The second day started much the same with a bowl of porridge brought by the gaoler, who was quiet and efficient. I wonder what happened to the guard from when I was last at the palace. I had not seen him since my imprisonment. Some hours later, before my afternoon meal, I heard the clank of keys and the heavy footsteps of the guards. I stood. I will meet Adair head-on without fear. This was Adair’s dance, and I already knew the steps. He will want me to cower, to beg for forgiveness. He is proud and ruthless, a dangerous combination, but he’s also cunning. I must keep my wits about me.
The door creaked open, the wood scraping against the floor. The guard came in first, making way for Adair. Adair had dressed with care, I could tell; it was all part of the dance. His doublet was midnight blue, slashed with silver in the sleeves, with buttons carved like oak leaves. On the breast was a silver tree with bare branches. His jerkin were the same dark blue, and over his shoulders he wore a long gray cloak clasped at the throat with a pin in the shape of the Order of the Oak’s emblem, an encircled oak tree. He has adopted everything about them for himself. His hair was long and tied back at the base of his neck. He had shaved, and his face was smooth and free of blemish. When his eyes fell upon me, they were a blazing blue. He stood in the door for a moment, his hand resting on a blade at his hip.
He looked me up and down, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. It reminded me of the smile Johai gave me since he had been possessed by the specter. They are more alike than I realized. It should have been Adair whose body the specter took, not Johai’s. I wondered if killing Adair would be easier than killing Johai. It was a dire thought, and I pushed it aside for later. Adair’s triumph was evident in his every movement as he strode over to me. He swung his arms, smiling all the while. He thought he had won, that he had somehow tricked me and caught me. Let him think he has won; it will make my job easier.
He stopped short of me by a foot, close enough that I could see the pupils of his eyes dilated in the dim light of my prison. “Lady Diranel, I never would have thought to see you again.” His words were cocksure, but a strange expression flitted across his face. If I were a fool, I would think he missed me.
“I never thought to return here, but life has many twists and turns,” I replied.
He laughed. Once upon a time that laugh had sent butterflies to flight inside my stomach; now I only wanted to smack the smile from his face. He could kill me if he wanted, but he is curious as to why I am here. That’s why he hasn’t done so yet.
“What happy chance has brought you back to me?” he asked.
“War brings me here, by now you have already realized Neaux is wroth with you over the succession of their throne.”
He frowned at me. He did not know I knew or that I had a role in stopping him. It was one small mercy. “Yes, we’ve been informed of the queen’s displeasure,” he replied. He was searching my face, perhaps puzzling out how I knew as much as I did.
I have him if I can play the cards right.
“I know that Johai came to you with promises of swords in the form of the Biski.” His eyes grew large, but he gave no other indication of surprise. “I came here to warn you of the threat behind that promise. Johai, the Biski and Neaux have made a similar pact; they plan to betray you. Already men from the Stone Clan are on the move to meet up with the Neaux force to attack Golden Crossing.”
Adair crossed his arms over his chest. “Am I to believe that you would betray Johai, the man who saved your life?”
“He claimed I was slain and lost to him, did he not?” I asked. I had thought this would be his argument. I continued forward. Adair’s expression gave everything away. If only I could read him like this before. But I was a different person than who I was then. His lips parted as if he wished to argue, but I gave him no chance to. “Johai is no longer the same man. He has unleashed an ancient evil, which has taken over his body. The war is coming, and you are without allies. Johai’s power is great, and he has eyes everywhere.” Including me; he will use me to report to Adair as I report to Adair of him. That was the game I was to play. Pretend to be the turn-cloak and be the double agent, all to gain access to the Sea Chamber. My only hope was I could spare the bloodshed of the innocent by doing so.
He laughed again, but there was no humor in it. It was a hollow sound laced with despair. “You should know by now, Maea, that I trust no one. I suspected he would betray me, and you have only confirmed it. This information alone will not save your life.”
He wants more; I should have known. “You would be squandering a valuable resource to dispose of me. You need a diviner by your side. I am the last, and if you kill me, you end centuries of power and the one key to stopping Johai.”
He uncrossed his arms and narrowed his eyes as he looked at me. “You had your chance to stand by my side. You denied me.”
I wanted to laugh in his face. We were facing a war greater than any our people had seen, and he was feeling jilted because I had rejected him a lifetime ago. How could I have not seen it before? He is like a spoiled child wanting what he cannot have. He desires it more if it is in someone else’s hands. Perhaps that is why he ordered my death. If he could not have me, then no one would. He framed me as a murderer. How could I feel anything but revulsion and hatred for him? I took a deep breath to calm myself and to staunch the cutting thoughts that threatened to spill out. I would rather choke on my words, but I need him. I need his trust.
I pleaded with him. That’s what he wanted from me. My pride was not so great that I could not humble myself if needed. I went down upon my knees and took his hand in mine. He looked down at me, a smile touching the corners of his lips. I averted my gaze lest I spit on his smug face. “I was wrong, a fool for turning you away. I did not understand that you were working to the greater good. I see the errors of my ways. Let me return to your service, let me stand beside you.” I could not bring myself to voice the last, to ask to be his paramour. I knew that was his intent long ago. The very idea now was repulsive to me, but I could not let him see that. I will avoid it as much as possible, and if he pushes me, I will tell him about the child but not before then. I will keep my secrets, as I know he will keep his.
He stared at me kneeling at his feet. For once his expression was unreadable. “Stand, Maea.”
I did as I was commanded, but he did not let go of my hand. He was watching me still, his fingers closing around mine in a vice. He’s seen through my deception. I’ve doomed us all, I thought for a panicked minute.
And then Adair smiled. “You make a tempting offer, but a king does not keep his throne without caution. I would have your word proved true before I make a decision. Once I know you have not played me false, then I will set you free.”
He dropped my hand, and I let it fall limp at my side. Adair turned and headed for the door. Before he could leave, I called out to him, “Wait. What of my companions?”
He stopped and turned to face me. “If you should prove false, they will all die while you watch.” He did not smile but inclined his head and left. The door slammed shut after him, and it seemed to echo long after he had gone. I fell onto my pallet and stared up at the stones in the ceiling. The first step is done. Now it remains for Johai to continue the dance.
The days seemed to drag by at a snail’s pace. I was restless and found I often walked the length of my cell, back and forth, waiting for news. I tried not to think of my previous imprisonment; the fear I had felt then seemed at the edge of my consciousness, waiting to drag me down into depression and madness. This is not where I die. I was born to break the cycle. Johai will draw out Adair’s men, and he will see the truth; then the true hard part begins. After the first few days, I asked for a water dish in which I could scry. The guards brought it to me. I sat down before the water but felt none of the familiar tug of the vision. I stared at my reflection for a long time before realizing that the water would not reveal its mysteries to me. Fear settled deep in my gut, more real and raw than before. My grandmother had told me I w
as on my own, but I had never felt more adrift at sea before. I found my dreamless nights a torment. I woke many times to see the pale shaft of light from my window falling on the stones of my cell. My grandmother said help would not come for me. Am I to be blind and without the visions until the promised day?
The next day, I asked for parchment and paper. I had to do something with my hands, anything to keep my idle mind from twisting in circles and tangling upon itself. I wrote a letter to Elenna, explaining to her about my blocked visions and my fears for the future. On impulse, I asked my gaoler to deliver the message. I had folded it in half and handed it to him. He looked at the parchment as if I had handed him something vile but promised to deliver my message. The return note came on the back of my own document. The gaoler delivered it with my supper that evening. I was not hungry but devoured the words written on the page. It was the first contact I had with my friends since we had been imprisoned.
Only the Sea Chamber holds the answers. The prophecy is moving forward.
I studied her writing in the dying light of my chamber. Was that what my grandmother meant when I would have no further assistance? I have to go back to the source in order to part the veils? My dreams had stopped, and now even a common water dish would not do. The prophecy was coming to a head, and with it, my powers were weaker. I had to look in the basin within the Sea Chamber to find my way forward, and in order to do that, I had to break free of my prison.
Three weeks after we had arrived at Keisan, the door swung open again. Adair returned but a shadow of what I had seen upon our last visit. He was wearing none of the fine garments of before. His clothes were simple and serviceable, a brown doublet with brass buttons and black jerkins. His eyes were hung with black bags, and his gait was staggered. He has not been sleeping. He knows the truth.
I stood and bowed deep when he entered my prison. I had been writing an account of my stint in the Biski lands to pass the time, and my fingers were stained with ink. I wiped them upon my gown.
“Your Majesty, I can assume you have gotten word back from Golden Crossing?” I said when he did not speak first.
He looked at me with wide terrified eyes. “I sent word to Lord Kenton, who rules that province. He gathered his banner men, and they met the Biski on the field. A few men were captured; there were Neaux soldiers among them. Lord Kenton pushed their first attack, but more Neaux arrived and...” He rubbed his face with his palm. “Golden Crossing is taken. It is the gateway between Neaux and Danhad; they can march through and east toward Keisan.” He shook his head, and for a moment he seemed much older than he should be. I almost pitied him until I remembered he had brought this upon himself. “The reports say the Neaux number in the thousands, plus another five thousand Biski. This was his plan from the beginning, then?” He looked at me with desperation in his gaze.
I folded my hands in front of me to keep them from shaking. I must appear confident. “Yes. It was. Do not doubt this is only the beginning. The specter thrives on chaos. They are going to break all those who stand against them, and he, the Biski, and the Neaux army will sweep against the land like a red tide washing everything in blood.”
Adair shook his head as if doing so could stop it alone. “You saw this in a vision.”
No. But I cannot tell you that. You need to trust me so I can gain access to the chamber. “Yes.”
He got down on one knee in front of me. That surprised me. For a moment I was too shocked to speak. “They’ve marched right into our kingdom with hardly a fight because we thought them allies. Now he has us surrounded.” He paused, considering his own error, I presumed. “What must I do to stop him?” It was the closest to humble I had seen Adair, and it set me aback.
“There is a place within the palace, a secret chamber that I need to have access to. Let me out of this prison and help me find this place. Only there will my visions be clear enough for me to guide you through this war.”
He looked up at me; his blue eyes were dark. His pupils were huge, but I saw trust there. He was desperate. He needed me. I felt guilty for what I knew must be done to him in that chamber. Remember he would have had you killed because you scorned him. He does not deserve your pity.
He stood up and went to the door. He rapped upon it twice. The gaoler poked his head around the door.
“Lady Diranel is to be freed,” Adair said in a sharp commanding tone. “Send word to my master of chambers and have him prepare a place for her.”
“What of my companions?” I asked.
Adair thought for a moment. “Duke Wodell has already been released and remains in the palace. You may keep the wild woman as a lady’s maid, but Beau will remain in the tower.”
I thought to protest, but I had little ground to stand upon as it were. “May I ask why?”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “That man tried to take my life. He shall stand trial for his crimes and be judged accordingly.”
No! He is a good man who did what he thought he had to. He should have killed you. If he had succeeded, then none of this would have happened and King Dallin would still be upon the throne. I said none of these things. Instead I bowed my head. “As Your Majesty commands.”
“Before I free the wild woman, I will have you bring me to this chamber. I expect you know how to find it?”
Traps within traps, and lies spiced with more lies, I thought. “Yes,” I said, though I doubted how well I could find it.
The orders were given for my release, and Adair led me out of the prison, himself. Palace guards were waiting outside my prison cell. There were four in all. There armor was polished to a gleam with the encircled oak tree upon their breasts. Each one wore a cloak of midnight blue, which was clasped at the throat with the same encircled oak. They wore blades at their hips, and when we exited the prison, two went before us and two fell in behind us. The gaoler unlocked the door to our landing, which opened up onto a long descending staircase. I had flashes of my would-be execution. I took deep breaths to stave off the panic. I have won a measure of his trust. Don’t waste it by losing control.
The steps were endless, it seemed. At the bottom, the guard knocked on a wooden door, and another prison guard opened to let us through. Outside the tower the light was blinding. I blinked into the sunlight, glad to have the sun upon my skin once more after my imprisonment. If the Goddess is good, that will be the last time I see the inside of a cell.
“Where to, my lady?” Adair asked.
In my dreams I had been walking along a long hall, one that faced the ocean; that is where I met my mother. I looked across the yard that was at the base of the tower. I could smell the sea and hear the crash of the ocean in the distance. To my right, gulls were reeling overhead, crying out to one another.
“It should be in the east wing of the palace,” I said.
“Then there we shall start our search.” Adair extended his arm for me to lead. The guards surrounded us but did not keep the eyes of the courtiers off us. We passed by groups of them chatting and laughing. The laughter and chatter died when I passed. I heard a few hiss curses at me and shout vile things as I walked by with the king. To them I am a traitor. They do not know I am walking with the real king-slayer.
“Ignore them,” Adair said. “They are as empty-headed as they are greedy. When they learn what you plan to do for Danhad, they will love you once more.”
I smiled but did not respond. Anything I would have said to him would have been venomous and would land me back in my tower cell. The east wing of the palace loomed before us. It faced the sea and boasted the greatest views of the ocean. It was also the oldest part of the palace and hosted the origins of the palace made by the first of our people who landed upon these shores thousands of years ago. The Biski claim they and the Neaux were one people and it was the Danhadines who drove them from the land and created the war that raged between Neaux and Danhad on and off for generations. Mayhap it is true.
We wandered the halls as I looked for the place from my dreams. The guards ev
acuated the area so I could work in peace. Adair took a step back as well. I walked down the halls, letting my hands run against the frescoes and paintings that decorated the walls. The tapestries here depicted the story of the Sea Maiden, the one who it was said our first king plucked from the sea and married.
I turned a corner and felt a prickling sensation along my scalp. This is the place, the hall I have dreamed of. It was long and narrow and ended with a window that looked out onto the sea. I stood there for a moment, reliving the dream over in my mind. I have been searching for this place for a long time.
Adair came to stand beside me. “Is something the matter?”
I shook my head. I took a step down the hall, and I felt a bolt of electricity roll through me. My feet moved without my provocation. They led me to the portrait of the king of old. I stopped to look at him for a moment. He was young when the portrait was done. Long brown hair curled around his ears where it escaped the tail he wore it in. He had the blue eyes of House Raleban and a square jaw and full lips. The painting was old, the colors fading but for his eyes, which seemed to pierce me to the core. I felt around the edge of the painting, looking for a catch in the wall. Then I found it, a chink in the stone. I have been here before, I realized.
I pulled, and the stone shuddered and eased away from the wall. It creaked and groaned. Adair rushed forward to help me push back the door to the hidden passageway. Inside, darkness yawned. A breeze came up from the depths below, and a shiver ran up my spine. I could feel the call of the water. Down somewhere in the darkness, the Sea Chamber awaited me.
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