by J. B. Jenn
“I don’t know. Technically, my father disowned Trester, meaning I’m his soul heir now.”
Maik rested his chin on top of her head. “Is that what you want? That’s the question you should ask yourself.”
Janessa pulled away from him, laughing bitterly. “None of this is what I want! My father and brothers should be alive. Jakom should still be next in line for the throne. I should be having dinner with them right now. Instead, I’m here planning and planning, despite seeing no future for Hartland.” Tears streamed down her face. She wiped them away angrily. Taking in a deep breath, she forced herself to meet Maik’s eyes. “And what about Trester? He should have a choice, too. Neither of us ever thought this a possibility. Sometimes you can’t do just what makes you happy. Sometimes you have to think about others.”
She rose, planning to leave, but Maik grabbed her hand and drew her back to him. She met his eyes with uncertainty. He simply stared into her eyes, saying nothing, wearing a small smile.
“I shouldn’t have pushed you. Forgive me.” He stroked her cheek. “It doesn’t matter to me which way you decide. All I want is you. I don’t want Cascade. I want you.”
Janessa felt the blush rising up her neck again. She started to say something, but his lips pressed against hers. His hands rested on her sides, creeping up toward her breasts. Her breath caught in her throat. He leaned in and kissed her neck.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes,” she barely whispered, closing her eyes.
Arem
He wished he knew what was going through Mercea’s mind. Ever since she had met those people back in the cave, she hadn’t spoken. Whenever he looked at her, he could tell something troubled her. He couldn’t imagine what it was like being a Servant.
There were so many people who needed her. She had to choose whose need was more important and live with the decision for centuries. He couldn’t help but wonder how many of those decisions still ate at her today. No matter what decision one made, there was always a consequence. He imagined that was part of the reason for some of her bitterness.
When she’d glance over at him from time to time, he could see her distrust of him. He didn’t blame her, but he wished she’d judge him a little less after seeing what they’d seen.
“Why are you still here?” Arem blurted out. Mercea turned her golden eyes on him, but said nothing. “Why haven’t you distanced yourself from me? It’s clear you don’t trust me, and for good reason. I don’t understand why you haven’t just left me.”
“You’re in as much danger, if not, more, than I am. Despite my displeasure of how you dealt with things, you’ve betrayed King Barend and his men at least twice. They’ll be hunting you. As a Servant, it’s my duty to protect people in danger. Count yourself lucky I’ve deemed you worthy enough of protecting.”
“Thank you,” Arem said. He took in a deep breath. “What do you think will happen once you meet with whoever summoned you?”
“King Maik summoned me.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
Mercea spun on him. Arem took several steps back, trying not to stumble over his feet. “It doesn’t concern you.”
She stared off in the distance. Arem watched her, wondering what she was thinking, wondering if she’d tell him anything. When she turned back to him, her golden eyes were serious. Arem took a step back again, afraid of her plans. She whistled, confusing him.
When a black horse landed in front of them, sending a blast of sand everywhere, Arem gasped and shielded his face. He looked to Mercea and then to the horse several times. He had a feeling he was seeing something few others had ever seen.
“This is Grace,” the Servant said. “He won’t hurt you.” From where he stood, he watched Mercea mount the horse, wondering if she meant to leave him after all, deeming him safe. She turned to him with seriousness. “Get on if you want to come with me. Now that it’s safe, we can’t delay any longer.”
Casman
He stood in the throne room waiting for King Zavad. Guilt tugged at him. Gys and Vef were dead. He had left them there to rot. King Zavad would want an explanation, and the explanation he had was one of horror.
Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath and wished Ogden was here. His friend would know exactly what to say and how to say it. He had no idea how to even begin. Everything was too horrifying. All he could do was tell the truth and hope the king believed him. Part of him hoped Queen Balla accompanied the king. She would see he told the truth as unbelievable as it sounded.
The woman who had accompanied him to Lovic was silent. She kept shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Her eyes darted about the throne room, searching every shadow. After witnessing some of what she’d gone through, he didn’t blame her. He had been fortunate to have escaped. If his men hadn’t given their lives, he wouldn’t be here to tell his king what had happened.
Taking in a deep breath, he released it slowly, trying to calm his racing nerves. The woman looked toward him, scowling. She wasn’t the friendliest of people. Maybe at one time she was before she witnessed her entire village turned into demons. He still couldn’t believe it had happened. If he hadn’t seen it personally, he wouldn’t believe any of it possible. If he hadn’t seen two towns devoid of life, or the demons he had fought through, he would think she was crazy. He hoped King Zavad would believe it. It was a lot to swallow.
When the door swung open, Casman sighed. He could finally tell them what had happened, and then go home. King Zavad met his eyes. The polite smile which was usually plastered on his face fell away. He signaled for the guards to close the doors.
“From the look on your face, I can see your news won’t be any better than the news Gray gave me.”
“Gray, your Majesty?” Casman furrowed his brow. “What do you mean? Did he and his men find something in Yul? What’s happened?”
Sadness captured the king’s smooth face for a split moment before the normal expressionless of it settled. “He followed Ogden.”
“Where is Ogden?” Casman interrupted before he could stop himself.
“I’m afraid he was killed.”
“Killed?” The room seemed to spin. His friend, a man he’d known all his life, was gone? It didn’t make sense. He knew Ogden better than that. Ogden would never take an unnecessary risk. He met the king’s eyes. “How was he killed, your Majesty?”
King Zavad’s look hardened. “Gray followed the man to Kenokel against his orders.”
“Gray,” Casman growled. “Where is he?”
Zavad said nothing for several moments. He simply studied him. “Perhaps it’s best you report to me what you’ve found and why your men aren’t with you.” Zavad fell silent for a moment. “Nothing you do to Gray will bring Ogden back.”
Casman clenched his jaw, flared his nostrils a few times, before nodding. “Demons killed Vef and Gys.” Zavad cleared his throat. “I found demons.” Casman shook his head. “King Barend is turning entire towns into a demon army. Man. Woman. Child.”
“What’s worse,” the woman said, “is not all of them are successful. Their bodies are mutilated in the failed process. They die horrible, painful deaths. Others…” She stopped for a moment, closing her eyes. “Others accept the process and become a mixture of human and demon. By now, his army must number in the thousands.”
“I’d rather die than be one of those things,” Casman spat. “They killed my men, your Majesty. Somehow, she and I escaped.” He subconsciously rubbed the spot where the demon’s blood had burned him. “The demons can be killed, but they’re quick. They…” He shook his head. “They’re bloodthirsty killers.”
“This is troubling.”
“Yes. It is,” came the smooth voice of the queen. Casman watched Zavad look to his wife and give a soft smile. “I’m sorry you had to suffer through this, Casman,” she continued. “However, we must know every detail. You and this woman,” she looked to the dirtied woman for a name. When she didn’t receive one, Balla con
tinued. “Both of you need to give us as much information as you can. We need to know how to fight them, gain any kind of advantage we can.”
“I understand.”
“I won’t have any part of it.” The woman rose with a wild look in her eyes. “I survived. It’s all I need. I survived.”
Balla moved to her. Casman watched the queen reach out and take hold of the woman’s hands. “I know it was difficult, but without your help, more people will die. I’d like to give you a few days to reconsider. After you’ve rested for a few days, you might think differently. We’re all in this together, like it or not. We must look out for one another.”
Casman stared at the woman, hoping she’d change her mind. She knew more than he did, but she remained silent. Her eyes were angry.
“I’d like to tell you what my men and I found,” he said, hoping she’d do the same in time.
Rosha
Something was about to change. She could feel it. There was something in the air. She wasn’t the only one who could feel it. As she sat in one of the many inner courtyards of the desert palace, she stared inside the castle. She watched the servants go about their lives. Every last one of them kept looking over their shoulder. They were looking for something, anything, which could explain the anxiety they felt.
She pitied them. None of them knew what was coming. She did. She knew it’d change Hartland forever, one of two ways. She had seen both in her dreams. It was what she hated. No matter what she and Barend did, it didn’t seem to turn the outcome any more to their favor.
Rosha gave a heavy sigh as she leaned back to stare at the sky. As she stared into the pale blue sky, she wondered what the Old Gods had in store for her. She was betraying Them, and if she could find a way, she planned to kill Them. First Their Servants. Despite how difficult it sounded, killing the Servants was the easy part.
“It isn’t easy keeping everything to yourself, is it?”
When she glanced over, she saw King Maik. He took a seat next to her. She couldn’t meet his eyes.
“What have you seen?” he asked. “What can we prevent? I know there is disaster on the horizon. I can see it in the way you respond to me and the others. You’re guarded. What aren’t you telling us? Please, you can save hundreds of lives just by speaking.”
Rosha rose. Maik grabbed her wrist and held her there for several moments. He said nothing as he studied her. Rosha refused to meet his eyes. They’d all know soon enough.
“Please, your Majesty, release me. I’ve nothing to tell you.”
Maik didn’t seem convinced, but he released her. She needed to finish what she’d come here to do and leave. She had already delayed too long. Her husband was probably frantic by now.
“If you wish to speak, you know where to find me. You shouldn’t keep this to yourself.”
Rosha left him sitting there, staring after her.
Mercea
The North Gardens Palace shimmered in the distance. Upon Grace’s back, they had made excellent time. What should have taken them two weeks had taken a little over a day. She had arrived less than a half day outside of the palace, not wanting them to know of her arrival. She wanted to discover more about them.
“You can rest here and catch up to me tomorrow. I need to enter unseen and you’re too tired for that. You’ve done too much,” Mercea said, studying him. “You’ll be fine. The immediate danger has passed.”
“You’d just leave me out here alone?”
Mercea didn’t answer him. She turned back to Grace and patted him. “Thank you, old friend. I’ll call on you again soon.” She kissed his muzzle and watched him disappear.
She glanced at Arem before forcing her eyes away. She couldn’t worry about him. There was an entire world she had to worry about. As far as she knew, she was the only Servant awake to deal with the demons. The thought frightened her. What if she wasn’t enough? What if she failed and King Barend succeeded? Why hadn’t They woken more?
As she walked away from Arem, she felt guilty for leaving him there. She fought the urge to look back. Despite everything, she felt obligated to protect him. He was responsible for showing her what was really happening and ensuring she survived to see it.
Still, she wondered what Rosha was up to. Like Arem, she didn’t believe the woman was who she said she was. If their paths ever crossed again, she knew she’d have a line of questions for the woman. This time, she’d make sure the Seeress answered them.
“I can’t believe you’d just leave me there,” he said, hurrying to her side.
“I can’t believe you orchestrated my capture by King Barend’s men. Or you didn’t help me when Rosha was taken. There are things in this world which are hard to believe. Regardless, they happen or will happen. We learn to deal with them and accept responsibility for our part in it.”
He stopped. Mercea looked to him with a half-smile. “I’m not doing this out of spite, Arem. I think it’d be best if you stayed behind and rested. You aren’t in any danger being only a half day from the palace. You’re still exhausted from everything you’ve done. If there’s going to be a fight like I think there will be, I’m going to need you rested, not running off with me.”
“No. I won’t be doing that. I’m coming with you. There’s no saying what you’ll tell them about me if I don’t arrive with you. You might have me thrown into the dungeon for what I did.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You being there wouldn’t stop me from doing that. However, I do have more important matters to worry about. Stay or go. That’s up to you. I don’t care what your decision is, but you have my opinion on it.”
“Fine.” He sat down in the sand with a sigh. “I’ll meet up with you later. Good luck.”
Mercea nodded toward him and continued. By the time she arrived at the palace it was dark. It was the perfect opportunity to sneak in.
The gates were closed as expected.
Taking in all the imperfections in the wall, she discovered the first six and a half feet of the wall was smooth. The rest wasn’t. Although she was a short woman, she knew she could reach the spot she needed.
She launched herself into the air. Her hands gripped the two places she had seen. She landed quietly against the wall. Once positioned, she propelled herself upwards once more. Her hands found another set of imperfections, but only her left foot found a secure place. Now that she was where she wanted to be, climbing the wall would prove easy.
There were two guards above her. She raced up the last couple of feet, landing behind one of them without making a noise. She wrapped an arm around his neck and placed her hand over his mouth. His startled, but muffled scream was enough to alert the other man to her presence. He twirled, eyes widening when they landed on her.
“Who are you?” he whispered.
“Someone you will wish you had never met.”
The man started to draw his weapon. Mercea dropped the guard she was holding, who was now unconscious. The back of his head hit her boots, cushioning the blow. The guard who had spoken refused to take his eyes off her. Mercea lunged, knowing he’d misjudge her. He had no way of knowing what she was.
Just as she had suspected, the guard had underestimated her. Her fist hit his stomach, doubling him over. She took full advantage of it and wrapped her arm around his throat, holding him there until he passed out. She leaned him against the wall, next to the other guard before rushing down the stairs.
Once down below, she stayed near the wall, allowing the natural shadows of night to conceal her. There were guards stationed down below in the courtyard. She snuck into the palace around them. No one knew she was even there.
As she stepped onto the polished sandstone floor of the palace, she looked about. Now she could discover more about this King Maik. She didn’t like the fact he knew how to summon her. She was worried this was a trap.
Summoning a Servant wasn’t common knowledge. Not anymore. Despite Hartland still needing them, the Servants were fading from history. The Gods seemed content in
allowing this new, false God to take Their place among the people.
Mercea took in a deep breath and moved forward to seek King Maik out.
Maik
Maik wrapped his arms around Janessa. His hands moved up her smooth sides, finding the beautiful imperfections he’d discovered only nights ago on her skin. As his hands worked their way around her, Janessa froze. She was staring past him. He turned, frowning.
Leaning against the closed door was a small woman, standing just inches over five feet. Her hair was golden with black streaks through it and her golden eyes were flecked with green. Her skin was an olive color, slightly darker than his own, giving her an exotic beauty. The first thing he noticed about her, despite the amused smile parting her red lips, was she seemed angry. Not angry with them. Just angry.
Maik cleared his throat. “Mercea?” he asked.
“Yes, and you’re King Maik.”
He watched the Servant study him. She was nothing like he had imagined. She was less friendly than he would have thought for someone who served the people.
Awkward silence filled the room. Janessa shifted beside him. Mercea moved. Maik blinked as she stopped in front of him, studying him. He hadn’t expected her to move so fast.
“Why did you summon me?”
He swallowed hard. From her tone, he had the feeling she was expecting him to lie. “I’m certain you know. You found me here. My guards wouldn’t have allowed you to enter without causing a raucous. I’m assuming you snuck inside and the two guards outside my door are unconscious. Besides, you knew precisely who I am.”
She said nothing at first. It wasn’t until he glanced at Janessa did her authoritative voice sound again. “Is it true Urian walks Hartland again?”