Beginning's End

by M. Dalto

  The horses strode up to the cabin, and Reylor dismounted without a word. Symon decided it would be best to follow suit, and Reylor took the reins from his hand as soon as he hit the ground. As he stood there, waiting for the Lord Steward to tie the horses to the nearby post, Symon was finally able to observe his surroundings.

  The cabin was in disrepair, as though it had not been inhabited for quite some time, despite the light that currently shone from the windows. The garden and surrounding greenery were brittle and dead from lack of care, and there were shingles and wooden planks falling from the exterior walls and roof.

  His time for observing ceased as Lord Reylor gripped Symon’s arm and pulled him into the cabin. Symon didn't dare fight him and held his breath as the door opened to reveal the inhabitants who waited inside.

  Or rather, inhabitant.

  For it was Prince Lexan, alone, who paced around the cabin, pausing only upon their entry. Symon jumped when Reylor shut the door behind them. Lexan turned to face his spy.

  “Will you now tell me why this needed to happen tonight?” Reylor drawled from behind Symon.

  Lexan looked Symon over before turning his gaze to the Lord Steward. “Razen knows.”

  “What does he know?” Reylor asked calmly.

  “He knows he exists—that I’ve been using him.”

  “How did that happen?”

  “How he found out is irrelevant. What matters now is that Razen is sending an assassin to the Empire to take care of him.”

  Symon stood motionless as the weight of the words fell upon him.

  Reylor scoffed. “Sending an assassin to the palace is a fool’s errand. If it were that easy, he would have sent one for Alexstrayna by now—”

  “A rogue Council member is a lot easier to pick off than the Queen Empress.”

  Symon felt his insides turn to water and clenched his shaking hands tight at his sides.

  “Who else knows about him?” Prince Lexan asked, a nod of his chin in Symon’s direction.

  “Only I know who he is, but Alex knows he exists.”

  The Queen Empress knew there was a spy within her ranks, and she allowed it to happen? What games were these royals playing?

  “Does she know you’re here now?”

  “She knows I am here.”

  Lexan let loose a sigh, and turned his attention back to Symon, who remained as still as one of the trees in the forest.

  “Your efforts for my cause have been well noted, and I thank you for your time. However, I fear your services are no longer needed, as I have put your life in danger. For that, I apologize.”

  Symon didn’t want his life to be in danger. He didn’t want to be tossed aside like he was no longer useful—he needed purpose. His family had sent him to the palace for a reason, and he needed to uphold that mission. “Please,” he begged the prince. “Let me be of further service to you.” He dared a glance over his shoulder to where the Lord Steward stood. “To both of you. Allow me to remain on the Council. Let me be of use—”

  “Your presence within the Empire puts the Empress at risk and I will not allow that,” Reylor said with a surprising amount of bite.

  “He will be murdered on sight if he comes back with me,” Lexan interjected, and Symon began watching them like a team match, back and forth.

  “Then what do you suggest? It was your idea to bring him with me.”

  “I felt he deserved to know about the threats against him from me, personally.”

  “Now he knows, as do I. He is not going back.”

  “What of the assassin set out to find him?”

  “It will be your responsibility to track him down and keep him from getting anywhere near the palace.”

  Lexan’s jaw dropped as if he was going to continue to argue, but Reylor pressed on.

  “Since he is here, and this cabin is remote, he will stay here, hidden, until we can figure out what to do with him. I will send note to the Council that he was dismissed to return to matters requiring him at home, and perhaps he will survive long enough to actually make that journey one day.”

  Symon’s eyes grew wide, but words escaped him. His future was being decided for him and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

  “What will you do in the meantime?”

  “I will finish my preparations for our initial plan.”

  “When shall I expect your next move?”

  “I’ll contact you within a week’s time.”

  Symon wanted to scoff. He would contact him through the same orb the prince had given him, and the Lord Steward unceremoniously commandeered the moment he discovered his treachery. Symon had a purpose and it was stripped from him like a dirty bandage.

  Silence fell over the cabin before Reylor moved to leave.

  “Keep her safe,” Lexan said softly as the Lord Steward was about to depart.

  Reylor didn’t give the prince another look as he walked out the door.

  Soon it was just Symon and Lexan, standing together in the dimly lit cabin.

  The prince barely gave him a nod before he, too, departed through the cabin’s back door.

  Symon was left alone, with only the knowledge of his life being in mortal danger to keep him company in the dying light of the quiet cabin.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Sarayna had never initiated a dream before but was quite pleased with herself when she recognized the familiar golden throne room, the lights that shone from the high, arched windows, and the beautiful purple dress she wore that she knew was not in her closet.

  “You did it,” a voice called from behind her, and Sara turned around to see Queen Empress Saratanya sitting regally on the throne upon the dais.

  “Tanya!” Sara called out to her, picking up her skirts to run to her grandmother. Tanya, in turn, rose from the throne and lifted her own to race down the steps of the dais to meet her granddaughter.

  They embraced in a swirl of skirts, and Sarayna tried her best to keep her tears from falling. They were on borrowed time. Her dream magic was still untrained, and she didn’t know how long it would be stable.

  “Have you found my father?” Sarayna asked quickly.

  “I have, don’t worry. He is here with me in New York.” She smiled as Sara. “How are things within the Empire?”

  The look on Sarayna’s face fell, letting Tanya knew there was more to her question than she may have intended.

  “Sara, what’s wrong?” The maternal tone in her voice almost had Sarayna confessing the atrocities between her mother and Reylor, but no—she promised herself she would allow Treyan the rage he so rightfully deserved upon his return.

  Instead she took a breath and plastered on a smile. “Everything is fine—we’re very excited for your return.”

  “How are the preparations coming?”

  “I have the book, and most of the components. We should be ready for you by the next moon cycle.”

  “Perfect, your father will be thrilled.” Tanya looked at her a little closer. “Have you told her?”

  Sara swallowed. “Not yet. I don’t know how she would take it.”

  Tanya’s brows furrowed.

  “There’s...a lot going on. We have Jared’s coronation to plan—and the wedding. Telling her will only...complicate things. It will be better when he is here.”

  “Well, I’m sure you have your reasons, and Treyan will return soon enough. There will be no avoiding it then.”

  “No, that’s true,” she said with a small smile.

  A sudden shift in the room around them told Sara that her magic would not hold steady for much longer. Tanya saw it too, and her eyes returned to her granddaughter.

  “I’ll let your father know. Try to keep the Empire standing until we get there?”

  “I’ll do my best.” Sarayna smiled sadly and gave her grandmother one last hug.

  Tears were in her eyes when Sarayna awoke.

  She must have gasped or shifted because Jared was awake next to her, leaning up on his arm as h
e faced her, watching her to make sure everything was okay.

  Blinking into the darkness, Sara turned her head towards him, and she could see the concern in his eyes.

  “Did you find her?” he asked softly.

  Sara nodded. “They’ll be ready.”

  “Good,” he said reassuringly, brushing a hand along her cheek, wiping away a tear. “What’s wrong, Sara?”

  She let out a shuddering sob. “I miss my father, and I wish my mother knew better.”

  “Why not tell her? You told Reylor you would if he didn’t.”

  “Because...” She let out another sigh. “Part of me wants her to be happy, for as long as she can be, but it doesn’t make it right. My father belongs in the Empire, and he has every right to return to what is his.”

  “When he returns, he won’t have either his Empire or his wife.” Jared let out a sigh. “It’s going to be a shitshow, Sara.”

  “I know, but all fingers point to Reylor. He caused this mess from the beginning, so he can deal with the repercussions.”

  “I hope I am far, far away from here when that happens.”

  Sara perked a brow at her lover. “And where do you think you will be?”

  Jared shrugged his muscled shoulders, a playful smile on his lips. “I’ll let you royals figure it out. You don’t need me for that.”

  “I’m sorry, but last I checked, you were the King Emperor, not me.”

  “Only if I get coronated. I’m thinking I might take a long walk before that happens and never return.”

  “What am I supposed to do?”

  “Well, that will be your problem to figure out, won’t it, Princess?” Jared purred as he brought an arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

  She had to smile as he drew himself to her, as she looked up at him, the feel of him a longing comfort she would never get enough of. She suddenly realized that if something bad did happen to him, or if he left her for one reason or another, she would truly and genuinely miss him.

  Jared’s look changed to concern again. “What now?”

  Sarayna maintained his gaze as she held his face in her hands. “I love you.”

  Jared didn’t falter. He didn’t hesitate. He smiled. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you say that.”

  “I didn’t know I had to actually say it out loud for you to know.”

  “No, but it’s always nice to hear.” He leaned down to press his mouth to hers. “I love you too,” he murmured against her lips.

  At that moment, that was exactly what Sarayna needed to hear.

  Jamison’s pacing was more distracting to Sarayna than her feeble attempts to decoding the book before her and piecing together the components to bring her father and grandmother back to the Empire. She glanced up from her current work in progress to stare at the Captain as he again made a lap back and forth before the table.

  She had decided to work in the guards’ quarters to keep away from the prying eyes of the council, and she knew the guards wouldn’t whisper a word of what she was doing there if they wanted to keep their positions. It was easy enough for her to be forgotten or for her presence to go unnoticed, especially as all efforts within the palace were focused on Jared’s coronation at the end of the month.

  “I am never going to get this completed if you don’t stop that,” she growled at Jamison as he began another rotation.

  Jamison merely glanced at her from the corner of his eye as he began again. “This is taking too long. Maybe we shouldn’t be doing this. Maybe the dead are dead for a reason and need to remain so.”

  “My father is not dead,” she reminded him through clenched teeth as her focus returned to her project. “Neither is my grandmother. They both deserve the chance to return home.”

  “Your mother thinks he is dead, Sarayna. She has moved on. Nothing but chaos and discord will return to the Empire upon Treyan’s return, when we have finally been moving towards a time of peace despite our preparation of war.”

  “That’s my mother’s problem,” she snapped. Everything that happened to Alex once Treyan returned to the Empire was her own doing. Sarayna was only ensuring her father could return to where he belonged.

  “This magic, Sara—this isn’t right.”

  She knew he meant the book, and she shook her head. “There’s nothing wrong with this, Jamison. Key construction has been a practice here for centuries.”

  “Not by its princess,” Jamison argued, “and especially not to bring her father back from the Otherrealm, and not with the intent to destroy her mother’s life.”

  Her head snapped up to him, and the glare she had in her eye was nowhere near as strong as she wished it was. He stopped to meet her stare, and Sarayna never thought she saw him as steadfast as he was at that moment.

  Sara took a deep breath and tried to keep her temper. “When I asked you for your help, I was very specific in what I needed—what I needed from you. You helped me retrieve the book, and so far, you’ve been impeccable at assisting me in obtaining the components we need to make a Key that works. You knew the reasons for this Key being created from the beginning!”

  “Alex doesn’t deserve this!” He pointed towards the book before her, the half- constructed Key by her hands. “This might as well be treason, Sara!”

  “You want to talk about treason?” Sara stood from where she sat, and she knew her voice carried but she didn’t care. Not now. “You allowed this to happen!”

  Jamison look stricken but Sara pressed on.

  “You let my father’s memory remain lost—you let my mother betray him! It all happened right in front of you and you didn’t do a damn thing to stop it!”

  “I suspected, Sara, but I didn’t know! What would you have had me do, call them out in front of the entire council? Talk about treason! Either of them could have denied it, called me a traitor, and I’d be on my way to the Borderlands to meet your brother!”

  Sara appeared stricken. “Leave my brother out of this...”

  “Why? Is it so easy to forget what he’s done? What he continues to do? Your brother is the enemy, Sarayna.”

  “The only person we have to blame for that is Reylor.”

  “Or would you rather blame my dead wife?”

  Sara blinked, startled.

  “Mallia chose Bria to work as a Mistress for your mother. Do you think she would have decided to trust her with your mother’s life if she had any idea of what she would do—of who she would become? Do you think I don’t hold a portion of the guilt?”

  Sarayna didn’t know what to say.

  “Everything I have done—everything I do, I have done for your father,” Jamison said softly. “To honor his memory, to uphold his wishes. I know, deep down, the last thing he would want would be to destroy his wife’s happiness, regardless of the circumstances.”

  A part of Sara wanted to agree with him, but a deeper part knew Treyan would never have wanted it to be with Reylor. Instead of vocalizing her realization, she said, “For Mallia, Jamison, please...help me bring my father back, and you can tell him everything.”

  He soon let out a sigh as he approached the table.

  “Tell me what component you need me to retrieve next.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Jared’s coronation was in a week, but Sarayna hadn’t spent a minute preparing for it.

  Not that there was much for her to do. The ceremony was all pomp and circumstance and focused on him. She, along with her mother, would be there as a decoration. Reylor would see to the ceremony, Jamison would make sure no one got killed, and Jared...

  Jared would become King Emperor.

  Before that could happen, Sarayna needed to bring her father back to the Empire.

  She had finished the Key the night before. She spent most of the evening making the final adjustments and praying to the gods that she hadn’t miscalculated anything. As she fell asleep, she used the last ounce of the day’s energy to reach out to Saratanya and let her know everything was read
y.

  She didn’t know if it would work. It was her first attempt at constructing anything, let alone something so complex, but she tried her hardest and that was the best she could do.

  The next morning, while she sat in on the council meeting, she was barely able to keep her eyes open as she sat in her chair, yawning and leaning her head on one hand as her elbow rested on the arm of her chair. A couple of times Jared had to nudge her to keep her eyes open. He knew she had been up late these last few nights working on the Key, but she wasn’t sure he understood how close they were to her father’s arrival.

  Any day now, if her calculations were correct.

  What she wouldn’t give for a cup of coffee...

  “Sarayna.”

  Her mother’s tone had her instantly sitting up straighter. All eyes of the council were upon her, and she couldn’t help but notice the smirk on Jared’s face as she tried to regain her composure.

  “Have you heard a single word anyone has said to you this morning?”

  “No,” she admitted, stifling another yawn as she adjusted her posture.

  “We were discussing the coronation,” Reylor added, his brows furrowed as he watched her from across the table. “As well as the wedding.”

  “We’ve gone over this every day for the last week,” Sara complained.

  “Yes, but we need to set a date for the wedding,” Alex informed her.

  Reylor cut her off. “The wedding can wait until after the Borderlands have been silenced.”

  “We may not have the time,” Alex countered.

  “You see why we need your input now, Princess.”

  Alex huffed and folded her arms.

  The princess watched the Lord Steward, remembering the conversation they had had and the truce they had agreed upon. A glance to Jared reminded her that she hadn’t told him about her desire to delay the wedding.

  “Perhaps we should wait until the war is over,” she said, and immediately regretted it. The other council members chimed in with their objections while Jamison stayed silent, his focus on the table before him. Her mother threw her hands up in the air in exasperation, and Jared furrowed his brows at her. She avoided his gaze but kept her attention on Reylor, who was already grinning in her direction. She scowled, knowing this gave him joy.