A Single Spark

by Tayvia Pierce

Madox finally had enough and snorted at Rhian. “She did no such thing, Lady Rhian. Stop thinking Carys is out to make your life miserable.” Rhian quickly clamped her mouth shut as the color drained from her already pale face as Madox added, his glower lessening. “He did all the talking, Lady Carys only asking a couple of questions to clarify. Give her a break, she was only talking to him because she promised you she would.” He gave Rhian a pointed look, my sister’s shoulders slumping a little with that reminder.

  Rhian’s lips parted out of a very strong desire to retort, but she had no rebuttal and was suddenly too embarrassed to argue. “So are you going to hire him now?” She finally turned her eyes back upwards, finding mine which hadn’t left her face.

  I just barked a short laugh at her question, again reminded of her simple train of thought. “We talked for all of five minutes. He gave me his side of the story with your sneaking out, and that’s all.” I rose from the table, leaving me empty goblet there. “If I see him around again, I may talk further, but that all depends on whether or not you can stop acting like a spoiled brat.” I glared down to her before glancing to Madox. “I am ready to leave now. Bryn, make sure she gets home before dinner.” I instructed Brynmor while giving Rhian a glance.

  Madox rose as I did, glancing to Brynmor whose jaw was tight, looking like he very much wanted to break into the conversation with a few choice comments of his own, but for once, he wisely kept his mouth shut. He gave me a quick nod as I addressed him, muttering, “I will.” Madox rolled his eyes slightly at Brynmor’s mood and guided me through the door of the Stag and into the sunshine outside.

  Madox let out an annoyed sigh as we collected our horses from the stable master. “She really is spoiled, isn’t she?” He grunted as he took the reins of our horses in hand, Ffion giving his head a little shake as he sensed our dour moods.

  I snorted and nodded wearily, letting out a little sigh. “Yes...she is.” My thoughts turned to Mother and all the times she had coddled Rhian. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with her, Madox. Father hardly parents her anymore, and Iolyn doesn’t care what she does, so it all falls on my shoulders. She is going to get hurt if she doesn’t smarten up, and I have no idea how to make her not be a...a total idiot.” I admitted. “She was already abducted once when she wandered too far, and I swear she didn’t learn a thing.”

  Madox was quiet as he took my hand, gently replied as he helped me up into Ffion’s saddle. “I have heard that sometimes, after experiencing something frightening, life afterward becomes humdrum. Maybe Rhian is sneaking off because she misses feeling that bit of thrill that comes with danger. That, mixed with normal teenage rebellion, might be the reason she is doing this. She will come around yet, don’t worry.”

  “I really hope so.” I murmured to nobody in particular, feeling a little sick at the thought of Rhian becoming a thrill-seeker. What if I can’t make her see sense? I steered my horse around to follow Madox, the faint sensation that I was being watched bringing a prickle to the back of my neck and I looked around the courtyard. I saw nobody looking my way, but the perception remained, serving to feed my fears of the dangers to my sister. I need to make her understand.

  CHAPTER 21

  I was growing more and more impatient as we awaited our coin from Perinthas, and finally, after 5 weeks of living in Lund, our messenger arrived. We owed coin everywhere, and while most seemed accepting of our situation and were patient, I hated being in such debt and hardly slept. My relief at the sight of the horse-men’s arrival was more profound than expected, my thoughts tumbling over one another as I headed down the front steps to greet them. Finally, we can pay everyone and get out of this town.

  The lockbox was not as large as I had imagined it would be, the thought of our vast wealth filling several strongboxes twice that size fading as I looked at the single chest with a growing dismay. Amidst the greetings of my family and staff, the guardians of the box set it down in the office where I would be able to count in peace.

  “Welcome!” Father greeted them with no shortage of joy and relief. “Come and sit, please.” The seats quickly filled, everyone eager to hear any and all news from home. All except me, at least. While the messengers were given food and drink and accosted with questions, I went into the nook with the large key, opening the lockbox with a clink as the tumblers moved into their proper place.

  The lid creaked as I opened it, my heart sinking swiftly when I saw the lockbox was only three quarters full. Oh gods, where is the rest of it? Cold dread filled my chest as I grabbed the tightly rolled scroll that rested on the top, not even needing to count the coin to know it was far less than we were supposed to have. Shaking fingers unrolled the letter, my Uncle’s fluid script filling the page.

  Llew,

  I have sent what coin I could, and I regret that it is only half of what I had hoped to send in this first payment. Rumors of war have surfaced, and liquidating your assets has become complicated and difficult. I will continue to send coin as I am able, but I am sorry that it is so little. I do hope this letter finds you and your children well enough, and that Rhian is safe and sound. We keep you and yours in our prayers always.

  Be well,

  Aneirin

  Less than half…I shook my head as though the words on the parchment might suddenly change, but there was no changing fate today. Maybe he miscounted. I began to count the gold pieces one by one, stacking them and hoping that my uncle had been wrong, a hope that died a slow and painful death as I reached the end. This will cover what we owe to vendors and staff and leave us with a little extra. Slowly I moved the coin back into the lockbox, a chill creeping over my entire body as I was forced to acknowledge the truth: We can’t afford to continue...we are stuck in Lund.

  I stared at the coin for what felt like an eternity, the painful comprehension of our dire situation fully settling on me. At last I rose, taking my uncle’s letter with me as I returned to the main room with heavily burdened steps. I paused on the periphery, looking at the happy faces of my family and our staff as they had such hope for our future, and I dreaded having to share the bad news with them so quickly. The messengers were taking their leave, now that their task was complete, pausing to dip their heads to me as they left.

  Father and Iolyn were smiling and passing a few jests between them, excited with the belief that we had been saved from a life of destitution. Brynmor was teasing Rhian about making up for lost time by buying every dress in Lund, Madox rolling his eyes as he looked on. Pedr rose to help Derryth clean up some of the dishes, smiling warmly to the elderly woman as they headed to the kitchen. Father’s laugh was cut short when he noticed me, his smile turning into a frown as he spotted the sick look on my white face. Iolyn’s brows creased as Father’s did and they asked in unison, “What’s wrong?”

  I didn’t know how to answer, so I hold out the scroll for Father to take. His eyes bored into mine as he took it, Iolyn stepping to his side to read the missive over Father’s shoulder.

  The house fell eerily silent as they read, everyone’s eyes on Father as they waited for the news with bated breath. Iolyn shook his head as he finished reading, speechless for what might have been the first time in his life. Silently, he headed to the kitchen in search of his wine and leaving everyone else staring at Father with swiftly growing dread.

  Father’s jaw tightened as he stood frozen in place, as I held my breath as I awaited an eternity for his thoughts. “It seems the choice has been made for us. We will be able to settle our debts, but continuing our journey is no longer an option for us. Lund will become our new home.” He finally murmured, looking around to meet the eyes of his family and staff.

  The very air was still in that moment as the fullness of Father’s words settled on everyone, Rhian being the first to react with a blank look as she whispered. “Wait...what?” She looked around towards the rest of us as though our faces might hold some answer that she lacked.

  Brynmor snorted and shook his head, angrily muttering. “Right,
pick the city that I hate most.” He pushed back in his chair with a grinding noise that sounded as irritated as he looked, grabbing his coat to head outside.

  Madox shot Brynmor an annoyed look before turning his attention back to Llew, nodding slowly. “As you wish, Lord Llew. I’m sure this city will be a good choice.” I gave Madox a little frown, almost reminding him this wasn’t a choice at all, but I bit my tongue.

  Derryth let out a loud sigh of relief from the kitchen, calling out her opinion. “Gods be good, it's about time we settle.” She offered Father a relieved look,

  Iolyn finally piped up, putting on a smile and hoisting his goblet. “There are worse places to be stuck, that’s for sure. I’m alright with calling Lund home.” He smiled over to me as everyone else turned to gauge my response. I was the only one who hadn’t voiced an opinion, but what good was having an opinion when we had no choice?

  I liked Lund well enough, and thought there were plenty of things this city could offer, but calling it home? After Rhian’s abduction and our time in Soruk, I doubted any place would feel completely safe again, so I took a deep breath and gave my own thoughts. “I think Lund has a lot to offer, and as Iolyn so eloquently stated, there are worse places to be stuck. The gods smiled on us in that much, at least.”

  Rhian’s eyes were wide and a smile grew on her lips, now that she fully understood what was happening. She let out an excited squeal and nodded. “I like it here! I, for one, am glad we are staying.” I glanced over to her, suspecting it wasn’t the city as much as it was certain people that cheerfully colored her opinion of this place.

  Father nodded, some of the tension easing from his shoulders with the general acceptance of this twist of fate. “Carys and I will go into Lund tomorrow to begin the process of permanent residency. It will not be an easy process and will require everyone’s patience and cooperation, but we will find a way to make this work.”

  The rest of dinner and the evening was quiet, finding myself with mixed feelings as the idea of making Lund our home became a reality. As much as this had not been my home of choice, I couldn’t deny the flicker of relief that at the thought of settling somewhere. No more traveling or making camp, no uncomfortable riding in the wagon, no more hoping and praying that the next city would be decent, and no more pouring over the maps to find a destination.

  We had arrived.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  The next week was a blur to me, setting up accounts and paying off our debts with vendors as we slowly began to adjust to the idea of making Lund our home. Before I knew it, Rhian’s sixteenth birthday approached and we were busy making the necessary preparations. Naturally, she insisted that we make a large celebration out of it, and informed us that we would make it a surprise as well. Madox bit his lip hard against pointing out that it wasn’t much of a surprise if she knew about it, letting her remain in her cheerful ignorance.

  Our lack of coin prevented us from filling the cottage with flowers, decorations, and gifts as Rhian wanted, but we did go out and pick a large bouquet of flowers for her, decorating the dining room table on the morning of her birthday. Derryth had been up since dawn, whirling around the kitchen as she prepared Rhian’s favorite breakfast foods, my sister nearly knocking the elderly cook off her feet with an excited hug when she saw the food-laden table.

  Iolyn and I had spent the week pouring over maps, informing our sister (as she stuffed her mouth with pancakes) that we were going to take her on an excursion into the countryside for the day. Her eyes lit up and she gave a muffled squealed in delight.

  Rhian inhaled her breakfast so quickly, I wasn’t sure she even tasted a single bite. She was still chewing her last mouthful as she vanished into our bedroom, emerging shortly after in trousers and a short coat. She gave the rest of us (still eating our breakfasts) an impatient look as she sat down, foot tapping on the floor for all of a minute before she was up and out the front door, calling out for her horse to be made ready.

  Iolyn laughed at her eagerness and winked at me from across the table. “I guess that means this excursion was a good idea?” I chuckled along with him finishing up my last bite. I had mentioned this idea to Iolyn last week after Rhian had not-so-subtly talked about having a big to-do for her birthday. Iolyn loved the idea, and was more than happy to help plan the day, believing there was no better day to dote and spoil her than on her sweet sixteen.

  “It would seem so.” I answered with another soft laugh, starting to rise from my seat, and leaning over the table a little to murmur. “And who knows? Maybe she’ll, gods forbid...learn something?” He howled with laughter, head thrown back as he leaned back in his chair, nearly toppling over. The rest of the household gave Iolyn perplexed looks as they cleaned their plates.

  An hour and five Rhian complaints later, we were steering our horses down the road, on our way into the hills at last. I took up the lead with Brynmor while Madox, Rhian, and Iolyn rode behind. Rhian chattered more incessantly than a magpie, Iolyn dutifully bobbing his head as though enraptured by her every word, though he was likely lost in his own thoughts. Madox made no effort to even pretend he was listening, his head swiveling in search of any who might seek to accost any unsuspecting travelers. We had learned a hard lesson in that regard already.

  Eventually we saw the road cut away from the main highway, the overgrown path hardy worthy of the title of “road” anymore. It had been reduced to little more than a grassy lane through the trees, a formerly well-traveled route now forgotten though it still promised to bring us to some ruins of Lundham’s former glory. Looking at my map, the scholar I had spoken to had drawn a circle and written the common name of the ruins on the parchment. The Silent Temple. It would certainly be silent now that its people are destroyed.

  It was deathly silent indeed, only the chirping of the occasional bird breaking the reverent silence of the stone structure. It hardly looked like a temple when we arrived, the outer wall still somewhat intact, though inside the temple, the once grand pillars had crumbled, now crooked boney fingers that pointed into the skies. The stone floor had cracked to form spidery images in the once pristine stone. Green grass and thin trees poked their way upwards through the cracks to provide some shade where the roof had caved in.

  Rhian went into the ruins first, not by the choice of our guards who cursed her impetuousness and followed closely behind her in the hopes of getting ahead to ensure her safety. Brynmor had his hand on his sword just in case the scholar’s report of safety had been incorrect, looking around the ruins with the expectation of finding a camp filled with brigands. The ruins were empty, however, filled only with ancient memory.

  Rhian giggled as we walked through it, my sister beginning her exploration of every nook and cranny as though searching for long lost relics or hidden treasures. “So what was this place exactly?” She asked, looking back to me for only a moment before crouching down to pick up a piece of rubble for inspection, turning it over a few times in her hand before she set it back down.

  My gaze wandered over the stonework as I answered. “It is called the Silent Temple now, though I’m not certain what its original name was. It was an old Velynesian temple dedicated to healing, built as a place of worship for Kaeus the Creator. Like everything else in their culture, was destroyed in the Decimation.” My feet carried me slowly through the ruins, carving a path weaving through the spindly pillars.

  I finally stopped, turning my eyes up to a weathered and crumbling statue depicting Kaeus. He, unlike most of the gods and goddesses, had never once shown himself to any mortal, so every statue and image of Kaeus created looked entirely different, each one based on the sculptor’s perception of the One. The lesser gods were better known (at least, they were in ancient days), though it was now rare for them to show themselves. With the way they could take various forms, however, it was said they might still walk among us in secret.

  I continued telling them what the scholar had shared with me about the temple, looking around at what little was left of the
once-grand sanctuary. “It became a haven of safety for the Velynesians during the war, housing the innocent...the sick, and the women and children. Priests and Priestesses lived here, their healing skills used to tend to the sick and injured, and their spiritual bond with Kaeus giving hope to those who had lost their homes and loved ones. It was an asylum until the forces of Xeyruhn swept through and killed everyone.”

  I ran my fingertips along the altar, picking up a trail of dirt which I absently brushed off onto my coat. I returned to the center of the large room and sat on a rock, watching the others look around. “A very small remnant of Velynesians survived the Decimation, though nobody knows where they are. They are either in hiding or have blended into other cultures, but they keep their heritage a secret, still fearing the wrath of the enemy.” I briefly considered mentioning my previous meeting with Owain, though some part of me was reluctant to share openly of the fact that he and his people were nearby.

  Iolyn and Brynmor had watched me with some interest through my speech, but soon headed off to look at one of the former homes, discussing Velynesian architecture between themselves while Madox inspected the altar and statue I had been at a moment ago. Rhian finally came to sit next to me after looking around the large space, reaching into the basket of food I had brought in search of a snack.