Heirs of War, Crown of Flames

by Mara Valderran

  Nolan offered her his arm. “Let's go get you something to eat. If I'm not mistaken, you have dancing lessons with your betrothed today.”

  ***

  “This is a terrible plan,” Varrick hissed, following Raemann to the chambers of Meridel and Leone. “He already hates us and you want to enlist his help?”

  “We don't have a choice. I know what I saw.” Raemann still clutched the note in his hand. He had read it over and over again, skimming the words like they might change with one more reading. It never did and neither did his conclusion: The girls were in more danger than they realized.

  “And what makes you think he'll believe it didn't come from you?” Varrick pointed out. “He's going to order your execution on the spot, Raemann. Think about this.”

  “I have,” Raemann assured him. Their legs carried them up the stairs at a swift and easy pace that would make pro athletes envious. “Why do you think I'm bringing you with me? If he attacks, I want back up.”

  “Remind me to think twice before blindly agreeing to help you when you ask.”

  Raemann shot him an incredulous look, pausing ever so slightly before picking up his pace again. “Why would I do that? Getting you to think before agreeing to things is definitely not in my best interest.”

  Varrick had no retort as they stopped in front of Meridel and Leone's door. They exchanged looks of 'here goes nothing' before Raemann knocked. Leone opened the door and stared at the two men, his green eyes narrowed.

  “May I help you?” he asked snidely.

  “Actually, yes, I believe you can, Maistir Leone,” Raemann answered politely. “Might we come in?”

  Leone stared at him as though he had misheard the warrior, tilting his head to the side in disbelief. “You want to enter my chambers? Why exactly should I allow that?”

  “Because it would not be prudent for our conversation to be overheard,” Raemann said as if this were obvious and ignoring the exasperated look Varrick gave him.

  “Please, Maistir Leone, we would not approach you in such a way unless it was of the utmost importance,” Varrick said, his lip curling distastefully over his simpering tone. “The lives of the Duillaine Banair and Duillaine Ainnir alike are in the balance.” He breathed a sigh of relief when his words acted like the push Leone needed to open the door and allow them through. “Do you have to test his patience?” Varrick muttered out the corner of his mouth to his fellow warrior.

  Raemann shrugged innocently, thinking he wasn't trying to be a pain. It just came naturally when dealing with closed-minded people hell-bent on kicking every Athucrean out of Estridia. He cast those thoughts aside and moved straight to the business at hand. “As you are aware, we Athucreans have the ability to overtake animals and almost inhabit their bodies in a sense, use them to do our bidding and see through their eyes.”

  Leone crossed his arms over his chest. “I certainly hope you have not come here to give me lessons on your abilities, Cyneward. Get to your point.”

  Raemann tensed his jaw, knowing the snarky retorts in his head wouldn't help his case, and handed him the letter he had intercepted from a winged friend. “I was inhabiting a pigeon to keep watch on Rhaya from a safe distance when someone tried to use it to send this letter.”

  Leone snatched the letter from his hand impatiently, ready to dismiss his concerns as nothing. As he read it, his eyebrows drew down in consternation. “'I have her trust. I will bring her to you at Imbolc. She will follow me.' Who sent this?”

  “That I cannot tell you. It was dark and they were shrouded in a cloak, which is what drew my suspicion. I believe it was a man from the way he walked. I tried to follow him with the bird, but I lost him in the crowds of the market. I retrieved the letter and then came straight here. I thought it best that I approach the father to my ward rather than another member of the Council. Honestly, you are the only person I trust right now since I know her safety is just as important to you as it is to me.”

  Leone nodded his understanding. “Where is my daughter now?”

  “She is with Ainnir Terrena. I asked Kenward to keep an eye on her.”

  Leone glanced at Varrick as if noticing his presence once more. “Why are you here?”

  Varrick glanced to Raemann, but neither warrior seemed certain as to how they should answer. “In case I might be of assistance,” he said in a gruff voice.

  “Since the letter could be talking about any of our wards, or even the Duillaine, we thought the Cynewards might be able to assist in figuring out who it is from,” Raemann suggested.

  Leone stared down his nose at Raemann with disgust. “What makes you think we would need your assistance? We are capable of handling our own matters, Cyneward. Do not forget that.”

  Raemann forced a bow. “Of course not, Maistir Leone. But by involving us and using our knowledge of the girls' every move, you can expedite the process. No one knows the girls better than we do. It is more than our job to know them; it is our reason for living. We know where they are every minute of every day.”

  “Very well,” Leone said in a challenging tone. “Tell me who could possibly lure my Rhaya away at Imbolc. Who does she trust?”

  “Zelene,” Raemann answered automatically. “She is growing to trust Terrena, but their lives were very different and they still search for a way to bridge the gap between them. Because she’s both a female and one of the Duillaine, I believe it is safe to rule her out. Since we’re looking for a male that has earned her trust, I would say that would be Tate. He has been quite instrumental in her education.”

  Leone nodded and walked away, thinking this over. “If Tate was the spy, it would make sense. He could be the reason the girls were found on Dhara. We found no evidence before, but this,” he held up the note, “this could be the evidence we seek.”

  Raemann resisted the urge to curse, sharing a worried glance with Varrick. Leone was quick to jump to conclusions, which Raemann knew would be a risk, but he had no choice. “Tate proved himself to be a worthy ally to us on Dhara. Perhaps it would be prudent to examine who has managed to get close to the other Duillaine as well. Just to be safe.”

  Thankfully, Leone agreed and turned to Varrick. “Cyneward, what can you tell us of Zelene?”

  “That she doesn't trust anyone, and she's on high alert since Kyle was taken presumably to lure her out of Anscombe on a rescue mission,” Varrick answered. “But if someone thinks they can lure Zelene away, they're wrong. The only person I would say she trusts would be her maid, Ellowyn. She's grown close to Prince Cedwen, and has been caring for a patient in the leigheas who’s lost his memory, but I wouldn't go so far as to say she trusts them.”

  “Still, we will need to question them. Everyone, including Tate,” Leone said, “and even Cedwen, though he has been here for a few years now.”

  “There's also the Tullian, Ainnir Terrena’s betrothed,” Raemann added, wary of Leone's reaction to this accusation. “I know the Tullians have more cause to fight Cahira than most, but it is more about Reilly than the country. He only just arrived, and we don't know that he truly is who he says he is. Word spread fast of the girls' return, and there are still suitors lining up for them. I'm sure people have heard about the potential alliance with Tullia. There was enough time for the group to be ambushed along the way.”

  Leone raised his eyebrows, impressed. “Good point, Cyneward. I will alert the Council and we will start questioning the suspects immediately. We will start with Ellowyn, though since she is female I believe we can rule her out. If your assumptions of the suspect being a male are correct, that is.”

  “I’m certain of it.” Raemann noticed Varrick’s tense shoulders relax, and agreed with the sentiment. He shuddered to think what Zelene would do if her friend was put through a real interrogation with genuine suspicion cast on her. “Please let us know if we can be of anymore service to you.” Raemann and Varrick both bowed and took their leave.

  “That’s it?” Varrick asked as they headed back to the wards. “You�
�re just going to leave it to them?”

  Raemann stopped walking and sighed, wondering what on earth went through Varrick’s mind at times like these. “Of course not. Now we start our own investigation while they are distracted by their politics. We’re going to need to stay close to the girls, because our animal friends are going to be busy keeping an eye on every suspect we’ve just listed.”

  ***

  Zelene wandered the castle for hours looking for Ellowyn. She'd already checked their usual spots, but no one had seen her. Her last stop was the kitchens, and she was surprised to run into her patient there.

  “Hello, friend,” he greeted.

  “What are you doing down here?”

  “Well, I was taking a walk with Ellowyn, but Maistir Nolan retrieved her and I found myself lost.” He offered her his arm. “Care to escort me back to the leigheas?”

  Zelene glanced around, cheeks flushed. “Um, I don't think we're supposed to . . . ”

  “You have one of the Duillaine Ainnir as your champion. I don't think anyone will dare call down the Tainted anytime soon.”

  “Fair enough.” She took his arm and guided him in the direction of his room.

  “Are you feeling better? Ellowyn told me you had taken ill.”

  Zelene shook her head slowly, grief threatening to overwhelm her when she thought about Kyle. “I'm fine. I wasn't sick.”

  “You don't look well,” he observed.

  She shoved him playfully. “Thanks. I'm not sick, just tired. I haven’t been sleeping well, I guess.”

  He covered the hand she had resting on his arm with his and his startlingly blue eyes looked softly into hers. “I really was worried about you.”

  “I'll be okay,” she assured him, then looked down at their interlocked hands. His skin was light, but had the undertones of someone who could tan quite easily. It blended nicely against her naturally pale and freckle-ridden skin.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” he offered. “You've listened to me moan about the things I remember repeatedly. It might be a nice change, for me to be there for you. It could help speed my recovery to feel needed in such a way.”

  Zelene rolled her eyes at his obvious manipulation. “Fine. But only for the sake of your recovery. I got some bad news that someone I cared about died.”

  “I am so sorry,” he whispered. “What happened?”

  She swallowed hard, battling the grief building in her chest. And the denial in her heart. She wanted so badly to believe it had been a dream, to cling to the hope that she would find a way to rescue Kyle. But after everything she had experienced since her arrival, she knew that it had to have been real. “I don't know. He was murdered but I have no idea why or who would have done something like that.”

  He pulled to a stop, his whitened face full of worry and guilt. “You don't think . . . ”

  “No! Oh, god, no. There's no way it was you. It was recent. As in after you'd already been here for a while.”

  He nodded, relieved, then glanced up at her. “You loved him, didn't you?”

  She swallowed again and cleared her aching throat. “Yeah. I did. But I know that he wouldn't want me to sit here and wallow like this. He'd want me to keep going.”

  “True,” he said contemplatively. “But you need to give yourself time to mourn as well. You can't expect to be perfectly fine overnight. It takes time, especially with someone you love.”

  “How is it that someone with no memory can know so much?”

  “I'm just naturally wise, I guess,” he retorted with a wink and then grew serious. “I'm remembering more lately. There's this girl I keep seeing in my mind. I think I might have loved her once.” His eyes were distant for a moment then returned to her. “So, you see, it appears that love knows no bounds. It stays with you even in death.”

  “And even through massive head trauma,” she added, smiling.

  He bowed his head in agreement, a grin spreading between his dimpled cheeks. It melted into a more somber expression. “I truly am sorry for your loss. Please know that I am here for you. Whatever you may need. You can trust me.”

  “I know. And I do,” she said with sincerity and squeezed the hand he still held.

  ***

  Terrena walked into the training room to find her sister already there. Rhaya practiced with a set of daggers on a dummy, but her movements were clumsy. It would have been comical if Terrena’s heart didn’t constrict in her chest at the thought of her sister going up against a Cahiran soldier like that.

  “You keep radiating fear like that and Kenward is going to come running,” Rhaya warned without turning around.

  Terrena stilled her pounding heart as best she could and put on her happiest face before she came fully into the room. “You look like you let Adelphi dress you today.”

  Rhaya shrugged as she tried a few more arm movements on the sack of straw in front of her. “I thought leather pants would be better to fight in than a dress.” She glanced at her sister, who was dressed in her normal attire. “I could be wrong though.”

  “No, if you're using weapons it is much easier to train in pants than a skirt, believe me.” Terrena tilted her head when Rhaya put the daggers down. “Giving up already?”

  Rhaya smirked and wiped the sweat from her brow. “When the scarecrow is winning, it's time to click your heels together and go home. It's time to quit,” she amended. “Zelene's much better with weapons than I am.”

  “Is Zelene all right? Have you tried talking to her?”

  “For all the good it's done. I can barely be around her right now, her emotions are so loud.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don't know how to explain it. It's almost like someone died.”

  Terrena leaned against the wall and thought this over. Everyone they knew was perfectly fine and accounted for, even Ariana. Terrena had checked in with Bianca that morning, so she knew all was as well as it could be with her youngest cousin. “Maybe . . . maybe everything is catching up with her now. She's lost so much since all this started. More than she even realizes, since she'd never actually met her mother before.”

  “Maybe,” Rhaya agreed softly.

  Terrena could see that her sister was troubled over this. “Are you all right?”

  Rhaya shook her head and glanced up at the ceiling. “It's just hard. I want to be there for her because I care about her, but how can I do that when I'm basically an antenna for emotions? Anything she feels, I feel, even if she's trying to hide it,” she explained further after realizing her analogy would make no sense to Terrena. “How can I comfort her if I'm just as much of a basket case as she is?”

  “Do you honestly think she would let you be there for her? I'm not trying to dismiss your relationship, but Zelene is hard to get close to at the best of times. At the worst of times…well, she closes herself up in her room.” Terrena sighed, seeing Rhaya’s worry for Zelene grow and knowing she wasn’t helping matters. “The best thing we can do right now is prepare. I'm sure Zelene will come around once we find Ariana. And we need to be ready for that.”

  “How? We still have no idea where Ariana is.”

  She sensed defeat in Rhaya and decided it was her turn to be the determined one. “You need to keep practicing with weapons, for a start. You gave in to that target far too easy,” she teased.

  “And what about you? Shouldn't you be practicing too?”

  Terrena smirked and picked up the daggers Rhaya had put down. She gestured for her sister to step out of the way and then she moved through the line of dummies, slicing them in various places that would translate into killing blows. For her finishing move, she threw the blades to hit the two straw men propped up on the other side of the room.

  Rhaya clapped, impressed. “Wow.”

  “You forget that my Cyneward began training me with weapons when I was seven years old,” Terrena said. “He couldn't train me to use the elements since he cannot wield them, but I did pick up a few things here and there. Some of the
m I won't be able to demonstrate without raising suspicion, but I will do my best to explain the concepts to you.”

  The first thing Terrena decided to show Rhaya was how to defend herself against attacks using advanced manipulations of the elements. She demonstrated how to conjure an ice shield, which required a combination of both water and fire as it was a matter of pulling the heat away from the water until it froze. This seemed to be a bit too advanced for her sister. So far, Rhaya had only managed to conjure up a thin sheet of ice no bigger than a piece of paper.

  Rhaya plopped down on the floor, stretching her hands out in front of her as she attempted to make it grow. “You'd think this would be a cinch for me since I was born under Water,” she complained and dropped her hands. “And something tells me that this barely scratches the surface of what you've seen them do.”

  Terrena shrugged and neatly seated herself across from her sister. “Not just the Cahirans. The rebels can be equally dangerous, which is why we must be extremely cautious when we finally do try to track Ariana down. If they suspect us for our true identities, they will kill us just as quickly as the Cahirans would.”

  “Rebels?” Rhaya repeated, her eyebrows disappearing under her jet black bangs.

  “We ran into our fair share of them, unfortunately. They are Estridians—as well as people on other worlds from what I understand—who sympathize with the Cahirans, believe that they would be better suited to rule than the Duillaine Banair. They recognized Kenward to be Athucrean—and what's more, an Athucrean with a daughter that was clearly not Athucrean. They thought he would join them and when he didn't, they began to suspect us. Sometimes we were able to run before it came to anything. Other times, we weren't so lucky.”

  “How can you have gone through so much and still be okay? Everything you’ve been through, everything you’ve seen. Honestly, I think I would have cracked a long time ago.”

  Pink danced across Terrena's cheeks. “You make me sound like some sort of tragic hero. It's really not like that.”