After Kierra departed from his mind, Ayron rode over to the wagon, planning to give Rhys and Clayre the good news, but found them both asleep. Not wanting to wake them, he started to turn away when he heard,
“You know I always sleep with one eye open elf,” Rhys said with a tired smile. “What did you want?”
“I just wanted to let you know that Elwyn has reached the village of Kren safely and, at least for the time being, is safe and probably being pampered by Owen and his family.” Ayron said quietly so as not to waken Clayre.
Rhys, a tear slowly leaking from his eye and running down his cheek, said, “Thank goodness that she is safe from harm for the time being. I know that if you guide her the rest of the way she will be safe and that is all that I can ask,” he added with a smile.
“As soon as we arrive in Amarni and I get you settled, I will bathe, change, get some supplies, and set off for Kren myself, “Ayron said nodding. “As long as she stays put in the village she will be fine, but from what I have been able to discern, she has her mother’s temper and your stubborn willfulness. It is a rough combination, Rhys,” said Ayron shaking his head.
“Don’t I know it lad,” said Rhys chuckling. “She has been one tough cookie to raise. She hates rules and when she was young, I often had to sneak around watching her in case she got herself into trouble. The fact of the matter is,” said Rhys thoughtfully. “She has some of those elven traits as well. When everyone else is in a tizzy about something, Elwyn always has a clear head. And, there isn’t a finer archer in all of Unity than Elwyn, no matter the distance.”
“Rhys, I know that she has to be a tremendously capable young woman to have survived three assassination attempts. She hasn’t really had the training to deal with all that has been thrown at her, and yet she continues to survive and has even been able to care for an injured drakenhawk and a grieving morden. I have to tell you, Rhys that I am looking forward to getting to know her better on our trip to Findara.
And when we get to Findara, I can spoil her while Azavon tries to rein her in. I’m guessing that she can be a handful when she wants to and Azavon has never had to deal with a child of any age,” said Ayron laughing softly.
“Rhys, I have the feeling you will need to get well quickly so that you can come to Findara and help Azavon. I fear he will be so stricken with her that she will be able to talk him into anything. She will quickly wrap him around her little finger. Hopefully you will get well and be there before he agrees to anything too outrageous.”
“Yes Ayron, that is true. He probably will need me around to warn him when she starts pulling her shenanigans,” said Rhys laughing.
“We should arrive in Amarni in a few hours Rhys, so you should try to get some rest before we arrive,” Ayron said as he began to turn Gerrack away from the wagon.
“Ok Ayron,” Rhys said softly, “And I thank you for all that you have done for us. Before you leave for Kren, I would ask that you come by to see me. There are some things that you should hear about Rhianna and this situation before you head to Findara. If nothing else, Azavon should be made aware of what was and may be still going on in his court.”
“I will come by, Rhys,” said Ayron softly as he rode away wondering what Rhys had kept to himself all these seasons and how it would affect how much he would tell Azavon until he was actually there to say it in person.
As he rode along, he wondered what it was that had made Rhianna flee from Findara so long ago. She and Azavon had been happy. He was absolutely sure of it. He had spent enough time around them to know that their feelings for each other were genuine. Whether it was a conspiracy of one or many that caused Rhianna to flee, the perpetrators would probably not be happy to see him bring home her daughter. Was he putting Elwyn in danger by bringing her to Findara? There was also the matter of the cover-story about Rhianna’s disappearance. When he and Azavon arrived home from Grimsfyne, they were told that she committed suicide and was buried in the small cemetery in Findara.
Someone had to be aware that the whole story was a lie. Someone knew that Rhianna was not dead, just missing. After all, they’d had a funeral with his mother and sister in attendance. Someone must have taken a body to the cemetery so that the staff could ready it for burial, or explain to the staff at the cemetery why it wasn’t necessary. Why would any of Azavon’s advisors lie to him about this? What would they have done if she’d come back after Elwyn was born? And who, if anyone, was in the grave that Azavon had been tending so lovingly all of these seasons? Ayron knew without question that there could not have been a death in the royal family without at least one council member being involved.
There was also another question that bothered him. What happened to the young woman serving as Rhianna’s personal assistant? After Rhianna’s supposed suicide, he had never seen her at court or anywhere else again. At the time, he assumed that she was in mourning and then decided to move on. Now that he knew about Rhianna’s flight from Findara, he wondered if something happened to her. If she hadn’t been harmed, he didn’t undersrand why she hadn’t come forward with what happened. Ayron knew with everything in him that she had to know the truth of the events that unfolded then. Could it be her body in the grave?
All of these unanswered questions led Ayron to believe that something was very wrong in the Council. Many of the advisors serving on Azavon’s council were still serving in that capacity now. If anyone had been party to this horrible deed, they’d committed treason against the royal family and deserved punishment. Ayron knew he couldn’t solve this mystery on his own, but he hoped that during his talk with Rhys he would be given some additional pieces to the puzzle. Ayron felt it was important for him to find out as much as he could about the situation before presenting it to Azavon. It would be more than tragic for something to happen to Elwyn after she had been introduced into his brother’s life. He knew that Elwyn was tough and capable, but neither he nor she knew what she would be up against. He was beginning to feel as if there might be something similar to a shadow squad with hidden identities in Findara; who were silent as long as their agenda was being followed, but would rise up to strike if it wasn’t. Several council members, led by Lord Daeglin had been pushing for a while to have Azavon officially declare Remi, his sister’s son, as his heir. When Elwyn’s existence was revealed, all that would change. Azavon would not hesitate to announce Elwyn as his heir. And Ayron had a sneaky suspicion that when he did so, it would be unpleasant news for more than one person in high places.
Realizing he was not going to be able to untangle the mystery without more information, Ayron brought his mind back to the present. He urged Gerrack into a canter, and hurried to the front of the line of soldiers to talk to his friend Hodari. During the next hour, he filled Hodari in on the events of the past several days. He explained to him as much as he knew about the situation with King Stefan and why he might want Rhys dead. He also explained to Hodari what he knew about the mystery involving Rhianna and Elwyn. Hodari, in return, assured Ayron that he would not only protect Rhys until he was well enough to travel, but would also provide an armed escort to ensure that Rhys and Clayre arrived safely in Findara. Hodari also suggested that Ayron eat, bathe, and rest for at least a few hours before setting out after Elwyn. He could understand his hurry to get to her, but he also admonished his friend to not undertake another long trip without some rest and sustenance. Ayron nodded his agreement and asked Hodari to help him by putting a pack together with any supplies he might need for the trip, while he rested.
Ayron also felt he had one more duty to perform before he left for Kren and that was to tell Clayre and Rhys a little about the Amarani. Although they appeared very intimidating and fierce to others, as a people they were actually very gentle and compassionate. Ayron was sure that both Rhys and Clayre would come to love them after a time. Ayron also planned to ask Hodari how to deal with a grieving morden. Raffe had to be taken back to Findara, but he had no idea how he was going to make the stallion cooperate. Grieving
the loss of a life-bond sometimes drove the surviving partner past the point of reason. Ayron was very surprised when Kierra told him that Elwyn had been able to convince him to travel with her to Kren. He made a mental note to ask Elwyn how she accomplished that. When a life-bond was suddenly broken, the pain of grief in the surviving partner often made them unreachable by anyone. After a time, this pain would lessen, but Elwyn was an inexperienced young woman. He constantly wondered how she accomplished the things she did. Ayron forced his mind to focus on his upcoming trip. He was so tired though, that he drifted off to sleep while trying to make a mental checklist of the things he needed to get done before he left.
Ayron woke abruptly from a deep sleep to the sounds of cheering Amarani and the noise of blowing horns. Hodari’s troops were announcing their return to Amarni. As Ayron shook off his sleepiness, he took in the sight of people running from their huts, and workplaces to welcome home their chief and his soldiers. It was a wonderful sight that warmed his heart every time he visited Amarni. Within minutes, they were all given a hearty meal and taken to huts with warm comfortable sleeping pads. They were also shown some smaller huts where they could bathe in warm water that had been piped in from hot springs located below the surface of a rock formation just outside the village. Ayron went with Hodari to his home and greeted Hodari’s wife Zuri, his daughter Moya, and his son Kubwa. He shared the latest news from Silvendil with both Zuri and Hodari and spent some time discussing their herd of morden with him. Hodari said that he would get his companion healer dawa mwaname to see if he could shed some light about the unwillingness of the herd in Silvendil to select a new head mare. Barely able to keep his eyes open, Ayron excused himself and left their home to do two more things before giving in to the sleep that threatened to overtake him. First he went to check on Clayre and Rhys. He found Galdor bathing Rhys, and was told that Clayre was out at the bathing hut to freshen herself. After that, they all planned to rest for a time. Ayron then went to check on his soldiers. The only survivors of this mission besides himself and Galdor were Alea, Stuart, Mintas, Briten, and Kormir. Ayron wanted to make sure that they were comfortable and getting some much needed rest. Much to his chagrin, he found them all bathed and sleeping soundly. Ayron literally dragged himself to the hut that had been assigned to him. Without taking notice of the interior, he spotted a sleeping mat, lay down, and promptly fell asleep.
Chapter 27 – The Wait
Elwyn woke slowly from a deep and dreamless sleep. She was aware of two things as she lay on her bed pad trying to muster up the strength to get up. The first one was that she was still alone. She felt sure that, had Ayron arrived during the night, he would have awakened her. The second one was that the day was overcast. She could smell the threat of a storm in the heavy air and there was no sun beaming down through the smoke hole in the roof of the hut. All she could see was a dark gray cloud cover peering through the small hole that almost matched the color of the ring that circled its edge. Elwyn got up and quickly put some wood on the small fire to bring some warmth to the chilly air that crept in during the night. She then went over to see Keroc, greeted him cheerfully and gave him some water. Keroc nodded his head at her in response and blinked his eyes as if to say good morning. Since Kierra impressed upon her that it was important to try to keep Keroc as warm as possible, she moved him a bit closer to the small fire. Then Elwyn put on her cloak and went out to check on Gemma and Raffe.
There was a light rain falling as she walked through the village into the small meadow where the morden were grazing. They both had their heads down eating as she approached. Elwyn was very happy to see that both Gemma and Raffe raised their heads and nickered at her in greeting. She told them all about Keroc’s progress, her disappointment that Ayron had not yet arrived, and her dilemma about moving on alone. Elwyn felt that the morden were definitely against the idea of moving on until Ayron arrived. The problem in Elwyn’s mind was just how long she should wait. What if Ayron had been wounded, or even killed, trying to get her uncle and Clayre to safety? She was also worried about how long they would be safe here. There was something about this village that kept her on edge and it bothered her not to know why that was so. She was also bothered by the lack of contact from Kierra. She could tell by the way they snorted and shook their heads that Gemma and Raffe felt the same. By the time Elwyn finished speaking to the morden, the rain was coming down much harder, and didn’t look as if it was going to let up anytime soon.
When Elwyn returned to the hut, she was soaked and had to change into dry clothing. She put some water on for tea and started heating the left over stew in a small pan. She knew that Keroc needed as much nourishment as she could feed him and that the rich stew would be good for them both. She also kneaded some dough for bread and put it on the warm rocks surrounding the fire to rise. While she was waiting for the stew to cook and the bread to rise, she settled down to drink a mug of tea and read some more of her mother’s diary.
The next several pages of the diary were a bit stained. To Elwyn, it looked as if tears had fallen on some of the pages. The entries began with Rhianna describing an evening about six weeks before her due date, when Azavon arrived at their suite extremely upset. Rhianna knew that they had been having problems along the border that they shared with Grimsfyne, a land to the north. Azavon shared with her that the dwarven king of Grimsfyne insisted that he, as ruler of Silvendil, come himself to negotiate a peace treaty with him. It was a matter of pride to the dwarves that the rulers of both lands meet as equals to negotiate and commit to the terms of the peace. Rhianna wrote that Azavon was heart sick to leave her so close to the time their baby was due, but felt that he had been given no choice in the matter. The council had voted and it was decided it would be best for him to go. And, as the ruler of his country, he also knew it was his responsibility to go. Rhianna described how she and Azavon spent their last night together laughing, eating their favorite finger foods, and lying curled up close together with both of them resting a hand on Rhianna’s pregnant tummy. Rhianna had written a separate page in her diary where she described the event and her feelings the next day as Azavon left for Grimsfyne. She wrote that he promised he would return home before she gave birth so that they could experience bringing the new life they created into the world together. Rhianna’s tears smeared the words on the paper as she described how she stood there and watched Azavon and Ayron, so handsome in their formal attire, ride off together until she could see them no more. But she also wrote that inside she was afraid and heartsick as she watched two of the three people that she knew cared for her and that she trusted ride away at a time when she felt so vulnerable.
Rhianna later wrote that when she explained how she was feeling to Lilith later that morning her young assistant offered to stay with her in the evenings while Azavon was away. Rhianna added that Lilith shared with her that she was very excited to get an opportunity to sleep on the piles of cushions that overlooked the morden meadow. She had hopes of being chosen at some point, like Gemma chose Rhianna, but until then, was happy to just watch the beautiful creatures. Rhianna wrote in her diary that she happily accepted Lilith’s offer because she didn’t feel safe with Azavon and Ayron both gone from Findara. In another entry, Rhianna wrote how puzzled she was at the attitude of the people that lived and worked in the castle. She’d always thought that she was a friendly outgoing person and it seemed strange to her that most of the people that lived in the castle rarely, if ever, spoke a word to her. Even when she sat in on council sessions, only one or two of the members would even acknowledge her presence. No one, with the exception of Alysan, had ever been rude to her face; it was almost as if they looked right through her as if she wasn‘t there.
The day after Azavon left, Rhianna wrote that she began to feel ill. She seemed to get sick to her stomach whenever she ate. She expressed her concern for the health of her baby to Lilith, who brought her some broth and herbal tea that seemed to sooth her. Rhianna wrote that as her illness continued, she was
forced to keep to her rooms and have her meals brought to her by the kitchen staff. She also wrote that it seemed strange to her that every time she ate a meal, she would become sicker and how after a few days of this, she began throwing up constantly. The only thing that she seemed able to tolerate was the broth and the tea that Lilith made and brought to her.
The next entry in the diary was a few days later when Rhianna wrote about getting a visit from her mother-in-law one afternoon. Apparently she’d heard that Rhianna had been taken ill and came to check on her. Lady Azriel was shocked by how much weight Rhianna lost in such a short time and called Malac the healer to see if he could discover what was wrong and give her something to help her feel better. Malac’s diagnosis was that she was just suffering from depression because her husband was away while she was in such a delicate condition. When Rhianna tried to argue and explain her theory that the food was making her sick, she was hushed and told to listen to the healer and to rest. Malac left some herbs for her to add to her tea that he said would help with the nausea and help her to sleep. Rhianna knew it was more than just depression because she missed Azavon, but the only person she could find to agree with her was Lilith.
Rhianna’s next entry was a weak scrawl that was difficult for Elwyn to read. Rhianna wrote that she’d decided not to take the herbs the healer left for her and to limit her food intake to only what Lilith made and brought to her. She felt unhappy that Malac wouldn’t listen to her, and knew that approaching her mother-in-law wouldn’t help either. Lady Azriel set great stock in whatever Malac had to say. If she were to explain that she thought someone might be poisoning her food, she was afraid they would think her crazy and lock her away.
Next, Rhianna wrote that she was very disturbed when Lilith said she overheard some of the staff talking about the fact that Lord Azavon’s wife was seriously ill and might die. Both Rhianna and Lilith were puzzled by this rumor, so Lilith offered to do some snooping for Rhianna to see if she could discover the source. Lilith also asked Rhianna not to eat anything prepared for her by the staff and would go to the kitchen late at night when no one was around and make her food for the next day’s meals. For the next several days, Rhianna wrote that she ate only the food Lilith brought her and that she began to feel better and stronger. She and Lilith discussed who in the castle disliked her enough to want to sicken her and put her unborn baby in jeopardy. And, try as she might, Lilith was unable to find out any more information, other than the fact that the staff thought that Rhianna’s life might be in jeopardy because she was so heartsick at Lord Azavon’s absence.
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