by Kim Stokely
Maris drew my mother in for another quick hug before letting her go. “Your father is doing well. The medicines of the Healers, as well as the power of Ayden, should restore him soon enough.” She sat down by Oded but looked at Tegan. “The others I know, but who is this young man?”
I swallowed hard. “He and his family helped me when I first arrived in Ayden. Tegan saw me safely to the Brethren.”
My grandmother nodded toward him. “Then it seems I am also in your debt.”
I couldn’t help but smile as Tegan shifted uncomfortably under my grandmother’s gaze. He couldn’t seem to think of what to say. I came to his rescue. “You’ll have to excuse him, he’s not used to being treated like a hero.”
“Humility is a virtue in one so young and brave.” Maris glanced between the two of us before concentrating on Tegan again. “Who are your people?”
He cleared his throat. “We live outside the town of Aren-El. My father was a farmer, until the pox took him some five years ago.”
“And now? Who cares for your family?”
“I do.” His shoulders sagged. “Or I did, until . . . .” He didn’t, or couldn’t, look at me.
Maris studied him. “I see.”
“Braedon took his family prisoner after they helped me.” I stared at him, hoping to break through his defenses. “Tegan offered his life in exchange for their freedom.”
My grandmother lifted an eyebrow. “And how did he escape Lord Braedon?”
My mind went blank. I couldn’t come up with a story to explain Tegan’s presence without confessing the bargain I’d made with Braedon.
Quinn spoke up. “I helped the boy.”
I could feel my grandmother’s hatred of the Portal. “You?”
“I knew Alystrine would never forgive herself if something happened to him. I brought him to the other world as a means to keep him from Braedon’s noose.”
Maris folded her hands together on her lap. “I see.”
Tegan spoke softly. “I do not know where my family went once the Lord Regent released them. I should like to find them soon. Make sure they are well.”
“Of course,” Maris said. “After you’ve eaten, I’ll see to it that you are given food and water for your journey.”
Tegan’s gaze darted toward me before he answered. “Thank you.”
I put down the slice of bread I was going to eat and sipped my wine. I knew he’d have to leave, but even with all the tension between us, I’d hoped it wouldn’t be so soon. I pressed Josh’s pendant against my chest.
It seemed as if all of us had lost or satisfied our appetites by this time. We picked at the food set before us with little interest in eating. Quinn finally broke the silence that had settled in the tent. “Your Majesty, I am rested now, and am eager to get your message to the Lord Regent.”
Maris sat up. “What?”
“A friend of mine is being held prisoner until I return to Uz,” I explained. “Quinn is meeting with Braedon to hopefully secure his release.”
“Do you think that wise?” Maris asked.
“I trust Quinn completely.” I stood. “I’m sure you will too, once your Council has questioned him.”
Everyone around me also rose. We left the tent, walking out into the bright sunshine. The air here was cooler than back home. We were surrounded by a cluster of large tents of varying hues of brown, blue and red. Beyond them, the ground rose gently for about a half mile before steep cliffs reached toward the sky. The front of the cliffs looked like apartment buildings with windows and doors carved into them. It reminded me of pictures I’d seen of the cliff-dwelling Indians in Arizona or New Mexico. People walked along narrow paths up and down the face of the rock wall.
“Come, Tegan.” My grandmother took him by the arm. “I’ll show you where you can find supplies for your journey.”
“Wait!” I called. They turned back. “You’ll come say goodbye, before you leave?” I could read Tegan’s thoughts by the expression on his face. He’d hoped to sneak away without a scene. Tough. I needed the closure. “Please come.”
“Aye.”
I gave Quinn a hug. “Tell Braedon I insist on you seeing Josh before you leave. I want to know he’s being treated well.”
He squeezed me back. “I will return as soon as I can with Braedon’s next demands.”
“There’ll be more?”
“I am sure of it.” He bowed then headed away from the Elders milling in the center of the tents. Kennis followed after him. She put her arm on his shoulder and leaned up to his ear.
I wished I could read Quinn’s mind, but instead watched as he placed his hand over hers. They stood like that for a moment before he broke away. He walked backed to the circle of stones, closed his eyes then disappeared.
Oded’s voice startled me out of my spying. “Your Majesty?”
“Yes?”
“Perhaps you would come to the Council of the Elders? The more we know of your abilities, the more we will be able to help you.”
“Certainly. Can my mother come too?”
Confusion fell over Oded’s face. “Excuse me?”
I pointed to Kennis, who stood staring at the spot where Quinn had been. “I mean my aunt. Can she come?”
He bowed. “As you wish, Your Majesty.”
The Council of Elders consisted of twenty men and women ranging in age from their forties to almost dead. They stood when I entered and sat only after I did. They questioned me for a half hour about my abilities. I demonstrated my Mind Speak gift with several of the Elders who also had the gift. I transported myself to the tent where we’d eaten and back to prove my Portal abilities. When they asked me to show them that I could also send my spirit out, I let my consciousness float up from my body and above the tent. As I swooped down across the compound, I saw Tegan in the distance, walking away from the Elder tents. I focused on reuniting my body and soul.
“I have to go.” I stood up. “Please excuse me for a moment.”
The Elders around me rose. Kennis frowned. “Is something wrong?”
“I need to say goodbye to Tegan. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Before they could ask any more questions, I closed my eyes and pictured standing in front of him. In an instant, I was there. “You were supposed to come see me before you left.”
He stumbled backward. “Ye were busy.”
“So you were just going to leave? What kind of friend does that? We may never see each other again.”
He lowered his head to avoid looking at me. “It would have been better that way.”
“Why?” I took a step toward him. “Because it hurts too much?”
He nodded, but didn’t say anything.
“You know what? Sometimes life hurts. Do you really believe saying goodbye to me is worse than Braedon’s dungeon?”
He lifted one shoulder. “Tis a different kind of pain.”
I reached out and let my fingers run along his cheek. A soft down of whiskers now covered his chin. “Yes, but that doesn’t make it bad.” He let his face rest against my palm before he flinched and pulled away. I swallowed back my tears. “I need this pain, to know that you’re gone. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I won’t forget you.”
He shuddered as he took a deep breath. “I will pray to Ruahk that he help ye save your friend.”
“Thank you.”
He stared at me. His eyes told me everything I knew he couldn’t say out loud–that he loved me. He would miss me. He would never forget me. I studied his face, trying to memorize it, then I leaned in quickly and kissed his lips. “I love you. Be safe.”
I stepped away, but he pulled me back. “Ruahk forgive me,” he groaned before kissing me again with all the passion and desperation we’d shared in Braedon’s prison. When we stopped to breathe, we stood with our foreheads pressed together. Tegan’s hands rested on my neck. His fingers caressed my skin. “I cannot bear to think of ye with the Lord Regent.”
I could hardly find my v
oice. “Then don’t.”
“How can I not? When the announcement will be proclaimed throughout the kingdom?” He kissed the space between my eyebrows. “It will kill me.”
“Don’t say that. We can’t let him win. Promise me.” I tried not to let my voice waver. “Promise you’ll take care of your mother and your brother. You’ll live your life.” I couldn’t look him in the eyes. “You’ll marry and have a family of your own. It’ll be worth it then.” I kissed him again and unwrapped myself from his embrace. “Promise me.”
“Aye.”
I wiped the tears from my eyes. When I spoke, I could only manage a whisper, “Goodbye.” I lifted my hand up in a small wave, then took the passage back to the Council of the Elders before my heart could break any more.
Later that evening, I visited my grandmother’s tent. My father lay unconscious on a pallet of woolen blankets and animal hides. Sarai, a female healer, knelt at his side, rubbing a menthol fragranced oil into his temples. A blue linen kerchief kept her light brown hair off her face.
“Has he been like this the whole time?” I asked.
“No, Your Majesty. He took some broth earlier. We have given him some herbs to help him settle into a deeper rest.”
“You’ve drugged him?”
“Only by completely relaxing his body will your father be able to recover.”
I nodded. “Thank you for taking such good care of him.”
“You are welcome.”
I hesitated to go.
“Is something wrong?”
I didn’t like admitting to people that I needed help, but the thought of waking up from a Breaking induced nightmare scared me more. “I. . . I wonder if you might have any of those herbs left? The ones to help you rest?”
Sarai’s hazel eyes watched me with concern. “For what purpose?”
“I’m having trouble sleeping at night. I have bad dreams.”
She stood and wiped her hands on a cloth at her waist. “Give me a moment.”
Relief washed over me. I hadn’t realized how nervous I was to go to sleep until my muscles relaxed. Sarai worked in the back of the tent. I approached Geran and sat down by his head.
I studied him. My father.
This man was my father.
His hair had whitened again from the passage so that he looked more like the Mr. Morrison I knew from the nursing home. He was so different than what I’d imagined him to be. No, that’s not true. When I’d been very little, four or five, I’d dreamed my father was king of distant land and that I was a princess. My father’s imaginary kingdom had been one of bright colors and joy.
Since I’d been twelve, I’d pictured my father as one of a gang of thugs. More of a wild beast than a human being. I’d imagined him and his friends raping my poor mother, just a young girl my age, and leaving her weeping in some dirty utilities closet in an orphanage. Kennis had never elaborated her story to me, but my active brain had easily filled in the gaps.
But Geran was neither of these men.
He’d been king, yes, but not of a fairytale kingdom. Ayden was a place of war and magic, of angels and demons. I don’t think I could have ever imagined a place like this. A place that had once been Eden–perfection. Now seemed more like something out of a Tolkien novel.
Geran hadn’t been a thug who’d raped my mother, but he was a man used to power and ruling those around him. I’d picked that up in the few days I’d spent with him. I wondered, in the sixteen years he’d spent basically asleep, had he dreamt of me? Had he hoped I’d be different?
I took his hand and caressed it lightly. “Geran?” I didn’t know if he could hear me. I wasn’t sure I actually wanted him to wake up. It would be easier to talk to him like this.
“Dad?” The word caught in my throat. “It’s me, Ally. Alystrine. We haven’t had much time to talk, you and I.”
His breathing quickened for a moment then his chest went back to its regular rising and sinking. I waited to speak again until I was sure he was settled. “I’m sorry if I’m not the person you thought I’d be. I know I’m not easy to get along with. I’m stubborn and very opinionated. I don’t always think things through.” I chuckled. “Mom–I mean Kennis, she calls me impetuous, but that isn’t always a bad thing. It means I’m brave, too. I’m not afraid of much, well . . . not until I came here anyway. And once I set my mind to something, I stick with it.”
I squeezed his hand. “I want to help the people here in Ayden. I want to be a good leader.” I leaned down so I could whisper in his ear. “I want to make you proud . . . I hope . . . I really hope you like me.”
Sarai returned with a steaming bowl cupped in her hands. “Let this cool a bit, then drink it all.” She waited until I stood then passed the medicine to me. “It should help with the dreams.”
“Thank you.”
“Your Majesty?” She called as I stepped outside.
“Yes?”
At first she couldn’t meet my eyes, but then she straightened her shoulders. “We have heard of your strength in the Fey, how you survived the Breaking. Even now, the rumors of your gifts have filtered through the Elders.” She smiled. “We are glad you are back. We are praying for your swift return to your rightful position on the throne of Ayden.”
Her words warmed me almost as much as the heat from the tea. “Thank you.”
I made my way over to the tent I would share with Kennis while we stayed with the Elders. She already reclined on a bed of blankets. Another had been set up for me.
“Any sign of Quinn?” I asked as I kicked off my slippers.
“No. I don’t really expect him until tomorrow morning.”
“That long?”
Kennis rolled to her side, resting her head in her hand. “That’s the way Braedon works. He likes to draw things out.” She watched me take a sip from the bowl I held. “What’s that?”
“I asked Sarai for something to help with the dreams.” I gulped down half of the mixture. The healer may have sweetened the concoction with honey but it couldn’t mask the vile aftertaste that lingered in my mouth–like cheap cough medicine. I drank the rest and tried not to gag.
A young woman with braided blonde hair came to the doorway. “Excuse me, Your Majesty. Would you like some help with your gown?”
“That would be wonderful.”
The girl, probably my age, walked over and began unlacing the back.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Tamra.”
Her fingers worked the laces with speed and she had me unfastened in no time. She brought me one of the linen gowns the Elders all wore. Although the fabric looked stiff, it actually felt soft against my skin. When I had finished getting dressed, the girl curtsied and left the tent.
I kissed Kennis goodnight. She blew out the oil lamp and the tent sank into darkness.
The herbs Sarai gave me worked quickly. I hadn’t realized I’d fallen asleep until a faint whisper woke me. I lay as still as possible, afraid of who might be conspiring around me.
My mother got up and walked toward the entrance of the tent. A figure waited for her, silhouetted against the light of the moon. For a moment they faced each other, but then the figure pulled my mother close and they embraced.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Midnight Confessions
The man and my mother walked out into the night. Together.
Their murmuring voices drifted past but I couldn’t distinguish what they said. My heart pounded. My mother had been on one date my entire life. When I’d gotten older and asked her why she never went out she said it was because she’d been too busy.
Had that been a lie? Had there really been someone here in Ayden she’d loved? Someone she’d left behind when she promised to be my guardian?
And what about her marriage to Lord Braedon? Had she abandoned her true love even before she left Ayden in order to fulfill her duty to her people?
Curiosity may have killed the cat but I didn’t care. I had to find out who my mother w
as with. I thought about spirit traveling to spy on them, but changed my mind. I didn’t know if other Elders could sense when someone’s soul was present like they could tell when people Mind Spoke to each other. I slipped out from my blankets and padded over to the entry.
The moon waxed against a star-filled sky and draped the world in soft blue light. I crept around the corner of the tent and made out the shapes of the two figures walking away from the camp.
I kept myself to the shadows until they made their way out onto the plains, crouching low and trying to blend in with the few boulders and bushes that lay scattered along the way. They finally stopped along the banks of a wide river that flowed north of the camp.
Fortunately for me, the river ran slow so the sound of the current didn’t drown out the figures’ whispered tones. I crept as close as I could and hid behind a slight rise in the plain to hear them better. I flattened myself against the ground and listened.
“Will Geran be well enough in the morning to advise her?” the man asked. I slithered my body up the hill until I could peer over the crest. His back was to me. I couldn’t make out any distinguishing features, and he spoke too softly to identify his voice.
“I think so. He’ll be weak physically, but mentally he should be alert.”
“Perhaps that’s for the best.”
“What do you mean?” Kennis asked.
The man grunted. “We both know Geran desires all-out war with Braedon. It should hardly be our first line of action, but he’ll do everything he can to convince Alystrine otherwise. If he’s weak, it may lessen his influence.”
“We cannot compromise. She’ll never be safe.”
“No, but she could use a time of peace to build up a coalition of Elders, Commoners and even Mystics to fight for her.”
Kennis wrapped her arms around her body as the wind picked up. “And why would any Mystics help her?”
“Because many want peace. Most do not follow Braedon and the Mystic Council’s strict codes.”
“Are you sure they haven’t fooled you into believing they would follow our ways?”