The Frey Saga Book II:
Pieces of Eight
Melissa Wright
Copyright 2011 by Melissa Wright
Smashwords Edition
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Contents
Chapter 1 Pieces
Chapter 2 Mission
Chapter 3 Recognition
Chapter 4 Paranoia
Chapter 5 Stalker
Chapter 6 Compliant
Chapter 7 Out of the Blue
Chapter 8 Disclosure
Chapter 9 Follower
Chapter 10 Findings
Chapter 11 Gross Misconduct
Chapter 12 Bonds
Chapter 13 The End as a Whole
Chapter One
Pieces
I knew three things for certain about my new life.
The first was that I couldn’t be certain of anything. The bonds that kept me from my memories had not been fully released. The shattered images from before the binding didn’t fit anywhere the way they should have. It was like piecing together shards of glass and splinters of wood. I had tried to force them but I just couldn’t reconcile the two lives - the years I lived as a dark elf, strong and powerful, and the longer, weaker part of my life, the part that seemed more real, where I lived as an untalented, unmagical light elf.
I didn’t have many memories of the first years, the years spent in the castle where I was born, in line for the throne. Most of the information I had about that life came from reading my mother’s diary after she was gone. The few memories that came back later were fuzzy, scattered, and odd. Attached to them was always a feeling of strength, power, and confidence… nothing like the feelings of my second life.
I’d thought I was an uncoordinated light elf, an outcast, unable to use magic. Until the day I’d grown a tiny thistle and my world had turned upside down. Everything that I’d known and believed had been proven wrong.
The pieces that did fit were my new family, the seven other elves who had fought to protect me. We had only spent a short time together, but I had become dependent on them. If I were truthful, I had been dependent on them all along, I simply hadn’t known it. They had protected me from council, who had bound me from magic, stolen my memories; who had burned my mother and wanted to burn me.
“Frey.”
Right, focus. I had a bad habit of getting lost in my thoughts. It was confusing there, foggy.
“Uh-hm.” Ruby cleared her throat.
“I’m listening, I’m listening.”
“We have to continue your training, Frey. It’s important.”
They had been training me daily since I’d woken in this castle, my memories partially restored. Chevelle had insisted I not reveal my bonds were still in place, for my protection. I wasn’t convinced safety was really the issue, I had my suspicions they all enjoyed the “training.”
Crack! Ruby’s whip brought me out of my reverie.
“Give her a break, Ruby.” Grey was laughing as he spoke. On the days I trained with Ruby, he would often sit in the corner and watch us. “Frey, why don’t you rest for a bit, go get something to eat?”
I looked back to Ruby, hoping she agreed.
“Fine.” She waved her arm to dismiss me, the metal bracelets clinking at her wrist.
I hurried to the door, afraid of being stopped, and then turned back, confused. “Ruby?”
Though I’d been here for weeks now, I still got lost anytime I tried to traverse the castle corridors alone. With an exaggerated sigh, she pointed me in the right direction.
I was trying to decide whether to go to the dining area and order food, or just go straight to the kitchen myself, when I heard voices. I followed them to a chamber a few doors down.
When he saw me standing in the doorway, Chevelle dismissed the tall, slender elf he’d been speaking with. After the sound of the man’s steps was no longer audible, Chevelle smiled at me. I flushed. I always flushed when I saw him now. Before, it had been sporadic. Before he’d thought I was her… Elfreda of North Camber instead of Frey from the village… before he’d thought I was that Frey, and he’d kissed me. He’d been so fervent, so passionate; he’d not noticed my shock, my confusion, until he had pulled away and read it clear on my face. But I couldn’t stop thinking of it. It was almost all I thought of with any kind of clarity. That was the second thing I was certain of, if you were wondering… that I wanted him.
He saw my flush and his smile fell back into his standard, stern expression. “Shouldn’t you be training?”
Ugh. “They said I could take a break, get something to eat.”
He nodded and went back to his work.
With a resigned sigh, I turned from the doorway and continued on my path to the kitchen. I ran through my thoughts as I made my way, still trying to find some kind of order. My fingers traced the cool stone wall as I stepped slowly, remembering the recent days of training. It all seemed eerily familiar, the training that was now called practice. It even had its own place in the castle, the practice rooms. I was stronger, for which I was grateful, but still not fully in control. And now they all insisted that I be prepared for anything. They worried about my bindings, someone finding out I was weak, confused.
My fingers still trailing the wall, I turned into the door to the kitchen.
Damn it. Not the kitchen.
I was looking into a large, open space with high ceilings. It was ornate, but not like the council buildings of the village. This place was dark, richly decorated with deep colors and velvet fabrics. Along the side walls, fires were lit in stone constructs of intricate design. A large elaborate chair sat near the center of the back wall on a raised platform. Beside it were several smaller seats and I suddenly knew where I was. The throne room. I found myself walking to the chair, though I probably shouldn’t have.
Its size and design were much more impressive up close. I reached my hand out and ran it across the scrolling at the top. I remembered the first day I woke again. To say I’d been slow was an obvious understatement. I’d spent days reading my mother’s diary and it had never crossed my mind that I had been, as she was, in line for the throne. But the moment I saw the gathering outside my window, I knew. Of course, that hadn't lasted long. Because I didn’t remember anything or have the slightest idea how to rule, I’d been kept from public view until we could straighten things out. Apparently, no one had ruled since the massacre my mother had started so long ago, so there wasn’t exactly a set routine now. The seven other elves who had helped me with so much else were now calling themselves my guard and had taken to the task of setting things in order privately, so no one could guess I was… out of sorts. But this, this was my throne.
I felt my mouth pull up in a smile as I rolled the thought around my mind.
“Looks like the cat finally got her canary,” Steed teased as he eyed my big goofy grin. A large hawk flew in with him and landed on a pedestal beside the throne. It must have been a pet; I remembered it being in some of the other memories, the ones that weren’t quite mine. Though it couldn’t have been the same hawk. I didn’t know how many years they lived, but I'd certainly been gone for far too long for that.
He was still looking at me, waiting for a reply while I was lost in thought.
“Steed,
” I gushed. I hadn’t quite gotten used to the intense need I felt for the group and I hadn’t seen him for a while. He looked quite pleased at my response so I tried to cover my enthusiasm. “You’ve been gone, and Anvil. I thought you’d left.”
He laughed. “Afraid not. But we will be leaving soon, just for a bit.”
Despite my best efforts, the disappointment was plain on my face. I flopped down on the chair, forgetting it was a throne in the moment.
He stepped forward, close enough to brush my cheek with his fingers. “Frey, someone has to get the rest of your magic.”
My stomach twisted. I knew what he meant. They’d be hunting down the other council members, the ones who had bound me. They would have to kill them to release their hold on me. I couldn’t bear to see us separated, our group of eight. “But I don’t want you to go.” For some reason, that made him smile.
“What would you have us do, Frey?” Chevelle’s voice from the doorway made me jump. And also intensely aware of how close Steed was. I thought it had been rhetorical, but he waited for my reply. I wondered if this was because of who I'd been before, who I was supposed to be now. It didn’t feel like I had any authority. And I didn’t feel like that other Frey, adored and spoiled, second to the throne. But that thought made me realize where I was sitting, what my chair symbolized.
I huffed out a frustrated breath. What would be acceptable? I knew I wanted the bindings released, I knew I needed my magic and my memories, now more than ever, but I couldn’t stomach the idea of staying here while they left. “Why can’t we all go?”
Chevelle nearly rolled his eyes but caught himself. “Frey, we just got you back here. We can’t leave and not have anyone here to keep things in order. The North will be back in chaos in a short time. We’ve just given people hope.”
Hope. I laughed. They had hope because of me? Steed and Chevelle simultaneously gave me the look that I never got used to, though I'd seen it regularly enough. So we can’t leave the castle without giving them doubts? A thought occurred to me and Steed’s comment echoed in my mind… cats and canaries. I sat back in the chair and closed my eyes, falling into the mind of the hawk. It was the one magic the binding had never taken from me, the one talent that made me unique. I flew from the castle and over the mountain, searching for what I needed.
I was aware of Chevelle arguing with Steed. “Why do you insist on making this more complicated?”
“She’s not as weak as you think.”
“You know the bindings are dangerous. And you’ve seen what the stress can do to her.”
“She’s safer with us.”
“Is she?” Chevelle’s voice was ice.
“They won’t hurt her.”
“You know, I can still hear you,” I said, a moment before my eyes flicked open. I could tell by their expressions they had not known.
I stood and walked down the steps in front of the throne. “It doesn’t matter now. I’ve taken care of it.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chevelle’s face turn to anger before I walked from the room. I picked up my pace.
I found one of the servants to guide me to my room. I was fairly certain her name was Ena, though I couldn't be sure because she looked peculiarly similar to another of the servants (whose name I could not remember at all) with their long dark hair and sharp features. I'd seen a number of servants moving about the castle during the weeks since I'd woken but I hadn't stopped to examine them. Not that I wasn't interested, but I'd noticed their gazes drop as I met their eyes or felt as if they'd found a new task just as I'd taken note of their presence. It seemed awkward for some reason. And even if I didn't recognize them, it wasn't as if they didn't know me. The castle staff was in on the secret, though not formally. The details weren’t explained but they had seen clearly enough. No one had been worried about them though, they had proven their loyalty by staying in the empty castle, waiting for their lords to return.
I felt a flush of irritation when Ena stopped outside my door and I kept walking at least a half dozen more steps before I noticed. How could I still not have any idea where it was? And why couldn't I simply follow her instead of having to be led from behind?
The lost feeling wasn’t any better after I was inside. Sure, from there I could tell it was the room I’d been sleeping in, but it didn’t feel like home. Not that the tree I’d lived in would now, either. I sighed. Sleeping outside had begun to feel like home. How strange.
I ran a finger over the table by the door on my way past. It was near bare, a few books of no interest, an empty marble dish, a rather plain jeweled pin in a style I couldn't imagine ever liking. There wasn't much of anything personal in the room at all. I wondered if someone had removed my things, maybe in the years I was gone. Or perhaps this was all I had. The nightstand held a worn assortment of short, thin blades and a boot clip, and I avoided examining anything further. I passed the large bed draped with sheer silks and mounded with pillows, heading to the window instead to look out, over the mountain.
It was only a moment before my thoughts turned once more to Chevelle. It was obvious he was avoiding me, keeping a formal distance, but I wasn’t sure how to change that. I’d tried, a few days after it became clear what he was doing, but it had ended in disaster.
We’d been alone in the practice rooms, trying to develop my control. We had been close as we worked and I decided I could be aggressive, break his resolve. But I had been concentrating so hard on my seductive face, my wanting eyes, that I’d forgotten to pay attention to my stupid feet. I’d been moving in for the kill when I tripped, falling flat on my face at his feet. He was turning away when I looked up, and I was sure I’d seen a smile, laughing at me. A flush tore back into my cheeks at the memory of him fighting that smile, a laugh, and I flopped on the bed, buried my face into the pillows and prayed for sleep to come quickly.
I’d vowed to myself I would keep my dignity, but that was forgotten early the next morning when Ruby woke me for training and I found myself groaning like a child. She dragged me to the practice rooms to work with fire.
We hadn’t been at it long when the cats showed up.
“Frey, Chevelle would like a word with you.” Anvil spoke in the tone of official business but I saw a smile teasing the corner of his mouth.
I took a deep breath as I followed him out, Ruby and Grey behind me. Near the entrance to the castle, we found Chevelle, as well as Steed, Rhys, and Rider.
Chevelle did not look happy. “Can you please explain to me why there are a pack of wild cats waiting for entrance to the castle, Frey?”
A pack? There should have been more than that. I’d found as many mountain lions as I could, impressing upon them to come here. I tried to see past him and then, subtly, raised to my toes to see over his shoulder. I barely caught a glimpse of golden fur, glistening over a sleek, muscular body before he stepped forward. My gaze went to his and it was unmistakable he wanted to put a strong hand on my shoulder to flatten my feet and keep me still. Instead, he peered into my eyes and attempted to force the answer from me with sheer will.
I sighed. “Well, you told me what the problem was so I fixed it. We can all go now.” He looked angrier after my response, downright seething. I tried to fix it. “The cats will watch the castle for us.” Obviously.
Ruby cracked a laugh and everyone spun to glare at her. “She’s right, though. I mean, who’s going to doubt her powers now?”
It took several agonizing minutes, but they finally decided Ruby was right. Chevelle dismissed us to go back to training. As we left, I heard Steed remark in a low aside, “This is really going to piss the wolves off.”
I pulled in a sharp breath. I hadn’t seen the wolves since we’d arrived; I’d thought they were probably outside, guarding us as usual.
Ruby elbowed me as we walked side by side toward the practice rooms. I smiled back at her. We were all going.
Chapter Two
Mission
Within a day, we were gathered, ready to leave the castle. Th
e plan was to go before dawn, draw as little attention as possible. I’d made arrangements with Dree to feed the cats. I silently hoped none of them tried to eat the servants. Except maybe that big one who offered to give me a bath. Gag. A shiver of revulsion ran through me and I realized everyone was staring at me. I smiled timidly and got the standard response – the Frey you’re an idiot look.
I shrugged it off as I kicked my horse up, leading the way out of the castle. Chevelle was beside me in a moment, wearing an amused expression.
“What?” I was defensive. He merely tilted his head toward the others… who were heading in the opposite direction. So much for dignity. I turned to follow them.
We made our way down the mountain on a path that exited the castle from behind. I wondered if we would eventually wind back around to where we had come from, or if we would be headed somewhere new. But I realized it was all still new to me. Such a short time ago, the village was all I’d known, the whole of my world.
I tried to distract myself from the upcoming journey that I’d been so adamant about taking, so sure, not even thinking of what it might entail. I surveyed the bit of land I could see in the dimness but it wasn't much until the haze eventually thinned and light started to peek through from the rising sun, allowing me a better view of the area. I spotted a pen of what looked to be boar in the distance. Ruby had explained to me how the elves here herded the animals and kept them until they were needed. The game on the mountain’s peak was too sparse to keep up with the population and there was very limited vegetation. I hadn’t seen anything I would have called vegetation, but she had assured me it was there. They must have needed many animals for the feasts I’d read about in my mother’s diary. Thinking of it reminded me of an idea I’d had before… if I could keep some animals handy for whenever I’d need to use them… if we were to get attacked…
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