Kingdom of Sea and Stone

by Mara Rutherford

  “She missed you, too.” Roan stepped out from behind his gelding, materializing like a wraith in the dark. “Apologies if I startled you. I was just checking Kosmos’s hoof. He bruised it earlier.”

  “Hello, Roan. I figured you’d be here when I didn’t see you at the campfire.”

  He came to stand beside me as I ran my hands over Titania’s legs, checking for any heat or injuries.

  “I really am sorry,” he said after the silence began to grow uncomfortable. “I shouldn’t have left you alone in Galeth. It was foolish of me.”

  I straightened to look at him. “You couldn’t have known. Besides, you didn’t have a choice.”

  His profile was even sharper in the moonlight, as if he’d been carved from stone. “There is always a choice.”

  I scratched behind Titania’s ears. “And what will you choose now? We’re almost to Talia’s camp. You can head back to Galeth at any time.”

  “I thought we might meet with this woman king,” he said. “Or girl king, as the case may be.”

  “I think you’d be meeting with her mother. Zoi is only four.”

  “You can tell a lot about a person when they’re four.”

  I laughed. “Oh really? Beyond their favorite color or food?”

  “I’ll know not to trust her if her favorite food is spinach. And of course, I’ll meet with her mother, too, if she’ll agree to see us.”

  “Talin will make sure she does.”

  He was silent for a few moments. “Nor, I know you were hoping to free the Varenians before any fighting starts. But from what everyone has told me, that’s going to be impossible.”

  I started to weave Titania’s forelock into a braid, then brushed it out again with my fingers. “It was also impossible that I would survive cutting myself on a blood coral or that a girl with a scar would leave Varenia to marry the prince. It was impossible to escape New Castle and make it home again, and it was impossible that I’d visit Galeth and learn about healing from a witch.” I fed the last granules of sugar to Titania. “Everything I’ve done for the past seven years is impossible, depending on who you ask.”

  “So what’s your plan?”

  “My plan hasn’t changed. I just need to figure out how to get Ceren away from New Castle.”

  I expected Roan to ask me how, but instead he glanced up at the sky, and I was glad I didn’t have to answer. A plan was beginning to take shape, but it was desperate to say the least, and I knew if I had to defend it now, it would crumble.

  I leaned against Titania and looked up, trying to picture the future, but all I saw was the same thing I’d seen every night of my life in Varenia: a black sky studded with stars, each one a possibility that I hadn’t yet imagined.

  “Good night, Roan,” I said, and left him staring up at the stars.

  * * *

  By the time we reached the border the following day, Talia’s soldiers had already claimed the crossing. There was no one to stop us from reaching her camp; those who might have yesterday were all dead.

  The camp was a field of tents as far as the eye could see. Whatever her methods of building her army, Talia had certainly been effective. The camp was huge, with men and women, and even some children, all busily bustling from one place to another.

  “Ceren’s army can’t possibly be bigger than this,” I said to Ebb as we were escorted to the largest of the tents. Talia’s headquarters, apparently.

  “Perhaps not,” Roan said. “But Ceren can be assured of his soldiers’ loyalty. Who knows if the same can be said of Talia?”

  “Let’s try to be open minded. If she’s who Talin says she is, we have no reason to doubt her.”

  We all fell silent as a figure emerged from the tent. She was tall and elegant, her waist nipped tight by a leather corset over an emerald gown. Her hair cascaded to the middle of her back in golden-brown waves, her tanned skin still flawless, though she was at least forty. She didn’t wear a crown, but she didn’t need to; anyone with eyes could see that she was the leader.

  “Welcome, friends,” Talia said, arms spread wide as she floated toward us. The lessons she’d learned in Varenia had clearly never been forgotten; she was the picture of grace and beauty.

  But there was a sharpness in her green eyes that I hadn’t seen in her portrait in New Castle. I knew this woman probably had very little in common with the girl who grew up in Varenia, as eager to please as Zadie had been. She’d been through so much since then. But I hoped the woman who had raised Talin was still in there somewhere.

  “My son has told me so much about you all. I know you’ve had a difficult journey.”

  Roan lowered his chin, as close to a bow as he was willing to give. “We have indeed.”

  I glanced around anxiously, afraid someone would point out his lack of courtesy. He hadn’t used any form of address.

  “I have accommodations ready for you,” Talia said, ignoring the slight if she noticed it. “My soldiers will take care of your horses while we get to know each other.”

  Roan’s posture remained rigid. “My soldiers will stay with their horses. I will be happy to meet with you for a short time, but we won’t be needing accommodations.”

  “No?” Talia arched her fine eyebrows. “I had hoped you might stay a bit longer. I know my son made it clear to you that we could use your help.”

  “We haven’t decided yet,” Roan said. “Perhaps after we’ve met the woman king, we will have a better sense.”

  A shadow passed over Talia’s expression, but it was gone in an instant. “Of course. Come with me... What did you say your name was?”

  “Roan. And how should I address you?”

  I struggled not to roll my eyes. Why did he have to be so arrogant?

  “You may call me Talia, of course.” She turned with an amused grin and a swish of her skirts, reentering the tent. Zadie, Sami, Adriel, Ebb, Roan, and I followed. As soon as we were inside, I spotted Talin, seated at a long table with a bunch of other men.

  “Nor!” He rose and crossed the tent in a few strides, pulling me into his arms. “Thank the gods. I was afraid you wouldn’t make it.”

  I extricated myself gently, fully aware of his mother’s eyes on us. “I’m happy to see you, too,” I whispered.

  He seemed to remember himself and turned toward Talia. “Mother, this is Nor, the woman I told you about.”

  Talia’s lips curled in a smile. “I knew it the moment I saw her. My son tells me you helped make our reunion possible. I am eternally grateful.”

  I dropped into a curtsy. “It’s an honor, Your Majesty.”

  When I rose, she was still staring at me, her expression a mixture of curiosity and something I couldn’t decipher. “And who are your companions?”

  “My sister, Zadie; Governor Kristos’s son, Samiel; and our friend from Galeth, Adriel. I believe you already know Ebb.”

  Talia inclined her head to Sami. “And what is the governor’s son doing so far from home?”

  Sami bowed at the waist. “I tried to warn the Varenians about Ceren, Your Majesty. Some of our people thought I was a liar, that I was conspiring with Nor against the king.” He gave a tight smile. “They decided I no longer belonged in Varenia.”

  “I see. And how did you survive banishment?”

  “I was fortunate to make it to shore near the port market. I had friends there willing to help me.”

  Talia cocked her head, a grin playing on her lips. “You can tell me how you happened to have friends at the port market another time. But you must be famished. I’ll have some food and drink brought to your tents.”

  A man stepped forward and gestured for us to follow.

  “Roan and Nor will stay,” Talia said. “We have much to discuss.”

  The others looked at me questioningly, but I nodded for them to go. I was exhausted and hungry, but that co
uld wait. What I wanted most was to talk to Talin alone, but it seemed that would have to wait as well.

  When we were all seated at the table, Talia rose and waved her hand over the large map spread in front of us. “We were just discussing our plans for crossing into Ilara, now that my son has taken the border.”

  I glanced at Talin. I knew he was a soldier; he had been the head of the king’s guard when I arrived at New Castle, after all. But the thought of him fighting in a war was something I hadn’t really allowed myself to dwell on.

  “We’re close to Old Castle,” Talin said as he rose from his chair. “If we can take it, we’ll have a much more secure place to camp and plan our next attack.”

  “Do we know if Ceren has soldiers posted there?” I asked. “It seems unlikely he’d leave it wide open for the taking.”

  “He does,” Talin said. “Ebb was able to tell us that much, fortunately. I sent Osius to scout it out this morning. We’ll know more when he returns.”

  “Once we take Old Castle,” Talia said, “we can plan our assault on New Castle.”

  “Assault?” I asked, earning a surprised look from Talia.

  “Do you prefer a different term, child?”

  I glanced at Talin, wondering if he’d told his mother our original plan. “I’m sorry. I just thought that New Castle was impenetrable.”

  Talia flashed another one of her tight smiles. “I lived in that castle for years. My son grew up there. Do you know something about New Castle that we don’t?”

  Roan stepped in before I could answer. “We’d like to know more about your strategy before we decide if we’ll join your efforts.”

  Talin glanced at me before returning his gaze to Roan. “I thought you’d already made your decision,” he said.

  “I want to meet the woman king before I decide anything.”

  “Zoi isn’t here,” Talia said with a laugh. “And she’s four years old. She doesn’t generally attend our council meetings.”

  “Funny, you didn’t mention Zoi’s absence when I brought it up earlier. And considering you’re doing all this in her name, I would think she has some idea of what’s happening.”

  “Roan,” I hissed, but he ignored me.

  “If you plan to rule in her stead,” he said, “then I believe I can make my decision now.” He rose to his feet. “Thank you for your hospitality, Talia. Nor, Talin, I hope to see you again someday.”

  He waited for one of Talia’s soldiers to get out of his way before ducking back through the tent door. I looked at Talin, my eyes wide with concern.

  “Excuse me, Your Majesty,” I said, rising before executing a quick curtsy. “I’d like to speak to Roan before he leaves.”

  She merely blinked, which I took as a yes, so I ran out of the tent in search of Roan. I found him preparing to mount Kosmos, his riders clustered around him.

  “What are you doing?” I shouted.

  Roan said something to the Galethians before striding back to me. “You should go back inside, Nor.”

  “Why are you leaving? We just arrived.”

  “I’ve seen enough. I won’t risk Galethian lives to serve that tyrant.”

  “She’s leading an entire army. If she wasn’t strong, no one would respect her. Isn’t that what you said about Yana?”

  Roan closed the last few feet between us. “The Galethians escaped Varenia so they would never again have their lives dictated by a single ruler. Everything we stand for, everything we believe in, grew out of that vow. If you want to help her defeat Ceren, I won’t stand in your way. But as far as I’m concerned, one is no better than the other.”

  “How can you say that? Ceren is using human beings like puppets to do his bidding. They just tried to kill me, remember?”

  His jaw clenched stubbornly. “Galeth won’t be getting involved.”

  He started to turn away, but I grabbed his arm, pulling him back toward me. “You’re already involved, whether you like it or not.”

  He stared down at me, his mouth twisted in a scowl. “No, I’m not.”

  My face fell at the coldness in his voice. “I thought you cared about us.”

  “Listen, Nor. If you or Zadie or Samiel need me, I will be there for you. All you have to do is ask.”

  I searched his eyes, but they were impossible to read. “I’m asking now. Stay here. We need your help.”

  “With what? Strategy? I don’t know how to plan the kind of assault Talia wants. I defend Fort Crag; that’s all.”

  He was right. Talia didn’t need him. She didn’t even like him. But the thought of Roan leaving made me feel hollow inside. Despite his teasing and constant pushing, I respected him, and it scared me that he thought Talia was a tyrant. Having the Galethians present meant we weren’t alone, that we were doing the right thing. Once, I wouldn’t have needed anyone else to tell me what that was.

  “I just...”

  “What, Nor?” He placed a hand on my arm, his eyes searching mine. I knew in that moment that if I told him to stay because I wanted him to, he would. I’d been fooling myself to pretend that his teasing wasn’t hiding something else. But if I asked him to stay, it would be purely selfish. I valued his friendship, but I knew deep down that wasn’t what he wanted from me.

  I clenched my jaw and stepped back. His hand slipped away.

  “Goodbye,” he said as I turned back toward Talia’s tent.

  Talin was standing in the entrance, watching us. I blinked away my tears and smiled at him. He didn’t smile back.

  23

  I didn’t see Talin again until that night. I had been assigned a tent with Ebb, Adriel, and Zadie, but as soon as I’d eaten and changed, I asked a soldier for directions to Talin’s tent and slipped inside to wait.

  I was asleep on his pallet when a cool breeze woke me. It was dark inside, the candle having burned out hours ago. I sat up, waiting for my eyes to adjust.

  “What are you doing here?” Talin asked.

  I pulled the blanket up to cover myself, feeling more exposed by the coldness in his voice than the night air. “I was waiting for you.”

  He sighed and removed his leather jerkin, then relit the candle. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how late it had gotten. Osius returned after nightfall.”

  “Did he learn anything?”

  “Yes, though nothing particularly promising.”

  I waited for him to continue, but he sat down on the edge of the pallet and put his head in his hands. He clearly didn’t want to talk about it anymore tonight.

  I crawled over to him, placing my hands on his shoulders. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too. I was so worried something had happened to you. I underestimated just how slow you would travel.”

  “So did we, but it worked as a distraction, at least. You didn’t encounter any problems on your way south?”

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry about your parents. We staked out New Castle for a couple of days, but if Ceren was gone, he wasn’t far enough away. His sentries were on strict orders not to let anyone enter. Even the Ilarean we brought from Galeth couldn’t get in. We decided we were better off joining my mother and telling her what we’d learned, even without reinforcements.”

  I told him about our journey, how we’d been attacked by Ceren’s men and the guards in Riaga. “I’m just glad we’re all together again,” I said, kneading the stiff muscles in his shoulders.

  Talin groaned and leaned into my touch. “I didn’t realize how sore I was. The battle yesterday took more out of me than I thought.”

  After a few minutes, he placed his hands on mine and pulled me around to face him.

  “I know you saw me talking to Roan,” I said. “It upset you.”

  “He had his hand on your arm, Nor. It looked like more than a friendly goodbye. I know you spent a lot of time together on the road.
It wouldn’t surprise me if something happened. But...”

  I placed a finger on his lips. “Nothing happened, Talin. Roan and I are friends. At this point, I’m not even sure you can call us that.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Why?”

  I considered telling him what Roan said about Talia, but when I looked into his eyes and saw how exhausted he was, I couldn’t add to his burden. “Nothing important,” I said. “I’m just disappointed the Galethians won’t help.”

  “I don’t think we’ll need them,” Talin said. “Mother’s army is massive. There are over a thousand men in this camp alone. When the other troops join us, she’ll have close to three thousand.”

  I blinked. “How does she have so many?”

  He was quiet for a moment, and in that silence my doubts began to swell like a rising tide. “It doesn’t matter,” he said finally. “I met Zoi. She’s wonderful. So smart for her age, and funny, too.”

  I smiled, genuinely happy for him. “I hope I’ll get to meet her soon.”

  “You will. She’s coming from one of the other camps tomorrow.”

  “Is that safe? Shouldn’t she stay far away from the fighting?”

  “She will be,” Talin said, though I thought I heard some doubt in his voice. “And so will you, just in case you had any ideas.”

  I laughed softly. “You know me too well.”

  He took my chin in his fingers, tilting it so I would look him in the eye. “I’m serious, Nor. Promise me you’ll stay in the camp.”

  “I have a stake in this, too, Talin.”

  He lowered his hand. “I know that. Of course you do. But you can’t help on the battlefield. Promise me you’ll stay here, so I can rescue your parents without worrying about your safety.”

  I hated the idea of sitting around and waiting while others were in danger, but I could see genuine fear in his eyes, and I knew he only wanted me to stay safe. I leaned forward, stopping just before our lips touched.

  Talin’s breath caught, his eyes glittering in the dark. His hands moved to my shoulders, and I could feel my heart beginning to race in anticipation. I was wearing only my shift, my skin bare beneath his hands.