He rushed inside and saw Siegfried standing near the bed, his back to him. The elf was rummaging through some items on the bed, but Lucius didn’t care to look. He was far more concerned with the news of the king’s poisoning.
“Siegfried, what’s happened?” Lucius asked, stepping closer to him.
Siegfried turned slowly, a deep frown on his face. “Lucius, you’ve returned. I…I hadn’t expected you’d be back so soon,” he said.
“Never mind that; what news of the king? Have they caught who did this?” Lucius asked hurriedly.
“They have not. At the banquet the king was merry and talkative one moment, and then the next moment he was on the ground convulsing,” Siegfried said. “Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. None of the guards saw anyone touch the king’s goblet, so it’s likely the cupbearer or someone in the scullery.”
Lucius frowned. The timing of this couldn’t possibly be worse. With the king incapacitated, the necessary planning for the war with Nasgothar and Ghadarya would come to a halt. It was the perfect opportunity for the Draknoir to gain a further advantage. At the proceedings, Lucius had already seen that the alliance among the Four Houses was tenuous at best. Losing the unifying voice of Alfryd might create hesitation among them to rally for war.
“This is terrible, Siegfried. So much depends on Aldron’s king leading this war,” he said.
“Silas is the heir; he can take his father’s place in planning the campaign,” Siegfried replied, turning back to the bed and the contents on it.
Lucius raised an eyebrow. “Of course Silas is the heir, but the succession of power might not go very smoothly with a new king on the throne. Don’t you remember the Succession Wars in Numa that Father taught us about years ago? The heir of Numa barely managed to secure power from the competing elf families, and the same could very well happen here.”
Siegfried sighed deeply. “Yes, I remember Father teaching us that. I remember a great deal about Father’s instruction,” he said ruefully.
“What’s wrong?” Lucius asked, a tone of anger rising in his voice. He walked closer to the bed and saw that Siegfried’s rucksack was open, and a litany of his belongings was on the mattress. The elf stuffed a few items in the rucksack absently as he watched. “Are you…leaving?”
“Yes,” Siegfried said, adding a few more items in the bag and tugging the drawstring tight. “I must go back to Evingrad, Lucius. If there are any survivors, I should be there to help them. And if not…they at least deserve a proper burial.”
Lucius stared at the ground for a moment, unsure how to respond. He’d felt conflicted about what he should do. Helmer had been his father all of his life; he should go back and try to find him even though the outcome would likely be bleak. And yet part of him felt that he was exactly where he should be right now. He didn’t want to leave when he was near completing the task his father had entrusted him with.
There was also the matter of seeing Evingrad in ruins.
He couldn’t bear to imagine the charred remains of the Breninmaur, much less the sight of hundreds of dead elves, including his father. The reality of it thrust him into despair, and he could not process the loss right now. His mind wanted—no, needed—to focus on something else.
“Siegfried, I won’t stop you from going back. I want to go with you,” he said, struggling to find the right words. “But our father risked so much to get us here. He believed in the prophecy, and I don’t think he’d want us to go backward. We must go forward to wherever the path leads.”
“But what if the path leads to Evingrad?” Siegfried shot back. “Evingrad was our home, Lucius. I must go back and help my people if they are suffering. You don’t need to come back with me. Father would have wanted you to continue on, but I must go back.”
Lucius sighed. “I’m begging you, Siegfried. Please reconsider this. When the time is right, we can go back. But I know we both need to be here. Father would want us to see this through together,” he said.
The elf scowled and clenched his jaw tightly. But after a moment, he nodded reluctantly. Lucius placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. They had both been through many trials on this journey, but the fall of Evingrad hit them hardest. He felt a pang of guilt for not jumping to leave as Siegfried had. Did he not care for Helmer and Evingrad as much as his older brother?
No, Yewa wants me here, he thought to himself.
He didn’t communicate the thought to Siegfried, partially because of the elf’s unbelief toward the Deity, but also because he didn’t want him to think he didn’t care about their homeland.
“So, what should we do now?” Siegfried asked, taking a seat on the bed. His eyes were cast down to the stone floor. Lucius had never seen him so morose, not even when he was awaiting execution in the Burning Woods at the hands of the fairies.
“We should find Avani and speak with her. There must be something we can do to help Silas or the king,” he said, grasping at some plan to execute.
“Perhaps we could start an investigation. We’ll interrogate every person in Gilead Palace,” Siegfried said in a sarcastic tone.
“That’s the spirit, Siegfried. Come on, let’s go find Avani and Violet. I’m sure they have some practical ideas,” Lucius said, patting his brother’s shoulder.
Siegfried rolled his eyes, but relented and followed him out of their room.
Lucius didn’t know which room the ladies were lodging in, but he remembered it was on the fourth floor, which was reserved for nobles and wealthy merchants. Siegfried led the way to their room through the exquisitely furnished halls of the palace. Richly decorated paintings, vases, and tapestries adorned the higher level of the palace, denoting the status of the occupants on this level.
A guard patrolling the floor ordered them to halt, but quickly apologized when he recognized Lucius.
“I’m sorry, Sir Lucius,” he said. “If I might ask, what are you doing on this floor?”
“We’re looking for Princess Avani’s room,” Lucius replied. “Could you point us in the right direction?”
The guard, an older fellow with a heavy build, nodded. “Fifth door on the right, sire.”
Lucius thanked him, and they proceeded toward the room.
When they were out of earshot, Siegfried turned to him and whispered, “Sir Lucius?”
He shrugged. “I guess being a Nostra has its privileges.”
Lucius reached Avani’s suite and knocked on the door. The princess answered the door, still wearing an elegant evening gown, no longer donning the signature headscarf. Her dark hair was held up by two shimmering sticks in an elaborate bun save for two locks of hair which dangled beside her ears. Lucius made every effort to keep his jaw from dropping. She looked more beautiful than ever, and if he felt like a commoner before while walking through the palace halls, then in Avani’s presence he was undoubtedly a peasant.
“Avani, may we come in? Lucius is trying to deduce what we might do to help Prince Silas during this ordeal with his father,” Siegfried explained.
“Yes, of course; come inside,” she said, allowing them to step into the room.
Lucius was impressed at the size of the bedroom. The loft above was quite spacious, and it had a warm hearth and a window. He felt a twinge of jealousy. He and Siegfried had to share a cramped room with no heat source and less than comfortable beds.
“So, what do you think we can do, Lucius?” Avani began, looking intently at him.
His voice was lost. He hadn’t really developed any concrete plans to help the situation, so he diverted the conversation in a different direction. “Where is Violet?” he asked casually.
“Oh, she was summoned by the Royal Guard about an hour ago. Silas wanted her to use her gifts in apothecary to create an antidote for King Alfryd. It was a wise decision. I’m not aware of any apothecaries or herbalists in Aldron that could match her skill,” Avani said, a thin smile on her lips.
“Have you heard any news on the king’s condition?” Siegfried asked.
Avani shook her head. “No; he’s been in his chambers since the incident and no one has communicated much to the nobles. I suspect his condition is stable though. If a royal as well-respected and popular among the people as Alfryd were to die then someone would have told us by now,” she said.
“Any idea on who might have done this?” Lucius asked.
“None. The Royal Guard is interrogating some of the kitchen staff and a few visiting nobles. I imagine that Silas, Blaise, or Weifar are taking charge of the investigation,” she said with a shrug.
“Perhaps we could help them?” Lucius suggested, trying to formulate some action they could commit to.
“Why? There’s little we could do in the matter,” Avani admitted.
“That’s what I said,” Siegfried said, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at Lucius.
He narrowed his eyes at his older brother, but continued undeterred. “Avani, if we aid the investigation we not only take off suspicion from ourselves, but we help stay the course that Alfryd started with regard to the Requiem Sword and the war.”
“I don’t follow,” she said, furrowing her brows.
“Think about it. Alfryd has practically united the Four Houses to take action against the Draknoir. He’s unanimously received support for you to return to Numa to forge the Requiem Sword,” Lucius said. “If we go through a lengthy transition of power to Silas, we will lose momentum, and the rifts between the Houses would grow.”
Avani nodded slightly, processing his reasons, but still not satisfied. “I see your point, but Silas is already on our side. If his father died, he wouldn’t allow the alliances to fracture or our quest to be delayed.”
“It’s not entirely up to him though,” Siegfried chimed in. “As king he will have to cater to the will of his court and his people. And even the death of Alfryd might not galvanize men like Felix Gryn, whose loyalty is suspect.”
Lucius nodded. He recalled Gryn’s suspicion when he was questioned about his role as the Ellyllei and his connection to the Nostra bloodline. Then a thought entered his mind. Could Gryn be responsible for the king’s poisoning? Tarshish had much to gain from Alfryd’s demise, specifically the Spindle. Rumors of the guild’s increasing clout in that city were spreading like wildfire. Lucius didn’t dare to voice such speculation without proof, but they couldn’t afford to leave the mystery of Alfryd’s assassin unsolved, otherwise the nobles might become too skittish about committing their resources toward a full-fledged war.
“If Alfryd is stable as you say, Avani, then our greatest priority is finding the assassin responsible. Such a person is clearly working against our plans to unify and stop Memnon,” he said finally.
Avani sighed, but did not argue the point. He could sense she had come to the same conclusion. “All right, where should we start?” she asked.
“I think we could question the attendees of the banquet while the Royal Guards are focusing on the staff,” Lucius suggested.
“It’s late already, Lucius. Most of the nobles are preparing for bed,” Siegfried pointed out. “I think perhaps I can contribute more to this investigation then either of you. During the time you were both holding an audience with the nobles, I managed to get to know some of the guardsmen.”
“You mingled with the palace guards?” Lucius asked, eyes widened at the thought.
“Yes, I did. You’d be surprised how sociable I can be. Plus few people pass up the opportunity to speak with an elf in this city,” Siegfried said, a wry smile forming on his face.
Avani nodded, agreeing with the sentiment.
“Well, what do you suggest we do then?” Lucius asked.
“Stay here until I can get some information from the guards. For all we know, they’ve already found the person responsible and we’d be wasting time questioning people,” he said.
Avani nodded her agreement. Lucius could not find any flaw in the idea, so he agreed to stay put for the time being.
“I’ll be back as soon as I have word of their progress,” Siegfried said, walking out of the room and leaving them in the spacious suite.
Lucius was suddenly aware of the awkward situation his brother had placed him in. He was alone with the Princess of Numa, an elf maiden he had strong feelings for. The fact that she was also alone with him, a commoner with no official rank or title, was nothing short of scandalous. His mouth quickly became dry as he considered the whole situation. The silence grew between them, but he could not think of any topics of conversation that could alleviate that.
“It’s a shame about Alfryd. I really respect him as a leader despite our differences concerning the prophecy,” Avani said finally.
“Yes, indeed,” Lucius replied. He thanked Yewa she had broken the silence. “I guess most Aldronians just aren’t well-versed in elvish lore. They probably view it as superstition.”
Avani shrugged. “Perhaps you’re right.”
They sat down at a round table near the hearth, and the awkward silence returned. The sound of the crackling fire was the only noise in the room for several minutes as Lucius tried desperately to think of something to say.
“Why did you hide your identity from us?” he said finally. The question came out more accusatory in tone than he intended.
Avani turned to him, her eyebrows furrowed. “Because I had to make sure no one knew my secret. I couldn’t trust anyone except Violet.”
“Yes, I understand that, but I couldn’t trust anyone to know my true identity either and yet I told you,” he explained. He hadn’t really been upset that Avani kept him and Siegfried in the dark. In his eyes, Avani could do no wrong by him. The question of her deception was really more out of curiosity than any perceived slight. Unfortunately, Avani didn’t take it that way.
“I needed to be sure I could trust you, Lucius. My brothers have been searching for me ever since I fled Numa. They have spies throughout Marsolas, and if they found me, I would be ransomed or killed to spite my father. I vowed not to allow that to happen so long as the responsibility to forge the sword was upon me,” she said, a bite evident in her words.
Lucius nodded, but said nothing at first. Avani looked down at the crackling flames as he watched her.
“Why do your brothers want to cause you harm? Their war is with your father, not you,” he said.
“Their war is with all of Numa. They are selfish, imprudent elves who are a disgrace to my family. As the older sibling I am heir to my father’s throne, so they decided long ago that they needed to be rid of me to gain power. Somehow it’s fitting that they are both so vile. As twins they not only look alike on the outside, but share the same rotten core,” she explained, almost snarling when she said it.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Family should never turn on each other. It’s a shame they have chosen such an evil path,” Lucius said.
Avani turned to him. Her eyes were strangely bright in the firelight, but Lucius realized that her tears were reflecting the light.
“For years, I was told my purpose was not to preserve our family, but to rule Numa as a warrior worthy of D’arya. I always resented that. Part of me thinks my brothers resent it as well, hence their rebellion. But I chose a different path. I believed in the prophecy. Forging the Requiem Sword like my ancestors had long ago—this gives me more purpose than anything my father ever promised me,” she said, sighing.
Lucius nodded. “It’s a funny thing how one’s purpose often defines them. Ever since my father told me I was to be the Ellyllei, I’ve risked my life to fulfil that responsibility. It truly has defined my life these past few months. Hopefully for the better,” he said with a bemused smile.
Avani forced a smile, but said nothing in return. Her eyes betrayed the inner turmoil she felt.
Lucius leaned forward in his chair, looking into her eyes. “I can say with honesty that your purpose is a noble one, Avani. You are nothing like your brothers or your father. You’ve chosen to aid others more than yourself by taking on this burden. And I think that
makes you a better person in the end.”
Avani smiled. “Thank you, Lucius. Your words mean a great deal to me,” she said, wiping away her tears. “You must forgive me. I’m rarely this emotional. Ask Violet; she’ll confirm it. You must think ill of my lack of royal etiquette.”
“Not at all, Avani. I actually welcome it. I get tired of all the protocol and pomp of this place. It’s nice to just talk as friends,” he said, grinning.
Avani nodded and then unexpectedly placed her hand on Lucius’ forearm. He suddenly grew stiff, and his stomach tangled into a knot. She looked at him warmly.
“We are friends, Lucius. I’m glad I can trust you. It is good to be unguarded now and again.”
His heart beat fast against his chest. He tried to construct a sentence in his mind, but only managed to say, “Indeed.”
Avani pulled her hand away and resumed staring at the fire while Lucius berated himself for not saying something more eloquent. In time, he gave up trying to find anything more to say to her and resigned himself to watching the dancing flames.
The minutes passed like hours as they sat in quiet reflection. Eventually, Lucius felt his eyes drooping as his body basked in the warmth of the hearth. He scarcely felt his body lean back in the chair and slowly drift into a deep sleep while the fire continued to crackle and dance.
CHAPTER 17
BETRAYAL
Ravenmane slowly pulled the dagger from the sheath hanging on her belt and tiptoed inside the king’s bedchamber. To her right, she saw Alfryd lying on the bed, sleeping. His chest rose and fell slowly. Occasionally he’d cough softly, causing her to freeze in her tracks. But the weakened man was unaware of her presence, and hardly a threat.
She scanned the room quickly, searching for any items on the floor that might create unwanted noise. Even though it was doubtful she’d rouse the old man, the guards posted outside his door could easily hear any commotion she made inside.
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