“I admit to not being happy with his choice of bonded, but the choice was his. I know my son has made mistakes, everyone does when they are young. He is working on getting better, learning control. He deserves a chance to prove himself.”
“Very well then, let’s make it a formal vote.” Elric met the Queen’s gaze, not intimidated in the slightest.
“Fine then, but a year’s ban only, not a permanent one.” The Queen snapped back.
Elric nodded his expression smug. “The Council agrees to revisit the issue after a full turning of the seasons.”
“Get on with it then.”
Sesay moved to stand, hesitated, then leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. “Good luck.”
Sels couldn’t formulate a response, merely stared at her in shock as she returned to her throne on the stage.
Unlike the slow process it had been previously, the vote to decide his fate took less than a handful of moments. The Speaker called for a raise of hands of those that wanted him barred from the Council for a year. Most of the Councilors voted to oust him, but to his surprise Sesay's hand remained firmly in her lap.
The majority was so overwhelming that the Speaker didn’t even bother calling for an opposing vote. The Speaker’s grin was so large Sels wondered that it didn’t crack his face in half.
“The vote to give Prince Sels and his bonded a seat on the Council has failed. We will vote again on this issue in a year.” The Speaker pointed down at Sels. “In the meantime, you must leave. You are hereby barred from witnessing all Council business for a year.”
Sels stood, practicing keeping his face blank. No need to show Elric how much this was really getting to him. Sels offered the Speaker a polite spreading of his hands, and left the hall.
CHAPTER SEVEN
TEACHERS
Arara’s life had spun out of control in the last few weeks. The walls of Sels’s suite spun around her as she paced in a circle. Nervous energy burned through her. She longed to leave the chamber and go run through the garden, but after her display at yesterday's Council session the guards had very explicitly warned her to stay out of the way of the Queen and Princess for the next few days.
Sels reclined on the balcony with a book spread across his lap, his shirt off to soak up the midmorning sun. But rather than relaxing he’d craned his head around to watch her, brows drawn together in concern.
“Arara, I know you’re upset about the execution, but Mother had no choice.” A burst of affirmation and love came through the bond with the words.
Arara snarled and tightened her mental shields, although she couldn’t cut Sels off completely. The bond left Sels a back door into her mind, and right now that made Arara nervous.
“But if I wasn’t here, maybe you’d be—”
“No, don’t say that!” Sels snapped. “No, don’t blame yourself for me not getting on the council. Elric’s never liked me, although I’ve never understood why. I’m sure that he’s been planning this for years, even before I met you or found my magic.”
Arara trotted out to the balcony and sprawled out next to Sels on a cushion. She curled over on her back and stared up at the perfect blue sky. The sight struck Arara as strange and un-natural. Where were the mountains thrusting up through the horizon with their constant halo of clouds?
“But what would he have objected to, if you’d had a proper Jegeran bonded?” Arara panted, the direct sunlight had already heated her up past her comfort level. “And if you hadn’t set fire to the marketplace?”
Sels closed the book he’d been reading. “Any number of things. If I hadn’t met you I doubt I’d have found my magic. So first, my lack of magic.” He held up a hand and started ticking down fingers as he went. “Second, the fact that I’m a male. There has never been a male on the throne before, and Elric holds traditions like that sacred. There are males on the Council, yes, but a seat would give any bid I make to become the heir legitimacy. Third, my mother took a number of consorts and never disclosed who my father is. Elric has used that against me several times. Fourth-”
“I get it, you can stop.” Arara rolled over on her stomach, panting hard. “My heritage is the least of your worries. I just...” she sighed. “With all the preparations for the Sedyu ceremony and the training, I’ve only gotten down to see the Yaka once. And even then only one of them would talk to me at all and he didn’t make a whole lot of sense.”
“So go see them again,” Sels tossed his book aside and stood stretching. “I’ll come with you. If we can get one of them to talk and tell us something useful I bet we can get Sesay or Mother to talk the Council into a stay of execution, at least.”
Arara stood and moved inside alongside Sels, grateful to get out of the sun despite the fact that it wasn’t much cooler here than outside. Kin liked it hot.
“Thank you for the offer, but...I don’t know if he would say anything if a Kin was present,” Arara admitted. “Stay here. I’ll take Yegra with me, since Ottont already knows her.”
Sels considered this for a moment, sighed, then nodded. Through the bond she got a sense of uselessness, but he covered it up quickly. “Alright. While you do that I’ll go to the library and research precedent for a stay of execution. Just in case you find anything out.”
For now, the Queen and Sesay were easy to avoid as they were both in the Council Hall. In a session that she and Sels would have been in too if yesterday had gone differently. She reflected on this as she searched for Yegra, grateful for small favors at least. Council was boring, so boring.
Yegra’s thoughts were familiar to her. Her warm presence called to Arara like a beacon, so it didn’t take her long to locate her even in the endless corridors of the Royal Palace. In fact, it took her longer to get Yegra out of guard duty afterward. Finally Arara convinced Yegra’s commander to assign her as Arara’s guard for her visit to the dungeon.
The steps down to the basement seemed even longer than before. While the dungeon guard went to fetch Ottont, Arara and Yegra settled back into the interrogation room that they’d used before.
When Ottont arrived he looked even worse than he had just a few days ago. Even through his thick fur Arara could count his ribs and his nose was dry and cracking. Dried blood crusted visible sores and cuts on his arms, legs, tail, and the side of his muzzle.
After the guard secured Ottont to the rings in the floor and left them alone, Arara discreetly pulled the candied liver treats she’d brought with her out of her bag. As Arara unwrapped them from the protective sackcloth the smell of them filled the room. Ottont leaned forward, licking his lips. His tongue scratched along his fur, not even able to summon drool in his dehydrated state.
“You can have these,” Arara gestured, laying the cloth and treats on the table between them, although she didn’t move them close enough for Ottont to reach.
Yegra produced a small bowl from her hip pouch, setting it on the cloth next to the treats. She filled it with water from a canteen before crouching back down by Arara.
“And the water. All we want is to hear more about the prophecy, or ‘true-speak’, you mentioned last time,” Arara spread her paws and nodded to Ottont.
Ottont leaned forward until the iron-wood shackles pulled him taunt. His nostrils flared and his eyes fluttered. He whined, a low sound.
“Hard...” Ottont tried to lick his lips again, winced, and then sat back. “No talk. Hurt.”
“What hurt?” Arara studied Ottont, eyes lingering on the cuts. She suspected that under the fur he was covered with bruises. She so wished they could take off his collar, speak mind-to-mind. It would be so much easier, but it was too dangerous. “They hurt you, for what you said to us last time?”
Ottont nodded, whined again, and looked away from the table.
“Who hurt you?” Yegra cocked her head, eyes glittering.
“Other Yaka here. Call traitor. Hurt. Steal food, ruin water. Guard not care, not stop.”
“We’ll talk to them. Have you moved to a different cell,
where they others can’t reach you,” Arara pushed the cloth across the table, into his reach.
“Not matter.” Ottont’s ear flicked, and he gulped, nose turning involuntarily toward the table. He stopped with a jerk and clenched his teeth. “I still die, with rest.”
“You—” Arara’s throat tightened, wanting to howl out her grief to the world. “You heard?” she croaked out. “Already?”
“Guard taunt us.”
Yegra tapped the bowl with a claw, sloshing water onto the table. Ottont’s muzzle dipped down and moments later he was greedily lapping at the table and then the bowl. Only when he’d licked up every last drop of water did he attack the small pile of liver chunks, barely chewing as he wolfed them down.
“You still want to live,” Yegra nodded her head at the remains, even as Ottont continued to lick the liver-stained cloth. “So help us and we’ll help you.”
Ottont stopped, fixed his gaze on Yegra and then Arara. “Help.” He stated flatly, scratching his claws against the iron-wood.
Arara winced at the high-pitched shriek, but nodded. “We might be able to convince the Queen and Council to spare you. But you have to talk to us. Give us something useful and concrete that we can present to them-”
“Might. Maybe.” Ottont sneered. “Those words no meaning. You promise nothing.”
Yegra tapped Arara’s arm and sent to her.
Arara gulped and turned her attention back to Ottont. He’d obviously realized they were speaking mentally and he returned Arara’s gaze with a hopeful expression. Arara could feel the guard, directly on the other side of the door, listening to everything they were saying. She couldn’t reveal anything out loud for fear of it getting back to the Queen or Sesay.
“That is all I can promise for now,” Arara leaned forward, once more cursing the inconvenience of the collar. “But if we come back with more?”
Ottont sat up as straight as the shackles and floor ring allowed. His ears were skewed and head cocked, considering. “I will tell you all I know.”
Arara sighed. That sealed it. They had to find a way to break Ottont out.
SELS STRETCHED AND contemplated the book in his lap. After Arara had left for the dungeon, he’d sat back down with plans to get some reading done. Except that there was so much going on. What he really wanted to do was to go visit Roel and vent to her about his mother and the unfairness of it all. The kind of conversation he couldn’t have with anyone else at the palace except Arara. But she wasn't a Kin and didn’t really understand. Jegera, and probably Yaka too, took life mates, something that like the sedyu-bond, couldn't be forced.
He sighed and got up. If he couldn’t leave the palace, he could at least make himself useful and try to help Arara. The upcoming execution had upset her so much. Perhaps there was something in the archives that could help her.
The Royal Library was almost empty at this time of the morning. Shelves lined the wall, all of them bowed under the weight of thousands of pages. The ceiling stretched up seemingly forever, the shelves running around the inside of the tree. Windows were spaced at intervals to let in the natural light and a massive sun flower hung from the ceiling. The petals were pulled shut right now but would spring open at night to light up the room. A walkway sloped up along the walls to give access to the higher shelves. Kin perused the stacks somewhere above. He could hear the rustle of paper and the shuffle of feet, but couldn’t see anyone.
Sels pulled out a likely looking volume on Royal Law and hefted the tome onto the reading stand. Claw-marks later he still hadn’t found what he was looking for. A small stack of books was piled next to him, tomes he’d flipped through and rejected.
The sun flower on the ceiling curled open, flooding the library with light. Sels blinked. Surprised to see that outside the windows the sky was the deep purple of twilight. A hand tapped him on the shoulder.
“Sels?” Sesay said; her tone impatient.
He turned his head and realized Sesay stood next to him with Recka behind her. “Oh, I didn’t see you come in.”
“Or hear me. I’ve been here for several moments trying to get your attention,” Sesay smiled as she reached over and flipped Sels’s book closed. One eyebrow went up at the cover. “Royal Law Volume Twelve? A little light reading?”
Sels flushed and splayed his hands over the title. “It’s late, Sesay.” He looked at the darkening sky. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you,” Sesay threaded an arm around Sels elbow. Sels sighed and allowed himself to be led away.
Sesay looked at him out of the corner of her eye as they exited the library. “Aren’t you going to ask me why?”
He may as well play along. “Why?”
“I’ve found an instructor willing to work with you on your magic. Tonight is your first lesson.”
Sels pulled Sesay to a stop and stared at her. “What? You, you’re serious? Who? Tonight?”
“Yes, I’m serious. And it’s now, of course, because you need the dark for your powers. Your teacher suggested it actually,” Sesay started forward again, tugging Sels along with her.
They emerged from the palace into the gardens. Twilight cast a shadow over the grounds, making the familiar shapes of the bushes and trees sinister and strange. The hedges looked different in the dark, the shadows hiding their wicked thorns from view. If Sels hadn’t known what the shadows hid they would have looked inviting.
Behind them, Recka pulled out a sun flower lantern, holding it above their heads to light the path ahead of them. Sesay led him through the maze until they reached the remains of the bushes and trees that he’d burned down earlier that summer while fighting the Yaka invaders.
The burned husks had been pulled down and moved aside, leaving a cleared, bare ring of earth. Sun flower lanterns were hung from poles in a ring around the outside of the clearing.
Elric stood in the center of the burned area, leaning on his staff. Sels stumbled to a stop, breath catching, and turned to Sesay.
“Elric? But, he’s the one that—” Sels ripped his arm from Sesay’s, and spun, intending to leave. Recka blocked his way, muzzle pulled back in a silent snarl.
“Sels, calm down.” Sesay reached a hand toward him, then withdrew it. “The Speaker is an accomplished mage and an excellent tutor.”
“Any one of the instructors from the magic college, or, or, even the tutor I had when I was young, Atele, could teach me what I need to know.” He balled his fists. Sesay was right, he needed to learn to control his magic, but what had she been thinking?
“Young Prince,” the Speaker’s wavering voice answered him. Sels turned to see that while he’d argued with Sesay Elric had approached them. “None of them can teach you if you refuse to learn.”
“I’m not,” Sels swallowed back the unkind words he wanted to say and instead glared at Sesay. “I want to learn.”
“I am here because I’ve worked with many students over the years, of all different magical bents. I am confident that I can help you overcome your lack of training, to bring your unusual power under your control.” The Speaker raised an eyebrow at Sels.
“Elric volunteered,” Sesay returned Sels’s stare. “Most instructors only teach one kind of magic, like water,” Sesay gestured with a finger and burst of water twirled away into the dark, “air, earth, healing, or any of the other disciplines, and are unwilling to take on students of another school. In addition, your power scares people. The Queen and I have been searching for someone to help you harness your power ever since your magic revealed itself earlier this summer. Elric is the only instructor we’ve found.
Sels’s shoulders slumped and he looked at Elric. “Speaker Elric
thank you for volunteering to help me, but I wonder why you want to, after the words you spoke in the Council Hall.”
Elric smiled and began moving back towards the lighted clearing. “Prince, after centuries of the study of magic, you have something I’ve never seen before. Plus, as the Princess noted, your power is destructive in nature. If you can’t control it you will hurt people around you, as you already have.”
“I don’t want to hurt anyone else...” His mind jumped to the puppy, lying burned on a bed as she took her last breath.
“Then,” the Speaker stopped at the ring of lanterns, and pointed to the center. “Let’s get started.”
Sesay reached for him as Sels turned to leave, her fingers lingered on his arm even after he stopped.
“Sels,” she glanced at Elric, then back to him. “I know this isn’t ideal, but please, try it for a few nights, for me?”
Sels nodded and sighed. “Alright, I'll try.” Before he could move Sesay leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek.
“Good luck,” she gave him a shy smile before turning and leaving with Recka. Sels stared after her until their bobbing sun flower lantern disappeared back into the hedges.
“Sels,” Elric called. “Get over here, we don’t have all night.”
Sels made his way into the center of the clearing, standing where Elric had indicated.
“Before we start, I want to know something,” Sels folded his hands and stared at Elric.
“Ask your question then,” Elric’s voice had turned gruffer after Sesay’s departure and he narrowed his eyes at Sels and leaned forward on his staff.
“Truly, no spun-truths this time, why help me? You’ve never liked me and if I can learn to control my magic it will only help my bid for the Council next year.”
Elric gave Sels a once over; his inspection made Sels squirm uncomfortably. “You know I used to be the Queen’s consort.”
“Yes,” Sels nodded. That had been a long time ago, long before Sels sprouted. His Mother hadn’t talked about it, but something had happened between them to sour their relationship. Elric had still remained his mother’s top adviser, even moving on to be Speaker of the Council.
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