by Jade Mere
“I pulled Dyraien back,” Sornjia said with unusual harshness. “I pulled him back into the room, away from the pathway. And then we fought. That’s all there is to say on the matter.”
Tahki stared at his brother, and Sornjia stared back at him. Rye hadn’t seemed to understand, but Tahki did.
His brother was a mystic.
Somehow, this didn’t surprise him. In fact, out of everything that had happened, it made the most sense. Sornjia’s odd way of speaking, his ability to know things no one could know, his connection with Pooka. Tahki would have been more surprised if he hadn’t been a mystic.
Tahki wanted to kill Dyraien now more than ever. Dyraien would have seen Sornjia; he would know what he was. Would that make Sornjia a target for others like Dyraien?
“After that,” Rye went on, not seeming to sense the tension. “The pathway started to close again. Then there was a burst of steam from the ceiling. I assume Zinc turned the machine on. At first, it held the pathway open. The power of that thing.” Rye released a shaky breath. “Tahki, the force of that thing was unbelievable. It could have torn open the world.”
Tahki swallowed.
“The steam forced the pathway open,” Rye continued. “But something was on the other side. Something angry.”
“Something angry?”
Rye gripped his stomach and shut his eyes. “I don’t know. I don’t want to sound impertinent or disrespectful, but Tahki, whatever that thing was on the other side, it wasn’t a god.”
Tahki inched closer. “What makes you say that?”
“The cat—Pooka—she went crazy. She started attacking it, but the steam was everywhere. I couldn’t see. I think the thing hurt her.”
Beside them, Pooka growled. Rye reached out and set his hand on her head like she was one of his gingoats.
“The thing tried to go after Dyraien,” Rye said. “It was chaos down there. And then the entire floor shook, and the ceiling started to cave in.”
Tahki scooted closer. “What happened to the pathway?”
“When the roof started to fall, the steam stopped, and the pathway closed. Gotem, he….”
“He’s dead,” Sornjia said in a flat tone.
Tahki bowed his head. “I’m sorry, Gotem.” It was all he could think to say. Gotem had saved his life, and Tahki had gotten him killed. But retribution would come later. For now, he needed to concentrate on what had happened. “What about that creature that escaped the Dim?”
Rye shrugged and then winced at the pain. “I don’t know what happened to it. It knocked Dyraien out cold, and then I guess it got sucked back inside when the world closed.” He didn’t sound too sure. “Sornjia and I grabbed Dyraien and made it to the river, but everything was falling around us. If it wasn’t for Pooka’s help, we would have been crushed.”
“So, I killed Gotem, and I almost killed you two.” Tears welled in his eyes.
Rye locked his arm around Tahki’s neck and drew him close. “Dyraien killed Gotem. And you did the right thing. We might all be dead had the pathway stayed open.”
Sornjia didn’t offer any sort of consolation. No cheery optimistic speeches, no comforting words of selflessness.
“Will your finger heal?”
“It should.” Rye pressed on the makeshift brace. “Anyway, you’re not exactly in great shape yourself. What happened to Zinc?”
Tahki heard the man’s screams in his mind, smelled his burning flesh. “Dead.”
“Good.”
Tahki rubbed his wrist. “What do we do now?”
Rye coughed. “We’ll turn Dyraien in, tell the council what happened.”
“What if they don’t believe us?”
Rye reached out and touched Tahki’s hand lightly. “We’ll convince them, somehow.”
They sat in silence for a time and watched as bits of castle fell over the waterfall. The clouds drifted high and the sun warmed them. Tahki shut his eyes but then felt Rye stand with greater speed than he thought capable with his wounds.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Tahki grabbed Rye and pulled himself up.
Two people walked toward them. As they neared, he recognized Gale and Hona. Rye tensed. Gale walked past them—ignoring even Pooka—to the fallen castle. She folded her arms and shook her head. “What a damn fool.”
Hona stopped beside Tahki and glanced at Pooka. “That’s something you don’t see everyday.”
“She won’t hurt you,” Sornjia said.
Hona looked at Sornjia. “So, we have a monster cat and two Tahkis. Got to hand it to you, kid. You’re one surprise after another.”
Sornjia rose and extended his hand. “I’m Sornjia.”
Hona shook. “That’s a mouthful of a name. I’m going to call you S.”
A little of Sornjia’s old self seemed to creep back, but he still didn’t smile.
“You knew about all this,” Rye said to Hona. “You knew what Dyraien planned to do.”
“It’s more complicated than that,” Hona said. “Dyraien blackmailed me.” She glanced down at the prince’s body, gave him a small kick.
“You helped him,” Rye said between clenched teeth.
“To keep you safe.” Hona set her jaw in the same stubborn manner Tahki had seen Rye do. She glanced at Pooka again. The cat licked her wounds and ignored them all. “I left Mom and you to find work, and when I returned, Dyraien had you. He said so long as I worked for him and never told you the truth, he’d keep you well looked after.”
Rye folded his arms. “I don’t believe that.”
“Believe what you want,” Hona said. “But you need me now. I’m the only one who knows the full extent of Dyraien’s plans. I’m the only one who has evidence of his crimes.”
Gale marched back to them. “She’s right. If she wasn’t, I would have thrown her in the river myself. We can’t show up with news of the queen’s death and a beaten prince without proof.”
“What will you do?” Tahki asked.
“Hona and I will go to the capital,” Gale said. “We’ll tell them what happened.” She eyed Pooka. “Maybe leave out a few details. As for you, I think it’s best you leave Vatolokít.”
Tahki felt on the verge of collapsing. He never thought he’d crave his home as badly as he did then.
THEY FOUND three gingoats in the stables. The animals pranced restlessly, agitated from the commotion. Tahki shared one with Rye, Sornjia doubled with Hona, and Gale took one for herself. Rye fashioned a makeshift cart out of a wheel barrel to haul Dyraien’s body behind them, after properly tying the prince’s arms and legs in case he woke.
Tahki sat behind Rye, leaned his head against him, and shut his eyes.
They rode together for a time. Hona explained Dyraien had planned to open the Dim, that he’d been obsessed since he was a child. She confirmed what Nii had told Tahki about the Királye history. She knew Dyraien sent people to Dhaulen’aii to find a mystic, that they’d been searching for years. Tahki shuddered to think he might have seen some of Dyraien’s spies back home. He might have spoken to them. Might have bought curry from one of them.
Hona said Dyraien had planned to frame Gale for the queen’s death in a careful setup. She was supposed to be scammed by Zinc, and, having a history of alcoholism, Dyraien would see to it that she relapsed after he blamed her for losing their money and materials. He planned on getting her drunk one night and killing the queen. He would place a blacked-out Gale in the room with the queen’s corpse. Not only was he going to frame Gale, he planned to convince her she’d done it. The council would have no trouble believing it, either, since Gale’s reputation as an honorable judge had been soiled already. Tahki saw Gale strangle her reins at that part.
But, Hona said, Tahki had interfered with Dyraien’s plans, and when the opportunity presented itself, Dyraien decided to frame Tahki, a foreigner, instead. And then it would have played out like Dyraien wanted: his people, shocked and disgusted by the queen’s death, would rally behind him for justice.
> “He said after his people saw what he’d brought from the Dim, they would never question his leadership again,” Hona said.
“But he never said what that thing was?” Rye asked, more to everyone than to Hona.
“He never told me, but whatever it was, he was convinced it would advance his country years ahead of its time. He only referred to it as his age of enlightenment.”
Tahki glanced back at Dyraien’s body rattling around in the cart. Dyraien had been willing to risk everything, even his own life, to achieve his goal. There had been a time not so long ago Tahki might have been able to empathize with him, but now, he couldn’t imagine giving up his friends and family for his own conquest.
When they reached a fork in the road, Hona told Rye they needed to talk privately, but Rye said he wasn’t ready. Hona said she would find them one day, and that she would make things right between them.
“You two have caused me a hell of a lot of trouble,” Gale said. “I guess you expect me to say thank you for all you did.”
“We’ll meet again, won’t we?” Sornjia asked. He hadn’t said anything since the castle.
Gale clicked her tongue. “I doubt I’d like to see any of your faces again.”
Tahki smiled and thought he might miss Gale.
And then they parted ways. Hona walked, giving Sornjia the goat, while Gale dragged Dyraien’s body toward the capital. Tahki, Rye, and Sornjia headed east.
Rye glanced over his shoulder a few times, and Tahki knew he was saying his goodbyes to Dyraien. Despite everything, Rye still loved the prince, and Tahki wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He supposed there was no crime Sornjia could commit that would totally alienate Tahki from him, but that was different, wasn’t it?
Chapter 17
TAHKI INHALED the sweet scent of rosewater in Rye’s hair. Both their bodies dripped from the bath they’d taken. Rye only had a few coins left, the rest of his money had been in his room when the castle collapsed, but he had insisted they spend a little extra to properly clean themselves.
Tahki could hear Sornjia’s snores in the bed next to them. They had reached Edgewater two hours ago, eaten fried fish, purchased a room in a tavern on the beach, bathed, and collapsed onto the bed. Sornjia had told Pooka to wait outside town. Tahki had no idea what they were going to do with a giant undead cat. He thought once the castle had been destroyed, she’d just dissolve like she had at the black pool.
But she hadn’t. She continued to follow them, and that worried Tahki. The castle was gone, Dyraien had been detained, and Tahki’s designs were lost in the rubble. He wondered if it had something to do with Sornjia being a mystic. He had no way to speak with Nii, now that the black pool had been destroyed. Maybe his father would have some insight. For a moment, he considered lying to his father but then thought better of it. He was done with the lies. Whatever havoc the truth might raise, he would accept the consequences.
Rye leaned in and kissed his neck. “What’s wrong now?”
“Nothing.”
Rye yawned. “Stop worrying about tomorrow.”
“I still can’t believe I let you talk me into sailing to Dhaulen’aii,” Tahki muttered.
“It’s the fastest way. Plus, it will give you time to forge us new documents.”
“The ship will probably crash into a rock or something and we’ll all drown.”
Rye smiled against his shoulder. “There’s the cynical Tahki I know and love.”
Tahki’s breath caught in his throat. It was the first time Rye had said he loved him. It was casual, maybe even a mistake, but it had been said aloud, which meant it was real.
“You’ll be all right,” Rye whispered in his ear. “Because I’ll be there to distract you.”
“And you’re sure you don’t mind leaving your home?”
Rye moved an inch away. “There’s nothing left for me here.”
“There’s the sullen Rye I know and love.” Tahki kissed him hard, despite the throbbing in his head and jaw.
“I want to see your home,” Rye said once they pulled away. “I want to know everything about you, the truth, this time.”
“Only the truth,” Tahki said.
Tahki tucked himself close to Rye’s chest, and all other worries drifted out the window to where the sea broke over the rocky shore. Tomorrow they would sail for home, and whatever awaited them on the open ocean, Tahki knew he wouldn’t have to face it alone.
JADE MERE is a writer and illustrator who resides in the rainy Pacific Northwest. She has a passion for writing fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal stories. When Jade isn’t tapping away at her computer or yelling at her drawing tablet, she enjoys hiking with her dogs, kayaking, and traveling.
Website: www.jademere.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/jademere
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JadeMere
By Jade Mere
The Architect and the Castle of Glass
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The Architect and the Castle of Glass
© 2018 Jade Mere.
Cover Art
© 2018 Jade Mere.
www.jademere.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-64080-262-9
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64080-261-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017916618
Digital published March 2018
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America