“Get up,” Michael removed his blade from Garren’s neck. “Take your sword.” He watched Garren slide it back into its sheath.
“She’s fading quickly. One of my men reached her before I could and I fear her wounds may be mortal.” Garren reached into a side pouch and pulled out a set of keys, then motioned for Michael to follow him.
Garren fumbled with the keys as they came to the cell. Michael could barely make out her figure, curled up into a ball in a far corner. The slightest bit of light fell across her from the tiny window. He rushed in as Garren cracked open the door.
“I stayed with her through the night, she’s worsened since then. I was preparing to take her to your borders.”
Michael didn’t acknowledge Garren’s words. He leaned down over Ariana, and pressed his hand to her neck. Garren was right; she was alive. She moved at his touch, taking in small shallow breaths. Her skin was cold to the touch. She didn’t have much time left. He lifted the cloth tied around her shoulder, seeing that a sword had pierced through to the other side; it seemed to be the most serious injury. He paid little attention to the smaller cuts and tears to her middle and legs, but paused once he saw the deep gashes to her ankles. It took him a second to start breathing again.
He pulled her into his arms and turned to the cell door to see another soldier standing behind Garren.
Just as Michael had convinced himself that it had been a trap all along, Garren suddenly noticed the soldier as well and turned to face him.
“The eastern gate will be the easiest to get to. The Moriors ... will be diverted to the western side.”
Michael was stunned. Garren must have been as well, for still he remained speechless.
“My Lord, there’s no deception in my offer, but you’ll have to accept my loyalty alone as an explanation for now. I cannot speak for any other than myself, but my allegiance is to you.”
Garren took a visibly deep breath. “Malachai, I can’t thank you enough, but are you willing to sacrifice your life for this? I can’t ask you to do so, unless you assure me that you’re aware of the consequences of your actions.”
The soldier nodded. “Your friend is waning. Go.” Malachai turned from them and headed up the staircase at the far end of the hall near the guard’s chambers.
Nothing had played itself out like Michael had expected. He hadn’t believed the Ereubinians to have the capacity for loyalty, but he was steadily finding himself wrong about a lot of things. Garren led him through the castle again, out into the open, where he pulled his sword and held it readied in his hands.
Ariana looked much worse in the light. Michael didn’t want to admit his gratitude, but he couldn’t defend them with Ariana in his arms.
Several men rushed them and Garren didn’t hesitate. He fended their advances, using as few fatal blows as possible. Michael looked out across the open courtyard, to the battle at hand. He could see the bodies of several of his men and many still in the thick of it.
It wasn’t long before Roahn found them again and had clearly taken note of which side Garren was fighting on.
“You won’t be able to take her by horseback.” Garren yelled. “You’ll never make it in time. Take my Dragee, it’s the only way.”
Roahn gave Michael a questioning look, but both of them knew that what Garren said was true. Michael acknowledged Garren with a nod and they both followed him to the stables.
It started with one soldier. Then two. One by one those around them, upon seeing Garren defending Michael, began to lay down their swords. The sounds of clashing weapons dissipated as the men ceased blows and an awkward tension ensued as the Ereubinians looked toward Garren in shock. They’d obviously seen his power and were either unwilling to test it or were too shocked to challenge it. Either way, they seemed uncertain whose side to fight on. The sudden lack of opposition stunned the Adorians as well.
Garren led his Dragee from the stall. He’d already saddled the beast, which told Michael that Garren had told the truth about having prepared to take her to Adoria. He handed Michael the reins. After gesturing toward another Dragee for Roahn, Garren then reached out for Ariana. “I’ll return her to you once you are settled.” Garren pulled her from his arms and held her to his chest as Michael mounted the Dragee. Ariana coughed again, struggling to take in a breath.
Michael leaned down, taking her from Garren, shouldering her against his left arm and holding the reins in his right. Once he was upright in the saddle, he looked down at Garren. The Ereubinian’s eyes were red, his face distraught.
Roahn finally spoke. “And what of you?”
Garren glanced around them, a lost look falling across his features. “I’ll meet what end I have secured for myself. It’s not without cause. My only consolation is that I will follow in my father’s footsteps. His last breath was taken by Morior hands as well.”
Michael didn’t know what to think. He was still hesitant to trust him, but something else pulled at Michael’s conscience. Garren had spoken Adorian, pure and simple. A voice whispered in the back of his mind that he should do something, that he couldn’t just leave Garren behind. “Saddle one of the other beasts — you’ll ride back with me.”
Garren looked at them blankly.
“You have nothing to lose. The death that awaits you in my realm will be a much kinder end.”
Garren said nothing. He turned and quickly saddled another beast. Michael watched him, never so unsure of a single decision. He wondered what his father would have done and was in the process of answering his own musing when he realized that the voice he’d heard in his mind had been his father’s — something Gabriel had said to Michael about Garren on the battlefield many years before — something that hadn’t held an ounce of meaning or made a bit of sense until now.
“You want to know why I didn’t take his life. You’ll understand the truth of the matter someday. Perhaps when you’re all he has left in the world. Just remember this; our tongue is a living tongue, spoken only by those whose blood is pure. Never forget this and show mercy accordingly.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
RIGHTFUL NOBILITY
G
arren raced ahead of Michael and the wingless Adorian through the city but was still close enough to overhear a conversation between Michael and Jareth, who was questioning Garren’s ability to still draw breath.
“You can’t be serious. Roahn, has he lost his wits? Have both of you?” Michael didn’t say anything in response. “Michael, if you won’t listen to me as one of your advisors, then listen to me as your brother-in-law, as your friend. This has to be a ploy to get him past Adorian borders.”
“Then you will be more on your guard than you have ever been, I trust.”
Jareth didn’t seem content with Michael’s response. “Hopefully, that was never a question. He gets near her and I’ll personally kill him, with or without your consent.”
The possessiveness in Jareth’s tone told Garren that he wasn’t the only one who had feelings for her.
“If Ariana is ever in harm’s way, you won’t need my consent. Have faith in my leadership, Jareth, you’ve never questioned it before.”
“It’s not your leadership that I question; it’s the persuasion of one who’s brought nothing but death and loss to all who encounter him. Do you not see the result of his work in your arms?”
“Her wounds were not caused by him.”
Jareth scoffed. “I suppose the scars on her back were not his doing either? Proximity to him alone brings misfortune. By the Ancients! Roahn, have you nothing to say?”
Garren cringed at Jareth’s words, remembering the dream. That must have been what Michael was talking about when he’d said ‘further torment’ in his message.
Roahn remained silent.
“Jareth.” There was a long silence before Michael said anything else. “Keep your eyes open, and your senses fixed. If I’m wrong, then I know you’ll be there to come to Adoria’s aid. We’ll soon travel at a faster pace than your
horses can follow. Take heed of the others. Find Duncan and let the Braeden know we’re on our way back home. We’ll meet upon your return.”
Garren couldn’t hear Jareth’s response, but guessed it to be in accordance with Michael’s wishes. They sped faster into the wilderness beyond the eastern border, leaving the others behind them. Garren looked into the sky and did not hear or see any trace of the Moriors. The strange soldier, Malachai, who had approached him the night before and again in the cell, had done as he’d promised. Even upon discovering they’d been misled, the Moriors would be too far behind them to catch up.
Garren felt numb. They galloped through the thickest parts of the woods, everything silent except for the sounds of the large beasts destroying everything underfoot as they tore through the undergrowth. He closed his eyes, letting the wind hit his face.
Ariana. There were so many things he didn’t know about her. Had she been married? He wondered if she had children. If she did, had any of them been killed in Palingard? Without warning, a flood of thoughts and regrets washed over him. Visions of every being whose life he’d taken without cause weighed upon him. He also thought of Tadraem. He hadn’t had time to think about his death, but with the miles of empty woods ahead of them, he had what could be the very last chance he ever would to look back on his life.
They were nearing the section of woods where he’d been when, who he’d thought was Tadraem, had spoken of his mother. He thought of Ariana dressed as one of the humans in the sanctuary. His mother would never have been suspected if she knew how to behave. But his father couldn’t have been the only one to know, and why would his mother have come to Eidolon in the first place? After years of assuming much about the Adorians, he began to realize he knew very little.
He was surprised that Michael and Roahn were so trusting. They’d had every reason to leave him for the Moriors. They had Ariana and Garren was of little use to them now. Perhaps it was to be assured of his death. He couldn’t blame them. He thought of the humans who’d been slain and left at their borders. Michael must think it was his doing and Ariana heard him take full credit for it during observance.
Michael at that moment rode up next to him and gestured that they stop to rest the beasts. Garren looked over, wanting to explain, but no words would come.
“It would be in your best interest to stay close to me once we are within Adorian borders. Unless you wish to rush your execution.”
Garren nodded, keeping his gaze downwards as they dismounted. He could feel Roahn studying him. Probably wondering what his motives were. He didn’t even know himself anymore. He had no explanations for his recent change of perception. “You look as though you have something to say,” Michael remarked.
Garren looked at him doubtfully. Would it be worth even saying? “I wasn’t responsible for the deaths of the humans who were placed outside of your realm. That was done without my knowledge, or approval. Despite that,” Garren paused before continuing, taking a ragged breath, “I’ve still … if it were within my power to take back the harm I have caused, take back the lives that I …” Garren couldn’t speak anymore. Grief overwhelmed him and he closed his eyes, swallowing back tears. His face grew hot as he tried to hide his emotions. “To learn that I’ve betrayed the very realm that gave life to me — ”
“That gave life to you? What do you mean?” Michael immediately looked to Roahn, whose expression gave no hint as to what he was feeling.
“My mother was Adorian. I was just told that our fathers were allies, not enemies, and that my father was sent to his death because of it.” Garren rubbed his eyes. “I didn’t want to believe it either, but I can’t explain what’s happening to me any other way.”
Michael looked straight ahead, wordless.
Garren didn’t expect him to either believe or accept anything that he said. He certainly wouldn’t have if the tables had been turned. “Why was she in Eidolon?”
“Probably a vain endeavor, but she was trying to find her friend from Palingard — Sara.”
Garren felt sick. “Sara didn’t perish with Palingard, but I fear her fate isn’t much better in Eidolon. She’s been claimed as a breeder by Aiden, the same Ereubinian who wounded Ariana.” Her name sounded odd when he said it aloud, as if he had no right to speak it.
“She is alive?”
“I assume Ariana found her. Whether she wanted to or not, Sara would have made Ariana’s presence known.”
Michael peered down at his sister, a new kind of sadness spreading across his face. “I can’t imagine what that must have been like for her, she’s already lost so much … then to feel betrayed by her closest friend. I should have done a better job guarding her. I should have listened.”
“Guarding her? She killed nine of my swiftest men before being seized by Aiden, who couldn’t have been working on his own.”
“Nine?”
Roahn gave a slight nod of his head indicating that this didn’t surprise him in the least. It made Garren wonder if Roahn hadn’t known Ariana somehow better than her own brother.
“Surely you know this about your own sister. She had the same ferocity the day she evaded me outside of Palingard. Even at the tip of my sword she was brazen. The only reason I caught her is because she tripped, no one has ever outwitted me.”
“That scar on your face tells a different story. Though I wouldn’t call my mercy a matter of outwitting you.” Michael appeared to debate his next words before speaking them. “I wasn’t aware of her existence. Nor was she aware that she was Adorian. She was raised as a human and up until that day believed nothing to the contrary.” It was obvious that Michael intended to reveal as little as possible on the subject and Garren was in no position to pry.
Michael’s lips curved into a disdainful scold. “Don’t misread your good fortune. I can’t pretend that I would have done anything other than leave you for dead if it weren’t for the words that came from your mouth in our mother tongue.”
Garren had no idea what he was talking about. His expression must have conveyed as much. “You spoke to me in Adorian, told me that Ariana was alive, do you not recall this?”
Garren remembered Tadraem also accusing him of as much in the sanctuary the week before. “I … no, I don’t. Our High Priest apparently overheard such speech coming from me in our sanctuary several days ago, but I can’t tell you that I was in any way aware of it, nor was I aware of it today.”
They didn’t have time to discuss it further, Ariana’s breathing became strained. She inhaled sharply, choking on blood that had begun to spill from her mouth.
They remounted and Garren yelled a command in Laionai aloud to the Dragee. It felt like sacrilege to use the tongue, but he had to. He held on to the reins as though he were holding onto his very life as they quickened their pace.
They finally reached the border and Michael motioned for him to ride close. “Remember what I said!” Garren didn’t need a reminder. He rode beside Michael as the three of them passed through.
A moment of disbelief passed between Michael and Garren as he passed through the divide unaided. Roahn was still unreadable.
It was stunning. Despite the lateness of the day, Garren could see snowdrifts and mountain ranges and what felt like the deepest darkness he’d ever seen as the woods around them went on forever. Yet, it was a different kind of darkness — comforting, not foreboding.
Michael was visibly relieved to have Ariana beyond the divide and for a moment slowed down. He leaned to kiss Ariana on the top of her head. “We’re home, dear heart. Hold on.”
Up ahead, though he could scarcely make out their figures through the shadows, he saw what appeared to be mounted forces awaiting them. As they moved closer, he saw he was correct. Nearly a hundred mounted Adorians, suited for battle, anticipated their arrival.
Michael held up his hand, still gripping the reins. “Algreto heirthra fornomas, allolost kai louthai dusto. Nouroma.”
An older Adorian approached first, bending his upper body in par
tial bow. The rest followed suit.
“Isthre eirea lestho?” the older one asked. He didn’t seem the least bit shocked by whatever Michael had said.
“Requisthis masthri louthra. Pournai domest.” Tears started to well in Michael’s eyes as he responded and it tugged at Garren’s chest in a way he’d never imagined.
The older Adorian nodded. “Aulora is waiting. Your beasts, though quicker, are winded. Take my horse and we will follow you.” He dismounted and walked over to take Ariana.
Garren had assumed that he’d be left there with the other Adorians, when he was instructed to dismount as well and was given a horse. It was Roahn who was staying behind. He’d avoided all eye contact with Garren from the moment they met with the others.
Michael gestured for Garren to come to his side. Garren caught a glimpse of Michael’s countenance before they tore off through the darkened landscape. Rightful nobility. Michael had commanded respect from those under his command without the faintest trace of aggression. They followed his leadership, not out of force, but loyalty.
They rode for several more hours. It felt like days, each passing mile stretching on forever. Suddenly, Michael yelled out to his horse, digging in his heels. Garren followed, hoping they were close. His hope turned to panic as he heard Michael’s faltering voice.
“She’s not breathing!”
CHAPTER THIRTY
FORGIVE ME
D
uncan jerked his dagger free from his opponent’s chest. Blood trickled from the Ereubinian’s mouth as their eyes met; Duncan saw the reflection of a mace as it swung at him from behind. He ducked when it was mere inches from crushing his skull and stepped back as it struck the Ereubinian he’d just released.
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