Heirs of War, Crown of Flames

by Mara Valderran

  “Nothing gets by you,” Rhaya responded darkly.

  “I take it your Dad still isn't living up to expectations.”

  “My Dad has been told to wait by the door like a dog with the Duillaine’s Cynewards,” Rhaya said through gritted teeth. “My father is still as big a jerk as ever. I’ve barely seen him or my mother since this whole thing started, and now we have a family dinner filled with formalities? Not my ideal way of getting to know them.”

  “Yeah, well, at least he showed up. My Dad is still out on his mission or whatever, so I guess getting to know me and making sure Ariana and Isauria are okay isn't at the top of his priorities list,” Zelene said. The other guests began to arrive, and she noticed Tate among them, which meant this wasn't the family affair she thought it was supposed to be.

  Sylvanna introduced her family first. “Terrena, Rhaya, Zelene? This is my husband Morissey, and these are our children Brendan and Kara. They are also twins, like Zelene and Ariana. They were born after you left.”

  Terrena kissed each of their cheeks. “It is wonderful to meet you at last. I heard of your births, of course, and have longed to meet you.”

  “Twins, huh?” Zelene glanced back and forth between the two of them. “You don't look anything alike. Then again, from what I hear, Ariana doesn’t look like me.” The two teenagers had the same long and oval faces with thick lips, but Kara had a more angled chin to Brendan's rounded one and the tip of her nose turned up, whereas his broad nose looked to be smooshed against his face.

  “Thank the Great Mother for that,” Kara quipped.

  “Oh please,” Brendan nudged his sister with his shoulder. “You know I'm the more attractive twin. I have the better hair.” He brushed a hand over his untamed mahogany hair to emphasize his point.

  Kara brushed her identically colored hair over her shoulder and let her hand fall to her hip. “Don't let my brother give you the wrong impression. We're not all fools here.” She looked at Terrena, puzzled. “Why do you talk like that? I thought you were born in Anscombe.”

  Terrena glanced up at the ceiling in frustration, realizing she let her accent slip again. “I am,” she said forcibly without the accent. “I just grew too accustomed to speaking like others in the west while I was there.”

  “I like it,” Kara insisted. “You sound like Cedwen.”

  Morissey watched their interchange and shook his head jovially. He had thick blonde hair slicked back against his head and mutton chop sideburns to match his large bushy eyebrows, which lifted in amusement over his perpetually tired-looking eyes. “My children seem to think that you girls are content to wait for your dinners while they talk your ear off. It is very good to see you well, Terrena.” He shifted to Rhaya and Zelene. “You were both so small when you left. Zelene, you were almost as temperamental then as you are rumored to be now,” he said, his mustache twitching.

  “Thanks, I think.” Zelene turned when Solanna stepped forward with her family.

  “This is my husband Devland,” Solanna gestured to the man with long brown hair standing next to her, “and our daughter Mira.” She beamed and put her arm around her daughter. “She's not much younger than you, Zelene. She turned fifteen last year.”

  The young girl had alabaster skin much like her mother, but her hair was a golden blonde. She wore an elaborate deep emerald dress made out of silks that brought out the green of her eyes. They were small and shaped similarly way to her fathers, which made her forehead seem rather large.

  “Hey,” Zelene stuck her hand out to shake, but Mira seemed confused.

  “Do you expect me to kiss your hand, cousin?” Mira asked with disdain.

  “No,” Zelene answered quickly. “No, it's a handshake. Like a greeting.” She gripped Mira's hand and shook it. “See? Nice to meet you.”

  Mira pulled her hand away and wiped it on her dress. “How very . . . common of you. Terrena,” she turned quickly and kissed her cousin's cheek. “Welcome back into the embrace of our family.”

  Terrena returned the greeting. “Thank you, dear cousin. You are quite beautiful, just like your mother.”

  “Thank you,” Mira said in such a way that suggested she knew just how beautiful she was. “You are too, of course.”

  Terrena's eyebrows lifted at the platitude. “I look forward to getting to know you better.” Thankfully, Solanna steered her daughter away from anymore awkward exchanges. “Mira is . . . charming,” she whispered.

  “That's one way of putting it,” Zelene agreed.

  “You don't know the half of it,” Nolan said. “I'll fill you in later. Allow me to introduce Adelphi, head treior for Dhara and mother of Tate.”

  Rhaya greeted Tate like he was an old friend, then redirected her attention to his mother. She was a tall woman with caramel skin, almond shaped light brown eyes, and a wide smile encircled by full lips like Tate. Her hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail with long bangs swept to the side. She had an athletic but elegant build and moved with the grace of a dancer.

  “Nice to know someone is keeping Tate in check,” Rhaya quipped and shook Adelphi's hand. “I'm kidding, of course. He's been a great help.”

  “As I hope to be as well,” Adelphi said. “I'll be taking over your lessons. Tate will still teach you about our history and our ways, and I will be teaching you about our festivals and the power you possess.”

  Zelene perked up. Her inability to use magic in any way still bothered her. Not a day went by where she didn’t replay Kyle’s kidnapping over and over again in her head, playing out the different scenarios in which she would have been able to save him. If she could use magic, that is. “Great. When do we start?”

  Tate narrowed his eyes at her. “Oh, now you're interested in lessons?”

  “Now she's offering to teach me something useful.”

  “I think you will find everything Tate teaches useful when you stand before your people at Imbolc,” Solanna scolded, approaching just in time to hear Zelene’s remark.

  Zelene usually had some kind of snide comment up her sleeve for the Duillaine, but she had trouble getting mad at Solanna. She was just too nice. Too completely opposite of Sylvanna, who stared down her nose at Zelene even as they all mingled. “Why? What's Imbolc?”

  Solanna clucked her tongue. “Honestly, Zelene. You should pay more attention to what goes on around here since it does actually involve you. We will be hosting a small contingent from Tullia, a world with budding military strength that we are hoping to align with us in the war against Cahira. They will be here right before Imbolc, so we are going to host them during the festival and use the celebration to present you to the people.”

  Zelene cocked her head to the side. “Announcing us to the people?”

  “Yes,” Solanna said with a slight bob of her head. “The people have been longing for your return for quite some time. Now that you have and you have been given time to adjust to your lives here, it seems only fitting that we give the people what they want.”

  “But you aren't giving them what they want,” Zelene argued. “They want to celebrate our return but we haven't returned. Not all of us. Ariana is still out there and from what I understand, she's the most important piece to this prophecy gig.”

  “You are all equally important to the future of Anscombe and the worlds,” Sylvanna said a placating manner.

  “Good, we agree,” Zelene said. “So how about we go out there and look for my sister instead of sitting around here and planning parties?”

  “It isn't that easy,” Meridel argued. “We don't know where she is—”

  “Isauria can see her,” Zelene returned triumphantly. “And Varrick can sense her fear and use it to track her when he’s on the same world as her. From what I understand, where she's at is pretty damn scary. So I say we pack up Varrick and Isauria—”

  “Out of the question,” Sylvanna said, appalled. “We cannot simply take the Ainnir traipsing around the worlds like that, Zelene! There are enemies everywhere that would take a
dvantage—”

  Zelene wasn't listening as Sylvanna tried to speak over her, both of their voices rising as they tried to outmatch the other. “—and head out. Isauria can narrow it down for us and then we can go from world to world looking for her.”

  “—of her vulnerability and they would strike! Did you learn nothing from your time on Dhara? Of the attempt that was already made on your life here when your young friend was taken as bait?”

  Zelene ignored the pain that ripped through her chest at Sylvanna's mention of Kyle and pointed to her Cyneward standing by the door. “All we need is for Varrick to be on the right world at the right time when she's scared and we'll have her before Kellen can get to her again. It's a good plan,” she yelled in conclusion.

  “It does not fall to you to plan Ariana's rescue,” Sylvanna shouted back with impatience.

  “Well, someone has to do something,” Zelene shot back. Everyone watched them now, but she didn't care. What use was such a big powerful family if they couldn't even get her sister back? “You sure as hell didn't lift a finger when they took Kyle. And last time I checked you haven't done anything for Ariana either. Do you not understand that if they find her again they're going to kill her?”

  “Ariana's fate is out of our hands.” Sylvanna's words reverberated throughout the room.

  Meridel hung her head sadly while Solanna turned away. Terrena and Rhaya's mouths both hung open and the atmosphere in the room crackled with the tension of all that was left unsaid.

  Zelene could only stare, her mouth working but not finding her voice. She was dumbstruck by Sylvanna's words, refusing to allow them to connect in her mind. She blinked as if it could cause the truth before her to change; it was one so ugly that she hadn't even considered it yet. In the entire time she had been here, she thought that cowardice kept the Duillaine Banair from rescuing Ariana. She could see clearly now that this was not the case. They weren't looking for her at all.

  “You think she's the sacrifice. That's why you aren't trying to find her. You think the Cahirans need to kill her for the Prophecy to come true.”

  Sylvanna pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to muster some patience to explain matters that they would be unable to understand. “We don't know what the Prophecy means, Zelene, but I assure you that we are not going to neglect our duties to Ariana.”

  “No,” Zelene said as she set her jaw and shook her head, “you're just going to plan a party in her absence, that's all. I've heard enough. Plan your damn festival if you want, but I won't be there. I don't think I'll feel like celebrating when I know my sister is out there fighting for her life.” With that, she stormed out of the room.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Terrena sat on her bed, slowly drawing the laces through the boots she would be wearing to dinner while Rhaya fussed with her hair. The Duillaine had requested their presence for the second night in a row and insisted they begin dressing their parts as future rulers of the worlds. Rhaya didn’t seem to mind the dresses as much as Zelene did, but Terrena felt more uncomfortable than she let on.

  “Does Leone have to escort us to this meeting too?” Rhaya asked, not hiding her disdain at the idea.

  “No, I don’t believe he does. But he is our father, Rhaya. It's his duty to escort us in and announce us during formal occasions until we get married.”

  “Until they marry us off,” Rhaya corrected. “Last time I checked, we don't get any say in the matter.”

  “Of course we do,” Terrena argued and stood up. She walked over to where her sister stood, in front of the full length mirror in her room. “They aren't going to shove us into the arms of just anyone, you know. They are still our parents, and our happiness matters to them.”

  “Then what's with all the theatrics? Even a simple dinner to meet the rest of our family turned into some kind of parade.”

  Terrena picked up a comb from the dresser and started pinning Rhaya's dark hair back. “I'd say it was more of a practice run, to get us used to the idea of being presented. Personally, I'm more used to hiding and hoping no one notices me, so the idea of standing before crowds is going to take some adjustment.”

  Rhaya’s attitude quickly shifted to sympathy. “It must have been so hard for you. Always on the run. Alone.”

  Terrena bristled at Rhaya’s pity. She could tell that her sister was reading her emotions, and she didn’t appreciate the intrusion. “I had Kenward, just as you had Raemann.”

  “I had Isauria. I suppose, in a way, Isauria had you,” Rhaya mused. “Since she dreamt about you, I mean.”

  “How is Isauria doing? I understand she has a better hold on her ability since she was overcome before.”

  Rhaya nodded. “I haven't been by to see her much. When I do, she's usually off . . . seeing, or whatever you call the verb of her gift. Watching? Ghosting? Ultimate stalking?” She grinned when Terrena laughed. “What? What Isauria can do is a little creepy. It was fun when she was just stuck with Ariana, but now she can pop in on any of us. It's weird. Don't tell me you weren't weirded out a little when you found out she'd been seeing you all those years.”

  “Yes and no,” Terrena answered honestly. In truth, had she known then, it would have brought her much comfort. “It's nice to think I was connected to her still even though she was literally worlds away from me. But there are some things I'd rather not have anyone know.”

  Rhaya looked at her knowingly. “I can understand that. It's easier to hide your heartbreak when no one else knows about it.”

  Terrena shifted uncomfortably, reminded once more that thanks to Isauria’s dreams and their friendship on Dhara, Rhaya already knew much more about her life than she liked. “Not when you have a sister who is an empath. Stop using your ability on me. It's rude.”

  Rhaya flushed. “Sorry. It's sort of automatic.”

  Terrena finished with her sister's hair and took a step back to admire her work. Rhaya's raven locks were pulled back, with small braids wrapping around her head and framing a loose bun. She'd chosen a deep ultramarine gown framed by a silver corset, and she looked absolutely exquisite. Terrena felt positively plain standing next to her younger sister.

  “You look absolutely beautiful, Rhaya,” Terrena said. “We should go. If memory serves, punctuality is something our mother holds in high esteem.”

  They rushed off to the meeting room on the second floor of Anamlar. The Duillaine were already seated at a round table. Terrena loved the idea of a round table, just like the ones King Arthur had used during his reign on Cargan centuries before. However, this table was so large that it almost negated the idea of sitting amongst equals. The Duillaine were on one side, seated close together, and the only other chairs were directly across from them, leaving a big gap in between.

  She and Rhaya took their seats in two of the four empty chairs. Terrena guessed that the other two chairs were for Isauria and Zelene, but she doubted either would be present. The disdainful look Sylvanna wore confirmed this.

  “As we mentioned last night,” Sylvanna began, “we are planning a much larger scale celebration for Imbolc than normal since we will be hosting the Tullians at that time.”

  “Right down to business then,” Rhaya muttered.

  Terrena's heart went out to her sister in moments like this, when so much tension radiated throughout the room that even she could sense it without the aid of any empathic abilities. Which meant Rhaya would be feeling everything with much more intensity as an empath without control over her gifts. Terrena's gaze shifted between the three Duillaine. Sylvanna's posture stiff and her nose in the air. Solanna, the youngest Duillaine, sat up straight, but her head was lowered to stare at the hands folded in her lap.

  Terrena's mother, on the other hand, did not even try to hide her exhaustion. She leaned back in her chair, slumped over and resting her cheek against her left hand. Meridel's face was almost as red as Solanna's hair, which meant she was more than tired. She was upset, possibly even angry, which led Terrena to wonder what the Duillai
ne had been discussing—or more accurately, arguing about, from the looks of it—before they arrived.

  “It is also our hope,” Sylvanna continued, staring directly at Terrena, “to celebrate Wassail.”

  Terrena nodded ever so slightly, her heart sinking into her stomach. She knew what they meant. They hoped for her to marry. She knew this day would be coming, but she had hoped it wouldn't be this soon after leaving Garrett.

  “Wassail is the marriage ceremony thing, right? Who’s getting married?” Rhaya asked, clearly not catching on to the pointed looks the Duillaine gave Terrena.

  Terrena cleared her throat and sat up a little straighter. “I am. To whom am I betrothed?”

  Rhaya caught on to their meaning then. “Oh . . . you want Terrena to marry one of the Tullians.” She reached under the table and took her sister's hand, giving it a squeeze. “Who's the lucky guy?”

  Terrena closed her eyes, relieved that Rhaya was here with her instead of Zelene. Everything had to be a fight with Zelene, and it was the last thing she needed at the moment. Terrena needed to accept this, and having the support of her sister helped.

  “His name is Reilly,” Solanna answered.

  “And what does he offer with our union?” Terrena asked, trying to muster her best professional air and ignoring Rhaya's disapproving glance.

  “The armies of Tullia, which he now leads. He will also begin recruiting from our lands to join the army in the fight against Cahira,” Sylvanna explained.

  Rhaya leaned on the table. “Wait, so do you mean Anscombe doesn't have its own army?”

  Sylvanna tsked. “Of course we do, child. The Estridian army defends all the worlds against the Cahiran threat, so we are stretched rather thin. Needless to say, we could use the reinforcements to protect our own borders and the capital. We could use more guards patrolling our hallways in light of recent events.”

  “We've needed more guards for a long time,” Solanna added, an edge of resentment in her tone.

  Sylvanna waved her off. “Yes, well, now we have some bargaining power to get more soldiers.”