Tessen patted the dragon's head and sighed. “I tried to escape my own mess and ended up in a new one. What are you cooking?”
“Alligator,” Iefyr said as he wrapped a strip of meat around a fresh stick. “Radamar killed it during his watch. Help yourself.”
Benny watched Tessen as he sat down next to Iefyr. He seemed to be awkward and uncomfortable in his own body, a feeling Benny was familiar with. Her most recent memory of him happened just before she was kidnapped. He was eleven or twelve and lividly explaining to his older brother why they shouldn't pull a prank on Ragan. Shan did it anyway, and Ragan found a dead frog in his boot. Now that passionate, caring child sat in front of Benny with discomfort twitching within every muscle and a look in his eerie dragon eyes like he'd already been through too much and wasn't sure how to keep on living.
Benny removed her stick from the fire. She tossed one chunk of meat toward Tessen's dragon, and held the rest up to cool. “Tessen, how's your mom? I always liked her. Sometimes she brought me little treats when she came back from her missions.”
Tessen ran his fingers through his short curls and looked away. “She's in exile. My entire family is.” He dropped his hands to his sides, but kept his eyes averted. “She's okay, though. Worries about everything, but that's justified. My sisters keep her busy. I have two now, and two more due for birth soon.”
“She married Daelis Goldtree after she split with my brother, right?”
“Yep. Two years ago. Now they're both in exile with Ragan because the Jade Realm imploded. It's awkward.”
Benny regarded the rigidity of his posture and the angle at which he hung his head. “You're uncomfortable around me now, aren't you?”
He slowly raised his chin and met Benny's eyes. The beautiful brown eyes of his childhood were gone, and the mismatched dragon eyes he now possessed were nothing but unnerving. “It's not you, Benny. I always liked you. I still do. It's just . . . I'm trying to learn how to live with being an empath. I intended to go off by myself for a couple weeks to figure it out without all the outside emotional interference, but instead I said 'yes' to yet another task I had no business helping with, and now I'm here and I've found out that someone I care about was tortured in the same way my brother was. Between that and feeling a jumble of things I have no context for, I'm uneasy.”
“You seem to be doing a little better now than you were at the sanctuary,” Iefyr said. He offered Auna a piece of his alligator meat. The red dragon snatched it from his hand, then jumped behind a rotting log to devour it.
“There are no Varaku here,” Tessen whispered.
Benny's breath caught in her throat.
“Varaku? There are Varaku at the Guardian's sanctuary?” Radamar asked. Now it was his turn to appear uneasy.
Tessen held up a finger. “Just one. He is young and his intentions are good, but his entire essence overwhelms me. He is a cloud of dust and tangible emotions. Taste and scent and tactile chaos, all twisted up into a vortex I don't understand.” He stood and backed away from the campfire. “I . . . I think I need to be alone for a few minutes.”
“Stay out of the water, Tes,” Iefyr said. “There are alligators, among other things.”
His back to them, Tessen stopped and held his hand to the side. “There should be stars in the sky, but there aren't. There isn't even darkness, just a lingering remorse. If I can find my way back into the starlight, maybe I can be free. Maybe you can be, too.”
Radamar waited until Tessen and his dragon were out of sight before saying, “Benny, I believe your young friend has lost his mind.”
“No, I don't think he has,” Benny replied as a silver shape slipped between the trees. The Princess's dragon was an elegant creature, but she could not conceal her spectacular coloring in such a dismal morass. “He was quoting a book. It's one I know well since I had it in my cell on Claw Island. All I had to pass the time were a couple books. Into the Night is an odd choice of reading material for a teenage boy, but he must have read it if he can quote it.”
“That sounds more like a Ragan book than a Tessen book,” Iefyr said.
“Elven romance? Yeah, it does. I don't think I ever saw my brother without a book in his pocket, and most of his selections surprised me. Is he still like that?”
Iefyr's eyebrows knit as he nodded. “Yeah. I think in fiction he searches for the life he wishes he had. He won't admit it often, but he's lonely. He doesn't think anyone will ever love him like Rin did. It's tearing him to pieces, but he's so . . . so stubbornly Ragan that he refuses to let it break him. He's forcing himself to accept it instead.”
Benny gathered her hair at the back of her head, then let it tumble around her ears. “Do me a favor, will you? Don't tell my dad about that. He already blames himself for everything Ragan's gone through.”
“Won't say a word.”
Kembriana stepped out of the trees and stared down at Benny. She was a tiny young woman with black hair cut inexplicably short for an elf and blue eyes that were just as eerie and dragonlike as Tessen's. Her fidgety and uncertain demeanor was nothing like Benny would have expected from the daughter of the High King. She already found herself faulting the girl for exposing her as a Spellkeeper and dragging three unsuspecting people into a mess they clearly wanted nothing to do with.
“Belinda, I need to speak with you. Will you walk with me?” Kembriana asked. She pushed her hair behind her ears and smiled at Iefyr. “Save some of that for me, will you?”
“It's an alligator. There's more than enough unless Ectran gets ahold of it,” Iefyr replied with a grin. “And don't ask me. It's Radamar's kill.”
“I'm not going to eat it all,” Radamar said, shrugging. He had already confided in Benny that he neither liked nor trusted Kembriana, but he wasn't clear with her why. When she pressed him, he mumbled something about Spellkeepers and Guardians, but the conversation was interrupted by Mordegan before she could coax him into explaining.
Benny stood and brushed debris and a stray spider off her pant legs. “I'll go with you, but only if you stop calling me Belinda.”
Kembriana nodded. “And I would prefer not to be called by my full name or title. I don't want it to be overheard. Please call me Kemi like my friends do.”
Benny glanced down at Iefyr. “Is she really your friend?”
“She is,” Iefyr said, nodding. “We fought together in the Faelands. She lost her twin in the arena after they risked their own lives to save Ragan's. Your brother is particularly fond of her now.”
“He is one of my closest friends,” Kemi said softly. “Tessen seems to think Ragan and I should–”
Iefyr's laugh interrupted her. “Yeah. Tessen has decided to pursue a matchmaking hobby. I don't have the heart to tell him his suggestions are outright unconventional. And for you, more than a bit dangerous.”
Kemi stared into the campfire. “No more dangerous than what I really want.” Her gaze snapped toward Benny. “Will you come with me now, Benny? This is important.”
Benny walked ahead of her on the path. The gray dusk was an easy burden to overcome with a light orb set free to float several yards ahead of them.
Kemi released a trio of green wisps, which chased down the orb and spun around it. She drew a breath, then said, “Your father and I have been attempting to make a plan, but it's difficult with Captain Sylleth here. We are all going to travel with you to Auberline. We're close, less than a week away. When we get there, Elsin and Ectran are going to fly back to my mother's sanctuary. He's taking Juna with him.”
“Why?” Benny asked, confused.
“Three dozen Uldru came to the surface within the sanctuary. They are led by a girl younger than me. Young, but fierce and highly intelligent. She led a slave rebellion and the survivors followed her. They still do. They're eager for leadership and she is quite capable. The sanctuary isn't far from the place the Jadeshire Uldru have taken refuge. Juna intends to unite both populations of free Uldru, but if the sanctuary leader chooses not to join
him, he will continue on to his family.”
“An Uldru rebellion? Can't say that surprises me, not with what I've seen,” Benny said. She stepped over a branch on the path. It snagged her pant leg and she had to stop for a moment to shake it away. “What does my dad have to say about that?”
Kemi shrugged and pushed her hair behind her ears. The motion seemed to be a nervous tic for her. “Mordegan doesn't feel he's finished training Juna, but he's supportive of him returning to his family.” She turned to look back over her shoulder, then lowered her voice. “Now, this is where the plan becomes a lie, where it becomes a secret that I need you to keep. Captain Sylleth is going to tell my mother that I am on my way back to the sanctuary with a Spellkeeper. It'll obviously take us much longer to travel by ground than him by air, so that will give us some time.”
“Time for what?”
“Time to figure out where to go. I cannot allow either of my parents to find you. My mother doesn't know the locating spell. I found it in a hidden cupboard in the library, dismantled it to have it translated, then memorized it and burned the pieces. I don't think she has any way of reproducing it.”
Benny breathed in the stagnant air. “You intend for me to go into hiding? Why? Does this have something to do with your brother's death?”
Kemi glanced toward Benny several times, then stopped walking. “Kai? No. Kai was the catalyst for the Fae war, but that's not this.”
“Not Kailandrian. Liantor.”
Kemi's gasp startled a nearby crow. Her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes grew wide. “Liantor . . . is dead?”
“Did you not know?” Benny asked. A lump rose in her throat. She shouldn't have assumed that someone who had spent over a year in some sort of sanctuary knew any news from the outside. “Oh, Kemi. I'm so sorry. I thought you knew. It happened months ago. We heard it while held by the Fae.” She couldn't tell the girl that the Fae celebrated the Crown Prince's death. It was cruel enough for her to find this much out.
“I . . . no. I didn't know.” Tears fell from Kemi's eyes. “We don't . . . we didn't have any contact with Anthora. How . . . how did he die? Do you know?”
Benny swallowed the lump and cleared her throat. “He was executed for treason.”
“Conspiring with the Fae?” Kemi gave a slight nod, as if she had already known it was a possibility.
“Yes. Nyssandrian is Crown Prince now.”
“Shit. Nyx is a sarding ditherer. He's as passive-aggressive as our mother, and uses false kindness as a weapon like our father, but he can't even decide what shoes to wear without Dad's input, let alone rule Bacra on his own. He's not cruel like Lyndarian, but still...” Kemi wiped away her tears and shook her head. “Shit. Dad must have done an ascension line purge if Elianora isn't Crown Princess. Shit, shit, shit. Liantor is . . . he was a good person. I even considered asking him for help regarding you.”
“I'm so sorry,” Benny whispered.
Kemi shook her head again and stared up at the wisps. “The depravity of my parents hardly ever shocks me anymore, but this just swallows down everything and shits it out in the middle of the road. Either Liantor truly did something awful or Dad is working toward some endgame I can't see yet.” She straightened her shoulders and looked Benny in the eye. “When my mother finds out, this cold war she has going with my father is going to explode. I think that's part of why they both wanted Spellkeepers. They want to weaponize you to use against each other, and there is a lot more at stake than what's apparent on the surface. Shit. This is a sarding gods-damned shit swamp.”
Benny tried to remain stoic through the princess's profanity. It was delightfully unexpected to hear a member of the royal family swearing like common gutter elf. “Sounds like it. You've been spending a lot of time with my brother, haven't you?”
“Shitswilling sardmuffins,” Kemi muttered. She let a pained grin break through her tears as she slowly raised her chin to scrunch her nose at Benny. “Yes. His recreational butchering of Bacran Common is spectacular. Now that I've met Mordegan, I know where he learned it from.”
Benny reached out and touched the girl's arm. “I have to admit I was skeptical about Iefyr's claim that you're friends with Ragan. Now I have no doubt that you spend way too much time with him. He saves his best curses for the company of friends.”
Tension crept across Kemi's face as her grin transitioned into a frown. “There are other things I need to tell you, before anyone comes to check on us. There are so many reasons I can't take you to my mother's sanctuary. Your husband is a warlock. Is your daughter?”
“I think she might be. She's a Nightshadow, and Radamar noticed some traits in her that suggested shadow-skill. I haven't seen her in over two years and she was a toddler when I was imprisoned.”
“I thought as much.” Kemi's ears perked at the sound of a splash in the swamp. Her hand traveled to the handle of the dagger on her belt. “My mother's sanctuary has a spell on it, a shield that prevents warlocks from entering. It's to prevent my father's warlocks from finding it. If I took you there like Elsin believes I'm going to, your family would not be allowed in.”
“I'm not losing them again,” Benny said.
“No, I have no intention of separating you from them.” Another splash and Kemi's knuckles blanched to white. “Don't tell anyone we are not returning to the sanctuary. It's safer if none of them know until Elsin and Juna are gone. Your father knows, but don't talk to him about it, or Radamar or anyone else. I just need you to know the dangers of one of my parents finding you in case...”
“In case something happens to you?” Benny finished.
“Yes. I don't expect anything to happen, but a lot of unexpected things have already happened. If something does happen to me, again wait until Elsin is gone, then tell the others. Iefyr may choose to stay and help you, at least for a little while. I don't know about Tessen.”
“I'm fine with that,” Benny said. “Secrets are no problem for me. Hell, I managed to go months in close quarters with Dad and Juna without them finding out what I am. Less than a week to Auberline? Easy. And I think we'll still have my father with us after Auberline. Maybe Mom, too, though that may become . . . interesting.”
“Is your father trustworthy?” Kemi asked, an eyebrow raised.
“Is my father trustworthy? You don't know who my father is, do you?” Benny asked with a laugh.
“Mordegan Vale, former leader of the Jade Realm's elite mercenary ring.”
A cool mist emerged from the gathering fog to wet Benny's face. “Not just that. The merc thing was mostly a cover. He was the primary handler for the Duchy's Covert Services. He took orders directly from Daelon Goldtree. Trained and managed operatives for over two decades. Starbright's soldiers know that now. He's considered a traitor to the Duchy since he won't disavow his loyalty to the Goldtrees.”
Kemi looked in the direction of the camp. The fire was barely visible between the trees. “He can never go home either, can he?”
“None of us can, it seems,” Benny said. She tilted her ears toward the fire, but heard only croaking frogs and calling night birds. “We should go back so we can get on the road. I don't want to lose any more hours than necessary.”
“Will you continue this conversation with me when we can be alone again? I have more to tell you.”
“Yeah, sure,” Benny said as she walked toward the camp. This mess was only getting messier and now it seemed nowhere in Bacra would be safe for her family.
WALKING THROUGH THE dark swamp was tedious, but there weren't enough mounts for everyone to ride. The four elf-bred horses Cyrrian Coralglade had given them were not large enough to carry more than one non-elven rider and Juna was unwilling to ride with Radamar. The three human men were far too heavy to double up with anyone, and so was Iefyr, who was only a small measure lighter than either of the Sylleths. Lenna, Kemi's dragon, could carry two riders, but she refused to allow anyone but her dragonbound on her back. Elsin's dragon, Ectran, wasn't as picky, but still there wer
e more people in the party than backs on which they could ride.
So they took turns resting on horseback. Ectran's black wings blotted out the cloudy sky overhead as he soared low over the trees. Elsin was trying to acclimate Juna to flying before they set off for the sanctuary, but so far the Uldru did little more than panic. Every circle above Benny's head pulled another gasp and scream from his throat and set it loose like a bat in the night.
“Poor Elsin is going to have the worst journey of all time if Juna can't get himself together,” Benny said as another swoop and scream frightened a colony of night herons out of a reed bed.
“I need to tell you about my trip through the Faelands sometime,” Iefyr said with a laugh. He walked close enough to occasionally bump into her. His young dragon stayed close, sometimes behind and sometimes ahead, but more often weaving between them. “Tes was there. He can vouch for it.”
“But was someone screaming in your ear the entire time?”
Iefyr hung his head as he drifted away from her. “No. But it's where all of Tessen's scars came from. He was nearly gutted by a Foxfae warrior, and survived that only to have his back broken in a gladiator arena. And that's where Rose died. And Kai. And Nador Underwood.”
“Shit. Nador? I think I was fifteen when I watched that little halfling outdrink my dad while exalting the luxuries of Sandstone Realm brothels. For a brief second, I wanted to be her when I grew up.”
“And now that you've grown up, what do you want to be?”
“Alive.” Benny manifested another light orb, then threw it forward over Mordegan's head to further illuminate the road. “And with my family. All I've thought about for months is getting to my daughter.”
“You're almost there.” Iefyr turned around and walked backward. Tessen rode quite some distance behind them. He was alone aside from his dragon, whose bulbous tail tip gave enough light that Benny had only needed to set one orb above him. That soft green light was all Benny could see.
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