Whispers of Time

by Gwendolyn Ilimaris

  “Yes, your majesty.”

  “See to it that rooms are prepared for everyone."

  The healer bowed as she turned and then hurried from the room. Ronin watched her leave before he looked over everyone. His eyes widened when his gaze fell on Paige. He tilted his head and appeared to be confused and curious all at the same time. It took several moments before he could pull his attention away from her. He continued to observe the others and started to shake his head with a small amused smile.

  “You all look terrible,” he said as he looked at Wren. “It is truly a shock that the two generals of the elven nation would fair so poorly when my dragons faired this well.”

  A look of disapproval flashed across Wren’s face, “It has been a long road.”

  Ronin nodded, he knew there was much to discuss but it would have to wait until they had a chance to recover. He was about to say as much when a loud knock on the study door caused him to look over. His expression darkened when it opened without his permission and one of his generals rushed into the room.

  “Forgive me, your majesty,” he said. “A rider has just arrived and insists that he must speak with you at once.”

  Ronin frowned, “Very well, Yosheido, show him in.” Yosheido stepped to the side and assisted an injured rider into the room. Rin’s eyes widened with concern when she saw him.

  “Orbryn?” she asked. The elf froze when he heard her voice and it took him several moments before he staggered across the room and dropped to his knees in front of her.

  “Forgive me, my lady,” he gasped as he dropped his head. “I have failed you.”

  “What has happened?”

  “I tried to stop her,” he said, his voice panicked. “She would not listen.”

  Rin was becoming confused and even more concerned. She had never seen her second in command so shaken. “Who?” She asked but he still would not look up at her.

  “Your mother,” he whispered.

  Rin felt as if her blood turned to ice as she moved enough that she could grab his shoulder. His eyes flicked to her face. “What about my mother?” Her voice was laced with fear and she squeezed his arm so tight it was painful, but he made no response to it.

  “I… I was prepared to leave,” he began, his voice distraught. “All the other riders were safely out of the city, but I noticed your mother. She appeared quite angry and I asked her what troubled her. She told me something about your father turning your rooms into a guest suite and she intended to speak with him.” He paused and took a deep breath. “I could not shake the unease I felt, and I tried to convince her not to go. She refused and would not allow me to accompany her either. I attempted to tail her but got caught up with some city guards. They were demanding to know where you and the riders were. By the time I was able to get away from them and arrived at your father’s study, I could hear raised voices. I tried to get into the room, but he had some kind of barrier over the door. He told her that if she was not on his side then she was also his enemy. I fought to get the barrier down as fast as I could, but it was too late. She was… was already gone. He…” Orbryn trailed off when he could not continue. The room was enveloped in a death like stillness while everyone sat in disbelieving silence.

  “No,” Rin gasped breaking the silence with great heaving sobs. Kaedin wrapped both arms around her and picked her up. She clung to him while he looked for somewhere to give her privacy. He saw Ronin tilt his head toward a door leading to his private rooms and he hurried through it.

  “For…forgive me,” Orbryn muttered. Ronin stepped forward and put his hand on the elf’s shoulder.

  “I am certain there is nothing to forgive,” Ronin said, his voice soft. “We know that you did everything that you could.” He looked over at Yosheido. “See that he is cared for and you are sworn to secrecy.” He helped the injured elf back to his feet and ushered him to his general. Yosheido got a firm grip on his arm and assisted the rider commander out of the room. Once they were gone, Ronin looked back at Wren and found that he was watching him.

  “He is no longer the elf that we once knew,” Wren said, his voice cracking. “Please, allow me tonight and I shall be prepared to speak with you in the morning.”

  “Anything that you need is yours,” Ronin replied.

  “Thank you,” Wren whispered before he headed for the door of the study. He pulled it open and disappeared down the hallway.

  Ronin watched him leave as he unconsciously rested a hand on his chest. A sudden ache at the memory of losing his own father returned when he thought of what his close friends were now enduring. He grimaced; the pain never really goes away.

  With a shake of his head, he glanced at one of the guards still inside the room. “Take them to the rooms that have been prepared and be certain that they need for nothing.”

  The guard bowed and stepped out of the room. He waited until everyone was on their feet and following him before he led them away from the study. They walked a short way down the hall. At the end, they took a large set of stone stairs down a floor. On the new floor, they passed several doors before the guard stopped in front of two large, dark brown doors. He knocked on the first of the two and it was opened by the healer who had tended them earlier.

  “I shall take it from here,” she said with a friendly smile. He acknowledged her with a head bow before he left to return to his post.

  Sara peeked up at the elven woman standing in front of them. Her hair was a light brown and she was dressed in dark navy robes that were lined with silver. There were delicate runes along the bottom in a light sea blue that was the same shade as her eyes.

  “I am Lyra,” she said. “You shall be staying in these two rooms. The first is for the young ladies and the gentleman shall stay next door.” She indicated a large black door a short distance down the hallway. Her eyebrows rose when she noticed the look of disapproval on Raven and Jake’s face. “There is nothing to fear within the city. You are all safe here.” She paused and folded her arms across her chest with a stern look. “It is not appropriate for you to share a room with the young ladies.”

  Sara looked up at Jake when she felt his grip on her hand tighten. Her face clouded with worry when she saw he was leaning on the wall beside him to remain on his feet.

  “My lady,” Jaeha said with a frown. “I understand that rules of propriety state that they must be housed separately, however, they have been through much, and the humans do not hold to the same rules.”

  Lyra shook her head, “I do not wish to insult their customs, but they must respect ours while they stay in our homes.” She reached toward Sara and beckoned for her to come closer. Sara did not move, and Lyra sighed. “I shall not harm you, but I must be certain that you are both tended properly, and there is a bath and fresh clothing for both of you in the room.”

  Sara glanced up at Paige at the word bath. A grin appeared on both of their faces. Sara squeezed Jake’s hand before she let go. He did not appear pleased, but he nodded with a sigh. If she wanted to clean up, he was not going to keep her from doing it. She gave him a shy smile before she headed into the room. Paige watched her go before she pointed down. Raven started to shake his head but a pout from Paige caused him to sigh and he set her on her feet. She clung to the wall and moved toward the room. Lyra hurried to her and helped to steady her so that they could walk through the door. Once they were inside, Lyra closed it behind them. The four left in the hallway stared at the door.

  “I believe our room is next door,” Jaeha said tilting his head down the hall. Raven and Jake both remained staring at the door until Jaeha cleared his throat. They both looked over at him and he again tilted his head toward the door. Jake frowned with a heavy sigh before he started to move down the hall with Hikaru’s help. They all entered their room and closed the door once they were inside.

  Paige and Sara sat on their bed once they were cleaned up. They were given noble attire and they both stared at the clothing. Sara had on a deep emerald green gown that came down to her fee
t. It was lined with silver lining and had a matching chain belt. Paige was dressed in a similar fashion, but her gown was a sunflower yellow. After a few minutes they both looked up and when they realized they were both staring at the clothes they giggled. It felt great to sit and relax together.

  “Well, what about you?” Paige asked, breaking the silence. “I feel like exploring.” A grin flashed across her face.

  Sara was unable to conceal her surprise. “Are you sure? You… I mean… you were…” She looked down at the floor when she could not bring herself to say the word dead.

  “I’m fine,” Paige said with a frown. “I’d like to forget all about that. I mean, yeah, I still hurt but it’s not that bad.”

  Sara nodded but was not convinced. She knew it was very painful after watching the elves deal with injuries, and they were stronger than Paige.

  “Where do you want to go?” Sara asked with a heavy sigh a few moments later. “Are we taking someone with us?”

  A mischievous grin flashed across Paige’s face. “I have no idea, but that’s half the fun and no way are we taking anyone. I don’t want or need looked after.”

  Sara sighed again but nodded. She knew this was Paige’s way of dealing with what happened to her. “Let’s go.” She said with a small shudder. She was not looking forward to Jake and Raven’s reaction when they got back. Paige did not notice and headed for the door with slow, heavy steps. She pulled it open just enough to peer into the hallway. When she saw no one, she pushed it open the rest of the way and after hooking her arm with Sara’s, she headed for the stairs.

  “Up or down?” Sara asked when they paused.

  “Down,” Paige replied without any hesitation. “We already kind of know what’s up. We need to see if we can find the actual city and shops.”

  Sara smiled at her friend’s enthusiasm as they headed down the stairs. They went down one level and paused to look around. It appeared to be more rooms like the floor above, so they continued down another set. The next several floors were all the same and they continued down. When they reached the bottom of the staircase it opened up into an enormous cavern. Their mouths both dropped open when they saw all the shops carved into the walls of the cavern with more vendors set up in aisles in between.

  Paige’s face lit up when she saw all the merchandise. She and Sara meandered their way through the shops and vendor stands. There was anything anyone could wish to find. Clothing, weapons, potions, magic items, herbs, and many different types of food.

  “Dang, I sure wish we had some money,” Paige groaned as she picked up a black leather, handcrafted backpack with multiple storage compartments. She sighed when she set it back on the table. Sara gave her an apologetic shrug before they continued walking. They made it through a few more shops when Paige started to tire, and they headed over to a large fountain in the center of the cavern. They sat down on the stone half wall around it.

  “I sure hope things are going to calm down now,” Sara said as she watched the people walk past them. There were folks from all over Asaetara in the city. Dwarves, dragons, elves, and a human or two could be seen from where she was sitting. Her brows furrowed as she observed the humans. They were Viking like and barbaric. It made her uncomfortable to be anywhere near them.

  “I doubt that’s going to happen,” Paige said, pulling her attention back to her. “I mean especially with them just losing their mom.”

  Sara sighed, and her gaze fell to the floor. “I can hear a lot of her thoughts,” she whispered.

  “How bad is it?” Paige asked as she looked over at her.

  “She is a mess. It sounded like she was blaming herself, but her thoughts stopped a few minutes ago. I hope she is asleep or something.”

  “Or Kaedin knocked her out,” Paige said with a giggle. Sara just stared at her and Paige laughed harder. “I’m just kidding. He’d never do anything to hurt her.” Paige paused, and her expression darkened. “I really hope she doesn’t blame herself. I mean, I know what that’s like and it’s really painful.” Sara only nodded and the two fell silent. She watched the fountain for a while before she saw Paige put her hand on her chest.

  “We should go back,” Sara said, her voice concerned. “You don’t look that good anymore.”

  Paige sighed, but nodded without any argument. She was very tired, and the pain of the wound was becoming more noticeable now that her excitement was wearing off. Sara stood up and held her arm out for Paige to hold on to when she paused. Her eyes widened as she scanned the room.

  “Do you remember which way?” She asked, her voice taking on a panicked edge. Paige glanced looked around before she grimaced. She did not remember the direction either.

  “Let’s just head back to the edge of the cavern and work our way around,” Paige said as she pointed at the wall. “The stairs were on the outside somewhere.”

  Some of the panic fled from Sara’s face when Paige was still calm. She helped Paige get up before they made their way to the side of the cavern. It took them quite a while and by the time they found the stairs Paige was struggling to keep moving. They only made it up half a flight before Paige leaned against the wall.

  “Lean on me,” Sara said, her voice concerned. “We need to get you back to the room soon.” Paige frowned, but put her arm over Sara’s shoulder. The two climbed a couple of flights before Paige had to sit down. She rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes. Sara started wringing her hands while she waited. She was afraid she was not going to be able to get her back to the room.

  After Paige rested for a few minutes, she decided to try to get moving again. Sara helped her back up, but they only made it a handful of stairs before Paige sat down again.

  “I’m sorry,” she muttered, her voice weak. “I just can’t go any further.”

  Sara glanced back and forth between the stairs and Paige. She did not want to leave Paige on the steps alone to go and find help.

  “What do we do?” Sara asked as she sat down next to her.

  Paige cracked an eye and looked over at her. “I don’t know. Get Jake I guess.” She grimaced when she said her brother’s name. He was not going to be happy with them.

  “Will you be alright waiting here alone?” Sara asked as she stood up. Paige leaned against the wall and closed her eyes again when her face grew pale.

  “Yeah,” she mumbled.

  “Are you ladies in need of assistance?”

  Sara spun around when a young male voice interrupted their conversation. She found a young man standing a few steps below them. His fine clothes of black with emerald trim caught Sara’s attention. It was a stark contrast to his silver and blue hair, and pale, light blue eyes. He tilted his head when she did not answer and after a moment cleared his throat.

  Sara’s gaze dropped to the floor in embarrassment. “Yes,” she whispered as her face flushed.

  The young man approached them. “May I have your names and how may I be of assistance?”

  “My name is Sara,” she said, her eyes still glued to the floor. “This is Paige. She was injured and is still healing. I can’t get her back to our room alone.” She took a couple deep breaths before she plucked up the courage to peek up at him.

  He knelt in front of Paige. “I can carry you if you will allow it,” he said, his voice quiet and gentle. After Paige nodded, he picked her up off the step and started up the stairs. “Where is the room you are trying to return to?”

  Um… I’m not sure. We…um…are on the floor right below Ronin’s study. I mean…Lord Ronin,” Sara stammered. She was not sure what she was supposed to call him.

  The young man glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. It was filled with suspicion. “You know his majesty?” His voice was full of doubt.

  “No,” Sara said shaking her head. “I don’t know him. We are here with Wren and Rin. They are the ones who know him.”

  “Rin is here?” The young man asked as he stopped dead. “When did you arrive?”

  “Several hours
ago, I think.”

  He gave her a long hard look before he turned and took the stairs two at a time. When they reached their floor, he moved to leave the stairwell and almost collided with Raven.

  “Lord Riku, please excuse me,” Raven said as he stepped aside to get out of his way. He glanced down, and his eyes widened when he saw Paige. “Paige?”

  “I take it these two are with you?” Riku asked with an amused smile.

  Raven nodded, “Yes, my lord. They were supposed to remain in their room and rest. I apologize if they caused you any trouble, and I can take her.” Riku handed Paige to Raven before he smiled again.

  “It was no trouble,” he said. “And, it was a pleasure to meet you both. I am certain that I shall be seeing more of you.” He paused, and a slight frown appeared on his face. “I would recommend that you be more cautious. There are some in the city that are not fond of humans.”

  Sara nodded in understanding. “Thank you,” she said, her voice quiet.

  “It was my pleasure,” Riku said before he headed up the stairs toward Ronin’s study. Sara watched him leave before she looked over at Raven. “Who was that?”

  “That is Lord Ronin’s younger brother,” Raven said as he looked down at her.

  Sara’s eyes widened. She was surprised someone so important would have helped them. Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw that Riku was already out of sight. When she looked back, she had to hurry to catch back up with Raven. He pushed the door open to their room and she followed him inside. Her gaze flew to the floor when she noticed Jake sitting in a chair near the door. He sighed in relief when he saw them before disapproval dominated his features.

  “As I said they are both all right,” Jaeha said from where he was standing along the back wall.

  A frown appeared on Raven’s face, “Only because Lord Riku found them. He was escorting them back to the room when I located them.” He paused and glanced down at Paige. The frown slipped when she did not argue with him and he could see the exhaustion on her face.