“Ceren was betrothed to Nor,” Talin said. “Nor tried to kill him. He wants revenge.”
Yana looked to Roan. “A pity, then, that he didn’t take her at the border. We could have washed our hands of this matter.”
Yana’s cold detachment made it hard to take her words personally, but I could see that Talin’s composure was slipping. “This matter involves everyone,” he ground out. “It would be very dangerous for all of us if Nor were to fall into Ceren’s hands.”
I gently touched his arm to calm him, silently reminding him that he was hoping to enlist the help of the Galethians, though I had to admit that seemed unlikely.
“In the meantime,” Yana continued as if Talin hadn’t spoken, “we must decide what to do with the men.”
A chill crept over my scalp and I pressed closer to Talin. They had referred to him as their prisoner, after all, and I had no idea what Galethian treatment of prisoners was like.
“You,” Yana said to Talin. “Ceren is your brother, correct?”
“My half brother, yes. We share a father, the late King Xyrus.”
“And Ceren is king now?”
“He believes he is. The rightful ruler is my mother, Queen Talia, whom Ceren tried to murder four years ago. She survived and gave birth to my sister, Zoi, who will be ruler of Ilara when she comes of age. Ilarean succession runs through female lines, or did, before the males began killing off the female heirs.”
This caused quite a stir, and I felt a swelling of pride. Talin was the only male Ilarean royal who had dared to admit this for hundreds of years.
“Are you sure?” another councilmember asked. “Is there proof?”
“My mother is proof,” Talin said. “As for the murdered female heirs, no, I can’t prove that. Not yet, anyhow. But there is no denying that my sister is the rightful heir.”
“Why are you here?” It was the eldest councilmember who spoke, a gray-haired man who looked to be in his forties, though Roan had told us he was sixty-three.
“To find Samiel,” Zadie said, the first time she’d spoken since the meeting began.
The man turned to her. “I know that’s why you’re here, and I respect that you came for your man. Rest assured, he is not a prisoner. But I’m talking about the princeling and his guards. They want something from us. And I can almost assure them they aren’t going to get it.”
I knew Talin wanted to ask for the Galethians’ help, but it was clear to me that this wasn’t the time. He would be swiftly denied—and potentially kicked out of Galeth. As far as we knew, Ceren had guards waiting for us just outside the border. Talin needed more time to make them understand the severity of the situation.
Talin cleared his throat “We want—”
“To stay in Galeth,” I blurted, cutting him off. Everyone in the room turned to stare at me.
“What?” Talin asked, along with the old man and several of the other councilmembers. I could feel Roan’s eyes on me, and I had a very annoying feeling he was smirking.
“We’ve had a difficult journey,” I began, “and our horses need rest before we can ride out again.” I figured if the Galethians would respond to anything, it was the welfare of our mounts. “If Ceren took the Varenians to New Castle, we will need a strategy to rescue them,” I added, glancing at Sami. “Varenians aren’t legally allowed on land, and Talin and his men are fugitives. Ceren was pursuing them as much as me. We are so grateful that you allowed us to cross your border to safety. All we’re asking for is a day or two to figure out our next move.”
Yana and Roan exchanged a glance.
“Leave us,” Yana said. “The council will vote. We’ll call you back in when we’ve made our decision.”
I breathed a sigh of relief and hurried out of the room, the rest of our group on my heels. When we’d reached the little antechamber, Talin and Sami rounded on me.
Talin’s feathers weren’t easily ruffled, but it was clear I had angered him in the meeting. “We can’t stay here, Nor. You know that.”
“Our families are likely suffering,” Sami added. “Have you gone mad?”
“Quiet!” Zadie cried, silencing both of them. “Can’t you see that Nor was buying us time? Those councilmembers despise royalty, Talin. They were going to escort you straight to the border, where Ceren’s guards are probably circling like sharks at a chum bucket. And, Sami, I know you want to help our families, but Ceren has men all over Ilara hunting for Nor. The moment they spot us, we’ll be captured or killed, and what good will we be then? We need a plan, and time to get the Galethians on our side. Honestly. Think!”
I mouthed a thank-you to Zadie as the men sat down on a bench and stared at their boots, shamefaced. A few minutes later, Roan appeared at the entrance to the hallway and waved us back toward the meeting room. His expression was so stony I was sure we were about to be told this was our last night in Galeth.
The councilmembers rose in unison when we entered, but Yana was the one to speak. “The vote was six to five. Personally, I voted against it. I think you’ll bring us nothing but trouble, and we have no good reason to allow this. It’s certainly never been done before in the history of our people, and I don’t see why we should start with you.”
“Yana,” Roan said under his breath.
“Oh, very well,” she growled. “Congratulations, outsiders. And welcome to Galeth.”
13
As the council broke up for the night, Roan led us back into Leesbrook. “Yana seems to think I’m responsible for you lot,” he said. “First we’re going to get some ale, and then I’m going to explain what your life in Galeth will look like for the time being.”
I was grateful we would have more time to formulate a plan, but I had the distinct impression that we weren’t going to be able to convince the Galethians to help us in the next couple of days, if at all. I also knew that my idea to escape alone and look for my parents was flawed, potentially fatally so. I told myself I would give it three days. After that, I would leave no matter what.
We entered the inn together, receiving strange looks from some of the other patrons, until they saw Roan and nodded in recognition. Physically, Galethians were as diverse in appearance as Varenians, but there was something about us that marked us as outsiders. Probably the way we clung to Roan like whale calves to their mother.
He pointed to a table in the corner and went off to get us a pitcher of ale, trusting us to manage without him for a few minutes.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Talin whispered to me as we sat down.
“I’m improvising,” I whispered back. “Besides, I didn’t see anyone else coming up with a better idea.”
“Here we are.” Roan set the pitcher down between us and passed out a half dozen cups that looked disturbingly like horse hooves. “Help yourselves to the ale. It’s on me.” He took a long swig, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and settled into his chair like he hadn’t a care in the world.
“Now then. Talin, Osius, and Grig: you’re military men and strong riders. I want you to join me at Fort Crag. I could use the help now that we know this Ceren fellow might be paying extra attention to our border. If you agree, you’ll be given the same living quarters as the rest of my riders. No special treatment, just a bed in a barracks and two hot meals a day.”
Osius and Grig nodded. They were used to that kind of living, but they wouldn’t speak until their leader did.
“What about the others?” Talin asked.
“I’m getting there.” Roan took another swig of ale, taking obvious pleasure in dragging this out. “Samiel can sort things out with Hoff, since they made an arrangement when he came.”
I glanced questioningly at Sami. “Who’s Hoff?”
“When I first reached land after I was banished, I met a Galethian at the port market,” Sami explained. “He saw me hiding in an alley, clearly sufferi
ng, and bought me a meal. It was a risk, trusting him, but I was desperate. After he heard my story, he offered to bring me to Galeth, knowing I couldn’t stay in Ilara. He found me a job with Hoff, the eldest member of the council.”
There was a sadness in Sami’s brown eyes I didn’t recognize. He turned to Zadie, gripping her hands tightly in his. “I’m so sorry. I hated leaving the port, knowing you would worry about me. That was why I left the message with the kite seller. I planned to come back to you, just as soon as it was safe.”
“I know,” she said softly. “I’m just glad you’re all right.”
“I am.” Sami looked healthier than he had in years, probably because he was finally getting enough to eat, but I knew that he had to have suffered greatly from being kidnapped and banished, both physically and mentally. “Zadie can stay with me,” Sami said to Roan.
Roan nodded and turned to me. “You’re a good rider, Nor, and Titania makes up for what you lack. You’re welcome to join us at Fort Crag, or you can stay with your sister if you prefer.”
What I wanted was for us all to stay together so we could decide what our next move would be. If Talin really believed he could convince the Galethians to help, then he needed to do it quickly. And Zadie, Sami, and I had to figure out the best way to help our parents. What we needed was someone who could tell us what Ceren was planning, and if there were any chinks in his armor.
“I’d like to speak to the captured guard,” I said suddenly.
Roan’s eyebrows rose above his cup. “Oh?”
“Tomorrow morning, if possible. I will decide where to stay after.”
I expected Roan to argue, but instead he shrugged and drained his ale. “I’ll see what I can do. Get some sleep. You look like you need it.”
I scowled at his retreating back and rose, waiting for Zadie to follow. She glanced at Sami, then at me. I realized with a blush that she wanted to go with him tonight. “I’ll see you in the morning, then.”
I went up to my room and changed quickly. A soft knock sounded on the door just as I was about to blow out my candle for bed. I was tempted to ignore it, but I padded to the door in my shift and cracked it open. A pair of sea glass eyes waited for me in the dim hallway.
“I’m sorry,” Talin said as I closed the door behind him.
“I wasn’t trying to undermine you, you know. I was just afraid you’d ask for the Galethians’ help and they’d refuse you, and we would be out of options before we’d even started.”
“You were right. That’s exactly what would have happened, Nor.” He took my hand and led me to the bed. “I’m used to being the one in charge, whether I want to be or not. But I’m smart enough to recognize when I’m wrong.”
I cupped his cheek in my hand, running my thumb over the smooth bronze skin. “I wish this wasn’t so complicated.”
“I know.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “As much as I don’t want to be apart from you, I completely understand if you want to stay with Zadie.”
“Sami and Zadie need time alone together,” I said. “At least as much as they can get before we’re on the road again.”
“I’ll support whatever you decide.” He leaned forward and brushed his mouth, warm and tasting of ale, against mine. I hummed in pleasure and drew him closer.
“Maybe you should come to Fort Crag after all?” Talin teased, his lips as soft as feathers on my neck.
I bit my lip as his mouth moved to my shoulder, nuzzling my shift out of the way. “I don’t think,” I breathed as my hands slipped under his tunic and along the muscular planes of his back, “that they allow this in the barracks.”
He laughed, and I was relieved that we could still be silly with each other, even when everything was so bleak. “I should go,” he said finally.
I almost protested. I would have liked another night like the one in Varenia, where we had talked and cuddled under some semblance of normalcy. But until I knew if my vision of the future matched Talin’s, it didn’t feel like a good idea to ask him to stay.
“Good night,” I said, rising from the bed.
He followed suit and paused at the door, looking at me in a way I had never seen before. There was a mixture of hope and fear in his eyes, like he wanted to ask me something but was afraid of the answer.
Finally, he smiled. “Good night, Nor.”
When he was gone, I released a breath, and I realized that I had been afraid of the question.
* * *
Somehow, Roan was able to convince the other councilmembers to let us speak with the captured guard the following morning. Considering that Yana had made it clear she wouldn’t have minded if Ceren had killed me at the border, I was surprised they were giving us access to the prisoner. Until I saw him for myself.
I didn’t recognize the prisoner from my time in New Castle. More surprisingly, neither did Talin, Grig, or Osius. A man in his early twenties with olive skin and black hair, he was shackled at the wrists and ankles, but he didn’t look frightened or angry. I wondered if he was even making the conscious decision not to cooperate. He looked sleepy or drunk, not resolved.
“He’s been like this since we captured him,” a rider from Fort Crag explained. He kicked at the guard’s shackled legs. The man let out a grunt but otherwise didn’t react. “The only time he made any sign that he was even conscious was when we tried to take that.”
The Galethian pointed to a chain hanging around the man’s neck. Dangling from the end was a red jewel the color of fresh blood.
I took a step closer. “Where did he get that?”
“Why?” Roan asked. “Do you recognize it?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But it looks like the stones I saw in the tunnels below New Castle—and the ones in Ceren’s crown.”
Talin placed a hand on my shoulder. “You think it’s a bloodstone?”
“The bloodstones are gone,” Yana said. “That’s what we’ve always been told.”
My mouth had gone dry, and I swallowed thickly. “They were believed gone, yes. But when I escaped, I saw a vein with my own eyes.”
Ebb had told me about the bloodstones once, how they were believed to be the frozen blood of giants. They were said to make the wearer so powerful, she could command armies to certain death if she chose. Lady Melina had said the stones were only visible to Varenian eyes, but Ceren had Varenian blood in his veins now. Mine.
A groan escaped me. If Ceren had bloodstones at his disposal, what did that mean for Talia and her army?
“Do you know how the stones work?” Roan asked me.
I shook my head. “No, only that they make the wearer stronger.”
Talin glanced at the guard, who clearly didn’t appear strong, and frowned. “We always believed the stones were similar to blood coral. The mines were below the royal crypt.”
“You think the stones come from the dead bodies of Ilarean royals?” Zadie asked.
“Just like the blood corals grows from the bodies of dead Varenians.” I tried to remember everything Ebb had told me about bloodstones, but it had been such a short conversation. “The stones don’t work the same way as the Varenian pearls, though. Do they?”
“You mean by healing people?” Talin asked. “No, I don’t believe so.”
“What happened when you tried to take the bloodstone?” Yana had combed her strip of hair up off her head, which made her look even fiercer than yesterday.
“He went berserk,” the man from Fort Crag replied. “Screaming and flailing like a yearling with a horsefly on his—”
“Thank you,” Yana said curtly. “You can return to your post.” It seemed to me Roan should give that order, considering the rider was one of his, but Yana went on. “Well, should we vote? Interrogate the prisoner or take the stone by force?”
“I get the impression an interrogation won’t yield much in the way of answers,”
Roan said. “Not unless we plan to use torture. We should send for Adriel. She might have a better idea.”
I glanced questioningly at Roan, but he didn’t respond.
Yana murmured something to a young Galethian woman and she dashed off, seemingly to send for this Adriel person.
“We’ll consult with the council,” Yana said. “The outsiders can wait in the antechamber.” She walked away without another word.
I stared after her, wondering where she got the nerve to speak to people that way.
“You don’t like her, do you?” Roan asked as he escorted us to a waiting room. I noticed that his rider hadn’t left, but he was staying as far from Yana as possible. “Why not?”
“She’s abrasive,” I blurted. “And rude.”
“She’s forceful. It’s an important quality in a leader.”
Talin and his men were conversing across the room, while Zadie and Sami were whispering into each other’s ears. Judging from the blush creeping up Sami’s neck, they weren’t talking about the bloodstones. “I thought you were all equal,” I said, genuinely confused. “But she seems to be in charge.”
“We are all equal when it comes to voting, but Yana is the best rider in Galeth. That garners a certain amount of respect around here.”
I tried to imagine what my mother would make of a woman like Yana. She was not feminine by any Varenian standard; most of her hair was shorter than Roan’s, and her arms were as muscular as Sami’s. There was nothing soft or demure about her. But she was clearly well regarded, a respected leader with the battle scars to prove it.
“What does that look mean?” Roan said, studying me.
“That I’m learning, I suppose.” I smiled ruefully. “She despises me, doesn’t she?”
“Yana?” He patted my arm. “Yana doesn’t like anyone. But if you speak your mind, she just might come to respect you.”
We all turned as the Galethian Yana had sent off entered and asked us to follow her to the meeting room, where the rest of the councilmembers were waiting for us. Another young woman had joined them. She wasn’t dressed in riding clothing, like almost everyone else I’d seen in Galeth, but instead wore a garnet velvet dress with split skirts. She had a spattering of dark freckles across her nose, in stark contrast to her pale skin, and her black hair was loose around her shoulders.
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