Akub quickly stepped back into the sitting room. She captured the sleeping Zykeiah in her mind and compared it to Zykeiah’s minister knight persona. Two very different women.
Reeling from the view, Akub climbed back into her assembled bed. Memories replayed of her life with Zykeiah before. Parts of her wanted to go back to the bedchamber. But Akub knew that if she did, she would do more than stand in her entranceway.
She would crawl into bed with her.
And that thought alone terrified her.
12
Internal Fire
The fire burned low. Queen Zoë knew she was not the only one of her family awake well after evening meals had closed and others had turned in for the night. With her shawl pulled tight against the windy air that snuck in between the cracks in the stone walls, she inched closer to the fire and closed her eyes. Cold—no, numb—she couldn’t feel the flames’ heat.
“Tell me everything. The goddess remains stonily quiet—at this time when I need her guidance the most,” she whispered to the other presence in her room.
Despite the silence, Zoë could feel the power seep across the heated air, over to her. It pressed impatiently on her.
“Yes, my queen.” Octiva’s locked hair, crafted into a solitary braid, thudded around her waist when she turned to face the queen. She swept into the bedroom, her gray cloak flowing behind her. “Speaking is often faulty. Words are inadequate. The goddess is all knowing, and she sees far.”
“She saw not to warn my family or myself of an attack. Twice in four rotations? How do I know that what I am doing will not doom my family, my sons, my kingdom?” Zoë spun around, her eyes wide, her lips trembling.
Octiva stared at her, a frown staining her already well-wrinkled face. In the shadows, she became her true ancient self.
“Perhaps, your highness, it is time for your family to fall from the throne they have coveted. Maybe the Goddess Ana is silent because this is her will! Not your desires, Zoë, does she obey.”
Zoë flinched at the harshness of Octiva’s words, but deep within, they rang true. Yet steeliness had risen with those cursed words. She heard the elder’s disapproval, and it immediately angered her. Her family had been blessed with leadership of Veloris. Descendants from Earth hundreds of years ago and those first people of African descent made Veloris a kingdom using their strength, intelligence, and sense of community to craft greatness from its icy and harsh environment. She’d not give it up because some disgruntled servants had amassed wealth. The royal family remained wealthiest of all.
“I’m a priestess just as you. I will protect the throne that the Goddess Ana gave to my family. That was her will!” Zoë jerked away. “You see your own in these things, Octiva!”
Octiva laughed. “And do you think it not her will to change her mind, to alter her desires? She is the mother of all, yet you expect that your wishes and wants matter. You are a simpleton.”
“How dare you!” Zoë gasped. Never had a servant spoken to her with such complete contempt in her voice as Octiva did now.
Seeing Zoë’s face, Octiva pressed her lips in a fine, thin line of irritation. She didn’t apologize but turned on her heel and strolled out of the queen’s quarters.
In what seemed only moments later, the screen opened again, and Marion appeared at the entrance to her bedroom.
“Momma,” he called, his exhausted voice gave no other words.
She went to him, as she had always done. So much like Marshall, his father, Marion looked now. Her heart pinched in grief that he couldn’t be here to witness their son’s growth.
“You’re hurt.” She touched the gashes on his cheek, his eye, and uncovered upper torso. He closed his eyes to the pain, but opened them again when she removed her hand. “You will need to be healed.”
He waved it off. “Sarah will see to it later.”
Zoë missed the days when her son sought her aid in healing and comfort.
“Manola was here. She attempted to steal the orb.” He sat down on the edge of her bed. “She’s more powerful, if that is even possible.”
“Octiva and Sarah told me. Where is she now?” Zoë could still hardly believe the words. Had Akub’s vision come to pass? Had she been in error in letting the Devourer go? Perhaps she should’ve put the magick weaver to death. She stumbled, and Marion reached out to her.
“Careful! You’re not completely well.” Marion held her elbow and helped her sit beside him on the bed. “For now, she’s in the holding cells, awaiting your judgment. It won’t hold her. Send Octiva to watch and guard her until she’s off planet.”
“That may not be possible.” Zoë turned away from his questioning and damaged face.
“Is the elder out of the castle?”
“I don’t know where she is.” Had she not quarreled with Octiva, then this would be easier. “You were able to detain Manola. How?”
Marion shifted beside her. “Akub wove a spell that contained her. It won’t last. We will send Manola off planet at first light, if you pronounce judgment tonight.”
“Akub stopped her,” Zoë gasped. She hadn’t expected the Devourer to contain Manola. She seemed weak and brittle. Obviously, Zoë had misjudged the Devourer.
Unless…
“They had been partners, lovers, under Valek, Akub and Manola. Are you sure she’s not involved?”
“I’m certain. Octiva believes there’s no connection between them. Akub seemed shocked to see Manola.”
Zoë crossed her arms. On her last visit to the oracle, no such vision as the ones Akub described had appeared to her. At first, she thought the Devourer had arrived for the sole purpose of love, but now that Manola had attacked her castle, she knew that to be false. The oracle’s silence spoke volumes.
“It would have to be judgment, Marion. Otherwise, other planets will think we didn’t proceed with fairness. Set the date for the judgment two days from now.”
“Uh, yes, Mother, but Octiva and Sarah will need to guard her continuously.” Marion didn’t hide his disappointment. “She is stronger than when last we fought.”
Maybe he was just tired, but he stood up to leave.
“How do we know the Devourer and Manola aren’t working together, again, son?” Zoë met his questioning eyes.
“Octiva said…”
“She doesn’t speak for the kingdom. I do. Minister Knights of Souls, a group your father created to keep us safe, are blood sworn to secure the people of Veloris. I didn’t ask what a servant thought. I’m asking you! The future king!”
“Yes, your highness.” Marion stood straight and saluted. “I told you what I thought was the better plan. Get her off the planet!”
“Marion!” She hesitated. Queen first. Mother second. Those were her own mother’s last words. “Put the Devourer in a holding cell until you uncover the connection between them.”
"You do know best." He turned on his heel and marched out of her bedchamber.
"Yes, I do! The sooner we’re done with this, the better for all," she called after him.
She turned back to the flames. The judgment should come soon. She saw the danger the same as Marion. The sooner she could get both the Devourer and Manola off her planet, the better.
* * *
"Get inside ’ere!" a palace guard shouted at Manola.
The other guards pushed the still-frozen woman into the cell and tripped over each other in their fear to get out of the space. The cell doors clanged, and Kalah oversaw the locking of the door. The others left, leaving only Kalah in the darkened hallway in front of the series of prison cells.
How did she escape them on Solis? He cast his mind back to that violent and whirlwind battle but couldn’t recall how Manola escaped. Many had suspected that his wife, Amana, had freed Manola. Now, here she stood. Valek’s red-haired witch in all her undead glory. He would have to keep an eye on his wife, to be sure of her movements.
As if reading his thoughts, Manola said, "I will get out of here. Little Amana will be m
ine."
"Be silent!" Kalah shouted, incensed at her intrusion into his thoughts.
As if obeying him, Manola fell silent.
Kalah cleared his throat. He did not fear her, but she could be quite annoying. Those strange markings on her hands stirred some deep down internal terror that he refused to acknowledge.
Heavy footsteps interrupted the thick quiet. Marion appeared with Sarah at his side. They held hands, but when Kalah spied them, they stopped.
“Have you informed her of the law?”
“Not yet.” Kalah gestured to the now-grinning Manola. “I wanted there to be witnesses.”
“Of course.” Sarah crossed her arms as she faced Manola’s cell.
“Begin,” Marion said.
"Manola O’Brim. In two days, as ordained by law, Queen Zoë will sit in judgment. The Minister Knights of Souls claim you willfully and with knowledge attacked our kingdom. We will call witnesses to collaborate this claim. The queen will decide your fate."
Kalah took in an intake of air and let it out slowly. He ran his callused hand through his hair, snagging it on the snares and tangles that resulted from battle.
“Which is what?” Sarah asked.
"Death, according to the law, but the queen could decide whatever she wants," he explained.
Sarah nodded and stepped closer to the cell. She looked in. Inside, Manola’s hair fell freely around her shoulders, and heavy black streaks from the filthy floor marked the back of her boots.
Despite being locked in a spell, Manola’s eyes squinted to slits.
Kalah flinched. “Did you see that?”
“Yes,” Sarah replied.
Marion grunted from beside them. “I will send Octiva for the first full watch. Stay here for now, Sarah. Then Zykeiah. We’ll rotate for the next two days.”
“Two days?” Kalah frowned.
“Come.” Marion started back down the hallway.
Kalah rushed to join him. Together, the men started down the corridor. Once out of earshot, Kalah repeated his question.
“Two days? Is Mother mad?”
Marion shook his head. “I know not.”
“We must get that…that thing off the planet. Tonight, if possible.” Kalah felt panic throb at the base of his throat, and he snatched Marion’s arm. “Marion!”
“I know the danger!” Marion wrenched his arm free. “Leave it for tonight. We all need to rest. Heal. Two days will give us time.”
“For another battle?” Kalah balled up his fists.
Marion cast a glance back toward the holding cells. “Pray to the goddess you are mistaken. Pray with all your might.”
With that, Marion stalked down the hallway, leaving Kalah to ponder the fear he heard in his brother’s voice.
13
A New Day
The following morn, the bedchamber sat in uneasy quietness, and Zykeiah cautiously entered the outer room. Here, the fireplace burned lazily, casting off scents of forest and fire. The minister wore a thick cotta robe that shielded her from Veloris’s frigid climate. It also served to protect her when out of bed late at night without proper clothing.
Akub sluggishly stood, careful to avoid the second chair. The kinks in her neck burned in protest, and she stretched to straighten herself out. The new day was upon her, and her future awaited. When the minister knights and palace guards escorted Manola off world, Akub would leave, too. Marion and Zykeiah had decided late last evening.
Zykeiah grunted at her, a still sleepy greeting. Akub peeked into her bedchamber and spied the unmade bed, just before she closed the screen. An untidy bed meant Zykeiah was exhausted indeed. That sight made Akub giggle.
“Too early for that,” Zykeiah said with a small grin.
Earlier a kitchen servant had knocked, come in, and placed a cauldron over the fire. When Akub looked inside, it contained something creamy and hot. Gosha. Still not quite ready to eat, Akub had watched the sun rise instead from the sliver window.
“Sleep in peace?” Zykeiah asked through what sounded like cottonmouth.
Akub snorted. She hadn’t slept at all. “No.”
Zykeiah groaned. She picked up a small, hand-size piece of reflection glass. She stared at herself. The square sectioned-off piece of glass fit snuggly in her hand. She smirked into the glass. Her image smirked back at her before wincing. She took more leaves and began treating her injuries.
“You seem better,” Akub suggested. Hidden from prying eyes and loose tongues, she sat in the chair, pulling her legs up to her chest. She hugged them.
Zykeiah checked her face in the glass. “Each step reminds me of the fight. The pain is an echo of battle or mistakes of valor. Don’t worry. The pain will soon fade.”
“You’re still beautiful.”
Zykeiah glanced at her. “You know those who flatter fail.”
Akub choked up. “I do, but those who speak truth gain treasure.”
Zykeiah hurriedly put the glass away into its pouch along with the leaves. “Kind words. Wise words.”
“I’m leaving Veloris today, so I want to say all I must before I can’t. I will miss you, Zy.”
“Me?” Amusement changed her tone.
“Yes,” Akub breathed, her chest tight.
“Akub.”
“I never meant any of this to happen. I only thought of keeping you from harm.” Akub longed to hold her, wanted to say more, but at the same moment knew the fragility of acting on those impulses.
“The destructive force was you—but as the Devourer.” Zykeiah shook her head, pulled away from Akub.
“That’s no longer a part of me,” Akub insisted as she stood. She’d removed that part of herself long ago, dissolved it like the acidic removal of her markers—in painful strips of her flesh and faith.
Zykeiah massaged her right leg muscle. “You misunderstand. This was a test, Akub. A crucible to see if you could withstand the temptation of your past. Think on it. You’re led back to Veloris and Manola follows. You fought her and won.”
The realization dawned on Akub like a swarm of angry bees stinging and buzzing with agitation. The oracle had led her into a situation where she had been tested. Would she join Manola? Would she betray Zykeiah again? Had the old Akub’s trust been devoured by the oracle and manipulated? The visions false? Why?
Tear welled up in her eyes. She had been weighed and found wanting.
“Then I’ve failed!” Akub wiped away the tears. “I can’t move forward. I can’t move backward. I’m sinking.”
Zykeiah paused and looked back to her. She got up, went over to Akub, and cupped her face in her hands, wiping away the tears with her thumbs. She even offered a small smile. “You believe in the goddess, yes?”
Akub nodded.
“Then trust in her actions.”
“You don’t even believe in the goddess!” Akub retorted.
Zykeiah shrugged. “No, but it isn’t me who receives visions from her.”
The aroma of food filled the room. Zykeiah turned away, grabbed two wooden bowls from a shelf beside the hearth, and, using a ladle, scooped boiled oats into both. She handed one to Akub.
“Besides, you didn’t fail. You’re not with Manola, now. You didn’t choose to do more evil. You’re warm and fed this morn. All is well.”
Akub forced herself to meet Zykeiah’s surprisingly warm gaze. “I betrayed you.”
“And saved me.” Zykeiah sat gingerly down beside her, balancing the bowl in one hand. “When I used to look into the reflecting glass, I thought I could see my future: devoid of children, love, and companionship, a gray existence. I’d be an old woman telling anyone who will stand still to listen to my tales as a Minister Knight of Souls. That’s how the oracle’s vision came to you. You thought you knew what it wanted, what was at stake, but like vision, it depends on the lens you’re looking through as to what you actually see.”
Akub heard the bitter ache in her voice.
“How can you keep forgiving me?” Akub shuddered in sorrow. S
he didn’t deserve this kind of forgiveness, not after her hunger for redemption had damn near devoured them both.
Zykeiah’s finger raised Akub’s chin so that she could look her square in the eyes. “Because, Akub, that is what love is—forgiveness.”
Forgiveness requires strength. Humbled. The Goddess Ana had sent Akub through this crucible to extinguish the last remnants of her past from her being, to reunite her with her true love, and to show her the strength she’d amassed.
A devourer no more, Akub’s heart was full.
She kneeled before Zykeiah and pulled her into a tight embrace. Startled, she stiffened, but after a few moments, the hardened warrior melted into her arms. At last, Akub felt hot tears flow freely down her cheeks.
“I love you,” Akub whispered, her voice choked with tears.
Zykeiah broke her embrace. She leaned in and kissed her. When Zykeiah ended the kiss at last, Akub rubbed her stinging lips. The minister’s soft lips held pent up passion only her lover’s courage could match.
“Eat. We’ve got to get to the Circle. The escorts will be here soon.” Zykeiah patted her thigh. Akub returned to her seat and began to eat her gosha.
“I am still destined for home.” Akub swallowed both the gosha and the ache in her throat.
“It’s for the best. The orb cannot be here. Neither can Manola.”
“I see.”
“I’m glad.” Zykeiah got to her feet.
Akub noted that Zykeiah’s tone didn’t sound like she meant it.
* * *
A short time later, thunderous knocks on the door startled them both.
“I’m coming.” Zykeiah avoided colliding with a chair in her hurry. Zykeiah pulled the door closer to her and peeked outside into the foyer. “You’re late.”
Devourer: A Minister Knight Novel (The Minister Knights Series Book 2) Page 10