°Take care of yourself, okay? And say goodbye to Borisin for me.¡±


    ¡°Of...of course,¡± Rudiger blabbered, looking to Zandrue.


    Ses-Izel smiled at Zandrue, who grinned back at her. Then the Ninifin headed off.


    ¡°That was...um...¡± Rudiger stammered.


    Zandrue laughed. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Rudiger. You thought I was gone. I don¡¯t have a problem with it. Besides, it¡¯s possible to care for more than one person at the same time, you know?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Rudiger said.


    Zandrue leaned over and kissed him.


    ¡°Where will we go?¡± Jorvan asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to discuss that,¡± Felit?a replied, ¡°but let¡¯s get out of Ninifin first.¡±


    Rudiger stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go get our stuff and help with any final preparations the others need.¡±


    Corvinian jumped to his feet. ¡°I¡¯ll help!¡± He ran off after the limping Rudiger.


    Quilla stared after the boy.


    Meleng and Jorvan got up. ¡°I need to make a final round tending to the injured before we go,¡± Meleng said. ¡°Make sure everyone¡¯s ready to depart.¡± He and the Isyar headed off. They bumped into Fra-Tepeu coming the other way and spoke with him for a minute or so before continuing on their way.


    Fra-Tepeu continued over to the fire pit. ¡°I just wanted to bid my farewells. Only a few of Ses-Izel¡¯s people are going any farther with you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry about Fra-Mecatl,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°She was a good woman.¡±


    FreTapeu lowered his head for a moment. ¡°Yes, she was. I will miss her.¡± He looked up again and hobbled over to Felit?a. ¡°I¡¯m sorry we did not have the opportunity to get to know one another, and that you never met my sister. I think she would have liked you.¡± He held out his hand. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Felit?a wrapped her thumb around one of his fingers. ¡°Goodbye. And thank you for everything you did for my friends.¡±


    ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± He turned and held his hand out to Quilla. ¡°I am very sorry for your loss.¡±


    Quilla looked up with a forced smile. ¡°Thank you.¡± She took his hand. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Fra-Tepeu then said his goodbyes to Zandrue and headed off again. The three of them left by the fire pit all stood up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get my things,¡± Quilla said and turned away.


    Felit?a went over to Zandrue.


    ¡°What are we going to do now?¡± Zandrue asked.


    ¡°Find out what we can about Corvinian,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°And I have to understand my head. I need to break through whatever¡¯s blocking my full abilities. I think I¡¯ll go back to Quorge and get Agernon¡¯s help, like we planned all those months ago.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°I may need you to go with Quilla. She¡¯s heading back to Arnor City to tell them of Garet. Someone needs to look after her.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Whatever you want.¡±


    Felit?a looked around at the remains of the camp, Ses-Izel¡¯s wagon sitting off to the side. The surviving Resistance members were loading it with sacks of supplies. Past it, Ses-Izel and a muscular woman were walking into the woods in the direction of the road.


    On the other side of the camp, Rudiger was saddling Borisin with Corvinian trying to help. Nearby, Meleng was consoling Nin-Akna, and Jorvan was saying goodbye to Fra-Chan and Ses-Iktan.


    ¡°Bitter-sweet victories, eh?¡± Zandrue said.


    Felit?a sighed and nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with Quilla as you ask, but I wish it didn¡¯t have to be so soon after getting back together.¡±


    ¡°I know. Same here. But we have time before we go our separate ways. Lots of time to fill each other in on what we¡¯ve been doing. There¡¯s so much I want to tell you still. I love you, you know.¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°I know. I love you, too.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I met someone! On Scovese.¡±


    Zandrue¡¯s eyes widened and she smiled. ¡°Tell me about her!¡±


    There was a lot of uncertainty ahead of her. Dangers. Maybe death. There was so much she still didn¡¯t understand. Corvinian. The staff. Quilla. Her own abilities. But there were two things Felit?a knew with certainty.


    First, she was the Will-Breaker. There was no denying that part of herself any longer.


    Second, she was not the Will-Breaker her enemies expected her to be. She was her own person and no matter what, she would make her own destiny.


    THE END OF PART ONE OF


    The Will-Breaker

 Book 2, Chapter 1: Mindless (Part 1)

    Felit?a.


    There was no rest. There couldn¡¯t be.


    Every day, every night, it called to her. Constantly. There were periods of silence¡ªanything from a few minutes to an hour or two¡ªbut it was never enough. Felit?a had lain awake night after night due to its incessant calls. What broken sleep she got provided little rest. Last night had been particularly bad. She had gotten at most an hour of sleep total.


    Felit?a.


    It was driving her mad.


    Felit?a.


    When she had first heard the Staff of Sestin calling to her outside the Grand Temple in Ninifin¡ªbefore she¡¯d known what was calling to her¡ªshe had been determined to rush in and find it. She had risked her life¡ªand the lives of her friends¡ªto recover it. She had been impulsive and reckless in a way she didn¡¯t normally behave. She had been so certain it was important.


    She still thought it was important. But that didn¡¯t matter if it killed her.


    Felit?a.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Nin-Akna asked.


    Felit?a nodded.


    Nin-Akna took Felit?a¡¯s right hand and began to cut the strings holding the splints on Felit?a¡¯s fingers together. Felit?a tried not to flinch as Nin-Akna¡¯s knife moved about ever so close to her skin.


    Felit?a.


    What do you want? She¡¯d asked that questions hundreds of times already. She¡¯d tried so many ways to answer the Staff¡¯s call, but it never responded. It didn¡¯t seem to recognise she was even addressing it.


    It was broken. It had to be.


    In her head, in the Room she visualised there, it loomed above the queue of people and the uncountable blurred images beyond them. It stretched perhaps the length of the line, although given the strange dimensions in the room and just how impossible it was to determine the length of the line, the staff was possibly longer or shorter. Indeed, she couldn¡¯t even say it was truly above the line. It was in some other direction, at right angles to all the normal directions. It was fitting. An inexplicable staff in an inexplicable place. As if to emphasise that fact, the eyes of the coiled serpent at the Staff¡¯s end sparkled in the non-existent, yet ever-present light of the Room.


    But in the real world, the serpent had no eyes. Just empty sockets.


    Felit?a needed to find those eyes. Maybe then the Staff¡¯s mind would be whole. Maybe then she could understand what it wanted.


    The Staff¡¯s mind.


    Even her own thoughts about it made no sense. The Staff was an object. A thing. It couldn¡¯t have a mind.


    Yet in some sense, it did.


    Felit?a.


    As Nin-Akna finished with each finger, she tossed the wooden pieces of flint into the river, where they drifted away with the current. Her right hand free to move at last, Felit?a tried to bend her fingers. They shook, but otherwise refused to budge.


    Nin-Akna took Felit?a¡¯s left hand. ¡°You¡¯ll be stiff for a while. Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll get your mobility back. Just give it time.¡± She began to slice through the strings on the left-hand splints.


    Felit?a nodded.


    Felit?a, you must listen to me.


    Occasionally, the Staff said those extra words, echoing the voices in Felit?a¡¯s head, the ones that spoke the names of the people in the line. There had to be a link. The Staff¡¯s voice and the voices in her head were exactly the same. They had to have the same source.


    Felit?a.


    She could block it out sometimes. It took effort, but just like with the emotions of other people, she could manoeuvre the walls of the Room around the Staff¡¯s presence and keep its calling at bay. For a time. Whether five minutes or twenty, the Staff always broke through eventually and would be twice as intense for the next while, almost like it was angry at her. As such, she only did it if there was something else important to concentrate on¡ªor when the frustration got so great she just had to have a few minutes of freedom, even if it meant dealing with worse later.


    Felit?a.


    There was a new pressure on her fingers. Felit?a looked down. Nin-Akna had already tossed aside the splints from Felit?a¡¯s left hand and was now gently bending Felit?a¡¯s fingers with her own. Nin-Akna was also saying something but Felit?a had missed most of it, too focused on the Staff.


    ¡°Like that,¡± Nin-Akna concluded.


    Felit?a nodded as if she understood.


    Nin-Akna took Felit?a¡¯s right hand again.


    Felit?a.


    Shut up. Sometimes, that was all she could say to it. Sometimes, when the frustration built up more than she could bare, she would just mentally scream and curse at it. It usually let her feel better for a very brief time, but otherwise achieved nothing.


    Felit?a.


    She wasn¡¯t going to let the frustration get that great this time though. She would remain calm.


    Felit?a.


    Nin-Akna pressed on Felit?a¡¯s fingers. ¡°Try to move them as I push on them.¡±


    Felit?a. Felit?a. Felit?a.


    ¡°Oh, just fuck off!¡±


    A flare of annoyance shot from Nin-Akna and she let go. The annoyance died away quickly though. ¡°The Staff?¡±


    Felit?a gave a small smile, then lowered her head. ¡°Sorry.¡± Sometimes, stress and exhaustion made her say things meant for the Staff out loud in front of others.


    ¡°It really gets to you, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Felit?a sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t know the half of it. Sorry again. What did you want me to do?¡±


    Nin-Akna took Felit?a¡¯s hand again. ¡°Try to close your fingers. I¡¯ll help.¡±


    Felit?a tried. Her pinky refused to move at all, and her index finger only moved a little¡ªuntil Nin-Akna moved them for her. All her fingers ached and protested at the movement. The fingers on her other hand were aching too. It must have been from Nin-Akna¡¯s earlier manipulations.


    Six weeks they¡¯d been immobile. Stiffness and aches now would only be a minor inconvenience in return for being able to move them again.


    When Fra-Ichtaca had ordered Felit?a¡¯s fingers broken, it had been to prevent her spellcasting, and that had been its immediate effect. It had nearly crushed her spirits, as so much of her spellcasting was dependent on her fingers. Over the weeks since, she had begun working on alternative means to cast her spells, and she was enjoying some progress. It was slow, but it was still progress, and she would continue it now even though the splints were gone and she would soon have full mobility back.


    Yet she had also discovered all the other things that needed her fingers¡ªthe mundane, everyday things she had always taken for granted. Picking up objects. Writing. Even hugging her friends. So many things that had never drawn any thought were now complex tasks that needed careful planning. For a significant portion of them, even careful planning wasn¡¯t enough without assistance. She needed someone to help her mount her horse, and she could barely keep hold of the reins herself, never mind use them effectively. She couldn¡¯t even dress and undress herself without help.


    She had felt so useless.


    Having mobility back might finally change that.


    Felit?a.


    ¡°The stiffness should clear up eventually,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°I can show you a few exercises to do every day until you get full mobility back, and for a while after that.¡±


    For the last four weeks or so, poor Nin-Akna had been the one stuck assisting Felit?a in all those mundane tasks. Zandrue had done it at first before they¡¯d had to go separate ways. Now there was mostly just Nin-Akna. Corvinian liked to help where he could, but there were so many things he couldn¡¯t help with, so the majority fell to Nin-Akna. The young woman had done everything without verbal complaint, but the resentment at having to be here outside Ninifin was strong, and it hadn¡¯t diminished any in the weeks of travel. If anything, it had gotten stronger. Felit?a often had to block out Nin-Akna¡¯s emotions just for her own peace of mind. Dealing with the Staff was enough.


    It wasn¡¯t just resentment; Nin-Akna was brimming with anger, fear, and depression too. The poor girl often cried out in her sleep. Felit?a understood. Nin-Akna had been through a lot. They all had.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    At the moment, however, Nin-Akna was smiling, which was a rare event these days. And amongst her other more common emotions, relief was flooding from her as well. Nin-Akna was a warrior, not a nursemaid.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to do them,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°You should be able to start doing a lot of things on your own again, but don¡¯t overdo it,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°You don¡¯t want to strain yourself, so if you need anything, you can still ask.¡±


    Felit?a smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Nin-Akna stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll start breaking camp so we can get moving.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help.¡± Felit?a started to stand, but stopped at a surge of annoyance from Nin-Akna.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t worry. Like I said, don¡¯t overdo it. You just moved your fingers for the first time in weeks. They¡¯re not ready for lifting and carrying heavy things yet. Corvinian will help me.¡±


    Felit?a sat back and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll wait here.¡±


    In the last several weeks, pitching and breaking camp were amongst a very small number of moments Nin-Akna got away from Felit?a. It had been foolish to suggest invading that time before Nin-Akna had had a chance to experience other moments of freedom.


    ¡°If we make good time today,¡± Felit?a said, ¡°we might reach Dorg.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Corvinian and I have a system going. We won¡¯t take long.¡± Nin-Akna moved off and called out to Corvinian.


    While they took care of the camp, Felit?a decided to try meditating and focusing on her concentration exercises. Maybe the Staff would leave her alone long enough to do so.


    She closed her eyes and tuned out her surroundings. One by one, she let them go. The sound of Nin-Akna¡¯s and Corvinian¡¯s voices. The sound of the river. The buzz of insects. The last was the feel of Lon¡¯s and Nesh¡¯s tiny feet on her shoulders.


    Felit?a.


    This time, she was going to ignore it.


    Felit?a.


    No matter how much it pressed her.


    Felit?a.


    She sighed, opened her eyes, and looked over at the camp. She wasn¡¯t sure where the Staff was right now. It was packed with the saddle bags, and Nin-Akna and Corvinian had not yet saddled the horses. But it only needed to be nearby to bother her. That made her concentration score so far today just three calls of her name. Not a good start.


    She took a deep breath, and started again.


    * * * * *


    ¡°It¡¯s so big.¡± Corvinian climbed onto the carved balustrade and peered over the top. ¡°Way bigger than the Jaguar.¡±


    Nin-Akna shrugged. ¡°Sure, but you can still see the far side. Since sailing to Scovese, I¡¯ve come to the conclusion no water is big unless you can¡¯t see the other side. Still, as rivers go, yeah, it¡¯s big.¡±


    Felit?a had never seen the Tirin before despite living alongside its source for most of her life. It was the largest river in Arnor¡ªthe largest on the continent¡ªflowing all the way from Lake Belone to the Bay of Ras. But Quorge was on the opposite side of Lake Belone, so Felit?a had never seen the river, even though Quorge saw many visitors who had sailed upon it.


    For the last few days, they had been following one of the Tirin¡¯s many tributaries on the road to Dorg. The tributary was a sizeable river itself, but it was small compared to the Tirin, which had to be several miles wide here near its mouth into the Bay. Right now, the water looked calm and placid, but Felit?a had heard that it could become violent in stormy weather.


    ¡°How did they build the bridge?¡± Corvinian asked.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Nin-Akna asked. ¡°It would be like any other bridge, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s so wide.¡± Corvinian leaned over the balustrade and peered down into the water. ¡°And we¡¯re so high up. It must have taken a long time and been really difficult.¡±


    Nin-Akna shrugged and looked at Felit?a.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Felit?a admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t actually know anything about building bridges.¡±


    A sign just before the bridge had identified it as the Peldwin Bridge, though Felit?a had no idea who or what that referred to. She had to admit it was a marvel of engineering, stretching the thousand or more feet across the river and rising a hundred feet or more above it at its apex. Meleng would have loved it. He could probably even have answered Corvinian¡¯s question.


    But Meleng wasn¡¯t there. He was doing important things, though Felit?a still found herself wishing he, Zandrue, and the others were there. She missed them, and she knew Nin-Akna would be happier if Meleng were here.


    Corvinian stood up on the balustrade and craned his neck. ¡°I wonder how far I can see!¡±


    ¡°Be careful, Corvinian,¡± Felit?a said.


    Looking southeast from the side of the bridge, it was just possible to make out the docks of Dorg in the distance¡ªa tangle of ships and piers on the left side of the river and mouth of the bay. It wasn¡¯t really possible to see the bay itself, but Corvinian tried, rising up onto his tiptoes.


    One foot slipped.


    Nin-Akna threw her arms around him and pulled him back off the balustrade, stopping him from plummeting into the river below. She placed him back on the deck of the bridge on unsteady feet.


    ¡°I told you to be careful!¡± Felit?a snapped.


    Corvinian clutched at Nin-Akna, shaking.


    ¡°Ye should never¡¯ve let him on there in the first place.¡±


    Felit?a spun at the sound of the voice. So did Nin-Akna. A man was standing beside them, although Felit?a hadn¡¯t heard him approach. ¡°If yer his mother, ye oughta be ashamed of yerself.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not my mother!¡± Corvinian said before Felit?a could reply.


    ¡°Then yer guardian,¡± the man said. ¡°Either way, she oughta be ashamed.¡± He was short and muscular, with the tawny brown skin of western Eloorin rather than the more russet colour of the local Orwinians. His face was broad and flat, his brown hair stringy and greasy, and his left eyelid drooped. There was a Friazian lilt to his speech. Despite the harshness of his words, there was no anger emanating from him. Instead, he was radiating a calm certainty.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but...who are you?¡± Felit?a asked.


    He frowned, though amusement flowed briefly from him. ¡°Just a concerned passerby.¡±


    There was something off about this man, though Felit?a had to admit he was right. She should never had let Corvinian climb onto the balustrade like that. Her exhaustion was causing her to make bad decisions. Once they reached Quorge, she hoped to store the Staff in the Hall of Knowledge so she could get away from it from time to time, and study it on her own schedule. But Quorge was still a long way away. She needed to come up with some other solution in the meantime.


    Felit?a.


    There it went again.


    The man patted Corvinian¡¯s cheek. ¡°Ye be careful now, boy.¡±


    Corvinian pulled back from the man¡¯s touch. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be on me way then.¡± The man turned and began walking away.


    Felit?a turned to Corvinian. ¡°He¡¯s right, Corvinian. I¡¯ve told you many times, you need¡ª¡±


    ¡°Fine horses ye have here.¡± The man had stopped by Xoco. He reached out his hand, but Xoco stepped aside with a snort. ¡°Ninifin-bred, aren¡¯t they? Ninifins don¡¯t usually take good care of their horses, but these are fine indeed. ¡¯Specially this one. You, girl, you look as though yer from Ninifin, yes? Ye bring ¡¯em with ye?¡±


    Nin-Akna nodded slowly. She had one hand on the hilt of the dagger at her belt. Her eyes stared, unblinking, at the man.


    The man¡¯s gaze fell on the Staff, its ends sticking out either side of the saddle bags on Xoco. His hand moved towards it, but the horse stepped aside again. Xoco was a finicky horse, though Felit?a didn¡¯t blame her in this situation.


    Felit?a.


    This man was starting to aggravate her. There was something off about him. Truth be told, she was more annoyed at herself for not noticing his initial approach. She should have been more alert for... No, wait. Those were Nin-Akna¡¯s feelings.


    Felit?a was getting her own feelings mixed up with others¡¯¡ªusually Nin-Akna¡¯s¡ªmore and more these days. The more sleep she lost, the worse it became.


    Felit?a.


    ¡°Well, good day to ye.¡± The man started on his way again. He paused to pat Mulac¡¯s nose. The gelding was much more willing to allow his approach than Xoco had been. After a couple gentle pats and strokes, the man finally headed away along the bridge.


    Nin-Akna¡¯s hand lowered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I should have noticed his approach.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°You were paying more attention to Corvinian, which was the right thing to do.¡±


    Nin-Akna huffed. ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Besides, we¡¯re not alone here. It¡¯s not surprising someone noticed Corvinian nearly fall.¡±


    Nin-Akna shook her head. ¡°He was right behind us, Felit?a. He must have been practically here before Corvinian slipped. I should have noticed.¡±


    That was a point. He had gotten uncomfortably close to them unnoticed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t like him.¡± Corvinian rubbed his sleeve on the cheek the man had patted. ¡°He was dirty and gross.¡±


    Nin-Akna leaned to the side to look past Felit?a and the horses. ¡°Where did he go?¡±


    Felit?a looked in the direction the man had gone. There was a small group of people with a horse-drawn cart coming towards them, but none of the group appeared to be the man. Past them, there were silhouettes of people farther in the distance¡ªtoo far for the man to have gotten in so little time. She looked the other way, but there was still no sign of him.


    ¡°He moved fast,¡± Felit?a muttered. She approached Xoco and touched her hand tot he Staff.


    Felit?a, you must listen to me.


    I¡¯m trying, she said out of habit.


    As usual, the Staff didn¡¯t respond.


    Nin-Akna came up beside her. ¡°Rudiger and Zandrue spoke of a man...¡± She trailed off.


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°Yeah, they did.¡±


    Mister Speedy, Zandrue had called him. An unbelievably fast man who had dogged Zandrue, Rudiger, and Jorvan months ago. Could that have been him? Felit?a couldn¡¯t remember the description they¡¯d given of him. Wasn¡¯t there something about a drooping eye? If only Zandrue were here.


    But Zandrue was on her way to Arnor City. A place Felit?a couldn¡¯t go.


    Not that it mattered. There were more important things for her to do in Quorge. As much as she would have liked to go to Garet¡¯s funeral, it was necessary that she not. She did not regret her decision.


    So she told herself anyway.


    Though she did wish there had been a way to make Quilla understand.


    Felit?a.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I¡¯d like to reach the city before nightfall.¡±


    Felit?a.


    Go away, she told the Staff.


    Felit?a.

 Book 2, Chapter 1: Mindless (Part 2)

    The bells of the nearby church rang out, penetrating the clamour of Dorg. People, horses, carts, and more packed the wide streets. Travellers and sailors moved between merchants hawking their wares and services¡ªsome from hastily assembled stalls, others from more permanent structures, or from the doors and windows of shops. As Felit?a, Nin-Akna, and Corvinian got closer to the docks, the crowds got denser and the noise louder.


    Despite the noise and the fact she often had to shout to be heard¡ªespecially whenever Corvinian darted ahead¡ªFelit?a found the noise comforting. Dorg was different from Quorge, but it was the most similar to Quorge of any place she¡¯d been in quite some time. She was feeling a little homesick.


    But the noise had another benefit: it was almost enough to distract her from the Staff. Shortly after arriving in the city, she had drawn in the walls of the Room to block out the emotions of everyone. In large groups, if everyone started feeling the same way, it could overwhelm her. Blocking everything had blocked the Staff as well. However, it had soon started breaking through as usual.


    Felit?a.


    She had decided to drop the walls and let everyone in. The ruckus of Dorg¡ªboth in her head and the city around her¡ªwas calming compared to the Staff.


    ¡°I thought Lockanith was busy.¡± Nin-Akna was looking all about, her head moving in short, furtive motions, and she was making sudden small changes of direction to avoid people she wasn¡¯t in any actual danger of walking into but who came close to her. Mulac was following her dutifully, but the horse¡¯s constant changes of direction were disturbing Xoco, who was getting jittery, and harder for Felit?a to lead.


    Felit?a adjusted her grip on the reins to try to keep Xoco in line. Her fingers were still stiff¡ªespecially her left pinky¡ªso it was hard to maintain a good grip. ¡°Dorg sees a lot more traffic. There¡¯s both the river and the sea. Plus, it¡¯s just more highly populated than Lockanith.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be glad when we get somewhere less populated,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    ¡°There¡¯s constant traffic along the Tirin. It should be easy to find a ship that leaves soon.¡± They were taking an unusual route to Quorge, but it was the safest option. Zandrue had suggested it.


    Up ahead, a queue of mostly men extended from a stall set up by the side of the street. It stretched well into the street. Corvinian darted forward and pushed between the people in the line like many other people on the street were doing.


    ¡°Corvinian, wait for us!¡± Felit?a shook her head and sighed. ¡°Typical.¡±


    Nin-Akna turned to go around the line. Felit?a turned too, but Mulac followed more quickly than Xoco. The gelding nudged Xoco, and the mare squealed, rearing back. The reins yanked out of Felit?a¡¯s slow-responding fingers. Felit?a stumbled. Lon and Nesh ran across her back.


    Xoco started to bolt, but Nin-Akna grabbed the reins. The horse pulled her forwards a few steps, but the young warrior held on. Xoco squealed again and continued to pull on the reins, taking several steps back away from Nin-Akna.


    Felit?a rushed over to the horse¡¯s side and placed her aching hands on the horse¡¯s neck. She spoke a few quiet words and released just a small amount of magical energy. Xoco settled and stopped pulling. ¡°There, there. It¡¯s all right now.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°I turned too suddenly. I¡¯m on edge and not thinking straight.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No harm done. We¡¯re all on edge these days. Let¡¯s just catch¡ª¡±


    The air behind Nin-Akna blurred. It was just for a moment, but Nin-Akna¡¯s hand shot to her neck. ¡°Ow! Something stung me.¡±


    Felit?a unfolded the Room and tried to sort through the countless presences there. At the same time, she looked about the real world. What had that blur been? ¡°I don¡¯t think that was¡ª¡±


    Nin-Akna lowered her hand. There was blood on her fingertips and neck. ¡°Oh shit.¡± Panic shot from her, stabbing at Felit?a and overtaking all other emotions in the area. Nin-Akna stumbled to Mulac and reached for her spears strapped to the horse¡¯s side.


    Felit?a continued to glance about, trying to watch for a return of the blur. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    Nin-Akna fumbled at the straps on her spears. Her panic was rising. ¡°I think I¡¯ve been... Oh gods.¡± She clutched at the straps as her feet slipped out from under her.


    Felit?a lunged forward, managed to catch hold of Nin-Akna before she fell. She wrapped her arms around the girl¡¯s stomach and lowered her to the ground. She placed Nin-Akna¡¯s head in her lap to keep the wound raised. Nin-Akna was breathing heavily, her body twitching, drool dripping from her mouth.


    The wound on the back of her neck was small¡ªa short gash, not very deep. There wasn¡¯t much blood, just a thin stream running down to her shoulder blade.


    ¡°Help!¡± Felit?a screamed. ¡°I need help here! Someone! Please!¡±


    Over the years, Felit?a had picked up a few basics of first aid. She¡¯d watched Agernon, and Drummor had shown her how to use many of the medicinal herbs Elderaan had sold in the shop. She had even made certain to take a few of those herbs when she¡¯d left. Some of them would have been useful for certain kinds of poisoning. Unfortunately, even if she knew what kind of poison she was dealing with now, those herbs were long gone, lost somewhere on her long journeying.


    She wished Meleng was there. He¡¯d have a better idea what to do. All she could do was keep screaming for help.


    Nin-Akna¡¯s eyes flickered closed, her body stopped twitching, and she went limp.


    Oh gods.


    Felit?a pressed a couple fingers against Nin-Akna¡¯s neck. There was a pulse. It was faint, but it was there. Nin-Akna was still alive for now, but her mental presence was quiet.


    As carefully as she could, Felit?a shifted Nin-Akna¡¯s body round so she could pick her up. She had no idea if it was safe to move her, but leaving her lying on the ground until she was dead wouldn¡¯t do any good either. She had to find someone who could help. Maybe there was someone at the church they¡¯d passed a few minutes ago.


    She continued to call for help. People nearby looked at her, emotions ranging from concern to annoyance, but none came to help. Most people didn¡¯t even notice. The streets were so noisy, her screams probably didn¡¯t travel far.


    Nin-Akna was not a big woman, but she was muscular enough to weigh quite a bit more than most people her size, and that weight was more than Felit?a was accustomed to. She couldn¡¯t get a good grip either, as her fingers were still too stiff. It was all she could do to avoid dropping Nin-Akna as she stumbled around the horses.


    Gods, how was she going to get the horses to follow her?


    Where the hell was Corvinian?A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    There was another call for help, and Felit?a looked ahead. Others were echoing her calls, sending the word on. So not everyone was ignoring her.


    Up ahead, at the front of the long queue, someone leapt over the stall and ran in her direction. His hand was on the hilt of a sword at his side. Two others followed also reaching for swords.


    Dear gods, she didn¡¯t need this now¡ªthough it was surprising it had taken this long for a follow-up attack. She titled her head and prepared to put them to sleep.


    ¡°How can I help?¡± the first called.


    Felit?a held off on the spell. He wanted to help?


    The man slid to a stop in front of her and looked about, his hand still on his sword, but he didn¡¯t draw it. The other two stopped just behind him, remaining just as vigilant. All three of them wore Arnorin military uniforms with an embroidered emblem of a dolphin leaping a bear: Royal Navy.


    Felit?a relaxed a little. ¡°She¡¯s been poisoned. I didn¡¯t see who did it.¡±


    ¡°Here, let me.¡± The man in the lead reached out and lifted Nin-Akna from Felit?a¡¯s arms.


    ¡°The wound¡¯s in her neck. Keep it elevated to slow the spread of the poison.¡±


    He was a tall Folith with tanned skin. There were several additional pins on his uniform that Felit?a was unfamiliar with, though she was certain they indicated his rank. ¡°We have medical supplies on my ship. We¡¯ll get her there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± It was a little embarrassing that she had jumped to the conclusion they were about to attack her, but people wanted her dead so often these days, and someone had just poisoned Nin-Akna. ¡°My horses...¡±


    ¡°My men will see to them.¡± He nodded to the two men with him.


    ¡°There was a young boy with me, too. I¡¯m not sure where he¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°Find the boy, too,¡± he told the others.


    ¡°He¡¯s almost ten,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°You can recognise him by his hair. The ends are black, but a lighter brown towards the roots.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll find him. For now, we need to get this young lady help. This way.¡± He turned towards the dock and broke into a run. ¡°Clear the way!¡±


    People nearby moved out of his way.


    Felit?a ran after him, but he soon began to outpace her and she struggled to keep him in sight.


    He continued to bark at people as he ran and people continued to move aside. Many turned to watch him and then Felit?a as they passed. Amidst feelings of confusion, there were also hints of recognition, sometimes awe. People here knew who this man was.


    The docks were a maze of quays and piers with ships of all kinds and sizes, from small riverboats and barges to massive sea-faring ships. The man darted along one quay and then another, and then onto a pier berthing several military ships. He ran up the gangplank of a three-masted Porthaven Clipper, barking orders as he went.


    By the time Felit?a reached the deck, the man was bent over, clutching his thighs and breathing heavily. The crew on deck were returning to their regular duties. There was no sign of Nin-Akna.


    The man straightened up as Felit?a approached. ¡°She¡¯s with my physician.¡±


    Felit?a was breathing heavily as well. She gasped at her words. ¡°I hope we¡¯re not too late.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s very good. If anyone can help her, he can.¡± He held out a hand. ¡°Forgive me for not introducing myself, but the situation was desperate.¡±


    Felit?a held out her hand to him. He bent over, took her hand, and kissed it. The whiskers of his short, trimmed beard tickled her sensitive fingers. The edge of a red tattoo was just visible above the collar of his uniform.


    ¡°Harrick Padara, Captain of the Silhouette. Welcome aboard.¡±


    ¡°Harrick Padara?¡± Amar Padara was Lord of Orwin, but Felit?a didn¡¯t know the names of everyone in his family. However, Harrick¡¯s sounded familiar.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said. ¡°Grandson of Lord Amar, but on this ship my naval rank is more important, not my birth station. To whom do I have the pleasure?¡±


    Felit?a had been using her childhood alias of Asa since leaving Ninifin, and had intended to continue doing so until she reached Quorge. It helped her to avoid the local nobility. There was no way to be sure how they would react to her presence. Yet now, she hesitated to give the name. If she recalled correctly, the Padaras did not have a lot of love for her mother, so they might be more accepting of her, and getting in to see Lord Amar could have its advantages.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    Felit?a gulped. ¡°No. Sorry. I just...¡± To hell with it. She didn¡¯t feel comfortable lying to this man after what he¡¯d done to help Nin-Akna. Would he believe her though? ¡°I¡¯m Felit?a Asa Folith, daughter to King Wavon and Queen Annai.¡±


    Harrick straightened his back and snapped his feet together.


    Well, that answered that question.


    ¡°Your Highness! I didn¡¯t realise. My apologies.¡± He made a low bow.


    Felit?a held up her hand. ¡°No, that¡¯s all right.¡±


    ¡°Royalty on deck!¡± he barked, and others nearby relayed the order across the deck. The crew began to snap to attention.


    ¡°No, really. That¡¯s all right. You don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s protocol, your Highness. We must maintain proper discipline. Gabriella hates it too, if that¡¯s any consolation.¡±


    He knew Gabriella? ¡°Of course. Now I remember who you are.¡±


    The crew had now all snapped to attention. As one, they all bowed. Felit?a sighed.


    ¡°Return to work,¡± Harrick bellowed. While his command was related across deck, he faced Felit?a again. ¡°Remember me now, do you? I supposed I could be hurt you didn¡¯t know who I was right from the start, but there¡¯s no reason you should have.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re courting Gabriella, right?¡± Felit?a asked.


    Harrick clasped his hands behind behind his back. ¡°Actually, we¡¯re engaged now.¡± He grinned. ¡°Let me guess, you never thought of Gabriella as the marrying type.¡±


    Felit?a shrugged. ¡°Honestly, I never thought anything. I haven¡¯t seen Gabriella in years.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, the whole running-away-from-home thing.¡±


    ¡°That would be part of it, yes. However, I was in Arnor City earlier this year. Gabriella wasn¡¯t there. I believe she was here visiting you, so I didn¡¯t see her.¡±


    Harrick chuckled. ¡°It seems you continue to have bad timing. She was here until only a couple weeks ago, so you just missed her.¡±


    Felit?a shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll have to continue missing her, I¡¯m afraid. I¡¯ve been banished from the Royal Palace and Arnor City.¡±


    Harrick nodded. ¡°Yes, I heard something about that. Word is, you¡¯re responsible for the war we¡¯re now preparing for.¡±


    Felit?a groaned. ¡°I was involved, though probably not in the way you¡¯ve heard. The Volgs were pushing for war regardless.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a bit about that, too. Whatever the case, it helped you today. War preparations are why I was in the city signing new recruits.¡±


    Felit?a smiled. ¡°So that was the reason for the queue.¡± There wasn¡¯t any disgust, disapproval, or dislike emanating from him, so perhaps revealing her identity hadn¡¯t been a bad decision.


    ¡°Forgive me, your Highness,¡± Harrick said, ¡°but before we continue, we should discuss what happened to your friend, so we can make an effort to catch whoever is responsible. Perhaps we should go to my cabin?¡±


    ¡°Of course, though I doubt there¡¯s much you can do at this point. I didn¡¯t see who did it.¡±


    ¡°We shall see. This way.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 1: Mindless (Part 3)

    The captain¡¯s cabin was small, cramped, and packed. A desk sat in one corner and Harrick went straight over to it when they entered. A small bed sat in another corner along with a wardrobe and several chests. Shelves full of cases and stoppered, large glass bottles filled most of the rest of the room. Two maps of the east coast of Arnor hung pinned to one wall. The first showed the coast from the northern reaches of Rivalle south to Nallin and the Bay of Ras, along with the west coast of the Thumb. The second showed the east coast of the Thumb from Fisvin all the way down to Fal at the very southern tip of Arnor.


    Harrick sat down and took a pen and ink bottle from a drawer. ¡°Tell me about what happened.¡±


    Felit?a turned from the maps to face him. ¡°Someone struck Nin-Akna.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t see who?¡± Harrick took a sheet of paper from beneath a weight on the desk.


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°It happened too quickly.¡± That was technically true. She would just let him think she wasn¡¯t looking directly at Nin-Akna. ¡°I have an idea who it was though.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How do you know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s someone who has given my friends trouble in the past. We saw him a couple hours ago on our way into the city.¡±


    ¡°Describe this person.¡±


    Felit?a described the man on the bridge to the best of her memory. Although she hadn¡¯t had a long look at him, she was certain she remembered the most pertinent details, like the drooping eyelid.


    Harrick wrote down the description. ¡°Do you know his name?¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°He has a Friazian accent though.¡±


    Harrick scribbled down the final note and frowned. ¡°You may be right about there not being much we can do, but I¡¯ll have this description delivered to the city and dock watches, as well as to as many ships as possible. If he tries to book passage on one, we might get lucky and catch him.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t likely to. Anyone who could move as fast as he could would cover more ground on their own than using transport. He¡¯d only use a ship if he had to get somewhere that couldn¡¯t be reached by land. That wouldn¡¯t be easily explained to Harrick, however.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Any idea when we can check in on Nin-Akna?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to wait for word.¡±


    Word was slow in coming. Felit?a paced about the small cabin the whole time. She couldn¡¯t be sure how much time passed. There was no word on Corvinian, either. What would it mean if, only weeks after finding the boy, she had lost him again? What would Quilla think? Quilla had not been happy about Corvinian coming with Felit?a, so how would she take having to find him all over again?


    Not well, Felit?a could be sure.


    Their parting hadn¡¯t gone well.


    ¡°You¡¯re really going to do it, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Quilla had come to her during the ¡°party¡± Zandrue had thrown their last night in Getavin, though it hadn¡¯t been much of a party. Felit?a had spent the entire time sitting at one end of the table in the restaurant, barely eating anything¡ªpartially because she wasn¡¯t hungry, and partially because she couldn¡¯t feed herself and Zandrue was too distracted to help.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡± Quilla repeated.


    Felit?a looked at her and tried to smile. The anger radiating from Quilla, however, was enough to make Felit?a dizzy. ¡°Quilla, he doesn¡¯t want to go with you, and you can¡¯t force him.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my son.¡±


    ¡°You have to give him time.¡±


    Quilla slammed her hand on the table, rattling Felit?a¡¯s plate and knocking over a nearby cup of wine. Zandrue stopped fondling Rudiger and turned to face them. The others at the table went silent.


    ¡°He¡¯s...my...son.¡± The words came like a hiss. ¡°It¡¯s bad enough you won¡¯t come back for the funeral, but at least I understand your reasoning. But this?¡± Quilla slammed her hand down again.


    ¡°Quilla, we¡¯ve been through this. We¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not my mother!¡± Corvinian shoved his plate¡ªand that of Meleng beside him¡ªsending them clattering to the floor.


    Quilla spun to face him. ¡°You are my son!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Corvinian shoved the table, knocking over cups and pitchers, and ran from the room.


    Quilla started after him, but Zandrue reached across the table and grabbed her arm. ¡°Let Meleng go. He¡¯ll bring him back shortly.¡± Zandrue nodded to Meleng, who rose and followed after Corvinian.


    Felit?a stared at the table.


    The room was silent, but the Room was deafening. Quilla¡¯s anger threatened to drown Felit?a.


    ¡°And I thought you were my friend,¡± Quilla hissed. There was more than anger coming from her. There was hatred, too.


    Felit?a didn¡¯t look up, but spoke quietly. ¡°You are my friend.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you.¡± Quilla pulled her arm free from Zandrue¡¯s grasp and stormed from the room.


    ¡°She¡¯s not my mother,¡± Corvinian stated when he returned with Meleng. He got himself a new plate of food and sat back at the table. He didn¡¯t speak again for the rest of the evening.


    In the weeks since, Felit?a had thought about that evening and the events leading up to and following it many times. Each time, she had questioned her decision over and over. Had she done the right thing, or had she missed a better solution? Corvinian had made it clear he would only go with her or Meleng. And neither she nor Meleng could go with Quilla. Meleng was going partway though. Maybe she should have¡­ No, she needed Agernon to work with Corvinian.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Felit?a sighed and pushed the thoughts out of her mind for now. She¡¯d thought about them enough. There was no other decision she could have made.


    To distract herself, she retrieved Lon, who had spent most of the time from the run to the ship until now with his claws dug into her side. He didn¡¯t like it when she ran. She couldn¡¯t really blame him, though Nesh didn¡¯t seem to mind as much. A simple calming spell got Lon to let go of her, and then she sat and waited, stroking Lon¡¯s back and talking to him with soothing words. Nesh crawled beside Lon and waited for the same attention. Harrick looked on, bemusement seeping from him.


    Eventually, there was a knock at the door, and an ageing, bald Folith entered, accompanied by one of the ship¡¯s officers. Both bowed to Felit?a and saluted Harrick.


    Felit?a placed Lon on one shoulder and Nesh on the other. The two rats darted into her hood. ¡°How is she?¡±


    ¡°Sleeping,¡± the older man said. ¡°There were some traces of the poison on her neck, so I was able to narrow down the exact kind to a small list. I¡¯ve given her a broad-ranging medication that appears to be helping.¡±


    ¡°So she¡¯ll pull through?¡±


    ¡°Impossible to say. The poison was almost certainly intended to kill, although it appears hastily delivered. I suspect she took a smaller dose than intended. Whether it was small enough to survive, I don¡¯t know. She has a tough constitution though, so I¡¯m optimistic. We¡¯ll know more in a few hours.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Felit?a turned to Harrick. ¡°Captain Padara, I should go find the boy who was with me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was coming to inform you of, your Highness,¡± the officer who had accompanied the physician said. ¡°We¡¯ve found the boy. He¡¯s on deck.¡±


    Felit?a closed her eyes for a moment and breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank goodness.¡±


    ¡°With the Captain¡¯s permission, I will take you to him.¡±


    Harrick Padara nodded and stood up.


    The officer motioned to the door. ¡°We have your horses as well. They¡¯re waiting on the pier.¡±


    Corvinian was standing near the gangplank with another officer and a couple sailors. As Felit?a approached, he tried to slink behind the officer¡¯s legs, but the much larger man held him in place by the shoulder. Corvinian lowered his head and stared at the deck when she reached him. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you about running off? You see what can happen? It¡¯s not just that you can get hurt or lost. Nin-Akna was attacked and I could have used your help.¡±


    ¡°But I hadn¡¯t gone far. You were the one who left.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d gone far enough that you couldn¡¯t hear me screaming for help, and that¡¯s too far. And I left because I had no choice. Nin-Akna would have died otherwise. If Captain Padara hadn¡¯t come to help, she would have.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you say that every time. I hope maybe this time you¡¯ll learn your lesson.¡±


    Corvinian peered up at her, his green eyes glistening with tears. As normal with him, though, no emotions emanated for him, no thoughts at all. He was like the opposite of the Staff. The Staff was an object that should be mindless and yet somehow had a mental presence. Corvinian should have had a mental presence, yet had none.


    ¡°Is Nin-Akna going to be okay?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Hopefully.¡±


    ¡°I really am sorry.¡± He lowered his head again.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. I believe you.¡± She nodded to the officer holding Corvinian and he let go. Felit?a knelt down in front of him to look him in the eyes. ¡°Just don¡¯t keep running off, all right?¡±


    Corvinian nodded.


    ¡°Promise?¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    She spread her arms and he hugged her.


    Corvinian took awhile to let go, but when he did, Felit?a stood up and turned to Harrick. ¡°Captain Padara, would you have a place on board where we could bunk for the night? I¡¯d prefer not to leave Nin-Akna.¡±


    Harrick shuffled his feet. ¡°I do, but I¡¯m afraid my grandfather would never forgive me if I didn¡¯t bring you to see him and let him offer you a place for the night.¡±


    ¡°The offer is appreciated, but I really don¡¯t want to leave Nin-Akna. If she wakes up, she¡ª¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s a change in her condition, my men will send someone to summon you immediately.¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°If she takes a turn for the worse, by the time I get back here, she could already be dead. I¡¯ll visit your grandfather in the morning. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll understand.¡±


    Harrick didn¡¯t immediately respond, but after a moment, nodded. ¡°Very well. We don¡¯t have guest cabins¡ªwe¡¯re a military ship, after all¡ªbut you and the boy can use my cabin. I¡¯ll bunk with the other officers.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have facilities for you horses, but my men will ensure they¡¯re properly stabled.¡±


    ¡°That will be fine,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I¡¯ll just collect a few things from them first.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡±


    ¡°Corvinian, give me a hand.¡± She took Corvinian¡¯s hand and they headed for the gangplank.


    Harrick followed. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to assist as well.¡±


    Xoco and Mulac were tied to posts beside where the gangplank reached the pier. Two sailors stood nearby, watching them.


    Felit?a.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± Felit?a murmured. She paused partway along the gangplank.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Harrick asked.


    She shook her head and continued on. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    She¡¯d finally gotten some time away from the Staff, and she¡¯d been too distracted to even notice.


    Felit?a.


    ¡°Want me to take the Staff for you?¡± Corvinian asked.


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    She also let Corvinian do the untying of the packs as her fingers were still stiff. As he freed the Staff from Xoco¡¯s side, Felit?a ran her hand along it.


    Felit?a, you must listen to me.


    I am listening, and I want to help, but I don¡¯t know what to do.


    Felit?a.


    The Staff had a mental presence, but it was essentially mindless. It had something to do with the missing eyes. She was sure of it. Maybe if she could find them, the Staff would stop its incessant calling and tell her what it wanted. But she had no idea how to do that, so for now, it had to remain mindless.


    But the more it remained mindless, the more it threatened to drive her out of her mind.

 Book 2, Chapter 2: Prayer Beads

    Lord Amar Padara¡¯s study was one of the most cluttered places Felit?a had ever seen. The shelves lining the walls were stuffed past capacity with books, many lying on top of, or in front of others. Even more books lay stacked on the floor all around the room. In the spaces where there weren¡¯t books, there were crates or chests, some closed, some open with their contents spilling out. Small sculptures, full-sized statues, and wooden carvings stood or lay in other spots, some with fine fabrics or tapestries draped over them. A small desk, cluttered with papers, paper weights, ink jars, and feather pens was crammed against part of the bookshelves on one wall, and the chair behind it held yet another stack of books. There were a couple other chairs in the room as well, also buried under piles of books and other objects. There was a single window, but the curtains were drawn and, given the number of books piled in front of, and against the curtains, Felit?a suspected no one had opened them in a very long time. Only a small amount of space remained on the carpeted floor for walking.


    Lord Padara looked down at the books on the floor, then over at Felit?a and the others. ¡°Oh my. Oh yes, of course! My apologies. One moment.¡± His thin arms and legs shook as he took slow careful steps down the ladder. Harrick hurried over, but the elder Padara tutted him away. When he got to the bottom, he reached for a nearby cane, then turned to face them.


    Felit?a.


    Lord Padara nodded. ¡°Harrick¡¯s a good lad that way. Always one to help another in need.¡±


    Felit?a.


    Padara shook his head. ¡°No, Cerus¡¯s half-sister, Felit?a. Remember her? The one who ran away?¡±


    Felit?a.


    Not now!


    Felit?a.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Felit?a.


    Felit?a.


    Felit?a. Felit?a.


    Felit?a Felit?a Felit?a Felit?a Felit?a Felit?a¡­


    Shut up! She reached out to steady herself on a pile of books. The pressure on her hand sent pain through her fingers.


    Felit?a Felit?a Felit?a Felit?a Felit?a¡­


    Felit?aFelit?aFelit?aFelit?aFelit?aFelit?a¡­


    FELIT?A!


    The blue energy around Corvinian had faded, and the boy was clutching his hands. Harrick was helping his grandfather to his feet. The old man looked shaken, but unharmed.


    Felit?a plucked Lon off her face and used her other hand to help herself into a sitting position. ¡°Corvinian¡¯s abilities.¡± The Staff had fallen silent again. ¡°They usually activate in his defence.¡± She placed Lon in her hood and stood up. ¡°Are you all right, your Lordship?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be. All those years and I never suspected. Harrick, I used to have regular dealings with her Highness¡¯s teacher. He ran a shop that was invaluable to me. I was very sad to hear of his passing.¡±


    Amar Padara harrumphed and shook his head. ¡°You were banished from Arnor City. Nothing in the declaration prevents you from coming here and receiving shelter. I was more concerned for you. Are you all right with that?¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 3: Nightmares (Part 1)

    Chica¡¯s head exploded.


    The spear came from nowhere. It tore through the underside of Chica¡¯s chin into her skull. It came back dragging bits of bone, brain, and viscera with it, spraying blood in every direction. The light in Chica¡¯s eyes went out without even time to cry out, and she fell backwards into Akna¡¯s arms.


    Akna had seen that scene so many times. Hundreds? Thousands? Almost every time she closed her eyes, it replayed in her head.


    The ridiculous part was, Akna had been behind Chica when she¡¯d died. She hadn¡¯t seen it from the front. Yet in her head, she saw it from the front. Her imagination, obviously, but it was so real. It intruded into her dreams and her waking thoughts. Sometimes into real memories of other times.


    Just now, she had been dreaming of the morning only a couple of days before they¡¯d set out for Scovese. Chica was so excited about getting to play the role of the Queen. Although Chica and Nin-Xoco were only cousins, they had always looked similar enough they could have been twins. Chica was the obvious choice to play the part. She and Akna had just made love and they were enjoying a light breakfast, when her head exploded again, impaled by Ses-Tlacotl¡¯s spear.


    Even the happy memories weren¡¯t safe.


    Chica wasn¡¯t the only one Akna saw. On occasion, she saw the bodies of Inhuan and her other friends in the Youth Guard. She saw Queen Nin-Xoco die, Ses-Zeltzin¡¯s spear piercing her body while Akna looked on, unable to do anything, unable to fulfil her vow to defend her Queen¡¯s life even at the cost of her own.


    She saw her vengeance on Ses-Tlacotl. She felt the rage that had burned inside her as she smashed the face of her dearest friend¡¯s killer into the metal floor over and over. As with Chica, she had only really seen the back of Ses-Tlacotl¡¯s head, but in her mind, she saw it from the front. She saw the nose cave in, the jaw shatter, broken teeth spill out, the eyes sink into the skull.


    Nin-Akna, it¡¯s over. She¡¯s dead. You can stop now.


    But she hadn¡¯t stopped right away, and in her head, she kept going until the skull caved in and all she had left in her hands were strands of hair attached to a broken piece of skull.


    She killed Chica. She had to die.


    Ses-Tlacotl had deserved to die. But the rage Akna had felt in that moment was unlike anything she¡¯d ever felt before. The person most dear to her in the world was gone and she¡¯d wanted vengeance. In her nightmares, she revelled and gloried in that vengeance. She enjoyed every moment of it.


    And awake, that terrified her.


    Akna had trained almost her whole life to be a warrior¡ªto protect the Queen, and to kill if necessary. But until Scovese¡ªuntil Ses-Tlacotl¡ªshe had never killed for real. Not a person. Animals while hunting, sure. But not a person.


    Now, she wasn¡¯t sure how many she had killed. A lot. Many of whom were just warriors doing their duty. Others who took too much glee in what they were doing. Others who had watched Ses-Zeltin kill the Queen and had done nothing to stop her. Akna had controlled herself better on those occasions. They bothered her less now, but she hadn¡¯t forgotten that rage.


    The nightmares came every night. She wasn¡¯t alone¡ªMeleng had nightmares most nights, too; so did Felit?a from what Akna could tell¡ªbut she was alone in their intensity. She had spent many dark nights sobbing in Meleng¡¯s arms, and even more sobbing by herself after they had gone separate ways.


    Felit?a was aware of what was happening. How could she not be? Akna had tried to hide it, but Felit?a was telepathic and, all things considered, it would probably have been obvious even to people without telepathy.


    ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡± Felit?a had offered one of the days on the road in the week after they had left the others in Getavin.


    Akna shook her head, but said nothing. Felit?a didn¡¯t push it any further.


    It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t trust Felit?a. She did. She just couldn¡¯t look at Felit?a without thinking about her telepathy. Just how much was Felit?a reading in her mind?


    Felit?a claimed her abilities weren¡¯t like that. She could only detect emotions. Meleng had confirmed it, but how much did Meleng really know? He couldn¡¯t read Felit?a¡¯s thoughts. It wasn¡¯t that Akna thought Felit?a was lying. It was just¡­


    She couldn¡¯t explain it. Since leaving Ninifin, things had changed. Maybe it was the fact she had had to leave Ninifin at all. That still rankled her. What right did Ses-Izel have to force her to leave her home? She could defend herself against any attempts on her life. Even if she wasn¡¯t successful and she died, at least she wouldn¡¯t be a coward who ran away.


    Felit?a had done the right thing. She had told Ses-Izel clearly that she would bring Akna along only if she agreed to it. And Akna had agreed because deep down, she knew Ses-Izel was right. But she still hated it, and it was possible she was transferring some of that hatred to Felit?a. She didn¡¯t want to, but part of her had wanted Felit?a to argue with Ses-Izel¡ªto use her position as Will-Breaker¡ªto convince Ses-Izel to let Akna stay.


    There was also the fact Felit?a had had a chance to kill Fra-Ichtaca and hadn¡¯t taken it¡ªhad not allowed others to take it either. If she had, there might not have even been a need to leave Ninifin in the first place.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    And so she couldn¡¯t bring herself to open up to Felit?a.


    That was one of the reasons, at any rate.


    She should have gone with Meleng, but that hadn¡¯t been an option.


    ¡°I promised Sinit?a I would look after you. I made a vow to keep you safe.¡±


    Meleng gave her a sad smile. They were the last two sitting at the table after everyone else had gone to bed that last night in Getavin. ¡°You¡¯ve kept that vow. You¡¯ve kept me safe.¡±


    ¡°For now, but you¡¯ve got a long journey ahead of you. It might be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Jorvan can look after me. You passed the duties on to Inhuan when we were separated before. Pass them on to Jorvan now. You need to go with Felit?a.¡±


    Akna poked at the food on her plate. She hadn¡¯t eaten any of it all evening. ¡°I don¡¯t need Felit?a looking after me no matter what Ses-Izel thinks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. You don¡¯t. She needs you.¡±


    Akna flicked a pea off her plate and onto the floor. ¡°And when her hands have healed?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about her hands. Felit?a¡¯s powerful, but she¡¯d be dead if she didn¡¯t have someone like you or Zandrue watching over her.¡±


    She didn¡¯t look up at him, but continued to stare at the plate. She flicked another pea. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come with us to Quorge?¡±


    ¡°Someone has to go with Jorvan. It wouldn¡¯t be fair to make him go alone. Either I go with him or you do and I go with Felit?a, and I think Felit?a needs your help more than Jorvan does. Besides, he asked me to go with him.¡±


    She flicked another pea. He was right. They had duties and she was being childish, clinging to a crush she knew could never go anywhere. She looked up at him. ¡°Just promise me you won¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can make that promise, but I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Jorvan in the morning before you leave. I¡¯ll make sure he knows that if you die, I¡¯ll be coming after him.¡± She cracked a smile, and he smiled back.


    They stared into each other¡¯s eyes for a moment. The she leaned towards him and he towards her. Their lips touched.


    That part wasn¡¯t real. It was no longer memory, but a dream, and she never had pleasant dreams these days. Best enjoy it while it lasted. A kiss with Meleng that she longed for but would never get.


    Meleng became Chica, and then Chica¡¯s head exploded.


    Akna caught her friend yet again as she fell backwards, blood and viscera spraying everywhere.


    There were no pleasant dreams.


    Only nightmares.


    Her face¡ªher real face, not her dream one¡ªwas wet with tears. The smell of salt hung in the air, and the hard surface she was lying on seemed to be swaying a little.


    Akna opened her eyes to see a small cabin with shelves of glass bottles. She was lying on a table with some blankets over her. A bald Folith sat at another table nearby, head bent over some papers.


    Akna sat up, the blankets falling away from her. She was wearing only a thin shift and there was an ache in her neck. Something had stung her? No, worse. She¡¯d been poisoned. It was coming back to her now. ¡°Where am I?¡±


    The bald man looked up. ¡°You¡¯re awake! You¡¯re onboard the Silhouette under the command of Captain Harrick Padara. Your friends have been very worried about you. Fortunately, you have a strong constitution. I¡¯ve heard that Ninifins are a hardy bunch. Don¡¯t see many outside your lands though.¡±


    ¡°Where are my friends?¡± She didn¡¯t have time for idle chit-chat¡ªor maybe she did, but she didn¡¯t want to talk to this person.


    The bald man stood up and came round the table. ¡°I¡¯ve been told to tell you that Lord Amar Padara invites you to join him and her Highness, Princess Felit?a at his home. I¡¯ll inform the first mate you¡¯re awake and he¡¯ll assign someone to escort you there. You¡¯ll find your clothes and belongings in that chest right there. I¡¯ll return shortly.¡±


    Akna watched him go, then hopped off the table. Her clothes were where the Folith had said they were, as was her dagger and coin purse. Not her spears, though. They had been tied to Mulac, so were probably with all the other travel supplies¡ªwherever they were. She dressed, then drew her dagger and kept it clutched in her hand while she waited for the Folith to return.


    When he did, there were two other Foliths with him. ¡°It pleases me to see you awake,¡± one of them said. ¡°I am First Mate¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just tell me where I need to go to find Felit?a and Corvinian.¡±


    He gaped for a moment, then straightened his back and stiffened his shoulders. ¡°You will find her Highness at Lord Padara¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know that. Tell me where that is.¡±


    He indicated the third Folith. ¡°Ensign Parkin here will be happy to guide you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need a guide. I can make my own way. Just tell me where to go.¡± She raised her dagger a little¡ªnot enough to be threatening, she hoped, but enough to make her point clear. She was tired of people telling her what to do.


    The bald man who¡¯d been there when she¡¯d woken shrugged. ¡°Lord Padara¡¯s home is north of the city. You can¡¯t miss it. It¡¯s on a bluff overlooking the city.¡±


    Akna nodded. ¡°I remember seeing it when we arrived. I can find it easily enough.¡± She sheathed her dagger and motioned to Ensign Parkin. ¡°You can show me off the ship.¡±


    Parkin glanced at the First Mate, who nodded. ¡°This way, ma¡¯am,¡± Parkin said.

 Book 2, Chapter 3: Nightmares (Part 2)

    Once she was off the ship, Akna took a moment to relax, then get her bearings. She could make out the bluff in question in the distance, a silhouette with a single building rising above even the tallest buildings in the city. Getting there should be easy enough.


    There was a maze of piers and quays to get through first. They twisted and turned all over the place, and it was impossible to go in a straight line. Perhaps she should have accepted the guide.


    It was a long trip. With the docks at the south, she had to cross the entire city, and Dorg was a big place. Why had Felit?a left her there? Why had Felit?a even taken her there and let complete strangers have some sort of charge over her? There was probably a good reason, but it bugged her anyway.


    That was another problem with Felit?a. She had a way of taking charge, even when she explicitly said she wasn¡¯t going to. Like she had in Ninifin. She had said Akna was in charge, but most of the decisions had been Felit?a¡¯s. But that wasn¡¯t the infuriating part. If it had been anyone else, Akna would have told her off and not listened to her. But Felit?a¡¯s decisions always made sense at the time. Akna had to go along with them because otherwise, even more people would have probably died. Now they were out of Ninifin, Felit?a really had taken full charge.


    An Isyar stood at the corner of an alley a short distance ahead. With the exception of Jorvan, this was the first Isyar Akna had ever seen outside of Scovese. Her white, sweat-glistened skin was wrinkled with age, her wings drooped behind her back, and she stooped over a cane for support. Like Jorvan¡¯s, her clothes were a single thin piece that hung loose over her thin frame. The Isyar raised her head and for a brief moment, her and Akna¡¯s eyes met. The Isyar¡¯s cracked lips twitched into a smile.


    Akna stood near the entrance to the alley for several minutes, waiting for the crowd to lose interest. When most of the people were gone, she entered the alley and looked around for herself. It was short, with a few barrels against the building walls on either side. A rickety shed stood at the far end, its door swinging wide open, the lock on it broken. The buildings didn¡¯t have side entrances, though each had a window on the second storey. There wasn¡¯t anywhere for the Isyar to hide. However, she could have flown away, either over the buildings or into one of the buildings. Akna didn¡¯t blame her. She wouldn¡¯t have wanted a crowd rushing over to her either.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Two men stood at the alley entrance, looking at her. They were burly¡ªnot tall, but broad and buff¡ªwith the coppery brown skin and round faces of the local Orwinian Eloorin. Each held a dagger.


    The other one had drawn another dagger and rushed at her.


    Her prisoner tried to wrench his arm free, sending pain through Akna¡¯s arm. She raised one leg and drove her foot into the back of his knee, knocking him off balance. She twisted round to bring him into the path of his ally, then swiped her dagger across his neck, letting it dig deep. Then she let go of him. He fell over, knocking his ally aside.


    ¡°His name¡¯s Omer. Omer Ebwood. He¡¯s one of the Dusk Supreme¡¯s top lieutenants. He wants you dead, and if he wants you dead, you¡¯ll die, girl. Maybe not today, but in the end. You can¡¯t get him. He moves too fast, faster than you can see.¡±


    Another death for her nightmares.


    ¡°I know someone who might be able to help,¡± Jorvan had told Felit?a while they were making their way out of Ninifin. ¡°My...¡± He¡¯d struggled with the words. ¡°Sorry, the words do not have good...translations in your language. Mother is closest. My mother is a skilled mentalist. One of the most skilled there is. Maybe she can help you understand your telepathy and find a way past the block. I can go to Isyaria and maybe I can convince her to come back with me. I cannot promise, but maybe.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 4: Secrets (Part 1)

    Felit?a.


    Felit?a.


    Felit?a, you must listen to me.


    For now, the Staff was leaning in the corner of her room in Lord Padara¡¯s home, while she sat in his study. The distance was far enough that she was reasonably certain it couldn¡¯t reach her here. There was only the voice of the Room.


    You will soon forget this, but you must remember.


    That was something the Staff had never said, though the Room¡¯s voice said it from time to time. Was it the occasional different word that made it more comforting? Probably not. It wasn¡¯t like she had remembered whatever it was she was supposed to remember. It was something that had frustrated her even before the Staff.


    The voice in the Room also called out the names of the people in the line, and she had consider the possibility that was a clue to what she needed to remember.


    Zandrue.


    Rudiger.


    Borisin.


    Meleng.


    Corvinian.


    Jorvanultumn.


    Quilla.


    Kindanog.


    Every time she saw Kindanog here, she couldn¡¯t help think of Maneshka. She¡¯d promised Maneshka the next time they saw each other, she would learn Maneshka¡¯s language. But would they see each other again? She had to see Kindanog at some point, so hopefully that would bring her back to Maneshka, but there was no guarantee. Maneshka and Kindanog spent much of their lives apart.


    Nin-Akna.


    After that, the overlap of voices made it impossible to distinguish specific names. The next person in line remained a blur. Maybe an inch or two under six feet in height and thin in stature. She couldn¡¯t be sure of anything else, no matter how hard she tried to focus the image. There were more beyond that one, how many she still couldn¡¯t be sure. Every time she tried to look farther down the line, something shunted her vision back to Nin-Akna. She wasn¡¯t even sure how many more there were beyond the first blurred figure. Two? Three? Fifty?


    Felit?a, you must listen to me. You will soon forget this, but you must remember.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    With a thought, she dismissed the voices and line-up. Instead, she focused on the distant grey walls¡ªanother mystery she still needed to figure out.


    Felit?a stood up and made her way around the crates and piles of books to greet them just inside the door. She hugged Nin-Akna. ¡°I was so worried.¡±


    Only the three of them were there at the moment. Lord Padara was attending to matters of state and had taken his wife with him. Harrick, ironically, had returned to his ship to check on Nin-Akna.


    Felit?a lowered her head. ¡°Sorry about that. After you were poisoned, I called out for help. The person who answered turned out to be Lord Padara¡¯s grandson, Harrick. He¡¯s my...I¡¯m not sure the correct terminology. Step-cousin? He¡¯s Cerus¡¯s cousin, though the relationship is through Cerus¡¯s mother, not mine. Anyway, he took you to his ship where his physician looked after you. Lord Padara invited me here. I delayed coming until I knew you were stable, but I didn¡¯t want to cause offence at my absence. Turns out he¡¯s pretty easy-going as far as I can tell, and wouldn¡¯t have taken offence, but I didn¡¯t know that at the time. Sorry again.¡±


    Nin-Akna shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She turned away again and continued looking around the room. Annoyance was still flowing from her. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan? When do we get moving?¡±


    ¡°You could.¡±


    ¡°Or not. Your choice. But I would like it if you came to dinner with me and Corvinian tonight.¡±


    Nin-Akna stared a her, then looked away. ¡°I don¡¯t...that is, I wouldn¡¯t be much help. I¡¯ve never worn a dress. Youth Guards don¡¯t wear dresses. Even if we did, they wouldn¡¯t be Arnorin dresses.¡±


    Felit?a offered Nin-Akna her arm. ¡°Shall we see what we can find?¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 4: Secrets (Part 2)

    This was the first time Felit?a could ever recall dreaming about the Room though. Since the Room was only a mental construct, as were dreams, she was surprised at first that this dream version had that dream-like haze to it¡ªlike any other dream¡ªrather than the more solid structure she¡¯d given it over the years. As she thought about it, though, it made sense. She was asleep, so her mind wasn¡¯t focused. It couldn¡¯t give it any more substance than what she was seeing.


    Felit?a.


    Since this is a dream, does that mean you¡¯ll talk to me? she asked.


    Felit?a, you must listen to me.


    I guess not. It had been worth a try.


    FELIT?A!


    Felit?a.


    FELIT?A!


    She made a point of putting on her travelling clothes and not the dress she¡¯d borrowed from Harrick¡¯s sister Wendy. She and Wendy were close in size, but it had not been a good fit¡ªtoo big in the chest mainly. Still, it had been better than nothing.


    She regretted taking Nin-Akna with her when she¡¯d gone in search of a dress. She had thought it would be a good opportunity to help put the young woman at ease with something that was different from their usual routine and wasn¡¯t likely to result in a fight to the death. However, she hadn¡¯t considered the reactions of the women they met with. It seemed the other Padaras were not as open and friendly to non-Foliths as Harrick and his grandfather were.


    They hadn¡¯t taken that well and their whispered conversations after were about Felit?a as well.


    FELIT?A!


    She hurried to finish dressing, then pulled out one of her supply packs and retrieved The Foretellings of Eleuia from it. Picking up the heavy book was still a strain on her fingers, but once she had it tucked under her arm, she had no further difficulty.


    FELIT?A!


    Yelling at me really doesn¡¯t do you any good. Go back to sleep and leave me alone.


    FELIT?A!


    She walked into the hall and closed the door behind her. The Staff continued to scream at her, but it became less noticeable the farther she walked from her room. By the time she reached Lord Padara¡¯s study, it had faded away completely.


    The study was dark, but Felit?a knew there was a case of spills on the shelves near the door. Feeling first for the shelves, she put the book of Ninifin secrets down, and then found the spills. She took one and returned to the hall. As she¡¯d suspected, the guard had move on. She lit the spill with the nearest hall torch, returned to the study, and lit some candles¡ªnot all the ones in the room, but just enough to give her some light to read by. She placed the lit candles around the spot on the floor she had cleared earlier in the day, retrieved the book, and sat down to read.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    She placed the book in front of her and opened the cover. The Foretellings of Eleuia, as Recorded by Her Devoted Disciple Nin-Papan in the Days Leading to Her Death at the Hands of the Dragon and the Hated Isyar. There hadn¡¯t been much opportunity to look at it during their journey. With her fingers in splints, it had been very difficult to open it and turn pages without help. Corvinian had eagerly offered his assistance, but Nin-Akna had also needed his help with the camp and horses. There had been little time left over for him to help Felit?a. So the book had spent most of the journey packed away. It had been a couple weeks since Felit?a had last tried to read it.


    The lack of opportunity to read it meant she hadn¡¯t yet found any of the passages that referred to her¡ªor, more specifically, the Will-Breaker. The book wasn¡¯t indexed and Nin-Papan appeared to have written the ¡°foretellings¡± in the exact order Eleuia had given them, which didn¡¯t seem to have any order to it at all. The predictions jumped around in time and location. Most of them were about the Ninifins, but not all, and they covered all kinds of topics from drought to the deaths of queens.


    The time approaches 10,000. When 10,000 is reached, the decision must be made: hell or hell.


    Ten thousand what? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Something else? And measured from when? The statement sounded like the ten thousand whatever were already well in progress by the time Eleuia made it. Then there was the decision, which wasn¡¯t a decision at all, given both options were the same.


    Felit?a wished she had an annotated copy. In the two centuries since Nin-Papan had written it, the Ninifin priests studying it must have made some. But she hadn¡¯t had time to search for one.


    In 2251, heavy rains will cause flooding in the city that will bear our people¡¯s name.


    Be on constant vigilant look-out for the Isyar, who will bring the weight of time upon you. The intended of this message will know who she is when she reads it.


    She couldn¡¯t be sure if that referred to one Isyar or multiple since, in Ninifin just like in Arnorgue, Isyar did not have different forms in the singular or plural, and Ninifin verbs didn¡¯t change based on number either, relying on the nouns or pronouns to distinguish number.


    In 2306, an assassination attempt on Folith royalty will be prevented.


    That was strange. That was Felit?a¡¯s birth year, but she couldn¡¯t recall hearing of an assassination attempt on any Royalty in her lifetime. Queen Gabriella had been assassinated a few years earlier, but that had obviously not been prevented. She would have to look that up sometime. It would be good to know whether this prediction and others that had passed their prescribed times had come true.


    After some time¡ªshe wasn¡¯t quite sure how long, but a couple hours or more¡ªshe found the first of what she was looking for: a mention of the name Will-Breaker.


    When the nations of the world come together in meeting for the first time since the days of old, the Will-Breaker will first make herself known.


    Felit?a!


    In Ninifin, it had reached her from inside the Grand Temple while she was outside. Was she farther away now? She couldn¡¯t be sure.


    Felit?a! Be wary!


    Be wary!


    Of Lord Padara? Can you actually talk to me?


    Felit?a tensed as he got closer, and readied to put him to sleep if necessary. Nervousness and worry emanated from him. But why? Was he worried she would look at something he didn¡¯t want her to see? He had left her alone in here previously without any hint of worry. Had something changed?


    Be wary! the Staff called as she opened the door and was stepping through.


    Of what? She closed the door. Please tell me.


    Felit?a, the Staff greeted her upon her return.


    What are you trying to tell me? Be wary of what?


    Felit?a.

 Book 2, Chapter 5: Sudden Departures (Part 1)

    At least the food here was decent. For breakfast, there were corn tortillas and a tasty salad of tomato and avocado. Akna didn¡¯t recognise what the salad was spiced with, but otherwise, the food was similar to what she was used to in Ninifin. Last night, they had had boar cooked in sour orange juice and vinegar, topped with onions, with squash on the side. In Ninifin, only priests and nobles would be eating something like that, so it seemed there were commonalities between the two cultures.


    ¡°In my misspent youth, I tried hunting once,¡± Lord Amar said. He was seated at the head of the table like last night, his wife in her wheelchair to his left. Akna had asked a question a few minutes ago about hunting in Orwin, and he and Harrick were still discussing the topic.


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine you hunting,¡± Harrick said. He was seated to his grandfather¡¯s right, two seats down. Last night, his father had sat in the currently empty seat between him and Lord Amar. Akna wondered if they always sat in the same seats.


    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯ve carefully cultivated a demeanour and reputation that no one would ever suspect me of it. That way, no one will ever find out how bad I was at it.¡± Lord Amar laughed.


    Harrick laughed with him. ¡°Now, I wish I¡¯d seen it.¡±


    Akna was grateful Lord Amar, his wife, and Harrick were the only Padaras present right now. There had been too many of them last night, and nearly all of them had looked at Akna with disgust¡ªif they had looked at her at all. Ever since leaving Ninifin for the first time to go to Scovese, Akna had discovered many of the things she¡¯d been taught about Arnor and Arnorins were exaggerated or just plain wrong. Not all of it though. Foliths were as bad as she¡¯d always thought. People like Felit?a, Harrick, and Lord Amar were exceptions, not the rule.


    ¡°How are you at hunting, Nin-Akna?¡± Harrick asked. ¡°Better than my grandfather, I hope?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m...accomplished.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how much she should prop herself above Lord Amar, even if he had admitted to being bad at it.


    ¡°She¡¯s great,¡± Corvinian piped up. He was picking all the avocado out of his salad and eating that, leaving the tomato. ¡°She¡¯s caught lots of food while we¡¯ve been travelling.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been strange hunting alone. In Ninifin, we usually hunt in groups. But I¡¯ve been adjusting.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t get Felit?a to help you?¡± Harrick said with a grin. ¡°Do you plead incompetence like my grandfather, your Highness? Felit?a?¡±


    Felit?a was slumped in her seat, her head hanging to the side. She perked up at Harrick¡¯s call. ¡°Sorry, what was that?¡±


    Harrick smirked and took a bite of tortilla. ¡°Forgive me, your Highness, but you seem¡ªshall we say, distracted?¡ªthis morning.¡±


    Felit?a lowered her head and picked at her food. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t sleep well last night.¡±


    ¡°I caught her reading in my study at three or four in the morning,¡± Lord Amar said.


    Akna leaned over to Felit?a and whispered, ¡°The Staff again?¡±


    Felit?a nodded.


    ¡°Keeping secrets from us now, you two?¡± Harrick said.


    ¡°No, just making sure she¡¯s okay,¡± Akna said.


    Harrick chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just teasing.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps before you continue your studies today, your Highness,¡± Lord Amar said, ¡°you should try to get a bit more sleep.¡±


    Felit?a stopped picking at her food, straightened up, and looked at Lord Amar. ¡°Actually, your Lordship, I hope it doesn¡¯t offend you, but I¡¯ve decided to continue my journey right away. I know I said I would stay a day or two longer, but I¡¯ve realised I can¡¯t delay any longer than I already have.¡±


    Akna glared at Felit?a. She appreciated the change in plan, but wished Felit?a had said something to her first.


    ¡°A shame,¡± Lord Amar said. ¡°I was looking forward to more talks with you. I rarely get to converse with people so intelligent. But no matter. If you must go, I understand. I take no offence.¡±


    ¡°If you wish,¡± Harrick said, ¡°I¡¯d be happy to help you find passage on a ship upriver.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of you, Harrick, but I¡¯d prefer to travel a little more anonymously.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Harrick nodded. ¡°Of course. It¡¯s too bad you didn¡¯t get here when Gabriella was here. You could have travelled with her.¡± He frowned. ¡°Although she wasn¡¯t travelling anonymously, so maybe not.¡±


    ¡°Where was she headed?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°To Arnor City by way of Quorge. I think the two of you would get along well. She¡¯s a little more...extroverted than you, I suppose, but you¡¯re both very intelligent, and I get the impression you share similar views on many topics, particularly politics. She¡¯s probably left Quorge by now, and will be on the road west towards Porthaven.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I missed her. Cerus speaks very highly of her.¡±


    ¡°With good reason, I¡¯d say,¡± Lord Amar said. ¡°Cerus is a bright lad.¡±


    ¡°Cerus?¡± Lady Delayus lifted her head and looked around. ¡°Cerus?¡±


    Lord Amar reached over to her and placed his hand on hers. ¡°No, my dear, he¡¯s not here.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lady Delayus¡¯s head lowered again, and her eyes closed.


    ¡°I do have a question, your Highness,¡± Harrick said.


    Felit?a stifled a yawn. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Why did you come to Dorg in the first place? If you came from Ninifin and are headed to Quorge, surely it would have been quicker to cross through Plavin-Tyl?¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°It would have, yes, but I¡¯m afraid my reasons for taking this longer route are complicated and would take awhile to explain.¡±


    It had been Zandrue¡¯s suggestion to come this way. They had discussed their options the night before Akna, Felit?a, and Corvinian had split from the rest. Travelling through Plavin-Tyl had been too dangerous an option.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t we sneak through and avoid these Red Knights?¡± Akna had asked.


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°Last time, they just knew we were there. Our enemies seem to have some way to find us. At the time, we didn¡¯t even know we had enemies.¡±


    It would have been an easy thing to explain to Harrick, but Akna suspected Felit?a didn¡¯t want them to know of her difficulties with the Red Knights. Perhaps it had something to do with her sudden decision to leave.


    ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, your Lordship,¡± Felit?a said. The old man nodded, and Felit?a stood up.


    ¡°I¡¯m not finished,¡± Corvinian said. He had more salad and was again eating only the avocado.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Felit?a told him. ¡°You can stay and finish up. We won¡¯t be leaving right away. Stay with Nin-Akna until I get back.¡± She headed out of the dining room.


    Akna stood up. ¡°Apologies. I need to speak to Felit?a before she goes.¡±


    Lord Amar nodded. Corvinian looked up at her, a piece of avocado partway to his mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± she told him. Then she hurried after Felit?a.


    Felit?a stood in the hallway, waiting for her.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Akna asked. ¡°Why the change in plans?¡±


    Felit?a glanced each direction down the hall. ¡°I had a very strange encounter with Lord Padara last night. It might be nothing, but I don¡¯t want to take my chances. I¡¯ll tell you all about it once we¡¯re on our way. In the meantime, it¡¯s possible he guessed that our encounter is the reason for my departure, so be mindful and watch over Corvinian.¡±


    Akna nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be long. Can you and Corvinian get everything packed and the horses prepared? Even if the ship isn¡¯t departing right away, I¡¯d like to move everything to it as soon as possible.¡±


    Akna nodded again.


    ¡°Sorry to leave you alone with the people here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll survive.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for everything you do. I really appreciate it, you know. I could never have made this journey without you.¡± Felit?a hugged her. ¡°I¡¯ll be as fast as I can.¡± Then she let go and hurried off.


    Akna returned to the dining room and sat back down. ¡°Sorry for that.¡±


    ¡°Nothing to be sorry about, my dear,¡± Lord Amar said. ¡°Her Highness¡¯s decision to leave has taken us all by surprise. Only right you should find out what¡¯s happening.¡±


    Harrick leaned towards her. ¡°I hate to pry, but did she by any chance say¡ª¡±


    He was interrupted by the door opening and his sister Wendy entering the room. ¡°Good morning, Grandfather, Grandmother, Harrick.¡± She took a place at the table her grandmother¡¯s left, across from Harrick¡ªthe same spot she¡¯d been in last night. She scanned the table, her gaze falling briefly on Akna. Although Felit?a had ended up borrowing a dress from Wendy, the two weren¡¯t very physically alike. They shared the same height and hair colour, but just about everything else was different. Felit?a couldn¡¯t have been very comfortable in that dress.


    Akna flashed Wendy a smile, which was returned with a scowl.


    Breakfast became a lot less enjoyable after that. Akna rushed through her remaining food and urged Corvinian to finish his. ¡°We have to pack.¡±


    The boy sighed. ¡°Just a minute.¡± He took a spoon and began crushing his uneaten tomato pieces. When he¡¯d finished, he picked up his plate, brought it to his mouth, and slurped up the mixture of juice and crushed flesh. He wiped his face with his sleeve. ¡°Xtab showed me that. It tastes better that way.¡±


    Wendy curled her upper lip and scrunched her nose with a soft hiss.


    Akna smiled at Corvinian, then looked at Wendy. ¡°I¡¯ll have to try that sometime.¡± She stood up and bowed to Lord Amar. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse us?¡± When the elderly lord nodded, she took Corvinian¡¯s hand and led him from the room.

 Book 2, Chapter 5: Sudden Departures (Part 2)

    Akna hadn¡¯t unpacked much, and it turned out, neither had Felit?a, so packing everything back up again was a quick and easy task. Then she and Corvinian carted everything to the stables, which were a short distance down the road from the house.


    ¡°At the moment, twenty-seven, including your two,¡± the stablehand said. That was much less than Akna had expected. ¡°Though sometimes we can have as many as forty or more.¡± She was short¡ªonly a little more than five feet¡ªand small of frame. Her black hair hung down over her shoulders. In some ways, she reminded Akna of Chica. Her coppery skin was darker than Chica¡¯s had been and Chica had had much longer hair, but otherwise they were very similar. The similarity was cheering until Akna blinked and saw Chica¡¯s head explode again.


    He responded similarly any time she told him off for his language. He knew she¡¯d let him get away with it. She usually didn¡¯t bother saying anything at all, as she didn¡¯t really understand what Felit?a¡¯s problem was. The only reason she said something now was to change the topic.


    Once they had the horses ready, Akna double-checked the Staff of Sestin was tied securely to Xoco¡¯s side. Then they led the horses through the stables towards the exit to wait for Felit?a.


    ¡°I¡­¡± This was awkward. ¡°I don¡¯t feel ready for that yet. I can¡¯t really explain. Okay?¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Harrick nodded. ¡°I thought I¡¯d walk you and Felit?a to your ship before I return to my own. If you don¡¯t mind, of course.¡±


    Akna checked her spears and tightened the straps. Corvin often left them a bit loose. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°A friend of mine. My partner to be precise. We don¡¯t get to spend a lot of time together. I¡¯m either busy with my ship or with my family, and I can¡¯t bring him to the house, so we have to take what time we have. But I also wanted one last chance to talk to Felit?a before you leave.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s a marriage of convenience. Gets our closed-minded families off our backs. That¡¯s the idea at any rate. My relationship with Gusta is more an open secret, so not everyone will be fooled.¡±


    Harrick just wanted to engage in small-talk on the walk to the ship. He was mostly interested in Felit?a¡¯s childhood away from the Arnorin Royal Palace. ¡°Gabriella will be very disappointed in me if I don¡¯t find out at least a little about you in your time here,¡± he explained.


    Felit?a was evasive in her answers, and when they met with Harrick¡¯s partner where the road met the base of the cliff, she changed the conversation to how Harrick and Gusta had met¡ªsomething Gusta was happy and eager to talk about.


    ¡°Just two words,¡± Felit?a replied. ¡°¡®Be wary.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t even with me, and it was only for that moment. It¡¯s back to calling my name now. But it started acting odd when we first got there. Kept yelling my name even louder and more vigorously than ever. Now we¡¯re out of there, it¡¯s calmed down. In fact, it hasn¡¯t uttered a peep since I met back up with you at the stables. I don¡¯t know what set it off, but I didn¡¯t want to take any chances, not when there have been two attempts on your life already.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to risk keeping the Staff in the hold with the horses. The extra distance might make it easier for me to sleep. I¡¯m going to keep these in the hold too. I¡¯m probably just being paranoid and they¡¯re completely normal prayer beads, but I don¡¯t want to risk keeping them on me in case Lord Padara really is up to something. I can¡¯t ignore how nervous he was about me being there at that time.¡± Felit?a placed the necklace in her lap.


    ¡°He has a tender heart, though he¡¯d never admit it.¡± Felit?a snatched up the necklace, and went to where the Staff was lying under one of the cots. ¡°I¡¯ll take these to the hold. You two get some rest.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 6: Reminders of a Life Now Gone (Part 1)

    Ice-cold rain poured down in sheets. It had penetrated through Quilla¡¯s heavy cloak and everything beneath. Her clothes clung to her shivering body, her hood to her hair, and her hair to the side of her face. Freezing water ran between her eyes and over her nose. It was horrible and she felt she might freeze to death at any moment. It was also somehow enjoyable.


    It was like a mirror to her mood and that was appropriate.


    People usually associated rage with heat, but really, cold was a better fit. Heat slowed a person down. Cold made them more alert and ready to move. Quilla was ready to tear the gate open if she needed to, both out of rage and a desire to get out of the cold.


    Cold also fit being miserable, which was pretty much her eternal mood these days.


    But she enjoyed the idea that the weather was just as miserable as she was, along with the possibility the man on the other side of the gate was even more miserable. If he wasn¡¯t, she¡¯d make sure he became more miserable by the time she was done with him.


    She¡¯d been through this gate many times in the past, but Garet had always been with her, and the gate might as well have opened of its own accord for him. The guards always moved fast to let him pass. On her own, the gate remained stubbornly closed, the guards making no move at all, nor this blasted courtier.


    Maybe if she was lucky, the rain and sleet would strip the gold from the bars, to spite the family living on the other side. There was nothing Quilla would love more than to see their precious wealth gone¡ªvisibly gone, that is, so a dull grey gate would fit that desire perfectly.


    ¡°Name?¡± the courtier said.


    Was he an idiot? ¡°I told you my name. Quilla Steranovist, Prince Garet¡¯s fianc¨¦e. I have an important message for the King. You must let me in to speak to him.¡±


    ¡°The King is a busy man, miss, and can¡¯t meet with just anyone with no notice. If you¡¯d like to petition for a formal audience¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Prince Garet¡¯s fianc¨¦e! The King will want to see me. I bear important news.¡±


    ¡°Can you prove your identity?¡±


    Quilla steadied the quivering of her lips and spoke slowly. ¡°The King knows me. He will recognise me when he sees me. Now, will you let me in?¡±


    ¡°I will deliver your request to his Majesty,¡± the courtier said.


    Zandrue leaned over Quilla¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re all known to his Majesty. We can also confirm Quilla¡¯s identity.¡±


    Quilla waved her hand at Zandrue. ¡°I can manage on my own, thank you.¡±


    Zandrue backed off. ¡°Sorry, just trying to help.¡±


    The courtier had turned away and was mounting a waiting horse. He soon galloped off.


    Quilla bit her lip and turned to Zandrue. ¡°Sorry,¡± she spat¡ªmore harshly than she meant.


    Zandrue raised her hands and backed off some more. ¡°Think nothing of it.¡±


    Quilla closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. She used to be so much calmer. When Garet had still been around. He¡¯d always had a way of sucking her nervous energy into himself. She¡¯d felt at such peace in his presence. When he wasn¡¯t around, she reverted to impatience with everything. Now he was never around. Now he was¡­ Gods, she could barely even think the word. Dead. That was the fucking word. Dead. Now he was dead, it was like she¡¯d taken all his impatience into herself as well as her own. She wasn¡¯t sure she liked herself like this.


    Head hanging low, she walked back over to the small gazebo petitioners used while they waited. Rudiger huddled there, looking over the horses, which were tied up just outside the gazebo. Quilla began to pace, but there wasn¡¯t much room, especially after Zandrue joined them, so she contented herself with giving one of the many bear carvings on one of the posts holding the gazebo up a solid kick. She wasn¡¯t nearly strong enough to knock the gazebo over, but she could imagine she was. It wasn¡¯t that she wanted to harm herself, Zandrue, and Rudiger by bringing the gazebo down on top of them. Just the idea of wanton destruction of royal property was comforting.


    ¡°They¡¯ll let us in,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°The Queen¡¯s probably delaying things to annoy you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s working.¡± She kicked another bear carving.


    An eternity passed.


    The wind picked up, blowing rain into the gazebo so there was no longer any way of keeping dry. Typical. The gods were deliberately making her life worse. It was the only explanation.


    At last, the courtier returned on a different horse. He dismounted and approached the gate.


    Quilla nudged Zandrue. ¡°I actually wouldn¡¯t mind support.¡± They approached the gate together.


    The courtier was a tall, skinny Folith dressed in a soggy, heavy coat with the bear sigil of Arnor. At least he looked as affected by the weather as she was. Quilla had seen those coats dry and they looked a lot better than the one that now drooped and clung to his soaked body. She was also fairly certain she had seen him on previous occasions in the Royal Palace, though she wasn¡¯t sure. He hadn¡¯t even bothered to give her his name on this occasion.


    He spoke as she and Zandrue reached the gate. ¡°Their Majesties, the King and Queen have declared that you may not enter unless Prince Garet himself is here to verify your identity.¡±


    Quilla grabbed the bars, ignoring how cold the metal was. ¡°You know he¡¯s not here! I¡¯ve told you that! I have a message for the King about the Prince!¡±


    Two guards moved to either side of the gate, hands on the hilts of their swords. Quilla removed her hands and stepped back. The guards let go of their swords and returned to their posts.


    ¡°They have also authorised me to carry any written messages Prince Garet may have sent with you,¡± the courtier said. ¡°You may pass any such messages through the bars to me and I promise you, they will reach the King¡¯s eyes.¡±


    ¡°There is no written message because...aargh!¡± She kicked the ground. Zandrue tried to grab her hand, but Quilla pushed aside and turned away from the gate.


    ¡°Look,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°you said we could petition for an audience. Is that still possible?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± the courtier replied.


    ¡°How long will that take?¡±


    ¡°It depends on the King¡¯s schedule, but generally no more than a week or two.¡±


    It was that bitch Queen. She was responsible. There was no doubt.


    ¡°Is there any way to expedite that?¡± Zandrue asked.


    Quilla spun round and lunged at the gate. The guards be damned! ¡°He¡¯s dead, all right? He¡¯s fucking dead! And if the King wants to know what happened to his son, then he¡¯ll damn well see me because I¡¯m not going to say another fucking word about it until he does! Got that?¡±


    The courtier took a step back from the gate, shaking. Even the guards paused in their advance.


    ¡°D-dead?¡± the courtier stammered.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s true. You¡¯d better go tell the King, and be quick about it.¡±


    The courtier stumbled back to his horse, mounted, and took off.


    Quilla screamed, fell to her knees, and pounded the ground. A hand¡ªZandrue¡¯s¡ªtouched her back. Her first instinct was to push Zandrue away again, but she stopped herself. Instead, she stopped hitting the ground and put her arms around Zandrue, gripped her tightly, and wailed.


    As best she could remember, there hadn¡¯t been a day since leaving Getavin she hadn¡¯t cried in Zandrue¡¯s arms at some point. She¡¯d held back the tears from Ninifin to Getavin, just long enough for Felit?a to be gone. She hadn¡¯t been about to give Felit?a the satisfaction. But after that¡­


    ¡°This is all Felit?a¡¯s fault.¡±


    Felit?a had said to blame it on her, but Quilla doubted she¡¯d meant it so literally, because as far as Quilla was concerned, Felit?a really was responsible. Not for Garet¡¯s death¡ªthough she might as well have been¡ªbut for everything else. If she had come with them, they probably would have gotten in to see the King right away.


    Or perhaps not. Felit?a had been banished, after all. But worst case scenario, she could have used her spells to get them in.


    Quilla had trusted Felit?a. Trusted her completely. Considered her a friend. But then she¡¯d not only refused to come to Garet, her own brother¡¯s funeral, she¡¯d also taken off with Quilla¡¯s son. Quilla knew Corvinian hadn¡¯t accepted her as his mother yet, but how was he supposed to get used to her if she couldn¡¯t even see him? If he was on the other side of the fucking continent?


    Zandrue had defended Felit?a¡¯s actions, too. Every time Quilla remembered that, she did what she did now: pushed Zandrue away from her, wiped her tears¡ªnot an easy task in the driving rain¡ªand turned away. She stormed back to the gazebo. ¡°You might want to be ready to fight, Rudiger, because I¡¯m about ready to start caving in a few faces, and when I do, the guards will come en masse.¡±


    Rudiger glanced up at her and looked about to say something, but then laughed. Did he think this was a joke? ¡°Borisin says he doubts it¡¯ll be very effective, but he¡¯s ready to help if you need him.¡±


    Quilla looked at the big roan horse, who stared back at her for a moment. Then he shook his head, splashing water from his soaked mane all about, though it was barely noticeable amidst all the other rain. He snorted, and for a brief moment, Quilla felt like laughing. It had been an eternity since she¡¯d last felt anything similar.


    Then she remembered why she was here, and that she couldn¡¯t tell the King his son was dead because of stupid politics and prejudices, and the feeling was gone.


    Another eternity passed.


    Quilla spent the entire time staring at puddles on the gazebo floor, and watching the rain hit them.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s coming,¡± Zandrue said.


    Quilla jumped to her feet and ran to the gate. Sure enough, a rider on horseback was approaching, though as the person got closer, it was clearly not the same courtier as before. The rider was inexperienced and had difficulty stopping the horse, and then needed help from the guards to dismount.


    The rider was wearing drenched furs that clung to her tall, slender frame. Her normally curled blonde hair clung to the sides of her face and neck in thick, wet clumps, a pair of bright red ribbons threatening to slide out. Her wide, blue eyes were red and she sniffled as she approached.


    ¡°Hi Quilla,¡± Princess Sinit?a said. ¡°Is it true?¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Quilla nodded. ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡±


    ¡°Mother¡¯s really angry at you. She was yelling and saying she wants you banished like Felit?a. She says it¡¯s all yours and Felit?a¡¯s fault. And Father¡­¡± Sinit?a scrunched her face and squinted her eyes. ¡°Father started to cry. I¡¯ve never seen him cry before.¡± She sniffled and wiped her eyes. ¡°And I cried, too, but I cry all the time, so that¡¯s not really a big deal. But I can¡¯t stop crying!¡±


    Tears were forming in Quilla¡¯s eyes again, and she sniffled in time with Sinit?a.


    ¡°Is Meleng here?¡± Sinit?a asked.


    Quilla shook her head. ¡°He was banished, remember? He couldn¡¯t come.¡±


    Sinit?a sniffled again and wiped her nose. ¡°I know. I just thought maybe¡­ It was silly.¡±


    ¡°I have a message for you from him, though.¡±


    Her eyes widened. ¡°You do?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s packed, but I¡¯ll get it to you as soon as I have a chance to get out of the rain and go through my things. If they ever let us in.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you in!¡± Sinit?a stepped back from the gate and called out, ¡°Open the gate!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your Highness,¡± one of the guards answered. ¡°We need authorisation.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m giving you authorisation. They¡¯re my friends. Let them in.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your Highness. We have very specific orders that you cannot override. The gate stays closed until we have the proper authorisation.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s not fair! They¡¯re my friends. Annai gets to bring her friends in. So does Cerus and Gabriella and Malef and Pastrin and Thilin and everyone.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, your Highness. There¡¯s nothing we can do.¡±


    Sinit?a scowled.


    ¡°There¡¯s someone else coming,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I think it¡¯s our friend from earlier.¡±


    Sure enough, another rider was approaching the gate.


    ¡°He¡¯s sure as hell not my friend,¡± Quilla said.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t supposed to come up here, were you?¡± Zandrue said.


    Sinit?a looked at the ground and shook her head.


    The courtier dismounted. ¡°Your Highness, you shouldn¡¯t be here. The Queen is worried sick. You¡¯ll have to come back with us.¡± He went over to one of the guards, taking out a sealed piece of parchment from inside his heavy coat. He handed it to the guard.


    The guard looked at it, broke the seal, and read the contents before the rain made the ink unreadable. ¡°Open the gate! King¡¯s order! Open the gate!¡±


    Two guards on the inside ran up to the gate, one with a key he slid into the lock. Sinit?a and the courtier backed up far enough for the guards to pull the gate open. Rudiger began gathering the reins of the horses as Quilla walked straight into the Palace grounds. She walked straight up to the courtier.


    ¡°You will follow me,¡± the courtier said. ¡°Do not¡ª¡±


    Quilla slapped him with every ounce of strength she had. He reeled back several steps.


    Sinit?a gasped.


    The nearest guard put his hand on his sword and moved towards Quilla. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch me,¡± she hissed at him.


    The guard didn¡¯t stop moving. His hand gripped the sword hilt, and he started to unsheath it just as Zandrue stepped between him and Quilla, a hand on her own sword. ¡°You heard her.¡±


    The courtier came forwards again, hands raised, palms outwards. ¡°It¡¯s all right. Leave her be.¡±


    The guard backed off.


    The courtier turned back to his horse. ¡°Please mount your horses and follow me.¡±


    Rudiger led Tepin and Lucinda over. He handed Tepin¡¯s reins to Quilla and Lucinda¡¯s to Zandrue.


    ¡°That horse looks familiar,¡± Zandrue said, indicating the horse Sinit?a had ridden up on.


    ¡°It¡¯s Livia,¡± Sinit?a said. ¡°Felit?a¡¯s horse. She won¡¯t mind, will she?¡±


    Zandrue smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine with it.¡±


    Quilla mounted Tepin and rode straight out, past the courtier.


    ¡°Miss, please follow¡ª¡±


    Quilla ignored him. She knew the way and she wasn¡¯t about to waste any more time on that ass.


    She used to enjoy the Palace grounds and gardens, but now they were just reminders of a life now gone. For the entire mile to the Palace, she paid her surroundings no more attention than was necessary to keep Tepin on the path. She didn¡¯t even look back to see if the others were still there, though she did catch sight of Rudiger and Borisin as she circled around the Great Bear Fountain. They weren¡¯t far behind¡ªprobably holding back a bit to give her space. Wise move.


    A crowd of servants was waiting in the courtyard when she arrived. Several of them rushed over to her, one offering his hand to help her dismount. Quilla ignored him. As soon as she was on the ground, the others took Tepin and led him away.


    Quilla headed straight for the line of soldiers on the Palace steps. Behind her, Borisin made protesting whinnies as servants tried to take him, but she still didn¡¯t look back. She walked straight past the soldiers to a pair of men at the top. The elderly, mostly bald man she recognised: Ardon, Patriarch of the Universal Church. She recognised the other man too, though she wasn¡¯t sure of his name. A high-ranking member of the Kingsguard, he stood tall with brown hair and a trimmed moustache. If Quilla remembered correctly, he had helped bring Felit?a to Arnor City what seemed an aeon ago.


    The Kingsguard snapped to attention as she approached. ¡°My Lady, his Majesty the King awaits you. Please follow me.¡±


    She let him lead. Although she knew her way around the Palace well, it was a big place and there was no telling where the King would be right now.


    Ardon fell in beside her. ¡°My condolences,¡± he whispered.


    Quilla bit her lip to stop from saying something nasty, which was all she could think of to say to anyone right now, and Ardon didn¡¯t deserve it. She¡¯d save her bile for the Queen.


    The King was waiting for her in the audience chamber. Typical. They were going to do an extremely personal thing in a place of formalities. The Queen¡¯s hand was behind this, Quilla was sure.


    The King slouched in the Bear Throne, his face and eyes red. Queen Annai sat beside him, the permanent scowl on her face deeper than ever. She had one hand on the King¡¯s, while her other scratched and prodded at her neck and chin.


    Several of the King¡¯s children stood in the room in front of the thrones. Princes Malef, Pastrin, and Thilin stood side-by-side. Quilla had never really gotten to know those three¡ªthey spent most of their time hunting¡ªthough Thilin had always got on well with Garet, so she knew him a little better than the other two.


    Standing apart from the three princes was Princess Annai. She was wearing a purple mourning veil at odds with the low-cut flowery gown she was wearing. The mismatch was likely because she hadn¡¯t had time to change since learning the news and had simply thrown the veil on, though Quilla found it disgustingly disrespectful.


    She wondered where Cerus was. He was good at de-escalating situations, and she suspected his skills would be needed soon.


    Gabriella was missing too, though she was often away. A shame. Quilla liked her.


    Armed and armoured guards were spaced along the perimeter of the hall, ready to rush to the King and Queen¡¯s defence if necessary. Quilla paid them little mind. She strode across the hall and knelt at the foot of the steps to the thrones, near the feet of Prince Pastrin. She tried to keep her voice steady as she spoke. ¡°Your Majesties, thank you for agreeing to see me.¡±


    The Queen scowled down at her. ¡°We have agreed to see you because of the nature of the news you claim to bring. This had better not be a trick.¡±


    Quilla bit her bottom lip. ¡°A trick? Why would I lie about something like this?¡±


    ¡°How should I know? Perhaps just a desperate ploy to get in here when Garet¡¯s not with you. Did he discard you finally? Are you here trying to cling to something you can never have? No one here ever expected your marriage to happen. Garet was bound to bore of you eventually.¡±


    Quilla could only stare at her.


    ¡°Assuming what you say is true, where is his body? The King would like to see it.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Captain DeSelo?n, what of the body?¡±


    Quilla glared at the Queen, and held back an outburst.


    The Kingsguard who had led her here stepped forwards. ¡°They do not have a body with them.¡±


    The Queen leaned forward and looked back down at Quilla. ¡°No body?¡±


    ¡°There was no¡ª¡±


    ¡°You have the gall not to bring the body back here for a proper burial in his family mausoleum? What did you do with it? Leave it on the road somewhere to rot?¡±


    That was it. ¡°Oh shut the fuck up, you stupid, pathetic woman.¡±


    Princess Annai gasped.


    ¡°How dare you¡ª¡± the Queen began.


    Quilla jumped to her feet. ¡°How dare I? How dare you? If you¡¯d give me half a chance to explain what happened, you might get some answers. Instead, all you can be bothered with is your own personal grudge against me. You¡¯re sad and pathetic, so shut up and let the grown-ups talk.¡±


    ¡°I will not tolerate¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, you will. Banish me if you must when I¡¯m done, but you are going to listen to every word I have to say first, or I will hound you for the rest of my days.¡±


    The Queen sprang to her feet. ¡°No. I will decide when you speak and when you do not. You have no authority here. Just because you managed to charm yourself into Garet¡¯s bed does not give you access to his birthright. Captain DeSelo?n, arrest this whore. I want her out of my sight.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever call me that again.¡±


    ¡°What, whore? Yes, Garet and Felit?a both said something similar and where did that get them? Dead or banished.¡±


    Quilla moved towards the Queen, but Captain DeSelo?n grabbed her arm. ¡°My Lady, don¡¯t make this harder on yourself.¡±


    Malef, Pastrin, and Thilin stepped closer to each other to block the way to the Queen. Thilin gave Quilla a sad smile.


    She pulled herself free of DeSelo?n¡¯s grasp, though she didn¡¯t continue towards the Queen. Zandrue, Rudiger, and Sinit?a stood just inside the doors of the room now. She didn¡¯t want to get them in trouble too, so for the moment, she let her anger stew.


    ¡°Perhaps I might intercede for a moment.¡± Patriarch Ardon stepped in front of Quilla.


    The Queen rolled her eyes. ¡°You always do.¡±


    ¡°There has been a terrible tragedy and we are all naturally distraught and on edge. Perhaps we should first take a moment to learn what has happened. That way, we may know where to direct our grief.¡± He looked to King Wavon. ¡°Your Majesty, what is your verdict in this regard?¡±


    The King shuddered and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he stood up and motioned the Princes and Patriarch Ardon aside. The Queen watched him, her upper lip trembling, as he descended the steps to Quilla. He spread his arms. ¡°May I?¡±


    Quilla bit her lip again. She hadn¡¯t expected this. She almost shook her head no. How could she let him touch her after this charade of an audience. But he¡¯d always been good to her in the past¡ªprovided she ignored how much he let the Queen get away with. So she nodded.


    The King embraced her in a tight bear hug. Just as she thought she might lose all sensation in her upper arms, he let go and kissed her forehead. Then he returned to the Bear Throne, slumping back again as soon as he¡¯d sat down.


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Quilla began, but the King held up his hand.


    ¡°You will have a chance to speak.¡± His voice cracked as he spoke. ¡°I know that, of all people here, you have lost the most, more even than I have, and at the moment, I find it hard to imagine loss greater than mine.¡± He leaned forward and took the Queen¡¯s hand. ¡°Annai, as Ardon said, we are all distraught with grief. Can we not find compassion and lenience at this time?¡±


    The Queen looked at him, her lip still trembling. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped as tears began to flow down her face. She nodded once, then turned away, shifting in her seat and turning her head so that very little of her face was visible to the rest of the room.


    Quilla resisted the urge to spit at the woman. Was she really going to play for sympathy?


    ¡°Captain DeSelo?n,¡± the King said, ¡°you may disregard the order to arrest Miss Steranovist.¡±


    Captain DeSelo?n bowed.


    ¡°Now then, Quilla, I would like¡­¡± The King paused as his voice cracked some more. He wiped a tear from his eye. ¡°I would like to hear what happened to my son.¡±


    Quilla bowed. Now that the moment had arrived, she wasn¡¯t sure where to start. Her lips had gone dry and felt like they would crack with any movement. She tried to wet them, but couldn¡¯t produce any saliva. Her whole mouth had gone dry. No matter. Best to get on with it.


    So she told them what had happened in Ninifin.

 Book 2, Chapter 6: Reminders of a Life Now Gone (Part 2)

    should go back inside, but there were too many memories there. She couldn¡¯t do it.


    Sinit?a took Quilla¡¯s hand, her fingers sticky. She led Quilla to a table containing an artist¡¯s palette, several jars of paint, and a dozen or more brushes. ¡°I¡¯m going to paint a portrait of Garet for his funeral. I have several others, but they¡¯re not very good because he would never sit still. But I thought if I use those as references, I can paint him from memory and do a better job. I hope. What do you think of these shades?¡± She indicated several blobs of brown paint on the palette.


    Quilla took a goblet as three other handmaids surrounded Sinit?a. The Princess raised her arms as one lifted the apron off her. A second dabbed at Sinit?a¡¯s cheeks with a cloth, wiping away the paint-tear streaks, while the third wiped one hand and then the other. They did it with practised precision. Sinit?a didn¡¯t even stop walking towards the chairs as the handmaids did their work.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    sips had been somewhat larger and longer. She should have asked Della to leave the wine tray.


    sleep, she doesn¡¯t mean sleep. She means sex. But I know she¡¯s wrong. Meleng¡¯s my friend, and I love him. But I don¡¯t want to have sex with him and he doesn¡¯t want to have sex with me, and I like that.¡± She smiled. ¡°Okay?¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 6: Reminders of a Life Now Gone (Part 3)

    She had drunk another goblet of what they had on her way back though. Or maybe it was two. Very unlike her, but comforting.


    Ardon lounged in a chair, holding a wine goblet. A small stack of papers sat on the low table in front of him. He didn¡¯t look over, though it seemed clear he was listening. He took a sip of his wine.


    ¡°Sorry to disturb you,¡± Ardon said, ¡°but there are a few time-sensitive things we should discuss.¡±


    He took a sip of wine, then placed the goblet on the table and picked up some of the papers. ¡°First, there¡¯s the matter of the funeral. I wanted to know if you have any specific desires or requests, or if Garet made any requests himself before his death. It would be good to know these things before the Queen plans the whole thing.¡± He motioned to Marna, who brought him a pen and ink jar.


    Quilla hadn¡¯t thought about the funeral. She¡¯d been so focused on getting here so there could be a funeral that she hadn¡¯t stopped to think about what the funeral would be like. She thought a moment. ¡°Since we don¡¯t have his body, there should be some sort of physical memorial there. I¡¯m not sure what exactly. It doesn¡¯t have to be fancy. I¡¯d actually prefer it wasn¡¯t fancy. He wasn¡¯t a fancy person.¡±


    Quilla forced a smile, then took a sip of wine. She had left things out, choosing to focus on only the most pertinent details. Garet¡¯s parents and sibling didn¡¯t need to know about Felit?a¡¯s Will-Breaker stuff or Corvinian¡¯s unusual powers. She¡¯d just said the Volgs had kidnapped her son and Garet went to Ninifin with Felit?a to rescue him.


    The Queen had not been happy to learn of Felit?a¡¯s involvement, although she claimed to have suspected it. Quilla had let her declare Garet¡¯s death Felit?a¡¯s fault just like Felit?a had said to do. Quilla even embellished on it a little.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Stop trying to diminish Felit?a¡¯s role,¡± the Queen snapped. ¡°She was always a master of manipulating people as a child, and she seems no different now. What was it the Volgs called her? Will-Wrecker? Something like that.¡±


    Quilla stared at her wine. How many cups had she had now? This was the first one here, right? She sighed and motioned Marna over to her. If she was going to go through all this again, she was going to go full Garet. She downed the remaining contents of the goblet and held it out for Marna to refill. ¡°Stay with me.¡± Marna curtsied and stood beside her as she began to tell the tale in full.


    Sometime later, Ardon was gone and Quilla was stretched out on the chaise longue. She wasn¡¯t sure how much time had passed or when Ardon had left. It was all a little hazy.


    She remembered sending Marna to acquire some of that wine Sinit?a had, the name of which had slipped her mind. She was fairly sure she had remembered it when sending Marna though, and that was the main thing. Even if she hadn¡¯t, Marna was a smart girl and could probably find the right one.


    She was also reasonably certain she hadn¡¯t left anything out of her story for Ardon, though she couldn¡¯t quite remember telling all of it. She did remember...oh dear. She¡¯d said some nasty things about Felit?a.


    ¡°Why yes, your Majesty, didn¡¯t you know that Felit?a invented wine? She put the fucking alcohol in it specifically to get me and other people drunk. What a horrible person she is. You should have her arrested on charges of...of...what should the charges be? Treason?¡± She giggled.

 Book 2, Chapter 7: Investigations (Part 1)

    One of the many perks of palace life was the food. And drink. Zandrue couldn¡¯t forget the drink. All freely available at the snap of a finger. Well, almost. she didn¡¯t get to have servants follow her everywhere, so snapping her fingers wasn¡¯t always enough. But she didn¡¯t have far to go to find someone to bring something to her.


    Now, she just had to make sure the Queen didn¡¯t kick them out before Garet¡¯s funeral, however long it might be until then. Nobles from across the country were being invited, so it might take awhile for them all to get here¡ªmonths even.


    Cerus would be their greatest ally, Felit?a had said. Zandrue had been perfectly happy with that. She¡¯d had a very fine time with Cerus last time she¡¯d been here. That wouldn¡¯t happen this time though¡ªnot just because she didn¡¯t want to make Rudiger jealous, but also because Cerus wasn¡¯t here. That had been disappointing to learn. He was in Lockanith, making war arrangements for the South. Would he come back for the funeral? Maybe, but it would be too late for him to give her any aid.


    What a change. A year ago, Felit?a had been terrified of politics. On their first trip to the Palace, Zandrue had been the one giving Felit?a advice. This time, it had been all Zandrue could do to get a word in over Felit?a¡¯s advice to her.


    ¡°Still in bed. He might be a while.¡± Rudiger liked to sleep late after a vigorous night¡ªand last night had been vigorous indeed. There was something about palaces and luxury that really turned Zandrue on. She¡¯d kept him going late. She brought her goblet to her lips to hide the smile forming there. She shouldn¡¯t be smiling at Quilla¡¯s discomfort. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t want.¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    She swallowed the rest of her wine, grabbed a handful of sugar pastries, and headed out. She hadn¡¯t made it very far when a servant girl coming down the hall called to her. ¡°Ms Armida?¡±


    The curtains of the study cabinet were drawn back, letting a little of the morning light in. An ink stain marred the floor near the top of the stairs, but otherwise everything was in perfect shape. Even though Felit?a wasn¡¯t currently staying in these apartments, someone was keeping them clean and dusted. Probably the person sitting in the chair at the writing desk¡ªnot him personally, but he was likely the one ordering it done.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Zandrue walked past him to the window. ¡°I don¡¯t mind standing.¡± She looked out the window as she was gazing at the view. He could have had a servant bring a chair up, so he wanted to limit her comfort options. She would keep her back to him for a moment longer.


    Zandrue took a deep breath. She had no idea if Quilla would want her telling anyone this, but if anyone could help them at the moment, it was Ardon. ¡°Her former husband, Dyle Aderman is in the Palace. He came to her last night.¡±


    Zandrue smirked. ¡°Yes. Yes, of course.¡± Ardon, that old dog. ¡°Though I¡¯m not sure when I¡¯ll be back. Lots to do today. What¡¯s your name?¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 7: Investigations (Part 2)

    Marna finished the last touches to Quilla¡¯s hair and turned her to face the mirror. She had accentuated its natural wave to add a curl at the ends.


    There was only one explanation: Dyle took it. Had it been out of jealousy to deprive her of her last remaining reminder of Garet? Or had he taken it just so he had a connection to her? All she knew was, she wanted it back, and she would tear this Palace apart until she found him and took it back.


    ¡°You took your time.¡± She walked over to the wine table. Marna had seen to it that the pitchers were full of the sweet wine. Quilla had told Marna to wait outside while she talked to Zandrue, so she had to pour a goblet herself.


    Quilla nodded. She¡¯d been so agitated, she hadn¡¯t even thought of asking Marna. There was a bell somewhere to summon her. Where had it gone? A quick look spotted the bell on the table in front of Zandrue and Rudiger. Guessing Quilla¡¯s intentions, Zandrue picked it up and rang it.


    ¡°I did as you asked. I went to the kitchens and got the wine. When I returned, you were asleep in your bed. I tried to wake you, but you wouldn¡¯t wake. You had had a lot to drink, so I let you be. I left the wine in the salon here.¡±


    Quilla held back the anger she was feeling. ¡°No, of course not.¡± That delay had allowed Dyle more time, but that wasn¡¯t really Marna¡¯s fault. Quilla reminded herself she needed to save her anger for those who actually deserved it.


    ¡°You believe so?¡± Zandrue said.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°Maybe twenty minutes?¡±


    Zandrue used the hand on his cheek to turn his face back to her, and she kissed him. She smiled broadly. ¡°I always have good points.¡±


    Quilla sighed. ¡°This is getting us nowhere.¡± She downed the rest of her wine and stood up. Getting drunk had been the stupidest thing she¡¯d done in a long time, and she was already partway to doing it again. And it wasn¡¯t even midday. She pushed past Marna and started to pace. ¡°We need to find him. Find where he¡¯s hiding and...I don¡¯t know, except get my locket. Put a stop to whatever he¡¯s planning, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°One thing, Marna,¡± Zandrue said and the girl paused, ¡°when you next see Ardon, could you let him know I¡¯m eager to continue our conversation from earlier?¡±


    Or Dyle. Quilla shivered. She sat back down and buried her head in her hands. Gods, she didn¡¯t need this right now. She just wanted to deal with Garet¡¯s funeral, give him the recognition he deserved from this stupid family, then move on. She didn¡¯t need Dyle complicating things. Part of her wanted to ignore him. Pretend he wasn¡¯t there and get on with everything else. But that wouldn¡¯t work. He would show up again, and she needed to be better prepared next time. Besides, she wanted her locket back.

 Book 2, Chapter 8: Acquaintances Old and New (Part 1)

    The Palace was too big. Four floors in the central portion, three in each wing¡ªand both wings were long. And there were so many rooms. Room after room, most of them only minor variations of other rooms with colour the only notable difference. Apparently, there were multiple cellars too, although Rudiger had never been in any of them. He hadn¡¯t been in most of the aboveground areas either. Then there were all the side buildings. He hadn¡¯t been in any of those either and had no idea what any of them were for¡ªalthough he seemed to recall a mention of one of them being for Isyar.


    There were so many people, too. Everywhere he turned, there were servants or guards or both standing beside doors or in front of them. Some doors would be opened when he moved towards them. Others remained resolutely closed, the guards unmoving and unflinching. At least both the servants and guards were helpful about giving directions whenever he got lost¡ªwhich happened more than once¡ªand it was nice to have servants offering him food and glasses of wine as he wandered the corridors.


    He¡¯d done a lot of wandering today, trying to figure out how to socialise with the princes as Zandrue wanted. He couldn¡¯t just walk into a room and strike up a conversation with one of them, could he? Zandrue thought he could use his experiences in Ninifin to help him, but they were such different situations. Just because he was in a palace then and a palace now didn¡¯t make them the same.


    No, he needed to take a different approach. He didn¡¯t need to use his experiences in Ninifin; he needed to use his experiences in this very same palace last year.


    ¡°Rudiger!¡±


    Rudiger turned away from the portrait of King Martan the Conqueror he¡¯d been staring in the direction of, but not really looking at, and crossed the creatively named Red Salon¡ªcalled that, no doubt, due to its red walls, red carpet, red curtains, red everything. ¡°Hang!¡±


    Alhang Merrin was a big man¡ªnot as tall as Rudiger, but broader. He slapped Rudiger on the shoulder and embraced him in a tight hug. ¡°Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see you back here again, not with Princess Felit?a being banished and all.¡±


    ¡°Came here with Quilla.¡± Rudiger resisted the urge to rub his shoulder. Hang was a powerful man, and he was armoured and Rudiger wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Oh yes, for Prince Garet¡¯s funeral.¡± Hang shook his head. ¡°Shame about that. I heard she lost it on the Queen.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she did.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it was brave, foolish, or both, but I wish I¡¯d seen it.¡± Hang laughed. ¡°So how¡¯ve you been?¡±


    Rudiger sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s see. Been attacked by Red Knights and Darkers, shot at with arrows, and stabbed through the hand.¡± He held up his left hand to show the scar there. ¡°Can¡¯t move it as well as I used to. Got involved in a rebellion in Ninifin. You know. Everyday stuff.¡±


    Hang smirked. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve been busy. Ninifin, eh? I¡¯ve heard rumours Princess Felit?a defected there. Any truth to those?¡±


    ¡°She was there, but I wouldn¡¯t call it a defection.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s she doing?¡±


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°Broke her ankle, took an arrow through her shoulder, had all her fingers broken. But otherwise she was doing fine last I saw her.¡±


    ¡°Shit, just what have you lot been up to?¡±


    Rudiger chuckled. ¡°Long story.¡±


    Hang put an arm around Rudiger. ¡°Let¡¯s go get some food and you can tell me all about it. I just came off a six-hour shift without anything to eat and I¡¯m starving.¡±


    Rudiger nodded. ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    Hang led him through the back corridors, then down to the ground floor and out one of the side doors into blowing snow.


    Rudiger shivered. ¡°You could¡¯ve warned me we¡¯d be going outside! There will be food at the end of this, right?¡±


    Hang laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s a quick trip. But the only places in the Palace for guards and servants to eat are tiny spaces between rooms. I¡¯m taking you to the mess hall. We¡¯ll have more room there. Better food, too.¡±


    The mess hall was in the first line of buildings northwest of the Palace, so Hang was right about it being a quick trip. Once they were inside, they sat at the end of a long table with bread, meat, and dried fruit piled in front of them. ¡°Best thing about working here,¡± Hang said, ¡°is there¡¯s always food available all hours of the day. Doesn¡¯t matter how early or late. It¡¯s not always the freshest, but it¡¯s good.¡± He bit into a leg of goose.


    Rudiger looked about. It was a larger room than just about any in the Palace, but much plainer. There were no portraits on the walls, no chandeliers hanging above. It was draughty too, though better than being outside.


    ¡°Eat something,¡± Hang said. ¡°You¡¯ll stop shivering so much.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like winter, all right?¡±


    Hang chuckled. ¡°I remember.¡± He took another bite of the goose leg.


    ¡°I grew up on the Thumb. Didn¡¯t really have winter there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, remember that too,¡± Hang said through a still-full mouth, spraying bits of food onto the table in front of him. He covered his mouth with his hand and mumbled, ¡°Sorry ¡¯bout that.¡±


    Rudiger took some bread and meat for himself, though not a lot. He¡¯d been eating almost constantly all day long just wandering around the Palace.


    ¡°Learning, I see,¡± Hang said.


    Memories of the banquet celebrating Felit?a¡¯s return a year ago swam through Rudiger¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t remind me.¡±


    ¡°So, tell me this long story of yours.¡±


    A couple hours earlier, Rudiger had spotted Hang attending the King in the Grand Hall. That was what had prompted him to send Hang a message to meet him. He felt a bit guilty that he hadn¡¯t thought to contact his old friend before that, and he felt even guiltier that a large reason why he initiated contact was to use Hang to gain access to one or more of the princes. So Rudiger had spent the last couple hours trying to decide what he should tell Hang. In the end, he decided to tell him everything. Hang knew a lot already anyway, and Rudiger was certain the big soldier could be trusted.


    So Rudiger launched into a description of everything that had happened since he¡¯d last been in the Palace. He tried to keep it as brief as he could, and he probably forgot a few things, but he was sure he covered the important points.


    Hang stopped eating partway through the story, as he started to add in his own comments and questions, which Rudiger did his best to answer.


    ¡°So, Felit?a really did do those things she was accused of? She started the war?¡±


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°Sort of. I wasn¡¯t around for most of what Felit?a did, but as I understand it, the Volgs were going to start a war anyway. Felit?a just gave them an excuse.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Then she almost started a war in Ninifin?¡±


    Rudiger groaned. ¡°That was also on the verge of happening anyway. Fra-Ichtaca just used Felit?a as a convenient excuse.¡± He sighed.


    ¡°Look,¡± Hang said, ¡°I like Felit?a. I really do, but somehow, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s cut out for international politics. Maybe she should keep out of it in future?¡±


    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I think she regrets what she did. We all regret a lot of what¡¯s happened.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s good, but it doesn¡¯t change that it all happened.¡±


    Rudiger sighed and bit into his bread. It was stale.


    ¡°So why are you telling me all this? I could just go to the Queen with it.¡±


    ¡°Because we need allies, and I need someone who can help me get to know this place better and the people here.¡±


    Hang smirked. ¡°Allies? After all your regrets, getting involved in more politics?¡±


    ¡°Honestly don¡¯t want to,¡± Rudiger said, ¡°but there are Darkers in the Palace.¡±


    ¡°Darkers? How?¡±


    ¡°No idea. That¡¯s what we¡¯re trying to figure out. But Quilla was visited the other night by her ex-husband, and he just happens to be a high-ranking Darker who¡¯s been trying to kill Felit?a for years.¡±


    Hang leaned back. ¡°Shit, Felit?a really draws in the worst people, doesn¡¯t she? So what did this Darker want?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know. Quilla was too drunk to remember.¡±


    Hang laughed. ¡°What do you want me to do then? If there are Darkers here, I should report it so they can be rooted out.¡±


    ¡°Zandrue says if we do that, they¡¯ll just go into deeper hiding.¡±


    ¡°Then why would Quilla¡¯s ex come to her so openly?¡±


    Rudiger raised his hands in defeat. ¡°Again, no idea. We just gotta figure out where they are.¡±


    ¡°Back to my previous question then,¡± Hang said. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, you can help me get to know this place better. And the people. And...uh...maybe tell me how I can get in to see some of the princes.¡±


    Hang laughed. ¡°In other words, you are getting into more politics.¡±


    Rudiger sighed. ¡°Not out of choice.¡±


    ¡°Well, to start, you¡¯re a guest here, so you¡¯re allowed to know some of the princes¡¯ movements.¡±


    ¡°That mean you¡¯re willing to help?¡±


    Hang grinned. ¡°Guess so. Could be fun.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Not much we can do right now, though. I have an early shift tomorrow, but once that¡¯s done, I¡¯ll show your around a bit. In the meantime, how¡¯s that horse of yours doing?¡±


    * * * * *


    ¡°You should have seen it. Garet practically held them off all by himself, and he was only sixteen at the time. He was already destined to be a great warrior. Gods, I loved that man. I¡¯ll miss him so much.¡± The speaker sounded like Princess Annai.


    ¡°I know what you mean. I think everyone here is going to miss him terribly. We all loved him.¡± Zandrue didn¡¯t recognise the second voice. It had a distinctive Friazian lilt to it, though.


    ¡°Not half as much as me,¡± Annai said.


    A familiar voice joined the conversation. ¡°But you both hated him. You said so all the time.¡±


    ¡°Sinit?a!¡± Annai snapped. ¡°Don¡¯t talk that way. Garet was my brother. Of course I loved him.¡±


    ¡°But you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sinit?a, enough!¡±


    Okay, time to save Sinit?a. Zandrue gripped the door handle, opened it, and strode into the room. She stumbled to a stop as the occupants looked over to her.


    ¡°Oh. I¡¯m so sorry. Excuse me, your Highnesses, my Lady.¡±


    Princess Annai stood by one of the yellow walls with blue patterning. Sinit?a sat in one of the many blue-cushioned chairs lining the walls, her head sunk low. The third person was a small, slim Folith with freckled skin and sandy brown hair. She looked familiar, but Zandrue couldn¡¯t place her.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Annai asked. She fanned herself with a wide, purple fan that matched the colour of the heavy gown with wide skirts that she wore.


    ¡°Apologies, your Highness.¡± Zandrue curtsied as she spoke. ¡°I was just returning to my apartments, but I think I¡¯ve gotten a little lost. I didn¡¯t mean to disturb you.¡±


    Sinit?a raised her head, smiled, and waved. ¡°Hi Zandrue!¡±


    Annai rolled her eyes and scowled. ¡°The guest apartments are one floor down.¡±


    Zandrue curtsied again. ¡°That explains a lot. Thank you, your Highness. And may I say that mourning dress is stunning? It looks perfect on you.¡±


    ¡°Of course it does. Now on your way.¡±


    Zandrue curtsied again¡ªgods, she hated this fawning, but it was a means to an end. ¡°Of course, your Highness. Although...if I could say one more thing?¡±


    Annai groaned. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°I want to apologise for the manner in which we arrived. Quilla¡¯s behaviour was atrocious.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s certainly true. It was inexcusable. Father is too forgiving sometimes.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s grieving or course, but that doesn¡¯t excuse what she said, and I just want it known that we don¡¯t all approve. I probably won¡¯t have a chance to say this directly to her Majesty, so I thought I¡¯d use this moment to say it to you. I apologise again for any inconvenience.¡±


    Annai fanned herself again. ¡°Very well, I accept your apology.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your Highness. If there¡¯s anything I can do in your service to help make up for it, please let me know.¡±


    Annai frowned. ¡°In my service? Why would I want one of Felit?a¡¯s friends in my service? No, you¡¯ve apologised. That is enough.¡±


    ¡°With respect, your Highness, I know you and Felit?a don¡¯t get along very well. Truth be told, she and I have had our differences recently. I don¡¯t approve of what she did on Scovese or her actions in Ninifin that led to Garet¡¯s death. I liked Garet a lot, and I don¡¯t know yet if I can forgive her for that. But that¡¯s neither here nor there. People know me as a friend of Felit?a. Having one of Felit?a¡¯s friends in your debt looks pretty good for you, doesn¡¯t it? And I could tell you a few things about Felit?a, too. Things you could use against her.¡± Zandrue gave her best demure smile and curtsied again.


    Sinit?a stared at Zandrue, her jaw hanging open. It would have been better to do this without Sinit?a present, but since Quilla¡¯s visit to her, Sinit?a was not allowed to leave Annai¡¯s presence, and while she was likely to sneak away at some point, there was no telling when she¡¯d manage that. In order to make all this believable, Zandrue needed to start the process as soon as possible. She would just have to explain it in private to Sinit?a once she finally did get away from Annai.


    Annai¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°It kind of makes sense, Annai,¡± the freckled woman said. ¡°If we can trust her, that is.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Annai said. ¡°What possible reason do I have to trust anything you say? I¡¯ve accepted your apology. Let that be enough. On your way!¡±


    ¡°Yes, your Highness. Thank you for listening to me.¡± Zandrue curtsied one last time and backed out of the room.


    Once she¡¯d closed the doors between her and Annai, she sighed. She would have liked to listen at the door again to hear what Annai said next, but a servant was coming down the hall with a tray of pastries, so she started back towards Felit?a¡¯s apartments, snatching a pastry as she passed the servant.


    Even without knowing Annai¡¯s immediate reaction, Zandrue felt that had gone well¡ªbetter than expected, in fact. With luck, it had planted a seed she could nurture over the coming days and weeks.

 Book 2, Chapter 8: Acquaintances Old and New (Part 2)

    The setting sun reflected off the freshly fallen snow. It gave the entirety of the Palace grounds, from the gardens to the trees, fountains, and even buildings, a faint orange glow. It was amazing how, in the space of just a couple days, the weather could go from rain to snow. It should have been beautiful, but Quilla couldn¡¯t think of it in those terms. Beauty didn¡¯t exist right now. It couldn¡¯t. Especially in the sunsets she used to love watching with Garet.


    That little while had gone on longer than she¡¯d intended, though.


    ¡°Understandably so, my Lady, with Prince Garet¡¯s death and all.¡±


    Marna placed a pitcher on a tray, but paused when she reached for the goblets. ¡°Two, my Lady?¡±


    Marna smiled back. ¡°We¡¯re not supposed to drink this wine. It¡¯s too high quality for us. There¡¯s lower quality, watered-down wine for the servants in the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone,¡± Quilla said.


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    Quilla sipped at her wine. ¡°It¡¯s weird. I feel caught between two worlds. The nobles don¡¯t like me because I¡¯m not really one of them, and the servants don¡¯t like me because they think I¡¯ve betrayed them somehow. Maybe I have. It didn¡¯t bother me as much before because I had Garet. I suppose, over time, it would have started to bother me more, but now he¡¯s gone, it definitely does.¡±


    Have you reached a decision yet?


    Quilla stomped back over to the chaise longue, grabbed her wine, and brought it to her lips. She paused. Then, with a scream, she threw it at the wall. ¡°Fucking bastard!¡± The goblet shattered and wine splashed out, leaving a dripping red mark on the wall and a puddle of red on the floor.


    She stood there, breathing heavily for some time¡ªshe wasn¡¯t sure how long. Her heart beat loudly. Eventually, the doors opened again.


    Hello Quilla. It¡¯s been a long time.


    She closed her eyes and tried to think back to two nights ago. She remembered the wine. She remembered visiting Sinit?a. She remembered Ardon. And she remembered those words.


    Hello Quilla. It¡¯s been a long time.


    Then there were just images. His scar. Had he been rubbing it? Yes, he¡¯d rubbed it numerous times. Or was she just creating that image now to satisfy her desire to remember?


    Don¡¯t you dare!


    He had taken it. He must have.


    When you make up your mind, come find me at¡­

 Book 2, Chapter 9: An Unexpected Companion

    ¡°


    Meleng gave a slow nod. ¡°Of course. I won¡¯t tell a soul.¡± The worst part was, he would normally be fascinated by a conversation like this, but after several days of searching for a ship to take him and Jorvan to Isyaria, he was too exhausted. On top of that, the sound of heavy waves crashing into the pier was getting louder and the storm clouds above were getting darker. It was only a matter of time before the rain poured down to wash away yesterday¡¯s snow and drench everyone in its path, so he wanted this conversation to be as short and to the point as possible.


    ¡°Yes, two stops: Chithishtheny and Stroven. From there it¡¯s over the crown of the world and back to Corunglain. People say I¡¯m mad to make the journey in winter, but it¡¯s not nearly as bad as people think. The Isyar keep the way clear. They have to sail their own ships, you know. They may not have a large fleet, but they do have ships. No reason I shouldn¡¯t take advantage of their hard work as well.¡±


    ¡°Easily done.¡± Captain Gen fiddled with the papers, then lowered them again. ¡°I¡¯ll have my first mate do up the paperwork later. It¡¯s usually their job anyway. For now, let me show you the ship. Welcome to the Lustrous Rose!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s asking for payment,¡± the Captain said. ¡°No one travels on board without paying her fare.¡±


    Meleng didn¡¯t know much about sailing ships. This one was similar to the Silver Fish, the ship he¡¯d travelled to Scovese on. That had been a Porthaven Clipper, but Captain Gen called this one a caravel. As they crossed the deck, Gen proceeded to tell the ship¡¯s history, from when it had been commanded by his late mother, up to the present day.


    ¡°Have you been to Isyaria before?¡± Captain Gen asked. They were outside the guest cabin now.


    ¡°May I ask what your business is? Not many humans other than merchants like myself go there.¡±


    ¡°Your friend is an Isyar?¡± Captain Gen bent over a little and looked Meleng directly in the eye, his smile creasing the corners of this thin, deep-set eyes. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t be one of those air and water wizards Isyar use on their own ships, would he?¡±


    Captain Gen straightened up and clapped his hands together. ¡°Ha! I think we might be able to work out a special deal here. What do you say to twenty-five percent off your travel fare if your Isyar friend uses his magic to give us favourable winds for the journey?¡±


    ¡°Excellent! You¡¯d better get started then. I¡¯ll take you back up on deck. Oh yes, your cabin is right here.¡± He waved vaguely in the direction of the door. ¡°Now, this way. I¡¯ll have my people bring your supplies on board while you find your Isyar friend.¡± He walked away from the cabin and back the way they¡¯d come.


    Meleng hurried after him. A raindrop fell on his nose as he stepped onto the deck, but the full force of the coming rain was holding off for now. As he hurried down the gangplank, he was relieved to spot Jorvan already coming along the pier in his direction. As was typical whenever Jorvan went anywhere, people watched him as he passed. A few came close to him, some even reaching out to touch him. Jorvan ducked past them, contorting to avoid anyone touching his injured wing. It had reached the point where it looked healed on the surface, but it was still vulnerable.


    Captain Gen pushed his way between them, extending his hand to Jorvan. ¡°My friend, welcome! I am Captain Eti?nne Gen. No relation to King Gen of Stin. That stern-faced person there is my first mate, Miana Ting.¡± He indicated the short, dark-haired Singean crossing the gangplank towards them. ¡°Don¡¯t let them intimidate you.¡±


    ¡°As I told your friend, I have an offer for you. Twenty-five percent off your fare if you¡¯ll use your magic to give us good winds for the trip.¡±


    ¡°First, we must increase the number of passengers. My other friend here¡ª¡± Jorvan stopped and looked beside and behind him.


    ¡°No,¡± Jorvan said before the first mate could respond. ¡°That is part of my proposition. There must be no paperwork for this passenger. We will pay double the normal fare and I will provide you with the winds you ask for if you will ignore the paperwork for her and do one other thing.¡±


    Sinit?a tilted her head to the side with a shrug. ¡°Not exactly. It was her idea, but she also told me not to do it. She was a little drunk at the time. But can you guess what I thought of that she didn¡¯t?¡±


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    Captain Gen cleared his throat. He was looking at Sinit?a, though Meleng couldn¡¯t tell if he recognised her.


    ¡°We need to leave as soon as possible,¡± Jorvan said.


    The first mate touched Gen¡¯s arm. ¡°A word please, Captain.¡± They led him aside a short distance, though not far enough to hide their words. ¡°Captain, if these people are in some sort of trouble¡ª¡±


    While they talked, Sinit?a leaned over to Meleng and whispered, ¡°Do they know who I am?¡±


    ¡°One other thing first,¡± Gen said. ¡°My first mate has wisely suggested we should require at least half the payment up front. I agree with them. You understand, of course?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why Jorvan said we have to leave here soon. If we get away, they won¡¯t find us.¡±


    Sinit?a¡¯s head dropped lower. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll go back to the Palace if you don¡¯t want me to come. But I¡¯m tired of having to do what Annai tells me. I have to follow her around everywhere with Tianna and La?nne and her other stupid friends. All they do is make fun of me. They say I¡¯m a terrible singer, and they don¡¯t like my painting. Maybe I¡¯m a bad singer, but I know I¡¯m a good painter. I could be even better if Annai let me practise more. And I want to see the world. Mother says she needs to protect me from a world I won¡¯t understand, but I liked seeing Scovese, and I want to see other places. Like you and Felit?a.¡± Her face was wet, but it was difficult to tell if it was because of the rain or tears or both.


    Jorvan led Meleng down the dock out of earshot of Sinit?a. ¡°I understand your concerns, but I did not have the heart to turn her away. There will be danger, but she will find that danger no matter what we do. It is better we are there when she does. Plus, even though you have told me about her before, there is something you did not tell me because you could not have known. When I saw her, I recognised she has untapped potential that will never be fulfilled in the Palace.¡±


    Meleng looked over at Sinit?a again. ¡°Who?¡± Even if he were a better wizard, he couldn¡¯t teach her. She would never be able to handle the equations. She needed something more intuitive. Maybe Felit?a could teach her?


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right.¡± Meleng headed back to Sinit?a. ¡°You know this¡¯ll be dangerous, right?¡±


    He hugged her too. ¡°I just don¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s betraying Felit?a. She offered to tell Annai all Felit?a¡¯s secrets.¡±


    Jorvan shook his head. ¡°Not until now. I have doubted Zandrue in the past, but she has shown herself to be of good heart. She and Felit?a are close. I find it hard to believe she would betray her.¡±


    Sinit?a nodded as she worked at untying a long, slender wooden case. ¡°And clothes. I¡¯ve got canvas, paints, an easel, brushes...other things.¡± She lifted the case away from the packs. ¡°Tell them to be careful with this.¡±


    Meleng took it from her. It was heavy, made of a fine wood he didn¡¯t recognise. It had a golden lock and hinges. There was an etched bear¡¯s head on the lid. ¡°What is it? Special brushes?¡±


    Sinit?a shook her head, and took a moment to retrieve a small gold key from the folds of her gown. She unlocked the case. Inside lay a slender sword with gold filigree etched into the hilt and a bear¡¯s head engraved on the pommel.


    ¡°I know, but I¡¯m sure everything¡¯s fine. I didn¡¯t know you had a sword. Can you use it?¡±


    Meleng handed the case back to her. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. At any rate, you should hide this in one of the other bags or cover it with something. It could give you away.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± It was long, but there had been a lot to cover. But he also had a tendency to ramble when he wrote. He should probably work on that.


    ¡°Another one?¡± She¡¯d given him one on Scovese as well. He appreciated the gifts, but it was difficult to pack paintings and keep them undamaged while travelling.

 Book 2, Chapter 10: Annai (Part 1)

    ¡°I swear to you, your Highness. I haven¡¯t seen her.¡± Sinit?a sneaking off was a good thing and a bad thing. Zandrue still needed to talk to her, but she also didn¡¯t need Annai¡¯s anger right now.


    Shit, did Annai know Zandrue and Rudiger were staying in Felit?a¡¯s apartments? If not, how would she react? Rudiger probably wasn¡¯t there anyway. ¡°He might be in the stables with his horse.¡±


    Zandrue curtsied again and took the lead as thunder rumbled overhead. They were on the far side of the Palace from the stables, so it would take a few minutes to get there. A chance to engage Annai in conversation, maybe? Perhaps the Princess¡¯s agitated state might make her more open to discussion.


    ¡°But she doesn¡¯t understand. She has the mind of a child. There are so many things she doesn¡¯t understand¡ªcan¡¯t understand. Without me looking out for her, I don¡¯t know what she¡¯d do.¡±


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    was a long shot, your Highness, though it¡¯s still possible Princess Sinit?a is with him. They¡¯re just some place else. Perhaps we could try¡ª¡±


    They wanted to kill me, not you, Zandrue thought. She put an arm around Annai and held her tight. ¡°It¡¯s all right now. You¡¯re going to be okay.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 10: Annai (Part 2)

    ¡°how this happened!¡±


    Someone set them on the scent. Someone sent them to kill my sister! How can you not know?¡± The Prince screamed the final words and the handlers prostrated themselves fully to the floor, their faces in the dirt.


    sister¡¯s life.¡± Zandrue let go of Annai, but couldn¡¯t quite extract herself from the Princess¡¯s grip to stand up.


    They were after me then, not you, Zandrue thought. And they were still after me when they attacked. Except that didn¡¯t make sense. Once she¡¯d left the kennels, they should have calmed down. They would have no reason to chase after her.


    Or me.


    have you been doing?¡±


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    was surprised it had taken this long for Moustache Man to bring it up, though.


    Moustache Man shook his head. ¡°Better to ensure no one finds the trail for the missing princess.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 11: Ramifications (Part 1)

    Quilla sighed. The worst part was, the Queen wouldn¡¯t be wrong to blame her. It was her fault. She had suggested it. Sure, she¡¯d tried to take it back and Sinit?a had seemed to agree, but Quilla knew it must have planted a seed in Sinit?a¡¯s head, one that grew over the next couple days. Yet another reason she shouldn¡¯t have drunk so much that first night.


    The doors swung open and Princess Annai ran through the room in tears and out the opposite doors, slamming them behind her. One of the guards closed the doors she¡¯d come through, just in time to dampen more screams from the Queen.


    Sinit?a had said she was going to do a painting of Garet. What would happen to that now? Was anybody else going to do anything for Garet¡¯s funeral? Was Quilla even right to be so obsessed over it?


    The doors opened again, and this time, the Queen stormed out. Quilla braced herself, but the Queen never even looked in her direction. She stormed across the room and out the same doors Annai had left through, though she let the guards close them instead of slamming them herself.


    Quilla looked back at Zandrue, whose gaze had turned back towards the doors they were seated by. The King was standing just beyond the doors, looking into the room. Behind him stood Captain DeSelo?n and two Kingsguard. He scratched his beard, breathed deeply, and stepped into the room.


    ¡°With respect, your Majesty,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°Felit?a¡¯s not here.¡±


    The King glared at Zandrue. His lips quivered, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he strode past her, Rudiger, and Quilla. He walked over to a desk by the wall and began fiddling with a potted plant there. After several moments, he spoke, ¡°These last few days have been...I don¡¯t even know how to describe it. You¡¯d think I¡¯d be used to tragedy by now.¡±


    The King shook his head. ¡°I wish that were true. My wife believes it was to save your own life.¡±


    The King held up his hand. ¡°I know none of you hold much respect for her, but believe me, she is my rock. I may not always agree with everything she says or does, but without her, this country would be in a shambles under the reign of Wavon the Incompetent. I deserve many of those names I¡¯m called, you know. So even if she may sometimes go over the top in matters of family, I think the overall trade-off is more than worth it. And that¡¯s where we get to Felit?a. I love my daughter. I adore her. But I must confess, I do not really know her, and I most definitely do not understand her. Cerus and Ardon have been passionate in their defence of her, but there is no changing what she did. She started a war.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt the Volgs wanted to start this war,¡± the King said. ¡°None of us doubt that. But that¡¯s beside the point. Felit?a gave them the reason they needed. She gave them a way to claim we were responsible. If she had stayed out of it, they would have had to find another reason. Their hypocrisies might have been exposed, and more importantly, Arnor could not be blamed.¡±


    ¡°To find Rudiger, your Majesty, in case Princess Sinit?a had gone to him or he had seen her.¡±


    The King crossed his arms. ¡°I see, and did you truly believe you would find her there?¡±


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    Quilla tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry. Zandrue was staring at her with narrowed eyes. Blame me, Felit?a had said. Well, that advice could be taken further. ¡°Meleng sent her a letter, your Majesty. I delivered it to her. I don¡¯t know what was in the letter, and I¡¯m only guessing, but maybe¡­¡±


    Quilla bit her lip. Would he see right through her if she told him anything other than the truth?


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°I find it hard to believe Meleng would ask her to come to him, but if he did, he¡¯d know we would be able to tell you his location. So he¡¯d go somewhere else to meet her.¡±


    ¡°No, your Majesty. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say Beldrum. It¡¯s relatively close and would be easy for Sinit?a to get to. However, Meleng¡¯s smart. He¡¯ll have anticipated anything we might guess.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t think it would harm? Sinit?a is now travelling on her own because you didn¡¯t think. She has no idea what the world at large can be like. She is too trusting by far. If any harm comes to her¡­¡± He paused, his lips trembling, face reddening. He turned away from her.


    The King rounded on Zandrue. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t need to. If he so much as mentioned where he is, it might have been enough to put the idea in her mind, whether he intended it or not. You tell me he is smart, but clearly he is not too bright in these matters.¡±


    ¡°There is another possibility, your Majesty,¡± Zandrue said.


    And then the King strode from the room, servants opening the doors for him as he approached. The Kingsguard and a train of courtiers followed him. DeSelo?n was the last to leave. He gave a slight nod to Quilla, Rudiger, and Zandrue before he stepped through. A servant closed the doors behind him. Only two Palace guards and that one servant remained in the room with them.


    Zandrue glared at her and then over at the single servant by the door in this room. ¡°Not here!¡± she hissed. She pulled away from Quilla, continued across the room, and out the next door. A befuddled-looking Rudiger followed her.


    ¡°Because he would never believe it. Nobody goes to Beldrum! The best way to make a lie believable is to make it mostly true. So I said Porthaven and gave a reason for them to redirect to Beldrum. That¡¯s the best I could do.¡±


    ¡°You brought Meleng into this Quilla. You told the King about the letter. After that, I was just trying to cover for you because I¡¯m a hell of a better liar than you. Hell, for all I know, Meleng really did tell Sinit?a to come to him in his little love letter.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have to be interested in her physically to care for her and want to see her. But yeah, I don¡¯t really believe he did that. But something put the idea in her head, and one thing I can be certain of is she¡¯s gone to find him, so where does that leave us? Felit?a told you to blame her, remember?¡±


    Zandrue pulled away from his touch, but half raised her hands. ¡°Look, there¡¯s a number of ways things can go, and Meleng is safe in most of them. He and Jorvan might have already left before Sinit?a could get to them, and she¡¯ll still be in Arnor City. Or she caught up to them, and they¡¯re on their way to Isyaria, which is a destination nobody here is likely to think of if we never mention it. And other possibilities. And if they are caught, we¡¯ll just have to trust Meleng to take care of himself. He¡¯s a big boy now, you know, and he has Jorvan with him.¡± Zandrue paused and took a deep breath. ¡°Now, if I¡¯m going to continue to convince Annai I¡¯m her friend, I need to go comfort her now that she¡¯s been screamed at by her mother.¡± She backed away a couple steps, then turned and stormed away.


    Rudiger backed a couple steps away, then followed Zandrue, though more calmly.


    Quilla stood there awhile. ¡°Fuck!¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 11: Ramifications (Part 2)

    ¡°The main thing is to make certain he stays still as much as possible.¡±


    Like I can move much in this tiny stall.


    Pheh. I don¡¯t need those hacks watching over me.


    Oh no, it isn¡¯t.


    ¡°Trust me,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°Added observation¡¯ll make him more likely to move about. Don¡¯t worry, he understands his situation and is too vain to risk what proud flesh will do to his appearance.¡±


    The veterinarian shook his head. ¡°Vain he may be, but I¡¯m afraid you horse owners often ascribe greater intelligence to your animals than they actually have. Believe me, he doesn¡¯t understand, and is likely to move about, especially if the wounds start to itch. He will be monitored. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I have to check on the dogs.¡±


    Can I bite him?


    No. Rudiger patted the veterinarian¡¯s arm. ¡°I understand. Thank you.¡±


    It wouldn¡¯t have been a hard bite. Just enough to show him I meant business.


    No you won¡¯t, Borisin said and laughed¡ªwhich came out as a series of short snorts.


    Gonna have some ugly scars, buddy, Rudiger said.


    Nah, nothing can spoil my natural allure. A few extra scars just add to the appeal. I could use a brushing though. My tail feels like it¡¯s full of tangles. My mane too.


    Of course I am.


    His tail and mane could use a good brushing. Give me a moment. He placed his hand on top of the horse¡¯s head, between the ears. I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re okay, buddy. ¡°Hang, can you grab me a brush?¡±


    You¡¯ve never been good at paying attention to your surroundings.


    You could have warned me.


    Nah, funnier this way.


    Rudiger straightened up. ¡°Of course, your Highness.¡± Let him.


    Do I have to? He wanted to have me put down after the fight.


    Yes, Rudiger said.


    Rudiger groaned. ¡°Sorry, your Highness. He¡¯s a bit grumpy at the moment. Probably pain from the wounds.¡± I said let him!


    You¡¯re no fun.


    Malef took a handkerchief from his pocket and began wiping his jerkin. ¡°Think nothing of it. I¡¯ve been around many horses in my time. They can be stubborn beasts, and they refuse to recognise things like rank and class.¡± The Prince looked at Rudiger and smiled. There was a bit of phlegm clinging to his bushy moustache. ¡°I¡¯ll live with the indignity.¡±


    I think it¡¯s pretty hilarious. The least he deserved for wanting me dead!


    Yeah? So why did you order me put down?


    You tell him, whoever you are!


    No! No, you do not understand! This guy wanted to kill me! Borisin snorted, spraying more spittle onto the Prince¡¯s sleeve.


    I can still stick my head over and get him again, you know.


    ¡°This degenerate is Nedwin Friaz.¡± Despite Malef¡¯s words, both he and Nedwin were grinning.


    Once again, Rudiger performed the greeting routine. ¡°I¡¯m honoured, your Highnesses, my Lord.¡± He hadn¡¯t expected meeting the princes to go so well. It bothered him Hang was being ignored, though.


    ¡°This lord, as you call him, Rudiger, always seems to be where my brother is.¡± Malef slapped Nedwin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We can¡¯t seem to get rid of him.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Nedwin put an arm around Pastrin¡¯s shoulders. He was considerably taller, so it was more like he put his arm over Pastrin¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m his best friend, aren¡¯t I, Pastrin?¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Malef spun around and put an arm around Rudiger. ¡°That¡¯s what they call it. Best friends.¡± He chuckled and leaned in conspiratorially at Rudiger. ¡°They¡¯re not fooling anyone, least of all the Queen¡ªor your cousin, Ned.¡±


    Don¡¯t even think of putting your arm around me.


    Borisin snorted again, but didn¡¯t hit the Prince. I am getting really tired of this sucking up to royalty. Do not expect me to let him ride me!


    The singing from the other side of the door was clear even before Zandrue reached it. It wasn¡¯t very good singing. The singer¡ªwhoever it was¡ªhad a breathy quality to her voice. Not surprisingly, she was taking a lot of breaths. She was not in tune with the harpsichord, either.


    Zandrue waited for the song to end. She adjusted the thin silver necklace she was wearing so that its bear ornament rested just above her breasts. Her hands went to her ears, which still ached. She stopped just short of touching the light earrings in her newly pierced lobes. Ebry had cautioned her not to touch them for a while. She wasn¡¯t used to wearing earrings. They were too much of a hazard in a scrape, particularly if they dangled, which these did a little. Gods, she hoped she didn¡¯t get an infection.


    A round of light applause and cheers signalled the conclusion of the song, and Zandrue nodded to the attendant at the door to let her in.


    Annai leaned in a little again. ¡°She¡¯s a darling, but a little dim.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t want to hear me sing, not after Tianna¡¯s wonderful performance.¡± While Tianna¡¯s performance hadn¡¯t been very good, Zandrue couldn¡¯t remember the last time she¡¯d sung anything without being drunk at the same time. Her own abilities didn¡¯t rate very high.


    ¡°Do you know The Hallows of Aust?¡± La?nne played a small bit of melody on the harpsichord.


    ¡°How about The Flower and the Earl?¡± Again, La?nne played a bit of melody.


    ¡°That sounds familiar,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°But I know it as The Princess and the Squirrel.¡±


    She turned and addressed the small audience. ¡°I will perform next. I will be singing The Rage of Martan. La?nne, I hope you¡¯ve been practising.¡±


    Annai looked back at her, and Zandrue extended her arms and clapped with even more vigour. ¡°I had no idea you could sing so well, your Highness! It was truly astonishing!¡± It helped that Annai actually was a good singer.

 Book 2, Chapter 11: Ramifications (Part 3)

    Ebry was carrying a tray with a pitcher of wine and two cups when Edmon opened the door for Zandrue and let her into the salon. Ebry gave a low curtsy while not sloshing any of the wine. Zandrue was impressed. She wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d be able to do that even if she were sober.


    Ebry curtsied again.


    After the concert in the afternoon, she had gone with Annai, Tianna, and La?nne back to Annai¡¯s apartments, where they had sung The Princess and the Squirrel together, as well as numerous other even more risqu¨¦ songs¡ªand they¡¯d drunk quite a bit of wine. It had been a great opportunity to loosen up. Even Tianna had loosened up a little.


    Unfortunately, that loosening up was not good for climbing narrow, winding stairs with trays full of wine. Every step she took caused the wine to slosh over the edge of the pitcher. The tray ended up with a significant puddle of wine on it. She hoped his Grace wasn¡¯t offended¡ªor maybe she hoped he was offended. That might even be funny.


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    He was good. Though why did he suspect it? Shit, did he know she wasn¡¯t human? Fuck, that would be bad. What could she do to put him off the scent? Oh, scent. She didn¡¯t have his scent yet. Maybe she should get that. Damn, the wine was taking over again.


    You do suspect, don¡¯t you, you old dog? Well, she wasn¡¯t going to give him the satisfaction of being proved right. ¡°Do you think it might have been Dyle or other Darkers he might have with him?¡±


    ¡°He is?¡± Shit, she shouldn¡¯t have said that. Gods, Ardon was going to be a problem. He¡¯d planned this meeting knowing full well she would have been drinking.

 Book 2, Chapter 12: Rain, Ice, and Sheep (Part 1)

    Lustrous Rose. Then the rain had stopped, and they¡¯d decided to explore the town, only for the rain to start again. They should have just stayed on the ship.


    Jorvan looked up. He said something, but it wasn¡¯t loud enough for the sound to carry.


    are here for me.¡±


    Thankfully, Beldrum wasn¡¯t a big place. It was a quick and easy trip back to the docks and the Lustrous Rose. However, as the docks came into view, Meleng slowed to a stop.


    The cold rain was starting to penetrate his heavy cloak, soaking the rest of his clothes. Sinit?a shivered against him. No doubt, she was getting soaked through as well. Her cloak was lighter and not really designed for this weather. Unfortunately, while she had tried to pack appropriately, her inexperience with travelling outside the Palace meant her choices had not been the best ones. Her cloak¡¯s hood barely covered her head and it didn¡¯t cover her face. Her hair hung in clumps at the side of her face, water dripping off them, as well as down her face. They probably should have bought some warmer clothes for her while they were here. She¡¯d need them in Isyaria. There wasn¡¯t much chance they¡¯d get to do any shopping now.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Lustrous Rose was clearly visible from where Meleng and Sinit?a were at the south end, but it was still some ways down nearer the north end.


    Lustrous Rose would need de-icing too, and that could take awhile. And the longer it sat in the harbour, the more chance the soldiers might find them. Maybe Jorvan could help there.


    Fun was not the word Meleng would have chosen.


    Lustrous Rose was just ahead now.


    could they do? They needed a distraction of some sort. But what?


    I¡¯ll take care of everything else. That was a bold claim, and he wasn¡¯t sure he could live up to it.


    Lustrous Rose.


    Gods, he hoped no one had seen him do that, especially the soldiers.


    Miana Ting, the ship¡¯s first mate was standing with Sinit?a. Although Ting¡¯s black hair was drenched through as were their surprisingly light clothes, they didn¡¯t seem to notice the weather. Instead, they just directed Sinit?a towards the ladder below deck. Meleng followed.


    Sinit?a put her arms around Jeanne, heaved, and picked her up. She hugged the dog against her chest and started towards the cabin. Jeanne just stared about without an apparent concern in the world.


    We didn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    possible destination that¡¯s easy to get to from Arnor City. They might have just been checking it to be thorough. We just got unlucky.¡±


    They were silent for a short while after that.

 Book 2, Chapter 12: Rain, Ice, and Sheep (Part 2)

    ¡°There is a small group of soldiers representing Lord Sildane on deck,¡± they had told him. ¡°They are searching for the Princess Sinit?a, who has apparently disappeared. Captain Gen is trying to reassure them that she is not here, but they wish to search the ship anyway. Please return to your cabin and watch over the young woman who is most certainly not Princess Sinit?a, yes?¡±


    Ting shook their head. ¡°Leave the dog.¡±


    Ting frowned at the ribbons in the dog¡¯s hair, then headed down the passageway. They led the way through the ship. ¡°The Captain will ascend on the bow side, so we will descend on the stern.¡±


    As Ting turned to leave, Meleng touched their arm.


    Ting stopped and looked back at him. They gave him a stare that made them look a foot or more taller than they really were. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°First Mate Ting says they have everything under control. I hope they¡¯re right.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Jorvan raised his hand and twirled his forefinger in a small circle. A tiny funnel of air formed in the path of his finger. After a moment, he pulled his finger back from the air funnel and used his palm to give the funnel a little push. It flew around the boxes, while Jorvan continued to make small motions with his hand and arm.


    The passed a couple of crewmembers who ushered them along. When they reached their cabin, they found Ting there. They put a finger over their lips, ushered the group inside, and closed the door.


    The door opened and Ting looked in. ¡°Shush.¡± Then they shut the door again.

 Book 2, Chapter 13: Homecoming (Part 1)

    It was funny how it was possible to live in a city for years and rarely, if ever, see some parts of it. The docks of Quorge were like that. Years of growing up in the city, and Felit?a could count the number of times she¡¯d been to the docks on one hand. There just hadn¡¯t been any call to go down there. Trips to purchase fish had taken her near the docks and, sitting in her favourite spot on the beach outside the city, she had certainly seen the docks, but actually going there was a rare event.


    There was an occasion with Zandrue and Drummor. It had been one of those random things Zandrue was prone to. She had wanted to see the ships, so they¡¯d gone. Zandrue and Drummor didn¡¯t look much at the ships, as they were too busy staring at each other, unable to keep their hands off each other. Felit?a dawdled along behind them, not paying much attention to the ships either. She was too worried Elderaan might slip and fall in her absence, or overcharge customers in his ageing distraction.


    Was that a good or bad thing? It was hard to tell.


    A snowflake floated past her face, and a few more. Now that was more like the Quorge she remembered. She¡¯d spent so much of this year in the south, most of it during the hottest months, there was a certain irony in returning to Quorge just as winter was stirring up. Even Dorg was far enough south that it had still been reasonably warm there, so they would not be getting much chance to ease themselves into winter.


    The docks had so much more open space than the rest of Quorge. The streets of the city were narrow and, combined with the close-packed buildings, it made each street seem isolated from all the others. It wasn¡¯t possible to see much of the city from any given location. Rejoining that sense of isolation as they left the docks brought with it the feeling of home Felit?a hadn¡¯t felt at the docks. She remained unsure if that was a good or bad thing.


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    Felit?a.


    Nin-Akna sighed. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re both overtired.¡± But annoyance didn¡¯t stop flowing from her.


    Felit?a.


    Felit?a.


    There was a long line-up at the well where she used to collect water¡ªnot an unusual thing. Quorge only had a small number of wells for a large population, and so long queues were common. Numerous eyes turned to look at Felit?a and the others as they passed. Felit?a tried not to look at them as they passed, but that didn¡¯t stop the feelings of recognition coming through. She could have easily pushed those feelings away, blocked them from her mind entirely. However, as scared as she was of knowing what people thought, she was just as scared of not knowing.


    Felit?a.


    Felit?a.


    Felit?a.


    Felit?a, you must listen to me.


    ¡°That¡¯s...significant, I guess,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°How did it happen?¡±


    Felit?a¡¯s thoughts drifted back thirteen years. Standing in line. Waiting. ¡°It just...happened. I didn¡¯t do anything. I just heard voices. People around me talking. Except they weren¡¯t talking. It was their thoughts. They were so loud that day. I could hear everything in crystal clarity.¡±


    Felit?a, you must listen to me.


    She is powerful indeed if she can see us in this place.


    Felit?a, you must listen to me.

 Book 2, Chapter 13: Homecoming (Part 2)

    The warmth inside was pleasant, but it wasn¡¯t the only thing comforting about Agernon¡¯s home. It was the familiarity. So little had changed since she¡¯d first seen it as a girl. The same two chairs sat in the middle of the room by the same table, on which sat the battered deck of cards he and Elderaan had always used for their games. The vase of spills still stood on the mantle over the fireplace.


    was starting to show his age. Agernon had been old as long as Felit?a could remember, but he had never seemed to get any older. But it seemed time was finally catching up to him. His jowls sagged more than she remembered.


    that. And that.¡± He pointed his cane at Lon, who was now on her shoulder, and then at Nesh, still clinging to her arm.


    two in.¡±


    Agernon sat back in his chair. ¡°Fine. What¡¯s this Staff of Sestis then?¡±


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    Felit?a sighed. ¡°He definitely did it on purpose. If I weren¡¯t so tired, I wouldn¡¯t have fallen for it.¡±


    Felit?a!


    Felit?a!


    FELIT?A!


    FELIT?A! FELIT?A!


    That was elementalism.¡± Another zap. ¡°That¡¯s conjuration.¡± Zap. ¡°Another one I don¡¯t recognise.¡± He removed his hands again. ¡°You say you found this in the basement of a temple?¡±


    Felit?a!


    Felit?a!


    FELIT?A!


    FELIT?AFELIT?AFELIT?AFELIT?AFELIT?AFELIT?AFELIT?AFELIT?AFELIT?AFELIT?A!

 Book 2, Chapter 13: Homecoming (Part 3)

    Where am I?


    Does it matter?


    It matters.


    She is here with us.


    The most beautiful woman.


    She is powerful indeed if she can see us in this place.


    Where were they talking?


    Felit?a, you must listen to me.


    I am listening to you. I¡¯ve been listening to you for ages, but you never say anything.


    then.


    The most beautiful woman.


    Felit?a, you must listen to me. You will soon forget this, but you must remember.


    Felit?a.


    I don¡¯t understand. Had she said that at the time? She must have.


    Felit?a!


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    am the escort,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    needed to do.

 Book 2, Chapter 13: Homecoming (Part 4)

    Felit?a didn¡¯t want to disturb the young woman any further, so waited a few moments to make sure Nin-Akna had fallen back asleep. She could easily cast a spell to mask any sounds from waking Nin-Akna, but this was a good moment to practise alternative casting methods. Ever since she¡¯d had her fingers broken, she¡¯d realised how over-reliant she was on her hands and fingers for spellcasting.


    The result took a lot more energy than casting it her usual way. She felt a little like she was fourteen again, when every spell was awkward and drained more of her energy than it needed to.


    quite like when she was fourteen when it would have used all her energy. She still had loads left. But it had been a strain, and she definitely needed more practice. She headed out of the inn.


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    A stocky figure was standing in the shadows down the road. Whoever it was ducked into an alley.


    was following her.


    Felit?a.

 Book 2, Chapter 14: Night Terrors

    The dreams were better tonight. Not perfect, but better. Akna was having a very pleasant dream with Chica, Meleng, and the cute stable girl from Lord Padara¡¯s stables when Felit?a woke her up talking to the rats. Felit?a talking to her rats was not an unusual thing¡ªshe did it a lot¡ªso Akna was more than happy to go right back to sleep and hopefully rejoin the dream.


    It worked¡ªsort of. Of course, shortly after, the stable girl turned out to be Ses-Tlacotl in disguise and killed Chica and Meleng. Akna awoke with a gasp. So much for a night without nightmares.


    There was a more pressing matter now though. Felit?a was gone.


    They had both hoped, with the Staff at Agernon¡¯s and well out of its telepathic range, Felit?a would sleep better. That apparently wasn¡¯t the case. When she couldn¡¯t sleep, Felit?a responded in only a few ways. She¡¯d talk to her rats, try to study the Secrets, or go for a walk. On the ship upriver and even before that, there hadn¡¯t been far she could go. Here in Quorge, though¡­


    Akna groaned and cursed herself for not noticing Felit?a leave. She should have at least inquired more when she¡¯d woken briefly. But besides that, she should have heard Felit?a moving about. She was trained to have alert senses, even asleep. She hadn¡¯t been at her best recently, but even so, she should have noticed something. Felit?a couldn¡¯t have just stood up and walked out. She would have needed to dress first. There was no way she could have done all that without Akna hearing.


    The answer was obvious: Felit?a had used magic. She had used some sort of spell to keep Akna asleep, or to hide the sounds she made, or something similar. Typical Felit?a.


    Akna smiled back. Perhaps the nightmares really were being a little better tonight. At the very least, they were taking more time. She could go back to sleep. Felit?a could take care of herself.


    I miss you, Akna said.


    Then find me.


    But you¡¯re dead, Chica.


    Please, Akna, hurry. I need your help now!


    Akna opened her eyes and sat up. Fuck it, she was going after Felit?a. While Felit?a might be able to take care of herself, she could still be surprised, and if she was doing what Akna suspected she was doing, sneaking up on her would be easy. She might need the help, and Akna could provide that help.


    She dressed and gathered her things as fast as she could. She reached for a spear, but put it right back. Carrying a spear openly would probably draw attention from the Watch, and she didn¡¯t want that. Daggers would have to be enough. She took three.


    The shawl Felit?a had lent her was another matter. It would restrict her movements in a fight, but like Felit?a had said, she could always toss it aside if she needed to. It would only slow her down a little, and it was blasted cold outside.


    It was a dark night. Clouds obscured the moon, and it was even colder than it had been earlier. It had stopped snowing though, and one good thing about snow that didn¡¯t melt was it kept the tracks of whatever passed over it, provided more snow didn¡¯t fall. A lot of people had passed over it, which wasn¡¯t surprising given Quorge¡¯s size. However, Felit?a¡¯s would be amongst the fresher tracks. Following her shouldn¡¯t be too difficult, especially as Akna had a good idea where Felit?a had gone.


    Akna was trained in tracking, but it had been in forest and other wilderness areas, not Arnorin cities. Apart from the snow, there was little to give any indication of passage. Plus, while the streets appeared mostly empty, there were more people out at night than Akna would have expected, making it difficult to determine which tracks were Felit?a¡¯s. She also didn¡¯t remember the city¡¯s layout as well as she¡¯d thought. Finding her way back to the square with the well took much longer than she¡¯d expected.


    She turned in a slow circle, looking down each of the several streets and alleys running off from the square. Despite the cloud cover, it was surprisingly bright out for the middle of the night. It had taken her awhile earlier to realise what caused it: the snow. Although the moon was behind the clouds, some of its light made it through and the snow was reflecting that light back. It was something she never would have expected of snow, but in retrospect it made sense. It was actually rather beautiful.


    It wasn¡¯t helping her find Felit?a, though. None of the streets heading away from the square looked any more likely to be the right direction than any of the others. All she could do was pick one at random. But searching randomly in a place as big as Quorge wasn¡¯t likely to achieve anything.


    She should go back. For all she knew, Felit?a was already back anyway.


    Akna.


    Akna.


    Akna.


    Akna looked around. ¡°Is someone there?¡±


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    ¡°In the middle of the night?¡± the other asked. They both stopped in front of her, separating a little so that they were almost flanking her.


    Her tattoos again, no doubt. And her skin colour.


    ¡°You¡¯re alive. I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re alive. I saw you die. Oh gods, you¡¯re alive. Don¡¯t ever leave me again!¡± She buried her head on Chica¡¯s shoulder and sobbed.


    Akna was a good three inches taller than Chica. She couldn¡¯t bury her head on Chica¡¯s shoulder without bending over. This person was as much taller than Akna as Akna was taller than Chica.


    ¡°Nin-Akna? Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°You...you looked like¡­¡± Akna turned away, stared at the ground. What had she just done?


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Or will be. And no, I didn¡¯t see who it was. It was back this way, though.¡± She pointed.


    But why would Felit?a try to make her believe she¡¯d seen Chica? She¡¯d used magic earlier. Yet there was a big difference between sneaking out of an inn and making it look like Akna¡¯s closest friend in the world was still alive. It didn¡¯t make any sense; it served no purpose. No, Felit?a wouldn¡¯t do that.


    Akna had been experiencing these nightmares for so long now. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Chica. Perhaps it was inevitable she would start seeing Chica when her eyes were open, too.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Felit?a asked. ¡°Not with the Watch. I mean when I arrived.¡±


    Akna licked her lips and looked everywhere except at Felit?a. ¡°I...I thought I saw Chica¡ªNin-Chicahua. The one you knew as Nin-Xoco. I...I don¡¯t know why.¡±


    ¡°When you called me,¡± Akna said and paused. She wasn¡¯t sure she should bring this up, especially since it could have been her imagination. ¡°When you first arrived, did you call out to me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Everything¡¯s weird tonight anyway. Can I ask one favour though?¡±


    Oh well, a problem for another time.


    They reached the inn and changed for bed. When Akna closed her eyes this time, she didn¡¯t see Chica¡¯s face exploding in blood, bone, and viscera. Instead, she saw Chica standing on a snow-swept street, long hair blowing in the wind.


    Akna! Come to me, please! I need you!


    Find me.


    Akna looked over at Felit?a, who was lying in bed, eyes open and starting at the ceiling. She thought of saying something, then decided against it.


    Please, Akna!


    Find me.

 Book 2, Chapter 15: Getaway (Part 1)

    The bunk was shaking. It did that whenever the ship was rocking in just the right direction and frequency. It wasn¡¯t helping Meleng sleep.


    But no. She¡¯d made her decision¡ªprobably not as informed a decision as would be ideal, but she¡¯d made it, and he had agreed to her coming along. There was no changing that now. The betrayal might destroy her as much as what lay ahead if she came along. So that was it. Her course was set.


    Thinking of courses, the Lustrous Rose was due to sail out today. The crew had finished de-icing yesterday, helped by sunny, slightly warmer weather. At least, so he¡¯d been told. He, Sinit?a, and Jorvan had spent the day below deck. The only remaining problem was that the local forces were still watching the ship. According to Gen and Ting, there were soldiers all along the pier, but with more concentrated near the gangplanks onto the Lustrous Rose. There was also a trebuchet pointed in the ship¡¯s direction, albeit unloaded at this time. However, Gen remained confident they would be able to leave without incident. As long as they did nothing to draw attention and behaved like any other ship in the harbour.


    Ting shook their head. ¡°You¡¯ll just be in the way. Let us handle this.¡±


    The ship had only pulled a few yards away from the pier. Already, two heavy grapples were hooked over each rail, each attached to a thick rope soldiers on the pier had tied to the heavy posts. Two crew members were at each grapple, one trying to release the grapple itself while the other tried to saw through the rope. As he watched, a third grapple connected with the rail.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Meleng ran over to the new one first, since there was no crew already there¡ªthough a couple were approaching it when he got there. He waved at them. ¡°It¡¯s all right. I¡¯ve got this. Stand back.¡±


    Wind was whipping up. It was blowing through Meleng¡¯s hair and ruffling through his clothes. It was making it colder, but the sails were filling out and the Lustrous Rose¡¯s speed was picking up.


    There was nothing Meleng could do about it. Not that he could think of, at any rate. It was too far away. He could strengthen the deck or hull, but not without knowing where it would hit. It would take far too long to strengthen everywhere.


    Meleng looked about, at the sailors continuing their duties, at Ting standing midship and watching over what the crew was doing, back to the pier where the soldiers had recovered and finished readying the trebuchet.

 Book 2, Chapter 15: Getaway (Part 2)

    He paused only momentarily at the scene on deck. A giant funnel of water spun between two other ships¡ªmilitary ships maybe¡ªto the starboard side of the Lustrous Rose. The two ships were each heeling heavily to opposite sides. The Lustrous Rose was turning towards port and gaining speed.


    ¡°Sinit?a!¡± Gods, what if she had been there?


    They stood there and watched as the Lustrous Rose made it farther out to sea. After a while, the funnel stopped spinning and the water collapsed back into the sea. Shortly after, Jorvan flew back over the Lustrous Rose. The wind picked up and the sails filled out more.


    Meleng sighed. ¡°I know, but please just be careful.¡±


    They descended below deck to their cabin. Once there, Sinit?a flung herself onto her bunk. Jorvan sat on the edge of his and Meleng sat beside him. The Isyar slumped forward, hanging his head low and breathing heavily. Meleng figured he should climb up to his own bunk and let Jorvan rest. After all, he was pretty exhausted too. It was still early, but with his lack of sleep during the night and all the excitement just now, Meleng was certain that if he lay down, he¡¯d fall asleep instantly. However, Jorvan¡¯s wing was still twitching constantly.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Meleng felt gently along one of the leather-like flaps, then along one of the delicate bones. Despite the lightness of his touch, Jorvan flinched. The entire wing trembled, and Meleng withdrew his hand. At several of the joints, the normally grey skin had taken on a pale pinkish-red colour. Where the bone had broken, it was a much darker, dull red. Meleng reached out again, trying to touch the wing with even less pressure than before. Jorvan flinched again, but this time kept his wing under control. The bones were so fragile.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I know there hasn¡¯t been much other choice. Just be careful, okay?¡±


    Meleng finished stitching the wing, then sat beside Jorvan again. They sat in silence for a while, Meleng watching Sinit?a sleep.


    Meleng chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s not very specific. What was it like with you and your...fomase? Is that the correct word?¡±


    ¡°It is, but it is pronounced fomase.¡±


    ¡°We just knew. Isyar just know. When the bond forms, we gain an empathic link. We can almost feel each other¡¯s senses. There is no denying the bond the way some humans deny the attraction they have to each other.¡±


    The ship was on its way at last¡ªtruly on its way to their destination. He was taking a risk doing this, returning to Isyaria with his elispt not even half complete. It would only be a brief deferment; he would not be in Isyaria long. That was what he had been telling himself, and what he would tell his diare. He was confident Davorultumn would accept the explanation, although he would be unhappy about it. Yet there was the possibility he would not. Jorvanultumn was risking great shame.


    What he was doing was necessary. He was convinced of that, and there was no way he was going to change his mind. Yet he could not avoid the worry he would not be able to convince Mikranasta to return with him to Quorge to help Felit?a, and thus he would have broken his elispt for nothing but a fruitless endeavour. He would have disappointed Fevionawishtensen without accomplishing anything.


    Then there was Sinit?a. He looked over at her, the soft glow around her flickering as she slept. It was not that unusual to see humans with magical talent. About a quarter of them had it, and most went untrained. However, with most, their glow was faint enough that it was barely noticeable and easily ignored. In Sinit?a¡¯s case, the glow was too strong to ignore. He had never before seen a human with so much raw talent. Not even Felit?a had as much and Felit?a had more than any other human he had previously seen. Sinit?a¡¯s talent exceeded even his own. It approached the level of Chiansamorkin¡¯s, one of the most powerful¡ªin raw talent¡ªIsyar Jorvanultumn knew.


    Normally, untrained humans with talent would never know of it. At Sinit?a¡¯s strength, however, the possibility existed of accidentally tapping into it without realising. She could burn herself out¡ªliterally¡ªin an instant. She needed training. No Isyar would agree to train a human, yet Jorvanultumn doubted any human teacher could handle the power they would be unleashing. He might have to teach her himself¡ªanother thing that would ostracise him from his people.


    Jorvanultumn looked at his bunk. He was not going to sleep now. He was much too nervous.

 Book 2, Chapter 16: Memories

    It was one thing to see images in her dreams. Even seeing them whenever she closed her eyes was something she had...not gotten used to, but accepted...sort of. But to see them and hear voices with her eyes open, wide awake, was something else entirely.


    Felit?a had looked and sounded like Chica. The only explanations for that Akna could think of were, she was going mad, or someone had cast a spell on her. Both seemed equally plausible.


    Find me.


    She had no idea what to do about that. Perhaps there was nothing she could do. Perhaps the madness would just decide her actions for her. That was a frightening thought.


    But she still wasn¡¯t comfortable enough around Felit?a.


    But there was no way of catching up to Meleng and Jorvan now. No, she was stuck here.


    ¡°You want to talk about it?¡±


    she was too young for that. How could Fra-Chan¡ªor Corvin¡ªbe ready for it?


    Akna nodded. ¡°Not just a friend. She was my closest confidant. And more.¡±


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    Nin-Akna looked distant again. She was looking at the queue at the well, but was looking right through it. Mixed feelings of fear and worry emanated from her. She had been like this all day, only brightening up for a short while at Agernon¡¯s. Now they had left, though, she was back to how she had been earlier.


    ¡°Keep an eye on the Watch,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put it past Almais to have told them to keep me from doing any meditating here.¡±


    She is here with us.


    Where am I?


    She was in a gleaming silver corridor. It stretched ahead of her, curving to the right. She turned around and saw that the corridor curved to the left. Like the corridor formed a circle.


    Where was the well? A moment ago, she had been at the well. Where was she?


    ¡°Hello? Is anybody here?¡±


    Her voice echoed down the hall, bouncing off the strange, silver walls.


    There was no answer, so she walked down the hall, turning with it.


    ¡°Does it matter?¡±


    The voice came from an opening in the wall up ahead to her left, a bright light shining from it.


    ¡°It matters.¡± This voice was deeper, booming and distant.


    Felit?a peered into the opening, about to ask for help, to ask where she was, how she¡¯d gotten here. But the light was blinding. She pulled back, squeezing her eyes shut.


    ¡°She is here with us.¡± A third voice. There was a deepness to it, but not like the one before. There was a smoothness to it, and it didn¡¯t boom.


    She opened her eyes. A woman had come out of the room. The most beautiful woman. Tall with dark skin, and thick hair worn in dreadlocks that framed a mature, but somehow ageless face. She wore a sparkling silver gown that reminded Felit?a of the blinding light in the room, except calmer and not as difficult to look upon. Her right hand grasped a long staff, the end of which was carved like a winged snake was coiled around it. The snake had sparkling gems for eyes.


    ¡°She is powerful indeed if she can see us in this place,¡± the booming voice said.


    Felit?a tried to speak, but all that came out was a harsh gargle.


    The beautiful woman smiled and knelt in front of her. ¡°Felit?a,¡± she said. The third voice.


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°Where¡­?¡± She had to gasp the word out and nothing else would come with it.


    The woman¡¯s smiled broadened and she reached out her free hand to Felit?a, brushing aside some strands of hair that had fallen in front of Felit?a¡¯s face. ¡°Possibly more powerful than any of us would have ever expected.¡±


    ¡°It is too soon,¡± the booming voice said. ¡°You know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Are we sure about this?¡± The first voice again. Softer, higher pitched, and coming from inside the room.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been through this,¡± the beautiful woman kneeling in front of Felit?a said. ¡°Felit?a, you must listen to me.¡±


    Felit?a couldn¡¯t even nod. Fear was finally taking over. This place made no sense. Where was she? How had she got here? She wanted to scream these questions, but she couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°You will soon forget this, but you must remember.¡± The woman laid the flat of her palm on the side of Felit?a¡¯s face, covering her cheek and ears. ¡°Zandrue. Rudiger, Borisin. Meleng. Corvinian. Jorvanultumn. Quilla. Kindanog. Nin-Akna.¡±


    The names went on. When they ended, the first voice¡ªthe soft one¡ªsaid, ¡°You left one out.¡±


    Nin-Akna shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Thirty...forty minutes?¡±


    You left one out.


    You left one out.

 Book 2, Chapter 17: Petty Politics (Part 1)

    Felit?a dreaded Belone¡¯s palace¡ªpartly because palaces in general made her uncomfortable, but mostly because the last time she was here, Feodor Belone had ripped her away from what she was doing, had rounded up her and all her friends, and sent them to Arnor City back to her family. Felit?a knew he had just been following her father¡¯s command, but he hadn¡¯t displayed any reticence in obeying it either.


    She had also learnt that Belone and her father had always known she was in Quorge. Her success at hiding there had only been at her father¡¯s providence. Belone could have¡ªand probably would have if not for her father¡¯s command¡ªsnatched her away from her world any time he wanted.


    Belone looked no different than last time, except there was a hint of red under his nose, barely obscured by his beard. The red was also at the corners of his eyes, and he sniffled as he watched Felit?a¡¯s entrance. Like before, he was dressed in a flowing silk robe.


    Felit?a bowed her head. ¡°I understand, your Lordship. Thank you for welcoming me.¡± She was glad she didn¡¯t have to hug and kiss him. She wasn¡¯t in the mood for ceremony right now.


    ¡°A pleasure to see you too, my Lord,¡± Felit?a said.


    Anita stepped back and curtsied again. ¡°A pleasure, your Highness. I¡¯m sorry I was not here to meet you last time.¡± There was not a lot of resemblance between her and her father or brother. Her long hair was lighter and her face rounder. She moved to the side and curtsied to Nin-Akna¡ªthe first acknowledgement of Nin-Akna¡¯s presence anyone had given¡ªand then embraced the young warrior.


    Surprise erupted from Nin-Akna, who hesitantly placed her hands on Anita¡¯s shoulders. There was a small collision of faces as Nin-Akna did not know to turn her face to accept kisses to her cheeks.


    Anita stepped back and curtsied again. ¡°My apologies for my clumsiness.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in the city for personal business,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°However, I didn¡¯t want to cause offence by not announcing myself.¡±


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    Lord Belone leaned forward. ¡°Danel, enough! Start this again, and I will have you removed again!¡±


    ¡°What of the fact, Father, that she started the war with the Volgs? Why should we provide any hospitality to someone whose own mother has rejected her?¡±


    ¡°The war?¡± Lord Belone laughed and fell into a fit of coughing. After a moment, he regained his composure, wiping his nose on his handkerchief again. ¡°Regardless of what might be in the official proclamation regarding her Highness, I find it extremely difficult to believe she alone could be responsible for an entire war. The Volgs are creatures of evil, a fact well known, and yet now we act surprised they want to go to war against us? I have little doubt the Volgs wanted war regardless, and whatever actions her Highness might or might not have performed had little impact on that decision, other than to give them an excuse. Not to mention, the whole idea of the Volgs trying to make war against us is a joke. Arnor is too big for them to attack effectively. No, they just want to frighten us and it¡¯s working. I will hear no more of the war or Princess Felit?a¡¯s involvement in it until such time as there actually is a war. Do I make myself understood?¡±


    Danel bowed. ¡°As you wish, Father.¡± He stood up tall and attempted to look unperturbed by the situation, but anger and annoyance flowed from him.


    Belone turned his attention back to Felit?a. ¡°Your Highness, your business is, of course, your own and you may keep whatever secrets about it you wish. I ask only to know if it will impact me or my household in any way, and if there is anything you need of me.¡±


    ¡°It should have no impact on you or your home, your Lordship. I will be working with my associates at the Hall of Knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Yes, at an inn, I¡¯m informed. I could not, in good conscience, allow royalty to stay in such lower class accommodations. Besides, your true identity is no longer a secret. It may not be widely known, but it will spread in time. The locals may not look on you kindly. I insist you stay here. You and your friend, of course. The boy, too.¡±


    ¡°We would be delighted,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°And provided he behaves himself, I have no objection to your son¡¯s presence.¡± The best way to stay on Belone¡¯s good side was to be conciliatory and forgiving.


    Some of the nobles began making their way over, asking her about her journey here, and whether she knew her sister had been here only a few weeks ago. What had possessed her to run away from home all those years ago? What was it like to encounter Volgs in person? Was she really responsible for the war, and did she think there really would be a war, and if so, how would it be waged?


    ¡°Thank you, my Lady,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°And thank you again for acknowledging Nin-Akna earlier.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to provide a contrast to my brother¡¯s rudeness in the hope others would follow my example,¡± Anita said. ¡°Unfortunately, everyone followed his.¡±


    A sharp pang of annoyance came from Nin-Akna and Felit?a held back a grimace. What had she done?


    She¡¯d spoken for her again, Felit?a realised. She needed to stop doing that. She had only been trying to help, but she accepted that wasn¡¯t an excuse.


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything you need during your time here, please ask.¡± Anita curtsied. ¡°I look forward to seeing you both at dinner.¡± She gave Nin-Akna another smile, turned around, and left the room.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have spoken for you. About...about being grateful. I thought it annoyed you.¡±


    A servant approached them and bowed. ¡°Your Highness, your rooms are ready. Please follow.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 17: Petty Politics (Part 2)

    A pair of servants opened the dining room doors, letting Akna and Felit?a through. The room was long and thin, with a long table running down the centre. Lord Belone¡¯s family sat around it in much the same way Lord Padara¡¯s had back in Dorg¡ªall clustered at one end of the table. Lord Belone himself sat at the end, with his wife to his right, at the end of one of the long sides. Seated to her right was Danel Belone, but the seat directly across from her and to Lord Belone¡¯s left was empty. Next to Danel was an older man similar in age to Lord Belone. He had been in the throne room earlier, and had been introduced to her and Felit?a¡ªwell, technically just to Felit?a¡ªbut Akna couldn¡¯t remember who he was. Directly across from Danel sat Anita Belone.


    Akna could feel their eyes on her as she walked the length of the room behind Felit?a. There was undisguised contempt on Danel Belone¡¯s face. His mother looked at her, shook her head just slightly, and frowned. The man whose name Akna couldn¡¯t remember curled his upper lip.


    Felit?a was wearing a sky-blue gown in the Arnorin style with a thin gold necklace around her neck. The outfit made concessions to the formality these Foliths expected without being ostentatious about it. Both Lord Belone and his wife wore reams of jewellery: necklaces and rings. Siba Belone wore several gold bracelets as well. Their two children did not wear as much jewellery as they did, but still wore considerably more than Felit?a.


    The table was laden with all kinds of foods. Most Akna didn¡¯t recognise, though there were a few vegetables that looked familiar. The thing that struck her most, however, was how much there was of it. There seemed far more than the small group of people here could possibly eat. This was very different from how it had been at Lord Padara¡¯s in Dorg. Though really, with the exception of how everyone was clustered at the one end of the table, everything here was very different than in Dorg. From the jewellery to the paintings on the walls and the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, everything here seemed designed to draw attention to how expensive it was, unlike Lord Padara¡¯s dining room, which was designed more for function than appearance.


    ¡°Many sailors get tattoos, Siba,¡± the large man whose name Akna couldn¡¯t remember said.


    Small talk took up the rest of the dinner, which was a lot longer than Akna was comfortable with. She soon learned to stop eating, as every time she finished what she had, someone offered her more and expected her to take it. She also figured out the other man was Lord Belone¡¯s brother, Horaz.


    Lord Belone did most of the talking, asking Felit?a a lot of questions, mostly about her time growing up in Quorge. Although that growing up had been right under his nose and he had known about it, he didn¡¯t know much about what she did. He was also interested in learning what Scovese was like.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll bid you goodnight. I¡¯m very tired.¡± Felit?a looked at Akna. ¡°Will you be all right?¡±


    ¡°To me, no,¡± Anita said.


    She needed to sleep. Maybe if she ever managed to get a restful night, she¡¯d stop seeing things like this.


    Akna took a deep breath. Don¡¯t start anything.


    ¡°Guards! Guards!¡±


    Danel glared at Akna. ¡°Please escort this...this...savage back to her room!¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 18: Sleep Deprivation

    She closed The Foretellings of Eleuia. She still hadn¡¯t had much chance to study it. On the trip upriver, the Staff had been too disruptive to allow her to study the book. Now she was back in Quorge away from the Staff, she¡¯d hoped to study it more. It was ideal to pull out on a sleepless night¡ªexcept sleepless nights brought with them a lack of concentration, especially when combined with numerous other sleepless nights before them. She wasn¡¯t going to get much out of it tonight.


    She removed Lon from her lap and held him up to her face. ¡°Time for a walk, don¡¯t you think?¡± She placed Lon on her pillow and felt for Nesh who was snuggled against her side. She placed Nesh beside Lon, then climbed out of bed and dressed quickly. She hoped it wasn¡¯t too early to wander about. She had considered wandering about hours ago, but wasn¡¯t sure how appreciated it would be. This was only her first night here, after all. It was better to wait until she had a better idea how people would react to her wandering around in the middle of the night.


    She picked up the rats and placed them on her shoulders. Then she grabbed The Foretellings of Eleuia. Perhaps there was somewhere in Lord Belone¡¯s palace where she could read and still focus. A library or some place with a table and hard chair would be a start. Tucking the book under her arm, she headed into the hall.


    It wasn¡¯t much of a library. It had a single shelf over the fireplace with about a dozen books on it. The rest of the room was more like a lounge, with plush chairs and couches, the walls adorned with paintings. It also had a large, long table that was perfect for Felit?a¡¯s needs. She could spread her papers on it and have them all at hand. For the moment though, she had only the one book and wouldn¡¯t need all the space. The tall, stiff-backed chairs might help her concentrate though.


    She sat at the table and placed The Foretellings of Eleuia in front of her. She¡¯d barely opened the book, when the library door opened and a servant entered. He bowed low. ¡°Pardon the intrusion, your Highness, but his Lordship invites you to join him for breakfast.¡±


    Felit?a rose and reached for The Foretellings of Eleuia. It lay open on the table in front of her, open to a page about halfway through. Had she opened it to that spot, or had she been reading it?


    A passage on the page caught her attention.


    You will know the Will-Breaker by her mental prowess, capable of manipulating and bending the will of others under her complete control. She should be rightly feared, but know that she is an ally as long as you do not raise her ire.


    Felit?a sat down again, her heart racing. That was exactly the kind of passage she was looking for¡ªand exactly the kind she didn¡¯t want to find. Bending the will of others under her complete control? The idea was terrifying.


    So she had fallen asleep. It was possible she had just happened to open the book to this exact page, but it was unlikely. More likely, she had been looking through the book and found this page. But why couldn¡¯t she remember doing it? When she had ¡°woken¡± up, it hadn¡¯t felt like waking up or that she had even been asleep at all.


    With a sigh, she picked up the book and stood up. She headed first back to her room to drop off the book and the rats and to dress more formally, then to breakfast.


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    Akna tore the blanket off herself and threw it aside. She snatched her clothes off the chair she¡¯d tossed them on last night. ¡°Yeah, fine.¡± She started to dress.


    Akna took a deep breath. ¡°Okay, do it.¡± She closed her eyes.


    ¡°How do I know you¡¯re not the one using mentalism magic on me? Or maybe your telepathy? Or both?¡± Why did she trust this woman? Ever since Felit?a had come into her life, Akna had been surrounded by death. Chica, Inhuan, others. Felit?a¡¯s arrival in Ninifin had brought with it a failed rebellion, the death of Queen Nin-Xoco, chaos, and mayhem. Akna had been specifically told that Felit?a¡ªthe Will-Breaker¡ªwas a harbinger of destruction, yet Akna had gleefully followed her. Trusted her. Done everything Felit?a had asked.

 Book 2, Chapter 19: The Funeral (Part 1)

    People said it was possible to use the Cathedral of the Gods to navigate Arnor City. The towering edifice dwarfed every other building in the city. Its four square towers of blue-grey stone were the first things anyone saw while approaching the city, whether by land or sea. They reached up something like two or three hundred feet. All anyone needed to get around the city was to pay attention to where they were compared to the Cathedral.


    That might be true on some other day, but not this one. The swirling snow blocked sight of anything more than a few short feet away. Luckily, Quilla had made this journey often enough and knew the way because, even so, she was finding it difficult not to get lost. Nelli wasn¡¯t too happy about it either. The poor horse had lived her entire life in Ninifin; she didn¡¯t understand this cold weather. After the journey from the Palace, the snow had become too much for Nelli, and so Quilla had dismounted and was leading the horse on foot.


    What rotten timing for a snow storm! Just one day before Garet¡¯s funeral. If too much snow fell, no one would be able to get through it to attend the service.


    The Cathedral of the Gods was just up ahead now. Its close presence blocked some of the snow and was making vision a little better. Nonetheless, when she looked up, she still couldn¡¯t see the tops of the towers. She couldn¡¯t even see the roof, which was only about half as high as the towers, though she could just make out the outlines of a couple of the many stone gargoyles that decorated the roof.


    The doors were visible though. There were three sets of twenty-foot-high doors that provided entrance, each carved with intricate religious iconography. Quilla had never really paid much attention to exactly what was carved on them, though she recalled some mention of each door representing one of the gods. But it had never interested her much, and it interested her even less now.


    All three sets of doors were closed right now, with armoured Royal Guards standing in front. They were there to keep out the throngs of people wanting to get a look at the funeral preparations.


    Except there were no throngs of people. No one was out on a day like today.


    Quilla couldn¡¯t help feel bad for the guards. They must be freezing.


    A figure approached her out of the swirling snow. Wide and stocky, for a moment, Quilla thought it might be Jorvan. It wasn¡¯t, but it was an Isyar.


    ¡°Can you help me?¡± The Isyar was a little taller than Jorvan and bald like all other Isyar Quilla had seen. Although her wings gave her the stocky profile of all Isyar, she was slimmer than Jorvan.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Quilla said. ¡°Are you lost?¡±


    ¡°No, not exactly.¡± Her voice had a deepness to it, and Quilla realised she couldn¡¯t be sure the Isyar was female. There seemed something female about her, but she wore a loose garment similar to what Jorvan wore and it hid any hint of hips or breasts on the Isyar. Did female Isyar even have hips and breasts like humans?


    ¡°Then how can I help?¡± Quilla asked.


    ¡°I would like to ask you some questions if I may.¡± There was a female quality to the Isyar¡¯s face and neck. No Adam¡¯s apple. Did Jorvan have one? Quilla hadn¡¯t paid attention to that before.


    ¡°About?¡±


    ¡°A variety of things. I know it may sound an odd request, but I am a traveller here, and I know little of this land. I thought perhaps you could tell me a bit about it and its history.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very busy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it will not take long. I will be as small an inconvenience as I can possibly be.¡±


    Quilla shivered. The wind and snow were stinging her face. ¡°Okay, but can we go inside first?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± the Isyar said.


    ¡°This way.¡±


    Quilla continued towards the Cathedral. Would the guards let the Isyar in? Maybe because she was with Quilla, they might, but there was no guarantee. If they didn¡¯t, it was hardly Quilla¡¯s fault. She didn¡¯t even know this Isyar anyway. She didn¡¯t owe any answers to her questions.


    The central doors were the easiest to reach, so Quilla headed straight for them. The guard on them held up a hand as they approached.


    ¡°Quilla Steranovist,¡± she said. ¡°Prince Garet¡¯s fianc¨¦e. I¡¯m expected.¡±


    The guard nodded towards the Isyar.


    ¡°She¡¯s with me.¡±


    The guard turned and pulled on one of the heavy doors. It opened slowly. Quilla didn¡¯t want to let too much of the cold air in, so she let go of Nelli¡¯s reins and hurried inside. The Isyar, however, was in less of a rush and took her time.


    Inside, a young Eloorin boy with sandy brown hair approached her. He looked a lot like Corvinian and every time she¡¯d seen the boy in the last two weeks, her heart had dropped and she¡¯d had to force herself not to cry. As such, she hadn¡¯t even been able to bring herself to ask the boy¡¯s name.


    ¡°His Grace is expecting you, miss.¡±


    ¡°Nelli¡¯s just outside. She needs stabling out of the cold.¡±


    The boy grabbed some furs hanging just to the side of the doors and wrapped them around his robes. Then he rushed into the cold to deal with Nelli. The guard pushed the doors closed after him.


    The Isyar was looking around her surroundings, turning her head gradually from one side to the other. There wasn¡¯t much to see in this entry chamber though.


    Quilla removed her cloak and hung it on one of the hooks on the walls. She shivered and considered taking the cloak back. Even with the doors closed, the Cathedral of the Gods got draughty. Unfortunately, the cloak would get in the way of the preparation work she needed to do. She would just have to suffer. That was her lot in life these days, anyway.


    ¡°This way,¡± she said to the Isyar.


    As soon as they passed through the next doors, the Isyar stopped and gaped. Her head rose to look back above her and then to the sides.


    ¡°Is this the first time you¡¯ve seen it?¡± Quilla asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Quilla had to admit, it was a beautiful place. Coming here most days in the last two weeks had perhaps dulled her appreciation of it.


    The vaulted ceiling was supported by massive pillars and wide, pointed arches covered in carvings. Some were simple geometric patterns. Others birds, animals, or people. Sometimes Isyar or maybe angels¡ªit was hard to tell the difference this far below the carvings.


    Along the walls were numerous stained-glass windows depicting religious scenes. Thousands of candles flickered throughout the church, casting shadows on the floor of white marble, which was painted with intricate geometric designs. Even the pews were not spared any elegance; they were carved as ornately as everything else. Very little space in the building was left unused. At various locations, monuments stood in remembrance of kings, patriarchs, and other people of historical significance. The elevated chancel at the front was not as wide as the nave, framed on each side by a gilded organ case. A third organ case was positioned at the back over the central great doors that Quilla and the Isyar now stood in front of.


    At the far side, Ardon was descending the wide steps that led to the chancel, one hand on one of the golden railings for support. Within the chancel were stalls for the priests, choir, and other officials. Behind those stood the high altar with three gold candelabra around it, one each on the left and right sides, and one behind. A huge stained-glass window, almost as high as the wall, looked down on the altar. All-Father stood in the centre of it, Power on the left, and Nature on the right. Floating above All-Father¡¯s outstretched hand was a globe. Around the three gods, angels, some with feathered wings and some with bat wings, flew. Beneath their feet, the blood-red eyes of Night raged in silent anger.


    Quilla sat at the edge of one of the back pews. Since Ardon was already coming this way, she¡¯d let him do all the walking. Zandrue said the best way to handle Ardon was to make him work for everything he wanted of them. Quilla was fine with that. She would just watch the Isyar gaze about.


    The Isyar had moved forward and was looking at the right-hand side of the nave, her gaze moving from the first to the second of the two transepts along it. She then looked at the opposite side, one side of her face scrunching a little. ¡°Is there not a fourth transept?¡±


    Quilla shook her head.


    Opposite the transept for Nature, there was just a blank area of wall where people might expect a fourth transept. It was the only space on the wall devoid of any decoration. No stained-glass windows, no carvings, no candles. The was only a single, small plaque. Quilla had read it many times: Lest we forget the Night.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± the Isyar said. She pointed to the back right transept. ¡°Nature there, I see. And the front two?¡±


    ¡°Power on the right and All-Father on the left,¡± Ardon said, having made it most of the way across the nave now.


    The Isyar frowned. ¡°All-Father. Why do you gender the gods so? Know them so intimately?¡±


    Ardon smiled and spread his arms. ¡°Cosmos is the Isyar name, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°That is the translation, yes.¡±


    ¡°I will concede that perhaps we should adopt that name,¡± Ardon said, reaching the Isyar and stopping, ¡°but tradition can be a hard thing to overcome.¡±


    The Isyar frowned again. ¡°Is it true this place was built without magic?¡±


    Ardon nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    The Isyar gazed about again, but shook her head as she did so. ¡°That is incredible. How?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an expert on the exact building techniques,¡± Ardon said, ¡°but it took very precise plans, considerable effort, and a lot of time. Do you not have such buildings in Isyaria?¡±


    The Isyar stopped gazing about and looked at Ardon. ¡°Not exactly, but we do have buildings as grand. But they were built with magic. I do not think we could build such a place without it. How long did it take?¡±


    Ardon clasped his hands in front of him. ¡°Three centuries. The first stone was laid in twelve forty-two and the last in fifteen forty-eight, and it has stood for the nearly eight hundred years since.¡±


    ¡°Twelve forty-two,¡± the Isyar mouthed. She repeated it a couple times.


    ¡°I am Ardon, Patriarch of the Universal Religion, and rector of this building.¡±


    The Isyar scowled. ¡°Universal Religion. A bit presumptuous don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Ardon lowered his head. ¡°I did not name it, and it is not my place to rename it.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, tradition is a hard thing to overcome.¡±


    Ardon chuckled. ¡°I take your point. May I ask whom I have the honour of speaking to?¡±


    The Isyar¡¯s wings twitched and she twisted her lips. It took her a few moments to answer. ¡°Lisanacora.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t get many Isyar here, Lisanacora, though I wish that were not the case. The last time an Isyar entered this building, as far as I¡¯m aware, was at Princess Felit?a¡¯s naming ceremony over two decades ago. I couldn¡¯t tell you the last time before that.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± the Isyar said.


    ¡°Not many Isyar come to Arnor City,¡± Quilla said, feeling she should add something to the conversation before they forgot she was here.


    ¡°True, but as I understand it, the main reason is that your own religious beliefs forbid you to enter a place of worship for a different religion.¡± Ardon peered closely at the Isyar. ¡°Was I mistaken?¡±


    The Isyar raised her thin, barely perceptible grey eyebrows. ¡°I do not know. I am not an expert on religion.¡±


    Ardon¡¯s eyes narrowed. Then he shrugged. ¡°Whatever the case may be, we are honoured to have you here now. What is the purpose of your visit?¡±


    ¡°Just to learn. Quilla offered to answer some questions.¡±


    When had she told Lisanacora her name?


    Right. She had announced it to the guards.


    Had she made a mistake agreeing to answer this Isyar¡¯s questions? She had assumed they would just be simple questions about how to get around in Arnor City. But the questions hadn¡¯t even started yet and already, it seemed like the Isyar wanted considerably more.


    Ardon came over to Quilla. ¡°That was very kind of Quilla.¡± He sat in the pew in front of her and lowered his voice. ¡°Making an old man walk this long distance. Taking lessons from Zandrue, I see.¡±


    Quilla flinched. He had guessed so easily.


    She straightened up and did her best to regain her composure. ¡°We met outside. She seemed lost. I thought it would be good to help.¡±


    ¡°Always a good thing.¡± Ardon looked back over to Lisanacora. ¡°What are your questions? I will be happy to help along with Quilla.¡±


    Lisanacora walked over to them and smiled. ¡°I have learned a lot already, thank you. But I do have one other question.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Ardon said.


    ¡°Depending on your answer, you may find this question strange.¡±


    There was silence for a moment.


    Ardon just waited for her to continue.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Quilla said.


    ¡°What is the state of relations with the Volgs?¡±


    Ardon tilted his head slightly. ¡°You refer to the war?¡±


    Lisanacora pulled back her head a little and tilted it as well, almost mirroring Ardon¡¯s action. She hesitated. ¡°Yes, the war.¡±


    ¡°Preparations proceed,¡± Ardon said. ¡°I am not privy to all of them, and those I do know, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t reveal.¡±


    Lisanacora nodded. ¡°Of course. I understand.¡±


    Ardon¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Any other questions?¡±


    Lisanacora opened her mouth as if to reply, but hesitated again. ¡°No. That is all for now.¡±


    Ardon stood. ¡°Then Quilla here will show you out. It¡¯s been a pleasure, Miss Lisanacora.¡±


    ¡°Just Lisanacora.¡±


    ¡°Of course. A pleasure. I hope we will see you here again sometime.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Lisanacora said.


    Ardon bowed his head to her and turned towards the chancel.


    Lisanacora looked expectedly at Quilla.


    Quilla stood up. ¡°This way.¡± She led the Isyar back to the doors.


    The boy who reminded her of Corvinian was back in the entry chamber. Quilla was about to call to him when Lisanacora put a hand on her arm.


    ¡°One last thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Lisanacora hesitated for several seconds. Then she lowered her voice. ¡°I have a message.¡±


    ¡°A message?¡±


    ¡°For the Will-Breaker.¡±


    Shit. Gods-damned fucking shit!


    Why did everything always come back to Felit?a?


    Quilla gritted her teeth. ¡°I take it our encounter wasn¡¯t just random then.¡±


    Lisanacora looked aside, towards the boy. She kept her voice low. ¡°Not as such, no.¡±


    Quilla took a deep breath, tried not to explode at this person who had been misleading her. ¡°What¡¯s your message?¡±


    ¡°You must get the pearl to her.¡±


    ¡°Pearl?¡±


    Lisanacora continued to watch the boy, who was watching them, waiting for them to call on him. ¡°I do not have the full information. All I know is you must get the pearl to the Will-Breaker. I am taking a great risk saying this to you, but you will understand soon, I think. Get the pearl to the Will-Breaker. I must go before I put us both in danger.¡± She walked straight for the doors.


    ¡°That?¡± Quilla called after her. ¡°That¡¯s your fucking message? What the hell am I supposed to do with that? What pearl? I don¡¯t know of any fucking pearl!¡±


    But the Isyar was gone.


    The boy was still in his place, staring at her. ¡°Are you all right, miss?¡±


    Quilla looked about her. There was no sign of Lisanacora. ¡°Where¡¯d the Isyar go?¡±


    ¡°Out, miss.¡±


    ¡°Out?¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°Yes, miss. A moment ago. I took her out.¡±


    Quilla shivered, but not from the cold. ¡°You did?¡±


    ¡°Yes, miss. Just now. You must have seen. Are you sure you¡¯re all right?¡±


    ¡°That fucking bitch.¡± She must have used magic on her.


    The boy paled. ¡°Miss?¡±


    Quilla threw up a hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± She stormed back into the nave.


    Ardon was most of the way back to the chancel, and Quilla had a suspicion he wasn¡¯t going to come back this way. She would have to go to him this time. She needed to be at the other end anyway.


    He waited for her at the chancel steps.


    ¡°The casket will be carried to here.¡± He indicated a spot in front of the stairs. ¡°You will be seated in the front pew until then, but after it takes its place, you will need to move over here, just to the side. As Garet¡¯s fianc¨¦e, you are his living representative, no matter how much the Queen might object.¡±


    Quilla sighed and moved over to the spot he was indicating.


    ¡°Just a little more to your right.¡±


    She groaned and adjusted her position. When was he going to come out with it?


    ¡°A little more.¡±


    He was doing this on purpose. She was sure of it. She moved a little more.


    ¡°Better. What did she say to you on the way out?¡±


    There it was. Would he believe her if she denied Lisanacora had said anything? Probably not, but it was worth a shot. She¡¯d rather talk to Zandrue about this first. ¡°Not much. Just thanked me again for helping her. She was kind of odd, wasn¡¯t she?¡±


    Ardon began up the steps. ¡°I suppose you could describe her as odd. She was unaware we were at war with the Volgs, after all. That¡¯s news I would have expected the whole world to know by now.¡±


    Quilla followed him. ¡°But she was asking about the war, wasn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°No, she was asking about the state of relations with the Volgs. A very different question. She might have considered war was a possible answer, but she didn¡¯t know it in advance.¡±


    ¡°But how could she not know about the war?¡±


    He paused and turned back to face her. ¡°How indeed? You¡¯re sure she said nothing else to you on her way out?¡±


    Quilla nodded, tried to look him straight in the eye. ¡°Absolutely sure. What makes you think otherwise?¡±


    ¡°You came back very annoyed.¡±


    ¡°I banged my foot on the doors.¡± There was no way he believed that.


    Ardon shrugged. ¡°If you say so.¡± He walked to the pulpit. ¡°When I tell you to, you will come up here and say whatever it is you feel like saying about Garet. Don¡¯t worry about length. It can be as brief or as long as you desire. People will listen or they won¡¯t. After you have had your say, I will call upon his Majesty to speak and then the other members of the Royal household. Any questions?¡±


    Quilla shook her head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ve decided the gifts should be arranged here in the chancel after all. You can decide exactly how you wish to place them. I¡¯ll take you to the Great Hall so you can collect them. Merith and Durant will help you. Just be sure there is a clear walkway to both the altar and pulpit.¡± He returned to the chancel steps. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that odd Isyar did not say anything more. I would be very interested in knowing her true purpose, but oh well. Can¡¯t have everything, can we?¡±


    Quilla shook her head, maybe a little too fast¡ªnot that it mattered anyway. Ardon already knew she was lying. And he knew that she knew, and all that sort of thing. But she also knew that what Lisanacora said didn¡¯t give any more insight as to her purpose.

 Book 2, Chapter 19: The Funeral (Part 2)

    Quilla sat in the front pew and dabbed at her brow with a handkerchief. It was freezing in the church, but she was still sweating. Moving all the gifts into the chancel and setting them up had taken awhile.


    And she still couldn¡¯t remember what had happened that night he¡¯d visited her.


    The Queen was in an eternal huff, of course¡ªno, rage was a better word. Word had come in that Sinit?a had been spotted with Meleng and Jorvan in Beldrum, but they had escaped on board a ship. The King had declared Meleng and Jorvan fugitives of the state. They were to be caught and hanged.


    Meanwhile, Quilla had been trying to get to know the servants. That had not gone particularly well. Marna seemed to have accepted her, but everyone else still saw her as that not-quite-noble someone who pretended to be part of the nobility without actually being part of it, yet who had also abandoned the class of her birth.


    A familiar figure was walking down the nave, trailed by a pair of Royal Guards¡ªsomeone Quilla hadn¡¯t seen in a long while.


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    Quilla took a deep breath. ¡°Sure.¡± Once again, though, she was unsure just how much she should tell. How much about Corvinian? Felit?a? ¡°Maybe let¡¯s go somewhere a little more private though?¡± She nodded towards Gabriella¡¯s two guards.


    Quilla grimaced. Should she have revealed that? Too late now. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s one of the things I didn¡¯t tell the King and Queen. They don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go with the food and rest. Shall we head back to the Palace?¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 19: The Funeral (Part 3)

    The Cathedral of the Gods was¡­


    Fuck you, bitch.


    ¡°I told you not to worry. You were just checking for numbers. I¡¯m checking for who.¡±


    At last, the choir appeared at the back of the nave. They marched forward in silence, followed by various priests or deacons or¡­ Quilla had no idea what their titles were, just that they were all robed in clerical attire. At their back came Patriarch Ardon and then the pall-bearers with Garet¡¯s casket.


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    She gathered her courage back again and proceeded down from the pulpit. Once she was back in her place by Garet¡¯s casket, she could get a better look. It would be an obvious look, but it would be a better look and she was wiling to take it even if he noticed her doing it.


    If it was Dyle, maybe Zandrue had noticed him.


    Please, gods, let Zandrue notice him.

 Book 2, Chapter 19: The Funeral (Part 4)

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    was trying to kill me, Rudiger.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 20: In Plain Sight (Part 1)

    Gabby walked behind him, patting his shoulder as she passed. ¡°What was that about lack of skill?¡± She came up beside Rudiger. ¡°Your turn.¡±


    Pastrin and Ned chuckled.


    Rudiger looked at Gabby. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Gabby shrugged.


    Gabby grinned across the table at him. ¡°You wish.¡±


    Gabby held up a finger in his direction. ¡°Don¡¯t even go there, Barnol.¡±


    ¡°You can either shut the fuck up, or get the fuck out.¡± Gabby turned her attention back to the table. ¡°Take your shot, Pastrin.¡±


    Barnol huffed, pulled out a chocolate from the box he had in his lap, and stuffed it in his face.


    ¡°Really, cousin,¡± Ned said. ¡°Must you be like this every time?¡±


    Barnol huffed and stood up. ¡°If I¡¯m going to receive this treatment, then I will go. Annai and Tianna¡¯s concert is starting soon anyway. I should get ready.¡± He tucked his box of chocolates under his arm and stormed over to the door. The servant there opened it for him and closed it behind him.


    The topic of conversation turned away from the funeral after that and back to the gentle competition between Gabby and her brothers. Rudiger was glad for that. He was reasonably certain none of them had noticed he and Zandrue¡ªas well as the priest Quilla had approached¡ªhad taken off after that moment, but he didn¡¯t want to risk being questioned too closely.


    Lidda Plavin.


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    Rudiger glanced down at him. ¡°What makes you think I¡¯m nervous?¡± The two of them were standing in a line of lesser nobles. By the thrones, Princes Malef, Pastrin, and Thilin stood to one side of the King and Queen, with Princesses Gabriella and Annai on the other side.


    The Queen rose from her throne and strode past the princes and princesses to the bottom of the steps in front of the throne. She was no longer in the purple of mourning, but had donned a deep blue and silver gown. On her head, she swore a tall, blue chaperon with a tail that reached almost to the floor. She waited at the base of the steps for the two Plavin women.


    Rudiger took another glance at Zandrue, but her expression hadn¡¯t changed. Her eyes remained locked on Lidda Plavin.


    The Queen sat down. ¡°To be completely honest, my dear, I don¡¯t think he would approve of your Red Knights, but he was always one to leave behind the honoured ways of the past¡ªforward-thinking he would call it. That doesn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t be proud of you, of course. If you keep Plavin-Tyl prosperous, I¡¯m sure he might overlook whatever methods you might employ.¡±


    ¡°You are invited as well, of course, Debran,¡± the Queen added.


    She sighed. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been trying to think what to do. Our enemies seem to have decided it¡¯s time to start walking in the open. First Dyle yesterday. Now Lidda Plavin. On the plus side, I doubt she¡¯ll just try to openly kill us.¡±


    This time, he just dropped his wine.

 Book 2, Chapter 20: In Plain Sight (Part 2)

    But what if he followed? What if he was only here because of her? If...when she left, would he just show up in Quorge or any other place she ended up?


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    Quilla looked away from him, and silently cursed herself for giving it away. Though maybe this was the right thing to do. It was delaying him, after all.


    Quilla looked around. Clear her head? How the hell was she supposed to do that at a time like this? But she tried to calm herself and look around. Everything looked completely normal.


    ¡°


    Zandrue picked up the pitcher and poured three cups. ¡°And one cup of wine. You¡¯re very tense at the moment, and you¡¯ll need to be calm and relaxed for this. Just one though.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 21: Catalyst

    She took her time before replying, mostly to get her nerves under control, but she hoped it conveyed some sort of contempt or intimidation. ¡°I¡¯m just evaluating the scene, making sure you don¡¯t have anyone waiting to jump me.¡± Zandrue had told her to keep her eyes peeled for that possibility. She had forgotten, but she started now.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t given me any reason to trust you, Dyle.¡± There didn¡¯t appear to be anyone else, but it was difficult to tell. There were so many shadows. Zandrue had told her to pay most attention to the shadows, but they just looked like shadows to her. Maybe that was all they were.


    ¡°You sneak around, appear and disappear. You spy on me. These are not reasons to trust you.¡±


    Quilla almost laughed, but he gave no hint of sarcasm or joke. She scowled. ¡°Really?¡±


    Quilla shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to be specific, Dyle, because this isn¡¯t telling me anything. If you¡¯re protecting me¡ªand by the way, I don¡¯t need your protection¡ªbut if you¡¯re protecting me, then why all the sneaking around? Why the stalking?¡±


    The road in both directions was lined with trees and shrubs.


    The Volgs who had kidnapped her had called her Catalyst. She had not known what that meant.


    Corvinian was lying unconscious on the ground, surrounded by the crackling, yellow light that streaked out from the direction of the Temple. Felit?a was standing by the line of light, looking towards its source¡ªa staff held by a glowing Volg on the Temple steps.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Quilla asked.


    Felit?a didn¡¯t look at her. ¡°Finding out how close I need to be to the Volg before I can safely stand in the way of this energy stream.¡±


    That didn¡¯t make any sense. The energy was pushing anything that tried to touch it away. How would getting closer help? Wouldn¡¯t it be stronger nearer its source?


    And just standing out in the open like this. What was Felit?a thinking? Corvinian was lying helpless on the ground. People were fighting ahead of them. Volgs were flying overhead.


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain later,¡± Felit?a said and began walking alongside the line of light, towards the battle.


    Quilla stayed with her. Felit?a was the only protection she had right now, and as strange as her actions seemed, she trusted Felit?a knew what she was doing.


    After a short distance, Felit?a reached for the beam of energy. Her hand rebounded from it. She continued walking forward and Quilla followed.


    One thing she¡¯d learnt during her captivity by the Volgs was that one of the best ways to tell the beasts apart was by their horns. They each had unique horns. This one had particularly large horns. And then there were the black robes he wore.


    ¡°The glowing Volg,¡± Quilla said. ¡°He looks familiar. Is he¡­?¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°It¡¯s Nibdenoff.¡±


    The Volg who had been her principal captor.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Two Volgs broke off from the battle and flew directly towards them. Quilla¡¯s heart skipped a beat and she clutched Felit?a¡¯s arm even tighter.


    A tingling shot through her body, and she felt awake! Alive! In an instant, she was full of¡­ Energy? Magical energy? It was like nothing she had ever felt. It flowed through her, moved about from her toes to her fingers, back to her legs, then her neck, leaving that tingling sensation momentarily behind in each spot. At first, it seemed to move randomly, but then she realised that wasn¡¯t the case. Felit?a was controlling it.


    More than that, her senses magnified. She could feel every breath of air she took move through her lungs and into her body. She felt her blood pump. She could distinguish between every yell, every swipe of a sword, jab of a spear, or flap of a wing. Every insect¡¯s chirp, every purr from the still-sleeping jaguar. Her heartbeat slowed to a calm pace and her shivering stopped as she no longer felt so frightened. Everything was going to be okay now. She just knew it.


    And every remaining bit of magical energy in Felit?a flowed more freely, too. Somehow, Quilla sensed that. She knew Felit?a just needed to route it through her and she could easily move it wherever she needed it. Felit?a only needed the tiniest drop to put the first Volg to sleep, and then the second.


    Then Felit?a sent half of it all at once in multiple directions. Volg after Volg fell asleep in the battle, fell over where they stood, or crashed to the ground from the sky. In the blink of an eye, they were all lying on the ground.


    Except Nibdenoff on the Temple steps.


    Felit?a didn¡¯t target him, just looked at him for several seconds. What was she doing?


    But then the energy moved again, jolted through Quilla. Not all of it. Just a small portion. And the Volg collapsed, the staff falling from his grasp, and the yellow light vanishing.


    Then the magical energy swept out of Quilla, every last drop sucking painfully back into Felit?a. Quilla gasped and let go.


    Her senses returned to normal, and her fear returned. Quivering, she asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°They called you Catalyst, isn¡¯t that right?¡± Felit?a said.


    Quilla nodded.


    ¡°Now we know why.¡±


    ¡°Catalyst,¡± the Volg said, glaring in her eye as he clutched her chin. His snout curled into something like a smile. Then he shoved her back into the arms of the Volg behind her, growled something in their language, and turned away.


    ¡°The Volgs who captured me used it.¡± Quilla shivered. That was a time she didn¡¯t like to remember. But the memories came back to haunt her from time to time. She¡¯d been so focused on Garet¡¯s death lately, they¡¯d stayed at bay. But now¡­ Days, weeks she¡¯d spent in that cave with barely enough food and drink to survive, forced to live in her own filth because there was nothing but the floor to relieve herself on. She¡¯d had no idea what they were planning for her. She still didn¡¯t know, though she suspected now that part of it involved waiting until they had caught Corvinian.


    She groaned. ¡°I¡¯m not your wife. Not anymore.¡± At least now her anger could drown out her fear.


    ¡°Gods, I don¡¯t know what I was thinking coming out here. Get to the fucking point already. Others want my powers and are willing to kill me for them, but you want to help me. How?¡±


    He held up his hands. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I need you to understand. I will be Dusk Supreme soon. The current one¡¯s time is running out. There¡¯s only one other serious contender for the position, and that one will be dealt with soon. Once I¡¯m Dusk Supreme, I can give you anything. I can protect your friends for you if you want. Anything at all. All you have to do is use your abilities for us. Together, we¡¯ll have the whole world at our feet.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want?¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 22: The Foretellings of Eleuia

    It was such a rare thing for her mind to be quiet. It wasn¡¯t just the Staff¡ªalthough that was a major contributor¡ªbut also all the people around her, their thoughts and feelings flooding her head. It was so incredibly rare that she was truly alone in her head. She needed to savour it.


    Felit?a sighed.


    It was late and she really should be in bed. But she was glad for the quiet, both in Belone¡¯s palace and in her head. Plus, she had used the time to study The Foretellings of Eleuia, something else she¡¯d had very little time for. It really should be higher on her priorities, and would be if the rest of the world didn¡¯t keep inserting its priorities. But she had spent the last couple hours sitting in Belone¡¯s library going through her notes and cataloguing them.


    She had finally compiled a list of all the foretellings that directly mentioned the Will-Breaker, plus a few that might be oblique references. They were about as enlightening as she had expected¡ªwhich was to say, not very¡ªbut there were some interesting things in them. Now she had copied them all out and put them in chronological order where possible, she hoped something might be revealed.


    When the nations of the world come together in meeting for the first time since the days of old, the Will-Breaker will first make herself known.


    In the first quarter of the twenty-fourth century, at a well will contact be made.


    Felit?a knew all too well what that had to be referring to, and thus she had it right at the beginning of her list. Contact. She had made contact with¡­ That was the problem. She didn¡¯t know with whom.


    When rebellion and civil war come to devastate Ninifin, the Will-Breaker too will come. Although her attempts to avert disaster will end in failure and tragedy, her interventions will save lives that would otherwise be lost. For this reason, it is the will of Eleuia that the Will-Breaker be welcomed into Ninifin lands.


    The question Felit?a found herself pondering was, had it happened yet? At first glance, her recent experiences in Ninifin seemed to qualify, but the more she thought about it, the prophecy seemed to describe something bigger. Rebellion? Yes. Civil war? The events never quite expanded that far. There was failure and tragedy, yes, but was Ninifin devastated by the events? Maybe. It was hard to be sure.


    The sound of the door opening and closing made Felit?a look up. A short figure entered the room, head lowered as usual.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been in Quorge in Lord Belone¡¯s palace for a long time. Not many Isyar stay outside Isyaria so long.¡± Plavistalorik had been instrumental in kidnapping Jorvan last year, but Jorvan had said he believed she was in trouble and being coerced somehow.


    Plavistalorik stopped moving, but didn¡¯t look back. ¡°Yes, you are correct.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your Highness. I also apologise for hurting Jorvanultumn. I wish¡­¡± She paused and turned around. Her wings drooped, but she raised her head, giving Felit?a the longest look she¡¯d had at the Isyar¡¯s small grey eyes. Even in the dim light, there was a sadness noticeable in them. ¡°I wish there had been...that is to say, I wish things could have been different.¡± For the first time, emotions other than wariness came from Plavistalorik: worry and a touch of fear.


    It occurred to Felit?a she didn¡¯t know what magical discipline Plavistalorik practised. Bringing down the Hall of Knowledge ruled out mentalism, but any other was possible. She would have to make some enquiries. Knowing Plavistalorik¡¯s capabilities might narrow down what could frighten her.


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    Felit?a turned her attention back to The Foretellings of Eleuia. A thought occurred to her.


    Be on constant vigilant look-out for the Isyar, who will bring the weight of time upon you. The intended of this message will know who she is when she reads it.


    Felit?a had made note of this particular foretelling, suspecting it addressed her, even though the fact she wasn¡¯t certain seemed to rule herself out. Could the Isyar it referred to be Plavistalorik?


    There was a weight upon Plavistalorik and if Felit?a got involved, there would certainly be a weight upon her too. But what was meant by the weight of time? Did that apply in any way to Plavistalorik? How was she supposed to look out for an unnamed Isyar if she was given no clues to that Isyar¡¯s identity? Assuming the message was even for her.


    As were some of the foretellings. Like the one she¡¯d discovered that night a few weeks ago.


    You will know the Will-Breaker by her mental prowess, capable of manipulating and bending the will of others under her complete control. She should be rightly feared, but know that she is an ally as long as you do not raise her ire.


    That one bothered her every time she read or thought about it. Of course, the name Will-Breaker had always implied what the foretelling said of her, but she didn¡¯t have to like it. Perhaps one way to exert her own free will was to make certain she never bent the will of someone else to her control.


    In 2333, the demons will come for the Will-Breaker.


    She had needed Nin-Akna¡¯s assistance translating that one, since the Ninifin word for demon had never come up during her time in Ninifin. According to Nin-Akna, however, the word more accurately meant anything or anyone in service to the Dark Lady, from Volgs to Darkness Worshippers to creatures from the depths of hell itself. However, Volgs and Darkers were already after her, so it presumably didn¡¯t refer to them. What it did refer to was hard to say. She might know soon though. 2333 was only a month away.


    Keep safe and secure the Holiest of holies. In 2342, the queen¡¯s consort, disciple of the Will-Breaker, will learn its secrets and use it to contact the gods themselves and bring more of Ninussa¡¯s words to her people.


    Felit?a didn¡¯t like the idea she might have a disciple, though perhaps Eleuia had mistaken someone working with Felit?a as a follower or disciple. And what was the Holiest of holies? It was not something mentioned while she was in Ninifin, and Nin-Akna was not aware of what it might be either. Could it be the Staff of Sestin? That would explain why Fra-Atl had been so distressed when it appeared to be missing. Though there was also whatever Fra-Atl had died trying to show her¡ªwhatever lay under the confluence of the Jaguar and Toucan rivers. Could that be the Holiest of holies? Whatever the case, it was not something Felit?a was going to be able to check any time soon. Still, there was lots of time to find out apparently. This event was still nine years away. Who would be queen of Ninifin then? Nin-Xtab? Nin-Akna? Someone else?


    The door opened again and Feodor Belone shambled into the room. He was wearing a pale green silk robe and was barefoot. He paused. ¡°Your Highness?¡± He motioned to a guard standing at the door behind him. ¡°Wait outside.¡±


    ¡°Plavistalorik keeps odd hours, so it doesn¡¯t surprise me.¡± Belone coughed hoarsely and sniffled.


    Felit?a placed the book on top of her pile of papers. ¡°It¡¯s not that. You¡¯ve given me quite a few reasons not to trust you, your Lordship.¡±


    Felit?a shook her head and picked up the book and papers. ¡°No, you didn¡¯t. There were other ways you could have handled things. Instead, you threatened the lives of people I know and care about. And you forced good people to do your dirty work for you. Those are not things easy to forgive.¡±


    Belone lowered his head. ¡°I did ask her to help apprehend him, but I never insisted.¡±


    Felit?a hugged the book and papers to her chest. ¡°If you¡¯d wanted me to trust you, your Lordship, you should have just asked me to talk to you. So no, you didn¡¯t do what you had to. You did what you wanted to because you liked the idea of exerting power.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 23: Isyaria (Part 1)

    As the air had gotten colder and colder, and the nights longer and longer over the past couple weeks, Meleng and Sinit?a had stopped going up on deck much. Not that it was much warmer below deck, but at least they were shielded from the wind. He knew there were stories amongst the crew about what he and Sinit?a got up to alone in their cabin, since Jorvan was always on deck, helping keep the Lustrous Rose sailing. Meleng had seen the looks and smiles, and heard the whispered comments whenever he had come into the mess hall, especially if Sinit?a was with him. He wasn¡¯t sure what bothered him more: that the rumours existed or that the looks he got were all approving.


    Ahead of them, the mountains rose up, dark shadows in the bright night. In the opposite direction, past the Lustrous Rose, were the dark arctic waters dotted with the brighter ice floes, and past them, the mountains of the northern tip of the Arnorin continent.


    Technically, they¡¯d entered Isyaria when they reached that northern tip and the tiny settlement there named Zorlo. The Isyar there maintained it as a place for Arnorin ships to resupply and pick up an escort¡ªan Isyar ship that would guide them through the difficult-to-sail waters of the arctic. However, they had been there for only a few hours, and Meleng and Sinit?a had never left the ship, so Zorlo didn¡¯t really count. Only now were they truly in Isyaria.


    On board the Lustrous Rose, the deck was awash with activity¡ªbut not by the crew. Isyar enchanters were using magic to unload the cargo. Meleng looked away quickly. He would have liked to watch what they were doing, but they were too far away to study from here. Besides, Isyar did not share their secrets with humans¡ªevident from the fact that, immediately upon coming aboard, they had requested that any human wizards on board should move to the quay.


    First Mate Ting was right behind him, obscured at first due to the Captain¡¯s greater height and bulk of his clothing. Somehow, Ting was wearing half as many layers as anyone else. ¡°That dog can survive any environment.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re looking for Jorvanultumn,¡± Gen said, ¡°he¡¯s talking with a couple other Isyar. I couldn¡¯t follow most of what they were saying¡ªIsyarian is a...complex language; I¡¯ve never been able to master it¡ªhowever, I did pick up that it was something to do with his fomase. He might be a while.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Fomase,¡± Meleng said. ¡°It¡¯s kind of like a fianc¨¦e.¡±


    ¡°That does tend to be the response of all cultures to the different ways of other cultures,¡± Gen said. ¡°It comes from growing up in the culture. You never find your own culture confusing. However, I can assure you, theirs is the more complex. Has Jorvanultumn told you about the fomaze?¡±


    Meleng took a moment. Had he said fomase or something else?


    Gen shook his head. ¡°Not fomase. Fomaze. It¡¯s related, but different. Isyarian has some subtle pronunciation differences. Trust me, it¡¯s very embarrassing to mix up fomase and fomaze.¡± He chuckled. ¡°At any rate, a fomaze¡ª¡± he pronounced the word slowly, emphasising the difference in the last syllable¡ª ¡°is...well¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°No, Jorvanultumn can explain it if you want to know.¡±


    ¡°Fomase,¡± Gen corrected.


    Gen was some distance ahead of them, Jeanne bouncing along at his side. He wasn¡¯t looking back to see if they were following, so Meleng and Sinit?a hurried to catch up. The path from the quay was ice and had an upward slope into the foothills. Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t very slippery¡ªMeleng guessed it was due to the extreme cold¡ªbut it still made catching up to Gen difficult.


    After a while, they gave up. The man walked too fast. He would disappear over the top of a hill and then they¡¯d see him again when they reached that same summit, by which time he¡¯d gained more ground on them. There was only one road, so they¡¯d catch up to him once they reached Chithishtheny.

 Book 2, Chapter 23: Isyaria (Part 2)

    Ahead, two Isyar came out of the archway, followed by a third. The first two were dressed in the typical loose robes worn by Jorvan and most other Isyar. One was taller than the other by several inches, though still short by most human standards. She had a thin, almost oval face. The third Isyar, the shortest of the three, was not dressed like the others, but instead wore a skin-tight white suit with yellow trim. She also had a sheathed sword belted at her waist. There had been Isyar like her on Scovese. Soldiers. ¡°¨¦lite,¡± Jorvan had called them when Meleng had told him about them.


    Gen looked back at Meleng and Sinit?a. ¡°When the tall one holds out her right hand to you, touch it with your left palm. Let me do the talking.¡±


    The tall Isyar held out her left hand to Gen, but her eyes were on Sinit?a. ¡°Captain Eti?nne Gen.¡±


    Gen clasped her wrist with his left hand, and she clasped his. ¡°Lamdir Paydamat.¡± He turned his head to follow her gaze towards Sinit?a. ¡°A...uh...pleasure to see you again.¡±


    The Isyar turned her gaze and looked up at him¡ªhe was a good foot taller than her¡ªand smiled. ¡°And you. It has been too long.¡± Her gaze turned back to Sinit?a.


    They let go of their wrists and Gen cleared his throat. ¡°Ah yes.¡± He gestured at Sinit?a and Meleng. ¡°These are passengers who travelled with me on my ship. Princess Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith and Meleng Drago.¡±


    Paydamat stepped up to Sinit?a, eyes wide. The Isyar who had walked up beside her gaped at Sinit?a. Paydamat held up her right hand.


    Sinit?a hurriedly fiddled with the mitten on her left hand, while Paydamat waited patiently. Sinit?a curtsied¡ªclumsily in her heavy furs¡ªand placed her palm against Paydamat¡¯s.


    The Isyar smiled at her. ¡°Princess Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith, I am Lamdir Paydamat.¡±


    ¡°A pleasure to meet you,¡± Sinit?a said.


    ¡°Is this a diplomatic visit?¡± Paydamat asked.


    Sinit?a looked to Meleng, who shook his head. She looked back at Paydamat. ¡°No, I...I just wanted to see Isyaria.¡±


    Paydamat nodded. ¡°Then I hope you enjoy your stay, Princess Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith.¡±


    ¡°Just Sinit?a¡¯s fine.¡±


    Paydamat lowered her head, her brow furled. ¡°Of...course. Sinit?a. Welcome to Chithishtheny.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Sinit?a said.


    Paydamat withdrew her hand and turned to Meleng, holding out her right hand.


    Sinit?a grabbed for her mitten, mouthing to Meleng, ¡°It¡¯s cold.¡±


    Meleng removed his own left mitten and touched his palm to Paydamat¡¯s. The Isyar¡¯s hand was warm in the cold air, but nevertheless, his fingers were already starting to numb.


    ¡°Meleng Drago, I am Lamdir Paydamat.¡±


    ¡°An honour, Lamdir,¡± Meleng said. He didn¡¯t know what the title Lamdir represented. Even though she apparently spoke Arnorgue fluently¡ªwithout even a hint of an accent¡ªshe wasn¡¯t translating that word. It had to be a title of importance though. From what Jorvan had told him of Isyar society, it was probably related to magical power in some way. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to my stay.¡±


    ¡°I hope it will be a pleasant one,¡± she said.


    Meleng peered more closely at her. There was something off. A slight misalignment of her mouth with her words. She wasn¡¯t speaking fluently! She was using magic to translate!


    Paydamat¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Impressive, Meleng Drago! I clearly need to tighten the spell a little.¡± As she spoke, the spell did indeed tighten. By the last word, there was no longer any misalignment between her mouth and her words. ¡°I would not have expected a human to notice that. Were you, by any chance, at Scovese?¡±


    Meleng nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I thought so. You must have experienced an effect like this before to notice it now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very good,¡± Meleng said.


    ¡°Thank you. The spell I am using is similar to the one on Scovese, though not identical. That one was clearly very sophisticated once, but it has clearly degenerated over time. It also has some very strange censorship properties.¡±


    ¡°I found it fascinating,¡± Meleng said. ¡°I wish I could have studied it more. Unfortunately, there were...uh...other things to worry about, and well...uh¡­¡± He looked at his hand against hers, which he had just realised he could barely feel anymore. ¡°Do you think...uh¡­?¡±


    Paydamat gave a small nod. ¡°Of course. My apologies. Welcome to Chithishtheny.¡± She withdrew her hand.


    Meleng buried his hand in the folds of his furs, not wanting to take the time to put his mitten back on. He rubbed it gently, letting the sensation idle back.


    ¡°We will speak more of this later, I am sure.¡± Paydamat stepped back and addressed all three of them. ¡°We will show you to lodgings where you may warm yourselves and be comfortable.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Gen bowed his head, and Meleng copied. Sinit?a was a bit slower, but did the same.


    ¡°If I might make a request, Lamdir?¡± Gen said. When Paydamat nodded, he continued, ¡°Could our three rooms be adjacent? I know I normally request to be in the middle of my crew, but I promised to look after these two and show them around while they¡¯re here. It would be easier if we were close.¡±


    Paydamat tilted her head and stared at him. Her companion also looked aghast.


    ¡°That is, if it isn¡¯t too much trouble,¡± Gen added.


    After a few moments of staring and Gen shuffling his feet, Paydamat gave a small smile while lowering her head. ¡°I understand. How foolish of me. This is the first time you have been here with wizards, Captain Eti?nne Gen.¡± She gestured to Meleng and Sinit?a. ¡°These two will stay in the wizards¡¯ lodgings across the road.¡±


    Gen bowed his head. ¡°Of course. My apologies.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not a wizard,¡± Sinit?a said.


    Paydamat raised her head, her eyes widening. The second Isyar gaped again. Even the third Isyar, who had remained stoic, unmoving, and silent the whole time, dropped her jaw slightly before quickly returning to her stoic stance. The second Isyar started to say something, but Paydamat held up her hand to stop him.


    ¡°My apologies, Prin...Sinit?a. I was aware humans do not train all who have potential, but I assumed your title of princess would have provided you access to such training. I apologise if I have caused offence.¡±


    Sinit?a shook her head. ¡°No, no offence. It¡¯s just weird the way you all stare at me. I mean, Jorvan told me this would happen, but I don¡¯t really understand why, but no, I haven¡¯t been trained.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°But I want to learn.¡±


    ¡°I apologise again, Sinit?a. I will admit, I am unsure of the decorum in this circumstance. However, I think I will lodge you in the wizards¡¯ lodges. You have remarkable talent¡ªmore than I thought possible in a human. It will also allow us to honour your royal status.¡± She turned to Gen. ¡°Captain Eti?nne Gen, I am sorry we cannot fulfil your request.¡±


    Gen held up his hand. ¡°No apology necessary, Lamdir. I was thinking too much like a human when I made the request.¡±


    Paydamat motioned to the second Isyar. ¡°This is my associate, Reszidbovroh. He will show you to your room. I will take Sinit?a and Meleng Drago to theirs. We will see each other again soon, Captain Eti?nne Gen, I¡¯m sure.¡± She bowed her head to Gen.


    Gen bowed his head in return. ¡°I look forward to it, Lamdir. Meleng, Sinit?a, if you¡¯d still like me to show you around, I¡¯ll meet you back here in half an hour. It will be dawn by then. We¡¯ll have a couple hours of light.¡±


    Sinit?a nodded several times quickly. ¡°Sure!¡±


    Paydamat started back towards the main road and the other building. ¡°Sinit?a, Meleng Drago, please follow me.¡±


    Sinit?a took Meleng¡¯s hand and they followed. Sinit?a glanced back several times.


    ¡°Everything okay?¡± Meleng asked, glancing back to see what she was looking at. The third Isyar was following behind them. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s going to hurt us.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just Paydamat never introduced her,¡± Sinit?a said.


    Meleng started to respond, but Paydamat beat him to it. She spoke without looking back at them. ¡°She is ¨¦lite. She is here for security, nothing else.¡±


    Sinit?a frowned. ¡°Oh. They never tell us the guards¡¯ names at home either.¡± She looked back again and waved. The guard gave a little smile in return, then went straight back to her stoic look.


    ¡°Please do not disturb her while she is on duty,¡± Paydamat said. ¡°However, if you must know her name, it is Fevionawishtensen.¡±


    Meleng looked back at the ¨¦lite again. Jorvan¡¯s fomase? He hadn¡¯t known she was ¨¦lite. In fact, he knew very little about her. Beyond her name and existence, Jorvan had never said much about her. Jorvan tended to be private about those sorts of things.


    ¡°May I ask you a personal question, Sinit?a?¡± Paydamat asked as they neared the building.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°How is it your sister was trained in magic and not you?¡±


    ¡°You mean Felit?a?¡±


    Paydamat lowered her head. ¡°The one who started the war. The one the Volganths called the Will-Breaker, yes.¡±


    ¡°She ran away to become one,¡± Sinit?a said. ¡°Royalty aren¡¯t allowed to become wizards.¡±


    Meleng couldn¡¯t see Paydamat¡¯s expression, but she fell silent several seconds before responding. ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯d known I could use magic, I would have gone with her.¡± Sinit?a frowned. ¡°Or I guess not because I was a baby at the time, and after that, I always did what I was told. But I know now and I¡¯ve run away. Kind of. I¡¯m not sure I should have told you that. But maybe now I can learn. I want to.¡±


    Sinit?a looked ready to continue on, but Paydamat interrupted her. ¡°May I ask why the two of you have come to Isyaria?¡±


    ¡°We came with a friend,¡± Meleng said. ¡°An Isyar. Jorvanultumn. He¡¯s at the ship at the moment.¡±


    Paydamat looked back at them. ¡°Jorvanultumn has come home? How interesting.¡±


    ¡°You know him?¡± Sinit?a asked.


    Paydamat looked forward again. ¡°Yes. His return is sooner than I would have expected.¡±


    Meleng glanced back at Fevionawishtensen, but she showed no reaction to the news. Given her few and brief reactions so far, he must have missed any she had given. He leaned in closer to Sinit?a and whispered, ¡°That¡¯s Jorvan¡¯s fomase.¡±


    Sinit?a gasped and looked back. ¡°You¡¯re Jorvan¡¯s fo-mah-say?¡±


    Meleng sighed. He¡¯d hoped she would take the cue to be quiet.


    ¡°Yes, she is,¡± Paydamat said. ¡°But she is on duty. As I asked before, please do not disturb her.¡±


    Sinit?a grimaced and bit her lower lip. ¡°Sorry.¡± She took a glance back again and gave Fevionawishtensen a quick wave. Then she grinned at Meleng.


    They continued the rest of the way to the lodge¡¯s entrance in silence. The archway led into a large, square room. One of those grey plants grew out of the hard earth floor in the centre of the room and extended out in a spiral. Paydamat continued forward, sometimes stepping on the plant as she went. Fevionawishtensen remained standing in the entrance.

 Book 2, Chapter 23: Isyaria (Part 3)

    Enndir,¡± Paydamat said. ¡°It means enchantment.¡±


    Paydamat merely nodded, and Meleng followed Sinit?a into the hall beyond. Fevionawishtensen followed them and closed the door.


    Paydamat led them down the corridor, up a flight of stairs, and down another corridor. The walls, ceiling, and even the floor of this storey were all ice, though the floor was not slippery. Meleng found himself wanting to run a finger along the walls to check to confirm they really were ice. There were occasional markings on the walls, all of them enchantment markings. It was unusual for such markings to be carved directly into a surface, since they only needed to be traced with a finger to a work. He wondered if they were carved in for a reason, or if they were just intended for decoration.


    Meleng pulled his left hand out of his coat. The feeling had returned now. He ran a finger along the wall. It was either ice or something with the same properties.


    Paydamat bowed her head to Sinit?a. ¡°I will take my leave of you, Sinit?a. I am sure we will speak again soon. Pleasant thoughts.¡± She placed a left hand over her chest.


    Lamdir Paydamat.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Lamdir.¡±


    She frowned and her usually wide eyes drooped. ¡°You don¡¯t look fine.¡± She hurried over to him, sat beside him, and put an arm around him. ¡°You¡¯re shaking.¡±


    really angry¡ªand he didn¡¯t want to. He wanted her to stay happy. Could too much happiness count as an extreme emotion too? It probably did. Gods, what was he going to do? He wished Jorvan was here.

 Book 2, Chapter 23: Isyaria (Part 4)

    ¡°Lamdir Paydamat wasn¡¯t there at the time to use her magic to make us understood¡ª¡±


    Lamdir mean?¡± Sinit?a asked.


    fomase and fomaze.¡±


    Lamdir must be close enough.¡±


    When they had left their lodges, an Isyar had arrived with goggles for each of them. They were meant to protect against the glare of the sun off the snow. It wasn¡¯t as much of a concern at this time of year when there were only a couple hours a day of sunlight. However, during the summer when the days were longer, continued exposure could blind a human. Even now, with only a few thin beams of sunlight passing through the breaks in the hills, it was very bright out. Meleng was glad for his goggles.


    Lustrous Rose in those days, you see. Anyway¡­¡±


    As they continued up the slope, Isyar came out of some of the buildings and watched them pass. Many flew out of the open roofs, and then back in afterwards. Sinit?a waved at every Isyar they passed. A few waved back, but most just stared at her, some in surprise, some in awe, even a few in disgust. There were also a few who paid them no attention at all, though those tended to be farther away¡ªperhaps too far to notice Sinit?a¡¯s potential? Meleng would have really liked to see what they saw when they looked at her. Jorvan had described it as a kind of glow, but that it also went beyond that¡ªnot a particularly helpful description.


    By the time they reached their destination, Meleng had fallen well behind. He bent over and gasped for air as he finally reached Gen. ¡°I wish it wasn¡¯t so steep.¡±


    Gen chuckled. ¡°We are in the mountains, lad. Probably why Isyar have wings.¡±


    They were on a wide ledge, the round, winged Council building at the far end of it. Between them and the building stretched a garden of bizarre plants, some of them like short purple pine trees, others taller and with white flowers. Puffy purple bushes that had been trimmed and cut into geometric shapes were spaced at regular intervals throughout the garden, and the grey roots with flat leaves Meleng had seen elsewhere twined between and around all the other plants.


    Gen patted Meleng on the back and strode up to Sinit?a. ¡°Now, this remarkable statue was sculpted before Chithishtheny was founded. It¡¯s believed to be at least three thousand years old.¡±


    ¡°So they say,¡± Gen said. ¡°Apparently, the sculptor wasn¡¯t trying to represent any actual individual, just a generic Isyar I suppose. Personally, I think they just say that because no one remembers who it was supposed to represent.¡± He chuckled.


    Gen gestured around them. ¡°There¡¯s certainly lots of snow here for you to practise with.¡±


    Gen knelt beside her. ¡°It¡¯s called...now, you have to be careful with the pronunciation here. Get it wrong and you can end up saying the Isyar word for dragon. But if I have my pronunciation right, it¡¯s called a frirrdund.¡± He rolled the middle r¡¯s.


    ¡°Firr-er-er-dun,¡± Sinit?a said.


    ¡°Frirrdund,¡± a voice said.


    An Isyar had approached behind them. His wings hung at odd angles, withered and useless, though he otherwise looked in peak condition. Indeed, he was the most muscular Isyar Meleng had ever seen. Instead of the typical Isyar gown, he was dressed in a form-fitting fabric similar to what Fevionawishtensen had been wearing, but a darker grey colour.


    ¡°Frirrdund,¡± the Isyar repeated.


    ¡°Why?¡± Sinit?a stood up. ¡°Furrrrrdund.¡± She grinned at her overemphasised r¡¯s.


    The Isyar shook his head. ¡°Frirrdund.¡±


    Gen stepped between Sinit?a and the Isyar. ¡°Yes, thank you. If we head over this way, your Highness, there¡¯s another statue almost as old and with a much more interesting story. We¡ª¡±


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Frirrdund,¡± the Isyar said one last time, then turned and started running.


    ¡°Ptip!¡± the elderly Isyar yelled. He raised his cane, which stretched outwards, past Meleng, Sinit?a, and Gen, then wrapped around the fleeing Isyar¡¯s legs, pulling him off his feet.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sinit?a grabbed the cane, but it shrank back to its normal size, whipping past her hands. She screamed and stumbled back. Her mittens were ripped right through, and blood was staining the tattered remains.


    Gen sighed. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I should have warned you, but it slipped my mind. I¡¯m a terrible guide.¡± He looked over where the elderly Isyar was still yelling at the Isyar begging at his feet. ¡°The one with the bent wings is called Itra, but he¡¯s more commonly called a ptip. It¡¯s something of a slur against Isyar born without the ability to use magic.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, I wouldn¡¯t recommend¡­¡± Gen shook his head and sighed. ¡°This will not end well. That¡¯s one of the other Lamdirs.¡±


    The Lamdir went quiet and turned slowly to face Sinit?a. He peered up at her, his eyes narrowed. Behind him, Itra scrabbled to his feet and hurried away.


    Sinit?a shushed Meleng, then said calmly to the Lamdir, ¡°I know you probably can¡¯t understand me, but you don¡¯t have to be so mean to him. He was just trying to help me.¡±


    The Lamdir¡¯s fingers began tracing something on one of her scarves. Meleng couldn¡¯t make out the exact symbols, but he doubted they were anything good. ¡°Sinit?a, look out!¡±


    The scarf sprang to life, pulling itself tighter around Sinit?a¡¯s neck. Sinit?a screamed, but the scream cut off as she began to choke and gasp for breath. She clawed at her neck.


    Meleng let go of the scarf and rushed at the Lamdir. ¡°Let her go!¡±


    The Lamdir raised his cane, which stretched out again and whacked Meleng across the side of the face. He fell over, the other side of his face slamming into the hard ground. He groaned and looked up. The Lamdir raised his cane again and swung it down.


    Somewhere behind him, a voice yelled in Isyarian, and the elderly Lamdir yelled something back. The two began yelling back and forth at each other.


    Meleng crawled along the ground towards Sinit?a and Gen, not bothering to even look at his saviour. Gen was seated on the ground, cradling Sinit?a in his arms. She was free of the constricting scarf. It lay in a couple pieces on the ground.


    ¡°Alas, my dear,¡± Gen said, ¡°reality rarely lives up to the stories. But many are kind. That one saved you.¡± He nodded towards their saviour.


    Meleng looked over to see who had come to their rescue. She was a tall Isyar, almost as tall as Meleng, and young-looking. Her wings were spread wide, and they twitched as she glared at the elderly Isyar. The shouting between them had stopped.


    Sinit?a sniffled. She pulled off her goggles and wiped her tear-filled eyes. ¡°Who is she?¡±


    Their rescuer said something, this time softer, but the elderly Isyar still heard her. He hissed something in reply, spread his wings, then flew away. Their rescuer raised her hand, her forefinger and pinky extended and pointed towards the retreating Isyar. After a moment, she smirked, lowered her hand, and folded her wings. She walked over and knelt beside Meleng and Sinit?a. She held out her right hand, palm out. ¡°Lamdhir Chiansamorkin.¡±


    Sinit?a looked at her and sniffled again. Meleng tried to reach his left hand out, but he couldn¡¯t get it out from under Sinit?a.


    Sinit?a detached herself from Meleng and placed her right palm on Chiansamorkin¡¯s. ¡°Princess Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith. You have beautiful eyes.¡± She lowered her hand again.


    Chiansamorkin smiled. ¡°Thank you, Princess. You are beyond beautiful. An absolute marvel.¡±


    Sinit?a beamed and wiped her eyes. ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°Such incredible power.¡± Chiansamorkin turned her gaze to Meleng.


    He hurriedly pressed his palm against hers. ¡°Meleng Drago.¡± Her eyes were unusual, dull red and splotchy. He wasn¡¯t sure why Sinit?a described them as beautiful.


    ¡°Apologies, Lamdir,¡± Gen said, ¡°but I...¡±


    ¡°Lamdhir,¡± she corrected.


    ¡°Apologies again, Lamdhir. I was only going to say that I don¡¯t recognise you, and I¡¯ve met the Lamdritta before.¡±


    ¡°The old guy was a Lamdir too?¡± Sinit?a said.


    ¡°Lammdir.¡± Chiansamorkin offered her hand to Meleng. ¡°Lammdir Griholbovroh. He is a¡­¡± She paused while she helped Meleng to his feet. ¡°I think the word in your language is ass. He is an ass of the worst kind. It is long overdue time someone challenged him for his position.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the first nice Lamdir we¡¯ve met,¡± Sinit?a said.


    ¡°Lamdhir.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get our friend Jorvan to help me,¡± Sinit?a said. She put her hand over her mouth and gave a light gasp. ¡°Sorry, I mean Jorvanultumn.¡±


    ¡°I am aware Captain Eti?nne Gen has been to Chithishtheny many times,¡± Chiansamorkin said, ¡°and he could probably give you a decent tour. However, I¡¯ve lived here my whole life. I¡¯m sure there are things I can show you and tell you about that he has no knowledge of. No offence, Captain.¡±


    Gen raised his hands. ¡°None taken.¡±


    Gen shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Go have fun.¡±


    Chiansamorkin put her arms around her and clasped her hands over Sinit?a¡¯s stomach. ¡°Now hook your arms over mine.¡± She looked to Meleng and Gen. ¡°Please stand aside.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 24: Fevionawishtensen

    This was not the homecoming Jorvanultumn had hoped for. In fact, his worst fears had come true.


    diare stood across the room by the toppled stool he had knocked over in his anger. Neither of them had spoken for at least a minute now. Davorultumn had only frowned the whole time. It was time to break the silence and say something.


    elispt, Jorvanultumn. There are no words for that.¡±


    Diare, the world is on the brink of war. There are more important things than my elispt right now. It can be put on hold¡ª¡±


    Diare, I will finish the elispt. You know I am a responsible person.¡±


    Davorultumn strode across the room, his wings still shaking. He placed his palms on the high-table directly across from Jorvanultumn and looked Jorvanultumn directly in the eyes. ¡°I thought you were responsible, but I should have paid more attention. You spent half your childhood complaining that our elispt was unfairly difficult.¡± He had switched to the formal.


    Jorvanultumn stared back. Should he switch to formal too? His diare had done it to emphasise his anger, and switching as well might convey more anger, causing Davorultumn to become even angrier. Not switching, however, might convey rebellion and disrespect, also causing him more anger. Jorvanultumn decided to switch. ¡°It is unfairly difficult, Diare.¡±


    Davorultumn slammed his palms down on the table. ¡°You see? You are ridiculously stubborn! You cling to that belief and now you are throwing it back in my face!¡±


    ¡°No other family has an elispt nearly as involved or difficult.¡±


    elispt, Diare. I will not be remaining here long.¡±


    Lammdir Griholbovroh.¡±


    diare. ¡°It was simple ignorance. Sinit?a does not know our ways. Besides, the treatment of Itra is unfair. You have said it yourself many times.¡±


    Lamdritta to his face.¡±


    Diare, you have travelled human lands. You know it is their custom to use shortened names in most circumstances.¡±


    Diare, please.¡±


    diare, but finding someone to help Felit?a was more important. Now, he just needed to convince Mikranasta of that.


    ¡°We could hardly not.¡± Mikranasta separated from him and picked up a cup from the low-table, then a branch of the hpakrik growing from centre. She squeezed one of the large, round leaves over the cup. ¡°Give him time. He is your diare. He will forgive you.¡±


    ¡°Hedromornasta, that¡¯s not necessary.¡± Mikranasta finished squeezing the juice from the hpakrik and turned to face her siare. ¡°You are not Jorvanultumn¡¯s diare.¡±


    ¡°So? Jorvanultumn is eli?spt now. He is a disgrace to Davorultumn, to all of Chithishtheny.¡±


    Hedromornasta bowed his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Diare. I let my anger get the better of me.¡±


    Diare.¡± Hedromornasta stood up and left, scowling at Jorvanultumn along the way.


    Jorvanultumn took the cup from her and raised it to his lips. ¡°I could never do that. You would never let me.¡± He sipped the hpaks. It was cold and sweet. His diare grew the best hpakrik, and it had been so long since he had last tasted it.


    ¡°And you?¡± Jorvanultumn asked. ¡°Do you forgive me?¡±


    She approached him and touched her forehead to his again. ¡°You may not be my siare, but you are my child. I will always forgive you.¡± She returned to the stool she had been sitting on. ¡°That said, you know I can¡¯t do what you want me to.¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    He sat on the stool Hedromornasta had been using and sipped at his hpaks.


    While he spoke, Mikranasta squeezed herself a cup of hpaks. The two of them went through several cups each as he talked.


    She smiled at him, holding back more laughter. ¡°Oh, Jorvanultumn. Such adventures you¡¯ve had. I look forward to hearing more of them. And I believe you¡¯re doing a good thing. More precisely, I believe you believe you¡¯re doing a good thing. But I cannot go with you to see this woman.¡±


    Mikranasta stood up and placed her now-empty cup on the low-table. ¡°It looks like the hpakrik is dry for now.¡± She knelt beside the low-table and opened one of the drawers beneath it. She pulled out some paper, pens, and ink. ¡°I can write down some meditative techniques your friend might find helpful. They are non-magical, so I am not defying holy strictures. She may find them helpful in overcoming her block. Most blocks are self-imposed. It¡¯s an instinctive, subconscious process brought on by a fear of one¡¯s own powers. Meditation can be a very effective method of overcoming them, but it does tend to need very specialised techniques.¡± She dipped one of the pens in ink, and began to write. ¡°Go to the hpakrik in the other room and squeeze me some more hpaks, please. This may take awhile.¡±


    hpaks from the smaller hpakrik in the high-table there. He also took the opportunity to right the stool Davorultumn had knocked over. When he returned to Mikranasta, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest and he almost dropped the cup.


    elispt. No, he had done more than hope. He had convinced himself that everything would be fine, and had ignored the consequences if they were not. The worst part was, this meant he had brought shame to Fevionawishtensen for no reason and no gain. Mikranasta¡¯s promised meditative techniques were unlikely to prove beneficial, and despite her words, he was certain she knew that. She was making a hollow gesture to try to appease him.


    Hgirh uniform lay¡­ Jorvanultumn was fairly certain it was a couple ledges down. They would find it later. Her sword, on the other hand, lay in reach of her hand. Always prepared, she was.


    Why? she signed.


    Why sorry?


    elispt. I broke it.¡±


    Tell me.


    elispt in the hope he could convince Mikranasta to return to Arnor with him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t adequately consider the consequences. I expected resistance, but convinced myself my diare would accept a temporary break in my elispt. And I¡¯m sorry for bringing my shame upon you for something that will likely fail. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    Better, she signed.


    Good. She wrapped her wing around him again and kissed him. After a moment of holding him close, she let go and stood up. You are too stubborn to give up. So why?


    You spoke to Davorultumn. Once. You spoke to Mikranasta. Once.


    Talk to them again. Yes, they are stubborn. You are more stubborn.


    diare.¡±


    You broke your elispt. You have offended him already. But you had a good reason, so stand up for yourself. Make it worth it.


    The only shame you bring on me is from your stubborn refusal to be stubborn. Convince Mikranasta to go with you. Prove what you are doing is right. I will stand by you proudly, and if anyone dares speak ill of you, I will make them regret it.

 Book 2, Chapter 25: Friends Old and New (Part 1)

    Diare used all the hpaks yesterday. It will be days before there¡¯s more.¡±


    Hedromornasta looked down finally, but did not turn to face Jorvanultumn. ¡°She was summoned to a meeting with the Lamdritta. You can¡¯t see her right now.¡±


    diare?¡±


    eli?spt now, Jorvanultumn. Talking with your diare or mine will not change that. Take the papers Mikranasta wrote for you. They are more than you deserve.¡±


    diare¡¯s. She gives you too much. She always has. You are not her siare.¡±


    eli?spt should not be answering the door.¡±


    eli?spt but I am not a monster.¡±


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Nice is not a word I would use for Hedromornasta,¡± Jorvanultumn said. ¡°However, he is...proper.¡±


    accountable mean?¡±


    siaree.¡±


    hates me. She just...well¡­¡±


    Lamdritta is currently in session. I am going to speak to them.¡± If he could get in, but he did not add that. He spread his wings and a twinge of pain spread through the injured one. He winced.


    Lamdir,¡± Sinit?a said.


    Lamdhir?¡±


    Lamdritta could be beneficial¡ªassuming she did not still hate him.

 Book 2, Chapter 25: Friends Old and New (Part 2)

    The sun was reaching its highest position over the mountains to the south when Jorvanultumn landed at the Governance Building. As he entered, he opened his inner eyelids to allow in more light. As a building with a covered roof, it was lit inside only by flame globes.


    Lamdritta were still in session, presumably with his diare and Mikranasta. He knew the way to the main conference hall. It was quickest to fly, but Meleng¡¯s earlier look lingered in Jorvanultumn¡¯s head and his wing was aching a little. There were stairs which wound half the circumference of the entrance hall. Using them would add very little to his travel time.


    Hgirh, one of them Fevionawishtensen, stood at the conference room doors. Before them, however, another Isyar slumped on a stool in the hall, his bent wings hanging loosely to either side, one touching the floor. Jorvanultumn stopped beside him.


    He turned away, but Itra called after him. ¡°You are Davorultumn¡¯s siare, yes?¡±


    diare?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is.¡± Davorultumn had often agreed with Jorvanultumn that the treatment of Itra was unfair, but he had never mentioned having any actual contact with Itra. ¡°Thank you. May the night be short.¡± He placed his left hand over his chest.


    Lamdritta.¡±


    Lamdritta are in session at the moment,¡± the other Hgirh said. Jorvanultumn did not recognise him, though Hgirh were sometimes rotated to different towns, so he could be new here.


    Hgirh did not return the greeting. ¡°I know who you are, but we cannot let you inside.¡±


    Hgirh said. ¡°Only those invited by the Lamdritta may enter.¡±


    Hgirh stared at him, as did Fevionawishtensen, but that hint of a smile remained.


    Hgirh looked to Fevionawishtensen, who shook her head. ¡°We have our orders,¡± he said. ¡°No one enters unless called for.¡±


    Hgirh said. ¡°You must be mistaken about it. The Lamdritta hold many closed sessions in this hall.¡±


    Hgirh once again looked to Fevionawishtensen, but she made no motion.


    Hgirh.¡±


    Hgirh shook his head. ¡°We are the Hgirh.¡±


    diare.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Of course, something like this could require going to the Lordritta. I doubt the Lamdritta will like that.¡±


    Hgirh, who sighed and opened the doors. As Jorvanultumn passed through, Fevionawishtensen¡¯s wing briefly touched his. He smiled. That was all the confirmation of her approval he needed.


    diare and Mikranasta stood. His diare¡¯s diare, Hilkorultumn was also there, something Jorvanultumn had not expected, though in retrospect, he was not surprised. Other than Davorultumn, Hilkorultumn was the only living Isyar who had completed the same elispt Jorvanultumn had failed to complete.


    Lamdirh Maramintorin called down from his perch at the top of the fifth pillar. ¡°What is the meaning of this, Jorvanultumn? You were not summoned to this meeting.¡±


    here.¡± Jorvanultumn touched foreheads with Mikranasta.


    Lammdir Griholbovroh slammed his staff into the floor of his perch on the sixth pillar. ¡°Fevionawishtensen should never have been placed as a guard on this session. I said as much before the session started. This is your fault, Lamdir Paydamat. What do you have to say for yourself?¡±


    Lammdir. Are you suggesting someone as esteemed as Fevionawishtensen would give preferential treatment to her fomase? She knows the law, and she knows¡ªas I think you do, too¡ªthat we cannot actually bar Jorvanultumn entry if he demands it.¡±


    The last member of the Lamdritta spoke up, not moving from her seat on the fourth pillar. ¡°I agree with Paydamat.¡± It was Chiansamorkin...no, Lamdhir Chiansamorkin he should think of her. ¡°We know the details of the elispt. There is little else these others can tell us. We should hear Jorvanultumn¡¯s version of events.¡±


    ¡°Pheh,¡± Griholbovroh scoffed. ¡°You are biased because you were childhood friends.¡±


    ¡°But you, Lammdir, are bias free, I suppose?¡± Chiansamorkin said.


    Maramintorin loudly cleared his throat. ¡°Accusations against each other will get us nowhere. While I am unhappy with the breach of decorum, I am forced to agree with Lamdir Paydamat and Lamdhir Chiansamorkin. We needed to summon Jorvanultumn soon anyway.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Griholbovroh said, ¡°but I wish it known that I object to the manner of his arrival and I already consider it a strike against him.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Maramintorin said. After Paydamat and Chiansamorkin followed with their agreement, Maramintorin continued, ¡°Jorvanultumn, you wish to address the Lamdritta?¡±


    Jorvanultumn stepped forward so that he stood directly over the hpakrik growing from the centre of the room. ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°In one moment.¡± Jorvanultumn looked up at the ceiling and its flame globes arranged to look like the constellations. He closed his eyes and said a quick, silent prayer to Power. Then he lowered his head and opened his eyes again. ¡°I submit.¡±


    ¡°Ready,¡± Paydamat said.


    It was strange seeing her on that perch. Jorvanultumn had always known she would progress far, but so soon? She had incredible talent, true. Up close, she glowed more brightly than Sinit?a. She glowed more brightly than anyone else he knew. But raw talent needed control, and to gain enough control to have that seat at such a young age was astounding. He wished he had had a chance to see her before now. Being the subject of a Council inquiry was not the best way to reacquaint.


    diare and these other members of your extended family who have provided us with the details of your elispt, as well as background information about you. If I may say, I commiserate with you regarding the difficulty of your elispt. It is remarkable to me that such an elispt even exists. However, an elispt it is. Your family has told us what you told them of why you broke the elispt. At this time, I would like to hear the story from you. In particular, I would like to hear about the human mentalist who started the war, the one the Volganths call Will-Breaker. Please, tell us.¡± She sat back in her seat.


    ¡°Thank you, Lamdhir,¡± Jorvanultumn began. ¡°I would like to start by saying I believe you are in error to call Princess Felit?a Asa Folith the one who started the war. The war would have happened whether she had been involved at all.¡±


    ¡°And why do you say this?¡± Griholbovroh said. ¡°She broke into the Volganth rooms on Scovese and killed several of them. This was not an act of war on her part?¡±


    ¡°Would you go to war with the world over the actions of one person?¡± Jorvanultumn said.


    ¡°I believe so, Lamdirh.¡±


    ¡°Then please, proceed,¡± Maramintorin said.


    ¡°Thank you, Lamdirh. I will tell you everything I can about her.¡±


    Lammdir,¡± Jorvanultumn said, ¡°you have met her sister, have you not? Princess Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith?¡±


    Lammdir Griholbovroh gives them credit for. In addition, I would remind the Council that Princess Felit?a Asa Folith¡¯s powers are, in large part, telepathic. She does not need to match us in magical power. The combination of her magic and telepathy may be enough.¡±


    elispt. Is this correct?¡±


    elispt. I will not return here again until it is finished.¡±


    Lamdritta about the incident the Lammdir and Lamdhir are arguing about.¡±


    elispt is wrapped up,¡± Paydamat said.


    Lamdir. May the night be short.¡±


    we, Lamdir, I would like to know why as well.¡±


    Lammdir,¡± Chiansamorkin said.


    Lamdirh?¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 25: Friends Old and New (Part 3)

    Jorvanultumn looked into Fevionawishtensen¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯d better go.¡± He kissed her. ¡°I¡¯ll see you later. Coming, Diare.¡±


    His diare glared at him as he approached. With a shake of his head, he continued down the hall, stopping at Itra. ¡°You can go, Itra.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t twist my words. I fully believe they¡¯ll be helpful. I just happen to know you don¡¯t believe that. Don¡¯t you want to try again to convince me to go with you?¡±


    diare would not be so willing to speak with him¡ªeven if the Lamdritta determined he had sufficient cause to break his elispt. Davorultumn did not see it that way, and no decision from the Lamdritta would change that.


    Lamdhir?¡± He regretted his words almost immediately as her face fell in disappointment.


    Lamdritta now and overseeing my case, I just wasn¡¯t sure the appropriateness¡­¡± That was a lie.


    fomase by now.


    She stepped back with a smile. ¡°Like it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s personal,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it sometime. Not here though. Fly with me?¡±


    hpakrik and between the rows of szadan and szadene. The sun had already set, and the moon had not yet risen, so there was only the starlight reflecting off the snow and ice for light. For a few moments, they remained silent.


    Lamdritta?¡± Jorvanultumn asked.


    Jorvanultumn smiled. He was glad to see her like this. This was the Chiansamorkin he had grown up with, not the angry soul from two years ago. ¡°I heard you spent time with Princess Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith. She asked me to pass her greetings on to you, by the way.¡±


    hi.¡± He made a point of saying it in Arnorgue.


    Lamdritta is in session, of course. And any time I¡¯m around Griholbovroh. Or maybe not, if I feel like annoying him.¡± She laughed again.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    She chuckled. ¡°You can barely use the informal with me. You definitely couldn¡¯t do it. At any rate, I enjoyed my time with her. She¡¯s...unusual.¡±


    are different disciplines.¡±


    elispt?¡±


    ¡°She is still lucky to have you. I almost envy her, getting to travel with you for your whole elispt.¡± She stopped moving and plucked a needle from a szadan. ¡°I meant it in session, you know, when I said your elispt is ridiculously hard. Personally, I won¡¯t hold it against you if it¡¯s determined you broke it. It¡¯s not a fair elispt to begin with.¡±


    elispt?¡± He took the needle and bit into it. Its juice was bitter, and he grimaced. ¡°Ugh.¡±


    elispt. Do you know what it was?¡±


    elispt, I had to find a new, more efficient way to conjure all four elements into a finished product.¡± She looked to him for his reaction.


    elispt wasn¡¯t much harder than the tests my diare gave me all the time during my training. Do you know what I did? No, silly question. Of course not. I conjured my home. I originally wanted to conjure it completely furnished, but I couldn¡¯t figure out a way to pull that off. I spent...I think it was ten days working out the movements. It was more time than I really needed, but I wanted to impress, make it as efficient as possible. Plus, I still hoped to find a way to furnish it.¡±


    Lamdhir at such a young age. Congratulations by the way. You were always talented. I envied you a lot.¡±


    diare seven years, his diare a little over ten.¡±


    you know your diare accomplished it? I don¡¯t mean to suggest he¡¯s a liar. That¡¯s not my point. But think about it. How do you really know for sure?¡±


    elispt?¡±


    elispt.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°It is outdated, but we can¡¯t get rid of it.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    elispt. It¡¯s hard on her. It would be hard on anyone.¡±


    siare, you know?¡±


    ¡°She...she told you about this?¡±


    ¡°Both,¡± Chiansamorkin said with a smile. ¡°Early on, it was mostly air-writing, but I¡¯ve since learned her signs. Have you discussed who gets the first child?¡±


    Jorvanultumn nodded. ¡°She does. We decided that before I left, in case she was already pregnant. I could hardly take the child in such a case.¡± While they had discussed the possibility¡ªvery briefly¡ªFevionawishtensen had never expressed to him a strong desire to have a siare right away. She seemed content to wait. Though perhaps he was projecting like Chiansamorkin. That reminded him¡­ ¡°Chiansamorkin, can I ask¡­?¡±


    fomase?¡±


    Lamdhir at such a young age. But what good is that? I will never have a siare. People marvel at my power and expect me to be Lordhir one day, but what good is so much power if I have no one to pass it on to, no one to carry on my family legacy?¡± Her wings fluttered irritably. ¡°It¡¯s not fair.¡±


    She took a deep breath, then another. ¡°No, it¡¯s all right. I guess it¡¯s still a bit of a sore subject for me. It¡¯s not your fault, and I don¡¯t blame you anymore. And you deserve to know.¡± She approached him and touched her forehead to his. ¡°I should get back. See if that bent-wing, Griholbovroh has calmed down, may his wings rot in the deepest shit. I¡¯m sorry to leave on such a¡­¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 26: Extended Families (Part 1)

    Since arriving nearly two days ago, he had not really taken a moment to appreciate being back. There had been too much on his mind. There was still a lot on his mind, but it could not hurt to take a moment or two. His diare was unavailable, probably hiding away where he always went when he did not want to be disturbed. Mikranasta was busy. He should check in on Meleng and Sinit?a, but they were probably fine for the moment. He also did not want to return to them until he had had the chance to speak to the Lamdritta on Sinit?a¡¯s behalf. He had promised to do that, after all.


    Lamdritta would agree to see him.


    Lamdir Paydamat.¡±


    siare, Nascanmat.¡±


    That explained the familiarity. Jorvanultumn had seen Nascanmat once or twice years ago, generally behind Paydamat. They had never interacted with one another. Jorvanultumn held up his right palm, and Nascanmat touched his left to it.


    Lamdir.¡±


    Paydamat set a brisk pace along the central path into the gardens. Nascanmat remained a short distance behind them.


    Lamdritta,¡± Paydamat said.


    Lamdir. I was hoping¡ª¡±


    Lamdir.¡±


    Lamdir, you cannot make such a requirement of me. I¡ª¡±


    Lamdir, there is still the matter of Princess Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith¡¯s encounter with Lammdir Griholbovroh.¡±


    diare¡¯s death. They were friends.¡±


    Lamdhir that she ignored her diare¡¯s distress.¡±


    Lamdir.¡±


    Lamdritta.¡±


    Lamdir.¡±


    challenging my actions?¡±


    Lamdir.¡±


    She wheeled around and stormed off towards the Governance Building, nearly colliding with someone coming out. The second Isyar hastily stumbled aside to let her pass. Nascanmat said a quick apology to the individual, then followed after his diare.


    ¡°Eli?spt,¡± the Isyar muttered and stomped away.


    With a shake of his head, he crossed the wide entry chamber to the administration centre where he could formally withdraw his request to speak to the Lamdritta. After he had taken care of that, he crossed the entry chamber again with the intent of heading home...or no...he needed to see Meleng and Sinit?a first.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Jorvanultumn!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been attending to some business.¡± Jorvanultumn looked past her to his fomase. Fevionawishtensen did not look bothered that Chiansamorkin had placed herself between them, though Fevionawishtensen was good at not showing emotions.


    ¡°Another petition to address the Lamdritta?¡± Chiansamorkin said.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably right,¡± Chiansamorkin said. ¡°Not from the Lamdritta anyway.¡±


    Jorvanultumn reluctantly separated from Fevionawishtensen and looked over to Chiansamorkin. ¡°I don¡¯t think Paydamat knows you know about Sinit?a. Is this true?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem very funny.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Maybe not.¡± Chiansamorkin took his arm. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go somewhere else. Best not to discuss this in here where anyone could overhear us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t fly. I just don¡¯t want my wing¡ª¡±


    As they passed through the doors, Fevionawishtensen released his arm so she could sign, Like a diare carries their infant siare.


    Fevionawishtensen looked Jorvanultumn over and nodded. Good point. She took his arm again.


    They led him through the gardens towards the path back down the mountainside. Chiansamorkin plucked a few needles from a szadan as they passed. ¡°These look a little riper than last time.¡± She shoved one in Jorvanultumn¡¯s mouth as he tried to question their actions.


    Fevionawishtensen signed, Fomaze.


    Jorvanultumn looked at her blankly. ¡°Fomaze?¡±


    All signs of laughter were gone from her, and she gazed sternly at him. You told me when we met that, when she got over things, you wanted us to include her as fomaze.


    ¡°Yes, when she calmed down and when she had a fomase of her own. She doesn¡¯t have one yet.¡±


    Fevionawishtensen sighed. And you think she will?


    Fevionawishtensen stepped closer to him, grabbed his chin, and turned his face to look at her again. She has no one else. Her diare is dead, you know?


    She will never have a siare. We could bring her into our family so she doesn¡¯t have to be alone.


    ¡°I...I¡¯d like to, but the fomaze is between two pairs of fomasee.¡±


    It is?


    Who says?


    ¡°Well, it¡­¡± He had no idea who had written the rules of the fomaze, or why they were the way they were. Were there any actual written rules?


    No one says. That¡¯s because it¡¯s just a tradition. There are no formal rules. It is not like the elispt. Others may disapprove, but let them. We can do as we like. They can¡¯t stop us.


    You¡¯ve been gone two years. I¡¯ve gotten to know her. Yes, I want this.


    Fevionawishtensen rolled her eyes. No one is saying we should do it right this instant.


    Chiansamorkin was clearly watching for a signal as she immediately flew over to them. She looked expectantly from Jorvanultumn to Fevionawishtensen and back again, her wings quivering.


    We¡¯ll need to discuss when this will happen.


    Lamdritta is resolved first. Oh, probably shouldn¡¯t announce this to anyone yet either. The others on the Lamdritta already consider me biased and if they find out about this, they might make me recuse myself, and then you¡¯d lose your best champion.¡±


    Agreed, Fevionawishtensen said.

 Book 2, Chapter 26: Extended Families (Part 2)

    ¡°


    She grinned and shook her head. ¡°Never. What¡¯s your family like? You¡¯ve never told me.¡±


    Lamdritta soon over the sale of our goods. This usually takes a couple of days and we won¡¯t be available much in that time. If something urgent comes up in that time, you can get a message to us through my number two. He¡¯ll be overseeing the rest of the crew. For the most part, they don¡¯t leave the other lodges. They like the warmth and other comforts there.¡±


    hpaks. It¡¯s basically just the juice of those vine-like hpakrik plants. However, when fermented, it makes a very potent alcohol. The Isyar always provide my crew a generous supply. I sometimes think they do it to stop too much of my crew from overrunning their town.¡±


    Gen sighed. ¡°I was trying to make the Isyar sound as generous as possible. At any rate, I just thought you should know why we might not be around much over the next couple of days.¡±


    Lamdritta, do you think that means they¡¯re finished deliberating Sinit?a¡¯s case? And Jorvan¡¯s?¡±


    Lamdritta has not yet made any decisions, but Paydamat assures me that Sinit?a has nothing to worry about.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    diare, but I would like to invite you both¡­¡± He paused, and looked at Gen and Ting. ¡°And the two of you as well, to dinner at my family¡¯s home.¡±


    diare and Mikranasta do not yet know that I am extending this invitation, but I am certain they will honour it. Once I have made arrangements with them, I will let you know.¡±


    ¡°Not all. Miana and I have some work to attend to anyway. Have to check to make sure none of the sheep have frozen.¡± He jumped to his feet with a laugh, and strode to the door. ¡°Come on, Miana, let¡¯s leave them be. Jeanne!¡± He pushed the door open and the dog leapt from Sinit?a¡¯s lap and darted into the hall. Gen grinned. ¡°At least she still listens to me.¡± The he followed the dog out.


    I know!¡±


    fomase, and at my age, it will almost certainly never happen. I will never bear a siare, a child to raise and teach in my discipline. Our laws will not allow me to pass on what I¡¯ve learned to anyone else, and I can¡¯t stand that. So fuck our laws! I¡¯ll pass on my knowledge anyway. You will be like my siare, Sinit?a. What do you say?¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 27: The Pundritta

    Jorvanultumn found his diare sitting on the edge of a rocky tor in the foothills between Chithishtheny and the docks. It was the spot Davorultumn had used when he wanted to be alone for as long as Jorvanultumn could remember. It was also a spot that he did not appreciate Jorvanultumn following him to. For that reason, Jorvanultumn had let him be alone for some time. However, on the walk to see Meleng and Sinit?a, Fevionawishtensen had pointed out that he could not let Davorultumn hide from him out here and avoid having the discussion they needed to have. Jorvanultumn had to come here whether his diare liked it or not.


    Unfortunately, he had not expected to find two people here. Sitting beside Davorultumn was Hilkorultumn. Both of them were silent, staring out to sea. Jorvanultumn had seen this pose from Davorultumn many times. He could sit that way for hours.


    Jorvanultumn could not remember ever seeing Hilkorultumn out here before though. Davorultumn and Hilkorultumn had other places where they usually met with one another. This was where Davorultumn went to be away from everyone, including his own diare.


    Jorvanultumn glided down and landed several feet behind them and folded his wings. Dull pain throbbed through the injured one, though it passed after a couple seconds. There had been no choice but to fly out here, as there was no other way to reach this location¡ªnot without some extremely difficult climbing Jorvanultumn was reasonably certain he did not have the skill for.


    Neither of the two older Isyar acknowledged him. It was unlikely they had not noticed him, so they had to be purposely ignoring him.


    ¡°What are you doing here, Jorvanultumn?¡± his diare said at last, without looking up. ¡°This is my place. You know better than to come here without invitation.¡±


    ¡°You are staring at the sea. If you were meditating, you¡¯d be looking at the sky.¡±


    Jorvanultumn sighed and backed off a bit, but stopped. He had to do this. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Diare, we need to talk and you know it. That is why you have been avoiding me.¡±


    Hilkorultumn placed a hand on his siare¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You have been avoiding him, Davorultumn, and he¡¯s right. You do need to talk.¡±


    However, it only took a few seconds this time before Davorultumn broke contact, lowered his head, and closed his eyes. ¡°Very well, we will talk. But I will start.¡± He opened his eyes again and pointed to the edge. ¡°Sit.¡±


    Hilkorultumn moved aside, and Jorvanultumn approached the edge. ¡°Thank you, Diare.¡± He carefully lowered himself into a seated position, dangling his legs over the edge.


    Hilkorultumn backed farther away from the edge, while Davorultumn sat close to Jorvanultumn, their wings overlapping a little so as to be reasonably close together. They sat in silence for a few moments before Davorultumn spoke.


    Jorvanultumn opened his mouth to speak, but his diare held up a hand.


    ¡°Bursting into that meeting uninvited was inappropriate regardless of whether you had the legal right. The Lamdritta would have called you in eventually.¡±


    ¡°Custom and tradition is important. You¡¯re still young. You don¡¯t yet understand, but you will one day. Yes, I know there are some traditions that should change, and they will. But it is a slow process. It takes time. You must be patient. The elispt, however, is one tradition I support in its fullest. It should not be mocked.¡±


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    ¡°Diare, I don¡¯t mean to mock the elispt. I dislike mine, but I know its importance. But there are things going on. I don¡¯t know the extent of them, but they are more important than tradition. Even the elispt. You say you thought you taught me better. You did. You taught me to believe in myself. You taught me to stand up for what is right, to do what is right, and what I¡¯m doing is right, even if it looks wrong. With due respect, Diare, you haven¡¯t seen what I¡¯ve seen. You haven¡¯t seen Corvinian¡¯s powers. He has them despite no magical talent whatsoever. You haven¡¯t met Felit?a. There is something about her, and I believe in my heart she is...special. I¡¯m certain Mikranasta would be able to confirm it. There is power in Felit?a beyond anything we¡¯ve ever known.¡±


    Davorultumn took a moment before responding, but then nodded slowly. ¡°I would trust her judgement to the end of the world. However, it¡¯s a moot point. We will never know her judgement.¡±


    ¡°I will admit, you spoke very persuasively to the Lamdritta, and Mikranasta has always had too much of a soft spot for you. If she were to do it for anyone, it would be you, even more so than Hedromornasta, her own siare.¡± Davorultumn shuddered and shook his head. ¡°But I still believe she will do the right thing and not go with you.¡±


    His diare actually smiled. ¡°Jorvanultumn, you have clearly learned a few things in your time away. That¡¯s good. That¡¯s part of the point of the elispt. But there are things will need to unlearn.¡±


    ¡°But whether Mikranasta will go with you when you leave is not important to our discussion at the moment,¡± Davorultumn said. ¡°It is the breaking of the elispt that we need to discuss.¡±


    Davorultumn lowered his head again after a moment. ¡°I consider your actions a breach of the elispt, but overall a minor one. Before you barged in on the meeting, my diare pointed out that the exact requirements of the elispt are open to some interpretation. Visiting everywhere could include visiting home. I don¡¯t fully accept that, but if the Lamdritta do, I will accept their judgement. Regardless of their decision, I¡­¡± He took a deep breath and looked Jorvanultumn in the eyes. ¡°I will forgive you.¡±


    ¡°On one condition. After you leave here, whether with Mikranasta or not, you will complete the remainder of your elispt before returning home again.¡±


    ¡°That was always my intention, Diare.¡±


    Davorultumn smiled. ¡°I know.¡±


    They leaned towards each other, awkwardly shifting their wings out of the way to touch foreheads. They clasped hands and closed their eyes. It had been over two years since they had last held each other like this. Jorvanultumn had not realised how much he had desired his diare¡¯s touch. Light sobbing came from Davorultumn, and Jorvanultumn joined him.


    ¡°Thank you, Diare,¡± Jorvanultumn said.


    With a sigh, Jorvanultumn turned back to the edge and sat down again. Davorultumn sat on the same side as before, and Hilkorultumn on the other side. The older Isyar leaned over and put his hand on Jorvanultumn¡¯s shoulder. ¡°There are things about our family you don¡¯t know yet. What we are about to tell you is normally revealed after the completion of the elispt, but it seems you¡¯ve become involved in some of it without even realising.¡±


    Jorvanultumn was not sure how to respond, so looked to his diare, who placed a hand on his other shoulder. ¡°Darkness Worshippers and Volgs.¡±


    ¡°We wish to talk about the Pundritta,¡± Hilkorultumn said.


    Pundritta? Jorvanultumn looked back at his diare¡¯s diare. ¡°I have not heard that word.¡± The structure of the word indicated a group, a council like the Lamdritta. Pun- referred to the night. A night council? ¡°Darkness Worshippers?¡±


    His diare shook his head vigorously and got to his feet as well. ¡°No! You misunderstand.¡± He glared at Hilkorultumn. ¡°I told you I should be the one to bring this up.¡±


    Hilkorultumn was slower to get to his feet, his weaker legs shaking as he stood up. ¡°My apologies, Jorvanultumn. I didn¡¯t mean to give you the wrong idea. We are not the Pundritta. We are not Darkness Worshippers. Far from it. We stand guard against them. We hunt them. It¡¯s our job to watch for their activity and put a stop to it whenever possible.¡±


    Jorvanultumn stumbled over his words. ¡°And the Pundritta are¡­¡±


    ¡°Isyar, yes,¡± Hilkorultumn said. ¡°They serve the Lord of Darkness and do his will. We are not the perfectly noble beings we pretend to be.¡±


    Jorvanultumn stood there in silence, staring into his diare¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I...uh...I invited my friends to dinner.¡± It was a completely irrelevant thing to say in the moment, but he could not think of anything else.


    The discussion was both enlightening and terrifying at the same time.

 Book 2, Chapter 28: Upheaval (Part 1)

    elispt¡ªthe reason why it was so much more difficult than what other Isyar had to do upon reaching adulthood. Learning about other lands was meant to teach that Isyar were no more special than anyone else, no matter what Isyar society believed and taught.


    Pundritta. Ten signs for every discipline. Few of the signs on their own were enough to condemn anyone, and few members of the Pundritta displayed more than a couple of the signs.


    Pundritta.


    diare. My diare was the last to root any out. However, she kept extensive records. I¡¯ll give you access to them.¡±


    diare to siare like everything else, shouldn¡¯t it be obvious? Just look to the descendants.¡±


    Hilkorultumn shook his head sadly. ¡°I said they have to be taken out. I wasn¡¯t exaggerating. We leave no family. Plus, they do occasionally convert other Isyar, allowing a new family line to begin.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible you got rid of them all? Maybe they¡¯re all gone?¡±


    ¡°No. They¡¯re just in hiding, but they¡¯ll be coming out now.¡±


    diare was certain of it.¡±


    So now Jorvanultumn stood in his room going over the signs in his head, trying to remember them all, and trying to make sense of everything that had happened. He needed to go over Hilkorultumn¡¯s diare¡¯s records and study the pictures of the symbols the different disciplines of the Pundritta used.


    Though he could not deny this was important. Not just to his family. If the Pundritta became active, they would eventually oppose Felit?a. He had to do what he could to help her and stop them.


    However, before he could do any of that, there was a dinner to attend. These discussions could wait until after.


    He and Davorultumn had arrived back home to find preparations already in progress. Fevionawishtensen and Chiansamorkin had taken care of it, and Mikranasta had readily agreed.


    Jorvanultumn had soon found himself in the way, so he had retired to his room to gather his thoughts.


    There was a knock at the door. Chiansamorkin peered in. ¡°There you are.¡± She came forward and they touched foreheads and wing tips. ¡°Hiding away?¡±


    He sighed. ¡°I was in the way. I can¡¯t cook¡ªthat¡¯s one skill my diare did not successfully pass on to me¡ªand Mikranasta did not appreciate my attempts to help her decorate.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°At least you¡¯ve learned to use the informal with me.¡± She grinned at him.


    He smirked. ¡°We are going to be fomazee.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so.¡± He stared into her clear eyes and at the tattoo at the back of the left one. He still felt...unsure around her like this. They had been this close in the past, but since meeting Fevionawishtensen, he had not touched wings with anyone.


    ¡°I¡¯m the only who can. I wouldn¡¯t trust a human to handle her potential, and no other Isyar would even consider it.¡±


    ¡°That...that¡¯s amazing. I don¡¯t know what to say. I¡¯m certainly not going to argue it. Why did Feviona¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the part she said you¡¯d argue.¡± Chiansamorkin put the decahedron back on the table, straightened herself up, and took a deep breath. ¡°When you leave here, I¡¯m coming with you. So is Fevionawishtensen.¡±


    ¡°What other choice is there? I can¡¯t teach her here. People would notice eventually. Plus, she¡¯d be alone, separated from her family and friends, not to mention the cold. I have to teach her to move properly and be responsive to her body¡¯s movements. I can¡¯t do that if she¡¯s bundled up in multiple layers of thick clothing.¡±


    Jorvanultumn stared at her. On the one hand, this would solve a major problem for him. There probably was no better teacher for Sinit?a. He would also like having her along. It would be a real chance to rebuild the closeness they once had. On the other hand, it was an incredible disruption to her life. ¡°That makes sense, but what about your duties on the Lamdritta?¡±


    ¡°Can you do that? Has anyone ever done that before?¡±


    ¡°But Fevionawishtensen is Hgirh. She can¡¯t just leave.¡±


    Chiansamorkin¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°She¡¯s also made up her mind. You have a better chance of convincing me not to go than her, and you have no chance of convincing me. I think you know that.¡±


    He walked up close to her and kissed her. ¡°Let¡¯s make the fomaze official tonight after dinner.¡±


    Lamdritta. They might make me recuse myself before the vote tomorrow.¡±


    diare determine your punishment. Surely he won¡¯t be too harsh on you.¡±


    He put his arms around her and they kissed again. Then he just held her, relearning the feel of her.

 Book 2, Chapter 28: Upheaval (Part 2)

    Sinit?a was holding her bare hands out towards a pair of rocks in the corner of the gathering room when Jorvanultumn and Chiansamorkin entered. Meleng and Captain Gen stood near her, in the process of removing their outdoor clothing. First Mate Ting stood behind them, apparently content with what they were wearing, and not removing anything.


    The rocks were new, as were the two vertical ice sheets, one on each side of the rocks, acting like screens to direct the heat emanating from the rocks.


    The gathering room was the busiest Jorvanultumn could remember seeing it. Davorultumn and Mikranasta had never been ones to have guests over much. Chiansamorkin had visited frequently, but that was pretty much the extent of visitors they ever had. But now, the room was full of people.


    While the humans were gathered near the heating stones, Fevionawishtensen, Mikranasta, and Hilkorultumn stood as far from them as they could get, at the far side of the low-table, which had been raised to the height of a high-table¡ªprobably because the actual high-table in the adjoining room was too small to seat everyone. Jorvanultumn was not certain this one would seat everyone. Even the nine people already in the room would be a squeeze. Once Davorultumn¡ªpresumably preparing the food¡ªand Hedromornasta joined them, it would be awkward.


    Captain Gen approached him and they clasped left hands. ¡°Thank you for inviting us, Jorvanultumn. I appreciate the opportunity to meet your family.¡±


    ¡°I will translate for you,¡± Jorvanultumn said. ¡°When my diare arrives, he can also help, though his Arnorgue may be¡­ What is the word when it has been a long time?¡±


    Jorvanultumn grimaced. ¡°Right, of course. I forgot.¡± In fact, it had barely registered that she could speak the language. ¡°I have been meaning to ask. When did you learn to speak Arnorgue?¡±


    But how had she learned? Who taught her? Davorultumn? He had certainly not said anything about it. Hilkorultumn maybe? But his Arnorgue would be even rustier than Davorultumn¡¯s. Who else in Chithishtheny spoke Arnorgue? Perhaps she learned to read it from books, but they would not help much with pronunciation. She sounded almost like a native, with only a hint of an Isyarian accent. Jorvanultumn doubted he would ever be able to speak it that well.


    A hand touched his arm. ¡°Everything all right?¡± Meleng asked.


    fomase is preparing it,¡± Mikranasta said, Chiansamorkin translating again, ¡°I will allow him to tell you about it, but I can assure you, he is a very good cook.¡±


    Pundritta still plagued his head. The best starting point would probably be to learn the symbols the Pundritta used. Each discipline had one, and they were the only signs that were pretty much guaranteed to point to a member. If a member used the symbol, it would be on their person somewhere, similar to the goat-skull tattoo human Darkers wore.


    Diare. I was outside, but Nascanmat delayed me.¡±


    siare? He is here?¡±


    Diare.¡±


    Diare. It didn¡¯t seem a problem to me to answer his questions.¡±


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    diare, Davorultumn.¡±


    Diare and siare,¡± Jorvanultumn said.


    diare of one of the children. The diare raises their siare and instructs them in their own discipline of magic.¡±


    siare and I will take the second.¡±


    Jorvanultumn smiled. While he understood Gen¡¯s perspective, he also admired Sinit?a¡¯s desire to learn. Too few people possessed that¡ªhumans and Isyar alike.


    Has been a long time,¡± Chiansamorkin said with a smirk.


    matir...I do not know a word for it in your language.¡± Davorultumn looked to Jorvanultumn, who shrugged.


    matire in Arnor.¡±


    matir, there is a selection of local vegetables. I can tell you about them once we start eating if you want. There is also hpaks, a drink made from the juice of the hpakrik plant that grows in the table.¡±


    matir, her eyes widened. ¡°This is good!¡±


    Later, when a few szadan needles for chewing were all that remained of the food and the hpaks was down to the last drops, Chiansamorkin called for everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Jorvanultumn and Fevionawishtensen have something to announce.¡±


    hpaks and stood up. ¡°Yes. We...that is, Fevionawishtensen and I have decided to perform the fomaze with Chiansamorkin, who has graciously agreed. We are going to formalise it after dinner and we would appreciate witnesses.¡±


    fomaze is for two pairs of fomasee, and Chiansamorkin does not have a fomase.¡±


    elispt! How can you allow him to do this?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Hedromornasta said. ¡°You are as well. You¡¯ve done nothing but lust unnaturally after Jorvanultumn for years, even after he bonded to someone else. You¡¯ve spent the last two years winging up to Fevionawishtensen to get her to agree to this unholy union.¡±


    fomase¡¯s home. Chiansamorkin, how dare you speak that way to my siare. As you said, he is still a child, as grown up as he may believe he is. I will discipline him myself.¡±


    Diare.¡± He looked at Jorvanultumn, Fevionawishtensen, and Chiansamorkin in turn, saying to each, ¡°Forgive my rudeness. It won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    fomaze with Chiansamorkin.¡±


    Fomase and fomaze,¡± Gen said.

 Book 2, Chapter 28: Upheaval (Part 3)

    diare into the adjoining room. ¡°You wish to talk?¡±


    fomaze is supposed to be.¡±


    Diare, but Fevionawishtensen assures me there is no formal rule requiring¡­¡± He trailed off as Davorultumn shook his head.


    Lamdritta has ruled on your elispt?¡±


    Diare. This has all happened very fast, and I¡¯m sorry for that. I suppose I just needed something good to happen. I¡¯ve been out of sorts on this trip. I know the havoc I¡¯m creating.¡±


    Diare.¡±


    fomaze with anyone?¡±


    Pundritta?¡±


    Diare?¡±


    Pundritta. It would be hard to keep such information to myself. And luckily for me, Mikranasta keeps from forming close relationships. There was never anyone she considered close enough for the fomaze.¡±


    diare said.¡±


    Ready? Fevionawishtensen signed.


    It is the most personal thing I have. But I also have another.


    He grinned. ¡°Right.¡±


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    Hgirh and Lamdritta that Meleng Drago is missing.¡±


    There are signs of mentalism magic, Fevionawishtensen signed. Probably an inexperienced user, or they would have covered their tracks better.


    What happened?¡±


    Sinit?a stopped wailing and turned her gaze, her head and body still shaking, to Chiansamorkin. The streams of colour continued to circle the room, getting faster and filling up more of the space.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Chiansamorkin said. ¡°Now, instead of punching, I want you to say a word I¡¯m going to tell you and then throw that rage. Imagine it¡¯s a big rock and you¡¯re going to smash something with it.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t. Just imagine I¡¯m the person you hate most in the world. I¡¯m the person who took Meleng! Make me pay. Throw that rock at me and make me fucking pay! Do it or I¡¯ll kill Meleng!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Sinit?a raised her arm and yelled a magical word. Then she threw. A small stone flew from her hand and the rainbow on her arm vanished.


    ¡°Of course. It will be a bit of a challenge at first until she overcomes those instincts, but it¡¯s not like it¡¯s all that unusual. She will be a great conjuror. Trust me.¡±


    Fevionawishtensen knelt beside Chiansamorkin. Thank you. You saved her life and ours.


    ¡°Just a standard day for me.¡± Chiansamorkin grinned. ¡°Shame we didn¡¯t complete the fomaze.¡± She held out the other stone. ¡°This was my first ever conjuration. I was going to give the two of you it.¡±


    I consider it complete already, but we can formalise it later. Then you can give us the stone. The two of them kissed and Fevionawishtensen stood up. Love you.


    Chiansamorkin smiled. ¡°Love you, too.¡± She glared at Jorvanultumn. ¡°What are you grinning about?¡± She broke into a grin herself.


    ¡°Just trying to get used to that,¡± he said.

 Book 2, Chapter 28: Upheaval (Part 4)

    Hgirh, but a few¡ªled by Reszidbovroh¡ªwere observers and investigators appointed by the Lamdritta. Jorvanultumn sat by the low-table in the gathering room watching everyone move about.


    Hgirh in searching the surrounding area. Jorvanultumn wanted to be out searching with them, or at the very least, doing something more than sitting here, but Reszidbovroh had made it very clear he was to wait until called on. All he could do now was watch people move about.


    Hgirh could question them and their crew. Reszidbovroh stated they were going on the initial assumption that one of Gen¡¯s crew was secretly a mentalist and that person had effected Meleng¡¯s kidnapping. Gen had protested that that was not the case, but no one was willing to listen to him. A mentalist could have easily fooled them, Reszidbovroh said.


    Hgirh would almost certainly want to question her. Jorvanultumn was not certain whether it was better if that happened sooner or later.


    Hgirh had done upon arrival.


    Pundritta?¡±


    diare told me to expect their resurgence in my lifetime, and I don¡¯t have a lot of time left to me.¡±


    Pundritta, I¡¯m pretty sure you agree that it was an Isyar who did this, not a human, no matter what that moron Reszidbovroh believes. He¡¯s almost as much of an idiot as his diare.¡±


    Pundritta are behind this. I just hope you¡¯re wrong.¡±


    Lamdhir Chiansamorkin.¡±


    Lamdhir? But she does not know about...that is¡­¡± He glanced about furtively.


    Lamdir Paydamat¡¯s concerns, and I agree with her. I have not even told my diare about her. It it gets out¡­¡±


    Lamdhir Chiansamorkin. If she learns of it, she will not spread it.¡±


    Lamdhir must have taken her somewhere safe. Whoever took Meleng Drago might come for Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith as well.¡±


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    Lamdhir perhaps?¡±


    Lamdhir Chiansamorkin is unpredictable and reckless. I do not have the same trust in her as you. She is too young. She does not have the wisdom necessary for her position.¡±


    Lamdhir. I know the two of you are close.¡±


    not the work of a human.¡±


    Hgirh. You are in a precarious enough position as it is. If you get involved, spreading stories¡ª¡±


    Hgirh. They¡¯ll find him. They¡¯re trained for this, and they¡¯re good at what they do.¡±


    diare. Well, fuck him. We will find Meleng ourselves if necessary.¡±


    Pundritta, but he still did not know who. He needed to tell her about the Pundritta. She needed to know if she was going to help find Meleng. But he needed to tell Fevionawishtensen first¡ªor, at the very least, the two of them together. ¡°Reszidbovroh wishes to speak to Sinit?a by the way. He will probably be here soon.¡±


    ¡°Nascanmat. I doubt the Hgirh or Reszidbovroh have spoken to him yet. They will eventually, but they will leave it as late as they can, given who his diare is.¡±


    Jorvanultumn nodded. He had forgotten about Nascanmat. He should probably also ask Hedromornasta for more details about what they¡¯d said to each other.


    diare¡­¡±


    Pundritta, but he suspected she already knew. He doubted his diare had kept that from her, and if he had told her, then to hell with the secrets. It was time everyone knew the truth.

 Book 2, Chapter 29: Prayer and Meditation (Part 1)

    The necklace¡¯s numerous purple beads glinted in the light of the chandelier overhead. Akna slid the necklace across the dining table, where Anita snatched it up. She ran it through her fingers, then held it close to her eyes. ¡°Amethyst. Very pretty.¡± She held it to her neck, adjusted it so it hung just above the hem of her dress over the curve of her chest. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Akna grinned. ¡°Would you still like me if I killed your brother?¡±


    Anita¡¯s eyebrows scrunched. ¡°That has to be the strangest question anyone has ever asked me. I should probably be offended, but somehow I¡¯m not. Don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯d be upset if he died, and I¡¯d prefer you didn¡¯t kill him, but I have to admit¡­¡± She glanced to either side of her, then leaned in closer to Akna. ¡°He¡¯s a total ass.¡± She blushed at her language, and her face dimpled in that cute way it did whenever she got embarrassed¡ªwhich seemed to happen a lot when Akna was around. ¡°The truth is, I don¡¯t particularly like my brother, but you know that. But please don¡¯t kill him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to arrange things so you¡¯re there next time.¡±


    Anita pointed to the necklace. ¡°Tell me more about this necklace. You were so eager to show it to me. You said Lord Padara gave it to Felit?a. What are you doing with it?¡±


    Akna looked up at her and smiled. ¡°Yes, well, that¡¯s what Ses-Izel wanted, but I don¡¯t accept Ses-Izel¡¯s authority.¡± She placed the necklace on the table again. ¡°Let¡¯s just say Felit?a and I protect each other and leave it at that.¡±


    ¡°Felit?a and I were at the Hall of Knowledge. We were supposed to be looking for...gods, I¡¯m not even sure I remember exactly. We¡¯re always looking for these really specific magical topics that Agernon sends us for. I don¡¯t understand most of them. I just skim books looking for specific words¡ªthey change all the time¡ªand if I find them, I hand the book to Felit?a. It¡¯s boring. I fight exhaustion the whole time. Anyway, I came across a book about these prayer bead things.¡± She reached across the table for the necklace, but made certain she was slow enough for Anita to pull it away.


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    ¡°Basically, you¡¯re saying I get to watch you sleep just in case your necklace starts to glow. Sounds exciting.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go to my apartments,¡± Anita said. ¡°I¡¯ve got loads of space.¡± She jumped to her feet and hurried around the table. She held out her hand, but as Akna went to take it, she pulled it back.


    Anita put the necklace around Akna¡¯s neck, letting the tassel fall against Akna¡¯s chest. Her fingers lingered on Akna¡¯s neck, just lightly touching. A shiver ran through Akna. Then Anita closed the necklace¡¯s clasp, but her fingers lingered again, this time on Akna¡¯s back.


    Akna groaned. ¡°About the dress.¡± She had spent hours a few days ago being fitted for a dress Anita had commissioned for her. Gods, Foliths were picky about the measurements of their clothing.


    As luck would have it, they couldn¡¯t get all the way to Anita¡¯s room without running into Danel Belone. He was coming out of the library as they approached it to pass through. It had been a few days since Akna had last run into him, but nonetheless, it felt like she couldn¡¯t go anywhere in the palace without encountering him. She certainly ran into him more often than she did anyone else in his family other than Anita¡ªbut she and Anita actively sought each other out.


    ¡°I¡¯ll associate with whoever I want, Danel, and I¡¯d appreciate if you¡¯d stop using that word. She is anything but a savage.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 29: Prayer and Meditation (Part 2)

    They reached Anita¡¯s apartments without further incident. Anita gave the guard on the doors clear instructions not to disturb them and closed the doors.


    This was the first time Akna had ever seen inside an Arnorin noble¡¯s personal living space. It was huge. She knew the palace was big, and she¡¯d seen many of the large rooms in it, but somehow she had expected personal quarters to be...not small, she supposed, but not so big. Something bigger than the guest room she was staying in, but not much. This room was six or more of Akna¡¯s rooms put together.


    Only then did she realise this was just the sitting area. There was no bed or wardrobe. Anita¡¯s use of the term apartments was plural for a reason. This was only one of several rooms. Multiple doors led from it to other areas.


    With a nod, Akna walked over to her.


    Akna shrugged. ¡°This should be fine.¡± She sat on the rug and crossed her legs. With the fire burning nearby, it was warm like Anita had suggested, and much more comfortable than most other places in the palace. ¡°I don¡¯t really know a lot about meditating. The priests in Ninifin encourage meditation, but I never really took to it. All I know is what I read yesterday recommended a floor instead of a chair. But the rug is nice.¡±


    Akna stifled a laugh. ¡°Do you need any help?¡±


    Akna couldn¡¯t contain her laughter any longer.


    It took Akna a moment to get her laughter under control. ¡°You want me to wear one of those?¡±


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    Akna opened her eyes. ¡°Your religion isn¡¯t the only one, you know?¡±


    Akna shook her head. ¡°Never mind.¡± She held back the desire to admonish Anita, remembering how much she had thought she¡¯d known about the world when she first left Ninifin and how wrong she¡¯d been about most of it. It was kind of endearing to see the same na?vet¨¦ in someone else.


    Grant me strength, Ninussa,


    Strength of body and mind,


    Grant me strength to protect the Queen


    And those under my charge.


    Grant me strength.


    It didn¡¯t take long to go through all the prayers she knew, and there were still dozens of beads left on the necklace. So she went back to the first and repeated them all. Staying focused and concentrated was a lot harder than Felit?a made it look. Felit?a meditated every day and made it look like a breeze¡ªexcept, of course, when the Staff was bothering her, but that was different. Felit?a managed to ignore all the other distractions that Akna found she just couldn¡¯t. The crackle of the fire. Anita shifting positions and patting her skirts down. Anita lightly clearing her throat. The warmth of the fire against Akna¡¯s skin. The tickling of the hairs of the rug on her legs. All the kinds of things she had been trained to pay attention to, so she could be alert to dangers. How was she supposed to ignore them now?


    As Akna thought about it, that was what she¡¯d been taught years ago. It was nice of the images to give her advice and remind her of that¡ªnice of her own mind, she supposed.


    Chica walked up to her. For a change, her face didn¡¯t explode. Instead, she looked at Akna with sad eyes. Akna couldn¡¯t say exactly where they were. She was still sitting on the fur rug. She could feel it. Yet Chica had walked up to her and their heads were...not level, but at exactly the difference they were always at when standing due to Akna¡¯s three extra inches of height.


    Akna blinked several times¡ªexcept she never opened her eyes. ¡°But that...I mean¡­ That was Felit?a. She said¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m right here, Akna.¡± Her face had gone back to normal. ¡°In front of you. Can¡¯t you see me?¡±


    Akna ran towards her, threw her arms around her. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you, Chica.¡± She grabbed the back of Chica¡¯s head and kissed her, pulled her in tight, drew in the scent of her.


    Anita stared wide-eyed. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to...or that I¡¯m not interested. Just...you could give me warning. Do you always kiss so...so violently?¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 30: Friends, Foes, Both (Part 1)

    Mikranasta sat beside the low-table, across from Davorultumn. Both had their heads raised and eyes staring into the starry sky. Mikranasta had not moved in what seemed like hours. Her eyes rarely even blinked. Jorvanultumn had always been impressed by her ability to meditate for such lengthy periods of time. However, right now, he wished she would stop. There were things to be done. Every moment wasted was another moment for Meleng¡¯s captors to harm or even kill him.


    He stared at Mikranasta. She remained unmoving, so he returned to pacing around the room, circling the low-table. When he passed Davorultumn for the second time, his diare reached out to him, and he stopped.


    ¡°You should meditate, too,¡± Davorultumn said. ¡°You are too emotional right now. You¡¯d think I¡¯d raised a conjuror.¡±


    ¡°Diare, my friend¡ª¡±


    Jorvanultumn sighed. ¡°Yes, of course, you¡¯re right, Diare.¡±


    Davorultumn motioned to the stool beside him, and Jorvanultumn sat on it. He had already tried meditating, after he¡¯d talked to Mikranasta to request her aid. Not surprisingly, she had already known about the Pundritta, though she was sceptical of their involvement in Meleng¡¯s abduction. Still, she agreed that at least one Isyar was involved.


    Hilkorultumn had been furious to learn that Davorultumn had told Mikranasta about the Pundritta years ago. While he agreed the knowledge had to go public eventually, Davorultumn had acted far too soon. Hilkorultumn had stormed out, telling Jorvanultumn to come see him about his diare¡¯s records.


    And then the meditating had started. Jorvanultumn had not lasted long, and Davorultumn had stopped and restarted several times.


    Jorvanultumn looked up at the sky again, though he did not expect it to go any better than last time. Thinking about things rationally, what he really needed was sleep. He had been up all night. Dawn was only about five hours away. But sleep was another thing that was not going to happen right now. He had a better chance with meditation.


    He breathed slowly, relishing in the cold night air, expelling his nerves, anger, fear little by little. His tense muscles loosened¡ªjust a little at first, then more, One by one, they relaxed. He continued to breathe slowly.


    Took you long enough.


    That¡¯s because it is more intimate, Mikranasta said. Our minds are touching. Figuratively speaking, of course.


    You would have been a terrible mentalist, Jorvanultumn.


    So you¡¯ve told me many times. Though I¡¯m sure if you had been my teacher, you would have found a way to make me excel.


    You flatter me.


    Always.


    You see? Everything I do has a purpose in the end.


    Jorvanultumn chuckled. You did not know that would help with Felit?a when I was a child.


    So sure? Very well then. Maybe you¡¯re right.


    This making me wait was all to get me to relax, wasn¡¯t it?


    Partially.


    You could have just told me.


    Sometimes, you have to realise things on your own.


    And the rest of the reason? You said it was only partially the reason.


    We needed to wait for the Governance Building to open. She jumped to her feet. ¡°Come! If we leave now, the Governance Building should be open by the time we get there.¡±


    Mikranasta and Davorultumn touched foreheads and wing tips. ¡°I strongly doubt either Nascanmat or Paydamat had any involvement in this,¡± Mikranasta said. ¡°However, she may take offence at the questioning. I will do my best not to challenge her or goad her into challenging me, but if the worst should happen and she kills me, know that I love you dearly. Watch over Hedromornasta. The boy needs a strong hand.¡±


    Davorultumn chuckled. ¡°You won¡¯t fight her. You don¡¯t want anyone to know you can beat her.¡±


    Mikranasta smiled. ¡°Of course not, but it¡¯s always good to prepare for the worst.¡± She kissed him. ¡°Jorvanultumn, let¡¯s go.¡± She spread her wings and waited for Jorvanultumn to do the same.


    Paydamat¡¯s office was small. A low-table sat in the centre of the room, and a smaller, rectangular high-table sat at the far side. There was a second door in the room, which Jorvanultumn suspected opened to the audience chamber at the level of the Lamdritta¡¯s perches, presumably close to Paydamat¡¯s.


    The Lamdir stood behind the high-table. She eyed them while the Hgirh who had shown them here placed a hand on his chest and backed out of the room. Then she came around both the high- and low-tables up to Mikranasta. The two clasped left hands. ¡°Mikranasta.¡±


    ¡°Lamdir Paydamat.¡±


    ¡°You know why we are here, I suppose,¡± Mikranasta said.


    ¡°I can guess. I am told my siare was seen outside your home shortly before Meleng Drago¡¯s disappearance.¡±


    Paydamat turned around and walked back to the high-table. ¡°You are not accusing my siare of anything, are you?¡±


    ¡°There are already people assigned to investigate this, Jorvanultumn, and none of them are either of you.¡±


    Paydamat held up her hand. ¡°Too many investigators can get in each other¡¯s way. Jorvanultumn, you are still waiting on judgement regarding your elispt. Should you really be getting in more trouble?¡±


    Mikranasta raised her eyebrows. ¡°Your investigators, Lamdir, are too focused on finding a human culprit.¡±


    Paydamat chuckled. ¡°Ah yes, I¡¯ve heard the suggestions that an Isyar did this.¡± Her eyes narrowed and she scowled. ¡°I will not allow such dangerous accusations to spread. Do you have any idea of the chaos it will cause?¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting my siare is lying?¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Neither is lying. Hedromornasta clearly saw someone. We also know that a mentalist is responsible for the crime. A competent mentalist could have fooled Hedromornasta into believing he had seen my siare.¡±


    Paydamat shrugged. ¡°He is young and has not yet reached his elispt. It is no shame on him or you. Both you and I could do it, as could numerous other mentalists both you and I could name.¡±


    Mikranasta sighed and nodded. ¡°You are right, of course. Hedromornasta is young and still has a lot to learn. I will examine him to see if he has been under any mental manipulation. Apologies for bothering you, Lamdir.¡± She placed her hand on her chest. ¡°Pleasant thoughts.¡±


    Mikranasta bowed her head. ¡°As you wish, Lamdir.¡± She pushed open the door and walked out. Jorvanultumn followed.


    They walked in silence down the circular hall, Mikranasta¡¯s wings twitching the entire time. Jorvanultumn had never seen her display worry so openly. As the hall opened over the main entrance area, she spread her wings a little. ¡°Meet me outside. We have much to discuss, but I need to think first.¡± She spread her wings all the way and leapt off the edge before Jorvanultumn could say anything.


    He made his way towards the long staircase down to the entrance. It was so tempting to fly. It would be faster, and he wanted to rush forward, do everything that was necessary to find Meleng as fast as possible. But as he had told Mikranasta earlier, he did not dare risk stressing his injured wing before it was absolutely needed. So he resisted the urge for Meleng¡¯s sake.


    Nascanmat was about the same height as Jorvanultumn, which made him several inches shorter than his diare. Apart from that, he shared a lot of physical characteristics with Paydamat, including her shallow eyes and thin nose. ¡°I noticed when you came in you used the stairs,¡± he said quietly, ¡°so I guessed you might do so again going out.¡±


    Jorvanultumn looked about to make certain no one was watching, but there was no one in the hall, and no one below appeared to be looking up. Even if they were, they were too far away to notice who was talking to whom. ¡°Your diare does not want me to talk to you. She denied our request.¡±


    ¡°Your diare suggested someone used mentalism magic to make Hedromornasta believe he saw you. Perhaps to hide the appearance of the actual person there.¡±


    ¡°What question?¡±


    Nascanmat looked at him with earnest eyes. ¡°Why me? My diare says I should not worry about it, that it does not matter why me. It only matters that it was not me. But I know her. She is worried. She cannot hide that from me. And it worries me too. Why me?¡±


    ¡°Someone is trying to discredit your diare.¡±


    ¡°I know she has been harsh with you and your friends, but she is a good person. Believe me. She respects you a great deal. She has confessed this to me privately. She admires your willingness to break tradition to help your friends, and she understands the difficulties your are under with the human girl. But she has Chithishtheny to think about. She is the only member of the Lamdritta who truly cares about the state of this town. The other three care more for their own power and prestige than the town. No offence, as I know you and Chiansamorkin are close, but even she is like that, perhaps less so than the other two, but she would not have challenged for the position so young otherwise.¡±


    ¡°She succeeded,¡± Jorvanultumn said.


    ¡°Just because you can does not mean you should.¡±


    Jorvanultumn nodded. ¡°Perhaps. I promise you, Nascanmat, I do not believe either you or your diare were responsible for taking Meleng Drago, and that will be borne out when the real culprits are revealed, but thank you for talking to me. I will not tell your diare.¡± He placed his hand to his chest. ¡°May the night be short.¡±


    Jorvanultumn headed down the stairs.


    He found Mikranasta in the gardens, wandering between the szadan and szadene. ¡°You took your time.¡±


    Mikranasta gave only the slightest raise of her eyebrows to indicate any surprise. ¡°He defied his diare. I¡¯m not sure whether to applaud him or be worried.¡±


    She gave him a thin smile and plucked a szadan needle. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go meditate.¡±


    She frowned at him, but said nothing. Instead, she stuck the needle in her mouth and sucked on it as they walked across the gardens to the mountain path. They made their way up the mountain to the nearest meditation cliff. Mikranasta was breathing heavily by the time they got there.


    That is a terrible walk to make, Mikranasta said. Your wing injury is very inconvenient.


    I didn¡¯t injure it on purpose. So we¡¯re not really going to meditate then?


    A bit of amusement from Mikranasta dripped into him. I don¡¯t want others to overhear our conversation. There could be delicate things said, and your reputation at the moment is not good.


    So you did learn something from Paydamat.


    Not exactly. She had very powerful defences in place, and she was attempting to probe my defences too. It was all I could do to get even the barest hint of anything from her, and that was worry about being discovered.


    Jorvanultumn almost looked down at her, but kept his eyes on the sky. Wait, are you saying she kidnapped Meleng?


    No. She is hiding something, but there is nothing to indicate it¡¯s that. It could be any number of things. It does not actually eliminate her from suspicion though.


    What would she gain from kidnapping Meleng?


    What would anyone gain? If she is Pundritta, there could be many reasons.


    If she is Pundritta, then they have infiltrated government positions.


    Do you really think that¡¯s something they wouldn¡¯t want?


    Jorvanultumn almost reflexively shook his head. No, I¡¯m sure that¡¯s exactly what they¡¯d want. I just don¡¯t get the impression Paydamat and Nascanmat are guilty.


    They are mentalists, Jorvanultumn. They can give you incorrect impressions if they want.


    So you¡¯re saying you think they have something to do with Meleng¡¯s disappearance?


    Mikranasta somehow made her telepathic sigh very loud. No, but I am saying that you are dismissing the possibility based on nothing more than feeling. We need proof for whoever is responsible, whether they are or not.


    What do you propose we do?


    You need to look at Hilkorultumn¡¯s diare¡¯s records. There may be something in there we can use. And coordinate with Davorultumn and Hilkorultumn. If the Pundritta are on the move, they may be easier to spot. Those signs might be useful.


    What are you going to do?


    Meditate a little, then watch and see what I can see. Go. You have a long walk. Perhaps take Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith with you. Show her the symbols. She has a good eye and it might help her feel useful.


    I¡¯ll check with Chiansamorkin and see how she¡¯s doing. Pleasant thoughts, Mikranasta.


    Pleasant thoughts, my dear child.


    Jorvanultumn stood up and carefully made his way past the other meditating Isyar again. Hilkorultumn¡¯s abode was near the bottom of the mountain, and the visitors¡¯ lodges were even farther, so Mikranasta was not exaggerating when she had said he had a long walk. Flying would be so much quicker, but he was getting better at avoiding that temptation. Walking it would be.

 Book 2, Chapter 30: Friends, Foes, Both (Part 2)

    Sinit?a stomped her foot down as Jorvanultumn entered her room. He took an involuntary step backwards and Sinit?a giggled. ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t mean to startle you.¡±


    ¡°It is all right,¡± Jorvanultumn said. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    She was wearing very little, only a thin shift and she was barefoot. She was smiling despite her make-up being smudged with tears. ¡°Chian¡¯s teaching me magic!¡±


    Chiansamorkin shrugged. ¡°She needed a distraction. It¡¯s not really magic yet. She needs to learn how to move her body first. So we¡¯re just doing some basic forms. Speaking of which, that wasn¡¯t bad, Sinit?a, but you are still too loose. Remember the tension when you created the stone. You still have the stone, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Mikranasta and I went to see Paydamat to ask about Nascanmat¡¯s presence last night. We wanted to talk to Nascanmat, but she would not allow it. She denied he was there and suggested someone else faked his presence.¡±


    ¡°But she acknowledged that he is young and inexperienced.¡±


    ¡°Do you believe her?¡± Chiansamorkin said. ¡°Paydamat, I mean.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Sinit?a said before Jorvanultumn could answer. She sat on the corner of the mattress and crossed her arms over her lap. ¡°She¡¯s mean.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯d kidnap Meleng,¡± Chiansamorkin said.


    ¡°She threatened him. Maybe she thought he wasn¡¯t doing a good enough job getting me trained.¡±


    Jorvanultumn sat beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°We will find Meleng, Sinit?a. I promise you. But I do not believe Paydamat is responsible.¡±


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Jorvanultumn nodded. ¡°He might, and we will not ignore the possibility. But we need proof, no matter who is responsible.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but how do we get it?¡±


    Jorvanultumn stared at her as she began to bounce about a little. ¡°I do not understand.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 30: Friends, Foes, Both (Part 3)

    fomase had never been ones for clutter. The gathering room had a low-table with a rather withered hpakrik growing¡ªor dying¡ªin it. There were a couple of stools, a flame-globe for light, and that was it¡ªnot even storage drawers under the low-table. There were also no decorations, though that was not uncommon. After travelling in Arnor for the last couple years, Jorvanultumn had gotten used to the human propensity to decorate everything.


    Pundritta,¡± Jorvanultumn said. ¡°And I do not know for sure they took Meleng, but it is a possibility.¡±


    diare¡¯s notes on each of the four currently practised disciplines, one crate for each discipline. Naturally, Davorultumn and I have updated them with what little additional information we¡¯ve accrued over the years. The remaining crate contains what she had on the other six disciplines. You can probably ignore that one for now, but I said I¡¯d bring you everything.¡±


    Pundritta is becoming active, you know everyone will soon have to know.¡± He switched to Arnorgue as he lifted the lid off the crate. ¡°We will start with mentalism.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, what¡¯s this?¡± Sinit?a reached into the crate and fumbled around, apparently trying to reach through the space between the folders and the side of the crate. After a few moments, she pulled something out and held it up. ¡°It¡¯s like those decawhatsits of yours!¡±


    diare worked. I forgot it was in there.¡±


    Pundritta. Since they were all past, long-dead members, he could safely ignore those folders for now. They weren¡¯t likely to contain much immediately useful. The second folder, however, was more interesting. According to the catalogue, it contained general details about the mentalism branch of the Pundritta. He reached for the second folder.


    Pundritta. ¡°You can play with the toy later. I need you to look at some things with me.¡±


    Pundritta¡ª¡±


    huh? What¡¯s too much? I saw Felit?a meditating on the ship to and from Scovese and it looked really boring, so anything would be too much in my opinion.¡±


    Pundritta.


    Pundritta must have a symbol on them somewhere. It must be visible and cannot be hidden, but does not have to be obvious. It can be included as part of another bigger design, for example, or it can be very small and hard to notice.¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Pundritta,¡± he explained. ¡°My family has apparently been searching for them for many generations.¡±


    Pundritta?¡±


    diare compiled many notes on the organization and we¡ª¡±


    Pundritta implies an Isyar group.¡± She looked at the crates on the table and the floor beside it. ¡°There are no Isyar Darkness Worshippers.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but a whole organization? The name implies a council like the Lamdritta or the Lordritta ruling over or running a group of others.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but even in secret, an organisation that has been around for generations? There would be rumours, legends. I¡¯ve never heard anything. And if your family has been hunting them, why have they never told anyone else?¡±


    ¡°All right, fine,¡± Chiansamorkin said. ¡°Let¡¯s look at these files. I see you¡¯ve opened one of these boxes. Mentalism by the looks of it.¡±


    ¡°We were looking at signs that help identify members of the Pundritta.¡±


    Sinit?a fumbled for the folder they had been looking at and held up the picture of the mentalism symbol. ¡°But they have symbols! See? We can look for these.¡±


    Chiansamorkin looked at the picture. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s something a little more tangible. So we need to look for someone wearing this symbol?¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go do that.¡± Chiansamorkin jumped to her feet.


    ¡°There are other symbols to learn. We started with mentalism, but we should learn the others too. Whoever took Meleng may not be acting alone. We should learn the other signs too. They may not be very helpful, but they might provide us with...something.¡±


    ¡°If it is like the mentalism crate, the first folder will be a catalogue. You want the second folder.¡±


    Chiansamorkin eyed him, dropped the first folder, and pulled out the second. She opened it with a very exaggerated motion.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He took only the second folder out this time and opened it, glancing briefly at the signs. ¡°The individual considers themself cleverer than everyone else,¡± he read aloud.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I was laughing at.¡± Chiansamorkin slapped her folder down on the table. ¡°These so-called signs. Willing to disregard tradition is the first one. That would be fine if it was a rare thing, but it¡¯s not. I told you before, Jorvanultumn, about how young people today think a lot of our traditions are outdated and should be changed. Then there¡¯s the next one: extroverted and outgoing. Again, not rare! Hell, I¡¯m extroverted.¡±


    ¡°Let us just stick to the symbols.¡± As he said that, Jorvanultumn flipped the page over to the enchantment symbol: two vertical lines, the one on the right having a hook on the top, and a solid circle between the two.


    ¡°Ah, right, of course.¡± Chiansamorkin stepped back from the crate and the table.


    Jorvanultumn turned his attention back to the elementalism crate. He removed the lid and lifted the first folder out of the way to get the second.


    ¡°Jorvan?¡±


    Sinit?a pointed, her finger shaking. ¡°It¡¯s the symbol in her eye.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 30: Friends, Foes, Both (Part 4)

    Jorvanultumn looked at Chiansamorkin, who gave a sad smile. ¡°I can explain.¡±


    Sinit?a rushed forward. ¡°I trusted you!¡± She raised her fists at Chiansamorkin.


    ¡°It was not harmful. I would never harm her, or you. Please, Jorvanultumn, you have to believe me. I did not take Meleng Drago. I love you and would never hurt you like that!¡±


    Sinit?a scrambled to her feet, small bits of colour dripping from her fingers. ¡°Where is he? Where¡¯s my Melly?¡± She ran at Chiansamorkin again, but a strong wind threw her backwards into the low-table. She slumped over.


    ¡°She¡¯s Pundritta,¡± Jorvanultumn said slowly and quietly.


    Hilkorultumn¡¯s wings spread out and with a flap, he gathered the air in the room into a funnel and threw it at Chiansamorkin. It picked her up and threw her across the room. ¡°Jorvanultumn, with me. Two against one. She may be strong, but we can take her together.¡±


    Chiansamorkin screamed and leapt into the air. Her wings beat and shards of rock flew at Hilkorultumn, who took control of them with a wave of his arm. They turned and flew back at Chiansamorkin.


    Jorvanultumn blinked. What was he doing? Hilkorultumn was right. He needed to help. He moved his hand in a circle and assisted with the winds around Chiansamorkin. With his wings, he took control of two of the ice crates, breaking them apart. As the folders fell to the floor, he sent the ice shards¡ªnot sharp; he didn¡¯t want to hurt her more than necessary¡ªat Chiansamorkin.


    She kicked again, and another metal sheet appeared. Jorvanultumn was ready for that and he guided the shards around it, only for them to melt away in the wave of fire she brought up. The winds blew it out but not before there was nothing left of the ice.


    He moved the winds aside and used them to lift Sinit?a gently from the low-table. With careful steps, he then took control of the stone of the low-table and threw it at Chiansamorkin.


    Jorvanultumn took control of as many of the shards as he could, focusing on those nearest Sinit?a, protecting her from harm. Shards pounded into his face, his chest, his shoulders. He stumbled back.


    It took him a moment to regain his footing. He spun air around himself and Sinit?a to protect from further attack. Across the room, Hilkorultumn huddled, face-down, on the floor, his arms and legs still bound, his bloody and shredded wings spread around him. He had used them to protect his body from the stone.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Jorvanultumn lowered Sinit?a to the floor and then focused his attention on Chiansamorkin. He indicated Hilkorultumn. ¡°Look what you¡¯ve done!¡± He turned his feet side to side, taking control of the ice that formed the floor. ¡°I have to stop you.¡±


    She punched her fist forward and metal balls¡ªdozens¡ªflew at Jorvanultumn. He pulled air around himself, blew them aside. A kick of her feet and more launched from the floor. He pulled ice from the floor in front of them. Then pulled it up as a shield between him and her. More metal balls hit his left shoulder and then his right.


    He tried to pull himself to his feet. He had lost control of the air in the room. Once again, he extended his wings, but something hit him on the back of the head and he fell over again. Then something grabbed his ankle again and threw him across the room. He smashed face-first into the wall. Pain cascaded through his body as he fell backwards. Something grabbed him once more, flipped him over. He landed on his stomach.


    She sniffled and looked him in the eyes. With his blurred vision, they looked more opaque. More like Fevionawishtensen¡¯s. At least thoughts of her would be his last before he died.


    ¡°We were supposed to be fomazee.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Pundritta.¡±


    She barked another laugh and stepped back, arms outstretched. ¡°I¡¯m the fucking Pundhir! Just like Lamdhir, the youngest ever. Way to go me! Look at my great accomplishments! I¡¯ve done so much while losing everyone I have ever loved. You. My diare. My¡­¡± She paused and wiped tears from her eyes. ¡°My fomase.¡±


    ¡°You...you had a fomase?¡±


    She looked away from him. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± She bent over Sinit?a.


    She glanced back at Jorvanultumn. ¡°I would never hurt her.¡± She ran a hand through Sinit?a¡¯s hair. ¡°I would have made her the most powerful human wizard ever. Find her a brilliant teacher, one that will bring her to her true potential. Prophecy calls her the Light-Bringer. Help her fulfil her destiny.¡± She stood up and faced Jorvanultumn. ¡°You have a place in prophecy too, you know, though I confess, I don¡¯t understand yours. Supposedly, you completed yours over two thousand years ago.¡±


    ¡°We made a lot of noise just now. Someone was bound to call the Hgirh. I love you, Jorvanultumn, but if you attempt to follow me, I will kill you. Tell Fevionawishtensen I love her and I¡¯m sorry. I hope you find Meleng Drago. I really do. Goodbye.¡± She could barely get out the last word amidst sobs. She spread her wings and flew up through the open roof, amidst more yells.


    The hpakrik vines holding Jorvanultumn let go and withered away. He rushed over to Sinit?a. A bruise was forming on her forehead, but she seemed otherwise fine. Then he rushed over to Hilkorultumn. He was alive, but in a much worse state. In addition to his torn wings, he had numerous puncture wounds over his body. He was unconscious and his breathing ragged.


    Two Hgirh flew into the room. They said something, but Jorvanultumn could barely hear them. He looked up in the direction Chiansamorkin had flown off in, and wailed.

 Book 2, Chapter 31: Love, Hate, Both (Part 1)

    A tingling ran down his arm, but Jorvanultumn paid it no mind, as he had paid very little mind to anything in the past few hours. Fevionawishtensen traced equations on his skin, closing cuts, removing bruises, and he hardly noticed. All he could do was stare up at the sky and the stars, but not even really noticing them either.


    Fevionawishtensen was glaring at him. I am trying to talk to you.


    He must have missed her signing. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    I know this is hard for you. You feel betrayed. So do I. But they will call you in soon. You need to snap out of it.


    She handed him his robe. You should get dressed. It would not look good for you to go before the Lamdritta in your underclothes.


    He smiled and took the robe. He was seated on a stool in a small antechamber outside the Lamdritta¡¯s meeting room¡ªnot the audience chamber he had spoken to them in before, but a truly private room and not a public space. It was the place where the Lamdritta met to deliberate and discuss matters of governance and law, where they made decisions on behalf of Chithishtheny as a whole. It was a place where, normally, only the Lamdritta and their most important staff were allowed to enter.


    His arms ached as he pulled the robe on and he grimaced.


    Fevionawishtensen looked at him with sad eyes. I¡¯ve done what I can to heal your wounds, but I am not a medic. She beat you up pretty badly.


    He shook his head. ¡°No, she didn¡¯t. She could have done far worse. She shredded Hilkorultumn¡¯s wings. How¡¯s he doing by the way?¡±


    I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s been no news.


    I swear to you, she will pay for this. When I find her, I will kill her.


    Jorvanultumn sighed. ¡°She could have killed me, Fevionawishtensen. She could have done it so easily. But she didn¡¯t.¡±


    I don¡¯t care. She betrayed you. She betrayed me. I¡­ She hesitated and rubbed her eyes. I let her get close to me. I let her¡­ She shivered. I let her touch me in ways only you have ever touched me.


    Fevionawishtensen wiped her eyes again. You weren¡¯t here and she had no one else. We needed each other. So I thought. Clearly she was just using me.


    Fevionawishtensen scowled at him. Of course she was. She is¡­ She is¡­ She threw her arms wide in exasperation, spun around and kicked the wall. I don¡¯t even have a sign for the word. This! She flicked her hand, forefinger and pinky extended. This will be my sign for it.


    It was a common vulgar gesture that had no actual word associated with it, but it was used to indicate extreme contempt or distaste for someone or something.


    ¡°You mean the Pundritta?¡±


    Yes.


    Fuck her! If she loved me or you, she wouldn¡¯t have betrayed us.


    I love the person I thought she was. I hate the person she really is. I swear, I will kill her. She sneered as she signed kill.


    Then I will become more powerful first and then kill her.


    Jorvanultumn just nodded. There was no point arguing further. Part of him wanted to kill Chiansamorkin too. Kill her for what she¡¯d done to Hilkorultumn, for threatening him and Sinit?a, for possibly being involved in Meleng¡¯s abduction¡ªthough he was inclined to believe her when she said she had not done it. He probably should kill her. She was Pundritta; it was his duty. But he could not help wonder how much choice she had in the matter. Membership passed from diare to siare just like so much else in Isyar society. She would have been indoctrinated into it from childhood, given no choice whatsoever. And she had talked of loss. Such loss.


    ¡°She said she had a fomase.¡±


    Fevionawishtensen stopped pacing and stared at him. What?


    ¡°She didn¡¯t give any details, just that the fomase was gone. I got the impression her fomase must have died very soon after they met. I have no idea how.¡±


    Fevionawishtensen¡¯s faced drooped. Gods, that¡¯s horrible. Her face hardened again. But I will still kill her.


    Jorvanultumn did not know whether to groan or laugh.


    The door to the meeting room opened, revealing Reszidbovroh, flanked by two Hgirh. Reszidbovroh stepped into the antechamber. ¡°They will see you now. Fevionawishtensen, as Jorvanultumn¡¯s fomase, you may accompany him.¡±


    Jorvanultumn stood up and took Fevionawishtensen¡¯s hand. Together, they walked through the door. A cool breeze greeted them, coming through the partially open ceiling. The room was long and rectangular. Several flame globes on the walls provided light. At the far side sat a large, circular low-table with space for ten Isyar. The three remaining members of the Lamdritta sat on adjacent cushions on the far side, Maramintorin in the centre with Griholbovroh to his left and Paydamat to his right.


    Reszidbovroh led Jorvanultumn and Fevionawishtensen to the table and indicated that they should take seats across from the Lamdritta. The two Hgirh remained by the door. Still holding each other¡¯s hand, Jorvanultumn and Fevionawishtensen sat on the indicated cushions.


    ¡°Thank you for coming, Jorvanultumn,¡± Maramintorin said. ¡°We know this must be a hard time for you. This is a difficult time for us all, but it must way particularly heavy on you. We all pray to Nature for Hilkorultumn¡¯s timely recovery.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lamdirh,¡± Jorvanultumn said.


    ¡°However,¡± Maramintorin went on, ¡°we need to discuss former Lamdhir Chiansamorkin. We have heard what you told the Hgirh: that she is the Pundhir of a group called the Pundritta, who lead an organization of Isyar Darkness Worshippers. However, we would like to hear a more thorough explanation directly from you.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Lamdirh. The name Pundritta applies to both the organisation as a whole and to the council that rules over them. I only learned about them on this return home, but my family has hunted them for many generations.¡± He proceeded to tell them everything he knew so far of the Pundritta, and then what had happened with Chiansamorkin last night.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°This is very disturbing,¡± Paydamat said when he finished. ¡°Stories about Chiansamorkin are already starting to spread. This could cause great panic.¡±


    Griholbovroh scowled. ¡°You¡¯re suggesting this Pundritta business is true? Chiansamorkin alone is not proof of it.¡±


    Maramintorin nodded. ¡°Yes, but Hilkorultumn¡¯s diare¡¯s records correctly identified the symbol in her eye, according to Jorvanultumn. That, in the very least, is evidence this organisation does exist.¡±


    Griholbovroh harrumphed again. ¡°We have only Jorvanultumn¡¯s statement that the symbols matched. A tiny symbol in the back of her eye. It could be easy to mistake what it looks like for something else.¡±


    ¡°Then I see no reason to doubt the Princess¡¯s eyesight,¡± Maramintorin said. ¡°My point, however, Lammdir Griholbovroh, is that you seem to be making judgements based on not wanting this Pundritta to exist. I can assure you, I too do not want it to exist either. But wanting or not wanting something does not create reality. As an enchanter, you know this better than most of us. We must not ignore what evidence we have.¡±


    Griholbovroh sighed loudly. ¡°You are right. I concede that we have some evidence that this organisation might exist. However, the possibility also remains that Chiansamorkin is merely mentally disturbed. She learned stories about this Pundritta and decided to copy them. Lamdir Paydamat, what are your thoughts on this?¡±


    Paydamat raised her eyebrows. ¡°I think Chiansamorkin¡¯s mental health is irrelevant. She has engaged in criminal activity and she must be caught. Meleng Drago is still missing and she may be able to provide information about where he is.¡±


    ¡°But if he was taken by Darkness Worshippers,¡± Griholbovroh said, ¡°and Chiansamorkin is one of them, why would she not know about it, especially since she is their Pundhir?¡±


    Jorvanultumn sighed, and Fevionawishtensen squeezed his hand. ¡°In my travels with my human friends, we were pursued by Darkness Worshippers on several occasions. However, their efforts did not seem coordinated with one another. It was as though different groups of them were acting independently of each other. It is possible that the ones who took Meleng Drago were not operating under her instructions.¡±


    Griholbovroh looked about to protest, but sighed. ¡°I concede your point.¡±


    ¡°Not true,¡± Paydamat said. ¡°We now have these lists of signs and symbols. Fevionawishtensen, distribute them to the Hgirh under your command. Pass them on to your diare as well so they can be spread farther afield. Everyone must learn them.¡±


    Paydamat shook her head. ¡°Absolutely not. It would only spread panic and would be a violation of individual privacy. However, keeping our eyes open when in public is only to be expected. Fevionawishtensen, continue the search for Meleng Drago in the same manner as you have been doing, only with the added information from Hilkorultumn¡¯s diare. We also must not forget that we do not yet know whether Meleng Drago was abducted by Darkness Worshippers. It might have been someone else. All we can be relatively sure of at this time is that it was an Isyar. Try to keep this as quiet as possible, but we can no longer deny this reality.¡±


    Fevionawishtensen bowed her head. She let go of Jorvanultumn¡¯s hand. As you wish.


    ¡°Before you go,¡± Maramintorin said, ¡°there are two other matters to resolve. Regardless of the existence or non-existence of the Pundritta, we cannot deny that there is a real threat active in the world today. With Volganths active and preparing for war against us, it makes sense that they would place agents in other lands, such as Arnor and our own. And while the Will-Breaker might or might not have been responsible for bringing this war upon us, it is clear from their own statements at Scovese that the Volganths fear her. For this reason, we have reached the conclusion that she deserves assistance in her fight against them. Therefore, Jorvanultumn, we find your reasons for temporarily suspending your elispt and returning to Isyaria early justified. We rule that you have not broken you elispt in doing so¡ªprovided you resume your elispt immediately upon departing Isyaria again.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lamdirh,¡± Jorvanultumn said. ¡°And thank you to the entire Lamdritta. I am grateful for the wisdom you have shown.¡±


    Maramintorin continued, ¡°As I mentioned, we agree that Princess Felit?a Asa Folith, known as the Will-Breaker deserves our assistance. It is our judgement that she should receive the best possible assistance. Therefore, we have decided that Lamdir Paydamat should accompany you back to Arnor, and she has consented.¡±


    ¡°Mikranasta is a skilled and valued citizen of Chithishtheny,¡± Maramintorin said. ¡°While she would undoubtedly be an excellent choice, the simple fact is Lamdir Paydamat is an even better choice. If Princess Felit?a Asa Folith¡¯s powers are what you suspect they are, she needs the absolute best we can send. Also, she is royalty in Arnor and should be afforded the best in acknowledgement of that.¡±


    Jorvanultumn bowed his head. ¡°Of course, Lammdir. Thank you all again.¡± They were right. Paydamat was the best choice¡ªat least, based on what they knew. While Jorvanultumn suspected Mikranasta was the more powerful of the two, she had deliberately hidden the extent of her abilities. The Lamdritta had no way of knowing this. However, even if Mikranasta was the more powerful, the difference was small. Paydamat was more than capable of providing Felit?a with assistance. He had simply grown attached to the idea that he could convince Mikranasta to go with him, but he should not let emotion cloud his judgement.


    ¡°That said,¡± Maramintorin said, ¡°we have given Lamdir Paydamat discretionary powers to choose her team to take with her. We cannot afford a large number as we must look to our own defences, but a single assistant plus an honour guard is within our means. Lamdir Paydamat?¡±


    Paydamat stood up. ¡°I have decided to bring my siare Nascanmat with me.¡±


    ¡°I can see your disappointment, Jorvanultumn. I mean no disrespect to Mikranasta, but while Nascanmat may not possess her skill, he is intimately familiar with my methods. Plus, Mikranasta has a siare of her own that she should not leave alone at a crucial time in his training.¡±


    ¡°I have also decided to take Fevionawishtensen. We have worked well together in matters of security in the past. Her magical and martial skills will be invaluable should we encounter violence.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jorvanultumn said.


    He smiled back. ¡°I will check on Princess Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith, and let her know the news.¡± He turned to face the Lamdritta and placed his hand on his chest. ¡°Pleasant thoughts to you all.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 31: Love, Hate, Both (Part 2)

    There were paint splatters on the floor and walls of Sinit?a¡¯s room, even a few on the bed where Jeanne lay¡ªthough none on Jeanne herself. Sinit?a was barefoot and wearing only a plain shift. She was also covered in paint splashes¡ªon her shift, face, and arms. She was standing by an easel with a large canvas on it. The painting was a mash of colours in the background¡ªas though she had just thrown paint at the canvas. Over top of the chaotic background was a somewhat twisted image of a pale, bald person¡ªan Isyar¡ªwith white eyes and¡­ Were those fangs? The Isyar had fangs.


    Jorvanultumn approached the easel and peered more closely at the painting. There was a small mark in the Isyar¡¯s left eye. ¡°Is this¡­?¡±


    ¡°It makes a certain sense,¡± Gen said. ¡°I¡¯m not an expert in art, but I will admit that if I saw that hanging somewhere, my immediate response would be to assume the Isyar was cruel or untrustworthy. It¡¯s really very good. You¡¯re quite talented, my dear.¡±


    ¡°Understandably, I should say.¡± Gen stood up. ¡°Well, my dear, now Jorvanultumn is here, I need to attend to my business, but if you need me, just call. I or Miana will be here as fast as we can.¡± He headed for the door, but stopped to clasp hands with Jorvanultumn first. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡±


    Gen smiled sadly. ¡°I meant Chiansamorkin. You obviously loved her a great deal, and her betrayal must hurt.¡±


    ¡°Any time.¡±


    ¡°The Lamdritta has dismissed your case. You have nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°My elispt?¡±


    They sat in silence for a few moments. Eventually, Sinit?a tapped him on the arm. ¡°Tell me about Fevionawishtensen.¡±


    ¡°I was in the library in the basement of the Governance Building. There was a disagreement between two other Isyar over a book. It was not extreme. It was just an argument with a lot of yelling and a few threats. The ¨¦lite were called and Fevionawishtensen was the one who arrived. I only saw her from a distance at first, and she saw me. When the bond between fomasee forms, it is very fast. It takes no time at all.¡±


    ¡°Fomase,¡± Jorvanultumn said.


    ¡°Fomase,¡± she repeated.


    ¡°It¡¯s a nice story though. I¡¯m glad you found her.¡±


    ¡°That is the first portion of her name, yes. As for whether you can call her that is up to her.¡±


    ¡°I like her. I really do. I hope she doesn¡¯t betray us too.¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    He put his other hand on both of hers. ¡°You are right. I am hurt. I grew up with Chiansamorkin. We were best of friends and inseparable. Everyone thought the bond would form between us when we came of age. We thought so too, so much so that we would pretend it already had.¡±


    ¡°There is not much else to tell. We had a falling out when I bonded with Fevionawishtensen, then I had to leave for my elispt. We made up when I got back a couple days ago and you know the rest.¡±


    ¡°And you decided to make her part of your family!¡± Sinit?a clapped her hands. ¡°I like that bit. The fomase?¡±


    ¡°Fomaze,¡± he corrected.


    ¡°Fomaze,¡± she repeated. ¡°Fomase and fomaze, is that right?¡±


    ¡°You are. However, the fomaze will not be happening now.¡±


    He tried to respond yes, but the word choked in his throat. He coughed to try to hide the reaction.


    Sinit?a took his hand again and looked him in the eye. Her own eyes were filling with tears. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re alone. You don¡¯t have to put on the brave act.¡±


    He nodded and closed his eyes, tears pouring down his face. She put her arms around him and held him tight while he cried. She was crying too.


    He was not sure how long he sobbed into her shoulder, but by the time they were both done, his head ached. He was otherwise feeling better though¡ªmentally, at any rate. His body still ached from the beating Chiansamorkin had given him.


    Sinit?a sniffled and wiped her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s hard to lose people.¡±


    ¡°Meleng is not lost. We will find him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± She sniffled again and then was quiet for a moment. Then she shivered. ¡°I had a dream last night that I found the person who took Meleng. He didn¡¯t know I was there, so I snuck up behind him and put my hands¡­¡± She shivered again. ¡°I put my hands around his neck like this.¡± She leaned behind Jorvanultumn and put her hands around his neck. ¡°Then I...I¡­¡±


    ¡°No, of course not. Anger is a natural reaction. Meleng is your friend.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. I¡¯m just kidding around a little. I¡¯m not smart. Meleng just says that to be nice. Anyway, the only people I was allowed to spend time with was Annai and her friends, and they always treated me terribly. They made me feel stupid. Then Meleng came, and he treated me like...a person. I wasn¡¯t an annoyance like Annai treated me. He actually listened to me, and he answered my questions. Everyone else always hated answering my questions. But how was I supposed to learn anything if they wouldn¡¯t answer my questions? Meleng actually respected me. And they hated him for it. Then through him, I met other friends, like Felit?a¡ªwell, she¡¯s my sister, but also my friend¡ªand Nin-Akna, and you.¡± She looked at him and smiled. After a moment, her face fell. ¡°I miss him, and I¡¯m so scared I¡¯ll never see him again.¡±


    She nodded and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. ¡°More than anything. I think I only realised how much after he was gone, so I¡¯ve never really told him. I think he knows, but¡­ When you talk to him, do you ever talk about me? Has he ever said anything?¡±


    ¡°I have questioned him about his feelings for you before. I think he is confused, but I do believe he loves you. Like you say, not in the sex way, but I believe he loves you like you were his fomase.¡±


    ¡°Can you be fomasee without sex? I know you can do fomaze like that, but fomase?¡±


    It took her a moment to respond, but eventually she shrugged. ¡°I suppose not.¡±


    She huddled over and peered at him, smiling coyly. ¡°He¡¯s my fomase?¡±


    She jumped to her feet. ¡°I¡¯ll get cleaned up and dressed.¡± She bounded over to the chest with her clothes, but then she paused and turned back to face Jorvanultumn. ¡°I have an idea. Not for right away. It would be after we get Meleng back.¡±


    ¡°You know the fomaze thing. It¡¯s about expanding families, right? About making good friends part of you family?¡±


    Jorvanultumn nodded. He had a suspicion where she was going with this.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s afraid they¡¯re dead or they don¡¯t want him around anymore, so he doesn¡¯t really have a family anymore. But he¡¯s your friend, right. You two are like best friends. He loves you even if he doesn¡¯t say so. And you love him, right?¡±


    Jorvanultumn stood up. ¡°You are suggesting Fevionawishtensen and I perform the fomaze with you and Meleng.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 32: Truth from Art (Part 1)

    Under Jorvanultumn¡¯s control, the icy ground cracked and parted. Just a little. He needed to be careful not to destabilise the entire area. He traced a small wave with one arm and the cleft went deeper, down to the rock below. When he could feel the rock, he made a lifting motion with his other arm, breaking off a chunk of rock and raising it upwards. He widened the cleft just enough to let the rock through. As soon as the rock was in the open air, he resealed the ice and let the rock settle on the ground.


    At his nod, Fevionawishtensen approached the rock and traced equations onto its surface. It will take a few minutes to heat up. She backed up.


    As soon as she was out of the way, Jorvanultumn took control of the ice again. However, instead of splitting it, he stretched out sections of the surface to form a screen around three sides of the rock. With that done, Fevionawishtensen moved in again and traced more equations on the screen and the ground, reinforcing them so that they did not melt from the heat to come.


    Jorvanultumn took a moment to observe the work while Fevionawishtensen came up beside him. She took his arm and smiled at him.


    ¡°It will be ready soon, Sinit?a,¡± he said.


    Sinit?a clapped her hands. ¡°I can feel some warmth already. Will I be able to do that someday?¡±


    ¡°Probably better,¡± Jorvanultumn said. A conjuror was much better suited to something like this, but this should work well enough. ¡°There is still the wind to worry about. It will still be cold and if it is strong enough, it could counter the effects of the heating stone.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you control the wind?¡± Sinit?a asked.


    ¡°While I am here, yes.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you staying?¡±


    ¡°I will check in on you frequently, but I need to do some other things as well.¡±


    ¡°What sort of things?¡±


    ¡°Investigations to find Meleng.¡± It was true, though he could not be more specific. They had run into Mikranasta on the way here, and she had told him she had some ideas to help find Meleng. He did not know what yet though.


    Sinit?a turned to where her easel, canvas, and paints lay on the ground. ¡°That makes sense. If the wind picks up, I¡¯ll figure out something.¡± She removed her mittens and then began removing her scarves. ¡°It¡¯s a great place to paint.¡±


    They were at the edge of the gardens in front of the Governance Building. It was a believable place that Sinit?a would want to paint, but more importantly, it saw a lot of traffic through it, giving Sinit?a the opportunity to observe the largest number of people. Jorvanultumn doubted this would achieve much, but at least it let Sinit?a feel like she was contributing to the search. And who knew? Maybe luck would be on their side, and she would notice something.


    Sinit?a was just finishing setting up her easel and canvas when Jeanne ran up beside her. ¡°Jeanne!¡± The dog sniffed at the brushes and paints. Sinit?a picked her up. ¡°Nope, not yours.¡± She snuggled the dog against her chest.


    Captain Gen strode up to her. ¡°I came as quickly as I could.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t interrupt anything important, did I?¡± Sinit?a asked.


    Gen shook his head. ¡°Nothing is more important than finding Meleng, my dear. But no, you didn¡¯t interrupt anything. The negotiating¡¯s mostly done. All that¡¯s left is the transfer of goods, and Miana can handle that without me.¡±


    Sinit?a held Jeanne out to Gen. ¡°I want her in front of the purple tree over there. The one with the white flower.¡± She motioned with her chin.


    Gen took the dog. He grunted at the weight and the dog squirmed in his arms. ¡°One of the szadene plants?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that one.¡± Sinit?a pointed with her hand this time.


    Gen got a better hold on the dog. ¡°You do realise she¡¯s not trained to stay in one spot like that, right? She¡¯s not likely to stay put, especially not if she sees or smells something interesting.¡±


    ¡°Then you sit with her and I¡¯ll paint you too.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Gen looked over at the spot Sinit?a had indicated. It was not far from the entrance to the Governance Building. Then he looked back at the heating stone. ¡°I¡¯d much rather stay right here, if that¡¯s all right. It¡¯s much warmer. You wouldn¡¯t want to sit over there, would you?¡±


    Sinit?a frowned and slumped her shoulders. Then her eyes widened and she straightened up and looked to Jorvanultumn and Fevionawishtensen.


    I need to return to the search, Fevionawishtensen signed. She hurriedly touched her forehead to his and fumbled to touch her wing tips to his as well.


    Sinit?a frowned a little as Fevionawishtensen placed her hand on her chest. Gen returned the gesture and then so did Sinit?a. Sinit?a waved as Fevionawishtensen left, then turned to face Jorvanultumn.


    ¡°I cannot sit with the dog, Sinit?a,¡± Jorvanultumn said. ¡°I need to find Mikranasta.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it won¡¯t take long. Please!¡±


    Gen held the dog out to him. ¡°Honestly, this makes the most sense. If you want this exercise to succeed, you need to draw attention to yourselves. Admittedly, Sinit?a just painting will draw attention, but if she¡¯s painting you¡­ Well, I dare say that will generate a lot of attention and a lot of people for her to observe.¡±


    ¡°It really won¡¯t take long,¡± Sinit?a said.


    Jorvanultumn groaned and reached for the dog. He had never handled an animal like this before, and she was half his size. Did he have the strength to hold her?


    ¡°Now, be careful,¡± Gen said. ¡°Yes, like¡ªno, no. Put one hand there.¡±


    Jeanne squirmed and yelped as Jorvanultumn tried to handle her. On the ship, he had been content to ignore the dog. He sniffed. ¡°She smells strange.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just dog smell, Jorvanultumn. You¡¯ll get used to it.¡± Gen helped him get his arms around the dog.


    ¡°Scratch her behind the ears,¡± Sinit?a said. ¡°She likes that.¡±


    Jorvanultumn tentatively did just that. The dog looked up at him and licked his chin. He grimaced and nearly dropped the animal.


    ¡°Careful!¡± Gen leapt forward, ready to catch the dog, but relaxed when Jorvanultumn kept hold of her.


    ¡°Now, go sit over there.¡± Sinit?a pointed.


    Trying his best to hold onto the dog, who had started squirming again, Jorvanultumn walked over to the spot Sinit?a had indicated. When he got there, he turned to face her.


    There was already an audience growing. Other Isyar in the gardens were watching the goings-on and several had turned their attention to him. Perhaps this could work out after all.


    ¡°Sit down,¡± Sinit?a called to him, ¡°and put Jeanne in your lap. Don¡¯t let her run away!¡±


    He did as she asked, almost losing his hold on the dog again. Jeanne did not want to sit, so he just let her stand there while he held on to her. She kept looking about, and barked at a nearby Isyar, who turned and walked the other way.


    ¡°Get her to lie down!¡± Sinit?a called.


    ¡°She refuses!¡±


    A few moments later, a grumbling Gen came over, coaxed the dog into lying in Jorvanultumn¡¯s lap, and then returned to the warmth by the heating stone.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    With things in place, Sinit?a began painting, and Jorvanultumn waited¡­ And waited. At first, he frequently needed to coax Jeanne into staying put. He tried using the same tactics Gen had used: a gentle touch and soft words of praise. Apparently, dogs¡ªor Jeanne, at any rate¡ªreacted well to being told how good they were. After a while, the dog stopped trying to escape, and Jorvanultumn soon realised she had fallen asleep¡ªjust as he realised her weight was also numbing his legs.


    Numerous passersby stopped to ask what was happening. Others noticeably made a point of avoiding the strange set-up, while a few passed by as if nothing unusual was happening at all. All the while, Jorvanultumn kept careful watch, but noticed nothing of note. From time to time, he also adjusted the wind.


    After what seemed an eternity, but was probably closer to half an hour at most, Lammdir Griholbovroh approached Jorvanultumn. His staff smacked against the ice path. ¡°What are you doing, Jorvanultumn, and what is that?¡± He pointed to the heating stone and screen.


    ¡°Princess Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith is painting. I am her subject.¡±


    Griholbovroh squinted in Sinit?a¡¯s direction. ¡°Why? What does she think she is, a light wizard?¡±


    ¡°She enjoys it. Humans do not use magic for painting.¡±


    ¡°A pointless exercise. There is nothing to be gained from it.¡±


    ¡°There is art to be gained from it. The only other choice humans have is to be like us and not paint.¡±


    Griholbovroh scowled. ¡°Then they should be like us. Lost disciplines should not be mocked and disgraced so.¡± He lifted his staff and pointed it towards Jeanne. ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°A dog, Lammdir. An animal from Arnor. She belongs to Captain Eti?nne Gen.¡±


    Jeanne opened her eyes, lifted her head, and growled.


    Griholbovroh took several steps back. ¡°Keep it under control.¡±


    ¡°Apologies, Lammdir.¡± Jorvanultumn stroked Jeanne¡¯s head. ¡°There there. Be a good girl and go back to sleep.¡±


    The dog put her head back down as Griholbovroh harrumphed and stomped away.


    Sometime later, Jorvanultumn found that he had lost almost all feeling in his legs and called out to Sinit?a that he needed to move.


    Sinit?a took several seconds to reply. ¡°Okay.¡± There was disappointment in her voice.


    Jorvanultumn nudged Jeanne. The dog¡¯s head shot up and she growled. ¡°Please, I need to get up.¡± He nudged her again, trying to be as gentle as he could. She shot to her feet and leapt off him, running to Gen.


    Jorvanultumn¡¯s legs protested as he stood up, pins and needles shooting through them. But at least he was able to move again. He hobbled over to Sinit?a.


    She raised her arms and positioned herself in front of her canvas, trying to block what was there. ¡°Don¡¯t look! It¡¯s not finished yet!¡±


    Jorvanultumn held up his hands. ¡°Do not worry. I will not look.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to paint in the cold, even with the heating stone. The paint doesn¡¯t like it very much.¡± She frowned.


    ¡°Have you noticed anything?¡± Jorvanultumn asked.


    She shrugged and grabbed a bag lying at her feet. She pulled out several sheets. ¡°I made a bunch of sketches to help me remember the details of everything I saw.¡± She held them out to him. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice anything unusual though. None of the symbols, and I looked carefully for them. But a lot of people were far away and if the symbols were really small¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Jorvanultumn said.


    Sinit?a¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Itra! Over here!¡±


    Jorvanultumn turned. Itra stood near the edge of the gardens, looking in their direction. Sinit?a continued to call to him.


    ¡°Sinit?a,¡± Jorvanultumn said, ¡°you should be careful. You were only just excused from this action. If you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    People were already starting to move away, many leaving the gardens entirely.


    Itra had started towards Sinit?a. As he got closer, Sinit?a pointed to the wing dragging behind him. ¡°What happened to his wings?¡±


    ¡°He broke them trying to fly when he was a child,¡± Jorvanultumn said. ¡°Isyar without magic cannot fly. His wings never healed properly, especially that one. Over the years, the muscles have...I am not sure of the word.¡±


    ¡°Atrophied,¡± Gen said.


    Sinit?a scrunched her nose. ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°That he can¡¯t use his wings,¡± Gen said.


    Sinit?a frowned. ¡°That¡¯s so sad.¡±


    Itra reached them. He eyed the heating stone and recoiled a bit from the warmth radiating from it.


    Sinit?a held up her right hand, palm out. ¡°Hi, Itra. I¡¯m Sinit?a.¡±


    Itra bowed his head to her.


    ¡°Jorvan, translate for me.¡±


    Jorvanultumn looked around at the garden. There were several Isyar watching them, and he doubted they were approving.


    ¡°Jorvan!¡± Sinit?a snapped.


    He turned to face her again. She was right. Perhaps it was time to break another tradition. He nodded to Sinit?a, who grinned and held up her hand again.


    Jorvanultumn turned to Itra. ¡°Itra, this is Princess Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith. She would like to greet you.¡±


    Itra held up his left hand and touched his palm to hers. ¡°Itra.¡±


    ¡°Why is his name so short?¡± Sinit?a asked.


    ¡°Because he has no family,¡± Jorvanultumn said. ¡°He was communally raised.¡±


    Gen edged up beside Jorvanultumn. ¡°Couldn¡¯t this get us in a lot of trouble?¡±


    ¡°I will handle it if anyone interferes,¡± Jorvanultumn replied.


    Sinit?a lowered her hand. ¡°That¡¯s really sad. Tell him I think it¡¯s really unfair the way you all treat him and ask him if he wants to be my friend.¡±


    Jorvanultumn translated her words, and Itra¡¯s eyes widened. He shook his head. ¡°Tell her I¡¯m honoured, but I cannot be her friend. I cannot be anyone¡¯s friend. I¡¯d be punished. I¡¯m just a ptip. I do chores. That¡¯s it.¡±


    After Jorvanultumn told her, she looked about to burst into tears. She glared at him. ¡°Your rules are stupid! They¡¯re like rules for servants in the Palace. I never realised before how bad they are. Ask him if he wants to be in one of my paintings.¡±


    ¡°I...don¡¯t understand,¡± Itra said after Jorvanultumn translated.


    Jorvanultumn indicated the easel and jars of paint. ¡°She makes art using brushes and coloured paints. All without magic. She would like to paint a picture of you.¡±


    He shook his head again. ¡°I can¡¯t. Just like I can¡¯t be her friend, it¡­¡± He stopped and stared forward, past Jorvanultumn and Sinit?a both. ¡°On second thought, tell her I¡¯d like that very much.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Jorvanultumn said, glancing where Itra seemed to be staring. It was only the mountainside.


    Itra continued to stare at the mountainside. ¡°I am sure. Ask her where she wants me to be.¡±


    Jorvanultumn nodded. ¡°As you wish.¡± On the one hand, it was like Itra to try to socialise with humans. On the other, it really was something he could be punished for, just like he had started to say.


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Sinit?a asked.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jorvanultumn said. ¡°Everything is fine. Itra would like to to be in your painting now. Where do you want him to go?¡±


    Sinit?a beamed and clapped her hands. She looked about, her gaze circling over the gardens and back again. ¡°Oh, oh! Over there. Standing in front of that statue.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Jorvanultumn led Itra to the spot Sinit?a indicated, Itra walking just beside him, head held high, back straight. ¡°Stand here. Do not move until Sinit?a tells you it is okay.¡±


    Itra moved into position and looked straight out, again not meeting Jorvanultumn¡¯s gaze. ¡°As she wishes.¡±


    Jorvanultumn nodded and started back to Sinit?a and Gen, but after a few steps, he stopped and looked back. ¡°Itra, is everything all right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Itra still did not turn his head to look at Jorvanultumn, but just stared straight ahead.


    Jorvanultumn nodded and returned to Sinit?a and Gen. Sinit?a was already getting her paints and brushes ready.


    ¡°He started walking different,¡± Sinit?a said.


    ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Jorvanultumn motioned Gen closer to him and Sinit?a. ¡°Watch Itra carefully, both of you. There is something strange going on. I really must go to Mikranasta. She is probably already annoyed with me. If anything happens, call for me. I will not be very far away.¡±


    Gen nodded. ¡°Trust me, I¡¯ll yell loud enough that you could hear me on the other side of the mountain.¡±


    ¡°I will return as soon as I can.¡± He hurried off.

 Book 2, Chapter 32: Truth from Art (Part 2)

    From the east corner of the Governance Building, Jorvanultumn still had a view of the gardens. It was only a partial view, the central path obscured by the plants and statues. He could see the screen by the heating stone, but not Sinit?a and Gen. He also had no view of Itra. However, he could still hear them if they yelled.


    Took you long enough, Mikranasta said.


    Jorvanultumn almost responded verbally, but stopped himself. I had to help Sinit?a.


    So I saw. By posing for her?


    Yes. It was mostly to hold the dog, but I took the opportunity to observe others. He looked around. Where are you?


    Near. Pretend to meditate so people don¡¯t start to wonder what you¡¯re doing just standing there.


    No one will question it.


    He knelt and raised his face to the sky. Better? When he received a feeling of ascent, he continued, What did you want me to do?


    Something similar to what you¡¯ve done, although I wanted you to do more talking than just observing.


    I did talk to people.


    Yes, but not in the way I would have guided you to. But it doesn¡¯t matter now. Did you learn anything?


    Possibly. Can you monitor Itra from where you are? He¡¯s posing for Sinit?a.


    Yes, I know. A reckless action, if I might say so. At any rate, yes, I can monitor him. Why?


    His behaviour changed suddenly, like there was mental control.


    There was a pause before Mikranasta responded. A disturbing thought. Give me a moment.


    After a few moments, Mikranasta¡¯s voice returned to his head. There has been mental tampering. It¡¯s quite extensive. If you¡¯d like, I can try to find out exactly what¡¯s been done, but it will take awhile to unravel and determine its purpose and effect. That would likely also draw attention. Whoever put it there could easily check and see that someone else has been investigating. That could give us away.


    Unless they want to be found, yes, Mikranasta said. Strange that. It could be a trap. They could be using him to mislead us by planting false information.


    Yes, but you can get around that.


    Mikranasta chuckled mentally. Can I? What if it¡¯s Paydamat? I would hate to disappoint you if I can¡¯t undo what she¡¯s done.


    Jorvanultumn smiled. I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s Paydamat, but even if it is, I think you can do it.


    We shall see. This might have nothing to do with Meleng Drago, you know? Some mentalist could just be tormenting Itra out of some perverse sense of fun.


    Then you¡¯ll figure that out.


    It heartens me that you have such confidence in my abilities. This will take some time. You should return to your human friends. Be prepared to protect them if I trigger some mental trap in Itra.


    You think that¡¯s likely?


    If it was me¡ªnot that I would ever violate someone¡¯s mind in such a way¡ªbut if it was me, it¡¯s what I would do to stop others undoing what I¡¯d done.


    With good reason, Mikranasta said.


    Oh, Mikranasta said, I haven¡¯t had a chance to say it yet, but my condolences about Chiansamorkin. I can only imagine what such a betrayal must be like. I never liked her much, but I did not suspect anything like this.


    Jorvanultumn wished he could stare disbelievingly at her. You loved her.


    I pretended to because you loved her. Anyway, off you go. I¡¯ll let you know when I¡¯m done.


    When he got back to Sinit?a and Gen, Sinit?a was just finishing applying a base of shades of blue to the canvas.


    ¡°That was fast,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t even started yet,¡± Sinit?a said.


    ¡°Mikranasta had little to say.¡± Jorvanultumn motioned towards Itra. ¡°How is he doing?¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Gen said. ¡°He¡¯s been standing there, perfectly still. Eerily still, I¡¯d say. Either he has a lot of practice posing for paintings, or¡­ Well, I don¡¯t know what else, really.¡±


    ¡°He has not moved at all?¡±


    Gen shook his head. ¡°Only when two other Isyar objected to his presence there. He opened his mouth and responded to them. I couldn¡¯t hear what he said¡ªprobably wouldn¡¯t have understood it anyway¡ªbut whatever he said, he convinced them to move on. They didn¡¯t look happy, but they didn¡¯t make a fuss. I couldn¡¯t really see his eye movements, but he never turned his head.¡±


    ¡°His eyes moved a little,¡± Sinit?a said.


    ¡°He has had some sort of mental conditioning,¡± Jorvanultumn said. ¡°Mikranasta is examining him from a distance. It might explain his odd behaviour, though that creates other questions.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sinit?a asked.


    ¡°I am not sure. Just continue painting and observe him carefully until I hear from Mikranasta.¡±


    Sinit?a nodded and turned back to her paints.


    They waited there for some time, as the sun rose barely over the top of the southern mountains and then began to sink behind them again to the southwest. Sinit?a had painted much of Itra¡¯s face and neck, as well as bits of the statue behind him.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t found any Darker symbols on him,¡± Sinit?a said. ¡°They could be really small though.¡±


    ¡°I do not believe he is Pundritta,¡± Jorvanultumn said. ¡°Even if he is, he does not have a discipline, so which symbol would he wear? It is possible he is controlled by them though.¡±


    ¡°Can Mikranasta figure out who¡¯s controlling him?¡± Sinit?a asked.


    ¡°I hope so.¡±


    ¡°And then we can find Meleng?¡±


    ¡°Possibly, but it might not be the Pundritta controlling him.¡±


    ¡°But who else would gain from controlling him?¡± Gen asked.


    Jorvanultumn shrugged. ¡°There could be several answers. It could be local mentalist trying to ensure he complies with what¡¯s expected of him.¡±


    Gen scoffed. ¡°While I could see that happening, it doesn¡¯t explain his current actions. He¡¯s hardly being compliant posing for a human painting, is he?¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Jorvanultumn said. ¡°Let us wait until¡ª¡±


    Jorvanultumn, I have finished. There was an urgency to Mikranasta¡¯s telepathic ¡°voice¡±. It¡¯s important I examine Itra at closer range.


    ¡°Is everything all right?¡± Gen asked.


    Jorvanultumn nodded and hurriedly shushed Gen.


    Continue what you are doing until whatever time Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith would normally choose to stop. I presume that will be in about half an hour when the light is almost gone. Then come to see me at home. Bring Itra if you can, but if he refuses, don¡¯t force him.


    If he doesn¡¯t come, how do you plan to examine him more closely? Jorvanultumn asked.


    We¡¯ll find a way. See you soon. The feel of her mental presence in his head vanished.


    ¡°I just heard from Mikranasta,¡± Jorvanultumn said. ¡°We are to go see her when we¡¯re finished here. Sinit?a, continue painting until there is no longer enough light.¡±


    Sinit?a looked up briefly from her painting. ¡°Okay.¡±


    The next half hour crept by slowly. Jorvanultumn watched Itra the whole time. He really did stay incredibly still, even when other Isyar passed directly in front of him. One Isyar did address him directly, and Itra moved only his mouth to respond. It was difficult to hear what they said. However, Jorvanultumn was fairly certain Itra said something about following directions that had been given to him. It was enough to convince the other Isyar to leave, shaking her head in annoyance.


    Eventually, Sinit?a indicated that it was getting too dark to keep painting.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Jorvanultumn said. ¡°Pack up your things. I will get Itra.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s coming with us?¡± Gen said.


    ¡°If I can convince him to.¡± Jorvanultumn gave Gen a smile and headed over to Itra.


    Itra did not even look at him when he got there.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, Itra. Sinit?a¡¯s finished for today. It¡¯s getting dark.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Itra still did not look at Jorvanultumn. ¡°Will she need me again tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jorvanultumn said. ¡°I¡¯ll ask her. You¡¯re done for now.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Itra¡¯s stance slackened and he slumped forward. He shook his head. ¡°I must¡­¡± He looked at Jorvanultumn. ¡°I have duties I must return to.¡±


    Jorvanultumn held up his hand. ¡°Actually, my diare, Davorultumn, has some tasks for you. He asked me to collect you.¡± It was a bold-faced lie, but Itra was expected to perform menial tasks for other Isyar. The hierarchy of who took precedence for such requests could be complicated, but Jorvanultumn hoped, since Itra had expressed some respect and even like for Davorultumn, that would influence Itra to come.


    Itra looked confused. ¡°He does? He has never asked me for anything before.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jorvanultumn said, ¡°and he said to apologise for having to do so now, but he...uh¡­ Well, he indicated that he was hoping to save you from much more taxing tasks from another Isyar that may be coming to you soon.¡±


    ¡°He did? Did he say who?¡±


    Jorvanultumn hurriedly shook his head. He really should have thought this through more carefully before starting the lie. He had originally hoped Itra would just come along without question, that Itra would remain like he had been throughout the painting. Jorvanultumn had not really thought about what to do if that was not the case.


    ¡°Very well. I must inform Istrayabiva that Davorultumn has requested my aid and he has priority in this case.¡± Itra sighed. ¡°She will already be annoyed at my lateness.¡± He looked around. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m so late. I will blame someone else. She¡¯ll believe me.¡± He started to walk away. ¡°Tell Davorultumn I will meet him at his home soon.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Jorvanultumn called after him.


    That was lucky. The other Isyar could have had priority. For that matter, Jorvanultumn was not even sure who the other Isyar Itra had named was. With a sigh, Jorvanultumn returned to the others.


    ¡°He¡¯s not coming?¡± Gen said.


    ¡°He is behaving normally again,¡± Jorvanultumn said. ¡°However, I convinced him to join us later. Come, we must get to my place to meet Mikranasta.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 32: Truth from Art (Part 3)

    Davorultumn and Mikranasta were seared next to each other, conversing, in the gathering room when Jorvanultumn, Sinit?a, and Captain Gen arrived. They went silent immediately.


    ¡°Our apologies,¡± Jorvanultumn said in Isyarian. ¡°We didn¡¯t mean to interrupt.¡±


    Mikranasta smiled. ¡°Not at all. I asked you here. We were merely chatting while we waited. It might have been a touch intimate, but it¡¯s nothing we can¡¯t resume at another time.¡± She grinned at Davorultumn, then motioned them all to come fully into the room. ¡°No Itra, I see.¡±


    Jorvanultumn sat at the low table across from Mikranasta and Davorultumn. ¡°He is coming soon.¡±


    Sinit?a sat next to Jorvanultumn, and Gen on her other side. Jeanne bounded onto the table itself, though Sinit?a pulled the dog into her lap.


    ¡°I, uh¡­¡± Jorvanultumn looked at his diare, who was looking disapprovingly at the dog, and grimaced. ¡°I told Itra you had a task for him, Diare.¡±


    Davorultumn eyed Jorvanultumn. ¡°I don¡¯t have a task for him. You know that I wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Jorvanultumn nodded. ¡°I know, and I¡¯m sorry, but I needed to say something.¡±


    Mikranasta waved her hand dismissively. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. If it gets him here, that¡¯s all that matters.¡± She smiled at Davorultumn. ¡°I will speak to him. Your reputation won¡¯t be ruined.¡±


    Sinit?a held up her hand and waved. ¡°Hi.¡± Under her breath, she added to Jorvanultumn, ¡°You¡¯re talking again without me being able to understand.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jorvanultumn replied. ¡°I was just telling my diare¡ª¡±


    Mikranasta held up a hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith.¡± She was speaking Isyarian, but it was clear Sinit?a understood her. ¡°We aren¡¯t ignoring you.¡± Mikranasta¡¯s gaze moved to Gen, and her eyes narrowed. ¡°Captain Eti?nne Gen.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, madam,¡± Gen said. ¡°I was not aware you could translate in the manner of Lamdir Paydamat.¡±


    Mikranasta gave the slightest of smiles. ¡°Neither is she, and neither are most people. This knowledge does not spread beyond here. Not to Paydamat, not to your crew, not to anyone. Understood?¡±


    Gen bowed his head. ¡°As you wish, madam.¡±


    Mikranasta glanced at Jeanne, who had rested her head on the edge of the low-table.


    Sinit?a gently pulled the dog¡¯s head off the table and back into her lap.


    ¡°We need to discuss Itra,¡± Mikranasta said. ¡°Jorvanultumn brought him to my attention after observing him behaving oddly with you all. I detected mental manipulation and examined him more thoroughly. Unfortunately, the distance between us limited how much I could learn. However, I did find several triggers implanted in him. Most of them are manual triggers that must be magically or telepathically sent by whoever put them there. Essentially, they allow that person to send commands to Itra. A few of them are pre-programmed actions activated by specific words or actions.¡±


    ¡°Such as his behaviour when Sinit?a asked to paint him?¡± Gen said.


    Mikranasta shrugged. ¡°Possibly, but that was a rather specific situation. That was more likely a manually activated trigger.¡±


    ¡°But that would mean¡­¡± Jorvanultumn began.


    Mikranasta nodded. ¡°Yes, whoever did it had to be nearby.¡±


    ¡°Exactly how nearby?¡± Gen asked.


    ¡°It depends on the power of the mentalist,¡± Mikranasta said. ¡°However, assuming a powerful one, they would just need to be able to see Itra, preferably you all as well, though that¡¯s not strictly necessary. Not being able to see you could make his actions¡ªor, more accurately, reactions¡ªless natural. Distance could cause that as well.¡±


    Gen glanced at Jorvanultumn. ¡°That could explain quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea who did it?¡± Jorvanultumn asked.


    ¡°I bet it was Paydamat,¡± Sinit?a said.


    Jorvanultumn shook his head. ¡°I am doubtful of that. I think¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith may be right,¡± Mikranasta said.


    Sinit?a grinned. ¡°See?¡±


    ¡°We cannot be certain yet,¡± Mikranasta said.


    ¡°But are there not others who could do this?¡± Jorvanultumn said.


    Mikranasta nodded.


    ¡°Then why do you believe it might be Paydamat?¡±


    ¡°Because her position brings her into frequent contact with Itra. She would have ample opportunity to put such triggers in place.¡± Mikranasta held up her hand as Jorvanultumn was about to respond. ¡°More importantly, she would have ample opportunity to notice any conditioning placed on him by someone else. It is difficult to believe someone of her power would not have noticed.¡±


    Jorvanultumn sighed. What she said made logical sense, but something still seemed wrong.


    ¡°That would mean the Pundritta got two people into the Lamdritta,¡± Davorultumn said.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Mikranasta nodded. ¡°Which would make them a very powerful group. It is distressing. Let¡¯s hope they do not have anyone in the Lordritta.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible this conditioning was done recently?¡± Gen asked. ¡°Recently enough that Paydamat would not have had a chance to notice?¡±


    ¡°Possibly,¡± Mikranasta said, ¡°though unlikely. The conditioning is deep enough to imply a long-term process, but I can hopefully determine for certain once I can examine him more closely.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it was put there by someone more powerful than Paydamat,¡± Jorvanultumn said. ¡°Someone who could hide it even from her.¡±


    Mikranasta looked up at the sky and muttered under her breath. Jorvanultumn could not hear her words, but he guessed that they were something along the lines of, ¡°Nature, grant me patience.¡± It was something she sometimes did when she was getting annoyed at him, Hedromornasta, or Davorultumn.


    After a moment, she looked down again and looked calmly at Jorvanultumn. ¡°You are stretching things, Jorvanultumn. You¡¯re smarter than that. There are only a handful of people in Isyaria who could do that and only one of them is here in Chithishtheny. So unless you think I did it¡­¡±


    Jorvanultumn raised his hands and shook his head. ¡°No. No, of course not.¡±


    ¡°Then we are left with only Paydamat. I don¡¯t want to believe it any more than you do, Jorvanultumn, but at the moment, all signs point to her, and to her siare.¡± She sighed and looked to Davorultumn. ¡°What do you think, my dear?¡±


    Davorultumn chuckled. ¡°I think this whole situation has shaken you a lot. You just basically admitted to being more powerful than Paydamat.¡±


    Mikranasta gave a knowing smile. ¡°Nonsense. Our relative power has never been tested.¡±


    ¡°And never will, yes, I know,¡± Davorultumn said. ¡°However, to answer your actual question, I agree, we must at least consider Paydamat as a suspect. We shouldn¡¯t jump to conclusions either.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Mikranasta said. ¡°We will know more once I can examine¡ª¡±


    There was a knock at the door.


    ¡°Ah. That is probably him,¡± Mikranasta said. ¡°Jorvanultumn, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Jorvanultumn stood up and went to the door, pausing a moment before opening it. It was horrible what had been done to Itra, and they were about to put him through more of it¡ªeven if it was to find out who had done it and to undo it. Itra did not deserve it. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door.


    Itra bowed his head. ¡°Forgive any intrusion I have made. I have come, as requested by Davorultumn.¡±


    Jorvanultumn stood aside. ¡°Please, come in.¡±


    Davorultumn had already stood and the others were getting up when Itra walked in.


    ¡°Davorultumn, you have a task for me?¡± Itra said.


    Davorultumn nodded. ¡°Yes, I need you to do something. I need you to...uh...to submit to an examination by Mikranasta.¡±


    Itra took a step back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not sure I understand.¡±


    ¡°It will be harmless,¡± Davorultumn said. ¡°You have nothing to worry about.¡±


    Mikranasta strode around the low-table, and Itra spun around and...stopped? One foot was partially off the floor as if he were about to step forward. His head was turned a little to look back behind him. There was a slight hint of a tremor in his jaw and his eyes darted about in fear, but otherwise, he was perfectly still.


    Mikranasta reached Itra. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, Itra. We set off one of his triggers by mentioning examining him.¡±


    Jorvanultumn looked away for a moment. He had been through something like this before: that moment in Ninifin when the priests of Sestin had frozen him in place, then had taken control of his body and forced him to move where they wanted. But in Ninifin, it had taken several mentalists working together to control him. It had been terrifying. Mikranasta had done this to Itra on her own. Jorvanultumn could only guess at the terror Itra had to be feeling right now.


    ¡°This shouldn¡¯t take long,¡± Mikranasta said. ¡°A few minutes at most.¡±


    Jorvanultumn circled around Mikranasta and Itra, and rejoined Sinit?a and Gen.


    Sinit?a was hugging Jeanne to her chest. ¡°What¡¯s she doing?¡±


    Mikranasta had placed her hands on each side of Itra¡¯s face and was looking him directly in the eyes.


    Gen put a hand on Sinit?a¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What she has to.¡±


    ¡°He looks so scared.¡± Sinit?a buried her face in the dog¡¯s fur.


    Jorvanultumn placed a hand on Sinit?a¡¯s other shoulder. ¡°It will be over soon.¡±


    It might have only taken a couple minutes, but it felt like forever. The whole time, Itra¡¯s eyes darted about, trying to avoid Mikranasta¡¯s gaze. Finally, Mikranasta let go and backed up. Itra stumbled over and fell to the floor.


    Sinit?a shoved Jeanne at Gen, then rushed to Itra. ¡°Are you all right?¡± She helped him to his feet.


    ¡°I am now.¡± Itra took Sinit?a¡¯s hands. ¡°I am so very sorry, Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith. You have been so kind to me, and I¡­¡± He let go of her hands and turned away from her, his gaze going back to Mikranasta. There was still fear in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    Sinit?a also turned to Mikranasta. ¡°What¡¯s he talking about? Tell me what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Mikranasta nodded sadly. ¡°You must understand Itra was not in control of his actions, and it is not his fault.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s not his fault? Stop treating me like an idiot and get to the point already.¡±


    Mikranasta nodded again. ¡°Of course. I¡¯m sorry. Itra was involved in Meleng¡¯s abduction. He was controlled.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Sinit?a asked.


    ¡°He carried Meleng after Meleng¡¯s abductor immobilised him. Itra¡¯s lack of magic and inability to fly means he¡¯s spent his life building up muscles most of the rest of us pay little attention to, except the Hgirh. Most of us also pay little attention to what Itra is doing as long as he stays away from us, so he can do things in plain sight without being noticed.¡±


    ¡°Who did this to him?¡± Gen asked.


    ¡°That memory is still blocked,¡± Mikranasta said. ¡°It¡¯s a very sophisticated block and I will need more time to break though it.¡±


    Sinit?a reached for Itra, who was hugging himself and trembling. He looked up at her touch, tears in his eyes. ¡°Please forgive me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not angry at you,¡± Sinit?a said. ¡°Only the people that did this to you and Meleng. Just tell me where he is. Where¡¯s my Melly?¡±


    ¡°I will show you.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 33: Defining Reality

    Sinit?a sat beside him and ran a hand over his cheek and through his hair. A tingle ran through him, and he closed his eyes to cut out the other sensations and just enjoy the feel of her fingers.


    Slowly, he opened his eyes again. She was still sitting over him, her fingers still on his scalp. He could feel them again.


    So he closed his eyes once more. This time, the sensation remained. She must have briefly stopped last time.


    It was certainly much nicer with his eyes closed. No swirling, out-of-focus room to struggle against. Just the touch of her fingers in his hair.


    She removed her hand. A moment later, the mattress shook as she pressed herself up against him. Something tickled his face. He opened his eyes again to the sight of her blonde hair adorned with streaming, coloured ribbons. She was lying beside and against him.


    But she didn¡¯t move. Instead, she stared into his eyes, her own bright blue eyes seeming to sparkle. There were tears forming in them.


    They lay like that for a while longer. He stared into her eyes, wishing he could remember what had happened, what had brought him here. Why was she afraid for his life?


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said. Maybe, by the time she was back, his head would have cleared enough for him to remember, or for her or Jorvan to tell him.


    She slid off the bed and stood up, then picked up her coat from the floor right beside her.


    When he opened his eyes, she was carefully tucking her hair, tied back with a single, large white bow, into her hood. She smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon. I promise.¡±


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    She came back in.


    Meleng took a deep breath, hoped the room had stopped spinning, and opened his eyes again. Sinit?a was sitting beside him, leaning over him and supporting herself with one hand on the opposite side of him. Her hair was in a pair of pigtails, each tied with a bright red bow. She smiled at him, her bright green eyes seeming to sparkle once again.


    ¡°Huh?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Not today.¡±


    ¡°I...I just don¡¯t pay attention to those kinds of things.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still here, aren¡¯t I?¡± Meleng asked.


    ¡°When my diare told me I needed to practise on a human,¡± the voice said, ¡°I scoffed. She was angry at me over that, and yet I still scoffed. I thought there was no way I couldn¡¯t handle a human. What a fool I was. My diare is powerful and wise. I will never doubt her again.¡±


    Meleng almost laughed, this situation was so absurd. But it was terrifying too. ¡°If it¡¯s the eyes giving it away, why not just set a colour? I mean, if I don¡¯t know Sinit?a¡¯s eye colour, then I won¡¯t notice, will I?¡± Did he know her eye colour? They were blue, weren¡¯t they? He wasn¡¯t sure. He really was bad at that sort of thing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t owe you any explanations.¡±


    At any rate, he didn¡¯t need an explanation. He could guess at least part of it. The illusions he was being subjected to were reliant on his own mind filling in most of the details. Convincing his mind that Sinit?a¡¯s eyes were a specific colour when he didn¡¯t really know the colour was probably very difficult. Same with her changing hairstyles, or her coat not being there until it was needed. It was like a dream.


    He was getting better at noticing the signs. At least, he was fairly certain he was. He vaguely recalled the earliest dream sequence lasted much longer before he realised it wasn¡¯t real. Each time, it was taking a little bit less time before he realised what was happening and returned to this...wherever he was, and spoke to his real captor.

 Book 2, Chapter 34: Shattered Illusions (Part 1)

    Jorvanultumn reached up and kissed her on the cheek. ¡°I will. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Do you find anything...unsettling about this?¡± he asked his diare.


    Their small group was making its way along the road east of Chithishtheny. Itra was in the lead with Mikranasta beside him. Jorvanultumn and Davorultumn were a short distance behind them. With luck, Fevionawishtensen and some Hgirh would join them soon. They had sent a message, but Mikranasta had added the provision that they had to get here without letting Paydamat or the rest of the Lamdritta know. They could not take any chances that Paydamat was involved. This would likely slow Fevionawishtensen down and severely limit the number of Hgirh she could bring with her.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s unsettling,¡± Davorultumn said. ¡°We¡¯re about to face members of the Pundritta. I can¡¯t think of anything more unsettling than that.¡±


    Jorvanultumn shook his head and sighed. ¡°The way we got this information. It seems too easy. You and your diare have searched for these people your whole life without finding them.¡±


    Davorultumn nodded. ¡°Yes, I have, but times are changing. They¡¯ve finally shown themselves. I only wish my diare could be here right now. He¡¯s waited so long for this. At any rate, I understand your misgivings, Jorvanultumn, and we should be prepared for any situation, including that we might be walking into a trap. Mikranasta has considered that possibility as well. Just stay alert.¡±


    After a few more minutes of walking, a new draught blew against the prevailing winds as Fevionawishtensen flew overhead at high speed. She spun in mid-air in front of Mikranasta and Itra, her wings catching the air and bringing her to a near-instant stop as she landed. Jorvanultumn smiled. There were very few who could fly with as much skill and precision as Fevionawishtensen.


    Two other Hgirh flew overhead, making wider turns before coming in to land by Fevionawishtensen.


    ¡°Good timing. Our destination is just over the next hill.¡± Mikranasta motioned to Jorvanultumn and Davorultumn to hurry up. ¡°We should proceed with caution. According to Itra, there is a copse of szadane and szadenee ahead, and within the copse, a cave entrance that leads to an underground base. Be ready to defend yourselves if necessary. Avoid killing, if possible. Remember, we need to question these people. Fevionawishtensen, I leave it to you to lead us.¡±


    Fevionawishtensen motioned to the two Hgirh to move so that everyone could see her sign. Keep in mind, everyone, that we do not know what opposition we will face, if any, though there is probably a mentalist. So be alert at all times and do not take any unnecessary risks. The Hgirh will go first. I will fly over top. You¡ªshe pointed to one of the other two¡ªwill take the left. Then to the remaining one, You, the right. The rest of you will follow behind us on the trail. Jorvanultumn, Davorultumn, deal with these winds if we encounter resistance before we reach the cave, but not before. I want to maintain surprise if we can. Mikranasta, we will rely on you to counter whatever manipulations the mentalist attempts against us. Itra. She paused and smiled at Itra, who was trembling beside Mikranasta. Stay here, out of sight. It is too dangerous for you to come with us any farther.


    Fevionawishtensen nodded to the other two Hgirh, then signed to the rest of them, Wait a few seconds before following. She turned around, spread her wings, and leapt into the air. The two other Hgirh followed, fanning out to the left and right.


    Jorvanultumn flexed his wings. There was still a slight pain, but he ignored it. If ever there was a time for him to use his wings, consequences be damned, it was now.


    Over the hill and in the next valley was the copse. The wind was still throwing loose snow about in a frenzy. Even though the szadane and many of the szadenee were shorter than Fevionawishtensen, she was barely visible standing in the centre of the copse, and the snow was getting worse. There was no sign of the other two Hgirh and Fevionawishtensen soon vanished from sight. Even Mikranasta, just ahead of Jorvanultumn, disappeared into the swirling snow.


    ¡°Too slow, Jorvanultumn,¡± Davorultumn said.


    Damn, he was slow.


    There was still a lot of snow in the air, although it was possible to see the others again as Davorultumn added more to the giant snowballs. Jorvanultumn reached out to the remaining snow to assist, but the ground pulled out from under him. The world flipped round as he landed on his back. His wings¡ªespecially the injured one¡ªcried out in protest.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    He needed to get up, make use of the snow and wind. Find their attackers and join in the fight. The more he sat here, the more the trees threatened to overwhelm Fevionawishtensen and the Hgirh.


    Branches threatened to wrap around Fevionawishtensen, but she ran her fingers along them as they approached. They cracked and broke apart. She flew backwards out of the reach of the next szadene that bent towards her. Its white flowers shot out, surrounding her like a cloud. She flew straight up and they followed.


    They did not close. Try as he might, they kept opening back up again. He could blink, but his eyelids would not stay closed, not even his inner ones.


    Off to the side, Davorultumn directed howling winds around him towards an Isyar Jorvanultumn did not recognise¡ªpresumably one of their assailants, an elementalist most likely. There had to be more though, enough to keep all of them busy: a mentalist affecting him; an enchanter manipulating the copse¡ªprobably with preset triggers.


    If Jorvanultumn could locate his attacker¡­ He could move his head, though only a little. Enough to see what was ahead of him and a bit to each side. Behind him then. That was where his attacker was.


    He needed to make a concerted effort. He still could not close his eyes, so he decided to ignore that tactic. He just needed to focus.


    His leg moved. Just enough to raise his knee and place his foot flat on the ground. It would move no farther¡ªnot until it moved right back where it started, as pain shot through his head.


    Then his mind cleared and he could move again.


    We really need to do some work together before you leave, Mikranasta said.


    Jorvanultumn bounded to his feet. Where have you been?


    No time. I¡¯ll take care of the mentalist. There¡¯s a conjuror here somewhere, too. Find and deal with them.


    Something grabbed at his mind again, but didn¡¯t gain hold. A cry rang out behind him. He turned around just as a hooded figure vanished into the night. The mentalist. It was dark, but not that dark, so there had to be more at work keeping the figure out of sight.


    There was no sign of the conjuror either. Maybe the mentalist was hiding them both.


    Metal balls like the ones Chiansamorkin had used flew at him from his right. He used the winds¡ªdrawing more from the tempest behind him¡ªto blow them aside. Then he pulled up more rock and dirt, and sent it in the direction the balls had come from.


    More balls struck his left shoulder and the back of his head. He stumbled. Spinning around, he sent ice and rock in the other direction. He swept his wings and tore up the ground for several yards in front of him. Whoever it was could not be flying¡ªnot in the storm Davorultumn and the other elementalist had created.


    The rock and ice of the uneven ground battered his chest, chin, and cheeks. It was too difficult to use his arms in this situation. However, his wings were still mobile. He spread them out, then brought them back in. Without a good view of what was pulling him, there was no way to be precise with this. He brought the ground straight up in a wall by his feet.


    Pain shot through his feet and legs as he collided with the wall, but he broke free. Ignoring the pain, he jumped to his feet. He brought his arms round in arcs, spread his wings out. The rock wall broke apart. With the winds, he grabbed each piece and threw them in every direction as he spun around.


    Mikranasta! he called. More rocks and metal came at him. The mentalist is still partially hiding the conjuror. Can you do anything about that? There was so much material in the air, he was losing track of the conjuror again.


    What? Mikranasta said. That¡¯s not possible. I¡¯ve got...damn! There¡¯s a second mentalist! I¡¯ll try to draw them out.


    There was a crash from the direction of the storm. Davorultumn tumbled through the air, landing near the blurred figure. The conjuror punched the air. Vines grabbed Davorultumn¡¯s legs and threw him back at the raging whirlwind. Jorvanultumn tried to bring the earth up around the conjuror, but whoever it was leapt out of the way. They kicked out, and Jorvanultumn¡¯s legs pulled out from under him again. He landed once more on his face, and struggled back to his knees.


    Another figure emerged from the maelstrom of wind and snow. Fevionawishtensen! Battered and bruised, she launched herself at the conjuror. Metal balls launched at her. She knocked aside several with her sword. Others slammed into her shoulder, chest, and stomach. But they didn¡¯t slow her down. Her sword connected with the conjuror¡¯s side, and the figure fell over.


    She ran over to Jorvanultumn. Are you all right? She held out her hand.


    He took her hand and let her help him to his feet. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    She pointed to the storm. Anything you can do to help?


    ¡°Maybe? Where are the other Hgirh?¡±


    Fevionawishtensen just pointed at the tempest.


    ¡°Ah, right.¡± The swirling snow and ice made it impossible to see what was happening within. One thing was clear though: the Pundritta elementalist was holding out against Davorultumn and the two Hgirh. Jorvanultumn did not know how powerful the two Hgirh were, but Davorultumn was powerful and experienced.


    Jorvanultumn took Fevionawishtensen¡¯s hand and led her to the edge of the storm, pushing against the winds. He reached out to the whirlwind. Just walking through would probably be deadly. He could strip small bits of air from it at a time, but that would take forever to weaken it enough to get through. He needed to pull together material from the surrounding area¡ªenough to make a shield that would last long enough to get through.


    He began pulling together stones and bits of rock, but Fevionawishtensen touched his arm. She traced an equation onto it, then pushed him into the whirlwind.


    Ice, snow, razor-sharp rocks, and more battered at him, but most bounced off, and he emerged on the other side intact. Of course. Fevionawishtensen had already passed through it before. He should have just trusted her to get him in.


    She emerged from the winds and rolled her eyes at him.

 Book 2, Chapter 34: Shattered Illusions (Part 2)

    Inside the whirlwind, the ground was a jagged mess. Fissures gaped and points of rock jutted out of them. There were very few flat spaces.


    On one side nearby was Davorultumn, battered and bruised, a cut across his forehead. Across from him stood the Isyar Jorvanultumn had seen Davorultumn facing earlier. One of the Hgirh lay at that Isyar¡¯s feet. The other Hgirh lay unmoving off to the side on one of the jagged pieces of land.


    Fevionawishtensen traced equations on the blade of her sword. She leapt into the air just as the ground she was standing on flipped over. Jorvanultumn dove to the side. Rocks flew at both of them, but diverted just before impact. Davorultumn swept with his arms, spinning in place, and sent the rocks back towards the other elementalist. The Darker made similar motions and the rocks stopped midway. They hung in the air, unmoving.


    Jorvanultumn spread his wings and joined Davorultumn¡¯s dance, adding his own strength to it. The rocks shot forward, smashing into the Darker¡¯s chest and forehead. He stumbled back.


    Fevionawishtensen flew down at him. A jagged spire of rock rose in her path, but her sword cut right through it. She flew on, ploughing into the elementalist, and knocking him over. Without pause, she flipped over and grabbed hold of the Darker by the back of the head, landing on top of him. She pressed his face down into the ice, and pressed her knee into his wing.


    Davorultumn nodded to Jorvanultumn, who caught his meaning. Jorvanultumn followed every movement of his diare, stepping, turning, waving in unison. Together, they took control of the whirlwind before it spiralled out of control. Gradually, they decreased its intensity, broke it apart. They allowed the snow, ice, and rocks caught in it to descend gently to the ground.


    When the largest pieces were safely on the ground and the whirlwind was mostly dispersed, Davorultumn slowed his movements, while Jorvanultumn continued. Davorultumn sat down, gasping for air. Jorvanultumn reduced the air currents back to what they were before all this started and then released them. With a sigh, Jorvanultumn fell to his knees to catch his breath.


    He did not get much time. Fevionawishtensen motioned to him and pointed to each of the two unconscious Hgirh with her free hand. With her other hand, she still had hold of the elementalist.


    Jorvanultumn nodded, got up, and went over to the nearest of the two Hgirh. A quick check showed that the Hgirh was still alive. Jorvanultumn gathered some winds to lift the Hgirh up, then went over to the other one. He did the same there, and then used the air currents to carry both of them out of the damaged area and lay them on a softer patch of snow.


    Fevionawishtensen joined him a moment later, dropping the elementalist unceremoniously on the ground. He hit the icy surface without bending or flinching, his body completely rigid. Fevionawishtensen must have done something to completely paralyse him.


    ¡°Do you know him?¡± Jorvanultumn asked.


    Fevionawishtensen shook her head. We will question him later.


    Davorultumn approached them, still breathing heavily. ¡°Where is Mikranasta?¡±


    ¡°We got separated,¡± Jorvanultumn said. He called out mentally to her. Mikranasta?


    I¡¯ll be there soon.


    ¡°She is coming,¡± Jorvanultumn said.


    Davorultumn nodded. ¡°Yes, she just told me.¡±


    A minute or so later, Mikranasta came into sight from the now-ruined copse. She was limping and had a nose bleed.


    Jorvanultumn rushed over to her. ¡°You¡¯re hurt.¡± He offered her an arm to lean on.


    ¡°It¡¯s trivial.¡± But she accepted his arm. ¡°I twisted my ankle.¡±


    ¡°Your nose is bleeding.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just an effect of extreme concentration.¡± She took Davorultumn¡¯s hand as they reached him, and the two of them touched foreheads.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Davorultumn asked.


    ¡°There were two mentalists,¡± she said. ¡°One was considerably more powerful than the other. I didn¡¯t get a good look at her, but I¡¯m sure it was Paydamat. The magic had her feel to it. The other one was less powerful, possibly her siare, Nascanmat. However, together they had an edge over me.¡±


    ¡°What happened to them?¡± Jorvanultumn asked.


    ¡°They fled when they realised the rest of the battle was going against them. It was only your winning your battles that allowed me to survive. If we¡¯re able to, we should move quickly to find Meleng Drago. I don¡¯t want those two mentalists to move him before we can get there. What of your opponents?¡±


    The enchanter and conjuror are both dead, Fevionawishtensen signed. The elementalist is our prisoner. My two are unconscious and Davorultumn is heavily depleted.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Davorultumn said.


    Mikranasta touched his face. ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡±


    ¡°Certain.¡±


    She gave him a sad smile. ¡°You know you can¡¯t lie to me. Stay out here. Watch over the injured Hgirh and the prisoner.¡±


    Davorultumn sighed. ¡°As you wish. Jorvanultumn, go find your friend.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Jorvanultumn touched foreheads and wing tips with his diare. ¡°Thank you for everything.¡±


    Fevionawishtensen motioned to him. Come. She strode back into the ruined copse.


    Jorvanultumn offered Mikranasta his arm, and together, they followed after Fevionawishtensen.


    * * * * *


    The cave was only a cave insomuch as it was inside the foothill and was accessed via an opening in the side of the foothill¡ªan opening that previously would have been concealed by the szadane and szadenee. The walls of the ¡°cave¡¯ were smooth and square and formed a corridor¡ªclearly not natural. An elementalist had probably created them. It would have been tiring, precise work, but Jorvanultumn could see how it could be done. He could probably do it himself if he were willing to spend the time, although he was unsure he could make such precise corners.


    Occasional ice doors blocked their passage, but Jorvanultumn removed them with little effort. They led to small living areas, four of them in total. Jorvanultumn and the others only spent enough time in these rooms to confirm neither Meleng nor anyone else was in them.


    It did not take long to reach a larger room. It was unusually warm, and mostly bare apart from two tables. Meleng lay, naked and unconscious, on one of them.


    Another Isyar stood between the two tables. That Isyar spun round as Jorvanultumn, Fevionawishtensen, and Mikranasta entered. ¡°Where am I?¡± It was Nascanmat. ¡°Did you bring me here? Are you here to help me?¡± He moved towards them.


    Mikranasta held up a hand, and Nascanmat froze in place.


    Jorvanultumn rushed over to Meleng¡¯s side. His arms and legs were bound to the table with manacles. A quick check showed that he was breathing steadily. Jorvanultumn gently shook Meleng¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Meleng? Meleng? It is me, Jorvanultumn.¡±


    Meleng did not wake.


    Mikranasta approached Nascanmat. ¡°I am going to allow you to speak, but know that if you attempt any spellcasting, I will know and block it immediately. It could be quite painful. Now, where is your diare?¡±


    Tears poured down Nascanmat¡¯s face. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know how I got here. I swear. You must believe me.¡±


    Mikranasta indicated Meleng. ¡°You know who this is?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the human who was abducted.¡±


    ¡°Rather convenient that we find you standing over top of him,¡± Mikranasta said.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me. I swear. It wasn¡¯t me.¡±


    ¡°We shall see.¡± Mikranasta placed a hand on Nascanmat¡¯s face. ¡°If you¡¯re telling the truth, don¡¯t resist.¡± She stared into Nascanmat¡¯s eyes for what felt to Jorvanultumn like ages. Finally, she lowered her hand and stepped back. ¡°He¡¯s telling truth that he doesn¡¯t know where Paydamat is. Everything else is hidden under many complex mental shields, probably put there by Paydamat. It will take me time to unravel them all.¡±


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t do it,¡± Nascanmat said. ¡°Please, you must believe me. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Mikranasta held up a hand, and Nascanmat fell silent again, almost perfectly still apart from a tremble and the tears still pouring down his face.


    Jorvanultumn looked down at Meleng and ran a hand through his friend¡¯s hair. ¡°Is it possible it wasn¡¯t him?¡±


    Mikranasta took awhile to respond. ¡°I doubt it, but yes. It is conceivably possible. I will need to examine him more closely to be absolutely sure. But I¡¯m sure I felt Paydamat outside, and if she¡¯s involved, it¡¯s hard to believe her siare isn¡¯t also.¡±


    Jorvanultumn tried one of the manacles on Meleng¡¯s wrist. He could not magically manipulate metal, but he could manipulate some rock from the walls to break the manacle, though that risked harming Meleng. ¡°Could someone have misled you into believing you sensed Paydamat?¡±


    Mikranasta sighed. ¡°Again, doubtful. I¡¯ll examine Nascanmat more thoroughly later. First, we need to help Meleng Drago.¡±


    Fevionawishtensen brushed past Jorvanultumn. She gave him a smile and traced an equation onto the manacle he was holding. It broke apart and fell away. Then she circled the table and did the same to the other manacles.


    Mikranasta place a hand on Meleng¡¯s cheek. ¡°He¡¯s in a dreamscape. It¡¯s been set to repeat with manipulations from Nascanmat.¡± She sighed. ¡°Or whoever has been experimenting on him.¡± She let go of Meleng. ¡°I have ended the dreamscape, but it will take time to fully undo what has been done to him. He may also have a hard time accepting reality, as he¡¯s been subjected to constant illusions for the past few days. It is a terrible thing to go through.¡± She walked over to Jorvanultumn and put a hand on his arm. ¡°He will need support from people like you and Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith, the people who love him. Be patient with him.¡±


    Jorvanultumn nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    Mikranasta began to rummage through the things on the second, smaller table beside the one Meleng was on. It was covered with papers and books, as well as a some writing implements and jars of ink. ¡°These appear to be primarily resources that Nascanmat...or whoever was using as guides, but there are a few notes as well. We should go through them when there is more time. Fevionawishtensen, check the other rooms we passed through. See if there are any clothes, blankets, or anything we can wrap Meleng Drago in to keep him warm on the return home.¡±


    Fevionawishtensen nodded and left the room.


    Mikranasta picked up a small book, opened it, and started leafing through it. Jorvanultumn came up beside her and peered at it.


    ¡°A journal,¡± she said, ¡°by the person experimenting on Meleng Drago. On a quick glance, the author does not appear to identify themself. However, perhaps a handwriting comparison with Nascanmat might be useful.¡± She snapped the book closed. ¡°I¡¯ll hold onto it and go through it more thoroughly later.¡±


    Jorvanultumn had not managed to see much of what was in it, just a sentence or two here and there as Mikranasta had flipped the pages. The writer seemed frustrated that Meleng was seeing through the illusions. That made Jorvanultumn smile. Good going, Meleng!


    Fevionawishtensen returned with a bundle of blankets. Jorvanultumn and Mikranasta took the blankets and, together, carefully wrapped Meleng.


    I am strongest, Fevionawishtensen said. I will carry him. She lifted Meleng off the table.


    ¡°I will guide Nascanmat out,¡± Mikranasta said. ¡°Jorvanultumn, my ankle still bothers me, so I may need your help until we are outside and I can fly.¡±


    Jorvanultumn offered her his arm. She took it and they headed for the entrance, Nascanmat following jerkily behind them.

 Book 2, Chapter 35: Confessions

    Except¡­


    ¡°Are you there?¡± he asked. ¡°I think you might need to start again.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡± Sinit?a sprung into view, bouncing onto the bed beside him and making his head ache.


    He pulled himself up into a seated position, his head screaming in protest. The room spun a little, but his vision soon cleared.


    Sinit?a put a hand on the side of his face. Her touch was electrifying, and shivers ran down his spine, arms, and legs. He closed his eyes, and her touch remained. It felt so much more real than in any of the previous dreams.


    ¡°There was a mentalist. He said his diare wanted him to practise on a human.¡±


    She looked confused. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they be?¡±


    ¡°Because I think you might actually be real. Oh gods, Sinit?a. It was horrible. So horrible. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s real anymore.¡±


    And then he wailed. It all poured out of him, the terror, the frustration, the anger. He sobbed into her chest for ages. It could have been hours for all he knew.


    And her hair: blonde, slightly curled, and tied into a pair of pigtails, each with a yellow bow.


    Her cheeks reddened. ¡°You think so? I don¡¯t have my handmaids, so I had to do everything myself. I¡¯ve gotten pretty good at that the last month or so, but still not as good as they can do. Especially my hair.¡±


    ¡°Is there some sort of special occasion?¡±


    She broke into a wide smile. ¡°I¡¯m going to give a speech to the Lamdritta!¡±


    She nodded vigorously. ¡°As an official Arnorin representative¡ªkind of. I¡¯ve never given a speech before, but I¡¯ve watched Mother do it many times. And Cerus. Cerus is really good at speeches. So I¡¯ll just be like them. Eti?nne and Miana helped me write it. I¡¯m going to tell the Lamdritta off¡ªkind of.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°I get it.¡± He shouldn¡¯t be embarrassed. It was just natural bodily processes. But he was embarrassed anyway. He hated thinking of anyone else having to clean up his messes. ¡°So, uh...how long have I been here?¡±


    He was terrified to ask who had done it. It was a strange terror. He was unlikely to recognise whoever it was. ¡°Who...uh¡­?¡±


    She caught on to what he was trying to say. ¡°Darkers. Isyar Darkers. They¡¯re called the Pundritta. Or well, their leaders are. There were a bunch of them holding you, but Nascanmat was the one doing things to your mind.¡±


    ¡°Nascanmat? Is that¡­?¡±


    ¡°Paydamat¡¯s siare.¡± She scowled and her upper lip twitched. ¡°I hate both of them. I hate them so much.¡±


    ¡°Paydamat¡¯s a Darker?¡±


    It explained how she¡¯d treated him, he supposed. ¡°What happened to them?¡±


    Sinit?a sighed. ¡°Paydamat got away. Nobody knows where she is. They caught Nascanmat and one of the other Darkers, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it bad that I kind of wish they¡¯d killed them? I know they want to question them, and they can probably learn something important, but I don¡¯t want to be there because I think I¡¯d want to kill them. I mean, if I saw Nascanmat right now, I¡¯d¡­ Am I a bad person?¡±


    Her hand tensed and she grimaced. ¡°Oh. I...I sort of started using that at some point. I can stop if you don¡¯t like it. It was kind of silly of me.¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Oh, um¡­¡± She sat up straighter, wiped her eyes, and brushed back a few strands of hair. ¡°When you were kidnapped, I got so scared, and so angry. I wasn¡¯t scared for me. I was scared for you. I almost did that magic thing which could burn me out. There were all these lights coming out of me. Chiansamorkin saved me, and she was even going to teach me how to use magic. But oh yeah, she turned out to be a Darker.¡±


    ¡°Not one of the Darkers who took you, but yeah. She and Jorvan had a big fight. I was there at the beginning, but she knocked me out¡­ But anyway, that¡¯s not what I was trying to say.¡±


    ¡°Melly, you¡¯re my best friend, but I think you¡¯re even more than that. I love you more than anyone. I realised that when you were gone, and I couldn¡¯t tell you. I knew that I had to tell you when we found you again. I know it¡¯s an Isyar thing, but I kind of want you to be my fomase. Jorvan said it¡¯s okay for us to use the word. If you want to, that is.¡±


    He stared at her. One of the illusions had gone something like this. No, there were several actually, just in one of them, she had even tried to seduce him. That had been what had given the dream¡¯s illusory status away that time, not her eye colour. It had been one of the earliest dreams.


    ¡°Right, sorry.¡± His captor had said she held a prominent position in his mind. And she did. More than prominent. He¡¯d known that for a while now. His feelings for her confused him. Was he in denial?


    Gods, he was being an idiot. He knew his feelings. He just didn¡¯t want to admit them, even to himself. But what if this wasn¡¯t real? What if it was all still an illusion? He¡¯d be admitting to his captor that he¡­


    He¡¯d be admitting what his captor already knew, so it made no difference. Time to get over his fears and just tell her.


    ¡°Sinit?a, I¡­¡± He was trembling and he wondered if she could feel it. Probably. ¡°I¡¯d be honoured to be your fomase.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He lay on his back a bit longer before risking sitting up again. When he started to prop himself up, she offered her hand and helped him.


    He tried again, put his arms around her this time. He tried to make it something more. Did he need to move his lips in some way?


    She snickered and stuck her tongue out at him. ¡°Just testing.¡± She grinned. ¡°But anyway, you are smart. You¡¯re the smartest person I know, which means you think a lot about everything, and that¡¯s good. But maybe this time, you should just, I don¡¯t know...not think? Just do it.¡± She placed her hand on the side of his head, ran her fingers through his hair, leaned forward, and kissed him.


    ¡°You got some of my make-up on you,¡± she said.


    He stared at her a moment, then laughed.


    He instinctively wiped his mouth with his arm. ¡°So, what do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Heh, me too,¡± he said.


    ¡°Oh!¡± She straightened herself up. ¡°There was something else I wanted to ask you. You know how Jorvan and Fevionawishtensen were going to do that fomaze thing. You know, the one with the zzz sound, not the sss sound.¡±


    He nodded again. ¡°Kind of. What are you getting at?¡± He knew what she was getting at, but, once again, it didn¡¯t hurt to focus her towards it.


    ¡°You want us to do the fomase thing¡ª¡±


    ¡°Fomaze.¡±


    ¡°Right, sorry, fomaze.¡±


    ¡°Jorvan was unsure, but Fevionawishtensen says it¡¯s allowed. It¡¯s just never been done before.¡±


    Sinit?a looked back at Meleng. She scrunched her nose. ¡°You look a little...horrified.¡±


    Meleng grimaced. ¡°Oh, uh...it¡¯s just, of all the people to catch us like this.¡±


    She grinned. ¡°Oh, there are ¨¦lite outside. They¡¯re there to protect you. If you need anything, just ask them.¡±


    She grimaced and shook her head. ¡°Jorvan said they¡¯ll go get someone who can though.¡± She kissed him again. ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon.¡± She jumped to her feet and headed to the door, stopping partway. She turned around, ran back over to him, and kissed him once more. Then she headed out the door.


    And he was. He was happier than he could remember ever being. He was in love with Sinit?a, and she was in love with him, and it was wonderful.

 Book 2, Chapter 36: Taking Responsibility (Part 1)

    The doors to the audience hall stood open. The two Hgirh standing to either side of them did not even acknowledge two more Isyar entering the hall. Jorvanultumn had watched at least three dozen go through those doors. It was going to be packed in there.


    Word had spread in the last two days¡ªword that the human, Meleng Drago¡¯s kidnapper were Isyar. And not just any Isyar¡ªIsyar who were part of a group of Darkness Worshippers, something that, as far as most understood, did not exist. Even worse, two of those Darkness Worshippers were on the Lamdritta. There were a lot of people in Chithishtheny very angry at their Lamdritta.


    Jorvanultumn did not blame them. He was pretty angry himself. He did partially understand, though, why the Lamdritta had not wanted anyone to know about this. It absolutely was causing chaos. But it was a chaos Chithishtheny needed to endure.


    Me? How is this my fault?


    Jorvanultumn held up his hands as she got close to him. ¡°Please tell me what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Fevionawishtensen stopped and took a couple deep breaths before responding. She is insufferable sometimes.


    Fevionawishtensen sighed and lowered her face into her hand. She slumped over slightly, then looked up at Jorvanultumn with sorrowful eyes. Nascanmat and the elementalist are dead.


    We found them a couple hours ago.


    We don¡¯t know for sure, but mentalism magic was used. It looks like they just...stopped. Like someone got their minds to just stop their heart beating.


    She looked at him askance and signed agitatedly, They¡¯re dead, aren¡¯t they?


    Pundritta were up to. No wonder Mikranasta was angry.


    Yes, it is. Mikranasta¡¯s right. They were under my jurisdiction. They were my responsibility.


    It doesn¡¯t matter. I failed. My diare is going to kill me.


    Oh, you¡¯ll be with me. He¡¯ll be here soon.


    He arrived last night. And he almost certainly already knows about the deaths.


    I wouldn¡¯t have thought even Paydamat was that powerful, but I don¡¯t know. Maybe.


    siare.¡± Something was very wrong. Before the battle, Jorvanultumn had thought it had all been a little too simple, a little too convenient. But finding Nascanmat standing by Meleng had convinced him. Yet, as he thought back now, Nascanmat had been terrified, but had it been terror of being caught? Or had it been the terror of being falsely accused? He claimed not to know how he had gotten there. Could that be true? Could someone have mind-controlled him just as they had Itra? And then they killed Nascanmat and the other one to stop anyone finding out Nascanmat was not involved. And perhaps Paydamat¡¯s disappearance was not because she had fled, but because she was dead too.


    I¡¯d better get inside. Are you coming?


    It turned out she was just in time to avoid her diare, as Abatorwishtensen, flanked by two other Hgirh, came into view down the corridor just as Jorvanultumn turned to face that way. He was broad-figured, but with Abatorwishtensen, it was more than just his wings. He was broad-shouldered as well, muscular, and somewhat tall¡ªnot a giant, but taller than typical for a male Isyar, at least a couple inches over five feet.


    not look intimidated.


    Hgirh snapped to attention beside him. He held out his left hand. ¡°Jorvanultumn.¡±


    Hgirham Abatorwishtensen. I hope you are well.¡±


    Lamdritta. Kidnapping. Murders. Very disturbing indeed.¡± He waved his swagger stick in Jorvanultumn¡¯s direction. ¡°Your name seems to be in the middle of a lot of it, too, though mostly on the positive side of it all, at least. It seems we may even have you to thank for coming through this at all. Well done.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    elispt. Your Lamdritta may have absolved you, but it will still bring complications. Many will not be happy with you. It is good you are leaving again, soon.¡±


    Hgirham.¡±


    Hgirh falling into line with him.


    Hgirh keeping the other people back.


    Eli?spt!¡± erupted from within the crowd, but they fell silent at stern looks from the Hgirh.


    I am translating for you, Mikranasta said telepathically. Jorvanultumn assumed she was sending it to both him and Sinit?a, and possibly others. How else did you expect to give a speech they can understand?


    If you wish to speak to me, do so mentally, Mikranasta said.


    Mentally? I don¡¯t understand how does one do that I don¡¯t know how to do that I just want to talk and give my speech what do you mean mentally¡­ A sensation of rapidly changing blobs of colour accompanied Sinit?a¡¯s thoughts, a new colour with every word, some colours Jorvanultumn was not even certain he recognised. Indeed, the colours seemed to be the words. How was that possible?


    People think in different ways, Jorvanultumn, Mikranasta said. Sinit?a, focus on the words you want to say. Pretend you¡¯re about to speak them, but stop just short of saying them out loud.


    Okay, I¡¯ll try I¡¯m not good I wish Meleng was here I¡¯m trying he would know what to do he¡¯s not sure I¡¯m real what if he thinks I¡¯m fake and hates me am I doing this right?


    I¡¯ve removed you from mental contact with her, Mikranasta said. She needs time to get used to this. At the moment, she¡¯s sending literally every thought she has.


    Thank you, Jorvanultumn said.


    The crowd erupted in yells and jeers. Abatorwishtensen and the Hgirh yelled for quiet, and Griholbovroh slammed his cane into the floor of his perch. The crowd took longer to quieten this time, and even as they were finally falling silent, someone yelled, ¡°Why should we trust anything you two have to say?¡± And the crowd erupted again.


    Someone shoved Jorvanultumn. ¡°Eli?spt!¡±


    Jorvanultumn resisted the urge to turn around and see who had done it.


    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± Abatorwishtensen said, his voice returning to a normal volume. ¡°Your Lamdritta has promised you an opportunity to speak, and you will get it, but only when called upon and in an orderly manner. Lamdirh Maramintorin, I believe you were speaking.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Hgirham Abatorwishtensen.¡± Maramintorin rose from his seat and stood at the edge of his perch. ¡°As it happens, I would like to take this opportunity to answer the question of why you should continue to trust us. It is true that some unfortunate things have happened in the last few days, and that there were two active Darkness Worshippers on the Lamdritta. For this, we must accept the blame of not recognising what they were, but I would also remind you all that, until a few days ago, we¡ªand I include both the Lamdritta and all of you in that¡ªdid not even know this Pundritta existed or that it was possible for an Isyar to worship the Lord of Darkness.¡±


    Maramintorin went on for a while to much growing dissatisfaction from the crowd. When he finished, the Hgirh again had to calm the crowd.

 Book 2, Chapter 36: Taking Responsibility (Part 2)

    Sinit?a squeezed Jorvanultumn¡¯s hand. She was shivering noticeably, and Jorvanultumn suspected it was more than just the cold.


    He led her forward into the centre of the chamber. ¡°Stand here,¡± he told her quietly, ¡°right over the spot the hpakrik grows out of. Sinit?a did as he told her.


    ¡°What is that eli?spt doing?¡± someone called out. ¡°He should be barred from this meeting.¡±


    Abatorwishtensen tapped his swagger stick in his other hand. ¡°Speak out like that again, especially with such reprehensible language, and you will be the one barred from the meeting. Jorvanultumn has been absolved of what you accuse him of. You can disagree with your Lamdritta¡¯s ruling, but you will remain silent about it. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    ¡°Hgirham,¡± Jorvanultumn whispered to her.


    ¡°Thank you, Hgirham.¡± She raised her papers and stared at the top one. ¡°And thank you Lamdirh and Lammdir.¡±


    ¡°When I came here, it was not as...um...as an official rep...repree¡ª¡± she squinted at the page¡ª¡°representative of Arnor. I was just...just a traveller. I came here with my fomase Meleng Drago and his good friend Jorvanultumn. While I am still not a...um...official repre...representative. Sorry, that¡¯s a hard word. Not an official representative of Arnor, I do speak to you as a princess. A princess who is very dis...disappointed.¡± Her grip on Jorvanultumn¡¯s hand tightened; she was sweating despite the cold.


    She gritted her teeth and nodded. She raised her papers closer to her face and squinted at the top one again. ¡°A princess who is very disappointed. Shortly after arriving, my fomase was thre...threatened by one of the Lamdritta. I will not go into spe..speck...specify...specifics, but¡­¡± She lowered the papers. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. In order to remember everything, I had to write it down, but I¡¯m not very good at writing, and I¡¯m not very good at reading either, and I¡¯ve never given a speech before, so it¡¯s hard, and¡­ Oh fuck it.¡± She let go of Jorvanultumn¡¯s hand and covered her mouth, her face turning red. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve never said that word out loud before. I didn¡¯t mean to. I mean¡­¡±


    Abatorwishtensen motioned with his swagger stick and two Hgirh moved into the crowd and grabbed the speaker, dragging him towards the doors.


    Abatorwishtensen eyed her for a moment, then nodded. The two Hgirh stopped near the doors and turned their prisoner to face the centre.


    ¡°Why are you listening to me? Because I have important things to say. That¡¯s why. I¡¯m mostly talking to them.¡± She pointed up at the two remaining members of the Lamdritta. ¡°But you chose to come here, so you get to listen, too, and I hope if you do, you might even agree with me. I know you don¡¯t like them. Well, guess what? I don¡¯t like them either. Like I said, when I arrived, one of them, Paydamat, threatened Meleng Drago. Then I was attacked by another one of them. All because I didn¡¯t know your rules and spoke to Itra. And guess what else? That law is stupid. You hate Itra because he can¡¯t use magic, but that isn¡¯t fair. He didn¡¯t choose to be like that. He¡¯s actually really nice if you talk to him, and that¡¯s really amazing considering how awful you treat him.


    She took Jorvanultumn¡¯s hand and held it against her chest. ¡°You call him names because you think he failed to do his stupid elispt thing. Except he didn¡¯t. He¡¯s still doing it. He came back here for a very important reason, to help my sister, Princess Felit?a Asa Folith in her fight against the Volgs. That¡¯s a fight that affects all of you because maybe you don¡¯t know, but we¡¯re at war with them. The fighting hasn¡¯t started yet, but it will, and we need to work together, not act like we¡¯re better than everyone else.


    ¡°Jorvanultumn is one of the kindest, hardest-working people I know, and you should all be praising and thanking him, not calling him names. Without him, you would still have two Darkness Worshippers ruling your town. Because do you know what they did when my Melly was kidnapped?¡± She pointed up again. ¡°Nothing. That¡¯s what. They knew that an Isyar must have done it, but they didn¡¯t want to accept that, so they pretended it was a human, and they questioned Eti?nne Gen¡¯s crew over and over again. They said they didn¡¯t want to cause...I think the word was chaos. Well, that¡¯s what happened anyway.¡± She paused and frowned. ¡°At least I think it did. I¡¯m actually not entirely sure what chaos means, but I know it¡¯s bad, and bad stuff has definitely happened. Jorvanultumn, Fevionawishtensen, Mikranasta, and a few other good people were the ones who found Meleng and uncovered the presence of the Pundritta. Like I said, you should be thanking him for saving all your lives because they would have come for you eventually.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you should listen to me. I¡¯m not an Isyar and I don¡¯t have any say over how you run yourselves or the laws you follow, but I can point out what I see and point out your Lamdritta¡¯s...hy¡­ There was a fancy word in my speech that I can¡¯t quite remember.¡± She looked to Captain Gen.


    ¡°Right. That¡¯s it. I can point out their hypocrisy. What you do about it is up to you, but I think you should do something. Take responsibility.¡± She pointed up once more. ¡°And make them take responsibility. There, I¡¯m done. Thank you for letting me speak.¡± She squeezed Jorvanultumn¡¯s hand, then turned and walked back over to Mikranasta, Gen, and Ting. Jorvanultumn followed.


    Gen clasped Sinit?a¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Well done, my dear. Heartfelt, passionate. A little off-script, but that was probably for the best, I think.¡±


    Eventually, Griholbovroh tapped his cane again. ¡°Thank you, Princess Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith for that...passionate speech. I would very much like to rebut some of the assertions you¡¯ve made against us. However, for the sake of time, we shall move on. Hgirham Abatorwishtensen has something to say.¡±


    Abatorwishtensen strode to the centre, tapping his swagger stick in his hand as he did so. ¡°Thank you, Lammdir. These have been interesting proceedings. I confess, I came here expecting to talk to the Lamdritta with only minimal others present, such as the Princess and her associates. However, it is probably just as well that you are all here. You all need to learn of this eventually.¡± He pointed in front of him with his swagger stick and turned slowly in a circle to cover the entire chamber. ¡°I first learned of events here a little under two days ago when I was sent a message by my siare. Since then, I have been in contact with the Lordritta in Stroven and have provided them with a full report on what has happened here. I have also been updating them with any new developments. Their response is straight-forward. They, like you, are very concerned with the state of things here in Chithishtheny. They have ordered me to conduct a full investigation of the situation and of your Lamdritta. I am to use Hgirh who are not from Chithishtheny. I promise you all, my investigation will be thorough and conclusive, and we will find the fugitives, Paydamat and Chiansamorkin.¡±


    ¡°We will, of course, accede fully to the Lordritta¡¯s order.¡± Maramintorin ¡®s voice was weak, even though it carried across the entire audience chamber. ¡°We will not impede your investigation in any way, Hgirham.¡±


    ¡°I would not expect anything else, Lamdirh,¡± Abatorwishtensen said. ¡°But I have more to say. You have just listened to a harsh, though not entirely unfair, speech by Princess Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith. She suggested that you need to take responsibility for your Lamdritta, and based on my consultations with the Lordritta, I believe they would agree with her if they were here. They specifically mentioned that it would be problematic for the current Lamdritta to remain in charge while an investigation into their actions is underway. Thus, they have ordered me to make it publicly known that they will fully support any change in power that might come because of this.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Abatorwishtensen loudly cleared his throat. ¡°Perhaps you can ask them when you see them, Lammdir. They have ordered the two of you to report to them in Stroven as soon as possible. In the meantime, I believe you owe the people of Chithishtheny a chance to speak. You will all remain orderly in this time. My Hgirh will select you one at a time to speak. I promise you, anyone who wishes to speak will be given the opportunity provided you show the proper decorum and remain patient. Outbursts will not be tolerated. I hope I am understood.¡±


    The crowd remained silent, but most people nodded their assent. Abatorwishtensen motioned to Fevionawishtensen to begin selecting speakers.


    The first speaker was an elderly elementalist Jorvanultumn had seen around a few times but did not know well. She spoke calmly but firmly. ¡°Lamdirh Maramintorin, I dispute your claims of trustworthiness and declare this Lamdritta to be a failure. I hereby formally challenge you for your position.¡±


    Jorvanultumn suspected she was probably somewhat powerful due to age, but if she were a serious threat to Maramintorin, he would have certainly known her name.


    More came up to speak. Some simply spoke their displeasure at the Lamdritta. Three more challenged Maramintorin, and two challenged Griholbovroh. Several put their names in to compete for the two open positions. A rare few spoke in defence of Maramintorin and Griholbovroh, one of which was Reszidbovroh.


    ¡°I worked closely with Paydamat for many years,¡± Reszidbovroh said, ¡°and I never once suspected anything of her. If I could not see it, you cannot blame either Lamdirh Maramintorin or Lammdir Griholbovroh for not seeing it either. They have both worked tirelessly for this town.¡±


    It took several hours to get through everyone. Sinit?a got more and more fidgety as the time went by, and she frequently bounced back and forth on her legs. Gen wrapped a blanket around her to help keep her warm.


    When the last person had spoken, Maramintorin spoke one last time. ¡°People of Chithishtheny, we have heard everything you have said today. We are truly sorry we have disappointed you so greatly. We will submit to whatever judgement the Lordritta make upon us, and to the results of any and all of your challenges. Again, I am¡­¡± His voice cracked. ¡°I am so, so sorry. This council session is adjourned.¡±


    As people began to file out of the chamber, several Hgirh formed a circle around Jorvanultumn, Mikranasta, Sinit?a, and the other two humans.


    ¡°Protection,¡± Abatorwishtensen said, striding over to them. ¡°The people of Chithishtheny have been distracted for now, their anger directed at their Lamdritta. However, it is only a matter of time before they turn their anger on you as well.¡± He faced Sinit?a. ¡°The human who dared criticise them.¡± He turned to Jorvanultumn. ¡°The Isyar who¡ªabsolved or not¡ªthey believe broke his elispt.¡± To Mikranasta: ¡°And the Isyar who aided these other two. I believe you are all intending to leave soon?¡±


    ¡°Permission granted. My Hgirh will accompany you at all times while you remain in Chithishtheny, but I have limited resources and cannot maintain this forever. Thus, I suggest you make haste and leave as soon as possible.¡±


    Mikranasta bowed her head. ¡°As you wish, Hgirham. I will be taking my siare with me as an assistant. I also request Fevionawishtensen as a bodyguard. She was originally assigned to accompany Paydamat, and I would like to keep her on.¡±


    Abatorwishtensen turned to look towards his siare. Fevionawishtensen was not one of the Hgirh in the circle around them. She stood by the doors watching them and waiting. Abatorwishtensen tapped his swagger stick in his hand several times, then nodded. ¡°Given her failure with the prisoners, I am surprised you want her along.¡±


    ¡°Her help otherwise has been invaluable, and while I might have been momentarily angry with her, I do not believe anyone else could have done a better job, not even yourself, Hgirham.¡±


    Abatorwishtensen raised his eyebrows. ¡°Very well. She may accompany you. It is probably for the best. As the fomase of Jorvanultumn, people here may choose to take their frustrations with him out on her. Captain Eti?nne Gen, when can your ship be ready to sail?¡±


    ¡°Will it be safe for Meleng Drago to move?¡± Jorvanultumn asked. ¡°He is awake now.¡±


    ¡°If he is awake,¡± Mikranasta said, ¡°it should be fine for him to move by then. Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith, go to Meleng Drago. Watch over him. I will come to see him in a few hours. I need to see my fomase to let him know the situation.¡±


    ¡°I will. Thank you, Hgirham. Now, if you will excuse me.¡± Mikranasta placed her hand on her chest. ¡°Pleasant thoughts.¡±


    As Mikranasta headed to the doors, Gen put his arm around Sinit?a¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Come, my dear. Miana and I will accompany you on our way back to the ship. Pleasant thoughts, Hgirham.¡± He led Sinit?a towards the doors. Several of the Hgirh followed them and Mikranasta.


    ¡°What of the Pundritta?¡± Jorvanultumn asked.


    ¡°Agreed, but it is not your problem, Jorvanultumn. Leave it to me. You must return to the Will-Breaker. Inform her she has the full support of the Lordritta. If she wishes to speak with them, she need merely present herself in Stroven. Now, I have duties to attend to, and I must still speak to my siare.¡± He smiled and switched to the informal. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll let her come to you shortly.¡± He placed his hand on his chest. ¡°May the night be short, Jorvanultumn.¡±


    Jorvanultumn returned the valediction. ¡°Pleasant thoughts, Hgirham.¡±


    Jorvanultumn stood for a while longer in the audience chamber. It was empty now apart from himself and two remaining Hgirh¡ªhis bodyguards, he assumed. He was not sure what to think of how things had turned out. Technically, he had accomplished what he came here to do. He had convinced Mikranasta to return to Arnor with him. But there was so much else that he had not intended. The Pundritta was active. It was probably for the best to get Meleng and Sinit?a away from here, but that meant letting the Pundritta be. Yes, Abatorwishtensen had promised to take care of that, and Jorvanultumn did not distrust him, but how many others were trustworthy? The Pundritta had demonstrated an ability to get members into a Lamdritta. They almost certainly could get members into other organisations, including the Hgirh. That might be how they managed to get at the prisoners.


    Jorvanultumn sighed. As much as he wanted to seek out the Pundritta and find whoever had really kidnapped Meleng¡ªhe was becoming more and more certain it was not Paydamat and Nascanmat¡ªhe had to acknowledge he could only do so much. He needed to return to Felit?a. Solving her block was important, and Meleng and Sinit?a would be safer with her than here in Isyaria.


    ¡°Shall we go?¡± he said to the Hgirh. He did not wait for an answer, and walked for the doors.

 Book 2, Chapter 37: The Fomaze (Part 1)

    Even huddled between a mast and several crates, Meleng could not escape the cold wind. According to Jorvan, today was actually warmer than the other days they¡¯d been in Isyaria, but Meleng definitely couldn¡¯t tell. The cold bit hard, especially since writing with mittens on was virtually impossible, so he had taken them off.


    He really should be in his cabin for this, but the ceremony was due to start soon and he didn¡¯t want people to have to go looking for him. He wanted to able to rush over as soon as they called.


    In the meantime, he stared at the equations in front of him, the same problems he had been working on for what seemed like forever now. He had made small, minor steps of progress, but something still wouldn¡¯t fall into place. He just couldn¡¯t figure out how to make a controlled reaction of the right strength that didn¡¯t completely drain him. It was immensely frustrating.


    Still, frustration at the moment had its good side. It felt real. Plus, he could look at the equations, look away, look back, and they would stay the same.


    Not a dream.


    Gods, there he went again. He had to stop this. He was free. This was real. He didn¡¯t need to keep testing it.


    So he went back to staring at the equations and tried to not look away.


    Somebody squatted down in front of him. It was Fevionawishtensen. She smiled at him and leaned forward, peering at his notebook.


    ¡°Oh, uh¡­¡± He turned the book so she could see it more clearly.


    Her eyes tracked the equations on the page. Occasionally, she nodded. Occasionally, her eyes widened in surprise.


    Meleng wondered what she thought of them. Would she think he was a complete idiot? Probably. His equations must be so simplistic compared to what she could do. He probably shouldn¡¯t have shown her them. If the situation were reversed, she would never have shown him hers. No sharing secrets with non-Isyar.


    She squinted and took the book from his hands, peering more closely at it. She pointed to his pen.


    What did she want his pen for? Was she going to blot it all out?


    She repeated the gesture, and Meleng gulped, but handed her his pen and ink jar. She shifted her position closer to him and a little to the side. She held out the book and pointed to one of the equations, to one specific symbol. Then she motioned for him to take the book. Once he had done so, she dipped the pen in the ink, leaned over, and crossed out the symbol. Then she wrote a new one just above it.


    Meleng stared at it and nearly dropped the book. Good gods! There was his mistake. Everything was now falling into place. He needed to make some adjustments to personalise them for his own power levels, but it all made sense now. He looked up at her. ¡°Are you even allowed to do that?¡± Not that she could understand him.


    She placed a finger to her lips and winked at him.


    He nodded, putting a finger to his own lips.


    She smiled, then stood up and walked across the deck.


    Meleng stared after her as she reached Jorvan and Sinit?a, touched foreheads and wing tips with Jorvan. Was this because they were going to be fomazee? Did that allow her to share things with him? Though the finger to her lips implied that they should still keep it secret.


    Oh well. It didn¡¯t matter what her reasons were. Even if she never shared any secrets with him again, this one little thing had possibly saved him months¡ªmaybe years¡ªof work. With this and the fomaze ceremony to come, this was quite possibly the best day of his life.


    ¡°Melly!¡± Sinit?a called. ¡°It¡¯s almost time! We need you!¡±


    He snapped the book closed and placed it in his scrip along with the ink vial and pen. Now, where was that canvas? Oh right, there it was.


    He grabbed the canvas from where he had leaned it against the mast, and unrolled it partway, checking it one last time. It wasn¡¯t to check reality¡ªnot this time. At least, he was pretty sure he didn¡¯t do it for that reason. He just wanted to look at it one last time before giving it away.


    Satisfied, he rolled it back up, tucked it under his arm, and hurried over to the others.


    Although it was not quite dawn, the deck of the Lustrous Rose was well lit by torches and Isyar fire globes. Mikranasta, Hedromornasta, Davorultumn, Captain Gen, and First Mate Ting stood a little off to the side. They were going to be the official witnesses. The rest of the crew were also watching, and Meleng felt exposed¡ªespecially when Sinit?a planted a kiss on his lips when he reached her.


    ¡°We have one last thing to figure out before we start,¡± Sinit?a said.


    ¡°There are different ways Isyar greet one another,¡± Jorvan said, ¡°depending on the type of relationship they have. The most intimate is when we touch foreheads and wing tips. This is only done between fomasee, a diare and siare, or between fomaze. However, you and Sinit?a do not have wings, so we cannot do that with you.¡±


    Meleng glanced at Sinit?a. ¡°We can just touch foreheads. I¡¯m okay with that.¡±


    Jorvan shook his head. ¡°Just touching foreheads is done between close friends or between blood relations who are not part of the Isyar¡¯s direct family, such as between me and Mikranasta. If we only touched foreheads, other Isyar would not know our relationship, and Fevionawishtensen and I have agreed that it is important to us that other people know. We will not encounter many Isyar in Arnor, but even so, we may encounter a few, and one day, we will likely return to Isyaria. We need to come up with something else. Obviously, it will be different from the ways other fomazee greet each other, but it also needs to be similar enough that other Isyar will be able to infer our relationship.¡±


    ¡°I have an idea!¡± Sinit?a said.


    Jorvan nodded. ¡°Please, tell us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you.¡± She stepped in front of Jorvan and up close to him. ¡°So, we¡¯ll touch foreheads since we can do that and it¡¯s part of the normal...whatever you call this.¡± She bent over to touch foreheads with Jorvan. Being more than half a foot taller than him meant she had to bend her back a bit. She giggled. ¡°It¡¯s easier to do this when we¡¯re sitting down. Anyway, can you put your wings around me? Do it in a way that you touch the tip of your wings to my shoulder blades or something.¡±


    ¡°I think I can do that,¡± Jorvan said. He spread his wings and slowly wrapped each one around so he touched her shoulder blades.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°That¡¯s it! Now, I¡¯ll put my arms around your neck like this and touch your wings sort of where they come out of your back, like this.¡±


    Jorvan shuddered. ¡°Careful. That is a...sensitive spot for Isyar.¡±


    Sinit?a pulled back her hands. ¡°Oh, sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, it is fine. I was just not prepared. You may put your hands back.¡±


    Sinit?a looped her arms around Jorvan¡¯s neck again. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I like it,¡± Jorvan said.


    ¡°Melly?¡±


    Meleng nodded. ¡°I like it, too.¡±


    She let go of Jorvan and he folded his wings back behind his back. Sinit?a looked to Fevionawishtensen, who just smiled and nodded.


    Sinit?a beamed. ¡°Do you want to try it?¡±


    Mikranasta had to be translating for them, as Fevionawishtensen nodded again. Sinit?a rushed over to her. ¡°Melly, you should try it with Jorvan!¡±


    Meleng stepped up to Jorvan, and they touched foreheads. Jorvan put his wings around Meleng, touching him at the shoulder blades. It was a bit of a weird sensation, but Meleng was sure he would get used to it. He looped his arms over Jorvan¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°You are touching a little higher than Sinit?a did,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°However, that is good. The place she touched is a bit of an erogenous zone in Isyar, but I did not expect she would know what that was, and she would be very embarrassed by the explanation.¡±


    Meleng chuckled softly. ¡°That¡¯s probably true.¡±


    They stood like that in silence for a few moments.


    ¡°Thank you, by the way,¡± Meleng said. ¡°For, uh, you know, rescuing me.¡±


    Jorvan smiled. ¡°I am simply glad you are safe.¡±


    They separated, and Sinit?a put her arms around Meleng. ¡°You should practise with Feviona. She said it¡¯s okay for me to call her that. Then we can start!¡±


    Meleng gave Sinit?a a quick kiss and went over to Feviona. ¡°Thank you for earlier. I¡¯ve been working on that for ages.¡±


    Feviona smiled and signed something.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that means, ¡®you¡¯re welcome¡¯.¡±


    She nodded, then raised her head as Meleng lowered his to touch foreheads. She was shorter than Jorvan, so Meleng had to bend his back. He wondered what it had been like for Sinit?a, who was the tallest of the four of them. Feviona¡¯s wings had a lighter touch to them than Jorvan¡¯s. Meleng barely noticed them, though they did send a slight shiver down his spine. He was careful to touch her back high up, practically her neck. It would probably be very inappropriate for him to touch much lower.


    Feviona stared into his eyes, a slightly bemused smile on her face. He wondered what she was thinking.


    ¡°Also, thank you for rescuing me,¡± Meleng said. ¡°I heard you were there too.¡±


    She pulled her head back just long enough to nod briefly, then touched her forehead to his again.


    ¡°How long are we supposed to do this for?¡±


    Feviona snickered, retracted her wings, and stepped back. She signed something.


    Meleng looked at Jorvan. ¡°Did you catch that?¡± He really needed to learn Feviona¡¯s signs since Mikranasta¡¯s magic apparently did not translate them.


    Jorvan shook his head. ¡°Sorry. I was not paying attention.¡±


    Feviona repeated the signs.


    ¡°Ah, she said, ¡®As long as you want.¡¯ I assume you know the context.¡±


    Meleng nodded. ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Yeah, he really needed to learn her signs. Feviona had agreed to teach Sinit?a. He should join in on those lessons.


    Sinit?a grabbed his arm and pulled him beside her. She was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. ¡°Are we ready to start?¡±


    Jorvan held out his hand to Feviona, and she joined him at his side. The two of them faced Meleng and Sinit?a, Jorvan directly across from Sinit?a and Feviona across from Meleng. ¡°I believe we are ready,¡± Jorvan said.


    Sinit?a squealed and squeezed Meleng¡¯s hand.


    Jorvan took a deep breath. ¡°We stand here today, two pairs of fomasee ready to join our lives together as one family in the sacred bonds of friendship and love. I, Jorvanultumn¡­¡±


    Feviona signed what Meleng knew was, I, Fevionawishtensen¡­


    Meleng took his own deep breath, try to calm his beating heart. ¡°I, Meleng Drago¡­¡±


    Sinit?a squealed slightly again before speaking. ¡°And I, Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith¡­¡±


    Jorvan continued, ¡°Call upon Nature to bless our union. We are witnessed by¡­¡±


    ¡°Davorultumn.¡±


    ¡°Mikranasta.¡±


    ¡°Hedromornasta.¡±


    ¡°Eti?nne Gen.¡±


    ¡°And Miana Ting.¡±


    Jorvan nodded to Feviona, who let go of his hand and drew the sword at her side. She held it horizontally, her right hand gripping the hilt and her left supporting the flat of the blade. She extended it to Meleng.


    Meleng reached out gingerly, gripping the hilt around her hand and placing his other hand under the flat of the blade. He nodded to her, and she slipped her right hand out from under his and withdrew her other hand from the blade.


    Feviona began to sign, and Jorvan translated, ¡°I present to you this Hgirh blade. Every Hgirh is presented with two such weapons upon completing their elispt. They are my most prized and treasured possessions. I now give one of them to you as a symbol of my commitment to this union. I have only known the two of you for a short time, but I know that Jorvanultumn loves you both, especially you, Meleng Drago. You have been his dearest and closest friend while travelling the world, and you have provided him with the companionship he needed while absent from me and those closest to him in Isyaria. In the short time I have known you and Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith, I have seen what he loves in you both, and I whole-heartedly share in it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Meleng said. ¡°I will cherish this. We both will.¡± The sword was technically a gift to both of them, but he and Sinit?a had discussed beforehand and agreed he would be its guardian as Sinit?a already had a sword. He really didn¡¯t know what to do with a sword, but Sinit?a had suggested he learn how to use it. She had even suggested Feviona teach him, which Feviona had agreed to.


    He and Sinit?a had also discussed the gift he was going to give to Feviona and Jorvan. He¡¯d needed her agreement before going ahead with the idea. However, there were a couple other gifts first. He looked at Sinit?a now as he slid the sword into the sheath Feviona had given him ahead of time.

 Book 2, Chapter 37: The Fomaze (Part 2)

    Sinit?a grinned and bounced a little. She took out a small, thin object. ¡°My family doesn¡¯t really understand why I paint. I don¡¯t know why they don¡¯t. Princesses are supposed to learn an art. Annai sings and everyone approves of that. Gabriella learned to fight. And I learned painting because I love it. Annai says it just makes a mess of all my finest clothes, and I guess I have ruined a few gowns, but anyway¡­ This paintbrush was one of the very first I ever had. It was my favourite. I used it all the time when I was learning and even for a while after. It¡¯s not actually any good anymore. Most of the bristles have fallen out and some were eaten by goats on Scovese. But I keep it with me because it¡¯s important to me. I give it to you both now as a sign of my commitment to this union. I love you both.¡±


    Jorvan took the paintbrush from Sinit?a and held it close to Feviona. Feviona began to sign and Jorvan translated, ¡°We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this. We will treasure it always.¡±


    Feviona took the paintbrush, and Jorvan pulled out his four element decahedra, placing them in Sinit?a¡¯s cupped hands. The fire decahedron was cracked and no longer had a flame in it. ¡°When Isyar elementalists first start learning their craft as a child, they are usually given decahedra like these to practise with. These were mine, given to me by my diare when I was only five years old. It is not unusual for the young children to break them and need to have them replaced, sometimes several times, but I always managed to keep mine safe. These are the original four, never replaced, and never broken until recently, when you were kidnapped, Meleng.¡±


    Meleng grimaced. ¡°Sorry about that. I dropped them when¡ª¡±


    Feviona held a finger to her lips.


    ¡°It does not matter, Meleng,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°I do not blame you in any way, and as important as these are to me, your life is far more important. So even though one is broken, I give them to you now as a sign of my commitment to this union. I love you both more than I can say.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter that one¡¯s broken,¡± Sinit?a said. ¡°I love them, and I know we will both treasure them. Thank you.¡±


    Meleng watched as Sinit?a carefully put the decahedra into a pouch. It was his turn next, and his heart was beating rapidly.


    Sinit?a smiled at him, rubbing her hands. ¡°Go on. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    He took out the rolled-up painting¡ªthe one Sinit?a had given him on Scovese¡ªand held it out to Jorvan and Feviona. ¡°It was hard deciding what to present as a gift. I don¡¯t have a lot of things that are really close and personal to me. I have my magical books and notes, but otherwise, I tend to travel light. I haven¡¯t really had a family or friends to collect things from or attach importance to. But then I remembered this. It¡¯s a painting of me Sinit?a made when we were on Scovese. It¡¯s the sort of thing some people might wonder why I carry it with me. It¡¯s not heavy, but it does take up space, especially as I do my best not to smoosh it, as Sinit?a would say. But no one had ever done anything like this for me before¡ªor since really. It took me until just recently to realise how much it meant to me. I first met Sinit?a just before going to Scovese, and we spent a lot of time together on the journey there and while we were there. This painting represents our getting to know each other, and given how much I¡¯ve realised she means to me, I now realise this painting means almost as much. Originally, I swore never to show it to anyone other than Felit?a and my dear friend Akna.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I had to do most of it from memory,¡± Sinit?a said, ¡°and it¡¯s really not that good.¡±


    Meleng shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re too hard on yourself. It¡¯s perfect. Anyway, Sinit?a¡¯s given her blessing to let the two of you see it and to give it to you as a symbol of my commitment to this union. I love you both.¡±


    Jorvan took the painting and unrolled it, holding it up so Feviona could see. All the witnesses and a significant portion of the crew could probably see it too, and Meleng wasn¡¯t sure Sinit?a had actually okayed that. Still, they were far enough back that they probably couldn¡¯t make out a lot of detail.


    After a moment, Jorvan rolled the painting back up. Feviona signed something. ¡°Feviona says it is beautiful,¡± Jorvan said, ¡°and I agree with her. Both your gifts are particularly special to us as, among Isyar, painting is something that was only ever done by practitioners of light magic, and as there are no more light wizards, there are no more Isyar painters. Fevionawishtensen and I will treasure and protect both these items for as long as at least one of us is still alive.¡±


    Feviona picked up a cylindrical carrying case that they had left lying nearby and removed the lid. Jorvan carefully slid the painting into it, and then Feviona replaced the lid.


    As Feviona put the case aside again, Jorvan extended his left hand, palm down. Sinit?a placed hers on top of his, and Feviona placed hers on top of Sinit?a¡¯s. Finally, Meleng placed his on the top.


    ¡°Nature has blessed this union,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°In their sight, and in the sight of all the gods, both new and old, we four are now fomazee. May nothing tear us asunder.¡±


    They stood there in silence for a moment. Meleng looked from Jorvan to Feviona to Sinit?a¡ªwho looked ready to burst¡ªthen back to Jorvan again.


    ¡°Are we done?¡± Sinit?a whispered.


    Jorvan nodded. ¡°We are done.¡±


    Sinit?a squealed loudly and threw arms around Meleng. She kissed him. Jorvan and Feviona embraced and kissed as well.


    The witnesses began to clap and the crew soon joined in as well.


    Sinit?a grabbed Feviona¡¯s hands and pulled her across the deck, spinning around. Feviona looked bemused, but went along with it. Soon, the two were spinning fast in a circle, and Meleng felt dizzy just watching them. Sinit?a, however, was laughing her head off.


    Jorvan put an arm around Meleng¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Are they not magnificent?¡±


    Meleng sighed contentedly. ¡°Yes, they are.¡±


    As the clapping came to an end, Miana Ting yelled out for the crew to take their stations. Gen strode over to Meleng and Jorvan. ¡°I hate to call an early end to the festivities, but it will be dawn soon, and I told the Hgirham we¡¯d be ready to go by then. Jorvanultumn, if you wouldn¡¯t mind providing us with a good wind?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Captain,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°I just need to say goodbye to my diare first. I will be quick.¡±


    Gen nodded. ¡°Of course. I wouldn¡¯t want to deprive you of your chance to say your goodbyes. Just...don¡¯t take too long.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    With a nod, Jorvan hurried over to where Davorultumn and Mikranasta were engaged in conversation.


    Gen stood beside Meleng and crossed his hands behind his back. ¡°So lad, quite the triumphant day.¡±


    Meleng didn¡¯t take his eyes off Sinit?a and Feviona. ¡°The best.¡±


    ¡°How are you doing since your ordeal?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, fine, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear it. I can only imagine how terrifying it must have been.¡±


    Meleng really wished Gen hadn¡¯t brought that up. He tried to focus on Sinit?a and Feviona, who were slowing down now and stumbling about, still laughing. Seeing Sinit?a¡ªseeing them both, really¡ªso happy made him happy too. He decided to change the subject. ¡°Thank you, by the way, for agreeing to take us to Quorge. I know it¡¯s not where you were originally going, and it¡¯s a long, awkward trip, but we appreciate it. I¡¯m not sure how we would have travelled back otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Oh, think nothing of it. It is an awkward trip, true, but Miana and I agree, it¡¯s important to get you lot to Quorge. There are terrible things afoot, and we believe we need to do what we can to help in the fight. Besides, you paid me more than enough on the trip here to cover the losses from not going to Stroven. An advantage of having a princess as your lover.¡±


    Meleng wasn¡¯t sure lover really described his and Sinit?a¡¯s relationship, but he decided not to say anything. Maybe he just had to get used to it.


    ¡°I must also confess, I¡¯m very interested in meeting Sinit?a¡¯s sister.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s nothing like Sinit?a,¡± Meleng said.


    Gen chuckled. ¡°I think ¡®nothing like Sinit?a¡¯ could be applied to just about anyone.¡±


    Meleng laughed. ¡°True.¡±


    Sinit?a and Feviona stumbled over to them, Sinit?a collapsing against Meleng. ¡°I¡¯m a little dizzy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised,¡± Meleng said.


    Sinit?a grinned and kissed his cheek. ¡°I¡¯m going to show Feviona to our cabin.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll join you soon.¡±


    She kissed him again, then took Feviona¡¯s hand once more, and led her away.


    Feviona was going to join them in the cabin they had used on the journey here. Unfortunately, the Lustrous Rose only had one guest cabin, so Mikranasta and Hedromornasta were going to have stay in the hold. Luckily, the hold had much less in it than it had on the journey here, but Meleng still felt a bit bad for the two of them. Mikranasta claimed to not have a problem with it, and she said that neither did Hedromornasta, but Hedromornasta¡¯s scowls seemed to imply otherwise. Though Meleng was quite convinced Hedromornasta was not happy about coming on this trip at all.


    Meleng chuckled a little when he remembered the conversation in which Sinit?a had asked Mikranasta if she could call her just ¡°Mikra¡±. Mikranasta had politely said no, but had then told Sinit?a that she should not even consider asking Hedromornasta. From what Meleng knew of Isyar ages, Hedromornasta was the equivalent of a human teenager. He certainly had the grumpiness to match.


    The sound of raised voices drew Meleng out of his reveries. Mikranasta and Davorultumn appeared to be arguing, though Meleng couldn¡¯t understand what they were saying. Mikranasta was clearly not translating anymore. Davorultumn was waving his arms about and pacing around, while Mikranasta stood still and straight-backed, looking at ease, but speaking harshly. There was no sign of Jorvan. He must have already gone to help with the preparations to depart. Hedromornasta stood off to the side, scowling as usual.


    ¡°What are they¡ª?¡± Meleng started.


    Gen held up a hand and shushed him. ¡°I¡±m trying to hear.¡±


    After a moment, Davorultumn threw up his hands in exasperation. He stepped up to Mikranasta, touched his forehead to hers. His wings half-heartedly moved in the direction of hers, but they never made contact. Then he spun around, spread his wings, and leapt into the air. He yelled something as he flew away.


    Mikranasta motioned to Hedromornasta and the two of them headed below deck.


    ¡°Did you catch anything?¡± Meleng asked Gen.


    ¡°It was hard to follow. They were speaking quickly and using a lot of the informal, which I¡¯m much less familiar with, though the last thing he said was something like, ¡®Be it on your own head.¡¯ He seemed to disapprove of something Mikranasta is doing. Perhaps he doesn¡¯t like it that she is coming with us?¡±


    ¡°He seemed fine with it earlier,¡± Meleng said.


    Gen shrugged. ¡°Then perhaps it¡¯s something else. You could always ask her, or her siare.¡±


    Meleng shook his head. ¡°Somehow, I doubt they¡¯ll tell us. I¡¯ll mention it to Jorvan. Maybe he can ask her about it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably nothing,¡± Gen said. ¡°Couples that have been together awhile often argue. So I¡¯ve noticed, at any rate. Never actually been in a relationship myself that lasted more than a year or so. Anyway, I¡¯d better attend to the ship¡¯s departure. You can head below deck or stay up here, as you wish. Just make certain you¡¯re not in anyone¡¯s way. You don¡¯t want to annoy Miana.¡±


    Meleng nodded. ¡°I know.¡±


    With a chuckle, Gen winked at Meleng, then strode across deck. ¡°Number One! Status report!¡±


    Meleng took a moment to look back out towards Chithishtheny. There was just a hint of dawn providing a dim light over the foothills that led to the town. He thought about staying and watching the mountains of Isyaria gradually disappear below the horizon. There was no doubt it would be beautiful.


    But as beautiful as Isyaria looked, this trip here had been nothing like what he had expected. Admittedly, nothing ever was, but this trip would not hold a fond place in his memory. Yes, there were some good things that had come out of it. He had realised how much he loved Sinit?a, and the fomaze ceremony with her, Jorvan, and Feviona made today the best day of his life.


    But as wonderful as today was, it was tainted by that nagging voice in the back of his head that said none of it was real. It was all just his imagination.


    Damn it! He needed to stop that. This was real. He knew it was real.


    Time. He just needed time. That voice would stop eventually.


    He decided to join Sinit?a and Feviona below deck. Seeing Sinit?a would cheer him up again. It always did.


    He looked up to the sky, and the mostly fading stars. He had never been much of a religious person, but he knew Jorvan was. According to Jorvan, Nature was the patron of fomasee, fomazee, and other loving relationships. It was why her¡ªno, in Isyar belief, he reminded himself, the gods were genderless, so their. It was why their name was invoked during the ceremony. It was Nature who should be thanked for his new family.


    So he looked at the sky a little longer and said a very brief prayer. ¡°Thank you, Nature. Thank you for the people I love.¡±


    Then he hurried below deck to join those very people.

 Book 2, Chapter 38: Plots and Acceptance (Part 1)

    A blast of cold air jolted Zandrue awake. Then someone repeatedly hit her over the head¡ªor was that someone inside her head trying to break out? Yes, that was more accurate. She was pretty certain the person in her head wasn¡¯t giggling though, so that had to belong to someone on the outside.


    She opened her eyes, which screamed to be shut again as soon as the bright sunlight hit them. She was sitting on a chair in front of the door to the balcony in Annai¡¯s apartments. The door was open¡ªthe source of the cold air. The giggling was coming from behind her. She craned her neck round to see and nearly fell off the chair. The giggler switched to outright laughter.


    Annai walked in front of her, still laughing, and shut the door. ¡°Zandrue, dear, that was wonderful!¡±


    Zandrue groaned. ¡°What...what happened?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± With another laugh, Annai strode past her again. ¡°You drank far too much and passed out. Slept in that chair all night apparently, so I had an absolutely marvellous idea!¡±


    Zandrue rose to her feet, clutching the chair to keep steady. She was starting to remember. It had been Tianna¡¯s birthday. With Sinit?a still missing, the Queen had disallowed a larger celebration, so the three of them had just had drinks together¡ªtoo many.


    ¡°I was very surprised when I managed to drag you all the way to the door without waking you, but I saw how blustery it is outside and I just knew the cold would wake you up.¡±


    Zandrue forced herself to laugh. ¡°Brilliant.¡±


    Annai smiled and clapped her hands. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it though?¡± She strode up to Tianna, who was asleep on a couch, and patted her on the cheek. ¡°Come on, Tianna, dear. You can¡¯t sleep all day long. Things to do.¡±


    Things to do. Zandrue had a ton of things to do. It was hard to get anything done when she had to spend nine tenths of her time entertaining Annai. Especially when, so far, she still wasn¡¯t getting any closer to the Queen. When Annai spent time with her mother, it was without Zandrue or even Tianna, and the Queen never came to their concerts. There was pretty much no opportunity for the Queen to even become aware her daughter had struck up a friendship with Zandrue. Zandrue could only hope Annai might happen to mention it sometime while with her mother.


    Tianna groaned and sat up.


    Annai giggled. ¡°You two look dreadful. You need to get your handmaids to fix you up good and fast.¡± Annai, of course, looked impeccable. She had obviously left them sleeping until after she had had her clothes, hair, and make-up for the day done.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can even move,¡± Tianna whined.


    Annai tutted. ¡°Oh nonsense, dear. You¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s just a little hangover. Now then, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I am on my way to breakfast with Mother, Lady Plavin, and her mother.¡± She picked up a fan from a nearby table.


    Zandrue finally steadied her legs and took a few experimental steps forward. ¡°Will Prince Malef be there too?¡±


    Annai rolled her eyes and chuckled. ¡°Oh, Zandrue, you really need to stop crushing on him. You¡¯ve lost your chance. Besides, what would the horse guy think?¡±


    ¡°Rudiger?¡±


    ¡°Yes, him. I can never remember his name.¡±


    ¡°I was just¡­¡± Zandrue sighed. ¡°Never mind. You¡¯re absolutely right as always.¡±


    Shortly after Lidda Plavin¡¯s arrival in the Palace, she and Prince Malef had started courting one another. This worried Zandrue, and so she had been trying to learn whatever she could about the time the two were spending together. Unfortunately, her questions had made her look obsessed with Malef. She¡¯d been able to use that a little to her advantage, but she could only take it so far.


    Annai smiled and strolled to the door. ¡°Wish me luck with that horrid Plavin woman. I¡¯ll see you both in a couple hours. Be presentable!¡± One of her handmaids opened the door and she strolled out.


    Zandrue stumbled over to a chair near Tianna and practically fell into it. ¡°I keep telling myself, I¡¯m not going to drink so much, and then I do. My head feels about to burst.¡±


    Tianna collapsed onto her side of the couch. ¡°Tell me about it. No sign of La?nne I see. Looks like she got away unscathed.¡±


    Zandrue had made slow progress with Tianna, too. No matter how much Zandrue gave way to Tianna, the young woman remained convinced Zandrue was trying to get between her and Annai.


    ¡°Know any good hangover cures?¡± Tianna said.


    That said, perhaps that question meant Zandrue was making some progress after all. ¡°More drink.¡± They both laughed. It hurt Zandrue¡¯s head though, so she stopped. Tianna didn¡¯t laugh long either. ¡°Sex helps too.¡±


    ¡°Like there¡¯s a lot of that going on in my life,¡± Tianna said.


    ¡°Maybe you need to find someone.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a dearth of eligible men in the Palace at the moment. Though there is this one lad in Lady Plavin¡¯s entourage. He¡¯s rather cute.¡±


    ¡°There you go,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°He¡¯s a servant, Zandrue.¡±


    ¡°Is that really that big a problem?¡±


    Tianna thought a moment. ¡°Well, he is a senior servant and a Folith, so that¡¯s something.¡± She sighed. ¡°But Father would never approve. Besides, it would hardly solve my hangover problem right now. I¡¯d better go get cleaned up. I¡¯ll see you later.¡± She stood up and wobbled towards the door.


    Well, some progress was better than none.


    Zandrue sat there a few more moments before heading out herself. She stopped off briefly at her own apartments, only long enough to receive the barest minimum she could get away with to look ¡°presentable¡±. Even that cost her a half hour.


    She found Rudiger seated with Hang in the servants¡¯ mess hall. They both had plates piled high with food in front of them. Zandrue slid into the seat beside Rudiger and snatched some bread and cheese from his plate.


    ¡°Hey, get your own,¡± he grumbled, but there was a smile on his face.


    She nudged him with her elbow. ¡°You¡¯ve got loads. You can spare a little.¡±


    Hang chuckled. ¡°How you been, Zandrue?¡±


    Zandrue mumbled her reply through a mouthful of bread.


    ¡°Where¡¯d you get to last night?¡± Rudiger asked. ¡°Partying all night again?¡± He winked at her.


    ¡°Tianna Friaz¡¯s twenty-sixth birthday.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that last week?¡± Rudiger asked.


    ¡°No, that was her father¡¯s birthday. Pay attention, Rudiger.¡± She nudged him with her elbow again, then grabbed his cup and took a drink of whatever was in it. It was a very weak ale. Not great, but served to wash down the bread. The food and drink in the Palace proper was a lot better, but Rudiger seemed to prefer it here.


    He grabbed his cup back. ¡°I do pay attention, but whose birthday is when doesn¡¯t seem all that important.¡±


    ¡°They all bleed into each other after a while,¡± Hang said.


    Zandrue ate a piece of cheese that turned out to be mouldy, so she found herself reaching for Rudiger¡¯s cup again.


    Hang laughed.


    ¡°So anyway,¡± Rudiger said, ¡°everything¡¯s set for tomorrow.¡±


    Zandrue cleared her throat and coughed. ¡°Good.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°Captain DeSelo?n will meet with us just after sunset,¡± Hang said. ¡°Then we¡¯ll get ourselves in place. You¡¯re sure this guy will be there?¡±


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°No, but he told Quilla he would, and he was there last time Quilla went.¡±


    ¡°But that was a couple weeks ago. What¡¯s to say he hasn¡¯t stopped by this point?¡± Hang stuffed some bread and mouldy cheese in his mouth.


    ¡°Nothing, but he doesn¡¯t seem the type to give up. He¡¯s intent on convincing Quilla to go with him, so I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to stop waiting for her without telling her.¡±


    Hang shrugged. ¡°Yeah, perhaps. I still think we shouldn¡¯t have waited so long.¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯d gone too soon, he¡¯d be suspicious.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s likely to be anyway.¡±


    Zandrue smiled. ¡°True, but the extra time makes the story more believable. As long as Quilla sells it, I think we¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so,¡± Hang said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s got this.¡± Zandrue really hoped Quilla was going to be up to this. They were taking a big risk with what they were planning, and so much of it depended on Quilla¡¯s acting ability, which was not something Zandrue would have labelled as one of her greater talents. Still, it was not like they had much other choice.


    They had made no other progress in tracking down the Darkers in the Palace. No idea how they were getting around, no idea how Dyle somehow seemed to appear and disappear at will. All they had to go one was Dyle¡¯s desire to connect with Quilla. Despite the insanity of it all, there had been sincerity in Dyle¡¯s voice and stance when he¡¯d spoken to Quilla.


    Oh, Quilla had been furious when she found out Zandrue had followed her that night.


    ¡°You agreed that it had to be just me,¡± Quilla had said. ¡°Dyle would be looking for others.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said, yes,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°and it was partially true. Dyle and his people were definitely looking for others coming with you.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you do it?¡±


    ¡°Because I knew I could hide from them.¡±


    ¡°You could have told me!¡±


    Zandrue had shaken her head. ¡°If you¡¯d known, you would have been subconsciously looking for me. Dyle would have noticed and it would be game over. No, you had to believe you were alone, but there was no way I was letting you go there alone.¡±


    Quilla had eventually agreed, and had then come up with this idea a couple days later. Zandrue had needed time to be convinced, but eventually had agreed. The only way they were going to learn anything was direct from Dyle, and he would only say anything if Quilla agreed to go with him. So that was what was going to happen.


    Zandrue nudged Rudiger again, and when he looked at her, she crooked her finger at him. He leaned over so that she could give him a quick kiss. Then she slid off the bench. ¡°I need to check in on Quilla before my meeting with Ardon, so I better get going.¡± She pointed at Rudiger. ¡°See you tonight.¡± She pointed at Hang. ¡°See you...tomorrow night, I guess.¡±


    Before leaving, she grabbed a couple more chunks of bread and cheese, inspecting each piece of cheese first to make sure it wasn¡¯t mouldy. Then she gave Rudiger another quick kiss and hurried off.


    There had been another snowfall last night and not enough time for it to be packed down, so she had to trudge through it to cross the north courtyard. There were a couple of footprint trails from servants and guards passing back and forth, and she tried to stick to those. She was pretty sure she used the same one now that she had used to get to the mess hall in the first place.


    She had just passed the western pool with the statue of Nature, when a lone figure came out of the Palace and started down the steps into the courtyard. This would hardly be anything unusual, except that the person was just in the process of wrapping a shawl around her head against the cold. For a moment, Zandrue had a clear view of the pale, freckled face, and sandy brown hair. There was still some distance between them, but there was little doubting who it was: Tianna.


    There could be numerous reasons why Tianna might be coming out here right now, though Zandrue couldn¡¯t think of many. If Tianna wasn¡¯t with Annai, she was generally either attending to her father and mother¡ªneither of whom ever stepped outside of the Palace as far as Zandrue could tell¡ªor preparing for the next time she got together with Annai. Perhaps she had taken Zandrue¡¯s advice and was going to see the lad from Lady Plavin¡¯s entourage. That might explain why she was looking about furtively like she didn¡¯t want to be recognised by the wrong people.


    Zandrue kept her course without deviating. Bundled up against the weather as she was, it was unlikely Tianna would recognise her, but a sudden change in direction might draw attention.


    Tianna headed directly towards the east side of the courtyard and one of the many archways leading through the wall into the rest of the grounds. There were government buildings that way. It was possible Tianna had business at one of them, though she had never shown much inclination towards the actual running of Arnor.


    As Tianna passed through the archway, Zandrue sighed. Curiosity made her want to follow, but she only had about an hour before her meeting with Ardon, and she needed to talk to Quilla first. Plus, whatever Tianna was doing probably had a perfectly innocent explanation.


    To hell with it.


    Tianna doing something alone was just too strange to pass up. Zandrue could talk to Quilla after her meeting with Ardon.


    She hurried across the courtyard as best she could in the thick snow. She wanted to keep some distance between her and Tianna, but she also couldn¡¯t lose sight of her. Once she reached the arch, she could see Tianna was still following the road straight ahead. The government buildings were to the left, so she wasn¡¯t going there.


    To the right was the Crown Prince Garden, which took up almost as much area as the Palace itself. It was bordered by tall bushes that formed a wall, which had a couple interruptions by small buildings that provided arched entrances to the garden. Farther along this way were a conservatory to the right and the vineyard and orangery to the left. At the far end, there was also a building that doubled as both a concert hall and theatre. Could Tianna be heading there in the hopes of setting up a proper recital for them? The concert hall was generally used by professional musicians and actors who performed for the Royal Family. However, perhaps Annai and Tianna had greater ambitions than small, impromptu concerts put on in the Palace.


    But Tianna didn¡¯t seem to be heading to the concert hall either, as she turned right at the path between the Crown Prince Garden and the conservatory. Zandrue hurried forward so as not to lose sight of her. When she reached the intersection and looked around the corner, there was no sign of Tianna.


    What the hell?


    Neither the conservatory nor the garden had an entrance along this way, so Tianna couldn¡¯t have gone inside either. Due to the tall bushes and the conservatory wall providing a shield from the weather, the road here had less snow on it, so perhaps Tianna had sped up considerably. Though she almost certainly would have needed to run to reach the other end and duck around the corner fast enough.


    Zandrue paused for a moment. If she started running too, she could give away that she wasn¡¯t a servant who just happened to be travelling in this direction. But her curiosity was even greater now. She decided to compromise and hurried at a near run down the path to the next intersection. She slowed down just before getting there and then looked in every direction as she walked out from the cover of the bushes and conservatory.


    Shit. Still no sign of Tianna.


    She turned around and walked back the way she¡¯d come. The conservatory was surrounded by a stone wall with a marble balustrade at the top. It was conceivably possible Tianna had managed to climb it. It wasn¡¯t too terribly slick with ice. A good jump might have let her grab hold of one of the balusters. On the other side, the thick bushes around the Crown Prince Garden were too packed together to squeeze between them without disturbing the careful arrangement and pruning. It would be obvious now if Tianna had done that. Climbing over them was also out as there was no way these bushes could hold the weight of someone even as small as Tianna. So the only option was the conservatory wall. But in that case, why not just go in through an actual entrance?


    Unless Tianna knew Zandrue was following her.


    Well, one way to find out. Zandrue backed up a bit, tested the ground¡¯s slipperiness with her feet. Then she ran as fast as she dared at an angle to the wall and leapt. She just managed to grab one of the balusters, and pulled herself up onto the top of the balustrade. Anyone working inside or passing nearby would be able to see her easily in this position, so she needed to make this quick.


    The conservatory on the other side was not a single building, but a collection of smaller glasshouses in rows, and taking up about as much area as the Crown Prince Garden. There were a couple people moving about between the glasshouses, and the shadowy outlines of a few more moved about inside them. Luckily, no one seemed to be looking in Zandrue¡¯s direction.


    There was no sign of Tianna, but unfortunately, there had been enough time now for her to have gone inside one of the glasshouses.


    Zandrue took a quick look in both directions along the base of the wall. There were no immediately apparent footprints in the snow, though there were places where the snow was packed down enough that a footprint wouldn¡¯t be noticeable from where she was.


    There was also no one in the immediate vicinity in this stretch, so Zandrue swung her legs over the top of the balustrade, then pushed herself off. She landed on the ground with ease, and looked down to see how much of a mark she¡¯d made in the snow. A bit. Tianna was smaller than Zandrue so might not have left as much of a mark, but hopefully, there would be some sign of her passage.


    Zandrue walked along the wall, heading to the north side. If Tianna had wanted to get out of sight as quickly as possible, she would have jumped the wall right away, closer to the north end, though not right at the end. She would have wanted to be far enough down that the bushes surrounding the Crown Prince Garden would block Zandrue from seeing her.


    The snow was less packed along this part of the wall, and there was a section that was just a little more disturbed than the snow immediately surrounding it. Zandrue stopped close to it and knelt to examine it more closely. The snow showed some barely discernible footprints leading away from the disturbed area, but not to it.


    So Tianna had jumped the wall.


    Which meant she¡¯d known she was being followed and was trying to get away. She was also more athletic than Zandrue had realised. Had Tianna recognised her? Or had she just deduced she was being followed by someone? And why would she be worried about someone following her?


    There was a possible answer to that last question, and if it was correct, Zandrue could kick herself. It would mean one of the Darkers she had been searching for had been right under her nose the whole time. Tianna was definitely in a position to have been able to let Darkers into the grounds and the Palace itself. She was also close enough to one of the princesses of the land to have some influence on her, and her father had the ear of the Queen. Could her father be a Darker too? He would certainly have greater resources for helping the Darkers remain unseen, though that was hardly damning evidence. He could just as likely be innocent and unaware of Tianna¡¯s involvement. For that matter, it wasn¡¯t yet possible to be certain Tianna was a Darker. She could just be up to some other illicit activity she didn¡¯t want anyone else to know about.


    Zandrue set out in the direction of the tracks. It wasn¡¯t possible to follow them directly for long until they passed into a much more heavily traversed area. However, they started by heading along the north wall¡ªprobably towards the first arched exit up ahead. It was unlikely the conservatory was Tianna¡¯s intended destination, so it made sense she would head out as soon as possible.


    Zandrue also wasn¡¯t certain what the rules were regarding who was allowed to be in here, so it was probably for the best she leave now. Besides, she¡¯d lost Tianna now and it wasn¡¯t worth trying to find her again. She would see her later when they got together with Annai again.


    A pair of gardeners came out of one of the nearby glasshouses. They watched her for a moment, and Zandrue gave them a wave. Then they went on their way, and Zandrue relaxed. She hurried out of the conservatory and headed back to the Palace.


    With luck, Tianna hadn¡¯t recognised who was following her. If she had...well, that could make things really awkward.

 Book 2, Chapter 38: Plots and Acceptance (Part 2)

    Zandrue slowed down as she approached the concert room doors. She adjusted the sleeves of her gown and nodded to the servants, who opened the doors.


    There were a lot of people in the hall¡ªa lot more than was usual for these little recitals.


    Annai strode towards her. ¡°There you are, Zandrue. I was starting to get worried.¡±


    Zandrue curtsied. ¡°Apologies, your Highness. I had a...wardrobe emergency that had to be fixed before I could dare show myself in public.¡±


    The truth was, her meeting with Ardon had gone longer than she would have liked. She had considered not going to see Quilla at all, but decided it was important to prepare for tomorrow. The wardrobe ¡°emergency¡± was simply that she hadn¡¯t had time to get ready at all.


    Annai waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Think nothing of it, my dear. It just gave us time to get our much larger crowd seated.¡± She came up beside Zandrue, leaned in close, and whispered. ¡°We¡¯ve even attracted some of the boys today.¡±


    Zandrue had noticed that. Prince Malef was here, seated with Lidda Plavin. Pastrin and Gabriella were here too, and so was Rudiger, seated between the two. Zandrue hadn¡¯t expected that. Barnol Friaz and his wife were here as usual, as was Nedwin Friaz, Lidda Plavin¡¯s mother, and several others Zandrue recognised and knew the names of, but had had very little interaction with. There were even a couple of people Zandrue didn¡¯t recognise at all. People came and went here at the Palace so frequently¡ªvisiting nobles arrived and others left¡ªit was virtually impossible to keep track of them all.


    ¡°Try not to stare at Malef,¡± Annai whispered, leading Zandrue over to the harpsichord. Tianna stood beside it and gave Zandrue a forced smile. If Tianna had recognised Zandrue earlier, it seemed at the very least, she hadn¡¯t told Annai or La?nne.


    ¡°Tianna had the most dreadful fright earlier today,¡± Annai whispered. ¡°Poor thing¡¯s all shaken up. I¡¯ll tell you all about it later, of course, but for now, I thought maybe you could start today.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, I¡¯m so sorry to hear that, Tianna. If there¡¯s anything I can do to help, please let me know, and of course I¡¯ll start.¡± So it seemed Tianna had noticed she was being followed. It was not surprising, but it was disappointing. Zandrue needed to be more careful.


    Annai moved to the centre of the room and cleared her throat. The light chatter between the spectators quietened down. ¡°My Lords and Ladies, I would like to thank you all ever so much for being here. My friends and I give these little recitals out of a sheer love of music, but we are always happy for others to be here to experience the music with us. It makes me so happy to see so many of you here today. I only hope our performances live up to your expectations. Now, without further delay, my good friend, Zandrue will be starting for us today.¡±


    Zandrue curtsied as the audience clapped and Annai moved aside. Rudiger was grinning.


    Oh gods, she was performing in front of Rudiger. She wasn¡¯t really a singer. She was just doing this to make nice with Annai. What if she screwed up? What if he hated her song? Her singing? She very nearly froze, but she managed to muster up enough courage to turn her head towards La?nne, ready to give her the nod to start playing.


    ¡°Your Highness, please forgive the interruption, but before you start, I simply must know who your singer is.¡±


    Zandrue let out a slow breath, and curtsied to Lady Plavin, who had risen from her seat and was coming forth.


    Annai came up beside Zandrue. ¡°Of course, your Ladyship. Zandrue, my dear, do introduce yourself.¡±


    Zandrue curtsied a second time. ¡°Zandromeda Armida, your Ladyship.¡±


    Lady Plavin regarded Zandrue with cold eyes. She was as tall as Zandrue, but skinnier, with a pinched nose and thin face. ¡°Zandromeda, you say?¡±


    ¡°Zandrue, if it please your Ladyship.¡±


    Lidda Plavin gave a very slight smile. ¡°Zandrue, of course. I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve heard of the...Armida family did you say it was?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hardly surprising, your Ladyship,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°We¡¯re a small family from Rivalle. Not very important. We¡¯re distantly related to the Sildanes.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the Sildanes, of course.¡± Lady Plavin regarded Zandrue even more closely. ¡°Please excuse my bluntness, Zandrue, but you look as if you have Eloorin in you. Yet you are a friend of her Highness?¡± She looked at Annai, whose face dropped into a scowl.


    What was her game? Lidda Plavin had been there nearly three weeks now, and had done nothing to indicate she even recognised Zandrue and Rudiger, never mind actually doing anything against them.


    Zandrue broke into a broad smile. ¡°I get that all the time, your Ladyship. I am as I am.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re trying to imply, your Ladyship,¡± Annai said, ¡°but yes, Zandrue is a friend of mine. A dear one. She even saved my life last month. So I would ask that you keep your insinuations to yourself.¡±


    Lady Plavin smiled and curtsied. ¡°I am so sorry, your Highness. Please accept my apology.¡±


    Annai nodded, still frowning.


    Lidda Plavin returned to her seat.


    ¡°My apologies, everyone. There will be a very slight delay before we begin.¡± Annai came close to Zandrue again and they both turned to face the harpsichord so their backs were to the audience.


    Tianna stood nearby with a neutral expression. Zandrue wasn¡¯t sure what to make of that.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Malef sees in that woman,¡± Annai hissed. ¡°I can¡¯t stand her. Don¡¯t let her get to you, Zandrue dear. She¡¯s doing this to get at me. Do you feel up to continuing or would you like me to start?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I¡¯ll start.¡± She was far more bothered by singing in front of Rudiger, and that wasn¡¯t going to change regardless of when she sang. Might as well get it over with right away.


    Annai kissed her on the cheek. ¡°That¡¯s my girl.¡±


    Tianna frowned and turned her face away.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    While Annai moved around the harpsichord to stand near Tianna, Zandrue took a couple deep breaths. Then she turned to face the audience again, and curtsied. She did her best not to look at Rudiger and nodded to La?nne, who began to play. Zandrue started to sing.


    She messed up a bit in the first song, but after that, the recital went smoothly. Annai put down the slips in that first song to Lidda Plavin¡¯s comments, and Zandrue was happy to let her think that.


    After the recital, she, Annai, Tianna, and La?nne gathered in Annai¡¯s apartments.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe the nerve of that woman,¡± Annai said, accepting a glass of wine from one of her handmaids. ¡°Just because Malef is showing her a bit of attention doesn¡¯t give her the right to behave so atrociously to my friends.¡±


    La?nne leaned over to Zandrue. ¡°If nothing else, Zandrue, I think Annai¡¯s response here shows you¡¯ve been fully accepted into her inner circle.¡±


    Annai chuckled and took a seat across from the two of them and beside Tianna. She adjusted her skirts so she could sit as close to Tianna as possible. ¡°La?nne may just be on to something, Zandrue dear. As you know, I was unsure of you at first, mainly because of your association with Felit?a. But after you saved my life, I decided to give you a chance, and you¡¯ve more than passed. I¡¯ve never really thought of myself as having an inner circle as La?nne puts it, but she¡¯s basically right. What do you say, Tianna dear? Is Zandrue now part of our inner circle?¡±


    Tianna eyed Zandrue, then looked at Annai and smiled. ¡°Whatever you think best, of course.¡±


    Annai chuckled and put an arm around Tianna. ¡°Tianna¡¯s always so modest.¡± She raised her wine glass. ¡°But yes, I accept you into my inner circle. I like the sound of that, to be honest. Tianna here, of course, is a sister to me. But you get to join a rare group of people like La?nne in my inner circle.¡±


    Zandrue raised her own glass, and they all drank. ¡°You honour me, your Highness.¡±


    Annai tutted. ¡°Just Annai when we¡¯re in private. That¡¯s a perk of being in my inner circle.¡± She giggled.


    ¡°Then you honour me, Annai.¡±


    Annai put her glass down on the table in front of her. ¡°Oh, Tianna dear, you must tell Zandrue what happened to you this morning.¡±


    Tianna took another drink from her glass and nodded. She looked at each of them conspiratorially. ¡°I was on my way to the concert hall.¡±


    ¡°Turns out she was being sneaky about something she was planning for my birthday next month,¡± Annai said.


    Tianna stuck her tongue out at Annai. ¡°It was supposed to be a surprise, but yes, I was looking to make arrangements for us to do a proper performance there.¡±


    ¡°It would have been the most wonderful surprise,¡± Annai said. ¡°And it still will be a wonderful event, even though I know about it in advance.¡±


    Tianna sighed. ¡°Yes, after what happened, I had to tell her what I was up to. At any rate, on my way, I noticed there was someone following me. At first, I assumed it was just a servant headed in the same direction I was, but then I noticed this person was dressed too well for a servant, with reasonably expensive furs and boots. Well, I panicked a little.¡±


    ¡°Can you believe it, Zandrue?¡± Annai said.


    ¡°That sounds horrifying, Tianna,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°I went round the corner between the Crown Prince Garden and the conservatory, and hopped the wall into the conservatory where I hid in one of the glasshouses until I was sure the person was gone.¡±


    Annai took a new glass from a tray proffered by a handmaid. ¡°Can you imagine it? Little Tianna here climbing over a wall? I am aghast you were forced to do something so undignified, my dear.¡± She looked at Zandrue. ¡°I was wondering if maybe this might have something to do with the attempt on my life last month. Perhaps the assassin has started to target my friends?¡±


    Zandrue put her glass down. ¡°It¡¯s possible, though it has been a month and a half without further attempts. Nonetheless, we shouldn¡¯t ignore the possibility. I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re okay, Tianna.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Zandrue,¡± Tianna said.


    Was Tianna telling the truth? Was she really innocently planning a surprise for Annai¡¯s birthday and had panicked at being followed? Maybe, though it didn¡¯t explain why she reached the conclusion she was being followed. They had not gone far enough that it couldn¡¯t have been coincidence.


    No, the story about the concert was probably for Annai¡¯s benefit, though it was interesting Tianna felt the need to tell Annai anything had happened at all. At least she hadn¡¯t recognised Zandrue. If she had, Zandrue suspected things would be very different with Annai right now.


    When Zandrue told Ardon earlier about Tianna¡¯s strange behaviour, he had been characteristically nonchalant about it. He had said he¡¯d never received any reports about Tianna that would have made him consider her a Darker; however, he agreed they couldn¡¯t ignore the possibility. With her father having the ear of the Queen, Tianna would be in a position to do some substantial damage as a Darker.


    Zandrue leaned forward. ¡°Annai, if I might make a suggestion?¡±


    Annai nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Given the circumstances, I think none of us in this room should ever be alone. We should always have guards with us if we go anywhere.¡± She looked at Tianna. ¡°Even if it¡¯s to arrange a fun surprise. The risk is just too great.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re right of course, Zandrue,¡± Tianna said.


    ¡°We should also keep each other in sight as much as possible as well. Maybe at least two of us together at all times.¡± That would make it harder to investigate, but with luck, after tomorrow, it wouldn¡¯t matter that much.


    ¡°That will be difficult at times,¡± Annai said. ¡°When I meet with my mother or at family-only dinners.¡±


    ¡°Just whenever possible then,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Annai said. ¡°In fact, I¡¯d like to suggest you three all stay here with me tonight. We¡¯ll make it a little party. First though, you should go get your handmaids and bring them here. We don¡¯t want a repeat of this morning, do we? There¡¯s only so much my girls can do to fix you lot up.¡±


    They all laughed.


    La?nne nudged Zandrue. ¡°Won¡¯t Rudiger get lonely without you?¡±


    ¡°Probably, but it¡¯ll do him some good. He¡¯s a big boy now and needs to get used to being on his own once in a while.¡±


    They all laughed again.


    Zandrue looked over at Tianna and caught her eye. The young woman smiled at her, and Zandrue smiled back. Wider investigation might be more difficult with this, but at least this meant she could keep a close eye on Tianna¡ªassuming, of course, there was any actual reason to keep an eye on her. She was doing a very good job of acting innocent.


    Oh well, Zandrue could worry about that in due course.


    All that mattered for the moment was Quilla¡¯s performance in the morning.

 Book 2, Chapter 38: Plots and Acceptance (Part 3)

    Quilla was late. Zandrue hoped she wasn¡¯t getting cold feet. It would be difficult to blame her if she was; Quilla was putting herself in substantial potential danger.


    One good thing about last night¡¯s new arrangement was that it had been easy to get Tianna and La?nne to accompany Zandrue to breakfast this morning. That fulfilled the task of making sure there were witnesses. If no one saw what happened, it would be pointless, and if Tianna really was a Darker, that was doubly good, as they needed word to reach the Darkers, preferably as quickly as possible.


    Of course, it still required Quilla to actually show up.


    And while it might have been easy getting Tianna and La?nne here, Zandrue would only be able to keep them here so long.


    ¡°Have you tried these sugar pastries, Zandrue?¡± La?nne was sitting in a corner chair by the window. A handkerchief with several of the pastries on it lay in her lap.


    Zandrue took several of the pastries from the table for herself. ¡°I have.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they divine?¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Personally, I wish they were sweeter, but they¡¯re not bad.¡±


    La?nne looked aghast. ¡°Not bad? Sweeter? They¡¯re heavenly!¡±


    Humans had no concept of sweetness.


    The door opened and a servant stepped aside to let Quilla enter. She walked over to the table and took a dish.


    ¡°Good morning, Quilla,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Zandrue.¡± Quilla selected some bread and pieces of dried fruit. ¡°Tianna.¡±


    Tianna barely hid her scowl. ¡°Quilla.¡± She moved aside with her own plate and joined La?nne.


    Zandrue circled the table to be next to Quilla. She selected a couple pieces of fruit while glancing over at Tianna and La?nne. They were talking softly with each other and not looking this direction. Zandrue selected some more fruit and kept her voice to a whisper. ¡°Ready for this?¡±


    ¡°Almost. Just give me a moment.¡± Quilla¡¯s eyes were a bit red, like she had been crying, or more likely, hadn¡¯t gotten much sleep.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your lead then,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready.¡±


    Quilla nodded.


    Zandrue took her plate of food and joined Tianna and La?nne.


    ¡°Zandrue,¡± Quilla called after her.


    Here went nothing. Zandrue turned around. ¡°Yes?¡±


    Quilla poked at the food on her plate. ¡°We see so little of each other these days. I¡¯ve barely seen you at all since the funeral, and that was nearly three weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°I saw you yesterday,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Yes, but that was for just a couple minutes.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve been busy.¡± She turned back to Tianna and La?nne.


    ¡°I was thinking maybe we could get together for dinner tonight,¡± Quilla said.


    Zandrue looked down at Tianna and rolled her eyes.


    Tianna smirked.


    Zandrue sat down beside Tianna and looked across the room at Quilla. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m busy tonight.¡±


    ¡°How about tomorrow then?¡±


    Zandrue looked at Tianna and La?nne, who were both looking to the side to hide their smirks. She looked back at Quilla. ¡°I¡¯m probably busy then too, but I¡¯ll get back to you. The next little while is going to be busy, what with New Year¡¯s coming up and all, but I¡¯m sure we can arrange for something next month.¡±


    Quilla slammed her plate onto the table, rattling the cups and dishes there. ¡°You¡¯re ignoring me.¡±


    Zandrue sighed and mouthed to Tianna, ¡°She¡¯s so needy.¡± Out loud, she said, ¡°No, I¡¯m not ignoring you, Quilla. Like I said, I¡¯ve just been busy.¡±


    ¡°Busy? Doing what exactly? Spending all your time with Princess High and Mighty? Princess I Get Everything Handed to Me on a Silver Platter so I Don¡¯t Have to Do Anything Myself?¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that what this is about, Quilla? You¡¯re jealous?¡±


    ¡°Jealous?¡± Quilla came around the table and partway to Zandrue. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be caught dead hanging around with Annai the way you do.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I happen to like Annai.¡± She gestured to the other two with her. ¡°And Tianna and La?nne here. We have fun together. I¡¯ve tried to invite you to come to our concerts.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me? You were right there when I invited you.¡±


    ¡°Not that. You couldn¡¯t care less about Annai or her sycophant friends. You¡¯re just using them to climb the social ladder. Just like I¡¯m starting to realise you did with me. Remember, you wouldn¡¯t even be in this Palace without me. You gave me support over Garet¡¯s death just long enough to get in here and then you abandoned me as soon as the next opportunity presented itself.¡±


    Zandrue handed her plate to Tianna and jumped to her feet. ¡°Maybe I just wanted to get away from an eternal complainer who whines non-stop about how unfair the world is to her instead of actually doing something about it. All you want, Quilla, is for everyone else to do everything for you. First, it was Garet and that fool doted on you. When he died, you just turned to the nearest alternative. But I¡¯m not Garet. I¡¯m not a lovesick puppy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and Princess Bitch is so much better than that, is she? She who runs to Mommy any time she needs anything?¡±


    Tianna dropped both her plate and Zandrue¡¯s onto the couch and stood up. She strode past Zandrue and slapped Quilla across the face. ¡°How dare you talk about Annai like that! She is a thousand times your better.¡±


    Zandrue grimaced. She hadn¡¯t really planned on anyone else getting involved¡ªespecially physically¡ªin this argument. The plan had been for Zandrue to slap Quilla and for the two of them to then get into a physical fight. In many ways, Tianna getting involved was better, but Zandrue would have pulled her punches and gone easy on Quilla. Tianna almost certainly wouldn¡¯t.


    Quilla reeled from the slap. She put a hand to her cheek. ¡°Like I said, a sycophant. Following Annai around, praising every little thing she does, begging for every little scrap of attention and recognition you can get.¡±


    Tianna sneered at her. ¡°And you¡¯re one to talk. You accuse Zandrue of using you to get in here, but that¡¯s all you did with Garet. You were just his Eloorin whore.¡±


    Quilla smiled maliciously. ¡°At least I got to share his bed. You can only dream of fucking Annai.¡±


    ¡°You bitch!¡± Tianna launched forward, shoving Quilla back into the table, which slid back with the impact. Some of the bread and fruit toppled to the floor.


    Quilla tried to regain her balance, but Tianna dove on her. They both fell on the table, which collapsed under their weight. Bread, wine, fruit, and cheese flew through the air. Cups and dishes shattered on the floor.


    Zandrue rushed forward. Tianna was on top of Quilla, slapping and grabbing at her face and neck. Quilla shoved her off and rolled over on top of Tianna. Zandrue grabbed Quilla, wrapping her arms under Quilla¡¯s shoulders. She pulled her back away from Tianna. Tianna kicked Quilla in the stomach, and Quilla gasped.


    Shit. Zandrue hadn¡¯t meant to give Tianna that opportunity.


    ¡°Guards!¡± La?nne called from her seat.


    Quilla tried to struggle free of Zandrue¡¯s hold. ¡°Get the fuck off me!¡±


    Zandrue allowed her to wriggle free.


    Tianna came at Quilla again, but Quilla easily knocked the smaller woman aside. Tianna stumbled over a wine pitcher and fell on her back. Zandrue rushed over to Tianna as two Palace guards hurried into the room.


    ¡°Take that Eloorin into custody!¡± Tianna screeched.


    The guards took hold of Quilla¡¯s arms. Quilla made only a brief show of struggling before submitting.


    Tianna pulled herself to her feet with Zandrue¡¯s help. ¡°You¡¯re out of here, you fucking whore!¡±


    ¡°Take her away from here to somewhere secure,¡± Zandrue told the guards. ¡°Inform Princess Annai about what¡¯s happened.¡±


    ¡°My Lady,¡± one of the guards said. The two of them led Quilla from the room.


    Zandrue turned to Tianna. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    Tears were forming in Tianna¡¯s eyes. They began to fall as she closed her eyes. She fell forwards into Zandrue¡¯s arms, and Zandrue hugged her tight.


    After a few moments, Zandrue led Tianna back over to the couch. La?nne was still eating pastries, but she leaned over to move the plates of food on the couch aside. Then Zandrue helped Tianna sit down. Zandrue sat beside her and Tianna lay her head on Zandrue¡¯s shoulder and sobbed.


    La?nne popped another pastry in her mouth and slid her chair over closer to Tianna and Zandrue. ¡°That was...interesting and disturbing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t very welcoming of you at first, Zandrue,¡± Tianna mumbled amidst sobs.


    ¡°That¡¯s all right. You¡¯re just protective of Annai and want the best for her. I understand.¡±


    ¡°I just love her so much.¡± Tianna broke into heavy sobs.


    Zandrue stroked Tianna¡¯s hair and looked to La?nne. ¡°Does Annai know?¡±


    La?nne shook her head. ¡°Annai¡¯s sincere when she calls them sisters. She sees their relationship as nothing more than friends who are as close as sisters. If she knew the truth of Tianna¡¯s feelings, she¡¯d...well, she¡¯d be pretty disgusted probably. She¡¯s expressed nothing but disgust at Gabriella¡¯s relationships with women, and more recently, Felit?a. She must never know.¡±


    Zandrue nodded and continued to stroke Tianna¡¯s hair.


    When she¡¯d first arrived here, she¡¯d revelled in the luxury and high life. She¡¯d loved having access to fine food and wine, loved having servants to do her hair and make-up, to clean up after her. Part of that joy, however, came from being able to snub her nose at pompous royalty. But after a month and a half here, the thrill had passed. She was ready to leave.


    But leaving wasn¡¯t an option. She was committed to rooting out the Darkers. More than that, she¡¯d started to like some of the people she was trying to pull one over on. Annai was full of herself and her belief in her own self-importance, but she wasn¡¯t all bad. And Zandrue really liked La?nne. As for Tianna, seeing her now like this, she was starting to feel pity and concern for her as well.


    A large shift from just yesterday morning.


    But she was also beginning to think Tianna really had just been on an innocent trip to plan a surprise for Annai yesterday morning and had been spooked by Zandrue. It was beginning to look like Tianna wasn¡¯t a Darker after all.


    It would explain why Zandrue hadn¡¯t suspected it before yesterday morning.


    Oh well. It was up to Quilla now. Zandrue just hoped she¡¯d correctly predicted Quilla¡¯s punishment. In all likelihood, the Queen wouldn¡¯t get involved in this situation, but if she did, and she got overly vindictive, Quilla¡¯s life might be in serious danger before she even got started on her already dangerous task.

 Book 2, Chapter 39: Infiltration

    The night air was cold and bitter, but still. The sky was clear and the moonlight reflecting off the snow made it a bright night. Quilla walked slowly along the path towards the Bear Fountain, trying to slow her pounding heart. She couldn¡¯t turn back now, as much as she wanted to. All that would accomplish would be to have to pack and leave in the morning. Admittedly, she kind of wanted that, too, but she¡¯d made a commitment. She needed to do this.


    After this morning¡¯s scuffle, Princess Annai had banished her from the Palace, and the Queen had signed off on it. She¡¯d been given twenty-four hours to pack and leave. Gabriella had tried to argue on Quilla¡¯s behalf, but after Tianna¡¯s and Zandrue¡¯s damning testimonies, she¡¯d backed off. At least the Queen hadn¡¯t ordered her hanged. For a brief moment, Quilla had worried that was going to happen.


    So now she was banished.


    Which was exactly the result she and Zandrue had hoped for. Still didn¡¯t make it feel good.


    Gods, she hoped this next bit worked.


    Zandrue had assured her that she, Rudiger, Captain DeSelo?n, and several of DeSelo?n¡¯s men were ready to come to her aid if needed. DeSelo?n had given her a horn to use if she got in trouble¡ªif Dyle tried to harm her in any way. Of course, the soldiers had to stay quite some distance back to stay out of sight and would need time to get to her. Also, DeSelo?n¡¯s people could only protect her for so long. If Dyle accepted her, she would soon be alone amidst Dyle¡¯s people¡ªDarkers, murderers, and who knew what other sorts of criminals?


    What she was about to do was extremely dangerous. She could end up dead. She knew it. Zandrue knew it. They all knew it.


    The Bear Fountain was up ahead. There was a figure standing on the bridge. From this distance, it was impossible to tell who, but it was probably Dyle. As she got closer, the figure waved to her.


    Quilla stopped for a moment. She took one last moment to decide if she really wanted to do this, or if she should just take off in the morning and begin a long trek to Quorge by herself. Maybe she could get Corvinian to accept her. No. Her mind made up, she continued along the road onto the bridge.


    It was icy, but not too bad. The figure was leaning on the rail, looking out over the fountain and the pond. He pulled back his hood, revealing Dyle¡¯s face. He smiled as she approached. ¡°I had a feeling I¡¯d see you tonight.¡±


    Quilla stopped beside him and looked out over the rail as well. ¡°You heard what happened then?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I hear everything that happens in the Palace.¡±


    Quilla rolled her eyes. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t that surprise me?¡± Her heart was beating out of control. What if he saw through the deception?


    ¡°Because you¡¯re an intelligent woman and you¡¯re aware I have access to many resources.¡±


    She glanced at him. He was looking at her, still smiling. ¡°I suppose so,¡± she said.


    ¡°You¡¯ve decided to accept my offer then?¡±


    She closed her eyes, lowered her head, and sighed. She wanted to make this look like the hardest decision she had ever made¡ªwhich was fairly easy because it was the hardest decision she had ever made, or close to it. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve decided to accept your offer. But I have a couple conditions.¡±


    He held up his hand and turned to face her. ¡°We can discuss conditions in a moment. First, I need to be sure this isn¡¯t some sort of deception.¡±


    She glared at him. ¡°You don¡¯t trust me?¡±


    He chuckled and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you, Quilla. It¡¯s that I don¡¯t trust your friends.¡±


    She turned aside and looked over the pond again. ¡°They¡¯re not my friends anymore. Well, maybe Rudiger, but not Zandrue.¡±


    ¡°There are soldiers in the wood tonight.¡±


    Shit. He¡¯d spotted them. ¡°There are?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve been there for hours. I can¡¯t be entirely sure what they¡¯re up to, but I have suspicions.¡±


    Quilla gripped the rail tighter. ¡°You think I arranged for them to be there?¡±


    Dyle chuckled. ¡°You? No. Zandrue? Very likely. The question is, did she do it with your knowledge?¡±


    ¡°After the fight we had today?¡±


    ¡°You could have staged it.¡±


    Quilla shrugged. ¡°I suppose we could have, but you say you trust me. Trust me when I say we didn¡¯t. Besides, what have your...resources told you about me and her?¡±


    Dyle leaned on the railing again. ¡°Let¡¯s see. They say you¡¯ve spent less and less time together over the last three weeks. Ever since the funeral, Zandrue¡¯s been spending more time with Princess Annai¡¯s little clique. She¡¯s still visited you on occasion, including yesterday. Mind telling me what that visit was about? It¡¯s interesting that the very next morning, the two of you had your little spat.¡±


    ¡°She said she just wanted to say hello. She didn¡¯t even stay five minutes. She¡¯s too busy palling it up with royalty to stay long enough for even one drink. We just said a couple of fake pleasantries and she was on her way again. I¡¯ve been ignored by the entire Palace for the last few weeks. Even Gabriella has mostly ignored me. I¡¯m fed up with it. It¡¯s time to move on.¡±


    ¡°Then why come to me? Why not just move on?¡±


    She sighed. ¡°Because Darkers like you will keep hunting me, and some of them won¡¯t be the ones working with you. You said you could protect me. Was that the truth?¡±


    ¡°Of course. As I told you before, I have never lied to you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve kept things from me.¡±


    ¡°Not the same.¡±


    Quilla shook her head. ¡°Perhaps. At any rate, have you decided if I¡¯m sincere or not?¡±


    ¡°Almost. Are you willing to come with me?¡±


    ¡°I did say there were conditions,¡± Quilla said.


    ¡°And I said, we will discuss them, but don¡¯t you think it would be better if we discussed them without fear of interruption?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Dyle waved vaguely across the pond. ¡°The soldiers out there. They won¡¯t let us stand here forever. Assuming they¡¯re not waiting for a signal from you, they¡¯ll move in soon to apprehend us. We¡¯d better get moving before they do.¡±


    Quilla took a moment, but then nodded. ¡°Very well.¡± There wasn¡¯t really any option to back out of this even if he rejected her conditions. She just wanted to make her decision to accept his offer look more believable. Hopefully, she¡¯d achieved that by now.


    Dyle raised his hand above his head. A moment later, a tall man emerged from the woods and approached the trail.


    ¡°Won¡¯t the soldiers recognise that as a signal?¡± Quilla asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re pretty far back,¡± Dyle said. ¡°They might not see it, but even if they do, they¡¯re pretty far back. We have a head start.¡± He raised his voice for the tall man to hear. ¡°We¡¯re going.¡±


    The man nodded briskly. ¡°Right.¡± He glared up at Quilla. ¡°We need to move quickly. Make sure you keep up the pace.¡± He raised his hand high into the air and shaped it into several different signals Quilla didn¡¯t recognise.


    ¡°We also have other people to distract the guards,¡± Dyle said.


    ¡°This way!¡± the tall man called. He set off back into the woods.


    Dyle motioned to Quilla, then hurried off the bridge after the tall man. She followed after him.


    The tall man hadn¡¯t been joking about moving quickly. She had to practically run to keep up. With the ice and snow, plus her heavy skirts and furs, it was no easy task.


    ¡°I said, keep up!¡± the tall man called back. ¡°Or I carry you!¡±


    Dyle was only a short way ahead of her. He glanced back at her. ¡°That¡¯s Sam by the way.¡±


    Quilla did her best to pick up her pace and caught up to Dyle. ¡°I don¡¯t think Sam likes me.¡±


    Dyle laughed and spoke loud enough to ensure Sam could hear. ¡°Sam likes you just fine, don¡¯t you, Sam? Don¡¯t worry about his threat. He¡¯s all mouth and doesn¡¯t mean it. He knows full well that if anyone so much as lays a finger on you, there will be hell to pay. Unless you consent first, of course.¡±


    Quilla groaned, and let herself fall behind again so she could avoid talking to Dyle for a while.


    They made their way through the grounds, heading east first, and then north, occasionally following the trails, but mostly going off-trail through the woods. They stopped only infrequently, mostly so Sam could get his bearings and not so Quilla could catch her breath. The farther they got, the more out of breath she became and the farther behind she fell. Sam got noticeably more annoyed, but slowed the pace enough to allow her to keep up.


    Eventually, they reached the gardens south of the main Palace complex. They stopped by a small pond near the west wall of the grounds. It had its own elaborate fountain. Not as large as the Bear Fountain, of course, but it was similarly elaborate with numerous carved gargoyle heads that would spew water out of them in the warmer months of the year.


    Quilla collapsed against the back of the fountain, gasping at the cold air.


    Dyle sat beside her, breathing just as heavily as she was. He placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Quite the workout, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    She glared at his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡±


    He withdrew it. ¡°Of course. My apologies.¡±


    Sam knelt in front of them. He didn¡¯t even seem to have broken a sweat. ¡°Wait here a minute. We¡¯ll be more in the open here. I just need to be sure we remain unseen.¡± He jumped back to his feet and ran off.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get one thing straight, Dyle,¡± Quilla said. ¡°That rule about not laying a finger on me applies to you, too. Got it?¡±


    Dyle nodded. ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my first condition. Just because I¡¯m accepting your offer doesn¡¯t mean we are getting back together. Agreed?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ¡°Our relationship is long in the past and it¡¯s going to stay that way.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, but let¡¯s talk about your conditions when we reach our destination. We can catch our breath and be more comfortable.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve got time now. Let¡¯s use it.¡± She didn¡¯t want him comfortable when they talked about these things. She wanted him as uncomfortable as possible. He¡¯d have a harder time manipulating her into agreeing to things she¡¯d later regret.


    He nodded, still breathing heavily. ¡°All right. Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°I want to be reunited with Corvinian.¡±


    ¡°It will be one of our top priorities.¡±


    She wagged a finger at him. ¡°Oh no, we are not doing it your way. There will be no kidnapping him. No dragging him here against his will. It doesn¡¯t have to happen right away, but you will take me to him, and I will convince him to come with me. And that will take as long as is necessary for him to come to trust me. Agreed?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not ideal.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°But yes. I agree.¡±


    ¡°Good. Next condition.¡±


    Sam reappeared and knelt by them. ¡°The way¡¯s clear. We need to move fast.¡± He looked at Dyle.


    Dyle met his gaze for several seconds before nodding. He reached into his coat and pulled out a strip of cloth. ¡°Quilla, until we can fully trust you, I need you to agree to one condition too.¡±


    ¡°You are not blindfolding me.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t let you know where we¡¯re going. Please understand. I won¡¯t force a blindfold on you, but if you refuse, we will leave you here now. You can remove it as soon as we¡¯re inside.¡±


    Quilla stared at the strip of cloth.


    ¡°We need to get going,¡± Sam grumbled.


    Quilla sighed and turned her back to Dyle. ¡°Fine.¡±


    Dyle placed the blindfold over her eyes. He pulled it tight and tied it off. ¡°Your hand.¡±


    Quilla groaned. ¡°Damn you, Dyle.¡± Barely moments after establishing no physical contact as a rule, he had manipulated her into physical contact. She held out her hand, and he took hold of it.


    He helped her to her feet and led her a short distance, presumably around the edge of the fountain. ¡°We have to run. Trust me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much choice, do I?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Ready? Now.¡±


    They broke into a run, him pulling on her arm as she did her best not to stumble over any unseen objects on the ground. Several times she did stumble, and on a couple of occasions almost fell. Dyle always kept pulling her forward, though. Occasionally, they slowed down to turn left or right, sometimes just a small turn, other times a larger turn. She tried to keep track of the turns, but there were too many. The gardens had lots of obstacles, which meant needing to turn frequently just to go in a straight line. There was no way she could tell where they were going with any accuracy. At best, she could estimate they were somewhere in the northeastern part of the complex, possibly in the vicinity of the conservatory or orangery.


    Eventually, they slowed down and then stopped. After a brief pause, Dyle let go of her hand and said, ¡°Straight ahead. That¡¯s it. One more step.¡±


    The cold air was replaced by slightly warmer air, and a door shut. Then another door opened, and Dyle guided her to turn to the left.


    ¡°There are steps just ahead,¡± Dyle said. ¡°Going down.¡±


    She felt carefully with her foot before taking each step. It was slow going until she found the step down, but then she was able to take the remaining stairs more quickly. Once they were at the bottom, another door closed.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Dyle said. ¡°You can take the blindfold off now.¡±


    She reached behind her head and fiddled with the cloth to untie it.


    They were in a dimly lit chamber with walls of stone. It looked like a cellar¡ªprobably was a cellar. There was a long table in the centre with a bench along each side. Two of the walls were lined with empty shelves. A door behind her presumably went back to the stairs they¡¯d just come down. Two other doors exited the room.


    Dyle sat at one of the table¡¯s benches. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the tour once we¡¯ve caught our breath. Until then, why don¡¯t we discuss the rest of your conditions?¡± He motioned for her to join him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go check that the others make it back fine,¡± Sam said. Dyle nodded and Sam went back through the door to the stairs, closing it behind him.


    Dyle began removing some of his furs. ¡°It¡¯s still cold down here, but it¡¯s not as bad as outside. The torches on the wall help provide a little heat.¡±


    Quilla walked over to the table, unwrapping her shawl. She sat across from Dyle and a little to the side. She wanted some space between them.


    Once he¡¯d removed some of his excess outdoor clothes, Dyle rested his arms on the table. ¡°So, what¡¯s the next condition?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t take part in any of your...Darker activities. Whatever it is you do. I¡¯m not murdering or stealing, and I¡¯m definitely not worshipping the Lord of Darkness.¡±


    Dyle chuckled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect you to. That said, as I mentioned, your powers¡ªand Corvinian¡¯s¡ªare needed for some specific purposes. You¡¯ll need to take part in those, but it¡¯ll be much more pleasant with me than with anyone else.¡±


    ¡°All right. Fair enough.¡± If things went according to plan, those moments would never occur, and if things didn¡¯t go according to plan, everyone was doomed anyway. ¡°But I am not a Darker, and I¡¯m not becoming one.¡±


    ¡°Servant of Sunset, or just Servant for short.¡±


    Quilla rolled her eyes. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m not a Servant.¡±


    ¡°Any other conditions?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°No, that¡¯s all.¡±


    One of the doors opened and another man strode into the room. He was tall and lanky with pale skin, blonde hair, and a thin face, with a small, flat nose. His most striking characteristic was his long moustache, which hung below his chin. ¡°I thought I heard voices. So this is her, is it? The Catalyst?¡±


    Quilla forced a smile. ¡°My name¡¯s Quilla. Quilla Steranovist.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The lanky man sat beside her. ¡°A pleasure to meet you at last, Quilla.¡±


    ¡°And you are?¡± Quilla asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± Dyle said. ¡°He won¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lama?n.¡±


    Dyle¡¯s jaw dropped.


    ¡°A pleasure to meet you, too, Lama?n,¡± Quilla said.


    Dyle leaned forward. ¡°I¡¯ve known you for more than a year, and you¡¯ve refused to tell me your name the entire time, and now you tell her at your first meeting?¡±


    Lama?n smiled. ¡°Some people are more important than even the future Dusk Supreme. The Catalyst¡ªQuilla¡ªdeserves our highest respect.¡±


    Dyle scowled and looked away.


    Quilla thought she might just like this Lama?n person.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you came to us willingly, Quilla,¡± Lama?n said. ¡°I¡¯d¡¯ve hated to use other means.¡±


    On second thought, she didn¡¯t like him. He was a Darker, charm notwithstanding.


    Lama?n stood back up. ¡°I¡¯ll let you get settled in. I believe Dyle has arranged a room for you. Right beside his. Goodnight.¡±


    Quilla forced a smile. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    He left through the door he¡¯d come in by, and Quilla rounded on Dyle. ¡°A room right beside yours, huh? Remember what I said about our relationship.¡±


    Dyle sighed. ¡°Relax, Quilla. I¡¯m not expecting our relationship to start back up. There aren¡¯t very many rooms in here to choose from. It¡¯s actually difficult for anyone to have a room that¡¯s not close to anyone else¡¯s. Most have to share. Lama?n¡¯s just trying to rile us up. He likes doing that to me.¡±


    Quilla sighed. ¡°Fine. I suppose it¡¯s not a big deal.¡±


    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t picked that fight with Princess Annai¡¯s best friend, you could have stayed in the Palace for now. You wouldn¡¯t have to hide here.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t pick a fight with her. I picked a fight with Zandrue. Tianna just got in the way.¡±


    Dyle laughed. ¡°You always had a way of doing that. Remember that time you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Have you really known Lama?n for a year and only learned his name just now?¡± She was not in the mood for reminiscing right now.


    Dyle frowned and looked away from her. ¡°Unfortunately, yes.¡±


    Quilla laughed. ¡°How do you refer to him?¡±


    Dyle grinned. ¡°Moustache Man, mostly. Though never to his face. You¡¯ll quickly notice he loves nothing more than playing with that stupid moustache of his. Constantly strokes it. Be careful of him, Quilla. He¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re all dangerous, but you¡¯ve promised me my safety, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but he¡¯s not like the others. He has unusual powers. It¡¯s like he¡¯s got¡­¡±


    She leaned forward. ¡°Like he¡¯s got what?¡±


    Dyle shook his head. ¡°He just has strange powers and is, by far, the most dangerous of all of us. He¡¯s the only one I¡¯m not sure I could stop if he...well, just be careful.¡±


    Quilla shivered. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll be careful. I¡¯ll stay away from him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s often harder than it sounds. He¡¯ll just show up. With luck though, he won¡¯t do that with you. He¡¯ll keep it to just me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll avoid him as much as possible then, and I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Quilla suspected she was going to need to be careful of everyone here. ¡°How many of you are there anyway?¡±


    ¡°Actually staying here? Six of us. Seven now with you.¡±


    ¡°And staying in the Palace?¡±


    Dyle smirked. ¡°You¡¯ll meet everyone in due time. Once I¡¯m certain I can trust you.¡±


    ¡°Is one of them Lidda Plavin?¡± Quilla asked.


    Dyle closed his eyes and sighed.


    ¡°Not surprised I know that?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Lady¡ª¡± he said the word with a sneer¡ª¡°Plavin acted like an idiot last year in Tyl. She pretty much advertised what she was, so no, I¡¯m not surprised Felit?a and Zandrue figured things out. Any other questions I¡¯m not ready to answer yet?¡±


    Quilla smirked. ¡°Lots, but if you¡¯re not going to answer them¡­¡± She thought for a moment, then indicated the room. ¡°Where are we?¡±


    ¡°Disused cellar,¡± he said, ¡°converted for our use.¡±


    ¡°I can see that. I mean under where?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°You don¡¯t really expect me to answer that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I can tell anyone from here, and if I leave¡ªwhich presumably you won¡¯t allow, but if I do, I¡¯ll see anyway, so what harm is there?¡±


    He tried to hide a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. Come. I¡¯ll show you around and to your room. It¡¯s not a very big place.¡± He stood up.


    ¡°What about my things? I packed some things already, but they¡¯re still in my apartments.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll arrange to have them retrieved for you. We¡¯ll make certain you¡¯re still able to dress nicely. Would you like Marna here too?¡±


    Quilla held back a gasp. ¡°Is she...is she one of you?¡±


    Dyle chuckled. ¡°No. I was suggesting we could¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, never mind. You wouldn¡¯t like that.¡±


    ¡°Damn right, I wouldn¡¯t. I¡¯m quite capable of making myself up.¡±


    ¡°I never meant to imply otherwise.¡± He gestured to one of the doors. ¡°Shall we?¡±


    ¡°How do you get around? I mean, you seem to appear and disappear. I assume you don¡¯t run everywhere like we did tonight.¡±


    Dyle shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s too soon to reveal that.¡± He gestured to the door again. ¡°Shall we?¡±


    Quilla sighed. She gathered her shawl and fur from the tabletop and stood up to follow Dyle.


    She was in the thick of it now. She had put so much effort into convincing Zandrue that this was a good idea¡ªthat she could do this. Now that she was cut off from Zandrue for the next who-knew-how-long, she wasn¡¯t so certain anymore. She¡¯d always been something of a coward. She just hoped that cowardice didn¡¯t get the better of her now.

 Book 2, Chapter 40: Coins for the Poor (Part 1)

    The cold air was surprisingly refreshing and invigorating at high speed. Zandrue had done many things in her life, but riding in a horse-drawn sleigh was one thing she hadn¡¯t done until now. She had always assumed the experience would be a little different from riding in a wheeled carriage, but had not expected how different it was.


    It was the speed. The sleigh was travelling faster than any carriage without spooked, runaway horses Zandrue had ever been in.


    It was also a smoother ride. Almost as if to contradict that thought, there was a little bump right at that moment, but really, there were far fewer bumps in the sleigh than a carriage.


    La?nne laughed at the little bump and grinned at Zandrue. ¡°Exhilarating, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Tianna was grinning too. She was seated in the front, rear-facing seat, while Zandrue and La?nne were in the back seat, facing the front.


    Two horses, each almost as big as Borisin, pulled the gilded wooden sleigh across the open field of snow. Ahead of them was the sleigh carrying Annai and Thilin, and surrounding both royal sleighs were half a dozen small sleighs carrying guards, soldiers, and even a few courtiers. Farther ahead, the towers of the Cathedral of the Gods rose above the silhouette of Arnor City. It had been maybe ten minutes since they had left the Palace gates, and already the city was in sight.


    ¡°I think we need to convince Annai to make trips like this more often,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°We usually make three or four each winter,¡± Tianna said. ¡°We probably would have made one already if it weren¡¯t for Garet¡¯s funeral, and Sinit?a¡¯s disappearance.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the irony though, isn¡¯t it?¡± La?nne said.


    Sinit?a¡¯s disappearance was the motivating factor for this journey. Annai also wanted her inner circle to do some New Year¡¯s shopping, but the main reason was for Annai and Thilin to advertise a new reward for information about Sinit?a. Personally, Zandrue was hoping she might get a chance to talk to Thilin. Rudiger had not had much luck getting to see the prince, so having him along on this trip might give Zandrue the opportunity. Of course, she suspected he wouldn¡¯t be doing much shopping, so that opportunity might only be fleeting, if it existed at all.


    Zandrue leaned back and enjoyed the remainder of the ride and the cold, brisk air blowing through her hair. The other two did much the same.


    It wasn¡¯t long before they reached the outskirts of the city. Their driver slowed the horses a little as they headed down the first of the city streets, but they still took a brisk pace. Royal guards had arrived ahead of them and cleared the streets. Onlookers now stood to the sides of the street, and watched¡ªsome even waved¡ªas the royal sleighs sped by.


    As they reached the outskirts of the central market, the sleigh slowed to a stop beside Annai and Thilin¡¯s sleigh. The driver hopped down from his seat, came round to the side, and opened the door beside Zandrue. He bowed. ¡°My ladies.¡± He proffered his hand.


    Zandrue removed the heavy blanket covering her and stood up. She took the driver¡¯s hand and allowed him to help her down from the sleigh. The driver then did the same for La?nne and Tianna.


    ¡°What did I tell you? When the snow¡¯s packed down, less than half an hour from the gates to the market.¡± La?nne fiddled with her hairpins as she reached Zandrue. ¡°Does a number on your hair though. You might want to prepare yourself for Annai¡¯s reaction to yours.¡±


    Zandrue groaned. She had no idea what her hair must look like at the moment, as she was not wearing any hairpins, bows, or other method of tying back or holding her hair in place.


    Annai was standing with Thilin in front of the sleighs, waving to the crowd of onlookers. She laughed when she saw Zandrue. ¡°Oh, my dear Zandrue, we should have warned you.¡±


    Zandrue sighed. ¡°Yeah, sorry, I had no idea the sleigh went so fast.¡±


    Annai shook her head, still waving to the crowd. ¡°Think nothing of it. La?nne had her own moment of embarrassment three years ago. The style at the time was for ladies to wear their hair free. Tianna and I, of course, wore shawls for the journey that we removed when we reached the city. But poor La?nne¡­¡± She lowered her voice and leaned in conspiratorially. ¡°She¡¯s never been too bright.¡±


    La?nne, who was standing right there, rolled her eyes.


    Annai winked at Zandrue. ¡°She knows I¡¯m kidding, of course.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Zandrue said.


    Annai straightened up and turned her attention back to the crowd. She moved forward to give more people the chance to see her.


    When she was out of hearing, La?nne said softly, ¡°She¡¯s only kidding when I overhear her say it. The truth is, she thinks I¡¯m an idiot. Oh, she loves me, but she thinks I¡¯m an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you say something?¡± Zandrue asked.


    La?nne stared at her with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Why do you think? She¡¯s Annai.¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°Right. Ask a silly question.¡±


    La?nne shook her head, but smiled.


    Zandrue looked about. Thilin, dressed in a formal blue military uniform, was standing a little off to the side, looking out over the crowd and giving an occasional wave. There were a few guards near him, but he was otherwise by himself.


    ¡°Excuse me a moment,¡± Zandrue said to La?nne. ¡°Be right back.¡±


    La?nne gave her a quizzical look. ¡°Don¡¯t go far.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°Oh no, I¡¯ll still be in sight.¡± She pointed to Thilin. ¡°Just want to introduce myself.¡± She ducked aside and headed over to Thilin. ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    Thilin glanced down at her, a look of slight surprise on his face. ¡°Oh, yes?¡±


    Zandrue curtsied. ¡°Apologies, your Highness, but we haven¡¯t been properly introduced yet, despite all the time I¡¯ve been in the Palace. I just wanted to take the opportunity¡ª¡±


    ¡°Zandrue, right?¡±


    Zandrue curtsied again. ¡°That¡¯s right, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Annai talked a lot about you on the way here.¡±


    ¡°I hope they were good things.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they were very good. She likes you a lot.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m flattered.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you also a friend of Felit?a¡¯s though?¡±


    Zandrue gave a partial nod. ¡°It¡¯s...uh...complicated.¡±


    Thilin looked back over the crowd and gave another way. ¡°I¡¯m actually kind of impressed. Anybody who can manage to befriend both Annai and Felit?a, given how much Annai hates Felit?a¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess I¡¯m just the likeable type,¡± Zandrue said.


    Thilin chuckled. ¡°Wish I¡¯d been able to spend a bit of time with Felit?a when she was here. Now she¡¯s banished, probably won¡¯t ever get the chance.¡±


    ¡°You never know,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Oh Zandrue!¡± Annai called.


    Zandrue groaned inwardly. As she¡¯d predicted, she was not going to get much time. She curtsied to Thilin again. ¡°My apologies, your Highness, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Go,¡± Thilin said. ¡°You don¡¯t want to keep Annai waiting.¡±


    Zandrue curtsied once more, then hurried over to join Annai, who was with Tianna and La?nne.


    Annai grinned at her. ¡°So, what was that about?¡±


    ¡°Oh, just introducing myself. I haven¡¯t had the opportunity previously.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh. Well, at least Thilin is available, unlike Malef.¡±


    Zandrue sighed. ¡°Honestly, it was just an introduction. Let¡¯s not forget I¡¯m with Rudiger.¡±


    ¡°I know, but Thilin is a prince, and Rudiger is not even a noble. He¡¯s just...well, big. You do seem to like big men, and Thilin is almost as big.¡± Annai laughed and put an arm around Zandrue¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Oh, Zandrue, you know I would never force you upon any man. I wish merely to make you aware of your options.¡±


    Zandrue smiled. ¡°I know, Annai, and I do appreciate it. Thank you.¡±


    Annai let go of Zandrue and addressed the group. ¡°Now then, you three have some shopping to do while Thilin and I prepare our boring speeches. Remember to stick together as we agreed. There will be guards with you, but we must be extra vigilant. You¡¯re welcome to go anywhere in the market, but most of the stalls only sell cheap Eloorin-made items. However, Zandrue, Tianna and La?nne can show you to the Emporium. Some very fine stuff there.¡±


    ¡°This is going to be so much fun,¡± La?nne said.


    ¡°Be back by noon. That¡¯s when the show starts. Off you go!¡± Annai shooed them away, then turned and headed towards Thilin.


    La?nne motioned towards the market. ¡°Shall we?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Zandrue said.


    Three guards went ahead of them, directing people out of their way¡ªshoving them out of the way when they didn¡¯t move fast enough. Zandrue clenched her fists and bit the inside of her lips to avoid saying anything. Moments like this reminded her why Felit?a disliked her family so much. Three more guards followed behind them, but at least they weren¡¯t doing anything but following.


    The marketplace was busy, though little business was going on in the area immediately around where the Royal sleighs had arrived, as people were too busy watching Annai and Thilin. As they got farther away and deeper into the market, however, there were more people doing actual business¡ªthough even that was disrupted by the guards and Zandrue, Tianna, and La?nne¡¯s passage.


    ¡°Do we want to look at any of these stalls?¡± Zandrue pointed to one. ¡°Looks like there¡¯s some nice cloth there. Might make some good dresses.¡±


    Tianna turned up her nose. ¡°Probably just cheap Eloorin make. I wouldn¡¯t want to touch it.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. While she was starting to like Tianna, moments like this reminded her why it had been so hard. She was really starting to wish she could get away from the Palace for a while.


    La?nne leaned in. ¡°If Annai were here, she¡¯d probably tell you your commoner roots were showing again, but I understand. I wouldn¡¯t mind getting a look at more variety sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Zandrue,¡± Tianna said. ¡°You¡¯ll love the Emporium. There are so many exotic items from all over the world. I¡¯ve found some of my most treasured belongings there.¡±


    ¡°Sounds great,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°How much farther?¡±


    Tianna grinned at her. ¡°Not far now.¡±


    The Emporium was a building off to the side of the market. It had a flamboyant fa?ade with a large sign. Colourful gems¡ªprobably just coloured glass¡ªsurrounded the sign and windows, and glittered in the sunlight. A suit of plate armour stood in one of the windows that flanked the entrance. In the other was a collection of carpets of varying designs.


    Several people stood in front of the doors, a tall, thin man at the centre of them. He was wearing a fine, blue silk cape over similarly fine silk clothes. While very expensive, his clothes looked very thin, and he had to be freezing standing out in the cold like that. He gave a deep bow as the three women approached. The people standing to either side of him also bowed or curtsied as appropriate.


    ¡°My ladies,¡± the tall man said. ¡°Welcome to the Emporium.¡±


    Tianna took the lead and walked straight up to the man. ¡°Ulises, how good to see you again.¡±


    The tall man¡ªUlises¡ªbent over and he and Tianna exchanged kisses to the cheeks. ¡°And you, Lady Friaz.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know you can call me Tianna.¡± She backed away so La?nne could approached.


    ¡°Of course, Tianna. And here we have the other Lady Friaz. So good to see you again.¡± He and La?nne exchanged kisses.


    ¡°And you,¡± La?nne said backing away.


    Ulises looked to Zandrue. ¡°And this?¡±


    Tianna gestured to Zandrue. ¡°This is our good friend, Zandromeda Armida.¡±


    Zandrue stepped up to him and exchanged kisses.


    ¡°A pleasure, Lady Armida.¡±


    Zandrue smiled at him and backed up.


    Ulises gestured to the people with him. ¡°Now then, my ladies, my staff and I are at your disposal. Shall we go in?¡± He motioned to the doors, which two of the staff then opened. He strode inside.


    Tianna hurried right behind him.


    La?nne leaned in close to Zandrue. ¡°Good choice on not having him call you Zandrue.¡±


    ¡°I just like being called Lady Armida.¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± La?nne said. ¡°As a noblewoman, I am, of course, a lady, but I¡¯m not the Lady Friaz. But when he says Lady Friaz, it sounds like I am. Shall we go in?¡±


    Laughing together, they entered the Emporium.

 Book 2, Chapter 40: Coins for the Poor (Part 2)

    Inside was a large room stuffed with all manner of items, more than Zandrue could easily catalogue with a single look. They appeared organised in categories of roughly similar characteristics¡ªclothing, artwork, herbs and spices, weapons and armour, and more¡ªbut within each category, there was no immediately discernible organisation. There wasn¡¯t time to take it all in, though, as Ulises was already talking as Zandrue and La?nne reached him and Tianna.


    ¡°Do you have an idea of what you¡¯re looking for?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not entirely,¡± Tianna said. ¡°However, we need things we can take with us to the the New Year¡¯s Eve ball, so something we can wear or easily carry. Fans, jewellery, chaperons.¡±


    ¡°We have just received a shipment of very beautiful and very expensive Singean prayer beads,¡± Ulises said. ¡°They would make fine necklaces.¡±


    ¡°Personally, I¡¯m interested in hairpins,¡± La?nne said.


    Ulises bowed. ¡°Of course.¡± He motioned to one of the staff. ¡°Show Lady Friaz to our collection of hair accessories.¡±


    The young staff member bowed and motioned to La?nne. ¡°This way, my Lady.¡±


    Tianna touched La?nne¡¯s arm. ¡°Don¡¯t go far. We need to stay in sight, remember?¡±


    La?nne looked to Ulises. ¡°It¡¯s not far, surely? I¡¯ll still be in sight.¡±


    Ulises waved vaguely. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just over there. You won¡¯t be far.¡±


    La?nne patted Tianna¡¯s shoulder. ¡°See? It¡¯ll be fine. Besides, I¡¯ll have guards.¡± She smiled and followed the staff member. Two of the guards followed them. They were all soon out of sight, hidden by the numerous stacks of sundry items.


    Tianna rose up on her toes, straining to see. ¡°See? She¡¯s already out of sight.¡±


    ¡°You can go with her if you wish,¡± Ulises said.


    Tianna shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. You¡¯re sticking with me, right, Zandrue?¡±


    ¡°You bet,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°And what are you two ladies interested in?¡± Ulises asked.


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Whatever she wants.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we can start with those Singean prayer beads you mentioned,¡± Tianna said.


    Ulises bowed. ¡°I will show you them myself. This way. It is near where the other Lady Friaz has gone. You should have no trouble seeing her from there.¡± He strode off.


    Tianna took Zandrue¡¯s hand and squeezed it as they followed.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Zandrue asked.


    Tianna just nodded.


    They turned a corner and Tianna gasped. In front of them was a large multicoloured mask shaped like a monstrous head with a mouth full of pointed teeth. Made of silk, the mask was propped up on a pole and a long tail, also propped up by poles, stretched out behind the head for at least a dozen feet.


    ¡°What is that supposed to be?¡± Tianna asked.


    ¡°Dragon dance costume,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Singean, I think.¡±


    ¡°Chayan,¡± Ulises corrected.


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Singea, Chay, they¡¯re next door to each other. I was close.¡±


    Past the dragon costume, they reached an area of glass cases displaying various jewellery pieces, from rings to bracelets, necklaces, and more. They were made from more than just precious metals, stones, and gems. There were also examples of wooden items, as well as some that appeared made from leaves and pressed flowers.


    Farther away, La?nne was visible, talking to one of the staff.


    Tianna pointed to a feathered necklace. ¡°That¡¯s pretty, though looks kind of cheap.¡±


    ¡°Quetzal feathers,¡± Ulises said with a smile. ¡°Anything but cheap, Tianna. Here we are.¡± He motioned to a nearby staff member, who brought forward a tray containing several beaded necklaces.


    Tianna¡¯s eyes widened and she reached for one which appeared made of sapphires. ¡°May I?¡±


    ¡°By all means,¡± Ulises said.


    Tianna lifted the necklace and faced Zandrue, holding it to her chest. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Zandrue whistled. ¡°I think, can you afford it?¡±


    Tianna giggled. ¡°I admit, it might be a bit much even for my father. However, you are aware Annai¡¯s paying for today, right?¡±


    Zandrue grinned. ¡°I was hoping that was the case, but I didn¡¯t want to make any assumptions.¡±


    Tianna smiled. She spun back round and placed the necklace back on the tray. She reached for another one. ¡°We would like to see many such items. I suspect it is going to be a difficult choice.¡±


    Ulises bowed. ¡°I will leave you in the hands of my capable staff. However, if you need me, I will not be far.¡± He bowed once more and strode off in the direction of La?nne.


    The staff brought them all kinds of expensive necklaces to look at. Not just the Singean prayer beads, but the Ninifin feathered necklace, a ¡°volcanic¡± necklace made of mostly obsidian from Ostanith, Ebeletin pearls, and more.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had a chance to thank you,¡± Tianna said while they were trying the jewellery on.


    ¡°Thank you for what?¡±


    ¡°Coming to my aid with Quilla the other day.¡±


    ¡°I thought that was more you coming my aid.¡±


    Tianna blushed and turned her head away slightly. ¡°I suppose it was a bit of us both coming to each other¡¯s aid.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it was,¡± Zandrue said.


    Tianna held up the latest necklace, a string of small wooden figurines or people and animals. Zandrue shook her head, and Tianna replaced it on the tray with a giggle.


    ¡°I really can¡¯t stand that woman,¡± Tianna said, ¡°but I know she was a friend of yours. I¡¯m sorry things have gone the way they have.¡±


    Zandrue sighed. ¡°Yeah, me too, a little. But that¡¯s the way things go, right?¡± She hoped Quilla was all right. They had made a good show that night of pretending to chase the Darkers that were meant to distract them from Quilla and Dyle, so the two of them had ¡°escaped¡± to wherever they were going. But that was a large part of the problem: there was no way of knowing where they had gone and what had happened since. That was two nights ago. Only one full day had passed, but that was still more than enough time for all kinds of horrible things to happen, and there was no way of knowing when Quilla would be able to get some sort of message out, if she was ever able to.


    Tianna took Zandrue¡¯s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ve got new friends now, and we¡¯re really happy to have you.¡± She turned her head away again, blushing slightly. ¡°Even if I wasn¡¯t so welcoming at first.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°You were just protecting Annai.¡±


    Tianna gazed up into Zandrue¡¯s eyes. ¡°I was, yes, but I was also protecting myself. I thought you were competition. But now I know you¡¯re not. You¡¯re something else.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What sort of something else?¡±


    Tianna grinned, but also blushed again. Then her eyes widened, and she let go of Zandrue¡¯s hand. ¡°I have a great idea! Why don¡¯t we get matching items? I think I saw the perfect things just a little while ago.¡± She turned back to the staff member helping them.


    Several minutes later, they had arranged for a pair of matching sets, each containing a sapphire necklace¡ªnot quite as extravagant as the Singean prayer beads, but arguably more attractive¡ªand four bracelets also adorned with sapphires.


    ¡°Sapphire seems to be the theme today,¡± La?nne said, coming back over to them. She indicated the new hairpins she was wearing. Their handles were shaped like the Bear of Arnor with small sapphires for the eyes. While clearly expensive, they were far less extravagant than what Tianna had chosen for her and Zandrue.


    Tianna hugged Zandrue. ¡°We¡¯re going to match! I¡¯m even going to make certain even our gowns match as close as possible. Be right back.¡± She let go of Zandrue and went over to a waiting Ulises to take care of payment. Zandrue guessed that Annai must have supplied her with Annai¡¯s royal seal.


    ¡°Matching huh?¡± La?nne said.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°It was Tianna¡¯s idea,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it was. Better watch out. Tianna might have found a new object of her affections.¡±


    Zandrue sighed. ¡°I was starting to wonder about that.¡±


    La?nne tilted her head and looked from Zandrue to Tianna, then back. ¡°You know, I think you might make a cute couple.¡±


    Zandrue groaned. ¡°I do have Rudiger, you know! Everyone keeps forgetting that.¡±


    La?nne laughed.


    ¡°What are you two laughing about?¡± Tianna asked, rejoining them. She was carrying a wooden case, presumably carrying their newly purchased jewellery.


    ¡°Oh, I was just teasing Zandrue,¡± La?nne said. ¡°She was asking about Thilin.¡±


    Tianna snorted. ¡°I get it.¡± She held out the case to La?nne. ¡°Would you hold this a moment, dear? I need to put my shawl back on.¡±


    La?nne took the case and stumbled forward slightly before catching herself. ¡°Woah, that¡¯s rather heavy, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Zandrue leaned in to assist. ¡°Here, let me.¡± The case was heavier than it looked. It had to be the type of wood it was made from, though she didn¡¯t know enough about wood types to identify it.


    Tianna snickered. ¡°You always were a weakling, La?nne.¡±


    La?nne tutted. ¡°I¡¯m a harpsichordist. I¡¯ve developed great dexterity with my fingers, but it doesn¡¯t do much for upper body strength.¡±


    Tianna finished with her shawl and took the case back. ¡°You could have gone more expensive, La?nne dear. Your hairpins were a fraction of the cost of ours.¡±


    La?nne shook her head. ¡°I like these because I can wear them any time, not just to the ball.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± Tianna said. ¡°We should get back to Annai.¡±


    The trip back to Annai and Thilin was quick and uneventful. People were quicker to move out of the way this time, so their guards didn¡¯t need to do any shoving, thankfully. As she watched the people around them, Zandrue couldn¡¯t help but think about the fact the cost of her new necklace and bracelets could probably support everyone in the market for a year or more. She wondered if she might be able to sell them at some point and redistribute that wealth a little.


    A much larger crowd had gathered near where they had arrived, so their guards took them on a detour around the crowd. A small stage had been set up between the sleighs and two fancy chairs¡ªnot quite thrones, but pushing it¡ªsat in the centre of the stage. Annai and Thilin stood behind the stage.


    ¡°You¡¯re just in time,¡± Annai said as they approached. ¡°I trust you found some delightful things?¡±


    Tianna gave Zandrue a quick look. ¡°I think you can say that.¡±


    ¡°I like the hairpins, La?nne,¡± Annai said. ¡°They suit you very well.¡±


    La?nne smiled and curtsied slightly. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°And what of you two?¡± Annai asked.


    Tianna hugged the case to her chest. ¡°You¡¯ll find out in due time. It¡¯s a surprise.¡±


    Annai smiled. ¡°I do like surprises.¡±


    Thilin put a hand on Annai¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You ready, sis?¡±


    Annai straightened up and nodded. ¡°I am.¡± She looked to Zandrue and the others. ¡°Wish us luck.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll do great!¡± Tianna said.


    Flanked by guards, Annai and Thilin ascended to the stage while trumpeters played a fanfare. They walked to the chairs and sat down. The fanfare played a little longer while a herald held up his hands to call for silence from the crowd. As the crowd quietened, the fanfare came to an end.


    ¡°People of Arnor City!¡± the herald called. ¡°Before you today are their Highnesses, Princess Annai and Prince Thilin.¡±


    The crowd roared. Zandrue couldn¡¯t quite tell if it was in praise or disdain. She got the impression it might be a mixture of both.


    The herald waved for quiet once more. ¡°They have a matter of great importance to announce to you all. Prince Thilin of Arnor!¡± The herald moved to the side.


    Thilin stood up and approached the front of the stage, guards to either side of him watching intently. He raised a hand while the crowd quietened again. ¡°People of Arnor City, you are all, I am sure, aware that a little over six weeks ago, our dearest sister Sinit?a went missing. We believe she was kidnapped by an Eloorin man, a known descendant of the Dragon himself, Meleng Drago, along with his Isyar co-conspirator, Jorvanultumn.¡±


    Thilin paused while murmurs spread through the crowd. Zandrue was pretty certain Meleng¡¯s family lineage had not been publicly mentioned before, and it was clear Thilin knew that as he was giving the crowd time to process it. Damn! She should have thought of this. Of course they would use his family to turn public opinion away from him. And just like the Dragon had had an Isyar companion¡ªconsort so the stories went¡ªthey were using Jorvan for that role.


    ¡°Unfortunately, our sister is still missing, and it has their Majesties, the King and Queen, as well as myself, my sister Annai, and all our other brothers and sister in a constant state of sorrow and despair. However, we hold out hope our dearest sister is still alive. Six weeks ago, my father, the King, announced a reward of a gold crown for any information leading to Sinit?a¡¯s location and recovery. He has now authorised me and my sister to increase that reward.¡±


    A courtier carrying a large, wide bowl ascended the stage and walked over to Annai. The courtier curtsied low and held out the bowl. Annai rose and took the bowl, then walked slowly over to Thilin. She held up the bowl.


    ¡°This bowl is filled with copper pennies,¡± Thilin said. ¡°As many as we could fit. At least five hundred, I would guess.¡±


    Annai flipped the bowl, scattering its contents into the crowd nearest the stage.


    For a moment, there was pandemonium as people dived to catch, grab, or pick up as many coins as they could. People pushed and barrelled over one another for a chance to get a coin.


    Another fanfare played and Thilin held up his hand to motion for calm and silence again. It took longer this time, but eventually the crowd calmed.


    Thilin lowered his hand. ¡°There will be another of these bowls for anyone who brings us information that leads to finding our sister. Two such bowls if the information leads to bringing our sister home alive. Remember, that¡¯s at least three hundred pennies per bowl, and not spread amongst a crowd, but all to the person who brings the information. That¡¯s worth at least five crowns!¡±


    The crowd cheered. After they were finally quietened again, Thilin continued, ¡°We hope you will talk to everyone you know, and spread the word beyond Arnor City. The Dragon¡¯s descendant could have taken her anywhere, so we need everyone everywhere looking for her. I beg you all to help us find this villain and bring him to justice!¡±


    The crowd roared once more. Thilin raised his hand to speak again, but Annai beat him to it. ¡°That is not all!¡±


    Thilin turned to her, a startled look on his face.


    Tianna hugged Zandrue¡¯s arm. ¡°This was my idea. Annai loved it!¡±


    A courtier carrying another bowl ascended the stage, approached Annai, and bowed, holding the bowl out in front of him.


    Annai took the bowl. ¡°The reward my brother has just told you of comes from my father and mother, and it is very generous. However, my love for my sister has prompted me to add to it from my own personal funds. I am matching my parents¡¯ reward with an additional bowl of pennies¡ªtwo bowls if the information leads to my sister coming home alive!¡± She shook the coins over the crowd.


    A stampede erupted as people farther back in the crowd rushed the stage, knocking over the people in front of them. Fights broke out. People collided with the stage¡¯s supports, causing it to shake.


    ¡°Get their Highnesses off of there!¡± a guard yelled.


    Tianna¡¯s face had gone pale and she shook. ¡°Oh no, but that was...oh gods, what have I done?¡±


    The guards escorted Annai, Thilin, the courtiers, and trumpeters off the stage before it collapsed. Guards near Zandrue escorted her, Tianna, and La?nne back to the sleigh they had come in. ¡°We need to get everyone out of here now,¡± the guard commander said.


    Zandrue was the last into the sleigh, a guard practically shoving her into her seat. The driver yelled at the horses, and they started moving. Luckily, the sleigh had already been turned around at some point between arriving and now.


    Tianna, wailing, huddled against Zandrue.


    Zandrue put her arm around her and patted her shoulder. With her other hand, she spread out a heavy blanket over both of them.


    ¡°This is my fault, isn¡¯t it?¡± Tianna sobbed. ¡°It was my idea.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine. Annai and Thilin got out.¡± Tossing the coins into the crowd once was a calculated risk; doing it a second time was even more so.


    ¡°Annai¡¯s going to kill me.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Tianna,¡± La?nne said. ¡°It was Annai¡¯s mistake for not telling Thilin or the guards.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°If Thilin and the guards had known, they could have planned for it. So you can¡¯t blame yourself.¡±


    Tianna sobbed something unintelligible into Zandrue¡¯s chest and hugged her closer. She sobbed there for the entire trip back to the Palace.

 Book 2, Chapter 41: Slay (Part 1)

    I need more exercise.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Rudiger said.


    Gabriella turned her head to look at him. ¡°I take it that was for your horse, not me?¡±


    Rudiger grinned. ¡°Yeah, sorry.¡±


    You¡¯re not sorry. You love it when they get confused by our conversations.


    ¡°That¡¯s nonsense.¡±


    You¡¯ve gotten better at silent communication with me, so the only reason to speak aloud is so other people know we¡¯re talking.


    Rudiger rolled his eyes, but didn¡¯t reply.


    ¡°You¡¯re a weird man to be around, Rudiger,¡± Gabby said.


    ¡°You get used to it eventually, your Highness,¡± Hang said. He was part of their honour guard, riding to the other side of Gabby.


    They were riding across the open snow-covered field north of the Palace compound. Although they were no longer on Palace grounds, they were still technically on Royal land. These were the Royal Hunting Grounds, although they weren¡¯t here to hunt today, just have a leisurely ride.


    Anyway, Rudiger said, what¡¯s this about exercise? I thought the grooms exercised you every day. Unless you¡¯re complaining about your healing time again. You had to stay still during that time.


    I¡¯m talking about now, Borisin replied. They let me out of my stall and just walk me around a bit. That¡¯s not exercise.


    Rudiger groaned. No, I suppose not.


    You hardly ever come out to see me.


    I come out as often as I can. It¡¯s just lately, I¡¯ve¡­


    Borisin snorted. You¡¯ve been busy, I know. I¡¯m going to lose my musculature.


    Rudiger sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right, of course. Sorry. I¡¯ll make a better effort.¡±


    ¡°Apology accepted,¡± Gabby said. ¡°Though I don¡¯t know what for. I wish I could hear inside your head, Rudiger. Either you¡¯re hearing a talking horse, or imagining you are. Either way, it sounds like a fascinating place.¡± She laughed.


    Ha, that¡¯s not the word I¡¯d use, Borisin said. Cluttered mess more like.


    Rudiger leaned a little in Gabby¡¯s direction. ¡°He says he agrees with you. My mind is a truly fascinating place.¡±


    Hey! Don¡¯t go misquoting me!


    Gabby snickered. ¡°Does he now? How convenient for you that he can¡¯t tell me himself.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he can. He just chooses not to.¡±


    Gabby laughed. ¡°Why am I not surprised?¡±


    Pastrin looked back. He and Ned were riding a short distance ahead. ¡°Something funny, sis?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just laughing for no reason.¡± She laughed some more, and rode forward to join them.


    Serves you right for misquoting me, Borisin said.


    ¡°Sorry buddy, don¡¯t follow you.¡±


    She left you behind. The truth will always get you farther with flirting.


    Rudiger laughed. ¡°I wasn¡¯t¡­¡± He paused and switched to silent communication. I wasn¡¯t flirting. I don¡¯t need to flirt. I¡¯ve got Zandrue.


    Like that¡¯s gonna stop you.


    She¡¯s not my type! Besides, she¡¯s not even into men!


    You¡¯ll flirt with anyone.


    Rudiger groaned. Whatever. Look, I¡¯m sorry about not visiting you enough, okay? It¡¯s hard with all this mingling I¡¯m supposed to do, but I promise I¡¯ll push for them to do more things like this and less playing billiards. I¡¯m crap at that game anyway.


    Borisin took a moment before replying. Fine, but I¡¯m holding you to that promise. Not getting off the hook.


    Deal, Rudiger said.


    This ride had actually been Gabriella¡¯s idea. She had expressed a desire for something other than billiards for a change. She wasn¡¯t into hunting like Malef and Pastrin, but she said she did like riding through the Hunting Grounds and seeing the places where they hunted. Rudiger had been glad for the change of pace. Especially with Malef not there most of the time now, the games were even more unbalanced in Gabby¡¯s favour.


    They were approaching the edge of the field now, riding up a small hill to the edge of the woods. The woods were thick according to Pastrin and Ned. Probably not the most ideal place for a horse as big as Borisin.


    I¡¯ll be fine.


    ¡°I have no doubt, buddy,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°You should probably just prepare yourself for a few nicks and scrapes.¡±


    Like I said, I¡¯ll be fine.


    Hang rode up towards him. ¡°I will never get used to you and that horse, Rudiger. Even weeks on the road with you, and I never got used to him.¡± As he got right up to him, he lowered his voice. ¡°Any word from Quilla?¡±


    Rudiger shook his head. ¡°Didn¡¯t really expect there would be. It¡¯s only been a couple days. Don¡¯t even know how she¡¯ll manage to get any word back.¡±


    ¡°I hope she¡¯s okay. If they find out she¡¯s¡­¡± Hang breathed heavily and shook his head.


    ¡°Riders coming!¡±


    The cry came from the member of the honour guard at the rear. Both Rudiger and Hang stopped and looked back. There were three riders coming towards them from the Palace. They were waving a pair of flags. Rudiger had no idea what the heraldic symbols on them were, so looked to Hang.


    Hang was already turning to face forward. He called, ¡°Prince Malef and Lady Plavin!¡±


    Pastrin, Gabby, Ned, and the third honour guard came to a stop. They all waited for Malef, Lady Plavin, and their honour guard to reach them.


    ¡°I thought you were too busy,¡± Gabby called out to Malef as they rode up.


    Malef laughed. ¡°When we learned you were going riding instead of just playing billiards, we decided to change our schedule. Lidda¡¯s been dying to go riding since she arrived. She¡¯s quite the accomplished rider, you know?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Gabby said. ¡°You should have said something, your Ladyship. I would¡¯ve been happy to ride with you.¡±


    Lidda Plavin rode up beside Malef. ¡°That¡¯s quite all right, your Highness. There really hasn¡¯t been time anyway. Malef¡¯s been keeping me busy, haven¡¯t you, dear?¡±


    Gabby grinned. ¡°I bet he has.¡±


    Pastrin and Ned laughed¡ªno, giggled was a more accurate description.


    Lidda Plavin blushed slightly and lowered her head. ¡°Yes, well, what happens between a lady and her paramour stays between that lady and her paramour, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Gabby raised an eyebrow. ¡°As you wish, your Ladyship.¡±


    Malef turned his horse and rode over beside Rudiger. ¡°Get a load of Rudiger¡¯s horse, Lidda.¡± He held out his hand towards Borisin.


    Let him, Rudiger said.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Borisin gave a very exaggerated mental sigh.


    Malef ran his hand through Borisin¡¯s mane. ¡°Magnificent, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Lidda rode up beside Malef, and rolled her eyes. ¡°He¡¯s certainly big enough. It¡¯s almost obscene. The kind of horse only a man would ever find magnificent. No offence, dear.¡±


    I don¡¯t think she knows what obscene means. Can I bite her?


    No!


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine he has much grace at all to him. Not like Zo? here.¡± She patted the slender palomino she was riding. The mare was not even half Borisin¡¯s size.


    I¡¯ll show her grace.


    Lady Plavin frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve never been very fond of roan, either. I¡¯ve always found it...I don¡¯t know...common. It lacks that aristocratic feel. And so many scars.¡±


    Those are beauty marks, lady.


    ¡°He¡¯s been in battle, dear,¡± Malef said.


    She grimaced. ¡°Like I said, a man¡¯s horse. Very unsuitable for a ride through thick woods.¡± She turned her horse around and rode ahead towards Gabriella and the others.


    Malef grimaced at Rudiger. ¡°Sorry, Rudiger. Didn¡¯t know she¡¯d respond quite that way. But well...women, right?¡± He grinned and laughed.


    Rudiger forced a laugh in return.


    I bet I could spook that skinny thing she¡¯s riding and get her to throw her.


    I think her words were meant to insult me, buddy, not you, Rudiger said.


    Think I care? She insulted me. Those are fighting words.


    Rudiger groaned. We really can¡¯t start any fights here.


    You always say that.


    That¡¯s because it¡¯s pretty much always true.


    ¡°Have you heard?¡± Pastrin said. ¡°Rudiger can talk to his horse.¡±


    Lidda Plavin scoffed. ¡°Oh, can he now?¡±


    ¡°To be fair,¡± Ned said, ¡°anyone can talk to their horse. I talk to mine all the time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the difference is, Rudiger¡¯s horse talks back,¡± Pastrin said. ¡°Least, so he claims.¡±


    ¡°And you believe him?¡± Lady Plavin said.


    Pastrin shrugged. ¡°He hasn¡¯t given me any reason not to.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re sure he¡¯s at all sane?¡±


    How about I knock her from her horse and trample her? We can say it was an accident.


    Just pay her no mind, Rudiger said.


    Borisin snorted.


    They rode into the forest, most of the others staying ahead of Rudiger. They laughed a lot, mostly at Rudiger¡¯s expense. Lidda Plavin led them on. Every time Borisin snapped a few branches trying to get through the tight foliage, or got scraped, she had a quick comment for them all to laugh at. So much for whatever friendship he thought he¡¯d been forming with them. Except Gabby. She didn¡¯t laugh along with the rest.


    ¡°She got it out for you or something?¡± Hang asked at one point.


    Rudiger sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, yes.¡±


    ¡°What did you ever do to her?¡±


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°Not really sure. I think she wants my sword.¡±


    Hang laughed. ¡°That monstrosity? I thought she didn¡¯t like big things.¡±


    Rudiger grinned. ¡°Who knows what goes on in her head?¡±


    They reached Gabriella, who had stopped to allow them to catch up. ¡°Gods, I can¡¯t stand that woman. I¡¯ve never liked her. Don¡¯t let her get to you, Rudiger.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me, your Highness,¡± Hang said, ¡°but didn¡¯t you offer to go riding with her? Seems an odd offer for someone you don¡¯t like.¡±


    Gabby nodded. ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s politics for you. Notice I offered after the fact.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I would never have offered at the time.¡±


    I think I might actually like this one, Borisin said. You have my permission to flirt with her.


    Rudiger groaned.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the response I expected,¡± Gabby said. ¡°I figured you disliked her as much as I do.¡±


    ¡°No, that was...that was for Borisin. He...uh...he thinks I¡¯ve been flirting with you.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you?¡± She held a straight face for a moment, then broke broke into a grin and laughed. ¡°If you could only see your face, Rudiger.¡±


    ¡°He says he likes you, by the way. Borisin, that is.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Borisin likes me, does he?¡± She laughed some more.


    Hang laughed with her.


    Rudiger just shook his head.


    Gabby winked at him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Rudiger, I¡¯m just teasing.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°I know, I know.¡±


    As they rode deeper into the woods along game trails, the conversation gradually changed to things other than making fun of Rudiger, such as the events in Arnor City two days ago. Princess Annai had been thoroughly chastised by her mother for putting both herself and Thilin in danger. No one here was particularly sympathetic towards Annai, though they were towards Thilin. At least no one had been injured¡ªespecially Zandrue.


    At one point, Rudiger found himself riding beside Lidda Plavin. Her head barely reached the height of his waist.


    ¡°So where¡¯s that sword of yours, Rudiger?¡±


    He didn¡¯t look at her. ¡°Not here.¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°I can see that. Somewhere safe, I take it?¡±


    ¡°Always.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind getting a look at it at some point. Could that be arranged?¡±


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, your Ladyship. Didn¡¯t you say you have a busy schedule? My schedule¡¯s busy too. Might be difficult to arrange a time, but maybe we can come up with something.¡±


    ¡°Yes, perhaps we could. Or course, since it¡¯s not on your person, wherever it is, are you really sure it¡¯s safe?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Mean? I¡¯m just asking a simple question. Presumably, it¡¯s in Felit?a¡¯s apartments, where you and that Volg have somehow finagled your way into.¡±


    He looked down at her. ¡°You¡­you¡­¡±


    ¡°Know about Zandrue?¡± She snickered. ¡°Of course I do. Though you probably don¡¯t want her new best friend, Princess Annai, to find out.¡±


    ¡°What are you getting at?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry,¡± she said. ¡°As long as she doesn¡¯t get in the way, she¡¯s safe.¡±


    Rudiger¡¯s heart sank. He wished he had Slay here right now, though perhaps it was best he didn¡¯t. He might cut her down with it. ¡°In the way?¡±


    ¡°I did ask if you were sure the sword is safe.¡± She looked up at him, a smirk on her face. ¡°Of course, you¡¯re probably much too late now.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    Borisin was already turning around. One kick right now and she¡¯s toast.


    No, we¡¯ll get her another time, buddy.


    ¡°Everything all right, Rudiger?¡± Malef called.


    ¡°Yeah fine,¡± Rudiger called back. ¡°I just...just remembered I promised to help Zandrue with something. I¡¯m going to have to cut this short. So sorry.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame,¡± Malef said, ¡°but totally understandable. You don¡¯t want to anger your woman.¡± He laughed.


    Rudiger forced a laugh. ¡°It¡¯s been fun. I¡¯ll see you all soon.¡±


    ¡°You okay finding your way out of here?¡± Malef asked.


    ¡°Yeah, Borisin knows the way.¡±


    Gabby rode up beside him. ¡°I¡¯ll help.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°No, no, I insist.¡±


    ¡°All right, thank you.¡± There wasn¡¯t time to argue. ¡°Let¡¯s go, buddy.¡± With as much haste as you dare.


    Borisin took off back through the woods. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t manage much haste here. There was just too much underbrush.


    Gabriella came up beside them. ¡°All right, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Like I said¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that bullshit. Something Lidda said spooked you to the core. I couldn¡¯t hear, but I saw. Now tell me what the hell is going on.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a long trip back to the Palace. We¡¯ve got time.¡±


    I say we tell her, Borisin said. They won¡¯t let me inside the Palace, so you might need her help.


    ¡°All right,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°It¡¯s about my sword.¡±


    ¡°That giant monstrosity of yours?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Yeah, that one. I think Lidda Plavin¡¯s sent someone to steal it.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 41: Slay (Part 2)

    Zandrue took three glasses of wine from the tray, two in one hand and one in the other. ¡°Thank you, Marna. Please give us some privacy now.¡±


    The girl curtsied. ¡°I¡¯ll be in the next room if you need me, my Lady.¡± Zandrue had requested her services after Quilla had been banished.


    As the girl backed away, Zandrue turned to Tianna, who was already making herself at home on the chaise longue. Zandrue handed one of the wine glasses to her, and placed another on the table. ¡°For La?nne when she gets here.¡± She sat beside Tianna. They clinked glasses, then each took a sip.


    ¡°These are nice apartments.¡± Tianna pointed towards the fireplace. ¡°I like the picture of Queen Felit?a. I suppose it¡¯s appropriate for Princess Felit?a¡¯s room. Still, her grandmother was a far greater woman than she¡¯ll ever be.¡±


    Zandrue frowned. ¡°You don¡¯t like Felit?a much, do you?¡±


    ¡°I know she¡¯s your friend, Zandrue, but she¡¯s been nothing but rude to me and Annai.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Maybe she has, but maybe you just need to sit down with her and work things out.¡±


    Tianna rolled her eyes. ¡°I doubt that, but then¡­¡± She looked away. ¡°I didn¡¯t like you at first, either, so¡­¡± She looked back and smiled.


    Zandrue smiled back. ¡°So, what¡¯s this all about? Why did you insist we come here?¡±


    Tianna smiled conspiratorially and put a finger to her lips. ¡°I chose here because there¡¯s no way Annai will ever come here, and this needs to be a total secret. It goes no farther than me, you, and La?nne. Got it?¡±


    Zandrue took a sip of wine. ¡°You¡¯ve certainly got me intrigued, so yeah, I got it.¡±


    ¡°Well, as you know, I was trying to plan a surprise for Annai¡¯s birthday, but she knows about that now. I still intend to do it, but it¡¯s not a surprise anymore, so I need something new. I was thinking the three of us can do something together for her.¡±


    Zandrue continued to sip at her wine. ¡°What were you thinking?¡±


    ¡°We sing a song for her. At the concert. La?nne will play as usual, and you and I will sing a duet. A brand new song specifically for her. I¡¯ve already started writing it, but I¡¯d value your contribution.¡±


    ¡°I like the way you think,¡± Zandrue said.


    Tianna grinned. ¡°I knew you¡¯d like the idea! As soon as La?nne gets here, we¡¯ll go over it in detail. I wonder what¡¯s taking her so long.¡± She looked towards the door.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be along,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°I know, but we¡¯re supposed to stay in sight of each other.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we knew when we made the agreement it would be impossible to do all the time.¡±


    Tianna nodded. Then her eyes widened. ¡°I know! How about, while we wait, you show me around these apartments?¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Sure, why not? I mean, they¡¯re not much different from Annai¡¯s really, apart from how they¡¯re decorated, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly the sort of thing I want to see!¡±


    Zandrue stood up. ¡°To be honest, there¡¯s not much of that. Felit?a¡¯s barely ever lived here, and I just haven¡¯t had a chance to decorate.¡± Largely because she hadn¡¯t really expected to be staying so long. ¡°But I¡¯m happy to show you what there is.¡±


    Tianna jumped to her feet. ¡°Great!¡±


    Zandrue gestured towards the fireplace. ¡°You¡¯ve already noticed the portrait of Queen Felit?a. It...um...hangs above the mantel, which is...which is in some style or other. I presume.¡±


    Tianna giggled. ¡°You don¡¯t have to explain everything. Just show me.¡±


    Zandrue snickered. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s probably the better way to do it. Follow me.¡±


    ¡°Is the room layout like Annai¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°The dressing room is through there. Bedroom over there. Study cabinet up the stairs. Handmaids¡¯ room over there.¡±


    The main door opened and the guard on duty, Edmon, let La?nne into the room. The slim woman was dressed rather informally in a light kirtle, her brown hair done up in a bun held together with the two hairpins she¡¯d bought in Arnor City.


    ¡°There you are!¡± Tianna said.


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late,¡± La?nne said. ¡°I got held up.¡± She hugged Tianna, then Zandrue. ¡°So, what¡¯s this all about?¡±


    ¡°Tell you in a bit,¡± Tianna said. ¡°Zandrue¡¯s giving us a tour.¡±


    ¡°I thought that was just to pass the time until she got here,¡± Zandrue said.


    Tianna waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Yes, but we¡¯re committed now. I want to see everything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m game,¡± La?nne said.


    So Zandrue gave them a tour around the apartments. It was quick as there wasn¡¯t much to show. They walked into each room, Tianna and La?nne took quick looks, and then they moved on to the next room. As they moved about, Tianna told La?nne about her idea.


    In the bedroom, Tianna went straight over to Rudiger¡¯s wardrobe as soon as Zandrue pointed it out. She opened it and peered inside.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Rudiger¡¯s got anything that¡¯ll interest you,¡± Zandrue said.


    Tianna laughed. ¡°Just looking. A bit of fun, you know. Still, this sword here is incredible. It¡¯s huge! Can I look at it?¡± She reached into the wardrobe.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s a good idea without asking Ru¡ª¡±


    There was a crash.


    ¡°Gods, that thing¡¯s heavy.¡± Tianna backed away from the wardrobe a few steps. ¡°Sorry. I might have knocked it over.¡±


    La?nne looked over her shoulder. ¡°That is a huge sword. Still, he¡¯s a big man. He can probably lift it.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just take a quick look?¡± Tianna said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you and I together could pick it up?¡±


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°Not unless he says it¡¯s okay. Ask him later if you want.¡±


    La?nne put a hand on Tianna¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Zandrue¡¯s right. Let¡¯s go compose that song of yours.¡±


    Tianna pouted. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right.¡±


    They returned to the lounge, where Tianna sat on the chaise longue again. She patted the cushion beside her and nodded to Zandrue.


    ¡°You know this is meant for one person to spread out on, right?¡± Zandrue said as she sat down.


    Tianna shrugged. ¡°I know.¡±


    La?nne pulled up a chair near them.


    Zandrue pointed to the glass of wine on the table. ¡°That¡¯s for you, La?nne. I made sure to leave one for you.¡±


    La?nne smiled and reached for the glass. ¡°Your glasses are empty. Let me refill them for you.¡± Instead of picking up her own, she picked up the empty ones and carried them over to the wine table.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°This is what I was thinking,¡± Tianna said. ¡°Zandrue, you¡¯re named after Zandromeda the Volg Killer, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°I thought we could reference the Volg Killer in the song as a reference to you. Unfortunately, I¡¯m not named after a legendary figure, so I¡¯m not sure how to get in something for me.¡±


    La?nne returned with the wine. ¡°Why not just make something up? Just claim there was some other legendary hero named Tianna.¡± She handed one glass to Zandrue and the other to Tianna, then picked up her own from the table.


    ¡°Bur surely people will notice that,¡± Tianna said and took a drink of wine.


    ¡°There are hundreds of stories out there. No one will be able to prove it¡¯s not just a story they¡¯ve never heard before.¡± La?nne grinned. ¡°For all we know, there really is one out there.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Tianna said.


    ¡°And of course, you need to reference the hero La?nne as well. Just because I¡¯m only playing and not singing doesn¡¯t mean I should be left out.¡±


    Tianna laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll definitely get a reference to you in there.¡±


    They discussed the logistics of the song for a while, and Zandrue surprised herself by actually getting excited about it. She wouldn¡¯t have liked to admit it to Rudiger or Quilla or Felit?a, but she was starting to enjoy all this singing.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t touched your wine, Zandrue,¡± La?nne said.


    Zandrue looked down at the glass she¡¯d been holding to her chest and laughed. ¡°Sorry, I just got caught up in everything. Besides, I¡¯m trying to cut back.¡±


    ¡°At least have one glass,¡± La?nne said. ¡°After all, I poured it for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, all right, you¡¯ve bent my arm.¡± Zandrue raised the glass and took a sip.


    Tianna lay her head on Zandrue¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This is surprisingly tiring work.¡±


    Zandrue lowered the glass. Tianna¡¯s eyes were half closed. ¡°You all right?¡±


    Tianna smiled. ¡°Absolutely perfect.¡± Her words were slurred. ¡°Just tired, but happy you¡¯re here.¡±


    Zandrue looked at the table, where manuscript papers was scattered about. Tianna¡¯s wine glass sat empty. La?nne was watching Zandrue.


    Tianna put her arms around Zandrue. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t trust you at first, Zandrue. I was wrong. You¡¯re wonderful.¡± Her eyes closed, and her body relaxed and slumped over.


    Zandrue leaned forward, and placed her wine on the table, watching La?nne the whole time. She extracted herself from Tianna¡¯s arms and stood up.


    La?nne¡¯s eyes followed her the whole time.


    ¡°Going to say anything?¡± Zandrue asked.


    La?nne sighed. ¡°You should have drunk your wine, Zandrue. Still, that small sip you took should slow your reflexes at the very least.¡± In a flash, she fell backwards in her chair and flipped off it as its back hit the floor. She landed on her feet, turned, and ran towards the bedroom.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Zandrue took off after her. She had no idea what drug La?nne had put in the wine, but Tianna had taken a full dose and it had taken several minutes to affect her, so the smaller dose Zandrue had taken would need time as well. Nevertheless, she needed to stop La?nne before it started to work.


    Zandrue ran to the bedroom. La?nne was at Rudiger¡¯s wardrobe. She reached down and picked up Slay, lifting the sword off the ground with one hand and pulling the sheath away with the other.


    Zandrue ran around the four-poster bed and leapt at her. La?nne turned and pointed the sword at her. Zandrue stopped and stepped backwards. How had she gotten so strong?


    ¡°I have to commend you, Zandrue. All that sucking up to Annai, manipulating yourself into a position of influence. You got Annai to switch from hating you to considering you one of her best friends. Though that was a bit my fault. I should have chosen a different time to set the dogs on you.¡±


    ¡°So that was you. I didn¡¯t even know you then.¡±


    La?nne laughed. ¡°But I knew you. And then you somehow managed to turn Tianna from paranoid you were going to steal Annai from her to being all love-dovey over you. All presumably so you could track down Servants in the Palace, and the whole time you never noticed the one right beside you. How will Tianna take it, do you think, when she finds out you¡¯re the one who followed her and scared the hell out of her? Gods, you¡¯re pathetic.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Once you¡¯re exposed as a Darker, I¡¯m sure I can make things right with Tianna again.¡±


    La?nne laughed. ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m not going to to be exposed, am I? Tianna¡¯s going to wake up, find you dead, and me injured. We were attacked by thieves and you perished. If you¡¯re lucky, I might tell her you died in a valiant attempt to protect her. Feed into that little crush of hers and make her cry a lot. She¡¯s incredibly manipulable.¡±


    Zandrue yawned, making it as noticeable as she could. ¡°Look, if you¡¯re going to kill me, just get it over with. You¡¯re boring me.¡±


    La?nne sneered. ¡°Oh, I was just distracting you long enough to get used to the balance of this ridiculously big sword.¡± She lunged at Zandrue.


    Zandrue hurled herself to the side and onto the bed. La?nne swung Slay, which cut right through one of the posts. Zandrue rolled across the best as the corner of the canopy came down. Slay cut right through the frame of the bed as well.


    La?nne gasped. ¡°Ridiculously big, but what power!¡±


    Zandrue rolled off the other side of the bed and hopped to her feet. ¡°You¡¯re a lot stronger than I realised. That was a good act in Arnor City.¡± La?nne wasn¡¯t much bigger than Tianna. It was absurd that she could lift Slay effortlessly, never mind swing it one-handed. Hell, even Rudiger didn¡¯t use Slay one-handed.


    La?nne smiled. ¡°That wasn¡¯t an act. Things have just changed since then. A little perk of being a Servant. I¡¯m still getting used to it.¡±


    Zandrue pushed the bed at La?nne, who leapt backwards. Zandrue rushed around the bed again, and dove towards her own wardrobe, sliding across the floor for the last few feet. She opened wardrobe, then rolled aside as La?nne swung Slay down at her. She spun around, tried to use her feet to trip La?nne.


    It was like hitting a stone wall. La?nne didn¡¯t budge, but raised Slay again. Zandrue rolled again, only just avoiding the blow. She jumped back to her feet. The room swam around her.


    Shit. The drug must be taking effect. She didn¡¯t need this right now.


    La?nne swung again, nicking Zandrue¡¯s arm. ¡°Getting a bit sluggish, I see. A shame. I was starting to enjoy this. Now your death¡¯ll be too easy..¡±


    Zandrue turned and ran for the door. Her only hope was to get to Edmon before La?nne could catch up to her.


    Something hit her in the back of the shoulder, its blade going right through and sticking out the other side. A stiletto with a hilt shaped like the Bear of Arnor with sapphire eyes. One of La?nne¡¯s new hairpins. Zandrue stumbled and fell forwards through the bedroom door. Her chin smacked into the floor. ¡°Edmon!¡±


    She started to pull herself back up, but a foot pressed down on her back, pushing her back down against the floor.


    The main door opened and Edmon rushed into the room. ¡°My Lady?¡±


    Another stiletto flew through the air and right through Edmon¡¯s neck. He sputtered, blood pouring out of both his neck and mouth.


    The door to the handmaids¡¯ room opened and Marna peered out. ¡°My Lady, is¡ª¡± Edmon gurgled and fell over. Marna screamed and slammed her door shut again.


    ¡°That was a much better shot,¡± La?nne said. ¡°Some nasty little items Ulises got me, don¡¯t you think? Now, let¡¯s see. How should I finish you off? I could cut off your head with Daemonslayer here, hang it up on the wall for Rudiger to discover when you get back.¡±


    Zandrue tried to crawl out from under her foot, but La?nne pressed down harder.


    ¡°Or I could just apply a bit more pressure and crush your spine and ribcage. That would be kind of messy though. I¡¯ll probably get blood all over my shoes and skirt. Can¡¯t deny it would be fun though.¡±


    ¡°Zandrue!¡±


    Rudiger was at the open door, Gabriella right behind him. The Princess threw a dagger over his shoulder. La?nne bent aside to avoid it, loosening the pressure on Zandrue¡¯s back. Zandrue slid to the side, rolled to her feet.


    Rudiger rushed forward, but La?nne swung Slay at him. Rudiger dove out of the way. Zandrue shoved La?nne. It didn¡¯t do much, but it did unbalance her a little. Zandrue ran past her and back into the bedroom.


    Her vision was still blurred and spinning, but she knew where she was going. She made it to her wardrobe and grabbed her sword. She ran back to the lounge.


    Everything was blurry at first, but after blinking a few times, things started to focus. Gabriella was dodging blows from La?nne. The Princess blocked a blow with her sword, but Slay broke the blade near in half. Gabriella dove backwards.


    Rudiger ran at La?nne from behind, grabbing her sword arm and trying to wrest Slay from her. She jabbed her other elbow into his chest and he actually grunted. Then, with a heave, she flipped Rudiger over her head. He crashed onto the table with the song manuscript. On the chaise longue, Tianna jolted.


    Gabriella rushed La?nne, jabbed with the jagged edge of her broken blade. La?nne swung with her free arm, hit Gabriella on the side of her face, and sent the Princess sprawling. La?nne raised Slay over Rudiger.


    The room was starting to spin again, but Zandrue ignored it. She rushed forward while La?nne¡¯s back was turned. She swung her sword into La?nne¡¯s side. La?nne stumbled. Rudiger kicked out and knocked her off her feet. Slay clattered to the floor. La?nne fell on her back. Her hand reached for Slay.


    Zandrue gripped her sword in both hands, turned it point down, and drove it into La?nne¡¯s chest. La?nne screamed, then went still.


    Rudiger got to his feet and grabbed Slay, gasping for breath. ¡°How the hell is someone so small so strong?¡±


    Zandrue stumbled. Everything was spinning so fast. ¡°Darker. Like Mister Speedy maybe? Except strength?¡± She grabbed hold of something. The chaise longue? Yes, she was fairly certain it was the chaise longue. She tried to lie down on it, but there was someone already there. But that was okay. Whoever it was shifted aside and tried to make room. Oh, it was Tianna, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Zandrue?¡± Rudiger said. ¡°You all right?¡±


    Zandrue snuggled up against Tianna, who put her arms around her. That aggravated the pain from the stiletto in her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve been...um...what is it? Oh right, I¡¯ve been drugged. Tianna too. I¡¯m gonna nap now. Get this fucking dagger out of me, would you? That¡¯s a good boy. Goodnight.¡±


    She closed her eyes and let the sweet darkness of unconsciousness take hold.

 Book 2, Chapter 42: Friction (Part 1)

    Zandrue gave her cup a gentle shake and watched the wine swirl about. She should really stop drinking this stuff. It would be a sure-fire way to avoid being drugged.


    ¡°In the right light, you can see all kinds of different patterns in the wine,¡± Ardon said. ¡°It can be easy to get lost in those patterns, especially when you¡¯re in need of distraction. Unfortunately, the light in here isn¡¯t the best.¡± He was sitting in his usual place at the desk in the study cabinet.


    Zandrue was sitting across from him. She had filled Ardon in on everything that had happened and a whole lot more. He¡¯d had questions about every last detail, often on things she couldn¡¯t fully remember. For the last few...minutes? Yes, it must have been minutes now. For the last few minutes, they had been silent, and she had been staring at her wine.


    She was pretty certain there were still people downstairs. Captain DeSelo?n and his men had arrived soon after she¡¯d passed out. Rudiger had woken her. They¡¯d bandaged her shoulder while she was still out. It had been at least an hour now since they had removed La?nne¡¯s and Edmon¡¯s bodies. Zandrue was uncertain what they were doing now. She should probably head down there and find out.


    She put the wine glass down on the table. Her shoulder ached.


    Ardon took a quick sip of his wine, and then put it down as well. ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself. You couldn¡¯t have known.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± She could kick herself. She¡¯d let herself get too distracted. She¡¯d started enjoying herself, enjoying the singing and the drinking, even the company. Sure, she¡¯d even started wishing it was over, but that was still distracted. She had completely missed the Darker right beside her the whole time. She could have known, if she had just been paying attention.


    Ardon stood up and offered his hand. ¡°Shall we return to the others downstairs?¡±


    Zandrue sighed. She picked up the wine glass again and downed the contents in one extended gulp. Then she stood up. ¡°Right.¡± She ignored Ardon¡¯s hand and went straight to the stairs.


    In the salon below, Captain DeSelo?n and a few guards were questioning Marna and the other handmaids by the main door. In the centre of the room, nearer the stairs, Rudiger and Gabriella sat talking. Just past them, Tianna was sobbing into Annai¡¯s shoulder. Annai hadn¡¯t been here when Zandrue and Ardon had gone upstairs, and Tianna had still been unconscious.


    As she walked towards them, Rudiger rose and met her partway. She squeezed his arm as she passed him. She was fairly certain he frowned, but they would have loads of time together later. Right now, she wanted to talk to Tianna.


    She sat beside Annai and Tianna. Annai smiled at her, and Tianna looked up. ¡°Oh Zandrue!¡± Tianna wailed and threw her arms around her. She proceeded to sob into Zandrue¡¯s chest and shoulder¡ªthe injured one. Zandrue just held her as best she could, trying to ignore the pain from her shoulder. There were tears in Annai¡¯s eyes the whole time, but she did nothing other than give Zandrue occasional encouraging smiles.


    After several minutes, during which time Rudiger and Gabriella moved over to sit near the other three, Tianna sat up and wiped her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just, I...I¡¯ve known La?nne my whole life. I can¡¯t believe she¡¯d do something like this.¡± She sniffled and Annai squeezed her hand.


    Captain DeSelo?n approached them, bowing to Annai and Gabriella. ¡°Your Highnesses, my Ladies, my Lord. We are finished here for now. I must go now to make my report to their Majesties. There will be two Kingsguard just outside the door if you need anything.¡±


    Annai and Gabriella exchanged glances. ¡°Thank you, Captain,¡± Annai said. ¡°We appreciate everything you¡¯ve done.¡±


    DeSelo?n bowed again, backed away, then left the apartments with all but two of the guards. Those two bowed, and at a nod from Annai, stepped through the door and closed it.


    Zandrue looked around, wondering where Ardon had got to, but there was no sign of him. He must have left. She motioned to Marna.


    The girl came over and curtsied.


    ¡°Marna, would you be so good as to get us some food and drink. After that, you and the others can have the rest of the night off. Do something relaxing.¡±


    Marna curtsied. ¡°Yes, my Lady.¡±


    As Marna scurried off, Annai said, ¡°You¡¯re giving them the night off? This is a time when we need them the most.¡±


    Zandrue looked Annai square in the eye. ¡°They¡¯ve had a terrible fright, Annai.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and so has Tianna. A much worse one.¡±


    ¡°Personally, I wouldn¡¯t have even asked them to do this one task,¡± Gabriella said.


    Annai shot Gabriella an angry glance.


    ¡°Either way, Annai,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°Tianna has us. My handmaids only have each other. They deserve some time to recover.¡±


    Annai gaped for a moment, but then looked away. ¡°Very well. Perhaps you¡¯re right. It just seems like something¡­¡± She paused, then shook her head. ¡°Never mind.¡±


    Over the next little while, two of the handmaids went to collect food and more wine, while Marna poured everyone wine from what was already in the apartments. Tianna rested her head on Zandrue¡¯s shoulder and cried softly a little more. Annai continually wiped tears away from her own face and tried to pretend she wasn¡¯t crying. Once the handmaids had returned with some food¡ªsome boar flavoured with oranges from the orangery, and more bread and cheese¡ªthe handmaids withdrew.


    ¡°There are some things we should talk about.¡± Just a couple days ago, Zandrue would have never believed she would be about to let Annai in on what was going on, but it was time to come clean about things. She was reasonably confident that neither Annai nor Tianna were Darkers¡ªand if they were, they probably already knew most of what Zandrue had been up to anyway. She and Rudiger needed allies. More importantly, they needed the King and Queen on their side, and Annai was the only one with any chance of convincing the Queen.


    ¡°Rudiger¡¯s filled me in on some of it,¡± Gabriella said.


    Annai frowned. ¡°And I overheard some of it before Tianna woke, and what I heard seems...well, I don¡¯t know what to think of it. Darkers coming and going from the Palace at will?¡±


    Tianna gasped. ¡°Darkers?¡±


    Zandrue stroked Tianna¡¯s hair. ¡°Didn¡¯t they tell you La?nne was a Darker?¡±


    Tears formed in Tianna¡¯s eyes. ¡°Yes, but...there are more?¡±


    Zandrue wiped Tianna¡¯s tears and nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s the part I find difficult to believe,¡± Annai said. ¡°It¡¯s virtually unthinkable that there was even one¡ªand La?nne of all people¡ªbut more?¡±


    ¡°There are at least three others,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Probably more. Whether you like it or not.¡±


    ¡°And how do they get in and out?¡± Annai asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know for sure,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Probably with inside help.¡±


    ¡°Like La?nne¡¯s,¡± Gabriella said.


    Annai crossed her arms. ¡°Then with La?nne gone, it should be possible to root them out.¡±


    ¡°It would nice if it were that easy,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be?¡± Annai said.


    ¡°La?nne just didn¡¯t have the influence. She had your ear, Annai, but did she ever ask you for any special favours?¡±


    Annai thought for a moment. ¡°Once in a while. What sort of special favours would she need?¡±


    ¡°It could be anything along the lines of asking you to move some guards away from a specific location, or maybe ask for a change to the watch schedule. Maybe she asked you to give a job to someone, like to recommend them as a Palace guard or any kind of servant job or even a handmaid.¡±


    Annai put a hand over her mouth as Zandrue listed the options. ¡°Oh gods. She did ask me to give some work to a few Eloorin she¡¯d taken pity on a few months ago. Are you saying they¡¯re Darkers?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°It might have been an innocent request, though I doubt it. You¡¯ll need to let me and Rudiger know who they were so we can look into it.¡±


    ¡°Why you? I should give that information to Captain DeSelo?n. He¡¯s in charge of security. He should look into it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, tell him too, because he already knows what Rudiger and I...and Quilla...have been up to.¡±


    Tianna sat up, letting go of Zandrue. ¡°Quilla?¡±


    Annai¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Just what have you been up to?¡±


    Zandrue took a deep breath. ¡°We¡¯ve been investigating the Darkers since we got here. One of them¡ªone we¡¯ve met before¡ªmade contact with Quilla the first night we were here. Since then, we¡¯ve been looking for him, and whoever has been helping him. Quilla has now managed to infiltrate them. At least, we think she has. We¡¯re not entirely sure. We hope she¡¯s all right.¡±


    ¡°But Quilla was banished,¡± Tianna said.


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°That was done so the Darkers would accept her coming to them.¡±


    Tianna began to shake. ¡°Are you saying...the fight...you and her, you¡­?¡±


    ¡°That was an act. I didn¡¯t expect you to get involved, Tianna. You were just supposed to be a witness. You and La?nne. I didn¡¯t know she was a Darker at the time. Quilla was going to physically attack me, and you were supposed to witness it and hear the awful things she said about Annai. Word would get back to the Darkers in the Palace and they¡­¡±


    Zandrue reached out to Tianna, who recoiled, backing into Annai, who put her arms around her protectively.


    ¡°You used me?¡± Tianna said.


    ¡°No, not exactly.¡± Zandrue couldn¡¯t make eye contact with her. ¡°I was just...yeah, I suppose I did use you.¡±


    ¡°You could have told us,¡± Annai said.


    ¡°Really? You¡¯re still sceptical now, Annai. You¡¯d never have believed me. You didn¡¯t trust me.¡±


    ¡°And you expect me to trust you now? You gained our trust and now drop this on us?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I wasn¡¯t...that is¡­¡± Zandrue bit her lower lip. The warmth of a tear tickled her cheek. ¡°It wasn¡¯t meant¡­¡±


    Annai stood up, helping Tianna up with her. ¡°Congratulations, Zandrue. You pulled one over on me. On us. You¡¯re Felit?a¡¯s best friend, and you¡¯re as bad as she is. How the hell I thought we could be friends, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a lie,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I loved the time we spent together. The music, the singing, everything. I honestly consider both of you my friends. Dear friends.¡±


    ¡°Friends don¡¯t use their friends,¡± Annai hissed.


    ¡°Annai, give her a chance to explain and apologise,¡± Gabriella said.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Annai shot a glare at Gabriella. ¡°Stay out of this, Gabby. This has nothing to do with you.¡±


    Zandrue wiped her face with her sleeve. ¡°Please, Annai, let me explain and ask forgiveness.¡±


    Annai scowled and looked away. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Zandrue held out her hand. ¡°Tianna?¡±


    Tianna turned her back to Zandrue and clutched at Annai¡¯s arm.


    Rudiger stood up. ¡°Can I just point out that, whatever else Zandrue¡¯s done, she¡¯s saved both your lives. If she hadn¡¯t been there when the dogs were let out¡ªand that was La?nne who did that by the way¡ªif she hadn¡¯t been there, you¡¯d be dead, your Highness. And you, Tianna, if it weren¡¯t for Zandrue, La?nne would have killed you today. She single-handedly held La?nne off until Gabby and I got here. So you want to talk about trust? I think she¡¯s more than earned it.¡±


    ¡°When I want your opinion,¡± Annai said, ¡°I¡¯ll ask for it. For now, mind your own business.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right though, Annai.¡± Tianna let go of Annai¡¯s arm and turned around again to face Zandrue. ¡°We didn¡¯t trust her at first. She didn¡¯t have any other choice than to be a little...duplicitous. Though I do wish she¡¯d admitted things a little sooner.¡± She sat back down beside Zandrue. ¡°Though I suppose that would have revealed things to La?nne.¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°Though I didn¡¯t suspect La?nne at the time. I actually trusted her.¡±


    Tianna smiled and took Zandrue¡¯s hand. ¡°Then it was fortuitous, I suppose.¡± She put her other hand to her face. ¡°Oh gods, she must have been the one who followed me the other day. Do you think?¡±


    Zandrue shivered. Gods, should she tell Tianna the truth? Could she?


    Tianna leaned forward. ¡°Zandrue, you¡¯re shaking. Are you okay?¡±


    Zandrue nodded quickly. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m...I¡¯m just¡­¡±


    Tianna smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t beat yourself up over it. You can¡¯t be everywhere to protect both me and Annai all the time. I went out in secret. You couldn¡¯t have known.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°It¡¯s just La?nne¡ª¡±


    Tianna squeezed her hand. ¡°I know. I understand. Just thinking about her now makes me shiver. Annai, La?nne¡¯s the one we should be angry with. She used us far more than Zandrue did. At least Zandrue wasn¡¯t out to kill us and had a good reason for what she was doing.¡± She turned back to Zandrue again and took Zandrue¡¯s other hand, brought them both together. ¡°I forgive you, Zandrue.¡±


    Gods fucking damn it!


    There was no way to tell the truth now. She would just have to live with the lie. She had lied to numerous people before. Why was she choked up about this lie now? It wasn¡¯t like she was lying to Rudiger or Felit?a¡­ Shit. That was exactly what it was like. She¡¯d allowed herself to get attached.


    Tianna lifted both of Zandrue¡¯s hands, bent over a bit, and kissed them. Then she slid closer to Zandrue and hugged her. ¡°Everything¡¯s going to be okay. I forgive you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Zandrue whispered back with a slight grunt. ¡°Just careful of my shoulder.¡±


    Annai sat down beside them both. ¡°All right. I suppose I forgive you, too.¡±


    Tianna let go of Zandrue and hugged Annai. ¡°La?nne betrayed all three of us. We need each other now more than ever.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Tianna, but that means you, Zandrue, have to tell us everything you know about these Darkers. You think there are others? Who?¡±


    Zandrue wiped away more of her own tears. ¡°One of them is named Dyle Aderman. He seems to be their leader. He¡¯s also Quilla¡¯s ex-husband.¡±


    Annai and Tianna gasped. ¡°Quilla was married before?¡± Annai said. ¡°Did Garet know?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he did,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°He never said anything,¡± Annai said.


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Why would he?¡±


    Annai frowned. ¡°Did you know about this, Gabby?¡±


    Gabriella nodded. ¡°Yes, I did, and before you ask, the reason no one ever told you is because we knew your reaction would be exactly what it is now.¡±


    Annai put her hands to her chest. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with what I¡¯m doing now? I¡¯m just surprised. That¡¯s all. I didn¡¯t know this before.¡±


    Gabriella rolled her eyes. ¡°Uh huh.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true!¡±


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°he seems to be able to move about the Palace unseen, almost like he just vanishes from where he is.¡± She told them about the times he¡¯d approached Quilla, the offer he¡¯d made her, the incident during the funeral, and the attempts to track him down. Finally, she told them how Quilla had volunteered to pretend to accept his offer to try to get at the Darkers from the inside.


    ¡°I guess I really misjudged her,¡± Tianna said.


    Zandrue forced a smile. ¡°Honestly, Tianna¡ªand I say this as a friend who cares for you dearly¡ªbut you need to stop automatically thinking things like that about Eloorin. You too, Annai.¡±


    Annai¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Don¡¯t you tell me¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lidda Plavin was right about me,¡± Zandrue interrupted. ¡°I am of mixed blood.¡± This was one thing they definitely didn¡¯t need to know the exact truth about.


    ¡°Yes, but more Folith than Eloorin, right?¡± Annai said.


    ¡°Annai,¡± Tianna said, ¡°she¡¯s right. I promise I¡¯ll try my best, Zandrue.¡±


    Zandrue smiled. ¡°That¡¯s all I ask.¡±


    Annai sighed. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll try not to misjudge Eloorin.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I attacked Quilla,¡± Tianna said. ¡°That wasn¡¯t because she¡¯s an Eloorin. That was because of the things she was saying about the two of you.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°And honestly, it helped our case.¡±


    ¡°She really did a number on me though, didn¡¯t she?¡±


    Zandrue grinned. ¡°Yes, she did.¡±


    ¡°So, Quilla has infiltrated these Darkers,¡± Annai said. ¡°Do we know anything about any other Darkers than just this ex-husband of hers?¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°Yes. We know of one other who is here in the Palace, a person of significant stature. That said, that person hasn¡¯t been here long enough, so there has to be someone else as well. While La?nne obviously got some things from you, Annai, I don¡¯t think she had enough influence.¡±


    ¡°Okay, fine,¡± Annai said, ¡°but who¡¯s the person you do know.¡±


    Zandrue took a deep breath. ¡°Lidda Plavin.¡±


    Annai rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh, good grief. That¡¯s ridiculous. She¡¯s not just a lady; she¡¯s the ruler of an entire province. No Darker could ever get into a position like that. What sort of proof do you have?¡±


    ¡°She told me so,¡± Rudiger said.


    Annai looked at him. ¡°Excuse me? She just told you?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°I know it seems unbelievable, Annai,¡± Gabriella said. ¡°I¡¯ve never liked Lidda Plavin, but I would never have suspected this of her, but I was there when she was taunting Rudiger. I didn¡¯t hear exactly what she said, but she knew La?nne was trying to steal Rudiger¡¯s sword, and she seemed to believe it was going to be brought to her.¡±


    Annai gaped for several moments and made sputtered attempts at speaking before getting herself under control. ¡°We have to tell people! We have to tell Mother and Father!¡±


    ¡°Do you really think they¡¯ll believe us?¡± Gabriella said.


    ¡°Mother will! She¡¯ll believe me!¡±


    Gabriella shook her head. ¡°Too risky. Let Lidda think she¡¯s got you shaken. If we tip our hand now, and the Queen doesn¡¯t believe us, we give Lidda all the power. That may be what she wants.¡±


    ¡°On the other hand,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°we might not have any other choice. Lidda Plavin is going to need to do some clean-up work after La?nne¡¯s failure. She¡¯s going to be working extra hard for the King and Queen¡¯s trust. If we don¡¯t act now, we might not get another chance.¡±


    Annai stood up. ¡°She will believe me. She trusts me, and she knows I would never lie to her.¡±


    ¡°Has she forgiven you for Sinit?a yet?¡± Gabriella asked.


    Annai¡¯s eyes narrowed and her upper lip twitched. She looked about to speak, but then looked away. ¡°No. I can still make her believe me though. I¡¯m her favourite. I know it, and you know it, too.¡±


    Gabriella sighed. ¡°All right then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go right now before Lidda Plavin has a chance to do anything.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t go alone,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take guards.¡±


    ¡°You need someone you can trust,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Sure, take guards, but I¡¯ll go with you too.¡±


    Annai shook her head. ¡°No, she¡¯ll never allow you in. She hates you and doesn¡¯t like that I¡¯ve been spending time with you. Sorry, Zandrue, but you¡¯ll make it impossible for me to convince her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Gabriella, will you go with her?¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t like me much either,¡± Gabriella replied.


    ¡°She really doesn¡¯t,¡± Annai said. ¡°She hates Gabby almost as much as she hates Felit?a.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± Tianna said.


    Zandrue took Tianna¡¯s hand. ¡°No offence, Tianna, but I want someone with Annai who can fight. I know there¡¯ll be guards with her as well, but I want whoever else is with her to be able to fight too.¡±


    Tianna frowned, but nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d go,¡± Rudiger said, ¡°but I suspect it would be the same problem.¡±


    Annai nodded. ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡±


    ¡°What about Hang?¡± Zandrue asked Rudiger.


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°I think he¡¯s available now. I could get him.¡±


    ¡°Hang?¡± Annai asked.


    ¡°Alhang Merrin,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°He¡¯s one of the Kingsguard and a good friend of mine. I can¡¯t think of anyone more trustworthy outside of this room.¡±


    Annai nodded. ¡°I think I know who you mean. He¡¯s guarded me several times before. He¡¯ll be acceptable. Mother won¡¯t think twice about any Kingsguard with me.¡±


    Zandrue stood up and approached Annai. ¡°It¡¯s settled then. Be careful, Annai. Things are bound to start getting rough over the next few days and weeks. If they realise you¡¯re working with us...well, those dogs La?nne released. They were actually meant for me, it turns out. You were collateral damage. But next time, they¡¯ll be for you, and they¡¯ll try to do it when I¡¯m not there to protect you.¡±


    Annai straightened up. ¡°I can manage.¡± She hugged Zandrue. ¡°But thank you.¡±


    Rudiger strode towards the door. ¡°If you¡¯ll follow me, your Highness, I¡¯ll take you to Hang. We can fill him in on what¡¯s going on, and he can go with you to the Queen.¡±


    Annai nodded. ¡°Lead the way, sir.¡±


    When Rudiger opened the door, the guards outside snapped to attention.


    ¡°One of you, with us,¡± Annai said. ¡°The other, remain here.¡±


    One of the two guards fell into position behind Annai and Rudiger. The other closed the door.


    Tianna came up beside Zandrue and took Zandrue¡¯s hand. ¡°Is she going to be okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Zandrue said, trying to sound certain. ¡°How ¡¯bout we clean up the music sheets and see what we can do to make them work? Gabby¡ªdo you mind if I call you Gabby? Rudiger does.¡±


    Gabriella shrugged. ¡°If you want.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you play harpsichord, do you?¡±


    Gabby shook her head.


    ¡°Oh well, we¡¯ll figure something out.¡± For now, it would be enough to distract Tianna for a little while. The truth was, Zandrue had no idea if Annai was going to be okay. The shit was about to hit the wall, and she had no idea how any of them would be when it was all over.

 Book 2, Chapter 42: Friction (Part 2)

    ¡°How could you do something so stupid?¡±


    Quilla had seen Dyle angry on a few occasions, but she¡¯d never seen him lose his cool quite like this. It was surprisingly entertaining, if only because of who he was angry at.


    Lidda Plavin sneered. ¡°I saw an opportunity and I took it.¡±


    Dyle laughed a harsh, single laugh. ¡°You had no right.¡±


    ¡°No right? How dare you tell me what rights I have.¡±


    Dyle walked right up to her and slapped her.


    She reeled back, placing a hand on her cheek. She looked frantically about at the other people in the room. No one moved to her defence.


    ¡°I¡¯ve warned you before about your lack of respect,¡± Dyle growled. ¡°You will learn your place.¡±


    Lidda Plavin was shaking visibly, but she straightened up. ¡°As you wish.¡± She hissed her words.


    They were in the entry room of the cellar. Quilla had not been allow out in the three days since coming here. In that time, she had met the others residing here, including Vellon, who was currently standing by the door to the stairs, behind Lidda Plavin. Dyle had not been exaggerating how horrid that man was. However, he hadn¡¯t actually tried anything awful against her, though Quilla couldn¡¯t look at him without imagining the horrid things he might do.


    Dyle turned his back to Lidda Plavin. ¡°There¡¯s also the fact you performed the ceremony on La?nne Friaz without permission, without even so much as telling anyone you were doing it.¡±


    ¡°You should, at the very least, have told me,¡± Barnol Friaz said.


    This was the first time Quilla had met any of the Darkers from the Palace. Lidda Plavin had not been a surprise, but Barnol Friaz was a revelation. Somehow, she wasn¡¯t surprised, but she also hadn¡¯t suspected him.


    He was sitting at the table across from Quilla. As usual, he had a box of chocolates with him, and he licked at his fingers between sentences. ¡°She was my cousin¡¯s youngest child, and very dear to him. She was here under my protection. How am I supposed to tell him she¡¯s dead? What am I supposed to tell him now that it¡¯s become common knowledge she was a Servant? Or should I say Darker, since that is the pejorative they¡¯re using.¡±


    Lidda Plavin sneered. ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn what you tell him. La?nne volunteered for the ceremony. She wanted it, and she was an ideal candidate.¡±


    Barnol banged his fists on the table, shaking his box of chocolates. ¡°Ideal candidate, my ass! You got her killed! I loved that girl almost as much as I love my own daughter.¡±


    Lama?n cleared his throat. He was leaning in one of the darker corners of the room, and so far, had not said anything. He came forward now, stroking his moustache. ¡°I should point out, the Dark Lord accepted her and gave her the requested power, so clearly she was an ideal candidate.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Lidda Plavin said.


    Lama?n rounded on her. ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the fact you took an unacceptable risk going after that sword like that. She may have been granted the power, but she was inexperienced. You gave her no time to learn to use it properly. You got her killed and quite possibly have cost us our plans here.¡±


    Lidda scoffed. ¡°Did I? And what exactly are our plans? You give us the vaguest information and just expect us to sit back. Meanwhile, the Sword is right under our noses, waiting for us to take it!¡±


    ¡°Daemonslayer is in Singea,¡± Lama?n said.


    ¡°As I¡¯ve tried to tell her,¡± Dyle said.


    ¡°It is here!¡± Lidda said. ¡°It fits all the descriptions. He even calls it Slay, an obvious diminutive of Daemonslayer.¡±


    Lama?n chuckled. He stroked his moustache. ¡°I¡¯ll let you in on a little secret. You¡¯ve fallen for a fake. In the years following Daemonslayer¡¯s construction, many copies were made. Since the real one is in Singea¡ªtrust me, I¡¯ve seen it as has your future Dusk Supreme; it is well protected¡ªRudiger can only have one of the copies. So it¡¯s time you dropped your obsession with it.¡±


    Lidda Plavin looked away, and didn¡¯t say anything.


    Lama?n waited a few seconds. ¡°Well?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Lidda muttered.


    ¡°Speak up.¡±


    ¡°I said fine. I¡¯ll let it go. For now.¡±


    Lama?n smiled, and stroked his moustache some more. ¡°Good. In that case, we can move on. You asked about our plans. It¡¯s time we talked about them in more detail. Barnol, you have the Pearl?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, of course.¡± Barnol pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the chocolate from his fingers. Then he pulled out a pouch.


    Lama?n took it from him. ¡°Thank you, my friend.¡±


    Lidda pointed at Quilla. ¡°We¡¯re going to discuss this in front of her?¡±


    Dyle groaned.


    ¡°You are aware of who this is, yes?¡± Lama?n said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lidda answered.


    ¡°Then you know her importance. She is an honoured guest.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Lidda scoffed. ¡°Important, yes. Honoured guest? She should be locked up, kept out of the way until she¡¯s needed.¡±


    Lama?n pulled at his moustache. ¡°You are determined to be as difficult as possible, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Dyle smirked, though he had positioned himself behind Lama?n¡¯s back out of Lama?n¡¯s sight.


    ¡°No, not at all,¡± Lidda said. ¡°I¡¯m just looking for an explanation why we¡¯re treating someone who has actively worked against us and with our enemies as an honoured guest.¡±


    Lama?n pulled at his moustache some more. ¡°Dyle, would you mind?¡±


    Dyle came forward, a smile on his face. ¡°Not at all.¡± He winked at Quilla, still positioned in a way Lama?n wouldn¡¯t see. He turned to Lidda Plavin. ¡°Lidda, how many times do we have to go through this disobedience and disrespect? I have invited Quilla to be with us. She¡¯s had a falling out with her former friends. Or maybe she hasn¡¯t and is just pretending. It really doesn¡¯t matter either way. She has no way to go back to them and tell them anything she learns here, and the more we treat her well, the more she learns it¡¯s to her benefit to be on our side. I also know her quite intimately, and I know how she thinks and operates. We used to be married, you know?¡±


    He walked over to Quilla and put his hands on her shoulders. She glared at him and he backed away. ¡°Yes, of course, sorry.¡±


    Lidda laughed. ¡°Yes, you know her so well.¡±


    Dyle shrugged it off. ¡°My point is, Quilla is one of us now. She is an honoured guest.¡±


    Quilla groaned. ¡°It would be nice if you¡¯d let me speak for myself, Dyle, instead of carrying on an argument about me right in front of me.¡±


    Dyle smiled. ¡°Of course.¡±


    She stood and marched over to Lidda Plavin. ¡°If you have something against me, say it to my face.¡±


    Lidda Plavin just stared at her.


    ¡°I know all about your Red Knights and your quest for racial purity or whatever bullshit you call it. So I know exactly what your problem with me is, or your problem with Dyle. Just know this, I¡¯m here, whether you like it or not, and while I don¡¯t know all the details of whatever I¡¯m needed for, it would seem to make me more important than you. So you want me, bitch? You come at me. Just remember the consequences.¡±


    Lidda slapped her.


    Quilla took a deep breath. ¡°Dyle, what exactly are the consequence?¡±


    Dyle shrugged. ¡°Double for now, maybe more for repeated offences. Sam, hold her.¡±


    Sam came up behind Lidda and grabbed her arm. She struggled, but he was far too strong for her.


    Quilla slapped her. Then slapped her again. Then she turned around and walked back to the table and sat down. Her heart pounded, and she tried desperately to control her breathing She couldn¡¯t show them her fear. She needed to be ruthless.


    ¡°Give me one of those.¡± She reached out and grabbed Barnol¡¯s box of chocolates.


    ¡°Ah, yes, of course,¡± Barnol spluttered.


    She pulled out a chocolate and pushed the box back to Barnol.


    Dyle came up beside her. ¡°Gods, you¡¯re sexy.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off, Dyle.¡± She popped the chocolate in her mouth. It was actually pretty good.


    Dyle backed away.


    ¡°Are all these petty rivalries done now?¡± Lama?n asked. ¡°Can we continue?¡±


    ¡°By all means.¡± Dyle motioned to Sam, who let go of Lidda.


    Lidda rubbed her wrists.


    Lama?n straightened the ends of his moustache, then lifted up the pouch. He opened it and emptied the contents into his palm. It was a single white pearl. He held it up, turning and displaying it to everyone in the room.


    Quilla stared at it, and held back a gasp. Hadn¡¯t that strange Isyar said something about a pearl? A pearl that had to go to Felit?a? Could this be it?


    ¡°This is one of a pair of items,¡± Lama?n said. ¡°They are known by many names, although most recently as the Pearls of Sestin. By themselves, they are potent. Together, they are more powerful. If joined to the Staff of Sestin, their true power is released. The Staff is currently in the possession of the Will-Breaker. She must not, under any circumstances be allowed to get her hands on the Pearls.¡±


    ¡°Where is the other Pearl?¡± Lidda asked.


    Lama?n lowered the pearl and put it back in the pouch. ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t know. Finding it is something I¡¯m dealing with, and all of you here need not concern yourselves with it. You need only concern yourselves with this one.¡±


    ¡°And the Staff?¡± Lidda said. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that be wrested from the Will-Breaker?¡±


    ¡°Your uncle is dealing with that.¡± Lama?n walked up to Lidda Plavin. ¡°I believe some time ago, I promised you the crown of Arnor.¡±


    Lidda scowled. ¡°You did, and I¡¯m making great headway with Malef. But he¡¯s not next in line, is he? He¡¯s not even second. How are you going to pull off your incredible feat of putting me on the throne? You¡¯ve yet to explain fully.¡±


    Lama?n smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll be happy to know I¡¯m about to. However, first, I need your assurance you will put aside your petty rivalries with everyone else here. If you cannot dedicate yourself fully to what¡¯s at hand, I will find someone else to give the throne to. Someone who will do as she¡¯s told. Someone who won¡¯t cause friction.¡± He stared intently into her eyes. ¡°Well?¡±


    She sighed. ¡°You have my assurance.¡±


    Lama?n turned aside. ¡°Good.¡± He began to circle the room as he spoke. ¡°The key to our success lies in the Pearl. Dyle and a couple others have been learning how to use some of its minor powers, but we are going to use one of its more significant ones.¡±


    As Lama?n explained the plan and what the Pearl could do, all Quilla could do was listen aghast. What he was saying was absurd, ridiculous, impossible. But he was deadly serious. She had to get word to Zandrue and Rudiger somehow, though she wasn¡¯t sure what she could do once they knew. Whatever the case, if they didn¡¯t do something soon, no one in either the Palace or Arnor City would survive.

 Book 2, Chapter 43: Harsh Medicine (Part 1)

    Felit?a breathed in slowly. She held the breath for several seconds, then exhaled more slowly. She did it a couple more times. It was so much easier to achieve a state of calm when the Staff was being quiet like this. If only she weren¡¯t so tired.


    In the Room, the Staff loomed overhead, its pearl eyes glowing softly, but otherwise showing no signs of life. It was quiet. Alas, as much as Felit?a liked this, it wasn¡¯t helpful at the moment.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Agernon grumbled. ¡°No activity at all. It¡¯s like this piece of shit Staff does it on purpose. It knows when I¡¯m trying to study it, and it shuts itself down.¡±


    That was almost certainly exactly what it was doing. He knew it; she knew it. In situations like this, it was just best not to say anything, and let Agernon rant however he wanted.


    ¡°Fine. Open your eyes. We¡¯ll try again later.¡±


    Other times, though, it was worth speaking up. ¡°Just give me a moment. I may still be able to make contact.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s never worked before.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and if we don¡¯t keep trying, it never will.¡±


    ¡°You know what they say about doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know that, but I¡¯m not doing the same thing. I¡¯m actually trying different things.¡±


    He harrumphed. ¡°Fine. Do what you need to.¡±


    Felit?a smiled inwardly. He¡¯d given in more easily this time.


    In the Room, the Staff continued to float. Silent.


    Felit?a reached out to touch it. She didn¡¯t actually have hands to touch things with in this realm. It was just a place in her head after all. However, she could still touch things in a sort of mental way. She just imagined touching the Staff and she got a mental impression of what it felt like. It was exactly like the Staff in the real world, except bigger. That bigger size meant she could more easily explore its crevices, feel the grain of the wood.


    Are you there? she asked as she ran an imaginary finger along the Staff¡¯s length. You call to me at all other times. We just need to understand you, so I can help you. So I can understand what you¡¯re trying to tell me. There¡¯s no need to fight us.


    The Staff remained silent.


    Felit?a tried to grasp it. She¡¯d never tried something quite like this before. Touching was one thing, but holding? Why should it be any different? Everything she did here was just an interpretation of some mental process. Surely there was something represented by grasping?


    She took hold of the Staff and unhooked it from its position in that direction that wasn¡¯t really above her, but she had decided to call above.


    It was no longer quite as large. Or maybe it was she who had gotten bigger. Either way, it now seemed comparable to its size in the real world. She held it beside her. Again, she didn¡¯t have a body, but she had a presence that had a kind of location.


    Well? she asked.


    Felit?a.


    Finally.


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Agernon exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s active! Keep it up!¡±


    What do you want from me? Can you tell me? I¡¯ve remembered some of what you say I have to remember. Is that it all? Is there any more? Please, I need you to tell me.


    ¡°It¡¯s gone again. You lost it.¡±


    There was a crash. Probably Agernon kicking something over.


    Please, she pleaded to the Staff. Why won¡¯t you cooperate?


    The Staff remained silent.


    Felit?a opened her eyes.


    Agernon was picking up the chair he¡¯d knocked over. He looked over at her and shrugged.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said.


    ¡°Pheh.¡± He sat down in the chair he¡¯d just righted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It was better than we usually manage, and I was able to get a small glimpse of where it¡¯s drawing its power from.¡±


    That was one of the biggest mysteries they¡¯d been investigating. ¡°What did you learn?¡±


    He grunted. ¡°Only that it still seems to be self-generating, and that¡¯s impossible. Except I saw a couple of circuits more clearly. Nothing extraordinary about them, but if I could see them all in operation together, I could probably start figuring a few things out. They¡¯ll have the answer. I know it.¡±


    Felit?a laid the Staff against the wall and sat in the chair beside him. ¡°We¡¯ll try again later.¡±


    Felit?a.


    She sighed. ¡°It¡¯s started again.¡±


    ¡°Of course it has,¡± Agernon said. ¡°I¡¯m not monitoring it. I told you. It knows. The damn thing¡¯s sophisticated beyond anything I¡¯ve even imagined before.¡±


    Felit?a rubbed her temples. ¡°If I could just concentrate better.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s your sleeping?¡±


    She waited a moment before answering. ¡°Still bad.¡± She¡¯d been telling others that her sleep was improving. She didn¡¯t want them worrying about her. But there wasn¡¯t much point with Agernon. It was affecting the research, and she couldn¡¯t mislead him as to the reason¡ªnot if she wanted this to actually be successful in the end.


    He shook his head. ¡°You really need to get help with that. We¡¯ll never get anywhere if you can¡¯t focus properly.¡±


    ¡°And where am I supposed to get help?¡± she snapped. ¡°Point me in the right direction and I¡¯ll go.¡±


    He slammed his cane on the floor. ¡°Don¡¯t you take that tone of voice with me, young lady!¡±


    Felit?a rubbed her temples some more. ¡°Then stop bringing up the same thing every time. There is nowhere for me to go for this type of problem. There are no mentalists in Quorge. No one with any kind of expertise in this kind of problem. I just have to wait and hope Jorvan is successful.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s likely to still be months before he¡¯s back. By then, you could be dead from exhaustion. Or from the Staff having one of its fits and burning out your mind.¡±


    ¡°I highly doubt that¡¯s likely.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible though.¡± He pointed his cane at her. ¡°You need to take better care of yourself.¡±


    Felit?a pushed the cane aside. ¡°I¡¯m trying, okay?¡±


    ¡°Not hard enough, I fear.¡±


    She stood up. ¡°Gods, how many times do we have to go through this? Every day? Twice a day? Because it¡¯s certainly starting to feel that way.¡±


    ¡°Bah, it¡¯s been at least a week since I last asked you.¡±


    ¡°No, you asked me two days ago.¡±


    ¡°I did not!¡±


    Felit?a put her hand to her forehead. She took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m going to find Corvinian so we can do something productive.¡± She walked from the room, her hand shaking by her head.


    In the kitchen, she stopped and leaned against the wall. Agernon was right. She did need help, but there really was nowhere to go. This wasn¡¯t natural. She was sure of that now. For her or for Nin-Akna. But she couldn¡¯t figure it out. There was no trace of mentalism magic doing it, and if someone was attacking her telepathically, she couldn¡¯t sense that person. There were no other mentalists in Quorge¡ªnot openly, at least. She and Elderaan had been the only ones for as long as she¡¯d been here. There was no one to suspect, and no one to turn to.


    But it really was getting bad. It wasn¡¯t just that she was losing focus or that she couldn¡¯t concentrate. She was getting short-tempered. Just now with Agernon was a good example of that. She was forgetting things; she was reasoning poorly. She wasn¡¯t quite having hallucinations like Nin-Akna, but every now and then, she thought she saw something at the edge of her peripheral vision.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Worst of all¡ªsomething she hadn¡¯t even let Agernon know yet¡ªher lack of focus, her inability to concentrate meant she could barely cast spells right now. It took monumental effort to cast even the simplest spell.


    About the only thing she could still do effectively was construct the Room in her head. That took very little effort and it was the only thing that gave her even a hint of focus.


    She needed help.


    She needed it desperately.


    And there was absolutely nowhere to turn.


    Felit?a took a deep breath and tried to gather what focus she had for the moment. What was she doing here anyway? Oh yes, she¡¯d used looking for Corvinian as an excuse to get away from Agernon. Where was the boy anyway? Probably his room. Where was his room again?


    She sighed and took a few more slow breaths.


    Right. Corvinian¡¯s room. It was in the cellar, and the door was just off the kitchen. That was why she¡¯d come this way.


    Nin-Akna¡¯s and Corvinian¡¯s voices were clear as soon as Felit?a opened the door to the stairs and started down slowly.


    ¡°No, you need to keep your legs just a little bent. Like that. Be relaxed, but alert. Stiff legs are easy to knock out from under you. And don¡¯t hold the knife like that. You¡¯ll stab yourself.¡±


    ¡°I was just trying to keep it out of your way while you showed me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you don¡¯t want it where your opponent can grab it and use it against you.¡±


    ¡°Oh hi, Felit?a.¡± Corvinian backed away from Nin-Akna, hiding a wooden dagger behind his back. ¡°Uh, we were...um¡­¡±


    They were in the centre of the room, away from the barrels, crates, and shelves against the walls. Corvinian¡¯s room was through a door off to the side.


    Nin-Akna turned to face Felit?a. ¡°Before you say anything, Felit?a, he deserves to know how to defend himself.¡±


    Felit?a stopped at the bottom of the stairs and leaned on the wall. ¡°He¡¯s only nine years old.¡±


    ¡°Ten in just a couple days!¡± Corvinian said.


    ¡°And that¡¯s old enough to learn how to defend himself,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°In Ninifin, he would have started training by now if he was to be a warrior when he grew up.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not in Ninifin. Also, who says he¡¯s going to be a warrior when he grows up?¡±


    ¡°What if I want to be one?¡± Corvinian said.


    Felit?a closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°Corvinian, you¡¯re nine years old. You¡ª¡±


    ¡°Almost ten!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re ten years old. You¡¯re too young to make these decisions.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re not my mom!¡±


    She sighed. ¡°Of course I¡¯m not your mom. I¡¯ve made no claim to be your mother.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you always tell me what to do? That¡¯s all anyone does. You, Agernon, even Akna.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re nine years old.¡±


    ¡°Ten!¡±


    ¡°Right, almost ten. Whatever. You¡¯re still...you¡¯re still¡­¡± She shook her head, tried to clear her thoughts. ¡°You¡¯re still a child, and you¡¯re in my custody for the time being.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get to do anything I want. It¡¯s all make tea, cook dinner, stand over there and don¡¯t move. I just want to do something I want to do for a change!¡±


    Felit?a scratched at the wall with one hand and clenched her nails on her other hand into her palm. She scrunched her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Corvinian! I¡¯m trying to help you, okay? We all are. We¡¯re trying to find out more about you so we can protect you from the Darkers who are after you. So quit complaining and do as you¡¯re fucking told!¡±


    ¡°I hate you!¡± Corvinian stormed into his bedroom and slammed the door.


    Felit?a slid down until she was sitting on the floor against the wall. Gods, what was she doing?


    Nin-Akna was starting at her. ¡°Seriously, Felit?a? What the hell was that?¡± She shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re a wreck. I¡¯m going to go talk to him, calm him down. Then we¡¯re going to have a serious talk.¡± She stormed over to Corvinian¡¯s door and banged on it. ¡°Corvin, it¡¯s me. I¡¯m coming in.¡± She opened the door, stepped in, then closed it again behind her.


    Felit?a buried her head in her hands. Gods, what was she doing? Yelling at him over such a small thing? Using that sort of language? She rarely used that sort of language with adults, but he was just a young child. She should apologise¡ª


    ¡°You need to apologise to him,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    When did she get here?


    Nin-Akna was sitting on the stairs beside Felit?a. ¡°He¡¯s hurting, Felit?a. That was...that was¡­¡±


    Felit?a sighed. She must have blacked out for a few minutes. That was happening a lot these days too. It was perhaps not surprising given how exhausted she was. It could be annoying when it happened, but at least it was a little sleep. She got so little other sleep these days. She closed her eyes and tears fell. ¡°That was unacceptable of me. I¡¯ll go apologise to him in a minute or two. I need to gather my thoughts, make sure I don¡¯t do it again. I¡¯m not well, Nin-Akna.¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± Nin-Akna leaned her head against the wall. ¡°Neither of us is well, Felit?a. I¡¯ve been saying so for months. Something¡¯s wrong. It¡¯s not natural. Look, I accept that lack of sleep does weird things to your head, and maybe my hallucinations and your lack of control are because we can¡¯t sleep properly. But something¡¯s stopping us from sleeping, Felit?a. This has gone on too long.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think I know that?¡±


    ¡°Do you? You deny it most of the time.¡±


    ¡°Because I can¡¯t find what¡¯s doing it! There should be some trace of something, and there isn¡¯t! So what the hell do you expect me to do?¡±


    Nin-Akna glared at her. ¡°Maybe start by doing what you said just a moment ago. Gather your thoughts and calm the fuck down.¡±


    Felit?a lowered her head into her hands again. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth doing all this research anymore, Felit?a. Not the studying at the Hall of Knowledge, at any rate. We¡¯re not getting anything out of it in our state. You asked me to bring you the same book three times yesterday.¡±


    Felit?a chuckled. She vaguely remembered doing that.


    ¡°Agernon can keep doing his work with Corvinian. Both of them can sleep, at least, but we should be limiting our involvement. We¡¯re too...stressed.¡±


    Felit?a snickered. ¡°That¡¯s putting it lightly.¡±


    Nin-Akna shrugged. ¡°Just trying to be diplomatic. Maybe if we just do relaxing things for a while, stop worrying about everything, maybe we¡¯ll be able to sleep.¡±


    Felit?a looked up at her. ¡°You think so?¡±


    Nin-Akna shook her head. ¡°Not really, but at least we might be a little stressed.¡±


    Felit?a smiled and nodded. ¡°Anita tells me you¡¯ve been avoiding her recently. Can I ask why? I would have thought spending time with her would be relaxing for you.¡±


    Nin-Akna looked aside. ¡°I...uh...I may have had a hallucination and done something stupid and now I¡¯m too embarrassed to talk to her.¡±


    ¡°What did you do?¡±


    Nin-Akna continued to look away. ¡°I¡¯d rather not talk about it.¡±


    ¡°Okay. You should talk to Anita, though.¡±


    Nin-Akna finally looked back at Felit?a. ¡°I will. Eventually. I just need a bit of time, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°I could talk to her on your behalf if you want. You know, just set things up for you. You don¡¯t have to tell me what it¡¯s all about.¡±


    Nin-Akna smiled. ¡°That¡¯s nice of you, but it¡¯s all right. I¡¯ll deal with it on my own. Should do it soon, I suppose. She had a dress made for me for the ball on the thirty-second.¡±


    Felit?a smiled. ¡°She told me about that. You should probably show up for that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I probably should. So, um¡­¡± Nin-Akna looked away again, and shifted her weight on her legs. It took her a moment to say any more. In her exhausted state, Felit?a wasn¡¯t getting much emotion from her or anyone. ¡°When you talked to Anita, she didn¡¯t mention anything about what happened?¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°Just said you¡¯d been avoiding her.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so she didn¡¯t mention¡­ That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t say anything that would embarrass you. Whatever you did is between you and her.¡±


    ¡°And you can¡¯t¡­?¡± She pointed to her head.


    Felit?a laughed. ¡°Even when I¡¯m well-rested, it doesn¡¯t work that way. I¡¯ve told you that. At the moment, I¡¯m lucky if I can tell the difference between happy and sad.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s good.¡± Nin-Akna shifted positions again, and looked straight at Felit?a. ¡°Oh, to hell with it. Felit?a, I took your prayer beads, tried to use them, had a hallucination that Anita was Chica, and tried to kiss her, and...gods, I never should have taken the prayer beads without your permission.¡±


    Felit?a stared at her. ¡°My prayer beads?¡±


    Nin-Akna nodded. ¡°You know, the necklace with all the amethysts on it?¡±


    Amar Padara¡¯s prayer beads! The ones he¡¯d given her! ¡°I completely forgot about them. You took them?¡±


    Nin-Akna looked at the wall. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve been using them anyway.¡± Maybe it was appropriate to be angry at Nin-Akna right now, but she¡¯d just had an idea. ¡°Where are they now?¡±


    ¡°The prayer beads? Uh¡­¡± Nin-Akna grimaced. ¡°I think Anita has them.¡±


    A touch awkward, but easily dealt with. Felit?a stood up. ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s go to the palace. Time for you to make up with her.¡±


    ¡°Right now?¡±


    ¡°No time like the present,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to apologise to Corvin?¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡± Felit?a put her hand to her forehead. She was so out of it right now. ¡°Right. I¡¯ll apologise to Corvin first...wait, Corvin? Oh right, your nickname for him. I¡¯ll apologise to him first, then we¡¯ll go to the palace. Think about what you want to say to her. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    Felit?a walked over to Corvinian¡¯s room and knocked on the door. She had no idea how well prayer beads would actually work. After Amar Padara had given the necklace to her, she had forgotten about it. There had been too many other things on her mind.


    ¡°What?¡± Corvinian called from inside.


    ¡°It¡¯s Felit?a. Can I come in? I just want to talk. Not yell.¡± But if the beads did work even a little, maybe she could use them to help focus her thoughts.


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Corvinian said.


    Felit?a opened the door and went in.


    If she could focus her thoughts, maybe she could finally get through to the Staff.

 Book 2, Chapter 43: Harsh Medicine (Part 2)

    Feodor Belone coughed hoarsely as Felit?a and Nin-Akna entered the library. He dabbed at his eyes and nose with a handkerchief, then looked up at them. He started to rise from his seat, but his wife, Siba, who was seated beside him, put a hand on his shoulder and whispered something. As best Felit?a could tell, it was something like, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t exert yourself.¡±


    Felit?a curtsied. ¡°Your Lordship, I¡¯m happy to see you. Are you feeling better? You haven¡¯t been out of your room in several days.¡±


    Belone coughed. ¡°Do I look it, your Highness?¡± His voice was rough, almost like a croak.


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°Not really, but it seemed like the kind of thin etiquette requires me to say, or something like that.¡±


    He laughed and fell into a fit of coughs. Siba leaned over him.


    Anita rose from her place at Belone¡¯s other side. She curtsied. ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°My Lady,¡± Felit?a said.


    Anita looked to Nin-Akna, smiled, then lowered her head. ¡°Akna.¡±


    ¡°Anita,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    Felit?a walked over to the end of the table. ¡°Anita, would you mind if I spoke to your father and mother alone?¡±


    Anita shook her head. ¡°No, of course not, your Highness. I will leave you alone.¡± She curtsied.


    As Anita passed her, Felit?a briefly took her hand and leaned in close. ¡°Nin-Akna would like to talk to you.¡±


    Anita curtsied again and replied softly. ¡°Thank you, your Highness.¡±


    After Anita and Nin-Akna had left, and the guards had closed the doors, Felit?a took a seat across from Lord Belone. A servant filled a cup of wine for her. ¡°Thank you.¡± She placed the cup on the table in front of her.


    ¡°What can I help you with, your Highness?¡± Belone asked.


    She wasn¡¯t entirely sure what to say. Requesting to speak with him had just been a tactic to get Anita out of the room so Nin-Akna could talk to her. She really should have thought the idea through a little more. She would have if she weren¡¯t too tired to think straight.


    ¡°Anything?¡± Belone prompted.


    Felit?a smiled. ¡°Apologies, your Lordship. I was just gathering my thoughts. I just want to let you know that I¡¯m no well either. A different ailment from you, but¡­¡±


    Siba leaned in close to her husband. ¡°I said as much, didn¡¯t I? I said her Highness wasn¡¯t looking well. Exhausted, I thought. Your Highness, you shouldn¡¯t be moving about the city as frequently as you do. There are all kinds of terrible diseases you can catch.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right about the exhaustion,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I haven¡¯t been sleeping well. I get a little bit here and there, but I¡¯m lucky if I get more than an hour or two each night.¡±


    Siba leaned forward and reached for Felit?a¡¯s hand. ¡°You should have said something much sooner, your Highness. I know a very good apothecary who could make you a sleeping draught. He¡¯s been providing them for Feodor. It¡¯s the only way he¡¯s been able to sleep with that blasted cough.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you, my Lady.¡± Felit?a doubted it would do much good. There were a lot of fraud apothecaries who still managed to do good business amongst nobles. Still, if it had been effective for Feodor Belone, perhaps it would be for her too.


    ¡°I could give you a little from Feodor¡¯s supply. The apothecary will be here tomorrow and we have loads to get us through until then. When I see him, I will ask him to prepare a larger supply for delivery as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Again, very kind of you,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°A supply for Nin-Akna would be very welcome too. She¡¯s also had trouble sleeping.¡±


    Siba retracted her hand and sat back in her seat. ¡°Uh, yes, I can¡­¡±


    ¡°I will cover any additional expenses,¡± Felit?a said. She had no idea if she had enough money for that, but she¡¯d deal with that in due time.


    Siba nodded. ¡°Of course, your Highness. I will ask him to prepare an additional supply for the...for Nin-Akna.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I really appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Think nothing of it, your Highness. It is no trouble.¡± Siba motioned to one of the servants, who came over and curtsied. ¡°Go to my rooms and have my handmaids provide you with two bottles of his Lordship¡¯s sleeping draught. Then bring them here immediately.¡±


    ¡°My Lady.¡± The servant curtsied and hurried from the room.


    ¡°What have the doctors or apothecaries said about your illness, your Lordship?¡± Felit?a asked.


    Belone coughed some more. ¡°Not much.¡±


    Siba patted his back. ¡°They have given him draughts for that as well. Unfortunately, they have not been as effective. Early on, they gave him little as they said it was a minor affliction that he would recover from quickly on his own. But it has gone on so long now, and just gets worse. We are starting to¡­¡± She turned her head aside and sniffed heavily. ¡°We are starting to fear the worst.¡± She dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief.


    ¡°I have no intention of dying. Danel isn¡¯t ready to take over.¡± Belone broke into another fit of coughing. It took at least half a minute or so for him to get it under control.


    ¡°You see what I mean?¡± Siba said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll recover, your Lordship, in time.¡± It was a trite statement, but Felit?a really needed for it to be true. She hadn¡¯t always gotten along with Feodor Belone, and there were things she didn¡¯t like about him, but Danel Belone taking over as Lord of the province was a far worse option. She could only imagine what sort of things he would do, starting with what he would do to Nin-Akna.


    She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if there was something unnatural about Lord Belone¡¯s illness. There wasn¡¯t much to point towards that other than his doctors had thought it minor at first. But many people died from illnesses that seemed minor at first. There was no reason to think this was any different¡ªapart from the coincidence of its happening at the same time as her and Nin-Akna¡¯s...illness? Condition? Whatever it was. His illness was completely different from theirs.


    Hell, it was probably just her exhaustion talking, causing her to see patterns that weren¡¯t there.


    Belone had another coughing fit, and this one didn¡¯t go away for some time. Belone motioned to his wife several times before she finally brought out a small bottle of liquid.


    ¡°It¡¯s only been an hour since the last one,¡± Siba said. ¡°We only have so much. We need to conserve it.¡±


    Belone continued to motion to her through his coughs. After another moment, Siba gave in and handed him the bottle. He popped the stopper and drank down the contents. His coughing subsided. He placed the empty bottle on the table and took a deep breath. ¡°That¡¯s much better.¡± His voice was just a little bit less hoarse and raspy than it had been.


    ¡°Impressive results,¡± Felit?a said.


    Belone nodded. ¡°It only lasts for so long though.¡±


    ¡°And that time has been getting shorter and shorter,¡± Siba said. ¡°He has to conserve it as much as possible. The apothecary can only make so much.¡±


    ¡°Understandable,¡± Felit?a said.


    The door opened and the servant from earlier entered, and curtsied. Siba motioned her forward, and the girl placed two tiny bottles just like the one Belone had drunk from on the table.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Siba said. ¡°You may return to your regular duties.¡±


    The servant curtsied again and moved off to the side.


    Siba slid the bottles across the table. ¡°There you are, your Highness. Drink a full bottle before you go to sleep. It is not the most pleasant tasting, but the apothecary says it¡¯s safe to mix with wine to make it more palatable. I¡¯m sorry we can only spare two bottles at this time, but as I said, tomorrow, I will ask the apothecary to prepare additional batches for you and Nin-Akna.¡±


    Felit?a picked up the bottles. ¡°Thank you, my Lady. This is more than generous of you.¡±


    Siba bowed her head. ¡°Now, if you will excuse us, your Highness, my husband should get some rest. I hope we will see you at dinner tonight.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°I will try.¡± There was still so much to do today. Felit?a doubted she would make it. Still, she had missed a lot of dinners. For appearance¡¯s sake, if nothing else, she should try to show up more often.


    Siba rose from the table, then helped her husband to his feet. They shuffled to the door, a servant opening it for them. Lord Belone coughed a couple of times just before the servant closed the door behind them.


    The servant who had gone to fetch the medicine came over to the table, curtsied to Felit?a, and began to collect the wine cups left by the Belones. She reached for the empty medicine bottle.


    Felit?a held up her hand. ¡°Wait. Leave that, please.¡±


    The girl curtsied. ¡°Yes, your Highness.¡± She collected the remaining cups, leaving only Felit?a¡¯s, which Felit?a had not drunk from yet. Then she knelt to pick up something from the floor. ¡°Do you wish the stopper as well, your Highness?¡± She held up the stopper Belone had tossed aside.


    Felit?a nodded, and the girl placed the stopper on the table. Then she curtsied and withdrew.


    Felit?a picked up the empty bottle and held it up to her nose. It had no smell. She had always been interested in herbs and herbal remedies, but had never really had much time to learn as much as she¡¯d wanted. Meleng would know more if he were here. She plugged the bottle with the stopper and placed it and the two sleeping draughts Siba Belone had given her in one of her pockets.


    She was being ridiculously paranoid, but she wanted to get these medicines analysed. She needed to know what was in them.


    She rose from the table and left the library, the servants curtsying and the guards bowing as she went. She was getting much too used to that.


    She was almost at the exit when she remembered Nin-Akna. With a sigh, she turned around. Nin-Akna would probably want to stay with Anita, but Felit?a had promised to always let her know where she was going. Oh, and there were the prayer beads, too. She had almost forgotten about them as well. Gods, she hoped this sleeping draught was what it was supposed to be. Maybe then she¡¯d be able to think straight.


    As she moved through the palace in search of Nin-Akna and Anita, she spotted Plavistalorik and called out a greeting to her. The Isyar nodded her head in recognition and continued on her way. To this day, Felit?a had still not gotten any more out of Plavistalorik than that one night in the library.


    After some asking around, Felit?a tracked Nin-Akna and Anita to the conservatory at the far side of the palace. The guard at the entrance bowed as she approached and opened the door for her. Nin-Akna¡¯s and Anita¡¯s voices were clear as soon as Felit?a stepped inside, although they were concealed by the grapefruit trees.


    ¡°You should have seen her this morning,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    Was there something about acoustics in a conservatory Felit?a had never noticed before? It wasn¡¯t like she spent a lot of time in glasshouses, but Nin-Akna didn¡¯t seem to be yelling or otherwise speaking loudly.


    ¡°She just exploded at Corvinian.¡±


    Felit?a stopped moving and listened.


    ¡°He was being a bit of a brat, admittedly, but he had a point. The poor kid is treated like a slave. All Felit?a wants to do with him is subject him to endless tests to find out about his abilities, and when he¡¯s not running the tests, Agernon has him doing all kinds of errands. Corvin¡¯s stuck doing everything for those two. He deserves a chance to do something for himself. He wants to learn to defend himself, and I¡¯ve been teaching him in the rare moments we can find for it. Felit?a caught us and had a fit.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like she¡¯s really stressed out,¡± Anita said. ¡°You¡¯ve said she¡¯s having as much trouble sleeping as you.¡±


    ¡°I know. But it took until today for her to even admit that maybe it isn¡¯t natural. That something¡¯s going on. She insists there are no signs or something. Magical mumbo jumbo.¡±


    ¡°So what do you think that means?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe she¡¯s too exhausted to find the signs, or¡­¡±


    ¡°Or what?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s lying.¡±


    Anita laughed. ¡°Why would she do that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°I half wonder at times if, maybe...maybe she¡¯s the one doing it.¡±


    ¡°Now, you¡¯re being paranoid.¡±


    ¡°Probably. It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Nin-Akna sighed.


    Wow, the acoustics were amazing in here if Felit?a could hear that. She couldn¡¯t even detect their emotions yet, but she could hear a sigh? Then again, her telepathy was near useless these days anyway.


    ¡°She¡¯s supposed to be this all-powerful Will-Breaker,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what that means, but the priests in Ninifin¡ªthe ones who knew the Secrets¡ªseemed to think it was a really big deal and that she was massively powerful. She says there¡¯s a block of some sort on her powers, but I¡¯m starting to wonder how much I really trust her. You know?¡±


    ¡°I think you both need to figure out how to get some sleep,¡± Anita said. ¡°Once you¡¯re properly rested, you can look at these things with a clearer head.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. Still, if...if I needed to...that is, if I need to confront her in some way, would you...would you support me?¡±


    ¡°It it was necessary, yes, but Akna, you desperately need to figure out how to get some sleep because you are seriously paranoid right now and not thinking straight. If you want, I can go with you to talk to her, help you reason through the situation. I think both of you need to stop doing everything you¡¯re doing during the day. Stop the research, the tests, whatever you¡¯re doing, even training Corvin. You need to rest and get rid of all the stresses. Then maybe you¡¯ll be able to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°Again.¡±


    ¡°I have to be useful for something. I¡¯m not an all-powerful Will-Breaker or a warrior like you. I guess wisdom is my special skill.¡±


    They both laughed. Then they fell silent.


    Felit?a stood where she was a little while longer. She felt a bit guilty eavesdropping on them like this. Their conversation also concerned her. Was she really behaving in such a way as to make it hard for Nin-Akna to trust her? Yes, she had been unfair to Corvinian, and she had apologised to him for that, but that couldn¡¯t be enough to lose trust in her, could it?


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Felit?a wasn¡¯t sure which one of them that was.


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Maybe it was both of them.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you came back to me,¡± Anita said.


    Felit?a took a deep breath. It really was time she either made her presence known or left.


    ¡°And think about it. Felit?a can¡¯t be all terrible. She let you come to me, even encouraged you, like you said.¡±


    Felit?a took a couple steps forward.


    Nin-Akna sighed again. ¡°That¡¯s half the problem, Anita. She let me. I¡¯m stuck doing what she says all the time.¡±


    Felit?a stopped moving again.


    ¡°She makes decisions for me all the time. I don¡¯t think she even realises she¡¯s doing it. It just comes naturally to her or something. But I am so fucking fed up of it. I totally understand how Corvin feels. We¡¯re both basically her slaves.¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have said let,¡± Anita said. ¡°I honestly think she was just trying to help there.¡±


    ¡°She was just trying to get her fucking prayer beads back.¡±


    ¡°Akna¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m being paranoid. Fine. Let¡¯s get out of here. She¡¯s probably looking for me now, and I need to give her this stupid necklace back.¡±


    ¡°Akna, please just wait a moment¡­¡±


    ¡°You coming or not?¡±


    ¡°Yes, just give me a moment. I¡¯ll be right behind you.¡±


    Felit?a¡¯s first instinct was to cast a spell to hide her presence, but then she remembered she didn¡¯t have the focus for spellcasting right now. She should just confront Nin-Akna.


    No, not like this.


    She stepped off the path and ducked behind a tree trunk. A moment later, Nin-Akna stormed past.


    Maybe she should show herself to Anita? That would still mean revealing she¡¯d eavesdropped on them, and that would just make it even harder for Nin-Akna to trust her. So she stayed where she was.


    A few moments later, Anita hurried past.


    Once Anita was out of sight, Felit?a stepped back onto the path.


    Gods, she¡¯d screwed things up. She needed to slow down and rest.


    Still a few things to do today first, though. They just couldn¡¯t wait.


    Tomorrow.


    Tomorrow, she¡¯d rest. Maybe the rest of the week. Agernon would understand; she¡¯d make him understand. He was always complaining she wasn¡¯t rested enough anyway.


    Now then, what were those things she still needed to do today?


    Oh right, find out what she could about Belone¡¯s medication and the sleeping draught. Just to put her mind at ease. And the prayer beads. She had to collect the prayer beads. That meant finding Nin-Akna again.


    Nin-Akna first.

 Book 2, Chapter 43: Harsh Medicine (Part 3)

    There was a figure in front of Angelida¡¯s, sweeping away snow from the afternoon¡¯s snowfall. Bundled in a heavy coat and head wrapped in a shawl, the figure wasn¡¯t recognisable from down the street, but Felit?a could be pretty certain it was Angelida. Either that or somebody working for Angelida. Who else would be clearing the shop entrance?


    Felit?a watched for a minute or so. Returning here was still proving emotionally tough. She¡¯d been back in Quorge for a month and a half, and she still hadn¡¯t gotten the courage to come here. Her lack of sleep and general exhaustion had no doubt made it more difficult for her, but she could make all sorts of excuses for not coming out here. None of them changed the fact she should have by now.


    Finding Nin-Akna again had been simple enough. At least, she was fairly certain it had. Thinking back on it now, she couldn¡¯t remember it very well. She had retrieved the prayer beads. She knew that. They were in her scrip now. However, she couldn¡¯t quite remember how Nin-Akna had reacted or what she had said. Felit?a was pretty certain the encounter had gone fine though. Nevertheless, it was disturbing she couldn¡¯t fully remember it. This trip was definitely necessary.


    At least she remembered what happened next.


    After leaving Nin-Akna to her own devices, Felit?a had gone to the Hall of Knowledge to speak to Ezmelda. It was mainly to get advice on who to talk to about analysing the medications.


    ¡°Angelida,¡± Ezmelda had said without hesitation.


    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Felit?a had said. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to go to her, or should I give you my second choice?¡±


    Felit?a¡¯s mouth went dry. ¡°Sorry?¡±


    Ezmelda smirked as she sat back down at her desk. ¡°Let me see one of those bottles.¡±


    Felit?a handed her one of the sleeping draughts.


    Ezmelda removed the stopper and brought the bottle to her nose. She sniffed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were experienced with these kinds of things.¡±


    Ezmelda shook her head and put the stopper back in the bottle. ¡°Just a passing fancy I once had. It¡¯s been years since I¡¯ve done anything with it. I was merely curious how much I might have remembered.¡± She handed the bottle back to Felit?a. ¡°Angelida commented the other day that you hadn¡¯t been round to visit her. I assume you¡¯ve been avoiding her because you¡¯re not yet ready to face your memories of Elderaan. That¡¯s why I asked if you wanted my second choice.¡±


    ¡°And your second choice is you?¡±


    Ezmelda laughed. ¡°No, that was...never mind. Go see Angelida. She can probably help you. In more ways than one.¡±


    Felit?a had left the Hall of Knowledge in a state of confusion, but that was absolutely due to exhaustion. The walk to Angelida¡¯s had given her time, however, to work out Ezmelda¡¯s double meaning.


    She really wasn¡¯t ready to face her memories of Elderaan. Spending all this time with Agernon was fine because that wasn¡¯t at the shop. But even though she barely knew Angelida, the location made all the difference.


    Enough standing on the street watching. She strode forward, just as the figure went into the shop. Felit?a entered just as the individual was removing her outerwear.


    It was not Angelida, although she was of a similar size. She was a young Eloorin girl, maybe fourteen or fifteen. She turned to Felit?a with a wide smile. ¡°Welcome to Angelida¡¯s! Can I help you?¡±


    Felit?a looked around her. So much had changed. It didn¡¯t even look like how she remembered Angelida¡¯s redesigns just before Felit?a left over a year ago. There were a few familiar things, like a selection of herbs¡ªboth fresh and dried, and in a much larger supply than Elderaan had carried¡ªnear the entrance. No rats, though, unless they were hidden behind some of the shelves. There were a lot more books than Elderaan had carried as well.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± the girl said.


    Felit?a smiled at her. ¡°Sorry, just reminiscing a bit. I...um¡­¡± Pressure was building up in her sinuses and tears in her eyes.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    Felit?a sniffled. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m...I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯d like to see Angelida if I could, please.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s resting at the moment,¡± the girl said. ¡°But I know our full stock well, and I¡¯d be happy to help you find whatever you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not actually looking for anything. I need Angelida¡¯s expertise on something. If you could just tell her Felit?a¡¯s here, that would be great.¡±


    The girl gaped. ¡°Felit?a? That Felit?a?¡±


    ¡°Maybe? Probably, I suppose. I can¡¯t imagine too many other Felit?as get talked about around here these days.¡±


    ¡°She said you might come by. I¡¯ll go get her immediately.¡± The girl hurried to the door to the back. At least that and the sales counter were still in the same spot. ¡°I¡¯m Feena by the way,¡± she called back as she disappeared through the door.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Feena,¡± Felit?a muttered to the empty room.


    While she waited for Angelida, Felit?a began looking around the shop. The rats really were gone. Felit?a kind of approved of that. She¡¯d always felt a little wrong whenever she¡¯d sold one of them. Terrible images of what the buyers might do to the rats always went through her head, but they had also been one of Elderaan¡¯s best sellers.


    Either Lon or Nesh scampered across her shoulders. She couldn¡¯t tell which, and that was frustrating. She used to just know which one was where¡ªbased partially on the way they moved, but also on their mental presences.


    Apart from the rats, the inventory was fairly similar. There were only so many ways to put a magic shop together. There was a shelf full of thin wooden rods. Some were just plain solid cylinders; others were carved with designs. None were long enough or thick enough to be staffs. Many were about the right length for a cane or short walking stick, but none looked balanced right, and none had handles. Felit?a had no idea what they were for.


    A throat clearing alerted Felit?a to the presence of others. Gods, if she weren¡¯t so tired, she would have noticed them sooner. She turned around.


    Angelida stood there, Feena just off to the side. Angelida was looking older than Felit?a remembered despite it only being a year. She was hunched over, supporting her weight on an elegantly carved cane. That was the main thing making her look older, Felit?a realised. She hadn¡¯t had the cane before. The rest of her looked much the same¡ªparticularly the same mane of grey curls. Her yellow-brown skin was a bit mottled with age.


    ¡°Felit?a, dear, I¡¯m so glad you finally came round.¡± Angelida smiled broadly. She motioned to Felit?a to come closer.


    Felit?a approached. She wasn¡¯t sure how best to greet Angelida. They didn¡¯t know each other well, and from what little time they had spent together last year, Angelida had never seemed the hugging type. She had come across as a straight-to-business sort, though that might have been to hide her own grief at Elderaan¡¯s death.


    Angelida turned as Felit?a approached. ¡°We¡¯ll talk in back where we can be comfortable. Feena, be a dear and prepare us some tea. You can close up the shop early today.¡±


    That cleared up the greeting question.


    Feena curtsied. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Angelida moved surprisingly quickly for someone with a cane, though perhaps it only seemed that way since Agernon was the only other person Felit?a knew who regularly used a cane. He tended to walk slowly. Angelida¡¯s cane was certainly much quieter than Agernon¡¯s; the bottom looked padded, so it didn¡¯t clack the way his did.


    Felit?a followed her into the back, past the kitchen into what was originally Felit?a¡¯s room and later Elderaan¡¯s when he could no longer manage the stairs. It now had a couch along one wall and a couple chairs facing it. Paintings hung on the walls, and a fur carpet lay on the floor.


    Angelida made straight for the couch and dropped into it. She motioned to the chairs. ¡°Have a seat, dear.¡±


    Before sitting down, Felit?a removed her cloak and scarves. She hung them over the back of the chair, then sat down. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, Angelida. You¡¯re looking good.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Angelida leaned forward and squinted at her. ¡°Whereas you look terrible.¡±


    Felit?a sighed. ¡°I suppose I must. I haven¡¯t been sleeping well. Not for...months.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually what I came to see you about.¡±


    Angelida sat back. ¡°Really? Not to talk about Elderaan?¡±


    Felit?a shrugged. ¡°Well, it¡¯s part of why I came here. As for Elderaan, I...I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    Angelida¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°I see. In that case, let¡¯s start with the sleeplessness. I have a few things in stock that might help, though Feena could have helped you with those.¡± She tilted her head. ¡°She said you wanted my expertise. I¡¯m not really an expert on insomnia. I would have thought Agernon would know more about that.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a good doctor,¡± Felit?a said, ¡°for physical injuries and illnesses. He¡¯s not really good at things with the mind though. But I was¡­¡± She fumbled for her scrip and pulled out the three bottles. ¡°I was given a sleeping draught. Lord Belone¡¯s wife offered it to me. It was made by an apothecary who¡¯s been treating her husband. He¡¯s been¡­ I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m actually supposed to tell others this. It¡¯s certainly not something they want spread about, but Lord Belone has been quite ill the last couple months and he just seems to be getting worse. Anyway, my...uh...my tiredness...that is¡­¡± She paused and put a hand to her head, took a moment to uncloud her thoughts. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m so tired, I have trouble staying focused these days. Where was I? Right. My tiredness is making me paranoid, I think, and well...I was hoping you could analyse the contents of the sleeping draught. Make sure it¡¯s safe. Also, I have a bottle that had a dose of another medication the apothecary has been giving Lord Belone for his illness. It¡¯s used, but there should still be traces that could be analysed. I just can¡¯t help getting the feeling...like I said, it¡¯s probably paranoia, but¡­¡±


    Angelida held up her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s take this one step at a time. Pass me one of those bottles. The sleeping draught. I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know much about matters of the mind, but sleeping draughts are entirely about the body.¡±


    Felit?a leaned forward and placed one of the sleeping draughts into Angelida¡¯s outstretched hand.


    Angelida sat back and popped the stopper, then sniffed the contents. ¡°Mm hmm. It¡¯s a sleeping draught all right. I¡¯d have to do some tests to be precise, but it¡¯s a strong one. Definitely stronger than anything I sell here.¡±


    ¡°Is that dangerous?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°Not if used in moderation. Overuse could cause a dependency, I suppose. The main issue is a dose this strong will knock you out fast, and it¡¯ll be hard for anyone to wake you for several hours. I prefer to prescribe milder doses that make you drowsy. Still, in your case, drowsiness is probably not enough. I¡¯ll do some tests to be sure, but I think you can safely use these. Now the other.¡±


    Angelida reached out and handed the bottle back, taking the medicine bottle from Felit?a. She removed the stopper and sniffed at this one as well. ¡°Hmm. Odourless. I¡¯ll need to do tests on this one. That said, you¡¯re almost certainly being paranoid, Felit?a. Folith nobles tend to have more than enough money and security to ensure their doctors don¡¯t poison them.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°I know. I¡¯m just¡­¡±


    ¡°Suffering from sleep deprivation and paranoia. Why haven¡¯t you been sleeping?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure, to be honest. I thought¡­¡± How much should she tell Angelida? She hadn¡¯t thought about that before coming here, though she should have expected her condition would draw such a question. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I thought. I just...can¡¯t sleep. Not for more than a very short time.¡±


    Angelida stood up. ¡°I think you should take that draught tonight. Hopefully, it will give you some much needed sleep. It will also give me time to analyse the traces left in this other bottle. Come talk to me in a few days when you¡¯re better rested.¡± She walked back to the door, motioning for Felit?a to follow her.


    Feena came into the room, carrying a tray with a tea pot and a couple of teacups.


    ¡°Felit?a is leaving sooner than expected,¡± Angelida said to the girl. ¡°But you and I can share the tea, Feena dear. Just set it down on the table over there, and I¡¯ll join you after I¡¯ve seen Felit?a off.¡±


    Feena curtsied. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Felit?a stood up, but her eye caught on Angelida¡¯s cane, still resting by the couch. She looked over at Angelida, who was standing tall and not hunched. ¡°Angelida?¡±


    ¡°Yes, dear? Hurry up, please. You need proper rest.¡±


    ¡°Your cane,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Don¡¯t you need it?¡±


    ¡°Not at the moment. I have some arthritis in my knee. It comes and goes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Felit?a walked over to join Angelida, who led her back through the kitchen and into the front room.


    Angelida opened the front door. ¡°I hate to seem rude, my dear, but you are in no condition to be out at the moment. You need sleep and you need it desperately. Can you make it back to the palace?¡±


    ¡°You know I¡¯m staying at the palace?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s pretty common knowledge. Besides, you also told me.¡±


    ¡°I did?¡±


    Angelida nodded. ¡°Yes, just before you passed out.¡±


    ¡°I passed out?¡± Not again.


    Angelida shook her head sadly and sighed. ¡°Just for a minute, but yes. I¡¯ve a mind to send Feena with you, just to make sure you make it there.¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s kind of you, but I can make it on my own.¡±


    ¡°Very well, but no dallying.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go straight there.¡±


    Angelida stared at her a moment. ¡°Well, go on then. I¡¯m getting cold, and that does a number on my arthritis.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. Sorry.¡± Felit?a hurried out and Angelida closed the door behind her.


    Angelida¡¯s voice came from within. ¡°Feena, bring me my cane!¡±


    Felit?a trudged through the snow back towards the palace. That had been an odd meeting. Why had Angelida pushed her away so suddenly? Was it because of her blackout? Probably. She was showing concern; that was the logical conclusion. Wasn¡¯t it?


    Could she have had some other motivation? Something she hadn¡¯t wanted Felit?a to see or find out? That was a logical conclusion too, wasn¡¯t it?


    No, that was the paranoid conclusion, she told herself.


    And there was the matter of the cane.


    No, that was being paranoid, too. Angelida¡¯s explanation made sense.


    Angelida was right. She needed to sleep. Desperately. She¡¯d already known that, but it seemed more definite now somehow. She¡¯d take the sleeping draught as soon as she got to her room and got changed for bed.


    No, wait. She should get the other bottle to Nin-Akna first. What if Nin-Akna wasn¡¯t in the palace, though? Should she wait? It might be better to wait until tomorrow to give it to Nin-Akna. That way, Felit?a could test it tonight to make sure it was safe first. Yes, that was the best idea.


    She hoped it was the best idea.


    She really had little idea which ideas counted as good and which counted as bad anymore.


    * * * * *


    Getting back to the palace and her room went quickly. In fact, by the time Felit?a was sitting on her bed, ready to lie down, the sleeping draught in her hand, she barely even remembered the walk. She barely remembered changing either, but she was just in her night shift now, so she must have changed.


    Lon scurried across her thigh. She picked him up with her free hand, and held him up to her face. ¡°Ready for me to actually get some sleep?¡± She waited for him to reply, but he said nothing. Not that that was surprising. ¡°You really don¡¯t care, do you?¡± She put him down again, beside Nesh who was staring quizzically at her. ¡°You don¡¯t care, either, do you?¡± The two rats scurried across the bed together.


    She looked at the tiny bottle.


    No time like the present.


    She popped the stopper out, lifted the bottle to her mouth, and tipped it.


    The total contents amounted to just a few drops. It had a sharp taste, not really sour or sweet, but definitely bitter. She swallowed quickly and put the bottle aside. Then she lay down, rolled onto her side and got as comfortable as she could.


    Then she waited.


    Hoped sleep would come.


    Someone banged on her door.


    ¡°Felit?a?¡± It was Nin-Akna. ¡°You in there?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t sure what to do. If the draught worked, she should fall asleep soon.


    ¡°Felit?a? You in there?¡±


    Felit?a sighed and called out, ¡°Yes, come in!¡±


    The door opened and Nin-Akna slipped in. ¡°You¡¯re in bed.¡±


    Felit?a propped herself up on an elbow. ¡°I know it¡¯s still kind of early, but I¡¯m just so exhausted, and I¡¯m not functioning properly. I have to try to sleep.¡±


    Nin-Akna closed the door and walked to the bed. ¡°I can understand that. Wouldn¡¯t mind doing it myself.¡± She stopped and picked up Felit?a¡¯s scrip. ¡°Did you take the sleeping draught?¡±


    Felit?a sat up. ¡°You know about that?¡±


    Nin-Akna began searching through the scrip. ¡°Lady Siba said she gave you one for me too. Just like you to hoard them both to yourself and not tell me about them.¡±


    ¡°No, Nin-Akna. It¡¯s not like that. I wasn¡¯t sure if you were here, and I thought I should test one first. Make sure it was safe.¡±


    Nin-Akna took out the second sleeping draught. ¡°Fuck you, Felit?a. You eavesdrop on me, you hide this from me.¡±


    ¡°Eavesdrop? You...you...know?¡±


    Nin-Akna sneered at her. ¡°You¡¯re pathetic, you know that? I don¡¯t know why I ever liked or trusted you.¡± She tossed the scrip at Felit?a, spilling its contents about the floor and bed.


    ¡°No, Nin-Akna. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not thinking straight. I¡­¡±


    Nin-Akna stormed back to the door. ¡°No more excuses, Felit?a. I¡¯m done with you. I¡¯m going back to Ninifin. Try to stop me and I won¡¯t hesitate to kill you. Have a nice sleep.¡± She flung the door open, stormed out, and slammed it behind her.


    Felit?a sat in the bed, watching, quivering.


    Dear gods, what had she done?

 Book 2, Chapter 44: Cant Sleep, Cant Breathe (Part 1)

    Felit?a¡¯s eyes shot open, and she sat up in bed. Lon and Nesh fell from where they were lying on her stomach and scrambled back to their feet.


    Felit?a blinked a few times. How long had she been asleep?


    Wait, she had slept?


    Yes, she had actually slept!


    At least, it felt like she had. She was still exhausted as hell, but the tiredness felt farther back, like it was willing to take a break and let her be functional for a little while. That was the main thing that made it clear she¡¯d slept. Her head was...not exactly clear, but clearer than it had been.


    She wondered again how long she¡¯d slept. Knowing her luck, it would turn out to have just been a couple hours or so, but even that would be better than she¡¯d expected. The window. She should check what time¡ª


    Nin-Akna.


    Oh gods. What the hell was she going to do? She needed to explain, make Nin-Akna understand she was acting irrationally, that she hadn¡¯t been thinking straight. Though Nin-Akna was suffering from the same problem. If she took the draught too, maybe she would wake up understanding. Yes, maybe that would¡­


    Felit?a¡¯s eyes fell on her scrip, sitting on the chair where she¡¯d placed it. None of its contents still lay on the floor or her bed. Had she tidied them up? She didn¡¯t remember doing that, but she also didn¡¯t remember falling asleep.


    She scrambled across the bed, disturbing Lon and Nesh again, and reached for the scrip. She riffled through it and found the second sleeping draught bottle.


    It was still there.


    But Nin-Akna had taken it, hadn¡¯t she?


    Had it just been a dream? That had to be the explanation, which was a great relief.


    It didn¡¯t feel like a dream though. It felt like a memory. Dreams could seem real while experiencing them, but after waking, it was generally clear they were dreams. There were all kinds of things that weren¡¯t quite filled in or consistent. This wasn¡¯t like that at all.


    Which didn¡¯t make sense.


    Still, if it was a memory, the mess had been cleaned up, and the draught returned. That also didn¡¯t make any sense. It had to have been a dream. Just a very vivid one.


    Felit?a shook her head. She could ponder it later.


    She hopped out of bed and went to the window, peered behind the curtains. It was light out and the sun was in the southeastern sky. It was morning. She¡¯d slept all night. More than twelve hours possibly. This was incredible!


    She should have sought out something like that sleeping draught right from the start. It might have solved a lot of problems.


    Oh well. Best thing for her to do now was to get dressed, find Nin-Akna and give her the other bottle. Hopefully, she hadn¡¯t missed breakfast yet, but even if she had, Nin-Akna wasn¡¯t likely to have left the palace without her. She¡¯d probably find her with Anita in that case.


    She got ready as quickly as she could. It was nice having some energy during it all.


    She hadn¡¯t missed breakfast. When she arrived in the dining room, Lady Siba was already there, as was Danel Belone and Siba¡¯s brother-in-law, Horaz.


    Siba smiled as Felit?a took a seat. ¡°You look so much better this morning, your Highness. Doesn¡¯t she look better, Danel?¡±


    Danel peered up from his plate. ¡°Yes, Mother, much better.¡± He scowled at Felit?a.


    ¡°You took the draught, didn¡¯t you? Didn¡¯t I say it works wonders?¡±


    Felit?a smiled. ¡°You did, and yes, I took the draught. I¡¯m feeling a lot better today.¡±


    ¡°You must let my handmaids do your hair and make-up, your Highness. Although you look much better, there are still dark bags under your eyes. Those will take a bit of time to go away, but my handmaids can hide them easily.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very kind, my Lady. I might take you up on that for the New Year¡¯s ball in two days.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy to hear that, your Highness. I was afraid I might have to force you.¡± Siba laughed.


    Felit?a laughed with her.


    ¡°You¡¯re certainly in a good mood,¡± Horaz said.


    ¡°Just got a good night¡¯s sleep for once,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°How¡¯s his Lordship doing, my Lady?¡±


    Siba smiled. ¡°Sleeping peacefully under the effects of a sleeping draught. I don¡¯t expect he¡¯ll join us for breakfast. What of Nin-Akna? Is she sleeping peacefully, too?¡±


    Felit?a sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t get a chance to give her the draught yesterday, but I¡¯ll give it to her today.¡±


    Danel looked up at his mother. ¡°You gave that savage one of Father¡¯s sleeping draughts? They¡¯re for him to help him recover, not to be handed out to everyone.¡±


    Siba slapped his hand. ¡°Be polite, Danel. Yes, I have her Highness two bottles. Your father was there at the time and approved. Her Highness is free to use those two bottles how she wishes.¡±


    ¡°Anita¡¯s been spending too much time with that sa...Ninifin. Something should be done about it.¡±


    ¡°For what reason?¡± Siba asked.


    ¡°To free her of bad influences.¡± Danel looked directly at Felit?a when he said the last two words. Then he looked back down at his plate. Anger flooded from him.


    Felit?a smiled, then immediately tried to hide it. Fortunately, both Siba and Horaz were looking at Danel and not her. Felit?a hadn¡¯t noticed right away she had been sensing the feelings of people in the room as they had just been calm, background emotions. It was perhaps a bit strange that Danel¡¯s intense anger should make her happy, but it was such a relief to have her telepathy back. It was confirmation that it really had been just exhaustion holding them at bay.


    Siba tutted. ¡°I admit it¡¯s an unusual friendship, but I see no harm in it.¡±


    ¡°You really believe they¡¯re just friends?¡± Danel muttered.


    Siba paused while spreading some jam on her bread. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean by that, but I maintain that I see no harm, and neither does your father. Anita rarely gets the opportunity to interact with young women her age. There are no others in this court. She deserves a chance to have friends.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s an Eloorin,¡± Danel sneered.


    Siba finished spreading her jam. ¡°Yes, but according to her Highness here, she is also in line for the Ninifin throne. That makes her a noble. It may not be what we¡¯re used to, but we must treat her with diplomatic courtesy.¡±


    ¡°The throne of a realm Arnor doesn¡¯t even recognise as having legitimacy,¡± Danel said. His anger was reaching the point where it was overshadowing Felit?a¡¯s relief at having her abilities back.


    ¡°I confess I know little of these details,¡± Siba said. ¡°However, your father has made the decision to treat Nin-Akna as a foreign dignitary, and we will do so. That includes you. Like your father, I¡¯m getting tired of your continued disrespect, Danel. And by that, I don¡¯t mean disrespect towards Nin-Akna. I mean disrespect towards your father. Disagreeing with him is one thing, but when he has made a decision, you will honour it regardless of whether you disagree. Am I clear?¡±


    Danel stared at his plate. ¡°Yes, Mother.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°You will be Lord of Belone one day, Danel.¡±


    ¡°Not for many years yet, hopefully, Mother.¡± Despite his words, there was a brief flash of pleasure from Danel. Not surprising, Felit?a supposed.


    Siba frowned, and for a moment, her sadness overwhelmed Danel¡¯s anger. ¡°I hope so, too, Danel, but we must be prepared for the worst. You may end up taking over sooner rather than later. When you are Lord, you will need to be able to look at someone like Nin-Akna and see past the tattoos. They may be horrid. They may produce shivers. But you need to look past them to the person beneath. Tattoos do not make for a bad person, do they, Horaz?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Horaz quickly finished chewing his food and swallowed. ¡°Oh, yes, yes. I¡¯ve only ever actually met one other woman with tattoos, but I¡¯ve met many men with tattoos. They tended to be rough and a bit uncouth, but generally good people.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve met another woman with tattoos?¡± Siba asked. ¡°One of Nin-Akna¡¯s people, perhaps?¡±


    Horaz shook his head. ¡°No, she was...um...well¡­¡± He reached for his wine and took a sip. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter. Let¡¯s just leave it with the fact I¡¯ve met another woman with tattoos, and she was a perfectly fine person, too.¡±


    Siba stared at him for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°There you go, Danel.¡±


    The door opened, and Anita and Nin-Akna entered the room. They took seats beside Felit?a, Nin-Akna directly beside her and Anita on the other side of Nin-Akna.


    ¡°Good morning, Mother.¡± Anita bowed her head to Felit?a. ¡°Your Highness. Danel. Uncle.¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Anita,¡± Siba said.


    ¡°We were just talking about you,¡± Danel said.


    ¡°Oh? Good things, I hope.¡± Anita smiled.


    Siba shot a glare at Danel, then smiled back at Anita. ¡°What else would it be, dear? I can¡¯t imagine anything not good that could be said about you.¡±


    Confusion ebbed from Anita. ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you to say, Mother.¡±


    ¡°Unlike some other people,¡± Danel said, his gaze pausing briefly on Nin-Akna.


    Siba slapped his hand again, and Anita sighed. Irritation rose from Nin-Akna.


    ¡°Perhaps, my Lady,¡± Felit?a said to Siba, hoping to drive the conversation somewhere else, ¡°you could tell us about the plans for New Year¡¯s Eve.¡±


    Siba smiled, and relief flooded from her. ¡°Of course, your Highness. I¡¯d be delighted.¡±


    Things went smoothly after that. A few more people arrived for breakfast, which also helped drive the conversation in ways that avoided Danel making more offensive comments towards Nin-Akna. Thankfully, he was the first to leave, and tensions then dropped a lot. Felit?a worried, though, what would happen if Lord Belone died before she and Nin-Akna were finished in the city.


    Eventually, Felit?a asked Nin-Akna if she was ready to go, and they both excused themselves. Anita and Nin-Akna clasped hands briefly before Nin-Akna stood up, and affection between them flooded Felit?a¡¯s senses. At least something was going well for Nin-Akna here.


    As they made their way through the rooms and halls of the palace, Felit?a took out the sleeping draught and gave it to Nin-Akna. ¡°Lady Belone game me two bottles of this yesterday. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t have a chance to give you one then, but it really does work. I took one last night and slept wonderfully for the first time in...gods know how long.¡±


    Nin-Akna smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Felit?a paid close attention to what feelings and emotions she could detect from Nin-Akna. There was no hint of any kind of anger or recognition regarding the draught. It seemed last night really had been just a dream.


    ¡°Unfortunately, the two bottles were all she could spare at the moment, but she has promised to ask her apothecary today to make extra. She should be able to get us more in a few days. I talked to Angelida yesterday, and she said it¡¯s a very strong mixture, so¡ª¡±


    ¡°Angelida?¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°The one who took over your teacher¡¯s shop? You finally went to see her?¡±


    Felit?a smiled and her cheeks warmed. ¡°Yeah. I guess I finally got desperate enough.¡±


    Nin-Akna smiled too. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡±


    ¡°Well, it was very brief. She saw how out of it I was, and sent me back here, telling me to get some sleep. She was very...direct, which seems to be her way.¡±


    ¡°I think, with you, direct is necessary. No offence.¡±


    Felit?a smiled. ¡°None taken. You¡¯re probably right. Anyway, the draught is very strong, so we should be careful about using it too much. We don¡¯t want to become dependent on it. But I¡¯m hoping if we use it occasionally over the next couple weeks, we¡¯ll start sleeping normally on our own again.¡±


    Nin-Akna frowned. ¡°Are you back to thinking this is all natural and not something that¡¯s been done to us?¡±


    Felit?a sighed and shook her head. ¡°No, not really. Just trying to be optimistic. There¡¯s almost certainly something else going on, but hopefully, if the draught helps us sleep, we¡¯ll be better able to figure out what¡¯s going on. I was becoming incredibly paranoid about everything.¡±


    Nin-Akna shrugged. ¡°Yeah, me too, though honestly, in this place, I think I¡¯d be paranoid even if I were better rested.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I also had a very vivid dream last night, which might have been an effect of the draught, so just to warn you that you might experience something similar when you take yours.¡±


    ¡°What sort of dream?¡±


    Felit?a grimaced. ¡°You...you got very angry at me and said you were going back to Ninifin, and that you¡¯d kill me if I tried to stop you. It was so real that when I first woke up this morning, I thought it had actually happened.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind, and try not to kill you if I get angry at you.¡± Nin-Akna grinned.


    They passed through the palace doors into the cold, snow-swept palace grounds. A light, bitter wind whipped up some of the snow from the ground, but otherwise, it was a clear day. The sun shone brightly, and the sky was mostly cloudless.


    ¡°Nin-Akna,¡± Felit?a said, ¡°I want to apologise for...well...for a lot of things. I know I can be¡ª¡±


    ¡°Irritating? Controlling? A pain in the ass?¡± Nin-Akna looked at her and smiled.


    Felit?a smiled back. ¡°Yeah, those things. I want to blame it all on the exhaustion, but I can¡¯t really. Lack of sleep has brought out the worst in me, but the fact is, those things are in me. They¡¯re part of me. I have only myself to blame, and for that, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°I appreciate that. I really do.¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s tough for you in the palace.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an understatement.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve found solace in Anita.¡±


    Nin-Akna looked away. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s great. I like her. A lot.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Nin-Akna looked at her and rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course you do.¡±


    Felit?a chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t need my telepathy to notice that. In fact, today is the first day in ages I¡¯ve actually had my telepathy. I¡¯ve been so exhausted, it hasn¡¯t been working.¡±


    Nin-Akna¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°At all? I thought you said something about not telling the difference between happy and sad?¡±


    ¡°It was worse than that. I just didn¡¯t want to say anything. I was getting really paranoid.¡±


    ¡°I guess I can understand that. Where to first? Agernon¡¯s or the Hall of Knowledge?¡±


    ¡°Agernon¡¯s,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I want to talk to Corvinian. Apologise again now that I¡¯m thinking a little straighter than I was yesterday. Oh, that reminds me. The whole fighting training¡­¡±


    Nin-Akna rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll stop, but I honestly think he¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s all right.¡± Felit?a sighed. She didn¡¯t quite see it Nin-Akna¡¯s way here, but she needed to make some concessions. ¡°He probably should learn to defend himself. We¡¯ve seen that the Volgs can find a way to nullify his powers. We can¡¯t rely entirely on those. And he wants to learn. Just take it easy. Don¡¯t go too fast. Try not to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Felit?a, I¡¯m grateful you¡¯ve changed your mind, but don¡¯t ruin it by trying to tell me how to train him. I know what I¡¯m doing far more than you do.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. And it¡¯s okay. I just need a little space to breathe, okay?¡±


    Felit?a nodded again. ¡°I understand. And I¡¯ll do better. I promise.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯ve said that before.¡±


    ¡°I know, and I¡¯m sorry about that, too. I really will try to do better.¡±


    ¡°Okay, fine. Let¡¯s go, okay?¡±


    Irritation was rising in Nin-Akna again. It was time to stop pushing this line of conversation before things got worse.


    Felit?a nodded and they continued on their way to Agernon¡¯s.

 Book 2, Chapter 44: Cant Sleep, Cant Breathe (Part 2)

    Lord Belone¡¯s palace was much smaller than the Royal Palace and less extravagant, but that didn¡¯t mean it didn¡¯t have its own extravagances. A case in point was Lord Belone¡¯s personal apartments. Unlike in the Royal Palace, Belone was the only noble here who had a suite of private rooms, but it rivalled most of the ones in the Royal Palace. The lounge where Felit?a stood waiting now had three large arched windows along one wall, their wooden frames carved with designs of fish and other sea life, plus an abundance of water fowl. Paintings adorned the opposite wall, while a massive fireplace and mantel dominated one of the remaining walls. A portrait of a man Felit?a didn¡¯t recognise, though who bore a familial resemblance to Belone, hung over the mantel. Along the length of the remaining wall ran a table covered in all manner of glasses, bottles, figurines, and statuettes. There didn¡¯t seem to be a pattern to what Belone had collected there. From the ceiling hung a massive chandelier.


    Siba came into the room and curtsied. ¡°Your Highness, you look stunning. Simply stunning.¡±


    Felit?a curtsied in reply. ¡°Thank you, my Lady.¡± She had just spent several hours¡ªfive or six at least¡ªsitting or standing in place while Lady Belone¡¯s handmaids had done her hair and make-up, and then dressed her. She now sported the most elaborate hairdo she had ever worn in her life, and she could barely move her head without feeling its weight and worrying that she was going to ruin it somehow. They had curled her hair and then used a wire contraption and hair extensions to put her hair into an elaborate chignon decorated with a ring of pearls at the back of her head, while also letting her hair hang in loose, long curls at the sides of her head. Those curls were also adorned with ribbons.


    ¡°You are a true beauty, your Highness. You should let yourself be done up like this more often. Trust me, you would not need to remain single for much longer.¡±


    Felit?a tried to smile in as friendly a manner as she could. ¡°To be honest, my Lady, I¡¯m not looking to be married.¡±


    Siba tutted. ¡°Yes, Anita tells me much the same. You young women these days. It¡¯s the men too, I suppose. Your brothers and sisters have set quite the example by waiting so long to marry. All the young people today are trying to copy you. Come. My husband will see you now.¡±


    Siba led Felit?a into Lord Belone¡¯s bedchamber. It was a small, much less ostentatious room than the rest of his apartments. Belone himself sat propped up in his bed.


    ¡°Feo, her Highness is here,¡± Siba said.


    ¡°Forgive me for not bowing,¡± Belone said, ¡°but I cannot easily get out of bed at the moment.¡±


    Felit?a curtsied. ¡°No need for apologies, your Lordship. You¡¯re in no shape for pointless formalities. How are you feeling?¡±


    Belone chuckled. ¡°I many not look it, but believe it or not, I¡¯m feeling quite a bit better. Far from perfect, mind you, but compared to how I¡¯ve felt the last couple days, it¡¯s a huge improvement.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Feo,¡± Siba said, ¡°just because you can¡¯t bow doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t show other courtesies. Doesn¡¯t her Highness look incredible?¡±


    Belone took his wife¡¯s hand in his. ¡°Of course, my dear. How rude of me.¡± He looked back at Felit?a. ¡°My wife is keen I complement the skill of her handmaids.¡± He chuckled again. ¡°But she is right. You do look divine, your Highness. Absolutely beautiful.¡±


    Felit?a got the impression she was going to have to put up with these kinds of half-true statements all night. She wasn¡¯t looking forward to it, but she smiled anyway. ¡°Thank you, your Lordship. You are too kind. What is it you wished to see me about?¡±


    Belone smiled and patted his wife¡¯s hand. ¡°You see, my dear? Straight to business just as I said she would.¡± He motioned to two servants standing in wait in the room. ¡°Leave us.¡±


    The servants bowed and left.


    Belone was silent for several moments. Then Siba handed him a bottle of medication. She had already removed the stopper. Belone drank it down. ¡°To ensure I don¡¯t break into a coughing fit during our talk.¡±


    Felit?a nodded.


    Belone took a deep breath. ¡°What I am about to say is not easy for me. For neither of us. Siba and I have discussed this in great detail the past couple of days. When I die, by Arnorin law, lordship of this province will pass to my first-born legitimate child. That would be Danel.¡±


    ¡°I am aware of this, your Lordship,¡± Felit?a said.


    Belone nodded. ¡°And you are certainly aware that he is not ready for this.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°That too.¡±


    ¡°It pains both Siba and I, but we need to ensure this does not happen yet. Gods willing, I will live through this illness and there will be nothing to worry about. I can live to a proper old age and by then, again gods willing, Danel will be ready. But I fear I will not live much longer. My doctors tell me they cannot guarantee me more than a couple more weeks, so I need to take action in that time in case the worst happens. There are only two ways I can deny Danel his inheritance. One is to disown him completely and banish him from the family. Neither Siba nor I wish to do this. We may be disappointed in him, but he is still our son.¡± He looked into his wife¡¯s eyes and they stared in silence for a moment.


    ¡°And the second option?¡± Felit?a asked.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°I can have the inheritance formally transferred from him to Anita. To do that, I need a witness from the clergy and a royal witness as well. I have already arranged for a clergy member, and I would like to ask you to be my royal witness.¡±


    ¡°Because you truly want me, or because I¡¯m the only royalty available?¡±


    ¡°Truthfully? Both. I know we don¡¯t always see eye to eye, Felit?a, and I know I¡¯ve done things you haven¡¯t forgiven me for, but that is irrelevant at this time. You¡¯re an intelligent woman¡ªone of the most intelligent people I¡¯ve ever met. You know as well as I do that Danel taking over would be disastrous. He would certainly arrest your friend, Nin-Akna, possibly causing an international incident. He will likely even arrest you, using your banishment from Arnor City as a shield.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, your Lordship,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I share your concerns and I will happily be your witness.¡±


    Belone coughed a little, then smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it. The documents are already being drafted. The day after tomorrow, we will meet here again with Father Brayan, the witness from the clergy. The three of us will sign the documents, and it will be done. I hope it goes without saying, Danel must not learn of this beforehand. He would probably make such a fuss I would have to disown him completely.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, your Lordship,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I have no intention of telling him anything about this.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Don¡¯t tell Anita either, or Nin-Akna. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust her. I have no doubt at all that she would never tell Danel. However, she might let things slip to Anita, and Anita has a soft heart towards her brother. She might tell him in an effort to convince him to promise to change. It¡¯s in all our best interests not to give her that opportunity before the job is done.¡±


    Felit?a took a deep breath. Keeping secrets from Nin-Akna while she was in the middle of regaining the young Ninifin¡¯s trust was not her first choice. It wasn¡¯t a choice of any kind she¡¯d want to make. But it was only for a couple days. And it was for Nin-Akna¡¯s safety. ¡°You have my word. I won¡¯t tell anyone else about this.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your Highness,¡± Siba said. ¡°We truly appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, my Lady and your Lordship. I know this can¡¯t be an easy decision for you, but I believe you¡¯ve made the right one. I also believe Anita will make a far better ruler for this province.¡±


    Belone chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t believe she¡¯s ready for it yet, either. However, she at least will be willing to listen to her mother¡¯s advice.¡±


    ¡°And she will learn quickly,¡± Siba said.


    Belone nodded. ¡°Yes, she will. She will be a good ruler in the end. She will be softer than I have ever been, but perhaps that is needed.¡± He coughed some more.


    Siba rose from his side. ¡°Now your Highness, if you don¡¯t mind, my husband could use some more rest.¡±


    Felit?a curtsied. ¡°Of course, my Lady. Can I expect to see you at the ball tonight, your Lordship?¡±


    Belone coughed again. ¡°If everything goes according to plan, I¡¯ll make a brief appearance. I don¡¯t expect to stay more than a few minutes, but it¡¯s important I show my face.¡±


    ¡°Then I look forward to seeing you there, your Lordship.¡±


    ¡°And I you, your Highness.¡±


    Felit?a curtsied again, then followed Siba out of the room.


    ¡°Thank you so much for this,¡± Siba said in the lounge. ¡°We are both more grateful than words can express.¡±


    ¡°Words aren¡¯t needed,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°What you are doing is enough.¡±


    Siba lowered her head. ¡°Still, without you, we would not be able to do it.¡±


    Felit?a smiled at her. ¡°My involvement is just my way of saying thanks, and I¡¯m happy to do it.¡±


    Siba curtsied. ¡°I must return to my husband, but I will see you at the ball in a few hours, your Highness. Thank you again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you then.¡±


    Siba curtsied again and returned to Belone¡¯s bedchamber.


    Felit?a headed out of Belone¡¯s apartments, but stumbled partway to the door. She caught and steadied herself. That was weird. Why had she stumbled?


    Her head had clouded for a moment, though she¡¯d barely noticed.


    She was overtired again. The night after taking the sleeping draught, she hadn¡¯t slept well again, though it had not been quite as bad as most of the nights prior to taking the draught. Then last night, she also slept poorly, but her tiredness was nowhere near what it had been. Why had her mind clouded like that?


    The Room in her head seemed normal. She could make out the presences of the nearby servants, even Lord and Lady Belone. Off to the side was the row of people beginning with Zandrue and ending with...someone shrouded from view. Above/not above them was the Staff. It had a presence here even though the real Staff was at Agernon¡¯s. Its presence here never disappeared. It just went quiet. The black walls formed as she willed them, and then disappeared when she dismissed them. In the distance were the grey walls.


    She dismissed the Room. She needed to go somewhere, sit down, and meditate¡ªexamine the inner workings of her mind in exacting detail. Something strange was happening, and she needed to find out what.


    No. She couldn¡¯t sit properly in the gown she was wearing, and it would be hugely disrespectful to Siba to remove it. She would have to meditate standing up. That was fine. She could do that.


    Provided her focus and concentration were up to it. But if they weren¡¯t, they wouldn¡¯t be up to her meditating from a seated position either.


    Except maybe with the prayer beads. She still hadn¡¯t gotten round to using those.


    Gods, even with that one good night of sleep, she was still scatterbrained. Not surprising. She was going to need a lot more than one good night to recover properly.


    She needed to see Angelida again, too. Though Angelida had said she¡¯d need a few days, and it had only been three. She would go tomorrow or the day after.


    For now, she had a couple of hours before the ball. She would go to her room and try to search her mind for signs of tampering.

 Book 2, Chapter 44: Cant Sleep, Cant Breathe (Part 3)

    The ball was quieter than others Felit?a had been to¡ªnot that she had been to many balls before. The last one she¡¯d been to was the one on Scovese before the Volgs had declared war¡ªthe one where she and Maneshka had danced and then gone on to make love for the first time. Tonight wasn¡¯t going to be like that night, that was for sure.


    She hadn¡¯t thought about Maneshka in quite some time now, not since¡­ She couldn¡¯t remember the last time she¡¯d thought about her. Felit?a felt a bit guilty about that. Whenever she did think about Maneshka, though, she missed her. She wondered what Maneshka was doing now.


    Nin-Akna approached, carrying two goblets of wine. The young Ninifin was a sight to behold. She was wearing a vibrant green gown with red beading along the neckline and over the bodice, the beading thinning out towards the waist. The sleeves were very short and sat just below the shoulders, leaving her tattooed neck, shoulders, and most of her arms bare. A thin, red belt wrapped around her waist and accentuated just how much wider the green skirts spread out from there. Nin-Akna had to lean a little to pass a wine goblet to Felit?a.


    ¡°I hate this outfit,¡± Nin-Akna muttered. ¡°What¡¯s the point of these wide skirts? I can barely reach anything.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, I think that¡¯s part of the point,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°If a fight breaks out here, I will die.¡± Nin-Akna took a gulp of wine.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we have to worry about a fight breaking out.¡±


    Nin-Akna took another drink of wine. ¡°I¡¯m always worried about a fight breaking out.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to wear the dress.¡±


    Nin-Akna groaned. ¡°I promised Anita. It¡¯s made her really happy. She says I look good in it.¡±


    ¡°You do,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Everybody else still avoids me.¡±


    Felit?a sighed and took a sip of wine. ¡°I wish a dress could change that.¡± She smiled. ¡°Lady Belone told me that if dressed like this more often, I wouldn¡¯t remain single very long. Apparently, men will be clinging to my arms or something.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you dancing,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°Nope. I think my reputation has outweighed any effect of the dress and hair. And honestly, I¡¯m thankful for it.¡±


    Nin-Akna grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t blame you for it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re in a good mood though,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°How have you been sleeping?¡±


    ¡°The night I took the sleeping potion was amazing. I didn¡¯t even have those vivid dreams you warned me of. Last night wasn¡¯t as great, but it wasn¡¯t too bad. I¡¯m feeling a little more like myself. Having Anita around has helped too.¡± Nin-Akna smiled, then quickly looked away as embarrassment flooded from her.


    Anita approached them and curtsied to Felit?a. ¡°Doesn¡¯t she look wonderful, your Highness?¡±


    Felit?a returned the curtsy. ¡°She does indeed, my Lady.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t embarrass me,¡± Nin-Akna said. Felit?a wasn¡¯t sure if she was talking to Felit?a, Anita, or both of them. Probably both.


    Anita reached for Nin-Akna¡¯s hand. ¡°Come, Akna. I want to introduce you to a few people.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re going to hate me,¡± Nin-Akna said, but she took Anita¡¯s hand.


    ¡°No, they won¡¯t. I¡¯ll make them like you. Come on!¡±


    Nin-Akna sighed and they headed off to mingle.


    Felit?a mostly stayed where she was for the next while. She move around a little bit, talked to a couple of the nobles when she couldn¡¯t otherwise avoid it. Siba spoke to her at length, but otherwise, Felit?a avoided speaking too much with anyone.


    When she could, she sneaked a peak into the Room in her head. Back when she was sleeping properly, she had reached the point where she could comfortably use the Room while maintaining full attention and interaction with the real world. Not so anymore.


    But she was still worried about that clouding of her mind earlier.


    She had spent a couple hours searching through every part of her head and had found nothing, and there had been no repeat of the cloudiness. Nevertheless, it bothered her. Perhaps it was only a fluke, but she doubted it. Maybe she was being paranoid again, but she doubted it this time¡ªor more accurately, she absolutely was being paranoid, but with justification.


    No clues presented themselves, though.


    Lord Belone arrived partway into the evening and stayed for ten minutes or so. He was not looking good and sweated the whole time. He left during a coughing fit. Felit?a hoped he would be okay¡ªat least well enough to survive two more days so his declaration could be signed. Earlier, he had said his doctors had guaranteed him at least a couple more weeks. She hoped they were right.


    There had been no sign of Danel Belone so far. Felit?a didn¡¯t particularly mind his not being there, but she did worry a little that, if he wasn¡¯t here, where was he and what was he up to?


    Another person missing was Plavistalorik, although that didn¡¯t really surprise Felit?a. A ball didn¡¯t seem the kind of event the Isyar would show up to. Then again¡­


    Plavistalorik was there. She was standing in a corner of the ballroom surveying the scene.


    Felit?a wondered when she had arrived. She hadn¡¯t seen the Isyar come in. Then again, there were a lot of people here she hadn¡¯t specifically seen come in. Still, Plavistalorik was more noticeable.


    Felit?a headed in that direction. Of all the people here, Plavistalorik was one person she actually was interested in talking to.


    Plavistalorik watched her approach. ¡°Princess Felit?a, how can I help you?¡±


    Felit?a curtsied. ¡°I was just hoping for someone to talk to.¡±


    Plavistalorik looked away from her and returned to surveying the room. ¡°I would have thought my reputation would make me an unlikely conversation partner.¡±


    Felit?a stood beside her and gazed over the crowd as well. ¡°I¡¯ll admit you¡¯ve never seemed the talkative type, but I also didn¡¯t expect to see you at an event like this, so I thought maybe you¡¯d surprise me.¡±


    ¡°Lord Belone likes it if I put in a short appearance at official functions. So I do. That is all.¡±


    ¡°I understand. If you¡¯d rather I go away, I will.¡±


    Plavistalorik continued to watch the room. ¡°You are welcome to do what you wish.¡±


    ¡°Plavistalorik, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve wanted to ask you for some time.¡±


    The Isyar said nothing in response.


    Felit?a took a deep breath. ¡°When my friends and I were here last year, Jorvanultumn told me you had indicated to him that you were in some kind of trouble. Can I ask what that was about? Are you here under some kind of coercion or something else?¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Plavistalorik turned to face her. ¡°Something else? What kind of something else?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°You tell me.¡±


    Plavistalorik tilted her head. ¡°Interesting response.¡± She turned back to watching the room.


    Felit?a shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± The Isyar was very good at keeping her emotions at bay, as Felit?a was receiving nothing from her. Either that or she just didn¡¯t have any emotions.


    This was clearly not getting her anywhere. ¡°Thank you for your time. I just want you to know, if there is something wrong...if you do need help, I¡¯m willing to do what I can. You just have to ask.¡±


    Plavistalorik turned her head to look at her. ¡°Your offer is kind, but you can give me no help.¡±


    Felit?a curtsied to her, and the Isyar went back to looking at the revellers. Felit?a moved away.


    It had been worth a try.


    Plavistalorik left not long after that. Felit?a continued to stay near the edges, talking to occasional people. Horaz Belone asked her to dance at one point, and she agreed. She received a laugh from Nin-Akna after that. The laughter cut out when Horaz asked Nin-Akna to dance.


    ¡°Oh, go on,¡± Anita urged. ¡°You¡¯ll have fun.¡±


    There was sheer terror flowing from Nin-Akna, but she took Horaz¡¯s hand and let him lead her to the dance floor. She was clearly inexperienced, but she did a good job picking up on the steps.


    ¡°See? That wasn¡¯t so bad,¡± Anita said when Nin-Akna returned.


    ¡°I suppose not,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°It would be better if I could move more freely though. This dress is very restricting.¡±


    ¡°So you keep saying,¡± Anita said. ¡°You just have to wear it for a couple more hours. It¡¯s nearly midnight. New Year¡¯s. After that, people will start heading to bed and we can leave.¡±


    ¡°We could always leave early,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    Anita shook her head. ¡°At least one family member has to be here.¡±


    Felit?a looked around. ¡°What happened to your mother?¡± She hadn¡¯t seen Siba leave, but there was no sign of her.


    ¡°She¡¯s gone to tend to Father,¡± Anita said. ¡°He was having another coughing fit apparently. And gods know where Danel is. So I¡¯m officially the host at the moment. I have to stay. However, Akna, since it¡¯s hard to tell in here exactly when midnight hits, I will declare it as early as I can get away with. How¡¯s that?¡±


    Nin-Akna smiled. ¡°That¡¯ll do. Why do your people start a new day in the middle of the night anyway?¡±


    Anita shrugged. ¡°I have no idea.¡±


    The next couple hours passed slowly. Felit?a began getting more requests for dances. Horaz dancing with her must have been the catalyst. She turned down as many as she felt she could diplomatically get away with¡ªwhich meant not many.


    The same did not happen with Nin-Akna, who was clearly disappointed by it even though she didn¡¯t say anything. She and Anita did dance together quite a bit though.


    Eventually, Anita signalled the small orchestra to stop playing, and clinked her glass multiple times until people near her quietened down, and then people near them, and so on until the entire ballroom was quiet.


    ¡°My Lords and Ladies,¡± Anita called out, ¡°my father and mother apologise that they cannot be here at his moment. As you know, my father is currently ill. However, it is my pleasure to announce a new year to you all. As we enter this two thousand three hundred thirty-third year since the end of the Great War with the Volgs, we pray that the threat of a new war will turn out to be an empty one. Instead, we hope this year will be peaceful and fruitful.¡± She raised her glass above her head. ¡°My Lords and Ladies, a very happy new year to you all.¡±


    Everyone in the room raised their glasses and goblets as well, and they all drank.


    Anita reached out her hand to Nin-Akna, who took it. Anita pulled her in close, the wide skirts of their gowns pressing and bending against each other as the wire frames tried to resist. The two kissed. It was a fairly lengthy, passionate one, too.


    Gasps spread across the room, along with the sound of several glasses shattering.


    Felit?a grinned.


    Anita and Nin-Akna left together after that, while the orchestra started playing again, and most of the guests muttered and gossiped amongst themselves.


    Felit?a decided this was a good time to leave, too, though Horaz approached her on the way out. ¡°Quite the display,¡± he said.


    Felit?a smirked. ¡°You could call it that.¡±


    He laughed. ¡°Young people these days, am I right?¡±


    Felit?a raised her eyebrows. ¡°I like to think I¡¯m still a young person, too. I¡¯m only seven years older than Nin-Akna. I admit I don¡¯t know Anita¡¯s exact age, but I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s close to the same as Nin-Akna¡¯s.¡±


    Horaz laughed some more. ¡°I never meant to imply you aren¡¯t. I hope they¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    ¡°People will gossip, I suppose,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°They might give them a hard time, but I¡¯m just glad to see Nin-Akna happy. She has so little happiness in her life at the moment.¡±


    Horaz sighed. ¡°I suppose. It¡¯s just...my brother¡¯s not well. He and Siba try to present an optimistic face, but...I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to live much longer. If Danel takes over, Anita and your friend...well, I don¡¯t want to imagine.¡±


    Felit?a bit her lip. She wished she could tell him about the plans to prevent Danel taking over. Just a couple more days, she reminded herself. Feodor Belone just had to survive that long. ¡°We can only hope for the best.¡±


    Horaz nodded. ¡°Too true.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, my Lord, I¡¯d like to try to get some sleep.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Goodnight, your Highness.¡± He bowed.


    Felit?a curtsied. ¡°Goodnight, my Lord.¡±


    She hurried back to her room.


    She was glad to get out of the gown, but even gladder to remove the wires, pearls, and ribbons from her hair. Lying down in bed with Lon and Nesh lying on her chest brought a great sense of relief.


    Sleep didn¡¯t come, though.


    Damn.


    There was too much to think about. Too much to worry about. What if Lord Belone didn¡¯t survive two more days? Why had her mind clouded over? Why was sleeping so hard? What the hell was wrong with her?


    A couple hours or so later, someone knocked at her door. Felit?a didn¡¯t respond immediately and the knock came again. She lifted Nesh off her. Lon had already moved somewhere else. Nesh squealed in protest, then scurried away. Then she rose, pulled on a night gown over her shift, and headed to the door. The knock came again.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Message, your Highness.¡±


    The voice was familiar. Felit?a was pretty certain it was one of the servant boys who carried messages through the palace. She opened the door a crack. It was the boy¡ªan Eloorin boy about thirteen years of age. Felit?a had received a few messages via him before.


    But at this time of night?


    Fear cascaded from the boy. Felit?a stumbled, but caught herself on the door.


    He bowed. ¡°Apologies for the late hour, your Highness, but Plavistalorik has asked that you join her in the library. She says it¡¯s urgent.¡± He was doing a good job hiding his fear visually, but he couldn¡¯t know she could detect his feelings.


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°Thank you. Tell her I¡¯ll be there as soon as I¡¯m dressed.¡±


    The boy bowed again, and Felit?a closed the door.


    Something was wrong.


    She dressed quickly.


    This was possibly a trap. If the boy¡ªLucas she believed his name was¡ªhad been forced to deliver a false message, there could be anyone waiting for her in the library. But who? Danel? Darkers? Whoever was responsible for her inability to sleep?


    She should get help before going.


    Nin-Akna.


    Except Nin-Akna would be with Anita right now. Was it right to intrude on them? It was an emergency after all. Though admittedly, she didn¡¯t really know that for sure. Plavistalorik could be intimidating and maybe the boy frightened easily. She might have used excessive coercion to get him to come to Felit?a¡¯s door so late at night.


    Felit?a sighed. Worrying about a trap could just be her paranoia again, and Nin-Akna deserved some comfort right now. If she could count on her spellcasting, she would be far less worried, but her concentration right now was only marginally better than it had been.


    Whatever. She had to take the risk. If Plavistalorik really had sent for her, it was important she go. This might finally provide some answers.


    She hurried to the library.

 Book 2, Chapter 44: Cant Sleep, Cant Breathe (Part 4)

    Akna ran her fingers through Anita¡¯s hair. Anita stirred, but didn¡¯t wake. Akna smiled.


    She couldn¡¯t sleep again, but at the moment, she didn¡¯t care. She hadn¡¯t had sex in ages, and she hadn¡¯t had sex that good for an even longer time¡ªnot since the last time she and Chica had lain together, which seemed a lifetime ago, long before they went to Scovese.


    Thinking about Chica wasn¡¯t bringing visions of her death either, which Akna wanted to revel in. She could close her eyes and not see Chica¡¯s face explode, not see any of her friends die. It didn¡¯t matter if she wasn¡¯t falling asleep. She was happy for just this much. She could worry about lack of sleep another time.


    So she just lay there awhile. Anita occasionally stirred a little, rolled over, rolled back again, put her arms around Akna, rolled over yet again. Akna just watched the whole time, occasionally stroked Anita¡¯s hair, touched her skin, kissed her on the couple occasions she opened her eyes for a moment.


    Akna wasn¡¯t sure just how much time passed. It had to be getting close to dawn, though. At some point or other today, exhaustion was going to hit her, but for now, she was still wide awake and content.


    There were voices in the hallway. Yes, it had to be approaching dawn. The morning servants were probably getting up.


    Except the voices in the hall were yelling. There was a cry and more yells.


    Akna sat up and nudged Anita.


    Anita groaned sleepily. ¡°Mm?¡±


    Akna nudged her again. ¡°Something¡¯s happening. Wake up.¡±


    Anita opened her eyes, then sat up. ¡°What the hell?¡±


    The yells outside were louder. ¡°Open it! Do it now! I said open it, bitch!¡±


    Akna reached for her spear, which was leaning against the wall beside the bed. And Anita had mocked her for keeping it near her, even while they were fucking.


    The bedroom door opened and one of Anita¡¯s handmaids ran into the room. She fell to her knees. ¡°My Lady! I¡¯m sorry! They forced me. They¡¯re everywhere. They¡ª¡±


    A man in pinkish metal armour with a helmet and red cape marched into the room, a sword already drawn. He rammed it through the handmaid¡¯s back.


    Anita screamed and Akna leapt from the bed, raised her spear into attack position.


    Danel Belone walked into the room. ¡°Good gods, savage, you¡¯re naked.¡±


    Akna gave him a mocking smile. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been fucking your sister. That usually involves being naked, but you wouldn¡¯t know that, would you?¡±


    Danel sneered. ¡°Your insults mean nothing to me, savage.¡±


    ¡°Danel, what the hell are you doing?¡± Anita had pulled her knees up against her chest, and the sheets of the bed over them.


    ¡°Establishing a proper order in this place, starting by arresting this savage.¡± Danel nodded to the armoured man, who moved forward.


    Akna levelled her spear at him. He didn¡¯t stop, so she stepped back, then thrust her spear straight into the gap in his armour at the shoulder of his sword arm. He cried out, dropping his sword. She yanked the spear back and he cried out again.


    Two more soldiers wearing the same style armour marched into the room.


    ¡°Danel, stop this!¡± Anita yelled. ¡°You can¡¯t do this! Where¡¯s Father?¡±


    ¡°Dead. He died in his sleep during the night.¡±


    Anita shook and pulled the blankets up more. ¡°What? But¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in charge now,¡± Danel said, ¡°and there are going to be a few changes.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    The injured man backed away behind the two new arrivals who stepped forward.


    ¡°You can¡¯t win, savage,¡± Danel said. ¡°Surrender now, and you won¡¯t be harmed. You¡¯ll be treated well until your execution tomorrow.¡±


    Akna rolled her eyes. ¡°Like that¡¯s a great incentive.¡±


    Danel grinned. ¡°Then the Red Knights will kill you now.¡±


    ¡°Red Knights?¡± Anita screamed. ¡°You brought Bloods here? Father always denied them entry!¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m in charge now. Now, stay out of this or I¡¯ll have you arrested too. Your disgusting behaviour with this savage is more than enough reason.¡±


    The two Red Knights advanced on Akna, attempted to flank her. She stabbed at the nearest one, again straight at the joints in his armour. She pierced his thigh. As he cried out, she withdrew the spear, spun it around and jabbed at the second. He managed to avoid the thrust, came in with his sword high. She jumped aside and ran the spear through his armpit. She pulled the spear back out and he fell aside, screaming in pain. Blood from his nearly severed arm gushed down.


    Akna stabbed again at the first one, who was trying to get within her reach. He knocked the spear shaft aside with his sword. She scrambled backwards against the bed. Then she thrust her spear under his helmet and through his chin.


    Anita screamed again. Akna glanced at her. Tears streamed down her face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± Akna said. She pulled her spear free, letting the heavy body drop to the floor.


    Two more, these ones holding shields, had entered the room. Behind them, another man entered. He was dressed in the same pinkish armour, but he had not drawn a sword and he was carrying his helmet at his side. His large nose was crooked, and two long scars ran down his face, one on each side and crossing along his chin.


    ¡°My apologies, your Lordship,¡± the scarred man said. ¡°I¡¯m disgusted that my men have not been able to handle one naked savage.¡±


    The two shield-bearing Knights linked their shields together and advanced towards Akna.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Anita jumped off the bed and ran between the Knights and Akna. ¡°Leave her alone!¡±


    The Knights paused in their advance, and the scarred man looked to Danel. ¡°Your Lordship? What should we do about your sister?¡±


    Danel frowned and looked away. ¡°Arrest her. Throw her in a cell until she comes to her senses.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Anita yelled. ¡°You can¡¯t do this!¡±


    Danel sighed. ¡°If she resists, kill her if you have to, but try to subdue her.¡±


    Akna dropped her spear. ¡°No! I surrender! Just don¡¯t harm Anita!¡±


    Anita looked back at her, more tears streaming down her face. ¡°No, Akna, they¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    Akna wiped a tear of her own. ¡°There¡¯s no choice. I can¡¯t let them harm you. I wouldn¡¯t be able to take them all anyway.¡±


    The two Red Knights unlinked their shields, and rushed past either side of Anita. They grabbed Akna¡¯s arms.


    The scarred man stepped forward, took Anita¡¯s arm, and twisted it behind her back. Anita cried out. Akna tried to move to her aid, but the two Knights held her fast.


    ¡°Be gentle with her,¡± Danel said. ¡°She may have abhorrent affection for the savage, but I don¡¯t think she¡¯s beyond redemption.¡±


    Anita spat at the scarred man¡¯s face. ¡°Redemption? I¡¯m not the one who needs redemption.¡±


    Danel looked at her, grimaced, and looked away again. ¡°Good gods, put some clothes on.¡±


    ¡°You killed my handmaid!¡±


    ¡°She had the gall to dress the savage like a noblewoman. She got her reward. You¡¯ll have to dress yourself today.¡± Danel looked to the scarred man. ¡°Let her get dressed, but watch that she doesn¡¯t make a run for it.¡±


    The scarred man nodded and let go of Anita. ¡°And the savage?¡±


    Danel shrugged. ¡°The clothes she wears make little difference. Just throw her in a cell as she is. It¡¯ll make any thoughts she has of escape even harder.¡±


    The scarred man motioned to the Knights holding Akna. They dragged her towards the door.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Anita,¡± Akna said as they dragged her past.


    Anita strode up to Danel and slapped him. ¡°Fuck you, Danel! Fuck you!¡±


    Akna didn¡¯t get to see or hear what happened next, as the Knights dragged her through the door and then another Knight in the hall slammed it shut behind them.


    Oddly enough, Akna was feeling sleepy. She almost thought she might be able to fall asleep while the Knights dragged her naked through the palace.


    Funny that.


    She should have known better than to think she could ever experience happiness again.

 Book 2, Chapter 45: Agernon (Part 1)

    The Room wouldn¡¯t form at all. There was only blackness and a hint of the grey walls somehow visible in the blackness. Felit?a kept trying. Kept trying to pull up the black walls. Kept trying to push out whatever was stopping her from doing it.


    For she was sure now something was stopping her¡ªand it wasn¡¯t exhaustion.


    Or rather, it was partially that, as she was also now certain someone or something was stopping her from sleeping.


    It was an ingenious plan, really. It had completely disabled her, stripping her of the abilities she held most dear¡ªher telepathy and magic¡ªand she was completely unprepared to face the world without them. They were like air to her. Without them, she couldn¡¯t breathe. She could only suffocate.


    She opened her eyes and looked around the tiny cell again. There was only the stone platform along the wall that doubled as both bench and bed, a pan to relieve herself in, and nothing else but the door of iron bars. The cell was one of a few in a small outbuilding along the wall surrounding Lord Belone¡¯s palace¡ªDanel Belone¡¯s palace now.


    She took occasional looks around the cell, hoping each time she¡¯d notice something about it which would give her some sort of idea. An idea for escape maybe? An idea for how to restore her abilities and let her sleep? She didn¡¯t know what she was looking for. Just hoping something would present itself.


    She closed her eyes again, tried again to form the Room. Again it refused.


    Last night had been a trap, like she¡¯d suspected. She¡¯d arrived at the library to find Plavistalorik was not there, but others were.


    Danel Belone sat at the table, flipping the pages of a book. A man with greying brown hair and a scarred face stood behind him, dressed in the armour of the Red Knights. Two Red Knights stood at attention in the corners of the room.


    Danel closed the book as Felit?a entered. He motioned to the scarred man. ¡°There you are. I told you the Isyar¡¯s name would lure her here.¡± He looked at Felit?a. ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on you the past couple months, your Highness. I know you¡¯ve made a couple requests to speak to Plavistalorik.¡±


    Felit?a sighed and walked farther into the room. The trap was sprung. No point trying to get away now, but maybe she could still learn something. ¡°Okay, Danel, you¡¯ve got me here. What¡¯s this about? And why are there Bloods here?¡±


    ¡°We prefer Red Knights,¡± the scarred man said. ¡°Bloods is a slur.¡±


    Felit?a took a seat at the table across from Danel. She didn¡¯t look at the scarred man. She had a good idea who he was, and she wasn¡¯t about to show him any sort of respect, not even eye contact. ¡°When your organisation starts treating people with respect, I¡¯ll consider treating you with respect, too. Not before. Danel, why are there Bloods here? Your father won¡¯t approve.¡±


    Danel smiled at her. ¡°My father passed away an hour ago. May Nature guide him and All-Father embrace him. He was a good man, and I will miss him.¡±


    Damn it. The moment she¡¯d seen the Bloods, Felit?a had suspected this, but it was still disappointing to hear it confirmed. Worse, the fact the Bloods were already here meant Danel must have known his father was going to die. Possibly even knew when. Mitchal Plavin¡ªassuming the scarred man was Mitchal Plavin¡ªwouldn¡¯t have come all the way here without certainty.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look very upset,¡± Felit?a said. He wasn¡¯t either. There was a slight sense of regret coming from him, but mostly there was excitement, some nervousness, and some anger. That anger grew as Felit?a spoke.


    He slammed his fist on the table. ¡°He disappointed me.¡± He glared at Felit?a. ¡°I heard about his plan to disinherit me. I blame you for that. Since you first came here a year ago, and especially in the last couple months, you¡¯ve spun a web of lies around him. He even believed you¡¯re a wizard, yet I¡¯ve never seen you perform a single magical trick at all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because they mostly are just tricks.¡± Mitchal Plavin walked up to the table. ¡°Intelligent people like us see right through them, so they avoid using them around us. Some of my associates tell me, your Highness, that you are a fabled being they call the Will-Breaker. Your Lordship, as Will-Breaker, she is supposedly capable of bending men¡¯s wills to her with a single glance. Supposedly, she could force us to our knees with just a thought. Care to demonstrate, your Highness?¡±


    Felit?a wondered if she had the concentration for a spell. A simple sleep spell. A tilt of her head, a partial closing of her eyes, and a slight flexing of her finger, and Mitchal Plavin would topple to the floor. He¡¯d likely wake up instantly again, but it might shut him up. But she hadn¡¯t been able to manage a spell in weeks. Was Plavin responsible for that? Someone working for him? Had it been done for a moment just like this, to make her look a fraud?


    ¡°You see, your Lordship? She won¡¯t even make eye contact with me.¡±


    Danel laughed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe my father never so much as asked for a simple demonstration.¡±


    ¡°She has one power, lad: a way with words. Words can be powerful when employed effectively.¡±


    Felit?a did it. She half closed her eyes, tilted her head, and flexed her finger just a little.


    Nothing happened.


    Gods damn it! What was wrong with her?


    ¡°So what happens now?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°We throw you in jail for the time being,¡± Mitchal said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your Highness. You¡¯ll be treated with the utmost respect. You are still royalty after all, albeit disgraced royalty. We will send word to Arnor City and wait for their directive for what to do with you.¡±


    ¡°And if they order you to let me go?¡±


    Mitchal Plavin shrugged. ¡°Then we¡¯ll let you go. However, as there¡¯s about to be a change of leadership there as well, I suspect they¡¯ll order your execution. You will be given an execution befitting royalty, of course.¡±


    Danel looked up at him. ¡°A change in leadership in Arnor City, too?¡±


    Mitchal Plavin held up his hand. ¡°Nothing for you to worry about, your Lordship. Just know that we are looking to bring order everywhere, not just here.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Danel nodded. ¡°Ah, of course. I understand.¡±


    So Danel wasn¡¯t in on everything. He was probably just a tool. Interesting. It could mean he wasn¡¯t a Darker like Plavin.


    ¡°What about Nin-Akna?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be arrested first thing in the morning,¡± Danel said. ¡°Then publicly executed in a day or two. She needs to be made an example of.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°I see. Well, you¡¯d better show me to my cell, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    Mitchal Plavin motioned to the other two Bloods. ¡°Escort her Highness to a cell. Remember, she is royalty, so treat her with respect.¡±


    The two Bloods had walked to either side of her, but had otherwise not forced her in any way. They had led her through the palace and across the grounds to the cell where she was now.


    The Room in her head collapsed as soon as she entered the cell. She could also no longer sense the feelings of the Bloods or the palace guards on duty in the jail.


    That was how she finally knew for certain whatever was happening to her was external to her. It happened too suddenly to be anything else. Which meant whoever or whatever was responsible was nearby at that moment. Unfortunately, that last bit of knowledge didn¡¯t help her locate it.


    Hours passed. It had to be daylight outside by now. She¡¯d made no progress with her head.


    The sound of booted feet on the wooden floor came from outside her cell. A moment later, a Blood passed the door, pulling Anita along with him.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Anita called. ¡°They¡¯ve got Akna! They¡¯re going to execute her!¡±


    The Blood dragged her past, but she continued to call out.


    ¡°We have to help her! Please! We have to do something!¡±


    Felit?a stood up, walked the couple of feet to the door, and peered out. The Blood was only a couple cells down. A jailer hurried past to unlock the door.


    Felit?a tried again to put them to sleep, and again it didn¡¯t work. She sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Anita. I¡¯ll figure something out.¡±


    They were hollow words. She had no idea if she could figure anything out. Despite Mitchal Plavin¡¯s assurances, she had no doubt he intended to have her killed. Lidda Plavin¡¯s actions last year were proof enough of that. She suspected locking her up like this was just a show for Danel Belone.


    And unless she determined what was wrong with her and how to reverse it, she could do nothing to prevent her execution, or to stop the same from happening to Nin-Akna, Anita, or anyone else.


    Felit?a stood by the cell door for a few minutes, listening to Anita crying in the other cell.


    No, she couldn¡¯t give up like that. There had to be something she could do. She went back tot he bench-bed, sat down, and tried again to bring up the room.


    Just blackness greeted her.


    So she tried again.


    And again. And again. And again¡­


    She wasn¡¯t sure how long it had been, but eventually, voices interrupted her attempts.


    ¡°I demand to be allowed to see my daughter and her Highness!¡±


    ¡°Let her,¡± another voice said. ¡°She has Lord Belone¡¯s permission.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± a third voice said. ¡°But make it quick, and we¡¯ll be watching.¡±


    A moment later, Siba appeared at the door to Felit?a¡¯s cell. ¡°Your Highness, I trust they¡¯re treating you well.¡±


    Her make-up was tear-streaked, and she dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief.


    Felit?a rose and curtsied. ¡°They are. My Lady, let me offer you my sincerest condolences on the passing of your husband.¡±


    Siba forced a smile, but dabbed at her eyes again. ¡°Thank you, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Mother, is that you?¡± Anita called out from her cell.


    Siba turned in Anita¡¯s direction. ¡°Yes, dear. I¡¯m here. I¡¯m just talking with her Highness briefly, and I¡¯ll be right with you.¡± She sniffed and dabbed her eyes again.


    Felit?a approached the door, pressed up as close to it as she dared. ¡°I wish there was something I could do to help.¡±


    Siba turned back to her. ¡°As do I, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°There might be,¡± Felit?a said quietly.


    Siba lowered her voice similarly. ¡°Anything. Danel¡¯s out of control. I fear he poisoned Feodor.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, I think there¡¯s a good chance of that,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°This could be very dangerous for you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Then I need you to get word to a man in the city named Agernon. Tell him I need his help.¡±


    ¡°Of course. What¡¯s his last name?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have one. It¡¯s just Agernon. He¡¯ll be easy to find.¡±


    Siba nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. You have my word. I¡¯ll find a way.¡±


    ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± one of the jailers yelled. ¡°Speak louder.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Felit?a called back. ¡°My apologies. We didn¡¯t think you¡¯d want to hear about...how should I put it?...a woman¡¯s monthly issues. Lady Siba is helping me with them.¡±


    ¡°Good gods, move on to your daughter!¡±


    Siba smirked. ¡°Well, if you want to deal with the mess. Apologies, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°No worries, my Lady.¡± Felit?a returned to her seat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I won¡¯t be able to be at your husband¡¯s funeral.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your Highness.¡± Siba curtsied, then moved to Anita¡¯s cell.


    ¡°Oh mother, they¡¯re going to execute Akna!¡±


    ¡°I know, dear.¡±


    Danel wasn¡¯t planning to wait long before executing Nin-Akna. Could Siba get word to Agernon before then? It was unlikely, but it was unlikely she¡¯d get word to Agernon at all. Felit?a couldn¡¯t rely on that. She had to come up with something else.


    She closed her eyes again. The Room would still not form.


    So she tried again. And again¡­

 Book 2, Chapter 45: Agernon (Part 2)

    It turned out, despite her sleepiness while being dragged here, Akna still couldn¡¯t fall asleep.


    They¡¯d locked her in a stable of all places, in one of the stalls. The horse had been removed, but they hadn¡¯t cleaned it out. The Knights had tried to force her to sit in the horse shit. She¡¯d refused, so they¡¯d punched her a couple times and left her cradling a bloody nose.


    At least a palace guard had brought her some clothes a short time later. They weren¡¯t her jerkin or skirt¡ªjust a shift and a kirtle¡ªbut they were something. The guard had actually turned out to be fairly nice. His name was Cantin and he had talked with her a little. In a different situation, she might have liked him.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry you¡¯re stuck in here,¡± Cantin said. ¡°I can¡¯t say I like what the new Lord is doing. These knights from outside the province. I mean, it¡¯s just not proper, is it?¡±


    Akna sighed. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡± While he was kind of nice, if he really disapproved of Danel¡¯s leadership, he could let her go. Though to be fair, what would she have done if the Ninifin queen had turned out to be like Danel? She had sworn an oath. Would she have broken it? She wasn¡¯t entirely sure. Of course, she could always ask him. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could just...I don¡¯t know...let me out?¡±


    He stepped back from where he¡¯d been leaning on the stall door, and groaned. ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that, Nin-Akna. Especially now. The new Lord is threatening all kinds of executions. I¡¯m really sorry, but I just, well¡­¡±


    ¡°Pretend I broke out. Tell them I got the jump on you or something. I¡¯d be willing to knock you out or maybe rough you up a little to make it look good. I¡¯d go easy on you, of course. I wouldn¡¯t do anything serious or permanent.¡±


    He groaned some more. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I get the impression the new Lord Belone will be even more likely to execute people because of incompetence. I feel terrible, but I just can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine,¡± Akna said. ¡°I had to ask, you understand.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I might be able to sneak some extra food in to you, though.¡±


    Akna shrugged. ¡°Sure. Great.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do that.¡±


    He didn¡¯t talk to her again for the next couple of hours, so she spent the time plotting how she could overpower him and get out. This stable wasn¡¯t designed to hold prisoners. She didn¡¯t know why she was being kept here¡ªprobably because she was too low class for a real jail or some bullshit like that¡ªbut she could take advantage of it.


    The real problem would be getting across the grounds and out of the complex. She had little doubt she could get past Cantin¡ªhe¡¯d be easy¡ªbut without at least a spear, she wouldn¡¯t stand much of a chance in a fight. She could take Cantin¡¯s sword, she supposed, but swords had too little reach. She¡¯d be giving up her main advantage over these Arnorin warriors.


    The question became, could she sneak out? She supposed the answer was ultimately irrelevant. If she couldn¡¯t, she¡¯d die and it would all make no difference. But if she could¡­ She just needed to wait for an opportunity to jump Cantin or whoever was put on duty to guard her overnight, as that was probably the better time to make her escape.


    Yes, that would be her plan then. She would jump the night guard, make sure he went down silently. Then she¡¯d sneak out. Piece of cake.


    If she could just convince herself that was true.


    The hours passed by slowly.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± a voice eventually called out.


    Cantin, who had been sitting on the floor across from Akna¡¯s stall, jumped to his feet. ¡°My Lady!¡± He bowed.


    Anita¡¯s mother came forward. ¡°I¡¯d like to speak to the prisoner, please.¡±


    ¡®Of...of course, my Lady,¡± Cantin said.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Lady Siba approached the door to Akna¡¯s stall. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose we could have some privacy, could we?¡±


    Cantin shuffled his feet. ¡°I...um...I suppose, my Lady, but I can¡¯t go far.¡±


    Siba waved her hand. ¡°I would never ask you to shirk your duties. Of course, you shouldn¡¯t go far. Just over there. You¡¯ll still be able to see everything we do.¡±


    ¡°Of course, my Lady. That will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Well, go on then.¡± She waved him away.


    Cantin bowed again, and retreated to where Siba had indicated.


    ¡°I¡¯ve spoken with Anita and Felit?a,¡± Siba said. ¡°I¡¯m working on a way to get you out of here.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll know you¡¯ve come to see me,¡± Akna said. ¡°They¡¯ll be watching you, and me.¡±


    Siba nodded. ¡°I know. I expect no less, but I have to do something. Danel is out of control, and Mitchal Plavin is a tyrant.¡±


    ¡°Mitchal Plavin?¡± Akna was certain she¡¯d heard the name before, but couldn¡¯t place it. Possibly someone Felit?a or Anita had mentioned.


    ¡°Commander of the Red Knights and uncle of Lady Lidda Plavin of Plavin-Tyl.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Guy with a couple long scars on his face?¡±


    ¡°That would be him. He¡¯s been trying to bring his Red Knights here for the last year. Feodor always refused, but somewhere along the line, Danel started hero-worshipping him. I¡¯m not surprised he¡¯s let them in, but I worry about the fact they were already here and ready for Feodor to die.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d say they had advance notice,¡± Akna said.


    ¡°Princess Felit?a wants me to contact a man named Agernon. Do you know him?¡±


    Akna nodded. ¡°He¡¯s the one I¡¯ll go straight to if I get out of here.¡± It was primarily because of Corvin that she was planning to go there, but Siba didn¡¯t need to know that.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Siba glanced over at Cantin. She nodded to him when he saw her. She turned back to Akna, reached into her fur coat, and pulled out a handful of tiny bottles¡ªones like the bottle the sleeping draught had been in.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    ¡°Damn,¡± Siba muttered.


    A Red Knight had entered the stable and was marching towards Cantin. ¡°What are you doing over here? You¡¯re supposed to be watching the prisoner.¡±


    ¡°Lady Belone asked me to stand back,¡± Cantin stammered. ¡°I can still see them. I¡¯m watching.¡±


    ¡°Get back over there!¡± the Red Knight barked. ¡°Lady Belone, his Lordship, your son orders you to attend to him.¡±


    Siba turned calmly to face the Knight, moving her hands behind her back. ¡°Of course. I will head there with you immediately. My business here is done.¡±


    Akna snatched the bottles from Siba, and held them behind her own back.


    The Red Knight waited while Siba walked towards and past him. Then he followed her out.


    Akna quickly dropped the bottles into the feeding trough on the inside of the stall door.


    Cantin returned to Akna¡¯ stall. He leaned against the top of the gate. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to have to stay right here from now on.¡±


    Akna nodded. ¡°I understand, and let me say, I¡¯m truly sorry.¡±


    He looked at her blankly. ¡°For what?¡±


    She grabbed him by the ears and slammed his head down into the top of the stall door. She shoved him away and he toppled to the floor. ¡°That.¡±


    Waiting until night wasn¡¯t going to cut it any longer. Akna wasn¡¯t willing to risk Anita¡¯s mother getting herself killed trying to break Akna out. Akna needed to do it now, and on her own.


    She retrieved the sleeping draughts from the trough. Four bottles. She could use them to help in her escape. She¡¯d have to find a way to get them into guards¡¯ drinks, though. How she¡¯d do that she had no idea, but she could figure that out along the way.


    She climbed over the stall door and bent over Cantin. She unstrapped his sword belt and put it on herself. She didn¡¯t like swords, but there wasn¡¯t much other option. She considered taking his clothes and armour, and trying to blend in, but he was taller and thinner than she was. It would never work.


    The sword belt secure, Akna hurried over to the stable doors. Cold blasted her as she opened them a crack. She¡¯d forgotten how cold it was outside. It was cold inside too, but body heat from the horses made it more bearable. The greater cold outside was going to be much more difficult to ignore.


    She glanced around. Surely Cantin had something warm. Sure enough, a heavy cloak hung from a hook on a nearby post. Akna grabbed the cloak and threw it over herself. It wasn¡¯t a good fit, but it would help keep her warm, and with the hood up, it might help her avoid notice.


    With the cloak tied as securely as she could get it, she peered through the crack in the stable door straight towards the side of the palace. She looked to either side, but there was no sign of anyone. However, the wall around the palace grounds was behind her and there were bound to be soldiers on it.


    Akna took a deep breath and slipped outside. The biting wind made its way under her hood and hit her face. Some of it crept down her neck and through the thin fabric of her kirtle and shift. It wasn¡¯t bad though, and she could handle it. On the other hand, her bare feet stung in the snow. She should have taken Cantin¡¯s boots. No, the improper fit would have hampered her movement too much. She was going to have to bear the cold and risk frost-bitten feet. The quicker she got out of here, the better.


    That was the problem, though. The cloak might stop people recognising her from a distance, but she still wouldn¡¯t be able to just walk out the main gates.


    She walked slowly along the side of the stable to the corner and peered round at the wall surrounding the palace grounds. The nearest guard patrolling it was quite some distance away, but moving in her direction. Akna estimated maybe a minute until he passed her. There was nobody out in the grounds that Akna could see from this location.


    She turned around and went to the other corner of the stable. The main gate was in this direction, and there were a lot more guards there. Her best hope was the other way.


    She returned to the other side again and waited for the guard on the wall to pass the stable. Then she waited awhile longer, while her feet went numb in the snow. She couldn¡¯t stay like this for long, but she needed an idea how frequently the guards passed by on the wall. It was about five minutes until the next guard came in sight and another minute or so until he passed.


    The wall didn¡¯t look easy to climb. The sides were reasonably smooth with few handholds. However, the stable was bound to have rope and tools she could use. She could also take a moment to warm her feet in some straw.


    Provided no one came to check on her in that time, but that was a risk no matter what.


    She returned inside the stable and began looking for what she needed. As she¡¯d predicted, rope was easy to find. There was no grapple, however, so she settled on improvising something. At bare minimum, she needed something that would hold long enough for her to climb up this side. If necessary, she could jump down the other side. It wouldn¡¯t be a pleasant jump, but the wall wasn¡¯t so high she was likely to kill herself.


    It only took her a few minutes to put together a makeshift grapple from a couple of old horseshoes that she then tied to the end of the rope.


    Cantin moaned and started to stir.


    Akna hurried over to him. She didn¡¯t want to seriously hurt him, so she took one of the sleeping draughts and poured the contents down his throat. He coughed and gurgled for a moment, tried to stand up, then collapsed again. He tried to prop himself up once more, but then fell fast asleep.


    The stuff certainly worked fast, for which Akna was immensely grateful.


    She returned to the stable door, and gritted her teeth for when her feet hit the cold snow again. Then she hurried out and to the corner.

 Book 2, Chapter 45: Agernon (Part 3)

    Akna waited until the next guard had passed, then looked around. There was no one out on the grounds to see her, so she moved up to the wall. She waited another half-minute to make sure the previous guard was far enough along that he wouldn¡¯t hear the grapple.


    When she felt it was safe, she stepped back a couple feet, pulled out enough length of rope that she could still spin it, but also get enough momentum for the throw. She spun the grapple and rope a couple times and then released it. It flew over the top of the wall and hit the other side with a thud. She pulled back on the rope until the grapple caught hold of something¡ªprobably one of the battlements¡ªand a few tugs didn¡¯t bring it all tumbling down.


    Akna looked along both lengths of the wall and then behind her. There didn¡¯t seem to be anyone who had noticed. One benefit of this freezing weather: it kept people inside.


    She gave the rope one more hard tug just to be sure, then started to climb as fast as she could. This was the most vulnerable part of her escape.


    When she reached the top, she didn¡¯t waste any time before looking over the opposite side. The ground was covered in a thick layer of undisturbed snow. That should help cushion a jump, though it was impossible to say what was under the snow¡ªdirt, rocks, or something else. A bit farther out was the edge of a copse of trees. She would be exposed getting to it, but if she could get there, she would be safer. She began pulling up the rope.


    The next guard on patrol was already in sight. That guard started to run, pulling out a bell and ringing it as he went.


    That settled it. She had to jump.


    She unhooked the grapple, and tossed it and the rope off the side. She didn¡¯t want the guards using it to help them follow her. Then she climbed onto the battlement.


    ¡°You! Stop!¡± The guard had stopped and tossed aside his alarm bell. He had taken out a crossbow and was loading it.


    Akna leapt off the battlement, and rolled as she landed. The snow got all up inside her cloak and clothes, but otherwise, the impact was gentle. She got to her feet and took off just as a crossbow bolt shot through the snow where she¡¯d just been.


    Running through the snow wasn¡¯t easy. She zigzagged as much as she could, stumbled several times, and fell face-first into the snow a couple times. A few crossbow bolts swished past her. Another sunk into the snow beside her. Another tore her cloak. Yet another slammed into the tree beside her just as she reached the copse.


    She ducked behind the tree and took a moment to catch her breath. No further bolts flew at her. Overall, there had been fewer than she had expected. She should count her blessings. She also shouldn¡¯t stop for long. They¡¯d be after her on foot soon.


    The question was, where to now? She needed to get moving before her feet froze and she couldn¡¯t move anymore.


    The city. She could lose them in the city, then get to Agernon¡¯s.


    She wove through the trees to the far side of the copse. Getting to Agernon¡¯s from here was straight-forward. She knew the way well. It was just a quick trip through the noble district, then across town. The problem was going unnoticed. Her haphazard clothing would draw attention in the noble district. She didn¡¯t look like a noble, a guard, or a servant, but it was a risk she had to take.


    She stepped out of the trees and walked into the street, trying to move confidently, as if she was supposed to be there. Foliths had a way of ignoring people if they behaved like they were supposed to be there. Foliths would just assume they were servants on an errand.


    The snow was better packed in the street. It made it easier to walk, but it was still blisteringly cold and it stung like hell, but she ignored it. If she didn¡¯t react to it, maybe no one would notice she was barefoot. Even servants didn¡¯t go barefoot. She looked at no one, and avoided eye contact.


    She made it a block without any issue.


    Then there were yells in the street behind her. She made a point of not looking back, kept moving forward, and acted like it had nothing to do with her.


    More yells followed, and then the clanking of metal armour and boots. People on the street ahead of her moved aside, some of them pointing at her and yelling, ¡°Over here!¡±


    Shit.


    She ran, nearly slipped on the slick ground. A man on the street tried to grab her, but she wove around him. Most others stayed out of her way, content to let the guards chase her. Even with the snow to dampen it, the sound of their boots rang down the street.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Up ahead, a group of the City Watch turned in her direction.


    Not good.


    She weaved to the side, towards a horse-drawn wagon stopped in front of the gate to an estate. There was no sign of the driver. That was good.


    Akna ran straight for the horse, fumbling at the sword at her waist. She ran between the horse and the gate, and stopped for a moment, still working at the sword. She managed to untie it from her belt. Then she screamed as loud as she could into the horse¡¯s ear, and whacked the horse in the side with the still-sheathed sword.


    The horse screamed and bolted. The wagon creaked and bounced as the horse pulled it over the wooden stoppers that had been placed at the wheels to stop it from rolling. Akna dove over the low wall of the estate as crates tumbled off the wagon, and the horse and wagon careened into the street.


    Akna took off across the grounds. People were running from the house in her direction. One had a crossbow.


    She reached the wall separating it from the next estate. She grabbed the top of the wall and pulled herself up. A crossbow bolt slammed into her exposed arm, between her elbow and wrist. She cried out, and flipped herself over the opposite side.


    She rolled in the snow, and hopped to her feet. She clutched at her arm, blood gushing. The bolt hadn¡¯t lodged in, just torn a deep gash. She wrapped the cloak around her arm, tried to keep it tight, but she didn¡¯t have time to tie it properly.


    She dashed¡ªstumbled more like¡ªacross the grounds. This time, she headed in the direction of the house, not the next estate. She couldn¡¯t let the guards chasing her just follow parallel on the street. She had to mix it up a bit.


    She ran round the far side of the house. More yells came from the street, and one from the door of the house. ¡°Hey! What are you doing?¡±


    She ignored them, and ran to the back of the house. There was a garden there, but little growing in it, just a couple snow-draped bushes, and one leafless tree. The wall behind the garden was taller than the ones separating this estate from the ones on either side. Probably to ¡°protect¡¯ the estate from the lower-class district on the other side. Fucking Foliths.


    She could probably climb the wall if it weren¡¯t for her injured arm.


    But the tree. She might be able to climb the tree. It was taller than the wall and close enough to it that she should be able to jump to the top of the wall. She rushed to the tree.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    She ignored whoever it was.


    A bad decision.


    She reached for the lower branch of the tree with her good arm. Another arm wrapped around her neck and pulled her backwards.


    She kicked out, and both Akna and her assailant fell backwards into the snow. She was on top of him, but he put his other arm around her, holding her down.


    Akna gasped for breath, and kicked out again. She hit the side of the man¡¯s foot, kicked at it several times, then brought her foot down on top of his leg.


    Finally, he gasped and his grip loosened. She lifted her head a little, then dropped it back down onto his. With a cry, he let go of her.


    Akna bounded to her feet and leapt for the lowest branch. She got hold of it with the hand on her good arm, then reached with the other. The cloak unwrapped as she grabbed hold of the branch. It was painful, but she would manage.


    The man grabbed at her legs, but she kicked him in the face. He fell back over, and she pulled herself up onto the branch. It only took another moment to climb the next couple branches and be level with the wall. She leapt.


    She flew over the other side of the wall, and hit the ground. She sat up, back pressed up against the wall. People on the street stared at her for a moment, but gradually turned back to what they¡¯d been doing. She couldn¡¯t see any guards, but someone was bound to call for one. Wrapping the blood-soaked cloak around her injured arm again, she hopped to her feet, and set off. She moved quickly, but not at a run, so as not to draw too much attention. In this part of the city, she wouldn¡¯t look so out of place.


    She hoped.


    This area was not familiar to her. Although she¡¯d been in Quorge for a couple months now, she discovered she didn¡¯t know it all that well¡ªconsiderably less well than she¡¯d thought. She¡¯d spent all her time going between just three locations. They weren¡¯t particularly close together, but the routes she and Felit?a had used had stayed pretty constant. Now that she was off-route, she wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to get where she was going.


    She knew the general direction though, and eventually, she reached a street she was familiar with. From here, it would be easy going¡ªagain, she hoped. Her arm was going numb; her feet were already numb. She was going to be in terrible condition once she made it to Agernon¡¯s. Assuming she made it.


    At least she seemed to have evaded her pursuit. No one had been running after her since she made it over that last wall.


    A pair of City Watch passed her. They turned up their noses at her, but didn¡¯t otherwise react. She¡¯d managed to stay ahead of word about her.


    She passed through the plaza with the well Felit?a had been so obsessed with those first first few days after arriving in the city. As on previous occasions, there was a line of people waiting to access the well. Felit?a had learned something here¡ªremembered something about her past. At the time, it had seemed important and Akna had been interested. Now, it just seemed a waste of time. Had anything come of it? Had anything come of anything they¡¯d been doing here?


    Akna had endured so much at the palace, just so Felit?a could keep studying, and they had gained no answers. Agernon had made no progress with the Staff or Corvin. They had learned nothing perusing the library at the Hall of Knowledge, and almost nothing from the Ninifin secrets. What was the point of it all?


    She just wanted to go back to Ninifin, join the resistance, and fight for her home. It didn¡¯t matter if she became queen at the end of it. In fact, she¡¯d prefer she didn¡¯t.


    She hoped Anita was all right.

 Book 2, Chapter 45: Agernon (Part 4)

    Agernon opened the door almost instantly after Akna knocked. He ushered her inside. ¡°Close the door. You didn¡¯t lead them back here, did you?¡±


    ¡°Not purposely, but they¡¯ve probably guessed where I¡¯m going. It¡¯s not like I go to many different places in this city.¡±


    Agernon scowled. ¡°You look like shit.¡±


    Akna stumbled over to one of the chairs. ¡°Yeah, well, it¡¯s not like they just let me walk out, you know? Corvin!¡±


    ¡°Fair point.¡± Agernon hobbled towards her, his cane clacking.


    ¡°You heard?¡± She collapsed into the chair. Her muscles ached; her arm throbbed. She still couldn¡¯t feel her feet.


    ¡°Not much. Only that there¡¯s been some sort of coup at the palace.¡± He peered at her, his gaze moving from her arm to her feet.


    ¡°Lord Belone died last night. His son¡¯s taken over and he¡¯s let in some group of armoured warriors called the Red Knights or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Bloods,¡± Agernon sneered. ¡°Felit?a¡¯s told me of them. They¡¯re the last thing we need right now.¡±


    Corvinian ran into the room. ¡°Akna! You¡¯re okay! I was really worried.¡±


    He rushed to her, but she waved him away. ¡°Get my spears and knives. I¡¯m going to need them.¡± She had made a point of leaving weapons here and at the Hall of Knowledge in case of emergency.


    Agernon shook his head. ¡°Forget the spears. Bring me boiled water¡ªtwo bucket¡ªand bandages. And a bottle of alcohol.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll be here soon,¡± Akna said. ¡°All I have is a sword I stole from a guard. If I¡¯m to defend you, I need something better.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. We need to do something about your injuries. Corvinian, go!¡±


    Corvin spun round. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± He ran to the kitchen.


    ¡°I appreciate the concern, but it can wait.¡±


    ¡°No, it can¡¯t. Your feet are frostbitten and you¡¯ve obviously lost a lot of blood. That makes things worse for you feet. If you don¡¯t want to lose them, let me do something. Give me that cloak.¡±


    ¡°But the guards.¡±


    ¡°I said not to worry about them!¡± He pulled at the cloak.


    Akna groaned and untied it. She shifted in her chair so he could pull it out from behind her. ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡±


    ¡°Shush!¡± he snapped. ¡°Lift your feet.¡±


    She raised her legs and he laid the cloak on the floor under her feet. ¡°Put them back.¡± He then wrapped the cloak around her feet. ¡°That¡¯s just a start while we wait for the water.¡±


    Corvinian returned with a couple of buckets of steaming water. He placed them beside Agernon, then hurried off again.


    Agernon only glanced at them. ¡°Much too hot for your feet still. We need to raise their temperature gradually. We¡¯ll start with your arm. As soon as I have those bandages, that is. Corvinian!¡±


    ¡°Coming!¡± Corvin rushed back into the room, hugging a bunch of cloth and bandages to his chest, and a bottle clutched in one hand. He dropped the cloth by Agernon and held on to the bottle.


    The old man grabbed a cloth and dipped it in one of the buckets. He grimaced from the heat, but let the cloth soak a moment, then pulled it out and wrung it out. He began to wash her wound. As he cleaned the cloth out in the bucket, he spoke to Corvin. ¡°Test the other bucket from time to time. Let me know as soon as it¡¯s cool enough to put her feet in.¡±


    Corvin nodded. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Agernon finished cleaning the wound, and held out his hand to Corvin. ¡°Bottle.¡± When Corvin held it out, the old man took it, opened it, and poured some of its contents over the gash in her arm. It stung like hell. He handed the bottle back to Corvin, and reached for a bandage.


    Banging came from the front door. ¡°Open up by the order of Lord Belone!¡±


    Agernon scowled.


    ¡°I told you,¡± Akna hissed. ¡°Corvin, go get¡ª¡±


    ¡°No! I told you I¡¯ll handle this.¡± Agernon handed the bandage to Corvin. ¡°Bandage the wound. Make sure it¡¯s tight.¡±


    Corvin nodded.


    More banging came from the door. ¡°Open up, or we¡¯ll break it down!¡±


    Agernon rose to his feet. ¡°I¡¯m coming! Hold your horses! I¡¯m an old man and can only move so fast!¡± He hobbled¡ªeven more slowly than typical¡ªtowards the door.


    Corvin pulled the bandage tight. As soon as he tied it off, Akna tried to rise. Pins and needles shot through her lower legs and feet. She fell back onto the seat.


    ¡°Stay put,¡± Agernon hissed. He reached the door.


    More bangs came from the door. ¡°Open up, now!¡±


    ¡°All right, I¡¯m here!¡± Agernon barked. ¡°Before I open, tell me what this is about.¡±


    ¡°Order of Lord Belone! Open this door now, or we will break it down, and you will be arrested.¡±


    Agernon placed a single finger on the door and traced a small spiral with it. He turned around and started walking away. ¡°Very well. I¡¯m opening the door now.¡± He banged his cane on the floor, and the door swung open on its own.


    A Red Knight stepped into the house, and removed his helmet, revealing grey, thinning hair. His gaze fell on Akna just as the door slammed into him, knocking him aside. Other Knights at the door tried to block it, but it pushed itself closed again.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    The Knight¡ªno, Blood; Akna liked that term¡ªsteadied himself against the wall. ¡°How dare you! We represent¡ª¡±


    Agernon, moving much more quickly now, ran his finger along the mantel over the fireplace. The spills he kept in a vase there flew out and across the room. The Blood ducked aside, but several still hit him in the face, sticking in him like needles. He cried out.


    Banging came from the door again¡ªmuch heavier banging than before.


    Agernon stopped at the far end of the fireplace and turned to face the Blood. ¡°This is your one chance to turn around and fuck right off. Take it or face the consequences.¡±


    The Blood pulled one of the spills from his face, grimacing. He pointed at Akna. ¡°We represent your Lord. That woman is a wanted fugitive. We will take her by force if necessary. Submit now and you may be spared.¡±


    ¡°Be it on yourself. Corvinian, get out of here!¡± Agernon traced a pattern on the wall with his finger, and slammed his cane into the floor with his other hand.


    Corvin jumped to his feet and ran to the kitchen. Akna started to rise, but the chair moved. She fell back into it as it slid across the floor to the kitchen entrance, where it stopped.


    The Blood tore the remaining spills from his face, just as the other chair slid across the room and slammed into his legs. It pushed him back against the wall. ¡°You¡¯ll die for this!¡±


    Agernon dashed over to the kitchen entrance. ¡°Can you stand?¡±


    There was a crash as the front door splintered.


    Akna pulled herself to her feet. The pins and needles tore through her and she nearly fell over.


    ¡°Corvinian, help her!¡±


    Corvin took her arm and let her lean against him.


    The Blood continued to struggle against the chair, and the front door splintered more and burst open. More Bloods entered the house. The small pot in the fire pit, as well as the vase and everything else on the mantel shot across the room, clattering into them.


    Corvin helped Akna into the kitchen. Agernon followed. Once he was past the chair, he slammed his cane into the floor again, and the chair shot back into the front room. There was a thud and a yell.


    Agernon waved them to the back of the room. Another clack of his cane, and the door into the back opened in front of them.


    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Akna said to Corvin as they passed through the door. ¡°I need my spears and knives. ¡°Get them. Please.¡±


    Corvin looked past her to Agernon.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Agernon said. ¡°Get them. We may end up needing them. The Staff too! They mustn¡¯t get it. Be quick!¡±


    Corvin helped Akna lean against the wall, and then hurried down the stairs.


    The grey-haired Blood appeared at the kitchen doorway, sword drawn. ¡°You¡¯re all under arrest.¡±


    Agernon traced a pattern on the kitchen wall. The Blood raised his arm in front of his face as knives and forks rose from the table and wall where they were hanging, and shot at him. Most bounced off the chain links of his armour, but one knife lodged into his bare hand. Another flew over his arm and sliced his ear.


    ¡°Gods damn you!¡± The Blood rushed forward, other Bloods appearing at the door behind him.


    Everything else in the room not fixed down flew at the Bloods. The heavy cooking pot in the fireplace, the chairs, the teapot on the table, dishes, wooden spoons. They battered against the Bloods, most of whom started to back away. The cooking pot smashed the grey-haired one in the head and he fell over. Even the main table itself flipped onto its side and rammed into the Bloods, helping them in their retreat and pushing their unconscious leader with them.


    Agernon chuckled. He raised his cane and pointed at the Bloods still fending off attack at the other side of the room. ¡°You really think I wouldn¡¯t have a place I¡¯ve lived in for nearly fifty years defended? I¡¯ll make you shit-heads pay!¡±


    Corvin returned from downstairs with the Staff and two spears in one hand, and a pair of boots in his other. He held the boots out to her. ¡°I thought you might need these.¡±


    Akna took them. ¡°Thank you. Help me put them on.¡± She¡¯d forgotten Felit?a had gotten her an extra pair to keep here.


    Corvin leaned the Staff and spears against the wall, and bent down.


    It was getting easier to move on her feet. The pins and needles weren¡¯t gone, but she was getting used to it. She even thought she could almost feel it as Corvin slipped the first boot onto her foot.


    The Bloods had smashed through the big, wooden table, though the cooking pot was still giving them trouble. Two, their armour battered and capes torn, managed to slip past and into the kitchen.


    Agernon lightly tapped his cane on the floor. One thing not fixed down remained in the kitchen¡ªa ratty old rug made from the fur and hide of a bear. It rose up as the Bloods walked over it, wrapped around their legs, and pulled them down.


    Corvin and Akna finished getting her boots on. She took the spears and Corvin took a pair of knives from his belt and held them out to her. She took one. ¡°You keep the other. You might need it.¡±


    Corvin nodded. He put it in his belt and took hold of the Staff.


    Akna held out the knife to Agernon, who was still eyeing the remaining Bloods across the room. He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t need it. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Akna nodded and tucked the knife into her belt.


    Corvin opened the back door and they all hurried out. Akna and Corvin started down the alley, but stopped after a few feet when they realised Agernon wasn¡¯t with them.


    He was still at the back door. His head was bowed, and he was muttering something. When he raised his head, there were tears in his eyes. He traced a pattern on the outside wall beside the door, then turned and walked unsteadily towards Akna and Corvin.


    Behind him, the house shook and rumbled. A moment later, the wall cracked and the roof sagged. Then, with a cacophonous crash, the whole house collapsed inwards. Akna couldn¡¯t be sure, but the screams of the Bloods inside seemed just audible over it all. Not that she cared. They deserved it.


    Agernon slumped over as he reached them. Corvin caught him before he fell.


    Akna looked past him at the pile of rubble where his house used to be. ¡°Sorry about your place.¡±


    Agernon was breathing heavily, gasping for air. ¡°My...my strength is gone. It¡¯s...up to you, girl. Get us to the Hall...of Knowledge. Quick as you can. There¡¯ll...be more soon...and we¡¯re...we¡¯re not dressed for this weather. Boy, support me.¡±


    ¡°You got it, sir,¡± Corvin said.


    Agernon lowered his head as Corvinian put his arm around him. ¡°Fifty years of my life, gone.¡±


    The poor man. He didn¡¯t deserve this. Akna straightened up and clutched the spears tightly in one hand. ¡°Right. We¡¯ll stick to the alleys as much as possible. We¡¯ll move as fast as Agernon can manage, but no faster.¡±


    One thing was clear to her. She was going to avenge Agernon for the loss of his home. She was going to avenge them all.


    Danel Belone had to die, and she would be the one to kill him.

 Book 2, Chapter 46: The Queen (Part 1)

    Tianna took Zandrue¡¯s hand as the Kingsguard opened the door into the King¡¯s Study. It was a darker room than most in the Palace, but that was down to the walnut panelling on the walls and floor. The large chandelier hanging overhead still gave plenty of light.


    Zandrue and Tianna walked into the room together. The Kingsguard followed them in, and a servant outside pulled the door closed behind them.


    King Wavon stood in front of a desk angled in a corner between two alcoves. He was leaning against the desk, watching them. The Queen, Gabriella, and Annai sat in three of the many red-cushioned chairs spread about the room. Patriarch Ardon stood by the fireplace in the corner opposite the desk warming his hands. He didn¡¯t react to their presence.


    Barnol Friaz also sat in one of the chairs. Zandrue shouldn¡¯t have been surprised to see him, but she was. Worse, this was one of the very few times she had ever seen him without a box of chocolates or some other sweets. Snatching sweets from him was about the only thing he was good for.


    The Kingsguard snapped to attention. ¡°Ladies Tianna Friaz and Zandromeda Armida, your Majesties.¡±


    The Queen motioned them forward, and Zandrue and Tianna approached her. They both curtsied low when they were a few feet from her. A large mirror¡ªat least twice as tall as the average Folith¡ªhung in the centre of each of the walls, a table beneath each one. The mirror on the wall behind the Queen bore their reflections and the reflections of their reflections in the mirror on the opposite wall. The reflections reflected again and again, getting seemingly farther and farther away. Zandrue found it somewhat disconcerting, especially in the flickering light. Perhaps that was why the Queen had chosen to sit in the centre of the room where the effect would be most pronounced.


    The Queen looked them both over for several seconds. ¡°I hope I don¡¯t regret this.¡±


    Tianna curtsied again. ¡°I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t, your Majesty. May I say you look stunning today?¡±


    The Queen raised an eyebrow. She was dressed casually as far as the Queen¡¯s manner of dress tended. Her gown was a pale blue, and had little in the way of embellishments. She wore a couple necklaces, and her chaperon was not as tall as most of the ones she wore. ¡°Thank you, Tianna, but I have never known you to use flattery to attempt to distract me.¡±


    ¡°No, your Majesty. That...that wasn¡¯t meant...I mean, I was being honest...I¡­¡± Tianna curtsied a couple more times.


    The Queen held up her hand. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Tianna. Have a seat.¡±


    Tianna curtsied again, squeezed Zandrue¡¯s hand, then scurried over and sat beside her father. He gave her hand a squeeze as she sat.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had several days to think about this,¡± the Queen said. ¡°And to discuss it with those I trust, and I must say, I do not like it. I do not like it at all.¡±


    Zandrue curtsied. ¡°So you said the other night, your Majesty.¡±


    During the New Year¡¯s Eve ball, the Queen had approached Zandrue to say she wanted this meeting. She had also taken the opportunity to tell Zandrue how much she didn¡¯t like or trust her, and that she would make certain no harm came to her family because of Zandrue and Felit?a¡¯s interference.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be smart with me,¡± the Queen snapped.


    ¡°My apologies, your Majesty. That wasn¡¯t meant to be rude or cause offence.¡±


    The Queen frowned. ¡°You are Felit?a¡¯s closest friend, are you not?¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°Yes, your Majesty. We grew up together. We had the same...uh...foster father.¡±


    The Queen¡¯s frown turned to a scowl. ¡°You mean the Eloorin who taught her her disgraceful magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your Majesty.¡±


    The Queen sighed and shook her head. ¡°Yet even knowing this, somehow my daughter Annai has come to trust you. She insists I listen to your crazy story about Lady Plavin, so here I am, listening. In the King¡¯s Study, no less. No one of your status has ever been allowed in here in my time in the Palace. Except, of course, servants in pursuit of their duties. So you see, I am taking this seriously.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your Majesty. I recognise the honour you have bestowed on me.¡±


    ¡°It was Captain DeSelo?n¡¯s idea. I find him an odious man, but he is loyal and does his job well. This is the most secure room in the Palace. We will not be disturbed or overheard here. Now talk. You have made a serious accusation, and this is your one and only chance to convince me of its validity.¡±


    Zandrue curtsied again. ¡°Thank you, your Majesty, but if I may be so bold, I¡¯ve actually made two accusations: one against Lidda Plavin and the other that someone in your court is a traitor. I just don¡¯t know who yet. I consider that second accusation more serious at the moment because that is the person who is allowing Darkers to run rampant throughout the Palace.¡±


    The Queen scoffed.


    ¡°Absolute nonsense,¡± Barnol Friaz said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t listen to her, Annai. She¡¯s either inventing an elaborate lie, or living in a fantasy world.¡±


    Ardon turned from the fireplace. ¡°I, on the other hand, suggest you listen to her, your Majesty. Ms Armida has valuable information that shouldn¡¯t be ignored.¡±


    The Queen turned in her chair to look at the Patriarch. ¡°It occurs to me, your Grace, that you almost always side with those who oppose me.¡±


    Ardon smiled. ¡°Not at all, your Majesty. I side with the side I think is right. It just so happens that you almost always side with the side I think is wrong.¡±


    The Queen scoffed and turned back to Zandrue again. ¡°Enough with the interruptions, all of you. I am giving this woman a chance to speak. Let her finish so that I can make up my own mind about which side is...right. Continue, Ms Armida.¡±


    ¡°It has been established that La?nne Friaz was a Darker,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°She had the tattoo identifying her as such, and pretty much admitted her allegiance to me. She tried to kill me and Tianna, and her earlier attempt on my life endangered Princess Annai as well.¡±


    ¡°Utterly shocking,¡± Barnol said. ¡°Shocking and disturbing, but hardly proof that there are more Darkers in our midst.¡±


    ¡°Barnol!¡±


    Barnol gulped. ¡°Apologies, your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Go on, Ms Armida, but get to the point.¡±


    Zandrue curtsied again. ¡°Your Majesty, my point is that La?nne didn¡¯t have the resources to get other Darkers into the Palace, but there are others here.¡±


    ¡°The ones you claim to have seen?¡± the Queen said. ¡°The man in particular? I believe you said his name was Aderman?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Yet we have only your word this man exists. Only you and your friends have seen him. Rather convenient, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°I would suggest that many people have seen him,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°They just didn¡¯t recognise him. In the times we¡¯ve seen him, he¡¯s been dressed variously as a priest and a Palace servant.¡±


    ¡°Your Grace.¡± The Queen turned in her chair again.


    Ardon bowed. ¡°Yes, your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°Please explain to me how someone could dress up as a priest, enter the Cathedral of the Gods, and stand in plain sight at Prince Garet¡¯s funeral. Would no one in your clergy think it odd there was someone they didn¡¯t recognise there?¡±


    ¡°Under normal circumstances, yes.¡± Ardon crossed the room until he was almost at the Queen¡¯s side. ¡°However, due to the nature of the event, there were clergy there from other locations in Arnor City and the surrounding towns and villages. There were many there that others wouldn¡¯t recognise.¡±


    ¡°And did you not vet these priests?¡±


    Ardon nodded. ¡°Yes, and I cannot explain how he got amongst them, unless he has masqueraded as a priest for many years. However, I can confirm something else.¡± Ardon took a deep breath and didn¡¯t look the Queen in the eye.


    Was he actually nervous? Or was this some strange act?


    The Queen raised her eyebrows. ¡°Do continue, your Grace.¡±


    ¡°There was one more priest present at the beginning of the funeral than at the end, and none was seen leaving.¡±


    The Queen stood up, glaring at the Patriarch. ¡°And you said nothing before now?¡±


    This was news to Zandrue, too, though she wasn¡¯t surprised. Just what was Ardon¡¯s game?


    ¡°I felt it prudent to conduct my own investigations. It seemed a minor discrepancy. It placed no one in any apparent danger, and seemed something too trivial to bother your Majesties with.¡±


    The Queen circled around Ardon, scowling. ¡°You keep too many secrets, old man.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°You are right that, at the time, it would have seemed a triviality, hardly worth our notice, even yours. But in the last few days? Since La?nne Friaz¡¯s horrendous attack? Since these accusations were made? You saw no reason to come forward until now?¡± She stopped circling in front of him, and leaned close to him. ¡°I demand you explain yourself, your Grace.¡±


    ¡°I had hoped to have more concrete information to present you.¡±


    ¡°Not good enough.¡±


    Ardon straightened up. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°You heard me.¡± The Queen turned away from him, strode across the room. ¡°I¡¯m tired of your games. You always know far more than you ever say.¡± She stopped in front of the King. ¡°Wavon, stop slouching.¡±


    The King stopped leaning on the desk and stood up straight.


    The Queen turned back around and stood beside the King, taking his hand. She smiled, tilting her head slightly. ¡°So, your Grace, please enlighten us. What do you know of this situation?¡±


    ¡°Only what I have said. I admit I held back something that seemed a triviality at the time and only recently has seemed something more.¡±


    The Queen¡¯s fake smile dropped and her lip quivered. ¡°Tell me!¡±


    The King grimaced and shook at her volume.


    Ardon clasped his hands behind his back. ¡°I will ignore that outburst, your Majesty. Though I tire of ignoring so many.¡±


    The Queen let go of her husband¡¯s hand. ¡°And I tire of your lack of respect.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, might I remind you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know, I know.¡± She waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Without the support of the Church, Arnor would not be where it is, nor capable of sustaining itself. You continually bully us with that claim. Perhaps it¡¯s time to put it to the test.¡±


    Ardon stood tall. ¡°Go ahead then. I guarantee you this country will fall apart in a matter of months. You¡¯ll be lucky to last a year. And for such a pointless reason, as I have told you all I know.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±


    Ardon¡¯s gaze shifted to the King. ¡°And what of you, your Majesty? What do you think?¡±


    King Wavon glanced at the Queen, then back at the Patriarch. ¡°Well, I mean¡­¡±


    The Queen slapped his arm. ¡°Of, of course, take his side, Wavon. Like you always do.¡± She turned away from him.


    The King reached for the Queen¡¯s arm. ¡°Let¡¯s just try to take this calmly.¡±


    The Queen pulled away from him.


    While everyone else was watching the King and Queen, Ardon glanced at Zandrue. It was very momentary with a slight move of the eyebrow closest to her. Then he was watching the King and Queen again.


    What had that been about?


    The Queen rounded on the King. ¡°Stop being so spineless, Wavon. Either agree with him or me, but make up your bloody mind.¡±


    The King took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, of course, my dear.¡± He turned to face Ardon. ¡°Your Grace, are you certain there is nothing you¡¯ve left out?¡±


    Ardon bowed his head to the King. ¡°Your Majesty, I assure you, I know nothing more. I had no idea this extra man at the funeral had any significance until a couple days ago when Ms Armida first mentioned a mysterious individual at the Palace as well, and that she had seen this person at the funeral in priestly robes.¡±


    The King turned to the Queen. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s as simple as that, my dear.¡±


    Ardon glanced at Zandrue again.


    ¡°I highly doubt that,¡± the Queen said. ¡°He has spies everywhere. You know that.¡±


    Ardon motioned with his eyes towards the King and Queen. Zandrue stared. What the hell was he doing?


    ¡°There¡¯s no way he would be unaware of something like this going on,¡± the Queen continued.


    ¡°Perhaps because nothing¡¯s been going on. We did come here to determine the truth of that, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    Ardon glanced at Zandrue.


    The Queen groaned. ¡°Yes, and he came out in support of this ludicrousness. Pay attention, Wavon. Quite clearly, something is going on, and he knows something about it. Yet he was completely unaware of this man?¡±


    Of course. That was an outright lie. Not to the Queen, but for Zandrue¡¯s benefit. The crafty motherfucker.


    Zandrue stepped forward. ¡°Forgive the intrusion, your Majesties, but his Grace is lying.¡±


    Ardon glared at her.


    She would never trust any of his body language ever again. Moments she thought she¡¯d surprised him, moments she thought she might have gotten one over on him¡ªshe would never be fooled by that again.


    The Queen folded her hands in front of her. ¡°Do tell.¡±


    ¡°I told his Grace about Dyle Aderman the second day we were here. Dyle came to Quilla that very first night, and his Grace came to me the next day. I told him then.¡±


    ¡°I never took you for a liar, Ms Armida,¡± Ardon said.


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Well, I definitely took you for one.¡±


    The Queen crossed her arms and glared at Ardon. ¡°Wavon, your response?¡±


    ¡°This is a disturbing accusation, your Grace,¡± the King said.


    King Wavon straightened his uniform. ¡°Will you swear to me you have told only the truth here?¡±


    Ardon stood there, hands still clasped behind his back, head raised upwards, but his eyes looking down at the King and Queen.


    ¡°Well?¡± the Queen said. ¡°Answer!¡±


    ¡°I will not be treated like this.¡± Ardon spun around and marched to the door. ¡°I will give you until tomorrow to reconsider your actions here.¡± He rapped on the door. ¡°Until then, your Majesties, your Highnesses, my Lord, my Ladies, I bid you all goodnight.¡±


    The servant outside opened the door and Ardon stormed out. The servant closed the door again.


    ¡°Good riddance,¡± Annai said. ¡°I¡¯ve never liked that horrid man.¡±


    ¡°Annai, show some respect,¡± the King said.


    Annai lowered her head. ¡°Sorry, Father.¡±


    ¡°Annai has a point though, Wavon,¡± the Queen said.

 Book 2, Chapter 46: The Queen (Part 2)

    The Queen strode around her husband and then behind the desk. There wasn¡¯t a lot of room there due to a cabinet with a bust of Queen Felit?a on top of it between two alcoves, but she managed to sit in the chair there. ¡°Now, we have business to conclude. We will deal with the matter of this Dyle Aderman later, when the Patriarch has calmed down and is willing to tell us what he knows. At the moment, I am more interested in the accusation made again Lady Lidda Plavin. This is a serious accusation. She is the ruler of Plavin-Tyl, one of our more powerful provinces. Not to mention, she and Malef are courting, and he is already talking marriage. A Darker in the Royal Family would be¡­¡±


    ¡°If I may say, your Majesty?¡± Barnol Friaz said. At a nod from the Queen, he continued, ¡°It¡¯s a ludicrous accusation. You have nothing to worry about from her Ladyship.¡±


    ¡°I disagree,¡± Gabriella said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you always, Gabriella?¡± the Queen said.


    ¡°I was there when she was taunting Rudiger. She knew what La?nne was up to.¡±


    ¡°Why would she admit to such a thing?¡± the Queen asked.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t say it exactly, but she taunted and made it clear something was about to happen.¡±


    ¡°No chance,¡± Barnol said. ¡°I suggest you misinterpreted her actions. Teasing. She might have just been teasing, and it was an unfortunate coincidence that something was really happening. I have known Lidda her entire life. Her father, Harrol, was a good friend of mine. I still mourn his passing, but he raised her well, and she is a good person.¡±


    Gabriella stood up. ¡°You know her well, do you, my Lord? And how long have you lived here?¡±


    Barnol pulled on his beard. ¡°Let¡¯s see. It must be around twenty years now. Give or take.¡±


    Gabriella raised her eyebrows. ¡°That¡¯s a long time. How often have you left the Palace? When was the last time?¡±


    Barnol continued to pull on his beard. ¡°I admit, very infrequently, but people do come here from time to time.¡±


    ¡°And when was the last time Lidda Plavin was here?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see...I suppose it must have been...well¡­¡±


    Gabriella smirked. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, shall I? It was seven years ago.¡±


    Barnol¡¯s eyes widened, and he scratched at his beard more. ¡°That long?¡±


    Gabriella nodded. ¡°That long. And the time before that was five years earlier. You see, I checked the records. They¡¯re freely available. Check them yourself if you want to confirm. But I ask you, with such infrequent visits here and you never going to visit her there¡ªI checked those records, too¡ªhow well do you really know her? Unless of course, you falsified your reports of where you were going on those rare occasions you¡¯ve left the Palace, but I wouldn¡¯t want to accuse you of that.¡±


    Barnol grunted and shifted in his seat. ¡°I told you, her father was a good friend of mine. I can¡¯t believe Harrol would raise a bad child.¡±


    Gabriella laughed.


    Tianna looked to her father. ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Father.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you believe this nonsense, my dear?¡± Barnol said.


    Tianna nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know Lady Plavin myself, but this isn¡¯t the first thing like this she¡¯s done. Last year, she tried to have Zandrue and Rudiger killed. For no reason. They just walked into Tyl, and she ordered their deaths. Isn¡¯t that true, Zandrue?¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°Technically, it was just Rudiger¡¯s death, but I was with him, so I got included.¡±


    ¡°And you believe this woman?¡± Barnol said. ¡°Not long ago, you told me you hated her. You told me you thought she only wanted to cause trouble.¡±


    Tianna sighed and looked to Zandrue. ¡°I did say that, but that was weeks ago.¡± She jumped to her feet and rushed to Zandrue¡¯s side, grabbing Zandrue¡¯s hand. ¡°But I¡¯ve gotten to know Zandrue over the last couple months, the last week especially. I was wrong about her. I trust her completely.¡± She squeezed Zandrue¡¯s hand and looked up into her eyes. ¡°I really do.¡±


    Zandrue smiled at her, then looked to the Queen. ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯m not making things up here.¡±


    The Queen sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. This is...this just¡­¡±


    Tianna rushed over to the desk, curtsied, then knelt in front of it. ¡°Your Majesty, you know me. I¡¯ve lived here almost my whole life. You¡¯re like a mother to me. I love you like I do my own mother. You know I would never pledge my trust in someone if I wasn¡¯t sure.¡±


    The Queen leaned forward and held her hand out to Tianna. ¡°Rise, my dear.¡±


    Tianna took the hand and rose to her feet.


    The Queen smiled at her. ¡°I do know you, Tianna, and I know you love me. I love you dearly, too. Like one of my daughters. But I also know how easily a pretty face turns your head. I had hoped Annai¡¯s attempts to set you up with a man would have cured you of that.¡±


    Tianna stared at her. ¡°But¡­¡±


    The Queen patted Tianna¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, dear. As shocked as I am to say this, I don¡¯t disbelieve Ms Armida. I think there is reason to be wary of Lidda Plavin, but I won¡¯t move against her without positive proof. We have a war with the Volgs coming upon us. We cannot afford to fight amongst ourselves without good reason.¡± She let go of Tianna¡¯s hand. ¡°Annai, you vouch for Ms Armida too, yes?¡±


    Annai stood up. ¡°Yes, Mother. Two months ago, I would not have believed this could happen, but then she saved my life. I know La?nne was after Zandrue, not me, but the dogs would have killed both of us. She has been nothing but loyal and supportive ever since. I¡¯ve come to regard her as a friend, possibly my best friend after Tianna. And¡­¡± She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.


    ¡°And?¡± the Queen said.


    Annai opened her eyes and looked her mother in the eyes. ¡°You won¡¯t like this, but attempts to set Tianna up with a man are never going to work. I happen to think she and¡­¡± Annai broke eye contact and looked to the side. ¡°She and Zandrue would be a good couple.¡±


    Gabriella laughed.


    ¡°That is...I mean...if Zandrue wasn¡¯t already in a relationship.¡±


    Zandrue forced herself not to groan. She really hadn¡¯t meant to give anyone the impression she was interested in Tianna¡ªespecially not Tianna herself. That was something she was going to have to figure out a solution to.


    Gabriella put an arm around Annai. ¡°There¡¯s hope for you yet, little sister.¡±


    Annai pulled away. ¡°I¡¯m just...I¡¯m just saying¡­¡±


    The Queen scowled. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter right now. We are not here to discuss that.¡± She waved Zandrue forward. ¡°Approach me.¡±


    Zandrue did so. Tianna took her arm and leaned her head against Zandrue¡¯s shoulder. Gods, she really needed to do something about this.


    ¡°Lidda Plavin¡¯s mother is a friend of mine,¡± the Queen said. ¡°I will not break her heart without cause. I need proof. Get it for me, and I will have that woman¡¯s head. Otherwise¡­¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°I understand, your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°This is a mistake, your Majesty,¡± Barnol said.


    ¡°You have made your opinion known, Barnol, and I value it, as I always do. But you might be wrong on this occasion. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t make a move without absolute proof.¡±


    ¡°If I may, your Majesty,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I have an idea.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The Queen nodded.


    Zandrue squeezed Tianna¡¯s hand and turned around to face the rest of the room. ¡°Gabriella, your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You know Malef better than anyone else here, right?¡±


    Gabriella nodded. ¡°Yes, but Pastrin knows him better.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want Malef brought into this yet,¡± the Queen said. ¡°If Lady Plavin is innocent, he must never know of these accusations. Like Lady Plavin¡¯s mother, I will not break his heart without cause.¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°I understand and agree completely, your Majesty. I was wondering if, instead, we could bring Pastrin into our confidence? Gabriella, you and Pastrin have the best chance of being close to Malef¡ªphysically, I mean. And that means you have the best chance of being close to Lady Plavin. Perhaps¡­¡±


    Gabriella grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. Rudiger can help, too.¡±


    The Queen stood up. ¡°Then we are agreed. But Zandrue, know that if I discover you have made all this up, that your aim is to disrupt or cause harm¡­¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t, Mother,¡± Annai said. ¡°I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    The Queen held up a hand to silence Annai. ¡°I am speaking, Annai. If I find out anything like this, Zandrue, it will be your head I will have not Lidda Plavin¡¯s. Am I clear?¡±


    Zandrue bowed her head and curtsied. ¡°Perfectly, your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Then we are finished here. The King and I have some things to discuss. You are all dismissed.¡±


    Everyone curtsied or bowed to the King and Queen, then moved to the door, leaving only the King, Queen, and the one Kingsguard in the room.


    In the next room, Barnol Friaz shook his head. ¡°Such a ridiculous claim. Come, Tianna. Let¡¯s return to our apartments.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, Father, I¡¯ll be along in a little while. I wish to talk to Zandrue and Annai first.¡± Tianna curtsied to her father.


    Barnol¡¯s eyes narrowed and he glared at Zandrue. Then he patted his stomach. ¡°Fine. Have it your way.¡± He continued to glare at Zandrue for several more seconds as he turned away slowly. When he finally broke eye contact, he stormed off.


    Zandrue watched him go. Why was he so unhappy with the Queen¡¯s decision? Why was he so determined to defend Lidda Plavin? Some of her previous suspicions about him resurfaced in her head.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t look happy,¡± Gabriella said with a smile.


    Tianna snuggled against Zandrue¡¯s arm. ¡°He¡¯ll calm down. Eventually.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we should get started on the plan,¡± Gabriella said. ¡°I¡¯ll go find Pastrin.¡± She took Annai¡¯s arm. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give me a hand, Annai?¡±


    Annai pulled away. ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°I just thought¡­¡± Gabriella nodded towards Zandrue and Tianna, though Zandrue was pretty sure Tianna didn¡¯t notice. ¡°You and Pastrin rarely talk. This will give you something to talk about.¡±


    Anna tilted her head and frowned. ¡°Pastrin and I¡­¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°Right, of course. I really should talk to my brothers more. Let¡¯s go find Pastrin.¡± She linked arms with Gabriella. ¡°I¡¯ll see you two later.¡±


    Annai and Gabriella walked away, giggling, leaving Zandrue alone with Tianna and the servant at the door to the King¡¯s Study.


    Tianna tugged on Zandrue¡¯s arm and led her to the other side of the room. ¡°They did that to leave us alone together, you know.¡±


    Zandrue sighed. ¡°I know. Look, Tianna, I¡­¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Tianna said. ¡°And it¡¯s okay. You¡¯ve got Rudiger. I¡¯d never expect you to leave him.¡±


    Well, that was positive, wasn¡¯t it? Probably not. This was going to be like Felit?a from years ago all over again¡ªonly harder because Felit?a was better at understanding other people¡¯s behaviour.


    She should put an end to this right now. In no uncertain terms, she had to tell Tianna that this couldn¡¯t happen. But gods damn it, she needed to use Tianna again.


    ¡°Tianna, could I ask you a favour?¡±


    Tianna looked up at her and smiled. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°You trust me, right?¡±


    Tianna nodded. ¡°Of course. I just gushed about that to the Queen, remember?¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s just that...well...what I¡¯m about to ask could stretch the limits of that trust. I might be wrong, which is why I want to ask you to do this. You can determine if I¡¯m right or wrong.¡±


    ¡°Okay, what?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about your father.¡±


    Tianna looked blankly at her at first, but her face fell slowly as Zandrue explained what she wanted.


    * * * * *


    Ardon was waiting for her in the study cabinet when Zandrue returned to her apartments. Marna told her as soon as she walked in.


    ¡°You used me,¡± Zandrue said as she reached the top of the stairs.


    He was sitting behind the desk as usual. ¡°Of course I did, but it was for your benefit. Calling out my lie got the Queen to listen to you, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    Zandrue sat at the desk and took the wine already poured for her. ¡°It did, but what about you?¡±


    Ardon smiled and drank from his wine cup. ¡°I have nothing to worry about. One of two things will happen tomorrow. Either the Queen will come contritely to me to apologise, or if she doesn¡¯t, I will go contritely to her.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t that weaken your position in court?¡±


    Ardon shrugged. ¡°Politics is always a game of advance and retreat. You give up some power on one occasion and gain some on another. This is far from the worst situation I¡¯ve ever been in. I had to deal with Queen Felit?a. Annai is child¡¯s play in comparison.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Zandrue took a long drink. ¡°Your Grace, could I ask you a question about something that¡¯s got nothing to do with politics? Well, not much anyway. It relates to your actual job.¡±


    He raised his eyebrows. ¡°My actual job?¡±


    ¡°As a priest.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Ah. Go ahead.¡±


    Zandrue took another drink. ¡°It¡¯s Tianna. I¡¯m using her for my own gain.¡±


    ¡°And you feel bad about this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I like her. I care about her, but¡­¡±


    ¡°How deeply does she love you?¡±


    Zandrue closed her eyes and sighed. ¡°I fear she¡¯s gone pretty deep.¡±


    ¡°Then she will be happy to do things for you.¡±


    Zandrue scoffed. ¡°That hardly excuses me using her.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It doesn¡¯t. Do you believe what you¡¯re doing is for a good cause? That it justifies your actions?¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡±


    Ardon nodded slowly, and took another drink of his wine. ¡°Then your guilt is your punishment. If you felt no guilt, then we might have a problem.¡±


    Zandrue pondered for a moment. ¡°Not exactly what I was expecting.¡±


    ¡°Few things are.¡±


    ¡°Or are you telling me these things so I¡¯ll do them because that¡¯s what you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± he asked.


    Zandrue laughed. ¡°I haven¡¯t got a clue what to think.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell you what I think.¡±


    Zandrue leaned forward in her chair, running a finger along the lip of her cup. ¡°Please do.¡±


    ¡°I think you and Quilla are the best hope the Palace has to ferret out what¡¯s going on before something truly disastrous happens. However, you don¡¯t like to be manipulated, so I should do as little of that as possible.¡±


    Zandrue leaned forward more.


    ¡°Thus, my advice to you is sincere. I mean what I say.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve figured something else out, haven¡¯t you?¡± Zandrue said.


    Ardon smiled and raised his glass. ¡°I knew I could count on you. A toast. To victory over the Darkness.¡±


    Zandrue raised her glass and they clinked them together. ¡°To victory over the Darkness.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 47: Darkness Ascending (Part 1)

    Quilla had been in many stables before, but none as big as the Palace stables. It stank in here, like most stables, but on a whole new level. It was also a weird mix of hot and cold. Stuffy too. Most of the air was warmed by the bodies of what had to be something in the vicinity of one hundred horses. Yet at the same time, currents of cold air that got through gaps in the doors and walls circulated the room. She found herself both shivering and sweating at the same time.


    Though maybe the sweat was due to nerves.


    At the very least, some of it was.


    This was the first she¡¯d been allowed out of the Darkers¡¯ hideout. She¡¯d been there nearly two weeks, and was about to go stir crazy. Seeing no one but Dyle and his goons¡ªespecially Vellon¡ªwas enough to drive anyone mad. Though surprisingly, Sam wasn¡¯t too bad when he wasn¡¯t acting tough.


    Sam walked up to her now, leading her horse, Nelli. She smiled as he handed her the reins. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Sam just nodded and moved on¡ªto collect other horses, she presumed. They were all going to need them, but Dyle had ordered hers be prepared first.


    Quilla patted Nelli¡¯s nose. It had been a while since she¡¯d ridden or even seen the horse.


    Down the aisle, Borisin was looking at her. He¡¯d been staring at her since she¡¯d gotten here, hanging his head over his stall gate. She couldn¡¯t help get the feeling he was disapproving of her being there, though she had no reason to think that. She had no idea what horse facial expressions were like, and it wasn¡¯t like Borisin looked any different than he usually did¡ªnot at this distance in the dim light. She tried waving at him again. Maybe he¡¯d get the idea that he was making her uncomfortable.


    ¡°Why do you keep waving at that horse?¡± It was Vellon. He was leading another horse over.


    Quilla stuck her hand back inside her coat. ¡°No reason. He just¡­¡±


    ¡°And why¡¯s it staring at you?¡±


    Quilla shrugged and looked away from both Borisin and Vellon.


    Dyle was leading another horse up to them. ¡°That¡¯s Rudiger¡¯s horse. Now get back to work. Remember, we need extra horses, too.¡±


    Vellon pointed at Borisin. ¡°Let¡¯s take that one then. A horse that big ought to be appreciated.¡±


    Quilla shook her head, though Dyle appeared to consider it a moment. ¡°You promised,¡± she hissed.


    Dyle looked at her. ¡°Hmm?¡±


    She stepped closer to him, and spoke in a whisper. ¡°You promised none of my friends would come to any harm.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did. It¡¯s a horse, Quilla, not one of your friends.¡±


    ¡°A horse of one of my friends, and he loves that horse. Don¡¯t you dare do anything to it.¡±


    Dyle sighed. ¡°Oh, very well.¡± He looked up at Vellon and spoke at full volume. ¡°Leave that one. It¡¯s out of bounds.¡±


    Vellon sneered, baring his sharpened, pointed teeth. ¡°You serious?¡±


    Dyle stared back at him. ¡°Very. That horse will be more trouble than it¡¯s worth. It¡¯ll fight us every step of the way. We don¡¯t need that right now. So the horse is out of bounds. Got it?¡±


    Vellon growled. ¡°Fine.¡± He stepped up to Dyle and leered down at him. ¡°But you better stop letting that bitch boss you around, or some of us might stop thinking you¡¯re fit to be Dusk Supreme.¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±


    Vellon straightened up and took a step back. ¡°Of course not, Boss. Just letting you know some important details. I¡¯ll go find some other horses to sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°You do that.¡±


    Vellon chuckled and wandered off.


    ¡°Is he going to be okay?¡± Quilla asked.


    Dyle frowned. ¡°For now. He will become an issue eventually though. But don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll have him put down before he becomes a threat.¡±


    Sam appeared at the end of the aisle waving. ¡°Dyle!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Dyle called.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got an issue here with Barnol Friaz. You better come.¡±


    Dyle sighed. He smiled at Quilla. ¡°One problem after another, isn¡¯t it? Would you mind checking the horses as they¡¯re brought over? Make sure they¡¯re tacked properly?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± Quilla said.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± He winked at her and headed over to Sam.


    Quilla started with Nelli, then moved to the horse that Vellon had brought over. If anyone had messed up, she bet it would be him, though everything looked fine.


    Borisin was still staring at her. What did that horse want? It wasn¡¯t like she could get him out of here. She couldn¡¯t even get herself away from these Darkers for just a few minutes to pass on any information she¡¯d learned, like the Pearl. If she¡­


    Gods damn it. She was an idiot.


    She looked down the aisle. Dyle and Sam had wandered off somewhere. In the other direction, Vellon was gone, too.


    She hurried over to Borisin, who continued to stare at her. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t really understand this whole communication thing you have with Rudiger, and I have no idea if you can really understand me, but gods, I hope you can. You need to get word to Rudiger and Zandrue. First, Barnol Friaz is the traitor. He¡¯s the one letting Darkers into the Palace. Second, they have this¡ª¡±


    ¡°Quilla?¡±


    It was Dyle coming back down the aisle. Sam, Barnol Friaz, and a couple of Dyle¡¯s other goons followed. They were holding on to someone else. Was that¡­?


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Dyle asked.


    Quilla hurried back over to him. ¡°Sorry, but he wouldn¡¯t stop staring at me. I thought maybe going over and talking to him would appease him. He¡¯s a very demanding horse. Don¡¯t worry, I already checked these ones. They¡¯re fine.¡±


    Dyle just shrugged.


    ¡°Is that¡­?¡± Quilla pointed to the person held by the two goons.


    Dyle stepped aside and gestured with one arm.


    It was Tianna Friaz.


    What the hell was she doing here? She wasn¡¯t one of them, was she? It actually wouldn¡¯t surprise Quilla if she was. Her father was, after all. But they were holding her like she was a prisoner. Barnol was standing off to the side, his head lowered, his body shaking.


    ¡°Sam caught her trying to follow her father,¡± Dyle said. ¡°I¡¯m very cross with Barnol at the moment for being so stupid.¡±


    Barnol looked up. His face and beard were slick with tears. ¡°Let me talk to her. I can convince her not to say anything. I know I can.¡±


    Dyle ignored him and turned to Quilla. ¡°Tianna¡¯s been getting very close with Zandrue recently. Rumour around the Palace is they¡¯re sleeping together.¡± He laughed. ¡°I wonder what Rudiger thinks of that. At any rate, I have no idea if Zandrue set her up to this or she got suspicious on her own. Either way, I can¡¯t risk her taking anything back to Zandrue. So she¡¯s coming with us.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Do you have to...to¡­?¡± Quilla looked over at Tianna. Her face was clenched and streaked with tears. The two goons had a tight grip on her arms. ¡°I mean, do they have to handle her so roughly.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t have her running away, Quilla.¡± Dyle looked over at Tianna. ¡°She already tried to run. If she does that again, I¡¯ll do far worse than they¡¯re doing now.¡±


    ¡°Leave her with me,¡± Quilla said.


    ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°Give me a chance to prove myself to your friends. I¡¯ll convince her to stay. If I can¡¯t and she runs, you can kill her and I won¡¯t complain. I won¡¯t say a thing.¡±


    Dyle grinned. ¡°All right. You¡¯ve got yourself a deal. She¡¯s your responsibility.¡± He motioned to the goons. ¡°Bring her over here.¡±


    They came over.


    ¡°Release her.¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡± one asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m putting her in Quilla¡¯s custody. Let her go.¡±


    The goons looked at each other and let go of Tianna, shoving her towards Quilla. Tianna stumbled and Quilla caught her.


    ¡°Everyone, back to work! We need to be ready to go as soon as Lidda and Lama?n arrive.¡± Dyle winked at Quilla. ¡°Make me proud. Oh, don¡¯t allow any contact between father and daughter, yes?¡±


    Quilla nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll make certain she speaks to no one except you and me.¡±


    Dyle smiled. ¡°I knew you¡¯d start to come round eventually, Quilla.¡± He wandered off with Sam and the goons who had been holding Tianna.


    Barnol still stood nearby, looking at them.


    Quilla scowled at him, and led Tianna aside. The girl was shaking, so Quilla put her arm around her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Quilla,¡± Tianna sobbed. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for everything I said and did to you. Zandrue told me everything. I know what you¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Quilla put a hand on Tianna¡¯s chin and lifted it so she could look her in the eye. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happened the last two weeks or how you¡¯ve charmed Zandrue. I¡¯ll trust her judgement, but that doesn¡¯t mean I like you. Because I don¡¯t. In fact, I can¡¯t stand you. Got that?¡±


    Tianna tried to nod, but Quilla held her chin firm. She just made a mumbling sound.


    ¡°Now, here¡¯s the situation. You are going to do every single thing I say because that¡¯s the only way there¡¯s a chance in hell of keeping you alive. Understand?¡±


    ¡°Mm hmm.¡±


    ¡°Good. I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m sticking my neck out for you. I really shouldn¡¯t be, so if you mess up even a little, I¡¯ll give you to them. And if you let slip anything about my reasons for being here, I¡¯ll fucking kill you myself.¡±


    ¡°Mm hmm.¡± The girl was shaking uncontrollably now.


    ¡°Oh gods.¡± Quilla put her arms around her and hugged her tight. ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay, all right? I¡¯ll keep you alive.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°One last thing. Talk to no one unless either me or Dyle tells you to first. That includes your father, okay?¡±


    She sniffled. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Quilla hugged her tighter and let her sob a bit. ¡°I¡¯ll find a way to keep you alive. I promise. Now, help check the horses, okay?¡±


    Tianna sniffled some more, and mumbled something vaguely affirmative sounding.


    The others had already brought several more horses over. Quilla wasn¡¯t sure just how many they were gathering¡ªstealing rather. Enough for them all to ride, obviously, but how many more beyond that, she had no idea. They kept bringing more.


    With Tianna¡¯s help, she was able to check them over reasonably quickly. They appeared to be gathering about a dozen more than were needed for riding. She felt sorry for the poor things. They had no idea what was in store for them. She wished she didn¡¯t know.


    Borisin!


    She¡¯d forgotten she hadn¡¯t finished telling him everything.


    Just think it.


    She stumbled, grabbed Tianna for support.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Tianna asked.


    Quilla nodded. ¡°Just a little dizzy. It¡¯ll pass.¡±


    What the hell had that been?


    I said just think it.


    Dear gods.


    No, not gods. Just think what you want to tell me.


    Borisin? Was this what Rudiger experience?


    Yes, and yes. And don¡¯t think this will be a regular occurrence. It¡¯s tough enough pushing through to you as it is. This is a one-time emergency thing. Now, start thinking what you want to tell me.


    Quilla wasn¡¯t entirely sure how this was supposed to work, but she just started thinking about everything she¡¯d learned. The names of everyone and their roles. She tried to picture them in her head. And the Pearl. What was it called again? The Pearl of one of those Ninifin gods. Started with S.


    The Pearl of Sestin?


    That was it.


    Felit?a¡¯s staff is the Staff of Sestin.


    Hadn¡¯t Felit?a said something about the missing eyes being pearls?


    Yes, she did.


    Good gods.


    I keep telling you, the gods aren¡¯t doing anything right now.


    This was so strange.


    She hoped she¡¯d covered everything. Oh, and better not forget to tell him about Tianna.


    I¡¯ll make sure they know.


    Then she thought about the purpose of their trip. What they were going to use the Pearl for.


    Borisin was silent after that. Did he not believe her? She would understand if he didn¡¯t believe her. She wasn¡¯t sure she believed herself.


    No, I believe you. Rather, I believe they believe it, and if they believe it, that scares the hell out of me. Don¡¯t tell Rudiger I said that. As far as he¡¯s concerned, I¡¯m not afraid of anything.


    They need to act quickly, Quilla said. Had she done that right?


    Very good, Borisin said. Much more focused. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll tell Rudiger when he comes round tomorrow. I¡¯ll make sure they act fast.


    Tianna touched Quilla¡¯s arm. ¡°Quilla? You okay?¡±


    Quilla blinked several times. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve just been staring blankly. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, yeah. I just zoned out for a moment. I do that sometimes.¡±


    Now you know how Rudiger feels.


    I suppose. Just let him know I¡¯m okay. She patted Tianna¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Come on, there are still a few horses to check.¡±


    Quilla shivered. Here she was, promising to keep Tianna alive, and she wasn¡¯t sure how anybody else had a chance in hell of surviving.

 Book 2: Chapter 47: Darkness Ascending (Part 2)

    The trip was uneventful. Once Lidda Plavin and Lama?n arrived, they mounted up and headed out, leading the fifteen additional horses with them. They passed through the north gate behind the Palace. Quilla didn¡¯t know how they managed that without questions from the guards, who just waved them through. Something Barnol Friaz had arranged, probably.


    Gods, she hoped Borisin was able to get word to the others.


    They crossed the open field north of the Palace, through woods and across more fields. Altogether, it took a couple hours and it was well past midnight by the time they arrived at their destination.


    Quilla and Tianna rode together, Tianna seated behind Quilla. Dyle wouldn¡¯t let Tianna ride separately. Luckily, the young woman was small and her extra weight didn¡¯t seem to bother Nelli much. Quilla had the young woman fill her in on what was happening in the Palace. Dyle checked on them a couple times, but seemed content with how things were going.


    Barnol Friaz always kept in sight of them, watching his daughter. Quilla made sure they stayed far enough away from him that he couldn¡¯t hear anything they said, but otherwise let him be. He was an odious man, but he was just looking out for his daughter. She couldn¡¯t fault that.


    ¡°Zandrue asked me to keep an eye on my father,¡± Tianna said. ¡°She said she had suspicions he was a Darker. I couldn¡¯t believe it, really, but I¡¯ve learned to trust her, and she admitted she might be wrong. I figured I¡¯d watch him a bit, not find anything, and let her know. Then I spotted him sneaking out tonight and decided to follow him.¡±


    Quilla groaned. ¡°That was a stupid idea, Tianna. You should have gone straight to Zandrue.¡±


    Tianna pressed her face into Quilla¡¯s back. ¡°I know. Zandrue told me not to take any risks. It¡¯s just...I didn¡¯t know...I mean, for all I knew, he was sneaking out for a dalliance with someone¡¯s handmaid. I¡¯ve caught him with mine a couple times.¡±


    Quilla shivered. She couldn¡¯t imagine anyone wanting to be with that oaf.


    ¡°And I...I wanted to impress Zandrue. Show her she can rely on me, you know?¡±


    ¡°By ignoring her advice? And what did that get you?¡±


    ¡°Proof positive that my father really is a Darker.¡± Tianna rested her chin on Quilla¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s something, right?¡±


    Quilla rolled her eyes.


    ¡°I just wanted Zandrue to be proud of me.¡±


    Quilla sighed. ¡°I thought you hated her.¡±


    ¡°I did at first, when I thought she was trying to steal Annai from me. Then I got to know her. I started to like her before I was willing to admit it. But yeah, somewhere along the line, I fell for her. Really hard. She¡¯s smarter than Annai, you know.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t a high bar.


    ¡°And more talented. I don¡¯t mean musically. Annai¡¯s the better singer. But Zandrue¡¯s better at everything else, and she¡¯s not a bad singer either. I don¡¯t want to disparage Annai, but Zandrue...she¡¯s better in almost every way.¡±


    Quilla turned her head and tried to peer at her. This young woman really needed to get out of the Palace more.


    ¡°I love her.¡±


    ¡°No kidding,¡± Quilla muttered. She¡¯d made that sentiment pretty clear.


    ¡°I love her so much.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be happy to learn that.¡±


    ¡°She knows. I haven¡¯t exactly told her¡ªin words, that is¡ªbut she knows. Everyone¡¯s kind of been teasing her about it. We kind of discussed it a little, but I don¡¯t want to get between her and Rudiger. I¡¯m happy to have her as my friend. I¡¯m sorry I never approved of you and Garet, by the way. I was copying Annai, and¡­ No, I wasn¡¯t just copying. I believed it. But I¡¯ve learnt better now. Really.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Quilla groaned.


    She was very relieved when Lama?n called for a halt.


    They were at the top of a small hill looking over a wide open field. The snow covering it was pristine. There were probably tracks from small animals here and there, but nothing noticeable from where they were. It was like a frozen moment of time, undisturbed by anything.


    That didn¡¯t last.


    Dyle ordered that the extra horses be led out into the middle of the field. There, the Darkers hobbled the horses, then returned to the top of the hill.


    ¡°What are they going to do?¡± Tianna asked.


    Quilla shook her head. ¡°Stay quiet.¡± She couldn¡¯t bring herself to tell Tianna. The girl was going to find out soon enough, and it was probably best if she was prepared, but nonetheless, Quilla just couldn¡¯t do it. It wasn¡¯t like it was really possible to be prepared anyway. Quilla had known for over a week, and she still wasn¡¯t prepared. Her mind refused to accept that it could be real. A part of her expected¡ªhoped¡ªnothing would happen when they used the Pearl, and they would all return empty-handed. Maybe it was her hope for that that kept her from being able to tell Tianna.


    Lama?n rode to the front of them all. ¡°According to what few records I¡¯ve been able to dig up, her name is Ezuna. It means Jade Terror in Folithan. She is one of only maybe half a dozen remaining members of her species in the entire world. She has slept for two centuries. The last to awaken her was the Dragon himself. Fitting.¡± He held up the Pearl. ¡°And she will respond to this, and be bound by it.¡± He motioned to Lidda Plavin. ¡°Your Ladyship, she will be your companion, forever bonded to you in spirit. So if you would do the honours.¡±


    Tianna hugged Quilla tighter. ¡°Who is he talking about? Please tell me.¡±


    Quilla put her hands on Tianna¡¯s. Dear gods, the girl deserved to know.


    She could barely manage to form the word, and she stuttered several times before managing it. ¡°Dragon. Not like someone called Dragon. Not like Stark Drago. An actual dragon.¡±


    Tianna began to shake.


    Lidda Plavin rode in front of everyone, and dismounted. She held up the Pearl. ¡°Ezuna, Mistress of Flame and Thunder, hear me. Hear the call of this Pearl, forged by Power herself. Let us be bound in heart and soul, for as long as I shall live.¡±


    The Pearl began to glow. Lidda Plavin held it higher, rising onto her toes.


    ¡°In honour of your great power, and to show how humble we are in your presence, we offer you a sacrifice: a small, but meaningful meal to help sate your hunger after your long sleep, and a soul to help replenish your power. Ezuna, I beseech you, hear me!¡±


    Soul? What was she talking about?


    Sam and Vellon rode up beside Quilla and Tianna. They dismounted. Sam held his hand out to Tianna. ¡°My Lady, please come with us.¡±


    Tianna tightened her grip on Quilla. ¡°What¡¯s going no?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯d like to know.¡± Quilla looked down at Sam. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Vellon grabbed Tianna¡¯s arm. She yelled as he yanked her off the horse.


    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Quilla demanded.


    ¡°Sorry, Quilla,¡± Sam said. ¡°There needs to be a human in the sacrifice. I only found out a couple minutes ago myself.¡±


    Tianna screamed as she struggled in Vellon¡¯s grasp.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Dyle!¡± Quilla screamed.


    Dyle and Lama?n were already riding over to her. So was Barnol.


    ¡°What the fuck is going on, Dyle?¡± Quilla yelled. ¡°You put her in my care! You said if I kept her from running, she would be safe. I promised her she would be safe!¡±


    Barnol scrambled to dismount from his horse, falling into the snow as he did so. ¡°Please! Please! What are you doing? Not my daughter!¡± He reached for Vellon, but Vellon kicked him in the face.


    Vellon started dragging the still-screaming Tianna around the horses.


    ¡°Dyle!¡± Quilla screamed.


    Dyle shook his head sadly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Quilla. I wanted to offer Vellon. Lama?n wanted Barnol. But Tianna presented too good an option to pass up. Plus, Lidda insisted.¡±


    ¡°And you listened to her?¡±


    Dyle nodded. ¡°This time, yes.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    The Pearl was glowing even brighter, reflecting off the snow. It was almost like daylight. Sam and Vellon dragged Tianna, kicking and screaming, down the side of the hill.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you!¡± Quilla turned Nelli towards Tianna, urged the horse forward, but Lama?n and two other Darkers moved their horses to block her. ¡°You can¡¯t!¡±


    Barnol crawled through the snow, rose to his knees and grabbed at Dyle¡¯s legs. ¡°Please! Take me instead.¡± He nodded towards Lama?n. ¡°You said he wanted to offer me. Well, I offer myself. I¡¯ll be a much better meal. Look at me! I¡¯m fat! She¡¯s a tiny thing. Please, please, spare my daughter, please! She¡¯s all I have.¡±


    ¡°If you let this happen, Dyle,¡± Quilla said, ¡°I will never forgive you. Do you hear me? Never!¡±


    Dyle looked away. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Quilla. There¡¯s no other choice.¡±


    Sam and Vellon dragged Tianna into the centre of the horses. Her screams continued to ring out, and the horses shuffled about nervously. Sam pulled out some rope and they bound her hands behind her back, then started on her ankles.


    Barnol ran onto the slope, slipping and sliding down it. ¡°Tianna, my dear! I¡¯m coming for you! Daddy will save you!¡±


    Dyle sighed. ¡°Somebody stop that idiot.¡±


    The two goons who had held Tianna earlier¡ªHeb and Silv their names were if Quilla remembered correctly, though she had never really bothered to think about those two enough to remember which was which¡ªdismounted and ran after Barnol. They overtook him easily and tackled him to the ground.


    Quilla looked around, hoping for a gap she could get through¡ªa way she could get to Tianna like Barnol had tried to¡ªbut they had all completely surrounded her.


    Down the slope, one of Heb and Silv hit Barnol in the head and he slumped over. They started to drag his unconscious form back up the hill.


    Farther out, Sam and Vellon were returning. Tianna lay on the ground amid the sacrificial horses. She had stopped screaming and was now struggling to slide herself along the ground.


    ¡°Ezuna!¡± Lidda cried out. ¡°Your sacrifice is prepared. Come at my call! Come now!¡±


    The Pearl flared even brighter. Quilla scrunched her eyes shut. Then it went dark again. Quilla opened her eyes, but it was hard to see now as her eyes readjusted to the darkness of the night.


    ¡°Now, we wait,¡± Lama?n said.


    ¡°Fuck you,¡± Quilla growled.


    Lama?n stroked his moustache. ¡°Now, now, Ms Steranovist. Let¡¯s have none of that. This is a festive occasion.¡±


    Lidda Plavin trudged through the snow to them. ¡°How long?¡±


    Lama?n stroked his moustache a couple times. ¡°Hard to say. The signal has been sent. Ezuna has no choice but to obey. However, I suppose it depends on how long it takes her to get out of whatever cave she¡¯s secluded herself in and fly here. No more than a few minutes, I should think.¡±


    ¡°You people disgust me,¡± Quilla said.


    Lama?n sighed. ¡°Dyle, keep the Catalyst quiet, would you? There¡¯s a good man.¡±


    ¡°Quilla,¡± Dyle started.


    ¡°Fuck you, Dyle. Fuck you.¡±


    There was only one option left. She had to try the same thing Barnol had. She dismounted.


    ¡°Quilla, what are you doing?¡± Dyle said. ¡°You won¡¯t get anywhere, you know.¡±


    She ignored him and walked around Nelli and towards the slope. Then she broke into a run. She didn¡¯t get far before someone tackled her.


    It was Sam. He held her down. ¡°Please, Quilla. There¡¯s nothing you can do. You¡¯re just making things worse for yourself.¡±


    Quilla struggled for a minute or so, but Sam was far too strong for her. She lay there on her stomach, looking down the slope at Tianna, who continued to wriggle about in her bonds.


    An eternity passed.


    Then a shadow passed overhead, blocking the light of the moon for several seconds.


    ¡°She comes!¡± Lidda proclaimed.


    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Sam muttered. ¡°It¡¯s huge.¡±


    Quilla tried to look above, but Sam¡¯s hold was too strong to twist much. However, he suddenly let go of her and let her sit up. She looked up. A winged shape flew high in the sky. A long neck and tail, thin body in between, and massive wings that dwarfed the rest of the form. It circled round and dove downwards.


    Quilla wanted to jump to her feet and run to Tianna, but it was too late. Much too late. Maybe that was why Sam had released her.


    As the creature got closer, its head and face became more discernible: a lizard-like, horned head with a maw full of sharp teeth. It straightened out still some distance above the ground and flew straight towards Tianna and the horses.


    The horses squealed and tried to bolt, crashing into one another and falling over. Tianna screamed.


    As the dragon opened it mouth, a wail rose in Quilla¡¯s throat. She put her hands to her mouth to muffle it, but it made no difference.


    Just before the dragon flew over Tianna and the horses, a jet of flame shot from its mouth, engulfing everything on the ground before it.


    Tianna screamed. The horses screamed. Quilla screamed.


    And then, it was only Quilla screaming.


    She fell over in the snow, and wailed. She slammed her fists into the snow. Over and over.


    Wind carrying intense heat gushed over her, but she didn¡¯t give a damn what it meant. Gods, she¡¯d hated Tianna, but she¡¯d also made a promise. She¡¯d made a gods-damned fucking promise.


    So had Dyle. And he¡¯d broken it.


    It didn¡¯t matter anymore. It was time to get out of here. Her job was done. Borisin would tell Rudiger everything tomorrow, and then they would come for her.


    And then Lidda would burn them all to ashes with her fucking dragon.


    A hand touched her back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fucking touch me!¡± She sat up.


    The field was clear of snow. The grass and shrubbery that had been under it were just ashes. The dragon sat in the centre of it all, snatching up mounds of charred horse meat in its jaws.


    Dyle was sitting beside her. ¡°We need to move back, Quilla. Until Lidda makes a full connection, there remains a chance Ezuna might see us as part of her meal, too.¡±


    Quilla didn¡¯t look at him. Instead, she watched the dragon in its grizzly duties. Was that a piece of Tianna it had just picked up? ¡°Congratulations, Dyle. You fooled me. You had me believing you weren¡¯t as bad as the others and that you could keep them in check. What an idiot I was.¡±


    ¡°Quilla.¡±


    ¡°But hear this, Dyle. I may not know what the future holds. Death and destruction, I¡¯d say. Never-ending darkness maybe. Whatever. I don¡¯t fucking care anymore. But I do know one thing.¡± She turned and looked him in the eye. ¡°You¡¯re dead. I¡¯m going to kill you. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But I will kill you. I promise you.¡±


    Dyle shook his head and stood up. He brushed snow off himself and trudged back up the hill.


    On the other side of her, Sam stood up. ¡°Good thing for you he won¡¯t kill you for that. But be careful. Lidda Plavin won¡¯t hesitate to as soon as his back is turned. He¡¯s the only reason you¡¯re alive right now. Don¡¯t forget that.¡±


    ¡°Just fuck off.¡±


    Sam turned and trudged up the hill.


    Quilla sat there while everything else happened. Something with Lidda approaching the dragon, even climbing on the dragon, but Quilla paid no attention.


    She just stared at the spot where Tianna had died, the screams replaying over and over in her head.

 Book 2, Chapter 48: The Enemy Within

    How long had she been in this cell? Five days? Six?


    Months more like.


    No, that was silly. Felit?a had lost track of the rising and setting of the sun, but it hadn¡¯t been that long.


    Still, it was five or six days without a wink of sleep, so the apparent length was surely measured in months.


    She could really use some more of the sleeping draught. That had worked so well. Then again, Angelida had warned her of becoming dependent on the draught. What if that one use had made her dependent? Made her unable to sleep without it?


    Then she still needed more of it, so it really didn¡¯t make a difference.


    Felit?a laughed to herself.


    She wondered where Lon and Nesh were. Apart from the giant versions she¡¯d hallucinated and had a long conversation with last night, she hadn¡¯t seen them since she¡¯d been put in here.


    This sleeplessness of the last few days was far worse than it had been before. Even though she¡¯d been sleeping very little, she had at least gotten a bit of sleep¡ªa few minutes here, a few minutes there, sometimes even an hour or two. Now, as best she could tell, she literally hadn¡¯t slept at all in five or six days. Shouldn¡¯t there be a point where her body just could not physically stay awake any longer? That made sense, didn¡¯t it?


    Of course, she was the Will-Breaker. Maybe her body worked differently.


    That said, a Will-Breaker who couldn¡¯t even sleep was a pretty shitty Will-Breaker. She wasn¡¯t sure exactly what a Will-Breaker was supposed to be, but she was reasonably certain a Will-Breaker should be able to sleep. What a joke she was.


    She laughed again.


    ¡°Anita!¡± There was no answer, so she called again. ¡°Anita!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± the jailer called back.


    How dare he! Shut up indeed. She¡¯d make him shut up. She¡¯d put him to sleep. She used to do that sort of thing all the time. It was such a convenient way to get through a conflict bloodlessly. She couldn¡¯t do it anymore though. Someone had stolen the spell from her. Or something like that.


    ¡°Anita!¡±


    ¡°I said shut up!¡±


    Wow, he was rude.


    Why wasn¡¯t Anita responding?


    Oh right. Anita was let out of here yesterday, or maybe the day before.


    Felit?a laughed again. Boy, did she feel silly, calling for someone who wasn¡¯t even there. No wonder the jailer was so grouchy. Then again, he deserved it for keeping her locked up here.


    She¡¯d come to the conclusion the jailer had to be the mastermind behind everything that was happening. Castroff had kidnapped Corvinian on her jailer¡¯s orders. It made sense. That was the real reason he was so rude to her.


    Or maybe it was the person in her head.


    Yes, that actually made more sense. There was no way the jailer was the actual mastermind here. What a silly thought. She had a lot of silly thoughts these days.


    She¡¯d discovered the person in her head yesterday¡ªor was it the day before? Last month? Whatever. There was an anomaly in the line-up. One of the blurred figures was standing a little off to the side, like they were peering round to see up ahead. Except the people in the line never moved, so they couldn¡¯t do that. So clearly there was someone in her head who shouldn¡¯t be there.


    That would explain a lot of things, really.


    Too bad she couldn¡¯t really trust her own head these days. She couldn¡¯t trust anyone¡¯s head, but her own especially.


    ¡°Again?¡± the jailer said. ¡°Fine, go through, but make it quick.¡±


    ¡°Go through what?¡± Felit?a called back. ¡°I¡¯m stuck in this cell.¡±


    A figure approached the cell door. Felit?a was pretty sure she recognised this person. This person came here every day.


    ¡°Good morning, Felit?a,¡± the figure said. ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    Felit?a sat on the bench-bed. ¡°Why should I tell you anything?¡±


    ¡°Getting worse, I see.¡±


    ¡°Have you contacted Agernon yet?¡± Oh, why had she asked that? Oh, right! She remembered who this person was now!


    Siba frowned. ¡°Felit?a. Your Highness, I...I told you already. Agernon¡¯s house collapsed. No one¡¯s sure what happened. A lot of Red Knights lost their lives though. So did Agernon. Nin-Akna too.¡±


    ¡°Liar.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying, your Highness.¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. They weren¡¯t dead. They couldn¡¯t be dead.


    She closed her eyes for a moment, did her best to focus her thoughts. She was so scattered these days. But every now and then, she could manage a moment of clarity. ¡°Siba, please believe me when I tell you they would not have gone down so easily. It¡¯s in the Bloods¡¯ best interest to declare them dead, even when they¡¯re not. I know for a fact Nin-Akna is still alive. I¡¯m certain Agernon is, too.¡±


    Siba curtsied. ¡°I hope you¡¯re right, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Just call me Felit?a. Curtsies and your Highnesses are pointless across cell doors. How¡¯s Anita?¡±


    ¡°Not good. She believes Nin-Akna is dead.¡±


    Felit?a buried her head in her hands. ¡°Haven¡¯t you told her I know she¡¯s not dead?¡±


    Siba shook her head. ¡°You¡¯ve only just told me that your Highness. I mean, Felit?a.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I didn¡¯t say that before? Really? Sorry. I¡¯ve been having a hard time remembering things lately. How long have I been in here?¡±


    ¡°This is the fifth day.¡±


    So her guess had been more or less right. ¡°There¡¯s somebody in my head.¡±


    Siba looked blankly at her. ¡°I...don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Never mind. That didn¡¯t make much sense, did it?¡±


    Siba shook her head.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    She shouldn¡¯t talk about the person in her head. People would think she was crazy.


    Which was probably not far from the truth.


    Who was she kidding? It was the absolute truth. She was losing her mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I haven¡¯t been able to bring you more sleeping draught,¡± Siba said. ¡°They search me every time I come.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all right,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Oh gods, I blamed you yesterday, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. You¡¯re not in your right mind.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an understatement.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll come visit you again tomorrow,¡± Siba said. ¡°Hopefully, I¡¯ll have good news for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Siba. For everything.¡±


    Felit?a closed her eyes. It was time to do something about the person in her head.


    The Room hadn¡¯t been obeying her very well the last few days. Most of the time, it wouldn¡¯t even form, and when it did, it seemed to have a mind of its own¡ªwhich was ridiculous since it was made out of her own mind. Of course, it didn¡¯t really have a mind. It was just her own mind behaving out of control.


    At least, she hoped it was that. The alternative that the Room did have a mind of its own was too disturbing to contemplate. Then again, the Staff had a mind of its own. And that was really disturbing, so her original point stood.


    Luck was with her, and the black walls of the Room sprang into quasi-real existence in her head. There was one other presence there¡ªthe jailer¡¯s. Actually, there were several minor presences too. Those were probably mice, maybe a cat. She wondered if any of them were Lon and Nesh. She could usually recognise their presences, but at the moment, she was having difficult remembering them.


    She headed over to the line-up. Hi Zandrue.


    Felit?a.


    Go away! she snapped.


    Felit?a.


    Unlike the Staff, the voices in her head usually went quiet when she told them to, but they hadn¡¯t been obeying her recently.


    She looked over Zandrue. I really wish you were here. Zandrue¡¯s shoulder was wounded¡ªpierced all the way through. The wound had been there for a few days now if Felit?a remembered correctly, maybe a week, week and a half? Zandrue had a few bruises too, but otherwise she looked in fine shape. I could use your help. At the very least, Zandrue didn¡¯t look sleep-deprived.


    But she wasn¡¯t here to stare at Zandrue.


    She moved down the row, past Rudiger and Borisin, Meleng, Jorvan, and Corvinian. Quilla looked tired, her eyes red like she¡¯d been crying. If Felit?a were to look at someone in the line-up at the exact same time they were crying, would she see tears? None of the figures ever moved. They just stood there like statues¡ªperfectly life-like statues, but just as still. But were tears movement?


    She was getting distracted again.


    Kindanog¡¯s face was bloody, and he had a gash on his left arm. There were also several smaller cuts on his chest and other arm. What the hell had happened to him?


    Nin-Akna looked...awful, although it was better than she had looked a day or two ago...four or five days ago? However long it had been. Her feet were blistered, and some of her toes looked blackened, but the blisters meant healing was happening. Felit?a had gone through it herself to a lesser degree years ago when she¡¯d first arrived at Elderaan¡¯s. Nin-Akna had to be in a lot of pain, but if she had made it to Agernon, she was in good hands. He¡¯d get her through it.


    The next figure remained blurred. Somewhat tall¡ªthough not exceptionally so¡ªand thin was all she could say about it. The remaining figures were too blurred to even distinguish that much.


    It had been ages since Nin-Akna had been revealed. Felit?a had gone through a period of a lot being revealed over a relatively short period of time, and then nothing. She wondered who this next person was and when she¡¯d learn it.


    But she was still distracted.


    What she was looking for was farther down the line, assuming it was still there.


    None of the blurry shapes looked out of place. It was a straight line, vanishing into the distance of the Room, possibly towards the grey walls, and maybe beyond?


    It could have been her exhausted state. That was responsible for everything these days, it seemed. Maybe she had imagined seeing a figure out of place. She¡¯d hallucinated talking to giant rats; an out-of-place blurry figure in a blurry queue could just as easily have been her mind playing tricks on her.


    But she wanted to believe the Room was safe. Hallucinations wouldn¡¯t happen here. Would they?


    Something moved.


    It was behind her, as weird as that seemed.


    She focused on where it had been. There was nothing there now. Only the jailer¡¯s presence. That hadn¡¯t moved or changed.


    Anyone there? she called.


    Felit?a, the usual voices said. Felit?a.


    She looked in front of her, behind her, left, right, above, below, and several other perpendicular directions that shouldn¡¯t exist. Nothing was out of place.


    But what if there was something else in the Room she had never noticed? It had happened before. The grey walls, which were easy to see now, had gone unnoticed for ages, until she had finally seen them. It was possible for things to be hidden from her in here.


    If she were trying to hide in here, how would she do it? Gods, think, Felit?a, think. She needed to push away the exhaustion for just a little while. Focus and think straight.


    Hiding in the blurred section of the line-up was definitely one thing she might try. Perhaps behind the image of the Staff over the line-up.


    Or maybe a direction she¡¯d never looked in before. Those directions that shouldn¡¯t exist existed here because there wasn¡¯t really any such thing as direction here. It was all just an abstraction. As such, it was always possible to look some way she hadn¡¯t.


    But which way? She¡¯d just looked in a few and hadn¡¯t found anything.


    She tried a couple more. Still nothing.


    Of course, if direction was an abstraction and there was no real direction, then the direction shouldn¡¯t matter. After all, she¡¯d spotted something moving ¡°behind¡± her a moment ago.


    Maybe if she looked everywhere at once¡ªstopped treating everything as being in different places and instead put everything in the Room in the same spot.


    Gods, she was so tired.


    She pushed that aside. Tried to focus, concentrate.


    Then she pulled the walls in to a single point, the jailer¡¯s presence with them, the minor presences too. The entire queue of people, revealed and unrevealed. The Staff. Even those gods-damned grey walls. Even herself. Everything. She brought absolutely everything together in the same spot.


    And there it was.


    Vaguely familiar, but obscured, yet definitely another presence. It had to be another mentalist. Only another mentalist could have hidden their presence like this. And it had to be a damn powerful one, too.


    Then the presence was gone. Whoever it was must have realised she¡¯d spotted them. If she could just put her finger on what was familiar about the presence¡­


    But that would have to wait. There were other things she hadn¡¯t noticed before as well. The very markers she¡¯d been looking for that indicated the presence of mentalism magic. They were barely there. So tiny. It was no wonder she hadn¡¯t noticed them before. There was no way to tell for sure what they did, but she had several suspicions.


    She expanded the Room back to its usual appearance, keeping her focus on all the tiny points of magic. They were all spread along the grey walls, intertwined with the walls themselves. A dozen? No, more. Nearly two dozen. Twenty altogether. Whoever had put them in her head had used her block to help hide them. It was actually pretty clever.


    Could she get rid of them? In her present state, she doubted it, and she had no doubt that these¡ªsome of them, at least¡ªwere responsible for her current state.


    She could at least try.


    She reached out to one of them¡ªjust to prod gently at it, find out how secure it was, if it had any defences.


    Her mind exploded.


    Felit?a screamed.

 Book 2, Chapter 49: From the Lowest Lows to the Highest Highs (Part 1)

    The boy was maybe thirteen or fourteen, dirty, with clear signs of frostbite on his hands. He had probably been living on the streets. He hadn¡¯t done well for himself since leaving the Palace.


    Zandrue motioned to the guard to bring him forward.


    The boy looked side to side as he came towards her. His eyes avoided Ardon, who was standing by the stairs to the study cabinet.


    Zandrue sat back in her chair and took a sip of wine.


    The guard stopped the boy a few feet in front of her, and kept his hand gripped on the boy¡¯s shoulder.


    Zandrue waved the guard away. ¡°Leave us. He won¡¯t try anything. Will you, Gillert?¡±


    The boy cast his eyes to the floor. ¡°No, my Lady.¡±


    The guard released the boy¡¯s shoulder, bowed, and backed away.


    Once the guard had left, Zandrue motioned to one of the chairs facing her. ¡°Have a seat.¡±


    The boy looked up with his eyes, but not his head. ¡°My Lady?¡±


    Zandrue motioned to the chair again. ¡°Have a seat.¡±


    The boy looked about, wrung his hands together, glanced at Ardon. He shuffled towards the chair, but didn¡¯t sit down, instead staring down at its plush seat and its expensive embroidery.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Zandrue said.


    The boy sat on the edge of the chair, as far forward as he could, practically falling off it. His eyes continued to dart about.


    Zandrue motioned to Ebry, who was waiting off to the side with a tray of wine and pastries. She came forward and held it out to the boy. ¡°Refreshments?¡± Zandrue said.


    Gillert looked at the tray with wide eyes. He glanced at Zandrue, who nodded. Then he snatched several pastries, stuffing one in his mouth right away. He also grabbed a cup of wine just before Ebry moved aside.


    ¡°Now then, Gillert,¡± Zandrue started. ¡°Can I call you Gill? I¡¯ve heard that¡¯s what you went by when you worked here.¡±


    He nodded and mumbled something through his full mouth.


    ¡°Great. So Gill, I don¡¯t want to ask you about your time working here, or what led to your dismissal. I want to talk to you about a time you were in the Palace after you¡¯d been dismissed.¡±


    The boy stopped chewing and looked up at her, bits of food and drool dribbling down his cheek. He groaned.


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound happy about that.¡±


    He swallowed his food, and wiped his chin with his sleeve. ¡°I already talked about that.¡± He nodded towards Ardon. ¡°With him.¡±


    ¡°With his Grace, you mean. You do know who he is, yes?¡±


    Gill nodded.


    ¡°Then you should feel honoured the Patriarch of the Universal Church talked to you directly.¡±


    Gill frowned. ¡°I suppose so.¡± He drank from his cup, spilling some of the wine down his chin and onto his tunic.


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m aware of your answers to his Grace¡¯s questions. I just want to ask you some follow-up questions. Is that okay?¡±


    He paused, about to stuff his last pastry into his mouth. ¡°Can I say no?¡±


    Zandrue smiled. ¡°You can, but I¡¯m going to ask the questions anyway.¡±


    ¡°What if I refuse to answer?¡±


    Zandrue sighed. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t. I¡¯d much prefer to do this in a friendly way. I openly admit the wine and sweets are a bit of a bribe to get you talking willingly. But mark my words, you will talk whether you want to or not. So why not do it the easy way and we can all be friends?¡±


    The boy looked towards Ardon, then back at Zandrue. ¡°Sure. What do you want to know?¡± He took a bite of his pastry.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you see it my way. First off, when did they bring you into the Servants of Sunset?¡±


    ¡°The what?¡±


    Zandrue frowned. ¡°Come now, Gill. You know exactly what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    Gill looked towards Ardon again. ¡°He...I mean, his Grace never asked me anything about that. I thought you were just going to follow up on his questions.¡±


    ¡°Fair. I did say that. However, the City Guard thoroughly examined you before they handed you over to his Grace. You have a tattoo in the shape of a goat skull on your inside left thigh. I¡¯m following up on that, and I find it hard to believe you got a tattoo like that without knowing what it meant. So come on, tell me about it.¡± She motioned Ebry back over. ¡°Have some more sweets or wine.¡±


    He stared at the pastries. ¡°I never wanted to be one of them.¡±


    ¡°I believe you.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°You were taken really young, weren¡¯t you? Darkers do that. They grab children at a very young age and initiate them. Often, they¡¯re the children of other Darkers; sometimes, they¡¯re taken off the street. Which were you?¡±


    ¡°The streets. I¡¯m an orphan. They...they held me down. They forced me to get the tattoo. They...I¡­¡± He closed his eyes and lowered his head, grimacing, tears forming.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to give me all the sordid details if you don¡¯t want to. I just wanted to confirm. Few people become Darkers because they actually want to, especially not in childhood.¡± A part of her wanted to tell him she understood because she had been through it too, but that was a secret she wasn¡¯t admitting in front of Ardon. ¡°Let¡¯s move on. You started working here in the Palace as a messenger boy about two years ago, correct?¡±


    Gill nodded and took a couple more pastries from the tray. Ebry moved away again.


    ¡°You told his Grace all about how you were hired here, who you spoke to at the time, most of whom you don¡¯t really remember. And you told him about your duties. Tell me a bit about them.¡±


    ¡°I was a messenger boy. There wasn¡¯t much more to it than that. Sometimes, I delivered letters. Sometimes, it was just to tell people that someone had arrived, or someone wanted to see them. That sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°Did the Darkers have you report to anyone? I mean, they put you in here, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they said they pulled some strings to get me in here. They told me to keep my eyes and ears open, but they never asked me anything about what I saw, not even when I had to leave to go into the city. I pretty much never saw any of them after I started here.¡±


    ¡°What about other Darkers in the Palace? Did you ever interact with them?¡±


    He shrugged as he finished chewing and swallowing a pastry. ¡°I knew there were others here, but I didn¡¯t know who. I probably delivered messages between them, but that was my job. I delivered messages between everyone.¡±


    ¡°What about Barnol Friaz? Did you ever deliver any messages to or from him?¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Yeah, all the time. No more often than anyone else, though, I think.¡±


    ¡°Did he ever say anything to you?¡±


    The boy thought for a moment. ¡°Maybe once in a while, but not usually.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember anything specific he said/¡±


    ¡°He asked me how I was doing a couple times. Sometimes, he gave me a chocolate. He was friendlier than a lot of the other nobles, but he never talked with me for more than a minute or so.¡±


    ¡°Was there anyone else you took messages to or from more often than others?¡±


    ¡°Maybe Princess Annai? I¡¯m not sure. She was always the most demanding, but I took messages between everyone.¡±


    ¡°Well, I think I can safely exclude Princess Annai as a potential Darker.¡± Zandrue chuckled. ¡°Okay, after you were dismissed¡ªthanks to her Highness, I believe¡ªwhat happened then?¡±


    ¡°I went back to Arnor City and the Servants¡ªDarkers¡ªthere to tell them what happened. They said they already knew.¡±


    ¡°And then they asked you to go back in?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Not right away, and it wasn¡¯t them. It was another man I¡¯d seen at the Palace before, but didn¡¯t know was a Servant of Sunset. He seemed to be really important though because they were all doing everything he said.¡±


    ¡°Dyle Aderman?¡±


    ¡°He never told me his name.¡±


    ¡°Short? Scar on his cheek?¡±


    Gill nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s him. He wanted me to deliver one more message, but he didn¡¯t want anyone to be able to trace it back to him. He said he could get me in and out again.¡±


    Zandrue took a sip of her wine and leaned forward. ¡°Okay, I can see how he could get you through the gates, as you probably didn¡¯t go through them very often while you were here, so the guards there wouldn¡¯t recognise you. But how did you get through the Palace here without being seen?¡± He had already told Ardon the answer to this, but she wanted to here if from him.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t go through the gates.¡± Gill hesitated, and took a bite of his pastry. ¡°He used magic to get us in. He had a pearl or bead or something. It just...transported us in. One moment we were in Arnor City; the next, we were in the Palace near Prince Garet¡¯s apartments, where his fianc¨¦e was staying. I delivered the letter, then he took us back to Arnor City. That was the last I saw him. I...I don¡¯t ever want to do something like that again. It wasn¡¯t right. It wasn¡¯t natural.¡±


    ¡°Did Dyle say anything else while you were with him? At any point?¡±


    Gill shook his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure? It doesn¡¯t matter how minor it seemed.¡±


    Gill still shook his head. ¡°Not that I remember.¡±


    Zandrue sighed and took a couple more drinks of wine while she thought. ¡°You mentioned you¡¯d seen Dyle at the Palace before. In what sort of situation? What was he doing?¡±


    ¡°I always assumed he was one of Barnol Friaz¡¯s menservants. I only ever saw him at Lord Friaz¡¯s apartments.¡±


    ¡°And he never said anything? To you or Friaz or anyone?¡±


    ¡°Not that I saw, but I was never there long.¡± He leaned forward, almost falling off the chair. He repositioned himself on it, now clearly looking more comfortable. ¡°There were a couple times there were other people there, too. It was like they were having a meeting or something. I figured Lord Friaz was just addressing his menservants as a group. Now I think of it, though, they weren¡¯t dressed in Friaz livery. Or Palace livery.¡±


    ¡°Friends of his, perhaps?¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Visiting relatives?¡±


    ¡°They weren¡¯t Foliths,¡± Gill said. ¡°They were Eloorin.¡±


    ¡°Was Dyle in Palace livery?¡±


    Gill shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think I ever saw him in Palace livery, though I didn¡¯t pay a lot of attention. I just did the job and left. It was okay worked while it lasted, but I¡¯m kind of clumsy, and¡­¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°I know. You have to be a little more careful in a place like this.¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡± He looked back down at the floor.


    Zandrue downed the rest of her wine, placed the cup on the table, and stood up. She clapped her hands together. ¡°Right, thank you very much, Gill. I need to talk to his Grace for a bit. Help yourself to more refreshments.¡± She motioned Ebry back over again.


    ¡°They¡¯ll know I talked to you,¡± he said.


    Zandrue nodded slowly. ¡°I know. His Grace will look after your protection. We¡¯ll get you away from them, okay?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She smiled at him. ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± She turned towards Ardon, who was already heading up the stairs. She hurried to join him.


    At the top, Ardon handed her another cup of wine. ¡°From my personal supply. From the Vermese vineyards in southern Orwin by the Bay of Ras. Prime grape-growing land.¡±


    Zandrue took a sip. ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡± It was surprisingly sweet. She took another sip. ¡°Very nice.¡±


    He smiled and took a seat at the desk. ¡°It¡¯s not to my usual taste, personally, though it can make a nice dessert wine on occasion. However, I¡¯ve noticed you have an appreciation for the sweeter wines and this is the sweetest I know.¡±


    Zandrue sat down and took another sip. ¡°Well, if you ever need to get rid of it, you know where to turn.¡± She grinned.


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    She gulped down the rest and reached for the bottle, raising a questioning eyebrow at him. He nodded and she poured herself another cup. ¡°So, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think we have enough to approach the Queen,¡± Ardon said. ¡°Though we should be cautious. Barnol Friaz is her most trusted confidante. She will resist accepting that he¡¯s betrayed her.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we could wait a little longer if we have to,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Wait to see if Tianna notices anything. I asked her to keep an eye on her father for me. She wasn¡¯t too believing either, but she agreed. I think it might have been more to prove me wrong, but either way¡­¡±


    Ardon shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure we can rely on that. If Barnol Friaz was going to do anything for Tianna to notice, she would have noticed years ago.¡±


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t had reason to look before, though.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but I don¡¯t think we can afford the time. We need to act on what we have. The Queen will be resistant, as I said, but she will accept the facts in the end. After all, she did offer her apologies to me for the other day.¡±


    Zandrue chuckled. ¡°Good point.¡±


    Ardon raised his glass. ¡°And with a little luck, Friaz can lead us straight to Mister Aderman.¡±


    Zandrue clinked her glass against his. ¡°It¡¯s nice to have things go our way for a change.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t celebrate too early. We don¡¯t have Mister Aderman yet.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°True, but it¡¯s a start, and after everything else, I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    ¡°My Lady?¡± Ebry called from below. ¡°Rudiger is here. He says he has news.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right down.¡± She looked at Ardon with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Good news, I hope.¡±


    Ardon shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s find out.¡± He motioned to the stairs. ¡°After you.¡±


    Zandrue drank some more wine, topped her cup, then hurried down the stairs.


    Rudiger was standing beside Ebry, just a few feet from the stairs. Behind them, Gill was picking more pastries off the tray, which was now sitting on the table in front of him.


    Rudiger¡¯s eyes were sunken. He titled his head a little and gave a forced smile when he saw her.


    Zandrue halted at the bottom of the stairs. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    He looked away from her and twitched a bit before speaking. ¡°There¡¯s been an incident. A bunch of horses are missing from the stables.¡±


    ¡°Missing? Did they escape?¡±


    ¡°Uh...no. I went to see Borisin. He saw part of what happened. He also saw Quilla. She had a lot to tell him.¡±


    Zandrue¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°That¡¯s great news! I¡¯ve been worried sick about her and how to contact her. Gods, you had me worried there for a moment. Why the long face?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t all good news.¡±


    A hand touched her shoulder. It was Ardon, reaching the bottom of the stairs. She stepped aside to let him past.


    ¡°There was some sort of ceremony last night,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°They...uh...that is, the Darkers took the horses for it. They¡­¡±


    ¡°Is Quilla all right?¡± Zandrue asked.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on, Rudiger. Out with it. What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about Tianna. They took her too.¡±


    Zandrue dropped her cup. Its contents splattered across the floor, and the cup shattered.


    That first cup was just an accident. The others were very much intentional.

 Book 2, Chapter 49: From the Lowest Lows to the Highest Highs (Part 2)

    Zandrue¡¯s screams of rage still echoed down from the room upstairs, along with shattering sounds. Somehow, she was still finding more things to smash. Occasionally, the broken remains of a bottle or cup would topple down the stairs. Rudiger grimaced at every crash and thud.


    ¡°I had quite a collection of wine up there,¡± Ardon said. He was seated in the only chair in the salon still upright and in one piece. ¡°I hadn¡¯t foreseen this use for it. I had intended it more for celebration. But I suppose this is a...creative use for it.¡±


    Rudiger forced a chuckle. He¡¯d known Zandrue wouldn¡¯t take the news of Tianna¡¯s death well, but even he hadn¡¯t expected this. She¡¯d always had a temper. He¡¯d had it play out on him a few times, but not like this. He wondered if she¡¯d have the same response if she ever got news that he had died. He couldn¡¯t even being to imagine how she might take news of Felit?a¡¯s death.


    The worst part was Zandrue didn¡¯t even know all the news yet, including the worst part of it. She knew Tianna was dead, but she didn¡¯t know how¡ªthough that actually depended on point of view, he supposed. He had told Patriarch Ardon while she had raged around them. Zandrue might have heard some of it. His Grace had not seemed at all surprised or disbelieving that the news came from a horse.


    ¡°Their Majesties know, I take it?¡± Ardon asked.


    Rudiger nodded. ¡°They certainly already know about the stolen horses. As soon as I heard from Borisin, I went straight to Captain DeSelo?n and told him. I assume he went straight to the King and Queen. Can¡¯t imagine he¡¯d do anything else.¡±


    They were quiet after that, the only sounds coming from Zandrue upstairs. Two of Zandrue¡¯s handmaids moved about, one sweeping up glass on the floor, the other dragging remnants of chairs, the couch, and the chaise longue into a single pile. The boy who had been eating here was helping.


    ¡°She seems to be slowing down,¡± Ardon said eventually. ¡°Perhaps you should try to comfort her.¡±


    Rudiger had tried that once already¡ªshe had screamed at him to fuck off¡ªbut Ardon was right. He should try again.


    He walked to the bottom of the stairs and looked up. ¡°Zandrue? I¡¯m coming up.¡± He grabbed the rail and started up.


    He had not been in the room at the top of the stairs. Had never seen the need for anything other than a quick peek in. A study cabinet Zandrue referred to it as, but it was much larger than a cabinet, even if it was the smallest room in these apartments. It had become Zandrue and Patriarch Ardon¡¯s meeting space, and Rudiger had no reason to use it for anything else. Plus, the spiral stairs going up to it always looked so fragile. They had definitely been designed for someone with smaller feet than his.


    It was a mess now. Pieces of splintered wood that looked as if they might have once been a desk littered the floor along with broken bottles, glass, and a few torn paintings.


    Zandrue sat slumped against the far wall beneath the window. She was covered in sweat and was panting. There was something else off about her though, and it took him a moment to realise what. Her face was...stretched? Her chin and cheeks were elongated just a bit, like a muzzle. Like a Volg. Two small horns poked out just above her hair. She snarled at him.


    Rudiger raised his hands. ¡°It¡¯s just me.¡± He edge forward, stepping carefully over the debris.


    She looked up at him and smiled, but also closed her eyes and sniffled.


    He sat beside her. ¡°So this is what you look like when...whatever it¡¯s called happens.¡± He looked at her and smiled again.


    She still looked like Zandrue. The changes were small. She sniffled again. ¡°It¡¯s called a galdraif.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you usually get warning of that?¡± he asked. That was why she¡¯d taken off in Ninifin, and apparently numerous times in the past when she¡¯d left Felit?a behind, too.


    ¡°Yeah, usually, but looks like I accidentally induced it. Never done it before, but Mother always said it could happen if I let my anger get the better of me.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Never actually believed her. I thought it was one of those things you tell children to scare them into good behaviour.¡±


    Rudiger reached out and touched her face, just with the tips of his fingers. Her skin was tougher than usual. Because it was stretched? ¡°What will you do?¡±


    She leaned into his touch. ¡°Sit here until it goes away. It¡¯s supposed to go away as soon as you calm down.¡± She slid closer to him and laid her head on his chest. He put his arm around her. ¡°Oh gods, Rudiger. It¡¯s all my fault. I killed her.¡±


    He pulled her in tighter, lowered his head so his chin touched the top of her head. Her horns felt strange against his neck, but they weren¡¯t sharp, just hard, round bumps. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. You didn¡¯t kill her.¡±


    ¡°I asked her to spy on her father. I shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡±


    ¡°I thought you just asked her to watch him and report anything unusual to you. You didn¡¯t tell her to follow him when he takes off in the middle of the night.¡±


    ¡°I know, but she didn¡¯t know what she was doing. She had no experience in this sort of thing, and I knew that. She might not have thought there was much suspicious about her father going out at night, so she followed him to find out for sure. She probably wanted to impress me. She was in love with me, you know?¡±


    Rudiger gulped. He¡¯d known Zandrue had gotten close to Tianna and Annai, but¡­


    Zandrue chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I never reciprocated. I did care for her though. And that was my biggest mistake. I had an infiltration mission and I let myself get close to the people involved. That¡¯s the worst thing you can do in espionage. Gods, I was never really cut out for this kind of life. I¡¯m too emotional.¡±


    ¡°I kind of like that you¡¯re emotional.¡± Rudiger kissed her head. It tasted of blood. He hadn¡¯t noticed before, but there was a bit of blood in her hair, near her horns. The horns were smaller now, receding back into her head, and the blood was more noticeable.


    She shifted positions and raised herself up so they were face to face. Her face was almost back to normal now. ¡°I love you so much. Please don¡¯t die.¡±


    He smiled at her. ¡°I promise not to die.¡±


    She kissed him, and shifted around more so that she was straddling his lap. As they kissed, she worked at the ties on his tunic. He put his arms around her, began pulling up the skirts of her gown.


    Someone cleared their throat.


    They let go of each other, and Zandrue rolled off him.


    Ebry was standing at the top of the stairs. ¡°Pardon the interruption, my Lady, my Lord, but I¡¯ve been told to inform you Barnol Friaz has been arrested, and their Majesties request your presence in the throne room.¡±


    Zandrue patted down her skirts. ¡°Thank you, Ebry. We¡¯ll be along in a moment.¡±


    Ebry curtsied and headed back down the stairs.


    Zandrue looked at Rudiger. ¡°Barnol¡¯s been arrested? Already?¡±


    Rudiger started to tie his tunic. ¡°I didn¡¯t get a chance to tell you everything else that¡¯s happened. It¡¯s pretty bad.¡±


    Zandrue stood up and patted down her skirts more. ¡°It can¡¯t be much worse than the news about Tianna, but I guess you better tell me on the way.¡±


    Rudiger nodded. He sat there a moment longer, getting his emotions and hormones under control. Then he stood up and followed Zandrue down the stairs.

 Book 2, Chapter 49: From the Lowest Lows to the Highest Highs (Part 3)

    Gabby sidled up beside Rudiger as he and Zandrue entered the throne room. ¡°Is it true about Tianna?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what Quilla told Borisin,¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°Gods.¡± Gabby lowered her head, then shot it back up. ¡°Wait, Borisin? She told your horse? You really can talk to it, can¡¯t you?¡±


    Rudiger nodded. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t lie about that.¡±


    The throne room was a cavernous space when it was mostly empty. It took a couple minutes just to walk from the doors to the dais the throne was on. There were only a few others there. The King slumped in the Bear Throne, his crown sitting too far forward on his head. Ardon stood just behind and to the side of the King. Pastrin and Ned stood in front of the dais. They were holding hands, which was surprising given the proximity of the Queen¡ªthough the Queen wasn¡¯t looking in their direction. She stood over Annai some distance away. The princess was seated on the steps of the dais, sobbing into her hands. A few Kingsguard, including Hang, were spaced out across the hall. There was no sign of Malef.


    Zandrue hurried ahead of Rudiger. ¡°Annai?¡±


    Princess Annai looked up. ¡°Zandrue!¡± She stood up and ran to Zandrue, throwing her arms around her. ¡°Oh gods, Zandrue.¡± The two of them sobbed into each other¡¯s shoulder.


    The Queen walked slowly down the steps towards them. Rudiger bowed to her as he got close to them, but she paid him no attention. She spread her arms wide and put them around both Annai and Zandrue. She whispered something to the two of them, and they all three stood there awhile longer, crying softly.


    Rudiger and Gabby joined Ned and Pastrin. ¡°Where¡¯s Malef?¡± Rudiger whispered.


    ¡°Where do you think?¡± Pastrin said.


    Ned elbowed him. ¡°Be nice, Pastrin.¡± He leaned towards Rudiger. ¡°Malef is with Lady Plavin. Word is a warrant is being written up for her arrest, too. Malef¡¯s...well, let¡¯s just say he¡¯s reluctant to believe the allegations.¡±


    That made a certain sense. As much as Rudiger despised Lidda Plavin, he could imagine his own reaction if someone accused Zandrue of being a Darker and summoning a dragon. That said, he would probably believe the dragon part.


    The next few minutes passed like an eternity. Zandrue, Annai, and the Queen continued to sob in each other¡¯s arms. The King straightened his crown, only for it to slide down once more when he slumped again. Ned and Pastrin shuffled about on their feet. Only Gabby stood without any clear expression of emotion.


    At last, the doors opened. Prince Thilin and Captain DeSelo?n marched into the room, followed by several Palace guards, then two Kingsguard who had Barnol Friaz by each shoulder. They were practically dragging him behind them. At the rear came another group of Palace guards.


    Zandrue, Annai, and the Queen separated, the Queen ascending back up the steps of the dais. She turned to face the group that had entered. Zandrue and Annai moved to the side.


    Thilin stepped forward. He was the one Royal Rudiger had seen very little of during his time here¡ªnot counting Sinit?a and Cerus who weren¡¯t here. Thilin was a big man¡ªbigger than anyone else in his family, except maybe Garet. He was dressed in a military uniform. As Rudiger understood it, Thilin had been spending most of his time working with military generals to plan for the upcoming war with the Volgs, though Zandrue had spent a brief bit of time with him in Arnor City a couple weeks back.


    Thilin bowed. ¡°Father, Mother, I present you the traitor, Barnol Friaz.¡± He turned around, and the Palace guards moved aside to allow the two Kingsguard to come forward with Friaz. Thilin and Captain DeSelo?n moved aside as well.


    The Kingsguard took Friaz to the bottom of the dais, then shoved him forward so that he fell face first onto the steps. The Kingsguard backed away as Barnol crawled forward and up the stairs.


    ¡°Your Majesties, have mercy! Please!¡± He reached the top of the steps and clutched at the Queen¡¯s forward foot, kissing it repeatedly. ¡°Please, Annai. My daughter, Tianna. She¡¯s...she¡¯s gone. Have pity on me!¡±


    The Queen stared down at him, a snarl on her face. ¡°Mercy?¡± Her words were soft and barely discernible. ¡°Pity?¡± She pulled her foot away from him.


    He reached for the other one, but she kicked him in the face. He fell backwards with a cry, tumbling to the bottom of the steps.


    ¡°How dare you!¡± the Queen hissed, her voice rising. ¡°You think you are deserving of any pity or mercy? You snivelling worm!¡±


    Barnol scrambled onto his hands and knees, shaking. ¡°But Tianna, Annai. She¡¯s dead. Please let me mourn her.¡±


    The Queen walked down the steps and kicked him in the face again.


    Barnol Friaz wailed and fell over onto his back, his hands clutching his face.


    ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned, Tianna¡¯s death is your fault, Barnol. You do not deserve to mourn the death of such an enchanted child.¡±


    Barnol removed his hands from his face. His nose and lips were bloody. ¡°I tried to stop them. I tried to save her! You must believe me. She was my only child. I loved her. I would never harm her. I tried to offer myself in her place, but they wouldn¡¯t let me.¡±


    The Queen sneered at him. ¡°If you loved her as you claim, you would never have been a part of that disgusting cult. A Darker! In my own court!¡± She turned around and began back up the steps.


    Barnol got back onto his hands and feet. ¡°Annai, please.¡±


    The Queen rounded on him. ¡°The correct form of address is your Majesty! You do not get to address me so informally!¡± She moved towards him as if to kick him again. He curled into a ball, and she held back from following through. She bent down over him. ¡°I trusted you. More than anyone. I valued your counsel more highly than even that of my husband and children. I stuck my neck out for you on multiple occasions, and this is how you repay me? You were my favourite cousin, and I can barely look at you now without being filled with shame at how you used me for such a fool.¡± She straightened up again, and ascended the dais steps.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I had no choice. They forced me to join. As a boy. I went out of my way to make sure they didn¡¯t do that to Tianna.¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡±


    Barnol went quiet. He prostrated himself on the floor, shaking.


    The Queen didn¡¯t turn around. ¡°So there it is.¡± She was no longer shouting, but there was a quaver in her voice. ¡°The confession we need. Until this moment, a part of me still foolishly hoped this would turn out to be some elaborate falsehood. That part of me would have believed Felit?a¡¯s friends had somehow framed you. But for years and years, you have turned me against her. Even during the many years she was gone, when most thought she would never be seen again, you would occasionally bring her up, speaking words of poison against her, made me despise her. I never saw it until now, the fool that I am. Yet in the last couple months, I have seen nobility from her friends while you continued to counsel distrust. Now I learn the truth of you, I must question whether I have had my daughter wrong all these years. I don¡¯t even know her. You will explain this to me.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, I...I had no choice. Believe me.¡±


    ¡°I have given you a command. Explain yourself!¡±


    Barnol looked up from the floor. ¡°Your Majesty, she is the Will-Breaker. They knew from the moment she was born. When the assassination attempt at her naming ceremony failed, they decided instead to poison your mind against her. They made me do it. You must believe me.¡±


    The Queen turned around. ¡°Assassination attempt? What assassination attempt?¡±


    ¡°It was defeated by forces unknown. No one ever knew it happened.¡±


    The Queen snarled. ¡°Except you, apparently. And you kept it from me like so much else. I have heard enough. Execute him.¡±


    ¡°No, your Majesty, please! Have mercy on me!¡±


    Captain DeSelo?n¡¯s hand went to his sword, but he looked to Thilin and then the King first.


    Thilin stepped forward. ¡°Your Majesty, Mother, we need him to give us the rest of them.¡±


    The Queen turned away, shaking. She continued to stand there.


    ¡°Annai, my dear?¡± the King said.


    The Queen turned around again, her shaking under control. ¡°Yes, Wavon, I¡¯m fine. You¡¯re right, Thilin. We can¡¯t kill him yet.¡± She walked slowly down the steps to Barnol again. She spat on him.


    Barnol trembled, but did nothing to wipe the spittle away.


    The Queen straightened and peered down at him without lowering her head. ¡°I offer you a simple choice, my Lord. You can give us your associates. All of them, including anything you have on Lady Plavin. Do that, and I will grant you the dignity of a beheading. Refuse and you will hang like a commoner.¡± She turned around, and ascended the steps once more. This time, she went over to her throne and sat beside the King.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Barnol Friaz began to whimper and sob. ¡°Yes, yes, of course. I¡¯ll tell you everything, and I thank you for your...your just and...and...merciful decision.¡±


    The Queen ignored him and his continuing sobs. ¡°Thilin, Captain DeSelo?n, I leave further questioning to the two of you.¡± She turned her head to the King and took his hand. ¡°Unless, of course, you wish to join in as well, my dear.¡±


    The King shook his head. ¡°No, I trust Thilin and the Captain to do a much better job than I ever could.¡±


    ¡°Very good, my dear.¡± She turned to Thilin and the Captain again. ¡°I want a full list of names and activities. I want arrests to begin by the end of the day. If possible, also find out how we can gain control of this dragon, if it really exists. I don¡¯t want it rampaging uncontrolled once its current controllers have been arrested.¡±


    DeSelo?n bowed. ¡°One thing, your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Assuming he confirms the allegations against Lady Plavin, arresting a noble of her stature needs to be delicately handled. Without the proper paperwork¡­¡±


    The Queen nodded. ¡°I understand. See to it the arrest warrant is prepared as soon as possible. Bring it to the King to sign immediately it is ready, no matter the time of day or night. Until then, Lady Plavin is confined to her apartments. She is not to leave them for any reason. I want Palace guards, or Kingsguard if possible, outside her apartments at all times. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    ¡°Perfectly, your Majesty.¡± DeSelo?n bowed again, then motioned to the two Kingsguard who had dragged Barnol Friaz in.


    They came forward and took Barnol¡¯s arms. They lifted him up, still blubbering thanks to the Queen, and dragged him away. Thilin, DeSelo?n, and several other guards followed them out.


    As the doors closed behind them, Gabby nudged Rudiger. ¡°This is going to be an interesting place the next couple days. Poor Malef. I hope he recovers from this.¡±


    ¡°Zandrue, Rudiger,¡± the Queen said. ¡°Please approach.¡±


    Rudiger glanced questioningly at Gabby, who just shrugged. He walked forward and met Zandrue at the foot of the dais. He bowed and Zandrue curtsied.


    The Queen waved them closer, so they started up the steps. As they reached the top, the Queen rose and approached them. She looked at each of them in turn. ¡°Arnor owes you both a great deal for your role in bringing to light this conspiracy against the crown. If it weren¡¯t for the two of you, there would be every chance we would fall to this dragon attack. We may yet, but that is neither here nor there. We are better prepared than we would have been, and that is the important thing. Also¡­¡± She shifted on her feet. ¡°I...I, personally, owe you both an apology. I refused to trust you initially for no other reason than you were friends of Felit?a and Quilla. That was wrong of me.¡±


    Zandrue curtsied. ¡°I accept your apology, your Majesty, but may I say one thing?¡±


    The Queen nodded ascent.


    ¡°I think you owe Quilla an apology, too. She was involved just as much as we were, more so even. If she hadn¡¯t infiltrated the Darkers, we would never have known about last night.¡±


    The Queen frowned and looked away for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re right, of course. Once she¡¯s been rescued from their clutches, I will...apologise to her as well. And reverse her banishment, of course.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your Majesty,¡± Zandrue said. She curtsied again.


    Rudiger bowed. ¡°I accept your apology, as well, your Majesty.¡±


    The Queen smiled. ¡°Excellent. Then we can move on to other business. Of course, there is the matter of Tianna¡¯s funeral. The King and I have agreed she will be rewarded posthumously for her valiant effort to uncover her father¡¯s treachery. We are still determining the nature of that reward, but we will announce it soon. We would also like to reward the two of you...and...Quilla as well, of course. A few things. First, you may each choose a boon, and if it is in our power to grant, you will have it. However, before you make any request, you should also learn your other rewards. We wouldn¡¯t want you looking foolish by asking for a boon you are already going to receive.¡± She turned away and returned to her throne. ¡°Please kneel, both of you.¡±


    Rudiger and Zandrue looked at each other, then bowed. Rudiger took Zandrue¡¯s hand and squeezed it.


    The King stood up. He held out his hand. ¡°A sword, please.¡±


    The nearest Kingsguard came forward, drew his sword, and held it out to the King.


    Rudiger leaned closer to Zandrue, and whispered, ¡°Any idea what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Zandrue leaned her head against his. ¡°I have a pretty good idea. Can¡¯t wait for them to do this to Quilla, and you better believe I will hold the Queen to her word.¡±


    The King stood in front of Rudiger, and raised the sword. He brought the flat of it down gently on Rudiger¡¯s shoulder, raised it again, and brought it down on his other shoulder. ¡°Rudiger Fonivan, I grant you the title of noble of Arnor. You and your descendents shall forever more be afforded all the benefits, rights, and responsibilities of the nobility throughout all of Arnor.¡± He lowered the sword to his side. ¡°Rise, my Lord.¡±


    Rudiger took a deep breath and rose.


    The King craned his neck. ¡°Ah,¡± he whispered. ¡°Maybe bend over a little.¡±


    Rudiger smiled and bent over.


    The King kissed him on each cheek. ¡°I am proud to call you my friend.¡± He moved to Zandrue and repeated the same process. ¡°Zandromeda Armida, I grant you the title of noble of Arnor. You and your descendents shall forever more be afforded all the benefits, rights, and responsibilities of the nobility throughout all of Arnor. Rise, my Lady.¡±


    Zandrue rose and the King kissed her cheeks.


    The King then motioned for them to turn around. ¡°My son and daughters.¡± He looked to Ned. ¡°My Lord. I present to you all the newest nobles of our land.¡±


    Ned and Pastrin clapped, and Gabby whooped.


    Annai rushed over to Zandrue and hugged her. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so happy for you, Zandrue.¡± She wiped her nose with a handkerchief. ¡°I just wish Tianna was here to see this.¡±


    The King returned to his throne, and the Queen rose again. ¡°There is still one more thing before you may choose your boon.¡±


    ¡°I know what it is,¡± Annai said quietly. ¡°I hope you accept.¡± She moved aside as her mother approached.


    ¡°This is entirely voluntary,¡± the Queen said, ¡°but we hope you will agree. The King and I believe the two of you deserve the finest wedding possible.¡±


    Zandrue¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wedding?¡±


    The Queen nodded. ¡°Indeed. That¡¯s why we propose to fund your wedding for next month at the Cathedral of the Gods.¡± She looked to Patriarch Ardon. ¡°Your Grace, you¡¯ve been surprisingly quiet.¡±


    Ardon stepped forward. ¡°I admit I often interject on these occasions, but I have seen no need to today.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°You will, of course, preside over the wedding?¡± the Queen said.


    Ardon bowed. ¡°I would be honoured.¡±


    The Queen looked back at Rudiger and Zandrue. ¡°You will have the finest wedding and finest reception possible. Assuming you desire it, of course.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡­¡± Zandrue began. ¡°That is, I¡¯m not sure...I mean, we¡¯ve never even talked about it.¡±


    Rudiger looked back and forth between her and the Queen.


    ¡°Your thoughts, Rudiger?¡± the Queen asked.


    Rudiger had no idea what to say. He¡¯d never even thought about this. Well, he¡¯d had the odd stray thought, but given the life they led, it had never seemed something they could consider.


    Zandrue took his hand. ¡°Rudiger?¡±


    He gulped. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m just¡­ Do you want to?¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It seems...sudden. And it seems wrong to plan something so happy in the light of Tianna¡¯s death.¡±


    ¡°Tianna would be very happy for you,¡± the Queen said.


    ¡°Or supremely jealous,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°She¡¯d be jealous and happy,¡± Annai said. ¡°Trust me, she¡¯d want you to do it if that¡¯s what you want.¡±


    Zandrue raised Rudiger¡¯s hand to her face and kissed it. ¡°This is all so sudden. I never imagined myself ever doing something like this, but you know what? Let¡¯s.¡±


    Rudiger swallowed. ¡°You really want to?¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°I think so. Rudiger, will you marry me?¡±


    The Queen cleared her throat. ¡°Let¡¯s do this properly, shall we? You can have complete say in the wedding itself, but grant me this one thing.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°If we must.¡±


    Rudiger took a deep breath. He couldn¡¯t believe he was about to do this. He lowered himself to his knees, and raised her hand. He put his other hand on it, so he was holding it with both his hands. ¡°Zandrue, I love you more than anything. Will you marry me?¡±


    Zandrue smiled. ¡°Fuck yes.¡±


    The Queen groaned and rolled her eyes.


    Rudiger rose to his feet and pulled Zandrue in close to him.


    ¡°I had to inject a bit of me into the proceedings,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°I gathered.¡±


    She threw her arms around his neck as he lifted her up. They kissed amidst cheers and claps.

 Book 2, Chapter 50: The Pearl (Part 1)

    They were arguing in the front room. It had been going on for a while now. Quilla had been amused at first. Listening to Dyle struggle to justify his actions had a cathartic quality to it. However, it was getting annoying now. She wanted to storm out there and tell them to shut up, but that would just make things worse. They were arguing about her, after all.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, she told them,¡± Vellon said.


    Quilla fingered the dagger in her hands. She had no doubt if the argument went against Dyle, they would be coming for her. Vellon would probably be in front. There was no way she could fight them off, but maybe she could take Vellon out before she died.


    ¡°And how do you think she did that?¡± Dyle said.


    ¡°Maybe she slipped a note to one of the guards at the gate when we went through,¡± Vellon said.


    Dyle laughed. ¡°One, she was being watched the whole time, wasn¡¯t she, Sam?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Sam said. ¡°I had her in view the whole time. No way she passed on any notes.¡±


    ¡°Two,¡± Dyle continued, ¡°the guards were all paid off.¡±


    ¡°No guarantee of anything,¡± Vellon said. ¡°Or how about the stables? She was left alone with only Friaz¡¯s daughter for a while. Maybe she passed on a message then.¡±


    ¡°To who? Or are you suggesting she told one of the horses?¡±


    ¡°She was really protective of that big guy¡¯s horse.¡±


    Dyle laughed again. ¡°Oh yes, you definitely got it there, Vellon. I¡¯m sure she told the horse everything and then the horse told Rudiger.¡±


    Quilla smiled to herself. Dyle had no idea just how correct that was.


    ¡°Yeah, like I¡¯m suggesting that,¡± Vellon said.


    ¡°Then what are you suggesting?¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± That sounded like Lama?n. He hadn¡¯t contributed to the argument yet, so Quilla hadn¡¯t even been sure he was with them. ¡°There is another possible explanation. She wouldn¡¯t have to tell the horse, but she could have left a note in the horse¡¯s stall.¡±


    Vellon¡¯s laugh came next. ¡°She certainly had lots of opportunity for that. You should have let me include the horse in the sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°And that would have stopped Rudiger finding the note?¡± Dyle said. ¡°No, his horse going missing would have been noticed too fast.¡±


    ¡°And this wasn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Watch yourself, Vellon. You¡¯re walking a thin line these days.¡±


    ¡°I always watch myself. So, you admit a note left in the stable is a possibility?¡±


    ¡°Quilla would never do that.¡±


    Quilla stifled a laugh. Oh Dyle. Even after she¡¯d threatened to kill him, he still believed she wouldn¡¯t turn on him¡ªas if she¡¯d ever been with him to begin with.


    ¡°I suspect she would,¡± Lama?n said.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Vellon yelled.


    ¡°However, Vellon¡­¡± Lama?n dwelt on the name. ¡°It was my decision to bring Ms Steranovist with us. Her eventual role requires she know what powers we are dealing with. Her betrayal¡ªassuming it happened¡ªis unfortunate, but not something to worry about.¡±


    ¡°Not something to worry about?¡± Vellon said. ¡°They¡¯ve arrested Friaz. They¡¯ll be coming for the rest of us if we don¡¯t get out of here fast.¡±


    ¡°You expect Friaz to break?¡± Lama?n said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Vellon said.


    ¡°Under the best of circumstances,¡± Dyle said, ¡°Barnol would crumple under the slightest pressure. We just killed his daughter and admitted we were intending to kill him. We¡¯ve given him every reason to betray us.¡±


    ¡°It is of little matter,¡± Lama?n said. ¡°Let¡¯s not forget we have a dragon on our side.¡±


    ¡°A dragon that needs to eat for several days before it can help us,¡± Vellon said. ¡°They¡¯ll kill us before then if they get their hands on us.¡±


    ¡°The bond between the dragon and Lidda is still stabilising,¡± Dyle said. ¡°Our biggest concern is that they kill Lidda before that happens.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll be mired in bureaucracy first,¡± Lama?n said. ¡°If they kill her before all that is dealt with, they risk a civil war. The bond will be stable long before then.¡±


    ¡°Dyle!¡±


    That voice sounded like either Heb or Silv.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Prince Thilin and Princess Gabriella are leading a contingent of soldiers in this direction. Hard to say if they¡¯re coming directly for us yet, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°We need to move,¡± Dyle said. ¡°Thank you, Heb. Begin evacuation. We¡¯ll regroup at the tertiary hideout, not the secondary. Barnol knows the secondary, but not the tertiary. Move! Sam, get Quilla.¡±


    Quilla took a deep breath and stood up. This was it. With a little luck, she would soon be away from here¡ªaway from Dyle and all his horrid Darker friends.


    She wrapped the dagger in the folds of her skirts where they joined her blouse. As long as she was careful about how she moved, it should be secure there. Then she grabbed her bag from where it lay by the door. She had never bothered to unpack her things. She¡¯d always expected to have to leave this place on a moment¡¯s notice.


    She opened the door and headed out before Sam reached her.


    Dyle smiled. ¡°Good, you were listening.¡±


    She scowled at him.


    ¡°We should leave the bitch,¡± Vellon said.


    ¡°We need her,¡± Lama?n said.


    Quilla walked right up to Vellon. ¡°You know, Vellon, I¡¯ve been counting the number of times you use that word to describe me. Every use adds to the length of time I make you suffer before I kill you.¡±


    Sam laughed.


    Vellon snarled and bared his sharpened teeth at her, but he¡¯d done that so often, it had no effect on her now. She was pretty sure any fear she¡¯d had left of him had vanished last night. Any fear she had left of all these Darkers vanished when Tianna went up in flames. All replaced by sheer hatred and determination. She had never actually killed anyone before, but she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill Vellon if she got the chance.


    Lama?n walked past them, pulling on his moustache. ¡°Enough. Ms Steranovist comes with us. You are far more expendable, Vellon.¡±


    ¡°I gave an order!¡± Dyle yelled. ¡°Move!¡±


    Vellon snarled once more, then turned and stomped through the door that led to his room. He came back a moment later carrying a bag and a club. He stormed up the stairs.


    Dyle held out his hand. ¡°Shall we, Quilla?¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    She glared at the hand. ¡°What do you want me to do with that? Stab it?¡±


    Sam laughed again.


    Dyle lowered his hand with a shake of his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Sam ascended the steps next. Quilla went right after him. She hated all these Darkers, but she hated Sam the least. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure why. The sight of him just didn¡¯t fill her with the same amount of vile the others did. She¡¯d stick near him for now. Dyle was right behind her, unfortunately, but she couldn¡¯t have everything.


    They came out from the basement of the theatre past the vineyard and orangery. She¡¯d learned this for the first time last night, but it was nice to see it in the light now, and know she¡¯d given Borisin the right directions.


    Not far ahead, just past the main entrance to the row of glasshouses, a group of guards marched in their direction. Thilin and Gabriella were in the lead, both of them armoured and with swords drawn.


    Sam took off to the left away from the guards. ¡°This way.¡±


    Quilla followed, trying to keep watch around her and to pay attention to where everyone else was, hoping to find a moment when she could make a break for it.


    Dyle and Lama?n stayed just behind her, while Vellon, Heb, and Silv ran ahead of Sam towards the glasshouses. Thilin, Gabriella, and the guards broke into a run.


    ¡°Move!¡± Dyle yelled.


    Quilla ran with Sam round behind the glasshouses towards the main expanse of gardens on the south side of the Palace. Vellon, Heb, and Silv had stopped up ahead at the corner of the wall surrounding the glasshouses.


    ¡°Keep moving!¡± Dyle yelled at them.


    As Quilla and Sam got closer, it became clear why those three had stopped. Captain DeSelo?n and a group of Kingsguard stood just around the corner. Zandrue and Rudiger stood beside DeSelo?n.


    ¡°Why have you¡­?¡± Dyle started, but drained off as he reached them.


    Thilin, Gabriella, and the Palace Guards came up on them from behind.


    Dyle held up his hand, calling for a stop.


    ¡°You know,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°I asked myself, if I were a Darker hiding out beneath the Royal Theatre and I saw a bunch of Palace guards approaching from the west, where would I go? Turns out, there aren¡¯t many options. The only viable one is round the east side of the glasshouses to the southern gardens. Lo and behold, I was right. Hey, Quilla.¡±


    Quilla waved back. ¡°Good to see a friendly face again. So glad you got my message.¡±


    Dyle turned and stared at her.


    She smirked. ¡°You really thought I wouldn¡¯t find a way, Dyle?¡±


    Vellon came at her. ¡°It was her! I told you!¡± He grabbed her by the neck and pushed her against the wall. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, bitch.¡±


    ¡°Engage!¡± DeSelo?n cried.


    ¡°Forward!¡± Gabriella yelled.


    Vellon¡¯s hands were firmly round Quilla¡¯s neck, and she couldn¡¯t breathe. She resisted the urge to pull his hands away. There was no way she was strong enough for that. Instead, she fumbled to unwrap the dagger. Her throat felt like it was going to collapse and her lungs screamed for air.


    At last, the dagger came free and she stabbed it into his thigh. With a cry, he let go. She pulled the dagger back out, but he slammed his knee into her stomach. She gasped and the dagger clattered to the ground. His hands went for her neck again.


    ¡°Hey, Toothy!¡±


    He turned just in time for Zandrue to ram her sword into his chest. He clutched at Quilla as he fell. Blood and guts poured over her. She felt sick.


    Zandrue pulled her sword out and pushed him to the side. ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to do that for a long time. You okay?¡±


    Sam rose behind Zandrue.


    ¡°Look out!¡± Quilla gasped.


    Zandrue ducked as Sam swung his mace at the back of her head. She spun round to face him, and he swung at her again. She ducked once more.


    ¡°Been looking forward to this rematch,¡± Sam said.


    Quilla lunged for the dagger, but he slapped her across the side of the head. She fell back and hit her head on the wall. Her vision spun for a moment, and a shape lunged at Sam.


    Zandrue yelled and something clattered on the ground.


    Quilla¡¯s vision cleared.


    Zandrue was stumbling backwards, her sword lying on the ground. Sam raised his mace.


    Rudiger yelled and rushed at him from behind. Sam started to turn, but Rudiger¡¯s sword cut right through his back. His mace clattered to the ground, and his top half followed. Then his bottom half.


    Quilla wiped blood from her face. She might have hated Sam the least, but he was still a Darker, she still hated him, and she was glad he was dead.


    Ahead, either Silv or Heb fell to one of the Kingsguard. Then Gabriella ran the other one through.


    Where were Dyle and Lama?n? They¡¯d been surrounded. They couldn¡¯t have gotten away.


    ¡°Spread out,¡± DeSelo?n commanded. ¡°Find the other two.¡±


    ¡°They just vanished,¡± Thilin said.


    DeSelo?n nodded. ¡°I know. I saw.¡±


    ¡°The Pearl,¡± Quilla gasped, her voice still raspy and her throat aching. ¡°They must have used it.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Zandrue said.


    Quilla rubbed the back of her head. There was a lot of blood there, but she had no idea if it was hers, Vellon¡¯s, or Sam¡¯s. ¡°We have to get the Pearl. It has to go to Felit?a.¡±


    ¡°Where were they headed?¡± Zandrue asked.


    ¡°Their tertiary hideout, Dyle said. Apparently, Barnol Friaz doesn¡¯t know about that one. I have no idea where it is though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°We do.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡±


    Zandrue grinned. ¡°Barnol knows more than they realise. They have quite the extensive network here, and while Dyle and Mister Moustache buy may be higher ranking¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lama?n,¡± Quilla said.


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°Moustache guy¡¯s name is Lama?n.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Anyway, Dyle and Lama?n may rank higher, but Barnol has handled the logistical details in the Palace for decades, possibly longer than either of them have been alive. He knows far more more than they realise, and he¡¯s given it all to us. We hope. I mean, for all we know, he¡¯s left some things out, but he¡¯s given us more than enough to cripple their operation for years, if not put an end to it altogether. They made a big mistake when they killed Tianna.¡± Zandrue¡¯s upper lip twitched. ¡°I¡¯m going to make those bastards pay.¡±


    Quilla touched Zandrue¡¯s arm. ¡°She talked about you quite a bit.¡±


    Zandrue put her hand on Quilla¡¯s. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not surprised.¡±


    ¡°She loved you.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°It kind of took me by surprise.¡±


    Zandrue smiled and patted Quilla¡¯s arm. ¡°Surprised me, too.¡±


    ¡°What about you? Did you love her?¡±


    Zandrue sighed. ¡°Not in the way she wanted me to, but yeah, I suppose I did. Oh hey!¡± She waved Rudiger over and took his hand. ¡°Quilla, have you met my fianc¨¦?¡±


    Quilla gaped. ¡°Your what? Your...your fianc¨¦? Gods, a lot has happened while I¡¯ve been gone.¡±


    Zandrue beamed. ¡°It kind of took us by surprise, too. The Queen arranged it. Sort of.¡±


    ¡°The Queen?¡±


    ¡°Oh, and she¡¯s promised you an apology.¡±


    Quilla wasn¡¯t sure she was keeping up. Maybe she had hit her head harder than she¡¯d thought.


    Zandrue took her hand. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get Dyle, and I¡¯ll fill you in on everything on the way.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 50: The Pearl (Part 2)

    Quilla had never been to the Isyar Pavilion before. It was located at the west end of the complex, past the stables. Despite its name, there were rarely any Isyar staying at it. These days, it was mostly used for visiting nobles who weren¡¯t quite important enough to get accommodation in the Palace itself. Like most buildings in the complex, it had a basement cellar, and like the one in the theatre, its basement was never used. It made an ideal place for Darkers to hide out, though Quilla couldn¡¯t imagine living in such a place for years on end. Two weeks beneath the theatre had been more than enough for her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to be a noble,¡± Quilla told Zandrue as they approached the Pavilion.


    ¡°Then I guess you don¡¯t have to,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°There was a time when I wanted it, back when I was going to marry Garet, but now I¡¯m not so sure. Especially if it¡¯s awarded by that woman.¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°I understand. No one¡¯s going to force you. In fact, the Queen will probably be relieved. She was a bit reluctant in the first place. Of course¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Accepting the title is your opportunity to really annoy her, what with her unable to refuse you without breaking her word.¡±


    Quilla smiled. That did have an appeal to it. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    Zandrue motioned to Quilla¡¯s neck, a frown no her face. ¡°You sure you¡¯re okay? Vellon had quite the grip on your neck.¡±


    Quilla nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± The truth was, her neck still ached. In fact, it seemed to be getting worse. Her voice was less raspy though.


    They circled round to the back of the Pavilion. Thilin took the lead. ¡°It¡¯s probably too cramped for us all to enter. Let the Kingsguard go in. Everyone else, wait here in case they make a run for it.¡±


    ¡°With all due respect, your Highness,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°if the Kingsguard barge in like that, they¡¯ll escape the same way they did at the other side of the complex¡ªwith their magic pearl. Eventually, they¡¯ll flee the Palace complex entirely. We need a subtler approach. I¡¯ll go in.¡±


    Thilin held up his hand for everyone to stop. ¡°By yourself?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with her,¡± Quilla said.


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°You¡¯ve done enough already, Quilla. Let me¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going,¡± Quilla said. ¡°Dyle wants nothing more than for me to join him. Failing that, he¡¯ll settle for capturing me. He¡¯ll let me in, possibly let his guard down.¡±


    Thilin shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t let you do that, Quilla. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°We can handle this, Thilin.¡±


    Thilin continued to shake his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Quilla. It¡¯s too risky.¡±


    Quilla sighed. ¡°I just spent two weeks with Dyle and his people. I survived. I can survive this.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Fine, Gabriella can come with us, too.¡±


    Thilin considered a moment. ¡°Both Gabriella and I will come with you.¡±


    ¡°Too many people and he¡¯ll bolt, your Highness,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Three is pushing it as it is.¡±


    Thilin groaned. ¡°Fine, just the three of you. But don¡¯t take any unnecessary risks, and cry out if you need help.¡± He addressed the guards. ¡°Stay alert and be ready to rush in at a moment¡¯s notice.¡±


    Rudiger took Zandrue¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ll be right outside the door if you need me.¡±


    Zandrue smiled at him. ¡°So gallant.¡±


    Gabriella punched Rudiger lightly in the arm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Rudy. I won¡¯t let your blushing bride-to-be come to any harm.¡±


    Zandrue eyed Gabriella. ¡°When did you start calling him Rudy?¡±


    Gabriella shrugged. ¡°Just now. He calls me Gabby.¡±


    ¡°Everyone calls you Gabby. No one calls him Rudy.¡±


    Gabby grinned. ¡°First time for everything.¡±


    Quilla tried the door. It was locked.


    Captain DeSelo?n came forward with a set of keys.


    ¡°Barnol Friaz¡¯s master keys to everywhere in the Palace complex,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°He was quite eager to give them to us.¡±


    It took DeSelo?n a few tries, but he soon found the right key and opened the door.


    Quilla took a deep breath. It hurt, and she grimaced. ¡°I¡¯ll go first. I know Dyle best. You two are my backup.¡± Without waiting for either of them to object, she walked through the door.


    As at the theatre, the door led directly to a flight of stairs leading down. Candlelight flickered at the bottom, but it wasn¡¯t bright enough to make out further details. Quilla began to descend.


    Dyle was sitting at the table at the bottom. He was writing into a book, a flickering candle sitting on the table near him. The room had a similar layout to the primary hideout, except there were numerous crates and boxes stacked along the walls, and there was only one interior door.


    Dyle looked up. Upon seeing her, he started to rise. ¡°Quilla! Are you all right? You look¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Dyle. It¡¯s mostly Sam and Vellon¡¯s blood. Sit down.¡±


    He did as she asked, but his eyes followed Zandrue and Gabriella¡¯s entrance into the room. ¡°I saw Vellon go after you. I feared the worst.¡±


    Quilla leaned on the table across from him. ¡°Did you? Feared the worst so much you took off?¡±


    He put the pen down. ¡°I didn¡¯t have any other choice.¡±


    ¡°Lama?n insisted, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡±


    ¡°Where is Mister Moustache anyway?¡± Zandrue asked.


    ¡°Wandered off somewhere,¡± Dyle said.


    Gabriella crossed the room to the interior door. ¡°Really? Strange time to go for a walk.¡±


    Dyle shrugged. ¡°Go ahead. Check back there if you want.¡±


    Gabriella reached for the door handle. ¡°I¡¯ll check it out. Zandrue, watch my back.¡± She opened the door and slipped through.


    Zandrue went to the door and held it open.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the Pearl, Dyle?¡± Quilla asked.


    He closed the book he¡¯d been writing in. ¡°You can¡¯t use it to control the dragon. The bonding with Lidda has already started. It can¡¯t be stopped as long as she remains alive.¡±


    Quilla walked around the table towards him. ¡°Guess we¡¯ll have to kill her then.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Be my guest. Never did like her much. The whole plan to put her in control of Arnor is Lama?n¡¯s idea.¡±


    She stopped beside him. ¡°What¡¯s in the book?¡±


    He put his hands on the book. ¡°Just a few notes. I would have given you everything, you know? I still will if you¡¯ll come with me. I¡¯ll make you my queen.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s over, Dyle.¡±


    He nodded, and looked her in the eye. ¡°I still love you, you know. I always will, no matter how much you betray me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not in love with me, Dyle. You¡¯re in love with the power you think you can get through me. Sure, you¡¯ll put me on a pedestal in praise of that power, but that¡¯s not love. I¡¯ve experienced real love, and you¡¯re not it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you feel that way.¡±


    She shook her head and walked away from him, circling back around the table. ¡°You¡¯re pathetic. Especially without all your cultists to back you up. Where¡¯s the Pearl, Dyle?¡±


    Gabriella came back into the room. ¡°There¡¯s no one else in here.¡±


    ¡°I told you, he wandered off,¡± Dyle said.


    Quilla sighed. ¡°He took the Pearl, didn¡¯t he? He took the Pearl, used its magic to get away, and left you behind.¡±


    Dyle shrugged, but said nothing.


    ¡°Where did he go? Do you know?¡±


    ¡°If he has the Pearl, he could be anywhere,¡± Dyle said. ¡°Literally anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Quit playing games and tell us. Does Lama?n have the Pearl or not.¡±


    Dyle just sat there, not answering.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Gabriella raised the point of her sword to his neck. ¡°Answer the question.¡±


    Dyle chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ve become a very violent person, Quilla. And you criticise me.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not the one holding the sword to your neck,¡± Gabby said.


    ¡°True, but she¡¯s condoning it.¡±


    ¡°Would it make you happy to learn that, Dyle?¡± Quilla said. ¡°That I¡¯ve become a heartless killer like you?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Honestly, no.¡±


    ¡°Luckily, I¡¯m not yet, but I¡¯ve taken a step or two in that direction. It¡¯s all I intend to take, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to say such things. Every time you kill, it becomes a little harder to not do it again.¡±


    She leaned her hands on the table. ¡°Good thing I haven¡¯t ever killed anyone yet. Tell us where the Pearl is, Dyle.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t ask again,¡± Zandrue added.


    Dyle lowered his head. ¡°Give me five minutes. Just the two of us. Then I¡¯ll tell you where Lama?n is.¡±


    Quilla stared at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡±


    ¡°So are we,¡± Quilla said.


    ¡°Are you?¡±


    ¡°You have a fucking sword pointed at your neck. You think we aren¡¯t serious?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°You won¡¯t run me through until I give you the information you need, and I won¡¯t give you that until you give me five minutes.¡±


    Quilla groaned and turned away from him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t test me,¡± Gabby said.


    Dyle chuckled. ¡°You know I¡¯m right, don¡¯t you, Quilla?¡±


    Quilla removed the dagger from where she had hidden it again. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡± She spun around and slammed the dagger down into his hand.


    With a scream, he tore it back out, and stumbled out of his chair. He nearly fell over to avoid Gabby¡¯s sword. Gabby didn¡¯t even move.


    Zandrue came up behind him, grabbed the arm with the injured hand and twisted it behind his back. ¡°You probably shouldn¡¯t provoke her.¡±


    Dyle stared at Quilla, his jaw hanging open. ¡°You...you¡­¡±


    Quilla picked the dagger back up from the table. She pointed it in his direction, trying to look as intimidating as she could. ¡°Last chance, Dyle.¡±


    ¡°Better take it,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°because, honestly, even if we don¡¯t find Lama?n and the Pearl, this will still have been a really good day, culminating with your death. I¡¯m willing to settle for that.¡±


    Dyle took several slow breaths, then nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll show you where he is.¡±


    Zandrue yanked his arm back further, and he grunted. ¡°Quilla, search him first.¡±


    Quilla approached him slowly, watching him carefully. His face was contorted in pain, but he smiled at her. She scowled back. ¡°Don¡¯t try anything. Gabby¡¯s still got a sword not far from you, remember.¡± She reached for his belt. There were a couple pouches tied to it. She started to undo one.


    He hooked his foot behind her ankle and yanked. Her leg fell out from under her. There were cries and yells, and she hit her head on the table. She scrambled to regain her footing.


    Dyle, Zandrue on top of him, crashed into the table, sending it toppling back. The candle spun through the air and splatted onto the floor. Its flame flickered and dimmed, nearly out.


    Everything was shadows.


    Two shapes¡ªZandrue and Dyle?¡ªrolled about against the wall. Zandrue grabbed Dyle¡¯s legs and pulled him back. He cried out.


    Gabby ran up, stabbed her sword down.


    The candle went out.


    Dyle cried out.


    There were several thuds and grunts. ¡°Hold him!¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Quilla, get Thilin!¡± Gabby cried.


    Quilla stumbled in what she hoped was the direction of the stairs. She bumped into the toppled table. ¡°Thilin!¡±


    She found the stairs and started up them, just as light flooded down them. She averted her eyes from the intensity. As bright as the outdoor light seemed, it didn¡¯t penetrate far into the room, leaving it mostly in shadows.


    Zandrue sat with her back against the wall, holding Dyle on top of her. Gabby knelt beside them, holding onto Dyle as well. They were all covered in blood and Quilla couldn¡¯t tell who was the source.


    Dyle stopped struggling just as Thilin rushed past Quilla. Two Kingsguard followed.


    Gabby pulled Dyle to his feet. Zandrue stood up behind him.


    ¡°You all right?¡± Thilin said.


    ¡°Probably a few bruises,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°but the blood¡¯s all his.¡±


    Dyle was clutching his side, blood pooling over his fingers and hands.


    Quilla moved past the guards to stand beside Zandrue. ¡°He tried to stop us searching him.¡±


    Zandrue nodded and reached for Dyle¡¯s belt, yanking off one of the pouches. ¡°He was trying to get this.¡± She untied the pouch and shook out its contents into her palm. A single pearl fell out. ¡°Looks like he had it on him the whole time.¡±


    ¡°Mine!¡± Dyle lunged at Zandrue, grabbed her hand.


    Without thinking, Quilla thrust her knife out¡ªstraight into his neck. Blood gushed over her hand and she let go.


    Dyle¡¯s jaw dropped, his eyes widened in surprise.


    Then, both he and Zandrue vanished, the knife with them.


    Thilin and the guards moved forward, but there was only Dyle¡¯s blood on the ground there now.


    Gabby stepped back. ¡°What the fuck? I knew it could do that, but¡­¡± She kicked the table.


    Quilla closed her eyes for a moment, and took several deep breaths. ¡°They could be anywhere.¡±


    ¡°That includes the Palace grounds,¡± Gabriella said. ¡°We should do a thorough search of all the hideouts Barnol gave us.¡±


    Thilin nodded and motioned to the Kingsguard, who started back up the stairs.


    Gabby put a hand on Quilla¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°We were so close,¡± Quilla said.


    Gabby gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. There¡¯s no way Dyle survived that. Zandrue will get the Pearl and find her way back to us, wherever she is.¡±


    ¡°Unless he took them into a nest of Darkers.¡±


    Gabby sighed. ¡°There is that. Come on. The sooner we start searching, the sooner we find them.¡± She started up the stairs behind Thilin.


    Quilla watched them go, but didn¡¯t follow for now. They had been so close. They should have just killed him as soon as they found him. She had let him talk. So stupid.


    She tried to wipe away the tears forming in her eyes, but her hands were still covered in blood, so she actually made the matter worse.


    She had stabbed him. He had to be dead now. Then Zandrue could take the Pearl and make her way back, just like Gabby said.


    She¡¯d never killed anyone before. She¡¯d imagined it. In the last couple weeks, she had imagined various ways she might kill Dyle, Vellon, Lama?n, all of them. But now that it had happened, she wasn¡¯t sure what to think. Was it cathartic? Not really. Especially without a body. She couldn¡¯t be sure. What if he was still alive somehow?


    She screamed in rage and kicked at the table, nearly tripping on the book he¡¯d been writing in.


    The book.


    She wiped her hands on her skirts, bent over, and picked it up. A few drops of ink dripped off it as she raised it up. One corner had been lying in a puddle of spilled ink. A quick examination revealed that the ink had not gotten on any of the pages, though her fingers left little blood marks on the cover.


    She righted the table, pulled the chair over, sat down, and opened the book. Most of the pages were blank. Only the first couple had any writing on them, and it was addressed to her.


    Quilla,


    If you¡¯re reading this, I¡¯ve been forced to leave without you. Or maybe I¡¯m dead. That¡¯s possible.


    I need to warn you of Aylor. If he gets his hands on you, he will throw you in shackles. He will torture you. He will do whatever he needs to to force you to use your abilities for him, to force you to fulfil your role. Even if you do it willingly, he will still harm you, torture you, treat you like shit. He considers you the lowest of the low. To him, you have one purpose and nothing else. You are worth nothing beyond that purpose.


    And he is powerful, Quilla. Powerful and dangerous. There are various rituals the Servants of Sunset can perform to give ourselves unnatural powers. You¡¯ve heard a bit about it with the powers given to La?nne Friaz. We pay a lot for these abilities. That¡¯s why few ever go through more than a single ritual. Most don¡¯t go through any at all. The price is too high.


    But Aylor is an exception. I don¡¯t know how many rituals he¡¯s been through, but it¡¯s left him a husk of a man. Yet so unbelievably powerful. Even I am rightfully terrified of him.


    But you have one hope. The Isyar, Jorvanultumn. He is destined to kill Aylor. I don¡¯t know how, but that is what the prophecies say. I¡¯ve tried a couple of times to draw them together. It¡¯s why I let him, Zandrue, and Rudiger know to go to Ninifin. I thought he would be there. But Aylor knows his destiny too. He will do whatever he can to avoid an encounter with Jorvanultumn.


    Your only hope for survival is to bring those two together before he gets to you. If he gets to you first, the added power you will bring him will make it possible for him to avoid his destiny. He will destroy Jorvanultumn instead.


    Also, watch out for Lama?n. He¡¯s not what he seems. He


    It just stopped there. That must have been when they interrupted him. What had he been about to write about Lama?n? It was obvious she needed to be careful of him, so Dyle must have meant something more.


    Jorvan was supposed to kill the Dusk Supreme? It was comforting, if true. Yet, how much could she trust what Dyle had written? As best she could tell, he wasn¡¯t in the habit of lying to her. Still, what if it was a ploy to get Jorvan killed? Dyle had broken one promise to her. He could lie to her, too.


    She closed the book, picked it up, and stood up. She needed to let Zandrue¡ª


    Shit. She¡¯d forgotten for a brief moment Zandrue was gone. Transported somewhere with Dyle. Dyle had to be dead, but a part of her doubted it.


    The rituals he had written about. Had he ever been part of one? He had never demonstrated any unusual powers around her¡ªapart from vanishing, but that had turned out to be the Pearl¡ªbut that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t have any.


    Gods, she hoped Zandrue was okay.

 Book 2, Chapter 51: Execution

    The tangles in Borisin¡¯s mane were proving hard to brush out.


    That¡¯s what you get for skipping a day and leaving it to the terrible grooms here. What happened to getting me a personal groomer? I thought you said that was the boon you asked the Queen for.


    Rudiger sighed and yanked harder.


    Hey! That hurt!


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just¡­ There was a reason for skipping yesterday, remember?¡±


    ¡°Not sure what you¡¯re apologising for,¡± Hang said, ¡°but Zandrue¡¯s resourceful. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s okay.¡± He was leaning in the corner of the stall.


    Rudiger sighed. ¡°I was apologising to him.¡± He gave another yank on the brush, pulling through another tangle.


    You are really not on your game today.


    ¡°Right, I know that,¡± Hang said. ¡°Still haven¡¯t gotten used to it, but I¡¯m starting to recognise when it happens. I¡¯m right about Zandrue, though. You know it.¡±


    Rudiger nodded. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±


    They had spent all day yesterday searching the entire Palace grounds¡ªRudiger, Hang, Gabby, Thilin, pretty much every single soldier in the Palace who wasn¡¯t needed to guard the King and Queen. Even the Princes and Princesses were denied their usual bodyguards. But despite the number of people searching and the number of places searched, they found no sign of Zandrue or Dyle. Or the one with the ridiculous moustache. They had literally vanished, and they had not come back.


    ¡°She¡¯ll make her way back here eventually.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll still get that fancy royal wedding.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He really didn¡¯t care about the wedding.


    He¡¯s right, you know.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I said you¡¯ll still get that fancy wedding,¡± Hang said.


    Not that part, Borisin said. The bit he said before that about Zandrue finding her way back here. If she¡¯s alive, she¡¯ll find her way back.


    That¡¯s the part I¡¯m worried about, Rudiger said. The alive part.


    Yeah, well, just gotta hope for the best. Now, about that personal groom¡­


    Rudiger sighed. That¡¯s going to take time, buddy.


    Hang sprang to attention.


    ¡°Rudiger.¡±


    Rudiger looked over to the stall gate.


    It was Malef.


    Rudiger stepped away from Borisin and started to bow.


    Malef shook his head. ¡°No, don¡¯t worry about that. Keep on with what you were doing. Don¡¯t let me interrupt you.¡±


    Rudiger stepped back up to Borisin.


    ¡°May I come in?¡± Malef asked.


    No way.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Rudiger said.


    Oh, come on. He wanted to have me killed, remember?


    He apologised for that, Rudiger said.


    Malef opened the gate and stepped in. He didn¡¯t look in good shape. He was dressed in a crisp military uniform, but his eyes were red and his thick hair dishevelled.


    Doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ve forgiven him. Borisin snapped at Malef, who backed away.


    ¡°Borisin!¡± Rudiger snapped.


    He deserves it!


    Rudiger turned to Malef. ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    No, you¡¯re not.


    Yes, I am, Rudiger said.


    Malef approached a little more cautiously. ¡°That¡¯s all right. I know he doesn¡¯t like me much.¡±


    That¡¯s an understatement.


    ¡°He likes you well enough,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°He¡¯s just¡­ Oh, who am I kidding? He doesn¡¯t like you. Sorry.¡±


    That¡¯s more like it.


    Malef chuckled. ¡°Not your fault, Rudiger.¡±


    Borisin snorted. That¡¯s right. It¡¯s your fault.


    Malef turned to face Hang. ¡°Hang, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct, your Highness. Alhang Merrin.¡±


    ¡°Leave us, please. I¡¯d like to talk to Rudiger alone.¡±


    Hang bowed. ¡°Your Highness. I¡¯ll catch you later, Rudiger.¡±


    Rudiger nodded and Hang headed out of the stall.


    Malef came up beside Rudiger, eyeing Borisin the whole time. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear about what happened to Zandrue. Annai is beside herself. Three friends she¡¯s lost in just a few days. Poor thing.¡±


    Rudiger resumed brushing Borisin. ¡°Zandrue¡¯s still alive.¡±


    Malef nodded. ¡°I hope you¡¯re right.¡± He reached out to touch Borisin¡¯s neck, but Borisin snorted again, and he pulled his hand back.


    Rudiger didn¡¯t pause in his brushing. ¡°I hope so, too.¡±


    They were quiet for the next minute or so. Rudiger made his way around to Borisin¡¯s other side.


    ¡°Rudiger.¡± Malef¡¯s face was completely obscured behind Borisin. He was a fairly tall man, but still not tall enough to see over Borisin.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Rudiger said.


    ¡°I understand you¡¯ve lodged one of the principal complaints against Lidda.¡±


    Rudiger nodded even though he knew Malef probably couldn¡¯t see. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    A few more moments of silence passed.


    Malef edge round the front of Borisin, staying well back from the horse¡¯s mouth. He came closer to Rudiger. ¡°See, the thing I don¡¯t understand is, the substance of your complaint is regarding an incident from well over a year ago.¡±


    Rudiger nodded.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say something earlier? She¡¯s been here over a month now. Why not make a complaint ages ago?¡±


    ¡°She the ruler of an entire province,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was possible to make a complaint about such a person, and even if I could, I didn¡¯t think anyone would believe me.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense, I suppose,¡± Malef said. ¡°I asked her about that. She said many arrest warrants go past her all the time. She probably signed it without even paying attention to it. Now, I¡¯m not saying you were guilty, Rudiger. There was probably a misunderstanding, but there¡¯s no evidence she was actually involved in it at all.¡±


    Rudiger wanted to suggest she could read the things she signed, but decided it was best not to. ¡°We considered that, but we also learned other things about her.¡±


    ¡°What about after she arrived here?¡± Malef said. ¡°Why not say something then? You had my ear.¡±


    Rudiger stopped brushing Borisin. He faced Malef. ¡°Because she had allies in the Palace, but we didn¡¯t know who. We didn¡¯t want to put anyone at risk from retaliation from those allies.¡±


    ¡°By allies, I take it you mean Darkers.¡±


    Rudiger nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Malef shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s one. What evidence do you have?¡±


    ¡°Barnol Friaz¡ª¡±


    ¡°Barnol Friaz is taking advantage of your accusations against her, trying to turn attention away from himself. Why wouldn¡¯t he name her?¡±


    Rudiger tried to think what to say. What would Malef even accept? ¡°Here¡¯s a better question. Why would I make up something like this?¡±


    Malef clasped his hands behind him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to make accusations of my own, but I can think of a few reasons. Some sort of revenge for what happened in Tyl, perhaps? An attempt to deflect attention away from your own crimes out of fear she might recognise you? Am I getting close?¡±


    Told you not to trust him. Borisin shifted his back end a couple steps so he was facing Malef.


    Let me handled this, Rudiger said. ¡°You really think I¡¯d do that?¡±


    Malef took a few steps away from Borisin. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have, but now, I¡¯m not so sure.¡±


    ¡°Zandrue and I just uncovered a whole bunch of Darkers in the Palace. Think I¡¯d add one more name in there out of spite?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to think. I just know I could have thought clearer if you¡¯d said something before...before I...damn it. What¡¯s the point?¡± Malef turned around and stormed out of the stall.


    Good riddance.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Rudiger sighed and resumed brushing Borisin. You¡¯re not being fair.


    Not fair? He accused you of being a criminal. He¡¯s taking her side.


    He¡¯s in love.


    Yeah, with a Darker.


    He didn¡¯t know that.


    Borisin snorted. So? He found out and he should have stopped loving her.


    It¡¯s usually not that easy.


    Bah!


    Rudiger shook his head and continued brushing. They had an execution to attend.


    * * * * *


    The ride into Arnor City was pleasant, and Rudiger was glad to get away from the Palace for at least a little while. Zandrue¡¯s disappearance still weighed heavily on him, but the cold air helped distract him a little. At least it wasn¡¯t like in Ninifin. At least this time he didn¡¯t think she¡¯d run out on him. She could still be dead, though.


    The King, Queen, princes, and princesses rode at the front of the procession in royal sleighs¡ªsurrounded, of course, by Kingsguard, some mounted, others in sleighs of their own. Hang was one of the mounted ones. Rudiger, Ned, and some other minor nobles came next, all mounted. Then came the carts carrying Barnol Friaz and other Darkers, followed by yet more soldiers. Captain DeSelo?n rode at the very back.


    People lined the streets as they passed. Some waved; a few cheered; many jeered. However, the jeering stopped when courtiers riding along the flanks began tossing coins into the crowd. They were only copper pennies, but people shoved and pushed against each other to get as many as they could.


    They rode past the Cathedral of the Gods towards the city¡¯s central square. Rudiger looked up at the tall front towers rising into the sky.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Ned said. ¡°Zandrue will turn up. You¡¯ll still get your wedding.¡±


    Rudiger nodded. ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡±


    Everyone kept telling him that. He was starting to tire of it.


    They reached their destination a short while later¡ªa wide, open market square. Rudiger was certain it had a name, but he couldn¡¯t remember what it was. The market stalls were not present at the moment. Instead, at one end stood a large scaffold with gallows. At the back of the scaffold were several rows of raised benches.


    The procession moved through the crowded square, people quickly moving aside to let them past. As the front end reached the scaffold, the soldiers spread out, forming a perimeter. The sleighs came to a stop and the Royal Family climbed out. The Kingsguard dismounted and formed their own perimeter around the Royal Family, who marched up the steps onto the scaffold. The King and Queen took seats in the centre of the top row of benches. Annai sat beside her mother, while Gabby, Malef, Pastrin, and Thilin sat in the row in front of them. The Kingsguard stood to either side of the benches.


    At the base of the scaffold, servants already present began leading the horses away. The sleigh drivers moved the sleighs out of the way.


    Rudiger took his time dismounting. A boy in Palace livery ran over to take Borisin¡¯s reins.


    Please don¡¯t leave me with these incompetents, Borisin said.


    There¡¯s not really any choice, buddy. Just be nice, okay?


    Borisin just snorted.


    Ned joined Rudiger as they walked to the scaffold. ¡°Bleak day for an execution.¡±


    Rudiger hadn¡¯t paid attention to the weather, but he looked up now. The sky was overcast, and it was bitterly cold as was typical for the time of year. At least it wasn¡¯t snowing. ¡°Guess so.¡±


    They took seats in the second row. ¡°Never sit in the front row,¡± Ned said. ¡°Not if you want to avoid the blood spray.¡±


    ¡°Been to many of these things before?¡± Rudiger asked.


    Ned shook his head. ¡°No. First one.¡±


    ¡°Then how do you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just a bit of morbid humour,¡± Ned said.


    The last noble to take a seat was Barnol Friaz¡¯s wife, Betta. She was dressed in a heavy purple gown with a veil over her face.


    Once the nobles had all sat, a muscular man nearly as tall as Rudiger ascended onto the scaffold. He carried a sword bigger than Slay. After him, soldiers escorted the prisoners who weren¡¯t Barnol Friaz onto the scaffold. There were nine of them in total, five Palace servants and four guards. Rudiger couldn¡¯t remember their names, and didn¡¯t really care. He was just glad none of them were people who had served him or Zandrue directly, although one was one of Annai¡¯s handmaids.


    The soldiers marched the prisoners over to the gallows, where nine nooses were waiting. They led each prisoner to a spot under one of the nooses. Then another soldier went to each one and placed the noose around their neck.


    Patriarch Ardon and a courtier ascended onto the scaffold. Ardon walked over and stood beside the rows of benches on the side nearest the gallows. The courtier went to the front centre and unrolled a sheet of paper. He stood there with the paper raised in front of him for several moments while the crowd in the square quieted down.


    When there was near silence, he spoke, reading out nine prisoners¡¯ names. His voice rang loud and clear. ¡°You have all been found guilty of worshipping Night, Lord of Darkness, and aiding and abetting other worshippers in numerous plots against the members of the Royal Family, and the people of Arnor. You have been sentenced to hang until you are dead, sentence to be carried out immediately. May the gods forgive you your crimes. May Nature cradle you, Power lift you up, and All-Father judge you worthy of life everlasting.¡±


    The courtier turned and looked to the King and Queen. Rudiger had to strain to look behind and see the King¡¯s response. It was simply a slow nod.


    The courtier then looked to the headsman. ¡°You may carry out sentence.¡±


    The headsman nodded and walked over to the gallows. He pulled a lever at the side and the floor of the gallows dropped out beneath the prisoners. They all dropped. Several went still almost immediately, their necks broken. Several others squirmed, their hands clutching at the nooses.


    Ned groaned and put a hand to his mouth.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Rudiger asked.


    Ned nodded, but looked away from the gallows.


    After what seemed like ages, the last of the prisoners went still.


    Then, two Kingsguard led Barnol Friaz onto the scaffold. He had a bag over his head. Once they reached the headsman, they pushed Barnol down onto his knees and removed the bag. He stared wide-eyed at the nobles and royalty seated in front of him.


    ¡°Barnol Friaz,¡± the courtier said, ¡°son of Reginol Friaz, cousin to Lord Samma Friaz and his sister, our beloved Queen Annai, you have been found guilty of worshipping Night, Lord of Darkness, and aiding and abetting other worshippers in numerous plots against the members of the Royal Family, and the people of Arnor. The sentence is death by beheading. Do you have any final words?¡±


    Barnol looked up, tears streaking his face and freezing in his beard. The courtier stood aside, allowing him to look directly at the King and Queen. He cleared his throat. ¡°I wish only to make one small request.¡± His voice quavered and it was barely loud enough for Rudiger to hear; there was no way the crowd in the square could hear.


    ¡°Speak,¡± the King said.


    ¡°I ask that you look after my wife, my dearest Betta. She had no part in this and no knowledge of it. I do not wish her name sullied or that of my late daughter, Tianna. That is all.¡±


    Rudiger and the other nobles looked behind them to see the King and Queen¡¯s reaction. The two spoke quietly with each other for a minute. Then the King stood up. ¡°Barnol Friaz, the Queen and I have seen fit to grant your last request. Your widow will be well looked after and her name will not be besmirched. As for you daughter, Tianna, it is our opinion she died a hero in defence of Arnor. Her name will be recorded in the history books and she will be revered forever more.¡± The King nodded to the courtier, then sat again.


    The courtier stood in front of Barnol again. ¡°Barnol Friaz, as stated, you have been sentenced to death by beheading. That sentence will be executed immediately. May the gods forgive you your crimes. May Nature cradle you, Power lift you up, and All-Father judge you worthy of life everlasting.¡± The courtier looked to the headsman. ¡°You may carry out sentence.¡± The courtier walked away and joined Patriarch Ardon by the side of the benches.


    Barnol reached into a pocket and pulled out a pouch. He pressed it into the headsman¡¯s hand.


    ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± Rudiger muttered. ¡°Trying to bribe the headsman in front of everyone?¡±


    The headsman took the pouch and tied it to his belt.


    Ned chuckled. ¡°Bribe, yes, but not in the way you¡¯re thinking. It¡¯s common practice. You¡¯re paying the headsman to kill you quickly. If you don¡¯t give him anything, he¡¯ll slip up and take several swipes to hack your head off. Not a pleasant way to go. Pay him, and he takes it off in one go.¡±


    Rudiger wished he¡¯d never asked.


    The headsman picked up the massive two-handed sword. He raised it into the air. ¡°Remain as still as possible.¡±


    Barnol nodded slightly, shivering on his knees. He began to mutter something.


    The headsman took another moment¡ªpresumably judging the distance and how much resistance Barnol¡¯s neck would offer. Then he swung down and Barnol¡¯s head flew off his body and rolled across the scaffold.


    Betta Friaz wailed.


    The crowd cheered.


    Ned put a hand over his mouth and began to heave. He turned aside and threw up over the bench. Several other nobles did the same, and the whole area soon smelled of vomit.


    ¡°First time watching someone die?¡± Rudiger said.


    Ned wiped his face with a cloth and nodded. ¡°I...oh gods.¡± He turned and threw up again. ¡°I need to get out of here.¡± He joined the other nobles as they hurried off the scaffold.


    Rudiger sat there a little longer. He didn¡¯t want to be part of the procession back to the Palace.


    The headsman was cleaning off his blade while soldiers carried Barnol¡¯s body and head away.


    ¡°I want his head on a pike!¡± Annai screamed.


    ¡°Annai,¡± the Queen said, ¡°because he cooperated, I promised that would not happen.¡±


    ¡°But mother! My three dearest friends are dead because of him. I want his head on a pike!¡±


    ¡°Enough, Annai!¡±


    Annai ran from the scaffold, wailing.


    Gabby sat beside Rudiger. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve seen a lot of executions, but never the beheading of a nobleman. It¡¯s considered the most dignified and honourable way to go, but it¡¯s also by far the most gruesome, let me tell you. How you doing?¡±


    ¡°Been better.¡±


    ¡°I bet. You didn¡¯t have to come. You could have stayed back with Quilla. I almost wish I had.¡±


    Rudiger shook his head. ¡°Oh no. No way I was gonna miss this. Zandrue would have wanted to be here, and if she found out I skipped it, she¡¯d never forgive me.¡±


    Gabby laughed. ¡°Yeah, I can believe that. Anyway, I have to head round to the courthouse and check on the state of the warrant against Lidda Plavin. Want to come with?¡±


    Rudiger nodded. ¡°Sure, why not? I don¡¯t feel like going back to the Palace right away. Let me just collect Borisin first. He¡¯ll scream bloody murder if I leave him with Palace staff too long.¡±


    They headed off the scaffold to the side of the square where the horses were.


    ¡°Why does it take so long to write a warrant anyway?¡± Rudiger asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the writing that¡¯s the long part,¡± Gabby said. ¡°For a lord of a province, we have to make sure the next of kin and other officials are aware of what¡¯s happening and why, lest we risk rebellion. More importantly, we have to receive acknowledgement that her heir has been informed and is ready to take over.¡±


    ¡°Lidda Plavin has an heir?¡±


    ¡°Technically, no. But her younger brother is next in line for the Lordship. He counts as her de facto heir until she produces a real one.¡±


    ¡°What if he never acknowledges?¡±


    Gabby shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t actually know. I think there¡¯s a time limit, after which we can act even without acknowledgement, but it¡¯s not really my area of expertise. Father just wants me to go in a do a bit of strong-arming to make sure the lines of communication remain open. Make sure we¡¯re maintaining pressure on Plavin-Tyl to respond.¡±


    Thank the gods you¡¯re here, Borisin said as they approached. They¡¯re making me and the other horses stand way too close together. They¡¯re just asking for a disaster.


    ¡°But Plavin-Tyl is how far from here?¡± Rudiger said. ¡°It must take ages for messages to go back and forth.¡±


    Gabby sighed. ¡°I told you, Rudiger. Not my expertise. There are messenger ravens, I suppose. Plus, the Church has some fast method. They can get messages across the continent in a day or two. No idea how they do it. You could always ask Ardon. He won¡¯t tell you, of course, but you can ask.¡±


    Rudiger raised his hands. ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll stop with the questions. Just trying to understand it all.¡± He took Borisin¡¯s reins.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Gabby said. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±


    They found a horse for Gabby next, then went to the courthouse.

 Book 2, Chapter 52: Phantoms

    ¡°Hold still. Try not to blink.¡±


    Akna instinctively tried to blink as Agernon used his thumb and forefinger to hold her left eyelid open.


    ¡°I said, try not to blink!¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    He held up the stone he had prepared a few moments before. He whispered a couple words and it began to glow with a bright, almost blinding light.


    Once again, Akna wanted to blink, but she did her best to hold back, while Agernon stared into her eye.


    Angelida paced behind him. ¡°Anything?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Agernon said.


    The light was painfully bright.


    ¡°Make sure you look carefully,¡± Angelida said. ¡°If I did something like this, I¡¯d make sure the mark was the same colour as her retina.¡±


    ¡°Quiet, woman. I know what I¡¯m doing. Far better than you, I dare say.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Same old Agernon, full of yourself with little good reason.¡±


    ¡°More like same old Angelida, who won¡¯t give a moment¡¯s peace to let me perform a delicate action. Best thing Elderaan ever did was dump you.¡±


    Angelida laughed. ¡°Dump me? Is that what he told you? I dumped him!¡±


    ¡°Would you two quit arguing?¡± Akna snapped. ¡°This light is painful and I¡¯d like to keep my sight, thank you very much.¡±


    They both went quiet, and Agernon continued to stare into Akna¡¯s eye. After a moment, he lowered the stone and switched to her other eye. He went through the same process, then let go of her and extinguished the glow on the stone.


    Akna blinked multiple times as rings of colour danced over her vision.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Agernon said.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure you checked closely?¡± Angelida said.


    Agernon scowled. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then it must be a mentalism effect.¡± Angelida stopped pacing and looked at Akna. ¡°And a powerful one, too, if it can affect her like this.¡±


    Sleep was still a problem. The sleeping draught had helped. The first night had been amazing. She¡¯d slept deeply for the first time in ages. However, each time she¡¯d used a draught since had been progressively less effective. Angelida had procured an even stronger draught, and it had made little difference. Something was still keeping her awake.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be possible,¡± Agernon said. ¡°Those sleeping draughts have nothing to do with mental processes and everything to do with bodily processes. If it¡¯s a mentalism effect, that means something is making Nin-Akna¡¯s mind overcome the draughts and that shouldn¡¯t be possible. Now, some sort of enchantment that is physically blocking or countering the draught, that makes sense.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯ve checked everything,¡± Angelida said.


    They really had. Over the last two days, people had examined every part of her body¡ªno exceptions she could think of. It had all been consensual, but still uncomfortable. The backs of her eyes were the last remaining option.


    Akna rose from the cold stone floor. Her butt ached from sitting in place so long. ¡°Felit?a said she couldn¡¯t find any evidence of mentalism.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, Felit?a was hardly in the right mind to make such judgements,¡± Angelida said.


    Akna rubbed her thigh. ¡°She really wasn¡¯t and she eventually admitted it. She said she believed there was some sort of mentalism magic in effect. She was also really paranoid at that point, though.¡± She walked over to the table and sat in one of the chairs. Why the hell did Agernon insist on doing these things on the floor? The Hall of Knowledge was almost entirely made of stone, and it had few carpets. This room had none, and the floor was cold.


    Agernon rose to his feet, leaning on his cane. Corvin came forward to help, but he shooed the boy away. ¡°Assuming it is mentalism¡ªwhich I¡¯m not yet convinced of¡ªwe don¡¯t have a mentalist to help. We don¡¯t even have Felit?a right now, and there are no more left in Quorge.¡±


    ¡°Jorvan said he was bringing a mentalist back to help Felit?a,¡± Corvin said.


    ¡°Yes, but Jorvan¡¯s not back, is he? Whoever he has or doesn¡¯t have is therefore irrelevant.¡±


    Akna laid her head down on the table. It was uncomfortable, but there was no such thing as a comfortable place in the Hall of Knowledge, especially not in these small study rooms. ¡°Then we just have to hold out until Jorvan gets here.¡±


    ¡°Easier said than done, girl. It¡¯s only a matter of time before the new lord sends his forces against this place. And if that Isyar who served his father still serves him¡­¡± Agernon eased himself into one of the other chairs. ¡°We¡¯re pretty much doomed in that case.¡±


    There was a knock at the door.


    Akna started to rise, but Angelida waved her back. The old woman walked over to the door and opened it.


    Chief Librarian Pedrin walked into the room carrying a small stack of books, which he placed on the table. ¡°Some of the books you requested. Also, some news. We were just visited by a small group of Red Knights. Lord Belone has ordered the Hall of Knowledge shut down. He has given us two weeks to clear out.¡±


    ¡°You said no, I hope,¡± Agernon growled.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t say anything,¡± Pedrin said. ¡°They gave us the message and left. They didn¡¯t wait for a reply, and probably wouldn¡¯t have listened if we¡¯d given one. That said, the Council will be meeting to discuss how to respond.¡±


    Agernon stabbed his cane against the floor. ¡°We need to start planning our defence, obviously.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one just saying we were doomed?¡± Angelida said.


    ¡°Yes, but that doesn¡¯t mean we should just give up. We go down fighting.¡±


    Akna lifted her head from the table. ¡°I agree.¡± She put her head right back down. She was so tired. Why couldn¡¯t she sleep? She closed her eyes and Chica¡¯s face exploded again.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure all the others will agree with you,¡± Pedrin said, ¡°but you¡¯re welcome to try to convince them. Ezmelda is putting out a call to all wizards in the city to attend, whether part of the Council or not.¡±


    ¡°When is it?¡± Agernon asked.


    ¡°In two days,¡± Pedrin said. ¡°Noon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there,¡± Agernon said. ¡°Not like I have anywhere else to go anyway.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there, too,¡± Angelida said.


    ¡°Can I go, too?¡± Corvin asked.


    Pedrin shook his head. ¡°Sorry, kid. Wizards only.¡±


    Corvin frowned. ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°You can look after me,¡± Akna said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty useless in my current state.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me,¡± Pedrin said, ¡°I have duties to attend to.¡± He bowed his head to them, then headed to the door.


    Akna raised her head again. ¡°Pedrin?¡±


    He paused at the door and looked back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s been any news from the palace, has there? Anything about Anita?¡±


    ¡°Or Felit?a?¡± Agernon added.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Pedrin lowered his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, no. There has been no news since it was announced that the new lord¡¯s coronation would be at the end of the month.¡±


    ¡°Which is now conveniently after all the wizards are expelled,¡± Angelida muttered.


    Pedrin nodded. ¡°We will let you know as soon as we hear anything.¡± He bowed his head again, then left the room.


    Akna laid her head back down on the table. She tried closing her eyes again, and kept them shut despite Chica¡¯s exploding face, despite Ses-Tlacotl¡¯s smashed face. Yet sleep still did not come.


    * * * * *


    Akna lay on her bed, staring at the plain stone ceiling. The bed was only marginally more comfortable than anywhere else in the Hall of Knowledge. It confounded her. These wizards could do all these magical tricks, but they couldn¡¯t conjure up a comfortable bed. It was like they wanted to be uncomfortable.


    Two more days with virtually no sleep.


    Last night, despite Angelida¡¯s insistence that it was dangerous, Akna had drunk three doses of the sleeping draught all at once. If she didn¡¯t start getting some sleep soon, she was killing herself just as surely as overdosing on the sleeping draught, so she went ahead and took the risk. It had put her to sleep for about two hours. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was the best she¡¯d had in several days.


    She hated lying around doing nothing, but there was nothing she could do. She couldn¡¯t help with the studying as she couldn¡¯t concentrate on any book she was given to read. She couldn¡¯t assist Agernon with his experiments on Corvin or the Staff because she also couldn¡¯t stay focused on anything, and was more likely to ruin what he was doing than help.


    She wished she could be at the Council meeting right now, but she knew she¡¯d be no help there either, regardless of whether she was a wizard or not. So she was just lying here, bored out of her mind.


    Corvin was reading something to her. Or maybe he was just talking. Either way, she¡¯d lost track of what he was saying age ago and had tuned him out. She was kind of surprised he hadn¡¯t noticed.


    Or maybe he had, seeing as he was lying on his bed with his eyes closed, not saying a thing. When had he stopped talking?


    Huh. She really hadn¡¯t been paying attention.


    She closed her eyes and watched Chica die a few more times. It was strange. It didn¡¯t really bother her anymore¡ªnot like it had at first. That wasn¡¯t really the strange part. The strange part was, she now had a morbid fascination with it. Every time, she looked for something¡ªsome detail¡ªshe hadn¡¯t noticed before. She always found something, too. Some little piece of viscera, or maybe the fact the spearhead had a slight indentation on the left side just below the point, or numerous other things.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you come find me, Akna?¡± Chica said. ¡°You said you would.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re dead, Chica. You¡¯re not real.¡±


    ¡°Except I am. You know that.¡±


    ¡°No, I really don¡¯t. You died. I watched you die. I see it every time I close my eyes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking to yourself again,¡± Corvin said.


    Akna opened her eyes. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    That was embarrassing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Corvin said. ¡°We¡¯ll get you better again so you can sleep. Like you said, we just have to hold out for Jorvan to get here. I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t be much longer. He¡¯s had lots of time so far.¡±


    Akna smiled. ¡°Thanks, kid.¡±


    ¡°How do you know he¡¯s the real one and not me?¡± Chica asked.


    ¡°Fuck off, Chica.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, fuck off, Chica,¡± Corvin said.


    Akna laughed and jumped to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m bored. Let¡¯s go see if the meeting¡¯s over.¡±


    ¡°But they only just started,¡± Corvin said.


    She stared at him. ¡°Really? I could have sworn it¡¯s been hours. Fuck, I¡¯m really out of it.¡±


    Corvin grinned. ¡°Just kidding! Just seeing how out of it you really are.¡±


    ¡°You little shit. Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    They wandered the hallways of the Hall of Knowledge for a little while. They passed the Council room. People were talking inside, but not loud enough to eavesdrop, so they continued on their way. Eventually, they wound up in the entrance hall.


    Akna went over to the tiny fireplace to warm her hands. ¡°This is probably not the best place for us to be. I¡¯m supposed to be dead, remember? Same with you and Agernon. What if some of those Bloods walked in right now?¡±


    Corvin began spinning around in the wide, open space. ¡°It was your idea to come here.¡±


    ¡°It was?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. you never actually said to come here, but I just followed you, and you led us here.¡±


    Akna sighed. ¡°Guess I wasn¡¯t thinking. We still shouldn¡¯t stay here. We¡¯re supposed to stay out of sight.¡±


    Ezmelda walked into the hall. ¡°And you, Corvinian, are supposed to watch over Nin-Akna to make sure she doesn¡¯t do foolish things. Yet, despite her sleep deprivation, she seems to be thinking more wisely than you.¡±


    Corvin stopped spinning and stared at the floor. ¡°Sorry, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no matter,¡± Ezmelda said. ¡°This time. See that it doesn¡¯t happen again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Ezmelda came over to the fireplace and warmed her hands as well. ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    Akna shrugged. ¡°The same. I can¡¯t think straight, and I¡¯ve been talking to phantoms of my dead friend. You know, same shit as always. Is the meeting over?¡±


    Ezmelda frowned. At her ridiculous height, looking down at Akna, the frown carried a hint of disapproval with it, though Akna couldn¡¯t be sure if that was just her imagination. She imagined a lot these days.


    ¡°It is,¡± Ezmelda said. ¡°The Council is split on the matter. Well, not technically. We voted to disband the Council and leave Quorge, try to reform somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t fight.¡±


    Ezmelda shook her head. ¡°They¡¯re frightened. It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve had any battle wizards. We¡¯re not really cut out for fighting. After the Isyar single-handedly took down part of the entrance last year, they¡¯re not willing to face her. I don¡¯t really blame them.¡±


    ¡°You said the Council was split.¡±


    Ezmelda nodded. ¡°Several of us refuse to leave. There¡¯s too much valuable knowledge here. Even if every one of us took as much as we could carry or transport, we wouldn¡¯t save even a tenth of it. So some of us have decided to defy the Council and stay behind to fight. It¡¯s a futile battle, and we will certainly die, but we will die for what we believe in.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s we?¡±


    ¡°Myself, Pedrin, Agernon, Angelida, Fridrin, Marsellis, a couple others.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you head of the Council?¡± Akna asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So by defying the Council, aren¡¯t you defying yourself?¡±


    ¡°I suppose you could look at it that way.¡±


    Akna chuckled. She wasn¡¯t sure why she found that funny. Had to be a sleep deprivation thing.


    ¡°Uh, Akna,¡± Corvin said. ¡°Look!¡±


    Akna and Ezmelda turned around. ¡°What?¡±


    Corvin was pointing at a figure standing just inside the large entrance doors. The figure began crossing the wide hall towards them, her long, silky black hair flowing behind her.


    Akna¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°You see her, Corvin?¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°Yeah, of course I do. That¡¯s why I pointed her out.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be,¡± Ezmelda said.


    Akna found herself breathing more and more rapidly. ¡°Oh gods, she¡¯s alive. Chica, you¡¯re alive! You¡¯re alive!¡± She broke into a run, straight towards Chica.


    ¡°Nin-Akna, wait!¡± Ezmelda called.


    Akna paid no attention. She leapt at Chica and threw her arms around her, kissed her. Chica was taller than she remembered, but that didn¡¯t matter. All that mattered was that she was really alive.


    ¡°Woah!¡± Chica said. ¡°The eager greeting is nice, but let¡¯s not overdo it.¡±


    Akna held her tight, sobbing. ¡°Oh gods, Chica, I¡¯ve missed you.¡±


    Chica tried to pull away from her. ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Why would she pull away? For that matter, why couldn¡¯t Akna feel her hair on her back? Had she cut her hair? Why would she cut her wonderfully long hair?


    Akna let go, and stepped back.


    It was not Chica.


    Oh gods, it was someone she didn¡¯t even like that much.


    ¡°Everything okay? Who¡¯s Chica?¡±


    Akna turned aside. Gods, what had she done?


    Ezmelda strode over. ¡°Nin-Akna¡¯s been a bit unwell. I have to admit, I never expected to see you back here again.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Yeah, neither did I, but there¡¯s a lot of weird shit going on right now.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 53: Defenders of Knowledge (Part 1)

    Zandrue rolled the Pearl between her fingers and stretched out, putting one leg over the arm of the large chair. She¡¯d had no idea the Hall of Knowledge had chairs that were actually a little bit comfortable¡ªother than the ones in Ezmelda¡¯s office.


    This was the first time she¡¯d even been allowed in the Council Chamber. It was huge and took up almost an entire floor to itself. There was actually wood panelling on the walls, giving the room a much warmer look than the rest of the Hall of Knowledge. Hundreds of chairs were arranged around the room in two main sections, each angled to face both each other and the third, smaller section of chairs at the front of the room. There, ten chairs stood in a row, and behind them were three larger chairs, the centre one larger still than the other two. Zandrue was lounging in that chair now.


    Ezmelda had a frown on her face, but said nothing, so Zandrue stayed put.


    Nin-Akna slumped in a chair in one of the larger sections, her head in her hands. She had avoided looking at or talking to Zandrue since that strange case of mistaken identity. No one had given Zandrue much information about what had been going on yet.


    Pedrin stood beside Ezmelda, while grumpy old Agernon sat near Nin-Akna. Beside him was another elderly Eloorin woman Zandrue didn¡¯t recognise. There were a few other people spaced about the room, some of whom Zandrue vaguely remembered¡ªall wizards. Corvinian sat beside her.


    ¡°Are you going to tell us why you¡¯re here?¡± Corvinian asked. ¡°Where¡¯s Rudiger?¡±


    Zandrue closed her fist around the Pearl. ¡°One thing at a time. Where¡¯s Felit?a?¡±


    ¡°Imprisoned by Lord Belone,¡± Ezmelda said.


    Zandrue groaned. ¡°He apprehended her again? What was his reason this time?¡±


    ¡°Different Lord Belone,¡± Corvinian said.


    ¡°Feodor Belone died of a suspicious illness,¡± Ezmelda said. ¡°Danel Belone is lord now.¡±


    Zandrue put her foot down on the floor. ¡°That ass? When did this happen?¡±


    ¡°New Year¡¯s Eve,¡± Ezmelda said. ¡°You might not have heard while travelling on the road.¡±


    ¡°I...didn¡¯t travel very far on the road. We¡¯ll get to that shortly. Arnor City doesn¡¯t know about this yet. How¡¯s that possible?¡±


    Ezmelda stared at her.


    ¡°Arnor City is a long way away,¡± Pedrin said.


    Ezmelda shook her head. ¡°You know better than that, Pedrin. The Church has a way to send messages quickly. They must have been prevented somehow.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s bad stuff going on in Arnor City now as well,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Specifically at the Royal Palace. Possibly a lot worse than Danel Belone taking over here.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s let Red Knights in,¡± Ezmelda said. ¡°Apparently, their leader, Mitchal Plavin, is here too.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡± There was clearly a coordinated effort going on between the two locations.


    ¡°Tell us what¡¯s happening in Arnor City,¡± Ezmelda said.


    ¡°Okay, long story. To start¡­¡± She held out her hand and opened it palm up to display the Pearl. ¡°This is the Pearl of Sestin. It¡¯s what got me here. I don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    Agernon leapt to his feet. ¡°Pearl of Sestin? As in the Staff of Sestin?¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°Seems likely.¡±


    ¡°One of the eyes!¡±


    ¡°Also seems likely.¡±


    He grabbed his cane and hobbled forward. ¡°I need to see that.¡±


    Zandrue closed her hand, enclosing the Pearl again. ¡°In due time. I want to know exactly what¡¯s been happening before I give this up to anyone other than Felit?a.¡±


    Agernon slammed his cane down on the floor. ¡°Of course it will go to Felit?a. I¡¯ve been studying the damn Staff it¡¯s part of for her. Having that Pearl will make that study a hell of a lot easier.¡±


    Zandrue sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you, Agernon. It¡¯s that I don¡¯t trust any of the forces working against us. They¡¯re very resourceful. Now, let me finish my story so I can hear yours.¡±


    ¡°How did you get the Pearl?¡± Ezmelda asked.


    ¡°We should probably start at the beginning,¡± Zandrue said.


    She tried to keep it as brief as possible, although that was difficult given all that had happened. Combined with all the questions everyone had, it took until late in the evening for her to tell them everything, and she still hadn¡¯t learned much of what had happened here¡ªbeyond a few comments in response to what had happened in Arnor City.


    ¡°Dyle tried to escape. There was a struggle and we got hold of him. I found the Pearl on him. He tried to grab it, and¡­¡±


    She¡¯d found herself lying face first in a snow bank at night. She rolled into a sitting position, looking around for Dyle¡ªpossibly Quilla and Gabriella as well, although she was pretty certain she¡¯d just been transported by the Pearl, which meant she was possibly a long way from them right now.


    There was no sign of Quilla or Gabriella, but Dyle lay in the snow a few feet away, Quilla¡¯s knife still protruding from his neck. The snow around him was red with his blood.


    Zandrue knelt beside him and checked his vitals. Dead.


    Good riddance. She certainly wouldn¡¯t miss him.


    She made a quick search of his body. One of the other pouches on his belt contained coins, which she added to her own. It wasn¡¯t a fortune, but any money could be useful. Who knew where she was?Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Another pouch contained a small crystal on a chain. The crystal was long and thin. One end¡ªthe one opposite the chain¡ªglowed ever so slightly. There was a tiny pinpoint of light inside it.


    She held it up by the chain close to her face to peer more closely at it, but as she did, the crystal turned of its own own accord to lie horizontally in the air. Was it pointing at something? If so, it was pointing vaguely ahead of her to her left.


    Around her were hills of snow. A short distance to her left was a road¡ªmore just a trail of flattened snow, but it probably followed the path of an actual road. She jumped to her feet and trudged over to the road. This was definitely not anywhere on the Palace grounds.


    Down the road were the flickering lights of a small village. That wasn¡¯t Arnor City either, so she¡¯d travelled quite some distance.


    Flickering lights.


    She looked up. It had only just occurred to her that, while it was fully dark out here¡ªstars even twinkled in the cloudless sky¡ªthere had still been light left at the Palace. That meant either she¡¯d been unconscious for a few hours¡ªwhich would probably have frozen her to death¡ªor she¡¯d travelled a considerable distance east. Probably at least halfway across the continent.


    Shit.


    This was inconvenient.


    She still had the Pearl though. Maybe she could figure out how to use it and get herself back.


    Or she could follow where the crystal was pointing.


    Perhaps, first, she should find out where she was, so she set off along the road towards the town up ahead. The crystal was pointing that direction anyway. By the time she reached the town, she recognised it: Cromda, a town a couple days travel west of Quorge.


    So she¡¯d travelled almost all the way to Quorge. Holy shit. This Pearl thing was astounding. There was so much that could be done with it. No wonder Dyle and his friends had run circles around them for so long.


    Quorge was convenient though. Incredibly so. She could head there and find Felit?a. Maybe Felit?a could help her figure out how to use the Pearl. More importantly, Felit?a was supposed to have the Pearl¡ªat least, according to Quilla¡¯s mysterious Isyar. But even if that Isyar had lied, Felit?a was still probably the best person to have the Pearl. She was certainly the only person Zandrue would ever trust with that kind of power. Zandrue wasn¡¯t even sure she¡¯d trust herself with it.


    No. She definitely wouldn¡¯t trust herself with it.


    She found an inn in Cromda. Even with Dyle¡¯s money, she didn¡¯t have a lot on her, unfortunately, so she decided to risk a bit of gambling at a local tavern. That worked out reasonably well, except she spent all night in the tavern, didn¡¯t end up staying at the inn, and was too drunk to travel the next day. All the while, whenever she checked the crystal, it continued to point in an eastwards direction.


    The day after, she set out at first light along the road to Quorge. She turned back an hour later when it became clear a blizzard was coming in. Oh, how wonderful it was to be back in blasted north-eastern Arnor. Fucking weather. Fucking Belone province. Why did people live here anyway?


    She set out once more the next day. No blizzard, but the road was piled so high with snow that a two-day journey became four days. The crystal continued to point east¡ªtowards Quorge¡ªand its light was starting to get a little brighter.


    She did finally make it to Quorge. The crystal now pointed in the direction of the noble quarter, perhaps towards the palace. Though for all Zandrue knew, it might have been pointing at something miles past the palace. The light was quite a bit brighter now, though.


    Travelling to the palace was not what she felt was the best idea right then, so instead, she went straight to Agernon¡¯s home, only to find there was just a pile of rubble there. ¡°I want to know what happened there, by the way,¡± she told Agernon.


    Agernon harrumphed.


    ¡°Then I came here,¡± she concluded.


    ¡°That was awesome,¡± Corvinian said.


    Zandrue grinned. ¡°Yeah, it kind of was, wasn¡¯t it?¡± And she hadn¡¯t embellished any of the story either. Well, not much of it anyway.


    Then they told her what had happened here. Except their story was mostly second-hand since Felit?a wasn¡¯t here and Nin-Akna was not in much of a condition to tell it. She could make a pretty good guess now where the crystal was pointing, though.


    Zandrue stood up and walked over to Nin-Akna. ¡°Hey.¡±


    Nin-Akna didn¡¯t look at her. ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°You know, you don¡¯t need to be embarrassed about the hallucination thing. It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, whatever.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope Jorvan gets here soon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s hope.¡±


    Zandrue patted her on the back, and Nin-Akna finally looked at her, glaring. Zandrue back away a bit. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Nin-Akna went back to looking away.


    Zandrue clapped her hands. ¡°Right. First things first. We need a plan to rescue Felit?a. Second, we need a plan to defend this place when the Bloods and Belone¡¯s forces come after it in two weeks. I don¡¯t think we can rely on Jorvan getting here in that time. He had a long journey to make and an even longer one back. If he gets here, that¡¯s an added bonus, but we can¡¯t depend on it. We need to plan assuming he won¡¯t be here to help. I think we should split into two groups: one focused on getting Felit?a out, the other setting up defences here. Agernon, Corvinian¡¯s descriptions of your home¡¯s defences sound pretty potent. Can you do the same thing here?¡±


    Agernon laughed. ¡°In two weeks? I had fifty years to set up things in that place and it was a fraction the size of this place. It wasn¡¯t even the size of this room.¡±


    Zandrue flashed him a smile. ¡°How about something similar? Doesn¡¯t have to be the same scale.¡±


    Agernon groaned, but nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡±


    ¡°Perfect.¡± Zandrue looked around the room. She didn¡¯t know much about the wizards here. She probably should have interacted with them more when she was young. However, she could guess most of them would rather work on defending the Hall of Knowledge. That was fine. The Hall needed more people on it, and rescuing Felit?a was better with fewer. ¡°Nin-Akna, if you weren¡¯t so tired, I¡¯d have you with me setting Felit?a free.¡±


    ¡°If I weren¡¯t so tired,¡± Nin-Akna said, ¡°I¡¯d¡¯ve rescued her already.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it. For now, it¡¯s probably best if you stay here.¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    Corvinian leapt up. ¡°What about me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re with me, boy,¡± Agernon said. ¡°I¡¯ll need your help.¡±


    Corvinian frowned for a moment, but then smiled. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Zandrue addressed everyone else. ¡°The rest of you will work on the defence here, except one. I want one volunteer to help me spring Felit?a.¡±


    Ezmelda raised her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll help.¡±


    Zandrue raised an eyebrow. ¡°All right. Now we¡¯ve got the broad outline, we need to figure out the specifics. Suggestions?¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 53: Defenders of Knowledge (Part 2)

    While the others discussed the defence of the Hall of Knowledge¡ªways to sabotage the remaining gargoyle at the entrance to drop on attackers, whether a group of wizards working together could possibly stand against Plavistalorik, and more¡ªAkna sat by herself.


    Mostly by herself, at any rate.


    ¡°I count as a person, don¡¯t I?¡± Chica asked.


    Akna looked around the room. Everyone else was too engaged in their planning to be looking in her direction. She looked at phantom Chica.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think of me as a phantom. Please.¡±


    Akna spoke as quietly as she could manage. ¡°You¡¯re a hallucination. A product of my mind.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re even picking up on things I¡¯m thinking. Or course you¡¯re a product of my mind.¡±


    ¡°You believed it was me when you saw Zandrue earlier.¡±


    Akna shrugged. ¡°It was a hallucination.¡±


    ¡°You still believed because you knew it was possible I was still alive. You have to come find me, Akna. Only you can save me. The people here, they don¡¯t want you. You¡¯re just in their way. You know where you have to go to find me, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Akna shook her head. ¡°No, how could I know that?¡±


    Chica smiled at her. ¡°Oh, come on. Of course you know. Think about it.¡±


    Akna stared at her.


    Chica ran her hand along the side of Akna¡¯s face and behind her ear. ¡°You¡¯ll figure it out.¡± She stood up. ¡°I have faith in you.¡± She walked across the large room towards the doors, nodding to Pedrin as she passed. He nodded back and then she was gone.


    Akna buried her head in her hands. She couldn¡¯t take much more of this. Never sleeping. Endless reminders of everything she¡¯d done wrong. She wasn¡¯t even sure how she¡¯d managed this long.


    Anita. That was how.


    But Anita wasn¡¯t here. Neither was Meleng.


    And Chica¡­


    Akna jumped to her feet.


    Pedrin had seen Chica! He¡¯d nodded to her.


    Akna ran to where Pedrin was standing near the door. He was watching and listening to the others¡¯ discussion, but not participating much. ¡°The woman who just left. You saw her?¡±


    ¡°You mean Granita? Yes, of course I saw her. Why?¡±


    ¡°What does she look like?¡±


    Pedrin squinted at her. ¡°You saw her. She was talking to you.¡±


    The woman was actually talking to her? ¡°I was hallucinating again. I need to know what she looks like, so I can go after her and...and apologise.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Pedrin scratched his neck. ¡°Middle-aged Eloorin. Not very tall, though a little taller than you. Light brown skin, brown hair.¡±


    ¡°That describes a lot of people outside,¡± Akna said.


    Pedrin grimaced. ¡°Yes, sorry. If you¡¯re quick, you can probably catch her before she leaves the building.¡±


    Akna nodded. ¡°Thanks.¡± She hurried out the door.


    Akna found her in the entrance hall. At least, Akna assumed it was her. The woman still looked like Chica. She was walking towards the exit, her long hair lifting just a little in the draughty room.


    What had this Granita person actually been saying, and what had she thought of Akna¡¯s nonsensical responses?


    ¡°Hello?¡± Akna called out.


    The woman stopped and turned. ¡°Akna?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disturb you. I just wanted to apologise for sounding so odd. I don¡¯t know what you know of me, but I¡¯ve been suffering hallucinations. I thought you were my dead friend. You still look like her.¡±


    ¡°I am your friend, Akna,¡± the woman said.


    Akna smiled and approached a little closer. Why couldn¡¯t she see this woman for who she was? ¡°That¡¯s kind of you to say. My words must have been very strange to you. I thought I heard¡ª¡±


    ¡°Akna, it¡¯s me. Chicahua.¡±


    Akna laughed nervously. ¡°I¡¯m still hearing her¡ªthe hallucination¡¯s¡ªwords, not yours. Sorry.¡±


    Chica¡ªthe woman¡ªlowered and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m glad, at least, you¡¯re looking for me. You know where I am. You¡¯ve just forgotten, but it¡¯ll come to you soon enough.¡±


    Akna put a hand over her mouth and looked away. ¡°Gods, Chica, I wish that was true.¡±


    ¡°See you soon,¡± Chica said, and faded from view.


    The hall was empty.


    Akna choked. But there had been a real person behind the hallucination! Pedrin had seen her. What the fuck was going on?


    * * * * *


    Akna sat in the Council Chamber again, staring at the floor. Corvin was sitting beside her, a hand on her arm, but she was mostly ignoring him. She was trying to ignore everything.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Granita left Quorge...had to be ten years ago,¡± Ezmelda said. ¡°We haven¡¯t heard from her since.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Pedrin said. ¡°But I could have sworn¡­¡±


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t think seeing her was a little odd?¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Pedrin was quiet a moment. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. But¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Zandrue prodded.


    ¡°I was thinking of her just a few minutes before. Something Ezmelda said during the discussions reminded me of her.¡±


    ¡°And this mentalist, whoever they are, drew on that thought,¡± Ezmelda said. ¡°Such power. To appear as one person to Akna, another to Pedrin, and to hide from the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°But why appear as anyone to Pedrin?¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Why not hide from him, too? If Nin-Akna is the target, why appear to anyone else?¡±


    Akna looked up. ¡°Because they¡¯re playing with me. They¡¯re trying to drive me crazy.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Yes, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°What does it matter?¡± Akna pushed Corvin¡¯s hand away and stood up. ¡°They¡¯re pretty much succeeding at it.¡±


    Zandrue sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to understand this person. The more we understand them, the more we can predict their next actions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m much more concerned by the fact they just walked right in here,¡± Ezmelda said. She shook her head. ¡°Such power.¡±


    Zandrue began to pace back and forth. ¡°Then we have to make uncovering this person one of our top priorities. We¡¯ll never be able to defend this place otherwise.¡±


    Akna rolled her eyes. ¡°No kidding.¡±


    Zandrue waved her hand. ¡°True, it¡¯s obvious, but sometimes, you have to start at the obvious to reach the unobvious. Now, we know this person must be a mentalist, but there are no mentalists remaining in Quorge¡ªnot openly, at least. This person has targeted Felit?a and Nin-Akna. Why? Let¡¯s start there. Reasons to target Felit?a?¡±


    ¡°Because as a mentalist herself, Felit?a would be most suited to unmasking them,¡± Ezmelda said.


    Zandrue passed Ezmelda and nodded. ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s also probably something to do with the whole Will-Breaker thing. Okay, what about Nin-Akna?¡±


    ¡°Less apparent,¡± Ezmelda said, ¡°but probably something to do with her association with Felit?a.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s Felit?a¡¯s friend,¡± Corvin said.


    Zandrue circled around Corvin and Akna. ¡°Exactly, and if we assume Felit?a is the primary target¡ªno offence, Nin-Akna, but she probably is.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine,¡± Akna said. ¡°She probably is.¡±


    ¡°Assuming Felit?a¡¯s the primary target, Nin-Akna is also a target because she could protect her somehow.¡± Zandrue stopped pacing. ¡°But Nin-Akna¡¯s a warrior. This is all mental stuff.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Ezmelda said. ¡°Friends, particularly close friends, are more likely to get through to her, help her get past whatever¡¯s been done to her.¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°Makes sense. But why only the two of them? Felit?a has other friends here. Corvinian¡¯s powers probably protect him, but what about Agernon?¡±


    Agernon harrumphed.


    ¡°This person is powerful,¡± Ezmelda said, ¡°but even powerful wizards have their limits.¡±


    Zandrue smiled. ¡°Okay, so is there any way to push this person beyond their limits? Wizards can burn themselves out, can¡¯t they?¡±


    Ezmelda nodded. ¡°They can.¡±


    Agernon chuckled. ¡°A wizard that powerful isn¡¯t likely to be tricked into overexertion.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°But it¡¯s always something to consider. We still have to figure out who they are. They can¡¯t be living in total seclusion. They must have contact with someone.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean anyone they have contact with knows what they are,¡± Ezmelda said.


    Zandrue groaned. ¡°True.¡± She threw her hands up. ¡°There has to be a way to find this person!¡±


    They stood in silence awhile.


    Chica wanted Akna to find her. Maybe that was what she should do, but not in the way Chica¡ªor whoever she really was¡ªmeant. Maybe it was time to take direct action, rather than sitting around waiting. They¡¯d wasted so much time over the last couple months, studying when they should have been acting. That was Felit?a¡¯s mistake, and Akna¡¯s mistake for going along with it.


    Akna walked up to Zandrue. ¡°There is a way.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Whoever it is was here today. Right?¡±


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°Seems like it.¡±


    ¡°Then we wait for it to happen again. I¡¯m pretty sure most of my hallucinations are just that. I thought you were Chica, Zandrue. I thought Felit?a was Chica once. I see her at night when I sleep. But this person must be set up in some place where both Felit?a and I were regularly, which means the palace. Yet I¡¯m here now, and have been for a while. That puts me far away. Mentalism doesn¡¯t have an unlimited range, does it?¡±


    Ezmelda shook her head.


    ¡°So this person must have to come to me from time to time to make sure all their spells or whatever are still functioning, or renew them, or something, right?¡±


    Ezmelda nodded. ¡°That would make sense.¡±


    ¡°Then someone needs to stay with me every minute of every day, and I will say when I¡¯m having a hallucination. I will tell every bad dream, everything that looks weird. The other person can then tell if someone else is there and call the alarm.¡±


    Zandrue stroked her chin. ¡°Nice idea, but couldn¡¯t our mentalist friend just hide themself from your watcher like they did with people here? They walked right into a room full of wizards and went completely unnoticed.¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself. There¡¯s one person who is probably immune.¡± Akna took Corvin¡¯s hand.


    Zandrue smiled.


    ¡°But Corvinian didn¡¯t notice anything just now,¡± Ezmelda said.


    Agernon laughed.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Ezmelda said.


    ¡°Because Corvinian spent his time napping while we were discussing defence, didn¡¯t you, boy?¡±


    Corvin lowered his head. ¡°Yeah, but it was really boring and there was nothing for me to do.¡±


    ¡°Think you can stay awake for this, Corvinian?¡± Zandrue asked.


    ¡°If I have to, yeah.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to be with Nin-Akna every moment, no exceptions. Never leave her side. Of course, you¡¯ll need to sleep sometimes. It¡¯ll have to be when Nin-Akna¡¯s trying to sleep. We¡¯ll figure out something to do then, but otherwise, no exceptions. Always by her side, even in embarrassing moments like when either of you have to pee. All the time.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Akna squeezed his hand. ¡°What do you say, Corvin? Want to be my watcher?¡±


    ¡°You bet!¡±


    ¡°Corvin,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Cute. I like it.¡±


    Akna took a deep breath. She hoped this worked, because if it didn¡¯t, she feared she was going to go mad.

 Book 2, Chapter 54: Fire (Part 1)

    Quilla placed a hand on her chest, just under her neck. She still felt naked without Garet¡¯s locket there. It had never turned up. Dyle hadn¡¯t had it, nor to the best of her knowledge any of the other Darkers she¡¯d spent any time with. She¡¯d enquired about all the other Darkers in the Palace arrested due to Barnol Friaz¡¯s list. No locket matching the description of hers had been found with any of them. It had simply vanished.


    She could have used it now. It always helped calm her down when she was anxious, nervous, angry, or sad. All she could do now was pace¡ªwhich, admittedly, she did with the locket too, but she was reasonably certain she did less of it. Of course, if Garet were around, she wouldn¡¯t do any pacing at all. But Garet was never going to be around again.


    She forced herself to stop pacing, not far from where Rudiger was sitting along the wall, underneath the portrait of some former Royal Quilla couldn¡¯t care less about. Rudiger was slumped over, his head hanging low.


    It had been a week since Zandrue and Dyle had vanished. They could have ended up anywhere¡ªthe other side of the world even for all anyone knew. Quilla had no doubt Zandrue could take care of herself, and she was probably still alive, but it could be a long time before she made her way back here.


    Rudiger knew that too, but he was understandably upset. Not knowing for sure whether she was dead or alive couldn¡¯t be much different from knowing Garet was dead.


    ¡°They¡¯re almost ready for you,¡± the herald by the throne room doors said.


    Rudiger stood up and offered his arm. ¡°You ready for this?¡±


    Quilla took Rudiger¡¯s arm. ¡°Ready.¡± She wasn¡¯t really. She wasn¡¯t ready at all. She was not convinced the Queen would actually be civil with her, regardless of whatever promises she might have made previously.


    The herald reached for the door handle. Two Palace guards took up positions behind Quilla and Rudiger. The herald opened the doors, and stepped in and to the side. ¡°Lord Rudiger Fonivan and Quilla Steranovist!¡±


    Quilla forced a smile and entered with Rudiger.


    The throne room wasn¡¯t packed, but there were a large number of people there nonetheless¡ªcourtiers and visiting nobles who had come in from Arnor City or across from Beldrum or even farther. The Royal family waited at the front, Gabriella and Pastrin to one side of the steps, Annai and Thilin to the other. Prince Malef stood back, away from Annai and Thilin. Quilla wished Cerus was here. He would want to see this, not be stuck in Lockanith, but at least Gabriella was here.


    She and Rudiger walked to the bottom of the dais where the King and Queen sat in their thrones. They unlinked arms, Rudiger bowed, and Quilla curtsied.


    The King nodded to Rudiger. ¡°Welcome, my Lord.¡± He nodded to Quilla. ¡°Miss Steranovist.¡± He stood up and came forward, holding out his hands. ¡°My friends.¡±


    Rudiger clasped one of the King¡¯s hands, while Quilla clasped the other.


    The King then motioned for them to turn around, and addressed the room. ¡°My Lords and Ladies, we are here today for two reasons: one joyous, one considerably less so. As you no doubt know, we recently uncovered a group of Darkness Worshippers operating from within the Palace itself. We have only limited time, so I will not go into all the details of how these people were uncovered, tracked down, and arrested. However, I will say that these two people before you were instrumental in making all that possible, along with the Lady Zandromeda Armida, who was unfortunately lost in the fight to bring the Darkness Worshippers to justice. In particular, Quilla Steranovist risked her life and reputation to infiltrate the Darkness Worshippers. Without this courageous act, we would not have prevailed. As such, we gather here today to pay our respects to both these people here in front of you, and to reward them suitably.¡±


    He gestured to Rudiger. ¡°The Queen and I awarded Lord Rudiger Fonivan and Lady Zandromeda in private at an earlier time, but we would now like to make that public. I personally awarded them both with noble titles, so I now present to you, Lord Rudiger Fonivan.¡±


    Applause and even a few cheers erupted around the room. Gabby, Pastrin, and Ned were amongst the most enthusiastic, but even Annai was amongst them. Quilla joined in.


    The King allowed the applause to continue for a short time, then motioned for quiet. ¡°It is also my pleasure to announce that the Queen and I will be personally funding the wedding of Lord Fonivan and Lady Armida, which will take place once Lady Armida has been found and returned safely, which is something we all pray the gods will deliver.¡±


    There was more applause, which the King once again allowed to continue for a short time.


    When the room had quietened down again, the King said, ¡°At the time the noble titles were award, however, Miss Steranovist was still working undercover amidst the Darkness Worshippers. It is therefore my pleasure to award her at this time in front of you all. Miss Steranovist¡ªQuilla¡ªplease face me and kneel.¡±


    Quilla turned and lowered herself to her knees, which wasn¡¯t the easiest thing in the gown she was wearing. Her heart was beating fast. She didn¡¯t really want this¡ªnot without Garet¡ªbut she felt it was important nonetheless. Not because it was some sort of victory over the Queen¡ªalthough that was nice¡ªbut important to honour Garet. He was probably looking down on her from heaven right now, smiling and laughing, ever so proud of her.


    Tears ran down her cheeks.


    A courtier approached, holding up a sheathed sword. The King drew the sword and lowered the flat to Quilla¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Quilla Steranovist, I bestow upon you the title of noble of Arnor, and with it all the rights and privileges of the nobility.¡± He raised the sword and lowered it to her other shoulder. Then he sheathed the sword and the courtier carried it away.


    At a motion from the King, Quilla rose, and he kissed each of her cheeks.


    ¡°My Lords and Ladies, I present you Lady Quilla Steranovist.¡±


    ¡°Woo!¡± Gabby yelled, and Ned joined in.


    Applause spread through the room, though it was much more reserved than what Rudiger had received. That wasn¡¯t surprising. Quilla curtsied to the room anyway. Rudiger hugged her.


    The King allowed the applause to die out, then spoke. ¡°We have one final act to perform before we move on to today¡¯s less pleasant activity. I turn things over to my beloved wife, your Queen.¡±


    The Queen rose. She and the King kissed lightly as he returned to his throne. The Queen came forward, and took a deep breath. ¡°My Lords and Ladies.¡± She paused and took another deep breath.


    The room was silent.


    ¡°My Lords and Ladies,¡± the Queen repeated, ¡°I have never been fond of Lady Steranovist. As you know, she was engaged to wed Prince Garet, and I was always opposed to that engagement. I am ashamed to admit I said many terrible and cruel things to Lady Steranovist, and I treated her quite abominably. For that, I¡­¡± She stopped again, and closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°For that, I owe her an apology.¡± She turned to Quilla and held out her hands.


    Quilla looked at the offered hands and hesitated. She didn¡¯t really believe the Queen was truly repentant. She was just trying to save face. Still, refusing to accept the apology would just ally most of the people in the room with the Queen against her.


    Quilla took the Queen¡¯s hands.


    ¡°My Lady.¡± The Queen¡¯s lips curled slightly at the utterance of the words. ¡°I offer you my heartfelt apology for all the injustices I have ever cause you. I was wrong, and I know that now. Please forgive me.¡±


    What a load of bullshit.


    Quilla wished she could say that, and part of her was tempted to do so anyway, but she pushed the thought aside. ¡°Apology accepted, your Majesty.¡±


    The Queen smiled, leaned forward, and kissed Quilla¡¯s cheeks.


    Gabby cheered, and there was some applause across the room.


    Then the Queen returned to her throne.


    The King rose again. ¡°I have one final thing to say. Lady Steranovist, my son, Garet, loved you dearly, and wanted nothing more than to marry you and spend his life with you. Unfortunately, he was taken from us before that could happen. However, I would nevertheless like to offer you a place in this family. Your marriage might not have occurred, but we will behave as if it did, and treat you as my honorary daughter-in-law. What say you?¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Quilla gulped. She didn¡¯t want this either¡ªnot without Garet¡ªbut what else could she do? She smiled as best she could. ¡°Your Majesty, I accept.¡±


    The King approached her and leaned in to kiss her.


    Thunder rumbled in the distance.


    The King paused, his eyes narrowing. ¡°Strange,¡± he muttered. ¡°It didn¡¯t look like storm weather.¡± Then he kissed her cheeks.


    This time, there was more applause.


    The King spread his arms wide. ¡°Lord Fonivan, Lady Steranovist, please take your places amongst your fellow lords and ladies while we attend to a much celebratory duty.¡±


    Quilla curtsied to the King, then moved over by Gabriella, Pastrin, and Ned.


    Gabby clutched Quilla¡¯s hand. ¡°Congratulations.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Thunder rumbled again.


    Just what they needed. A winter storm.


    The throne room doors opened and a small group of guards led Lidda Plavin into the room and down the aisle towards the dais. The King remained standing on the steps. They stopped a short distance from the bottom.


    ¡°Lady Lidda Plavin, ruler of Plavin-Tyl,¡± the King said, ¡°you stand before your gathered peers here, accused of worshipping Night, the Lord of Darkness. What do you have to say for yourself?¡±


    Lidda raised an eyebrow. ¡°Say? Why should I say anything? You¡¯ve made your decision already. Nothing I say can change that.¡±


    The King nodded. ¡°Very well. Then we can make this quick. We have the testimony of witnesses, including Lady Quilla Steranovist and Lord Rudiger Fonivan. Most notably, in his confession Lord Barnol Friaz labelled you a co-conspirator. There is ample evidence of your treason. Your family has been informed, and your brother Jamis, stands ready to take your place as ruler of Plavin-Tyl. Your sentence is execution by beheading.¡±


    From the gathered nobles, Lidda Plavin¡¯s mother cried out and collapsed into the arms of the noble beside her.


    ¡°Sentence will be carried out publicly first thing in the morning in Arnor City.¡±


    Lidda fell to her knees. ¡°Oh gods, I¡¯m sorry. Please, your Majesty, they forced me. I had no choice.¡± There was little emotion in her voice. It was too dry. What was she trying to do? Mock them?


    ¡°I gave you a chance to speak already, Lidda,¡± the King said. ¡°Your fate is sealed.¡±


    Lidda lowered to her hands and knees, and crawled forward. ¡°Please, your Majesty, I beg of you. I can give you more of them. There are others positioned across the continent.¡± She crawled up the steps to the King¡¯s feet. ¡°I can lead you to the Dusk Supreme himself. Please, just spare me.¡±


    The King stared down at her as she kissed his boot. He scowled and pulled his foot away. ¡°You brought this on yourself. Have some dignity.¡±


    Lidda backed down the steps and sat up, wiping her completely dry face.


    ¡°Your sentence will go forward as planned.¡± The King stumbled, but righted himself. ¡°In the morning, you will be beheaded at¡­¡±


    ¡°Father?¡± Annai called. ¡°Your foot!¡±


    Smoke was rising from the King¡¯s boot. He stumbled back against the side of the Queen¡¯s throne, and bent over, trying to remove the boot. Gasps spread throughout the room.


    ¡°Wavon!¡± the Queen cried, leaping out of her throne and gabbing the boot. She screamed and fell back, her hands blistering.


    Annai ran forward. ¡°Father!¡±


    Smoke poured from the King¡¯s entire body. His face and hands were red and blistering. His beard and hair burst into flames. With a scream, he fell over, the flames consuming all of him.


    Annai screamed. So did many of the nobles.


    Gabriella ran at Lidda, her hand reaching for the hilt of her sword. ¡°Guards! Kill her! Now!¡±


    One of the guards who had led Lidda in stepped forward. Gabriella flew backwards through the air, crashing into the far wall behind her. The guard then swept his arm wide in front of him.


    Thilin, Captain DeSelo?n, and several other Kingsguard rushed forward. The same guard stepped forward, and Thilin tumbled across the floor. The guard swept his arm in front of him again. Then, with his other hand, he grabbed DeSelo?n¡¯s wrist mid-swing of his sword. The Captain¡¯s eyes went wide and he screamed as his skin pulled back and twisted. He kicked at the guard and punched with his free hand. He knocked the guard¡¯s helmet off, revealing Lama?n. The Captain¡¯s hair went grey and fell out. Lama?n¡¯s hair darkened. DeSelo?n¡¯s eyes sank back in his face, and Lama?n¡¯s skin became smoother and younger-looking. A mummified husk dropped from Lama?n¡¯s hands to the floor.


    Quilla put a hand to her mouth, bile rising in her throat.


    There was mayhem in the rest of the room. Nobles and courtiers ran for the exit, stumbling over one another.


    The Kingsguard only paused a moment at DeSelo?n¡¯s death, then swung their swords at Lidda Plavin. She rolled away from one blow and grabbed another sword as it swung at her. It didn¡¯t cut her hand, though. Instead, the blade glowed bright red. The Kingsguard dropped it with a yell, and it fell to the floor, now just a puddle of molten metal.


    Rudiger rushed at Lama?n.


    A force hit Quilla in the face, chest, and legs. It lifted her off the ground and threw her backwards against the wall. Ned and Pastrin hit the wall beside her, and Rudiger slammed into Ned.


    Quilla sat up, rubbing her head.


    Lidda Plavin was standing now, Lama?n and the other guards who had led her in surrounding her.


    The Queen and Annai were still on the dais, kneeling over the King¡¯s burning remains. Kingsguard and Palace guards lay on the ground as well as some nobles and courtiers, though most of those had fled from the room. Malef remained standing off to the side, staring at the floor.


    ¡°Ezuna calls to me,¡± Lidda said. ¡°She is ready. I must go to her. Bring my beloved.¡± She strode towards the doors, Lama?n beside her.


    Two of her guards grabbed Malef, who didn¡¯t resist, and dragged him after her.


    Gabriella pulled herself to her feet. ¡°To arms! Sound the alarm! Lidda Plavin must be caught before she reaches the dragon.¡±


    The Queen stood up. ¡°I want her dead! No waiting for execution. Kill her on sight!¡±


    ¡°You heard her!¡± Gabriella yelled. ¡°Move!¡±


    The guards began pulling themselves to their feet.


    Gabriella strode into the middle of them. ¡°Thilin, organise the Palace defences. We need to be ready if the dragon strikes.¡±


    ¡°On it!¡± Thilin said.


    Thunder rumbled, louder and more sustained than before.


    No. More like something roaring.


    Oh shit.


    Not thunder.


    Quilla felt faint.


    ¡°Kingsguard!¡± Gabriella snapped.


    The remaining Kingsguard in the room snapped to attention.


    ¡°The Queen, Princess Annai, Prince Pastrin, Lord Nedwin Friaz, and Lady Steranovist. They are your charges. You are to get them off Palace grounds and to safety. You will defend them with your lives. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± the Kingsguard responded in unison.


    ¡°Alhang Merrin, you¡¯re in command until a higher-ranking officer is available.¡±


    Hang bowed. ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Rudiger!¡±


    Rudiger pulled himself to his feet, and rubbed his head. ¡°Here, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re with me.¡±


    ¡°Permission to fetch my sword and horse first?¡±


    Gabriella took a second before responding. ¡°Your horse is too far away to reach. Go get your sword. I¡¯ll send someone for your horse and mine.¡±


    Rudiger frowned. ¡°My sword is with my horse, your Highness. After previous events, I didn¡¯t trust leaving it in my apartments.¡±


    Gabriella nodded. ¡°Fine then. Get your sword and horse. Join me at the north gate as soon as you can. And bring my horse with you.¡±


    Rudiger bowed. ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    Gabriella raised her sword in a salute. ¡°In memory of the King, my father! We avenge his name! For King Wavon!¡±


    Thilin and the Kingsguard raised their swords. Even Pastrin, Ned, and Annai stood to attention. Quilla did her best to stand as straight as she could, as they all cried, ¡°For King Wavon!¡±


    Gabriella lowered her sword. ¡°To your duties!¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 54: Fire (Part 2)

    The sky was overcast, but not stormy. The weather was actually quite calm. Not even a hint of a wind.


    There was a large, winged shape flying high in the air to the south. With a long neck and long tail, it could only be the dragon. It was hard to tell just how far away it was since Rudiger wasn¡¯t sure how big it was. He could make no reference with its apparent size in the sky. It was definitely somewhere over the south grounds, though, and descending.


    All around him in the north plaza, Palace servants ran and stumbled through the snow. Guards tried to usher them in specific direction, but half the guards were running too.


    Rudiger pushed his way between and around them, making his way to the west road and to the stables. He didn¡¯t usually take this outdoor route, usually preferring to cut through the servants¡¯ building. It was warmer that way, and he could always grab a bite to eat in the mess hall. But he suspected the place was a madhouse at the moment, so he kept to the outdoor route, past the servants¡¯ hall and the kennels, finally to the stables.


    Horses stared from their stalls, ears raised and turned forward. They shifted about, some snorting. A few were kicking at their walls or pushing on their gates. Stablehands ran about, trying to calm them.


    As Rudiger walked along the aisles, it was apparent there were far fewer stablehands here than there should be. He could understand why some might have run, but that was going to be a problem.


    ¡°You!¡± he called to one.


    The girl snapped to attention. ¡°My Lord?¡±


    ¡°Guards will be arriving soon for horses. Get them ready!¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Lord!¡±


    Rudiger continued on.


    Borisin stared at him calmly as he approached. I was going to give you five more minutes before breaking out and heading for the hills.


    Rudiger chuckled. ¡°You¡¯d never leave me behind.¡±


    You can¡¯t smell what I¡¯ve smelled. What all the horses here have smelled. This is bad, Rudiger.


    Rudiger opened the stall gate. ¡°I know. Let¡¯s get you saddled. My sword okay?¡±


    It¡¯s fine. Right where you left it. We are going to head for the hills, right? No, maybe not. Hills are a bad idea when your opponent can fly. Caves. That¡¯s what we need. Caves with small entrances. That¡¯s where we¡¯re headed, right?


    ¡°Never known you to run scared, buddy,¡± Rudiger said.


    I am not running scared. Just being practical. I¡¯ve never smelled anything like what I¡¯ve been smelling in the last little while. It¡¯s made a couple of passes and I can tell it¡¯s dangerous. It can only be the dragon. Even I don¡¯t stand a chance against a dragon.


    Rudiger sighed and began tying the straps on Borisin¡¯s saddle. ¡°Hate to break it you you, buddy, but we¡¯re going to fight. Or something. I¡¯m not really sure what we¡¯re going to do. But we¡¯re going to do something long enough for other people to get to safety. Then we run.¡±


    I was afraid you were going to say something like that.


    ¡°You really think there was a chance we¡¯d do anything else?¡±


    Not really.


    Once Borisin was ready, Rudiger retrieved Slay from beneath the hay pile. He stared at it, an idea forming. Lidda Plavin was obsessed with getting this sword. Was there some way they could use that? He shook his head and strapped the sword to Borisin¡¯s side. ¡°We need Gabby¡¯s horse, too.¡±


    What of the other horses? What happens to them?


    Rudiger frowned. ¡°The ones trained for combat will probably be seeing some sort of combat today, though I don¡¯t yet know how we¡¯re gonna fight a dragon, but yeah...they¡¯ll be put to work.¡±


    And the ones that aren¡¯t combat trained?


    Rudiger hesitated. ¡°Don¡¯t know. Some will probably be used to help people ride out, pull carriages out maybe, though those would just be moving targets.¡±


    And all the others? There are a lot of horses here.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know,¡± Rudiger said.


    They¡¯ll be left behind, won¡¯t they?


    Rudiger shrugged. ¡°Maybe. I honestly don¡¯t know.¡±


    I won¡¯t just leave them to die.


    Rudiger nodded. ¡°Yeah. Okay, I think have an idea.¡±


    They gathered Gabby¡¯s horse and then Rudiger flagged down the nearest stablehand. It was the same girl he had spoken to earlier. ¡°Can I ask you to do something?¡±


    ¡°My Lord?¡±


    She looked only about twelve, and he was about to ask her to risk her life. ¡°It¡¯s all right to say no. This could be dangerous and is gonna need a lot of courage, but you¡¯re still here, so obviously, you¡¯ve got courage.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave the horses alone, my Lord. They¡¯re scared.¡±


    Rudiger nodded. ¡°Yeah, they are. After all the guards and lords and ladies and courtiers come to collect horses, there will still probably be a lot of them left. At that time, I want you to open all their stalls. Open all the doors in the stables. Let them go.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°But what if the dragon gets them, my Lord?¡± There were tears in the girl¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°If they stay here, the dragon just needs to burn the stables down and will get them all. If they¡¯re set free, some might get away. Maybe not all of them, but at least a few. Can you do that?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He turned back to Borisin and Gabby¡¯s horse, and took their reins.


    ¡°What are you going to do, my Lord?¡± the girl asked.


    ¡°The name¡¯s Rudiger.¡±


    ¡°Rudiger, what are you going to do?¡±


    He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°Try to stop that dragon from killing anyone.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t it kill you?¡±


    ¡°Probably, but hopefully, I and the guards and Princess Gabriella can delay it long enough for other people to get away. That¡¯s why I need you to take care of the horses. I¡¯ll be too busy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, my Lord Rudiger. I¡¯ll get some of the others to help me. We¡¯ll make sure the horses get out, and the dogs too.¡±


    ¡°Once you¡¯ve let them out, you get yourself to safety too. Understand? Find somewhere out of sight, preferably not made of wood, and hide there. Understood?¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± He led the two horses away.


    Thank you, Borisin said.


    As he left the stables, he passed a group of soldiers heading in. There was no sign of the dragon. He stopped one of the soldiers. ¡°Where¡¯s the dragon?¡±


    ¡°It landed in the south gardens, my Lord. Been there for a little while now.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    That gave him time to get the horses to the north gate without presenting a target.


    They made their way along the road, past more people rushing to the stables and other areas.


    In the plaza, people were pushing their way through to the gate. The north gate just went to the Royal Hunting grounds. To get to Arnor City, they needed to go through the south gate, but that was a mile across the grounds. It was also where the dragon had landed, so it wasn¡¯t surprising people were trying to get out this side. They would have to hide in the wilderness in the freezing cold, though.


    Rudiger hoped they¡¯d be okay.


    He found Gabby at the back of the throng of people.


    ¡°Spread out! As soon as you¡¯re through the gate, spread out as much as possible! Groups will just make for easier targets! Rudiger, thank the gods you¡¯re here.¡± Gabby took her horse¡¯s reins.


    Rudiger prepared to mount Borisin. ¡°I heard the dragon landed in the south gardens.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yes. As best we can tell, Lidda Plavin has headed that way. I¡¯m guessing the thing¡¯s waiting for her before attacking. At least, it¡¯s given us a little time. Gods damn it, how the fuck do we fight a dragon?¡±


    Rudiger shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t know, but we have to try.¡±


    Gabriella scrunched her eyes shut, grimaced, and sniffled. ¡°Gods, Rudiger, you saw what she did to him, to my father. She burned him. She burned him with a fucking kiss!¡± She took a deep breath and sniffled again. ¡°Okay, have to keep calm. Thilin is spreading out the forces. We don¡¯t want large groups together. He¡¯s getting archers ready. Maybe with enough arrows, we can bring the fucker down, but we have to do that before it burns them all to death. Do you think she got that power from the dragon?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Rudiger said, ¡°though the note Dyle left for Quilla says Darkers can perform special rituals to get special powers or some shit. Might be that.¡±


    ¡°She melted the Kingsguard¡¯s sword.¡±


    Rudiger shivered. ¡°I know.¡±


    Gabby sighed. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s hard keeping focused when you¡¯ve just watched your father die in¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing fine,¡± Rudiger said. ¡°A hell of a lot better than I¡¯d be doing, let me tell you. When I first discovered my parents¡¯ deaths¡­¡± He shivered again and pushed the thoughts aside. ¡°We need to distract the dragon, while the archers shoot it.¡±


    Gabby nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, but how are we going to do that without presenting alternative targets, which just means sacrificing those people? Though if it¡¯s the only option to bring it down, we may just have to sacrifice some.¡±


    ¡°I have an idea.¡±


    I hate you, Borisin said.


    No, you don¡¯t.


    You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t. But I should.


    ¡°Go on,¡± Gabby said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the distraction. Have you seen Quilla?¡±


    Gabby shook her head. ¡°Not since I left the throne room. They haven¡¯t gone through the gate here. However, there¡¯s a secret room. Underneath the Palace. It¡¯s an emergency retreat for the Royal Family. There¡¯s a good chance they¡¯ve gone there.¡±


    Rudiger sighed. ¡°If you see her, ask her to take a message to Zandrue. Or take it to Zandrue yourself if you can. If I don¡¯t make it out of here, tell her...tell Zandrue I love her and I was thinking of her at the end.¡±


    Gabby tilted her head. ¡°Rudiger, what the hell are you planning to do? How are you going to distract the sword yourself?¡±


    He patted Slay. ¡°With this. Lidda Plavin is obsessed with my sword. I¡¯m going to give her a chance to take it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll die.¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°And then she¡¯ll get the sword, which is probably disastrous.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m trusting Dyle was right in his insistence that my sword is not the one she¡¯s looking for.¡±


    ¡°And if he was wrong?¡±


    Rudiger threw up his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t know, but what else is there? It¡¯s either that or sacrifice a whole pile of lives. Because there¡¯s pretty much nothing else that¡¯s going to distract that dragon.¡±


    ¡°Just because Lidda¡¯s obsessed with it, how do you know the dragon will come after it?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re linked mentally or something. She¡¯ll send it after me.¡±


    Gabby sighed. ¡°You¡¯re throwing your life away.¡±


    ¡°Not my first choice, I agree, but you got a better idea?¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m going to try to survive. Maybe the archers can take it down before it kills me. Tell Thilin to have them ready.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll need a few minutes.¡±


    Rudiger mounted Borisin. ¡°Be as quick as possible. Can¡¯t risk the dragon causing damage while we wait. I¡¯ll be at the southeast corner of the Crown Prince Garden. Let me know when you¡¯re ready.¡±


    ¡°Will do. See you soon.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 54: Fire (Part 3)

    Rudiger nodded, and Borisin began to walk away. They took it slow. It wasn¡¯t far, and there was no need to rush.


    We¡¯re really doing this?


    Like I said to Gabby, got any better ideas?


    A whole bunch, but they¡¯ll take too long to implement.


    My point exactly, Rudiger said.


    They reached the corner of the Crown Prince Garden and waited.


    Rudiger wondered what Zandrue was doing. Assuming she was alive, of course, but he didn¡¯t want to entertain the thought that she wasn¡¯t. With luck, she was now on her way back to Arnor City.


    He needed to make certain there was still an Arnor City for her to return to.


    Gods, what would she think when she arrived to find him dead?


    If it¡¯s any consolation, I don¡¯t plan on dying.


    Me neither, buddy, but let¡¯s face it. That thing burned what was it...fifteen horses? And Tianna. All of them with just one breath. So Quilla described it. If it breathes on us, we¡¯re dead.


    The horses were hobbled and Tianna was tied up. They couldn¡¯t get away. I plan on running as fast as I can.


    Rudiger chuckled. Good plan.


    I thought you¡¯d approve.


    Gabby rode up beside them sometime later. ¡°Thilin says you¡¯re a fucking idiot.¡±


    Rudiger smiled. ¡°Tell him if I wasn¡¯t heading to certain death, I¡¯d make him regret those words.¡±


    Gabby smiled. ¡°I will. The archers are ready, by the way. Some are positioned on the Palace roof. Others are spread out from there in a rough semicircle, all of them with as much cover as possible. The dragon is still on the ground, about halfway between the Palace and the Great Bear statue. From what can be seen, Lidda Plavin is on the dragon. She¡¯s going to ride it.¡±


    Maybe we¡¯ll get lucky and she¡¯ll fall.


    Rudiger laughed.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t exactly my reaction,¡± Gabby said, ¡°but I guess I see how that might be funny.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Borisin was just saying maybe she¡¯ll fall.¡±


    Gabby shook her head. ¡°Right. Talking horse.¡±


    I mean, she can¡¯t actually have any experience riding a dragon, Borisin added. And I doubt she¡¯s got a dragon saddle. How¡¯s she going to hang on?


    ¡°He¡¯s making some good points. With a little luck, maybe she really will fall.¡±


    ¡°We can only hope,¡± Gabby said. ¡°At any rate, everything¡¯s ready. The archers will wait for the dragon to come for you, and then will open fire at once. You¡¯re a good man, Rudy. I¡¯ll miss you, and I swear to you, if Zandrue is still alive, she will get your message.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Rudiger closed his eyes for a moment.


    Can I make a confession? Borisin said.


    Of course.


    I¡¯m terrified. Like, really, truly terrified.


    Me too, buddy.


    We¡¯ve had a good run, haven¡¯t we?


    Rudiger nodded. We sure have. He leaned forward and patted Borisin¡¯s neck. Love you, buddy.


    Same back at you. Come on, let¡¯s get this over with. If I¡¯m going to die, I don¡¯t want to draw it out any longer than I have to.


    Rudiger leaned over and untied the straps holding Slay. He unsheathed the sword and handed the sheath to Gabby. ¡°Memento.¡±


    She smiled and took it. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Right. I¡¯m trusting all the movement to you, buddy. I need both hands for the sword. Let¡¯s go. Take me half the distance to Lidda and the dragon, maybe just past the Folith Arch. It could give us a bit of cover.¡±


    You got it.


    They moved out from the shelter of the garden wall and headed west towards the front of the Palace, then turned south across the courtyard. They headed along the path in the middle of the Grand Gardens until they reached the Folith Arch. They stopped on the other side.


    The hillside leading to the Great Bear Fountain spread out ahead of them. Partway along it sat the dragon, a tiny human-shaped figure moving about on its back at the base of the neck. Probably experimenting for the best seating.


    Be ready to turn around, Rudiger said. We need to lead it back towards the Palace so the archers can get a good shot.


    I know. Trust me, okay?


    Rudiger nodded. Sorry.


    He held Slay above his head. ¡°Lidda Plavin!¡± He yelled as loud as he could, though he wasn¡¯t sure if she was close enough to hear.


    The dragon lifted its head and looked in his direction. It narrowed its huge eyes.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°All right, dragon then,¡± he yelled. ¡°I¡¯ve got something here that your mistress wants. Want to come get it?¡±


    The dragon tilted its head and pulled back its face into a snarl. Then it pulled its head back.


    It¡¯s going to breathe from there! Borisin said.


    I¡¯d hoped we were out of range, Rudiger said.


    But the dragon didn¡¯t breathe fire at them. Instead, it only let out a loud roar.


    Well, that¡¯s a relief, Borisin said.


    ¡°Well?¡± Rudiger called out.


    She¡¯s responding, Borisin said.


    I can¡¯t hear her. She¡¯s too far away.


    I can barely hear her. She says the archers will be useless, but yes, she¡¯d very much like the sword. She¡¯s offering you the opportunity to put it down on the ground and walk away.


    ¡°Not gonna happen!¡± Rudiger yelled. ¡°You want it? You come and get it!¡±


    The dragon rose to its feet. Lidda slid a little on its back, but grabbed hold of its scales. Maybe she really would fall.


    The dragon spread its wings.


    Gods, that thing is huge, Borisin said. Time to go, I think. He turned and broke into a gallop.


    Rudiger kept Slay raised and turned his head to look behind them.


    The dragon leapt into the air. He couldn¡¯t see Lidda Plavin any longer. The dragon¡¯s breast and front of its neck kept her hidden from view.


    Rudiger looked forward again and raised Slay higher, as high as he could manage. They were getting close to the courtyard.


    A cloud of arrows shot out all around them, flying over their heads. Rudiger looked behind him again. Most of the arrows just flew threw empty air. Others hit the scales of the dragon and bounced off. It was impossible to watch all of them, so maybe a few got through the scales. Maybe one would even hit Lidda Plavin. That would be nice, since she didn¡¯t seem to be falling off.


    Coming up on the Palace. Borisin began a wide turn to the right, circling round.


    Why hadn¡¯t the dragon breathed on them yet?


    As they completed the circle, Borisin galloped back the other way, towards the dragon.


    More arrows flew at it. The dragon pulled back its head and opened its mouth.


    This is it, Rudiger said. He shut his eyes and gripped Slay tighter.


    The roar of flames passed overhead, but nothing hit him. He opened his eyes and looked up, then behind him as Borisin came to a stop.


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    The roof of the Palace was in flames. The archers there were screaming, leaping from the roof and hitting the ground as burning husks.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t work.¡±


    The dragon flew over the Palace and breathed down into the north courtyard.


    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± Rudiger yelled. ¡°I have the sword, damn it!¡±


    More arrows from the archers on the ground flew out, but the dragon was too far and on the other side of the Palace.


    Gabby galloped up beside him and Borisin. ¡°It was a valiant try.¡±


    ¡°It was a fucking disaster.¡±


    Gabby nodded. ¡°Yeah, it was, but you were right. It was our only option. But even if it had come after you, those arrows did nothing. Now we just have to get as many people out alive as we can. Oh gods, I¡¯m pretty sure Thilin was on the roof with archers. There was no way he survived that. Oh gods, Thilin. He was so young.¡±


    The dragon flew back over the Palace, its shadow passing right over Rudiger and Gabby. It breathed again, but on the gardens to the east of them. The screams of the archers positioned there cut out almost as soon as they started.


    She¡¯s playing with us, Borisin said. Saving us for last.


    ¡°She¡¯s playing with us,¡± Gabby said.


    ¡°Yeah, Borisin said the same thing.¡±


    ¡°Come on, we need to find Quilla and the others. Get them to safety before that thing kills us all.¡±


    They rode straight towards the Palace. As soon as they reached the stairs, Gabby leapt off her horse. Rudiger handed Slay to her, then dismounted as well.


    ¡°Damn, this sword is heavy,¡± Gabby said, handing it back to him.


    Incoming!


    Rudiger looked up.


    The dragon was coming straight at them, red flames taking shape in its gaping maw.


    Rudiger raised Slay. Maybe the flames would melt the blade, denying Lidda her prize.


    The flames shot forward. Heat washed over him. Such intense heat. The flames pressed against Slay, threatening to push him over.


    And there they parted. They split to either side, then curved around him, Gabby, and the horses.


    Then the flames had passed.


    The dragon pulled up, flying over the Palace again.


    Rudiger looked behind him. The stairs leading to the main entrance of the Palace were on fire, as were the main doors.


    But he, Gabby, and the horses were unharmed.


    Gabby wiped sweat from her brow. ¡°What the fuck?¡±


    The letters carved into Slay¡¯s blade¡ªthe ones in the language no one had ever deciphered¡ªwere glowing a bright, fiery red. Rudiger gaped. ¡°Holy shit.¡±


    ¡°And you were offering her the chance to take that?¡± Gabby said. ¡°Come on. We have to move before the Palace burns down. We¡¯ll use one of the servant entrances.¡±


    Rudiger nodded slowly, still staring at Slay. ¡°What about the horses?¡±


    Don¡¯t worry about me, Borisin said. I¡¯ll get Druna here to safety. I¡¯ll see you...when I see you.


    Rudiger lowered Slay and patted Borisin¡¯s neck. Be careful, buddy.


    Always.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure there¡¯s anything we can do,¡± Gabby said.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Borisin¡¯ll see to things.¡±


    Gabby nodded. ¡°Come on!¡±


    Rudiger unstrapped Slay¡¯s sheath from Gabby¡¯s horse, then hurried after her. The two horses took off. The letters on the sword were dimming as he slid it into its sheath. A mystery for another day. Right now, he needed to follow Gabby and¡­


    No. He stopped as Gabby held the door open.


    ¡°Coming?¡± she asked.


    He shook his head and pulled Slay back out of its sheath. ¡°You find them. I¡¯ve got the only thing here that is any defence against that dragon. I might be able to save a few lives.¡±


    Gabby paused only a moment before nodding. ¡°You¡¯re right. Be careful.¡± She closed the door.


    Rudiger took a moment to breathe deeply. Then he took off in search of anyone still alive.

 Book 2, Chapter 55: Flight (Part 1)

    The panic room was larger than Quilla had expected, though she should have realised. This was the Royal Palace, after all. They didn¡¯t do anything small here. Compared to other parts of the Palace, though, it was small.


    The room was split up into several smaller parts, almost rooms themselves, only the lack of doors between them making them all part of one big room. There was the main section which was furnished with several chairs and a dining table. Further back was a kitchen area and past that was the storage area. At the very back was the sleeping area with half a dozen double bunks. Off to the side, across from the storage area was a lavatory area with only a curtain for privacy.


    Hang and one of the Kingsguard¡ªGreminy if Quilla remembered his name right¡ªstood by the main door. The other two Kingsguard stood by the kitchen. The Queen and Annai sat beside each other at the table, sobbing into one another¡¯s arms. Pastrin and Ned sat side by side in two of the chairs along the wall. Pastrin was slumped over, his head in Ned¡¯s lap. Quilla, herself, sat near those two.


    They had all spoken almost nothing since arriving what seemed like hours ago. Quilla was sure it hadn¡¯t actually been that long, but it might as well have been. They weren¡¯t likely to be leaving here any time soon.


    A short while earlier, the sounds of crashes had come from above. It had been like the Palace had been collapsing on top of them. Maybe it had. Quilla had been certain there had been screams mixed in with the crashes as well.


    How many people were dying while they hid away here?


    They should have killed Lidda Plavin a week ago. To hell with rules and bureaucracy. Sometimes, faster action was needed, and this had been one of those times. The decision to wait had cost so many lives.


    Including the King¡¯s.


    The sight of his burnt corpse was etched in Quilla¡¯s mind. Watching him blister and burn away had been almost as bad as watching Tianna and all those horses die under the dragon¡¯s flames. She had always found him a kind man, and she would miss him. She even felt a little bad for the Queen.


    With the King dead, Cerus was the new king. But Cerus wasn¡¯t here. Quilla wasn¡¯t sure who would be in charge here until Cerus returned, but she suspected the Queen would maintain control once she¡¯d gotten over her initial shock. Whether that would be a good or bad thing remained to be seen.


    Of course, they had to survive first, and that didn¡¯t seem very likely.


    Hours or minutes later¡ªor more likely somewhere in between¡ªthere was a knock at the door. The Kingsguard sprang to attention.


    Hang held up his hand while the other three gripped the hilts of their sword. ¡°Identify yourself.¡±


    ¡°Princess Gabriella.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Hang retrieved a key from his belt.


    The other three did not remove their hands from their sword hilts.


    Hang nodded to Greminy, then unlocked and opened the door. Gabriella stood there.


    The Kingsguard all relaxed.


    Gabriella stepped into the room and looked around.


    Pastrin sat up, then hopped to his feet. ¡°Gabby, what¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Annai said, wiping away her tears. ¡°Is that horrid woman dead?¡±


    Gabby held up her hand. ¡°One moment. Sergeant Merrin, report.¡±


    ¡°Not much to report, your Highness. We came straight here. No casualties or injuries.¡±


    ¡°I thought I told you to get them off Palace grounds.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your Highness. The Queen wanted to come here, and with the dragon flying above, I deemed this the safer option.¡±


    Gabby glanced at the Queen with a frown. ¡°I see.¡±


    The Queen dabbed at her eyes with handkerchief. ¡°Now, Gabriella, will you tell us what is happening upstairs?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not good,¡± Gabby said. ¡°Not good at all. Lidda Plavin is riding the dragon and together, they¡¯re burning the Palace and the grounds. You shouldn¡¯t have come here. You should have done as I said and got the hell off Palace grounds. You would have stood a better chance.¡±


    ¡°Orders now, your Highness?¡± Hang asked.


    ¡°We get the hell out of here.¡±


    ¡°But surely if we go out there, the dragon will burn us, too,¡± Annai said.


    ¡°Would you rather be buried under the rubble of the Palace?¡± Gabby said. ¡°We might survive a few days if we¡¯re lucky, but they won¡¯t be comfortable days. This room was designed for hiding from human invaders, not dragons.¡±


    ¡°Going outside doesn¡¯t seem a very good option either,¡± Pastrin said.


    Gabby shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re right, it isn¡¯t, but if we leave, we have a chance. Rudiger¡¯s sword seems to have an ability to protect against the dragon¡¯s fire. If we can get back to him¡­¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    The Queen stood up. ¡°Agreed. We will leave here and head to Lord Fonivan. Is Thilin with him?¡±


    Gabby stiffened. ¡°Thilin? No, he¡¯s...to tell the truth, I¡¯m not entirely certain where Thilin is. I think he was on the roof with the archers when the dragon breathed on them.¡±


    The Queen fell back into her seat with a wail. Another wail escaped Annai¡¯s lips.


    ¡°I¡¯m...sorry.¡± Gabby¡¯s face scrunched, and she sniffled.


    Quilla put a hand to her face. Gods, Thilin too? He was so young.


    Gabby straightened up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your Majesty, but we have to leave now. I loved Thilin, too. And Father. But the building could come down on us at any moment. We must leave.¡±


    The Queen nodded slowly.


    Gabby motioned to Ned. ¡°Ned? Your help please.¡±


    Ned jumped to his feet. ¡°Of course, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Gather swords for everyone. There should be some in storage. Pastrin, help him.¡±


    Ned nodded and hurried to the storage area. Pastrin followed.


    ¡°Quilla, how are you doing?¡±


    Terrible. Scared to death. Expecting to die any moment. Those would have all been true responses, but they wouldn¡¯t do any good. Quilla stood up and took a deep breath. ¡°Fine. Ready to go.¡±


    Ned and Pastrin returned a moment later. Ned hugged several sheathed swords against his chest, while Pastrin carried several sword belts. They handed swords and belts to the Queen and Annai.


    Ned brought a sword to Quilla. ¡°Ever use a sword before?¡±


    Quilla shook her head. ¡°Afraid not.¡±


    ¡°Not to worry,¡± Ned said. ¡°I figured that was the case, so I brought you the lightest one.¡±


    Pastrin handed her a belt.


    ¡°Put the belt on,¡± Ned said, ¡°and I¡¯ll show you how to attach the sheath.¡±


    Quilla started to strap on the belt.


    Annai finished attaching her sword to her belt. ¡°What good will swords be against that dragon?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll be useless,¡± Gabby said. ¡°But we might be facing other things as well. Lama?n and those renegade guards are still out there, too. We all need to be ready to fight for our lives.¡±


    Quilla got her belt on. Ned then attached the sheathed sword. ¡°There. Hopefully, you won¡¯t need it. If you do, the trick is to shove the pointy end into your opponent.¡± He gave her a weak smile.


    ¡°Right!¡± Gabby said. ¡°Hang and I will lead. Ned, Pastrin, you two come next. Then your Majesty, Annai, Quilla, the three of you. The remaining Kingsguard will bring up the rear. Ready? Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Hang opened the door, and they headed through the wine cellar and up the stairs.


    There was smoke in the air of the lower floor of the Palace. Luckily, it didn¡¯t take long to reach one of the servant exits. Quilla was coughing and retching heavily by the time they got there. Thankfully, there were no dead bodies lying about like she had half expected to see. If there had been, she suspected she would be doing worse than coughing.


    Hang opened the door a crack and peered out. ¡°Looks clear.¡± He opened the door all the way.


    The cold fresh air was a huge relief, and Quilla breathed deeply of it as soon as she stepped outside. Then she breathed in smoke once more and coughed again.


    Annai gasped.


    The east wing of the Palace was on fire, and the west wing they had just come out of was ablaze on the upper floors. Worse, the grounds around them were scorched. The gardens were gone. Only a few burning husks of trees remained here and there on the grounds.


    ¡°I admit,¡± Gabby said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure the best route to take from here.¡±


    ¡°North gate?¡± Hang said. ¡°Not much out there, but it¡¯s closest.¡±


    ¡°Before I came to find you, the dragon attacked the north gate. I don¡¯t know if it exists anymore.¡±


    Hang pointed to the southwest. ¡°Looks like there¡¯s still woods standing over in that direction. We can head west and then south. Hopefully, we can stay under cover long enough to reach the west wall. From there, hopefully we can make our way to the south gate. Any idea where Rudiger is?¡±


    Gabby shook her head. ¡°No idea. He said he was going to keep people alive.¡±


    ¡°Then my recommendation is what I just said, your Highness.¡±


    Gabby nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll do it.¡± She turned to everyone else. ¡°Keep low and near cover if you can, but don¡¯t stray too far. We¡¯ll try to move fast, but whatever you do, don¡¯t draw attention to yourselves. If we find any other survivors along the way, avoid making too much noise, and encourage them to stay quiet too. Right, let¡¯s go.¡±


    They made their way west, keeping to the edge of the road. The servant building was still intact, as were the kennels and stables past that. Beyond those, the government buildings were on fire.


    The streets were littered with the scorched bodies Quilla had feared seeing in the Palace. Not just people. Horses and dogs too. Annai was the first to retch and vomit. Pastrin and Quilla soon joined her.


    The sun kept passing behind the clouds. Every time it did, Quilla shivered and looked up, constantly afraid it was the shadow of the dragon flying over them.


    But there was no sign of the dragon.


    There was no sign of anything living. No survivors. No Rudiger.


    They turned north, past some surviving gardens, then to the open grounds. The woods Hang had pointed out earlier were just up ahead, up the hill. They hurried forward.

 Book 2, Chapter 55: Flight (Part 2)

    Several shapes came out of the woods. Men in armour. Palace guards. Lama?n stood at their front, no longer wearing the armour he had been wearing earlier.


    ¡°People are so predictable,¡± he said. ¡°Leave an area untouched and they don¡¯t question it. They head straight for it.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Hang yelled. ¡°Your Highnesses! Run!¡± He drew his sword and launched himself forward. He didn¡¯t make it far before he flew back through the air and landed in the muddy snow.


    Lama?n swept his arm again.


    Gabby drew her sword, as did the remaining Kingsguard.


    Quilla fumbled for her own sword, not really sure what she would do with it, but she could try.


    A shadow fell over them. This time, it wasn¡¯t the sun going behind the clouds.


    The dragon roared as it thudded to the ground behind them. Its warm, smelly breath blew over Quilla, the creature was that close.


    Annai screamed.


    The dragon took a single step towards them and extended its neck forward.


    Two of the Kingsguard rushed at it, but it flicked its head to the side, knocking one over and impaling the other on one of its teeth. It pulled back and shook its head several times until the Kingsguard¡¯s body fell off.


    Gabby three her sword down. ¡°All right, Lama?n, we surrender.¡±


    Lama?n backed away with his guards. ¡°Thank you, your Highness, but that¡¯s not actually an option. We can¡¯t really leave any Royal survivors, can we?¡±


    The dragon repositioned itself so it was looking directly at them, but angled in such a way as to avoid lining up with Lama?n and his men.


    Oh gods. It was going to breathe on them


    Quilla ran in front of the Queen and Annai. ¡°No! I¡¯m the Catalyst! You can¡¯t kill me. You need me. Pastrin, Ned, Gabby, everyone get behind me.¡±


    The dragon extended its head towards Quilla until it almost touched her. Each of its nostrils was half her size. Its hot breath poured over her.


    Quilla was glad she didn¡¯t have anything left in her to vomit, as her stomach heaved. She tried to breathe calmly, slowly, but her breathing just increased its pace. Death had never seemed so close.


    The dragon¡¯s head rose above her head. The bottom of its jaw almost brushed her forehead. She followed it with her eyes, then glanced behind her.


    The others all had their swords drawn. Gabby, Pastrin, and Ned all faced the other direction, watching Lama?n and his guards approaching closer. Annai and the Queen watched the dragon as its neck extended farther forward.


    Shit! It was just going to reach over her and pick off the others. She hadn¡¯t even thought of that.


    A yell came from somewhere to Quilla¡¯s right.


    The dragon¡¯s head whipped round with a snarl.


    A very large horse and rider were galloping towards them, the rider holding his sword aloft.


    The dragon reared its neck and head back, and opened its jaws.


    ¡°Rudiger, look out!¡± Quilla yelled.


    Flames shot down, engulfing Rudiger and Borisin, and melting the snow beneath them. But as Quilla watched, it became apparent the fire was deflecting around Rudiger and Borisin as they charged forward. It was like it was hitting an invisible shield surrounding them.


    The dragon stopped breathing as they got closer. Borisin made a hard turn to the right just before colliding with the dragon. Rudiger swung wide, his sword slicing across the dragon¡¯s rear leg.


    With a roar, the dragon reared aside. Compared to the size of the dragon, it was a small cut, but the dragon screamed anyway. It spun round, its tail swinging perilously close to Quilla and the others.


    Lidda Plavin clung to the back of the dragon¡¯s neck. ¡°Kill them! Get me that sword!¡±


    Oh, for a crossbow, Quilla thought.


    ¡°Look out!¡± Annai cried.


    Quilla spun round.


    Lama?n¡¯s guards had rushed forward, and were clashing with Gabby, Ned, and the Kingsguard. Pastrin stood nearby, his sword wavering in front of him.


    From behind, Borisin screeched. Quilla glanced back to see the horse lying on his side farther down the slope. Rudiger lay on the ground, directly beneath the dragon¡¯s leering head.


    Quilla drew her sword. Or tried. It took three attempts to get it out, but it came free finally.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± Annai muttered.


    Quilla spun round again.


    Annai was pulling off several layers of skirts. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there! You do it, too! You can¡¯t fight in these skirts. Not in the snow!¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Annai was right. Quilla began pulling at her skirts.


    Gabby blocked a blow from one of the guards. She then swung round to the side and stabbed the next guard over.


    Quilla got herself down to just two layers of skirts and tossed the others aside. She could move more easily now, but had to be careful of the fabric on the ground from her, Annai, and the Queen. She held her sword out in front of her. The weight started to hurt her wrist almost immediately.


    Behind her, the dragon screamed again.


    In front of her, Ned stumbled and fell on his back. One of the Darker guards rushed at Annai, who tried to block with her sword. She succeeded, but her sword fell from her grasp.


    The Darker raised his sword at Annai. Quilla tried to push forward, but Hang slammed into the Darker from the side, knocking them both to the ground. They rolled about in the mud.


    Only one other Darker guard remained and Gabby was fighting him. The two other Kingsguard lay on the ground. Quilla couldn¡¯t tell if they were dead or alive. Pastrin was helping Ned to his feet.


    And there was Lama?n, standing well back.


    She could rush him. He was unarmed. Of course, he¡¯d swat her aside with that power of his, or he¡¯d age her to death with that other power. It didn¡¯t matter. She had to try.


    Annai stumbled against Quilla, apparently trying to avoid Hang and the Darker still rolling around on the ground. Annai stabbed down at the guard, but missed.


    A force hit Quilla, just like the one that had hit her in the throne room. She flew backwards, hit her head on the soft ground. She groaned. Her vision swam, but it cleared quickly. She sat up. She¡¯d lost her sword somewhere. There it was. Several feet away.


    Annai and the Queen had been thrown back as well, to either side of Quilla. Annai was getting to her feet, but the Queen was groaning on the ground.


    Lama?n stomped through the snow up to the Queen. Annai ran at him, but flew backwards again. Lama?n swiped his arm. ¡°You really do like to do this the hard way, don¡¯t you?¡±


    The Queen grabbed his leg. ¡°You will pay for what you¡¯ve done here.¡± She tried to pull him over.


    Lama?n stood fast and looked down at her. The Queen gasped. The skin on her face smoothed out. Her fingers gripping his legs lost their wrinkles and straightened out. They shortened. As her hands got smaller, they lost their grip on Lama?n¡¯s leg. The Queen¡¯s body shrunk as she got younger and younger, until there was just a squalling baby lying in a pile of clothes in the snow.


    ¡°Mother!¡± Annai screamed.


    Lama?n twirled his finger in a small circle. ¡°Go back.¡± He lifted his foot and brought it down on the baby Queen¡¯s neck. The baby¡¯s cries stopped.


    Annai fell to her knees. ¡°No!¡±


    Lama?n looked directly at Quilla. He looked older¡ªnot old exactly, but the age he used to look before he¡¯d de-aged when he¡¯d killed DeSelo?n. He was also panting heavily.


    Oh gods. He was a wizard. Quilla didn¡¯t know what kind, but he was exerting himself and tiring out just like a wizard would. And if he made contact with her¡­


    He started towards her.


    ¡°He¡¯s tiring! But if he touches me, he¡¯ll gain power from me!¡±


    Gabby stabbed the guard she was fighting and ran for Lama?n. She stumbled backwards suddenly, but wasn¡¯t thrown back like before. She pushed forward as Lama?n swiped his arm.


    Hang grabbed Lama?n¡¯s foot and yanked him over. He fell face first into the mud. Hang cried out as the other Darker he was fighting rammed a dagger into his side.


    Pastrin and Ned rushed forward, but they were a ways back and Ned was limping.


    Quilla ran out to the side of Lama?n, trying to get round him to help Hang.


    Gabby leapt on top of Lama?n. She rammed her hands down at the back of his head, but he vanished and she fell over. ¡°Fuck!¡±


    With Lama?n gone, Quilla ran straight for Hang and his assailant. She kicked at the Darker¡¯s side, but his armour cushioned her blows. Hang kicked at his face and was a little more successful. The Darker let go of him, and Hang scrambled aside.


    Gabby stomped over and rammed her sword through the Darker¡¯s helmet. He went still.


    The dragon screeched and a wave of air rushed over them. It had spread and beat its wings. Rudiger was standing again, his sword raised, trying to fend the beast off.


    ¡°Get out of here!¡± he cried at them.


    ¡°We can¡¯t just leave him,¡± Ned said.


    Gabby lowered her head. ¡°We can¡¯t help him either. Too many have died today.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯ll be adding his death to that total if we go.¡± Ned reached down and took Hang¡¯s hand, helping him up.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t, we¡¯ll be adding his and ours.¡± Gabby sheathed her sword. ¡°Quilla, help Annai. Let¡¯s move while they¡¯re distracted by the sword.¡±


    Quilla hurried over to Annai, who was sobbing by her mother¡¯s gown. ¡°Annai, come on.¡±


    ¡°But Mother.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Quilla held out her hand. ¡°We¡¯ll mourn her soon. Please come with us.¡±


    Annai looked up at Quilla, her face a smudge of tears and make-up. ¡°Both Mother and Father.¡±


    Quilla kept her hand out. ¡°I know. Please, Rudiger can only hold the dragon off so long.¡±


    Annai took her hand, and Quilla helped her to her feet.


    ¡°And Thilin,¡± Annai muttered as Quilla led her away. ¡°Tianna. Zandrue. Sinit?a. All gone.¡±


    Quilla put an arm around her and directed her into the woods after Gabby, Pastrin, Ned, and Hang. She looked back at Rudiger for a moment.


    The dragon¡¯s claw swatted Rudiger aside. He fell on his back many feet down the hill. The dragon moved round, blocking Quilla¡¯s view.


    ¡°He¡¯s a good man,¡± Annai said.


    Quilla nodded. ¡°Yes, he is. Sorry, Rudiger.¡± She held back the tears, and they turned back towards the woods.

 Book 2, Chapter 56: Break Free

    ¡°I have the things you asked me for.¡±


    ¡°I asked you for things?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yesterday.¡±


    ¡°What things?¡±


    Siba pressed herself closer against the bars, her voice a dull whisper. ¡°The prayer beads.¡±


    Felit?a took a step back. ¡°Oh, right.¡± She paused. ¡°Why did I ask for those?¡±


    ¡°You said they¡¯d help you concentrate.¡±


    ¡°Right, of course. Makes sense. How¡¯d you get them here? I thought you said they search you whenever you come here.¡±


    ¡°They do. I took a chance because you were so insistent, and I got lucky.¡±


    That seemed odd. Felit?a wasn¡¯t sure she believed that. Then again, she wasn¡¯t sure believed anything these days. For all she knew, she was hallucinating Siba. An imaginary Siba could certainly sneak prayer beads past the guards since the prayer beads would be imaginary, too.


    She had a penchant for thinking the obvious these days.


    Siba pulled the beads out from the folds of her gown and held them to the bars, covering them from the guards¡¯ view with her other hand.


    Felit?a stared at them. A necklace of one hundred eight small beads of varying shades of purple, plus a large, pale magenta bead with a white, silk tassel attached to it. Exactly as she remembered. Though she had never spent a lot of time looking at them, so her memory was certainly not perfect. Could they be fakes? She reached out and took the beads, clutched them to her.


    Siba smiled and stepped back from the bars.


    ¡°Where did you hide them?¡± Felit?a asked.


    Siba put a finger to her lips and nodded her head ever so slightly in the direction of the jailer and guards. ¡°I¡¯d better get going. I¡¯ll be back tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Right, of course. Thank you for coming, and thank you for...you know.¡± Felit?a didn¡¯t bother watching Siba go. She just turned away from the bars and returned to her hard seat. Siba was gone by the time she looked back.


    Alone again.


    Siba and the guards were the only real people she saw these days¡ªand she could never be sure they were real either.


    But the hard, lumpy beads still pressed against the skin of her clenched hands. That pointed to Siba¡¯s visit just now being real. She opened her hands and looked down. The necklace was all clumped up, but it was still there.


    One thing she¡¯d discovered over the last couple days that she could mostly rely on was, consistency indicated realness. Hallucinations might change in some way that didn¡¯t make sense, sometimes subtly, other times more obviously. It was a lot like dreaming, where weird things could happen, but she might not notice they were weird right away. She had to concentrate on something to notice the weirdness.


    The beads were behaving consistently. She could feel them every moment they sat in her hands. Their appearance never changed, apart from the occasional slight sparkle when one or more of the beads caught the dim torchlight from the hallway.


    They seemed real.


    Except for the oddness of Siba managing to smuggle them in here. Everything Siba had told Felit?a about the searches she was subjected to in order to come here made it sound extremely unlikely she would have been able to hide a whole necklace of beads.


    Maybe the people doing the searches were getting lazier over time. Siba had passed enough searches that her searchers assumed she would always pass. That was possible.


    Or maybe Siba really had just been lucky.


    It didn¡¯t matter right now. If the beads were real, maybe they could help Felit?a focus.


    They were her last hope.


    She spread out the necklace in her lap and adjusted the positions of the beads so there was a single gap between the large one and the smaller one on one side of it, and no gap between any other beads. She then took hold of it with one hand again, keeping her hand in her lap and folding her outer skirt over it so, if the jailer or a guard passed by the door, the necklace would not be obvious.


    Then she closed her eyes and meditated. She didn¡¯t bother bringing up the Room. For now, she focused on meditation and concentration exercises like Elderaan had originally taught her.


    As she went through each part of the meditation, she slid a bead over. Images flitted through her head. Each time, she ignored them, went on with the meditation, and slid another bead over the gap. In time, she made it all the way round the necklace and back to the larger bead. And she kept going.


    It was hard to say if the beads were making any real difference, or she was just naturally in a better place at the moment. Either way, she maintained her focus. It didn¡¯t waver in what must have been a half hour. Maybe an hour? Whatever it was, it was longer than she¡¯d managed in however long she¡¯d been locked up here.


    ¡°What are you smiling at?¡±


    Felit?a opened her eyes a crack.


    The jailer was standing outside the door, hands clutching the bars. ¡°Well?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just in a good mood, I guess.¡±


    He barked a laugh. ¡°Like there¡¯s anything for you to be in a good mood about.¡±


    ¡°We all have to make do with what we¡¯ve got.¡±


    He barked another laugh and wandered off.


    Felit?a allowed herself another smile, then closed her eyes again.


    It was time to try the Room again.


    She hadn¡¯t brought up the Room in days now¡ªat least, she was fairly certain it had been days¡ªnot since she¡¯d discovered those tiny indicators of mentalism magic along the grey walls. She hadn¡¯t dared. The pain had been¡­ She couldn¡¯t describe it. Not adequately. The pain had been intense. Very intense. But that didn¡¯t even begin to describe it.


    It had knocked her out. That had been the only good thing about it. It meant she actually slept for a little while. She had no idea how long. A few minutes? An hour? More? Whatever the case, it had been something. It had almost made the pain worth it.


    She wasn¡¯t going through it again this time, as tempting as the certainty of a bit of sleep was.


    The Room sprang up without resistance, which was a good sign. The tiny points along the grey walls¡ªeach indicating a mentalism effect¡ªwere plainly visible. They practically glowed this time.


    She ignored them.


    She wanted to see if the presence was back.


    She identified the jailer¡¯s presence, as well as two other presences she didn¡¯t recognise. Probably guards. One could be another prisoner, though she didn¡¯t recall any other prisoners at the moment. In her current state, though, it was entirely possible she simply hadn¡¯t noticed.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    The important thing was these other presences were not the same person she had briefly detected last time¡ªthe one that had taken off as soon as she¡¯d found it. If that presence was back, whoever it was would be more careful this time. They¡¯d be better hidden. As such, Felit?a didn¡¯t expect what she¡¯d done last time to work again, but it was worth a try.


    She drew everything in the Room together into a single point, and looked at it all at once.


    Nothing new presented itself. The presence from before wasn¡¯t there.


    While it wasn¡¯t surprising, it was disappointing.


    She spread the Room back out again, and began to look around. She needed to come up with another method to prod the other presence out.


    That was assuming it was even here right now.


    It was unlikely whoever it was would be in her head all the time. There was every chance the presence wasn¡¯t here right now. But she had to try. If she did it often enough, eventually one of those tries would overlap a time the presence was here. She just had to make certain she found it when it was.


    She made it sound so easy.


    Zandrue was looking better. Her wounds from before were healing nicely.


    But good gods! Rudiger was a mess. There were scrapes and bruises all over his legs and arms, and several larger bruises on his chest and back. Two long gashes ran down his right leg, and Felit?a got the impression the leg was broken, though she couldn¡¯t say for sure why she thought that. Rudiger continued to stand straight and tall in the queue.


    Borisin wasn¡¯t in good shape either. There was a puncture wound in his side, almost as big as Felit?a¡¯s fist. Whatever had made it had missed any vital organs, but it was still a horrible wound. The horse had numerous other scrapes and cuts as well.


    Just what had those two gotten themselves into?


    Felit?a quickly scanned the rest of the queue. Nin-Akna looked exhausted, but otherwise everyone else looked reasonably fine.


    It also didn¡¯t look like the invading presence was anywhere in the line-up. Not that she¡¯d expected to find it there again.


    She tried again to think about where she might hide, or how she might try to avoid detection. She would know that the other person could recognise her presence now, so she would try to find a way to deal with that.


    By disguising her presence to look like a different one!


    She focused her attention on the additional presences in the Room¡ªthe ones that might have just been guards or prisoners. But maybe it wasn¡¯t one of those options. What if the person attacking her mind had just decided to hide in plain sight?


    Who are you? she asked one of them.


    The presence didn¡¯t respond.


    She reached out and grabbed the presence.


    She hadn¡¯t actually realised she could do that. After all, presences didn¡¯t have forms to grab. And she didn¡¯t have a form to grab with. Still, it seemed to work.


    Who are you?


    It still didn¡¯t respond. Maybe it actually was what it seemed¡ªjust the presence of someone in her vicinity, another guard or prisoner. It always felt like nothing was as it seemed these days, but she knew that wasn¡¯t literally true. There were real things.


    A few of them.


    She tried shaking the presence. In truth, it was more her imagining shaking it. As such, nothing noticeable happened.


    Who are you?


    She let go of the presence and grabbed the other one, trying out the same routine with it. Nothing happened.


    Who are you? she yelled at both the presences. She then yelled the same thing at the jailer¡¯s presence, just in case. There was no reply.


    Gods, what was the point? Even if any of these presences were the invader, the individual wasn¡¯t likely to respond. They¡¯d just remain silent and observing.


    She folded away the Room, opened her eyes and threw the prayer beads at the wall. They clattered against it and fell to the floor. It was less dramatic than she would have liked. The necklace didn¡¯t break open, and send the beads scattering about the cell. It just landed on the floor and sat there, the beads glowing gently.


    Felit?a sighed. She wished she had something else to throw. Something that would make more noise, or shatter satisfyingly.


    Wait, they were glowing?


    It was probably just another hallucination. Amethysts didn¡¯t glow like that. Not normal ones, at any rate.


    No, it was just her gods-damned head inventing another gods-damned hallucination because she couldn¡¯t fucking sleep!


    She was useless. Utterly useless! She couldn¡¯t do anything other than sit here in this damn cell, waiting for Danel Belone to finally find time to kill her. Or maybe he was just waiting for her body to die from exhaustion so he could deny killing her to her father. That was probably the case.


    What had happened to the feared Will-Breaker? What had happened to all the things she was supposed to do that frightened her enemies so? No, she was destined to die in this cell, put here by a brat of a child. No one was even likely to know.


    She stood up and kicked the prayer beads. The necklace flew right through the bars of her cell and landed on the floor in the hall.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± The jailer stormed up to her door, and looked down at the necklace. ¡°What the hell?¡± He bent over, and poked at the necklace, then picked it up. He held it out accusingly. ¡°What is this? Where did you get it?¡±


    Felit?a trembled. ¡°Do you...do you see it...glowing?¡±


    ¡°They told me you could use weird mind-affecting magic. Well, let me tell you, no glowing necklace is going to make me take my eyes off you, understand? I don¡¯t care what phantoms you conjure up.¡±


    Felit?a half closed her eyes, titled her head, and twitched her finger.


    The jailer collapsed.


    It worked! It actually worked!


    The jailer hit his head on the bars as he fell, and he groggily tried to shake off the sleep effect she¡¯d used on him.


    Felit?a rushed forward and took the necklace from him before he could fully recover. Then she backed away and put him to sleep again. This time, he slumped into a gentle sleep on the floor.


    She could barely believe it. Two spells in quick succession, and she hadn¡¯t cast a spell in...gods knew how long. Too long. How had she done it?


    No, it didn¡¯t matter right now. The important thing was, the jailer had seen the prayer beads glowing. It wasn¡¯t a hallucination! Not unless the jailer was a hallucination as well.


    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s going on here?¡± A guard arrived at the cell door, his hand reaching for his sword.


    Felit?a put him to sleep as well.


    Three times in a row! Somehow, despite her exhaustion, she had managed to focus herself to cast spells. Gods, this felt good.


    She held the necklace up. The beads were still glowing, but they were dimming.


    Fingers trembling, she fumbled at the clasp, undid it, then put the necklace around her neck. It took her several tries to close the clasp again, but once she¡¯d managed it, she walked back to the door again. She reached through the bars. The keys at the jailer¡¯s belt were just within reach.


    She had to fiddle quite a bit to get them free. She was still trembling. The jailer started to stir during that time, but she put him right back to sleep again.


    Four times!


    Keys in hand, she tried each one until she found the one that opened her cell.


    There was no reaction from anyone else. No other guard came running, and a quick glance in the other cells showed there were no other prisoners.


    She unfolded the Room in her head while she headed towards the exit. There was still an unaccounted for presence there, but it winked out almost immediately.


    Go ahead and run, she said. I¡¯m coming for you.

 Book 2, Chapter 57: Call to Arms (Part 1)

    Akna put her hands to her head and rubbed her temples, squinting against the glare of the sun on the snow. The noise was just too much, particularly all the people yelling, practically screaming as they called out wares or questioned vendors. It was worse than Dorg. She¡¯d been through Quorge¡¯s market numerous times before¡ªeven if she¡¯d never really stopped there¡ªand it had never been this bad that she could remember.


    ¡°YOU OKAY?¡± Corvin screamed at her.


    She winced and shook her head at how much it hurt her ears.


    ¡°ARE YOU HAVING A HALLUCINATION?¡±


    She winced again. ¡°Do you have to be so loud? I can hear you, you know?¡±


    He peered at her. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I said, do you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I heard what you said, but I didn¡¯t think I was being very loud.¡± He wasn¡¯t yelling anymore.


    Neither were the people in the market. There was still a lot of noise, but it was more like what she was used to. Her head still hurt, and there was a slight ringing in her ears, but that was the only indication that anything had been amiss.


    ¡°Honest,¡± Corvin said. ¡°I was just...I mean, you have to talk a little loud here, but¡­¡±


    Akna shook her head. ¡°No, that¡¯s okay. You weren¡¯t being too loud. I was just having another hallucination that everything was really loud. That¡¯s a new one. I haven¡¯t had one like that before.¡±


    Corvin¡¯s eyes widened and he smiled broadly. He looked about in each direction, and dashed around people, and behind and around the nearest merchants¡¯ carts. He returned to her a few seconds later. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything weird.¡±


    Akna patted him on the head. ¡°That¡¯s okay. It was probably just another normal one.¡± As if any hallucination could be considered normal.


    Corvin had been a little over-zealous in searching for a source to any hallucination she had. Not that she minded. She was grateful for it. But so far, there hadn¡¯t been anything for him to find. She hadn¡¯t had very many, and she had even slept a little better the last two nights. Corvin had been watching her for four days now, so maybe it was having a positive effect. Maybe whoever had been doing this to her couldn¡¯t get close enough with Corvin on guard. Maybe in a few more days, she¡¯d be sleeping normally again. That would be such a relief.


    Pedrin approached them, dragging a large, full burlap sack behind him. He pulled it right up to Akna and let go of it. ¡°Flour. Should do us for the next couple weeks. If we live that long.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re expecting me to carry it, aren¡¯t you?¡± Akna said.


    ¡°You¡¯re the strongest of us.¡± He had another bag over his shoulder, which he slid off and handed to Corvin. ¡°A dozen chickens.¡±


    Corvin leaned forward slightly as he took the bag. ¡°Hey, this is heavy.¡±


    Pedrin shrugged. ¡°Not as heavy as fifty pounds of flour.¡±


    Akna picked up the sack and groaned. ¡°This would be easier if you Arnorins wore less restricting clothing.¡± She was grateful for the clothes Ezmelda and the Council had given her, but they didn¡¯t fit properly and they weren¡¯t designed for unrestricted movement to begin with. She really wished she had her jerkin and skirt back.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Pedrin said. ¡°Not much I can do about that.¡±


    She sighed. ¡°I know. Corvinian and I will take this back to the Hall of Knowledge. Will you be okay getting the rest?¡±


    ¡°I hope so,¡± Pedrin said. ¡°I¡¯ve never bought for such a large group of people before. I¡¯m not really sure how much to get or how heavy it will be.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll come back and give you a hand after we drop these off. Come on, Corvin.¡± Akna slung the sack over her shoulders. Her arms were already hurting from the strain.


    They made it as far as the edge of the market when Akna stopped.


    ¡°Too heavy?¡± Corvin asked.


    She shook her head.


    A familiar figure stood a little farther down the street, two City Watchmen at his side. Akna wasn¡¯t sure she remembered his name. She¡¯d only met him that one time with Felit?a, and had nearly picked a fight with him. He had been a Watch commander then. Maybe he still was, given the Watchmen with him. But he was also now dressed in the pinkish mail of the Bloods.


    Akna turned around. ¡°We¡¯ll take a different route.¡±


    ¡°But this¡­¡± Corvin started to say. ¡°Oh. Yeah, okay.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    It had been foolish to come out of the Hall of Knowledge like this. She¡¯d known the risk, known how easily she could be recognised. Pretty much everyone except Corvin had been against it at first, but she¡¯d convinced Zandrue and Ezmelda that it was necessary.


    She had to give whoever was manipulating her mind a chance to get close to her¡ªa chance for Corvin to spot them. They weren¡¯t likely to come back into the Hall of Knowledge any time soon.


    She was wearing a hood and scarf to obscure the tattoos on her face, but she couldn¡¯t afford to take chances, especially with someone who had interacted with her in the past.


    They cut back through a corner of the market and exited by another street.


    ¡°It figures that guy would join the Bloods,¡± she said as they walked.


    ¡°You know him?¡± Corvin said.


    ¡°Unfortunately.¡±


    A horn blew in the distance. There were often odd sounds in this city, and this was far from the first time there had been a horn amongst them. However, this was louder and deeper than the ships¡¯ horns and bells heard from the docks.


    There was also the fact the market went quiet for a moment as people stopped their buying and selling to look in the direction of the sound.


    Akna put the wheat sack down. ¡°What was that?¡±


    After a few seconds, the general din of the market picked up again as people resumed what they were doing.


    ¡°It sounded like a warning horn,¡± Corvin said. ¡°Or a call to arms. The town guard in Mesone sometimes used them to call other guards from a distance.¡±


    Akna stared at the sack, not wanting to pick it up again. It had felt like more than fifty pounds. ¡°Makes sense. We use horns in Ninifin, too. I guess I¡¯m just a bit jumpy.¡±


    More rumbling came from the distance. Then another bang and another. Distant yells were next.


    The marketplace quietened again, and people looked nervously about once more.


    The yells in the distance weren¡¯t stopping.


    ¡°They¡¯re coming from the south,¡± Akna said. ¡°By the docks, I think.¡±


    Corvin looked to the south, but there was no way he would be able to see anything. ¡°Should we do something?¡±


    Akna shook her head. ¡°Too risky. We could be recognised.¡± Besides, she didn¡¯t have a spear with her, just her daggers. A spear would have been too noticeable.


    There were more rumbles and what might have been crashes.


    Was someone knocking over buildings? A disturbing thought.


    She heaved the sack over her shoulder again. ¡°Let¡¯s just get back to the Hall of Knowledge. Maybe we¡¯ll learn what happened later.¡±


    The yells, rumbles, and bangs only lasted a few more minutes. By the time they reached the Hall of Knowledge, the city had mostly returned to normal. The only difference was, everyone they passed was speculating what it might have been. A few people even asked Akna and Corvin whether they knew anything.


    Climbing the icy steps of the Hall of Knowledge with a fifty-pound (or more) bag of flour was not fun. It wasn¡¯t even easy to take breaks as they climbed. The steps were too narrow to easily sit the bag on them without it starting to slide down. Corvin did his best to help her hold the bag in place when they did stop, but the stops didn¡¯t provide much rest. Akna was drenched in sweat by the time they¡¯d made it a quarter of the way up.


    They¡¯d made it about halfway up when a winged figure¡ªan Isyar!¡ªlanded at the top of the steps. The Isyar was carrying someone else.


    Could they be Jorvan and Meleng?


    They looked like Jorvan and Meleng. No, they looked like Meleng and a different Isyar. But the Isyar didn¡¯t matter. All that mattered was Meleng.


    Akna nearly fell over, she was trembling so much. She did lose her grip on the sack and it fell. She paid it no mind. ¡°Do you see them, Corvin? Please tell me you see them.¡±


    ¡°I see them,¡± Corvin said.


    ¡°Meleng!¡± she called out. ¡°Meleng, is that you?¡±


    ¡°Akna?¡± came the call back.


    Akna wiped tears from her eyes. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me!¡±


    Jorvan, also carrying someone, landed by Meleng and the other Isyar. Then, two more Isyar landed as well. Jorvan had obviously succeeded in bringing others back with him, but she didn¡¯t care about that right now.


    She hurried up the steps.


    ¡°Um, Akna?¡± Corvin called. ¡°The wheat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it later.¡±


    ¡°It rolled down to the ground and split open.¡±


    ¡°It can be replaced.¡±


    She slipped once as she climbed, cracked her chin against the steps. She probably shouldn¡¯t have been going so fast, but she didn¡¯t care. She scrambled to her feet again.


    ¡°Careful!¡± Meleng called down.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay!¡± She tasted blood, but that was fine. She¡¯d heal.


    Meleng grabbed her hand as she nearly fell again at the very top. ¡°You really should be careful on those steps. They¡¯re¡­ Are you all right?¡±


    Akna threw her arms around him. ¡°You¡¯re here. Thank the gods you¡¯re finally here.¡± She buried her head in his shoulder, her body shaking, and began to cry. First, gentle sobs, then full out wails.


    Meleng held her close the entire time.

 Book 2, Chapter 57: Call to Arms (Part 2)

    Akna opened her eyes.


    She was lying on her bed in her room in the Hall of Knowledge, wearing just her shift. Corvin sat on his bed across from her.


    She¡¯d been sleeping! She¡¯d actually cried herself to sleep.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Corvin asked.


    Akna sat up and rubbed her aching chin. ¡°I¡¯ll be okay.¡± Her shoulders, arms, and legs ached as well. Pretty much all of her ached. ¡°Where¡¯s Meleng? He was real, wasn¡¯t he?¡±


    Corvin nodded. ¡°He¡¯s been watching over you with me, but he had to talk to Zandrue and Ezmelda. He said he¡¯d be back soon with some tea. Were you upset to see him?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. I was happy.¡±


    ¡°But you cried so much. I¡¯ve never seen you cry like that before. Not that much.¡±


    Akna looked away from him. ¡°Yeah, that was...that was kind of embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be embarrassed.¡±


    She continued to avoid eye contact with him. ¡°It was just...months of pent-up frustrations. Months of not being able to sleep. A lot of things, I guess.¡±


    ¡°You finally slept!¡±


    She looked at him finally, and smiled. ¡°Yeah, I did. How long?¡±


    ¡°About four hours.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°Feviona got the wheat by the way, so you don¡¯t have to worry. She said it didn¡¯t lose much. Well, Jorvan said she said that. She doesn¡¯t actually speak; she uses her hands. Meleng said she¡¯s...mute? I think that¡¯s the word he used.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Akna asked.


    Corvin grinned. ¡°Feviona, short for something really long that I can¡¯t remember. She¡¯s Jorvan¡¯s...girlfriend or something. She¡¯s also sort of Meleng and Sinit?a¡¯s girlfriend, too. Or something. I don¡¯t really get it. Anyway, Feviona¡¯s one of the Isyar. There are two others as well. I¡¯ll introduce you to them if you want.¡±


    Akna nodded slowly. ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°And Princess Sinit?a is here, too! Another princess! Isn¡¯t that awesome?¡±


    Akna smiled. It figured Sinit?a got to go with Meleng. Oh well. It would be good to see the young princess again. Sinit?a had a kind of infectious optimism and happiness to her, which Akna could do with at the moment. ¡°Give me a couple minutes to get dressed, and you can introduce me to the Isyar.¡±


    ¡°And Princess Sinit?a!¡±


    ¡°Sure, her too, though we¡¯ve already met.¡±


    Corvin frowned. ¡°Oh right. You met on Scovese, didn¡¯t you?¡± He turned his head away as she pulled her shift off.


    ¡°Yes, we did.¡±


    Once she¡¯d dressed, she took Corvin¡¯s hand and they headed out.


    ¡°They¡¯re probably in the Council Chamber,¡± Corvin said.


    They met Meleng along the way. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re up!¡± He held up two mugs of steaming tea. ¡°I...um...I only brought two.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Corvin said. ¡°Akna can have mine.¡±


    Akna took one of the mugs. She was parched and cold. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°How are you doing?¡± Meleng asked.


    ¡°Better now. I¡¯m sorry about...you know...all the crying.¡± She forced herself to not look away from him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be sorry,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯m your friend.¡±


    Akna nodded. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again. I¡¯ve missed you.¡±


    ¡°Same here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m taking her to see the Isyar,¡± Corvin said.


    ¡°Sounds like Jorvan brought a collection,¡± Akna said.


    ¡°His whole family,¡± Corvin said.


    Meleng gave a small shrug. ¡°Not exactly, but close. Come on. They¡¯re eager to meet you.¡±


    Akna downed the hot tea in one, long gulp. It scorched her tongue a bit, but it felt good. She handed the mug back to Meleng. ¡°Then let¡¯s go see them.¡±


    They were in the Council Chamber as Corvin had predicted, surrounded by gawking wizards. Zandrue was seated off to the side, chatting with Jorvan. The two stood up as Akna entered.


    Akna approached them and started to spread her arms, but stopped. She didn¡¯t really know Jorvan very well; they hadn¡¯t had much time around one another before they¡¯d gone their separate ways. Was hugging appropriate? She wasn¡¯t even sure it would be appropriate with Arnorins, never mind Isyar.


    Jorvan answered the unspoken question by spreading his own arms. They hugged.


    ¡°It is good to see you again, Nin-Akna,¡± Jorvan said.


    ¡°And you.¡± She gave Zandrue a quick hug as well.


    ¡°Feeling better?¡± Zandrue asked.


    Akna nodded. ¡°A little.¡±


    Jorvan called the other Isyar over. He indicated the first to approach. ¡°This is Mikranasta.¡±


    The Isyar was several inches taller than Jorvan, almost as tall as Akna. She had thin, grey eyes on a face just starting to show age lines. Like Jorvan, she was completely bald and wore only a thin, pale robe open at the back for her wings. She held up her right hand, palm out. Some sort of greeting?


    Akna held up her own right hand.


    Zandrue leaned forward and whispered, ¡°Other hand, and touch your palm to hers.¡±


    Akna switched hands and touched her left palm to the Isyar¡¯s. ¡°I am honoured to meet you.¡±


    Jorvan spoke something in another language, then said to Akna, ¡°Mikranasta and the others do not yet know Arnorgue, so I must translate for them.¡±


    ¡°I learn soon,¡± Mikranasta said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a very clumsy language,¡± Akna said, ¡°but it works all right, I guess.¡±


    Mikranasta smiled slightly after Jorvan translated for her.


    The next Isyar was a little shorter and a littler broader than Jorvan, but otherwise very similar. They had the same pale grey eyes and narrow face.


    ¡°This is Hedromornasta, Mikranasta¡¯s siare,¡± Jorvan said.


    ¡°Siare?¡± Akna asked after they had gone through the same greeting as before.


    Zandrue leaned over again. ¡°Isyar have weird ideas about family. He¡¯s Jorvan¡¯s brother.¡±


    ¡°And Mikranasta¡¯s his mother, then?¡±


    Zandrue nodded.


    ¡°And finally,¡± Jorvan said, ¡°this is my fomase, Fevionawishtensen.¡±


    The final Isyar was the shortest of them all, but somewhat muscular and dressed in the skin-tight uniform Akna had seen Isyar warriors on Scovese wearing. She and Akna had barely finished the greeting ritual when Mikranasta began speaking rapidly in the Isyar language.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°With your permission,¡± Jorvan said, ¡°Mikranasta would like to examine your mind. The others have told us of your condition, and she should be able to find the interference.¡±


    ¡°She can do that?¡±


    ¡°She can,¡± Jorvan said.


    Of course she could. That was a stupid question. Jorvan had said he was bringing back one of the most powerful mentalists in Isyaria¡ªwhich also meant she was one of the most powerful in the world.


    Akna¡¯s heart started beating faster. ¡°Of course.¡±


    Mikranasta motioned to a nearby chair, and Akna sat. The Isyar stood over her and placed her hands on either side of Akna¡¯s head.


    ¡°You may feel some tingling,¡± Jorvan said, translating Mikranasta¡¯s words.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Do it.¡±


    Tingling ran along Akna¡¯s cheeks, neck, and shoulders. For a brief moment, dizziness passed over her as well. Or maybe she was just excited and anxious. Was she finally going to be free? Would she finally be able to sleep normally again?


    Mikranasta was speaking. Akna was glad she couldn¡¯t understand the language as she wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d hear clearly over the beating of her heart anyway. She took a couple slow breaths as Jorvan started to translate.


    ¡°Mikranasta says she has found the interference. The spells were very skilfully placed and she is not surprised Felit?a could not find them. Felit?a is obviously powerful, but inexperienced.¡±


    ¡°Can she remove them?¡± Akna asked.


    There was a period of back and forth between Jorvan and Mikranasta before Jorvan finally said, ¡°Mikranasta says she can remove the effects, but she wants you to know it may not be the cure you expect. The magic has been so effective because it enhances thoughts and feelings in your mind that were already there.¡±


    Akna frowned. ¡°That makes sense. I¡¯ve been having nightmares and sleeping problems pretty much since I left Scovese, long before I got here in Quorge.¡±


    ¡°She says those are your own problems to deal with.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I don¡¯t mind dealing with my own problems.¡±


    Jorvan hesitated a moment. ¡°There is more. She notes that the spells have begun to weaken on their own due to not being maintained for several days.¡±


    ¡°That would be because we¡¯ve taken steps to make sure whoever it is can¡¯t get close to me.¡±


    ¡°We know,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°Although the caster cannot get close enough to maintain the spells, the caster will be aware of their strength. The caster will not think there is anything strange if they die out on their own. However, the caster will notice if Mikranasta removes them.¡±


    Akna¡¯s heart sank. ¡°They¡¯ll know who did it?¡±


    Jorvan checked briefly with Mikranasta, then said, ¡°No, they will only know that someone removed the spells. However, that will make them aware we have a powerful mentalist on our side.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not good,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Mikranasta is willing to remove the spells now, if you wish,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°She just wants you to know all the details first, so you can make the most informed decision possible.¡±


    Zandrue put her hand on Akna¡¯s shoulder. ¡°If the caster learns about Mikranasta, we lose a valuable surprise.¡±


    Akna pulled free of Zandrue¡¯s touch. ¡°I know.¡± She looked Mikranasta in the eyes. ¡°How long will it take for the spells to wear off on their own?¡±


    ¡°Weeks,¡± Mikranasta said without waiting for Jorvan¡¯s translation.


    Akna placed her hands over Mikranasta¡¯s and gently removed them from her head. She closed her eyes and held back the tears. She was so close. A cure right in front her her. But the element of surprise was too valuable. The unknown mentalist could just go into hiding.


    ¡°This just means we get this done as soon as possible,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°We won¡¯t make you wait weeks. Once we¡¯ve caught this person, Mikranasta can remove those spells.¡±


    Akna took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and stood up. ¡°Right, are we ready?¡±


    Zandrue grinned. ¡°Ezmelda and I are going after Felit?a tonight. Hedromornasta is joining us. He¡¯s a mentalist too. He¡¯ll make getting into the palace a lot simpler. Mikranasta, Fevionawishtensen, and Jorvan will remain here to help with the defence. The palace must be aware by now there are Isyar in the city, and there¡¯s no way to know if they¡¯ll hold back or attack right away out of fear.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going with you to the palace,¡± Akna said.


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    ¡°I may not be at my best, but I¡¯ve had a little sleep now, and I can assist.¡±


    ¡°In the Palace, you¡¯ll probably be back in range of the mentalist who can prop up those spells.¡±


    ¡°So? That just means I won¡¯t be able to sleep later. Anything else the mentalist might do to me, they could do to you too.¡±


    ¡°Except you¡¯re already more vulnerable to them,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°What about Corvin?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to put him in that kind of danger, no matter his powers.¡±


    ¡°Just by having him with me, you¡¯ve put him in danger. How is this any different?¡±


    ¡°Because there¡¯s every chance we get in a fight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been training him.¡±


    Zandrue rounded on her. ¡°He¡¯s a ten-year-old kid, Nin-Akna! I don¡¯t give a shit how young Ninifins start training. He¡¯s too young to go into battle.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been in a battle before!¡± Corvin said.


    ¡°Only because there was no other choice,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°But my powers will help! Even Mikranasta couldn¡¯t affect me. She couldn¡¯t detect my mind!¡±


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°The Volgs could bypass your powers. Maybe the Darkers at the palace can too. I won¡¯t risk it, and if she was thinking straight, Nin-Akna would agree with me.¡±


    Corvin punched the chair beside him. ¡°Everybody¡¯s always telling me what to do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re ten,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°You¡¯re staying here. Nin-Akna will look after you.¡± She glared at Akna. ¡°Right?¡±


    Akna didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Right?¡± Zandrue repeated.


    Akna smiled thinly. ¡°Right.¡±


    She turned away and wandered to one of the front corners of the room, well away from everyone else. She fiddled at the corner of a tapestry there. Who the hell put Zandrue in charge anyway?


    The worst part was that Zandrue was probably right.


    ¡°Nin-Akna?¡±


    Akna smiled at the familiar voice. She turned around and bowed. ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    Sinit?a scrunched her nose. ¡°That¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t have to do that. You can just call me Sinit?a.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sinit?a. What happened to you?¡±


    The young princess¡¯s hair was a mess and she had a cut on the side of her forehead. Her clothes were covered in mud stains. ¡°We had a problem at the docks when we arrived.¡±


    The bangs, crashes, and yells earlier¡ªthat solved that mystery.


    ¡°The City Watch didn¡¯t like us very much. There was a Red Knight with them. I didn¡¯t know what they were before, but I do now and they¡¯re really mean. They tried to arrest us all. I don¡¯t know if they recognised me. I hope not. My mother¡¯s not going to be very happy. It¡¯s good to see you.¡±


    Akna hugged her. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, too.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for looking after Meleng in Ninifin.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Akna said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t stay with him all the way to Isyaria.¡±


    Sinit?a shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s okay. He had Jorvan to look after him there.¡±


    ¡°And you apparently.¡±


    Sinit?a blushed. ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m not very good at looking after people. I can¡¯t fight.¡±


    ¡°Fighting¡¯s not the only way to look after someone. Just being a friend helps.¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t stop him getting kidnapped.¡±


    Akna took a step back. ¡°He got kidnapped?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and they did things to his head. They made him have dreams and see things. He says he¡¯s okay now, but¡­¡± There was a hint of tears in her eyes. ¡°He tries to hide it, but I see it. He¡¯s not entirely sure if anything¡¯s real anymore.¡±


    ¡°I had no idea,¡± Akna said. ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me.¡±


    Sinit?a smiled meekly. ¡°I¡¯m sure he would have eventually.¡±


    Akna nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure he would have too.¡± She hated to think of Meleng going through anything like that. It seemed they were all fated for terrible things.


    ¡°We found him obviously,¡± Sinit?a said. ¡°And the people who took him are dead now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you were there for him,¡± Akna said. ¡°You¡¯re a good friend to him.¡±


    Sinit?a¡¯s smiled broadened. ¡°He¡¯s my fomase and I¡¯m his.¡±


    Akna waited a moment for an explanation. When one didn¡¯t come, she said, ¡°What¡¯s a...fomahsay?¡±


    ¡°Fomase. It¡¯s an Isyar thing. It¡¯s kind of like we¡¯re married, except we didn¡¯t actually get married. But I love him, and he loves me.¡± Sinit?a blushed and turned away slightly. ¡°Is that okay?¡±


    Akna¡¯s heart twinged a little. ¡°Yeah, of course it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m happy for you both.¡±


    Sinit?a turned to face Akna again, grinning widely. ¡°He still loves you, you know?¡±


    Akna nodded.


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s really different than it was before,¡± Sinit?a said. ¡°We¡¯re just more open about things. Except of course, Jorvan and Feviona are our fomazee now. I guess that¡¯s a bit different.¡±


    ¡°Slow down. Jorvan and Feviona are also your fomase?¡±


    Sinit?a shook her head. ¡°No, different word. Fomaze, or fomazee when there¡¯s more than one, not fomase. I was confused at first, too.¡±


    Akna nodded, catching the slight difference in Sinit?a¡¯s pronunciation. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me everything that happened in Isyaria?¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 57: Call to Arms (Part 3)

    The room was mostly empty now. Agernon sat in one of the chairs, the Staff of Sestin across his lap. Corvin stood near him, as did Sinit?a.


    Akna was standing by the doors. She¡¯d given herself the job of guard duty, so she could at least feel she was doing something. After hearing Sinit?a¡¯s story of what had happened in Isyaria, Akna had retrieved her spears, and taken a moment to wash up and have a bit to eat. Now, she got to be bored here while almost everyone else was off being useful.


    ¡°What are you writing on it?¡± Sinit?a asked.


    ¡°I told you to shush, girl,¡± Agernon snapped.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a girl. I¡¯m an adult. I¡¯m eighteen. Almost.¡±


    ¡°I said shush!¡±


    ¡°I was just thinking that maybe you should try writing something different.¡±


    Agernon glared up at her. ¡°Do you really think I haven¡¯t tried different equations? Now leave me alone!¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡± Sinit?a crossed her arms and stomped away. ¡®You¡¯re supposed to treat princesses better than that!¡± She stomped over to Akna. ¡°He¡¯s so mean.¡±


    ¡°You get used to him,¡± Akna said.


    Sinit?a scowled. ¡°It¡¯s so boring down here.¡±


    Akna just nodded.


    ¡°How do you stand it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t always,¡± Akna said. ¡°But sometimes you just have to wait awhile.¡±


    ¡°I want to help Melly.¡±


    Akna chuckled. ¡°Melly?¡±


    Sinit?a blushed. ¡°Don¡¯t laugh.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I like to give people pet names, too. I never thought of Melly though. Mind if I use it?¡±


    Sinit?a shrugged. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask him then. Speaking of asking things, can I ask you a favour?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Akna looked over at Corvin. The boy waved at her. Although he was watching Agernon, he was sitting so he was facing her direction. He was a good kid, diligently doing his duty. But Zandrue was right. She couldn¡¯t take him with her. She looked back at Sinit?a. ¡°Can you distract Corvinian for me?¡±


    Sinit?a looked over at him. ¡°Why?¡±


    Akna sighed. ¡°I know I said sometimes you just have to wait, but on this occasion, I can¡¯t. I have to settle some scores.¡±


    Sinit?a frowned. ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. You want to help. Well, this is one way you can help. I need to get out of here unseen. I need to help Felit?a.¡±


    Sinit?a slumped her shoulders. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll distract him.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°One day, I¡¯ll be able to help. I¡¯m going to be a wizard one day.¡±


    Akna smiled. ¡°So you told me, and I bet you¡¯ll be an amazing one.¡±


    Sinit?a kissed Akna on the cheek. ¡°Be careful.¡±


    Akna nodded. ¡°Always.¡±


    Sinit?a turned and strode back over to Corvin and Agernon. ¡°I¡¯m bored. Corvinian, you bored?¡±


    Agernon snarled. ¡°For the last time, I need quiet!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and you don¡¯t need Corvinian right now, so I¡¯m asking if he wants to play a game with me. Do you, Corvinian? It¡¯ll be a good opportunity to get to know each other.¡±


    Corvin shrugged. ¡°Okay, I guess. What game?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure...um...oh! Do you like to paint? No, wait, my stuff is still on the ship. We can draw. I have some chalk. I never go anywhere without chalk.¡±


    Sinit?a was standing between Corvin and Akna, though it was hard to be sure she was completely blocking his view. Akna waited another moment, which proved just long enough for Agernon to turn angrily towards Corvin, further blocking the boy¡¯s view.


    Akna ducked out of the room.


    The next trick was getting out of the building unseen. There would be wizards watching the entrance. Of course, they¡¯d be more focused on watching for people coming in, but that wouldn¡¯t stop them noticing someone leaving. She also needed to be quick. It wouldn¡¯t be long before Corvin noticed and started looking for her. That would alert everyone to be on the lookout.


    She really hadn¡¯t thought this through. Gods, she was still too tired.


    Maybe she could talk her way through this. That would have to do.


    She headed up to the entrance hall. Several of the wizards were dragging large pieces of furniture from other floors to create a barricade. Pedrin was amongst them and he came over to her.


    ¡°Nin-Akna, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Just wandering. Feeling a little useless, really. Is there anything I can do to help?¡±


    ¡°Ezmelda told me you were staying with Corvinian, Agernon, and the Princess. Where is Corvinian anyway? I thought he was supposed to be with you at all times?¡±


    Akna looked behind her and tried to feign surprise. ¡°He was right behind me.¡± She sighed dramatically. ¡°He must have taken a wrong turn. He does that sometimes. This place can be a bit of a maze. He¡¯s probably in a panic right now, but don¡¯t worry. He¡¯ll find his way here soon enough. He knew where I was headed. So, anything I can do to help? Corvin will help too, when he gets here.¡±


    Pedrin stared a moment, his mouth slightly crooked. He was going to call her bluff, wasn¡¯t he?


    ¡°Anything at all?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You can help with the barricade, I suppose.¡±


    Akna grinned. ¡°Thanks!¡±


    That got her one step closer to the exit, at least.


    Someone placed a hand on her shoulder and Akna jumped. She spun around, her hands reaching for one of her spears strapped to her back.


    It was the older of the Isyar¡ªthe one who had examined Akna¡¯s mind and found the spells. What was her name again? Mikranasta. That was it. She smiled broadly at Akna and motioned to the side. Akna walked with her, away from Pedrin and the other human wizards.


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to leave this place,¡± Mikranasta said in Ninifin. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You speak my language?¡± Akna replied, also in Ninifin.


    Mikranasta gave a thin smile. ¡°You¡¯re trying to avoid the question. Why are you trying to leave?¡±


    Akna looked away from her. ¡°I¡¯m...I¡¯m not. I¡¯m just trying to help out.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±


    Akna shook her head. ¡°No, really, I¡­¡± She stopped and looked Mikranasta in the eye. ¡°Are you in my head?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Mikranasta said, ¡°but I don¡¯t need to be. Your act might have fooled Pedrin, but I am an expert in understanding others. I can list all the things that gave you away if you wish. Over-dramatic gestures and sighing. Not making eye contact.¡±


    ¡°That...that¡¯s enough,¡± Akna said. ¡°I didn¡¯t even realise you were there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my job to go unnoticed right now.¡±


    Akna groaned. ¡°Right. Mentalist. Like Felit?a.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Why do you wish to leave?¡±


    ¡°Because I feel useless. I need to do something. I owe it to Felit?a. I owe it to Anita.¡±


    ¡°Anita?¡±


    ¡°A friend in the palace.¡±


    ¡°I see. Going out in your condition is dangerous. Not only are your body and mind over-exhausted, without the young boy, you make yourself vulnerable to the one who put you in this condition. Have you considered the possibility you¡¯re not thinking straight?¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Yeah, I have, and maybe if I was better rested, I¡¯d make a different decision, but it¡¯s the decision I¡¯ve made now.¡± Akna lowered her head. ¡°But obviously, I¡¯m not going to make it out of here. I¡¯ll go back downstairs now.¡±


    She turned to walk away, but Mikranasta put a hand on her shoulder again. ¡°I will hide your departure.¡±


    ¡°You will?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯ve had a thought.¡±


    Akna pulled away from the Isyar¡¯s touch and took a step back. ¡°What sort of thought?¡±


    ¡°With your permission, I will place one more spell in your head. It will alert me if anyone makes contact with your mind. We may be able to track your aggressor this way.¡±


    ¡°You want to use me as bait.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    That suited Akna. ¡°Fine, do it.¡±


    ¡°I warn you, there is a risk. Your aggressor might discover it. I am reasonably certain I can hide it from them, but there is always a chance.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. Do it. But be quick. It¡¯s only a matter of time before Corvin comes looking for me, and I¡¯m not sure you can hide from him.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. A very unusual boy there.¡±


    Akna looked towards the stairs. ¡°You got that right. Well, hurry up. Do it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already done. Walk beside me and do not make any sudden movements.¡±


    Akna nodded. ¡°I know. I¡¯ve done this a few times with Felit?a.¡±


    Mikranasta smiled. ¡°Very good.¡±


    They walked along the wall, past the partially built barricade, and to the main doors.


    ¡°Open them slowly,¡± Mikranasta said.


    Akna did as instructed, and they headed out into the cold.


    ¡°I will hide you until you reach the bottom,¡± Mikranasta said. ¡°After that, you are on your own.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Mikranasta placed her left hand on her chest. ¡°May the night be short, Nin-Akna.¡±


    Akna hesitantly placed her own hand on her own chest. ¡°May the night be short.¡±


    Mikranasta smiled. ¡°Good luck.¡±


    Akna started down the steps.


    The streets were much more subdued than they had been earlier. People walked with their heads down, avoiding others as much as they could. There seemed to be fewer people out as well. It was evening, of course, so that might have had something to do with it, but that didn¡¯t ring true.


    A lot of people stared at her as she went by. She had her hood up to avoid recognition, but it was probably the pair of spears drawing their attention. She¡¯d walked through town with her spears many times before, but this was the first time she¡¯d done it since Danel Belone had taken over¡ªalso the first time since she¡¯d become a wanted criminal.


    She did her best to avoid City Watchmen¡ªor worse, Bloods¡ªturning another direction whenever she caught sight of any. That was going to lengthen the journey to the palace somewhat.


    It gave her a chance to think, though. Particularly what she was going to when she reached the palace¡ªanother thing she had failed to consider when making this hasty plan.


    Perhaps she could get in the same way she¡¯d gotten out? Not likely. It would be a lot harder from the outside. However, she couldn¡¯t think of any other option.


    Akna came around a corner and paused. Up ahead was the familiar red cape of a Blood¡ªseveral of them, in fact. She ducked behind the corner. At least those capes made them easy to spot.


    She wondered why there were so many together. It couldn¡¯t be anything good.


    She peered around the corner again. The Bloods were marching across the next intersection in pairs. Pair after pair went by. A dozen pairs at least. Following them were palace guards and other soldiers. She could guess their destination: the Hall of Knowledge. Perhaps she should have stayed to help defend it.


    On the other hand, the palace had to be under-guarded now.


    There were three Isyar and a dozen wizards defending the Hall of Knowledge. Not to mention Corvin. If that wasn¡¯t enough, Akna¡¯s presence wasn¡¯t likely to make much of a difference. She sighed. That thought was heartless of her. There were friends of hers there¡ªMeleng was there¡ªfriends who were about to fight for their lives. She should be fighting alongside them.


    But Anita and Felit?a were in the palace.


    Even under-guarded though, getting into the palace by herself was not likely to succeed. Plus, Zandrue, Ezmelda, and Jorvan¡¯s brother were already heading there. They¡¯d stand a much better chance of getting in. If they had let her go with them¡­ But they hadn¡¯t.


    And why the hell had she agreed to let Mikranasta use her as bait in a plan that had not been discussed with anyone else?


    Akna sighed again. This was a mistake; she had just been too exhausted to realise it earlier. She would have to trust Anita and Felit?a¡¯s safety to Zandrue.


    She turned back towards the Hall of Knowledge.


    Chica stood in her path.


    Akna gritted her teeth and walked past. She wasn¡¯t about to let a hallucination stop her.


    Chica grabbed her arm.


    Akna stopped, but didn¡¯t look at her.


    ¡°Akna, you haven¡¯t been looking for me.¡±


    Akna shivered. Who had really grabbed her arm? What had they really said? Had they said anything at all? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what was that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my poor Akna. Your loyalties are so strong. Why not to me? You¡¯ve known me for so much longer than Felit?a or Anita or Meleng. We grew up together. We were inseparable. Does that mean nothing to you now?¡±


    Chica moved closer to her, reached for Akna¡¯s face, but Akna turned her face away.


    ¡°Akna, it¡¯s me, Chicahua.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not her.¡±


    ¡°Look into my eyes. You¡¯ll see it to be true.¡±


    Akna turned her head away and closed her eyes. ¡°No.¡± Whoever it was, their grip was not strong. It wouldn¡¯t be hard to break away, but who would she be hurting if she did? She wouldn¡¯t care about hurting a Watchman or Blood, but what if Meleng had come looking for her?


    ¡°Akna! Look in my eyes!¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The real Chica never raised her voice to her like that.


    ¡°Fine. It¡¯s not really needed anyway. Just listen to my words and my voice. You can¡¯t trust Felit?a. Only me. You know this to be true.¡±


    Akna kept her eyes clamped shut and shook her head. ¡°No, you¡¯re the one I can¡¯t trust.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure of that?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ve had doubts, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No...well, yes.¡± No, she shouldn¡¯t admit to that. She couldn¡¯t let this person get to her. ¡°But not really. Not significant ones.¡±


    ¡°Come now, Akna. You¡¯ve never been a good liar.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying...I...I¡¯m¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re what?¡±


    ¡°I refuse to let you get into my head.¡±


    ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you want me around anymore?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do, but you¡¯re not you. I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean what?¡±


    This wasn¡¯t Chica, right? There wasn¡¯t any chance of her being alive. Akna had seen her die.


    ¡°Just look at me for a moment. See my reality.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± But perhaps she should. This hallucination was going on for longer than usual. If it was a situation like when she¡¯d mistaken Zandrue for Chica, if this was someone like Meleng come to look for her, why were they letting her carry on like this? Whoever was holding her arm had to be either Chica (an impossibility, right?), the wizard who was causing the hallucinations, or someone working directly for the wizard. If she looked, maybe she could find something wrong with Chica¡¯s appearance.


    ¡°Please,¡± Chica said.


    Sinit?a had said Meleng had recognised the illusions he¡¯d been subjected to by looking for things that changed every time he opened, closed, and then reopened his eyes. Perhaps she could do that here.


    Akna opened her eyes.


    Chica smiled at her with a face that was exactly like Chica¡¯s. The same long, black hair. The same yellow-brown eyes that matched her skin. The same sun tattoo on her forehead. Exactly like Akna remembered.


    Chica stepped up close and placed her other hand on Akna¡¯s cheek. ¡°It¡¯s me, Akna.¡±


    Akna closed her eyes, then opened them again. Chica¡¯s face was right in front of hers now. Her breath was warm on Akna¡¯s nose and cheeks. Nothing had changed. Not the eyes, the dimples, the lips, the hair¡­ Was Chica¡¯s hair the same length? Akna couldn¡¯t get a good look at the full length anymore. The hair reached Chica¡¯s knees, but was it slightly above? Below? And had it been the same before?


    Chica kissed her.


    She even felt like Akna remembered.


    But of course she would. If the illusions were taken from her mind, then they would come from her memories. Of course they would be exactly as she remembered. So how could she possibly know what was real?


    ¡°How can you be alive?¡± Akna said. ¡°Just explain that.¡±


    Chica wiped a tear from Akna¡¯s eye. ¡°I never died. The Will-Breaker faked that. She¡¯s been playing with your mind ever since you met her on Scovese.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I had hoped you¡¯d break free on your own with just little pushes from me. That¡¯s why I asked you to come find me. But that didn¡¯t work. It¡¯s all right. It¡¯s not your fault. The Will-Breaker is just too powerful. But we have to free you from her control. I have something that can do that. It will make her aware of me, but I don¡¯t care about that anymore. You¡¯re all that matters. Please, come with me.¡± Chica stepped back and looked at Akna with pleading eyes.


    Akna nodded slowly. She had no idea who was in front of her. A part of her still desperately wanted to believe it was Chica, but it wasn¡¯t. It couldn¡¯t be. Felit?a had been playing mind games? Maybe, but not the kind this false Chica was accusing her of. Felit?a wasn¡¯t that powerful, despite what ¡°Will-Breaker¡± might imply.


    But there was no other way to find out who this person really was. She considered pretending to believe, but this Chica had told the truth about one thing: Akna was a terrible liar. She¡¯d never do it believingly. So she should just tell the truth.


    Akna reached out and took Chica¡¯s hand. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but I¡¯ll go with you because I need to know the truth.¡±


    Chica smiled. ¡°I promise you you¡¯ll learn the truth, and we¡¯ll be together again. This way.¡±


    Hand-in-hand, they headed through the streets of Quorge towards the palace.

 Book 2, Chapter 58: Hiding

    Felit?a shivered in the cold. She really hadn¡¯t thought things through.


    Whatever had given her the clarity to cast spells again¡ªwhether it was the prayer beads, pure strength of will, a mixture of both, or something else¡ªshe should have realised it wouldn¡¯t last.


    She also should have realised she wasn¡¯t at full strength. Putting the jailer and guard to sleep, and breaking out of jail was relatively easy. Hiding from a whole palace full of guards, servants, and nobles was another thing altogether. The invisibility spell had been such a strain on her, she¡¯d only been able to keep it up for a couple of minutes, during which time she¡¯d managed to find a nook along the palace¡¯s outer wall to hole up in.


    She had been sitting here ever since, a few nearby bushes helping to conceal her. Hours had passed¡ªwell, she was pretty sure hours had passed. She didn¡¯t have a good view of the sky from here. And she was freezing. She couldn¡¯t stay here much longer unless she wanted to freeze to death.


    It had taken a surprisingly long time for a call to go up about her escape. She had expected someone to notice sooner. However, not long ago now, palace guards, soldiers, and Bloods had begun gathering by the main gates. Not long after that, they had marched out.


    That was a bit surprising, too. Not that they¡¯d sent people out into the city to look for her. That part made sense. No, the surprising bit was they didn¡¯t appear to be searching within the palace grounds for her. What made them so certain she¡¯d left?


    Not that it mattered. It was to her advantage. They had gathered in such large numbers, there couldn¡¯t be many of them left here. A couple guards still stood at the gate, but there didn¡¯t appear to be any still patrolling the wall. Maybe she could get into the palace now.


    There would still be people there, of course¡ªnobles, courtiers, servants, even a few guards¡ªand all of them would recognise her. She couldn¡¯t be sure she had the strength to hide herself from them. She had to get out of the cold though.


    Hopefully the prayer beads would help again. She unclasped the necklace and held them in her hand. They had stopped glowing ages ago, but perhaps more meditation would power them up again¡ªif, indeed, that was what was happening with them.


    She closed her eyes and began her concentration exercises. When she opened her eyes again a few minutes later, the beads were again glowing and she was feeling a little refreshed. They were not as bright this time¡ªalthough maybe they had seemed brighter last time because she¡¯d been in a dark cell.


    She rose to her feet and brought up the Room in her head, so she could keep track of presences nearby. There were none at the moment, but there would be soon.


    She just hoped she had the strength.


    She walked out of the nook and made for the entrance.


    The guards at the main gates were too far away to show up in the Room or for her to affect them at her current strength, but they were watching outwards rather than inwards. Even if they turned and noticed her, she was confident they wouldn¡¯t recognise her at this distance.


    As she¡¯d predicted, several presences appeared in the Room before she reached the doors. She waited until she was at the doors before casting the spell and spreading it over them. Opening the doors was going to be a strain, but she was confident she could manage it. She edged them open just wide enough to slip through.


    The presences turned out to be a pair of guards and a couple of servants, one heading up the grand stairs, the other crossing the room.


    Felit?a made her way forward, adjusting the spell whenever another presence appeared in the Room. She paid extra close attention for the hidden presence of the person who had been meddling with her mind. The strain as she went wasn¡¯t too bad, though it was certainly considerably worse than if she were at full strength. The important thing, though, was she could keep track of it and it wasn¡¯t overpowering yet.


    In fact, the magical energy was flowing through her more easily than she would have expected in her current condition¡ªjust like when she had broken out of her cell. It had to be the beads. They were helping the energy flow somehow. The feeling wasn¡¯t identical, but there were some similarities to when she had touched Quilla in Ninifin. Perhaps the beads were acting like a catalyst, like Quilla. It was not as large and dramatic an effect as with Quilla, but Felit?a couldn¡¯t complain. It was allowing her to function at all.


    She headed first towards Siba¡¯s chambers. With luck, Siba would be there. If not, she¡¯d try Anita. Siba and Anita were the only people she could trust, and she was going to need a location that could be a kind of staging ground to find her mysterious enemy.


    There was no guarantee that person was in the palace, but it seemed the most likely. It was the easiest location Felit?a had spent considerable time in for them to easily blend into.


    By the time she reached Siba¡¯s chambers, the strain on the spell was increasing and exhaustion was threatening to overtake her again. There might not have been as many guards as usual, but there were still large numbers of people. It was ridiculous just how many servants there were here. Belone¡¯s palace was considerably smaller than the Royal Palace, but it seemed to rival the Royal Palace for number of servants.


    Felit?a took stock of the presences in the Room in her head. One of them was Siba¡¯s. She couldn¡¯t be sure Siba was in her chambers and not somewhere else nearby, but it was likely. She removed the spell effect from Siba¡¯s presence, then waited until there was no one else in sight. Felit?a might be invisible to them, but Siba opening the door and speaking to any empty space would draw attention.


    When it was clear, she knocked on the door. Siba opened it a moment later. ¡°Felit?a?¡±


    Felit?a put a finger to her lips, and Siba ushered her inside, closing the door behind them.


    Felit?a looked around. ¡°Is anyone else here?¡± This room was empty, but there were still three other presences in her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They can¡¯t see me, but I can¡¯t keep it up for much longer.¡±


    ¡°Just my handmaid,¡± Siba whispered. ¡°I¡¯ll send her on an errand. One moment.¡±


    As Siba hurried into an adjoining room, Felit?a stumbled and reached out to the wall for support. Only the largest of the prayer beads was still glowing and it only faintly. There was a pounding in her head, and her concentration was slipping. The spell began to pull back from the presences in her head. She shut her eyes and clenched her fists, pulled at the spell. She kept it over two of the three presences, but it only barely touched the third. That person might be able to see her.


    Siba came back into the room followed by her handmaid. They headed straight to the door. The handmaid stood right beside Felit?a, but did not notice her. She was not the partially draped presence.


    The handmaid curtsied. ¡°I will be as quick as I can, my Lady.¡±


    Siba waved her hand. ¡°No need to rush. Take your time. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    The handmaid curtsied again, then headed out into the corridor.


    As soon as the door was closed, Felit?a let go of the spell and fell against the wall.


    Siba rushed over to her. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, just exhausted.¡± Felit?a let Siba take her arm and lead her over to a chair.


    Siba pulled up another chair beside her. She took out a handkerchief and dabbed it to Felit?a¡¯s forehead. ¡°You¡¯re so flushed and sweaty.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t cast any spells in weeks, and suddenly I¡¯ve cast several. It¡¯s taken a lot out of me.¡±


    ¡°The prayer beads worked then?¡±


    Felit?a looked down at the necklace around her neck. Even the large bead had stopped glowing now. ¡°Yes, a lot better than I expected. I figured it was just a psychological thing, just tangible objects to provide points of focus, but they seem to have real power. I¡¯ll need to get Agernon to look at them.¡±


    Siba finished dabbing at Felit?a¡¯s forehead and pressed the handkerchief into Felit?a¡¯s hand. She stood up. ¡°They¡¯ll notice you¡¯ve escaped soon. We need to figure out how to hide you. This will probably be one of the first places they search. Maybe Anita¡ª¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Felit?a held out her hand. ¡°Wait, wait. They don¡¯t know already? I escaped hours ago.¡±


    ¡°You did?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this morning, not long after you brought me the beads.¡±


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°I saw a large group of soldiers head out into the city earlier,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I assumed they were looking for me.¡±


    Siba sat down and shook her head. ¡°There was a disturbance at the docks this morning. A group of Isyar arrived in the city and refused to submit to interrogation by the Red Knights, or something like that. I don¡¯t trust the Knights to give accurate reports of their activities. Danel¡¯s convinced the Isyar have gone to the Hall of Knowledge to join the wizards there in some sort of revolution. The soldiers were sent to end the revolution before it starts.¡±


    A group of Isyar! ¡°It must be Jorvan,¡± Felit?a muttered.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°A friend of mine. He went to Isyaria to find someone to help me with my abilities. They must have just got here. Unfortunately, Danel¡¯s right. They¡¯ve probably gone to the Hall of Knowledge.¡±


    Siba frowned. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Felit?a, but the soldiers and Red Knights have orders to kill everyone in the Hall of Knowledge, even the Isyar.¡±


    ¡°How many Isyar?¡±


    ¡°Four, I think.¡±


    Felit?a forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I saw enough soldiers to handle four Isyar.¡±


    ¡°Mitchal Plavin seems to think they won¡¯t be a problem. I¡¯ve heard him brag about killing two Isyar himself. Not at the same time, though, I don¡¯t think.¡±


    ¡°What about Plavistalorik? Did she go with them?¡±


    Siba shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t seen her, so it¡¯s possible.¡± She peered at Felit?a for a moment. ¡°Would you like to lie down and rest a bit? I can offer you a soft bed, and I have one of Feo¡¯s sleeping draughts left. You could use that.¡±


    Felit?a rubbed her forehead. She was getting quite a headache. She wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep, but what if they came for her while she slept? Why hadn¡¯t an alarm gone up already about her escape? Was it just because everyone was too distracted with attacking the Hall of Knowledge?


    She hoped Jorvan and Meleng would be all right. And Nin-Akna, Corvinian, and Agernon. And everyone else. She wished she could help them, but there was no way she could even get to them in her current state, and even if she could, she¡¯d be of no help. No, she had to stick with her plan here.


    ¡°Felit?a?¡± Siba said.


    Felit?a blinked several times. ¡°Sorry. I lost focus for a moment.¡±


    Siba leaned forward and looked her in the eye. ¡°You need to rest.¡±


    ¡°But they might notice I¡¯ve escaped and¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with that when you¡¯ve slept a little. You can¡¯t do anything in your current state. You said so yourself.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. Sleep would be so wonderful. ¡°You¡¯re right. Just promise you¡¯ll wake me if anything happens.¡±


    Siba nodded and smiled gently. ¡°You have my word.¡±


    * * * * *


    The jailer sat at his desk, a smile plastered on his face, staring at the door. He blinked maybe once a minute and his chest moved slightly from his breathing, but he made no other movement of any kind. He¡¯d been like that for a couple hours now, and every time Zandrue looked over at him, he creeped her out just a little more, and the stench from him having soiled himself was getting worse.


    Hedromornasta had made him like that.


    They¡¯d found him and a guard locked in one of the cells screaming that Princess Felit?a had escaped. No one had heard their screaming though and their relief had never shown up, possibly because of all the soldiers heading to the Hall of Knowledge. Hedromornasta quieted their yells about intruders. Then they¡¯d found keys, released the jailer from the cell, and put him at his desk. Zandrue would have liked to question him, but Hedromornasta put him in his current state, and he was completely unresponsive. The guard, still in the cell, was in the same state.


    Communicating with Hedromornasta was not simple. He spoke almost no Arnorgue, apart from very simple words like hello and goodbye, and Zandrue¡¯s Isyarian was almost as bad. Try as she might, Zandrue had not been able to get Hedromornasta to understand that she wanted to talk to the jailer. Actually, she suspected he did know what she wanted, but was unwilling to do it for some reason. He did not seem happy to be on this mission.


    She went over to the window, drew back the curtains just a little, and looked out. The sun was behind the palace now. It would soon be dark. She drew the curtain back again and went back over to Ezmelda, who was sitting against the wall near the door. If anyone entered, they were trusting Hedromornasta to hide them. Zandrue was beginning to have concerns about that.


    ¡°He is going to release the jailer and guard when we leave, right?¡± Ezmelda said.


    Zandrue slid down beside her. ¡°No idea, but the magic can¡¯t be sustained forever, right? If I picked up anything from Felit?a over the years, it¡¯s that.¡±


    Ezmelda looked over at Hedromornasta, who was seated in front of the desk, his head raised, deep in meditation. ¡°If he were human, I¡¯d agree, but with him, I¡¯m not so sure. Mentalists make very subtle gestures when casting spells. You¡¯ve seen Felit?a cast spells. You must have noticed how little she moves.¡±


    Zandrue nodded.


    ¡°But she still moves. You can still notice it.¡± Ezmelda nodded to Hedromornasta. ¡°But he doesn¡¯t, not that I can see. I mean, he must, but those movements are so subtle, I can¡¯t see them. Many spells¡ªnot all, but many¡ªalso require words. With mentalism, they¡¯re spoken quietly, but they¡¯re still spoken. I haven¡¯t seen him speak anything. It¡¯s possible the spells he¡¯s used don¡¯t need words, but that doesn¡¯t explain the lack of movement. That kind of skill is unbelievable. And what is he, fourteen? Fifteen?¡±


    ¡°More like eighteen or nineteen,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Isyar mature a little slower than humans, but yeah, he¡¯s basically the equivalent of a young teenager.¡±


    ¡°Even at eighteen, that¡¯s incredible. It terrifies me to think what his mother might be capable of.¡±


    ¡°Good thing they¡¯re on our side.¡± Zandrue grinned.


    Ezmelda looked back over at the young Isyar. ¡°Yes, good thing.¡± She was pointedly not smiling.


    ¡°We should be able to move soon,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°It¡¯s almost sunset.¡±


    They had decided to wait until dark before doing anything¡ªwell, Zandrue and Ezmelda had. Who knew what Hedromornasta thought they were doing?


    They were going to start with searching the palace. Truth be told, they weren¡¯t really sure what they should be doing at this point. Discovering the person they had come to rescue had escaped on her own had thrown a wrench into their plans. No longer were they just grabbing Felit?a and returning to the Hall of Knowledge. Now they had to find her again.


    They couldn¡¯t have missed her by much either. Maybe an hour at most.


    Zandrue smiled. It was good to know Felit?a¡¯s abilities were not as impaired as they¡¯d believed.


    They waited another hour. It wasn¡¯t completely dark, but it was dark enough.


    Ezmelda held up the brightly glowing crystal. ¡°Still pointing at the palace.¡±


    Zandrue had given Ezmelda the crystal when it had started to become too hot for Zandrue to hold. She could even feel its heat through her clothes, yet Ezmelda didn¡¯t feel any heat from it at all.


    Zandrue approached Hedromornasta, who was still meditating. She cleared her throat. ¡°Hedromornasta?¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond.


    Ezmelda came up beside her. ¡°Hedromornasta?¡±


    He lowered his head and glared at Ezmelda.


    She pointed sternly at the door. ¡°We go.¡±


    Hedromornasta sighed loudly and stood up. He walked to the door and opened it, then waited.


    ¡°I assume he¡¯s hidden us already?¡± Zandrue said.


    Ezmelda just shrugged and walked out the door.


    Zandrue stopped beside the Isyar. ¡°Uh, Hedromornasta¡­¡± She pointed to the jailer, who then slumped over, his head hitting the top of his desk. He lay still.


    Zandrue rushed over to him and checked his vitals. Just sleeping.


    She walked back over to Hedromornasta and looked him in the eye. There was a twinge at the back of her head. Had he done that? Probably not. It was just one of those things that sometimes happened. Might even have been her imagination. She was letting this kid creep her out too much.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she said to him, then turned and followed Ezmelda.

 Book 2, Chapter 59: The Siege of Knowledge (Part 1)

    Estimating the weight of the Hall of Knowledge¡¯s entry doors was harder than with any of the interior doors. The entry doors were much heavier, of course, but the ageing frame constricted their movement, making them feel heavier to move than they really were. Or perhaps they were just made with a particularly heavy kind of wood. Meleng wasn¡¯t sure which. It was probably a combination of both.


    ¡°We are exposed here,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°You should hurry up.¡±


    Meleng gulped, took a quick guess, and almost started tracing the equations. If he overestimated a little, it wouldn¡¯t matter much. It would just make the doors get a little more stuck, which was exactly what he was after anyway. However, if he overestimated too much, he might break the frame and walls surrounding the doors, causing the doors to fall right off¡ªand that would be a disaster.


    He sighed, then reminded himself these kinds of situations were all about estimation anyway. Close was all that was needed, and he¡¯d done this sort of thing before. He could do it again.


    He started tracing the equations, making sure to include a connector to the equations he¡¯d already traced on the dragon gargoyle.


    ¡°Any word of Nin-Akna?¡± Jorvan asked.


    Meleng shook his head. Just what had Akna been thinking? She hadn¡¯t been thinking, he reminded himself. Sinit?a should have thought better though. Then again, Akna had simply played on Sinit?a¡¯s desire to help everyone. Even if Sinit?a had refused to help, Akna would have still found a way away from her and Corvinian. The real question was, how had she managed to get out of the building unseen? These doors and the steps were very exposed and had been constantly watched.


    Oh well, Akna could take care of herself. She would be fine. He had to believe that.


    He finished the equations on the left door and moved straight over to the right. He took a quick glance below as he worked.


    The Bloods and soldiers had set up at the base of the steps. Feviona, who had been flying above the city on patrol had spotted them coming well before they¡¯d arrived, and Jorvan had covered the steps with a thick coating of slick ice that formed a flat, slanted plane. The soldiers were now preparing grapples and picks to try to make their way up the slope. A few held bows and were watching Meleng and Jorvan at the top, but they weren¡¯t firing at them. They¡¯d tried that once a few minutes ago, and Jorvan had simply blown the arrows off course.


    Now he¡¯d calculated the equations, tracing them onto the second door went much more quickly than the first. As soon as he was done, he nodded to Jorvan, and stepped inside the doors.


    Jorvan spread his wings and flew off to join Feviona on patrol. Meleng watched him for a moment. He really wished events didn¡¯t keep requiring Jorvan to use his wings. The injured wing was still not fully healed. Jorvan was doing his best to avoid anything strenuous, but the need for speed getting here had meant he hadn¡¯t been able to rest much on the journey here, and now they were here, they were caught up in this power struggle.


    Once Jorvan was high up, well beyond the range of any of the soldiers¡¯ bows, Meleng pulled the doors of the Hall of Knowledge closed. He gave a thumbs-up to Angelida and the team of wizards manning the barricades¡ªhe hadn¡¯t caught any of the others¡¯ names¡ªthen traced connector equations onto the inside of the doors. He made his way along the perimeter of the inside wall, past the barricades, to the door to the lower levels. He would remain by the door for now. If Jorvan and Feviona came inside, Meleng would then activate the equations from here, bringing the gargoyle down and jamming the main doors.


    With luck, the Bloods and soldiers wouldn¡¯t even make it to the doors, let alone past them. Getting up to the doors would leave them vulnerable to attack from Jorvan and Feviona. Their only real hope would be to tire the two Isyar out, and Meleng couldn¡¯t think of an easy way for them to do that, short of bringing in siege weaponry.


    Maybe this was why the Hall¡¯s entrance was in such a hard-to-reach place. Meleng made a mental note to look up whether the Hall of Knowledge had ever had to withstand a siege before.


    There was one other variable he was neglecting to think of, though. No one knew whether Plavistalorik was still working for the new Lord; nothing had been heard of her. However, if she was, she might be able to face off against Jorvan and Feviona. No one here was sure just how powerful she was. Surely she wasn¡¯t as powerful as Mikranasta though. But Mikranasta was hidden somewhere inside the building and would only enter the battle if the Bloods got inside.


    Meleng traced additional equations onto the door to the lower levels, then stood back and waited.


    Ages passed.


    Meleng found himself fighting to keep awake. Pedrin brought him a chair at one point, but Meleng chose not to use it. He didn¡¯t want to fall asleep.


    Every now and then, there was a thud or bang from outside, but it always went quiet almost immediately afterwards. It was probably the Bloods making some sort of attempt to ascend and Jorvan or Feviona rebuffing them. They seemed to be very infrequent attempts, though. The Bloods were probably waiting until morning before making any serious attempts to ascend.


    But morning was an eternity away.


    Pedrin brought a blanket over eventually. ¡°You should get some sleep. We¡¯re taking shifts. Don¡¯t worry; we¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re awake if anything happens.¡±


    Meleng took the blanket without a word, and stared at it and the chair for a moment. Pedrin was right. He probably should get some sleep. But he didn¡¯t want to dream right now. Sometimes, when waking from a dream, it was difficult to be sure he wasn¡¯t still dreaming. Now was not a good time to be distracted in that way. Still, he also needed to be alert, and he couldn¡¯t be alert if he was too tired.


    He sat in the chair and wrapped the blanket around himself. He probably wouldn¡¯t fall asleep anyway. A chair was hardly the ideal location for sleeping. He had to shift around quite a bit to get even a semblance of comfort. He was definitely tired. The events of the day had seen to that.


    As sleep overtook him, his thoughts drifted back to their arrival in Quorge in the morning.


    This whole conflict was their fault.


    Well, not technically, but it was their fault it was happening now. They should have avoided the conflict at the docks.


    Everything had been going so well. They had made great time from Isyaria, all the way down the east coast of Arnor to Dorg, then back north up the Tirin River to Lake Belone and then Quorge¡ªall thanks to Jorvan providing them with the winds they needed, and a little good luck with the weather. Since they were docking and didn¡¯t need the winds anymore, Jorvan went to rest in their cabin.


    Meleng didn¡¯t want to disturb him, so tried wandering elsewhere, but kept getting in the way of the crew. Eventually, Feviona flew them both out to the bowsprit, where they sat while the Lustrous Rose docked. It was a bit frightening at first¡ªit was such a precarious position; a fall could mean death¡ªbut he soon grew to enjoy it. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure how he kept his balance¡ªFeviona had traced some equations onto the bowsprit, so maybe that had something to do with it¡ªbut he didn¡¯t fall and the cold sea breeze was invigorating.


    When the ship came to a full stop, Feviona put her arms around Meleng again, and flew them both onto the pier.


    That had been their mistake.


    It had drawn attention to them. Mikranasta even scolded Feviona later for it. If she hadn¡¯t done that, they could have snuck into Quorge.


    At first, it had been positive attention. People on the pier gawked, the way Arnorins tended to when they saw Isyar. But then, a man in pinkish armour, along with two local watchmen, approached them. Other people on the pier quickly moved out of the way of the men¡¯s passage.


    Meleng also backed aside to let them pass, but they stopped as they got close.


    ¡°State your business,¡± the man in the pink armour said. The man was either extremely brave or extremely foolish wearing such heavy armour so close to water he could easily drown in.


    Meleng glanced briefly at Feviona before stepping forward. ¡°Uh, we¡¯re just passengers on the Lustrous Rose. Uh, that ship there.¡± He pointed behind him. ¡°We just arrived.¡±


    ¡°We all saw you arrive.¡± The man had one hand on the hilt of his sword, and his other held a helmet at his side.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t mean to cause a disturbance,¡± Meleng said. ¡°Really, we were just...uh...we were sitting on the bowsprit and it was just easiest, I think, to fly onto the dock. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°I asked you to state your business.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re just here to¡­¡± How should he respond? Meleng was certain he ought to recognise the significance of the man¡¯s armour, but he couldn¡¯t place it. ¡°We¡¯re just visiting.¡±


    The man scowled. He looked at Feviona. ¡°And you?¡±


    ¡°Visiting, too,¡± Meleng said. ¡°With me. And my friends.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°I want him to answer.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh...uh...her. You want her to answer.¡±


    The man¡¯s scowl deepened.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know the language,¡± Meleng said. ¡°And she¡¯s mute.¡±


    ¡°Mute.¡± The man laughed. ¡°Aren¡¯t Isyar supposed to be powerful wizards, but they can¡¯t talk?¡±


    ¡°Look, we¡¯ll just be on our way. We don¡¯t want to cause any problems.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll return to your ship and leave Quorge and Belone. Lord Belone has forbidden the entry of non-humans into the province.¡±


    ¡°He has?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said.¡±


    ¡°But doesn¡¯t he have an Isyar in his court?¡±


    ¡°She has special dispensation. Return to your ship and leave or you will be placed under arrest.¡±


    Almost everyone on the pier had backed well away from the armoured man and the two watchmen. Meleng glanced back at the ship. Even many of the crew there had stopped their work and were watching over the deck. The gangplank was still being lowered into place, though.


    ¡°Well?¡± the armoured man said.


    What is he saying? Feviona signed.


    He wants us¡­ Meleng couldn¡¯t remember how to sign leave. Feviona had been teaching him and Sinit?a on the journey from Isyaria, but it had only been a few weeks¡ªbarely more than a month¡ªso he was far from fluent. Sinit?a was doing so much better. But she wasn¡¯t here to help. Finally, it came to him. He wants us to go.


    ¡°What¡¯s this nonsense?¡± The man let go of his sword and waved his hand around in front of him.


    ¡°It¡¯s how she communicates,¡± Meleng said. ¡°I told you, she¡¯s mute.¡±


    The man made a face and waved his hand around mockingly. ¡°Get back to your ship!¡±


    Meleng nodded, motioned to Feviona, and turned towards the ship.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Meleng stopped and looked back.


    The man pointed to Feviona. ¡°We¡¯ll need to confiscate the Isyar¡¯s sword. Bearing weapons like that is illegal. Hand it over.¡±


    Meleng turned to Feviona. He wants you to¡­ He paused, trying to remember the right signs. To give him your sword. He merely pointed to her sword as he didn¡¯t know the right sign.


    No!


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to. We¡¯ll just go back to the ship.¡±


    The man¡¯s hand returned to his sword hilt. ¡°Then we¡¯ll take it.¡± He drew his sword.


    Feviona turned to face the man. Tell him if he...something...he will...something.


    Meleng grimaced. He didn¡¯t need to know her exact words to know her meaning. ¡°She really doesn¡¯t want you to do that.¡±


    ¡°Arrest them both,¡± the man said.


    The two watchmen hesitated.


    ¡°I said arrest them. Now!¡±


    ¡°But sir,¡± one said, ¡°she¡¯s...she¡¯s an Isyar. They can do¡­¡±


    The armoured man laughed. ¡°Tricks, according to Commander Plavin. You have nothing to worry about. Now arrest them!¡±


    ¡°Sergeant! Sergeant!¡± Captain Gen came running up, Miana Ting right behind them. ¡°Or is it Captain? Commander? I apologise. I don¡¯t know your rank. I am Eti?nne Gen, Captain of the Lustrous Rose. I can vouch for these two.¡±


    Sinit?a, Jorvan, Mikranasta, and Hedromornasta were a short distance farther back, getting closer.


    ¡°These two are under arrest,¡± the man said. He looked at the two watchmen, and when they continued to hesitate, he growled and rushed Feviona.


    Feviona drew her sword, but the man stumbled, then collapsed. He yanked his helmet off and clawed at his face, screaming.


    Feviona backed away, shaking her head. Not me!


    ¡°Hedromornasta!¡± Mikranasta snapped.


    Hedromornasta said something in Isyarian, and Mikranasta responded harshly.


    The armoured man no longer clawed at his face, but he was still screaming. Blood poured from his eyes. Meleng felt as though he could be sick. Sinit?a had already turned away and was retching.


    The two Watchmen stood staring silently. All around, people along the docks had stopped and were staring.


    Then someone yelled. Then someone else. One of the Watchmen yelled out too, and they both drew their swords.


    Feviona ran a finger along the flat of her blade. When the first Watchman came at her, her blade cut right through his, then knocked the other one¡¯s out of his hands.


    Both Watchmen turned and ran.


    Other people on the docks ran too, some yelling, others screaming.


    A horn blew somewhere.


    ¡°We should get out of here,¡± Jorvan said.


    ¡°How?¡± Sinit?a asked. ¡°There are more coming.¡±


    Farther down the pier, several Watchmen and a couple more of the knights with pinkish armour and red capes were pushing through the panicked crowds.


    Mikranasta spoke to Jorvan in Isyarian.


    Jorvan nodded. ¡°Fevionawishtensen and I will carry you and Sinit?a away. Mikranasta and Hedromornasta will delay them. She promises Hedromornasta will not be so violent again.¡±


    ¡°What about Gen and the crew?¡± Meleng looked to the Captain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us,¡± Gen said. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve stopped moving,¡± Sinit?a said.


    Meleng looked back down the pier. Sure enough, the Watchmen and knights were standing still. A straggler from the almost vanished crowd pushed one of the knights, who fell over sideways like a statue, his limbs still rigid.


    Jorvan placed a hand on Meleng¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Time to go.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re up to flying with the extra weight?¡±


    ¡°I will carry Sinit?a. She is lighter than you.¡±


    Feviona stood behind Meleng and hooked her arms under and around Meleng¡¯s shoulders. Then they were away, cold air rushing against Meleng¡¯s face. He had flown with Feviona earlier, but this time, they went much higher. Below, the docks, ships, and people were getting smaller and smaller. Meleng¡¯s heart began pounding faster, and a wave of nausea washed over him. He clamped his eyes shut, which diminished the vertigo only a little. He clutched at Feviona¡¯s arms and held on for dear life.


    Sinit?a was laughing and squealing. ¡°This is so much fun!¡±


    There was a rumble, followed by a bang in the distance.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Meleng risked opening his eyes, but being able to see the entirety of the docks of Quorge beneath him him brought the vertigo right back. He fought to hold the bile back in his throat and clamped his eyes shut again.


    Jorvan didn¡¯t answer him¡ªwhich wasn¡¯t really surprising. The two Isyar could only fly so close together. It was likely Jorvan hadn¡¯t heard the question, and Meleng was unwilling to let go of Feviona to sign the question to her. Besides, she would be unable to reply without letting go of him.


    There were more rumbles and bangs beneath them.


    Meleng risked another glimpse. It was a little better this time. Some of the buildings near the docks were on fire. Surely Mikranasta and Hedromornasta hadn¡¯t done that? They were mentalists. Mentalists couldn¡¯t burn buildings¡ªnot with magic anyway. But then, what was going on?


    As Feviona flew higher, Meleng found it easier to keep his eyes open. The vertigo faded, perhaps because he was getting more used to it, or perhaps because everything below looked so small now as to be unreal. The cold wind was threatening to freeze his face though.


    He and Feviona were in the lead, and it wasn¡¯t easy to look behind. However, he did catch occasional glances of Jorvan and Sinit?a, and at one point, he was pretty sure he saw Mikranasta, so they had come to join them.


    Then they reached the Hall of Knowledge in time to see Akna and Corvinian ascending the steps.


    He really hoped Akna was all right. She could take care of herself¡ªhe knew that¡ªexcept she wasn¡¯t herself right now. He should have stayed with her.


    A crash from outside woke him.

 Book 2, Chapter 59: The Siege of Knowledge (Part 2)

    He threw the blanket aside, and jumped to his feet. He looked about, opening and closing his eyes, making certain he was really awake.


    Nearby, Pedrin was rising from a blanket on the floor. The wizards at the barricades were standing alert.


    ¡°Something¡¯s started outside,¡± Angelida called.


    ¡°Keep a close watch on the doors,¡± Pedrin said. ¡°If the two Isyar enter, the enemy will likely be pursuing them. Let the Isyar get clear of the doors, then give the enemy everything you¡¯ve got. I¡¯ll go check with the lookout.¡± He turned to Meleng. ¡°Be ready to activate your enchantments as soon as the Isyar are inside.¡±


    Meleng nodded, and Pedrin took off through the interior door.


    Meleng took a deep breath and stood by the door. At first, he held his finger out, ready to complete and activate the equations. His arm soon got tired though, so he lowered it and stood as relaxed as he could. He only needed to trace one quick character; it wasn¡¯t like the half-second it took to move his arm would make a difference.


    An eternity passed.


    Sounds from outside came sporadically. Pedrin returned to report that the Bloods had brought in a ballista, but Jorvan had destroyed it. Jorvan was also making certain none of their grapples were staying connected long enough for anyone to climb up.


    Another eternity passed. It was getting hard to stay awake. Even standing, Meleng found his eyes drifting closed and his head starting to loll on several occasions. It had to be getting close to morning by now. Maybe it was even morning already.


    The door beside Meleng opened, and a teenage girl¡ªan apprentice to one of the wizards guarding the next level down¡ªdashed in. ¡°They¡¯ve broken in below!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Meleng stammered.


    Pedrin hurried over to them. ¡°What do you mean they¡¯ve broken in below?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve broken in below,¡± the girl repeated.


    Pedrin shook his head. ¡°But there is no way in from below.¡±


    The girl raised her hands. ¡°We don¡¯t understand either. But they¡¯re in, and they¡¯re comping up.¡±


    Meleng¡¯s heart dropped. Sinit?a was down there.


    ¡°Dear gods,¡± Pedrin muttered. He called out to the wizards at the barricades, who were already looking expectantly in his direction. ¡°Someone inform Jorvan and Feviona.¡±


    Meleng looked to the interior door while Pedrin started calling out several names. He reached for the handle.


    Pedrin and three other wizards pushed past him.


    ¡°Let me come with you,¡± Meleng said.


    Pedrin shook his head. ¡°We still need you to activate your enchantments if they reach the doors.¡±


    ¡°But Sinit?a¡¯s down there.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do our best to get to her, but we need you here.¡±


    Meleng gritted his teeth and nodded. ¡°Right, of course.¡±


    Pedrin and the wizards headed through the door, followed by the girl who had brought the warning.


    Meleng took several slow breaths, tried to stop the shivering overtaking his body. He almost wished this was a dream.


    At the front of the hall, the doors were open a crack. Angelida¡¯s young apprentice slipped back in, Feviona behind her. ¡°Feviona¡¯s going to help. Jorvan says he¡¯ll handle the ones outside.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Angelida called back. ¡°Get back into position, Feena.¡±


    The girl pulled the main doors shut, and hurried back to Angelida¡¯s side.


    Feviona gave Meleng a smile as she reached him. Don¡¯t worry. I will protect her. She passed through the door.


    As the door swung closed again, Meleng reached out and blocked it. To hell with it. He had to check on Sinit?a. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t trust Feviona. He did. He just needed to be sure. He followed.


    It was unlikely the Bloods and soldiers outside would get up the steps anyway. Jorvan had the superior position and could handle them easily. Indeed, the fact they¡¯d found some other way in meant those outside were just a distraction anyway. They knew they couldn¡¯t get in.


    Gods, he was probably putting everyone in the entrance hall at risk, but he had to do this.


    He hesitated and looked back only once.


    Feviona gave him a quick look and resigned smile.


    I have to, he signed.


    I understand.


    They hurried down the stairs, past the offices and guest rooms, past the three levels of library stacks, down to the level where the Council Hall was.


    Pedrin and one of the other wizards who had gone with him were huddled by the door at the bottom of the stairs. There were yells and shouts coming from the other side.


    Meleng paused before reaching the bottom. How would Pedrin react to him being there?


    ¡°Oh, thank goodness,¡± Pedrin said as Feviona reached him. ¡°As best we can tell, there are at least a dozen Bloods and soldiers in the Council Hall. We have six wizards positioned in the hallway, and¡­¡±


    Feviona paid him no mind, opened the door and went through.


    ¡°Oh right,¡± Pedrin said. ¡°You don¡¯t understand, do you?¡±


    Meleng hurried after Feviona.


    ¡°Meleng? But¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Meleng muttered as he rushed past Pedrin.


    The corridor beyond was full of smoke. Only four of the wizards Pedrin had mentioned were still standing, huddling two apiece in the doorways of the storage rooms on either side of the corridor. The other two lay on the floor in expanding pools of blood. Feviona stepped over them and over the burnt bodies of the Bloods that lay just beyond them. She proceeded along the scorched end of the corridor towards the Council Hall doors where two Bloods stood, each holding a tall, rectangular shield.


    ¡°Keep it confined to the corridor where it can¡¯t use its wings,¡± a voice within the Council Hall yelled.


    The two Bloods raised their shields and hooked them together. Then they moved step-by-step forward, the joined shields covering close to the entire width of the corridor.


    Feviona paused and tilted her head to the side.


    The Bloods continued straight towards her. As they got closer, she straightened her head and took a single step back. She reached out with her free hand and ran her finger along the joined shields as the Bloods rammed into her.


    The shields cracked and fell to pieces.


    The Bloods stopped and reached for their swords. Feviona ran her finger along the armour of the one on her left. The tabard withered away, and the chain links beneath split and splattered to the ground. Both Bloods stumbled backwards, the now unarmoured one nearly slipping on the pile of chain links at his feet. Feviona ran her sword through his chest.


    The other one drew his sword as he continued backwards.


    Feviona spread her wings¡ªnot fully; there wasn¡¯t room for that¡ªas she walked towards the Blood. The tips scraped along the corridor walls.


    The Blood lunged forward. The walls cracked, and pieces of stone flew off and battered against the Blood, pushing him back.


    Meleng practically laughed. Had Feviona¡­? Yes, she had. She¡¯d traced equations with her wings! Gods, she was amazing.


    The Blood turned and ran back to the end of the corridor. He banged on the doors. ¡°She¡¯s coming! I can¡¯t hold her back. Let me in!¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Feviona reached him and he turned to face her. He towered over her, but he backed against the doors in fear. He swung down with his sword. It met hers and shattered.


    He drew a dagger and banged on the doors again with his other hand. ¡°Sir, please!¡±


    Feviona ran a finger across his armour, and it fell apart the same way the other Blood¡¯s had. Meleng really wished he could see the equations she was writing.


    The Blood looked down at Feviona. ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me.¡± He was very young, no more than eighteen or nineteen.


    Feviona ran her fingers over his clothes. Bit by bit, they rotted away until he was standing there completely naked. He dropped his dagger and whimpered.


    Feviona punched him in the groin, then shoved him aside. He ran down the hall, where two of the wizards grabbed his arms and began to tie him up.


    Meleng walked up to Feviona. That was amazing.


    She nodded to the doors. It is something.


    Meleng shook his head. I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t understand.


    Feviona thought a moment. They are waiting.


    Of course! A trap or ambush. He nodded.


    Feviona motioned to the wizards. Conjurors?


    ¡°You lot,¡± Meleng said. ¡°You¡¯re mostly conjurors, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an enchanter,¡± one young man said, ¡°but the rest are conjurors.¡±


    Meleng nodded to Feviona. Three conjurors.


    She pointed to the lock on the doors. I need to conserve power.


    Meleng nodded again, and knelt by the lock. He could do this. Breaking the lock should be simple. He ran through the calculations in his head, glancing back at Feviona. He hoped she didn¡¯t think he was taking too long. He traced the equations and added a connector, running a line down the corridor, so he could activate the spell from the other end.


    Wind, Feviona said. Lots of wind.


    ¡°They¡¯re probably waiting for us to open the doors,¡± Meleng told the wizards. ¡°I¡¯ll break the lock. Feviona wants lots of wind when I do. Can you do that?¡±


    The three conjurors nodded.


    Feviona walked back down the hall to stand beside Meleng behind the conjurors. Now.


    ¡°Now!¡± Meleng said and activated the spell. The lock cracked apart.


    The conjurors threw their arms forward and howling winds blew the doors open. A swarm of arrows that would have flown down the corridor and pierced their bodies instead scattered apart and hit the walls and floor as the wind blew them back.


    A moment later, the wind stopped and Feviona strode past the conjurors, motioning them to follow her. Meleng started to follow as well, but Feviona pointed at him. You, stay.


    But Sinit?a.


    But Feviona wasn¡¯t looking at him. She was already striding through the door, the conjurors right behind her.


    ¡°What should I do?¡± the young enchanter said.


    Meleng shrugged. ¡°She wants me to wait. I assume you too. Maybe.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Fridrin by the way,¡± the enchanter said.


    Meleng nodded, not taking his eyes off the door. ¡°Meleng.¡± He couldn¡¯t see anything through the door from here, although the sounds of yells from within were very audible.


    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Fridrin said. ¡°Nin-Akna¡¯s talked about you. She says we look alike.¡±


    Meleng glanced at him. He didn¡¯t look much like Akna. He was about Meleng¡¯s height with dark, curly hair. He...oh. Akna had meant he looked like Meleng.


    There were more yells from inside the Council Hall, then an explosion. Smoke poured through the doorway.


    Meleng sighed. He had to know if Sinit?a was okay. Surely peering through the doors wouldn¡¯t hurt? He moved up to them.


    ¡°Should we be doing this?¡± Fridrin hissed.


    Meleng didn¡¯t answer and peered inside.


    The clearing smoke revealed chairs scattered all over the place, many of them broken and some in flames. A few bodies of soldiers lay amidst the chairs. Several Bloods still stood about the room¡ªsix at first guess¡ªsome with bows, others with swords and shields. Two of them¡ªarmourless¡ªwere pushing against a wind blowing into them.


    One of the conjurors lay on the ground unmoving, while the other two were just to the right of the centre of the room, one the source of the wind. From the other, a streak of flame shot out at two other Bloods, who huddled behind their shields.


    ¡°Remember, it¡¯s all tricks! Chemicals create the flames, acid dissolves the armour. The rest is sleight of hand.¡± The voice came from one three Bloods in the back corner. Meleng hadn¡¯t noticed them at first. The one speaking appeared to be the one standing behind the other two, but they all wore helmets so it was hard to be sure.


    Feviona flew down from above at those three. The front two raised their shields as her sword swung down. It sliced a piece off one of the shields. As she flipped around, the Blood at the back removed his helmet and threw it at her. It hit her in the back and she crashed to the floor.


    ¡°See?¡± the helmetless Blood said. ¡°Lack of space for her to manoeuvre makes her vulnerable.¡±


    Feviona jumped to her feet and spun round as the two front Bloods lowered their shields and raised their swords. One stepped forward, and she jumped back. She didn¡¯t have her sword. She must have dropped it in the fall, but Meleng couldn¡¯t see where it was.


    The advancing Blood lunged at her. She leapt into the air, her wings spreading wide. His sword grazed her leg.


    Feviona came down on his shoulders, wrapping her legs around his neck, and knocking him over.


    The other Blood swung down at her, but she rolled aside, wrapping her wings around herself as she did. The Blood¡¯s sword almost struck his prone companion instead.


    Feviona jumped back to her feet and spread her wings again. The two standing Bloods both lunged at her, and she leapt into the air once more.


    The one without his helmet picked it up from the floor nearby. He had a scarred face. ¡°It will tire soon.¡± He placed the helmet back on.


    Feviona landed near the two conjurors. There were screams from the two armourless Bloods as they went up in flames. The other four Bloods in the room remained standing though and were getting closer to the centre.


    In the far corner, the scarred man and the two Bloods with him advanced forward.


    There had to be something Meleng could do to help. His hand went to the sword at his side. It had been hers originally. He drew it.


    ¡°Are you any good with that?¡± Fridrin asked.


    Meleng shook his head. ¡°Nope.¡± But he didn¡¯t need to be. He just needed to be able to throw it far enough. ¡°Feviona!¡± With every bit of strength he could muster, he threw the sword towards her.


    It hit the ground well before reaching her, slid a little closer to her, and stopped.


    It didn¡¯t matter. She ran towards it, scooped it up and flew into the air again.


    ¡°We need a smokescreen!¡± Meleng yelled. ¡°Soak the chairs and then burn them!¡±


    One of the conjurors clapped his hands together, and water sprayed out from him in every direction. Bloods rushed at him, one slipping on the now-slick floor. Another fell to Feviona¡¯s blade. Then the other conjuror began targeting the chairs with blasts of fire. A Blood¡¯s sword then pierced his chest just as Feviona flew down and kicked the Blood in the face. The conjuror fell to the floor, blood pooling around him.


    The other conjuror took up the task of burning the chairs, but smoke was already starting to spread through the hall.


    ¡°Hurry! Back here!¡± Fridrin called.


    The conjuror stopped throwing fire, and ran for the doors. Feviona landed between him and the Bloods. Her sword cut through another of theirs.


    The conjuror made it back into the hallway.


    ¡°Feviona!¡± Meleng called.


    She backed up a few steps, then turned, and ran into the hallway.


    Meleng and Fridrin pulled the doors closed. ¡°The latching mechanism is broken,¡± Meleng said.


    Fridrin rapidly traced equations on the doors. Someone on the other side pulled on them, but the edges of the two doors dissolved into one another. Fridrin let out a long breath. ¡°That should hold them for a little while, I hope.¡±


    Meleng nodded. He needed to learn how to do that.


    The formerly double doors, now single barrier shook as people on the other side tried to open it.


    Feviona kissed Meleng on the cheek. Thank you for the sword. I will keep it until I get mine back.


    Meleng nodded. It¡¯s yours whenever you need it.


    There are only four left. We need to lure them into a wider space where we can meet them with greater numbers. Tell these two to keep watch. Then tell Pedrin to gather others and find us a place to meet them. Then you return upstairs. You may be needed.


    Meleng smiled and nodded. He¡¯d understood everything she¡¯d said!


    But Sinit?a! He hadn¡¯t seen her in there, but the Council Hall was where she, Agernon, and Corvinian were supposed to wait. Did you see Sinit?a?


    Feviona shook her head. She was not there.


    She must have gotten out somehow. Or she¡¯d been taken prisoner. Meleng gulped. He hoped she was okay.


    Go! Feviona said.


    Meleng nodded again, and set about the tasks she¡¯d set him.

 Book 2, Chapter 60: Strength of Mind

    The overcast sky to the east had hints of red as dawn crept over the buildings of Quorge. Jorvanultumn rubbed his eyes and yawned. Down below, the soldiers were moving about, awake and active, though not currently attacking. They had done very little of that, and what they had done had been little more than token gestures. Even the ballista, in retrospect, had been nothing more than a display. A distraction.


    It was obvious now that the soldiers at the base of the Hall of Knowledge were only there as a distraction from the ones who had somehow gotten in through another route. Those ones were the real threat; these ones were not. Yet he had to keep watch on them, as unwatched, they could very well become a threat.


    Jorvanultumn yawned again and leaned forward on the dragon gargoyle where he was sitting. He was exhausted. Not magically¡ªhe had expended very little magical power¡ªbut physically. It was more than just being up all night. He had had no opportunity to rest since arriving in Quorge. He was still exhausted from the journey here.


    Still, his situation was not nearly as bad as Nin-Akna¡¯s or Felit?a¡¯s. At least he could still sleep when he had time. He just had so little time for it.


    A pair of soldiers had approached the based of the steps and were now bent over them. Jorvanultumn squinted and peered forward, but there was not enough light to tell what they were doing. Not that it really mattered what they were doing.


    He swung one of his dangling feet in a gentle circle. The ice beneath the soldiers flowed up, around their wrists and hands, and pulled them down. With a cry, they collided with each other and scrambled to pull away.


    Jorvanultumn held them for only a moment. There was no need to expend energy on holding them long. After a second, he let them go. They scrabbled to their feet and backed hurriedly away.


    Most of the night had been filled with this kind of thing. After lengthy periods of inactivity, a few soldiers would advance a little, try firing bows, or tossing grapples. Jorvanultumn would respond with some simple magic to push them back a little and they would return to a period of inactivity.


    And it just kept repeating.


    You should be grateful you¡¯ve had it so easy.


    Jorvanultumn slipped a little on his perch, then straightened up. You could warn me when you¡¯re about to do something like that.


    Mikranasta chuckled in his head. There is no way to warn of something like this. The warning itself would have to come without warning. Besides, startling you is mildly amusing.


    What¡¯s happening inside? Jorvanultumn asked.


    As I said, you¡¯ve had it easy. Several of the human wizards are dead, though I think more of the Bloods are dead. Fevionawishtensen has taken some minor injuries, but nothing to worry about.


    Jorvanultumn breathed a sigh of relief. He had not expected Fevionawishtensen would come to any serious harm, but it had been a worry in the back of his mind nonetheless.


    A weakness in the back of your mind, Jorvanultumn. That kind of worry can destroy your concentration.


    Do you never worry about Davorultumn?


    Of course, but never when the stakes are high. I choose when to allow myself worry.


    Jorvanultumn sighed and peered forward again.


    Four soldiers had approached the base of the stairs again, but they split, two going in each direction from the stairs along the base of the Hall of Knowledge. They were probably just staking it out again. They did that from time to time. There was no point his responding unless they did something more.


    Do we know how they got in? Jorvanultumn asked.


    No, Mikranasta replied. They appear to have their leader, Mitchal Plavin, with them. Fevionawishtensen reports there are only a few of them left. She and the human wizards are trying to lure them into a more open area where they can face them.


    Will you assist them?


    Mikranasta did not reply right away.


    It was decided you would join the battle if they got in. They¡¯ve gotten in.


    There are more pressing matters I must deal with.


    More pressing? What are you talking about?


    Once again, Mikranasta did not respond.


    Below, the soldiers walking along the base of the Hall were moving around the sides. Jorvanultumn stood up. It was a bit precarious on the gargoyle, but he did not need to stand here long. He spread his wings and leapt into the air.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    He flew almost directly straight up, high enough that he could see all four sides of the Hall of Knowledge. Both pairs of soldiers were walking towards the back. Jorvanultumn circled over the top, keeping both pairs and the main force at the front in sight.


    Are you going to answer me? he asked. You are the most powerful of us here. By far. You could save lives.


    There was silence in his head for a moment, but then Mikranasta said, I am sorry, Jorvanultumn. Some of the human wizards may die, and that saddens me, but I fully believe they can prevail. They have Fevionawishtensen. And young Meleng Drago¡­ He may not be powerful, but he is crafty, and his love for Princess Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith will bring out the best of him, even if his worry holds him back a bit. He has the strength of mind for it. They will prevail.


    The soldiers on the south of the building stopped moving, while those to the north kept moving towards the back. Jorvanultumn circled down a little. He did not want to lose sight of any group, but he did want to know what the two to the south were up to.


    And what is so pressing you can¡¯t help? he asked.


    The Will-Breaker¡¯s enemy. Felit?a Asa Folith is close to uncovering her enemy, and hopefully prevailing with the help of her friends and Hedromornasta. If I act, I will be found out, and her enemy will withdraw into hiding. We will not catch them.


    Jorvanultumn landed on the very top of the Hall of Knowledge and looked down the south side. The two soldiers seemed to be measuring part of the wall. How do you know?


    Because her enemy is powerful, and¡­ Mikranasta was silent for a moment. And I have taken a great risk.


    One of the soldiers on the south side threw something up onto the first tier, and then the other one helped the first climb up. What were they doing? Surely they knew he would just stop them?


    The two on the north side were just reaching the back. Several from the main force at the front were approaching the stairs. Were they trying to divide his attention?


    Jorvanultumn reshaped the stone under the climbing soldiers¡¯ feet, sending them sliding back to the ground. Then he gathered water from the air, and snow and ice from the ground. He brought them all together in a large sheet of ice that he laid down over the south side of the building, just like he had previously done on the front. He then did the same to the remaining two sides. They were not getting up that way.


    Are you going to explain this great risk? he asked. What have you done?


    It involves the other target of Felit?a Asa Folith¡¯s enemy.


    Of course. Jorvanultumn had suspected Mikranasta might have had a hand in that. You helped Nin-Akna leave unseen, didn¡¯t you?


    Yes.


    Why?


    I saw an opportunity. She allowed me to...place a tracker in her mind. She has made contact with the enemy.


    Do you know who it is?


    The enemy has appeared to her in the form of her dead friend. I cannot pierce the illusion without revealing my presence.


    And you can do nothing here?


    There was a pause again before Mikranasta continued. As I said, I took a risk. I must maintain a connection with the tracker, but it goes in both direction. I am very limited in what I can do without revealing myself. Communicating with you and Fevionawishtensen is about the extent of what I can do right now. When Felit?a Asa Folith engages her enemy, I will come to her aid. Not before.


    The soldiers to the south were returning to the front, but the ones at the back seemed to be investigating the ice coating.


    Something still did not make sense. He was not a mentalist, but¡ª


    Precisely. You are not a mentalist, Jorvanultumn. I know what I¡¯m talking about. I know the extent of my abilities, and I am starting to learn the extent of the enemy¡¯s abilities. I have told you the situation. Accept it or do not accept it, but it is what it is, and it is done. I will inform Fevionawishtensen you have the situation outside under control.


    Yes, of course. I¡¯m sorry, Mikranasta.


    She did not respond. He waited a little bit, but she still did not respond. She must have gone.


    Jorvanultumn turned his attention to the soldiers at the back. Whatever they were doing, he was bored of it. It was time to return them to the main force so everyone was in one place.


    He stirred up the air around them into a heavy wind, then mixed in snow and ice, even a few stones and small rocks. There was no need to seriously hurt anyone, but a few bruises would help drive them back.


    The soldiers raised their arms in front of their faces against the onslaught, and stumbled back round the side of the building. Jorvanultumn moved the minor tempest with them, keeping clear, calm air ahead of them to lure them on. Once they were back at the front near the main force, he let them be.


    He flew down and sat on the gargoyle again.


    Mikranasta had to be up to something more than she was saying. Whatever she had put in Nin-Akna¡¯s head had to be more than just a tracker. That was the only way to explain why she was so worried about being discovered. The question was, what? Surely it was not something dangerous to Nin-Akna.


    He sighed. He hoped Fevionawishtensen, Meleng, and Sinit?a were all right. He was sure they would be, but no matter what Mikranasta said, he would worry anyway. His worry was his strength.

 Book 2, Chapter 61: The Power of Knowledge (Part 1)

    Meleng stared ahead, but didn¡¯t really see anything. Right now, he was a mixture of exhaustion and worry, and little existed beyond that. Technically, he was back at his post in the entry foyer, ready to activate his circuits if the forces outside made it to the doors. But it was pointless. They weren¡¯t coming up. Even if they wanted to¡ªand he was fairly certain they didn¡¯t¡ªthey weren¡¯t going to get past Jorvan, who had the far superior position.


    Mitchal Plavin¡¯s presence inside the Hall of Knowledge should be the higher priority. Pedrin said that was their priority, but he still insisted Meleng stay here for now, ¡°just in case.¡± Until they figured out what they were going to do.


    And maybe after that too.


    Pedrin felt Meleng was too close to the situation.


    Of course he was close! Sinit?a could be in danger. So could Agernon and Corvinian. He had no idea where they were or what had happened to them.


    Everyone here was emotionally involved in the situation. Many had lost friends and colleagues below. Was Meleng¡¯s situation all that different?


    One thing was certain. If Sinit?a was hurt or, gods forbid, dead, he would¡­


    He had never before in his life felt such an intense desire to kill someone. But he would.


    He would kill Mitchal Plavin, or die himself trying.


    There was a loud thud near him. ¡°Wake up, boy.¡±


    Meleng blinked several times. As his vision cleared, he looked at Angelida who was now standing beside him. She was raising her cane to make another thud. ¡°I¡¯m awake.¡±


    She lowered her cane without thudding it. ¡°Physically maybe, but lost in daydreams.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, nothing about Angelida had changed. He almost wished something had. It this were an illusion, maybe the real Sinit?a was safe.


    Angelida closed her eyes briefly and gave a slight nod. ¡°I understand your distress, lad. I¡¯ve loved before. But you need to focus that anger and worry into something constructive. Come.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    Angelida pointed with her cane to the back of the foyer, where Pedrin was pacing. Near him, Feviona stood with her head to the ceiling, deep in concentration. ¡°We need to change our strategy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve tried to suggest¡ª¡±


    ¡°And you can try again with my help.¡± She grabbed Meleng¡¯s arm and yanked him forward.


    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± He pulled his arm free and followed Angelida over to Pedrin.


    ¡°Pedrin, we need to talk,¡± Angelida said as they reached him.


    Right then, Feviona threw up her arms and stamped her foot on the floor. She signed several things that Meleng was pretty certain were expletives.


    ¡°What¡¯s with her?¡± Angelida said.


    ¡°She¡¯s been communicating with Mikranasta, I think,¡± Pedrin said.


    Angelida scowled. ¡°Still not coming to our aid, I take it?¡±


    Pedrin shook his head. ¡°So it would appear.¡±


    Feviona stomped over to them. Sometimes, I wish her wings would rot, she drives me so crazy! Well, fuck her. We¡¯ll do this on our own.


    ¡°What¡¯s she saying?¡± Angelida asked.


    Meleng gave a slight shrug. ¡°Just confirming that Mikranasta isn¡¯t helping, and saying that we can do this on our own.¡± After a pause, he added, ¡°I think.¡± He felt a bit odd having become Feviona¡¯s translator. He hadn¡¯t mastered the language yet. In fact, he was far from mastering it. With most of her signs, he was filling in meaning just from context rather actually recognising them. He couldn¡¯t be sure he was understanding exactly.


    Of course, did it matter if it was exact, as long as the meaning was there? It was like his equations. Close was good enough.


    It was easy to tell himself that. It was much harder to believe it.


    ¡°Tell her we need to start planning our attack,¡± Angelida said. ¡°Pedrin, I¡¯m sorry, but we¡¯ve waited long enough as it is. You¡¯re being far too timid in your approach to this.¡±


    ¡°Good people have died,¡± Pedrin said. ¡°I¡¯m trying to prevent more.¡±


    ¡°And doing nothing disrespects those who have already died.¡±


    Pedrin rounded on her. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not a warrior. None of us are. I¡¯m doing the best I can.¡±


    Angelida pointed to Feviona. ¡°She is. Perhaps we should follow her lead.¡± She stared at Meleng for a moment. ¡°Well?¡±


    Meleng blinked. ¡°Oh right.¡± Translating Feviona¡¯s words was one thing; having to turn the others¡¯ words into signs was a lot harder. They want to start planning to attack.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Feviona nodded. Good.


    And they want you to do the planning.


    Feviona smiled. Good. Then this is what we will do.


    Meleng translated as she launched into her plan. ¡°We have to assume they have an underground path into the Hall of Knowledge you don¡¯t know about.¡± Feviona had asked earlier for schematics of the Hall, but Pedrin had informed her they didn¡¯t have any original ones, only ones that had been drawn after the Hall¡¯s construction. No one knew for certain what had happened to the original schematics, but it was believed they were in the possession of the Belones. The Bloods¡¯ presence in the Hall now had pretty much confirmed that belief. ¡°We need to find that passage.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Angelida asked. ¡°And even if we find it, it will be guarded.¡±


    ¡°Of course it will,¡± Meleng translated, ¡°but that¡¯s fine. They must have...um...uh...oh! They must have a line of communication between those outside and the ones inside. We need to get them to use it so we can follow it. We will attack the ones outside.¡±


    ¡°But there are so many more out there,¡± Pedrin said.


    Meleng translated for Feviona, but he didn¡¯t need to wait for her reply. ¡°We have the advantage of open space outside, specifically the sky.¡± He signed his own words as he spoke. ¡°Jorvan has been holding them off by himself. He and Feviona, together with the rest of us, they won¡¯t stand a chance.¡±


    Feviona nodded approvingly.


    ¡°But what about the ones in here?¡± Pedrin said.


    Angelida shook her head and sighed. ¡°You¡¯re smarter than that, Pedrin. I¡¯ll assume it¡¯s the lack of sleep. As Meleng explained already, we need to find that passage. When they come under heavy attack, they¡¯ll send a message. We have to catch them doing that, and follow the messenger.¡±


    ¡°And if we don¡¯t spot the messenger?¡± Pedrin asked.


    Feviona shrugged. Then we hope our attack is enough to lure the something commander out. She didn¡¯t have a name sign for Mitchal Plavin, so had taken to referring to him as the commander along with some sort of derogatory adjective. Meleng wasn¡¯t sure what precise word she had described him with this time. It had never occurred to him before just how many ways there were to insult a person.


    ¡°If we do spot the messenger,¡± Angelida said, ¡°who does the following?¡±


    Feviona sighed. Ideally, it would be Mikranasta, but that shit-for-wings won¡¯t do it, so I leave it up to you to recommend someone.


    Meleng grimaced. ¡°Uh, she¡¯s willing to take recommendations since Mikranasta won¡¯t do it.¡±


    Pedrin rubbed his chin. ¡°I¡¯m not sure who to suggest. We don¡¯t have any other mentalists.¡± He looked to Angelida. ¡°Who do we have who¡¯s good at staying out of sight?¡±


    Angelida leaned on her cane. ¡°Feena perhaps, though I¡¯m loath to put her at such risk.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who said we have to do something,¡± Pedrin said.


    Angelida scowled. ¡°I know, but she¡¯s only fourteen. What about Fridrin?¡±


    They¡¯re deciding who, Meleng told Feviona.


    She came over to him while Pedrin and Angelida continued to argue. How are you doing?


    Meleng sighed. Tired.


    Feviona tilted her head and just looked at him.


    And worried, he added.


    She gave him a sad smiled, then stepped up closer and wrapped her wings around him. He bent his head down so they could touch foreheads, and wrapped his arms around her neck.


    They stood there for a few moments. Meleng closed his eyes, and tried not to cry, though a few tears dropped anyway. Feviona pressed her wings tighter against him, and he did the same with his arms, held her tight. So tight. The tears fell liberally.


    Eventually, they separated, and Meleng wiped his eyes. It had probably been no more than a few seconds¡ªPedrin and Angelida were still arguing¡ªbut it had been a nice few seconds.


    We will find her, Feviona said.


    Meleng nodded. I know.


    When we take the shit-caster commander, do you want me to save him for you?


    Meleng stared a moment, then shook his head. No, if you get the chance¡­ He paused. If you get the chance, kill him. Don¡¯t wait for me.


    Feviona placed a hand on his cheek, leaned forward, and kissed his other cheek. She stepped back. I promise you, he will die.


    Thank you.


    Now come. While those two argue, we need to make other preparations.

 Book 2, Chapter 61: The Power of Knowledge (Part 2)

    A bitter wind blew across the front of the Hall of Knowledge. Meleng wasn¡¯t sure if it was natural or whipped up by Jorvan. It didn¡¯t really matter which; only its presence mattered.


    Most of the Hall of Knowledge conjurors were now lining up in front of the now-open main doors at the top of the steps. Most of the enchanters, including Meleng huddled behind them. Jorvan and Feviona circled above. A few wizards, including Pedrin, remained inside to watch in case Mitchal Plavin and the Bloods inside tried to come up from behind.


    Down below, the soldiers and Bloods scrambled about, gathering bows and other weapons. Some attempted to ready a broken ballista. They clearly knew they were about to come under attack, and were panicking.


    Jorvan would give the signal to attack. The plan was to not wait long. They couldn¡¯t be given time to prep a defence. Even though Meleng knew it had been a matter of seconds since he¡¯d stepped through the door, the wait still seemed interminable.


    Then the wind picked up. It blew past the wizards, ruffling hair and clothes as it flowed down the front of the building, picking up speed as it went. It tore into the forces below, knocking off archers¡¯ aims, scattering small unattended objects, even causing some people to slip on the icy ground and collide with others.


    Fire and ice erupted from the conjurors, shooting down at the Bloods, hitting some, missing others, also hitting a few of the Belone soldiers. The plan was to target the Bloods and avoid killing too many of the others. Unlike the Bloods, who had chosen their life, many of the other soldiers had likely been conscripted and weren¡¯t entirely here by choice.


    Near Meleng, Angelida clutched her fists in front of her. She flicked them open and thin shards of metal shot out. It was hard to see exactly where they went from this distance, but a Blood who looked like he might be in line with them did fall over.


    Feviona flew down, weaving between the streams of fire, ice, rock, and metal. Her sword cut through the Bloods¡¯ armour like it wasn¡¯t even there. One Blood went down. She swerved round. Another Blood dropped. She flipped over and swiped her sword through a passing ball of fire. The blade came away flaming. She then drove it through a Blood¡¯s helmet and his head. She pulled the sword free and flew back over the top of the forces.


    Jorvan had said Feviona was a very good flyer. Meleng was now convinced that had been a massive understatement.


    ¡°Damn it.¡±


    Meleng glanced at Fridrin beside him.


    Fridrin was squatted against the wall, rapidly tracing equations onto a piece of glass. As he completed one, the glass shifted and bulged a little. He shook his head and traced a new equation, and the glass changed its shape again.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Meleng asked and turned his attention back to the battle. He was supposed to be watching for anyone trying to get away.


    ¡°This is harder than I expected. The noise is very distracting.¡±


    ¡°Just stay calm.¡± There was so much smoke below now. Anyone who wanted to get away had more than enough concealment. Meleng suspected numerous people were already taking advantage of that. Even if he could see them, he had no idea how he would be able to tell which ones might be messengers and which ones were just trying to flee.


    ¡°There,¡± Fridrin said.


    Meleng looked back again. The glass in Fridrin had reshaped into a magnifying lens. Fridrin handed it to Meleng, then pulled out another piece of glass and started tracing equations on it.


    Meleng held the lens up to his eye and peered over the battlefield. There was still a lot of smoke obscuring things, but at least with the magnification, he could more easily distinguish between shapes in the smoke. He still had no idea how to determine if any of them were messengers. He decided he should just pick a random shape and follow that person as far as he could. A shape that looked lightly encumbered, able to move swiftly.


    They had ultimately decided that finding and catching such a messenger was probably not going to happen, but it was worth trying anyway. However, Feviona was also going to make certain to take a few prisoners for interrogation.


    Meleng spotted a figure near the back right. There was less smoke there. The individual wore the Belone tabard but did not appear to be armed. They were running away from the battle.


    Feviona flew past Meleng¡¯s field of vision. When she had passed, Meleng couldn¡¯t see the individual anymore. After a moment of searching, however, he spotted them again. They were running down one of the streets. Thankfully, the locals had cleared out, probably holed up indoors, so it was easy to spot people on the streets.


    Meleng nudged Fridrin, then pointed.


    Fridrin had managed to create a second lens and turned his attention towards where Meleng was pointing. Unfortunately, the individual was now getting far enough away that even the magnification was not helping, so Meleng doubted Fridrin could see anything.


    ¡°Probably just a deserter,¡± Fridrin said.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Meleng said. ¡°But it gives us one possible direction.¡±


    That one possible direction soon became one of a dozen or more. So many others were scattering. Some of the Bloods yelled for them to return, but even some of the Bloods were running too.


    Feviona flew down at one of the Bloods not fleeing. She flipped around as she reached him, not striking with her sword, but instead running her fingers across his chest. His armour crumbled away. He tried to grab her, but she flipped over again, batting him with her wing before flying away.


    Ice rose up by the Blood, flowing like water over his feet and lower legs and affixing him to the ground. He bent over and tried to yank his feet free, but more ice rose from the ground in two columns, wrapping around his wrist and arms. He struggled, but the ice held him in place.


    Feviona landed between two remaining Bloods. When they both ran at her, she leapt into the air again. Each of her wings made brief contact with the Bloods before she was out of their reach. Both Bloods froze in their tracks. Their armour collapsed inwards. Meleng held back some bile as their armour crushed the Bloods, spraying blood out in every direction.


    Meleng lowered the magnifying lens and followed Feviona¡¯s path through the sky with his bare eyes. Gods, she was astounding. How in the world did she manage to trace two equations simultaneously, especially with her wings while still using them to fly?


    Several of the conjurors, including Angelida, were slowly descending the stairs. Jorvan must have removed the ice sheet that had covered the steps, as it was now gone. The conjurors continued to throw fire, ice, and more at what remained of the opposing force, but there weren¡¯t a whole lot left now.


    Another Blood fell, leaving only the armourless one held by Jorvan¡¯s ice. A moment later, Feviona landed. She crossed the battlefield systematically, running her sword through the bodies of the Bloods, making sure none of them still clung to life.


    Fridrin nudged Meleng. ¡°We should probably join them.¡± The remaining conjurors and enchanters were starting down the steps.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we let Pedrin know?¡±


    ¡°Feena already went to do that. You¡¯ve been too busy watching Feviona.¡± Fridrin chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t blame you. I can only dream of being a tenth the wizard she is. But she¡¯s an Isyar. She¡¯ll always be better than anything we can muster.¡±


    Meleng nodded, and they started down the steps.


    ¡°You two are pretty close, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s my fomaze.¡±


    Fridrin gave him a blank look.


    Meleng smiled. ¡°It¡¯s an Isyar thing. Kind of makes you more than a friend, less than a spouse. Sort of. I¡¯m still getting used to it myself.¡±


    ¡°Are you...I mean¡­¡± Fridrin paused in stumbling over words to stumble on the slippery steps.


    Meleng reached out to help steady him, and then they continued.


    ¡°What I was trying to say is, aren¡¯t you with Princess Sinit?a?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s¡­she¡¯s my¡­¡± Fear shot through him, and his heart beat faster. ¡°I don¡¯t even know if she¡¯s alive. I have to find her.¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh my,¡± Fridrin said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Meleng picked up his pace. ¡°I need to get to Feviona.¡± He nearly slipped a couple of times in his rush to reach the bottom.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The wizards had spread out across the battlefield. Most were checking on the injured soldiers and rounding up those who could still move unaided. Feviona and Jorvan were by the captured Blood. Meleng hurried over to them.


    Angelida joined them just as Meleng reached them. ¡°I¡¯d say that went well. Does he know anything?¡±


    ¡°He is refusing to speak,¡± Jorvan said.


    The Blood spat at Jorvan. ¡°I don¡¯t speak to lesser beings.¡±


    Angelida smacked him in the face with her cane, then used the cane to point at Feviona. ¡°That...lesser being as you put it just slaughtered most of your compatriots. You would do well to listen to both of these people and answer their questions if you know what¡¯s good for you.¡±


    The Blood spat blood on the ground. ¡°I don¡¯t acknowledge you either.¡±


    Angelida leaned in closer to him. Normally, the Blood would be much taller than her, but in the hunched-over state he was held in, she was able to speak directly into his ear. ¡°You stupid boy. What do you think you¡¯re doing right now?¡± The Blood tried to bite her, but she stepped back with a laugh.


    He really was a boy. Sixteen or seventeen. Maybe younger. Blood trickled from his lip and he looked about to cry. Meleng shook his head sadly.


    Jorvan said something in Isyarian to Feviona. She nodded in response.


    ¡°What was that?¡± the Blood said.


    Jorvan said something else, and Feviona smiled broadly.


    ¡°What are you going on about?¡± the Blood demanded.


    Jorvan looked at him, feigning surprise. ¡°Oh, are you talking to me? You said you would not speak to me, so I thought it must be someone else.¡±


    The Blood spat at him again, but there was less energy to it.


    ¡°We know you have a way into the Hall of Knowledge,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°It is presumably an underground passage. Where is it?¡±


    The Blood grunted.


    Meleng pointed. ¡°I saw someone running that way. There were a lot of people running, but none of them went that way. It doesn¡¯t mean anything, but¡­¡± He shrugged.


    ¡°Was that a messenger?¡± Jorvan asked the Blood. ¡°Is that the way to the tunnel?¡±


    The Blood grunted again and stared at the ground.


    ¡°It would be wise to answer, boy,¡± Angelida said.


    The Blood pointedly looked away from her.


    Jorvan sighed. ¡°I do not wish to cause you pain. If you would just answer¡­¡±


    Still the Blood didn¡¯t answer.


    Someone else was calling though.


    Meleng looked back to the Hall of Knowledge. Feena stood at the top of the steps, waving and calling. Some of the wizards were heading to the steps towards her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find out what¡¯s happening.¡± Angelida pressed the bottom of her cane against the Blood¡¯s cheek. ¡°Find out what this fool knows.¡± She shoved her cane and he cried out. Then she turned and walked towards the steps.


    ¡°I suspect she will do worse when she returns,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°You would do best to do as she says. Tell us the way to the tunnel.¡±


    The Blood spat more blood. ¡°Fuck you.¡±


    Feviona stormed up. We don¡¯t have time for this. Tell him to speak or there will be more of this.


    Jorvan looked at her quizzically, but nodded. ¡°My fomase says to speak or she will do more.¡±


    The Blood growled. ¡°More what?¡±


    Jorvan looked back to Feviona.


    She traced a short equation on the Blood¡¯s ear. He screamed as the ear shrivelled up, pieces flaking away like dry dander until the ear was gone.


    Meleng gulped.


    ¡°Well?¡± Jorvan said.


    The Blood looked up. Bloody tears covered his face, and he sobbed. ¡°All right, all right. I¡¯ll tell you.¡± He nodded vaguely in the direction Meleng had indicated. ¡°It¡¯s not that way. It¡¯s...it¡¯s¡­¡± He tried to twist his head round, but it clearly wouldn¡¯t turn far enough. ¡°The other side of the Hall of Knowledge. I can give you directions or even show you, but please don¡¯t let her near me again. Please! Please! I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    Jorvan nodded. ¡°I will let you go, but if you run, she will kill you.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t run, I swear. Please!¡±


    A couple slow sweeps of Jorvan¡¯s arm retracted the ice holding the Blood. He stumbled forward and fell face-first to the ground. He lay there sobbing.


    That was a bit harsh, wasn¡¯t it? Jorvan signed.


    Feviona frowned. They have our fomaze. I will tear this city apart to find her if I need to. Watch him. She strode forward, took Meleng¡¯s arm, and led him towards the Hall steps.


    Jorvan called out something in Isyarian, but Feviona didn¡¯t look back.


    You okay? Meleng asked.


    Feviona took a deep breath and nodded. I¡¯m just tired. I¡¯ve used a lot of magical energy. Jorvanultumn knows what I¡¯m like when this happens. I¡¯ll apologise to him later. He¡¯ll understand. She moved behind him and looped her arms under his shoulders.


    Meleng gulped and gripped her arms tightly. Then she spread her wings and leapt into the sky.


    Meleng closed his eyes as cold air rushed past him. He wasn¡¯t sure he would ever get used to this.


    Luckily, it was a short trip, mere seconds before they landed and she let go of him.


    He opened his eyes. They were at the top of the steps near Feena and some of the other wizards. They had made it up here before Angelida, who was still halfway up the steps.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Meleng asked.


    ¡°We got a message from the Bloods inside,¡± Feena said. ¡°From their leader. He...uh¡­¡± She lowered her eyes.


    Meleng bit his lower lip.


    ¡°He has the Princess. As well as Agernon and the young boy. He says he¡¯ll kill the Princess and Agernon if we don¡¯t surrender. He¡¯s given us half an hour. It¡¯s probably down to twenty minutes now.¡±


    Meleng spun round to face Feviona. They¡¯re going to kill Sinit?a in twenty minutes.


    Feviona stood there a moment, breathing deeply. Then she moved behind Meleng again, and looped her arms under his shoulders.


    ¡°We can get to the underground passage,¡± Meleng told Feena. ¡°Tell Pedrin we¡¯ll come up from behind. You need to stall Plavin as long as you can.¡±


    Feena nodded as Feviona lifted Meleng into the air.


    Meleng kept his eyes open this time as they flew back to Jorvan. It was too short a trip to develop vertigo. Or perhaps he was just too determined. Either way, the trip didn¡¯t bother him.


    The Blood was siting on the ground beside Jorvan, shivering. Whether from fear or the cold, Meleng couldn¡¯t be sure. Both probably.


    ¡°They¡¯re going to kill Sinit?a in twenty minutes,¡± Meleng told Jorvan.


    ¡°I have the directions to the tunnel. It should not be hard to find. We can fly there quickly.¡± Jorvan looked to Feviona and began speaking in Isyarian.


    Feviona shook her head. No. One of us needs to stay on this side to provide support for the human wizards.


    Jorvan responded in Isyarian again. There was a protesting quality to his voice and he moved his arms about agitatedly.


    No. I¡¯m the stronger, faster flyer. You know that. We don¡¯t have time to argue. I will take Meleng. It only needs the two of us.


    Jorvan sighed and nodded. He said one last thing in Isyarian, then placed a hand on Meleng¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I will see you soon. Be careful.¡±


    Meleng nodded and they touched foreheads briefly.


    Jorvan approached Feviona.


    Be careful, she said. The piss-faced commander will choose a confined area. You will not be able to use your wings.


    Jorvan nodded.


    Now tell me the directions.


    Jorvan spoke for a short time in Isyarian. Then the two of them touched foreheads. After that, Jorvan spread his wings and flew to the Hall entrance.


    Ready? Feviona asked.


    Meleng gritted his teeth and nodded. Once more, Feviona looped her arms around him. She kissed the back of his neck, then leapt into the air.

 Book 2, Chapter 61: The Power of Knowledge (Part 3)

    Once again, Meleng kept his eyes open. They were soon over the top of the Hall of Knowledge, and then over the western stretches of Quorge, the buildings looking tiny beneath them. Dizziness and nausea did not cause him any problems. His heart still beat furiously though. Not fear of heights, but worry about whether Feviona had the directions correct. What if the Blood had lied? He¡¯d given the information under duress, after all. It was not the most reliable method of interrogation. And even if the directions were correct, could they get there fast enough? Feviona was a fast flyer, yes, but she had her limits, and if the tunnel was long enough to pass out of the city¡ªwhich seemed to be the case given the direction they were flying¡ªher speed might not be enough.


    Meleng took a deep breath and reminded himself that Jorvan, Pedrin, Angelida, and the other wizards at the Hall would do what they could to ensure Sinit?a¡¯s safety and deal with Mitchal Plavin. By the time Meleng and Feviona got there, maybe Plavin would already be dead and Sinit?a safe.


    He didn¡¯t really believe that, but he tried.


    After what seemed an eternity, Feviona slowed and began circling. They were over the fields southwest of the city. Feviona circled a couple times, before heading downwards. They appeared to be headed towards a rocky outcropping. Meleng wished he could take out the magnifying lens, but he didn¡¯t dare let go of Feviona.


    They landed off to the side of the rocks, behind a hill of snow.


    There is a guard, Feviona said. He probably saw us, but don¡¯t worry. I will take care of him.


    She clearly had the better vision, because Meleng had noticed no one while they were flying.


    Feviona bent over and took several breaths. She stumbled a little.


    Meleng moved so she could see him. You okay?


    She stood up and nodded. Just tired, as I said. I have used a lot of energy. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine. She patted his shoulder, then traced several equations over her chest, arms, legs, and wings.


    Of course. She wasn¡¯t just using magic to destroy Bloods¡¯ armour or augment her sword. She was augmenting herself as well. No wonder she was low on energy.


    Feviona drew her sword¡ªhis sword. Or maybe he should think of it as their sword. Yes, that was what he would do.


    Wait here. Feviona spread her wings and flew off.


    Please be careful, Meleng signed, but she was facing the wrong way to see him. He sighed. It would do no good if she killed herself saving Sinit?a. He wanted them both alive.


    There was a cry from the rocks. A moment later, Feviona flew up into sight and waved him over. Then she lowered out of sight again.


    Meleng hurried as quickly as he could over the mostly unbroken snow. After a short while, the ground gradually became a mix of dirt and rubble, as well as snow. Feviona stood in front of an opening in the outcropping, a dead Blood at her feet. The opening wasn¡¯t quite a cave entrance, more like a mine entrance. It was rectangular in shape and there were wooden support beams. In front of the opening were broken pieces of timber and piles of rock.


    It seemed a rather obvious entrance. It was surprising no one had found it before. It must have been closed off and hidden somehow. That would explain all the rubble.


    We need to be quick. Feviona went through the entrance and Meleng followed. She motioned to a lit torch in a sconce on the wall. Meleng grabbed it and they headed forward.


    The torch didn¡¯t provide a lot of light, but it was enough to see a short distance ahead. The passage headed straight forward at a slight downward angle. It was cold and damp, and the partially frozen, otherwise soft ground crunched underfoot as they progressed. It was clear numerous people had passed this way recently, as even in the dim light, their bootprints were easily visible on the ground.


    Feviona set a fast pace. Meleng was gasping for air before long, but he didn¡¯t let that bother him. Feviona was right to move quickly. They didn¡¯t have much time.


    It seemed to take forever. Surely their twenty minutes were long since up, but they kept moving. Meleng certainly wasn¡¯t about to stop and Feviona definitely didn¡¯t. Besides, he probably wasn¡¯t keeping tracking of time accurately anyway. The passage continued to extend into darkness.


    Eventually, a pinprick of light appeared somewhere ahead. Feviona raised a hand to indicate caution, but didn¡¯t slow down. The light slowly resolved into distant, flickering torchlight, a hint of shadows in the smoke around it.


    ¡°Who goes there?¡± a voice called out. ¡°Identify yourselves.¡±


    Feviona looked back at Meleng and put a finger to her lips. Then she motioned for him to stop moving. He did, and she drew their sword and rushed forward.


    ¡°I said, identify your¡ªsound the alarm! They¡¯ve found us!¡±


    There was a thud and a cry, then another thud. Then silence.


    The torch rose from the wall and waved around. Meleng was fairly certain that was Feviona calling him forward. He certainly hoped it was her.


    When he got close enough that the light of both torches illuminated more than just smoke and shadows, he saw that Feviona was standing by a large, stone door. A headless Blood lay slumped in the corner beside the door. On the opposite side of the door a Belone soldier¡ªstill with a head¡ªlay still.


    Feviona pointed at the Belone soldier. That one¡¯s still alive. I think. She pointed at the Blood. He¡¯s dead.


    No kidding.


    Feviona grinned.


    It took Meleng a moment to locate the Blood¡¯s head. It was several feet back down the passage.


    Feviona banged on the door and drew his attention back to her.


    What if they hear you? Meleng said.


    Feviona rolled her eyes. Anyone on the other side already heard that one die.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Good point.


    Feviona tapped on the door, but quietly. Can you get it open.


    Meleng tried the handle, but while it turned, the door wouldn¡¯t budge. He bent over it to look at it more closely. There was no obvious lock, so the door was probably barred from the other side. That wasn¡¯t going to be easy to deal with. He stepped back. Give me a moment.


    Feviona nodded. She stepped over to the wall near the unconscious Belone soldier. She placed her palms against the wall and leaned forward against it. Meleng hadn¡¯t noticed before, but she was covered in sweat and breathing heavily. He wanted to ask her again if she was okay, but she wasn¡¯t looking at him. He turned his attention back to the door.


    Maybe he could do the opposite of what he had tried to do to the doors at the Hall of Knowledge. There, he¡¯d hoped to expand them to jam them in place. Perhaps he could contract this one. It wouldn¡¯t have to be by much. Just to create enough space to slip something through that could be used to raise the bar out of place.


    He ran through the equations in his head. Yes, it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult.


    He hoped.


    He glanced back at Feviona. She was still leaning against the wall, still breathing heavily.


    Meleng took a deep breath of his own, and started tracing the equations. He added a short delay so he could step back¡ªjust in case something went wrong.


    He stepped back and a moment later, there was a loud crack and the door twisted. A piece broke off as it squeezed in on itself.


    Feviona spun around, then looked at him with a smile.


    By the door handle, there was now a sizeable gap between it and the frame. The gap narrowed the higher and lower it went, but it was enough. Meleng approached and held the torch near, so he could see through. As he¡¯d suspected, there was a bar blocking the door on the other side.


    He placed the torch in an empty sconce, then turned to Feviona. Can I have our sword?


    She smiled, drew the sword, and held it out to him. He took it and carefully slid it into the gap under the bar. Then he raised it to push the bar away.


    The bar didn¡¯t move.


    Not much, at any rate. He thought maybe it moved a little.


    He tried again, and again. Even using both hands, he couldn¡¯t lift it enough to make it fall away.


    This was proving harder than he¡¯d expected. He hadn¡¯t considered the weight of the bar and the lack of leverage he had from this side.


    Then Feviona pressed up against him from behind. She reached around and place her hands over his. Together, they tried to move the bar. This time, it rose.


    But it still didn¡¯t fall free.


    They had freed it from its holder on one side of the door, but not the other.


    Meleng lowered it a little, Feviona following his lead. He twisted his head round to try to look back at her. He wasn¡¯t sure how to make sure she knew what he wanted to do. She was smiling at him though. He would just have to hope she had figured out his intentions.


    With a single, fast thrust, they swung the sword upwards as high as they could reach together.


    There was a clatter and crash on the other side of the door.


    Feviona let go of his hands and stepped back. Meleng pulled the sword back in, then tried the door. It swung easily open. He turned around and held the sword out to Feviona.


    She took it. Well done.


    Meleng smiled. He was glad he was being useful. He didn¡¯t want Feviona to have to do everything. She probably could have handled the door herself, but in her exhausted state¡­


    Feviona indicated the open door. Let¡¯s go. Time is running out.


    The door led to a storage room. Several shelves full of boxes had been pushed up against each other, presumably to clear the way to the door. That created an interesting question: how did the Bloods get in initially? If the shelves had been blocking the door¡ªwhich was the only thing that made sense for why nobody had known about this door¡ªeven if it had not initially been barred, it would have been very difficult to move the door. The room was small. The shelves couldn¡¯t move far. If they¡¯d tipped over, there would not have been enough room to fall flat. Boxes would have fallen everywhere. Even if the shelves hadn¡¯t tipped, it would have made a lot of noise.


    Perhaps they had managed to push the door open just enough for someone to squeeze through and then move the shelves neatly like they were now. That would have still made noise, though.


    Where in the Hall were they?


    Feviona tapped him on the shoulder. Stop something. Something with his head. Daydreaming maybe. Probably.


    She was at the other door¡ªthe normal entrance to this room, not the hidden one they¡¯d come through¡ªand she leaned up to listen. Do you know where this room is?


    Meleng shook his head. He didn¡¯t know the layout of the Hall well enough. He had seen the schematics, but couldn¡¯t remember the location of every storage room. There were a couple storage rooms near the Council Chamber, weren¡¯t there? The Bloods had started there.


    Feviona opened the door.


    As Meleng had suspected, it led to the hall outside the Council Chamber. There were still bodies on the floor. And blood. Lots of blood. And the stench¡­


    It hadn¡¯t been long enough for the bodies to be decomposing. The stench would be even worse then. But there was a smell to blood as well, and it didn¡¯t sit well with Meleng¡¯s stomach.


    He held his breath as Feviona moved into the hall. She hurried over to the Council Chamber doors, which hung open partway. She looked in then turned back around with a shake of her head. Where do you suggest?


    Meleng shrugged. We¡¯ll never find them in time.


    Yes, we will. Jorvanultumn will keep him delayed.


    But we won¡¯t surprise them. What good can we do?


    She gave him a comforting smile. Surprise is not our task. Removing anyone guarding the shit-faced commander¡¯s retreat is our task. She continued past him to the doors at the end of the corridor.


    She was right. He shouldn¡¯t let despair get the better of him. They had to keep moving no matter what. They had to reach Sinit?a.


    He will have chosen tight quarters, Feviona said. Suggest some.


    Meleng wracked his brain. He hadn¡¯t been here long. He didn¡¯t know the place well enough. Though neither had Mitchal Plavin. Plavin had probably studied the schematics, even memorised them, but he couldn¡¯t know how individual rooms had been furnished or even adjusted since construction. Where would he choose?


    There was one likely location, and Meleng sighed.


    The library.


    Feviona nodded. Lead.

 Book 2, Chapter 61: The Power of Knowledge (Part 4)

    At least it was a location Meleng knew the way to. He¡¯d been there last time he¡¯d been in Quorge, and a couple times this visit, though never long enough to actively look through the stacks.


    He hurried up the stairs, Feviona close behind. There were two ways there. Which was the best way to go? The closest presumably, though that would not guarantee they came up behind the Bloods. Though surely Jorvan and the others had both ways covered. Unless, of course, Plavin had forced them to stay on one side with threats to Sinit?a or Agernon.


    Damn it, he just had to choose. His tendency towards indecision would just get Sinit?a killed. It was long past time he learned to make decisions.


    He would take the longer route. It wasn¡¯t much longer and was the more likely back route. If Jorvan and the others were at only one side, they would be by the main entrance.


    He hurried up one flight of stairs, then led Feviona across the level of study chambers beneath the library. Then they ascended the stairs at the other side.


    There was no guard on the door¡ªat least not on this side. Meleng nodded to Feviona, who motioned for him to step aside and approached the door. She glanced back at him. Be ready. She opened the door.


    There was a Blood on the other side, helmet off, but sword drawn and ready. He started to swing, but Feviona ducked under his arm, spun round behind him. Their sword cut easily through the boy¡¯s armour and his back. He crashed to the floor just in front of Meleng. Meleng blinked several times from the spray of blood and wiped his face.


    ¡°Sounds like we have visitors,¡± a voice called from inside.


    Feviona was already moving forward.


    Meleng stepped over the body and into the library.


    ¡°Tell your assassin,¡± the voice called out, ¡°that if another of my men dies, so does the Princess. There will be no hesitation.¡±


    Jorvan¡¯s voice, speaking Isyarian came a moment later.


    Feviona was already out of sight amongst the stacks somewhere, so Meleng just went in the direction the voices were coming from. It wouldn¡¯t be hard to find everyone. The library was big, but it wasn¡¯t that big. It had a large collection of books¡ªthe largest Meleng had seen apart from Scovese¡ªbut they were packed tightly into narrow aisles.


    ¡°Well?¡± Plavin said. ¡°Will it acknowledge?¡±


    ¡°I am sure she heard me,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°But she is mute and cannot reply.¡±


    Plavin laughed. ¡°Mute, is it? Well, well. Ah, there it is.¡±


    ¡°Please do no refer to her as it,¡± Jorvan said.


    ¡°Feviona!¡±


    Sinit?a¡¯s voice.


    Meleng hurried up.


    He turned a corner and saw Feviona up ahead at the end of the aisle. He rushed up to her.


    The aisle opened up into the foyer at the library¡¯s main entrance. Jorvan, Pedrin, and Angelida stood just inside the open doors. Several other wizards peered from the other side of the doors.


    Where was Sinit?a? That had been her voice, but Meleng couldn¡¯t get a good view because of Feviona¡¯s wings. Even folded, they took up most of the width of the aisle, and even though she was shorter than him, her wings matched his height. Meleng squeezed beside her to get a better view.


    There was Sinit?a. She was standing in the left corner of the room. Corvinian was beside her, a pale blue nimbus around him. A Blood and a Belone soldier guarded them.


    The three tables that were usually spread out in this area had been upended and placed together as a sort of barrier around that corner of the room. Mitchal Plavin stood just behind the barrier.


    Meleng couldn¡¯t see Agernon, but if he was seated near the tables, he might not be visible.


    ¡°Melly!¡±


    Meleng raised a hand and gave her a little wave.


    Mitchal Plavin laughed and somehow sneered at the same time. ¡°Who do we have here? Come forward, boy.¡±


    Meleng swallowed. ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t ask twice.¡±


    Meleng glanced at Feviona, who nodded. He stepped in front of her.


    ¡°Closer.¡±


    He moved up to within a step or two of the table barricade.


    Plavin looked him up and down. ¡°I take it you¡¯re the Eloorin who abducted Princess Sinit?a.¡± He glanced back at Sinit?a. ¡°Though going by her Highness¡¯s reaction to your appearance, I would guess you didn¡¯t abduct her, did you? She ran off with you.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt her,¡± Meleng said.


    Plavin chuckled. ¡°I can understand why the Royal Family said you¡¯d abducted her. They would never recover from the disgrace of the truth.¡± He spat at Meleng.


    Meleng recoiled, but the spittle didn¡¯t hit him.


    ¡°Pathetic.¡± Plavin turned away from Meleng and faced Sinit?a. ¡°You disgust me Princess. To defile your royal blood with the seed of an Eloorin. Death will be a mercy for you.¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Jorvan said. ¡°You have lost. You are outnumbered. Kill anyone and you will die.¡±


    Plavin turned round. ¡°Not without taking several of you with me. Especially your beloved Princess. However, I will make a new offer: a duel.¡±


    Jorvan¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°A duel?¡±


    Plavin gave a very slight nod. ¡°A duel. To the death. Between me and one of your number. If I win, I and my remaining men leave here unaccosted. The Princess will be returned to you. If I lose...well, you will have what you want. The Princess will still be returned to you.¡±


    ¡°Let me get this straight,¡± Angelida said. ¡°We let you go in return for you killing one of us. Why would we do that?¡±


    Plavin¡¯s dull lips twitched. ¡°Because it is a duel. An honourable way of settling disputes. And we will leave you alone afterwards. You have my word.¡±


    Angelida spat. ¡°It¡¯s barbaric.¡±


    Plavin¡¯s lips twisted into a sneer. ¡°You only think that because you are an uncivilised Eloorin. You have no concept of honour. But if you wish to have a brawl where several of you will die along with the Princess, then so be it.¡±


    Jorvan placed a hand on Angelida¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It is okay.¡±


    She looked at him quizzically.


    Jorvan looked to Plavin. ¡°I will duel you.¡±


    Plavin smirked. ¡°The choice in the end is yours, but if I might make a request. I would like to duel that.¡± He pointed to Feviona.


    ¡°Her,¡± Jorvan snarled.


    Plavin smirked again. ¡°Yes, of course. Tell her of my request. If she turns it down, then you and I will duel.¡±


    Jorvan scowled and stared at Plavin for several moments. Then he looked to Feviona and spoke in Isyarian. When he was done, Feviona gave a slow nod.


    Jorvan frowned and turned back to Plavin. ¡°She agrees.¡±


    Plavin smiled, his scars stretching grotesquely. ¡°Excellent. Standard duelling rules. We may use any weapons or items in our possession or near at hand. We may use our own skills, but we may not accept aid from others. All others will not interfere.¡±


    Angelida scoffed loudly.


    ¡°Those are the rules agreed to,¡± Plavin said. ¡°Yes?¡±


    Jorvan translated and Feviona again gave a slow nod.


    ¡°Yes, she agrees,¡± Jorvan said.


    ¡°Excellent. Then everyone else stand back.¡±


    Feviona motioned Meleng aside, and he moved along the ends of the aisles to the left until he reached the wall. He had a better view of Sinit?a and Corvinian from here, and he smiled at them. Agernon was there, too, slumped against the wall right behind one of the upended tables. There was blood on his forehead. Meleng grimaced, unable to tell if he was alive or dead.


    There wasn¡¯t time to worry about that right now, though. Plavin had moved out into what little open space there was after picking up a shield from behind the barricade. Feviona had not moved.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Plavin said.


    Feviona tilted her head slightly. I will carve out your innards and force-feed you your own shit before you die. Your wingless corpse will turn the floor red.


    ¡°Translate the hand movements,¡± Plavin said.


    ¡°She says¡­¡± Jorvan took a deep breath. ¡°She says prepare to die.¡±


    Meleng wished Plavin knew exactly what she¡¯d said. However, he had to admit, he probably would have translated her words the same way Jorvan had.


    Plavin smirked. ¡°I have killed two Isyar before. I look forward to a third.¡± He placed his helmet on his head and raised his sword in front of his chest and face in a salute.


    Jorvan translated his words and Feviona rolled her eyes. She raised her sword to mimic his salute.


    Jorvan, Pedrin, and Angelida backed out of the room, though they remained just outside with the doors still open. Angelida was scowling, her lips twitching. Pedrin¡¯s face showed little emotion. Jorvan just looked worried.


    There was silence for a moment, and everyone was still.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°Begin,¡± Jorvan said while also signing it.


    Both combatants lowered their swords and stood there.


    Meleng bit his lower lip. The room was silent.


    And cold.


    Weird that he would notice that now.


    Mitchal Plavin lunged forward, and Feviona leapt to the side. Her free hand ran along the flat of her sword. She swung, but met only air. Plavin was surprisingly quick for someone in such heavy armour. He lunged again. Feviona jump backwards, her wings spreading slightly.


    ¡°No room in here for that, I¡¯m afraid.¡± Plavin¡¯s voice was muffled by his helmet, but there was a definite hint of amusement in it.


    Feviona backed against one of the upturned tables. She traced an equation over her chest as Plavin¡¯s sword came down on her shoulder. It rebounded and Plavin stumbled. There was only a slight tear in Feviona¡¯s uniform and a small trickle of blood where the sword had hit.


    Feviona leapt forward. Her sword slammed into Plavin¡¯s shield, which shattered. He stumbled back again. Feviona pushed forward, but once more, Plavin sidestepped.


    It went on like that for what seemed an eternity. Feviona would push forward. Then Plavin would push back the other way. They circled one another. They lunged. Feviona rolled away. Plavin stepped aside. Only occasionally did either land a blow on the other. When Plavin did, it only left a small cut¡ªthough after a while, it became apparent, each blow he landed was causing a little more damage. Feviona¡¯s blows, on the other hand, had managed to destroy Plavin¡¯s vambrace on his sword arm, a couple small armour pieces by his shoulder that Meleng didn¡¯t know the names of, and finally his cuirass. However, he wore a chain hauberk underneath that.


    Both combatants were dripping with sweat, though Plavin showed no other signs of tiring. Feviona on the other hand¡­ Meleng grimaced as she stumbled against one of the stacks, her wings pressing against it. Her movements were becoming more and more uncertain, and Plavin was successfully interfering with her attempts to trace equations on herself or sword. She just wasn¡¯t moving as fast as Meleng had seen her do earlier.


    Meleng looked around at the others. Jorvan was fidgeting with his hands, and his wings were twitching. Beside him, Angelida stared with narrowed eyes. Behind the barricade, the guards were fully engrossed in watching the fight. They were not paying much attention to their prisoners.


    Would it be possible to take out the guards before they could react? Meleng was sure Jorvan and Angelida working together¡ªperhaps with Pedrin as well¡ªcould do it. Of course, that would be breaking the rules of the duel. But they were Plavin¡¯s rules. Rules he had insisted on and they had agreed to for some reason. Angelida was right. There was no point to this duel.


    But how did he convince them of that? He wasn¡¯t standing with them, and calling out to them would just be heard, and¡­


    Of course! The answer was so obvious. He just needed Jorvan to be looking in his direction.


    Feviona crashed against the upturned table beside Meleng. Meleng stepped back into the aisle as she rolled away from another attack from Plavin. The Blood commander¡¯s sword carved a chunk out of the table and sent a crack through it.


    With the battle so close to Meleng, Jorvan would be looking this way. He just needed to get Jorvan¡¯s attention without also getting Plavin¡¯s.


    Plavin pulled his sword free of the table and turned around to follow Feviona, who had dashed around to the other side of him. His back was now to Meleng.


    Meleng signed as quickly as he could, and hoped his lack of mastery wouldn¡¯t cause any comprehension problems. Take out the guards. They¡¯re distracted. Then gang up on the commander.


    But the rules, Jorvan said.


    Forget the rules! The old woman¡ªhe had no idea how else to refer to Angelida¡ªis right. He does not deserve an honourable fight.


    Jorvan nodded and leaned over to whisper to Angelida.


    Plavin¡¯s hauberk unravelled and he stumbled backwards, almost colliding with Meleng. Feviona pushed forward, but Plavin swung out, catching her in her side. She fell to the floor, a wide gash just below her ribs spilling blood.


    There was a very short cry followed by a thud. Meleng looked over. The Blood guarding Sinit?a now lay on the floor, a metal spike lodged through his head. The other guard had been wrapped in the stone of the wall, only his hands, boots, and eyes visible.


    ¡°What?¡± Plavin turned his head just as he was about to bring his sword down on Feviona. She rolled aside during his brief hesitation.


    Angelida punched forward and another steel spike shot out. It went right through Plavin¡¯s arm where his missing vambrace should have been. With a cry, he dropped his sword. He stumbled back, then spun round and grabbed Meleng, wrapping his good arm around Meleng¡¯s neck.


    ¡°You dishonourable cunt!¡± Plavin increased the pressure on Meleng¡¯s neck as he reached with the same arm and drew a dagger. ¡°Another move and he dies!¡±


    Meleng gasped for air. He could only draw the smallest of breaths.


    ¡°Melly!¡± Small streams of colour began dripping from Sinit?a¡¯s eyes and fingers.


    Angelida clenched her fists together, but held back on any more attacks.


    ¡°Let him go,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°You will not get far.¡±


    ¡°We had an agreement!¡±


    ¡°An agreement we¡¯re breaking,¡± Angelida said. ¡°Call us uncivilised if you wish. I don¡¯t care.¡±


    Feviona was standing up, clutching her side. The bleeding had stopped, though, and the wound looked smaller than it had been.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to back away, and leave through the underground tunnel. Kill me if you wish, but you had better be sure you can do it before I kill this one.¡± Plavin held the dagger under Meleng¡¯s chin.


    As Plavin stepped backwards down the aisle, Meleng moved his hand up. The pressure had decreased a little and he could breathe a bit easier. He could think a bit better too. He moved his hand against Plavin¡¯s chest, but using no pressure, so Plavin wouldn¡¯t feel it through his padded shirt. There wasn¡¯t time to work out precise equations, and Meleng reminded himself that he needed to stop worrying about such precision. He just needed something that would go through the padding and affect the flesh and bone underneath as well. Close was all that mattered.


    He traced the equation.


    Plavin¡¯s side burst open. A shattered rib flew out and lodged itself between a couple of tomes.


    Plavin cried out, let go of Meleng, and crashed into the stacks on his other side.


    Meleng stumbled free, and looked up.


    Feviona traced an equation along her sword¡ªtheir sword¡ªand threw it. It ran right through Plavin¡¯s chest and protruded out the other side. Plavin¡¯s body crashed to the floor and lay still.


    Meleng slid to the floor as well, breathing rapidly. He rubbed his neck with blood-slick fingers.


    ¡°Melly!¡± Sinit?a pushed one of the tables out of the way and ran towards him. She no longer had colours dripping from her.


    Meleng grabbed a shelf to help pull himself to his feet. He slipped a little in the pool of blood at his feet. Gods, he must be getting blood all over the books.


    But that didn¡¯t really matter right now.


    He threw his arms around Sinit?a. ¡°Oh gods, Sini, I was so worried.¡± He hugged her tight and she hugged him back. He must be getting blood all over her too¡ªhe was covered in Plavin¡¯s after all¡ªbut she didn¡¯t seem to mind, so that didn¡¯t matter either. All that mattered was she was safe.


    Feviona wobbled over to them. My champion.


    Sinit?a let go of Meleng. Our champion.


    Feviona nodded, swaying back and forth as she did.


    Are you all right? Meleng asked. You took a lot of hits.


    Feviona nodded again, still swaying. I have never been better, thanks to my champion. I love you so much. And you. She pointed to Sinit?a. She took Sinit?a¡¯s arm, leaned up on her tiptoes, and kissed Sinit?a on the lips.


    Sinit?a¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, but after a moment, she leaned back into the kiss. When they parted, Sinit?a put a hand to her mouth, blushing.


    Feviona then kissed Meleng. He should have seen it coming, but she still took him unaware.


    She let go a moment later. I love you both so much.


    Meleng hesitated a moment, but then signed back, I love you too.


    Me too, Sinit?a said.


    Jorvan came up to them. ¡°She gets a little...uh...drunk when she has used most of her energy and there is no excitement to focus her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Sinit?a said. ¡°It was actually kind of nice.¡±


    Jorvan put an arm around Feviona. ¡°I will take her where she can rest. It has been a very long day. Thank you, Meleng. For everything. Get some rest, too. We will talk later.¡±


    Feviona leaned her head on Jorvan¡¯s shoulder as he led her back to the library¡¯s entrance, where Pedrin and Angelida were helping Agernon to his feet.


    Meleng smiled and looked back at Sinit?a. She was covered in blood, too. There were splotches in her hair, and it dripped over her ears and down her cheeks. Her gown was soaked in it. She couldn¡¯t have gotten all that from him, could she? He was covered in Plavin¡¯s blood, but¡­


    The Blood Angelida had killed. There would have been spray from that, and he had been standing right beside Sinit?a.


    She was still radiant though.


    He leaned against her and held her tight again.


    ¡°Oof, you¡¯re heavy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± He hadn¡¯t intended to place all his weight on her. He just sort of had.


    Gods, he was tired. It hadn¡¯t been apparent until now, but he¡¯d been up all night. He¡¯d been running around, doing so much.


    Sinit?a pulled him up straighter. ¡°Jorvan¡¯s right. You need to rest.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we...I don¡¯t know...clean up or something?¡±


    Sinit?a looked around. ¡°Probably. But later.¡±


    ¡°But the blood on all the books.¡±


    Sinit?a shrugged. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know what to do about that. I guess you can¡¯t wash books, can you? I¡¯m sure Pedrin will know what to do. You should rest.¡±


    ¡°I love you,¡± he said.


    She kissed him. ¡°I love you too. Now, come on!¡±


    He nodded, and arm-in-arm, they headed out of the library.

 Book 2, Chapter 62: The Infinite Dimensions of the Mind

    Siba was chatting about a picnic she had taken Danel and Anita on when they were young. She was going into a lot of detail, but Felit?a was only catching every other word or so. The details were changing though. It wasn¡¯t a picnic; it was a family dinner. Then it was a banquet, and then a family dinner. Siba wasn¡¯t correcting herself. The details were just...constantly different.


    This was a dream, of course. It had to be. It was the only explanation why Siba¡¯s gown was a different colour every time Felit?a looked at her, and the rest of the room was hazy and undefined¡ªexcept when Felit?a looked at a specific spot, when it would take on a bit more solidity.


    It was nice to know she was sleeping undisturbed. She wondered how long it had been. It felt like Siba had been droning on for ages, but that didn¡¯t mean anything. It could have been hours or minutes, maybe even seconds since she¡¯d fallen asleep. Not that it mattered how long it had been. It was sleep. That was all that mattered.


    It was weird once again being aware she was dreaming. Perhaps she should learn to do this more often and take advantage of it.


    Perhaps there was something she could do now.


    She pulled up the Room in her head. Like in the waking world before she had become too tired to manage it, it was possible to continue paying attention to dream-Siba and the Room at the same time. There were several presences in the Room, though she had no idea if these were real presences her mind was detecting in the waking world, or just ones made up by the dream.


    One of them was Siba. Another one vanished almost immediately, and a short time later, two more appeared. Servants moving in and out of her range perhaps? Possible. Distances in the Room still had no relation to real-world distances.


    Or it was just the inconsistencies of dreams.


    Siba¡¯s presence was stable though. As were two others. Those two seemed strangely familiar. They were¡­


    No, it wasn¡¯t possible. One was Zandrue. The other was Ezmelda.


    That settled things, then. These were dream presences. Zandrue should be on the other side of the continent, and while Ezmelda was closer, she had no reason to be in the palace. Indeed, she had every reason not to be.


    It also explained why Felit?a hadn¡¯t recognised them right away. The dream had simply morphed them into Zandrue and Ezmelda when Felit?a had looked more closely.


    It was a shame. If she could monitor the real world while she slept, she¡­ Well, she wasn¡¯t certain what she could do with that, but it would have been something interesting.


    This was a strangely boring dream. Perhaps because she was lucid.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t listening to me,¡± dream-Siba said.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± Felit?a replied. ¡°You¡¯re not real. Go away.¡±


    And Siba vanished.


    Felit?a smiled. If she had control over the dream, perhaps she could dismiss the dream presences from the Room and maybe perceive real ones?


    But the presences in the Room wouldn¡¯t go away when she tried. And Siba¡¯s was still there.


    That was annoying.


    Felit?a peered closely at Zandrue¡¯s presence. Could it be real?


    She looked away and then looked back. Nothing about Zandrue¡¯s presence changed. It was hers, every familiar aspect of it.


    There was another possibility. The presence could be neither dream-created nor real.


    Nice try, but you should have picked someone from my memory who could be believably nearby.


    The presence didn¡¯t reply, but of course it wouldn¡¯t. No one else replied either.


    I will find you! As long as you¡¯re in my head, I will find you!


    There was a slight¡­shimmering? That was as good a word as any. There was a slight shimmering between Ezmelda¡¯s and Zandrue¡¯s presences. Felit?a peered closer. It was like a couple pinpricks of...whatever substance the presences were composed of. Like minuscule points of light. She was actually impressed she¡¯d noticed them. They were very well hidden.


    Got you!


    She focused on those pinpricks, directed all her mental strength towards them. The pinpricks shrunk and pulled away, as more defences went up to keep them hidden.


    Oh no, you don¡¯t. You¡¯re not getting away.


    With a sharp tug, she yanked on the pinpricks, pulled them forward, and ripped away the defences. Another presence materialised.


    Right, this time, I¡¯m not letting you go. You are¡­


    She trailed off.


    It wasn¡¯t the same person who had invaded her head previously. She didn¡¯t recognise this presence.


    But whoever it was was close enough to her in the waking world that she could detect their panic at being discovered. The one who had been invading her head had never panicked or shown any emotion previously. It was possible they had previously been too far physically from Felit?a to detect the emotion, but she doubted that. This was a different person.


    Were they working with the one who had been invading her head? Maybe.


    Something hit her, sent her reeling, and she crashed into the grey walls. The Room shredded apart in front of her, only the grey walls remaining.


    With a cry, she sat up in bed, breathing heavily.


    Siba sat in a chair nearby. She looked to have just woken up too, perhaps from Felit?a¡¯s cry. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    Felit?a took a moment to control her breathing. ¡°Yes, I think so. Just...just a bad dream.¡± Not exactly true, but she didn¡¯t want to explain the details to Siba at this time.


    Siba smiled sadly. ¡°And you were sleeping so peacefully.¡±


    Felit?a pushed the blankets aside and slid to the edge of the bed. ¡°How long was I asleep?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Half an hour? An hour? I¡¯m afraid I might have dozed off and lost track of time.¡±


    ¡°Nothing strange happen?¡±


    Siba shook her head. ¡°Nothing. Should there have? They haven¡¯t come looking for you if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about.¡±


    Felit?a looked about the room. It was Siba¡¯s personal bedchamber in the apartments she had shared with her husband. It wasn¡¯t large and didn¡¯t contain much. Just the single-person bed, a couple chairs, some paintings, mostly portraits on the walls, a table with a tea service, and a couple potted plants with narrow leaves near the door. ¡°Yeah, I am a little worried about that.¡± She leaned over and looked under the bed. Just the bedpan there.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you woke so soon. That draught should have kept you asleep for hours.¡±


    Felit?a sat back up and smiled at Siba. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. You¡¯ve done all you can. Thank you.¡±


    Siba smiled back. ¡°I¡¯m glad to do what I can.¡±


    Felit?a reformed the Room in her head. It came together without any difficulty. The presences from her sleep¡ªZandrue¡¯s, Ezmelda¡¯s, and the other one¡¯s¡ªwere still there. However, the other one had put defensive spells back in place, though they weren¡¯t hiding the person as effectively as before. No, that wasn¡¯t right. They were just as effective. She could just see through them more easily because she knew they were there.


    ¡°Do you want to try sleeping again? I¡¯m afraid I have no more draughts left, but maybe you can still fall asleep from the last one. As I said, it shouldn¡¯t have worn off yet.¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s all right.¡± She stepped out of bed and headed to the door. She was wearing only her night shift, but that was fine. She was going to hide herself anyway. ¡°I need to do something.¡± She reached for the door handle.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Felit?a turned to face Siba, brushing against a leaf of one of the potted plants. The leaves were wider than she¡¯d thought. ¡°I just need to check something.¡±


    Siba stood up, concern in her eyes. ¡°Is that safe?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can hide myself. I¡¯ll just be a moment. Then I¡¯ll try to sleep again.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Siba nodded. ¡°All right.¡±


    Felit?a turned around and reached for the door handle again, but hesitated. She hadn¡¯t brushed up against the leaf again. The plant leaves were narrow, like she¡¯d initially thought. She fingered a leaf and turned slowly back around. ¡°Siba, just curious, what kind of plant is this?¡±


    Siba shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t actually know.¡±


    ¡°No, neither do I. Tell me, what was your favourite birthday?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°Favourite birthday? Do you not celebrate them? Or what about your mother? What was she like? I hope you had a better relationship than I have with mine?¡±


    ¡°I...uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Or your father? Who was your first crush? Mine was a woman much older than me.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Why are you asking me these things? What happened to checking something?¡±


    Felit?a closed her eyes, took a deep breath, gathered her mental strength, then re-opened her eyes.


    With a clench of her fists, she tore the illusion apart. It was surprising how easy it was. Just a thought¡ªa push¡ªand what had seemed reality fell away, darkness replacing it.


    It had been an incredibly realistic illusion. The skill and power behind it was astounding. She could never have done something like that herself.


    But there was a reason illusions worked best when they were small: hiding something from view, or adding a single object or person to otherwise real surroundings. Too complicated and it became too easy to make mistakes, like with the plants. Illusions could also only have knowledge that either the caster or the target had. Knowledge possessed by neither had to be avoided or made up.


    Get out of my head!


    She formed the Room around her again. Zandrue¡¯s, Ezmelda¡¯s, and the other one¡¯s presences were still there, as was Siba¡¯s. They had to be real. As little sense as it made for Zandrue to be near, those presences were real.


    Was there a way to contact them?


    Not likely. That would require actual telepathy beyond what Felit?a had ever been able to do.


    But it was clear she was still asleep and she needed someone to wake her.


    The Room darkened and flipped. Felit?a tumbled. Tumbled through countless dimensions as the Room spun around her.


    She reached out and grabbed hold of everything. She yanked. With all her strength, she yanked everything back into place and stopped the spinning.


    She was standing beside the figure next in line after Nin-Akna, a thin, lanky man with black hair.


    Felit?a blinked metaphorically.


    The figure clouded over again, as did the other figures behind it. For a moment, they had been visible too, and she had missed them. Damn it!


    No, it didn¡¯t matter right now. She had an invader to deal with.


    Something moved far off, near the grey walls.


    Felit?a pulled, and the presence she had previously found hiding in her mind hurtled towards her. However, as it got close, it broke away and dived down under Zandrue¡¯s presence.


    Felit?a followed as fast as she could. The dimensions of her mind sped past her, like streaks of multicoloured light. But not just light. Smells and sounds. Lavender. Roast chicken. The smell after a thunderstorm. Laughter. Crying. Bird calls. What was all this? Were the memories?


    The other presence remained ahead of her, just out of reach.


    Then again, what did reach mean here?


    Felit?a grabbed for the presence, but it ducked to the side. She tried again, but it rammed into her, and she went flying again.


    Blood red. Sea blue. The shape of trees. Dogs barking. The shape of Zandrue. The smell of sweat she had once deliberately sniffed on Zandrue trying to understand why Zandrue sniffed people, back before she knew Zandrue was a Volg.


    Felit?a pulled herself to a stop. Around her was just a swirl or blue, grey, Elderaan, and fireplace smell. There was no sign of the invading presence.


    These had to be her memories¡ªor perhaps, not exactly memories. They weren¡¯t events. They weren¡¯t moments in her life. But maybe they were the things that triggered memories. She had never explored her mind in this way before. She hadn¡¯t even known she could.


    But this was her mind. She had to have some sort of control over it. She couldn¡¯t just let that presence run about wherever it wanted to. So, time to find it again.


    She propelled herself forward and to the side. Back and forth. Zigzagging through her mind. Past bright oranges. The green of grass. The brown and white of dirty snow. The pitter-patter of rain on the window. The sound of Maneshka¡¯s breathing while she slept. One shape, colour, sound, or smell after another. Hundreds of them. Thousands.


    There was the presence.


    She raised the black walls of the Room around it, trapping it in an n-dimensional sphere. Then she pulled the sphere across the infinite landscape of her mind and back into the Room, where she left it trapped. The walls contorted, and bent back and forth as the presence inside tried to break free. It would almost certainly do so eventually, but the prison was holding for now. That gave her some time.


    Felit?a turned to Zandrue¡¯s presence. She could almost imagine Zandrue actually standing there, and not just the shapeless blob of her presence.


    What was she thinking?


    She could imagine it. With a thought, Zandrue¡¯s presence reshaped to look like Zandrue actually looked. For a moment, she looked exactly like she did in the line-up not far away, which meant no clothes. With another thought, Felit?a dressed her. She could handle the nakedness in the line-up, but for now, she just wanted to see Zandrue how she normally saw her in real life.


    How do I contact you? You¡¯re not far. I know you¡¯re not.


    Zandrue didn¡¯t answer.


    Damn it! I still don¡¯t understand my own head, Zandrue. How am I supposed to fight an invader who can tear apart my own mental constructs when I don¡¯t even understand how it all works?


    She leaned against Zandrue who, not surprisingly, remained absolutely still. The presence might now look like Zandrue, but it was still an abstraction of what her mind was detecting. It couldn¡¯t actually react.


    Felit?a sighed and ran a finger through Zandrue¡¯s hair. It didn¡¯t actually feel like hair. It was more...well, nothingness. It had no feeling at all. So she imagined the feeling of soft, silky hair.


    And that¡¯s what it felt like.


    She ran her finger along a particularly long, thin strand of hair stretching down Zandrue¡¯s side, then curling away just before the hips, and out away from the body.


    That was weird.


    It wasn¡¯t a strand of hair. It was something long and thin, and it came from Zandrue¡ªor rather the presence. Felit?a got rid of the image of Zandrue and just viewed the presence as she normally did. The strand was still there, stretching away from the presence into the distance, towards the grey walls.


    Felit?a followed it.


    It went right up to one of the grey walls and right into it.


    Felit?a peered closer.


    There were tiny imperfections along the wall, so small they were practically invisible unless someone looked really close like Felit?a was doing now. These were where her invader had hidden the mental traps Felit?a had still not figured out how to remove. Some were tiny dents, other minuscule gouges. Others might even be holes. The strand from Zandrue went through one of those.


    Felit?a grinned.


    This had to be how they got through. This was how the emotions and presences Felit?a detected got into her mind. Maybe it was even why distance and direction made no sense. Passing through the walls messed that up somehow.


    But if something could go one way, then it could go the other too.


    She grabbed hold of the strand and broke it in two. Zandrue¡¯s presence and the portion of strand leading to it vanished immediately.


    Except they didn¡¯t.


    Zandrue¡¯s presence was now in Felit?a¡¯s hand. She squeezed it down to the same size as the strand so now it was just more of the strand. Or rather, the strand was Zandrue¡¯s presence and always had been.


    She held the end up to her eye. It was impossibly thin, but it did look hollow. With a thought, she widened it, stretched it out to the side so that it was just large enough that she could stick a metaphorical finger in it.


    Behind her, the black walls of the prison blew apart.


    Time was running out.


    Felit?a held the strand up to her mouth.


    Zandrue, can you hear me?

 Book 2, Chapter 63: Mind and Matter (Part 1)

    Zandrue peered round the corner. The way remained clear, so she ducked back again. ¡°No one coming. We¡¯re still good.¡±


    She looked over at Hedromornasta, who was staring at the ceiling. His breathing was calmer than it had been, but he still looked tense.


    A few moments ago, he had started...panicking? It was hard to say exactly what he¡¯d started doing, but panic definitely seemed to be the cause. He had actually whined, and had pulled her and Ezmelda back into an empty servants¡¯ cubby. Considering he had previously avoided any physical contact with either of them, his sudden change had panicked Ezmelda a little as well.


    Then he started muttering in Isyarian. Zandrue picked out the word diare, but otherwise couldn¡¯t follow anything he was saying. After a couple moments, his frantic muttering calmed down and he switched to meditation as he was doing now.


    ¡°I still think he thinks we¡¯ve been discovered,¡± Ezmelda said. ¡°Something pierced his spells.¡±


    Zandrue glanced round the corner again. Still clear. ¡°But if that were the case, I¡¯d expect guards to arrive, but they haven¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t have a lot of guards at the moment. It might be taking time.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°It also means we¡¯re dealing with someone powerful enough to pierce an Isyar¡¯s defences. I don¡¯t like that.¡±


    ¡°A young Isyar.¡±


    Zandrue frowned. ¡°I still don¡¯t like it. I¡¯m willing to bet this young Isyar could still best most human wizards. Mikranasta, at least, must think so as she was willing to send him with us.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, you¡¯re probably right. We really should¡ª¡±


    Zandrue, can you hear me?


    ¡°¡ªget moving. If we stay here, we¡­ Are you all right? You look¡­¡±


    Zandrue held up a hand. ¡°Felit?a?¡±


    ¡°What about her?¡± Ezmelda said.


    Zandrue shook her head and waved her hand. ¡°No, no, I think¡­¡±


    Zandrue, can you hear me?


    ¡°Think what?¡±


    Zandrue waved at Ezmelda to shut up again, then turned away from her. ¡°Felit?a? Yes, I can hear you. Can you hear me?¡±


    Oh thank the gods.


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    Zandrue, you need to focus. You¡¯re coming through very distorted.


    ¡°How do I do that?¡±


    What?


    Damn it, what should she do?


    She turned back to Ezmelda. ¡°Felit?a¡¯s trying to contact me telepathically. Apparently, I¡¯m not focused enough and she can¡¯t hear me properly. What do I do?¡±


    Ezmelda¡¯s eyes widened and she frowned. ¡°If I had to guess, concentrate.¡±


    Zandrue?


    Zandrue took a deep breath. As much as she loved Felit?a, she had always worried about Felit?a being in her head. That had mainly been to hide her Volganth identity, but old habits could die hard. Another person in her head seemed like a violation of privacy. But Felit?a had always said what she detected was what people sent out. She didn¡¯t actually go into people¡¯s heads. This was definitely different though. She had never done anything like this before.


    I got maybe a quarter of that, Zandrue. You have to focus.


    But she hadn¡¯t said anything! She had just¡­ Oh fuck!


    Well, I heard that, at least. Same old Zandrue. Somehow, there was a smile with that statement.


    ¡°You¡¯re hearing everything in my head, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Focus!


    Zandrue sighed and took another deep breath. She focused on the specific words she wanted to say. ¡°I said, you¡¯re hearing everything in my head, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Well, like I said, only bits and pieces. But that¡¯s better.


    ¡°Your powers have obviously increased since we last saw each other.¡±


    Not exactly. This is new to me. I¡¯ve never done it before, and it¡¯s a stopgap I¡¯m using to achieve it. Anyway, there isn¡¯t much time. I need your help.


    ¡°We¡¯re on our way to you right now. Where are you?¡±


    Close. In Lady Belone¡¯s bedchamber. I¡¯m asleep and can¡¯t wake up. I need you to wake me, but please hurry. My mind¡¯s under assault. I don¡¯t know¡ª


    Felit?a screamed.


    Zandrue instinctively put her hands to her ears, but of course, that made no difference.


    Ezmelda grabbed her arms to stabilise her as she stumbled. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    Zandrue clutched Ezmelda¡¯s arms, and nodded. ¡°Felit?a¡¯s under attack. We have to move quickly.¡± She reached for Hedromornasta and touched his shoulder.


    The Isyar recoiled and glared at her.


    ¡°We need to go.¡± She gestured in the direction she hoped was the right way to go.


    Hedromornasta shook his head, and hissed a couple words in Isyarian.


    Zandrue sighed. They didn¡¯t have time for this. ¡°Felit?a.¡± She clutched her head, shook it back and forth, and mimed screaming. Then, without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away from their hiding place.


    The time for stealth was gone.


    There was a pair of doors just ahead with the waterfowl symbol of House Belone on them. They were the most obvious place to check. Felit?a had said she was close, and this was the closest option. It was also the direction the crystal had directed them in. Zandrue reached out to bang on the doors¡­


    ...and hit air.


    The doors were now down a long corridor, at least twenty or thirty feet away.


    What the hell?


    ¡°Look out!¡± Ezmelda yelled.


    Spikes of metal flew over her shoulder and lodged in the wall beside her.


    Zandrue spun round.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Ezmelda was standing with one arm outstretched, her eyes wide. Her mouth was open as if to speak, but she made no further sound or movement.


    Behind her, Hedromornasta stood still as well, but his eyes were narrowed in concentration. He gave just the slightest of nods to Zandrue.


    She returned the nod and turned back around.


    The doors were back where they should be. She banged on them.


    She banged on them several times.


    Ezmelda came up beside her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I thought I saw¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Zandrue kept banging on the doors.


    ¡°Then I couldn¡¯t move. But then I could again.¡±


    ¡°I think Hedromornasta¡¯s to thank for that. He got rid of an illusion on me as well.¡± She kicked at the doors. Didn¡¯t Lady Belone have servants to answer her door? Maybe this was the wrong place?


    Zandrue glanced behind her. Hedromornasta still stood in the same place. His eyes were scrunched and his face was contorted as if in pain.


    She banged on the door one more time, then looked to Ezmelda. ¡°Can you break these down?¡±


    Ezmelda frowned, but nodded. ¡°Yes, but I can¡¯t be sure it won¡¯t hit someone on the other side.¡±


    ¡°We have to take that risk. I don¡¯t think Hedromornasta can hold out much longer.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s an Isyar! Do you know how powerful our enemy would have to be, even if he is young?¡±


    ¡°Maybe our enemy is an Isyar. Break the doors down. Now!¡±


    Ezmelda gave a quick nod. ¡°Stand back.¡±


    They both moved back beside Hedromornasta. Ezmelda hooked her thumbs together and thrust her hands forward. A massive boulder flew from them. The doors splintered as the boulder hit and blew inwards out of their frame.


    Zandrue ran into the entry chamber of the apartments.


    A single, stunned handmaid stood beside the wreckage of a table and a pile of broken glass. She stared at Zandrue.


    ¡°Lady Belone¡¯s bedchamber,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Which door is it?¡±


    The handmaid gaped.


    ¡°Please, answer,¡± Ezmelda said.


    ¡°Guards!¡± the handmaid screamed.


    Damn, they would just have try every room.


    Zandrue went to the nearest door, but another one near where the boulder now lay opened. A short Folith woman with greying brown hair looked out. ¡°What is going on here?¡±


    Zandrue gave her a friendly smile and strode in the woman¡¯s direction. ¡°Lady Belone? I don¡¯t have a lot of time to explain. I¡¯m a friend of Felit?a¡¯s. I know she¡¯s here. Her mind is under attack and we have to wake her up.¡± She had to hop round the edge of the boulder. Then she pointed over the woman¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Is Felit?a in there?¡±


    The woman trembled slightly, but nodded. ¡°You could have knocked.¡±


    ¡°I did, but I suspect you were made to not hear it.¡± Zandrue strode past the woman.


    Felit?a lay on her side in the bed in the small room. Her face was twitching slightly, but she otherwise appeared to be sleeping peacefully.


    Zandrue hurried over, grabbing a chair as she went. She placed the chair down so she could sit by Felit?a¡¯s face, which continued to twitch. Zandrue leaned forward, breathing in Felit?a¡¯s scent. She didn¡¯t get to experience that enough these days. They had spent so much time apart of late.


    But this wasn¡¯t the time to dwell on that.


    ¡°I gave her a sleeping draught.¡± Lady Belone stood in doorway. ¡°She¡¯s been having trouble sleeping and the draughts have helped. You might have trouble waking her.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t surprising. Felit?a had said she couldn¡¯t wake up, yet she was obviously lucid despite being asleep. A gentle nudge would probably not be enough to wake her. Still, it was a place to start.


    Zandrue nudged Felit?a¡¯s shoulder, then a slightly more vigorously. ¡°Felit?a? Felit?a, can you hear me?¡± She gave Felit?a a harder shove.


    Unsurprisingly, Felit?a did not respond.


    ¡°Do you have any smelling salts?¡± Zandrue asked.


    ¡°Not in here, but there might be some in my husband¡¯s chambers. His apothecaries left a lot of things there.¡±


    ¡°Please, go check.¡±


    Lady Belone nodded. ¡°If there aren¡¯t, I can send one of my handmaids to collect some. There will definitely be some in the palace somewhere.¡±


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°I doubt there will be time for that. Besides, I doubt your handmaid would get very far. Just check your husband¡¯s chambers.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡±


    Zandrue bent over Felit?a again, and gave her another shake. Then she tried blowing in Felit?a¡¯s ear. Neither worked.


    Lady Belone had not moved.


    ¡°Please, hurry up, your Ladyship. We¡¯re running out of time.¡±


    ¡°I...I¡¯m sorry. I...I can¡¯t move. I can barely speak.¡±


    Zandrue looked over at her. Lady Belone was shivering, her hands clenched beside her.


    Damn!


    ¡°Ezmelda!¡±


    There was no response.


    ¡°Ezmelda!¡±


    Still nothing.


    ¡°Hedromornasta!¡±


    Yeah, like he¡¯d respond.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    Why wasn¡¯t she being affected?


    Either Hedromornasta was protecting her, or Felit?a was. It really didn¡¯t matter which.


    Zandrue bent over Felit?a once more. The time for gentleness was over. She had to do something drastic. She pinched Felit?a¡¯s nose with one hand and clamped the other over Felit?a¡¯s mouth. ¡°Come on, Felit?a, you have to wake up.¡±


    Felit?a¡¯s body convulsed. Her head and shoulders twisted, trying to pull away. Zandrue¡¯s hand on Felit?a¡¯s mouth slipped, but she placed it back again, grabbing Felit?a¡¯s chin as she did. Still, Felit?a¡¯s eyes remained closed.


    ¡°Damn it, Felit?a, wake up!¡±


    Felit?a¡¯s whole body was convulsing now, but Zandrue held firm. Gods, she hoped this didn¡¯t do any serious damage.


    At last, Felit?a¡¯s eyes shot open, darting about in panic. Zandrue let go, and Felit?a scrambled about, pulling her knees up to her chest, and gasping for air. Her eyes continued to dart about, and it took a few moments for them to settle on Zandrue. ¡°Zandrue? Oh gods, is it really you?¡±


    ¡°I should hope so.¡±


    Felit?a lunged forward and threw her arms around Zandrue. ¡°Oh gods, oh gods, Zandrue.¡±


    Zandrue held her tight.


    After a moment, Felit?a¡¯s shaking began to calm, and she let go of Zandrue, backing away just a little. ¡°You¡¯ll have to tell me later how you¡¯re here, but for now, we have work to do. My mind is under attack, and I¡¯m barely holding it off. I¡¯m surprised I¡¯m holding it off at all, but I seem to have help. There¡¯s someone¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably Hedromornasta,¡± Zandrue said.


    Felit?a swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up. ¡°An Isyar? From Jorvan?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the son of Mikranasta, the Isyar Jorvan brought back to help you. He helped us get in here. I¡¯m not exactly sure where he is at the moment.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s near.¡± Felit?a stood up. ¡°Come on, we have to¡­¡± Her gaze fell on Lady Belone. ¡°Siba?¡±


    Lady Belone¡¯s mouth trembled and emitted a slight moan.


    ¡°We¡¯re being attacked as well,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°And it looks like it¡¯s getting worse. She can¡¯t move and I don¡¯t think Ezmelda can either. I seem to be the only one who can. Oh yeah, Ezmelda here¡¯s too.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Felit?a said.


    Zandrue chuckled. ¡°Of course you do.¡±


    Felit?a walked up to Lady Belone and touched her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Siba.¡±


    Zandrue walked over to them. ¡°Can you help her?¡±


    Felit?a grimaced. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I doubt it, but I shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Felit?a sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you know anything about the condition I¡¯m in, but I¡¯m tired, Zandrue. I¡¯m so exhausted. I haven¡¯t been able to sleep, and¡­¡± She leaned against Zandrue for a moment before straightening up. ¡°Sorry. What I¡¯m trying to say is, I¡¯m also so weak. I don¡¯t have the power to face whoever¡¯s attacking us. I can¡¯t spare what power I do have, and besides, the enemy has to spread their power out to keep people like Siba and Ezmelda from helping me.¡± She touched Siba¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I won¡¯t let her keep you like this for long.¡±


    ¡°Her? Do you know who¡¯s doing this?¡±


    Felit?a closed her eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°A slip of the tongue because I have a suspicion. If I¡¯m right, then I¡¯ve been a total fool, Zandrue. I fell right into her trap.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking an Isyar,¡± Zandrue said.


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°So am I. We have to find her. If I¡¯m wrong, we need her help, and if I¡¯m not¡­¡± She gave Lady Belone another gentle pat on the shoulder, then squeezed past her through the doorway.


    A tear was forming in Lady Belone¡¯s eye.


    Zandrue smiled at her. ¡°We¡¯ll fix this.¡± With that, Zandrue slipped past her and followed Felit?a.

 Book 2, Chapter 63: Mind and Matter (Part 2)

    Akna tapped her feet against the legs of the chair. This library was not what she had come to think of as a library. Not that she¡¯d had much experience with them. There were libraries in some Ninifin temples¡ªat least, she was pretty sure there were¡ªbut she had never actually been in one. However, she¡¯d been in the one on Scovese and the one in the Hall of Knowledge. The latter was nowhere near the size of the one on Scovese, but the basic aesthetic was the same: a bunch of shelves stuffed with books.


    The Belone library, on the other hand, was just a few books¡ªmaybe a dozen?¡ªon a single shelf over the fireplace. The rest of the room contained plush chairs and couches, as well as a long table with stiff-backed chairs. A spot to read those books, she supposed, but still not a library. But then, the names of rooms in the palace showed only a token acknowledgement to any logic. Felit?a had said it was the same in the Royal Palace in Arnor City. It was Foliths being Foliths.


    Akna tapped her feet a few more times and buried her head in her hands.


    She was getting nowhere. She was bored, and tired. So tired.


    Chica had left her here. When they¡¯d arrived in the palace, they had come directly here. Chica had told her to sit down and wait. Then she had stood in one place for ages¡ªnot saying a word, not responding to anything from Akna¡ªbefore finally walking out of the room.


    Akna tried to follow her, but discovered she couldn¡¯t stand up. She still couldn¡¯t. She could move her arms and legs, turn her head, and do just about anything that didn¡¯t require standing up first. She¡¯d tried moving the chair back and just sliding across the room with it, but had discovered she couldn¡¯t move the chair more than an inch or so. So, she¡¯d just ended up sitting here tapping her legs. She wasn¡¯t sure how long it had been. Hours? It felt like it.


    No one had come in during that time either. From her own time in the palace, this room had not seemed the most heavily used, but people had used it to pass through. She had passed through it many times herself. She would have expected a servant or two to go through by now.


    But the whole palace seemed strangely empty. When she and Chica had arrived, they walked across the grounds and through the palace itself barely seeing anyone. A lot of guards were attacking the Hall of Knowledge, so it made sense there weren¡¯t many left here. But what about the servants?


    And where Chica gone?


    She still didn¡¯t know who Chica really was, and it was obvious Chica knew Akna was not going to start believing, so why keep up the deception?


    The sound of raised voices came from the nearest door. A moment later, they swung violently open and Danel Belone stormed into the room, followed by a courtier Akna only vaguely recognised, and behind them, Anita.


    Anita!


    ¡°...don¡¯t return here by morning, then they will be hunted down and executed! I want this spread throughout¡ª¡±


    All three of them stopped and stared at Akna.


    Anita¡¯s mouth trembled.


    Akna smiled at her. ¡°Hi, Anita.¡± It had been so long since she¡¯d last seen her. She wanted to do so much more than smile, but¡­


    Anita slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle a cry, then ran to Akna. ¡°They said you were dead!¡±


    Danel rounded on the courtier. ¡°What is that savage doing here? She¡¯s supposed to be dead!¡±


    The courtier recoiled and raised his hands and arms, and shrugged.


    Anita bent down beside Akna and threw her arms around her, wailing.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t get up,¡± Akna said. ¡°I seem to be stuck.¡±


    ¡°Good! It¡¯ll make you an easier target. Guards! Guards!¡± Danel rounded on the courtier again. ¡°Where are my guards? Find them! I want her dead!¡±


    The courtier nodded and ran from the room.


    Danel stormed towards Akna, one hand raised.


    Anita moved between him and Akna. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch her!¡±


    Danel hesitated a moment, but then slapped Anita, who stumbled back with a cry.


    Akna rattled about in her chair. She reached for either Anita or Danel, but they were both too far away. ¡°Bastard! Do that again and I will fucking kill you.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Danel pushed Anita aside and strode closer to Akna, but still staying out of her reach. ¡°Oh? But you say you can¡¯t move.¡± He looked her over. ¡°I don¡¯t see any rope. What¡¯s holding you? Glue?¡±


    ¡°Magic, you dumb fuck.¡±


    He laughed and rolled his eyes. ¡°Of course it is. Chemicals can produce the most incredible things, you know? Lord Plavin has been telling me all about it.¡±


    Anita jumped at him and clawed at his face. He elbowed her in the stomach and she fell back again, gasping.


    Danel rubbed at his face where Anita¡¯s nails had scratched him. ¡°I put up with a lot from you, Anita, because you are my sister and I love you. But continue in this way, and I won¡¯t hesitate to execute you along with your unnatural lover.¡±


    Akna resisted the urge to try to leap at him again. It wouldn¡¯t work, and she would just waste energy. She needed to keep control, and be ready to kill him the moment she could move.


    ¡°Guards!¡± Danel paced a bit, then stomped back to the doors. ¡°Guards! Where are they? Where is anyone? Fine, I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± He stomped over to the fireplace and grabbed a poker. Then he turned towards Akna.


    Anita moved in the way again.


    ¡°Move aside, Anita.¡±


    Anita shook her head.


    ¡°I will do it.¡±


    ¡°Then do it.¡±


    Danel scowled and stood there for a few moments. ¡°Fine.¡± He started forward.


    ¡°No! You will not harm her!¡±


    The new voice came from the doors at the other side of the room. They were open now and Chica was standing in them.


    Danel stopped and stared at Chica. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I said, you will not harm her. I need her.¡±


    ¡°How dare you? I am Lord here. I tolerate your presence because Lord Plavin suggested I do so, but do not presume to tell me what to do. Why my father put up with you for so long, I¡¯ll never know.¡±


    Chica tilted her head slightly. ¡°You will not harm the Unifier. I will not repeat myself again.¡±


    ¡°Traitor! I¡¯ll come for you when I¡¯m done with her.¡± But Danel didn¡¯t move. There was strain on his face and he was trembling.


    Akna smiled. She wasn¡¯t fond of the person pretending to be Chica, but Danel deserved this.


    ¡°What is happening?¡± Danel croaked.


    ¡°I told you already,¡± Akna said. ¡°It¡¯s called magic, you dumb fuck. Mentalism magic.¡±


    Anita turned around and came back over to Akna. She laughed. ¡°You¡¯re such an idiot, Danel.¡±


    ¡°When my guards get here¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll do nothing, because they¡¯re not coming.¡± Akna nodded towards Chica. ¡°She¡¯s made sure of that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see all three of you dead.¡±


    Akna let out an exaggerated sigh, then looked to Anita. ¡°You¡¯re okay now with me killing him as soon as I¡¯m able, right?¡±


    Anita smiled sadly, leaned over, and kissed Akna.


    Chica strode over to them. She made a rising motion with her hand. ¡°Up.¡±


    Akna tried to resist as her body pushed the chair back and stood up, but her body didn¡¯t obey.


    Chica placed a hand on Akna¡¯s cheek and caressed it. ¡°We have work to do, my love.¡±


    Anita clutched Akna¡¯s arm. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What¡¯s she talking about?¡±


    Akna patted Anita¡¯s arm. ¡°An act. You probably don¡¯t even see it. She¡¯s trying to drive me mad.¡± She turned her attention to Chica. ¡°But you know I don¡¯t believe. In fact, I know who you are now. Why keep up the act?¡±


    Chica smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fun. Still, you¡¯re probably right. It¡¯s excess energy. Not much, but I could use all the energy I can get right now.¡± The image of Chica faded away, replaced by the winged form of Plavistalorik. Her face was raised, and she stared at Akna with pale grey eyes.


    ¡°Felit?a said you weren¡¯t a mentalist,¡± Akna said, ¡°but I guess she was wrong.¡±


    ¡°The Will-Breaker is a fool and undeserving of her title. Such is the folly of prophecy. But enough talk. We have important work to do.¡± The Isyar¡¯s eyes turned towards Anita. ¡°You will remain here with your sibling.¡± She turned and walked towards the doors.


    Once again, Akna¡¯s body moved without her consent, and followed Plavistalorik.


    ¡°Akna, I can¡¯t move!¡± Anita called.


    Akna found she couldn¡¯t even look back at Anita. ¡°I¡¯ll come back for you! I promise!¡± Her hands grabbed the door handles and pulled them shut.

 Book 2, Chapter 63: Mind and Matter (Part 3)

    Felit?a¡¯s head was a war zone. She couldn¡¯t think of any other way to describe it. Her mystery enemy was assaulting every part of it. She had to keep reforming the Room, had to keep trapping her enemy in a sphere of the walls, which the enemy then broke out of again. And on and on it went.


    Yet somehow, she was managing to walk through the Belone palace and communicate with Zandrue, while only occasionally stumbling or groaning in pain. Zandrue always moved to support her with every misstep, but she regained her balance fairly quickly.


    The palace was practically empty. There was an occasional servant and an even less occasional guard, but those few ignored her and Zandrue. She wasn¡¯t trying to keep them hidden¡ªshe wanted her enemy to find her¡ªthough maybe Hedromornasta was. A quick check of the magical energies around her confirmed Hedromornasta was trying to hide her and Zandrue, but his attempts were constantly being foiled. The palace staff ignoring them was probably due to something her enemy was doing.


    Good. The more energy her enemy was wasting on keeping the palace staff at bay, the better. Felit?a¡¯s only hope was that her enemy was already substantially weakened.


    ¡°We¡¯re just going in circles, aren¡¯t we?¡± Zandrue said.


    Felit?a hesitated in answering, though they were. While the enemy might have been keeping the staff at bay, it wasn¡¯t making it any easier to find the enemy herself. She was keeping herself well hidden. They had been through several locations two or three times already.


    There was a tap on Felit?a¡¯s shoulder. It was Hedromornasta, and she stopped moving while he started making a circular motion with his forefinger. He continued to mime the circle several times.


    ¡°Yes, I know. We¡¯re going in circles. Zandrue just mentioned it too. Our enemy is probably moving around.¡±


    Hedromornasta groaned, and made another circle with his finger. Then he pointed.


    Felit?a stared at him and gave a small shrug.


    He did it again: made a circle and then pointed.


    Felit?a raised her hands and arms in a wide shrug.


    ¡°No, I get it,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°He¡¯s making a circle, and then pointing to the centre. We¡¯re going in circles, but not going to the centre.¡±


    Felit?a shook her head. ¡°What? Nonsense. We¡¯re¡­¡± She stopped. Gods, what a fool she¡¯d been! A quick search through her head located the magical strand blocking her from thinking of the audience chamber room in the centre of the main floor of the palace. A quick yank and it was gone. ¡°The audience chamber! She¡¯s there!¡±


    What a fool she¡¯d been. Her enemy had been using the overt attacks on her head as a distraction from more subtle attacks. Just as Felit?a was hoping her enemy would tire, her enemy was trying to tire her as well.


    And given she¡¯d spent months tiring Felit?a, she was doing a much better job of it.


    Her head clear now¡ªor clearer, at any rate¡ªshe made straight for the audience chamber. Getting there was no problem, though two guards stood in front of the doors. These ones drew their swords and moved to block the way.


    Zandrue drew her sword, and Felit?a was about to put them to sleep when they both collapsed to their knees, gasping and dropping their swords. They clutched at their throats as if unable to breathe.


    Felit?a glanced at Hedromornasta, shrugged, and walked past the guards. She opened the doors and stepped through.


    The chandeliers that normally lit the chamber were mostly unlit now. Only a few of the candles had flickering flames. The little light they provided reflected off the crystal of the chandeliers, causing shadows to dance about the dim room.


    A single figure sat at the far end, at the bottom of the steps by the throne. It was Nin-Akna. Her head was lowered and she was dressed oddly, but there was enough light to notice the tattoos on her forehead. What was she doing here? And where was her enemy?


    Nin-Akna didn¡¯t look up. ¡°Felit?a! It¡¯s Plavistalorik! She¡¯s doing this.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. As she¡¯d started to suspect. Whoever it was had to be incredibly powerful, which pointed towards an Isyar. That was hardly conclusive, but whoever it was also couldn¡¯t be invisible to literally everyone. Plavistalorik had been in plain sight, but Felit?a hadn¡¯t considered her because she¡¯d successfully convinced Felit?a that she wasn¡¯t a mentalist.


    Felit?a walked slowly along the carpet towards Nin-Akna, paying close attention to the flickering shadows. ¡°Where is she?¡±


    ¡°Near,¡± Nin-Akna said. ¡°I think. Felit?a, you said she wasn¡¯t a mentalist.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. She brought down one of the gargoyles at the Hall of Knowledge. A mentalist couldn¡¯t do that. Or so I thought.¡±


    ¡°Then how?¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t. She made them think she did. She made them do it themselves and then altered their memories. At least, that¡¯s my guess.¡± She spun in a circle, trying to take in all of the room, all of the places Plavistalorik could be hidden. ¡°Am I right?¡± There was no sign of anyone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s going to answer,¡± Nin-Akna said.


    ¡°No shit.¡± Felit?a continued towards Nin-Akna. ¡°Why are you just sitting there?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t move.¡±


    That made sense. Like Siba and Ezmelda. Felit?a stopped and spun around again.


    No sign of everyone.


    Zandrue! Hedromornasta.


    The main doors slammed shut, removing light that came from outside the chamber.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Nin-Akna asked.


    Felit?a tuned back towards her. ¡°Do you really need to ask that?¡±


    ¡°I suppose not.¡±


    ¡°I seem to have lost Zandrue.¡±


    ¡°Must be Plavistalorik.¡±


    Felit?a nodded and stopped moving. She was just a few feet from Nin-Akna now. The shadows danced over her still-lowered head.


    ¡°Can you do anything to let me move? I can talk, but that¡¯s it. I can¡¯t even raise my head to look at you.¡±


    ¡°Yet you knew it was me.¡±


    ¡°Plavistalorik said you¡¯d be here soon. I figured it had to be you. If I was wrong, I¡¯m sure whoever it was would have corrected me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Felit?a bent down just slightly to try look Nin-Akna in the eyes. ¡°Plavistalorik likes to keep her head lowered.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why she left me this way.¡±


    Felit?a knelt down so her her face was level with Nin-Akna¡¯s. ¡°Could be. Have you seen Anita, by the way? Last I heard, she believed you were dead.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I saw her just a little while ago. She was in the library. Plavistalorik made it so she couldn¡¯t move either.¡±


    ¡°How about Rudiger?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s here?¡±


    ¡°Of course he is. You don¡¯t think he¡¯d let Zandrue come alone, do you? But they got separated trying to find me. Zandrue¡¯s worried sick.¡±


    ¡°No, I...I haven¡¯t seen him.¡±


    ¡°How about Quilla?¡±


    ¡°Quilla? What?¡±


    Nin-Akna¡¯s face was even more shrouded in shadow, but Felit?a focused on what she could see of her tattoos. ¡°Meleng? Jorvan? Agernon? Corvinian?¡±


    ¡°Felit?a, what are you going on about? Can¡¯t you just help me?¡±


    ¡°Ezmelda? Hedromornasta? Pedrin? Almais? Danel? Siba? Cerus? Sinit?a?¡± She began naming everyone she could think of as fast as she could.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re just being ridiculous, Felit?a. I think you really have gone crazy from lack of sleep.¡±


    The trick was to cause a break in concentration, even if only momentary.


    ¡°Nin-Chicahua? Nin-Xoco? Ses-Tlacotl? Did you tell Anita we slept together?¡±


    That did it.


    One of the stylistic jaguar spots moved. Just a tiny bit. But it was all she needed.


    Felit?a stood up, and Nin-Akna looked up with a scowl.


    * * * * *


    In the Room in her head, Felit?a ran. Out into the depths of her mind, past purple and the clap of thunder. Through the scent of lilacs and Zandrue¡¯s laugh.


    Behind her, Plavistalorik¡¯s presence followed, tentacles sweeping out and wrapping around her. Felit?a slipped out of the first few, but the next ones pulled her down among yellow and the softness of Lon¡¯s and Nesh¡¯s fur.


    She kicked at the tentacles, furiously tried to push them aside, but more came down upon her. She brought down the black walls and tried to wrap them around Plavistalorik, but several pieces fell away before they could form a complete sphere. The tentacles wrapped tighter around Felit?a. They squeezed and squeezed and¡­


    Plavistalorik¡¯s presence exploded and was gone.


    Felit?a looked at the yellow and touched the softness. There was no sign of Plavistalorik. Where had she gone?


    * * * * *


    With a scream, Nin-Akna fell backwards, the disguise fading away, revealing Plavistalorik lying on her back. Her arms, legs, and wings twitched, and her mouth trembled.


    Behind her, nearer the throne, Nin-Akna¡ªpresumably the real one?¡ªrose shakily to her feet from where she had previously been hidden.


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    No. No time to worry about that now. Plavistalorik was vulnerable.


    Felit?a clenched her fists together and stared at Plavistalorik.


    Nothing happened.


    She concentrated harder and dug her nails into her palms. Still nothing. Plavistalorik¡¯s defences were still too great.


    The Isyar pulled herself to her feet and glared back at Felit?a, then vanished.


    Damn it!


    Felit?a tried to focus and find the indications of where Plavistalorik was.


    Will-Breaker.


    Felit?a sneered. You can¡¯t hide from me for long.


    No, you misunderstand, Will-Breaker. I am not Plavistalorik. My name is Mikranasta. My siare, Hedromornasta was with with you until recently. I have come with Jorvanultumn to help you.


    Felit?a scanned the audience chamber as well as the Room in her head. Were you responsible for what happened to Plavistalorik?


    Yes, though I regret that I am very limited in how often I can do that.


    If Plavistalorik was still in the audience chamber, she was doing a very good job of staying hidden. Given how much more skilled she was than Felit?a, that was a distinct possibility. Why don¡¯t you come out where I can see you and we can face her together?


    I¡¯m not there. I am using Nin-Akna as a proxy of sorts. If I had come in person, Plavistalorik would have detected me and likely fled. The only way to draw her out was to hide in Nin-Akna¡¯s consciousness. Unfortunately, it also means I am limited in what I can do to help. But I will help as best I can.


    She knows you¡¯re here now. Won¡¯t that make her flee?


    Except I¡¯m not with you. She knows that and will likely think my presence will not be enough to turn the tide of the battle.


    Felit?a walked over to Nin-Akna. But I take it, she¡¯s wrong?


    I hope so, but if I¡¯m being honest, I doubt it. You are in bad shape, Will-Breaker. I¡¯m frankly surprised you¡¯ve held out this long already.


    Well, that makes two of us.


    Nin-Akna was leaning against the throne, breathing heavily.


    Felit?a held out her hand. ¡°You all right?¡±


    Nin-Akna took the hand, then hugged Felit?a. ¡°Felit?a, I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t do anything. I couldn¡¯t move or speak.¡±


    ¡°Not your fault.¡±


    The main doors of the chamber flew open, and Zandrue and Hedromornasta ran into the room. ¡°Felit?a!¡± Zandrue called. ¡°You all right?¡±


    ¡°For now.¡± Felit?a squeezed Nin-Akna¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I have to find her. You stay here. This isn¡¯t a fight you can help with.¡± She walked towards Zandrue.


    Be wary, Will-Breaker.


    Felit?a smiled at Zandrue and looked her over.


    No shadows in the flickering light.


    She walked right past Zandrue without any further acknowledgement. Hedromornasta, too. She¡¯s getting careless in her desperation. Or she¡¯s running out of power.


    Or she wants you to think that, Mikranasta said. As I said, be wary.


    Felit?a nodded, then realised there was no way Mikranasta could have seen that.


    I didn¡¯t see it, but I¡¯m aware of it.


    Interesting.


    * * * * *


    In the Room, Mikranasta¡¯s presence was unlike the others. It was bigger and brighter, perhaps because Mikranasta wanted her to see it. It was also a magical projection. Her actual telepathic presence was not here because she was not in Felit?a¡¯s general vicinity in the real world.


    Plavistalorik had also been in her head magically. She wasn¡¯t telepathic¡ªthat much Felit?a had worked out¡ªand was reliant entirely on mentalism magic. But she was also somewhere in Felit?a¡¯s general vicinity. At least, Felit?a hoped she was still somewhere in the vicinity and hadn¡¯t run. But the illusions of Zandrue and Hedromornasta implied she wasn¡¯t running. That meant her actual presence had to be somewhere in the Room, just hidden by magic.


    Felit?a focused, searched for the webs of magic.


    There! She was getting better at this.


    A presence was hidden behind Nin-Akna¡¯s. It shot at her, and pushed her back into the roughness of rocks and howls of wolves. She pushed back, but it kept sliding her farther from the room.


    No, this wasn¡¯t what she she¡¯d been looking for, after all. This was Plavistalorik¡¯s magical presence, and she clearly didn¡¯t want Felit?a finding her real one.


    Mikranasta¡¯s presence grabbed hold of Plavistalorik and held her back. It was not the explosive effect of before, but it gave Felit?a a momentary distraction.


    She ran back to the Room. She had to find Plavistalorik¡¯s real presence. There was no way she could fight her magically. Plavistalorik was the more powerful wizard. Even at full strength, Felit?a wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. She had to fight her telepathically. But did she even know how to do that?


    At the edge of the Room, Plavistalorik and Mikranasta continued to struggle. Mikranasta¡¯s presence was getting smaller and dimmer. Time was running out.


    Felit?a swept the Room. She flipped it over, pulled every section up to her and examined it. Then she turned the Room inside out and did it again.


    A thin, almost invisible hint of mentalism magic caught her eye. There were lots of those here now, remnants of both Mikranasta¡¯s and Plavistalorik¡¯s magic. But this one was different. It wasn¡¯t floating away and vanishing. It was holding its shape and staying in one place.


    Felit?a grabbed it and shredded it.


    Plavistalorik¡¯s presence appeared, near Zandrue¡¯s.


    Felit?a leapt for it, but something grabbed her. Plavistalorik¡¯s magical presence wrapped around her, blocking out all sight she had of the Room or the rest of her mind. There was nothing¡ªno colours, no smells, no sounds, no feelings. Just blackness squeezing in, cutting her off from her body.


    * * * * *


    Felit?a fell to the floor, unable to breathe. She wretched and gasped, tried to pull in breath, but her throat wouldn¡¯t open. It was like large, thick hands were around her throat, squeezing tighter and tighter. She tried to grab at those hands, but there was nothing there.


    ¡°Felit?a!¡±


    Nin-Akna ran over and bent over her. ¡°What¡¯s happening? What can I do?¡±


    Felit?a could almost see Agranim on top of her again, strangling her to death. Just like he¡¯d tried on Scovese before she¡¯d killed him.


    Except this time, he wasn¡¯t there to kill. There was just the memory of it, and the spell was making that memory actually kill her.


    Zandrue stood over them. ¡°We have to find that Isyar. That¡¯s the only way to save Felit?a.¡± Then she ran out of sight.


    Nin-Akna hesitated. ¡°We can¡¯t just leave her.¡±


    Felit?a did her best to speak, but nothing came out.


    ¡°We¡¯re not,¡± Zandrue¡¯s voice came back.


    Nin-Akna nodded, stood up, and moved out of sight.


    Felit?a lay there, clutching at her neck, instinctively pulling at the non-existent hands, but grasping only at air, her skin, and the prayer bead necklace.


    The prayer beads!


    She grabbed hold of the necklace, closed her eyes, and concentrated. She couldn¡¯t block out the pain the way she had on Scovese, so she had to hope she could maintain concentration despite the pain. She just had to last long enough for Zandrue and Nin-Akna to find Plavistalorik.


    She focused and calmed her movements. Stilled her body. She slid one bead over and tried to inhale slowly. A tiny drop of air made it into her. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was something. Her body could still breathe; it was just being fooled into believing it couldn¡¯t. She just had to unfool it just a little.


    ¡°There!¡± Zandrue called.


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Where Hedromornasta is pointing!¡±


    Felit?a drew in another snippet of breath.


    * * * * *


    The blackness continued to squeezed tighter and tighter. There were no sensations. It wasn¡¯t even blackness, really. It was just emptiness.


    But then a crack appeared, green and sweetness slipping through.


    Felit?a focused, grabbed the edges of the crack, and pulled. The crack resisted at first, but then opened wider.


    * * * * *


    Felit?a gasped for breath. This time, the air poured in. She took several grateful breaths, and propped herself up on her elbows.


    Across the chamber, Nin-Akna had Plavistalorik pinned against the wall. She punched the Isyar in the face. Near her, Zandrue stood with her sword frozen in mid-swing. Another punch from Nin-Akna, and Zandrue stumbled back. But then so did Nin-Akna, letting go of Plavistalorik.


    Nin-Akna looked frantically around, as did Zandrue.


    ¡°She¡¯s still there!¡± Felit?a croaked.


    Except she wasn¡¯t. The Isyar was now running towards the door.


    Damn it. Felit?a had to stop her somehow.


    * * * * *


    In her head, Felit?a stepped back into the Room and ran for Plavistalorik¡¯s presence, but it was gone.


    The Isyar¡¯s magical presence was rushing towards Felit?a again. Hedromornasta¡¯s magical presence moved to block her way, but there was no sign of Mikranasta.


    Finding Plavistalorik¡¯s presence was much easier this time. She really was getting better at this¡ªor Plavistalorik was tiring. It didn¡¯t matter which. She grabbed the presence.


    Pain shot through her as one of the traps in the grey walls triggered. Then another, and another. Felit?a stumbled, but held on to the presence. The pain was unbelievably intense, but she could withstand it. She had to. If these traps were deadly, Plavistalorik would have used them by now. They were meant as a distraction.


    She gritted her teeth¡ªwas she doing that in the real world? probably¡ªand yanked at the presence.


    Plavistalorik¡¯s magical presence threw Hedromornasta aside and his magical presence winked out. She ran for Felit?a.


    Felit?a squashed the presence down into a tube. Then she pushed herself into it and entered Plavistalorik¡¯s mind.

 Book 2, Chapter 64: Her Right Mind

    It was extremely cold, yet also comfortable and refreshing. All around Felit?a, hazy images flittered and moved about, many vanishing to be replaced by others. One showed snow-covered mountains. Another was just the face of a young Feodor Belone. He had a hint of a smile just before he vanished.


    Another was of an incredibly tall Isyar, taller than even the tallest humans. His hands were on his hips as he gazed down sternly.


    No. He wasn¡¯t immensely tall. It was the viewer who was small, just a young child. Was the giant one of Plavistalorik¡¯s parents perhaps?


    The Isyar vanished and an image of Felit?a appeared in its place. It was just her face sneering, but there was something off about it. Perhaps it was the general haziness of all the images in this place, but her eyes looked too large, and her face too long. Felit?a didn¡¯t spend a lot of time staring at herself in mirrors, but she felt she knew her own face well enough to know this one wasn¡¯t completely right.


    But these were Plavistalorik¡¯s memories, and memory could be a fickle thing. Plavistalorik spent most of her time not looking at people, so it made sense her memory of Felit?a was imperfect.


    But why the sneer? Had she ever sneered at Plavistalorik?


    So this was Plavistalorik¡¯s mind. It was nothing like Felit?a¡¯s own mind, though she supposed that was to be expected. Now she was here, Felit?a had no idea what to do. The only other times she¡¯d been in someone else¡¯s head were times she had touched Elderaan¡¯s mind through magic, and that time on Scovese when she¡¯d entered Maneshka¡¯s mind. Though on that occasion, it was more accurate to describe it as both their minds entwining together. They had also been making love, so now was nothing at all like that.


    Felit?a tried to move. The images around her moved about faster as if she was moving between them, so it seemed to work. A group of Isyar children playing shot past. Then an Isyar child with thin grey eyes. Both her hands were linked with the hands of the viewer¡ªPlavistalorik presumably¡ªand they were spinning in a circle. A sense of joy came through.


    Then the image vanished, and a searing shot of sadness passed through Felit?a.


    So she could still sense emotions in here. But were these memories of emotions, or ones Plavistalorik was experiencing right now?


    There was so much she didn¡¯t understand about what she was doing right now.


    She should let Zandrue know¡­


    Oh gods.


    She couldn¡¯t see out her actual eyes. She couldn¡¯t feel the floor beneath her, or hear whatever Zandrue and Nin-Akna were up to.


    When she was in the Room in her head, she had no trouble operating in the real world at the same time. She had assumed it would be the same here. Gods, that had been a foolish assumption. She had never done anything like this before, and she had only managed it by squeezing through a tiny hole in those damn grey walls. They were presumably stopping her from staying in control of her own body.


    What state was she in? Would she even notice if something happened to her?


    Dear gods, she had no idea how to get back either. Her body was helpless. Anyone could just¡­


    No. She had to stay calm. Panic would do no good.


    You don¡¯t belong here, Will-Breaker.


    Felit?a looked around for a source of the voice, but there only the constantly moving and changing images. You didn¡¯t belong inside my head. I¡¯m just returning the favour.


    You couldn¡¯t hold me off in your own head without help. Do you really think you can do so here, where I rule?


    Yes. I think it¡¯ll be a lot easier. She hoped she sounded confident and in control because she wasn¡¯t sure she felt it.


    There was a hint of fear in the cold though, and that was a good sign. Now she just had to figure out what to do.


    In her own head, she always thought of herself as being in various locations¡ªin the Room, or more recently, the memory triggers. Was it the same for Plavistalorik? If she searched, could she find Plavistalorik¡¯s ¡°presence¡±? Or was Plavistalorik literally everywhere here?


    There was only one way to find out.


    She started moving through the images, but she didn¡¯t get far before she hit...a barrier? There was nothing she could see, but something blocked her way.


    She changed directions, but something blocked that way too. She tried backwards, up, down. Could she do other, impossible directions like she could in her own mind? She tried, and this time, on contact with the barrier, pain jolted through her, and she rebounded in the opposite direction, right into one of the floating memories.


    The hazy surroundings vanished, as did all the other memories. She was in a room with walls of ice and no ceiling. A table with its surface only a couple feet off the floor dominated the centre of the room, and a grey, vine-like plant grew from the table¡¯s centre.


    An Isyar with thin grey eyes sat on a stool beside the table. Felit?a wasn¡¯t sure, but she got the feeling this was the same young Isyar she had seen spinning around with Plavistalorik in the other memory. She was older here¡ªlate teens now¡ªbut she had the same basic countenance.


    ¡°My diare says when I¡¯m finished my elispt, I have to go on a mission for the Pundritta. He said it might take years, decades even.¡± The speaker was Plavistalorik and as she spoke, her gaze lowered to the ice floor. The words were in Isyarian, but somehow, Felit?a understood them. Perhaps because Plavistalorik understood them and this was Plavistalorik¡¯s memory.


    ¡°I know,¡± the other Isyar said. ¡°My diare told me yours was going to tell you that.¡±


    ¡°You could talk to your diare. He¡¯s the Pundir. He could override my diare. Please, I don¡¯t want to leave you.¡±


    Plavistalorik¡¯s gaze rose just enough to see the other Isyar shake her head sadly, then dropped to look at the floor again.


    ¡°The order came from my diare,¡± the other Isyar said. ¡°I already asked him to change his mind. He won¡¯t. I¡¯m sorry. He...he doesn¡¯t approve of us.¡±


    Sadness and despair washed over Felit?a, and if she had the capability here, she¡¯d be crying just like Plavistalorik was.


    Out!


    Felit?a shot back into the cold, hazy realm of flittering images, where she collided with one of those invisible barriers.


    You will not defile my memories, Will-Breaker!


    Something hit her and she reeled back, only for something else to hit her. Multiple things hit her from above, below, in front, behind, and every direction she could think of. They grabbed at her, tearing at her very essence. One by one, pieces of her separated and flew off in different directions.


    Felit?a screamed, getting louder and louder as she got smaller and smaller.


    There was so little of her left.


    Who was she, anyway?


    Why had she never wondered that before? Or maybe she had, back when there was more of her. When was that exactly?


    Will-Breaker.


    Will-Breaker? What was it? Was it important? What did it even mean to be important?


    Will-Breaker.


    So strange. So¡­


    What?


    Help?


    What?


    Screaming? Still screaming.


    ¡°Felit?a!¡±


    What?


    That was¡­


    What was it?


    ¡°Felit?a!¡±


    A sound. That was it.


    A real sound.


    Zandrue?


    Who?


    Screamed louder.


    Pulled.


    Pulled more.


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    Piece of what?


    Of her.


    Came back.


    Another.


    And another.


    Thoughts returned. Or rather...cognisance. That was the word.


    The pain was unbelievable. It should have been unbearable. She was literally being torn apart.


    But there was the thing. It wasn¡¯t her body being torn apart; it was her consciousness. Was pain even a thing for that? She was feeling something she considered pain, but did she need to be?


    She pulled back more pieces, even as Plavistalorik tore others away. She couldn¡¯t be sure she was outpacing Plavistalorik though, and she needed to.


    And pain was a distraction, so she stopped the pain.


    She wasn¡¯t entirely sure how she managed that. She just determined that it should stop and it did.


    The pieces of her came back faster. Without the pain, it was easy to locate them and even easier to draw them back. Pieces were being torn off her less quickly now, too, and more sporadically. Like Plavistalorik was distracted or tired.


    Zandrue! Had she heard Zandrue a moment ago? It might have just been a hallucination brought on by the pain, but if she had, that meant she had had some sort of contact with her physical body, at least momentarily. That could be a way back.


    But there was no time for that. She had to deal with Plavistalorik while the Isyar was distracted.


    She was mostly whole again now. There were still a few pieces remaining to bring back, but she could sense they weren¡¯t far. She could draw them in as she moved.


    There were still barriers up, but with a few prods, it became apparent the barriers were mostly just blocking memories. It was possible to slip between them, which was fine. She didn¡¯t care about the memories. All that mattered was getting to...whatever was the core of Plavistalorik.


    She slipped around a fleeting image of Anita standing between Nin-Akna and Danel, and then another one of the grey-eyed Isyar as a young child again. She slipped past more memories, deeper and deeper into the cold. It was like a never-ending maze. For all she knew, that was exactly what it was.


    Felit?a.


    Had she heard that earlier too? Maybe. Or maybe it had just been her vanishing consciousness desperately clinging to some aspect of her identity.


    Felit?a.


    Yet there it was again.


    It wasn¡¯t Plavistalorik. Not unless she was disguising her voice, which was entirely possible.


    Felit?a.


    It sounded like the voices in her head. The ones that endlessly called her name from¡­


    The Room!


    She often though of it as ¡°in her head¡±, but it was a construct of her mind, and her mind wasn¡¯t in her head anymore. It was here. And that meant, so was the Room.


    She unfolded it, the black walls knocking aside the floating memories and driving the haziness and cold away. She could ¡°see¡± as clearly as she normally could in the Room. Everything was as it always was in her head. The queue of people and blurred figures. The Staff floating above them. There were no grey walls, but everything else was the same.


    And Plavistalorik¡¯s presence was there.


    What are you doing to my head? Plavistalorik screamed.


    Felit?a looked at her sadly. What I have to to survive.


    You don¡¯t have the strength.


    Really? Felit?a stared at her. Stared into her.


    An image began to form: the halls and rooms of the palace, moving quickly by as Plavistalorik ran. There were people there now. Servants ducked out of her way. A guard came into view.


    ¡°She¡¯s here!¡± The guard drew a sword and ran towards Plavistalorik, who ran the other way.


    ¡°I want that Isyar dead!¡± It was Danel¡¯s voice.


    Felit?a returned to the Room, which was now flooded with terror and hatred, as Plavistalorik¡¯s defences started to fall away. Felit?a reeled slightly before steadying herself.


    Looks to me like you¡¯re the one without the strength remaining.


    What do you know? Plavistalorik tried to raise her defences again, but Felit?a swiped them away with the black walls. Despair joined the Isyar¡¯s fear and hatred.


    I know you can¡¯t last much longer.


    You know nothing! You don¡¯t even know how to use your powers. You have a block. You barely know how you got here and you certainly don¡¯t know how to get back. Kill me, and you¡¯ll be stuck here, where you¡¯ll soon expire too.


    Perhaps you¡¯re right. But I can¡¯t continue to live the way I have the past couple months, slowly losing my mind, and watching a good friend of mine slowly lose hers. I can¡¯t let you continue to harm others, especially the people I love. If that means I have to die too, so be it.


    Felit?a grabbed Plavistalorik. The Isyar¡¯s mind made a last-ditch effort to stop her, throwing up more barriers, but the black walls swept them aside with little effort.


    Please! I can tell you things. Secrets you need to know if you wish to prevail in the battles ahead.


    Felit?a held her still. She did need to know things, and Plavistalorik likely had answers. The thing is, you are more powerful than me. If you have a chance to rest and recuperate, you¡¯ll get away, probably killing me and others in the process. I can¡¯t let that happen.


    No! Please!


    Felit?a took a deep metaphorical breath and squashed Plavistalorik down into a tiny tube. Could she use this to get back to her own body? Perhaps if there was a connection to her body. Plavistalorik had probably removed it once Felit?a entered her body. But perhaps she could recreate it.


    She held the tube up to her eye and looked down it. Plavistalorik¡¯s sight, hearing, and other senses flooded over Felit?a.


    The Isyar was leaning in a corner of the library, breathing heavily.


    Move.


    Plavistalorik moved.


    To the throne room.


    The Isyar moved to the door.


    She was being hunted, and probably wouldn¡¯t make it without some defences. Gods, this body was low on power, but the emptiness from what was missing was huge. At full power, she would be well beyond what Felit?a was capable of.


    Felit?a collected what energy she could and cast an invisibility spell. She was unused to how this body worked, so it drained a lot of power, but she was confident it worked. She certainly had no problem spreading it over the presences in the Room, which¡­


    Dear gods, the presences in the Room aligned with their positions in the real world. She passed servants and a couple guards, all spaced exactly in the Room as they were in reality. It really was the grey walls throwing her perception off. She needed to figure out how to get rid of those walls.


    Plavistalorik reached the audience chamber. Thankfully, the doors were open, and she was able to slip in unnoticed.


    Zandrue, Nin-Akna, and Anita knelt beside Felit?a¡¯s body. Zandrue was shaking her. Nearby, Ezmelda stood watching the entrance. Hedromornasta was slumped on the steps near the throne.


    Felit?a kept the invisibility over everyone. She couldn¡¯t have them attack Plavistalorik right now.


    Still, she kept Plavistalorik from getting too close. Hopefully, they were close enough already.


    A little expenditure of Plavistalorik¡¯s rapidly diminishing energy, and Felit?a probed out, searching for her own body.


    There it was. And there were the grey walls. They were easily avoided with magic, but Felit?a paused at them anyway. She couldn¡¯t pass up the chance to analyse them from the outside. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t appear any different.


    However, Plavistalorik had hidden things in these walls, in those tiny holes and imperfections. Could Felit?a do something similar now? Not hide things in them, but affect them somehow? She had never been able to with her own magic, but that magic had come from within her, not without.


    But even if it could be done from outside, did Plavistalorik have enough power remaining for it? There was only way to find out.


    Please, no. Plavistalorik¡¯s consciousness was weak, barely there, and barely audible.


    Felit?a hesitated a moment. Was it right to play around with a person¡¯s mind like this?


    The simple answer was no, it wasn¡¯t, and she certainly hoped she never had to do anything like this again. But there was no other choice right now. There was no other way to stop Plavistalorik. Fra-Ichtaca was probably ruling Ninifin from behind the scenes by now, all because Felit?a had refused to take the opportunity to kill her when she had it. She couldn¡¯t make the same mistake again.


    It was going to take every last drop of power Plavistalorik had left. It would burn her out completely. Felit?a also added what mental power Plavistalorik had. The Isyar wasn¡¯t telepathic, but she had a well-tuned mind. There was some power there.


    Then Felit?a narrowed all that power into a tiny, thin thread which she threaded into one of the holes in the grey wall. It was difficult, and the thread bent several times. However, eventually, it went in. Then she released the tension and let it expand out again. The power bulged against the wall.


    And the wall cracked.


    As Plavistalorik¡¯s body collapsed as an empty husk on the floor, Felit?a fled through the crack and back into her own head.


    With a gasp, Felit?a opened her eyes.


    Zandrue, Nin-Akna, and Anita gasped and moved back a bit.


    ¡°Felit?a! Thank the gods!¡± Zandrue said. ¡°You were unresponsive. We were worried you¡­¡±


    Zandrue¡¯s worries, fears, and relief flooded into Felit?a, along with the emotions of everyone else in the room. And their thoughts. So many thoughts. It was like at the well all those years ago, except not as intense. Perhaps it was because there was only a crack in the grey walls.


    Felit?a smiled up at Zandrue. ¡°Zandrue, I think I¡¯m finally in my right mind.¡±


    Then she lost consciousness.

 Book 2, Chapter 65: Survivors (Part 1)

    There was a foul smell in the air. Quilla couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on what it was. It seemed to be a mixture of the horrid sludge they were cooking in the kitchen and...something else. Flatulence maybe? Somebody in the common room must be doing a lot of farting. If they were eating what she had in front of her, she wasn¡¯t surprised.


    She peered down at her bowl of what was supposed to be stew. It had the appearance and consistency thick mud, and as best she could tell, there was very little meat or vegetables in it. However, her spoon could barely penetrate it, so maybe it had more than she could tell. She hadn¡¯t tasted it yet. She wasn¡¯t sure she wanted to. So she let it sit there getting cold.


    It was cold in the tavern too. There was a meagre fire burning, but the building was so draughty, it didn¡¯t help much. That was fine. It fit her mood. As she¡¯d repeatedly observed this winter, the cold was the perfect mirror for her life. She could add shitty ¡°stew¡± to that now, too.


    They were only in this tavern because it was dirt cheap. It wasn¡¯t like they had been able to leave the Palace with much in the way of money, and they couldn¡¯t advertise who most of them were, so there was no way of acquiring more money. They were stuck taking what very little they could afford.


    Annai wasn¡¯t taking it well. The princess was sitting across from Quilla in the booth in the corner of the common room. Her head lay on the table, her own bowl of stew pushed aside. As was usual for her these days, she was sobbing quietly. Quilla couldn¡¯t really blame her¡ªshe¡¯d had her own bouts of sobbing and crying¡ªbut it did get annoying when it was so constant. Gabby had snapped at Annai more than a few times, telling her to suck it up until they could get somewhere safe to properly mourn.


    So many had died. Death was nothing new to Quilla. It hadn¡¯t even started with Garet; that had just been when it had started to affect her. But now, it had gotten so much worse: Tianna, Thilin, the King and Queen, and who knew how many servants and soldiers at the Palace? Probably Zandrue and Rudiger, too. How many more would die before it was all over? Would it ever be over?


    Annai stirred and looked up for a moment. ¡°I hate this place. It stinks.¡±


    The thing that made Annai¡¯s constant sobbing so annoying was, she interlaced it with complaints about their current situation, as if Quilla¡ªor Gabby, Pastrin, whoever¡ªcould do something about it. How dare they make her wear such ¡°crude rags¡±! Why did they have to stay in a rat-infested inn?


    Those ¡°rags¡± were a plain woollen kirtle and a thick, but shabby, fur robe over top.


    ¡°I get that it can¡¯t be our regular clothes,¡± Annai had complained to Gabby, ¡°but surely it could be something better than this. I look like a sewer rat!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Gabby had said. ¡°We can¡¯t spare the money, and even if we could, it would still be no. You are the most recognisable of all of us. You used to make regular public appearances in the city. People know you. However, people notice clothes before they notice anything else. If you look like a sewer rat, they won¡¯t look at you twice.¡±


    Annai had then burst into tears and wailed for some time.


    They had also dyed Annai¡¯s hair. Well, not exactly dyed. Gabby had simply rubbed charcoal and soot into Annai¡¯s hair to darken it. All the while, Annai screamed in protest. The overall result wasn¡¯t great. The soot was slowly falling out, which meant it was smudged all over her face, and any place where her head lay for any length of time was left darkened and dirty. Even now, there was a small pile of dirt on the table around Annai¡¯s head.


    Gabby had agreed they could get some actual dye, but that was going to take awhile. So Annai had to put up with it for now.


    It was odd. Seeing Annai like this should have pleased Quilla. The princess was finally getting her comeuppance. Yet Quilla could only feel sorry for her. The circumstances that had led to this were not something Quilla would have wished on anyone.


    But she was stuck in the same circumstance. As were Gabby, Pastrin, Ned, and Hang.


    Annai mumbled something, her cheek still plastered against the table.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    Annai lifted her head. ¡°I said, when¡¯s Gabby getting back?¡±


    Quilla rolled her eyes. Annai had asked that question a few times now. ¡°I told you, I don¡¯t know. Whenever she¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°I hate this fucking place.¡± Annai put her head back down and returned to sobbing.


    The main door of the tavern opened, sending a blast of frigid air throughout the room. The booth Quilla was in was about as far from the door as one could get, but it still reached her. Annai groaned.


    Two men stomped into the tavern, their pinkish armour clanking. The one in the lead held a helmet in one hand and a roll of parchment in the other. He was a tall, thin Folith with thick, but short dark hair and a handlebar moustache. He reminded Quilla a little of Lama?n, though the resemblance was only superficial. The man behind him wore a helmet. Both had red capes.


    There hadn¡¯t been a lot of noise in the tavern, but what little there was stopped as the men moved into the middle of the room.


    Quilla had never seen a Blood in person before, but she¡¯d heard all about them from Rudiger and Zandrue. This couldn¡¯t be good.


    The lead Blood turned up his nose and scowled. ¡°Where is your message board?¡±


    The barman laughed. ¡°You think people here can read, asshole?¡±


    ¡°I can,¡± Annai mumbled, but Quilla hissed at her to be silent.


    ¡°What did you call me?¡± the man with the moustache said.


    The barman laughed again. ¡°You hard of hearing? Get lost or I call the Watch!¡±


    The Blood smirked and motioned with his helmet to the other. ¡°We are the Watch.¡±


    The helmeted Blood moved towards the barman, drawing his sword.


    The barman backed up against the wall of bottles behind him. ¡°Hey, hey! I didn¡¯t mean no offence! Just having a bit of a laugh. I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    The Blood ran his sword through the barman¡¯s chest. The barman gurgled up blood, then went limp. As the Blood pulled his sword away, the barman slid down to the floor.


    A couple of patrons in the tavern gasped. One near the door jumped to his feet and ran out. Most of the others looked ready to do the same, but held their place as the Bloods were in their way.


    Annai sat up. ¡°Did he just¡ª?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Quilla shushed her again.


    The helmeted Blood returned to the middle of the room, wiping his sword and sheathing it.


    The one with moustache surveyed the room. ¡°There are going to be some changes in this city. By order of Prince Malef, the enforcement of law and order has been given to the Red Knights. You Eloorin will learn to respect your betters. When asked a question, you will respond with courtesy. When told to do something, you will do it without hesitation. Follow these simple rules and you will be treated with dignity. Do not and...well, let the events just witnessed be a lesson in what will happen.¡±


    He held out the parchment roll to the other Blood, who tore a length of it off. The helmeted one then took a hammer from his belt and a nail from a pouch. Then he went over to the wall beside the door and nailed the parchment there.


    ¡°Here is a list of the rules you will now follow,¡± the one with the moustache said. ¡°If you cannot read it, find someone who can. That is all.¡± He nodded to the other Blood. ¡°To the next one.¡±


    The two of them stomped out of the tavern, slamming the door behind them.


    When they were gone, everyone in the room jumped to their feet. Several ran from the tavern. Others ran behind the bar and started grabbing bottles. A couple began fighting over the lockbox, while a man and a woman, each wearing a greasy apron, ran out of the kitchen and then out the main door.


    Quilla and Annai stayed put.


    After a few minutes, the tavern cleared out. Quilla and Annai were left alone, with only the wind blowing through the door that the last person to leave had left open. Quilla pulled herself to her feet to go close the door, but a robed figure walked in, and Quilla sat back down.


    The robed figure pulled the door shut, then lowered her hood. Gabby looked around the room. ¡°What the hell happened here?¡±


    ¡°Bloods,¡± Quilla said.


    Gabby groaned. ¡°A ship full of them arrived a few hours ago. They¡¯re causing all sorts of problems, though I didn¡¯t realise they¡¯d made it this far from the docks already.¡± She ripped the parchment the Bloods had left from the wall, and scanned it as she walked over to Quilla and Annai. She nudged Annai. ¡°Squeeze up.¡±


    ¡°Those are the rules we¡¯re supposed to follow,¡± Quilla said.


    Gabby squeezed into the booth. ¡°They¡¯re enacting a curfew, even including Foliths.¡±


    ¡°Sounds typical of them, from what Rudiger and Zandrue told me.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe Malef let them in here,¡± Annai mumbled.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t,¡± Gabby said.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°She means Lidda Plavin did it in his name,¡± Quilla said.


    ¡°He still let her.¡±


    ¡°He probably didn¡¯t have a choice.¡± Quilla looked back to Gabby. ¡°How are the others?¡±


    Gabby tossed the parchment aside. ¡°Safely on a ship for Lockanith.¡±


    ¡°We should have gone with them,¡± Annai mumbled.


    Gabby rolled her eyes. ¡°Annai, we¡¯ve been through this already.¡±


    Annai sat up and wiped her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t care! I want to go to Lockanith. I want to see Cerus!¡±


    ¡°Annai! I¡¯ve¡ª¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Annai slammed her hand down on the table. ¡°We should all be going to help Cerus, not just Pastrin and Nedwin.¡±


    Gabby leaned in towards Annai, almost hovering over her. ¡°No, we shouldn¡¯t. Cerus is a target. You realise that, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. That¡¯s why we have to help him.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s why we can¡¯t. Cerus and I are the only ones ahead of Malef in line for the throne. But they don¡¯t know that I¡¯m alive. If I go to Cerus, I reveal myself. I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    Annai sat up and pushed Gabby back. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re just going to let Cerus die so you can have the throne?¡±


    ¡°No! But Cerus is a big boy. He knows how to look after himself. But if he does die, then yes, I have to survive to stop Lidda Plavin from getting the throne.¡±


    ¡°She already has it!¡±


    ¡°Not legally, she doesn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we have to go to Cerus, to plan how to take it back!¡±


    Gabby slammed her hands on the table. ¡°Gods damn it, Annai! How many times do we have to go through this?¡±


    Annai burst into tears and banged her head down on the table.


    ¡°For crying out loud! Suck it up and stop crying for just a little while!¡±


    Annai turned her head just a little and spat at Gabby. ¡°They¡¯re dead!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. They were my family, too. You think I¡­?¡± Gabby looked about to slam her fists on the table, but held back. She stood up, turned away, and began pacing the room.


    ¡°Fuck you, Gabby! Fuck you!¡±


    Quilla leaned over and patted Annai on the shoulder, then slid out of the booth.


    Gabby turned to face her as Quilla approached. She wiped a couple tears from her eyes.


    Quilla had been about to tell her to go easy on Annai, but changed her mind. ¡°You okay?¡±


    Gabby nodded quickly and sniffled. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I just¡­ I¡¯m barely keeping it together, Quilla, and she acts like¡­ It¡¯s not even that she thinks I don¡¯t care. She doesn¡¯t even treat me as part of the family. He was my father, too. Her mother may not have been mine, but¡­ Thilin, the others. I loved them!¡± She wiped more tears from her eyes.


    Quilla put her arms around Gabby, who soon put hers around Quilla, and they hugged each other tight. Gabby sobbed for a short while, before pulling away and wiping her eyes. She gave Quilla a forced smile. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Quilla glanced back at Annai, who was still sobbing on the table. ¡°Maybe we should have let her go with them.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re better off in small groups, and I couldn¡¯t split Pastrin and Ned right now. And Hang¡­¡±


    Quilla nodded. ¡°I know.¡± Hang and Gabby were the only experienced warriors. Pastrin and Ned had had basic training but, like Annai, hadn¡¯t kept it up. Hang had to go with them to provide protection. ¡°What about us? With the Bloods here now¡­¡±


    ¡°We have to get out of here as soon as possible. We¡¯ll start searching for a ship to take us to Porthaven first thing tomorrow.¡± Gabby gave Quilla¡¯s arm a gentle squeeze, then headed back to the booth. ¡°We¡¯ll get you to your son.¡±


    ¡°I have no intention of going to Felit?a,¡± Annai said.


    Gabby threw her hands up. ¡°Fine. Don¡¯t. Go wherever you want, Annai, but go on your own. Quilla and I are going to Quorge. You can come if you want. I don¡¯t give a fuck either way. Quilla, let¡¯s find a room we can fortify for ourselves overnight.¡± She stormed through one of the inner doors.


    ¡°Be right with you!¡± Quilla went over to the booth and looked at Annai, who was sitting up again, tears dripping from her chin and jaw.


    ¡°I thought you hated Felit?a.¡±


    ¡°My son is there. I need to see him. And it¡¯s not that I hate Felit?a¡­¡± Quilla sighed. Her thoughts about Felit?a these days were confused and jumbled. ¡°We had a disagreement, and believe me, we¡¯re going to have words about that, but¡­ I don¡¯t actually hate her.¡±


    Annai scowled and crossed her arms. ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know her.¡±


    ¡°I spent two months on a ship with her. That was more than enough.¡±


    ¡°Fine, hate her. But Gabby¡¯s right. We need her help.¡±


    Annai groaned, but a moment later, slid out of the booth. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go to Quorge.¡± She looked down at herself. ¡°Gods, I look awful.¡±


    Quilla nodded. ¡°Yes, you do.¡±


    Annai stared wide-eyed at her for a moment, before snorting. She immediately wiped the slight smile from her face, covering it by wiping her nose. She stared at Quilla for a moment. ¡°Don¡¯t think that means I like you.¡± She turned and went through the door Gabby had left through.


    Quilla followed. It was going to be a long trip to Quorge. She wasn¡¯t sure she could put up with Annai the entire time. They couldn¡¯t even be sure Felit?a would still be there by the time they arrived, but if Felit?a was gone, they would just follow to wherever she¡¯d gone. That would be even more Annai to put up with. At least Gabby was going to be there too.


    Though it would fall to her to keep the two of them from killing each other. How fun.


    Getting to Corvinian would make it worth it, though. She wasn¡¯t going to force Corvinian to come with her or even acknowledge her as his mother. She was just going to be there so he could get to know her. Then if he later changed his mind about her, all the better.


    Of course, they still had to get out of Arnor City, and with the Bloods here now, Quilla had a bad feeling about that.

 Book 2, Chapter 65: Survivors (Part 2)

    Rudiger¡¯s leg ached. It ached all the time, but it was particularly bad at the moment. He desperately wanted to bend his knee, but the splint prevented that. It prevented virtually any movement other than wiggling his toes. The physician had said if he didn¡¯t keep it perfectly still, the bone might not set properly and he¡¯d be left with a permanent limp or worse, not be able to walk at all.


    So he sat now with it propped up on the table in front of him, forced to rely on servants to stand up or sit down. He had crutches to help him walk, but it was difficult, and the servants still hovered. Lidda had ordered that at least two be with him at all times. He couldn¡¯t even relieve himself without someone watching.


    He wished he¡¯d died that day, and not just broken his leg in two places.


    No, not really. He didn¡¯t want to die.


    But life wasn¡¯t showing a lot of promise at the moment either.


    That moment kept playing itself over and over in his head.


    He and Borisin stared at the massive dragon in front of them. Neither of them expected to survive, but if they could just keep Lidda and the dragon distracted long enough for the others to get away, then it would be worth it.


    He thought the end had come when the dragon¡¯s claw hit Borisin in the side, knocking the horse onto his side. Rudiger fell as well, but his leg was trapped under Borisin. The pain as his leg snapped twice was unbearable and he lost consciousness.


    He awoke sometime later in the Palace¡ªwhat was left of it, at any rate. He was in the bed in Felit?a¡¯s apartments¡ªthe one he and Zandrue had been using. His leg was raised and already in a splint. And in a lot of pain. Two servants¡ªboth of whom he didn¡¯t recognise¡ªsat nearby. As soon as he woke, one ran from the room to summon Lidda Plavin, who arrived shortly after.


    ¡°Awake at last.¡± She was dressed in a purple gown as well as an elaborate purple chaperon similar to the ones the Queen had frequently worn.


    Rudiger scowled.


    ¡°Do you disapprove of something? Purple is the appropriate colour of mourning. I made certain to bring several appropriate articles with me, ostensibly for Garet¡¯s funeral, though I will confess, I might have already known there would be other deaths to mourn.¡± She smiled maliciously.


    ¡°You disgust me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really care what you think. I¡¯m the victor here. I have the power.¡±


    ¡°Why am I even alive?¡±


    Her smiled dropped into a frown. ¡°I would gladly see you dead, but first¡­¡± She clapped her hands. ¡°I need you to tell me how to use this.¡±


    A guard wearing the House Plavin tabard rather than the royal one entered the room with Slay.


    Rudiger looked away. ¡°Figure it out yourself.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve tried. Several of my soldiers have tried to activate that shield you used against Ezuna. They all burned to death. I can¡¯t afford to lose any more, so you¡¯re going to tell me how to activate it.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you.¡±


    Lidda laughed. ¡°You¡¯ll tell me or I¡¯ll kill your horse.¡±


    Borisin was alive? He looked at her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so surprised. I kept you both alive in case I needed you. If Daemonslayer had been easy to use, I would have then killed you both, but alas¡­¡±


    Rudiger scowled and looked away again. ¡°I¡¯m not telling you anything. Do what you want to us.¡±


    ¡°As you wish. You, go kill his horse.¡±


    Rudiger looked over to see the guard turn and head for the door.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Lidda said, and the guard paused at the door. ¡°Use the sword. We may not be able to activate its powers, but it¡¯s sharpness will be an asset. Make the death slow and painful.¡±


    The guard nodded and started out the door.


    ¡°No!¡± Rudiger called.


    Lidda held up her hand and the guard stopped again. ¡°You¡¯ll tell me how to use the sword?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    She rolled her eyes and waved at the guard.


    ¡°I mean, I can¡¯t tell you because it only works for me or someone from my family.¡± He had no idea if that was true, but it seemed likely given it had worked automatically for him and not for the soldiers she had sent to their deaths. ¡°But I¡­ I can use it for you. When I¡¯m better that is.¡± Gods, this was an act of desperation.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Lidda motioned for the guard to stop again. ¡°How do I know you¡¯re not lying to me? How do I know there isn¡¯t just some command word that anyone could say?¡±


    What should he say? Gods, Zandrue was so much better at this sort of thing. ¡°I...uh...I¡¯ll demonstrate for you. Again, once I¡¯m able. You can watch what I do. Your soldiers can, too. Then you can see if they can duplicate it. They¡¯ll die, but hopefully that will be good enough for you.¡±


    Lidda stood there for a moment, scowling. ¡°And if I¡¯m convinced, you¡¯ll serve me? Use it however I ask?¡±


    Rudiger tried not to look disgusted. ¡°Yeah, sure, whatever you want.¡±


    She smirked. ¡°You see, that¡¯s the part I¡¯m much less inclined to believe. I can threaten your horse¡¯s death to keep you inline for a while, but I have no doubt you¡¯ll be looking for constant opportunities to escape.¡±


    ¡°Then keep me under constant observation. Surround me with soldiers who will kill me the moment I step out of line.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I still wouldn¡¯t trust you.¡±


    Rudiger shrugged, and gritted against the pain. His shoulders and arms weren¡¯t broken, but they were heavily bruised. ¡°Kill me then, and keep experimenting with Slay. Let more of your soldiers die. I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°I could find someone else from your family. Get them to use it.¡±


    ¡°The ability was passed down from my father, and his father before him. They¡¯re dead. I¡¯m the only one left who can use it, unless I have a kid someday. But I¡¯d have to live for that to happen.¡±


    She stared at him for a moment, then a smile crept onto her lips. ¡°All right. As soon as you can walk, you¡¯ll demonstrate the sword for me. Assuming your use can¡¯t be replicated, you¡¯ll serve me. If you betray me, your horse will die, and then so will you. We¡¯ll also work on making sure you have an heir that I can mould into my service.¡± She smiled broadly at him. ¡°Rest up, and recover. I¡¯ll make certain you are well looked after.¡±


    That had been two days ago. Since then, he had just sat or lain around in constant pain. He had never left the apartments. Even if he had been able, he doubted he would have been allowed.


    He wished he hadn¡¯t added the bit about the power passing through his family. Was she going to attempt to breed him? Gods, what if she expected him to sleep with her? That was a terrifying thought.


    ¡°My lord?¡± One of the handmaids approached him. He didn¡¯t know her name. He hadn¡¯t bothered learning any of their names. They worked for Lidda Plavin. They didn¡¯t deserve names. ¡°His Highness, Prince Malef is here to see you.¡±


    Rudiger¡¯s first instinct was to tell her to tell him to go away, but he doubted Malef would actually go. ¡°Show him in.¡±


    The handmaid curtsied and backed away.


    Thankfully, Rudiger was facing away from the door and couldn¡¯t easily turn, so he got the satisfaction of not having to watch Malef approach. The Prince would have to walk around to be seen.


    ¡°Rudiger.¡±


    Rudiger didn¡¯t even try to turn his head. ¡°My apologies, your Highness. I¡¯m not very mobile, so I can¡¯t get up and bow appropriately.¡± Rudiger tried to keep the venom out of his voice, but he was fairly certain he wasn¡¯t very successful.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I understand.¡± Malef walked round into Rudiger¡¯s view. He looked a mess. He was wearing a military mourning uniform, but it was dishevelled, wrinkled with several buttons undone. His moustache was untrimmed and the rest of his face had several days worth of stubble. His hair was uncombed and his eyes sunken.


    ¡°You look terrible,¡± Rudiger said, then hastily added, ¡°No offence.¡±


    Malef shrugged. ¡°I know. I¡¯ve had little motivation to keep up my appearance. These have been¡­¡± He looked away for a moment and breathed in sharply through his nose. ¡°These have been difficult times.¡± There was a hint of a tear in his eyes.


    For a moment, Rudiger almost felt sorry for him. ¡°Is there something I can do for you, your Highness? I¡¯m pretty immobile so there¡¯s not much I can¡ª¡±


    Malef held up his hands and shook his head. ¡°No, no, Rudiger, I¡¯m not looking for you to do anything for me other than listen, I suppose. I just wanted to talk.¡±


    Rudiger motioned to a chair. ¡°Then talk.¡±


    Malef gave him a small smile and pulled up the chair. He sat there for several moments before saying anything. ¡°I uh¡­¡± He rubbed his eyes and face and went quiet again for a few more seconds. ¡°I want to apologise.¡±


    ¡°Apologise? What, for killing so many people? For your father? Your brothers and sisters, not to mention the countless guards and servants? For them?¡±


    ¡°I was not the one who¡ª!¡± Malef stopped and clutched his fingers on one hand into a fist, then held it over his mouth. ¡°No, that¡¯s...that¡¯s fair. I didn¡¯t want this to happen.¡±


    ¡°You let it happen.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know. I thought¡­¡± Malef rubbed his forehead. ¡°I was in love and I thought she loved me, too. I had no¡ª¡±


    ¡°I tried to warn you.¡±


    Malef covered his mouth and nose again, and sniffled. ¡°Yes. Yes, you did. But I¡­¡±


    Rudiger sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s be honest here, Malef. You let your dick control you. A...uh...beautiful woman¡ª¡± he supposed Malef must consider Lidda beautiful¡ª¡°batted her eyelids at you, let you fuck her, and you were putty in her hands.¡±


    Malef buried his face in his hands. ¡°Yes.¡± His voice was barely a croak, and he started to sob. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°Then do something about it.¡±


    Malef looked up and wiped his tears with his sleeve. ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°Oh, come off it, Malef. You didn¡¯t come here just to give a half-assed apology and make a bunch of excuses. You came here for my help, and as it happens, I need your help too.¡±


    ¡°To do what?¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m pretty certain you came here to ask me to do. I¡¯m not sure yet how we¡¯re going to pull it off without dying too. But you know what? If we¡¯re successful, I don¡¯t care if we die too. Lidda Plavin is going to die and we¡¯re going to kill her. Right?¡±


    Malef stared at him for several moments, sniffling. Then he slowly nodded. ¡°Right.¡±

 Book 2, Chapter 66: Victors (Part 1)

    Meleng clenched his fists and braced himself as cold water poured over him. Cold water was best for washing away blood. He¡¯d done this sort of thing many times before and knew this well, but this time was different. Usually in the past, when he¡¯d had to clean up blood, it had been on other people. Even when he¡¯d had to clean it off himself, there had been a lot less, or he¡¯d been in warm places like Scovese or Ninifin where cold water was actually refreshing. Here, in the depths of the Hall of Knowledge in the middle of winter, the water wasn¡¯t just cold; it was freezing. Not refreshing at all. He shivered and began scrubbing at the blood dried under his fingernails.


    Sinit?a started to pat his back dry. However, the cloth she was using was already wet from previous uses, so it didn¡¯t do much good.


    Meleng stared at himself in the nearby mirror as he scrubbed. The blood was mostly gone now, as was most of the accumulated dirt and grime from his recent travels.


    Sinit?a put her arms around him from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder. Her hair was wet and tangled and her skin had a pinkish tinge to it¡ªfrom scrubbing, not blood¡ªbut she looked good. Her warmth felt good against him in the cold room. She smiled at him through the mirror. ¡°You look like you again.¡±


    He smiled back. ¡°So do you.¡±


    They stared at one another through the mirror for a while¡ªseconds, minutes, Meleng wasn¡¯t sure exactly how long, though if it was measured in minutes, it probably wasn¡¯t a lot of minutes.


    ¡°What did Mitchal Plavin mean when he talked about...what was it? He said something about my royal blood and seeds? Like plant seeds?¡±


    ¡°Sex.¡±


    Sinit?a frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°He was referring to you getting pregnant. The seed thing is me putting a child in you like planting a tree. I think. Something like that.¡±


    Sinit?a¡¯s frown deepened into a scowl. ¡°Gross. I didn¡¯t like him.¡±


    Meleng smiled at her. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you. I didn¡¯t like him either.¡±


    They grinned at each other.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t hurt you too much, did he?¡± Meleng asked.


    She turned her head away slightly, then shook it. ¡°Not really. He still treated me like a princess even though I was a prisoner. He hurt Agernon more. He might have killed him if¡­¡± She sniffled and wiped her eyes.


    Meleng held her tightly. He¡¯d been afraid to talk to her about what had happened to her, Agernon, and Corvinian. This was the kind of thing he¡¯d been terrified of when Sinit?a had first come with him and Jorvan. He kissed the side of her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    She sniffled some more. ¡°Corvinian¡¯s light got in the way, and I screamed at him to stop. Not Corvinian. I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean.¡±


    ¡°He said he spared Agernon just to shut me up.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s good you made so much noise.¡±


    She snorted. After a moment, she shifted around him to look him directly in the face instead of through the mirror. ¡°If I ever had a baby, I¡¯d want it to be with you. Not that I want a baby. I don¡¯t. Just¡­¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    There was a knock at the door.


    Sinit?a looked about, and pointed to a large cloth towel. Meleng scrambled over and grabbed it. It was wet, but it would do. He threw it over Sinit?a¡¯s shoulders and she hugged it around herself.


    ¡°Come in!¡± Sinit?a called.


    The door opened and Feviona stepped in, then closed the door again behind her.


    ¡°Feviona!¡± Sinit?a jumped to her feet and ran over, the towel falling away as she did. They¡¯d spent so many occasions changing in the same cramped quarters on the Lustrous Rose that all modesty between them had vanished ages ago.


    Sinit?a and Feviona touched foreheads, and Sinit?a almost vanished as Feviona¡¯s wings wrapped around her, hiding her from view.


    Meleng stood up and walked over to them, and repeated the greeting ritual with Feviona.


    When they parted, Sinit?a pointed to the wound in Feviona¡¯s side. Are you going to be okay?


    The Isyar had bandages wrapped around her side and stomach, and in several other locations as well. She was still wearing the same uniform as the night before, though she had obviously cleaned up somewhat. I will be fine. I¡¯ve stitched up what I can and made sure it won¡¯t get infected.


    Sinit?a smiled. That¡¯s good.


    I came to apologies to you both for my behaviour last night, Feviona said. When I get low on power and there is nothing to focus me, I act irrationally and sometimes inappropriately.


    There¡¯s nothing to apologise for, Sinit?a said.


    Meleng added a nod in agreement.


    I should not have kissed you.


    Sinit?a shrugged. It¡¯s okay. I actually kind of liked it.


    It was still wrong.


    Apology accepted, Meleng said.


    Sinit?a nodded. Same with me.


    Feviona smiled. Thank you. I also wanted to talk to you, Meleng, my champion.


    Meleng tightened and chuckled a little awkwardly. Let¡¯s not start that again.


    I¡¯m not trying to be funny. I use that term with affection, as I would be dead without you, but I can stop if you want.


    Meleng shrugged. No, it¡¯s okay. I just¡­ He wasn¡¯t really sure what he wanted to say, so he changed the subject. What did you want to talk to me about?


    I have been watching you, Feviona said. I have been watching you very closely. You are brilliant, but your formulae leave something to be desired.


    Meleng groaned. He¡¯d been watching her too. He knew how much better she was. Did she really have to bring it up?


    Feviona shook her head. No, please don¡¯t be upset. As I said, you are brilliant, and I was about to add, your formulae are inventive within the constraints you have on them. You were just poorly trained. I have no doubt, in time, you would learn to overcome that. In time, you will become a great wizard.


    Sinit?a put an arm around him. ¡°Of course you will. You¡¯re the smartest person I¡¯ve ever met.¡± With a smile, she let go of him and signed what she¡¯d just said, just exchanging you with he.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Thank you for the confidence, I suppose. Meleng sighed. He probably shouldn¡¯t have added the suppose, but it was hard to have the same confidence.


    But there¡¯s a problem, Feviona said. We don¡¯t have time. I have discussed it with Jorvanultumn, and we agree that, with everything happening, there isn¡¯t time to wait for you to figure it out on your own. So I have decided to teach you myself.


    Meleng stared at her. Had he misread what she¡¯d signed? He really wasn¡¯t that good at it yet. He misread things all the time, though it was hard to think what she might have actually said if that were the case. Beside him, he could just notice Sinit?a bouncing on her toes.


    Feviona stared back at him. Well?


    Meleng gulped. ¡°Oh. I...um¡­are you serious? I mean¡­¡± Damn, he¡¯d forgotten to sign. Are you allowed to do that? I thought Isyar couldn¡¯t teach non-Isyar.


    Feviona shrugged. You are my fomaze. The lines are blurred there.


    Really?


    She shook her head. No, not really. There are many who will not approve. In fact, I expect to have a very big argument with Mikranasta, but fuck her. This is my decision and yours. Not hers. I will teach you if you wish it.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Meleng stared at her a little longer.


    Sinit?a nudged him. ¡°Say yes.¡±


    Yes.


    Sinit?a squealed and threw her arms around Feviona.


    Thank you, Meleng said. I don¡¯t know what else to say.


    Feviona waited a moment until Sinit?a let go of her. There is nothing you need to say. It will be my honour. I need a few days to recover my strength first, and I suspect we can all do with a rest. We will start in a week or so. And Jorvanultumn will teach you, Sinit?a.


    Sinit?a stopped bouncing around. Really?


    Yes, really.


    Sinit?a squealed even louder and hugged Feviona again. Then she hugged Meleng, laughing and giggling the whole time.


    Jorvanultumn will talk to you about details later, Sinit?a. He is currently talking to Mikranasta. Feviona frowned. Better him than me. She smiled at the two of them. I will let you finish cleaning up and talk to you later.


    Once Feviona was gone, Sinit?a spun round and hugged Meleng again. ¡°Isn¡¯t it exciting?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± To be honest, it hadn¡¯t quite sunk in. He knew he should feel excited, but it was also a reminder that he currently wasn¡¯t that good at magic, even when he had convinced himself he was doing so much better. That assumed this was all real, of course.


    No.


    He wasn¡¯t going down that route. This was real, and he was going to resist the urge to close and open his eyes to check.


    Sinit?a had gone over to the dry part of the room where their fresh clothes were. She started to dress. ¡°Chian¡ªand I know we don¡¯t really want to think about her¡ªbut she told me I could be the most powerful human wizard who ever lived. Do you think that¡¯s true?¡±


    He smiled at her. ¡°Yes, I think you really could be.¡±


    She grinned back. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t really care about being the most powerful. I just want to be strong enough to kill people like Mitchal Plavin.¡±


    Meleng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He must have grimaced or frowned or something, as Sinit?a¡¯s expression drooped.


    ¡°What?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be very powerful.¡±


    She paused in her dressing and tilted her head. ¡°No, tell me.¡±


    ¡°Tell you what?¡±


    ¡°You looked...I don¡¯t know, disappointed or sad at what I said.¡±


    ¡°No, no. I was¡­ I¡¯m happy for you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, Meleng.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m not. Honest. I¡¯m very happy.¡±


    She nodded slowly. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are, but something happened. You looked almost frightened. I saw it. I¡¯m not stupid. You taught me that.¡±


    He gulped. ¡°No, of course you¡¯re not stupid. I would never imply¡­¡± He looked away from her. He should admit his fears to her, but that would mean admitting to himself how she¡¯d changed.


    ¡°What? Please tell me, Melly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± He took a deep breath and looked at her. ¡°I¡¯m just a little sad to see your innocence vanishing. When you said you wanted to kill people¡­ I knew something like this would happen. I¡¯ve been afraid of it since you joined me to go to Isyaria. We see such horrible things, have such horrible things done to us. Sometimes, we do horrible things ourselves. I¡¯ve watched so many people die in the last year. Watched so many people get hurt. I¡¯ve gotten hurt a few times myself. It changes you. You don¡¯t know the nightmares I have. I wanted to spare you that. If you¡¯d stayed at the Palace, you would have been safe from that. You could have stayed innocent. I¡¯m so sorry I¡¯ve inflicted all this on you.¡±


    She stared at him silently for several moments. Her eyes glistened with the hint of tears and her lips quivered. ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying when I said you¡¯re the smartest person I¡¯ve ever met, but sometimes you can say some incredibly stupid things. You¡¯re so down on yourself all the time. You think I don¡¯t know the nightmares you go through? Sure, I don¡¯t experience them, but I watch you toss, turn, and shake every night. I hold you and comfort you when you wake up screaming. But you don¡¯t remember that, do you?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± He vaguely recalled moments like that, but he¡¯d thought they were just dreams, too. He was still so unsure of what was real these days.


    ¡°And do you think I don¡¯t notice you still double-check to see if I¡¯m real?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t be sorry for that. That¡¯s not your fault, and I¡¯m not angry at that. I¡¯m here for you whenever you need it. I will always comfort you at night, and I will do whatever you need me to do to prove I¡¯m real. I¡¯m angry that you think I should go back to being what I was before. That I shouldn¡¯t have changed. I changed because you showed me I could be so much more. You think I¡¯d be safer at the Palace? Maybe safe from being stabbed or something, but I¡¯d also be without the people I love and the people who love me. People like Feviona and Jorvan. And you. Sure, my mom loves me in her own way, and I love her. But it¡¯s not the same. She thinks I¡¯m stupid. Annai thinks I¡¯m stupid. I thought I was stupid. And they treated me like shit. Excuse my language, but they did. They treated me like shit. You want me to go back to that?¡±


    Meleng shook his head. ¡°No, of course not. I¡¯m sorry. I just¡­¡± He lowered his head and held back the tears. ¡°I was so scared for you yesterday. So scared you were going to die. If that had happened, I would have never forgiven myself for getting you into this. I love you so much and I don¡¯t want you to die.¡± He fell to his knees and slumped over. The tears began to flow. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    She rushed over to him, sat beside him, and hugged him tight. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t want to die either, and I don¡¯t want you to die. If you do, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do. Probably cry a lot. A lot a lot. But I like who I¡¯ve become, and I hope you do too, because I don¡¯t want to go back to who I was.¡±


    Meleng blinked several times to clear his eyes of the tears, and looked her in the face. ¡°I do like who you¡¯ve become. Believe me.¡±


    She leaned forward and kissed his nose. ¡°I do believe you. Because I can always tell. You¡¯re not a very good liar. Please don¡¯t ever lie to me again.¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡± He kissed her.


    There was another knock at the door. Corvinian¡¯s voice came from the other side. ¡°You two decent?¡±


    Sinit?a put a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggle. ¡°What do we say?¡± she whispered. ¡°If we say no, he¡¯ll think we¡¯re having sex, and if we say yes, he¡¯ll come in and well¡­¡± She motioned to the fact they were both mostly naked.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Meleng called back.


    ¡°We¡¯ve had word from the palace. Felit?a is all right. She wants us to come see her.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be along soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let you finish having sex first.¡± Corvinian¡¯s laughter faded out as he presumably walked away.


    Sinit?a shook her head and sighed. ¡°They¡¯ll never stop, will they?¡±


    Meleng shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s just teasing. But probably not.¡±


    Sinit?a¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°But Felit?a! We have to go see her!¡± She jumped to her feet and hurried back over to her clothes.


    Meleng followed her to his own clothes.


    ¡°Do you think Felit?a will be excited to see us? What do you think she¡¯s had to go through? Do you think she¡¯s been hurt at all?¡±


    Meleng smiled at Sinit?a as she continued to ask various questions. He closed his eyes briefly, and opened them again. Nothing had changed. She was real. Then he did his best to answer Sinit?a¡¯s questions whenever she left enough of a gap for him to do so.

 Book 2, Chapter 66: Victors (Part 2)

    The guards opened the throne room doors. Akna glanced at Anita, who took a deep breath and then nodded. The two of them proceeded into the room. The guards fell into step behind them.


    Anita was wearing a deep purple gown in a typical Arnorin style¡ªthough given how cold it got here, Akna was beginning to understand why Arnorins wore so much fabric. The gown had very wide skirts, requiring Akna to stand a couple feet to Anita¡¯s side rather than right by her. The purple colour was for mourning her father and¡ªsoon¡ªher brother.


    Akna was still in the same clothes they had given her at the Hall of Knowledge. She could have changed into her New Year¡¯s gown, but she hadn¡¯t wanted to get that dirty, and what she was about to do would definitely ruin it. Anita had promised to have a replacement for her Youth Guard uniform made, but that was going to take time. So for now, she would just make do.


    Slumped in the throne at the far end of the room was Danel. He looked up as they approached and ran a hand through his dishevelled hair. ¡°What is the meaning of this? Why are they still free? Guards! Arrest that thing!¡± He pointed at Akna.


    The guards remained behind Akna and Anita, moving as the two of them moved.


    ¡°Guards! I said arrest that savage! Obey me!¡± His voice was loud, but it shook and cracked as he spoke. He knew what was coming.


    When they reached the steps to the throne, Anita held out a hand, motioning Akna to stop. She then proceeded a few steps closer. She stopped still outside of Danel¡¯s reach, but if he lunged forward¡­ Akna tensed herself, ready to leap in if needed.


    ¡°Anita, what is the meaning of this?¡±


    Anita shook her head sadly. ¡°It¡¯s over, Danel. You know that, right?¡±


    ¡°Guards!¡±


    ¡°The guards aren¡¯t listening to you anymore. You sent their compatriots into a pointless and losing battle. They have no reason to listen to you when they know your successor will treat them better.¡±


    Danel sneered and straightened up, tried to make himself look confident and menacing, but the fear on his face gave him away. ¡°What successor? I am still lord here.¡±


    ¡°Only on the technicality that you are not dead yet.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± His voice cracked again. ¡°You can¡¯t kill me. If you do, you give up your claim to the lordship.¡±


    Anita gave him a sad smile. There was a hint of tears in her eyes. ¡°Another technicality. The official report will say you were killed by Akna who was being mind-controlled by Plavistalorik. There is no one in this palace who will contradict that.¡±


    Danel lost his composure, shaking his head madly. ¡°You can¡¯t do this. I¡¯m your brother!¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are, and it is something for which I feel endless shame.¡± Anita¡¯s voice was cracking now, and she turned away from him. Tears started to stream down as she approached Akna.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure you¡¯re okay with this?¡± Akna said quietly.


    Anita nodded. ¡°I ask only two things.¡±


    Akna nodded. She was pretty sure she knew what they were, but she let Anita say them anyway.


    ¡°One, wait until I¡¯m out of the room. I don¡¯t want to witness it. Two, make it quick. He has done terrible things, but he is still my brother, and I foolishly still have love for him. I don¡¯t want him to suffer.¡±


    ¡°You have my word.¡± Akna wanted to lean over and hug her, offer her comfort, but the width of Anita¡¯s skirts made that too awkward, so she settled with a comforting smile.


    Anita looked back at Danel. ¡°Farewell, Danel.¡± Then she started striding back across the room towards the door. One of the guards went with her.


    ¡°No! Anita!¡± Danel threw himself from the throne and down the steps. Akna moved in front of him and he fell to his knees. ¡°Anita! Please! Anita!¡±


    Anita paused, and looked back. ¡°The appropriate form of address is, your Ladyship.¡± Then she continued on her way, not looking back again.


    Danel continued to call out to her until she was out the doors. Then he fell to the floor, burying his face in the carpet, sobbing.


    Akna watched him for a moment. So pathetic, but exactly as he had shown himself so often to be: full of confidence and spite when he believed he had others to enforce his desires, but a snivelling coward when those others weren¡¯t there. Part of her wanted to watch him whimper and sob longer, but she had promised Anita to make it quick. ¡°Get up.¡±


    He looked up at her, his tear-streaked face pulled back in a rictus of fear.


    ¡°I said, get up.¡±


    He rose only to his knees. ¡°Please. I¡¯ll give you anything. My family¡¯s riches are still mine. I¡¯ll give you anything you want. Anything your heart desires. Riches beyond anything you¡¯ve ever seen. I...I can even give you Anita as...as your plaything, or whatever you want her for.¡±


    Akna scowled. For a brief moment, she had almost felt a bit of pity for him, but after that statement, there was nothing he could say to ever make her feel anything other than utter contempt and disgust for him.


    She grabbed him by the chin, forced him to his feet, and forced him to look her in the eyes. ¡°You want to know what I want from you, asshole?¡±


    He shivered and whimpered. He might have been trying to nod or shake his head, but her grip on his chin was making whatever he wanted impossible. There was a stench rising from him. He had clearly soiled himself.


    ¡°I want you dead. That¡¯s all.¡±


    He whimpered again.


    Akna spun him around so his back was against her, and secured him in a headlock with one arm. With her other hand, she raised her dagger and slit his throat. She then let his briefly twitching body fall onto the steps by the throne, blood pooling around it. Within a moment, he was still.


    Akna wiped her dagger, and turned to the remaining guard. ¡°Dispose of the body and get this place cleaned up before her Ladyship returns.¡±


    The guard snapped to attention and saluted.


    With a satisfied smile, Akna turned and walked out of the room.

 Book 2, Chapter 67: Turning the Tide (Part 1)

    Felit?a¡¯s head was quiet for once. It wasn¡¯t just that there were no emotions nearby¡ªthere were probably quite a few. It wasn¡¯t even like the times her telepathy waned. The voices in the Room¡ªthe ones that constantly called to her and named her friends¡ªwere silent too. There was nothing in her head other than her own thoughts, and sometimes it felt like there weren¡¯t even many of those. It was beyond silent.


    She had woken up screaming at first. It was a little like that time when she¡¯d first met Corvinian and his powers had attacked her¡ªthe time she¡¯d thought she¡¯d lost her abilities. It felt like her abilities were gone.


    She knew they weren¡¯t really. They were just...constrained. But in a different way this time. And she hadn¡¯t realised that at first.


    With a little probing past the hole in the grey walls, she could easily find the magical field constraining her powers. It was strange. Compared to the grey walls, it was incredibly feeble. Even in her currently weakened state, she could tear it apart easily, let her powers return to her, stronger than they had ever been before. Yet at the same time, the field kept everything out, whereas the grey walls had let a little through.


    She could tear the field apart so easily.


    And gods, she wanted to. She hated the silence. It was terrifying. How the hell did people live like this? How did they get by not sensing other people¡¯s emotions?


    She had done it herself once, back before her telepathy had first manifested. But that was so long ago, and she had just been a child. Could she go back to it?


    She would have to.


    For now.


    She could so easily tear the field apart, but she knew she mustn¡¯t.


    Besides, if she did, Mikranasta would just overpower her again, like she had the first time Felit?a had woken up. When Felit?a had instinctively lashed out and torn apart the field.


    Gods, Mikranasta was powerful, especially given Felit?a¡¯s weakened state. But even at full strength, Felit?a suspected her skills would be like a drop in the ocean compared to Mikranasta¡¯s. The Isyar could make that field far stronger if she wanted to. She only didn¡¯t because it was less stressful to maintain, but if she needed to, she could easily force Felit?a into submission.


    But Mikranasta being able to stop her wasn¡¯t the main reason Felit?a should not tear the field apart. It was there for a good reason. She couldn¡¯t yet control her newly enhanced powers. She could delve more deeply into people¡¯s thoughts without even realising she was doing it. She could be privy to private thoughts she had no business knowing. Worse, she could accidentally harm someone.


    At least, so Mikranasta said. But Felit?a had no reason to doubt her. Jorvan, at the very least, trusted her. It was best to listen to her.


    So she let the field remain.


    She let the silence remain.


    And tried her best not to look terrified.


    Zandrue squeezed her hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m here.¡±


    Felit?a turned her head to look at her. She¡¯d known Zandrue was there. She could see Zandrue. Hear her. Feel her hand. Yet she had still momentarily forgotten because she couldn¡¯t sense her. Zandrue¡¯s familiar presence was not in the Room in her head.


    Felit?a squeezed Zandrue¡¯s hand back. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    The audience chamber doors opened, and a herald¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°Her Highness, Princess Felit?a Asa Folith, Lady Zandromeda Armida, and Mikranasta of Isyaria!¡±


    The chamber was sparsely occupied, only a few courtiers and a couple of guards, in addition to Anita on the throne and Akna standing beside her. Most of the residents of the palace were gone, either fled or possibly magically manipulated into leaving by Plavistalorik.


    Felit?a stumbled into the room, supported on one side by Zandrue, and by Mikranasta on the other. She was still so exhausted. She could sleep again, but there hadn¡¯t been much opportunity for it. So she was still overtired, but on top of that, she had drained herself of so much magical power. The prayer beads had let her tap into her deepest stores of power, but that power had still come from her. It was going to take her at least a week to recover, probably longer.


    Crossing the room was harder than she¡¯d hoped, and Zandrue ended up supporting her weight most of the way. Even when the reached the steps to the throne¡ªwhere there was a large bloodstain on the carpet¡ªand stopped, Zandrue couldn¡¯t let go of her. When she had first asked for this audience, she had foolishly thought she¡¯d at least be able to stand without assistance.


    Anita, the new Lady of Belone, stood up and came forward. ¡°Your Highness, you look ill.¡± She indicated the throne. ¡°Please, have a seat.¡±


    ¡°Oh no,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. You only just got that seat. I wouldn¡¯t take it from you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure? I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Felit?a straightened up and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Her legs buckled and Zandrue had to catch her.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t think you are,¡± Zandrue said quietly.


    Felit?a sighed. ¡°Thank you, your Ladyship. I think I¡¯ll take your kind offer after all.¡±


    Zandrue helped her climb the steps and then lower herself into the throne. It was good to sit down, even if she felt exposed sitting in front of people in a throne. Her legs¡ªher whole body really¡ªwere a lot weaker than she had been willing to admit.


    ¡°Better?¡± Zandrue asked.


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°For now.¡±


    Zandrue smiled and moved to stand on Felit?a¡¯s left side. Akna remained standing on the right, while Mikranasta circled behind the throne and out of sight.


    Felit?a straightened her back as best she could and smiled at Anita. ¡°Your Ladyship, thank you for agreeing to see me.¡±


    Anita curtsied. ¡°Your Highness, no thanks are necessary. We owe you a great debt. You and your friends have saved us from the evil that had embedded itself here. Seeing you is the least I could do.¡±


    ¡°Well, thank you anyway.¡±


    Anita curtsied again.


    ¡°How is your mother, by the way?¡±


    Felit?a wanted to think Anita looked sad at the question, but she couldn¡¯t sense it, and that just made her judgement seem...unreliable. She was going to have to get used to reading people¡¯s body language and not relying on feeling their emotions.


    ¡°Resting.¡± Anita frowned. ¡°I confess I¡­ I gave her a sleeping draught. She was very distraught over Danel¡¯s death.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°That¡¯s understandable. How did he die?¡±


    ¡°I killed him,¡± Akna said. ¡°However, Siba thinks I was being controlled by Plavistalorik.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s best she not learn otherwise,¡± Anita said.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°What was it you wished to speak to me about, your Highness?¡± Anita asked.


    ¡°Just Felit?a¡¯s fine. You know I¡¯m not really into all that formal stuff.¡±


    Anita blushed. ¡°Of course. Felit?a. I guess I¡¯m just getting used to my new role. And you are seated in the throne.¡± She grinned.


    Felit?a chuckled a little, but the effort hurt the muscles in her chest, so she had to stop. ¡°I actually wanted to talk to you about Plavistalorik. She was established here for many years under your father. She was presumably manipulating things from behind the scenes the whole time. There¡¯s a good chance there are still people here loyal to her. We¡¯re going to need to root them out.¡±


    ¡°I was worried about that,¡± Anita said, ¡°but I¡¯m not sure what to do. I could replace the whole staff, I suppose, but I¡¯m loath to do that. It would be...cruel.¡±


    Felit?a shook her head quickly, then regretted it as a wave of vertigo passed over her. ¡°No, there¡¯s no need for that.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t work anyway,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°The people Plavistalorik worked with could easily get some of their people in with the new recruits. We¡¯d still be rooting them out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± Anita said. ¡°I mean, that I don¡¯t have to let the whole staff go.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve got some ideas for finding them. I¡¯ve had a little bit of experience with this in the Royal Palace. I can¡ª¡± Zandrue stopped and looked behind her. ¡°Oh, well yes, sure. He and I can¡­ Right, of course. But I think he¡¯ll be happy for my help. Okay, yes, of course, I¡¯ll talk to him.¡±


    Felit?a blinked a few times and tried to clear her thoughts and vision. Was there something wrong with her hearing. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Zandrue looked at her in surprise. Then she sighed. ¡°Right, of course. Mikranasta is talking to us in our heads to bypass the language barrier, but she says you can¡¯t hear it because she¡¯s blocking you from that sort of thing.¡±


    Felit?a slumped a little in the throne. It was not the most comfortable seat and keeping her back straight was proving difficult. ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been telling me that Jorvan will take charge of finding any Darkers in the palace. She says it¡¯s part of his family¡¯s job. I was trying to tell her that I can help with that, that I¡­¡± She groaned, and paused before continuing. ¡°Yes, I understand what you¡¯re saying. I just¡­ She¡¯s telling me Jorvan will decide who helps him and who doesn¡¯t and he will come to me if he needs me.¡±


    Felit?a straightened up. ¡°Mikranasta, Zandrue is a good friend of mine. I trust her completely, and I have no doubt she can help root out the Darkers. I appreciate your zealousness to take control of the situation, but this is not your jurisdiction. I¡¯m assigning Zandrue to assist Jorvan in these duties.¡±


    There was a pause before Zandrue spoke. ¡°She says, and I quote, ¡®As you wish, Will-Breaker.¡¯¡±


    Felit?a slumped over again and rubbed her temples. Mikranasta seemed to like to take charge. She hoped this wasn¡¯t going to become a problem.


    Zandrue leaned over beside her. ¡°You okay?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll coordinate things with Jorvan, and don¡¯t worry. I can handle his mother.¡±


    Felit?a looked at her in the eyes. ¡°You sure? She¡¯s unbelievably powerful.¡±


    Zandrue smiled. ¡°Child¡¯s play.¡±


    Felit?a rolled her eyes. ¡°If you say so.¡± There was no doubt Mikranasta had heard every word they¡¯d said.


    Zandrue straightened up. ¡°There was another thing we wanted to discuss, your Ladyship. It¡¯s probably related to the Darkers.¡±


    There was? Oh right! Felit?a had almost forgotten. Gods, she was exhausted and still not quite thinking straight.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Anita asked.


    ¡°Princess Sinit?a.¡±


    ¡°What about her?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know she was missing, did you?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s here, isn¡¯t she?¡± Anita said.


    Zandrue nodded. ¡°Yes, she is. But a couple months ago, when we arrived in Arnor City, she ran off with Meleng and Jorvan to Isyaria. Without her family¡¯s knowledge or permission. They panicked, sent out word of her disappearance. They believed Meleng had abducted her, so wanted him caught and executed. You heard nothing of this? Patriarch Ardon himself was ordered to get the word out, and he¡¯s generally pretty good at his job.¡±


    Anita looked perplexed. Felit?a was sure she had too when she¡¯d first heard from Zandrue about it. Anita shook her head. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make sense. Why wouldn¡¯t we hear of it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the big mystery,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Akna said. ¡°We¡¯re a long way from Arnor City. Maybe word just hasn¡¯t arrived yet.¡±


    Anita shook her head again. ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Akna. The church has a way of sending messages very fast. It¡¯s one of the things that gives them so much power in Arnor. A country this big could never hold together if we had to rely on standard methods of sending messages. We should have known within a day. Two at most.¡±


    ¡°Which makes me very worried about what¡¯s been happening there since I left,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°We¡¯d mostly rooted out the Darkers, but there was still Lidda Plavin and the dragon. Rudiger¡­¡±


    Felit?a reached for Zandrue¡¯s hand. She didn¡¯t need to sense Zandrue¡¯s feelings to know what she was probably feeling now.


    ¡°Dragon?¡± Anita said.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got a lot to fill you in on,¡± Zandrue said.


    Felit?a only knew the barest amount herself. Zandrue had explained a bunch of it to her, but she had been too tired to keep it all in.


    ¡°Princess Sinit?a Alessia Deanna Folith and Meleng Drago!¡±


    At the sound of the herald¡¯s voice, the doors opened and Meleng and Sinit?a stepped into the room. Corvinian walked just behind them, his head hanging low. Felit?a wondered if that was because the herald hadn¡¯t announced his name or if he was pouting about something else.


    ¡°Jorvanultumn, Fevionawishtensen, and Hedromornasta of Isyaria!¡±


    Jorvan entered the room with a short, female Isyar beside him¡ªpresumably Fevionawishtensen. Hedromornasta walked behind them.


    Meleng and Sinit?a only made it partway across the room before Sinit?a broke into a run. ¡°Felit?a!¡± She bounded up to the throne and practically threw herself on top of Felit?a.


    Felit?a shifted against Sinit?a¡¯s weight. ¡°Careful. I¡¯m a little winded.¡±


    Sinit?a backed up. ¡°Oh, sorry. I was just really excited to see you. I¡¯ve been to Isyaria!¡±


    ¡°I heard. It¡¯s good to see you. I promise I¡¯ll give you a proper hug when I¡¯m feeling better.¡±


    Sinit?a nodded, a wide grin on her face. ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± Her hair was dishevelled, and the make-up on her face had been hastily applied. The gown she was wearing had clearly not been washed in quite some time and even had a couple tears in the sleeves. But she otherwise looked in good health.


    Sinit?a turned and motioned to the Isyar. ¡°Have you met Feviona yet?¡± She took Meleng¡¯s hand. ¡°She¡¯s Jorvan¡¯s fomase and our fomaze.¡±


    Felit?a rubbed her head. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not following.¡±


    Zandrue leaned over. ¡°It¡¯s an Isyar thing. It¡¯s complicated. I¡¯ll explain later, but basically, the four of them are all a family now.¡±


    Sinit?a yanked Meleng along with her as she went over to the female Isyar who had entered with Jorvan. ¡°Anyway, this is Fevionawishtensen, but she¡¯s okay with us calling her Feviona.¡±


    ¡°A pleasure to meet you, Fevionawishtensen,¡± Felit?a said.


    Feviona lowered her head in a slow nod. She was bruised and battered with several bandages visible under tears in her pale, skin-tight clothes¡ªa uniform Felit?a had seen on numerous Isyar on Scovese. The ¨¦lite they were called, if Felit?a remembered correctly. There was a particularly large hole in the uniform¡¯s side, revealing thick bandages.


    ¡°You¡¯ve obviously suffered a great deal,¡± Felit?a continued. ¡°Thank you for everything you did for the Hall of Knowledge.¡±


    Feviona smiled and moved her arms and hands about in patterns that were clearly meant to be a visual language. One of Feviona¡¯s first movements was to touch the top of her chest, which presumably was a way of indicating herself, the word I or me, but that was the most Felit?a could follow.


    ¡°She says she¡¯s honoured to help,¡± Sinit?a said.


    ¡°My fomase is mute,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°She can only communicate with signs.¡±


    ¡°She also doesn¡¯t know Arnorgue yet,¡± Sinit?a said. ¡°She only understood what you said because Mikranasta is using magic.¡±


    Feviona signed something.


    ¡°She says she¡¯s learning though,¡± Sinit?a said.


    ¡°Thank you again, Feviona.¡± Felit?a slumped forward, and groaned.


    Sinit?a rushed forward and Zandrue leaned over her.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Felit?a straightened up. ¡°Just exhaustion. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Now was definitely not the best time to have a big reunion like this, but Felit?a had wanted to see Meleng and Jorvan again. It might have been a bad decision, but she was grateful to see them. ¡°We obviously have a lot of catching up to do. I need to rest a bit first, though.¡±


    Sinit?a beamed at her. ¡°That¡¯s okay. We¡¯ve got lots to tell you, like Jorvan¡¯s going to teach me how to use magic!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s what?¡± Sinit?a using magic?


    ¡°Going to teach me how to use magic!¡±


    Felit?a looked to Jorvan, and he nodded. Dear gods, what had he gotten himself into?


    ¡°Sinit?a has the greatest store of magical power I have ever seen in a human. More than most Isyar even.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Felit?a couldn¡¯t think of anything else to say.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it exciting?¡± Sinit?a was practically bouncing up and down.


    ¡°Um...yes...it¡¯s¡­great. What else do you have to tell me?¡±


    ¡°Meleng and Sinit?a are boyfriend and girlfriend,¡± Corvinian called out.


    Sinit?a took Meleng¡¯s hand again and beamed.


    Zandrue leaned over. ¡°That¡¯s part of what it means to be fomasee.¡±


    Before Felit?a could say anything, the herald¡¯s voice rang out again.

 Book 2, Chapter 67: Turning the Tide (Part 2)

    Before Felit?a could say anything, the herald¡¯s voice rang out again. ¡°Eti?nne Gen, Captain of the Lustrous Rose, and his first mate, Miana Ting.¡±


    Felit?a wasn¡¯t sure whether to be grateful for the new arrivals or to wonder how people she¡¯d never heard of before had been invited to this gathering.


    Sinit?a spun and waved to the people entering the room. ¡°Oh, you have to meet Eti?nne and Miana! I hope you don¡¯t mind that I invited them. Eti?nne¡¯s captain of the¡­¡±


    Eti?nne.


    Felit?a lowered her head, as it started to pound, drowning out Sinit?a¡¯s words.


    Miana.


    In the Room in her head, the voices were speaking again.


    Zandrue, Rudiger, Borisin¡­


    The next figure in the line-up¡ªthe tallish, thin one¡ªbegan to clear, revealing a lanky man with stringy black hair.


    Meleng, Corvinian, Jorvanultumn¡­


    His hands were calloused, and well tanned. Despite his lanky frame, there were well-developed muscles there¡ªnot Rudiger-strength, but probably stronger than anything Felit?a could muster.


    Quilla, Kindanog, Nin-Akna¡­


    His teeth were crooked and yellow, and several were chipped. Hid eyes were thin and deep-set, but piercing.


    Eti?nne¡­


    Number Ten.


    And behind him, Number Eleven was clearing as well. This one was much smaller, but had something about their stance which made them seem bigger. They had short, but thick black hair, and their eyes¡­ If Felit?a had thought Eti?nne¡¯s were piercing, his had nothing on this person¡¯s. Deep grey and almost shiny.


    Miana¡­


    There were still more names in the list, still more figures in the line, but they remained obscured.


    ¡°Felit?a!¡±


    Felit?a opened her eyes and sat up. It wasn¡¯t clear who had called her name. Possibly, it was several people. Everyone was gathered around her. Zandrue had her arms around her, and Mikranasta was bent down in front of her. Nin-Akna was on her other side, and squeezing between her and Mikranasta was Sinit?a.


    ¡°This makes no sense,¡± Mikranasta said.


    Felit?a tried to wave them all off. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I was just¡­¡± She looked at Meleng who was craning his head behind Mikranasta. ¡°Ten and Eleven.¡±


    Meleng¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You mean¡­Captain Gen and¡­?¡±


    Felit?a nodded.


    Mikranasta leaned forward, blocking all of Felit?a¡¯s view and stared her in the eyes. ¡°My spell translates words, but not necessarily meaning. Ten and eleven? Explain this to me.¡±


    ¡°Next figures in the line-up in my head,¡± Felit?a said.


    Mikranasta moved back a small distance. ¡°Ah. Jorvanultumn has told me about these. The Captain and his first mate are revealed to be in the line? This still makes no sense.¡±


    ¡°It just happens sometimes, though it¡¯s been awhile.¡±


    ¡°No, that is not what I mean. Something bypassed the shield. That should be impossible.¡±


    ¡°The voices in my head spoke again,¡± Felit?a said.


    ¡°Another thing that should be impossible.¡±


    ¡°But you said it was a weak shield. Just strong enough to block my uncontrolled powers. I was able to break through when I pushed, remember?¡±


    Mikranasta¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°I¡¯ll assume it¡¯s your exhaustion making you so dim. Yes, it¡¯s a weak shield, and if something had broken through, I would not be concerned at all. Well, I might be concerned about what did it, but not that it happened. But this didn¡¯t break through. It bypassed the shield, as if it wasn¡¯t even there. That should be impossible.¡±


    Felit?a sat back. Mikranasta was right. The shield was still there, still blocking her abilities from getting out, and other things from getting in. It was completely undamaged. The voices in her head were silent again, too.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± The voice was Eti?nne¡¯s, though Felit?a had never heard it before. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to intrude, but is her Highness well? We can excuse ourselves and come back later if needed.¡±


    ¡°Her Highness is indeed not well,¡± Mikranasta said, ¡°though I suspect you should stay given what has just happened.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s fine.¡± Felit?a motioned at the people around her to back up a bit. ¡°I just need some space, thanks.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡± Zandrue said.


    Felit?a nodded, and Zandrue and the others backed away. Felit?a then motioned to Eti?nne and Miana. ¡°Please, Captain, come forward.¡±


    Eti?nne and Miana approached, They both doffed their caps and bowed. Felit?a really wished she wasn¡¯t sitting in this throne.


    ¡°Welcome, both of you,¡± Felit?a said.


    Eti?nne bowed once more. ¡°Thank you, your Highness. It¡¯s an honour to meet you at last. We¡¯ve been ferrying her Highness, your sister, around for quite some time now.¡±


    ¡°I hope she hasn¡¯t been too much trouble. I know she can be a handful.¡± Felit?a grinned, hoping in her tired state, people would still know she was joking.


    Sinit?a stuck out her tongue at her. That cleared things up pretty well.


    ¡°Not at all, your Highness. She, Meleng, and Jorvanultumn¡ªand more recently, the other Isyar¡ªhave been excellent passengers. We have had some grand adventures.¡±


    The barest hint of a scoff came from Miana. ¡°Captain Gen has a way of understating things. Not all of us would describe what we have been through as adventures. However, it is an honour to meet you, your Highness.¡±


    Felit?a smiled at them. She wasn¡¯t sure how she knew to think of Miana in a genderless manner, but that was obviously something to do with the weirdness in her head. ¡°Perhaps, Captain, you could learn from your first mate. You don¡¯t need to colour your words to avoid offending me.¡±


    The Captain bowed again. ¡°Just attempting to be polite, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°You also don¡¯t need to keep bowing and calling me Highness. I prefer to keep it casual.¡±


    Eti?nne nodded. ¡°As you wish.¡±


    ¡°So, you took Sinit?a, Meleng, and Jorvan to Isyaria?¡±


    ¡°We did, your High--¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°Yes, we did, and them brought them back here afterwards. Your sister paid us handsomely, though of course, it wasn¡¯t just for the money. We were happy to be of service.¡±


    Miana looked at their captain with a raised eyebrow.


    Eti?nne cleared his throat softly again. ¡°Uh, yes, well. It was an interesting voyage that I¡¯d love to discuss with you in more detail at another time, but I can see you are exhausted. We won¡¯t bother you any longer.¡±


    Felit?a smiled at both of them. ¡°Thank you for everything you¡¯ve done.¡±


    ¡°Have you been okay since our arrival?¡± Meleng asked. ¡°Sorry we haven¡¯t been able to get back to check on you, but I was a little worried.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Eti?nne waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, lad. We were fine. The local constabulary forgot about us after the fires started. They went to fight those and didn¡¯t bother us again.¡± He turned to Mikranasta and bowed. ¡°Something I wanted to thank you for, Madame. Without your and your siare¡¯s distractions, we might not have come out of it so well.¡±


    Mikranasta raised an eyebrow. ¡°You are welcome, Captain, but the fires had nothing to do with us. We created distractions, yes, but not the fires. I don¡¯t know what started them, though they were...fortuitous.¡±


    Eti?nne looked blankly at her for a moment. ¡°But if not you, then¡­¡± He straightened up and breathed in sharply. ¡°Fortuitous, as you say.¡±


    Felit?a sighed. She didn¡¯t know anything about any fires. Clearly she had a lot to catch up on, but now was not the time for it. Her headache was getting worse. ¡°I think we should...um¡­¡± She waved her hand in circles, trying to think of the next word.


    ¡°Depart?¡± Zandrue said.


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°That¡¯s it. Thank you, everyone, but I need to get some sleep. We¡¯ll all speak again soon. Zandrue, can...can you help me?¡±


    Zandrue held out her arm. Felit?a took it and used it to help her stand.


    The others parted to let them past.


    ¡°If you need anything,¡± Anita said, ¡°just let me know.¡±


    ¡°I will, thank you.¡±


    With Zandrue¡¯s help, she walked slowly to the side door. Mikranasta walked behind them. They¡¯d only made it a short distance through the adjoining room when a voice called, ¡°Your Highness?¡±


    Felit?a turned around and Mikranasta stepped out of the way. Miana was at the door, blocked by a pair of guards


    ¡°May I?¡± Miana asked.


    Felit?a nodded to the guards and they let Miana pass.


    ¡°What can I do for you, Miana?¡±


    Miana approached and bowed low.


    ¡°Miana, I told you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please, your Highness, allow me this one moment.¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°I will honour your request to treat you casually. However, it is custom with my people, that when we first meet royalty, we present them with a gift. I was not able to do so with your sister as we had to pretend she was someone else, and it has weighed heavily on me. Allow me the opportunity to make up for that with you.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Miana knelt and took out a piece of cloth folded over several times. They held it out before them and bowed their head low. ¡°Your Highness, please accept this gift from a lowly, unworthy peasant.¡±


    Felit?a grimaced and was glad Miana couldn¡¯t have seen it. She took the cloth. It was soft and silky. She began to unfold it.


    ¡°It is Singean silk.¡± Miana did not look up as they spoke. ¡°My mother wove it many years ago. She gave it to me on my eighteenth birthday, just before I left home to become a sailor.¡±


    Felit?a finished unfolding it. The outer border was green with a yellow circle in the centre. In the circle, stitched in red thread, were several Singean characters. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful. Thank you. Now, please stand.¡± She held out a hand to them.


    Miana looked up and gave a slight smile. They took Felit?a¡¯s hand and stood up.


    ¡°What does it say?¡± Felit?a asked.


    ¡°Affection, love. My mother was a sentimental person.¡±


    ¡°I will treasure it. Thank you.¡± She started folding it again, trying to follow the existing creases. Somehow, it got tangled. Gods, she was tired.


    ¡°Allow me.¡± Miana took the cloth, undid a couple of the folds, and then correctly folded it back up. They placed it back in Felit?a¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m so tired I can¡¯t even do simple things, it seems.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a complicated folding pattern.¡± They looked up at Felit?a, again with just a hint of a smile. Their eyes were incredibly piercing.


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of you to say.¡± The image of Miana in the line-up flashed in front of Felit?a¡¯s eyes. She realised Miana was still touching her hand and her cheeks warmed. If only she could sense what Miana was feeling.


    ¡°Are you all right, Felit?a?¡± Miana asked.


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°Yes. Yes, just...the vision of you in my head...I mean...just tired, like I said.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a vision of me in your head?¡± They were still touching her hand, still staring up at her with those piercing eyes.


    ¡°Yes, um...long story. I¡¯ll tell you later.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to hearing it.¡± Miana let go of Felit?a¡¯s hand and stepped back. ¡°But I will let you rest for now. You clearly need it.¡±


    Gods, she wanted her abilities back!


    ¡°Until later, Felit?a.¡± Miana bowed their head slightly, then turned and headed back to the audience chamber.


    Felit?a watched them until the door closed and Zandrue waved a hand in front of her eyes.


    ¡°Still there?¡±


    Felit?a snorted. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you look so lustfully at someone since you met Rudiger. That woman on Scovese. What was her name?¡±


    ¡°Maneshka.¡±


    ¡°Right, Maneshka. Did you look at her like that?¡±


    Felit?a jabbed her lightly with her elbow. ¡°Fuck you.¡±


    Zandrue laughed. ¡°You really are exhausted.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I need to get to bed.¡± She took Zandrue¡¯s arm again, and they continued to her room.


    Once they were there, Zandrue helped her undress and get ready for bed. Mikranasta watched silently the whole time.


    Felit?a sat on her bed, as Lon as Nesh scurried about. ¡°I¡¯m going to need your help in the coming weeks, Zandrue.¡±


    Zandrue sat beside her. ¡°You know you have it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve made a lot of mistakes while you¡¯ve been away.¡±


    ¡°There were extenuating circumstances. You couldn¡¯t sleep. Anyone would make mistakes.¡±


    Felit?a sighed. ¡°But it started before that. I shouldn¡¯t have split us up. That was a huge mistake.¡±


    ¡°One I helped partake in. I agreed to it, remember.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and now we don¡¯t know what¡¯s happened to Rudiger and Quilla.¡±


    Zandrue put her arm around Felit?a. ¡°We know they¡¯re alive though, right?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re alive, but hurt. Rudiger has a broken leg, and Borisin¡¯s badly burned.¡± She leaned her head on Zandrue¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Gods, Zandrue, the blisters. If you could see the blisters.¡±


    Zandrue hugged her tight. ¡°And Quilla?¡±


    Felit?a took a moment to look at Quilla in the line-up. ¡°She¡¯s fine physically, but she doesn¡¯t look happy.¡±


    ¡°Rudiger¡¯s a big boy, Felit?a. He can look after himself. And Quilla...well, hopefully, she¡¯s got Rudiger to look after her. Or someone else.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t worry about him?¡±


    Zandrue took a moment before answering. ¡°Yeah, I do. But like I said, he can take care of himself. I trust him to survive, and if he doesn¡¯t, I¡¯ll kill the motherfucker who kills him.¡±


    Felit?a smiled and chuckled. ¡°I have no doubt you will.¡±


    They sat in silence for a while before Zandrue said, ¡°You better get some sleep. I¡¯ll see you later.¡± She started to get up, but Felit?a grabbed her arm.


    ¡°I said I needed your help, Zandrue. I need you to do more than just root out the Darkers in the palace here.¡± She glanced at Mikranasta, who watched impassionately. ¡°I want to take the fight to them. No more being the victims. I¡¯m sick of it. You said Dyle¡¯s dead, right?¡±


    Zandrue nodded.


    ¡°Then he¡¯s just the first. We need to stop Lidda Plavin, Mister Speedy, Castroff, and all the others. No more sitting around. It¡¯s time we became the hunters. Are you with me?¡±


    Zandrue grinned. ¡°You know I am.¡± She leaned over and kissed Felit?a on the forehead. ¡°Now get some fucking sleep before I thump you into unconsciousness.¡±


    Felit?a laughed. ¡°I will. I promise.¡±


    Zandrue pulled away and headed to the door. She looked over at Mikranasta. ¡°Look after her.¡±


    Mikranasta nodded once, and Zandrue left the room.


    Felit?a shooed Lon and Nesh from her pillow and lay down. She wasn¡¯t sure yet how they were going to become the hunters like she had told Zandrue, but it was overdue time. With luck, Agernon could figure out the Staff, now he had the Pearl to go with it as well. She also needed to get the prayer beads to him and the crystal Zandrue had taken from Dyle.


    But she couldn¡¯t wait on Agernon finishing. She had to start as soon as possible. The first step was learning to control her powers so she didn¡¯t need Mikranasta or Hedromornasta shielding her all the time. There was no telling how long that would take, so the sooner she started, the better.


    But even before that: sleep. She closed her eyes and let beautiful, gorgeous sleep overtake her.


    THE END OF PART TWO OF


    The Will-Breaker

 Book 3, Chapter 1: Memory (Part 1)

    A dog¡¯s bark. The sound of waves in Lake Belone lapping up on the shore outside of Quorge. The aroma of freshly baked bread. Several shades of blue and green. All these things and more flitted about Felit?a as she brought up the black walls of the Room in her head. They circled around and bounced about the empty space, occasionally colliding with one another. Sometimes, those collisions caused the sensations to vanish. Other times, they combined into a completely different sensation¡ªyellow colliding with the taste of mouldy cheese became the sound of rain on a window; the slick of melting snow on her skin colliding with the caw of a crow became the grey of the well where her telepathy had first manifested.


    Still other times, though, two colliding sensations became a full-on memory. Like when the sound of a rat squealing colliding with the chill of a cold breeze turned into a memory of childhood at Elderaan¡¯s Mystic Palace. Felit?a was tending the rats while trying to watch over the store while Elderaan was out. As she tended to one of the early Lons, a cold wintry wind blew over them as the front door opened and Elderaan entered, a wide smile on his face.


    And that was the entirety of the memory. She had no idea what happened next, or even when exactly it was. Certainly, it was very early in her time with Elderaan, perhaps even before her telepathy first manifested. But even though she could remember nothing else about it, it brought with it feelings of happiness and fondness. A part of her longed for that time again.


    Yet most of the sensations didn¡¯t combine like that, and Felit?a suspected it had something to do with needing just the right combination to trigger any specific memory. It would be interesting to explore this in more detail.


    Or you could remain focused on the task at hand. Honestly, how you survived against Plavistalorik is a miracle. Your concentration is terrible.


    Felit?a sighed metaphorically. Mikranasta was going to be a huge boon in so many ways¡ªFelit?a had no doubt she would have a much harder time with her new powers without the Isyar¡¯s help¡ªbut she was also proving a very harsh taskmistress.


    Elderaan used to criticise my concentration, Felit?a said.


    And he was right to.


    I thought the point of this was to explore my mind. Surely learning how these sensations or whatever they are work is part of doing that.


    Eventually, yes, but the first part is to set up this Room of yours.


    It¡¯s done.


    Then we clearly have a lot of work to do.


    Felit?a looked about the mind-scape. The Room was emptier than it would usually be. There were no presences, and the queue of people was missing. Same with the Staff of Sestin¡¯s presence over the queue. And the ever-present voices calling her name and listing the people in the queue were silent. The only things present other than the black and grey walls were the flittering sensations.


    And those were actually new. In the past, she had always set up the Room in an isolated part of her mind. Now under Mikranasta¡¯s instructions, she was experimenting with letting her entire mind¡ªconscious and subconscious¡ªin.


    But the relative emptiness of the Room was because Mikranasta was blocking anything from getting in. Of course it was empty. What else should be there?


    I am only blocking exterior sensations, Mikranasta said. Not interior. You have only the barest magical protections up and I take it those black walls are the extent of your telepathic ones.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Most of the time, I don¡¯t need any more than that, and with you shielding my mind, I certainly didn¡¯t expect to need more. Ses-Tlacotl had apparently found her defences more than adequate and difficult to break through. Admittedly, that had surprised Felit?a at the time.


    This...Ses-Tlacotl was clearly an amateur.


    Felit?a groaned¡ªprobably in the real world too.


    Yes, I know that last thought wasn¡¯t directed at me, but it¡¯s the perfect example of your poor concentration and defences. At the barest minimum, I should only receive what you specifically send me. Nothing more.


    Felit?a nodded. She was right.


    Of course I¡¯m right. Now focus! Don¡¯t let me hear anything you don¡¯t specifically¡ª


    Felit?a clenched her fists and blocked Mikranasta completely. Some quiet for a little while would be nice. Just what did Mikranasta expect of her? Felit?a was grateful for the help, yes, but it had only been a week since she¡¯d been able to sleep properly again. She was only just starting to feel something approximating normal again, and her magical power was still mostly depleted. Of course she only had the barest of magical defences up! It was a strain just to maintain those.


    Felit?a opened her eyes and looked across the table into Mikranasta¡¯s thin grey eyes. The Isyar¡¯s face was expressionless with neither the hint of a smile nor of a frown. They were seated at the table in the Belone palace library¡ªwell, Felit?a was. Mikranasta was standing, as the chairs¡¯ backs were not good for Isyar wings.


    Mikranasta reached across the table and took hold of Felit?a¡¯s right hand, gently pulling her fingers open and laying her hand down, palm up. Four little red marks made a line across the palm, impressions from where her fingernails had dug into her flesh. Mikranasta¡¯s mouth dropped into a slight frown and she shook her head, then stared at Felit?a.


    After a moment, Felit?a relaxed and let her back in.


    Honestly, not bad, Mikranasta said. I could have broken through with a little effort, but honestly, it¡¯s a good start. However¡­ She motioned down to the marks in Felit?a¡¯s hand. You need to control your temper better.


    Felit?a nodded. Controlling her temper had never been an issue for her in the past. That had been a Zandrue thing, and Felit?a had always been the one contending with it. But when she had become overtired, her temper had started to become a problem. Now she was feeling better, she was sure she would return to normal.


    She hoped.


    That will be all for today, Mikranasta said. You are still overtired. Get some rest.


    Felit?a nodded again. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Mikranasta let go of Felit?a¡¯s hand and placed a hand to her chest. Pleasant thoughts, Felit?a Asa Folith.


    Felit?a copied the gesture. Pleasant thoughts, Mikranasta.


    With a slight nod, Mikranasta turned and walked from the room.


    Felit?a sat there for a couple minutes longer before getting up and heading out herself.


    In the hall, Hedromornasta fell in beside her, maintaining the shield that blocked her telepathy. As usual, he had a scowl on his face.


    I¡¯m just going to my room to take a nap, she tried to tell him, but the shield blocked her. Either he was unable to make the slight alterations his mother could to allow mental communication or he was unwilling to. Felit?a suspected the latter, and there was no point saying it out loud as he didn¡¯t know her language and she didn¡¯t know his. She did try giving him a comforting smile though, to which he just looked away.


    Mikranasta talked of Felit?a getting her anger under control, but her own son clearly had far worse anger problems. Felit?a didn¡¯t need to sense Hedromornasta¡¯s feelings to be aware he seemed perpetually angry. She should probably bring it up with Mikranasta before it became a problem, as it was already starting to disturb her.

 Book 3, Chapter 1: Memory (Part 2)

    Zandrue was waiting outside the door when they reached Felit?a¡¯s room. ¡°I see you¡¯ve got old Pouty Face monitoring you at the moment.¡± She flashed a smiled at Hedromornasta and said something in Isyarian in which she used his name.


    Hedromornasta muttered something back.


    With a roll of her eyes, Zandrue opened the door and motioned for Felit?a and Hedromornasta to enter. ¡°He says my pronunciation is terrible, which honestly, it probably is, but would it hurt him to give a friendly greeting once in a while?¡±


    Felit?a chuckled. Inside the room, she went straight over to the bed, where Lon and Nesh were scurrying about. Part of her just wanted to collapse straight into it, but that would be awkward with the gown she was wearing. Sleep would have to wait a couple more minutes. Besides, Zandrue was probably here to tell her something.


    She held out her hand and let the rats climb onto her and up her arm, then turned back around.


    Hedromornasta had taken up his customary spot in the corner by the window, while Zandrue waited by the door. Felit?a let her gaze linger on Hedromornasta for a moment before sighing and beginning to undress.


    ¡°I always feel a little off undressing in front of him,¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s the perpetual pout,¡± Zandrue said, coming over to assist. ¡°It puts everyone off.¡±


    ¡°He just...I don¡¯t know...he disturbs me somehow. I don¡¯t think he likes me very much.¡±


    ¡°Feviona says she thinks he¡¯s jealous of you. He knows that once you¡¯re properly trained, you¡¯ll be far more powerful than him. Isyar don¡¯t like it when humans outclass them.¡±


    Felit?a shrugged. ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Honestly,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°I prefer him to his mother. He may be a grouch, but at least I can be fairly certain he¡¯s not rummaging around in my head.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think he¡¯s capable?¡±


    Zandrue chuckled. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s probably capable. I just don¡¯t think he¡¯d be subtle about it. His mother, on the other hand¡­¡±


    ¡°Fair point.¡±


    Once her outer clothes had been removed and she was down to just her shift, Felit?a turned to the bed and sat down on it.


    Zandrue plucked Nesh of her shoulder and placed the rat down on Felit?a¡¯s. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you put up with those clawed feet scrambling all over your bare skin.¡±


    As Nesh climbed up the side of her face, Felit?a grinned. ¡°You get used to it after a while. It¡¯s actually kind of comforting to know they¡¯re there. I take it you wanted to talk to me about something?¡±


    Zandrue sat beside her. ¡°There still hasn¡¯t been any reply to Anita¡¯s messages to Arnor City, so tomorrow, I¡¯m going to go round to the cathedral to do a little investigating.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t like that.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I¡¯m making sure you know I¡¯m doing it. But I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any other choice. Something¡¯s interfering with communications, and it¡¯s either on our side or Arnor City¡¯s. And Arnor City has Ardon, so¡­¡±


    Felit?a nodded. ¡°Yeah, I get the point. It¡¯s probably on our side.¡±


    ¡°Anita¡¯s doing up the paperwork to allow me to take a contingent of City Watch with me. She said she wants you to cosign the warrant.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Have her send it to me as soon as it¡¯s ready.¡±


    ¡°Will do. I¡¯ll also have Jorvan with me as back-up if things get rough.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve got everything in hand,¡± Felit?a said. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Trying to get rid of me?¡±


    Felit?a shook her head and laughed. ¡°No, of course not. Just tired. Still so tired, Zandrue.¡± She leaned her head on Zandrue¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s only been a week. You¡¯ll recover soon enough. You already look a lot better than you did when I first got here.¡±


    ¡°Mm. I do feel a bit better.¡± She let her eyes close and her breathing slow.


    A nudge from Zandrue woke her back up.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll let you sleep, but there were a couple other things to tell you.¡±


    Felit?a lifted her head. ¡°Yes, of course, sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to fall asleep on your shoulder.¡±


    ¡°How dare you,¡± Zandrue said with a mock sneer.


    Felit?a stuck her tongue out at her. ¡°So what else did you want to say?¡±


    ¡°Feviona¡¯s going to go down to the docks tomorrow to investigate those fires from when they arrived. It¡¯s probably nothing to do with Darker activity, and the trail is probably cold by now, but it¡¯s worth a check.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Felit?a said, letting herself fall over onto her side on the bed. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t lift her legs up yet while Zandrue was in the way. Gods, she was still so tired, but at least she could be certain this was natural tiredness now.


    ¡°Finally,¡± Zandrue said, ¡°Agernon wants the Pearl. He says it¡¯s vital to his continued research, which, I suppose, it probably is.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is.¡±


    ¡°He wants you there initially though.¡±


    Felit?a sighed. ¡°I probably should be, but it¡¯s only been a week. Tell him to give me a couple more days. I¡¯m doing so much better. I don¡¯t want to ruin that by over-exerting myself too soon.¡±


    ¡°He also doesn¡¯t want Hedromornasta or Mikranasta present.¡±


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    With a groan, Felit?a hugged her legs up so she could roll over and stretch them out behind Zandrue. ¡°Unless he wants to wait months, that¡¯s not going to happen.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still a lot of bitterness over Mikranasta refusing to aid the wizards at the Hall of Knowledge when they needed her. Agernon almost died, and you know he holds a grudge.¡±


    This had been brought up¡ªby Pedrin, Angelida, and a couple others¡ªseveral times over the last week, and Felit?a understood their complaints. If Mikranasta had assisted as she¡¯d originally agreed to, she could have ended the attack on the Hall of Knowledge easily and saved lives. However, if she¡¯d done that, there was a good chance Felit?a would be dead instead.


    ¡°I understand that,¡± Felit?a said, ¡°but the situation isn¡¯t that simple. I can¡¯t control my abilities yet. If I go there without Mikranasta or Hedromornasta blocking them, I could¡­ I honestly don¡¯t really know what I could end up doing. I don¡¯t even know the extent of my powers. But at the very least, I could end up probing people¡¯s thoughts in ways that could make them very uncomfortable. And me because I don¡¯t want to do that to people.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°I just thought you should know. You should probably talk to Agernon though.¡±


    Felit?a gave a slow, tired nod. ¡°Hmm.¡±


    With a pat on Felit?a¡¯s leg, Zandrue hopped to her feet. ¡°I¡¯ll let you sleep now.¡±


    As Zandrue headed for the door, Felit?a forced herself awake and propped herself up on her elbows. ¡°Zandrue?¡±


    Zandrue stopped at the door and looked back. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Why?¡±


    ¡°Just curious. You know, with Rudiger and everything.¡±


    Zandrue smiled an obviously false smile. ¡°Yeah, maybe I¡¯m a little worried, but as I¡¯ve said before, Rudiger¡¯s a big boy. He can take care of himself. Besides, if I spend all my time worrying about him, I won¡¯t be able to help him. See you at dinner?¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t sleep through it.¡±


    ¡°Fair point. Get some rest.¡± With a wave at Hedromornasta, Zandrue walked out the door.


    Felit?a slid down onto her back and then rolled onto her side. When Mikranasta had first put the shield up, Felit?a had worried that she¡¯d spent so much of her life receiving other people¡¯s emotions that she wouldn¡¯t be able to effectively read other people without them. However, it seemed she was good enough to pick up on obvious Zandrue lies.


    Gods, she hoped Zandrue was going to be okay.


    Her vision blurring from sleepiness, Felit?a yawned and let her eyes drift closed.


    Then she was standing in the Room, blue-grey and the smell of flowers¡ªroses? daisies? she¡¯d never really paid attention to particular flowers¡¯ smells¡ªzipping past her, other sensations all about.


    Asleep, but lucid.


    This had been happening more and more over the past week. It was getting to the point that she was spending at least part of every sleep period lucid. Hopefully, it wasn¡¯t slowing her recovery. Did being lucid while sleeping negate the benefits of sleep? It was kind of like being awake after all. She honestly didn¡¯t know though, and should probably ask Mikranasta about it.


    However, she hadn¡¯t actually told Mikranasta about it yet, though given either Mikranasta or Hedromornasta was always monitoring her during her sleep, it was hard to imagine Mikranasta didn¡¯t know already. Still, she should probably ask Mikranasta about it at some point.


    She resolved to do so.


    For now, however, this was as good a chance as any to explore her mind and the ways in which it worked, and that would start with learning about the sensations and what happened when they collided with each other.


    Nearby, the sound of dripping water collided with a baby crying. Both just vanished. What could she make of that?


    Neither were things that held much significance to her. They were obviously things she had heard before, but she had never really needed to deal with babies. She certainly had no desire to ever have a baby of her own. As for the water, it probably held a bit more significance to her as water had a larger impact on her life, but try as she might, she couldn¡¯t really think of a way in which dripping water held any significance.


    Off to the side, the orange-red of the dawn sky collided with the croak of a frog and both sensations vanished. There were a lot of ways the dawn sky could be significant, but a croaking frog?


    So no significance or relevance meant no memory? Maybe.


    Of course, those were just two isolated collisions. The majority of sensations just flitted past each other with no collision. Waiting for random collisions could potentially reveal of lot of information, but it was also going to take time. Probably a lot of time.


    But memories didn¡¯t just happen randomly. Sure, sometimes a random memory popped up in her head, but she could choose to remember things, too. What about that memory from her session with Mikranasta earlier? Could she just bring it up in here?


    As she thought of it, the chill of a cold breeze shot past her and collided with the squeal of a rat. Then she was in the memory again.


    Okay, that was easier than she¡¯d expected.


    She held onto it this time, didn¡¯t let it fade away despite its shortness.


    Although his smile was clear, the rest of Elderaan¡¯s face was indistinct. Even the brown of his skin was inconsistent, not due to shadows or anything like that, but simply a darker brown in one spot and a lighter in another. The simple matter was, she couldn¡¯t precisely remember the colour of his skin. Or the shape of his eyes. The thickness of his eyebrows. The shape of his nose.


    She tried to pull up other memories of Elderaan. Sensations swirled around her. The smell of pipe smoke, the sound of his laugh, the dull white of his robe she¡¯d lost, the shop bell, the feel of warm water on frostbitten skin, and more. The sensations collided with each other, forming other memories, providing other images of Elderaan to help her form a more complete picture.


    But they were inconsistent.


    In one, he had thick eyebrows; in another, thin. Sometimes, he had a pointed chin, and other times a rounded one. Height was reasonably consistent, though in later memories, he was a bit shorter, but that was presumably due to stooping over with age.


    Indeed, some of the differences could be explained by age, like the thickness of his hair. But other things were not so simple, like his nose. He had a prominent nose. That was consistent in her memories, but the shape? Was it turned up at the end like hers? Just how thick was it?


    Gods, he¡¯d only been dead a year and a half! Was her memory of him really so bad?


    Of course, these were small details about his appearance. Should she really be so bothered by not remembering them perfectly? Memory was fickle. She knew that.


    But the problem was, the images she was able to put together were so incomplete. Even combining images from different memories didn¡¯t produce an image that looked like a real person. It looked like something a really bad artist might paint, with too many solid colours and no subtlety or nuance, no use of light or shadow.


    Maybe this just meant she was a bad artist. She¡¯d never actually tried to draw or paint something. She doubted she¡¯d be very good at it. What would Sinit?a¡¯s memories be like? She was a good artist. Would her memories look more real than Felit?a¡¯s?


    Felit?a took one last look at the patchwork Elderaan she had created, then dismissed it. With a gentle push, all the sensations abandoned the Room as well. She shouldn¡¯t be disappointed, but she was, and she wanted to be ¡°alone¡± for a while.


    She wasn¡¯t sure how long she sat there¡ªminutes? hours?¡ªbut it was a while. She tried meditating, but meditating while asleep just seemed strange, so she couldn¡¯t concentrate properly. Eventually, the emptiness of the Room began to bother her.


    She missed the line-up, the voices, the Staff, but they were blocked by Hedromornasta¡¯s (or Mikranasta¡¯s at other times) shield.


    They had reappeared a week ago through an unknown method, but had vanished again not long after that. It had heavily bothered Mikranasta at the time, and Felit?a suspected it still did, though Mikranasta had not talked about it since.


    Somehow, they had just bypassed the shield without breaking through.


    It bothered Felit?a, too, that Mikranasta couldn¡¯t explain it. If it were just something Felit?a couldn¡¯t explain, it wouldn¡¯t bother her. There was still so much she didn¡¯t know or understand. But Mikranasta?


    She wandered over to the grey walls still attempting to block her¡ªor perhaps it would be more accurate to say she brought the grey walls to her. She was beginning to think she never really moved through the Room or her mind, but rather she moved the Room around to focus on whatever point she was looking at.


    A gaping tear ran along one portion of the grey walls. It was possible to look through the tear¡ªshe¡¯d done it many times in the last week¡ªbut all that was behind it at the moment was the shield, and she couldn¡¯t see past that. Most of the grey walls were still intact, though, forming an n-dimensional sphere around the edges of her mind. Were they still actually blocking anything, or was the tear enough to allow everything through? Perhaps not as much could get through at a time, but nothing specifically was prohibited?


    It was impossible to say for certain while the shield was there. Perhaps once she could control her abilities and the shield was no longer necessary, she could investigate the grey walls and their effects more thoroughly, but there wasn¡¯t much she could do right now.


    With a sigh, she pushed the grey walls away and waited in the middle of the room. How did one end lucid sleep and go into normal sleep? She didn¡¯t want to spend the entire time she was asleep lucid. Being able to explore her mind would be a good thing, but for the moment, the Elderaan situation had destroyed her enthusiasm for it. She could explore her mind another time. For now, she just wanted to have normal sleep.


    And so she did. Her last lucid thought was how nice it was to be able to sleep again.

 Book 3, Chapter 2: Conflict of Belief (Part 1)

    Saints Cathedral was like a smaller Cathedral of the Gods in Arnor City. It had the same basic shape with four towers and three sets of entrance doors at the front. Zandrue did have to admit, though, that it was made with a darker stone, and it didn¡¯t seem to have quite as many gargoyles. No doubt the stained glass windows were quite a bit different, too. She had never really paid a whole lot of attention to the specific details of either cathedral, so beyond the basic ¡°church shape¡± there was every possibility they weren¡¯t actually all that similar.


    Not that she cared much. In all her years living in Quorge, she had always avoided Saints Cathedral. Even in her mischievous days, she had never dragged Felit?a and Drummor here for a prank or any other reason. It wasn¡¯t out of any sense of reverence, nor out of any kind of dislike. Churches just seemed like places to avoid unless there was a reason to be there. Being forced as a child to venerate Nyx¡ªNight in the Universal Religion¡ªcould do that to a person.


    Standing down the street from the cathedral with a group of six City Watchmen, rubbing his hands in the cold, was a familiar person. Zandrue paused. He hadn¡¯t seen her yet, so she decided to let him suffer in the cold a little longer. Of course, that meant she had to suffer too, but a little discomfort so that Almais also had discomfort was worth it.


    There was a limit to how much it was worth, though, and he would likely notice her eventually, so she only dragged it out for a couple of minutes. Then she approached, straightening her back as she did so. They were both the same height, but he was slouching a little, so if she stretched herself, she could look taller.


    ¡°Almais! Just the man I never wanted to see again!¡±


    He only raised his eyes a little to look at her, so she couldn¡¯t see his whole face, but she could be pretty certain he was scowling. He was always scowling.


    She stopped about an inch in front of him. ¡°What? No joyous words of welcome? No screams of delight? Come on, the least you could do is offer me a hug.¡± She spread her arms.


    He spat in her face.


    With a smirk, she wiped her face with her arm. She hated having his vile scent on her, but she effected her broadest smile anyway. ¡°I¡¯m gonna ignore that one, but that¡¯s the only one you get. Obviously, you got the message from Lady Belone, or you wouldn¡¯t be here. You will place yourself and your men under my command.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a bloody Eloorin! My men and I¡ª¡±


    ¡°What? Really? I¡¯m an Eloorin?¡± She made a show of looking down at herself, her arms, and her legs. ¡°Thank you for telling me. Wait here a minute while I rush off to Arnor City to tell the King to take away my noble title. Oh wait, the King already knows, yet he gave me a title anyway. Fancy that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re no noble. You¡¯re a street urchin I should¡¯ve thrown in jail years ago. And thrown away the key!¡±


    She effected her broadest smile again. ¡°You did get Lady Belone¡¯s message, yes? You read the whole thing? Maybe you didn¡¯t, but that¡¯s okay.¡± She shoved the papers she was carrying at his chest. ¡°I brought a second copy of your orders just in case. You will put yourself and your men under my command or you will be rounded up and tried for desertion. I do believe the punishment is hanging.¡±


    He snatched the papers from her, but didn¡¯t look at them. ¡°We will follow your orders.¡± He made no attempt to conceal the contempt in his voice. He turned and walked into the midst of the City Watchmen.


    Zandrue waited for him to get several feet away and for him to be about to say something, before calling out, ¡°Oh, Almais?¡± When he looked back at her, she crooked a finger at him and waited for him to return to her.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    She grabbed his tabard and pretended to straighten it. ¡°Don¡¯t think the fact you¡¯re back in Belone green means I don¡¯t know about or will forget that you recently donned red.¡± She pulled him closer to her. ¡°I want you to know I consider anyone who willingly joins the Red Knights scum. No, worse than scum. Got that? You are worse than shit in my eyes, and if you step out of line¡ªeven a little¡ªI will gut you. I swear it. And don¡¯t think I¡¯ll suffer any repercussions for it either. Even if you don¡¯t believe I have Lady Belone¡¯s ear, you know I have Princess Felit?a¡¯s, and she¡¯s in residence at the Belone Palace. I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯ll cheer if she learns I¡¯ve slit your rotten throat. Clear?¡±


    His upper lip twitched, but he made no sound other than a couple dull grunts. For a brief moment, it looked like he might spit at her again, but then he nodded and a bit of saliva dribbled down his grey beard.


    She shoved him away from her. ¡°Glad we understand each other.¡± Before he could say anything to his men, she called out, ¡°You lot! Into formation! I¡¯ve got someone to introduce.¡±


    ¡°You heard her,¡± Almais growled.


    As the Watch snapped to attention, and took their positions, Zandrue grinned. Gods, she was loving this!


    She raised her hand and waved to Jorvan, who was waiting back some distance. He started forward.


    Once he got closer, she turned to the Watch. ¡°Everyone, this is Jorvanultumn. He¡¯s our back-up. Just a reminder, the brief banning of non-humans from Belone by Danel Belone has been rescinded by her Ladyship. He is here legally, so no arresting him. You¡¯d really regret it if you tried, believe me.¡± She lowered her voice to speak directly to Jorvan. ¡°Thanks for waiting and letting me deal with this lot on my own.¡±


    ¡°You are welcome,¡± Jorvan replied.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°Why do we need an Isyar for back-up?¡± Almais asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a precaution,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°A precaution against what?¡±


    ¡°Just a precaution.¡±


    He stepped closer to her, his usual scowl deepening. ¡°Look, you don¡¯t like me, I don¡¯t like you. That¡¯s fine. That¡¯s the way it always is. I¡¯ll still do my job, but if you want me to do it well, you need to tell me what the hell is going on. We¡¯re going to a fucking church. What do you need the mini army for?¡±


    Zandrue sighed. Keeping Almais in the dark would be pleasing, and bullying him a little was ever so fun. It wasn¡¯t just the payback for years of him bullying her; it also helped keep her mind off Rudiger. Gods, even momentarily thinking of not making fun of Almais had brought back thoughts of Rudiger. Was he even still alive?


    But damn it, Almais was right. He needed to know. ¡°Hopefully nothing at all. You and your men are here mainly to provide an intimidation factor. However...well, how much do you know about what happened last week?¡±


    ¡°The Red Knights attacked the Hall of Knowledge and lost, and the late Lord Belone¡¯s Isyar advisor went mad. That¡¯s the gist of it. I¡¯ve heard bits and pieces of other details, but mostly just unsubstantiated rumour. During it all, the new Lord Belone died and now we have yet another ruler. Barely more than a child, but I suppose that¡¯s what we¡¯re stuck with. She doesn¡¯t favour the Red Knights, so they¡¯ve been escorted out of the province. Should I know more?¡±


    ¡°Plavistalorik was a Darkness Worshipper, and she ran what was potentially a fairly extensive network of Darkers in both the palace and the city, maybe even across the province or farther.¡± Zandrue paused for a moment to watch his reaction.


    Surprisingly, he showed very little reaction, only a slight twitch. ¡°Darkers?¡±


    ¡°Yes, potentially a lot of them.¡±


    ¡°But why are we going into the cathedral? Are you suggesting¡­?¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°Honestly don¡¯t know. But this isn¡¯t limited to just Quorge. There was a network of them at the Palace in Arnor City as well. We got a bunch of them, but¡­ Look, there has been stuff going on in Arnor City for months now, news of which should have reached here, but it hasn¡¯t. I¡¯m here to try to find out why. The mini army is in case things go badly. Got it?¡±


    With a grunt, he nodded.


    ¡°Great, let¡¯s go. While we walk, tell me what you know about the head priest, Victrin Bandren.¡±


    As they started towards the cathedral, Almais made a quick hand motion, and the other Watchmen fell into line behind him, Zandrue, and Jorvan. ¡°Not a lot. He¡¯s been there for a decade now, and is generally liked by his congregation. I don¡¯t worship there, though, so I¡¯ve never met him personally. The church rarely calls for assistance from the Watch, and when they do, it¡¯s usually just to pick up a thief they¡¯ve already apprehended. I¡¯ve never seen anything to indicated Bandren might be a Darker though.¡±


    ¡°Well, like you said, it¡¯s not much,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Still, I¡¯m not suggesting he is a Darker. All the Darkers need is someone with access to whatever method the church uses to receive and pass on messages. That might not need to be the head priest.¡±


    As they reached the steps leading to the entrances to the cathedral, Jorvan moved a little to the side. ¡°I will wait here.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea how long we¡¯ll be,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°I will be fine.¡±


    With a quick smile at Jorvan, Zandrue continued up the steps.


    ¡°He¡¯s not coming with us?¡± Almais asked. ¡°I suppose there¡¯s a certain tactical sense to have him waiting outside, but a couple of my men could do that. Wouldn¡¯t he be useful as intimidation? The threat of what an Isyar could do¡­¡±


    Zandrue pulled the central doors open. ¡°It¡¯s a religious thing. Isyar are forbidden from entering a place of worship that is not one of their own. Besides, Jorvan works best with lots of open space. Anybody runs, they¡¯re not getting away. I want one man on the inside of each of the entry doors.¡±


    Almais snapped his fingers at three of the men. ¡°You, you, and you.¡±


    One stopped at the doors they were at, while the other two split off to go the doors on either side.


    As she, Almais, and the three remaining Watchmen approached the doors to the nave, a young man in clerical robes approached from the side. ¡°Can I help you¡­?¡± He peered closely at Almais¡¯s rank insignia. ¡°Captain, is it?¡±


    Almais gave a brisk nod and motioned for the Watchmen to stop. ¡°Captain Benito Almais, and this is¡­¡± He motioned to Zandrue, his lips curling momentarily and practically sneering the next word, ¡°Lady Zandromeda Armida. We need to speak to Father Bandren.¡±


    The young...priest?...nodded. His robes were a plain grey, but Zandrue had no idea if that meant he was a full priest, or some sort of non-ordained assistant. ¡°Of course. I will summon him immediately. I hope this isn¡¯t serious.¡±


    ¡°It may be a bit delicate,¡± Zandrue said, leaning in close to the priest and sniffing, ¡°so if you could also arrange for us to speak somewhere we could have relative privacy, that would also be good.¡±


    Recoiling slightly, the young priest nodded again. ¡°I will tell him your request. Please, wait here a moment. I¡¯ll return shortly.¡± He slipped past them and through the doors to the nave.


    Once he was gone, and the doors were closed again, Zandrue said, ¡°You know, I think that¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever heard your first name. I suppose you wouldn¡¯t appreciate me calling you Benny, would you?¡± She grinned.


    Almais frowned, and Zandrue stifled a laugh.


    ¡°You know,¡± Almais said, ¡°the presence of so many Watchmen is going to put any¡­¡± He paused a moment and glanced around before continuing in a quieter voice, ¡°Any Darkers here on alert. It might have made more sense to come here and talk to Bandren on your own or with a much smaller group.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I¡¯m almost certainly going to have to be blunt with Bandren, and if he turns out to be a Darker himself¡­¡±


    ¡°Fair point. You said Belone¡¯s Isyar was running the Darker network. Now she¡¯s dead¡­¡± He paused. ¡°She is dead, isn¡¯t she? That¡¯s not just the story told to make people feel safer?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s dead,¡± Zandrue said. ¡°Felit?a made certain of it. Trust me. I saw the body.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Very well. She¡¯s dead, so who¡¯s in charge now?¡±


    ¡°No idea. I¡¯m hoping they¡¯re in disarray.¡±


    ¡°Of course, if this network is widespread, aren¡¯t you risking me or one of my men being a Darker?¡±


    Zandrue looked him in the eyes and gave a slow nod. ¡°Yes, I am, but I¡¯ve got to trust someone. You, Benny...you¡¯re a bigoted asshole. You might listen to the bullshit rhetoric of the Bloods, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a Darker.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I should be thankful for that,¡± he said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t prove me wrong.¡±


    He just grunted.


    The inner doors opened, revealing the young man from earlier. ¡°Father Bandren says he will see you in his office. This way.¡±

 Book 3, Chapter 2: Conflict of Belief (Part 2)

    It was a short trip, just through the nave and down a short hall at the other side. Zandrue had one of the Watch stay by the nave doors and the other two just outside Bandren¡¯s office.


    Victrin Bandren was a middle-aged Folith whose remaining grey hair was bunched around his ears and ran seamlessly into his short, but bushy beard. He motioned with a slightly pudgy hand to the chairs by his desk. ¡°My Lady, Captain, please sit. Caylum tells me you have half a dozen men with you. That sounds serious. Is there anything I can help you with?¡±


    Zandrue took a seat, but Almais remained standing. She leaned forward, but unfortunately, his scent was masked by perfumes. ¡°I hope so, Father. I¡¯m here in regards to Lady Belone¡¯s repeated attempts to contact Arnor City this past week.¡±


    He had a look of concern on his face, which vanished almost immediately. ¡°Oh, is that all? As I have informed her Ladyship, we have not received a reply yet.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a week,¡± Zandrue said.


    ¡°Most people would not consider that a long time to transport a message across the continent.¡±


    ¡°Come on Father, all of us here are aware the church can get messages across the continent in a day or two at most.¡±


    He held up his hands. ¡°Yes, but sometimes there can be delays.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s what you¡¯re saying this is? A delay?¡±


    He raised his hands again. ¡°I see no reason to think otherwise. Her messages are relatively low priority. I¡¯m sure we will get a response soon. You can assure her Ladyship, I will inform her as soon as we hear anything.¡±


    ¡°And when was the last time you heard from Arnor City?¡±


    ¡°We received a routine message at the beginning of the month.¡±


    ¡°What did it say?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s any of your or Lady Belone¡¯s business; however, I can tell you that it indicated everything was normal. There were certainly no issues to be concerned with despite Lady Belone¡¯s anxieties.¡±


    ¡°Except things haven¡¯t been right in Arnor City for months. You never received word of Princess Sinit?a¡¯s disappearance over two months ago?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°No, and I would say anyone claiming there was a disappearance is mistaken. My people have reliably informed me Princess Sinit?a is here in Quorge, so there clearly has not been a disappearance.¡±


    ¡°Okay, what about Prince Garet?¡±


    ¡°What about him? I suppose you¡¯re referring to rumours that he died? Yes, I¡¯ve heard those, but if they were true, we¡¯d have heard about it by now. I can assure you his Highness¡ª¡±


    ¡°I was fucking there.¡±


    His eyes widened and he moved back as she leaned in towards him. Gods, this asshole was dense. Rudiger could be in danger and this man wasn¡¯t even willing to accept something as simple as Garet¡¯s death. It made her want to wring his neck.


    However, she caught herself and sat back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, excuse my language. But I can assure you, Father, Prince Garet is dead. I saw his dead body myself. I know for a fact Patriarch Ardon sent messages to every province inviting nobility to the funeral. Most provinces responded, and some even made the trek to attend. But you didn¡¯t receive anything?¡±


    ¡°Most assuredly not.¡±


    ¡°Then you admit something must be wrong.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Not at all.¡±


    ¡°With respect, Father,¡± Almais said, ¡°if Prince Garet is dead, they would have sent a message.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Bandren said, ¡°which is why I know he isn¡¯t dead. Lady Armida here is obviously mistaken.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not mistaken. I happen¡ª¡±


    ¡°How exactly do you know for a fact Patriarch Ardon sent messages out? Been to Arnor City recently enough to get back here ahead of his messages? Know him personally, do you?¡±


    ¡°Yes to both.¡±


    That was a mistake. She knew it as soon as she said it.


    Bandren simply looked over at Almais and raised his eyebrows. ¡°Really.¡±


    Zandrue glanced at Almais to try to see his reaction, but he seemed unmoved. She turned back and smiled broadly at Bandren. ¡°Let¡¯s take another angle. Surely you¡¯ve informed Arnor City of all the events here in the last month.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t find it strange they haven¡¯t responded? The lordship has changed twice, we¡¯ve had Bloods fighting in the streets, and the late Lord Belone¡¯s Isyar went mad. I¡¯d say that stuff would be kind of high priority.¡±


    ¡°I have no control over what his Grace and others in Arnor City deem high priority or when they decide to respond to messages.¡±


    ¡°And what about other places?¡± Zandrue asked. ¡°Dorg. Or Tyl. Or Collogia, Anywhere else in Arnor. Do you hear from them or send them messages?¡±


    ¡°On occasion.¡±


    ¡°Can you send them a message now?¡±


    ¡°For what reason?¡±


    ¡°To confirm whether they¡¯ve heard from Arnor City and what they¡¯ve heard.¡±


    ¡°Why would I waste their time with something so trivial?¡±


    Zandrue groaned. ¡°Fine. So just how long needs to pass before you¡¯ll find anything unusual in not hearing from Arnor City or anywhere else?¡±


    He stroked his beard. ¡°We get routine messages from Arnor City on the second or third of every month. If one of those were more than a few days late, I would see reason to be concerned.¡±


    Zandrue groaned. ¡°So, a week and half until the second, then a few more days after that. Two weeks, basically?¡±


    Bandren shrugged.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Two weeks doesn¡¯t seem too terrible a time to wait,¡± Almais said.


    ¡°It is when there are Darkers involved.¡± She¡¯d hoped to bring up Darkers a little more delicately, but she was starting to get angry. She needed to control herself better.


    Bandren leaned forward. ¡°Darkers? Seriously?¡±


    ¡°In just the last few few weeks, we rounded up a Darker conspiracy at the Royal Palace. There was also one here in Quorge, run by Plavistalorik, the late Lord Belone¡¯s Isyar advisor. She¡¯s dead now, but we need to act before her organisation can pull itself back together and someone else takes control.¡±


    Bandren stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter. He stood up and circled round his desk, approaching Almais, still laughing. After a moment, he got his laughter under control and looked over at Zandrue. ¡°Captain, I think, not only is Lady Armida mistaken, she¡¯s also quite delusional. Never mind the absurdity of Darker conspiracies, she¡¯s talking like she¡¯s been in two places at the same time. I think we¡¯re done here. I¡¯d appreciate it if you removed your men from the building.¡± He patted Almais on the shoulder, then motioned to the door.


    ¡°We have a warrant, Father,¡± Almais said. ¡°While Lady Armida may be delusional, her Ladyship, Lady Anita Belone believes what she says.¡± He held up the warrant.


    Bandren¡¯s grin dropped into a scowl, and he snatched the paper. ¡°A warrant for what?¡±


    Zandrue stood and went up beside Bandren. ¡°To search the premises. We¡¯re to look for any signs of conspiracy to hide or change messages received, or failure to send requested messages, or perhaps tampering of the methods you use to send and receive said messages. Basically, evidence of Darkers or other malfeasance.¡± She patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll be discreet.¡±


    He turned to face her directly and shoved the warrant against her chest. ¡°This has no authority here.¡± He looked over at Almais. ¡°You can take it with you when you leave.¡±


    ¡°It is signed by her Ladyship,¡± Almais said, ¡°and cosigned by her Highness, Princess Felit?a.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. It could be signed by the King himself, and it would make no difference. The Treaty of Elooria.¡±


    Bandren continued to press the warrant against Zandrue¡¯s chest, clearly waiting for her to take it from him, but she wasn¡¯t about to give him that satisfaction.


    ¡°The Treaty of Elooria?¡± Almais said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Father. I¡¯m not sure I understand.¡±


    ¡°The Treaty of Elooria, Captain. Signed by the Universal Religion and King Martan after the execution of the Dragon in twenty-one fifteen, it was the core document which unified Arnor as a single country. In return for the Church¡¯s support of Folith rule, it granted unique rights to the Church and gave us the right to self-governance of our own property. In effect, whenever you are in a church, you are effectively no longer on Arnorin soil, but in a sovereign nation. Folith nobility has no authority here.¡±


    Bandren attempted to shove Zandrue harder, presumably to push her away, but she held firm. He wasn¡¯t that strong, and while it was uncomfortable, she could resist him. After a moment, he gave up, dropped the warrant and returned to his seat. ¡°Now, please leave. Both of you. And all your men.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Zandrue said.


    Bandren placed his elbows on his desk and clasped his hands. ¡°I¡¯m sure you could force the issue, but do so and you create a national incident. You will threaten the very stability of the entire country. Without the Church¡¯s support, Arnor will collapse in a matter of months.¡±


    ¡°It may be on the verge of doing that anyway,¡± Zandrue growled.


    ¡°My Lady,¡± Almais said, ¡°at the risk of you fulfilling your promise and gutting me, I should say I think Father Bandren might be right. I know we have always been instructed to be careful in our dealings with the Church. It¡¯s one of the reasons we rarely go on Church grounds and never without being invited first.¡±


    Zandrue clenched her fists, and held back the desire to scream that she didn¡¯t fucking care, that she was going to search this place no matter what, that lives were on the line¡ªRudiger¡¯s life! But they were right. She¡¯d seen Ardon use the same threat with the King and Queen.


    With a sigh, she placed her palms down on Bandren¡¯s desk and leaned over him. ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll go. But I want you to know, Father, that there is someone very dear to me in Arnor City. No, more than very dear. He¡¯s the love of my life. If he dies because of your stupidity, no treaty, no anything, will stand between you and me slitting your fucking throat. Got it?¡±


    Bandren stared into her eyes, unmoving. ¡°Captain, get this lunatic out of here.¡±


    Before Almais could do anything, Zandrue turned around and headed for the door. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll show myself out.¡±


    ¡°And Captain, tell her Ladyship and her Highness that this woman is forbidden from Church property, effective immediately. If she ever returns¡­¡±


    Zandrue didn¡¯t pause to hear the rest of what he said. She just retraced her steps back to the entrance, barely acknowledging the Watchmen as she passed them.


    Once she was outside, she stormed over to one of the pillars by the steps and began kicking it. Gods damn it! She¡¯d fucked that up. She hadn¡¯t been thinking straight. Too many thoughts about Rudiger. She¡¯d let those influence her words and actions, also let them get to her temper. Gods damn it, her temper could be a liability at times.


    ¡°I am guessing it did not go well.¡±


    Zandrue stopped kicking the pillar and turned to face Jorvan, who had approached her. ¡°You are guessing right.¡± She took a couple deep breaths. ¡°Sorry for bringing you out here for nothing.¡±


    ¡°That is all right,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°I am pleased that I was not needed. May I ask what happened?¡±


    Zandrue scrunched her eyes and held back tears. ¡°I fucked up. I¡­¡±


    Before she could say any more, the Cathedral doors opened and Almais stormed out, followed by the rest of the Watchmen. He came straight over to Zandrue.


    ¡°Look, Almais,¡± she started to say, but he held a finger up in her face.


    ¡°You can threaten me all you want, but threatening Bandren like that? That was stupid! Complain that I¡¯m not following your orders. Gut me if you must, but that was beyond stupid! Until then, the situation was salvageable. If we had just left, you could have gone back at a later time and talked more calmly without the intimidation factor. Now, you¡¯re banned from going back. If you do and they catch you, they will execute you and apparently there¡¯s nothing any of the rest of us can do about it. And if there were Darkers in there? Guess what, they just got the edge on you.¡±


    Zandrue stared at him for a few moments. Part of her wanted to lash out back at him, tell him off, scream at him. It would probably make her feel better. Unfortunately, he was right¡ªagain¡ªso she just nodded and spoke quietly. ¡°I know.¡±


    He looked as if he was about to say more, but then turned away. ¡°I need to report to the palace and let her Ladyship know what happened. Coming?¡±


    Zandrue shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s probably best I don¡¯t. Then you can give her the unfettered truth. Complain about me all you want. Don¡¯t hold back.¡±


    He gave her a confused look, but then shook his head. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll speak later. Good day.¡± After a pause, he added, ¡°My Lady.¡± Then he motioned to the Watch, and they all marched away.


    Zandrue looked to Jorvan. ¡°Any criticisms you want to add?¡±


    Jorvan shook his head. ¡°I was not there. Perhaps your threats were justified. I do not know.¡±


    ¡°Trust me, they weren¡¯t.¡±


    His head tilted and he stared up at her. ¡°Zandrue, I know I have disapproved of your methods in the past, and we have had...disagreements. However, I do consider you a friend. Do not be too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes. And I know you are worried about Rudiger. That must weigh on you heavily.¡±


    ¡°The worst thing is, Felit?a can¡¯t even give me an update on his condition anymore. I know he was alive a week ago, though with a broken leg. With that dragon there, anything could have happened. He could be dead. He could¡­¡± She sniffled and rubbed her nose. ¡°I¡¯m just...I¡¯m so scared.¡± Gods, she was amazed she was admitting this to Jorvan and not Felit?a. Yet somehow, she¡¯d had a hard time admitting her fears to Felit?a, but Felit?a had been through so much recently. She didn¡¯t need more problems weighing her down. Hell, Felit?a usually had all those sorts of feelings barging into her head uninvited all the time. For now, Felit?a was actually free of that. It wouldn¡¯t be fair for Zandrue to force them on her.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°I went through similar things in Isyaria when Meleng was kidnapped. It is not easy. Despair threatens to overwhelm you, but you have friends. Do not be afraid to turn to them, and do not lose hope. We will solve this.¡±


    She forced a smile. ¡°Thanks. Come on. We better go before they get mad at me for standing so close.¡±


    Jorvan bowed his head, and they started down the steps. Once they were a little ways down the street, he said, ¡°When will you go back?¡±


    Zandrue allowed herself a short laugh. ¡°You know me pretty well.¡±


    ¡°I know there is clearly something strange going on in that church, and you will not let a simple banishment stop you from finding out. It is too important.¡±


    ¡°You got that right. I figure I¡¯ll go back tonight, sneak in, have a little look around. See what I can find out.¡±


    ¡°Then I will be your back-up again.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it, but if I¡¯m caught, there won¡¯t be anybody running outside for you to stop. They¡¯ll just kill me.¡±


    ¡°Do not think that I am unwilling to do what is necessary. While I hope it does not become necessary, I am more than willing to break the prohibitions against entering the church if it is necessary. As I said, it is too important. If you need me, call for me, and I will come. The gods will forgive me the transgression.¡±


    Zandrue smiled. ¡°Thanks. In that case, meet me at the back of the cathedral at midnight.¡±


    Jorvan bowed his head. ¡°I will be there.¡±


    Zandrue wiped her eyes. This wasn¡¯t so bad. Indeed, she should have probably done this from the start. Doing it second had certainly put any Darkers on alert, making it a lot harder, but that was okay. She could handle that. Everything would be fine.


    Gods, she¡¯d said that in the past and gotten herself into some terrible scrapes, but this time would be different.


    Everything would be just fine.

 Book 3, Chapter 3: Burn (Part 1)

    The large hole in the ceiling had produced a pile of snow-covered debris on the floor of the warehouse. It also meant sunlight now illuminated what presumably was normally dimly lit. Not that the light revealed a lot other than collapsed shelves and walls, burnt remains of the ship parts that were stored here, and piles of what looked like a mixture of ash and snow. Very little seemed salvageable, and Meleng was glad to know no one had been trapped in here when it burned.


    Feviona strode partway into the room, her head moving about, looking in all directions.


    ¡°You¡¯ll want to be careful,¡± the harbourmaster said. ¡°I can¡¯t promise anything in there is stable. Another part of the roof collapsed just two days ago.¡±


    He hurried over to Feviona, who had gone up to one of the still-standing support beams. It was blackened and parts of it were noticeably thinner than other parts, splinters protruding from where bits had broken off.


    She gave him a smile as he reached her. ¡°Watch me carefully. I will go slow.¡± At his nod, she began tracing symbols onto the burnt wood with her finger. The equation combined stability with length, some reconstruction, and...something else he didn¡¯t recognise. When she completed it, she glanced at him, then traced the activation symbol. Immediately, some of the blackened wood regained some of its original colour. The areas where bits had broken off partially reconstructed themselves. In a matter of moments, the effect travelled up the full length of the beam. It was still in bad shape, but not quite as bad as it had been.


    Meleng took a deep breath. This was a strange place to have his first proper lesson, and his heart was beating very fast. He knew she would say he shouldn¡¯t be so nervous, but he was anyway. He was also taking a lot of time answering her unspoken question, so he quickly signed, ¡°I think I followed most of it, but there was one symbol at the end I¡¯ve never seen before.¡±


    She looked at him a moment longer, while his heart beat ever faster. Then she smiled. ¡°Good. I didn¡¯t expect you to follow everything. I just wanted you to see. From this moment on, whenever we are together, I want you to watch everything I do as closely as circumstances will permit.¡±


    Meleng nodded several times quickly, blinking back the tears of happiness in his eyes. When Feviona had offered to train him, he¡¯d barely been able to believe it. However, she had needed time to recover from their recent ordeals, and the week of waiting had been torturous.


    He closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them again, just to be sure nothing had changed. The only change was Feviona reaching out to him. This was real.


    Feviona wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. Then she stepped back several paces, her wings spreading slightly until she was in an open area. ¡°Wait for me a moment.¡± Her wings spread to their full width and she leapt into the air, shooting towards the hole in the ceiling.


    Meleng loved watching Feviona fly. She had carried him with her a few times, but he much preferred to watch her from the ground. When he had first met Jorvan, he had been enthralled by his ability to fly, but it was much more so with Feviona. Jorvan, himself, admitted she was the better flyer, and there was no denying the truth of that. She had such grace, turning and flipping over, barely needing to slow to change directions. Her wings made the subtlest of movements to beat against the air and propel her in whichever direction she was going. Watching her fly made Meleng realise why so many humans thought of Isyar as angels.


    It only took a couple minutes before she landed back in the same spot she had taken off from. ¡°That should keep the place from collapsing on top of us.¡± She walked over to the pile of debris under the hole, knelt down, and motioned Meleng to join her.


    Meleng knelt beside her. ¡°What are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°Your first lesson. Check this for magical remnants.¡±


    Meleng looked over the debris¡ªa mixture of burnt wood, remnants of boxes, and scorched bits of metal, all covered in snow. ¡°Will there be any?¡±


    Feviona shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s been much too long. I just want to see how you do it.¡±


    With a gulp, he reached out at a piece of timber and traced. It was a simple, straight-forward equation that took almost no power. As expected, it produced no results. He looked at Feviona, his heart beating fast again.


    Her head was tilted slightly and she eyed him for a moment. ¡°Passable, but why didn¡¯t you alter the equation to fit your own physiology? You know your capabilities and reserves, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s such a small amount of power, I didn¡¯t see the need,¡± he said.


    She frowned slightly. ¡°Yes, it is very small, but it could be even smaller. Every bit of power conserved is important. It can mean the difference between life and death in battle.¡±


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    ¡°But I¡¯m not really a battle wizard,¡± Meleng said. ¡°I¡¯m not good enough for that.¡±


    Her chest shook momentarily with silent laughter. ¡°But I am, and I am your¡­¡± She leaned back a bit while she though. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to call myself. I¡¯m not your diare, but the relationship here is similar. You may not be a battle wizard now, but when I¡¯m finished training you, you will be.¡±


    ¡°Now, do it again.¡±


    With another nod, Meleng reached out again and traced the equation onto the piece of timber. This time, he modified it to more closely align with his body. The difference in power consumption was so small, he wasn¡¯t even sure he could tell the difference, but Feviona gave him a smile.


    ¡°Better. Another reason to lower the power is we are going to be doing this a lot. It will add up. Now, we need to work on your base forms.¡± She pointed to a large iron screw. ¡°Do it again with this.¡±


    Once more, Meleng reached out, but this time, as he started the equation, Feviona placed her own hand over his, lining up her fingers with his. He shivered and slipped, but she took hold of his hand and moved it back into position. Then they traced the equation together, moving slowly, Feviona guiding his fingers. When they activated the spell, something extraordinary happened. The usual tiny drain of energy occurred, but there was also a feeling...a sensation¡­ He couldn¡¯t quite describe it. It was like a tiny shiver, a tiny thrill. It reminded him a little of the thrill he got when he kissed Sinit?a. It wasn¡¯t exactly the same, but there were some similarities.


    He pulled his hand away and stared at Feviona. ¡°What was that?¡±


    She stared back. ¡°What was what?¡±


    ¡°There was¡­¡± He struggled to figure out how to describe it. ¡°A sensation...a¡­¡±


    Her eyes widened and her chest shook with laughter again. ¡°That was the effect of our sharing our power. Have you never experienced it before?¡±


    Meleng shook his head. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t even know it was possible.¡±


    ¡°But your previous teacher. You never experienced it with him?¡±


    Meleng shook his head again. ¡°No, never.¡± His teacher, Hittlevar, had demonstrated forms, and had watched as Meleng repeated them. He had made comments and pointed out mistakes. He had criticised and praised, but he had never guided in such a physical manner. ¡°Do Isyar frequently share power like that?¡±


    Feviona shrugged. ¡°Depends. Only enchanters can share power, and even then it tends to only happen between diare and siare during training. It is much less common in other occasions, but in the ¨¦lite, we sometimes have reason to do it. It can be a very intimate thing. The exact sensation is different between different people, and it will be more intense the more power we share. I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t realise you didn¡¯t know. Otherwise, I would have warned you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    She smiled at him. ¡°Good, because we will be doing it a lot.¡±


    They went through it together several times more, each time Feviona guiding his fingers and the shapes of the symbols. Sometimes, she made a brief comment between runs, but mostly she let her hands correct the shape of his base forms. Meleng found himself enjoying the slight thrill at the end of each equation, and on a couple occasions had to take a moment to check that this was all real.


    Eventually, Feviona said, ¡°Now, I want you to go around the room, checking everywhere for magical residue. Remember what I have shown you. The more precise your forms are, the better your spells will be and the less power they will drain. I will check on you occasionally.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Meleng asked.


    ¡°Look for non-magical clues to what happened here.¡±


    So, Meleng moved slowly around the room, testing everything in reach for magical residue. Feviona occasionally came over and guided his hands, or later on, just nodded approvingly. Despite the tiny drain each casting had on his power reserves, he soon started to appreciate Feviona¡¯s insistence that he modify the equations to suit his needs. That tiny drain added up and after what had to have been a couple hours, he was starting to tire.


    A tiny spark of energy leapt from a metal nail lying on the floor, and Meleng pulled back his hand. Not from pain¡ªthe spark bore with it only the mildest of discomfort¡ªbut from surprise. He licked his lips. Magical residue always had a flavour to it, which identified the type of magic. But the sensation was so fleeting, and he had been so surprised, he had completely missed it.


    He retraced the equation and the little spark leapt at his fingers again. No, he hadn¡¯t missed the flavour last time. He¡¯ just been too surprised by it to accept it as real. Enchantment magic had a tinny taste to it, conjuration was slightly salty, and elementalism was sweet. Mentalism could be the hardest to notice. Its flavour was so slight, it was hard to describe, though bitter might be the closest. But this wasn¡¯t any of those. It was sharp and slightly spicy.


    She looked up from where she had been carefully moving rubble out of the way for the last several minutes, and he motioned her over to him.


    ¡°I found magical residue.¡± He pointed at the nail.


    Eventually, she stopped and looked to Meleng. ¡°This is bad.¡±


    ¡°I...I don¡¯t recognise the magic,¡± Meleng said.


    ¡°Neither do I.¡±


    Meleng gulped. He had been hoping she would reveal that magic could sometimes have different flavours under certain precise conditions. A feeble hope. If such a thing were possible, he would have at least read about it, even if he had never experienced it. This new flavour indicated a lost discipline. It wasn¡¯t quite as shocking as it might have been a couple years ago¡ªFelit?a¡¯s staff contained other disciplines, and she had mentioned encountering necromancy in Ninifin¡ªbut it was still concerning. Who could be using lost magic?


    Feviona walked into the centre of the area, squatted down, and started tracing more equations. No sparks danced at her fingertips, so she was doing something different. Meleng started to move closer to get a better view, but a shape caught his attention.

 Book 3, Chapter 3: Burn (Part 2)

    Burn.


    Something ploughed into Meleng from the side, knocking him over, and wrapping wings around him. He and Feviona tumbled on the floor, landing with her on top of him, shielding him. The heat of the fire around them was intense, and Feviona¡¯s face contorted in pain. She must have done something to protect herself from the flames, but they were clearly still having an effect on her.


    Burn.


    Meleng scrambled from under her and to his feet. He ran aside just as another stream of flames landed where he had just been. Hot air blew over him, pushed along by the beat of Feviona¡¯s wings as she flew into the air.


    Meleng looked around frantically for the best route to the exit. He had to cross nearly the entire warehouse, and get around the creature in the process. There was so much rubble in here, running was not an option. However, there was certainly lots of cover.


    But the creature merely bent over, picked up its still-burning head, and placed it back on its neck, where it...fused back on? Whatever it did, it stayed in place.


    Burn.


    Burn.


    Outside, people were already reacting to the sounds coming from the warehouse, running and yelling for the fire brigade. Meleng jumped to his feet and ran along the trail towards the quay. Behind him came a loud crash, but he didn¡¯t look back right away.


    The harbourmaster waved a finger in Meleng¡¯s face. ¡°If this is you and that Isyar¡¯s fault¡­¡± Then he started towards the fire creature, his hands held up. ¡°Please don¡¯t panic.¡±


    Burn.


    Meleng tried to grab the harbourmaster¡¯s shoulder to pull him away, but couldn¡¯t reach him. There was the now-familiar hiss and whoosh, but the flames didn¡¯t hit the harbourmaster. Feviona had flown between the creature and the harbourmaster, the flames washing over her side and shoulder, knocking her sideways. Sweat dripped from her forehead, but she seemed otherwise unharmed.


    But no one paid any attention to him.


    Burn.


    Burn.


    ¡°What the hell is that thing?¡± one of the men said.


    Burn.


    Meleng looked back. Feviona looped through the air, narrowly avoiding another fiery stream. She then circled back towards the warehouse.


    ¡°Where¡¯s she going?¡± somebody asked.


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    The man nodded, and motioned to some other people, who began dragging the water barrels over. Meleng hurried over and helped them. Within a minute or so, they had the buckets and barrels grouped together at the edge of the quay, between two ships that were themselves between two of the piers. Meleng then bent over and began tracing equations on the buckets and barrels.


    Meleng continued to wave for Feviona, though he couldn¡¯t even be sure she¡¯d be able to see him well enough from this distance. What he was doing was a risk. A huge risk. He doubted what he was trying to do would kill that thing, but hopefully, it would neutralise it. He just needed to get one equation right. Not the ones on the buckets and barrels. There was a lot of water in them, but he doubted it was enough. At best, that water would just slow it down a little. No, the buckets and barrels were just the decoy. It was the equation after them that mattered.


    Meleng stopped waving and jumping, and backed up so the backs of his legs were touching the closest buckets. He glanced quickly about. People were watching, but holding well back. Crew on the nearest ships were lowering the rigging, but that wouldn¡¯t be enough. If this didn¡¯t work, those ships would go up fast, and the fire would likely spread. The Lustrous Rose was only a few berths away.


    Feviona landed in front of him. She was sweating profusely, and her uniform was scorched. The entire left sleeve was gone and her arm was blistered and burnt. ¡°You have something?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Lure it close. To the quay. I need it on the quay, not just near it.¡±


    ¡°I will try.¡± She turned around and spread her wings.


    Good gods, her back was horribly burnt, especially between her wings. She must have suffered that when she¡¯d shielded him from the creature¡¯s attack. Luckily, her wings didn¡¯t look too badly affected, but still, she had to be in such pain. And her wounds from last week still hadn¡¯t fully healed.


    As she flew off, Meleng vowed to himself to get this right. He had to. Bending over, he began tracing connectors so he could get to a safe distance himself.


    The creature was near the doors of the burning warehouse, heading along the street towards the quay. There were no other people in sight in that direction, but when it got closer again¡­ Meleng couldn¡¯t be sure he¡¯d told people to stay back far enough. At least so far, they seemed to be listening.


    Burn.


    She flipped over to the side, avoiding the flames, then flipped again, right over the top of the creature, landing behind it. Her sword cut clean through the creature¡¯s shoulder, severing the arm. Then she leapt into the air again, and landed a short distance in front of it.


    Burn.


    Feviona spread her wings and leapt over the ensuing blast, landing again just a little farther down the street towards the quay. She repeated this a few times, drawing the creature ever closer.


    Meleng moved slowly to the side. He couldn¡¯t move as far away as he¡¯d told everyone else, as he had to get back in there quickly. While he had no idea what range that creature¡¯s blasts had, he could be pretty certain he wouldn¡¯t be far enough away once it was near the quay. And he definitely wouldn¡¯t be far enough when he ran back in. He just needed to rely on his spells¡¯ ability to slow it down, and Feviona¡¯s ability to keep it distracted.


    Steam hissed around the creature as its flames diminished somewhat.


    The creature wasn¡¯t on the quay. It was still just a little too far back. This wasn¡¯t going to work.


    Burn.


    There was a huge crash and Meleng¡¯s next step did not find a surface to press down on. He found himself briefly tumbling, and then cold water surrounded him.


    Gods, he couldn¡¯t drown! He couldn¡¯t die now! Not when there was so much good in his life now. He had a family now. He had Sinit?a. He had Feviona and Jorvan. People he loved and who loved him back.


    He kicked and flailed some more. He couldn¡¯t see anything. It was all bright and cloudy around him. Damn it, why was it so hard to find up? Gods, it was so cold.


    His face broke the surface, the cold air feeling warm compared to the water, and he tried to breathe it in. It didn¡¯t work so well. With a few coughs, he brought up the water in his lungs, and then breathed in the air.


    ¡°There he is! Man overboard!¡±


    Meleng grabbed for it with one hand, but he couldn¡¯t quite reach it. His grip with his other hand slipped, and he tried to lunge forward. He went under again, choked on the water, but his hand grabbed something. He pulled himself forward, got his arm all the way around it, through the centre of the ring. His head broke the surface of the water again.


    Feviona carried him the rest of the way up, and carefully laid him down on the deck. She kissed him on the forehead and stood up. ¡°My champion. Beautifully done.¡±


    Meleng coughed up some more water, as crewmembers rushed over to him.

 Book 3, Chapter 4: Warm-Up

    Meleng huddled up in the padded armchair, trying not entirely successfully to pull his legs up onto the seat. Ultimately, he decided to let them be and instead tried to reposition the thick blanket so it hung down far enough to reach the floor and cover his feet. It worked only a little better.


    Despite the blanket and the dry clothes he now wore, he was still cold. There was a slight draught in the room, presumably getting through gaps between the large windows and the hull of the ship. Gen should really do something about that.


    He was in Captain Gen¡¯s cabin, back on the Lustrous Rose. Feviona had brought him back here as soon as he was in dry clothes and somewhat warmer. Gen had then immediately ushered him here and put him in bed.


    ¡°Still cold, lad? Here, let me get you something.¡± Gen strode over to the liquor cabinet and took out a bottle. He poured two small glasses of the transparent brown liquid and held one out for Meleng.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Meleng asked, tentatively reaching a hand out for it.


    ¡°Whisky. A local distillation. I¡¯m not very familiar with local whiskies, but this is supposed to be one of the best. Considering the price I paid for it, it better be.¡± Gen raised his glass to his face and inhaled deeply a couple times. ¡°Hmm, has promise.¡± He held out the glass in a toast. ¡°To the local hero I hear they¡¯re already calling Elemental Killer.¡± Then he took a sip of his whisky.


    Meleng grimaced at the name¡ªhe didn¡¯t like being called a killer¡ªbut Gen apparently thought he was grimacing at the drink.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not the best. I suppose it¡¯s decent as far as Arnorin rye whiskies go, but it¡¯s no Dangorin malt. Not even a Corunglainese.¡± Gen sighed contentedly. ¡°Now, those Dangorins can make a good whisky. Unfortunately, I¡¯m fresh out. But as I said, it¡¯ll warm you up, so go on, drink up.¡± Gen took another sip.


    Meleng brought the glass up to his lips and looked at it for a moment. Was he supposed to sniff it first like Gen had? Did it matter? To be on the safe side, he took a sniff. It was¡­ Well, it smelled a lot like alcohol, which wasn¡¯t very descriptive. It didn¡¯t smell like wine or ale, which were pretty much the only alcohols he knew anything about, but he couldn¡¯t really describe it otherwise.


    He glanced up at Gen, who raised his glass and nodded encouragingly.


    Then he took a sip, and his mouth burned. He didn¡¯t quite gasp, but he must have grimaced, as Gen laughed. ¡°I...uh¡­¡± He coughed. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s for me.¡±


    ¡°I would advise you to never drink with some people I know. They would be very offended right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    Gen chuckled and took another sip of his drink, sighing contentedly again. ¡°You have to admit, though, it warms you up.¡±


    With a groan, Meleng nodded. It had made him feel warmer¡ªburning would do that, he supposed¡ªthough the chill was returning now. He raised the glass to his mouth again, staring down at the contents. There wasn¡¯t a lot there. It should only take a few more sips. Three or four if he made them big sips. He braced himself and took a slightly larger sip. It burned more.


    Gen raised his glass. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡± After another sip, he dragged a chair over in front of Meleng and sat, slouching over slightly. ¡°Tell me, lad, how are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Well, I think I¡¯m okay. Still a bit cold, but the...uh...the drink is helping.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. I don¡¯t mean the brush with death and swim in freezing water. I¡¯m talking more generally. We haven¡¯t had a chance to talk recently. How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Fine, I guess. I¡¯ve started lessons with Feviona, and it was a pretty good start. Except for the fire creature, I mean.¡±


    Gen nodded, but was frowning. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask what you¡¯re doing. I asked how. But I suppose fine is a start.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not much to add,¡± Meleng said. Truth was, there was probably a lot to add, but he had difficulty talking about those things with Sinit?a or Akna, never mind anyone else. He raised his glass to his mouth again in an effort to hide any looks of discomfort on his face. ¡°How about you?¡±


    With raised eyebrows, Gen took another sip. ¡°Me? Fine as well. Though if I were to be more specific, I¡¯d call it a tenuous fine.¡± He motioned at the room around them. ¡°You may have noticed a number of new things in here.¡±


    Meleng lowered the glass and looked around. He hadn¡¯t really, though now that he thought about it, the bed did look new¡ªbigger and fancier. He had never spent a lot of time in the captain¡¯s cabin before¡ªafter all, it was the captain¡¯s cabin, not his own¡ªand he had never paid a lot of attention to its contents.


    ¡°Or perhaps you haven¡¯t,¡± Gen said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. In the past week, I¡¯ve had the opportunity to spend some of the money your girlfriend paid me to cart you to Isyaria and back. It more than covered my losses on the trip and has left me with a very tidy profit. More money than I¡¯ve had in quite some time, in fact. So I get to spend some of it on upgrading the ship, and even some on myself. It¡¯s a nice feeling, and I¡¯m enjoying it a lot. However, Princess Felit?a has asked me to remain in Quorge on permanent retainer. She¡¯s offering a very handsome payment, too. I¡¯d be a fool to turn that much money down.¡±


    Meleng took another sip¡ªbigger again¡ªand coughed at the intensity of the burn. ¡°So...uh...what¡¯s...what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    Gen stretched in the seat and sighed. ¡°As I understand it, her Highness is undergoing some sort of training that is likely going to take months, perhaps longer. That means she¡¯s not going anywhere anytime soon. I suppose to a non-sailor, the idea of getting paid to sit around and wait might be appealing. However, to someone like me¡­ We¡¯ve been in Quorge for almost two weeks now. That¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ve had longer layovers. As I said, I¡¯m enjoying myself, and upgrades to the ship will take a little while. But after a couple months, half a year, worse, I¡¯ll be itching to at sea again. I know myself. I¡¯ll resent taking the employment.¡± He jumped to his feet and started pacing.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to,¡± Meleng said. ¡°Felit?a won¡¯t force you. I think the main reason she¡¯s offered is because Sinit?a, Jorvan, and I have spoken highly of you and she has these images in her head. They¡¯re sort of¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. She¡¯s explained a little about it. Very strange. I¡¯m not sure what to think about it, but I know there are strange things going on. Which is part of why I¡¯m considering taking her offer anyway. Today¡¯s events show there are still things afoot. I get the feeling if I turn her down and try to leave, events will conspire to bring us back together anyway. Do you believe in fate, lad?¡±


    Meleng shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure. Felit?a really doesn¡¯t like the idea of it, but we¡¯ve encountered a lot of things recently to suggest¡ª¡±


    ¡°Mm, yes. Personally, I don¡¯t believe in it. Never have. A life at sea will teach you that anything can change at any moment. The sea can snatch you away from your so-called fate in the blink of an eye.¡±


    ¡°But weren¡¯t you just saying you think¡ª?¡±


    ¡°But that said, I think there are forces in the world that try to make things happen the way they want. The Pundritta for example. We¡¯re all at the mercy of forces greater than ourselves, whether that be nature or humanity. Or Isyar..ity? Whatever. You just have to decide whether to hide away or resist and risk everything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re getting at,¡± Meleng said.


    Gen paused in his pacing and looked over at Meleng with a smile. ¡°Oh, just thinking aloud, lad. Trying to come to a decision. Or rather, I¡¯ve come to a decision and am now trying to find a way to talk myself out of it.¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t have to stay if you don¡¯t want to. No one will think any less of you.¡±


    With a shrug, Gen drank the last bit of liquid in his glass. ¡°I know. Miana says I should turn the offer down. They know me well too, and they know themself. They¡¯ll be as stir-crazy as me; they just won¡¯t show it as much.¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°Then go. I wouldn¡¯t want to cross your first mate.¡± Meleng tried to grin as if he was joking, but there was just too much truth in that.


    Gen laughed anyway. He returned to his chair and slouched down in it. ¡°You¡¯re right. Crossing Miana can be a risky endeavour. But Miana doesn¡¯t want to leave. They want me to take the offer.¡±


    ¡°But you said¡­¡±


    Gen leaned forward, almost conspiratorially. ¡°Miana knows me, and I know them. I know when they say the opposite of what they mean.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re staying then?¡±


    Gen¡¯s face contorted in thought for a moment, but then he nodded. ¡°I¡¯m staying.¡±


    ¡°So, when you asked me how I was doing, you really just wanted to tell me how you were struggling to make this decision.¡±


    Gen threw his head back and laughed. ¡°I swear it wasn¡¯t conscious, but I suppose subconsciously, I was hoping for that. Still, I was honestly interested in knowing how you were doing. There is one other thing keeping me and Miana from leaving you know. Well, two I suppose.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°You and your girlfriend. We¡¯ve become quite attached to you both. And your Isyar family too, but the two of you in particular. We don¡¯t want to stray too far.¡±


    Meleng smiled. ¡°I...um...thanks.¡± Not sure what else to say, he took another sip of the burning drink. There was maybe one sip left. He could get through this.


    Gen leaned forward and patted Meleng on the arm. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Miana I told you that. They won¡¯t admit it, and they¡¯ll make my life a living hell.¡±


    Gen laughed, and Meleng laughed with him.


    There was a rap at the door.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Gen stood and turned to face the door. ¡°Enter.¡±


    The door opened and Sinit?a stepped into the room. Upon seeing Meleng, she rushed right over to him. ¡°Melly!¡± She threw herself over him, awkwardly straddling his lap, her heavy skirts tangling about their legs. ¡°I came as fast as I could, but they won¡¯t let me go anywhere without an escort. I tried to sneak out, but Anita guessed and caught me. She said I had to take Akna with me at the very least, and she was right. Akna deserves to see you too. She¡¯s waiting on deck. She said I should see you first. Are you okay? I was so worried.¡±


    Meleng smiled. ¡°I¡¯m great.¡± He so loved the warmth of her when she was pressed close to him like this. On this occasion, it also removed the last of the chill still affecting him. So much more effective than the whisky. And he loved it when her face filled the entirety of his vision like it did now, her pale blue eyes staring into his. He could stare back at her forever.


    At a cough from Gen, they broke eye contact, and Sinit?a jumped to her feet with a squeal.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Eti?nne. I should have said hi, but I was just thinking of Melly, and I didn¡¯t think about anything else. I kind of didn¡¯t really notice you, and¡­¡±


    Gen waved his hand. ¡°Not to worry, my dear. I remember young love.¡±


    Sinit?a blushed and tried to straighten out the folds of her skirts. She looked radiant, but then, she always did. Her hair was tied up in a layered bun that tapered to almost a point and adorned with flowers that shouldn¡¯t be in bloom this time of year.


    After a moment of awkward silence, Gen cleared his throat. ¡°I was just telling Meleng here about my decision to accept your sister¡¯s offer for permanent retainer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± Sinit?a threw her arms around Gen and hugged him tight. In a calmer, quieter voice, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t actually know what that is, but it sounds nice.¡±


    Gen chuckled. After they parted from the hug, he said, ¡°It means the Lustrous Rose will be at your sister¡¯s beck and call. We will be here to transport her or anyone else she chooses wherever she wants.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± Sinit?a threw her arms around Gen and hugged him again.


    ¡°I should leave you and the lad alone,¡± Gen said after they parted again. He strode over to the door. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything I wouldn¡¯t do. No, I take that back. There are several things I would do that I would prefer you did not.¡± He glanced back at them with a smile, then strode out the door, closing it behind him.


    Meleng unwrapped himself from the blanket and stood up as Sinit?a turned to face him again.


    ¡°Was he making another sex joke?¡± she asked.


    Meleng shrugged. ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re never going to stop, are they?¡±


    Meleng shook his head as he put his arms around her. ¡°Nope.¡±


    She sighed as she leaned in close to him and her cheek brushed his. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re okay. ¡°


    They stood there hugging in quiet for a while, Meleng enjoying the warmth of her breath and the scent of her perfume. Then he kissed her, revelling in that little thrill he got every time they did this.


    ¡°I was really scared,¡± he said.


    She looked at him with concerned eyes and ran a hand through his hair. ¡°It must have been really scary. I heard it was ten feet tall and made of fire.¡±


    He leaned his head on her chest. ¡°No, not the creature. When I fell in the water. It was so cold and for a moment, I couldn¡¯t tell what was up and what was down. I...I panicked. I just panicked. I was so scared I was going to die.¡±


    She held him tighter and pressed her lips against his forehead.


    ¡°Before you got here, Gen asked me how I was doing, and I couldn¡¯t tell him. All I could say was fine. I was doing fine. But I¡¯m not.¡± He closed his eyes and let the tears drip down. He hoped they didn¡¯t ruin her gown.


    She squeezed him tighter. ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell him. You¡¯ve got me.¡±


    ¡°I know. I love you, Sini. Please don¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡±


    They stood there a little while longer. Eventually, Meleng pulled back a little and wiped his nose and eyes. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°I think I got phlegm on your gown.¡±


    She looked down and snickered. Then she pulled a handkerchief from a pocket and wiped the mark. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about. You should probably go see Akna. She was worried about you too.¡±


    He nodded, and went to wipe his face with his sleeve again, but she held out her handkerchief, and he used that instead. ¡°Hey, you didn¡¯t use her honorific.¡±


    Sinit?a beamed. ¡°She said that since we¡¯re both really close to you, we should be like sisters to each other. Isn¡¯t that great?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is.¡± It really was. He was glad Akna wasn¡¯t bothered by how his relationship with Sinit?a had developed. Since he had previously turned Akna down, he had been worried she might be upset or jealous. Luckily, it had been a needless worry.


    Sinit?a reached out and took his hand, but instead of holding it, she took the handkerchief back and used it to dab his face. ¡°You got some of my make-up on you when we kissed.¡± With a snicker, she took his hand again, this time holding onto it. ¡°Shall we go?¡±


    He nodded and they headed out on deck.


    Akna was standing on the port side looking out over the busy docks. As he approached, she spoke without turning. ¡°This ship is a lot bigger than the one we took to Scovese. Bigger even than the one Felit?a and I sailed up the Tirin in.¡± She looked back at him. ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    That question again. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ve been better, but, you know¡­¡±


    She smiled, turned fully around, and spread her arms. They hugged.


    ¡°I hear the creature was twenty feet tall and would have destroyed every ship in the harbour if you hadn¡¯t blown up part of the quay and dropped it in the water.¡±


    Meleng groaned. ¡°It wasn¡¯t twenty feet tall. It was normal size. I don¡¯t know. Six feet maybe. Not even as tall as that guy.¡± He pointed at a particularly tall man moving amongst the crowd on the pier close to the next ship over. Pale and bald, the man stood head and shoulders above even the tallest people around him.


    Akna turned to look. ¡°What guy?¡±


    He pointed again. ¡°Over there. Oh.¡± The man was gone. ¡°There was a really tall guy over there by that ship. He must have gone behind it.¡±


    ¡°Not so tall, he sticks above it, huh?¡± Akna laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not so na?ve anymore that I believed it was actually twenty feet tall.¡±


    He leaned against the rail beside her. ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Better every day. It¡¯s nice to be able to sleep again. I¡¯m less exhausted. My senses are alert again. I noticed you approach, you might have noticed?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    She turned to face him while leaning sideways against the rail. ¡°I also notice your eyes are red from crying. You sure you¡¯re okay?¡±


    He grimaced. ¡°Oh. I hoped they would have cleared by now. I...uh¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to explain.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just...it¡¯s weird, you know? I faced the creature without a problem. I¡¯ve faced a lot of things without much problem, but when I fell in the water, I just¡­¡±


    She smiled at him. ¡°I get it. Believe me, I do.¡±


    Sinit?a came up beside him and put an arm around him. ¡°You two should talk to each other.¡±


    ¡°We are talking to each other,¡± Meleng said. ¡°We talk all the time. I mean, it¡¯s been a couple of days, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what she means,¡± Akna said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Sinit?a said. ¡°You both had someone playing around with your head. You should talk about it.¡± She squeezed Meleng. ¡°Akna can probably understand better than me.¡±


    ¡°I talk to Anita all the time,¡± Akna said, ¡°and she¡¯s great. She¡¯s supportive, but I know she doesn¡¯t really understand. She hasn¡¯t been through it. Felit?a would probably understand, but she¡¯s not that available right now, and even when she is, she¡¯s not that open about things anyway. I could use someone else to talk to.¡±


    Meleng looked at each of them in turn. ¡°You two planned this before you got here, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    As she always did whenever she was embarrassed, Akna looked away. ¡°We needed something to talk about on the way here, and she practically begged me to talk to you. Which she didn¡¯t really need to do, but¡­¡±


    ¡°You did?¡± Meleng said.


    ¡°Because she can help you!¡± Sinit?a said. ¡°And you can help her. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    He leaned his head on her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re probably right. We¡¯ll talk.¡±


    Sinit?a beamed. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you alone then.¡±


    ¡°You mean, right now?¡± Meleng said.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    Meleng looked at Akna, who shrugged. ¡°Okay,¡± she said.


    With a soft squeal, Sinit?a kissed him on the forehead and turned away.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Akna asked. ¡°You need me to escort you back to the palace, remember?¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Sinit?a said. ¡°I¡¯m just going to go talk to Eti?nne and Miana. Come find me when you¡¯re finished.¡± Then she practically skipped across the deck.


    Akna sighed. ¡°I think she thinks one conversation will cure us.¡±


    ¡°Cure us of what?¡±


    ¡°Our trauma. You can¡¯t really cure that. She means well, though, and it probably will help us, even if only a little. So tell me a little of what happened in Isyaria.¡±


    ¡°I have to start?¡±


    She smiled. ¡°You already know a little more about what happened to me than I do about what happened to you, so yes. You start.¡±


    Meleng hesitated a moment, but then nodded. She and Sinit?a were probably right. He had felt pretty comfortable just having Sinit?a to listen to him, but she was limited in how much advice she could offer. Maybe this was a good idea. Maybe this would help him stop double-checking the reality of everything. ¡°Okay. Can we go somewhere private though?¡±


    ¡°Wherever you want.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go to our cabin. I mean the one Jorvan, Feviona, Sinit?a, and I used.¡±


    Akna took his hand and squeezed it. ¡°You got it. Lead on.¡±


    Hand in hand, they headed below deck, where Meleng proceeded to open up.

 Book 3, Chapter 5: The Dead of Night (Part 1)

    A bitter wind blew along the side of the cathedral, picking up snow from the boughs of a couple leafless trees on the grounds. The sky was overcast, making for an almost pitch-black night, which would make for perfect conditions if not for the blasted cold. At least she would be going inside soon.


    Zandrue scanned the side of the cathedral. There was a single door here towards the back and a couple of large stained-glass windows. Higher up, there were a couple of regular windows, and each of the two towers on this side had a window even higher up. The door was the obvious way in, but also the way she was most likely to be caught. The cathedral ran a shelter for the homeless, so there were definitely people inside. However, climbing up to any of those higher windows was fraught with its own dangers. On the plus side, no light came from any of those windows, so the rooms beyond were either unoccupied or their inhabitants were asleep.


    ¡°Why are you delaying?¡± Jorvan asked.


    She looked back at him. ¡°Just debating the best way in. And where they might hide however they send messages. Assuming it¡¯s something that can even be hidden and not just a magic spell or something.¡±


    ¡°A spell is unlikely,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°It would indicate a practitioner of a lost discipline, which ought to be impossible.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Any idea what it was?¡±


    ¡°Sounds positively unpleasant.¡± There always seemed to be something new to worry about. They never got any proper time to rest before something else tried to kill them. First, Darkers. Now, unkillable fire creatures. What next? Felit?a had said something about a prophecy saying demons would come for her this year. Was this creature one of those, or were the demons something else entirely?


    ¡°Okay, thinking aloud. Jump in if you have any ideas to add. If I wanted to hide something in a cathedral, where would I do it? The basement possibly. That¡¯s a good place to hide things. It¡¯s easy to hide entire rooms in basements.¡±


    Jorvan looked up and then back at her. ¡°Perhaps. I have carried Meleng and Sinit?a before, as well as a girl in Ninifin. However, you are taller even than Sinit?a. Less fat, but more muscle. I suspect you are heavier than any of them. Fevionawishtensen could do it.¡±


    ¡°I realise,¡± Jorvan said. ¡°It is a short trip, so I am certain I can manage it. Which tower do you wish me to take you to?¡±


    That was the question. Four towers to choose from, each one dedicated to one of the gods. Which god would they choose to help hide something like this? If there were Darkers operating here, the Tower of Night would be the perfect irony. But which tower was Night¡¯s? Was there a way to tell from the outside? She was fairly certain it was one of the ones at the back, but the one on this side or the other side?


    Zandrue did as he asked, and he looped his arms around her shoulders tightly.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°Hold on tight,¡± he said.


    arcraime hopefuls. It had been a long time, but this would be nothing in comparison.


    Zandrue sniffed, then leaned in closer to each one in turn and sniffed again. All had virtually no scent, which was perhaps not too surprising, as they hadn¡¯t been sweating or doing anything to accentuate their scents. Still, she would have expected some scent of decay, though perhaps the cold was keeping them preserved. Either that or they had died very recently. Or both.


    One of the women was covered in frost and even had bits of ice on her, which indicated she might have been here a while. The other bodies were not similarly frost-covered, though the other woman had dirt smudges in several places. The man¡¯s body was completely clean.


    ¡°Do you have any idea who they are?¡± Jorvan asked.


    She nodded, then turned her attention back to the bodies. She cautiously ran a finger along the man¡¯s chest. ¡°No hair.¡± She lifted his arm and looked closely at it. No hair there either. There seemed to be no hair anywhere on his body. A quick check of the two women confirmed they were the same. ¡°They¡¯re all hairless.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right there. Hybrids?¡±

 Book 3, Chapter 5: The Dead of Night (Part 2)

    The stairs spiralled down along the perimeter of the tower, with the space in the middle just an empty shaft. She soon passed the window she¡¯d seen from outside, and then a little while later, the stairs reached a floor with a door. The stairs continued down beyond here.


    Zandrue approached the door. It was hard to tell how far down she¡¯d gone, but the main building had two storeys, so this door presumably went to one of those. She leaned in close and turned her ear to the door.


    There was a hint of laughter somewhere beyond the door. Presumably people in the shelter. The laughter didn¡¯t sound close, though it was probably best to avoid going that way unless she couldn¡¯t find anything anywhere else. Finding a basement was probably a better place to search anyway, so she should keep going down.


    The stairs only spiralled down a little farther before coming to an end in a small dark space. A large object, probably a crate, sat in the corner under the stairs, but the room was otherwise empty.


    Thick cobwebs hung from the stairs, and there was a brief flash as the flame from the lantern burned some of them away. The object was definitely a crate, covered in dust and more cobwebs. The rest of the space was clean though, free of dust and webs. So they made enough effort to clean everywhere but under the stairs, but not use it.


    She shrugged and turned away. The crate obviously hadn¡¯t been touched in ages, so probably wasn¡¯t anything she was looking for. Perhaps one of the other towers would give better results. She just had to get across to them.


    She prepared to blow out the lantern, but stopped. There was a small smudge of something on the floor near the wall by her feet. Probably nothing, but she knelt down to examine it anyway. It was a rusty red colour. She licked her finger, then rubbed it over the smudge. Bringing her finger to her nose, she sniffed.


    Okay, this was getting ridiculous. This was supposed to be a church after all. She had thought earlier how it would be the perfect irony if Darkers were using Night¡¯s tower, but she hadn¡¯t seriously expected that to be the case. ¡°Come on, guys,¡± she muttered. ¡°Get a little creative.¡± If she were running their organisation, she definitely wouldn¡¯t choose a place so obvious for their nefarious activities. Still, it was fortuitous for her if they didn¡¯t have more imagination.


    However, there were some scratch marks¡ªcompletely unnoticeable unless someone held a lantern right up to them. They formed an arc from the wall by the blood spot.


    She stood up again and examined the wall above the scratches, where she found the barest hint of a split in the stone. Following it, she traced the outline of a door.


    The second question was, should she open it? There was no telling what¡ªor who¡ªwas directly on the other side. It could be extremely dangerous to go in. Still, this was exactly the kind of thing she was looking for. The main problem was whether there was anyone directly on the other side. If there wasn¡¯t, she was reasonably certain she could continue on unseen even if there were people farther in. Other doors were presumably not as big and heavy as this one.


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    She blew out the lantern and hurried to the stairs, running up them to the floor above. Whoever was coming out would presumably come up these stairs, but how far? They might only come as far as this floor, unless they were going all the way up to where the bodies were stored.


    A moment later, two figures came up the stairs and approached the door. One was small¡ªa child perhaps. The other was tall and broad. It was too dark to make out much more detail, and she definitely couldn¡¯t smell them from here.


    The taller figure opened the door, letting through a bit of light from beyond. The tall one was a muscular woman with a shrivelled ear on the side of her head Zandrue could see. The other was a boy, maybe a little older than Corvinian, with brown hair. She couldn¡¯t see his face, but there was something familiar about him. Had she seen him somewhere?


    With a smile, he spread his wings and flew across to her. She had been gone for hours, and he was starting to get worried. Dawn would be approaching soon.


    She shook her head. ¡°Nothing. Nothing of relevance, anyway. I went down Night¡¯s tower, crossed through the main building, tried the front two towers, then made my way back to this one. They have some interesting stuff here. I mean, this tower has a room filled with some beautiful artwork dedicated to Nature, but that¡¯s hardly useful. I did find the room where they store their records and went through what was there, but they apparently don¡¯t store records of communications there.¡± She sighed. ¡°I had hoped there was some sort of device, a magical item that allowed them to communicate so fast, but that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case. They don¡¯t even have a rookery for message birds. What a fucking waste. Sorry for dragging you out here.¡±


    ¡°There is no need to apologise. I enjoyed having time outside, and the sky cleared a little, allowing me to see the stars. I was also able to meditate, which will make Mikranasta happy. She always wants me to do more.¡±


    Zandrue shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I need to think about it. I might focus on trying to find Darkers in the palace. There must be some still there. Maybe if I can find them, I can find a link back here.¡±


    With a sigh, she straightened up again. ¡°Want to fly me down to the ground, or hell, all the way back to the palace?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you can return here another night and search again. Perhaps you just missed something.¡±


    Jorvanultumn understood her frustration. The bodies were a clear indication something unusual was going on, but to find nothing else after hours of searching would have frustrated him as well. It seemed likely she had missed something. It was a very large building, after all, and not a mark of shame at all if searching it required multiple attempts. However, he would wait until she had fully calmed down before attempting to suggest again that she come back. He also should not keep her waiting to fly.


    Their previous flight together had not been an exceedingly large strain on him. He was not sure if he could make it all the way to the palace, but he could make it at least partway, so he would fly her as far as he could manage. He spread his wings and leapt into the air.

 Book 3, Chapter 6: Childish Antics

    ¡°Hey squirt. What¡¯s up?¡±


    The guard looked dumbfounded. ¡°He¡¯s a commoner, ma¡¯am, and not in the service of anyone here.¡±


    She should probably tell him off for his language, but it brought a smile to her face, so she let it go.


    Although it made a loud clang on the metal, the guard didn¡¯t seem to notice, or wisely pretended not to notice.


    She stepped up close to him, almost touching him. He was taller than her and probably stronger, but he wisely took a step back. She¡¯d knock him on his ass in a moment if he tried anything. ¡°You¡¯re right. However, in future, check! It¡¯s not hard to send a message to her Highness or her Ladyship, or anyone else. Then they can confirm the person¡¯s story. Got it, asshole?¡±


    ¡°Good. Come on, Corvin. Let¡¯s take a walk.¡± She turned and walked out the gate.


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    ¡°Hypocritical?¡±


    She supposed it was. When she was Corvin¡¯s age, she wasn¡¯t holding back on any of the language she was using. Neither were the adults around her. They¡¯d been speaking Ninifin, not Arnorgue, of course, but they were using the equivalent words. She sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right, it¡¯s pretty fucking hypocritical.¡±


    Corvin gasped mockingly. ¡°You¡¯re a fucking hypocrite.¡±


    Akna groaned. ¡°Would you quit it with the language?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine too.¡± It wasn¡¯t exactly the truth, but he didn¡¯t need the full details. He was too young to burden with the trauma of having your mind invaded and manipulated. Though, to be fair, she was feeling a lot better. Just being able to sleep again had made a huge difference, and talking to Meleng yesterday had helped a little more.


    It had been Anita¡¯s idea that she take charge of palace security. Akna hadn¡¯t really wanted it, but Anita said it would give her something to do, since she was so obviously lost in the palace. She had to agree Anita was right about that. Akna loved Anita, but she didn¡¯t love the palace life of Foliths.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll be that tall when I grow up?¡±


    ¡°Corvinian, you don¡¯t have¡­¡± She trailed off and stopped walking, as this time, there actually was someone where Corvin was pointing.


    At the far side of the alley, another Isyar¡ªthis one an adult¡ªcame around the corner behind the young one, grabbing them by the shoulder. The new one pointed a finger towards Corvin and shook his head. Then he lead the young Isyar out of the alley and around the corner. For a brief moment, yet another Isyar, this one even younger than the first peeked around the corner, then also ducked away.


    Akna looked both ways. There were lots of people on the street, but no Isyar. ¡°That was fast.¡±


    Akna sighed. She was being paranoid. The two events were almost certainly unrelated. ¡°Come on, Corvin. Let¡¯s get back to the palace. I¡¯m tired of walking.¡±

 Book 3, Chapter 7: Making Do

    Oddly, she was starting to feel guilty about feeling tired. It was as if she had spent so much time sleep deprived, her mind had somehow convinced itself she wasn¡¯t allowed to ever be tired again¡ªwhich was nonsense, of course. Tiredness was part of life and she was going to continue experiencing it from time to time.


    She was going through The Foretellings of Eleuia again. Since most of her previous study of the book had been while sleep deprived, she wondered if maybe she had missed something. Also, the creature Meleng and Feviona had encountered two days ago had left her constantly thinking about the passage on the page the book was currently open to: In 2333, the demons will come for the Will-Breaker.


    Was the fire being one of these demons? There was no way to know. Even the word demons might be a mistranslation. The Ninifin word could also mean simply darkness worshipper. But so many Darkers had come for her recently, surely the passage referred to something different.


    So maybe the fire being was one of these demons. If it was, there would be more, since whether the word meant demon or not, it was in the plural. If the fire being wasn¡¯t one of the demons, then there were still other things to come, so it didn¡¯t really make much difference. She needed to be ready for them somehow.


    As usual, he didn¡¯t respond, just continued to stand silently in the corner of the library, watching her in that disconcerting way of his.


    There had been no sign of Mikranasta to take over for him today, which meant he¡¯d been up all night and now all day as well. He had even been forced to drag Felit?a with him several times in order to relieve himself. In a way, that was a bit of poetic justice, considering she always had to relieve herself in either his or his mother¡¯s presence. However, she did feel bad that he wasn¡¯t getting any rest time today. And while today was more extreme than others, he also seemed to get the brunt of the time with her. Mikranasta seemed to do about eight hours total with her most days, while Hedromornasta did the remaining. It wasn¡¯t exactly balanced, though Mikranasta probably justified it as something to do with Hedromornasta¡¯s training¡ªto teach him to not be so angry all the time, perhaps, though if so, it wasn¡¯t working very well.


    With a sigh, Felit?a pulled the book closer to her and stared at the page again. She hadn¡¯t had much luck finding anything new she could be certain applied to her, but she had found one passage that might possibly, and she flipped to that now.


    Trust not the passage of time. The past can deceive, the future confuse, or the future deceive and the past confuse. Seek the doubled blade of knowledge and power.


    Most of the foretellings were pretty straight-forward in their meaning, such as the one just before the last one: 2337 will be a year with a record harvest. There was little about that one¡¯s meaning to question, other than the location where the harvest would occur. However, a few were less obvious, and even a couple were downright cryptic: The time approaches 10,000. When 10,000 is reached, the decision must be made: hell or hell. Felit?a was actually fairly certain she knew the basic meaning of that one¡ªa decision will need to be made where there are no good choices, only bad ones¡ªbut it still gave no mention of ten thousand what.


    She had assumed the final foretelling was just trying to copy the style of the more cryptic ones to hide the fact that maybe none of them were trustworthy. But maybe that was just what she had wanted the last one to mean.


    However, she had realised today that she had been mistranslating it. Previously, she had translated the third sentence as Seek the double blade of knowledge and power. Read that way, it was just a metaphor of a blade with two edges representing other things.


    But the word was doubled, not double.


    That was the problem with reading in a language not your native. Mistakes were so easy to make. She had double-checked with Nin-Akna and made certain that, yes, it was doubled. That changed the meaning somewhat, suggesting instead something that had been copied. Perhaps even an actual blade? A sword?


    There was a rap on the door, and a servant entered and gave a flourishing bow. ¡°Your Highness, Agernon¡ªno last name¡ªis here to see you.¡±


    Agernon glanced over. ¡°Pheh.¡±


    He stared at her a moment, then lifted his cane up and laid it on the table in front of him. ¡°Look, Felit?a, I really don¡¯t like you being here. Years ago, when Elderaan brought you to me, I only agreed to test you because you assured me we¡¯d be snubbing our noses at the nobility. Yet here you are now, hobnobbing with them, living with them. I hear you even plan to give a public audience, sitting on the fucking throne.¡±


    ¡°I know. I just¡­¡± She lowered her head and closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°There¡¯s so much going on, so much I need to do. I have to learn to control my abilities. I have to figure out these damn foretellings. I have to track down Darkers before they kill us all. Soon, there are supposed to be demons coming to kill me as well. I need all the help I can get.¡±


    She looked him in the eyes. ¡°Because I need resources, Agernon. I¡¯m broke. The money from selling Elderaan¡¯s shop dried up ages ago. Anita¡¯s funding me at the moment. She¡¯s paying for Captain Gen to stay here, for¡ª¡±


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    She shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but I¡¯ve already been from one side of this continent to the other and dragged halfway across the world. I¡¯m probably going to need it eventually. Anita¡¯s only asking that I stay with her while I¡¯m in the city. My presence helps solidify her position. Having royalty¡ªeven disgraced royalty¡ªsupporting her gives her a political edge when dealing with other local nobility and other provinces. It¡¯s the least I can do for her when she¡¯s doing so much for me. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    There was awkward silence again. Felit?a wished she could sense his feelings¡ªnot that she couldn¡¯t tell what they were. It was obvious he was upset and angry. Rather, she wanted to know the intensity of those feelings. Just how angry was he at her? She hated to think she was letting him down in any way.


    Felit?a¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    ¡°Perhaps, but when someone is talking¡­ Is shit the right word? I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m still mastering your language. When someone is talking shit about me behind my back, it tends to annoy me.¡±


    Felit?a slammed her hand down on the table as she stood up. ¡°Enough!¡±


    Felit?a held up her now somewhat sore hand. ¡°Agernon, please. Mikranasta, that was inexcusable. Do not ever treat my friends like that, no matter what they¡¯re saying about you. Talk to them, or ask me to talk to them, but don¡¯t ever do anything like that again.¡±


    Felit?a picked up the necklace and tied it around her neck. ¡°Thank you, Agernon.¡±


    Felit?a sighed. ¡°Where have you been? Poor Hedromornasta here has¡­¡± She stopped. Hedromornasta wasn¡¯t there. He must have slipped out when Mikranasta arrived¡ªand Felit?a had failed to notice that as well, failed to even notice the switch-over of control of the shield.


    ¡°Perhaps, but we also need to work on my telepathy. That is specifically what you¡¯re supposed to be helping me with.¡±


    ¡°I confess I also wished to wait until you were tired at the end of the day. I wanted to see how you deal with tiredness.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen that already.¡±


    The Room sprang up instantly at Felit?a¡¯s call, bare and empty apart from the black walls and the broken grey ones. For now, she kept the sensations of the rest of her mind out.


    A moment later, Mikranasta¡¯s magical presence appeared. Not bad. There are some definite improvements.


    I¡¯m glad you noticed. She wasn¡¯t actually, though she was reasonably certain was successfully hiding that feeling from Mikranasta. She had spent hours yesterday restructuring the Room¡¯s black walls to make them stronger, but still appear the same strength to anyone trying to invade her mind. It was good that she¡¯d succeeded in making them stronger, but disappointing that Mikranasta had noticed so quickly.


    I see you¡¯re also hiding casual thoughts from me. Good. I¡¯m now going to attempt to distract you. I am going to send you an itching sensation. Let it through. It is not dangerous, merely annoying, but it will become steadily more so. I want you to keep your defences ready for any other threats. I won¡¯t do anything that is actually dangerous, but I will occasionally do other things, and I want you to block those. The moment a stray thought gets through to me, or you fail to block anything I do apart from the itch, you¡¯ve failed, and we¡¯ll start again. Understood?


    I understand. Elderaan used to do a similar exercise with me.


    I¡¯m glad he did at least one thing right.


    Gradually, the itch got worse.


    Felit?a focused on basic concentration exercises, not allowing the itch to bother her. Could she get away with using the prayer beads to help her? No, Mikranasta probably wouldn¡¯t approve. Besides, it would be more satisfying to succeed on her own merits.


    Felit?a gasped, and the black walls of the Room shook apart. She put them right back together. They were only down for a split second, but it was too late. She¡¯d failed. The itch was gone.


    She opened her eyes as Mikranasta walked back round the table to her stool. When she sat, she stared back at Felit?a with her thin eyes, saying nothing.


    Of course, almost all the distractions after that were magical. They ranged from the incredibly pungent stink of a skunk to a feather tickling her toes, a sneeze that just wouldn¡¯t come, a high-pitched whine in her ear, and more.


    Mikranasta made one other attempt at a non-magical distraction. Felit?a kept her eyes open the entire time, watching both the real library and the Room in her head. When Mikranasta threw a small stone at her, she caught it and didn¡¯t lose concentration. So at least she had that to be proud of.


    Felit?a nodded. She was exhausted and didn¡¯t need much convincing to get some rest.


    Felit?a gathered up her notes and The Foretellings of Eleuia, and headed for the door. It occurred to her that she hadn¡¯t had any dinner, and only just now noticed how hungry she was. She would have to grab something before settling down. She turned to Hedromornasta. ¡°Fancy a bite to eat?¡±

 Book 3, Chapter 8: News (Part 1)

    ¡°


    her?¡±


    cute animal, as her Highness puts it, but rather the general air of calm and kindness it represents. People do react subconsciously to images around them. A picture of you seated on your throne with a warrior woman at your side projects strength, which is a nice thing to have in a portrait, but having Jeanne there as well, also projects kindness. People seeing your portrait, will see you as both a strong ruler and a kind, just one.¡±


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 Book 3, Chapter 8: News (Part 2)

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    Burn. That was the word Meleng had said the creature that attacked him and Feviona had said repeatedly.


    Lady. Is that understood?¡±


    Kill.


    That is the only response to those who hurt you. Kill them. Without mercy.


    Gods, Zandrue. I wish I knew what I could do to help you. There was so much fear and anger, most of it buried deep down, but ready to explode at any moment.