The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Three: Crown of Ice

by Melissa Collins

  Drawing in a deep breath Sahra’s eyes shifted toward the flap, clearly concerned about someone overhearing Edric’s heated words. She looked nervous. Her hands trembling. Her feet moved hesitantly across the floor toward Edric, the pale golden color of her eyes shimmering, their glow intensifying with every step. “Please, Edric. I know I haven’t been the most trustworthy of people in the past, but you have to hear me out. If you care about Neomi as much as you seem to, then you will give me a chance to explain.”

  “Leave Neomi out of this. You’ve said enough already.”

  “Ewei is trying to overthrow Neomi’s father.”

  The words lingered on the air between them, dark and frightening, sending a chill through Edric’s spine. His anger boiled under the surface though no words came from his lips, unsure of how to respond to such a ludicrous claim. He could believe Ewei to be plotting against them, but he couldn’t accept the possibility that he would turn on his own people. Neomi made it very clear that their people didn’t think that way. They were excessively loyal to their kin. It was the entire reason why Neomi had accepted the orders brought to her, against Edric’s request. “You lie,” he shook his head, jaw set, glaring at Sahra as she came closer. “This is just another ploy to improve your reputation after what you did with that man.”

  “This has nothing to do with my reputation, Edric. Any falsities I told in regards to that were said to the Captain last night. I’m trying to tell you the truth.”

  “You expect me to believe that? You admit to telling lies to Callum – your future King – and then think I will take anything you say as being truth? Have you lost your mind, Sahra? Remove yourself from here this instant. I will not hear another word.”

  “Edric, Neomi and Moinie are in danger…”

  “Do you not think I know that?” he gasped in disbelief. “That’s exactly why you need to get out of here so I can get our things packed. The more time you waste, the longer it will take us to reach Nahedu and determine what can be done to bring them back.”

  “No, you don’t understand!” Sahra interjected, desperate, reaching forward to cling to Edric’s doublet. She paid little attention to his hands as he pushed her away, wasting no time in closing the gap between them again. “Ewei sent them after the Avaern in hopes of Moinie being killed. He plans to take Neomi as his wife so he can destroy Onuric and claim the Chiefdom himself through her when Okivra relinquishes his title.”

  “That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” Edric scoffed. “If he intended to marry Neomi, why would he send her off on a mission that would no doubt lead to her death? Your story is flawed.”

  “I can’t explain that part. He didn’t go into detail,” she sighed wretchedly. “Maybe he didn’t intend for her to go. All I know is that he told me he intends to become Chief. He told me that when he takes over the Komoa, he wanted me to be at his side.”

  “That would be hard for him to do if he was married to Neomi.”

  “He only needs Neomi long enough to assume power. Once he accomplishes that, he can do whatever he wants with her.”

  “Even if he did say these things, he was likely only saying them to try and coax you into bed… not that he needed to put forth that kind of effort. You aren’t exactly difficult to sway into intimacy.”

  Throwing her arms up in exasperation she turned away from Edric, agitated by his persistent arguing. “I’m not a fool, Edric. I never claimed to be a lady, but I know men. I have spent years learning what buttons to press in order to manipulate them in whatever way I please. Do you not think I would notice when someone was doing the same thing to me? Seduction tactics or not, I read him like an open book. His games are no different from the ones you only moments ago accused me of playing with you.”

  “That doesn’t change the holes in the story,” Edric shook his head. Why wouldn’t she just leave? Did she think him a simpleton? Ignorant enough to believe such a flawed theory in order to improve her image in his mind? “You can’t expect me to believe he has any intention of marrying Neomi when he has sent her off to die. That negates everything else. Without Neomi, he has no means of becoming Chief without starting a war against Okivra the way Emakai did; and one man against an entire tribe is destined to fail faster than the Ythes. No,” he waved his hand in front of him to prevent Sahra from coming any closer. He didn’t want to touch her. The thought alone made him ill. “You just don’t want to admit that he beat you at your own game. You came to me in hopes of playing off my affection for Neomi so you could take advantage of me by pretending to have her best interest in mind. Well, it’s not going to work. I’m not an idiot.”

  “If you think this is all about you, then you are an idiot… Your Highness,” Sahra replied coolly, the glow of her eyes flashing angrily. “You have let that woman warp your opinion of me –”

  “I did not require anyone to warp my opinion. You did a fine job of that yourself,” he said bluntly, keeping his distance from her as he made his way toward the exit. “If you are telling the truth then I will take responsibility for my mistake, but your actions in the past have done nothing to commend you in my eyes. Until such a time when I am presented with more credible evidence, I will consider this nothing more than your pathetic attempt to redeem yourself after letting that despicable man into your bed. Now, I’m going to find the Captain. I suggest you either present yourself to him before I tell him where you are or he is going to be made aware of your admissions of having lied to your superior officer. The choice is yours.”

  Before he could step through the flap Sahra’s hand reached out for him, grabbing firmly to his right arm to pull him back inside, staring at him hard through the dim light of the room. “Fine,” she huffed, narrowing her eyes at him angrily. He was taken aback by the look on her face, unaccustomed to having a subject of his family stare at him with such contempt. “Believe what you want to believe,” she continued through gritted teeth. “When your little Neomi announces her betrothal to that man, don’t say I didn’t warn you. I would stay out of his way, if I was you. You are rumored to be the one thing standing between him and his plans once Moinie and Onuric are out of the way. It would be in your best interest to watch your back… but I’m sure that’s just me trying to get into your pants as well.”

  In a heated display she pushed past him, causing him to stumble under the force of her body. Blinking in surprise he watched the tent flap fall into place behind her, mouth agape, unsure of what to make of Sahra’s claims. He wanted to believe her. From the very depths of his soul he wanted to have a reason to confront Ewei and be done with him. There were just too many imperfections in her story. Too many reasons why she would want him to think her noble and caring. He’d never been accused of vanity before, but in this case he couldn’t help feeling her sole purpose in coming to him was to further the games she started the night they first arrived in Nahedu. She has to be lying, he told himself, wishing he felt more certainty than he did. Despite his better judgment, the claim deserved investigation. He would just have to find a way to do it without catching Sahra’s attention. It would swell her ego to know that he was taking an interest in her silly stories. I’ll present the allegation to Callum. If he and Gadiel both found the same holes in her accusations, then he could consider it a non-issue. Until then, he would proceed with caution around Ewei. That was one part of Sahra’s story he couldn’t ignore. Ewei disapproved of Edric. He made that perfectly clear. It was just a matter of how far he was willing to take his enmity.

  By midday Edric began to sense unrest in Callum. Their rate of travel had picked up pace, though the sun’s position indicated their route to have taken a direct shift to the west, moving away from Nahedu without an explanation from Ewei as to the deviation. They were beyond Edric’s grasp of direction, having spent most of the day prior moving northward. In his mind he envisioned the area as he’d seen it on the maps, roughly estimating them to be well off course to the northwest, heading deeper into the frigid, arctic region, see
mingly without purpose. Their travel was erratic and with Ewei refusing to speak of his plans, they were left with no choice other than to follow in hopes that he wouldn’t lead them to their ultimate demise.

  Throughout the day they were permitted occasional moments of rest, pausing briefly to gather food to get them through until dinner. Ewei never left the company of the men, sending other warriors out to hunt, his eyes watchful of Edric and Callum, as if expecting them to turn on him if given the chance. If only they could! Edric was ashamed of how many times the thought crossed his mind. Ewei was a terrible leader. How he had come to hold such a prestigious position among the Ovatai remained a mystery. Even Neomi had voiced disapproval of his abilities. It didn’t make sense; but it didn’t have to. The reality was that Ewei did hold the rank and therefore they would have to deal with him accordingly.

  Waiting for the hunters to return, Edric seized the opportunity to pull Callum aside, anxious to present him with the accusations brought to his attention by Sahra. He hesitated to elaborate on the source of the information. Sahra had mentioned falsifying her story to Callum where she and Ewei were concerned, though she never specified exactly what details were left out or altered. He may be angry with her but he didn’t want to get her in trouble. At the same time he didn’t like the idea of someone misleading Callum. He had a right to know what his soldiers were doing behind his back.

  Slowly moving across the snow-covered ground Edric made his way to where Callum stood, staring into the blinding white of the distance, scanning the area as if mapping it out in his mind. “Callum, may I speak with you a moment?”

  “Please do,” Callum replied, distracted. His response was welcoming though the absent look in his eyes seemed to imply otherwise. He was far away in his thoughts. Edric hated to disturb him with Sahra’s frivolous ramblings when he already had so much on his mind, but there was no other time foreseeable where they might have a chance to talk in private.

  “I don’t like the idea of disturbing you, especially when what I have to say might not be worth noting, but I feel compelled to address the matter anyway. For the sake of my conscience.” Nibbling his lower lip uncomfortably he fumbled over the right words to say, wondering if he was making the right decision. He knew the importance of verifying anything he heard, given their current predicament. On top of it all, he dreaded the possibility of it turning out to be true. It would be devastating to everyone, including Neomi. She had told Edric enough about their culture for him to recognize the nature of marriage among the Ovatai. If Ewei convinced Okivra to approve the bond between him and Neomi, she would have no say in the matter. Her antipathy toward him would mean nothing. They would be joined and Ewei would be in a perfect position to act on whatever ill-conceived notions floated around in that head of his.

  The distant look in Callum’s eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by an expression of concern at Edric’s sudden silence. “You are troubled. More so than usual. What is it, Edric? Are you still thinking about Neomi?”

  “No… well, yes, I am, but… that’s not what I came to speak with you about.” Heaving a long, drawn out breath, Edric’s shoulders slumped forward. He needed to just say it. The more time he wasted trying to put everything into carefully planned words, the less time they would have to discuss the matter at hand. “Sahra approached me this morning before we left the camp. She told me some things that I prefer to write off as nothing more than her usual nonsense, yet something in my heart tells me it should be treated with some caution. Knowing her relationship with Ewei, there could possibly be some merit to her words. At least a few of them.”

  “Ah, so that is where she disappeared this morning,” Callum nodded. “I suspected she was up to something. We went around in circles for quite some time during our conversation last night and when I left, I wasn’t convinced she was being entirely truthful with me. Dare I inquire as to what she entrusted you with?”

  “Based on the way she spoke, I have a feeling Sahra was aware of what Ewei was doing. The difference between the story you heard and that which she told me was that it seems she allowed it to continue despite the realization of his intentions. I suppose that shouldn’t surprise me. She has been trying to get a man into her bed since our journey started. Though, choosing Ewei, she must have been more desperate than I thought.”

  “Desperate or curious. Just another experience to share with her friends back home.”

  Edric couldn’t help chuckling at the thought. “You liken her to behave like many of the men I know at court,” he chortled. “I assumed women would be more secretive about their bedroom escapades.”

  “It’s possible a country girl like Sahra has less to worry about where her reputation is concerned. She’s a decorated soldier. The people of Ehera revere her for the work she does. I imagine it would take a great deal of scandal before they turned a scornful look her way.” Shrugging his shoulders Callum gave a quick glance behind Edric to make sure the others remained at a safe distance, out of range of what was said between the two. “Regardless of her curiosities toward the Ovatai men, that doesn’t tell me what weighs so heavily on your mind. I find it hard to believe you worry yourself over her willingness to allow Ewei’s deception.”

  “Yes. While the thought disgusts me, it certainly isn’t at the forefront of my mind. What troubles me are the things he said while attempting to gain her affections.” Edric tilted his neck back, staring at the cloudless blue sky overhead. “Sahra is convinced Ewei intends to overthrow Chief Okivra in order to take over the position of Chief for himself.”

  Lowering his gaze Edric let his eyes settle on Callum, looking him over carefully to gauge his reaction. To his surprise Callum appeared thoughtful. “I wouldn’t put it past him. The question is how he intends to pull such a feat off. From what my father says, Okivra is a very intelligent man. He isn’t the type who would fall for a mediocre warrior’s attempt at garnering more power.”

  “That’s what I thought. Unfortunately, that is also where the holes in Sahra’s story started to come through,” Edric sighed. “She claimed his intention in sending the girls away was to kill Moinie so that he could marry Neomi and find a way to take Onuric down. With Onuric and Moinie dead, and Neomi as his wife, he could manipulate his way into being the next in line as Chief.”

  “You’re right. There are a good number of holes in that claim,” Callum mused. “To start, the most blatant flaw is in the fact that Moinie is in Neomi’s company. If Moinie dies, it is likely Neomi would perish as well and Ewei would be left with no wife and no tie to the It’aryn family. To be more specific, however, Moinie and Onuric have already borne children. In the event of Onuric’s death, their son would be placed in line for Chiefdom. Ewei would have to find a way to remove the children from the equation as well before it would even be probable for such a plan to work.”

  “So you don’t believe there to be truth to what he has told Sahra?”

  “That depends. You have told me what Sahra thinks, but you have yet to tell me what sparked this idea in her head.”

  “Ah, yes.” Forehead creased, Edric gave a distracted sigh. He was in too much of a rush to get the information out, causing him to overlook details which might be important. “She spoke of him saying he wanted her by his side when he took over as Chief. Regardless of a marriage to Neomi, once Ewei achieved the title, it would no longer be necessary to keep Neomi around. He could do with her what he pleased.”

  “Of everything you’ve told me to this point, that is the first which makes sense,” Callum gave a slight nod of agreement as if confirming it for himself as he spoke. “He only needs her until the time Okivra passes control to him. Once that is done, Ewei could easily order her death for whatever reason he chose. I doubt he would want her alive. She is smart enough to pick up on what he was doing – if we are even going to pretend there is truth to the claim. Her suspicions would make her a liability. But again… he has sent her on a suicide mission. Her death after the marriage would mean little
to his plans. It accomplishes nothing for her to die beforehand.”

  No matter how he looked at it, Edric couldn’t find a way to justify Sahra’s claims, and Callum’s continued affirmation of the inconsistencies only added to his confidence in having sent Sahra away. It was hard to view Ewei’s supposed admission of treachery as anything more than an ill-intended means of getting into Sahra’s bed. There was one last detail that remained unspoken, however. And it was that detail which Edric couldn’t find a way to argue against. “There is one more thing,” he started, shifting his weight uncomfortably. Thinking over Sahra’s words made him hesitant. How much did she know about him and Neomi? She spoke as if she was aware of their intimate relationship though she wasn’t in a position which would make her privy to the sensitive information. “What does Sahra know about me and Neomi?”

  Pondering the question Callum gave another watchful glance over Edric’s shoulder. Cautious of the others he beckoned Edric to come forward, placing more distance between them and the warriors. “Moinie and I are the only ones who know the extent of what you and Neomi have done. Gadiel suspects, based on conversations he has overheard, but I have no intention of confirming his suspicions. Sahra has been detached from the entire ordeal. Your secret is safe unless you have said or done something which would incriminate you. Why do you ask?”

  “Curiosity,” he shrugged. “There was another warning she bestowed upon me which made me wonder. My own observations of Ewei make it difficult for me to deny the final claim.”

  “I’m almost afraid to ask what that might be.”

  “You have hinted at it yourself. A belief that Ewei has malicious intentions against us. Sahra was more specific in pointing fingers at who Ewei’s hatred is centered on, in this regard. She spoke of rumors circulating which place me as an obstacle in Ewei’s plans due to my – friendship – with Neomi.”