Lian’s face burned. I do not feel sorry for myself all the time. She’s being unfair.
“Lady,” Rowan said, looking at Lady Mardon, “do you have a map of Asilee, by chance?”
“Yes, er, though it may take me a moment to find it.” She rose from her chair and fluttered up the stairs, skirts rustling around her boots.
Rowan eyed Lian warily. “Are you all right?”
“No. Yes. I don’t know.”
“Don’t let Vishka get under your skin. She’s just edgy from having to wait on us ‘mere mortals,’ I’ll bet.”
“Well, this ‘mere mortal’ is about to box her in the mouth.”
Rowan snorted, and Lady Mardon returned with a large roll of yellowed parchment. She spread it across the table, using a book to hold it down.
“We’re here,” Rowan said, pointing to the southeast edge of Accalia’s border. “On the outskirts of Delkor.”
Lian’s brows furrowed as she tried to remember exactly where that was. “The City of the Sea. It’s also called that, correct?”
Rowan grinned. “Home of the best ship makers in all of Eresea. It’s one of the major trading hubs of the Eastern Sea.”
“No!” Lian’s face fell. “What if my people boarded ships there and have sailed far away from here by now? How are we supposed to find them all then?”
“Lian.” Rowan’s voice was gentle. “You can’t move the entire mountain at once. You have to start one shovel at a time. It may take weeks, maybe months, but we’ll find them.” He tapped Delkor’s spot on the map. “This is as good a place to start as any.”
Lian chewed on her lip and drummed her fingers along the table. “You’re right. I should’ve seen…” Her face lit up. “We should go there tomorrow!” She looked to Lady Mardon so quickly the woman jumped. “How long will it take to get there from here?”
“Uh, that is, well, it’s less than an hour by horseback, my Lady.”
“That’s perfect!” Lian leapt from her seat, nearly toppling it backward. “We can easily walk.”
Lady Mardon stood. “Oh, please take my horse. I barely have use for it as it is, and –”
“Dear lady, don’t be absurd. We’re not taking your only horse. We’ll be fine. Rowan, pack your things. We leave for Delkor at first light!”
Before Rowan could protest, Lian all but skipped out of the room.
CHAPTER 27Revelation
DAWN CAME EARLY, OR at least it felt that way because Lian’s excitement was so great.
Lady Mardon had brought them all clean changes of clothes. “You’re about my size. Well, when I wasn’t pregnant,” she said, laying a teal dress in front of Lian.
Lian inspected it, and while it was very pretty, she couldn’t bear the thought of traipsing through the countryside in another horrid dress. When she requested a pair of men’s riding breeches and a tunic, Lady Mardon gave her a strange look but didn’t protest. She returned a few minutes later with a pair of deep green pants, a cream-colored blouse, and brown ankle boots. Lian had thanked her and beamed at the clothes. She couldn’t have asked for a more perfect outfit.
Lady Mardon offered a gown of deep purple to Vishka, who instantly refused to wear it. “I am perfectly comfortable with what I have on,” she said, folding her arms across her leather chest-plate. She ushered Lady Mardon away, and Lian looked at Vishka and chuckled. Although Vishka didn’t laugh with her, her mouth rose in the faintest hint of a smile.
The sun’s early rays hit Lian’s face as she stepped outside, with Rowan and Vishka close behind. Lian lifted an arm to shield her eyes. She looked down the path, first right, and then left.
“There,” Rowan said, pointing to the right. “We want to go northeast.”
“Here, before you leave.” Lady Mardon glided onto the path. “These are a few things for your journey.”
She presented them with an armful of packages in various shapes and sizes. They each took a parcel and peeled back the wax paper. Lian was astonished. Slabs of cheese and bread, flasks of water and wine, and an assortment of used but sturdy daggers lay before them.
“Lady Lianora.”
Lian turned her attention to Lady Mardon. “Yes?”
“I’m told you are skilled with a bow. My late husband was also an archer. I want you to have this.” She held out a bow-shaped cloth.
“Who told you that?” Lian asked. It wouldn’t surprise her in the least to learn Lady Mardon could read minds, not with everything she had seen and experienced these past few days.
Lady Mardon inclined her head to Rowan. “He did, of course, after you’d gone upstairs last night. He says you’re quite skilled.”
Lian looked at Rowan in surprise. “Yes,” Lian said, taking the bow, “but I couldn’t possibly accept this. It was your husband’s.”
Lady Mardon shook her head. “Please. He would be honored, as would I.”
Lian graciously took the bow and slung the quiver over her shoulder. She lifted the cloth and gasped. The bow was beautiful, with flowers and suns carved along its shaft and along the rim of the quiver. The white grain had been worn smooth in places, and she suddenly didn’t feel so alone. She smiled. “Thank you. For everything,” she added.
Lady Mardon curtsied. “It’s the least I can do to repay you.” She looked up the path. “The sun will be getting high if you don’t hurry along. Go on, off with you. And have a pleasant journey.”
Lian stepped forward and hugged her. “I shall never forget this.”
Lady Mardon squeezed her back. “Come back anytime. May the gods protect you, my Lady.”
They released, and Lian and the others waved their goodbyes and started down the path.
For a few minutes, none of them said anything, content to be left to the privacy of their own thoughts. Lian noticed two bags were missing from Vishka’s belt.
“What did you do with all the saffurite?” Lian asked, adjusting the bow along her shoulder.
Vishka’s eyes sparkled. “I left most of it on the table.”
Lian stared at her and then smiled to herself.
***
LIAN SMELLED THE SALT of the sea and knew they were close. She hurried her pace. A few minutes later, they crested the hill, and the ocean came into view.
She surveyed it in open awe. “I’ve only read about it, imagined it in stories. It’s beautiful. Words cannot do it justice.”
Rowan clapped a hand on her shoulder. “You can admire the view later. We’re here for more than sight-seeing.”
They followed the hill down to the main gate, which was shaped like white, shimmering coral. From there the path widened and split off into roads. They kept to the main path and soon found themselves in the Marketplace.
Lian had never seen such tall buildings. The streets were clean, and every building was made from mander, a light blue pearlescent rock that glittered in the sunlight. The green-blue waves of the Eastern Sea sparkled between buildings, and Lian smiled softly, completely taken with it.
Conversations drifted around them in a myriad of different tongues and dialects. She knew Delkor was a major trading center for people from all over Eresea but had never witnessed it herself.
Accalia could be like this. Someday.
First, she needed to find her people. Rebuilding would be easier if she could garner enough support.
She turned to Rowan. “Where should we start looking?”
He stepped aside as a man pushed a cart full of fish past. “I suppose we could start asking around.”
Lian wrinkled her nose and squinted down the street. “Who knows how long that will take. We can’t wait that long, not if we’re going to…”
At first she thought she was having another vision. A familiar head of mousy brown hair bobbed in and out of the crowd, moving away in the opposite direction.
Lian’s eyes widened. “I don’t believe it,” she said and took off after the girl.
She pushed her way through the throngs of people, some mouthing crass remarks
as she ran past. Just as the girl was about to cross the street, Lian grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.
“Ursa!”
Ursa’s eyes widened, and she paled. She reached up to touch Lian’s hair. “Are you real?”
Lian grinned, tears brimming in her eyes. “Of course I am. Aren’t you?”
“Yes?”
Lian pulled her into a hug. She squeezed her as tight as she could. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean, that is, can we –”
She didn’t know where to begin. Ever since meeting Lord Winter, she felt like she could feel again. She wondered if that place had done something to her, had healed her of the numbness the way the crystal healed her wounds. So many emotions were coursing through her; happiness, sadness, regret. Not even the darkness inside her stirred. Strangely, it had remained dormant.
Seeing Ursa was overwhelming, and tears sprang to her eyes.
Ursa smiled, her own eyes shining. “I’d forgive you anything. You are, after all, my best friend.” She took a step back.
“How did you –”
“Where have you –”
The two girls smiled. “I have so much to tell you,” Ursa said.
“And I you.” Lian wiped her face on her sleeve and grabbed Ursa’s hand. “Come. The others are not going to believe this.”
Ursa sniffled, her face hopeful. “Others?”
Lian paused, imagining the look on Ursa’s face when she saw Vishka and Rowan. “You’ll see.” She looked back at Ursa and smiled so wide her face hurt. “I’m so glad you’re alive.”
Ursa smiled back and nodded, though the wariness in her eyes suggested she didn’t fully trust Lian.
And that was all right. She could work with “a little” trust.
***
“YOU WENT WHERE?”
They were in a tavern a block away from the marketplace alley. The place was filling up as it neared lunchtime.
“Barendale,” Ursa shouted. “You know, the little town about five miles north of Accalia?”
“How many were injured or killed?” Rowan said, ever the investigator.
Fear flashed through Ursa’s eyes. “I’m not sure. Everything was chaos, and the smoke was so thick it made it difficult to tell exactly what was happening. There… there was something else in the fire, some sort of monster. They… those people…”
Lian put an arm around her friend and hugged her.
“Were you pursued?” Vishka said.
Ursa’s forehead wrinkled. “Not that I know of. What were those things? Why did they attack Accalia?”
Vishka said no more and looked away.
Lian glanced at Rowan, and he nodded. “Sometimes people don’t need a reason to destroy something,” he said. “Sometimes they do it because they find pleasure in doing so.”
Ursa considered this. The tavern noise was too loud to hear her, but Lian knew from watching the shape of her mouth that she said, “That’s awful.”
They sat like that for a minute or so, reliving that night. At last, Lian shook her head and pursed her lips.
“Start thinking like a regent.”
“You said there were others with you,” Lian said. “Where are they?”
“A large group of them came here,” Ursa said. “Accalians, that is. Some were hoping to resettle here, while others were considering buying passage across the Eastern Sea, maybe start over in another land far away from…”
Lian nearly leapt across the table. “A large group, you said? Can you take us to them?”
Ursa threw her hands up. “Easy now, Lian. Yes, I’d be more than happy to.”
***
AFTER THEY LEFT THE tavern, they walked for about fifteen minutes before coming to an enormous rectangular estate with large bay windows. It too was made from mander, and though smaller in stature to the Fortress of the Night, it was no less magnificent.
“Princess Rurelyn was kind enough to take us in as refugees,” Ursa said as she opened the gate and led them down a seashell pathway to the main entrance. “I’ve lived here for the past few weeks with a few others.”
Lian stared at the manicured plants and polished statues. “Very kind, indeed,” she murmured.
Delkor, a city so large it comprised most of the country and thus shared its name, was one of the few remaining nations Accalia was still on good terms with. The princess was young, but no less wise for it. Having come from a long line of royalty, she had been trained how to run a country, and it thrived under her care. As kind as she was fair, Rurelyn had a habit of looking out for the misfortunate, often taking in refugees and immigrants from other nations and offering them a place in her society, so long as they were willing to equally contribute and swore allegiance to her.
Ursa stopped and pushed open the doors, revealing a large foyer with a seashell encrusted floor and tall walls painted from ceiling to floor in various seascapes. Lian lost her breath. “This is incredible,” she said, following Ursa up the pearl stairwell. She didn’t say more, too lost in her surroundings to form any coherent thoughts.
Accalians milled about them, many Lian recognized. Knights and peasants alike stopped and bowed as she passed, whispering things under their breath too low for her to hear.
They were almost to the top of the stairwell when Lian heard someone running toward them.
She turned her head and gasped as Alastor lifted her into the air and spun her around.
“I can’t believe it!” His rich voice filled the air. “I had prayed to the gods you were safe, and they delivered you!”
Lian returned his smile, thinking she would burst with joy.
Thank you, Dreaka. Thank you.
“I wondered if you’d gotten out,” she said, her voice shaking. “Now my conscious can be spared.”
“Oh, please, dear Lianora. You never had anything to feel guilty over to start with. I know you would never hurt me directly.”
Alastor’s eyes looked past her, and all mirth within them disappeared. “Impossible,” he breathed.
“My Lord?” Lian followed his gaze.
Vishka was standing directly behind them, with a strange look on her face. “Of course,” she murmured. “How could I have been so blind?”
Lian frowned. “What are you –”
It happened too fast. Vishka yanked Lian behind her. In the same instant, she drew her saber and pointed it at Alastor.
“What are you doing?” Lian shouted. She tried to take a step forward, but Vishka firmly shoved her back.
“Don’t move.”
Vishka stood between her and Alastor. Around them, everyone stood frozen like statues, looking anxiously from Vishka to the prince. Lian scarcely dared to breathe.
Alastor held his hands up in the air. “I thought I could sense my brother’s touch on you when I first saw you, but I couldn’t be sure. Your Stradvärian blood threw me off.” He glanced down at the hilt of the saber. “The Blood Stone marks you as His.”
Lian looked from Alastor to Vishka. “What is he talking about? Vishka, it’s Alastor. Put your saber down, for goodness sakes!” She reached for the hilt, and quicker than lightning, Vishka nailed her in the stomach with the pummel so hard she lost her breath and stumbled.
Rowan caught her. “Just breathe,” he whispered to her. He glared up at Vishka. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“This man is not who you think he is.” She gestured to Alastor. “I doubt he’s even much of a man at all.”
Every head turned to Alastor, who had gone paler than usual. His skin looked different, like it was shimmering with tiny flecks of color.
Lian grabbed the bow, which had fallen off when she fell, and slowly stood up. “Is it true?”
She held her breath, waiting for him to answer. Rowan put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged him off and took a few steps forward. “Answer me. Why is Vishka so mad at you?”
Alastor looked her directly in the eyes, and she gasped at the deep sadness she saw there.
“Because I
’m the one who destroyed her empire.”
CHAPTER 28Deceit
SHE COULDN’T HAVE HEARD him right.
“That’s impossible,” Lian said. “That happened centuries ago. You would have to be –”
“Immortal?” Alastor finished. “Come now. I’m sure after what you’ve seen lately that is not so hard to believe.”
Lian stared at him, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to speak. “But you – you’re a prince. You said so yourself. You come from a kingdom beyond the Crystal Sea, you –”
“He was lying, Lianora,” Vishka said.
“No, not quite.” Alastor clasped his hands behind his back and started pacing. “I am a prince, and I do come from a realm far away from here.”
Lian was finding it harder to think. It didn’t make sense. “He couldn’t, wouldn’t have killed all those people. It’s not him.”
“He’s deceived you!” Vishka shouted. “Don’t be a fool!”
“You said it was Orris!” The words slipped from Lian’s mouth before she could stop them, and every head turned to Rowan. She glanced at him. His mouth was drawn in a tight line. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
Vishka looked at her like she was an insect. “At first, I thought it was Orris.”
“Then why are you saying it’s Alastor now?”
“Because it is Alastor. His aura… I can see the lining now, pure silver light. The color of the gods. It wasn’t there before. He must have figured out a way to mask it.”
Lian shook her head. “No. I won’t believe you. Alastor is good. He’s been kind to me.”
“It’s true.”
Lian’s eyes darted to Alastor, who had stopped pacing a few feet away from her. The expression on his face bore all the apology and proof she needed.
“No.” She stumbled back. The air suddenly felt too hot, and she thought she might black out. She clutched at her chest, at the teardrop hidden beneath her blouse. “All this time… Why?”
“I had no other choice,” Alastor said.
He sounded miserable, and she started to walk to him, to comfort him out of instinct, when a thought crossed her mind. “Stradvär was destroyed by a great fire and black-winged demons.” She stared at the floor as each piece fell into place. “Accalia was burned to the ground as well.” She looked up at Alastor. His eyes shimmered like fire. “When Rowan and I fled the castle, we were chased by a monster with eyes bright as flames. A Dracor.”
Veiled Innocence (Book One, The Soul Cycle) Page 26