by Amanda Fleet
“She said to me she wouldn’t give you up,” I said.
He shook his head with a light snort. “She has no choice. It’s been settled. She has no claim on me.”
“I think she wants you to renounce me and marry her.”
“She can want that, but it isn’t going to happen.”
“Were you close?” I brushed a stray lock of hair back from his forehead. “Was the arrangement merely on paper or more physical?”
He raised a brow at me. “Even arranged marriages are expected to be consummated at some point after the wedding.”
I played with his hair. “Is that your way of saying yes, things have been physical between you?”
“No. I think she hoped we might have been close, but nothing happened.”
“Would you have married someone you didn’t love?”
A light breeze stroked our faces with cool fingers and from somewhere deep in the hedges, a songbird started up.
“Most people here do. I didn’t want to remarry at all, but I wouldn’t have had a choice. Duty to The Realm is always more important than any personal feelings.” He pulled a face. “Defend The Realm. Marry. Have children so there are new Guardians to defend The Realm.”
“That all sounds very controlled. Do you want children?”
“With you. Not with Morgan!” He caught my eye. “There isn’t really a choice. Protecting the future of The Realm includes producing new Guardians.”
I thought for a while. “Why isn’t Orian married? I mean, marriage sounds like it’s entirely for consolidating power and producing babies. He’s older than you. So why hasn’t he been married off yet?”
He pursed his lips. “He has a couple of years, but he’ll have to marry before he reaches thirty. Lady Morgan is the one who should worry. She’s already twenty-four. She’ll have to marry within the year.”
“God, no wonder she’s desperate to be rid of me!”
He reached up and caught my hand, taking it away from his hair and bringing it to his lips. He nibbled my finger, his eyes on mine, rolling his tongue over the pad of my finger. I tried to pull my hand away but his teeth tightened on me.
“Ow,” I said, though his expression was playful, and he wasn’t hurting.
His lips closed against my skin and he sucked gently. My heart raced and the images I’d had of stripping him rushed back, along with far more explicit ones.
“Stop it,” I said, trying to look admonishing.
“Stop making me think about Lady Morgan when I want to think about you.”
I moved our hands down to his chest and his heart thumped steadily against my palm. Movement on the path from the labyrinth distracted me and I turned my head. Faran followed my gaze. “Ah. The woman herself. With my brother.”
He sat up as the two approached. Orian’s mouth was sulky as his eyes darted from me to Faran and back again.
“Orian. Lady Morgan,” said Faran, rising and bowing to Lady Morgan.
She bowed back, her lip curling as she looked at me. Today, she was clad in dark charcoal grey, her long black hair braided tidily instead of flowing loose, but her antipathy to me was just the same.
“You’re not training,” she said, directing her words to Faran.
“I wished for some time alone with my wife. The Courtyard is always full of gossips and schemers, so we came here.”
I had a hard job not to laugh out loud at her expression.
“Did either of you want us for anything?” I said, making the corner of Faran’s mouth twitch with suppressed mirth.
Orian offered his arm to Lady Morgan. “No. We’ll leave you in peace. We sought solitude ourselves.”
Her eyes scoured Faran as she took Orian’s arm. Faran made a half-hearted bow to each of them and promptly turned his back on them both.
“They seem to be spending a lot of time together since your return. Perhaps Lady Morgan has moved her sights to my brother,” he said. “Do you think we’ll get an invitation to the wedding?”
“No. You’d better watch your back if there are two scheming political back-stabbers who want Orian to be Elected Successor.”
Faran laughed heartily. “Come. We should go to lunch.”
17
Towards the end of lunch, my communication button buzzed, startling me. Faran indicated for me to tap the button.
“Yes?” Who would be calling me?
“Aeron. It’s Lilja. Can I see you? After lunch?”
Panic fluttered through her voice. I glanced at Faran and he nodded, whispering, “I have to see Father, anyway.”
“Of course. Come to our rooms in about quarter of an hour.”
“Will Faran be there?”
“No. He has to see Lord Eredan. Why?”
“I’ll see you soon.”
Faran cocked a brow at me as I closed the line. “What’s upsetting Lilja?”
“Dunno. Guess I’ll find out soon.”
Lunch over, he walked me back to our suite before heading for the State Rooms.
“Stay safe. I’ll see you as soon as I can,” he said.
I didn’t have long to wait before Lilja arrived, flushed and fidgety.
“Oh, Aeron.” She perched on the edge of the seat as I closed the door, her fingers winding around each other. “Oh, Aeron, I have to tell you.”
I sat on the sofa. “If it’s that I’ll become a pawn of Aegyir’s if I go out, then your uncle has already announced that to the whole of the Council, yesterday.”
“No. Aeron, you have to go Outside!”
My brow creased. “What? I mean, apart from the fact that Lord Eredan has expressly forbidden it, the Council has voted against it, and I’ll become a traitor to The Realm if I do, why do I have to go Outside?”
“Because if you don’t, then Faran, Cerewen and Lord Sondan will be killed.”
My heart missed a beat.
“What do you mean?”
Tears shone in her eyes. “I’ve seen it. So has Steen, one of the other Seers. If you don’t go Outside, Aegyir kills Cerewen, then Lord Sondan and then Faran. He takes all of their strength and becomes too powerful for The Realm to defeat.”
My hands shook. If Aegyir got just Faran’s strength, he could become invincible.
“And how does me going Outside prevent all that? He makes me a traitor and his pawn and then magically decides he doesn’t want Faran’s strength and isn’t bothered about defeating The Realm?” I said, sarcasm shielding my fear.
Lilja plucked at her jacket. “I don’t know! All I know is that if you don’t go Outside, the three of them will be slaughtered by Aegyir and The Realm will be in danger.”
I chewed this over. “Have you told Lord Eredan this?”
“Junior Seers may only feed their visions to the First Lord and the Council through my uncle.”
I stamped down my impatience at the ridiculous rules here. “So have you told Mathas this?”
Her face fell. “Yes. He says that he understands my fears but that he sees other things that affect the interpretation of what I’m seeing.”
She blanched, and I reached over and held her hand. “You said someone else has also seen this?”
“Yes. Steen. But he’s almost as junior as I am.”
I wondered if I could ask Cerewen and Lord Sondan to join us and hear Lilja’s visions. Faran needed to hear this too. While I was working out what to do, Lilja stood and looped something around my neck, her hands fastening it at my nape. Something cold settled at the notch in my collarbone and I touched it, curious. It felt like an irregularly shaped stone, strung on a leather cord.
“What is this?” I said, my fingers still exploring it.
She sat back down and jutted her chin up. “It will protect you. Neither a wraith nor a demon can attack you when you’re wearing it. It’ll also break the link between a demon and its pawn. Though of course, if it was removed from you to do that, it would leave you unprotected.”
“Why have you given it to me? We should give it to Fa
ran. And the others.”
She shook her head. “There’s only one. You must go Outside and this will protect you.”
I reached behind me to unfasten it, only to find no break in the cord. “How do I take it off?”
“You can’t. Since I put it on you, only I can remove it.”
“Then take it off me and give it to Faran. It’s his strength we need to protect.”
“No.”
I stared at her. “Lilja!”
She pressed her lips together, her shoulders set.
“How come there’s only one?” I said. “Wouldn’t it be more sensible to make more of these?”
“There’s only one stone. No one knows of any others.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Why do you have it? No offence, but you keep reminding me that you’re a junior Seer. Why isn’t the First Lord wearing this?”
She looked away. “I stole it.”
“Who from?”
“Lord Eredan,” she said, her voice barely more than a breath.
“What? You’re kidding me!” I scrabbled at my neck. “Lilja, take it off me so we can give it back. You know what will happen if he sees me wearing it!”
She sat back, folding her hands on her lap. “I’ll tell him that it was me who stole it. I was trying to get it to you before you returned, but I wasn’t able to. Aeron, you must go Outside and find Aegyir before the men go. He’s not where you think he is. I can see the place but I don’t know where it is. Just that it’s not where he was before.”
I scrubbed my hand through my hair. “Can you describe it to me? Maybe I know where it is.”
“There’s a road. On it are buildings where people trade. As it goes away from the town, it passes between two hills before turning to the left. The road then rises and arrives at another centre of trading. He’s at this other centre.”
My heart sank. “Lilja, this describes half of Cumbria. Tell me more about this other centre. Other than buildings for trade, what can you see?”
“A stone building. Very old. Very large. It’s not in the trading centre but at the periphery of the town.”
“Describe the town?”
She closed her eyes. “There’s a large grassy space beside the trading area and immediately next to that is something that I don’t understand.” She opened her eyes again, frowning. “Two long metal things, about this far apart—” she spread her arms as wide as she could “—are on the ground, and a metal cart goes on it.” She sighed impatiently. “I’m not describing this very well. The metal cart has people in it. Lots of people. The cart is long, and it travels on the metal poles on the ground.”
I smiled. “It’s okay. I know what you mean. It’s a train. Go on.”
“If you follow the metal poles, away from the trading area, there’s a place where bodies are buried. Next to that is the old stone building. It’s tall and square with small windows and in front of it is a tall, thin stone with red flowers arranged around the base. That’s all I can see.”
“I’m pretty sure I know where you mean.”
If I was right, Aegyir was now just over five miles from the portal. I tapped my communications button to call Faran.
“Yes?” His voice was gruff.
“It’s me.”
“Is everything all right, my lady?”
“Er. I’m safe, so don’t worry about that. But I do need to talk to you about something. Urgently.”
His father muttered in the background, but Faran assured me he’d be with me soon. I closed the line and squinted at Lilja. “What can we do? Faran will follow whatever orders his father gives. Lord Eredan won’t believe anything I say. If your uncle sees something different, then he won’t support us either. What do we do?”
She bit her lip. “We tell Faran what I see. He must decide what he wants to do.”
I wish I had her faith. I wasn’t sure that even telling Faran he was going Outside to meet his death would be enough for him to disobey his father or the Council. Duty to The Realm ranked above everything.
The midday sun streamed in from above, gilding the relief on the walls. When Faran arrived, the swirl of air from the door opening churned dust motes into the light, making them sparkle. Faran shot me questioning glances as he sat down. He spotted the talisman almost immediately and his face darkened. “Where did you get that?”
“I gave it to her,” said Lilja.
“That’s my father’s. It belongs to the First Lord. How did you get it?”
She shrank back in her seat. “I stole it. To protect Aeron.”
Faran sprang up, fists clenched. “Take it off her.”
“No.”
He looked as if he’d been slapped. “Lilja, it is not yours to give! Take it off her!”
For a moment I thought she would, but she moved back. “No. Faran, I have to tell you what I’ve seen.”
She relayed her visions to Faran, sparing no details, especially not of his death.
“Faran, your mission will fail. You will all die and Aegyir will gain your strength.”
He scraped his hand over his jaw. “Why doesn’t Mathas see this?”
“I don’t know. But Steen also sees it.”
Faran paced the room, his long legs covering the space in a couple of strides, forcing him to turn repeatedly.
“Oh, for God’s sake, Faran, stand still. You’re making me dizzy,” I snapped.
He stood, breathing hard, his eyes dark.
“You and Steen have both seen this? But Mathas hasn’t?”
Lilja nodded, eyes wide. “He said he saw other things that affected my interpretation.”
“I need to hear Mathas’s views.” He glared at Lilja. “And having heard them, if I ask you to take the talisman off Aeron, you will do as you are told.”
I wasn’t sure she would. She’d defied Lord Eredan’s orders when I was banished and left The Realm to bring me various items. She’d obviously gone through his things to steal the talisman.
Faran called Mathas and asked him to come to our rooms with some urgency.
“Shouldn’t Cerewen and Lord Sondan hear this too?” I asked. “And your father?”
“Let’s hear Mathas first,” he said.
He arrived promptly and Faran welcomed him in. “Mathas, Lilja has told us that she sees my death, and the deaths of Cerewen and Lord Sondan unless Aeron goes Outside. As the Senior Seer, what is your advice?”
Mathas scowled at his niece. “Lilja and Steen have made me aware of these visions. They do not tally with what I have seen, and I see other things that also influence my advice.”
“Mathas, you need to tell us everything,” I said.
He turned to me, unsmiling. “My dear Lady Aeron, my duty is to the First Lord and the Council. Not you.”
So much for being my friend and ally.
“Mathas, three men’s lives might be at risk. Needless risk.”
His gaze rested on my throat. “I see that you have the talisman. Do you have Lord Eredan’s permission to wear it, my dear?”
“No. But I didn’t put it on, so I can’t take it off.”
“Mathas, what do you see?” Faran cut in. To stop Mathas asking about the talisman? Or just impatience?
“I have seen what I told the Council. I see Lady Aeron Outside and her becoming Aegyir’s pawn.”
“And what else? If Lady Aeron went Outside wearing the talisman, she would be protected. So what else do you see that influences your advice?” Faran said, his voice getting gravelly and his pacing increasing.
Mathas’s gaze swept the room. “I will tell you, but in private. Lilja. Would you leave us, please?”
Lilja’s eyes widened and for a moment, I thought she would stand her ground, but she scrambled up. “Maybe I’ll see you later, Aeron?”
“Sure.” I squeezed her hand, surprised at her following orders. Maybe she expected Lord Eredan to arrive and see me wearing the talisman. However rebellious Lilja was, I didn’t think she would defy a direct order from the
First Lord if he was standing right next to her.
Once the door closed, Faran turned to Mathas, his teeth gritted. Mathas settled back in the tub seat, his cherubic curls contrasting with the expression on his face.
“I haven’t told the First Lord of some of these visions. I see them clearly, but I do not yet understand them. As you know, I see Lady Aeron Outside as Aegyir’s vassal—”
“Am I wearing the talisman in this vision?” I interrupted, leaning forward on the sofa.
Faran stopped pacing and stood in the middle of the room, his arms folded, his shoulders bunched.
“I don’t know. Your neck is covered. Faran is with you, but Lord Sondan and Cerewen are not.”
“Are they already dead?”
“I don’t know. You appear dead, but you are not.”
My brow furrowed. “I’m pretending? Or what?”
“You appear dead, but you are not. I see Faran gravely ill Outside, but not slain.” Mathas paused, pinching his lips together. “And, my dearest Lady Aeron, this pains me greatly to say it, but I also see you driving a sword into your husband in the Great Hall.”
Faran’s head whipped towards me. Anger flushed my face. “I wouldn’t!”
“Nevertheless, these are the things I see.”
“So, what do you advise? That Faran and the others go Outside without me? That we wait for The Realm to be stormed by Aegyir? That three others go?”
Mathas turned to me. “Aegyir has reformed. It will take Guardians of significant strength to deal with him. I do not see the three slain Outside, the way Lilja and Steen do. The Realm is stormed. You drive a sword into Faran. That’s what I see. But what the Seers see are just options. We don’t know for certain what will happen in the end. I can’t say whether The Realm will be stormed because the Guardians go Outside, or if it is stormed because they don’t go Outside. Perhaps it is stormed today – sooner than any mission. I don’t know if you plunge a sword into Faran because you have gone Outside and become a vassal, or if that will happen if you do not go Outside.”
The sun shone on the top of my head, making my black hair hot. I shifted to the more shaded end of the sofa.
“Why haven’t you told Lord Eredan about these other visions?” asked Faran.