Eventide (Meratis Trilogy Book 2)

by Krista Walsh

  Jayden approached one of the aides. “Is there one of the queen’s men who might be willing or ready to speak with us? We have questions.”

  The woman considered, staring down at her chart. After a moment, she pointed to a name. “He’s awake. He had the least physical injuries, just the blood poisoning from whatever bit him. The physician thinks he managed to drain it all out, but he still has relapses. Like night terrors. You could see if he’s lucid today.”

  She pointed them in the right direction, and they approached the third bed on their left. The patient was sitting up, trying to spoon some soup into his mouth, which was made difficult by the trembling in his hands. When he saw Jeff and Jayden, he gave up his attempt and sat it down on the table next to his bed.

  “My lord,” he greeted.

  “What is your name?” Jayden asked.

  “Fredrick, my lord.”

  “Are you willing to talk with us, Fredrick? Tell us what happened?”

  The man raised his hands to pull at his hair, shrinking into himself. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. You can’t imagine.”

  No, I can’t, Jeff thought. Unfortunately, I don’t have to.

  Aloud he said, “Let’s start with where you were. Which road were you on?”

  “Heading southeast. But we only got as far as Kiltie Village. That’s when they came.”

  “The eagles?” Jeff asked, remembering those metal-beaked nightmares.

  The soldier shuddered. “No. Those came later. These were ... they might have been wolves. Once. By the gods, these creatures ...” he faltered.

  Sweat beaded on his brows as his tremors increased. Jeff hoped the shock wouldn’t kill the poor bastard.

  “It’s all right,” said Jayden. “The gates are closed. They can’t get in.”

  The man began to laugh. “Of course they can! They’ll creep through the cracks in the walls, they’ll jump over the gates! You didn’t see them. At first they looked normal, so we left our archers to drop them. But the arrows deflected. Bounced right off like they were hitting a solid wall. How is that possible? Gods, those villagers. Not one of them left alive. Blood all drained.”

  The shaking grew worse, until he couldn’t hold the blanket around his shoulders. The aides hurried forwards, but Jayden held up a hand to stop them while Jeff pulled the blanket tighter around the soldier. The aide in charge opened her mouth to argue with Jayden, but before she could speak, he said, “Find your courage and tell us the rest. Did they follow you? Should we prepare our men?”

  “How can you? What can you do against them? They tore fifty of us apart. Only six of them! And then the eagles came.”

  Tears rolled down the man’s cheeks, and the aide pushed her way in. “All right, that’s enough. I’m sorry, Lord Jayden, but I need to look after my patient.”

  “Of course.”

  As they made to leave, Jayden rested his hand on the man’s shoulder. He said nothing, but Jeff heard the words his friend wished he could say. That it would be all right, that he would get better. Could any of them guarantee that?

  On their way back to Jasmine’s room, her physician stepped in front of them and blocked their way.

  “I’ve just been to see Lady Jasmine. She’s stable and comfortable, warm and well taken care of. How about you go and get yourself in the same state before I commit you to a bed, as well?”

  Jayden shook his head. “I’m fine. Someone needs to be here when she wakes up.”

  Jeff arched an eyebrow. “We do need at least one of you in fighting condition. Jax may have given herself a break, but Raul’s not going to pause to catch his breath.”

  Jayden rubbed a hand over the bristles on his cheeks. “I know.”

  Jeff clapped him on the back. “Don’t make me cart you over my shoulder.”

  Jayden laughed. “I wouldn’t risk my life on the stairs. Think I’ll take my chances on my own two feet, thanks.”

  They left the ward together, heading back towards the foyer. Away from Jasmine’s side, Jayden’s worries fell back on his shoulders. Jeff watched the change come over him as if he could see straight into his ex-character’s mind.

  Like he felt Jeff crawling between his brain cells, Jayden stopped and slumped backwards against a wall, running his thumb over the scar from brow to chin.

  “I don’t know how we’re going to get through this, Jeff,” he said, and the hopelessness in his tone turned the atmosphere in the corridor heavy and bleak. “The queen gave us two weeks, and we’re almost there. But I don’t even think that matters because my gut tells me Raul’s close to what he wants. And we don’t even know what it is.”

  Jeff didn’t know what to say. Jayden was the leader, the one to give the encouraging speeches before the battle. He had seen the man stand with sword in hand a month after losing his arm and his eye, ready to fight Raul’s entire army to give Jeff and Cassie time to get home.

  Jeff leaned back against the wall next to him, crossing his feet. “I’m sorry Jasmine was hurt, but that doesn’t mean the other side is winning. She survived, because that’s what she does. It’s what we all do. In spite of our best efforts sometimes.”

  Jayden grunted at that.

  “Maggie seemed to be on to something last night. I’ll see if she’s ready to share what it is, and then we can come at this from a new angle.”

  “This problem already has so many angles, I’m surprised we’re able to balance at all.” Jayden sighed and pushed away from the wall. “But you’re right, black moods won’t help solve anything.”

  “Sleep will.”

  “Maybe you’re right.” He stretched with a loud yawn. “I can’t count how long it’s been since I had a really good night’s sleep.”

  My guess would be about ten years, Jeff thought, suddenly thinking about Ariana, and how different Jayden’s life would be if his sister wasn’t his only family.

  “Come get me if Maggie has anything important to say.”

  “Of course.”

  Jayden headed up, and Jeff started down towards the Haunt. Which was empty. Disappointed, he dropped onto the bench and allowed the silence to fill his head. Nothing but the bubbling ooze in the cauldron to counter the zillion thoughts zipping around in his brain. And none of them happy ones he realised as he started sorting through them. Can’t write. Losing Cassie. Jasmine hurt. Brady losing his mind. Maggie not well. Raul plotting. Harold loose. The negativity threatened to make his mind implode.

  Then one word popped into his head that helped to calm the storm. A bright point on a grey horizon.

  Swish.

  His legs moving before the rest of him noticed where he was going, he left the Keep and headed down the stairs towards the stables.

  Paul was nowhere to be seen, but that didn’t matter. Jeff had no desire to go anywhere. He grabbed a couple of brushes from the tack room and sauntered down to Swish’s stall. The dozing bay woke up when he approached and whickered in greeting.

  “Why is it that you can always make me feel better, eh, bud?” Jeff asked as he moved the curry brush in circles over the horsehair, dredging up all the dirt from a day apparently spent rolling in mud. “It’s not like you ever say anything encouraging. And most of the time you’re more interested in chewing my shirt than listening to me babble.”

  To prove him right, Swish stretched out his neck and made a grab for Jeff’s hair. Jeff dodged out of the way in time and moved to the horse’s side.

  “Things are in a bad place right now, Swish. Like no one’s got anything good going for them. And from my point of view, I can only see it getting worse.”

  Swish snorted, tossing his head.

  “Disagree with me if you want, but it’s not like you’re prepared to jump out of this stall and protect us all are you?”

  The horse pawed at the ground.

  “I didn’t think so.”

  “Do you always talk to your horse like it can understand you?”

  Having thought he was alone, Jeff jumped, the bru
sh digging into the palm of his hand as he tensed. But he forced himself not to turn around to look at Venn, letting her come to him if she chose.

  “Sometimes he has the best insight into things. Can see the situation with a calmer mind. Have you been here all morning?”

  She came into view, looking somewhat cleaner than she had the last few days.

  “I like being around horses because they don’t need to talk. Besides,” she added as she stopped next to Corsa, “a pile of hay makes for a better sleep than a lump of feathers.”

  “Depends on what you’re used to, I guess,” said Jeff, choosing not to argue. He shuddered at a memory. “Just be careful of hay stacks here. They have a tendency to turn into snakes.”

  “And now I’ll never sleep again. Thank you.”

  “Figured you’d appreciate the warning.”

  Venn ran her hand along Corsa’s flank. “This is a beautiful stallion. Boy like this shouldn’t be locked away so much.”

  “Jasmine takes him out when she can. His rider was recently killed.”

  “I can tell. He’s grieving.”

  Jeff rested his own hand on Swish’s back, allowing the horse’s warmth to slide up his arm into the rest of his body and soothe the muscle-cramping tension that threatened to take hold.

  “We all are.”

  He went back to brushing, losing himself in the motion until Swish looked like he was ready for a day in the races. Except for the wide belly and the vacant look in his eyes as he went for another bite of Jeff’s hair.

  Venn approached and crossed her arms, fixing her intense blue eyes on him. “I’m hiding in here because people make me uncomfortable. But what about you? Don’t you have people to talk to and plans to make?”

  “I was trying to avoid thinking about it for a while. Needed the mental break.” He sighed and looked down at the brushes in his hand. “I guess that’s over now. Are you going to come with?”

  Venn stared out of the stables as if the world outside was too big for her, shying closer to Swish. “I think I’ll stay here a little while longer. Fitter company for the horses, I think.”

  “Make sure to get some dinner.”

  He took the gear back to the tack room and stepped out into the darkening evening.

  “How long was I in there?” he mumbled, staring up at the setting sun and the pinkish reflection it cast against the stone walls.

  Taking a moment to appreciate the peace, Jeff took a deep breath, filling his lungs with barn-scented summer air, hearing the crickets and owls, feeling the warm breeze on his cheeks. Then he exhaled sharply and went back to the Haunt to wait for Maggie.

  It was time for some answers.

  Chapter Eighteen

  When Jeff reached the Haunt for the second time that day, he found both Maggie and Cassie sitting inside. The urgency he’d felt to get here disappeared in a rush, and he felt tempted to disappear before they saw him.

  He wasn’t fast enough.

  “Oh! Jeff, excellent,” Maggie called almost as soon as his shadow reached the doorway. “I sent someone to look for you, but you weren’t in your room.”

  “I took a walk,” he said. “Had to clear my head.”

  Maggie sighed. “Don’t we all? Come in and have a sit.”

  Cassie scooted down the bench to give Jeff room. Her fingers tapping a jittery rhythm on the tabletop.

  Reluctantly, he crossed the room and sat down, his leg jogging in time with the discomfort pulsing through his veins. Cassie’s proximity after so many days’ distance made him nervous. As soon as he realised it, he forced himself to keep still.

  “As you may have noticed,” Maggie began, “I’ve been experiencing somewhat alarming and unusual head problems the last couple of days.”

  “How are you feeling?” Jeff asked.

  “Don’t interrupt,” Maggie replied without heat.

  Jeff pressed his lips together and crossed his hands on the table.

  “I’m fine, thank you. For the moment.”

  She pulled forward one of the heavier books on the table. Leather bound, it carried a faint stink of rot and Jeff didn’t want to know what sort of flesh had been tanned to make it. No title marred the smooth surface of the cover, but the pages seemed to bulge with items that had been added after production.

  “This is Raul’s grimoire,” Maggie explained. “The most powerful book a sorcerer can own, and not one they let out of their hands lightly. My own is hidden somewhere in the Keep and it’s just full of healing spells. I guarantee he’s not a happy man if he knows we have this.” She flipped it open to a marked page, the images of decomposing corpses and one very beautiful woman inked into the vellum. At the top of the page, a steady hand had penned the word Kemisan.

  “Either he has a second copy, or he’s memorised the blasted thing, but Raul is using this spell to gain his power back.”

  Jeff’s curiosity rose and he leaned forward, sliding the book closer. He’s going to turn himself into a woman? He kept his mouth closed, waiting for Maggie to explain.

  “I don’t understand either,” said Cassie, interpreting his expression.

  “The words of the spell, they’re the words I hear during my episodes. The Kemisan spell drains magic. Or absorbs magic, depending on your point of view.”

  Jeff fixed his gaze on her. “So every time you get all fainty, it’s because Raul is trying to take away your power and give it to himself?”

  Maggie picked at her fingernails. “Not only me. William, too. We didn’t even know my son had any magic. This would be a proud moment if it weren’t so terrifying.”

  “If you didn’t know about William, how did Raul?” Cassie asked.

  The enchantress flattened her palm on the book. “This particular version of the spell isn’t directed at one person, but at an area. As the caster gets stronger, that area can spread out to consume the entire country if he wants.” She chewed on her cheek. “So either he’s very close and just getting started …”

  “Or he’s been at this since the day he got back and could be anywhere in the country,” Jeff finished, stuffing his fingers into his eyes and then dragging them over his face.

  “One bit that concerns me is the book isn’t clear about the end result,” Maggie continued. “The wording suggests some kind of transformation, but see here.” She pointed at the bottom half of the page. “This part has either been ripped out or torn. There are a few pages damaged like this, so it could have happened when the fortress fell. We have no way of knowing if they mean it metaphorically or literally. And if literally, transform into what?”

  Jeff’s thoughts returned to the woman in the picture.

  “I have never heard of this spell before,” Maggie continued. “It’s either very old, lost magic, or something he created himself. Considering Raul’s penchant for messing with the natural order, it wouldn’t surprise me if he did. Likely he would have used this spell soon anyway, whether he lost his powers or not.”

  Jeff gulped, stared at the dying figures in the book, and then pushed the tome away. “It doesn’t look like these people are just being drained of their magic.”

  Maggie shook her head, the blonde curls swishing across her shoulders, and tilted her head to see the page. “For those of us born with the talent to cast, the magic is an innate part of us. And it is a talent, that’s all. Just like you with your writing. Anyone can do it, but some people are better than others. Over time that talent builds up, the magic growing as the skills do. Take that away, and we lose more than just the skills. We lose the essence that keeps us alive.”

  A literal withering away compared to Jeff’s situation, but he still felt he could empathise with Maggie’s concern.

  “So he’s going to kill you?” Cassie asked, her face pinched with worry.

  Maggie snorted. “He’s going to try. Too bad for him I still have a few skills left and caught on to him. There’s a spell I can cast on William and myself to put up a guard. It should block his attempts to reach me.�
��

  “Fantastic,” Jeff said. “He’ll never expect you’re in full power when it comes time to face him.”

  “There’s a catch.”

  “Of course.”

  “Once I put the guard up, I’m blocked from casting. The barrier works both ways.”

  “Ah,” said Jeff, but he didn’t pick up on to the message.

  As usual, Cassie was quicker on the uptake. She drew her hands from the table and tucked them between her knees. “You can’t send us home.”

  Maggie looked at them with sympathy. “Not until Raul is dead and gone. After that I’m hoping the spell will disperse and things can go back to normal. I could try right this second, send you both home before I hide my magic again, but I notice the more I cast, the more exhausted I feel. More than usual anyway. So I think you’re stuck here with the rest of us for the time being.”

  Jeff appreciated the positive turn to her words, as though Maggie had no doubt they would win in the end. But they weren’t in one of Jeff’s novels anymore, and the outcome was far from certain.

  He had already made up his mind not to leave until this was over, but it was still hard, hearing he no longer had the option. And he worried about Cassie. Her dark blue eyes looked large in her small face as they moved from side to side, her gaze travelling around the room, never landing on anything.

  Finally she blinked, gathered herself. “That’s fine. You need to make sure you’re all right. How can we help?”

  Maggie smiled with relief. “I still have a bit of research to do. We know how this spell is cast, but I really want to know what the end result will be. I suspect he won’t stop when he gets back to the strength he had before. How far will the Kemisan spell take him?”

  Jeff shuddered to think what would happen if Raul managed to absorb the power of every magic-caster in Andvell. They would stand no chance.

  Maggie rose to her feet. “I don’t mean to be rude, but the sooner I cast the spell, the better. I still have time, but William … I’d rather not take the chance.”