Sygian turned around slowly, hearing an odd, gurgling sound coming from the woman being killed behind him. Like most, he’d never witnessed Keiran in the act of ending someone before. He pressed his back against the door, unable to avert his stare.
Keiran lost himself in the act, but after several minutes, he was sated. He pushed himself back up, straddling the dead witch’s lifeless body. He could feel Sygian’s eyes upon him, and he dragged his left hand across his lips before looking back over his shoulder.
Sygian let out a shuddering breath, his back sliding down against the door until he ended up on his seat. “Keiran…forgive us.”
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said quietly, moving to stand up and turn around. “And thank you for getting the others out so they didn’t.”
Sygian had tears in his eyes, his head swimming from the concussion he’d suffered. “She told us Peirte was still alive, we came up here and…I…”
Keiran went over and crouched down before Sygian, placing his hands on his shoulders. “No, I know what she did. She would have done anything she thought she needed to in order to get rid of me or your entire group.”
“Do you…do you really think she was Isuelt Thinliss?” Sygian asked, leaning to the side slightly to see the ancient body lying motionless not far away.
Keiran glanced back over his shoulder and gave a nod. “I have no reason to doubt it. Illusions or not, she’s dead now, and she can no longer hide behind her masks.”
Sygian looked up at the vampire. “How could she still be alive? If she was an old woman back in Peirte’s day… She would have been well over a hundred by now!”
“She looked every bit of it, too,” Keiran said, slowly rising back up and offering his hand out toward Sygian.
“I’d say that’s impossible, but in light of what I’ve seen tonight…” He accepted Keiran’s hand and got up, though unsteadily. Sygian had to lean on him heavily for support, lest he drop right back to the ground.
However, the fact Sygian touched him at all caught Keiran’s attention. Seeing him kill Isuelt hadn’t repulsed his grand councillor, and a wave of relief washed over him.
“Let’s get you to Laron. You got the worst of it tonight, I’m afraid,” Keiran said, reaching out with his left hand and pulling open the door.
The others were still in the hallway, and they turned to see Keiran with their leader in silence.
Keiran was hit with the overwhelming emotions of regret and worry coming off the others, and he looked them over. “I don’t blame a single one of you, nor did I see a single one of you here tonight, nor do I know who a single one of you are in the event you turned out to be Church Knights.”
“If,” Sygian whispered with a pained smile.
* * *
Keiran carefully opened the door to his room a few hours after he’d left. Laron had assured him that Sygian would recover from the hit he’d taken, though he would keep a close eye on the grand councillor over the next day.
The other Church Knights had quickly dissipated out of the castle, leaving no evidence they’d been there. When he’d gone to look, Isuelt’s body was gone too, the blood on the floor cleaned up. They had covered their tracks.
He closed the door behind him, the room still cast in darkness. Silently, Keiran moved over to the bed and climbed onto it. He moved the kitten off of Thana and set it into the spot he normally slept. Though he hated to do it, he moved to loom over Thana, placing his hand in the center of her chest and gently shaking her. At night, she’d been most susceptible to seeing him as Athan.
Thana’s eyes opened up, her mind wrapped in a groggy daze. She stared up blankly at him for a moment before slowly giving up a tired smile. “…and you are up in the middle of the night wanting what, exactly?”
“You see me as me?” he asked, lowering toward her a little more.
“Aye,” she whispered, not wanting to wake the baby.
“The spell is broken, Thana. Mother Thinliss is gone.” Keiran gave a wide smile. He moved closer and met her in a kiss.
Thana happily closed her eyes and submitted to him. Though she had questions, they could wait. For now, she was simply happy to have Thinliss out of her mind and Keiran back to himself.
* * *
“A word?”
Keiran stopped before the throne room doors and spun around, seeing Sygian standing behind him. “Should you be up?”
The old man walked over with a serious limp limp. The entire left side of his face was bruised purple, his left arm in a sling. “I can’t bear to lie around. There are matters that need to be attended to.”
Keiran waited for him to catch up, and then he laced an arm through Sygian’s right to help him along into the throne room. “I’d imagine things will be a little complicated in the church as they find themselves without leadership again.”
“A temporary matter,” Sygian replied, allowing Keiran to guide him along. “The Church Knights have cleared your name regarding the whole incident, however. We witnessed what Mother Thinliss really was, and we have dealt with it accordingly. It isn’t simply our job to police the king but to also ensure the church itself is protected.”
“Her body…it was disposed of, I assume?” Keiran asked.
“Afraid she came back from the dead and walked off?” Sygian asked with a smile.
The humor wasn’t reflected by the vampire. “Aye.”
Sygian’s brows rose. “Well… I assure you, she didn’t. She’s nothing more than a pile of ashes along the river’s edge from what I’ve heard.”
“Good.” Keiran let go of Sygian and climbed up to his throne, landing in it with a sigh. “I regret that it turned out as it did, but she wasn’t going to relent until she got her way. Though, I still don’t really understand what her endgame was… She knew I had nothing to do with Peirte.”
“Who can really say?” Sygian replied, moving to carefully sit down upon the stairs, resting his cane across his knees once he was down. “Perhaps she wanted all vestiges of your father’s reign taken down since he took Peirte’s side over hers? At her age, I can’t imagine that she was exactly sane.”
He had a point and Keiran leaned to the side, propping his chin in a hand. “Perhaps. Thank you for believing me last night, though.”
“I was honestly sick when we entered the castle and went to that room,” Sygian admitted. “In my gut, I knew we couldn’t be seeing what we were. My heart literally ached over it. When I saw your reaction, however… No, I was definitely able to believe you over what my eyes were seeing.”
“Thank God you did,” Keiran replied, his eyes panning up toward the door. With his senses heightened again, he felt Jerris approaching.
The guard strode into the room and scuffed his boots to a halt, looking Sygian over. “Well, you look like absolute hell. Nice sling, though.”
The grand councillor offered up a smile to the younger man. “A nice accessory, isn’t it?”
Jerris glanced down at his own. “It has its purpose. What happened to you?”
“Ah,” the old man raised his brows and turned to look back at Keiran for a second before facing Jerris again. “A tumble down the stairs I’m afraid.”
Jerris’ eyes narrowed and he met Keiran’s gaze. “Are you throwing the old folks around?”
The vampire shook his head and frowned. “Not at all.”
Sygian turned again. “Keir, I know this is your room and all, but may Jerris and I have a word?”
He shrugged and pushed himself up. Though he didn’t know what they could have to discuss, he supposed he’d get it from Jerris later. “All right. I need to go track down Garhan and Mari anyway.”
Jerris went and sat beside Sygian, appreciating the extent of the old man’s injuries. “That must have been one hell of a fall.”
“I didn’t fall, young Sir Steiner,” Sygian replied, his expression going serious. “Mother Thinliss was here last night. I and the other Church Knights found her pretending to be Peirte, tryi
ng to convince us that Keir was in collusion with our dearly departed former grand councillor. She tossed me like a child’s toy into a wall. I could just as easily have been killed.”
The guard blinked and his lips parted several seconds before he found any words. “Sygian, that… that is extremely serious!”
He nodded and stared down at the floor before him. “She was dealt with. Our king dispatched her, and I and the other Church Knights will deal with the aftermath. Keiran is in the clear, but you need to know the truth of it.”
Jerris shook his head and slouched. “I know my father was a Church Knight, and you’re not supposed to be discussing their matters with me, Sygian. I’m not Kanan.”
“But Kanan’s place must be filled, Jerris.”
The redhead looked at Sygian again, brows rising. “I wouldn’t know where to direct you for that.”
The old man sighed and put his right hand on the guard’s shoulder. “No, Jerris, the others and I have elected you to take your father’s place.”
Jerris immediately stood up and took a few paces forward. “I’m not qualified. My father was a far better candidate for the job than I.”
Sygian wobbled but managed to get up as well, though he didn’t move forward. “Perhaps he was, but he is gone, Jerris. Our ranks need to be filled, and there is no one closer to the king whom we can elect.”
Jerris ran his right hand down his face and glanced up at the ceiling. “Sygian, I had a lapse in my loyalty toward Keiran very recently. I shouldn’t be trusted in any capacity that will require me to judge his actions, and if I were ever ordered to go against him…”
“If you were ever able to go against him, Jerris, it would mean that things were very bad indeed,” Sygian finished for him. “You know how to kill him if it ever came to it.”
Jerris felt a cold jolt run the length of his spine, his eyes widening. He spun around to face the grand councillor. “Sygian… I could never do something like that! The very thought makes me sick!”
Sygian took a few slow steps forward, coming to a stop right before the guard. “Exactly. It would take far, far more to get you to act against him than any of the rest of us.”
The redhead looked to the side and bit the inside of his cheek. More responsibility was the last thing he wanted in his life.
The grand councillor saw his hesitance, and he offered up a smile. “We’ve been called together exactly four times in the last twenty years, Jerris. It’s hardly a time consuming commitment, but I think we’d be well served by pulling you into our ranks. It would certainly be in Keiran’s best interest as we have no idea whom the church will send as their next leader. Your father would have wanted you to take his place. The lot of us are getting very old. Young blood is hard to come by, given that your generation is terribly small. We are in danger of going extinct.”
Jerris drew in a long breath and let it out with a huff. “I’ve hardly lived up to the standards set forth by the church to begin with.”
“Those standards are goals, Jerris, but every one of us has had our short comings, and your father was no exception,” Sygian replied. “There is no requirement that the knights be free of sin, otherwise, we’d never have existed at all.”
He had a point, and Jerris faintly smiled. “Aye, I suppose.”
“Will you join us?” Sygian asked, placing his right hand onto Jerris’ shoulder.
He thought for a few more moments before offering a single nod. “Very well.”
* * *
Mari and Garhan were in the dining hall, finishing a late breakfast. They fell silent and looked up from their meals when Keiran strode into the room. He moved around the table and landed in his usual spot, offering the two of them a smile.
Garhan could see and feel the change in his brother’s state. “Who did you eat last night?”
Keiran lofted a brow and tensed his lips together. “Funny this morning, are you?”
Garhan reflected his expression and glanced at Mari, supposing he should let it go for the time being. “I have my moments. What are you up to?”
“Nothing much as of yet. I wanted to know what Theryn said to the two of you on your trip,” Keiran replied, feeling his brother’s underlying emotions. “We never got to it yesterday.”
Mari perked up and stood. “Let me go get my saddle bags!”
The two men watched her jog out of the room before Garhan leaned forward on the table and locked eyes with his brother. “Out with it.”
Keiran avoided his gaze and frowned. “Mother Thinliss came in this castle last night. She put up an illusion making the Church Knights see her as Peirte Methaius to attempt to turn them against me. It didn’t work, and she was dealt with.”
Though Garhan had never met Peirte, he’d gathered plenty about the man since arriving in Tordania. He leaned back in his seat again and slowly nodded. “Well, you look much better for it. You’d been starving for months.”
Keiran shrugged and sighed. “I know, but I don’t have a ready source like you. Speaking of, how is your little woman doing after your trip?”
“Remarkably well. She even took a knife to the back,” Garhan replied.
“What?” Keiran snapped his head toward his brother.
“During the fight with the vampire Danier sent after Betram,” Garhan reached out and picked up his napkin, fidgeting with it. “She threw a knife at me and that little woman, as you put it, tossed herself in harm’s way to spare me. Luckily, it didn’t go in far, something stopped it.”
The younger vampire leaned forward on the table, seeing the discomfort in Garhan’s countenance. “Garhan?”
He tossed his napkin into the middle of the table and leaned forward as well. “Keiran, the pain in her back… It’s being caused by these things living inside of her. They look like the very tree roots Athan used to restrain all of us the night he resurrected her.”
“That’s madness,” Keiran replied. “You’ve seen these things?”
“I’ve noticed something moving under her skin for a while, felt it on occasion, but when I removed the knife from her back, it had gouged into one and it was pulled out a short distance with the blade. It writhed for a moment then withdrew back into her.” Garhan shook his head, looking unwell. “Roots, Keir. God-damned tree roots living inside my wife!”
He slouched back into his chair, not able to understand how that worked at all, or why Athan would have left such things within her. “Garhan, I don’t know what to say…”
The older vampire glanced back toward the door, ensuring that Mari wasn’t yet returning. “I talked to Baden about it. He is going to come by at some point and see if he can do anything.”
While Jerris and Garhan both now seemed to have earned Baden’s trust, Keiran still found it odd. “Do you think he can without hurting her further?”
“I don’t know, but it’s the first bit of any hope I’ve had about it,” Garhan admitted. “I don’t know how much Jerris has told you about Baden at this point, but from my meeting with him, he comes off as genuinely sincere, and I would give anything to see Mari’s suffering ended.”
“Well, I hope to get the chance to talk to him when he does arrive here,” Keiran replied.
Garhan leaned forward again. “Jerris told us all that happened. Do you remember what I told you about your mother’s sword?”
Keiran’s eyes narrowed. “There were two of them?”
The elder vampire gave a single nod. “Don’t forget that little detail. I know where it is when the time comes.”
“Theryn would let it go?” Keiran asked.
Garhan shrugged. “I’ve been known to entertain moral gray areas.”
Keiran parted his lips to respond to that, but his sharpened senses picked up the courier’s return. “Mari’s back.”
She strolled in through the doors and pushed her breakfast dishes to the side before setting her bags upon the table and opening them. “First thing to tell you is that neither the northern coast nor the southern end of Tord
ania suffered quite like the valley this winter.”
Keiran smiled and nodded. “That is a huge relief to hear.”
“Aleria’s winter was a little worse than usual, but nothing like what we endured.” Mari pulled out her log book and sat down again, flipping it open. “Also, your beloved Captain Dassion sends his regards and gratitude for your generous payment to get us to Aleria.”
The king gave a quiet laugh, shaking his head. “You found him? That’s fantastic. He’s certainly a unique individual.”
“He’s utterly obnoxious,” Garhan corrected, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Agreed,” Mari said. “In any event, Theryn… Keir, she’s never believed much of the vampire lore of Aleria’s past. She’s always laughed it off as typical royal lineage origin story nonsense. As you know, Garhan sacrificed his own well-being to show her otherwise.”
Garhan gave up an awkward smile, sensing Mari’s continued anger over the incident. “We didn’t have a lot of time to drag it out. A demonstration was the best means of convincing her. Our family likes to experience things first-hand in order to understand them. Right, Keir?”
The younger vampire quirked a brow. “I suppose we do.”
Mari rolled her eyes. “Garhan hasn’t heard the last of it, but this isn’t the time. However, once Theryn was convinced, she agreed that Aleria’s navy will be at our disposal when the time comes. She’s not entirely certain how many soldiers she’s willing to commit to putting on the ground in Talaus, but her armada will get us there at the very least.”
Keiran looked up at the ceiling and let out a sigh. His previous fear that he’d have to rely on Tordania’s merchant fleet to deliver his army into Talaus hadn’t been sitting well. “Mari, that is huge! You have no idea how glad I am to hear that!”
She smiled at him and shrugged. “Again, you can thank Garhan for convincing her.”
“I do, I appreciate it,” Keiran said, looking at his brother.
Garhan simply shrugged and picked up his goblet of wine. “The least I can do.”
Keiran’s mind reeled. It had been a long time since he’d felt that level of optimism. While he still had Danier to deal with in the south, at least having a means of reaching Talaus was a step in the right direction.
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