“Who are you?” She finally broke the silence hanging between them. “Why are you following me?”
“I did not ride all the way from Sunkai to have you put a sword to my throat, Mirae Sundragon,” the raspy voice grumbled from beneath the hood. “I did not risk my life on a Woodland Path for you to kill me now.”
Mirae’s eyes widened. “You took a Woodland Path?”
“Anything to get here faster.” He shrugged a shoulder.
Mirae had only heard rumors of Woodland Paths in the Gracian Wood. They were made of Frostling-touched stone and would quicken the feet of any person or the hoof of any horse. Using a Woodland Path without great need was forbidden, and neither would they work if your purpose wasn’t good and true. Her sword wavered in her hand. The Woodland Path would only have worked if he was pure of heart; it would only work if he spoke the truth. If what he told her was true, if he had only left Sunkai this very day and arrived before the sunset, then he could only have used one of those Paths.
“Who are you?” she repeated, shaking her head. “Why have you come?”
“Turn around!” His hand snaked out, grabbing her arm to spin her around.
Mirae gasped, ducking as the axe swung. She felt the gust of air from the thrust of the weapon as it passed over her head, narrowly missing her scalp before embedding itself in the wooden building beside her. Mirae spun, raising her sword only in time to see the two men tackle each other. They were both dressed in the king’s colors of black and red, from the same guard. Her breathing hitched as she saw daggers flash, heard the sharp hiss of a blade slicing flesh.
Mirae stumbled to her feet, abandoning her sword. They were too tangled together for her to use the blade against one without hurting the other. She grabbed hold of her attacker, trying to pull him back, her hand gripped around his chin as she struggled to twist him around and off her defender. His elbow drew back and hit her in the nose, causing a steady flow of blood, but she barely felt the pain. When his arm came forward, he hit her defender in the face. Mirae’s heart raced when the man fell back, rebounding against the building with the force of the attacker’s blow.
With a sharp shake of his shoulders, he dislodged her, and she fell hard to the ground, scrambling back when he spun on her. She saw only his fierce black eyes before his head twisted sharply to the left. The snap of his neck echoed in the empty alley before he fell in a heap at her feet. Mirae’s chest heaved with frantic gasps as she twisted around for her sword, clasping it to herself before she turned back.
Her mouth gaped open when her defender pushed back the hood of his cloak, staring down at her with compelling brown eyes she remembered better than she thought she would. He grinned at her, readjusting the kerchief around his neck before he held out a hand to help her up.
“I’ll have to make it seem like you did that.” He tilted his head to the dead man on the ground as he pulled her with ease to her feet.
“Maxx Jandry!” Mirae rasped. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to send my sister out of the city,” Maxx answered, tugging on the cuffs of his coat as he calmly readjusted himself as if he hadn’t just snapped the neck of one of his own men. “My brothers sent me to be sure Clea was safely gone before the king’s army arrived.”
“The king’s army ...” Mirae whispered.
“I also came to warn you.” Maxx placed a hand on her shoulder, and she forced herself to look into his eyes. “The king’s army is coming for you, Mirae. They intend to invade Quintaria in less than a fortnight.”
“Why would they invade Quintaria? They are a peaceful city, and they do not harbor us! They don’t even know we’re here!”
“You’ve been spotted on the streets, Mirae. That is enough for Roderick to act.” Maxx looked up, beyond her shoulder toward the bustle of people on the streets. He pulled her farther into the shadows, bending close to her.
“But to invade the city!” Mirae shook her head.
“That doesn’t matter.” Maxx gripped her shoulders, shaking her. “My brother, Brecken, is coming, Mirae, and his orders are clear.”
Mirae swallowed, her mouth dry as dust as a knot swirled in her stomach. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you need to take your people and start crossing the Kliat Plains now. You need to get to the Pilvaa before my brother arrives.” Maxx’s hands tightened painfully on her arms. “His orders are to kill you on sight, Mirae, whether you’re armed or not. You can’t be in Quintaria when he arrives. You and your army need to retreat, now.”
“Why are you doing this? Why are you warning me when all these years you have fought for the usurper?” Mirae stepped back, carefully removing herself from his grasp.
“You know why.” His face darkened.
Mirae wiped the blood from her nose, smearing it on her sleeve. Deep down, she did know why. She knew what was most important to the Jandry brothers. She knew what mattered most to them in the world—their family. Looking up, she saw the answer in his eyes, and she reached out, clasping his wrist. He took hold of hers in return, a gesture of loyalty and friendship most common in Sunkai but almost foreign to her now.
“You’re doing this for my sister, your brother’s wife,” she breathed. “You’re doing this for Brae.”
“Did Brecken say anything else?” Clea Jandry paced the floor, wringing her hands as she watched the servants packing her trunks.
“Nothing.” Maxx looked up, scraping his dagger back and forth against the stone. He watched his sister as she paced, wondering when she’d grown up.
At seventeen, she was nearly as tall as he, her straight black hair falling down her back to her hips. She filled out the bright green dress she wore, her shapely curves molded to the silky material down to the skirt fanning out to the tips of her toes. He grinned when he saw she was barefoot, something common for her in the summer but which none of the nobility approved when they came into her presence here. Her skin was lighter than his own, but still had a tint of brown that marked her Molderëinian, and her dark eyes were as sharp as a hawk’s.
There had always been something special about his youngest sister, something he couldn’t explain, but he supposed it was like his mother always said. There was a little bit of magic in all of them, only some chose to cultivate it. Perhaps Clea was a part of that some.
“He must’ve told you something more!” Clea exclaimed, her dress swooshing as she turned again sharply to march back where she’d come from.
“Only that you were to go home to Molderëin. He said you would know what to do, and you could save us all.” Maxx shrugged a shoulder, twirling the dagger between his fingers before slipping it back into its sheath. “Obviously, you two know something I don’t.”
Clea cleared her throat. “Yes, well, there are many secrets in Molderëin even Brecken isn’t privy to. He knows very little, but enough.”
“Now you’re speaking in riddles too,” Maxx grumbled. “Excellent.”
“Do not take that tone with me, Maxx Jandry. I am in no mood to deal with your attitude. I am a Lady of Quintaria now, and there are certain duties I must attend to. None of which include my packing everything I own and running away to Molderëin on the whim of my big brother!”
“It’s not a whim. Brecken seemed genuinely troubled when he sent me.” Maxx frowned, brushing his sleeves.
He’d come straight here after arriving from the Woodland Paths, changing quickly into his army uniform at Clea’s Manor so he could meet with some of the king’s men here in the city. He hadn’t expected to have to kill one of them in defense of Mirae Sundragon, but the moment he saw her he knew he had no choice but to tell her what he knew. Which, unfortunately, meant taking the life of one of the guards when he’d been caught following her.
“Forgive me, brother. But the king’s actions grate on my nerves. I’m worried, thinking of Brae and Noelle in Sunkai. I have begged
her many times to join me here in Quintaria, not to mention our sister, Afra. I’ve wanted her here since her husband died.” Clea winced. “But now to be uprooted and moved to Molderëin? How am I to help them when I do not understand what’s happening?”
“You will find a way, Clea.” Maxx held out a hand to her, and she took it.
“Is there anything else, mistress?” The servant girl turned from closing the trunk, falling nearly to the floor in a curtsy.
“No, thank you.” Clea waved her hand at the girl. “Send for Ryker to take them down.”
The girl rushed from the room and didn’t look back. Maxx shook his head. “For a Quintarian she’s not very ... bouncy.”
“She’s not Quintarian,” Clea said, snatching up her cloak from the bed. “She’s Molderëinian. One of the slaves I freed, but who chose to continue to serve.”
“You don’t have to do this, Clea.” Maxx stepped in her path when she headed for the door. “You don’t have to go to Molderëin. I could send you over the Kliat to the Shadow Lands. You’d be safe there, far away from all this trouble.”
“I couldn’t do that.” Clea smiled softly, resting her palm on his cheek. “Not when my brothers are trapped in the Mother City, and there has been no word from my sister in months. If Brecken says I will know what to do in Molderëin, and I will find something that will help us all, then I will go.”
“If you’re certain ...” Maxx took her wrist, kissing the heel of her hand.
Clea nodded, her eyes warm. “I’m certain.”
Jaeger was on Mirae’s heels, chasing her around the camp as their people began to break down the tents. “Why do you trust him? You cannot stand here and tell me you are going to rely on the word of a member of the king’s army!”
“He rode here on the Woodland Paths to warn me, Jaeger.” Mirae tossed the bags she was carrying into one of the wagons before turning back to her tent. “Why shouldn’t I trust him? What reason would he have to lie?”
“To get you out in the open!” Jaeger grabbed her arm before she could duck back into the tent, forcing her to look in his eyes. “To get you and our army vulnerable on the Kliat Plains where there are no trees to shelter us and no way to make a circle to keep evil out. For all you know, his brother could be riding to the Pilvaa even now, prepared to come out to attack us!”
“Then I suppose I will have to take that chance.” Mirae pulled her arm loose. “Once, Jaeger, a long time ago, the Jandry family answered my father’s call. I practically grew up with the Jandry brothers, and no matter how their loyalties divided those years ago, I know they would do everything in their power not to shed blood.”
She ducked into her tent, practically empty now, heading for the corner to gather up the last two bags. The men would come in soon to gather up her cot and desk before breaking down the walls. Jaeger followed her inside, crossing his arms where he stood in the doorway, his broad stance completely blocking her exit.
“How can you say that, when the young brother has already told you Brecken is coming to kill you?”
“Brecken Jandry has been given no choice. If he doesn’t obey his king, then my sister comes to harm.” Mirae pressed her palm to her heart. “You know that, Jaeger. But the king gave Maxx Jandry no orders regarding my death. I will speak no more about it.”
Mirae stepped forward, but her second didn’t move, his body as stiff as it had ever been. Mirae sighed, setting her bags down before matching his stance, her arms folded and her hip slack as she faced him. Jaeger’s lip curled, a low growl vibrating in his throat. Mirae had seen that look many times over the years, but she didn’t care.
She still remembered growing up in Sunkai, when the Jandry family would come to the Blood Keep at her father’s bequest. To this day, she didn’t know where things had gone wrong; she didn’t know how Roderick Kael had won the hearts and loyalty of all three Jandry brothers, but he’d managed it. Mirae could only hope with time and victories, she could win them back.
Maxx came here to warn me. Surely that means his loyalty for the usurper is waning. Surely it means he is beginning to see how Roderick’s life and rule are all a lie.
“Your Majesty?” Onix stuck his head in, brown locks tousled in the breeze and the cheeky grin everyone knew so well on his lips. “We need to get moving.”
“Thank you, Onix.” Mirae waved him off, and he disappeared.
“This could mean the end for all of us, Mirae,” Jaeger hissed. “Crossing the Kliat Plains is risky in itself, and the Pilvaa ... we are already taking a risk. But if we march now and fall right into the palm of Brecken Jandry’s hand—”
“We won’t.” Mirae bent at the waist, lifting her bags onto her shoulder. “Trust me, Jaeger.”
“What about Astra?” Jaeger asked as she passed him, stepping back out into the sunlight. “You yourself said we cannot go on without our Prophetess. Astra anchors the magic that keeps us safe, and we’ll need her more than ever before in the Pilvaa.”
“Astra will come,” Mirae said with more confidence than she felt. “She knows I need her. She will not abandon us.”
Mirae signaled for the men to break down her tent as she handed off the bags to Lara. Onix was approaching with her horse, Thunder. His black mane rippled in the breeze and his golden hair glittering in the light of the sun. Mirae smiled when the horse nuzzled her, bending his long neck to press his forehead against her chest. She laughed softly when he gave her a push, nearly knocking her off her feet. Thunder had been with her through all her journeys in the Woodlands with Jaeger.
“What’s the plan?” Griyer spoke from behind, drawing her gaze over her shoulder to look at him and Jaeger. “How are we supposed to cross the Kliat Plains without being seen by the Quintarians?”
“We’re not,” Mirae answered, taking Thunder’s reins as she launched herself up into the saddle.
“What do you mean?” Jaeger asked warily.
“I want all Quintaria to see us. I want Roderick to know I’m onto him; that I’m one step ahead.”
“So, he’ll believe you have spies of your own.” Griyer nodded in understanding.
“Once the seed of distrust is sown, it cannot be undone.” Mirae’s eyes sparkled. “It only grows until it’s out of control. If we let the Quintarians see us crossing the Kliat Plains now, then word will most certainly reach Roderick, and he will press his armies harder to reach us. But it’s us who will be ready for him.”
“Not without Astra,” Lara said as she came jogging to join them. “Some of the people say they won’t leave without her. They have children to worry about.”
“Whoever wishes to stay, may stay. But if we don’t move now, then we will all most certainly die here.” Mirae picked up the reins, turning Thunder around. “Astra must choose her own path, and we can only pray it is the path we take now. If not, then we will have to fight this darkness alone. We have no other choice.”
Brae walked the shore, weighing the handful of seashells she’d collected in her palm. She smiled when she saw her daughter running into the water in her little shift, splashing in the shallows. With the breeze growing colder, she wouldn’t have many more chances to play on the shore. Brae would miss this, bringing Noelle out of the city for some time in peace. There had been little peace in their home lately, especially since the encounter with those two assassins in the tavern. Brecken had barely spoken a word to her before he left, and they all felt the tension, but especially her daughter, who didn’t understand why her parents suddenly weren’t happy together. Letting Noelle have these moments to laugh and play as a child should warmed Brae’s heart, for she knew they wouldn’t last.
Another roaring wave crashed against the sand, stopping short of dampening Brae’s shoes where she continued along the crooked path toward Noelle. The stiff wind dislodged her hair from its twist, sending her waves fluttering over her shoulder to tickle her face. There was a c
hill in the wind that hadn’t been there before, and Brae knew the Queen was coming. She hadn’t spoken to her since the night Damari brought her to the tavern, and the Winter Queen had sworn her allegiance to the Sundragon.
They’d agreed to meet on the shore tonight, to discuss Roderick’s motive in sending Brecken to Quintaria. They all knew he was going after Mirae, but they didn’t know his intent. Brae didn’t think her husband would kill Mirae; she couldn’t think that. Brecken loved her, no matter how difficult their lives had become. She couldn’t believe he would willingly kill her sister.
He wouldn’t kill my own flesh and blood. He wouldn’t. Brae breathed deeply, letting the seashells slip from her fingers into the water where they belonged.
She remembered nights like this when she would carry Noelle down here when she was a baby. She would sit on one of the rocks and cradle her daughter in her arms, telling her stories about the two aunts she would never know until she fell asleep. But now, there was hope she would meet at least one of them.
Brae touched her necklace again, as she had been since that night. She didn’t know why, but she could feel her sister so strongly now. And right now, she was afraid. Brae frowned, wondering what was happening in Quintaria, what caused her little sister fear? The rumors, the stories, all said her sister was a soldier. She was brave and strong, a leader among the Woodland People and a Queen of the Forests.
Brecken would leave Sunkai in the morning, and if he took the road that went around the Gracian Wood, he wouldn’t arrive in Quintaria for a fortnight at least. Unless he took the road into the Aulend Forest and traveled on one of its Woodland Paths. But only if his journey were deemed pure and good would the magic of the wood allow such traveling.
Her thoughts turned to the Winter Queen again, and her heart quickened. Perhaps tonight, she would speak to her in private; perhaps tonight, the suspicions building in Brae’s mind would be revealed. Hope was something Brae had lost over the years, but with the Queen close, she felt hope renewed in her soul. Only one person in her life had ever been able to awaken those feelings.
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