by Day Leitao
Sian snorted. “You think you can use reverse psychology to sway me? Me?”
Lylah shook her head. “Not at all. There’s also international politics. Good luck with Arlenia. King Conrad isn’t too happy about the lies you spread about him.”
“Just rumors.”
“What about the fake threat that he’d invade us if Cayla didn’t marry him?”
Sian was stunned. Who in their right mind, other than his brother, would want to marry her, let alone start a war because of her? “I didn’t spread that lie. I mean, if you’re going to make up rumors, they’d better be feasible, right?”
Lylah stared at him. “So it wasn’t you. Interesting.”
“No.”
“Either way, all I want from you is your word that you’ll remain king. That’s it.”
There was a technique in warfare called confuse, distract, and strike, and he was sure that was what she was doing because nothing made any sense. “In exchange for what?”
“So you need something in exchange for your word that you’re going to do what you just told me you’re going to do?” She looked incredulous.
Ha. Perhaps he was getting close to the catch. “Of course. Promises have value, and while my intention is something, my word is even more valuable.”
“Very valuable, Sian. Well, I can tell the forces stranded in the north to obey you. How’s that?”
Sian shrugged. “They’ve already been obeying me.”
Lylah laughed. “And who do you think told them to do it? Who had the castle surrender so easily to you?”
“Why would you do that? Is it just for the pleasure of taking away my glory, or is it so that I’ll surrender later?”
Lylah sighed. “Like I told you, taxes and requests are boring. You can remain king all your life, Sian. I just don’t think it’s going to happen.”
“We’ll see.”
“True. Can you give me your word that you won’t give up your throne until Darloom’s attack on Whyland is stopped?”
“There’s no attack on Whyland.”
“So just promise me you’ll remain king until such an attack stops.”
There was a catch, there was a catch, there had to be one. “I can’t. What if I die before such an attack happens?”
“If you’re alive then, and if you’re in Whyland, you’ll remain king. In turn, I’ll continue to tell all the forces to surrender to you peacefully. How’s that?”
“No. What if I do get bored, and no attack happens in the next eighty years? What if I want to retire?”
Lylah sighed. “Let’s say then that if no attack happens in one year you’re free to quit if you want to. Does that work?”
Sian decided not to hide his puzzlement. She was playing a game he didn’t understand. “Why would you be telling me to remain king? You should ask me to step down.”
“Maybe I think waiting for you to get bored is better than risking a war.”
“That’ll be a long wait, then.”
Lylah smiled. “I understand it sounds strange. It has to do with my vision: it was you. You were king and you defeated Darloom. That’s all.”
“I didn’t open the portals for it, so, in a way, I defeated it already.”
Lylah shook her head. “Not yet.”
“What does defeat consist of, then?”
“Make it go away.”
Was that the catch? “And then you’ll want the kingdom back.”
“Not necessarily. It doesn’t matter. Right now, my only concern is Darloom.”
Either she was gaga, or, again, this was a game way above his level. “I promise then, that I will continue being king from now until when Darloom is no longer in Whyland, and this promise in no way means that I’ll have to step down then or in any time after. This promise also doesn’t bind me to the throne until more than one year, after which I’m free to leave if I want.”
Lylah seemed genuinely satisfied. “Well worded. You do have a talent. That’s perfect.”
Sian decided not to hide his curiosity. “What’s the catch?”
“Catch?”
“Why would you be giving me something I want? And making me promise I’ll do it?”
“The catch is what I told you before. What you told me. You now clean your own poo.”
Gaga. Of course. “Fascinating.”
“I’m serious, Sian. I won’t be able to help you, and I’m counting on you. I know you can do it.”
“What is going to happen, though?”
“I’m not sure, but I’ll be in Arlenia, waiting for the storm to pass.”
Perhaps she was just a coward.
“Not a coward, Sian,” she said.
He stared at her. “You can see my thoughts.” It wasn’t a question.
“And your heart. You know, crying sometimes is fine.”
“I’ll keep that in mind when I feel like doing it.”
“Where’s your queen?”
Lock it away. He leaned back on the chair. “I happen to have no idea.”
“Well, you should.”
Sian didn’t hide his anger. “Is that a threat?” Sometimes he actually delighted in letting out little outbursts of anger, as he knew they came out quite threatening when contrasted with his controlled self.
Lylah was calm. “Not a threat. Like I told you, I am your spiritual mother, I held you and cleaned you when you were a baby—”
“Didn’t you have servants back then?”
Lylah smiled. “We took care of our children. The point is—I’d never try to hurt you or anyone you love.”
Again, he let some of his anger show through. “Why are you telling me I should check where Karina is?”
“It’s a warning, perhaps. But then, it might be nothing. In dangerous times, you need powerful people by your side.”
Lock it away. “I can’t keep anyone against their will.” He’d managed to sound calm, bored even.
“No, you can’t. But it’s a good idea to know where they are.”
“I’ll keep tracking her. No worries.”
Lylah nodded. “Of course. Make sure they are safe. Other than that, remain king, no matter what happens. You gave your word, Sian.”
His mind was spinning, wondering if the woman had been threatening him, and what exactly she could do, but he didn’t want to show any of that, and just smiled. “I always keep my word.”
“I know. Whenever you need me, call me. As long as it doesn’t have to do with Darloom, and if I’m within reach, I’ll do what I can to help you.”
“Great.”
“Thank you, and goodbye for now.”
She spun, and her image was swallowed by the ground. Sian took a closer look. There was indeed a small silver disk with a crystal in the middle. Small detail, that would have looked like decoration for most people. Old technology. Right. This was northern technology, something from the magic people in the north, but it must have been in the castle for generations. He wished he could work it out how to contact Lylah because her behavior had been very suspicious, and he was sure she was planning something.
He walked to Karina’s room. Empty. No surprise there. Yet he had this queasy feeling in his stomach. Was this just his stupidity, or was it something more, like yesterday, when he’d ignored it? He walked downstairs and found Joel and more of his friends.
Sian didn’t have time to hear what they said before he communicated his decision. “We’re not going to reintegrate the people coming back from the north yet. Put them in prison and try to question them. No torture. They cannot be trusted.”
“That’s what I was saying,” someone said.
Sian nodded and pulled Joel to the side. “Do you know where Karina is?”
“Her bedroom?”
He shook his head. “I need everyone you have on the streets to locate her.”
“Are they supposed to bring her to you?”
“No. Just double-check that she’s alive and well.”
“That’s easy.”
“Look for Liam as well. He’s in Siphoria. If he’s located with Karina, leave them. If he’s located alone, bring him in for questioning.”
“He’s our friend, though. You don’t think he betrayed us?”
A little worse than betrayed, actually, but Sian pushed it aside and got to the point. “He has information I want, that’s all, and he’s abandoned his post, so in a way, he is betraying us.”
“Why then leave him if he’s with Karina?”
Good question. Why? “It might mean he’s protecting her, so…” How could he put it? “He’s still kind of on our side.”
“Fair enough.”
Why would he just leave Liam and Karina? Well, he’d told her to go to her beloved, and he wouldn’t blame her if she did. Lylah’s words hinted at kidnapping, and that was a lot more serious than those disgusting kisses he could still taste. A lot more serious. He felt something that resembled fear and locked it away. Could he find her in the castle? Unlikely. She wasn’t there. He was going to give his people fifteen minutes to try to find her, or else he’d have to do something he dreaded.
Karina had indeed teleported to the tower by the river, and then she felt the familiar feeling of falling. Actually, it wasn’t like falling. She could now identify it very well as teleporting. When the bright lights stopped, she felt the familiar smell of home. Home. Her real home! She was about to open her eyes when a force jerked her to the side as if something had thrown a lasso around her and pulled her. She’d never felt it before. When the lights stopped, she saw herself in darkness. Something had gone wrong.
Darian turned off the communicator and looked at Cayla. “She went home.”
Cayla squinted. “Home? In a time like this? She just walks away?”
True… But still. “It’s not really any of her business.”
Cayla sighed. “I know. But I thought she’d help us, she’d stick to the end, especially now, that Leena told us she has powerful magic.” She shrugged. “Not that she knows how to use it any more than I do. Did she talk to your brother, though?”
“Yes. He said he’d think about what she told him. It’s a start.”
Cayla had a grimace. “A start. Great. We’re moving nowhere.”
“Maybe my people have a point, you know? In the idea of letting the storm pass.”
“Are we going to just sit and cross our arms while your brother pretends he’s king?”
“Pretty much. If you want, we can go back to my city.”
It was weird not saying village anymore. Or maybe not. Weird had been his wrong memory about a tiny village when that wasn’t at all what his past had been like. Cayla still looked impatient.
He held her shoulders. “C’mon, we know how to wait.”
“I feel powerless.”
“It won’t be long. Lylah should return in a few days.”
She sighed. “Fine. Maybe we do deserve a break.”
He was about to kiss her when the door opened. Liam walked in. Finally, Darian would be rid of him. “She left. So I think our deal is over.”
Liam looked puzzled. “What do you mean she left?”
“She went back to her dimension.”
“Well, bring her back,” Liam said.
Cayla asked, “Why would we do that?”
“You brought her for your brother, you can bring her to me. I know for a fact she loves me.”
Darian couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You are delusional. But don’t worry, if she loves you, she’ll miss you, and she’ll return. We have nothing to do with it.”
“I don’t think so.”
As Liam said that, he pulled a knife and moved in Cayla’s direction. She kicked it away, but he kicked her ribs, sending her to the corner of the lift. Darian rushed to her side, knowing she would want to get up and keep fighting. “Do not move. I’ll get someone to check you.”
Her eyes flashed in anger, but she remained where she was. Darian got up to face Liam. “You don’t expect us to help you after this, do you?”
Liam was again holding his knife and pointing it to Darian. “Oh, yes, I do. There’s more where this came from. Your girl can think she’s tough, but she doesn’t have the strength or training to face me. As to you, as we know, can’t hurt a fly.” Liam laughed.
Darian scratched his chin. “Actually, I just remembered something.”
He moved fast, without thinking. It was muscle memory, ingrained in him, forgotten for years, but still there. He touched a specific point in Liam’s elbow and made him drop the knife, then touched a few points on his back, and Liam dropped to the floor. Darian pressed his foot on the boy’s chest, then pulled his arm and broke it. “That’s for hurting Cayla.” With a few more pressure points, the boy became unconscious.
Cayla was by his side. “What did you do that for?”
“Are you hurt?”
“Not much. But you broke his arm when he was already down.”
Maybe it’d been petty, maybe it’d been evil, but he wasn’t going to let the fact that he kicked Cayla slide. “He kicked you.”
“And what was that technique? How come you never showed me?”
“I had forgotten it.”
Her eyes were eager. “Can you teach it to me?”
He hated to disappoint her, but he had to be honest. “I need to ask Leena. You need to swear an oath in order to learn it.”
“I’m pretty sure your oath doesn’t allow you to break people’s arms for no reason.”
“The oath is more about secrecy and when to use the technique.” Darian shrugged. “And as you well saw, I didn’t use it to break his arm.”
“Fine. He was an idiot, but he saved our lives. Plus, if we start committing violence against everyone who’s an idiot…”
She had a good point against unnecessary violence, and Darian himself had always been against it. That was the kind of intimidation tool his father would use. Darian didn’t care, though. “Being an idiot is fine. Hurting you is not. And it’s not like I poked out his eye or something.”
“Goodness, Darian, I thought remembering your past would make you all calm and spiritual, and here you’re talking about poking eyes.”
“It was just an example. I am calm and I am peaceful, but he hurt you. He also harassed your friend. My brother’s—”
“They’re nothing anymore.”
Darian didn’t really believe it. “Maybe.”
“Fine. Frankly, I don’t care about this idiot’s arm. It’s just weird to see you over the edge like that. And maybe… Usually you’re all diplomatic. You’re different.”
He felt different. “I am. I am different. You don’t like it?”
“Just give me some time to adjust.”
“I’m also adjusting.” He looked at Liam on the floor. “What do we do with him?”
“We could put him outside, leave him here, and fly away.”
“Sounds good. See? I’m asking your opinion.”
Cayla rolled her eyes. “Oooh, what an honor. You asked my opinion.”
“I always do, you know it.”
“Not always.”
Darian feared she’d spend the rest of their lives reminding him how he’d been king and pushed her aside for two days. Well, maybe the thought wasn’t that bad, if it meant they’d spend their lives together.
She squinted. “What are you laughing at?”
“Me, you. Together forever.”
“Right. Way to change the subject.” She smiled, though.
He pulled her towards him and smacked his lips on hers. Cayla loved impromptu, sudden kisses, and this time it was no different, as they kept kissing and were soon making out on the side bench. He’d better not forget Liam, though, because he’d soon wake up. Perhaps not that soon. It was hard to leave her when they were that close. Closer and closer. So close.
The door opened and two city guards pointed guns at them. Darian sat up and stepped in front of Cayla to shield her from the guards’ eyes. “This is private property.�
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One of the guards recognized him and lowered his head. “Your majesty.”
Great. He’d been recognized. In fact, he recognized the guard as well. “Hey, I know you! How come you're invading private lifts, and how come you’re working for Sian?”
The guard shook his head. “No, no. We serve the city. Whatever happens in the castle, we take no part. It’s part of the oath we take. It’s meant to prevent chaos in Siphoria in case of a conflict.”
Sure. Darian knew that, but he wasn’t that used to the guards in the city. “How come you’re here?”
The guard looked around. “Liam was supposed to be here.”
Darian pointed to the floor. “There.”
“We received orders to take him to the castle.”
Cayla had recomposed herself and gotten up. “To whom?”
“Sian.”
“So you are serving him,” Cayla said.
“We’re looking for a wanted criminal in the city.”
Cayla looked at Darian with mischief in her eyes, then addressed the guards. “He’s all yours.”
Darian’s fear, however, was that they’d imprison him and Cayla. They were both armed, and Darian wasn’t sure he’d be fast enough. Maybe. But he wasn’t sure. “What about us?”
The guard bowed. “Your majesty.” He turned to Cayla. “Your majesty. I follow orders. I was told to bring Liam. Nobody told me to take you. Or even to inform them where you were. I just follow orders.” He turned to his companion. “Right?”
The other guard chuckled. “Sure.” They stepped down and pulled Liam, each holding him below one arm.
Cayla put her hands on Darian’s shoulder. “Sian wouldn’t kill him, would he?”
“My brother’s not a murderer. And maybe this is for a completely different reason. We don’t know.”
She walked to the door and locked it from the inside. “So? Where did we stop?”
“We stopped where you were torturing me. And I think we’d better fly away. Just in case.”
Her eyes were sad. “Torturing you? You mean you don’t like it?”
She was upset, and he hated seeing her upset, but he had to tell her the truth. “I like it more than anything in the world. It’s just… Cayla, you’ve been making it harder and harder for me to hold back.”