The Consort

by K. A. Linde

  Cyrene frowned. “Like Serafina.”

  “It wouldn’t have made sense for her to keep magic out of Byern, but she was capable enough,” Vera agreed.

  “But she was already dead when it went up,” Matilde said bitterly.

  The lone wolves came back at dawn on the seventh day. Cyrene watched from beside Ceffy as a motley mix of bone-thin boys trickled into the village. She couldn’t believe that these half-starved feral creatures were the boys who had laughed and danced a week before or that they were now men in their village.

  The whole village had turned out at first light to await their return. Ahlvie had said there was always one boy every year who would not return. It was worse in years when a sudden snowfall had hit. The result of so many people being up at this hour meant that Cyrene’s departure would also have a large farewell.

  After getting the protective barrier up around the village, they had acquired the necessary supplies and decided to head out as soon as possible. Ahlvie was saying heartfelt good-byes to his mother, uncle, and grandmother. Aubron was hanging back, but she could see the fear on his face.

  “Are you going to go without saying good-bye to your big brother?” Reeve asked. “Again?”

  Cyrene laughed softly. She’d never had an opportunity to leave a place before without running like the wind. Good-byes felt so final. She wasn’t ready for good-bye. “How about, until I see you again?”

  “I like that better.”

  Reeve tugged her forward into a hug. “I’m staying here with Aubron for now. Avniella said I was more than welcome to stay.”

  “Good,” Cyrene said, fighting back tears.

  “I’m going to try to get information about Elea. Ahlvie said that he could get me in touch with his network contact. Aubron and I might be doing some work for them to keep Fen better prepared for what’s to come.”

  Cyrene stepped back and admired her brother. “You’re pretty amazing. You know that, right?”

  “Of course!” he said with an arrogant grin. “I’m a Strohm. Just like you.”

  “That’s right. Of course.”

  “Try to stay out of trouble.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  Reeve kissed her forehead and quickly released her. She could see the tears in his eyes as he darted over to where Aubron was standing and pulled him into a kiss.

  Cyrene breathed in the cold front that had rolled in the night before. She tugged her cloak tighter around her and pulled on the gloves that Mana had given her. She was going to need them to cross through the mountains.

  Another boy was coming down the mountain face. He had blood all over his chest and held a bloody arrow in his hand but no book. Cyrene shivered and didn’t want to know what had happened in those woods.

  “Cyrene?”

  She jumped and turned around to see Dean standing behind her. “Yes?”

  “Could we talk privately?”

  “Yes. We probably should.”

  She handed off Ceffy’s reins to Orden, who nodded at her. She thanked him and then followed Dean away from the large crowd of people. They tucked away into the patio of the local smithy where some of the warmth from the fire drifted out toward them.

  Cyrene looked up into Dean’s handsome face and saw a different man than the one she had fallen in love with back in Eleysia all those months before. She wondered how changed she must appear to him. Two dreamers hardened by adversity and death. It was enough to make anyone break.

  “I understand why you hate me,” Dean said as way of an introduction.

  “I don’t hate you.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “I would hate me if I were you.”

  Cyrene sighed and leaned back against the wooden cabin. “Hate is such a strong word. Am I upset that you believed I could have had some role in what happened to your parents? Yes. Am I furious that you drugged me, no matter the reason? Yes. Am I angry that you handed me over to Kael after the last time you saw him when he tried to kill you? Yes. Can I forgive those things? Maybe eventually.”

  “I’ll take maybe,” Dean said. He ran a hand back through his sandy hair. “I wish I had a miracle fix for why I did all those things. But the truth is, I don’t. I was in shock about my parents. I didn’t think that you could have been a part of it, but the way the evidence was portrayed, it was hard not to wonder. But I still loved you, and I wanted you out of the way so that Brigette wouldn’t think about putting your head up next. It might have been ill-advised.”

  Cyrene raised her eyebrows.

  “Okay, it was very stupid, how everything was handled.”

  “It was.”

  “Yeah. So, I wanted to clear the air with you. I made mistakes. I acted rashly to keep you alive. But I have always loved you.” His eyes found hers again before adding, “I will always love you.”

  “Dean,” she whispered, glancing away from him, “I can’t…do that right now.”

  “I know. I don’t expect an answer or anything, but I wanted to let you know before I leave today.”

  “Before you leave? You mean, before we all leave?”

  Dean shook his head. “I’m not going with you. What I saw in that Mirror.” He shuddered. “No, I have to go back to Eleysia.”

  Cyrene opened her mouth and then closed it. Of course he had to go back home. Of course he did. That made perfect sense. Why had I thought otherwise? Why had I hoped otherwise?

  “I’m surprised you stayed for as long as you did.”

  “I wanted to make amends, and I needed to make sure that you were all right.”

  “I am,” she said. “Or I will be.”

  “Now, I have to take care of my own family. Look through the wreckage,” he said softly. “Try to put the pieces back together.”

  “I think that’s smart,” she said, her throat tight.

  “I’ll regret this moment every day if I don’t do this.”

  “Do what?” she asked, scrunching her brows together.

  Then, his hands cupped her face, and his lips pressed against hers. For a second, she thought about pulling away and telling him no. But the truth was…she didn’t want to say good-bye.

  She opened her mouth to him and let every pent-up emotion crash down all around them. She had loved him so fiercely once, back when they were different people. Now, she didn’t know where they stood or where their lives were taking them. Only that, tomorrow, he would be gone, and she might never see him again.

  He pulled away too soon and then kissed her nose. “I’ll miss you every day.”

  Her throat constricted, and she nodded.

  “I’m still going to make this right,” he promised. “I’ll be the man you deserve.”

  Cyrene laughed softly at that. “Don’t say good-bye.”

  “Never,” he agreed. “I will always find you.”

  Then, he kissed her lips once more and left. She watched him walk away, back to his horse, with her head held high. She blinked away the tears that had gathered in her lashes.

  His future was uncertain. Hers even more so.

  But, at least this time, they’d had a proper farewell.

  A proper farewell with everyone.

  With Reeve and Aubron staying and Dean leaving, that dropped their numbers back down to her original five. It was probably better to try to move through the pass with fewer people, but it didn’t make it any easier.

  Cyrene swiped at her lashes and then headed back to collect Ceffy. She could see Avoca huddled up with Ceis’f in the distance. She wondered if they would add him to their party or if it would be another strained farewell.

  Cyrene heard weeping in the distance and saw a mother with a boy who was holding out a book to her. She broke down further into sobs when she took it into her arms and clutched it to her chest. She called out his name with a shrill keen.

  “Her son didn’t make it home,” Cal said, appearing at Cyrene’s side.

  “That’s awful.”

  “Were you going to leave without saying good-bye to m
e?” Cal asked. Her usually bright eyes were sad, as if she couldn’t fathom that all of her new friends were disappearing.

  “Of course not. I wanted to save the best for last.”

  Cal flashed her a quick smile. “Nana says that she’s going to train me in magic.”

  “That’s wonderful!”

  “But they still don’t want me in pants.” Cal plucked at the cotton dress she was wearing.

  Cyrene thought it looked nice but understood that her pants and shirt fit her more.

  “And they won’t let me train to fight.”

  “My brother is staying in town. Reeve is Aubron’s boyfriend. He’s a very skilled fighter, and he has no reservations about training a girl. I had no interest, but he taught other girls how to fight. It’s quite common in the capital.”

  “You think he’ll train me?” she gushed.

  “I think that I’ll beat him up if he doesn’t.”

  Cal threw her arms around Cyrene. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!”

  Cyrene laughed. Creator, she was going to miss Cal. “You’ve earned it. Stay strong. Don’t lose any of this fire.”

  Cal nodded. “Thank you for believing in me.”

  “You made it easy.”

  “Come back to Fen, okay? I want to hear about these dragons.”

  Cyrene’s mouth dropped open. “How did you hear about that?”

  Cal’s cheeks colored. “Did I mention, eavesdropping is my specialty?”

  “And sneaking out?”

  “Well, yeah,” she said with a shrug. “Creator, I would kill to see a dragon!”

  “Try to keep that under wraps, okay? We don’t want you killing anyone or for anyone to know about the dragons.”

  Cal laughed. “Got it. No killing. No dragons.”

  Cyrene smiled and pulled her into a hug one more time. Then, when she released her, Cal frowned before darting back to her mother and nana.

  By then, Avoca was striding back toward her with purpose, and it seemed everyone else had wrapped up their good-byes. Avoca hopped onto her horse’s back and nudged over to Cyrene.

  “Everything go okay?” Cyrene asked.

  Avoca sighed. “He is as stubborn as ever.”

  “So, he’s staying here?”

  “Yes. Though I don’t know what good it will do him.”

  Cyrene put her foot in the stirrup and hoisted herself into her saddle. “I’m sure it must be hard, being around you and Ahlvie.”

  Avoca nodded and glanced back at Ceis’f, who was still standing at the tree line. “Yes, I believe it must be. I’ve asked him to watch the village though. I like it here too much to see something go wrong.”

  “And he agreed to do it?”

  “He didn’t want to, but he will for me. Not for them.”

  “I see.”

  “He thinks we’re foolish to seek out the dragons,” Avoca said. Her eyes were shining with questions.

  “He thinks we’re foolish, no matter what we do.”

  “Yes, but what if he’s right? If dragons have not been in Emporia for two thousand years, don’t you think we’re tempting fate?”

  “Yes. I think that’s the point.” Cyrene reached out for her hand. “No matter what Ceis’f believes, I believe our mission is Creator-blessed. You should, too.”

  “You’re right. I’m ready to get back to the mission,” Avoca said.

  Cyrene noticed when she glanced off into Ceis’f’s direction one more time.

  “He’ll be okay.”

  Avoca shook her head. “I’m not so sure about that.”

  “Come, you two,” Matilde called. “Time to depart.”

  They waved good-bye to the village that had saved them. Cyrene didn’t know what would have happened to her if they hadn’t ended up here. But she was glad that they at least had been able to save Fen some strife.

  They filed into a line, double abreast. Ahlvie and Orden took the lead with Matilde and Vera following behind them. Cyrene and Avoca took up the rear and tried not to look back at the ease that life could have been.

  Rhea hadn’t wept.

  She refused to let tears fall from her eyes. Though, sometimes, she wanted to. She wanted to break down and pretend that she had stayed the person who enjoyed her work with Master Caro Barca. Who didn’t venture beyond the work he had given her. It had been a simple life. An interesting life. One she could be proud of.

  Not a murderer.

  Not a destroyer.

  Not a city killer.

  None of those atrocities that were tattooed on her heart. That woke her up, screaming in the night…on the nights she could sleep at all.

  She had given the king and prince everything they had asked for in the end. It had barely taken any pressure. She was ashamed that she hadn’t been able to withstand even the slightest amount of torture.

  At least she hadn’t known enough about Cyrene’s plan to give her away. Thankfully, Prince Kael had seemed less interested in Cyrene, and since he was the one with the fireballs, she’d appreciated it. He’d already known enough about her work, but he had asked her every last detail about the bombs. And she had given it up. It had been easier than talking about Cyrene.

  Then, the news had trickled in.

  The capital city of Eleysia was gone. Burned and bombed to the ground.

  Her work. Everything she had done to get her bombs working had resulted in this.

  She should have listened to Master Barca. He had told her that he had no interest in militarizing his Bursts or in figuring out how to harness their blast potential. But she had been determined. Now, people were dead.

  Just because you could do something didn’t mean that you should do it.

  Rhea had taken to making laps in her small cell. Food only came twice a day, and what little news she could acquire from the guards gossiping was more depressing than anything. It wasn’t as if they were going to strike up a conversation with her.

  Elea had already been gone when Rhea returned from her horrible torture session, and despite the constant gossip, she hadn’t heard a peep about her. It was as worrisome as the bombings.

  And lonely.

  Being alone in a dark dungeon for more than two months was hard. She couldn’t deny it. The walls had started to close in. The food was stale. She found that she’d started to talk to herself. She would do anything for a book at this point. But nothing changed, and she was still all alone.

  She hated the fact that she looked forward to when her food showed up. At least a real person delivered it. And that time was roughly now.

  Rhea straightened and tried to look presentable even though she knew that it didn’t matter. A lantern appeared at the end of the hallway, and her heart skipped a beat in excitement. The best part of her day.

  But the face that appeared before her was not one of the rotating guards who brought her a tray of food. It was Master Caro Barca!

  “Master Barca!” she gasped. “What are you doing down here?”

  “I’ve come to get you out, girl.” He slid a key into the slot and turned it.

  “How are you doing this?”

  “Doesn’t matter. What matters is that I won’t have them keeping you locked up. It’s bad enough that they used my Bursts to hurt Eleysia. I won’t let them take this beautiful brain and destroy it down here. Come, come,” he said, prying the door open.

  Rhea fell into his arms. “Thank you.”

  Then, they were both hurrying down the hall. She gasped when she saw a guard on duty and stalled her steps. They would be caught.

  “Come now,” Master Barca said.

  The guard turned around, and Rhea gasped.

  “Eren?”

  The High Order she had fallen head over heels for stared back at her with a rare smile. She had no idea what he was doing here. He had ended their relationship. Or what little relationship they’d had. He followed the rules. He was a thoroughbred High Order who was close friends with the king. None of this made sense.

  “Rh
ea,” Eren said, grasping her hand, “it’s so good to see you.”

  “You, too.” She blinked back the tears she had been avoiding since being imprisoned.

  “The hall is still clear,” Eren announced. “We must move quickly.”

  Instead of turning left, back toward the main part of the castle, Eren veered right and headed deeper into the underground part of the castle. She and Master Barca hurried behind him. She didn’t ask questions about where they were going. All she cared about was that she was out of that wretched prison cell.

  Byern was not the city that she had known and loved while growing up. Something dark and sinister had taken root in the castle. It was ebbing through the walls and destroying the place she had once adored.

  Eren opened up a door and ushered them inside. They hurried down a staircase and then down a long corridor before taking another staircase up a steep incline. Rhea was breathing heavily by the time they reached the top of the stairs. Eren pushed open a door, and Rhea realized that they were in the stables.

  It was dark outside already, as the sun had been setting earlier and earlier during the day. Eren had two horses prepared and waiting for them. He threw a traveling cloak over her head to conceal her and then helped her onto the first horse. Master Barca took the second, and then Eren took the seat behind her. It would have been better to have three horses, but it was less conspicuous to have two. She wasn’t going to complain when Eren pressed his chest into her back and heeled the horse out of the stables.

  The guard at the gate waved them through without ever glancing up into her face. She breathed a sigh of relief as they trotted down the hill that led into the city. Eren took a roundabout way before Master Barca took over and directed them down a side alley. They stabled their horses behind a ramshackle building that Rhea would never have looked at twice.

  Rhea had been utterly silent the entire ride. She was too afraid, her heart pitter-pattering in her chest. This felt like a dream.

  How many times did I imagine that I would be swept out of the castle and off my feet? How often did I envision myself having the strength that Cyrene had and refusing to be locked up?

  “Where…where are we?” she asked. “And how is this possible?”