The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Four: In the Beginning

by Melissa Collins

  Liurn looked hurt, glancing up at Therek, disheartened. “I know her heart is not so superficial, but her circumstances are dire. If we succeed in securing the freedom of our people, she will have a great deal to recover from. The Levadis home is destroyed. Their title stripped. Finances will be a necessity and for a woman in her position, you would be the most sensible choice for an attachment.”

  “A man cannot force a woman to love him,” Therek replied softly, almost wistful in the way he tilted his head upward to gaze at the vaulted ceiling of the foyer. “Lady Kaori’s mind must remain focused on the rebellion, not on her heart. Our people are counting on her to lead us to the freedom of which you speak. If along the way you are able to prove yourself worthy of her affection, she will not turn you away to chase after a larger fortune. I may not have known her long, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that once her mind is made up, she will not be swayed by anything. Not even gold.”

  “But I love her, Your Grace.” Liurn sounded wretched. Torn. Pained by the emotions he fought to conceal from Therek, finding it impossible to hide the truth in the company of his friend. “I censure myself every day for urging her into this – mess. I was captivated by her strength and honesty and I knew our people would believe in her; trust in her as a leader. Had I known the darkness it was destined to bring upon her family, I never would have supported her participation.”

  “And where do you think our people would be if she had not risen to the challenge?”

  “Her brother would not be in the Emperor’s prison. Mathious might still be alive…”

  “She lives and breathes for our people, Torust. Our freedom means more to her than anything. Lady Kaori would have risked it all to stand up to the Emperor regardless of your urging.”

  “Then tell me what to do,” Liurn begged desperately, the misery on his face growing with every word he spoke until Kaori didn’t think she would be able to bear it any longer. It tore at her insides to think of the hurt she caused him, unintentional, yet no less her fault.

  Brokenhearted, Kaori let her back slide down the wall, her body sinking onto the cool tile of the floor. This was catastrophic. Everything was falling apart around her and she was powerless to stop it. Head cradled in her hands, she gave in to the tears that burned in her eyes, the warm salty liquid running down her high cheekbones like tiny rivers. Crying wouldn’t solve the problems she faced but it felt good to let her emotions out. To stop bottling them up inside. No one was there to witness her breakdown. Maybe it would be easier to think of how to handle everything once she got passed the initial depression which accompanied the truth. Sivar was in Deliao’s custody. Mathious was dead. Many others had perished during the rescue in Amalo and those who survived likely faced a fate worse than death. Torture. Public humiliation. A slow, painful demise to set an example of what would happen to anyone else who thought to oppose the Emperor.

  Her stomach ached to think of what they may already have done to Sivar. Bringing her knees in tighter to her body she wrapped her arms around her legs, burying her face against her thighs to muffle the sobs which racked her chest. He brother had been in captivity for over a week. And while Therek’s assumption may be accurate that they wouldn’t kill him immediately, it did nothing to ease Kaori’s mind. Deliao wanted answers that he knew Sivar had. Intimidation wouldn’t be enough to pull the information from his lips. They would resort to torture. Unspeakable measures to create enough pain that might break his silence. And it was all because of her. She was the one who should have been leading the mission that night. If she hadn’t been stupid enough to let Deliao have the upper hand in Rothdara, she wouldn’t have sustained the injury which prevented her from being well enough to lead the people like she was expected.

  The capture of their friends placed them all in danger. Some of the men and women wouldn’t be able to withstand the pain. They would give the names of those who led the rebellion. Point fingers at others who were known to have participated in the uprisings against the soldiers. It wouldn’t be long before Deliao’s men were breaking down the doors of every Vor’shai in Carpaen. It was what Sulel wanted and they had played right into his hands. Gave him the ammunition necessary to persecute them all. Declare every Vor’shai a traitor and order them executed or deported from the place they had called home for generations.

  Panic welled up inside Kaori to think that Therek would allow Liurn to leave, knowing he may be in danger. Liurn’s name was equally prominent amongst the rebels as her own. If the imprisoned Vor’shai broke their silence, he would be one of the first identities revealed. But what could she do about it? Therek was adamant that Liurn couldn’t be made aware of her presence. It just felt wrong to continue hiding from him.

  Ask him to stay. As foolish as it sounded, it was the best idea she could think of. If Therek’s home was the safest place for her, it could be a haven for Liurn as well. It would remove the concern of a fight between the two men at having Kaori remain in Therek’s company. Liurn couldn’t argue her continued presence if he was allowed to remain and supervise the interaction between Kaori and Therek. But that was exactly where the problem was in her plan. Therek had already told Liurn that he didn’t know where she was. Trust was something Therek needed to build with Liurn if they were going to work together in this and for Liurn to discover that Therek had lied to his face would only destroy any chance of rebuilding their friendship. No. She couldn’t reveal herself. It would do more damage to their cause than she dared chance. Her only hope was to speak with Therek after Liurn left and beg him to find a way to protect the others. Word needed to be passed to everyone involved so they could prepare themselves in case the soldiers arrived at their doorstep to take them away.

  Lost in her thoughts, Kaori failed to hear the sound of footsteps coming closer to where she sat on the floor, oblivious to everything around her. She couldn’t be sure how much time had passed. All she knew was that every second she wasted weeping into the fabric of her borrowed dress was another second Sivar was being tortured at the hands of the General. She just didn’t know what she could do. It would take more than a handful of rebels to break into the Imperial Palace. Therek had taken her into the bowels of the Emperor’s home once before. There were too many soldiers standing guard at the entrance. Near every cell. Not to mention how obvious they would appear if they all entered Eykanua at the same time. Most of the rebels weren’t of noble blood. Their entrance into the palace wouldn’t go without notice.

  It wasn’t until the footsteps rounded the corner that Kaori became aware of their approach, glancing up fearfully to see who had discovered her hiding place. Embarrassment caused the blood to rush to her cheeks at the sight of Therek’s tall figure standing over her, a similar expression of mortification evident on his face. “Kaori,” he breathed, the toes of his boots nearly making contact with her body before he was able to bring them to a halt, pausing to stare down at Kaori, discomfited to see her there. “How long were you listening to our conversation?”

  He sounded concerned. Almost frightened. Kaori wasn’t sure which part of the discussion between him and Liurn would make Therek look so confounded at the realization that she may have overheard. The only one of them who had exposed any secrets which were not intended for her to hear was Liurn. “I heard enough,” she swallowed, quickly wiping the tears from her cheeks to try and look more presentable. No one was supposed to see her like this. Her intent was to be gone from the hallway before Liurn made his exit.

  “Kaori, I am sorry. I did not mean for you to hear about your brother in this fashion. Had I known you were not aware…”

  So that was it. He was ashamed of his folly in not telling her about Sivar’s arrest. In a way she was relieved. If his concern had been about Liurn’s profession of love, she wasn’t sure she would be able to look him in the eye. Business was easier to discuss than matters of the heart. “I suspected, but we did not know,” she said softly, shaking her head as she wiped away another tear which managed to e
scape the corner of her eye. “Sivar insisted that he lead the rescue in Amalo because he did not think I was well enough to fight. I was able to acquire his concession in that I would prepare a secondary unit which would ride into Amalo if we did not hear word from Sivar before the sun rose on the day of the execution. We received no correspondence so I went through with the plan as discussed. But no soldiers arrived. The execution never took place. I went in search of Sivar but found nothing other than a few bloodstains on the road where the rescue was to occur. None of those from his unit have been heard from since that night.”

  “I feel like an ass,” Therek sighed, slowly lowering onto his knees at Kaori’s side. He looked uncertain. As if consoling someone was a foreign concept, although Kaori knew it wasn’t the first time he’d found himself in this position with her. And if the past was any indication, she imagined it wouldn’t be the last. Gently, he let his hand come to rest on her shoulder, exhaling a long breath before saying anything more. “I give you my word that I knew nothing of Deliao’s plan until after he and the soldiers had already returned from Amalo. Somehow they received intelligence that the rebels would make an appearance at the execution. Deliao was ready for an attack. The prisoners who were to be executed in Amalo were left in their cells while Deliao filled the wagon with his men. Fully armed. In addition, he added a second unit to those already set to accompany the prisoners that day. When your brother led the ambush, he was outnumbered. And when the rebels managed to get close to the wagon, the soldiers inside struck, killing almost everyone in Sivar’s unit. I did not have the heart to tell Lord Torust that Sivar is the only one from that mission who remains alive. Any others who were brought into custody perished from their wounds within the first night of captivity.”

  She felt ill. It just kept getting worse. Everything she learned of that night added to the guilt which already weighed so heavily on her shoulders. They should have known Deliao would have a trick up his sleeve. Sulel wouldn’t have placed him in charge of the Imperial Army if he wasn’t intelligent enough to outsmart a few peasants. But it didn’t explain why Therek held such little concern for Sivar’s safety. If so many people were mortally wounded during the attack, it made sense to assume that her brother was no more fortunate than the rest. “What of Sivar’s condition?” she asked, hesitant, afraid to speak the question, knowing she may not like the answer she received. “Do you truly believe he is not in danger or did you merely say those things to soften the blow to Liurn?”

  “Your brother is a skilled swordsman,” Therek reached his hand out to brush a stray tear from Kaori’s cheek. She was unaware that another tear had fallen until she saw the moisture on Therek’s fingertips as he pulled them away. “Once it was determined which of the rebels was giving the orders, Deliao had him surrounded. From what I hear, he fought valiantly, but the soldiers closed in and disarmed him. Deliao knew he couldn’t get answers from a dead man, so he had Sivar restrained and left unharmed to be brought before Sulel in Eykanua.”

  “You and I both know they won’t leave him unscathed for long.”

  “Yes, that is an unfortunate truth. But they will not kill him. Not yet.”

  “If not now, then when?” Kaori stared at Therek, hoping he could provide some comfort in that moment. Even if he lied to her, she just wanted to believe that her brother would be okay long enough for her to develop a plan to try and rescue him. Anything to give her a reason to get up off that floor and continue the fight she had started so many months ago.

  Therek’s expression was like stone, impossible to decipher. Kaori was grateful for that. It made it more difficult to know if he spoke the truth or if he provided the lie she wanted so badly to hear. “Since his arrival in Eykanua, your brother has insisted he was the one who started the rebellion. He refuses to provide names of anyone else involved. For some reason, Deliao has pressed the matter of your role in it all. He is convinced Sivar is lying, though I can only speculate as to why. At their failure to hear your name come from your brother’s lips, Deliao gave the order to have you brought into custody on suspicion of collaborating with the rebels. I left Eykanua on the soldiers’ heels the minute I heard. What has occurred since my departure from the palace, I do not know, though I fully believe they will not touch Sivar until the time you are brought before the Emperor. They will use you as a tool to try and coerce the truth out of him.”

  “What if you are wrong?”

  “On occasion, I have been known to be right, Kaori. Try to have some faith in someone other than yourself. We will find a way to get your brother back.”

  For the next few days Kaori felt like a ghost walking through the halls of Therek’s home. It was so large, she could wander for hours without crossing paths with a single servant while they were busy conducting the usual chores around the property. She avoided spending too much time in Therek’s company, finding it difficult to keep her wits about herself when he was around. He made her feel too comfortable yet horribly uneasy at the same time, though she wasn’t sure how that was even possible. Little had changed from the first night they met. He remained the Duke of Avishul and she was nothing. As a Countess it wasn’t unheard of for her to be considered a close acquaintance of a man of his rank. Stripped of her title, she was little more than a peasant. Unworthy of his attention. Which made her feel worse that he bestowed it upon her so willingly.

  It was a selfish blessing that so many of her supporters had perished at the hands of the soldiers. She hated the fact that she viewed their demise in such a way, but she couldn’t deny that it was safer for everyone else. Comfort was something she couldn’t take in very many things so when she found a means to ease the worry which was so common in her mind, she couldn’t let it go. If the captive rebels weren’t in Deliao’s prison, they couldn’t be tortured, and in turn they couldn’t provide the names of their colleagues. Sivar’s life was still in danger but Liurn was safe. For now. At the very least it bought them time to think of a way to get Sivar back. They couldn’t rush into something like this. And if they were going to plot an attack on the Imperial Palace, it was better they have more in mind than just the rescue of a single man. No. This rebellion had progressed into something bigger than simple rescue missions. It was a war. They needed to think like soldiers.

  Slowly, Kaori made her way down the hall toward Therek’s study, her mind distant, lost in the tumult of her thoughts. The slippers on her feet cushioned each step she took, silencing her approach to the door. After only a day in his care Therek had taken pity on her and retrieved more of his mother’s clothing from the old, unused rooms throughout the house. Kaori was somewhat smaller than the Duchess of Avishul, but close enough in size to make the garments work until she could acquire her own wardrobe again. Paused outside the study, she exhaled a long breath, struggling to regain control over her racing thoughts. Nervous at the idea of seeing Therek, she let her eyes trail over the garment she wore, making sure everything was straight and presentable. There had been no need for formal attire, her choice in dresses simpler than that which she had worn upon her arrival to Avishul. Thin and airy, the violet-blue fabric hung loose over her legs, draping down to the floor to brush the toes of her matching slippers. The sleeves were unadorned, creating a small raised bulb over each shoulder, reaching down only to the middle of her biceps before leaving the rest of her arms exposed. A square neckline swept low across the front to reveal the line of her collarbone, left bare, devoid of any glittering jewels like those which would have been expected of a noblewoman. She didn’t deserve to wear such finery. After all… she was a pauper now.

  Struggling to find the nerve to knock, she idly played with the ribbon which tied around her torso to accentuate the empire waist of her dress. She hated to interrupt Therek if he was busy but she had to speak with him. Too much time had passed since her arrival and they hadn’t spoken of any plan to save Sivar. Therek gave his assurances that he would think of something. She just couldn’t wait forever to hear what his brilliant plan woul
d be. Regardless of Deliao’s hope in finding Kaori to use against Sivar, the Emperor wouldn’t wait much longer. He was an impatient man. If Sivar didn’t give them the information they wanted, Sulel would order his execution and Deliao didn’t have the authority to override the Emperor’s decision.

  Hesitant, she let her knuckles tap against the heavy wood, cringing to hear the sound echo through the hall, her eyes darting up and down the corridor to see if anyone else had heard. There was no one. She was alone. The servants must still be making their rounds elsewhere…

  Her heart leapt at the sight of the door opening suddenly, a haggard looking Therek appearing on the other side. “Kaori,” he breathed, a tired smile passing over his lips before disappearing once again, seeming too difficult to keep the expression steady. “Please, come in. There are some matters which we should discuss.”

  “I was thinking the same,” she tried to regain her composure, breathless at the sight of Therek. He looked exhausted. Strained. Dark circles cast shadows under his eyes, the color of his skin pale, drawn, as if he hadn’t slept since they returned to Avishul.

  His clothing was changed. Fresh. Clean. The doublet he wore was made of a fine emerald velvet, the deep color creating a stark contrast against his pale complexion. Golden buttons gave color to the front of the garment, matching the embroidery which was intricately sewn into the wider sleeves, gathered near the wrist in a tighter cuff. Black leather boots came to his knees, covering most of the dark trousers he wore, giving the appearance of a man prepared for a day at court despite the tousled ebon locks upon his head which looked to have been tangled from repeated sweeps of his fingers throughout the morning. “You may sit, if you like,” he offered, closing the door behind Kaori, giving no hesitation in fastening the lock. Kaori glanced at the latch, suddenly uncomfortable at being so closed off from the rest of the house, secured in this room with no one but Therek.