The Affiliate

by K. A. Linde

  The time passed uneasily. She could hardly concentrate on the text she was reading. She hated that he was so troubled.

  “Is it the baby?” she finally asked.

  The fact that Kaliana had lost yet another one while Duchess Elida was months away from a baby of her own, in truth, troubled Daufina deeply. They needed a Dremylon heir. Nothing was secure without one.

  Edric sighed. “No. Though perhaps it should be.”

  “You need an heir.”

  “It was my father’s dying wish for me, Daufina. I know I need an heir.” His blue-gray eyes settled on her, and she saw the heaviness in them. “Maybe if I had cared more for that than what is troubling me, I would already have a baby on the way. But that’s not possible when you haven’t been with your wife.”

  “At all?” Daufina asked with raised eyebrows. “Edric—”

  “I know!” he snapped. “I should. It is my duty, and it must be done.”

  “Then, is it Cyrene? I thought you closed that matter when we arrived. I know her safety concerned you, but you stopped showing her favor. I thought—”

  “Whatever you thought was mistaken. I stayed away to appease a wife who I do not love. Yet I am king, am I not? I should appease myself, should I not?” His voice grew continually louder as if he were convincing himself more than her. “I invited Cyrene to my rooms.”

  Daufina tried to rein in her surprise. Edric had sworn up and down that he never wanted a mistress…not one in competition for his heart. He had tried so hard to love Kaliana, but the woman made it impossible for anyone to do so.

  “So,” she said quietly, “if you invited her to be with you, why are you angry? Are you angry with yourself for deciding to go through with it?”

  Edric laughed without humor. “She never came to me. She promised she would. I waited all night. I sent a maid to her chambers. She refused to even answer the door. It appears that even the King gets rejected.”

  “She is a fool to have done so.”

  “And do you know that it just makes me want her more?”

  “Oh, Edric—”

  “Your Highness!” a maid cried, scurrying into the study unannounced.

  Her face set in stone, Daufina turned to face the woman. No one burst in on the King of Byern. Even if she was here for the Prince of Eleysia, she should announce a royal emissary.

  “What do you want, girl?” Daufina asked coldly. “You just interrupted the King.”

  “My apologies,” she sputtered. She sank into a deep curtsy. “I just…went into the Pearl Bay Chambers to bring Affiliate Cyrene her morning breakfast and found her missing! Her room was in disarray, and some of her things were gone!”

  “What?” Edric and Daufina cried at the same time.

  “Yes. I know I was sent…last night.” Her cheeks colored. “I think…she must have been gone already! Do you think the killer somehow got into the castle?”

  “Absolutely not!” Daufina said.

  But one look at Edric’s pale face said otherwise.

  “Start a search immediately, Daufina. Look everywhere. Find any information you can.”

  “Edric, you’re not seriously considering that something happened to her?” she asked softly.

  “It all makes sense. She was the target, she was supposed to be with me last night, and now, she is missing. I think it is a very real possibility.” He strode around the desk and reached for her. “We cannot let anything happen to her, Daufina.”

  Just then, a Royal Guard walked inside. “His Royal Highness, the Prince of Eleysia.”

  Edric cursed under his breath. “Take care of this for me. I have to deal with the trade negotiations, but I won’t rest until she is found. Mark my words,” he cried before storming from the room.

  Daufina watched his retreating back as fear set in. If Cyrene was missing, potentially captured by this mysterious killer, then it meant none of them were truly safe, not even in the castle. And just as bad—in her mind at this point, even worse—Edric would not recover from this. She knew him too well. He would blame himself. He had already blamed himself. And she did not know what would happen to her King under such circumstances.

  Cyrene hastened her steps toward the tunnel entrance and swallowed back the pain of leaving Edric behind. She knew that once she’d stepped out the door, she had lost him forever. And no matter what the Braj had said about the rightful Dremylon heir, her heart still ached at the thought. But there was no turning back. She couldn’t stay here and wait for the Braj to come after her, hoping she would figure out her powers on her own. She had to take action. If that meant losing everything she knew…and loved, then so be it.

  Taking the most direct route to the hallway where the entrance was, she waited for the corridor to empty and then darted through the door. She slammed it shut as quickly as she had entered and took a deep breath. She wrenched the still burning torch she and Maelia had left on a hook at the top of the stairs and followed them down to the bottom.

  Rhea was waiting for her, as promised, on the last step, pacing impatiently. “Cyrene!” Rhea cried when she appeared.

  “Sorry it took so long. I got held up.”

  “I’m just glad you’re safe.” Rhea tugged at her red braid. “I know you’re not telling us something. You’re so determined to go to Eleysia because something is happening to you, but I don’t know what it is. I’ve been your best friend your entire life. I know you. So, what’s going on?”

  Cyrene sighed and nodded. She hated that they had to have this conversation now, but she didn’t know when they would be alone again. “I haven’t trusted anyone with this, Rhea, but I trust you.”

  “Of course you can trust me. We’ve known each other our entire lives.” She sounded as confident as ever, but a crease formed in her brow, and her lips were pursed with concern.

  “But, Rhea, you don’t understand.”

  “And how can I if you don’t even begin to explain?”

  Cyrene tightly gripped her leather bag in her hand as she retrieved the book from within. If I can’t trust Rhea, who out there can I trust?

  She cracked it open to the first page, and when she looked down at the beautiful font, the words were clear. Her heart rapidly sped up when she saw that she could read them.

  “I got this book from Elea the day of my Presenting. Do you see anything here?” She pointed to the iridescent font with its sharp edges and looping swirls.

  “No,” Rhea said, turning her head to look at the page. “It’s blank.”

  “No, it’s not. Words are there. I can see them. I’m the only one who can see them,” she said, her voice remaining level.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean exactly what I said.”

  Rhea stared at the page like the words might suddenly appear for her. “I’m sorry. I don’t see it. What does this have to do with the Braj and leaving for Eleysia?”

  “It’s the real reason I have to leave Byern.” She swallowed, not ready to tell her friend but knowing she had to tell someone. “I have…abilities, Rhea.”

  “What kind of abilities?” She narrowed her eyes.

  “It’s going to sound mad, but remember when you first found out about Master Barca? How you thought Bursts were magic?”

  “Yes,” Rhea answered hesitantly. “But they’re not.”

  “No, but I am. I have powers, Rhea,” she whispered. “I just found out, and I need to learn what it all means…how to control it.”

  Rhea stared at her, dumbfounded. She was so logical, such a straightforward, book-smart type of person. She probably couldn’t process this information. But it was out there now, and Cyrene couldn’t take it back.

  “Powers? Like magic told in stories?”

  “Kind of. I don’t know,” Cyrene admitted. “I don’t know what I can do or how to do it. I couldn’t show you or anything. But if Braj are real…is this that far-fetched?”

  “So, you think you have powers?”

  “Rhea, I do have powers. I thin
k…it’s what the Presenting letter said. What you seek lies where you cannot seek it. What you find cannot be found. Rhea, I can’t seek out magic because it was already there, hidden away inside of me. And it can’t be found because I couldn’t look for it. It just was. No one else could find it unless they already had it, and I already had it. I feel like maybe…I’ve begun to fulfill my Presenting letter,” she said, “to fulfill the prophecy.”

  “By the Creator!” Rhea said, her hand going to her heart. “It actually…makes sense.”

  “I can’t tell the others yet. I told them as much as I was comfortable with. Will you hold my secret while we travel?”

  Rhea peered down at the dirty floor. Her face was a mask, but Cyrene instantly knew what her friend was thinking. She had known Rhea too long not to see it in her face. She really hoped she was wrong though.

  “I can’t,” she finally said. She twisted her finger around her long braid.

  “Rhea, come with me,” Cyrene pleaded. “We don’t have much more time to waste, but I need you with me.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t. I’m not like you, Cyrene. I never wanted adventure. I never wanted to leave Byern. I love Albion now, but that’s only because I was fortunate enough to have the best Receiver. Master Barca is a good man, and he treats me well. I’ve learned so much from him, and I enjoy the work. I thought I wanted to be an Affiliate. I thought I would be happy as an Affiliate, but I was wrong. I don’t think anything could make me happier. So, I can’t go. I know you’ll do great things because you were born to, Cyrene. I think I was born to watch you from the sidelines.”

  A tear fell down Cyrene’s cheek. She grasped her friend in a tight hug, ignoring her side. She hadn’t wanted to let Rhea go that afternoon in the pouring rain when she had made Second Class, and she didn’t want to now. It seemed so unfair that she would have to leave her best friend behind twice.

  “You’re going to do great things, Cyrene,” Rhea said. She hiccupped and covered her mouth as she struggled to hold back tears. “Know that I’ll always be here. I’ll always be looking out. I’ll always be your best friend. I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” Cyrene gasped out.

  “Just be safe, all right?” Rhea squeezed her hand.

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “Good-bye, Cyrene.”

  “Just until next time,” she amended.

  “Next time,” Rhea agreed with a smile.

  Cyrene wiped her eyes and then nodded. She placed the book back in her bag and then started out. She glanced back once at Rhea and gave her a faint smile before new tears fell.

  After she had walked a distance away from the castle, she pulled out the small map Orden had sketched for her—a direct underground route to their checkpoint—and followed it as it was written. Her side kept troubling her, and she had to take frequent breaks. She didn’t know how far she was going, but it felt like leagues and leagues underground with no light source other than the torch and no way to tell time.

  When she took the final bend, she was anxious to be above ground. There, before her, was a door. She hooked the torch back up, rushed the door, and pulled on the handle. It wouldn’t budge. She grunted in frustration as she tried to open it, but it seemed to be locked.

  She ran her hands along the seam of the door. There was a hole at one point that looked like it fit a key, and she had to assume that it was locked. She kicked out at the door. She was so close. She just needed to be on the other side of that door. There were no alternative routes in the tunnels, and she felt completely trapped.

  In an act of desperation, she placed her right hand on the wall near the hole and closed her eyes like the person in her dream of Serafina had done to open the door. That dream had allowed her to be able to read the book, so she might as well see if anything else in there had been useful.

  Cyrene waited for a few seconds, and seconds turned into a few minutes. She concentrated so hard that sweat was bursting out on her forehead, and her cheeks were flushed. And then, when she thought she was about to give up, something clicked into place, and the door swung wide.

  Her mouth fell open, and she stared down at the door in surprise. By the Creator! How did I do that?

  She accepted it, albeit begrudgingly, that she had just done it. And it would take a while for her to understand how she had done it. It was her whole purpose in leaving. It was her whole purpose in going to Eleysia. It was her whole purpose in seeking out Matilde and Vera when they should have died two thousand years ago.

  As she ascended the stairs, the early morning light greeted her in a small green field on the very edge of Albion borders. Ahlvie and Maelia were pacing a track into the grass between four horses. Orden was a distance off, looking out away from the city, standing next to a massive brown horse and a smaller packhorse with their bags and supplies loaded on it.

  “I made it,” Cyrene said.

  Ahlvie and Maelia jumped and rushed over to her. Ahlvie sagged in relief, and Cyrene could see the worry line across Maelia’s forehead.

  “We thought you were done for,” Maelia admitted.

  “Such faith,” she whispered, not wanting them to know how close she had been.

  “We’re glad you’re safe,” Ahlvie told her. “Where’s Rhea?”

  Cyrene pushed back tears and shook her head. “She’s not coming.”

  “I see,” Ahlvie said.

  Maelia gave her a hug. “I’m sorry.”

  “Right then. We have a long road ahead of us,” Orden interrupted, wearing his big brown hat again. “Let’s be on our way.”

  Maelia gave her a wistful smile and then followed Ahlvie to their mounts. Cyrene followed, brushed her hand against Ceffy’s nose, and smiled at her dear friend. She placed the contents of her leather bag into her saddlebag where it belonged, close to her. Her foot hooked into the stirrup, and she pulled herself into the saddle, adjusting to the seating.

  Cyrene looked behind her at what she was leaving behind—her city, her Affiliate position, her best friend, and Edric. She said a silent good-bye for now and promised to see them all again one day.

  Then, they set out, riding through the open field to the dirt road leading out of Albion to Aurum and beyond.

  And she hoped she would find all her answers.

  To Be Continued…

  As a book several years in the making, the number of people who have helped this become a reality are numerous. This all started as a random idea right after I graduated with my master’s with a small moleskin of notes, a long list of potential names, and a hastily sketched map. The iterations have been numerous, and I’m proud of the final project. Mostly, I’m thankful for all the people who stuck it out with me to this point. You guys are awesome!

  First, of course, I have to thank my family. They have all read The Affiliate in some form or draft and helped make it a better book—from Brittany sending me names in the middle of the night, Shea reading up to the procession five-plus times because I kept changing things, Anmar reading for the guy’s perspective on the fantasy bend, to Mom and Dad always believing in me. And, of course my husband, Joel, who knew Cyrene’s story would be out in the world one day and encouraged me not to change her feistiness. Plus, Riker and Lucy who stayed up with me on countless nights while I was revising.

  This book wouldn’t be possible without a few people who helped bring a few characters to life. So, thank you, Meera and Kiran Bhardwaj, for acting like twins and letting me watch you together for months. Thank you to Brian Alvarez and Haven for your unique personalities and epic debates about who is more important.

  My betas, early readers, and emotional support team! I know you have been on a long journey with me for this book. Thank you for sticking it out with me! Jessica Carnes, Bridget Peoples, Rebecca Kimmerling, Katie Miller, Tammi Ahmed, Shannon Stephens, and Christine Estevez.

  A big thank you to Bethany Hagen and Susan Dennard for the amazing blurbs for this book. I cherish them! Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations f
or the stunning artwork on the cover. You took my vision and made it a thousand times better than I could have ever imagined. Nicole Zoltack for exceptional content editing on this baby when it was in its infancy. Jovana Shirley at Unforeseen Editing for the most amazing editing and formatting imaginable. You cleaned this book right up. Christy Peckham, who proofread this book for me and hopefully caught all the little errors I missed after reading it a million times! InkSlinger, especially Nazarea Andrews and KP Simmon, for the promotional support and all the incredible things you do to help books find their homes! Special shout-out to Donna from Book Passion for Life for helping me in every way you could to make this release a success!

  Since this book sprang up out of my personal love for fantasy and young adult fantasy, I thought I would thank the authors who inspire me to keep writing every day—Robert Jordan, Philippa Gregory, Sarah J. Maas, Eleanor Herman, Leigh Bardugo, Cassandra Clare, Alexandra Bracken, Marie Lu, and many, many more!

  Most of all, I want to thank YOU! Thanks for giving this book a chance. It may not be your normal read, or it may be right up your alley. Either way, I appreciate you taking a chance on the book! And finally, my FictionPress loves! This book originated there, and many of you have been waiting a LONG time for its conclusion. Thanks for waiting it out, and I hope everyone enjoyed it! Look for the sequel, The Bound, out in 2016!

  K.A. Linde grew up as a military brat, traveling the United States and even landing for a brief stint in Australia. She created fantastical stories based off of her love for Disney movies, fairy tales, and Star Wars. A former political campaign worker, K.A. is the USA Today bestselling author of the Avoiding Series. She now lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with her husband and two super adorable puppies. In her spare time, she is an avid traveler, and she loves cruising, reading young adult novels, and bargain-hunting.

  Additionally, K.A. has written thirteen adult novels and does not encourage anyone younger than eighteen to pick those up.

  K.A. Linde loves to hear from her readers!