Heirs of War, Crown of Flames

by Mara Valderran

  Ellowyn nodded her understanding. “Do you want to be alone with her? I'm sure you have a lot to talk about.”

  “No, we really don't,” Zelene answered in a wavering voice, emotion threatening to overtake her. “She had the chance to talk and she didn't.”

  “Don't do that, Zelene. You have an opportunity here. I would give anything to be able to speak to my parents again, just one more time. Your mother was taken from you before you got the chance to get to know her. Don't waste that chance now.”

  “God, I really hate it when you do the whole voice of reason thing.”

  Ellowyn smiled, partially in amusement and partially in satisfaction. “I'll be right outside if you need me. If anyone comes asking for you, I'll say you've taken ill.” She reached out and patted her shoulder before leaving the room.

  Zelene stood in the center of the room in silence, painfully aware of her mother's presence only a few feet away. Nandalia seemed content to let her daughter lead the conversation, keeping her distance until Zelene finally spoke. “Why didn't you tell me the truth? When we first met?”

  “I didn't want to frighten you. You already had so much to deal with and I just . . . I didn't want to lose you again. I was so thrilled to find that you could see me, Zelene.” Nandalia rushed forward. “Please understand. I have longed to hold you again…to speak to you and to hear your laugh . . . I missed out on so much by sending you away and I desperately wanted to get it back. I think that's why I was so foolish. I ran out to find you and fell right into Kellen's trap.”

  “Isauria saw it,” Zelene said with a tight voice. “She saw Kellen murder you, but she didn't know who you really were.”

  Nandalia nodded sadly. “I know. I felt her there with me. I'm not sure how, but I did.”

  Zelene's gaze finally snapped up to her mother's, her eyes bright with a dawning idea. “You can help us. We're trying to find Ariana, and you can do the whole ghosting thing. You can just pop over to her, see where she is, and come back.”

  “I can't. It doesn't work like that. I only appear to you, Zelene, because of your gift,” Nandalia explained. “I couldn't tell you a single thing about what I have seen since my death because all I remember is my time with you. Perhaps it is the price we pay to cross from the spirit world into this one.”

  “You've got to be kidding me. What's the point of being a ghost if you can't pop around and do the annoying all-knowing, omnipotent spook thing?”

  “I don't think that's the point of it,” she said with her splayed hands outstretched. “I'm here to see you, not the big picture.”

  “So, the point is what? To torture yourself? Or better yet,” Zelene added, her anger growing, “to torture me?”

  “I didn't realize that's what I was doing,” her mother said and swallowed hard.

  “How did you think it would make me feel to have you standing here in front of me but really not here?” Zelene shouted and paced away from her. She placed her hand on the wall in front of her, leaning forward so that her forehead touched the cool glass of window. “You're dead,” she said simply, her voice cracking. “You sent me away and then you died before I came back. And I have spent every day since just wishing that you were still here. Do you have any idea how many times I've wanted nothing more than to just run to you and have you hold me and tell me everything is going to be okay? I hate Rhaya so much sometimes, because she can do that. Her mother is there with open arms. And now so is mine. The only trouble is that I'll walk right through those open arms. Because you're dead.”

  “You don't know how much I wish it were different, Zelene. All I have ever wanted to do was protect you . . . and I failed you. And I am so sorry for that,” Nandalia said as she slowly closed the distance between them. “I am so proud of you.” She reached a tentative hand out and stroked her hair, eyes widening when Zelene responded to her touch. “Did you . . . did you feel that?”

  Zelene turned around, mouth agape and her pulse quickened. “Do it again.” She closed her eyes when she felt her mother's hand stroke her cheek lovingly.

  “Oh my sweet girl,” Nandalia said and wasted no time in wrapping her arms tightly around her daughter. “It's all right,” Nandalia soothed and kissed the top of her head. “I'm here. I will always be here.”

  Zelene stiffened at first, but slowly melted into the hug. She buried her face in Nandalia’s hair and let every tear she had held back since arriving here flow free as she sank to the ground in her mother's embrace.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  The loneliness of Isauria's life had finally caught up with her. Maybe it was being able to communicate with Ariana for those few brief and wonderful moments, maybe it was because Bianca had only been able to swing by for a short visit earlier, or maybe it was because she felt the presence of the guards outside her door more heavily now that she didn't trust the Duillaine. Whatever the cause, it kept her up most of the night.

  She sat by her window, staring out at the moon as it sunk into the horizon, counting the hours until she could return to Ariana. She knew she needed to rest, but sleep wasn't likely to come. She was a little too excited when Solanna entered her room, thankful for the company until she realized the implication of her aunt and fellow seer's presence.

  Isauria stood up quickly, no concern for decorum or greetings. “Is Ariana okay?”

  “I can't find her,” Solanna explained. “I hoped you were with her and that was why I was blocked…”

  Isauria shook her head. “No, I haven't been with her. Do you think . . . ?”

  “No, Varrick would know if she was gone. I went to him first to see if he could sense whether or not anything was wrong,” Solanna explained, her cheeks reddening. “I know it's not appropriate for me to seek him out like this, but—”

  Isauria waved her off. “It doesn't matter. What happened?”

  Solanna sat down and leaned against her shaky hand, still obviously in a panic. “I tried to find the thread that connects us—you know what I'm referring to,” she said as Isauria nodded. “I couldn't find it. It was like it wasn't there at all. I've felt something similar before when trying to find Terrena before you came back from Dhara, but I always assumed it was you.”

  “Maybe,” Isauria said with a shrug. “Let me see if I can find her.” She closed her eyes when Solanna gave her the go ahead, and concentrated on the connection that was always open with Ariana. She found it easily, but instead of being in the woods, she found herself back in the familiar dungeons of Kellen's compound.

  “No . . . ” she said shakily, searching around for any sign of her sister. She found Ariana sitting in the corner weeping and quickly rushed over to her. “Are you okay? How did she find you?”

  “I don't know.” Ariana curled tighter into herself. “I went to sleep, and when I woke up I was here. Kellen just keeps torturing her over and over again, and I can't leave. I try to. I try to run, but she makes me stay here and watch. She doesn't say anything to me at all, just beats her.”

  Isauria turned and gasped when she saw who Ariana was talking about. Sheridan was chained to the wall, her arms pulled tight over her head, which drooped between her shoulders. Her feet, caked with dirt and dried blood, dragged across the ground, unable to find any footing.

  “Why would Kellen torture her own daughter?” Isauria asked, appalled.

  “Sheridan can't find us,” Ariana hiccupped. “Kellen keeps telling her to try harder.”

  “She can't find you because I'm blocking her now, since I'm with you all the time,” Isauria concluded.

  “That's not true,” Sheridan whispered, lifting her head weakly.

  Isauria stood and walked over to the young girl, puzzled as to how she was privy to her conversation with Ariana. Sheridan would be able to see Ariana, but she shouldn't be able to respond to Isauria. “You can see us?” Isauria glanced back to her sister, her confusion only deepening since Ariana shouldn’t be able to see her either. Not if she was really here.

  “No,” Sheridan c
roaked and began to cough. “But I can hear you. It's like a whisper in my head. You're always like a whisper in my head, Ariana. You've been here with me the whole time.”

  Ariana's hands flitted to her mouth. “You. It's been you the whole time . . . my visions. I've been watching through your eyes. Oh god, Sheri, what has she done to you?”

  Isauria stared at her sister, wide-eyed. If what Ariana said was true, then that meant she could not only watch people like she could, but Ariana could almost possess them as well. She shook her head, putting off those questions for another time, and turned back to Sheridan. “What did you mean when you said that's not true?” Isauria asked. “What's not true?”

  “I can find you. When Isauria isn’t looking, I can see you,” Sheridan answered, leaning her blonde head against one of her arms. “But I haven't told her anything.”

  Ariana's mouth was agape at this, blinking rapidly as she stepped closer and peered at the young girl like she was seeing her for the first time. “What? Why?”

  “Because she's going to kill you,” Sheridan whispered, the effort of speaking causing her visible pain. “I don't want you to die. I don't want anyone to die. I just wanted to help. I'm so sorry about Emma, Ariana. Please! I am so sorry . . . ”

  “I don't blame you, Sheridan,” Ariana said. “And I swear to you, I will find you and get you out there. Just hang on, okay? Can you do that?”

  Sheridan’s dried lips cracked as she spoke. “That's sweet, but don't. Duillaine will kill me. Just let me die.”

  Ariana tried to touch Sheridan's shoulder but her hand went right through her. She turned to Isauria. “I can't touch her.”

  “I don't think you're really here,” Isauria said. “I think you're the one linking us together. It's your power.”

  Sheridan's head lolled to the side, which looked like an effort to nod. “It's you, Ariana. You have stop making the fires yourself . . . that's how she finds you . . . ”

  Ariana put her hand on her own head and stepped back, feeling dizzy. “Something is happening. I feel weird.”

  Before Isauria could ask, Ariana faded from view and she found herself back in her room with Solanna staring at her expectantly. “She's fine. She was using her gift to watch…someone else.”

  Solanna caught on to Isauria's hesitance. “Who?”

  Isauria paused, uncertain as to how much she should tell the Duillaine about Sheridan. “Kellen's daughter.”

  “The one that helped kidnap Ariana?”

  “Yes,” Isauria said defensively. “Don't be so quick to judge. Kellen's torturing her because she won't help find Ariana and Alec. She's protecting them, and she's probably going to lose her life because of it.”

  Solanna puzzled this over, her brow furrowed as something connected in her mind. “This girl…she's the one who shares our gift, isn't she? The one you mentioned before? What did you say her name was?”

  “Why? So you can hunt her down? I won't let you hurt her.”

  Solanna stepped back, wounded. “Isauria, why would you think I would hurt her?”

  Isauria's chin quivered when she looked up at her aunt, the betrayal breaking her heart. “Why did you hurt my Dad? Why haven't you gone after Ariana? Why do you have guards posted outside my door?”

  “Isauria, I would never do anything to knowingly hurt you or anyone else. We have only been doing what we think is best, and honestly, we're a bit blind as to what that is supposed to be with you girls. There is more at work here than we can explain without risking everything.”

  Isauria wanted to believe her, but the Duillaine had done nothing to earn her trust. She shook her head and stood up. “If you want my trust, you're going to have to earn it.” She pointed to the door. “And you could start by removing the guards. Prove to me I'm not a prisoner.”

  “If I do that, will you tell me the girl's name?”

  “What does she matter?”

  Solanna collected herself and stared off in thought. She opened her mouth to answer and then shook her head. “It's nothing. Kellen has more power than we thought possible. I'm sure this is just another display of it.”

  Isauria nodded, though Solanna sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than anything else. “I should get back to Ariana.”

  “Of course,” Solanna said, still lost in her own thoughts as she left.

  Isauria plopped down in her bed, staring after her aunt. But Solanna's behavior was a problem for another day. Isauria settled back against her pillows, making herself comfortable, and then closed her eyes to find Ariana once more.

  ***

  The chill of the mountain air seemed to be following Alec and Ariana now as they resumed their journey. Luna hadn’t wasted any time in ushering them out the door once Ariana was well, and Alec was eager to get away from her. Once they were clear of the creepy claw-footed cottage, Alec insisted that they camp so that Ariana could get some rest. The last thing Ariana remembered before opening her eyes in the dungeon was Alec tucking her in safely at their camp. And now, when she woke up, Alec was shaking her violently.

  “What happened?” She looked around in confusion, unable to comprehend where Sheridan had gone.

  “I don't know,” he answered, his voice distressed and his hands still gripping her arms. “I woke up and you were just sitting here staring off into nothing. I tried to wake you up but nothing was happening. I was so worried,” he said, throwing his arms around her. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded into his shoulder, still processing everything. She couldn’t believe how harshly they had misjudged Sheridan. Anytime Kellen’s minions had caught up with them, they had blamed Sheridan. Ariana couldn’t imagine the kind of pain Sheridan must have endured since they left, and all to protect them. She pulled back, her tear-soaked gaze lifting to Alec as her mouth tried to form the words. She didn’t want to be the one to tell him.

  “I had another vision. Alec, we had it all wrong.” Her fist tightened around his shirt, guilt threatening to overwhelm her. “Sheridan hasn’t betrayed us at all. She's been protecting us. And now Kellen is punishing her for it. You were right. We should have taken her with us, even if we had to drag her. I can’t believe I just left her there.”

  He sat back and ran a worried hand over his face. “How bad?” he asked, his usually smooth voice cracking.

  “Bad. She said that Kellen's been finding us through the fires I make. I've been creating a trail that keeps leading her straight to us.”

  “You didn't know. None of this is your fault, Ariana. We know how she's been finding us, which means we can prevent it and get to the tairseach. Or hide out until your sisters find us, whichever comes first.”

  She took in a deep breath. “We need to get moving. The last fire I made wasn't too far from here.”

  “I'll go mask our trail and scout the area. I won't be long.”

  Ariana nodded and watched him rush off in a blur. The speed of his departure caused her hair to blow into her face as he flew past her and she impatiently brushed it away. She planned on packing up their camp, but when her eyes locked onto another set staring right at her, she changed her mind.

  ***

  Alec stayed gone a little while longer than he should have. He ran pretty far up the main trail, which brought him to the edge of a small and desolate looking town. He tucked himself against a tree when he spotted a group of Kellen's men scouting the area. They had all of the young women lined up in the town square and inspected them one by one, lifting their faces and looking into their eyes before dismissing them and moving on to the next. He realized very quickly that they were looking at the women's eye colors.

  They were looking for Ariana.

  He raced off again, his fearful heart pounding in his chest. He had left her alone. He cursed his own stupidity and made a beeline for her, cutting through the trees though their branches whipped against his arms and scratched his face. By the time he reached her, he was a disheveled mess with small cuts on his cheeks. He wiped the blood aw
ay, feeling the skin begin to knit itself back together as he walked over to her.

  He was so overcome with relief that he didn’t notice that she had her knife out and watched the path to the right of her with an odd expression. He followed her gaze until he saw that the focus was a pair of extremely large dogs. They had pointed ears, short black hair, and long snouts that housed enormous, sharp teeth. He leapt between Ariana and the dogs, crouching into a defensive position and pulling out the sword that he kept on his hip.

  Ariana pushed him to the side and stepped forward, still watching the dogs with curiosity instead of fear. “They've been here since you left, Alec. I think if they wanted to eat me, they would have by now. They want something else.”

  “They're probably waiting on their masters,” he said, still glaring at the dogs though they didn't seem fazed by it. “Kellen has men in the town ahead that are clearly looking for you.”

  “I know that's a problem, and I'm not trying to be stubborn, I swear. But I think they,” she nodded at the dogs, “want us to come with them. I don't think they're going to hurt us.”

  Alec tried to enter the minds of the dogs, but he was blocked. “Ariana, I can't possess them, which means someone else already is.”

  “Like another Cyneward?”

  “We can't take the chance. We should get going. The Cahirans might be coming this way next.”

  She scrunched up her mouth and turned back to the animals. “I can't explain it, Alec, but I feel drawn to them. Somehow, I know they want us to follow them. I'm as sure of it as I am my own name.” Her face fell and she leaned forward. “Come to think of it, there's no reason to think Ariana isn't my real name right?” She waved her hands in front of her face. “Never mind. Bad example. The point is, I'm sure. We need to follow them.”

  He groaned, caving to the lavender eyes that pleaded with him and certain that being wound so tightly around her pinky finger was sure to start giving him cramps soon. “Fine, but only if you agree to stay behind me. If I tell you to run, you run. And if I grab you and start running, you don't argue or get mad at me for it.”