“Perhaps, you are right; thank you for your kind words,” Rienna politely added, taking a smaller sip from the glass.
“It’s not a coincidence that I am here,” Arden added, more softly.
“Oh?” Rienna asked, not meeting his eyes as she sipped again. Her first and second fingers now resting on the top of her dagger.
Arden smiled anyway and nodded.
“I was asked by the Queen to escort you to the Castle if you showed up around here,” he told her now.
Rienna still did not meet his gaze.
“It’s quite a big city. It seems odd that we happened to meet here,” Rienna tested him.
Before he could reply, she drew her dagger and had it to his throat, the atmosphere suddenly tense.
“No trouble in here, miss; I’ll ask you to take it outside,” the bartended warned, adding in a grumbled tone. “She comes in here only ever looking for a fight, she does…”
Arden put his hands up and smiled winningly, still at ease in spite of the blade biting into his throat and a trickle of blood where she nicked him.
“Feisty, I like it. But there’s no need to get jumpy. Captain Seije told me you’d be likely to visit this place. I’m not the only one sent out to keep a lookout for you. The Queen is very eager to thank you for all you have done and, you can’t really blame her, she’s not too fond of surprises either,” Arden continued to explain.
Rienna was not entirely ready to believe him so she searched his eyes shrewdly, hoping to find some glimmer of a lie or truth there. He seemed sincere, but Rienna had not lived in a kind world after losing Belias.
Arden’s smile became a smirk as he watched the inner conflict dance in her hard grey eyes.
“Don’t believe me, reach into my coat. The Queen’s missive is there, detailing my duty. Believe me, I would not be so careless as to mess with a woman as formidable as you,” Arden assured her.
Rienna fumbled at the coat flap, seeing that he wore no shirt underneath, his muscled chest was smooth and hairless like his face and she had been instantly tempted to graze it with her hand as she dug for the missive. It had been some time since she had been tempted but she considered that to be a promising thing. She had wondered if Belias might have damaged her irreparably. She licked her very dry lips and her hand had closed around the missive, still warm from Arden’s skin. She looked in his eyes and saw amusement and pulled the missive out as if burned. It seemed like it would be more vulgar to move any slower. Despite what Belias thought, she wasn’t that blasé about touching strange men.
She unrolled the scroll, splaying it out over his chest so she could read it while still holding the dagger, shooting a look at him that dared him to try anything. She skimmed over it and saw the seal and knew he wasn’t lying so she lowered the blade, wiping it clean on his coat and sheathing it. She rolled up the missive and handed it back to him, nodding curtly. He deliberately wrapped his fingers around hers for a moment before putting it back away, not bothering to conceal his bared chest by fastening it. He pulled a large gulp of the wine, sighing with pleasure after.
“Nothing like a good wine…” he mused out loud.
“So what, you just waited here the whole time?” Rienna asked, not at all amused by his easiness.
“Not quite, but I was lucky to show up when I did, wasn’t I? To get to see the heroine herself…” Arden added.
Rienna squinted her eyes at Arden now, not liking how coy he was being. Flattery was a young girl’s bane, not hers.
“Just because the Queen trusts you doesn’t mean I should. What is ‘not quite’ and how are you ‘lucky’?” Rienna shot back at him. She resisted the urge to pout or fold her arms but her fist was itching to connect with his jaw.
Arden shook his head, dropping some of the smugness but still managing to let her know she was overreacting.
“Please do not read too much into it. It was a lazy answer, so I apologize. I only meant that I don’t haunt this place day and night but I happened to come in earlier than usual when my duties ended sooner than expected. I may have missed you, but Moreg —“ Arden pointed to a burly man nursing a skein that waved back at them. “Would have let me know you had come so I could track you.”
Arden swirled the wine in his glass again and signaled to the bartender to fill her empty glass and top his off. He continued.
“Don’t think that I sat here on waiting duty, Rienna. I was among the first forces sent south to Xanias when the dark elemental Erised had destroyed the city. I had begged to go, still sore that I hadn’t been able to do anything when the machines came to Merschenez,” Arden told her, almost defensively.
She tried not to smile; she was used to younger men defending themselves to her. Very few men could boast her adventures now.
“You’re a hairless boy; are you even old enough to have such responsibility?” Rienna challenged, attempting to take another stab at his ego. He had seen her eyes lingering over his chest though and she didn’t strike him as the type to lust over boys.
Arden smiled and tossed his head with practiced arrogance.
“I’m from the South; men don’t grow so much hair there as your Northerners. We may not grow hair but we don’t lack in growth anywhere else, I can assure you,” Arden told her, winking playfully.
Rienna laughed and shook her head, giving him credit for not losing his cool. He reminded her of Melchior in a way, but maybe she was just reaching. She missed that bastard, as insane as he had made her. Their history was a strange one, a rollercoaster of love and hate and even now, she wasn’t sure where it had ended. Her heart sunk to her feet when she remembered the stupid sudden way she lost him.
Rienna almost fell out of her seat when she realized Arden was now standing beside her.
“I’m sure you didn’t come alone. Should we go find your companions before setting off?” he asked her. His eyes seemed sympathetic for a scant moment before he seemed determined to tough past it. Boy or not, he seemed to at least know how to let a warrior keep their dignity.
Rienna sobered and got to her feet dejectedly. She felt bloated from the club soda she had downed but she resisted the urge to rub her stomach. Men always seemed to think it meant cramps or pregnancy when often it was just gas or gluttony. She wordlessly led him out of the bar and when she turned to see why he was behind, she caught him looking at her ass. She raised an eyebrow and he smirked and fell into pace beside her. She fought the urge to knock him on his ass.
It was Finn and Verity that they ran into first and they seemed wary of the stranger. She did not fault them for that; she wasn’t quite sure about him herself but she introduced them anyway. When they headed to the inn they had decided upon, Rienna discovered Seles was there without Dinsch and explained that he had gone alone to check out the place Krose was looking into. Arden was mesmerized by the Bryfolk girl and had been so formal when he bowed and kissed her hand that it clearly embarrassed her, but she had the good grace to return the formality.
Once they had all gotten back together though, Arden had made to take his leave, telling them all he would find them again in the morning. Rienna had her own room this time and she heard a light knock at the door before crawling into bed. It was Krose leaning against the doorjamb when she opened it.
“What’s up?” Rienna asked him. Krose shrugged. “I didn’t want to say anything before, but I remember Arden.”
Rienna frowned and gestured for him to come in.
“Is that a bad thing?” Rienna pushed him to get to the point. She was exhausted.
“Not necessarily. He’s a decent guy from a wealthy family. I dated his older sister Ilya for a short time. Look, I know it’s not really my business, but if you’re staying in Merschenez, you should keep the guy around.” He looked flustered when Rienna shot him a cold look. “I’m not saying marry the guy, but you know, be friends. I don’t want you becoming isolated once we leave. At some point, you’ll have to let people in.”
Rienna sighed heavily and tried not
to snap at Krose for worrying over her.
“I’ll be fine, Krose, I promise. Don’t worry so much, okay? I won’t wither away. I’m sure I’ll find plenty to do. Merschenez probably won’t even look the same.”
Rienna wasn’t wrong about that. By the time they reached the farms on the outskirts, it was clear to see that Ersenais was almost foreign even to the ones that had lived there. The market district was entirely rebuilt, everything was repainted, the castle itself only loosely resembling the old one, looking brand new. They rode in on horses (save for the Folk, whose aversion to riding animals had not lessened) and Arden acted as tour guide, telling them all that had transpired while they had been away. As they rode closer to the Market, they were joined by other Knights, riding around them and the people started to notice who was coming into the city and murmurs of ‘heroes’ became more boisterous until they were greeted with cheers and excitement.
Once they reached the bridge crossing over the moat to the Castle’s great yard, Rienna felt nostalgia when she saw the Barracks off to the left where she had trained hard, a time when she and Belias and Melchior were budding children. She had only realized the horses stopped when Arden had lightly touched her arm to signal her dismount. She could have alighted on her own, but the short ride had still been tiring and her legs were jelly, having not been used to riding (at least, unless you count unicorns). Arden would have continued to lead her, but this audience was meant to welcome the heroes so he hung back and let Krose lead her in with Dinsch, Finn, Verity and Seles side by side behind them. Seles had tried to hang back too, but Dinsch was stubborn that she would walk beside him. She clutched the book of sketches to her chest—it was hard to part her from them though.
The Great Hall leading to the throne was cooler, not having the sun beating down on them and the Queen was immaculate, dressed in cool gunmetal gray and silver, an amazing gown that made her look like a goddess more than a queen. The Queen was no great beauty but she was not plain or ugly either. Her smile when she saw the approaching heroes wasn’t warm but it did touch her eyes, if only for a moment. She stood but did not walk forward as the heroes and the guards around them knelt before her. When they rose, she took her seat on the throne again.
“I am pleased that you have returned, Rienna. Your deeds have preceded you and I am honored that you hail from my kingdom. Your friends have been held no less esteemed in our hearts. I must ask what you plan to do—whether you would stay or leave again. I have prepared a feast in your honor but I would like to bestow much more,” the Queen told them now.
“We are grateful for your consideration, my Queen, but we need no great favors for doing what was right. I do plan to stay, perhaps even take a position among your guards as I once did when my father was alive. My friends will be leaving but not so far that we will not meet again,” Rienna told the Queen humbly.
The Queen smiled coolly and signaled her chancellor to her side.
“I was hoping you would say so. I have prepared a lovely cottage for you, Rienna, one that I hope will be to your liking. Your friends may take as much as they need on their travels; just let my chancellor know what we can provide. Arden and Captain Seije will be at your command and you may take on an honorary position among the guards as you see fit…”
Rienna tried not to look so anxious at the sound of Seije’s name but she felt Krose squeezing her hand at the name too.
“We’re home,” Rienna whispered now. She did not realize how very tense she had been until a single heavy release of breath melted away all the anxiety she felt. She felt lighter, stronger and, dare she say it, hopeful for the future.
Chapter 10: Nesting Place
It had not been easy to see Rienna, Dinsch, Krose and Seles off but Finn was anxious still to show Verity the place he had been raised. His adoptive family was no longer there and even the elder was no longer alive, but he was almost grateful for that. It would not bother him if no one recognized him. He knew he would be welcomed there all the same. He also knew that Verity was nervous and not likely to just openly trust the Reishefolk, considering her unhappy first experience with the extremists of his kind. He also knew that Verity was not the type to unfairly judge people either so he knew he could win her over to their new home.
Rienna had been crying when they had left her; Dinsch, Seles and Krose decided to stay with Rienna to help her get settled before heading back to the place in the city which apparently Krose had ultimately decided he liked for his restaurant.
Verity asked Finn if they could continue walking, not keen on any high flying again unless it was necessary. Finn did not blame her—he did not imagine it was any great fun to take to the sky without one’s own set of wings, especially given their history with the sky. As they traveled further north though, it was clear that the cold and the wind were not something Verity was particularly immune to either. Verity’s bronze skin was built for the harsh dry desert, but the cold was a bit much even for her tough skin.
Finn was beginning to wonder if maybe the north would be too much for her and he really didn’t relish her keeping that beautiful figure covered up all the time. He guessed that maybe this place might just be another stop on a longer journey after all.
The north was different than he had remembered—it had become a wilder place and the scattered tribesman, only distinguishable by their elemental tattoos, were not united or particularly friendly, some no better than highway thieves and bandits, the others distrustful and aggressive, rightly so. They must have known the connections to the elements had been severed better even than Morgaze magicians and felt lost. Erised’s tribes had been wiped out completely by the insane shade’s own devices so that the only ones that remained belonged once to Sea Star, Zephyra, Lumina, Girdinus and/or Nuriel (the Asheran tribe, though fire and wind, had seen Erised’s wrath too, but for obvious reasons as well). Even their numbers had been thinned and broken; Erised had not particularly liked any of the elementals and had been arrogant enough to think he would never be wiped out.
Finn had constantly observed Rienna and had not missed how terribly alone she looked even surrounded by friends. He knew she was angry that Melchior had thrown his life away and he did not think he could blame him. When Finn had fallen from the twisted Reishe city clutching Verity as the jagged world stripped their skin away and the ocean had shattered what was left, he had only wished that death was quicker. Where Rienna was angry, he was sympathetic and only hoped Melchior had gotten a quicker death than he had. The Mother might have mended them flawlessly, but she could not completely steal away the horror of that memory.
Verity had not been much of a warrior to begin with—she had only ever really been armed with illusions (and an undeniably quick wit), but still she was fast and she was flexible which proved to be useful enough when the wild north confronted them. Finn knew better than to just think he could swoop them out of confrontation—not only was Verity nervous about flying anywhere but it was really taking a risk if their attackers drew a bow as they fled. Finn and Verity had Kalhmera’s promise of protection, but the Goddess once admitted she was not entirely sure of her new power and her sense of omnipotence strangely decreased when she had gained form and the ability to interact. One did not abuse gifts or test fate. It would be tragic and stupid to have come so far and lose it all, foolishly placing all of one’s own faith in the unknown. Where recklessness and risk had once been the order of the day, it was not needed on the new menu.
Verity had thought that maybe Erised had been blowing hot air about wiping out his allied tribes, but it seemed true enough since they had not run into anyone bearing the dark marks. Being from the southern continent of Stoneweld, she might not have recognized them before as tribal stories, but Verity was a keen observer; Ashe’s and Melchior’s were as distinct and different as the other tribes and the language, though foreign, was still distinguishable between the tribes.
Once she would have liked to find out what the tattoos meant, known from Ashe and Melchior wha
t stories their markings told and she lamented that she would not get the chance. Not one of the Suleika survived them so the meaning would be lost forever. The ones she met now were certainly not friendly enough to enlighten her, but perhaps each story was a secret within each tribe as well. She hadn’t liked leaving Rienna behind—the new cottage awarded to her friend was charming and idyllic and even being there for a short time had made her want a place to settle sooner. Finn seemed overly worried that the cold north might not be the place for her. Maybe it wasn’t, but she also assured him that her place was with him—she had no intention of leaving him. Even if their trip to his childhood home did not work out, she had no doubt that wherever home would be was going to be exactly where she wanted to be. She had not really called a place home since before the demons in the desert stole hers away.
The nearer they got, the more anxious Finn seemed to look; although he was able to mask his face very well, his muscles twitched restlessly. It might have been imperceptible to others, but not to her. Her body and his had been mangled and entwined in mutual gore and disfigurement—there were few secrets between them.
One thing that was exceptionally awkward for all of them was the lack of elemental power. While on Stoneweld, they had spent much of their time using and developing their fledgling powers and they had been so used to using them in even simple tasks that, where it was second nature to use them, it was a stunning gap when they attempted to and realized they could not. Finn was quicker to adapt than Verity, but Verity had come into her powers long before many of the others and the loss to her was greater. Pierait was a different story altogether; his ‘magic’ was not really magic at all but a great stream of wandering souls, looking for their new resting place between this world and the spirit world. Before that, he had known the strange power of the Void. The Barren Lands were the place he had procured the Wellspring so it made sense that he would want to go back there to see if that was where they should rest again.
The Truth about Heroes: Complete Trilogy (Heroes Trilogy) Page 64