The King of Anavrea (Book Two of the Theodoric Saga)

by Rachel Rossano

  Closing his eyes, he willed his head to stop throbbing. The stress headaches were growing worse, and his lack of a full night’s sleep didn’t help. Despite the pain, a bittersweet smile pulled at his mouth as he recalled why he hadn’t gotten adequate rest the previous night. Awakening to the aftermath of Lirth’s dream had not been pleasant, but her warmth and sweetness afterwards–

  “Now, I can understand the grimace.” Trahern’s voice broke through the memories. “But that other expression, I can’t read.”

  Ireic opened his eyes to find his older brother leaning on the table watching him with an interested look on his face.

  “It is not enough that the whole nation watches my every move. Must you watch me?”

  “I am going to watch as long as you are so obviously stressed and preoccupied. What is going on?”

  Ireic glared at his brother. “I was not distracted. I gave Tremont and the situation my full attention.”

  “Except for when you knew he wasn’t looking, like when he sought for an answer to one of your in-depth questions. Ireic, I know that look. I haven’t spent years working with you without learning to read you.”

  “I have a headache,” Ireic offered half-heartedly as he pushed back from the table and rose to his feet. “They are getting worse.”

  Trahern frowned. “It is more than that. I have seen you more intensely involved in a meeting with a roaring headache. What don’t you want me to know?”

  The tone in Trahern’s voice focused Ireic’s attention. The tightness around his brother’s mouth and the concern in his eyes underscored the determination in his stance. Ireic doubted that Trahern would let him walk out of the room without an answer. His temples throbbed and the muscles in his neck tightened painfully. Ireic didn’t feel like fighting. With a weary sigh, he sat back down and placed his head between his hands.

  “Lirth had a nightmare last night. She is convinced it was a warning and something terrible will happen to her soon.”

  “And you believe this?” Trahern asked as he sat down across the table.

  “I have been reading the translation of the Manuscripts that the Lisbrith sent me a while back and I believe that the Kurios is capable of doing such things. Since He created the world, time, and life, I believe it is conceivable that He can warn of what is to happen. He does claim to be able to control what happens.”

  “That is what I have been taught as well.” Trahern’s scrutiny betrayed no amusement or incredulity. He waited calmly with genuine concern in his eyes.

  “In the dream Lirth was been recaptured by the man who kidnapped her from her brothers years ago and he threatens to harm her. There is hope that it was just a nightmare and nothing more.”

  “So,” Trahern prompted.

  “So, I ordered Liam to never leave her side unless she is with me. Between the two of us, I am hoping to keep her safe.”

  Trahern nodded. “Is there any way to identify this man? Does she see him in her dream?”

  Ireic leaned back shaking his head. “I asked. She dreams as she lives, blind. Despite knowing the monster was on the council, I couldn’t discover his name. Without the assassination attempts and rebellion, I would’ve caught the man by now or at least discovered a name.”

  “Liam knows most of the council members on sight. If you notify him that the kidnapper will most likely be one of them, he will be especially vigilant around them.”

  Ireic nodded. “I already have, but I highly doubt we will be meeting up with any council members out here.”

  A deep bell tone resonated through the keep from the direction of the kitchens. “Ah, lunch.” Trahern rose to his feet.

  Ireic followed, carefully stretching the sore muscles in his back.

  “How about a sparring match after lunch?” Trahern offered. “You could loosen some of those knots, and I think the exercise would be good for you.”

  Reluctantly, Ireic shook his head. “I have to review the troops and then draw up battle plans with the strategist. I would love to trounce you, but I don’t have room in my schedule.”

  “Trounce me?” Trahern lifted an eyebrow and grinned. “What makes you so sure that you will win? You have a recovering shoulder.”

  “I am younger and I don’t have a bum knee.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure,” Trahern replied as he opened the door. “Remember years can bring wisdom. I have learned a trick or two recently that would make it even.” He laughed. “I guess I shall have to wait until later to try them out.”

  Ireic smiled weakly, his mind on Lirth. “We shall see.”

  ~~~~~~

  Lirth waited outside the doors to the great hall, listening to the chatter beyond. Liam’s comforting presence lingered next to her. He had already kindly described the corridor for her, the great double doors, and the great hall beyond them. Now he was standing beside her as she taught him how to be a listener. The gong sounded again, thrumming through the floors and soles of her feet with the resonance of its deep voice.

  In the hall beyond the doors, benches scraped the floor as people began to seat themselves in preparation for the meal. The sounds were muffled by distance and the thick wooden doors, but Lirth understood the drop in volume. The crowd watched for the appearance of the king, the signal that the meal would soon follow. Behind them, echoing in the corridor, she heard the approaching foot falls of two men. It took her only a moment of careful listening to recognize Ireic’s confident tread and her brother-in-law’s distinctively uneven stride.

  “Ireic and Trahern are coming,” she informed Liam. Trahern suddenly laughed at something.

  “I hear them. Did you identify them by their voices?” Liam asked as he stepped closer.

  “No, the fall of their feet.” She straightened her shoulders and composed her face for the coming entrance into the great hall. “But their voices confirmed my suspicions.”

  Liam didn’t reply because just then Ireic and Trahern rounded the last corner.

  “Lirth.” Trahern greeted her as they approached. Taking her hand, he pulled her close and kissed her cheek. “You look almost as tired as Ireic, but you still manage to be beautiful.”

  Her confusion must have shown on her face, for Ireic laughed. “Are you complimenting or insulting her, Trahern?” Despite the mirth in his voice, Lirth could hear a leaden weariness.

  “Praising her, or course,” Trahern replied. “What looks like exhaustion on you, looks like lady-like fatigue on her. Basically you both look tired, but she is still beautiful.”

  “Hmm.” Ireic claimed Lirth’s hand with a slight squeeze, making her heart flutter. Her face warmed as memories from the previous night flooded her mind.

  “Trahern has been trying to cheer me up and is failing dismally.” Ireic drew her hand through his arm and tucked it in the crook. While he was doing this, he surprised her with a feather-light kiss on her forehead. “We will be able to catch a few moments together after the meal,” he whispered in her ear. “But I can only promise a few moments.”

  Lirth smiled up at him to show him she was pleased that he had made time for her. Then she turned her attention to the happenings around them. The doors opened and the procession to the head table began.

  There was no fanfare. As far as Lirth could hear, their entrance wasn’t announced, but it produced an effect all the same. Silence fell over the waiting crowd as Ireic led her across the smooth stone floor. Lirth prayed that she wouldn’t trip on the step to the high table. Then she reprimanded herself for worrying, especially when Ireic cued her with a single whispered word at exactly the right moment. Turning, they faced the crowd and waited for Trahern, General Tremont, and the steward to take their places.

  It started in the right corner of the room as a low chant, but within moments the walls echoed with the cry. “Long live King Ireic and his Queen.” Lirth felt Ireic’s response, a mixture of surprise and joy. He raised his hand for silence and a hush fell instantly over the room.

  “When I fled Ana City
, I feared Anavrea no longer wanted me to be their king. Her people no longer trusted me to rule, protect, and lead them. My heart was heavy with the concern that they…you might prefer the King’s Council to my leadership. So when I arrived here to find you waiting, ready and willing to support my claim and not the council’s, I began to hope again. Thank you.”

  The applause deafened Lirth. Ireic tensed beneath her touch. Some of them cried for a speech, but Ireic ignored them. He assisted her to a seat. Then he took his own place, thus signaling the beginning of the meal. Servers approached and soon the tables below were silent except for the sounds of eating. Lirth concentrated on eating while Trahern and Ireic continued to talk war.

  The company planned on marching out the next morning before dawn. She needed to start packing right after the meal.

  Ireic, however, had other plans for her. As servants began clearing the tables, he rose. “May I escort you for a walk in the gardens?” he asked. She agreed and offered him her hand. He told Liam to enjoy some time to himself. Leading her out through the double doors, Ireic surprised her by ushering her off to the right.

  “This isn’t the way to the gardens.”

  “I know.” He slipped an arm around her waist. Guiding her around a couple of quick turns, he drew her through a door and kicked it closed without releasing her. He backed her up against the door.

  “Ireic?” The lock fell into place with a solid click.

  “I have fifteen minutes before a man arrives to escort me off to inspect troops.” His voice was close and husky. “I intend to take advantage of that.” The palm of his left hand slid across the side of her face, while his right tilted her chin up. Before she could even think of protesting, he kissed her. Lirth slipped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer, hoping to distract him from the crisis at hand, even if only for a moment.

  ~~~~~~

  The next morning before the sun lightened the horizon, Lirth found herself perched on a seasoned war horse. Mist clung to her skin, forming cold droplets of water. Horses whinnied off to the right. Men argued farther ahead and nearby Liam lectured her honor guard, leaving him with explicit instructions that covered every imaginable possibility.

  She only paid heed to him with half her attention. The other half focused on listening for the sound of her husband’s voice. She had yet to talk to him this morning and she missed him. She dimly remembered him climbing into bed after she fell asleep. When she woke, however, the only evidence she hadn’t dreamt of him was his flattened pillow.

  Far off a bugle blew and a drum demanded attention. The effect was instantaneous. The men scrabbled into formation and suddenly Liam manifested, already mounted and at her side.

  “We are about to move out, Your Majesty,” he informed her formally.

  Inclining her head, she acknowledged his service. The drum beat a marching rhythm in the distance. A horn blared and the men began the day’s march. They waited awhile before the progress forward reached them. Once it did, Lirth wished it hadn’t. With it came the certainty that she wouldn’t be speaking with Ireic anytime soon.

  Lirth straightened her shoulders and held her head high. Such was the life of a queen. Her duty involved looking regal and worthy of the men’s defense. Resolving to make the best of the situation, she tucked away the hope that she would see Ireic later. Then she tightened her grip on the reins and prepared herself for a long, dull day.

  ~~~~~~

  Ireic didn’t allow himself the luxury of looking back. The men would misinterpret the movement. Instead, he relied on one of his honor guard to keep him abreast of how Lirth fared.

  “I see you are keeping an extra close guard on my sister.” Aarint drew his mount alongside Ireic’s. “Is there something I don’t know?”

  Ireic frowned as he glanced at his brother-in-law. Aarint’s gaze was measuring and sharp.

  “She had a dream two nights ago. She thinks it warns of something terrible happening to her in the future.” Ireic avoided looking Aarint’s way again. “I just want to be sure I am doing all I can to protect her.”

  “From what?”

  Briefly, Ireic related the dream to Aarint. “I have covered all the possibilities.”

  “Except for the reality that you cannot protect her from everything.” Aarint’s tone was almost exactly the same as Lirth’s, mild acceptance.

  “Lirth said that too.”

  Aarint studied Ireic until he grew uncomfortable. Finally, Ireic turned and asked, “What is it?”

  “You still haven’t faced the truth.” His brother-in-law frowned.

  “Do you want your sister to die?” Even as the words fell from his mouth, Ireic knew that he was being unfair.

  “No,” Aarint replied with surprising calm. Ireic internally shook at the thought of losing Lirth. “I am saying that you aren’t facing the fact that the Kurios counts our days. You cannot prevent it if that is so.”

  “Would you rather I do nothing?” Ireic stared at his brother-in-law in disbelief.

  “No. Protecting her is the right thing to do. I am just concerned about the tenacity with which you are fighting the reality that you can’t control everything.”

  “I am not a believer in the Kurios, Aarint. I don’t share the faith that you and Lirth seem to invest in Him and His love.”

  “Oh.” Aarint’s face grew sad. “When I saw you reading the Manuscripts, I assumed.”

  “I am not sure I can put my trust in a deity that does such terrible things to his followers. First He took her sight, then her family and security. Now He won’t promise to stop there.”

  “He doesn’t do evil, He allows it.”

  “Regardless, I am not reassured.”

  “The Manuscripts promise that the Kurios will protect those He loves.”

  “But He has done terrible things to others who have followed Him. I read the part of the Manuscripts about the rich man who lost everything.”

  “He also gained it all back and more. The Kurios has a purpose in all that He does. He does not allow suffering into His children’s lives without a good purpose, one worth the pain.”

  “But it isn’t right,” Ireic protested. “What has Lirth done to earn all of this?”

  “She was made to be His to use as He wills. All of us are. That is our purpose. We are the ones who sin, from the first man to us today. We deserve death, Ireic. He offers us life, love, and a future home with Him. Lirth knows that and accepts what He asks.”

  Ireic was stunned at the realization that this was exactly what Lirth had been trying to communicate to him before. “But how can she?” Ireic asked.

  “She knows the Man who holds all of us in His hands and she trusts Him. She knows He loves her and will not ask for more than He will give her the strength to endure. He won’t leave her to suffer alone.”

  They rode in silence as Ireic tried to grasp all of this. It was obvious that Aarint believed in the Kurios just as much as Lirth did, if not more. Ireic closed his eyes against the images that her dream had invoked. How can You do this? he asked the Unseen One.

  “Do you trust Him to take care of her, Ireic?” Aarint asked suddenly.

  Ireic swallowed carefully. He understood everything that Aarint said, but something held him back from trusting.

  It was fear. He recognized the feeling. Fear that the Kurios would take Lirth from him. To trust was to admit that he had no control over what happened to her. A part of him clung to the idea of managing the situation.

  “I shall try my best to protect her and save her from harm,” he replied firmly.

  Aarint frowned, but said nothing.

  ~~~~~~

  Four days later, Ireic stepped out of the warmth of the meeting tent into the cool night. Despite all of their efforts, gathering men and arms as they marched, the prospect of victory grew less sure the closer Ana City drew.

  Reports claimed the rebellious council’s forces out-numbered their own three men to one. The new recruits wandering in from the surrounding f
arms were raw and some had never swung a sword before. Their only hope lay in the outlying companies of enlisted soldiers stationed around the country, answering Ireic’s summons in time to meet them outside the city walls. If they could hold off another few days the chances increased, but so did the rebels’ ranks. The plans were set. Tomorrow at dawn they were riding into Ana City.

  Ireic kicked a stone. It rolled under a bush. The tent behind him was still filled with sounds of the planning meeting breaking up. Before him the camp sat in silence, shrouded in darkness. Misty fog floated along the ground in wisps, winding around the guttering torches and smudging their glow into eerie halos. The heavy air smelled of the promise of rain before morning.

  “Sire?” a voice asked from his left.

  Turning, Ireic could just make out the features of his bodyguard in the glow from the tent opening.

  “I am just going to bed, Rowen. Go get some sleep.”

  “But, Sire–”

  Ireic raised a hand. “Go. I wish to be alone.”

  With visible reluctance, Rowen lowered his head in submission and left in the direction of the barrack tents. Ireic walked toward the royal tent more from force of habit than choice. When he reached it, he stood outside the door in indecision. Lirth slept within, hopefully at peace, and he hated to disturb her. Though he was weary, his mind was restless, not ready for the silence of slumber. Finally, he turned away and meandered toward the edge of camp.

  The army’s morale was good. General Tremont and the officers worked hard to keep them confident that they would obtain victory. Yorn’s intelligence gathering offered some hope. He had noted that as military leaders, the former council frequently demonstrated their lack of experience.

  However, Ireic knew from his own long training that intelligence reports could be false. There was no certainty. Tomorrow could be either a triumph or defeat and according to Lirth and Aarint, only the Kurios knew which.

  The two of them amazed Ireic. Lirth especially defied his understanding. Her quiet belief in this deity who may let her suffer baffled him. She trusted the Kurios, who blinded her in the first place. She said it was for a purpose. All of this was for a good purpose.