And then suddenly, inexplicably, the chamber exploded in a storm of Aetheric flame. Baras and his two guardsmen managed a single, staccato shriek before they were incinerated directly before her eyes. For a single horrifying instant, Krystia feared the flames might consume her as well…but then they vanished as quickly as they’d appeared. Standing in their place, his familiar figure virtually glowing with power, was Sovan Lor. He mouthed words she could no longer hear, and she was vaguely aware of him diving atop her and placing his hands on her body.
But Krystia no longer had the strength to keep her eyes open. Even as the warmth of the Aether curled around her, she faded into darkness.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Trust is for the foolish. Paranoia is for the damned.”
—Yamatan saying
“She will live.”
Darius whipped his head around and glared at the middle-aged Unbound man standing in the still-shattered bedroom doorway. “You are certain?”
“Her wounds are grievous but not mortal, General. I have stopped the bleeding, and given time she will mostly recover.”
“What do you mean, ‘mostly?’”
The other man licked at his lips and swallowed. “I am not a skilled enough healer to determine if she will fully recover. Only the queen or perhaps some of her priests will be able to make that determination.”
Darius closed his eyes and forced himself to take a deep breath. Considering what had just happened, they were lucky Krystia had survived at all. He knew he should have been more appreciative of the man that had just saved her life, but a lump of indignant bile rose in his throat each and every time he thought about Sovan and his Unbound cadre. Tonight’s unbidden rescue hadn’t changed anything.
“Thank you, Varian,” Sovan said, clapping the other man on the shoulder. “Without your efforts, Solaria wouldn’t have a queen at all. Isn’t that right, General?”
Darius nodded fractionally. “Indeed. If you hadn’t arrived when you did, I shudder to think what would have happened.”
“Solaria would have lost its queen, and the Crell would have won the war.”
“Very likely,” Darius conceded. “I guess we’re fortunate you returned when you did. And that she shared the location of her secret bunker with you.”
Sovan smiled. “She shares everything with me, General. You should know that by now.”
Darius forced a smile and glanced between the two Unbound men. As usual, he made an extra effort to rigidly control his thoughts while standing in their presence. “I made sure to lock up all the remaining royal guardsmen just in case, and I replaced the rest of the palace soldiers with fresh ones from the Third Legion,” he said. “The problem now is figuring out who bribed or replaced those men in the first place. But we need to be discreet. If news of this attack leaks out, the people will panic.”
“We will be discreet, of course,” Sovan promised. “But you don’t need to conduct an investigation, General. It’s obvious who is responsible.”
Darius frowned. “You know who organized this?”
“The Council, of course,” Sovan replied matter-of-factly. “Lady Savilen was the prime conspirator, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the others had a hand in it.”
“Savilen?” Darius breathed. “How can you possibly know this?”
“The truth couldn’t be more apparent. Who else would stand to gain so much from the queen’s death? The Council has fought her at every turn since her Ascension, and it’s clear that the loss of Amberwood has made them desperate. Savilen in particular has been growing increasingly distraught over the past few weeks.”
“There’s an enormous gap between ‘distraught’ and organizing a complicated assassination attempt,” Darius said. “The Crell have much more to gain from her death, and we know their agents have managed to breach palace security before.”
“The Crell had nothing to do with this, I assure you,” Sovan said. “Just before he stabbed the queen, Guard-Captain Baras said he was working on behest of the Council. But more importantly, the truth was there floating in their minds and memories before they died.”
Darius’s throat went dry. “You noticed this and didn’t say anything?”
“The queen’s health and safety was more important at the time,” Sovan replied with a shrug. “But now that she has been secured and stabilized, it is time to punish those responsible for this madness. You should arrest the councilors immediately.”
“I can’t do that,” Darius said, shaking his head. It took an enormous amount of willpower, but he continued to keep his thoughts as organized as possible. “We need more evidence than a few stray thoughts from dying men.”
Sovan’s brow creased. “I don’t understand. I just told you exactly who is responsible, and yet you do not wish to act?”
“I’m afraid things aren’t as simple as you would like, not here in the real world of laws and protocol. You’re accusing the second most powerful woman in Solaria of treason. I will speak with Lady Savilen, but I can’t arrest her based solely on your intuition.”
“It is not merely ‘intuition,’ General,” Sovan said. “The Aether does not lie.”
“Maybe not,” Darius replied. “But those who wield it often do.”
The Unbound man glared at him for a long moment, his bright green eyes narrowed into thin slits. But then Sovan merely shook his head and scoffed. “Follow your precious ‘protocols’ if you must, General. But I will not allow our queen to come to any further harm.”
“Neither will I,” Darius said. “I will organize an investigation immediately, and with luck we’ll find a living conspirator or two. If their testimony corroborates your accusations, I will act accordingly. Until then…” He glanced past the man’s shoulder to Krystia’s insensate body. “I trust you and your friends to keep her safe.”
“We will,” Sovan promised.
“Good. Let me know if there is anything else you need. For now, I need to confer with my adjutants and make sure the palace is secure. Excuse me.”
After a final lengthy glance at Krystia, Darius turned and strode across the corridor. Mercifully, the attack had been subtle and quiet enough that precious few of the other nobles had even realized anything was wrong. The priests knew something had happened to the queen, of course, and their powers would be weaker than normal while Krystia recovered…but hopefully she would awaken soon and assure them that everything was all right. The absolute last thing they needed right now was for their already piddling morale to suffer another blow. The people of Celenest couldn’t learn what had happened here…and they certainly couldn’t learn that Sovan and his underlings had saved the day.
Two hours later, once he was reasonably sure the situation was contained, Darius rendezvoused with Major Lennox inside the palace war room. He dismissed the priests and other myriad adjutants, and once the two of them were alone he locked the door and released a long, mournful breath.
“I don’t even know what to say,” Lennox whispered. “But you’re holding up well for a man whose wife was almost murdered.”
“She’s not my wife,” Darius replied a bit too quickly. He frowned and shook his head. “Not yet, I mean. But she is the queen of Solaria. If they had killed her…”
Lennox nodded in silent understanding. He glanced over to the liquor cabinet but apparently decided against pouring either of them a drink.
“I made sure to lock up all the remaining royal guardsmen just in case, and I replaced the rest of the palace soldiers with fresh ones from the Third Legion,” Darius said. “As ridiculous as it sounds, we need to keep this as quiet as possible. We can’t afford to start a panic.”
“The city watch captain is a personal friend. I can have him assemble a team of trusted watchmen to investigate.”
“That’s a start, but be sure to keep it small,” Darius said. He pursed his lips and paced across the room. “Sovan has a theory about what happened. He said that Lady Savilen was responsible, and he wanted me to have her arre
sted.”
“Savilen?” Lennox breathed. “He can’t be serious.”
“He’s always serious, as far as I can tell. He claims that he saw the truth in the attackers’ minds before he killed them. Of course they’re all dead now, so none of the priests can verify his story.”
The major frowned and scratched at his chin. “It’s no secret that the Council doesn’t trust the queen, but I can’t imagine they would try to have her assassinated.”
“Of course not, it doesn’t make any sense,” Darius said. “Killing Krystia would only ensure victory for the Crell. Our Bound would falter, and unlike with Areekan we would have no chance to recover in time.”
“Not to mention that no one was in a position to claim her divine spark,” Lennox reasoned. “They wouldn’t allow some random guardsman to claim her divine power like that. Unless Savilen was so distraught that she wasn’t thinking clearly.”
“I might be able to believe that of a hothead like Margrove, but not Savilen. She’s ruthless in her own way, but she’s also calculating and patient.” Darius pursed his lips. “Even if she did hire assassins, she knows full well that Krystia and Sovan are both powerful telepaths—why would she send in men whose memories could directly link them to her? She would have worked through so many intermediaries that there wouldn’t be a trail.”
“That’s a good point. A very good point, actually.” The major tapped his chin in thought. “Do you believe Sovan is just lying?”
“I believe he hates me, the Council, and anyone else who stands between him and Krystia,” Darius said. “The more of her advisors he eliminates, the louder his whispers grow in her ear.”
Lennox’s cheek twitched. “What are you suggesting, exactly?”
“I’m not sure yet. But this was a complex operation—far more complex than Guard-Captain Baras could have pulled off on his own. The two men watching Krystia’s door weren’t even real guardsmen. They were replacements.”
“We’ll look for the real ones, but I have a feeling it won’t be as easy as looking down the well. They had access to magic; they could have cremated the corpses for all we know.”
“Yes, but they couldn’t risk drawing too heavily upon their powers without alerting Krystia. They are—they were—Bound to her.”
“Her Unbound friends wouldn’t have had to worry about that. Do you think it’s possible…?” Lennox trailed off and sighed. “Do you think it’s possible they arranged this whole thing?”
“I don’t know,” Darius admitted. “It seems far-fetched, but Sovan did conveniently return from his mystery trip just in time to save her. And now he’s casting aspersions on his biggest rivals in the court. It’s more than a little convenient for my tastes.”
“If that’s true…”
“If that’s true, we have a massive problem on our hands,” Darius finished. “Krystia released dozens of Unbound from the Asylum, and as far as I can tell they are all steadfastly loyal to Sovan.”
Lennox swore under his breath. “As if the Crell weren’t enough.”
“The Crell may turn out to be the least of our problems in the short term.” Darius rubbed a hand across his forehead. “It’s possible that Sovan is just being an opportunist. He might not have had anything to do with this. I suppose it is also possible that Savilen or one of the other councilors did arrange this. They certainly have access to the royal guardsmen, not to mention a great deal of coin.”
“True,” Lennox said, though he didn’t sound any more convinced than Darius. “Either way, the question remains: what are we going to do about it?”
“I need to speak with Savilen as soon as possible,” Darius said. “But first, you and I need to get ourselves protection. If Sovan and the Unbound are plotting something, we need to be ready to defend ourselves.”
“How? We’re not channelers.”
“No, but I can get ahold of some dampening crystals for us. The councilors started wearing them recently. In theory, they can shield the mind from telepathy.”
Lennox nodded. “If you can do that, I will speak with the watch captain about starting an investigation. Hopefully we can get some answers soon. And hopefully the queen recovers in time to aid our forces at Ashenfel.”
Darius sighed and nodded. Suddenly, the war that had all but consumed his life for the past few months seemed very far away. “I also want to try and verify that young boy’s story about Elade,” he said. “If she really is alive, then we need her help more than ever.”
“I’ll see what I can do, General,” Lennox said.
“Good,” Darius whispered. “Sol willing, the Alliance will still be standing by the time this is over.”
***
“You had better hope they take your bribe,” Selvhara said as she fastened the saddle bag onto the horse. “I think it’s just as likely that they’ll try to take you into custody.”
Jason shook his head. “Half the rank-and-file watchmen are native Galvians, and the Imperium doesn’t pay its conscripts. A few gold coins will go a long way. Besides, I still think it’s possible we can smuggle ourselves in with that last shipment of supplies from Geriskhad if we have to. If the griffon scouts are right, it should arrive in a few hours. That will give us plenty of time to slip into the city and take a look around.”
She sighed but didn’t respond. At this point, she didn’t have to. After a day and a half of marching alongside the Asgardian army, everyone had been given ample opportunity to voice their objections—or in Tam’s case, their whiny disapproval—most of which revolved around whether or not they could afford to trust anything Ethan had to say. But the time for debate was over, and Jason, Tam, and Sarina were about to foray ahead of the army and slip into Ashenfel before the coming siege.
Jason hoped that they could learn valuable information about the enemy’s defenses, specifically any hidden surprises that the griffon scouts wouldn’t be able to spot from the air. He also wanted to be in a position to watch over Castle Whitestone and make certain Verrator didn’t flee. This was too rare an opportunity to pass up. No one had ever destroyed one of the Crell Sovereigns, not since the foundation of the Imperium centuries ago. Verrator’s death would send shockwaves across Torsia, and it could completely reinvigorate Solarian morale.
Still, Jason had enough experience with war to know that the best-laid plans rarely survived the opening gambit, and he knew there was a very real chance they could end up killed or captured or worse. He had already dragged his friends on a pointless chase halfway around the continent, and now he was planning on leading them right into the thick of a war he’d sworn to avoid. At first, he had actually insisted on going alone, but Sarina had quickly set him straight.
Despite all his lingering concerns, however, Jason had spent most of the day worrying about Sel. He couldn’t imagine what she was going through seeing his father again.
“You’re certain you’ll be okay left alone with him?” Jason asked into the silence. The others were thankfully still out of earshot preparing their equipment and supplies.
Selvhara smiled tightly. “I won’t be alone. Gor will be with me.”
Jason grunted. Gor had actually insisted on staying here to protect her—not that there was really any other choice. There were no free chagari in Ashenfel, and his presence would have made subterfuge virtually impossible. Still, Jason was heartened by the gesture, and he had to admit he felt a little better about leaving his father under the watchful eye of a paranoid chagari.
“Ethan will not harm me,” Selvhara added after a moment. “You know how much this means to him—he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize our chances.”
“I’m less worried about him stabbing you in the back than I am about him ordering something so awful you won’t be able to sit by and watch,” Jason replied gravely. “There’s also the question of what happens after the battle is over.”
“We have to win it first, and that’s something no one should ever take for granted.”
“I suppose not,” J
ason whispered, glancing back over his shoulder. If he squinted hard enough, he could just make out Ashenfel’s sprawling profile on the horizon. “I know you’re not overly fond about the idea of us going up against Verrator, but I still think it’s safer to confront him before Ethan shows up. No matter what else happens, we can’t allow him to Ascend. Or Halfren, for that matter.”
“I agree,” Selvhara said. “But I dread to think what will happen when they are denied their prize. We may liberate this city only to transform it into another battleground.”
Jason nodded. “We’ll just have to improvise. There are too many variables right now, like figuring out what will happen with Verrator’s divine spark.”
“You said you believed that Malacross will be able to absorb its power.”
“I hope she will,” he corrected. “I still haven’t been able to confer with her since Bal’Aqui. But Verrator’s divine spark isn’t really a Godsoul—it’s just a collection of memories passed down through the line of Galvian kings. I’m hopeful we can figure out what to do with it when the time comes.”
Selvhara glanced back towards the others and sighed again. Jason didn’t need his telepathy to know what she was thinking. This “plan” of theirs was pathetically weak and he knew it. The problem was that he didn’t see any viable alternative. They couldn’t allow his father to Ascend for obvious reasons, nor were they willing to cede that power to Halfren and usher in an Asgardian civil war. The best option—the only option—was for them to remove Verrator’s power from the equation.
“You have learned a great deal,” Selvhara murmured, “but battling an Ascendant will be unlike anything you’ve faced before.”
“We defeated Dathiel in Bal’Aqui,” Jason reminded her. “And he was a True Ascendant like me. Verrator is just another pretender.”
“A pretender who will have an army defending him. I’ve no doubt that he’ll pull every soldier in the city back to the castle once it becomes clear the battle is against him. He’ll make his last stand as bloody as possible.”
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