“Ah, and there’s the woman I always thought yah could be,” Salma said. She rested her interlocked hands on her belly and leaned back in her chair with a content smile.
Melaine looked up as footsteps turned the corner into the room.
“Melaine,” said Serj as he approached. She still wasn’t used to seeing him so well-groomed. Not only were his clothes fresh and clean, with a fine maroon jacket and vest with gold buttons, but his face was shaven, and his hair was less matted and blonder, now that it wasn’t caked in dirt. “Actaeon wants to see us.”
Melaine stood at once and smoothed her violet, poplin gown. “I’ll see you soon, Salma.”
“Oh, yes. Far be it from me ta interfere wit your meeting wit the mighty Overlord,” Salma said with a cheeky wink. Melaine rolled her eyes and followed Serj toward the eastern wing of the palace.
“How did your talks with the rebels go?” Melaine asked. “Do they believe you about the Overlord not being the true villain they thought?”
“They’re coming around, I think,” he answered. “It helps that I’m not one to sing his praises. Makes me more believable if I speak of his faults as well as his redeemable traits.”
“And what does Actaeon think of that approach?”
“Dunno yet,” Serj said with a one-shouldered shrug. “Haven’t seen him.”
Serj stopped their walk at a single wooden door carved with elegant scrollwork. He opened it a crack.
“You did all you could, Actaeon,” Karina said from within. She and Actaeon stood side by side on a balcony that overlooked Centara.
“With the Sateless, perhaps,” Actaeon said. “But it was my inadequacy as a ruler…as a man…that led to its release. Serj was right. Even Talem was, in his twisted, religious way. I’ve caused so much misery. I never accomplished what I set out to do.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Karina said, placing a maternal hand on his cheek. “You’ve accomplished more in your mere thirty-eight years than most men do in a lifetime, and you’re growing wiser with all this. I believe you’re making the right decision. Your mother would have been proud, Actaeon.”
Serj cleared his throat. Melaine caught a flicker of residual anguish on Actaeon’s face as he turned around, but he smoothed his features in an instant.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Actaeon said. “We have much to discuss before I address the people.”
“Where have you been?” Melaine asked.
“I’ve been spending time with my overseers,” he said darkly. “It seems there are a select few who have not been tainted, either by power or the Luxian Order. They’ll continue to function in the reform in some capacity.”
“And the rest?” Melaine asked.
“Imprisoned,” Actaeon said. “As to their final sentencing…I leave that up to you.”
“What?” Melaine said.
“As has been proven, my strengths lie in the study of magic and, unfortunately, war,” Actaeon said. “Not in governing. But, Serj knows about the needs and the current organization of people who are ready to make an active change. And you, Melaine, you know what life is like for the poorest citizens. If we can improve their lives, then I’ll feel like my reign has been worth something. But the people’s trust in me is broken. They need someone new to lead them. I trust you, Melaine. I give it to you. If you want it.”
Serj huffed a laugh. Melaine shot him a quick glare, almost out of habit as she tried to process what Actaeon had said.
Actaeon stepped forward and took her hands. She wasn’t wearing her gloves, and his hands felt warm and smooth.
“You are resourceful, courageous, and caring,” he said. His eyes were soft, and his voice held unwavering assurance. “You have all the traits to be an excellent leader. Centara needs a change. I had the charisma to rally an army, but I lack the diplomatic skills necessary to lead or to reopen trade with other kingdoms to repair our economy. You have skills as a negotiator, do you not?”
“What, from selling lodestones?” Melaine asked with a critical frown.
“Of course. You put everything you had into your business. A necessity, yes, but so is our trading with other kingdoms now. I closed us off for fear of corruption. I was afraid. You aren’t.”
“What do you plan to do?” Melaine asked. “If I accept this mad proposition?”
“Anything you ask,” Actaeon said, giving both of her hands a firm squeeze. “I can offer my aid, or I can stand aside, whichever you deem necessary for the welfare of Dramore. I am at your disposal, Melaine.”
“I told you I could convince the people to follow you,” Serj said. “Time to live up to my word, eh?”
Melaine frowned and looked at the floor, past the warm sight of Actaeon’s hands locked with hers. She had wanted nothing but power and status her entire life, but now that the ultimate form of power was offered to her, she suddenly felt inadequate. All of her flaws crept into her head—her past willingness to ignore others’ pain to better herself, her naiveté about the true horrors of battle and war. But Highstrong, Desiderata, the Sateless, Actaeon, they had all changed her. Actaeon’s observations were right, to a degree. Perhaps she could lead others to understand the truths she had found.
Actaeon’s deep remorse for his actions and care for his people showed that he still held the wisdom to lead, despite his self-deprecation. And Serj, who could be too idealistic about peace, was now accepting the realities of the past and present with determination and courage to face them head-on. He had spurned what his father and brother had done for the Luxian Order and wanted no part of their beliefs.
And Karina, strict and critical of Melaine and overly protective of Actaeon, held genuine warmth and love for him. She had sacrificed what could have been a normal, peaceful life to dedicate herself to his cause. She had been his surrogate mother; that was clear.
Melaine lifted her gaze to the three of them.
“Serj was right before, what he told Nazir,” she said. “None of us are spotless. But we do each have something to offer our kingdom. Even Karina balances us out.” She sent the woman a smirk that nonetheless held genuine gratitude. Karina pursed her lips but looked pleased. “We’ll do it together. All four of us. We’ll rule Centara, all of Dramore, together. If we could tackle the Sateless and handle an ancient curse, then we can handle this, right?”
“I should hope so,” Actaeon said. There was soft admiration in his eyes.
“Right then,” Melaine said, nodding to herself to solidify the unbelievable idea of ruling a kingdom in her head. But then came another troubling thought, one that hadn’t left her mind nor her pocket since the day before.
She released Actaeon’s hands and fished in her pocket for the lodestone she had made—the lodestone that contained the Sateless. She could still feel the creature railing inside the crystal walls, furiously scrabbling to get out.
“First, we should discuss this,” she said. She started to hold out the stone to the group but pulled back at the last second, holding it close to her breast instead.
“Can’t we destroy it?” Serj asked as he took a step back.
“Not without releasing it,” Melaine said. “The only way to destroy a lodestone is for the magic to be used. Talem had used Desiderata’s lodestone to release the Sateless.”
A low hiss issued from the jagged, red crystal.
“I’ve heard rumors about a way to destroy lodestones,” Actaeon said. “Rumors about the Wilds. I took the initiative to research those lands heavily before the war. I was planning on leading my people there to establish a kingdom, after all.”
“Are you suggesting we go into the Wilds?” Serj asked with a tone of incredulity.
“Perhaps,” Actaeon said. “Until then, we’ll lock the stone away. Now that I know it exists, I can place stronger wards around Highstrong Keep. Between my spells and Desiderata’s lingering enchantments, we should be able to keep it secure.”
“And if it ever escapes again?” Serj asked.
“L
et us hope that day never comes,” Actaeon said, clenching his fists at his sides and stiffening as if fighting a shudder.
Melaine closed her fist around the stone. The low hiss of the Sateless sounded again from within its prison, but the others didn’t react. Had she been the only one to hear it? She shouldn’t be tied to her magic inside the stone, but somehow, she felt a lingering connection to it in a way she had never felt with any lodestone before.
She placed the lodestone in her pocket. One of its jagged edges pierced her palm, but she continued to squeeze it despite the hot blood she felt oozing from her skin.
She looked at Centara from her place on the palace balcony. She approached the intricate, wrought-iron railing and extended her gaze farther, beyond the city walls, beyond the farmlands, and beyond the tangled forest. She raised her eyes to see the shadowed spot on a cliff that was Highstrong Keep.
“No,” she said. “We’ll keep it here. Perhaps Desiderata and Eylul’s army can finally rest, knowing the Sateless is sealed once more, far away from them. And so can we.”
“Not if we’re running Centara and Dramore,” Actaeon said. “I intend to stay very occupied with governing this time around.”
Melaine smiled. “I suppose that’s true.” The people’s protection and safety fell to the four of them now.
The lodestone bit into her palm again with another hiss that seemed to sizzle into her skin and simmer underneath. The stone would serve as a reminder of the dangers in the world. It would be a reminder of what Melaine had faced and overcome.
They couldn’t destroy it. She had to keep it safe.
She dropped her eyes from Highstrong and gazed out at the city again. Her city. Her people.
She squeezed the sharp, piercing, scrabbling lodestone in one hand and took Actaeon’s in her other.
“Ours,” she whispered.
THE END
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About the Author
Katherine Forrister is an author of speculative fiction who loves to explore the realms of fantasy, horror, science, history, and romance. Lodestone is her debut novel.
She lives near Kansas City with her family, where she enjoys local festivals and conventions, hiking, gaming, and curling up on the sofa to read on cold winter nights.
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