by E A Hooper
“That’s only more of a reason to not push the Ninnan to join them. Keep in mind, the Ninnan Clan have old alliances with the Okamros. You could make an alliance through them.”
“Vassal Maltan withdrew the Okamros from their alliance with the Ninnan when their territory became part of Kingsland.”
“But members of the Okamros and Ninnan are still close to one another,” the advisor said. “Some of the Ninnan factions that were less loyal to Eldsworth have reached out to them. All they want is to be left alone and maybe have some of their farms returned. This would be a good way to win over the people of this domain, my vassal.”
“Kind of a poor business deal if you ask me,” Grenfei grumbled. “Makes me look weak. Goes against what Radu asked. We’d lose some of the best farmland in this territory. And that’s after Radu already made us give up a lot of forest area for Pyre’s strangemen sanctuaries.” Grenfei thought for a few seconds and then sighed. “However, this isn’t about business, is it? It’s about leadership. It’s about the future of the Twin Kingdoms.”
“That’s right,” the advisor replied.
“Fine, let’s send letters to Vassal Maltan and the leaders of the various Ninnan factions. I’ll just crush whichever factions don’t agree. That’ll be good enough for Radu and still make me look like a strong leader. However, the Ninnan must agree to abandon any territory that’s part of the strangemen sanctuaries.”
Grenfei sighed. Can’t wait for all these stupid meetings to end. I haven’t gotten to host any arena fights since my first week here. I’ve barely gotten any sparring done either. What’s the point of being in charge if you never get to enjoy yourself? At least I’ll get a little break in a few weeks when I go to Lullum and Radu’s wedding.
***
Radu tapped his fingers on the table as he listened to yet another letter from the Western forces. “So,” he said after the courier finished reading the letter. “They want me to use my power to break into Skyspire Castle to rescue Yarlow’s relatives? Assuming they’re still alive.”
“That’s right,” the courier replied. “They’ll reward you handsomely. Not to mention, you did agree to an alliance with them.”
“The only problem is that the Islanders know about me and my abilities. If Yarlow’s nieces and nephews are alive, which I doubt, then they’ll have them chained so I can’t break them out. They likely keep guardsmen to watch their leaders while they sleep too. My spies in the Eastern Republic tell me that their lords do so because they fear retaliation from me. They even keep Queen Zelbith chained at all times, so I can’t rescue her.”
“We really should do something, though,” Lullum said. “I’d hate for something to happen to Thod’s children. Do we have any spies in Direlight?”
“We did,” Radu said, “but the Islanders outed most of them. Not to mention, they’re restricting travel in and out of Direlight. Last I heard, my spies had no idea if those children were still alive. If the Islanders didn’t kill them, then they might’ve taken them to Shar’del.”
“Why would they do that?” Lullum wondered.
“Same reason Reaper was gathering greatborn,” he said. “To marry them to his children, so his descendants would have more power. At least one of my spies to the northeast discovered that Islanders were gathering more information about the whereabouts of greatborn. They even captured some of Embry’s children and took them to Shar’del.”
“So, there’s nothing we can do to help them?” Lullum asked.
“We can only prepare for the future,” Radu replied. “The Islanders don’t care about starting another war so soon. They’ve even given up several major cities to Yarlow’s forces without a fight. They’re just planning for the Feyan invasion. They’re making schemes for a future war—just like my father did. Just as we should be doing.”
“Excuse me,” the courier said, “but Yarlow also wanted to know if you or your brother ever found Lilan.”
“We didn’t,” Radu said. “My brother Tachios found information he shared with Roz and Myamere. Did you ever hear back from them?”
The courier gaped at him. “We didn’t even know they were searching for her. Last we heard, they disappeared after Roz recovered from her injuries.”
Radu smiled. Good. If they found Valx’s child, I hope they stay hidden. Every side thinks that if they get their hands on that child, they’ll hold the future of Ter’al in their hands. Even I’ve thought about it. It’s honestly better if that child gets a chance to grow up in a normal life. It’s what Valx would’ve wanted.
***
Orphilm only halfway paid attention to the meeting as a servant pushed him on a cart down the halls of the refurbished temple. In a way, the temple served as Radu’s castle, but the ruler had allowed Orphilm to decorate it as he pleased.
“Put that painting here,” he told the servants as they carried paintings and drapery. “Oh, and let’s get new curtains for that window.”
He paused, hearing a splash from one of the underground lakes. Strangemen?
Orphilm listened as they pulled something out of the water. He could hear them clawing open the barrel that Radu had asked his men to drop into the water earlier that day.
“Master Orphilm?” the servant questioned.
“Oh, I was listening to the strangemen again,” he said. “They found another crate.” He listened to them share and eat the food within it, and a little smile crossed the young man’s face.
“You’re welcome,” he told the strangemen, using his power to project his voice underground.
“Th-th-ank,” he heard a voice reply. “Y-y-ou.”
***
Pyre stared from the balcony of his bedroom in Castle Titanweir. His eyes fixated on the crystalline crater at the edge of the city. He found himself staring at the crater often and even visiting it to talk to Valx. Sometimes, he felt anger toward his old friend. Sometimes, he felt sad at the path Valx had followed. Other times, he just wanted to talk about the old days.
“Staring at the crater again?” Aque asked from the bed.
“I’m just thinking,” Pyre replied.
“About what?”
“Old times.”
She smiled at him. “Well, the maids have taken Jace for the night. Are you going to join me in bed?”
Pyre could already see her removing her nightgown from underneath the blankets.
“Just a minute,” he said, grinning.
He turned back to the balcony and noticed the letter he’d left on a table. The letter from his brother, inviting Pyre to his wedding. He looked at the letter and smiled. I guess I’ll never go back to my old life, but that’s alright. Just take good care of my brother for me, Lullum.
***
Lady Anabella meditated, watching Varsith with her power. After her husband’s passing, she’d done everything she could to help Pyre become the new king of Reaper’s domain. Reaper’s other surviving wives, especially Thelmia, had looked to her for guidance in the last year. They had come to realize Reaper wasn’t quite the man they’d all thought, but it had still been difficult to move on without him. Most focused on their children, hoping they could grow up to be happier without Reaper’s influence over them.
A knock sounded on the door, and Anabella opened her eyes. “Come in,” she said.
Chancellor Helmor opened the door and entered. “Lady Anabella,” he said with a bow. “I know you don’t like to be bothered while you watch the city, but Thelmia wanted me to ask if you’d like to have tea with her and Bels in the garden before they go to bed.”
Anabella smiled. “Of course. I’ve seen no crime in weeks anyways.”
She stood and approached the door.
Helmor held the door open for her. “May I ask you one question?” he said as she passed.
“What’s that?”
“Now that it’s been almost a year, how do you think Pyre is doing as king?”
“He’s doing marvelous,” she answered. “He’s the kind of king I used t
o imagine I’d raise. To be honest, I think he’s a kinder ruler than Reaper ever was. He hasn’t been king long, but he truly cares about people. Sometimes even too much. I was skeptical of his strangemen sanctuaries at first, but he made a good point to me that they were the original inhabitants of Ter’al. Our ancestors were the original invaders. It’s only fair we give them their own space to live.”
Helmor nodded. “He’s wise for his age. Maybe wiser than Reaper in some ways.”
“I think so too,” Anabella replied, leaving down the hall.
She soon made her way to the garden where Thelmia and Bels were having tea under the last light of the sunset. She couldn’t help but notice how much healthier Bels looked a year after the peace summit. She had even started smiling more often.
Part of me will always love Reaper, but it’s sad to say that Ter’al might be better without him. At least his children are happier. Well, most of them.
***
Tachios stood at the edge of the crater. The lines of white light allowed him to see the shape of the crater and every crystalline structure within it. He could see the white, ghostly haze over the crater that sometimes seeped into the sky, casting a blue aurora over Varsith on stormy nights. He could see the lines of aura that stretched from Valx’s worldscar, reaching out to people across Ter’al.
The blind, young man found himself returning to the crater often. He could see the invisible lines of power and see that Valx’s will lived on inside the worldscar. Tachios saw those lines of power stretching to all the people that Valx had impacted over his life. Some were weaker and barely visible, but others Tachios could see with ease.
Like pieces of a puzzle, he thought. Bastion could see the strings of fate as they related to the future. My power has grown to where I see them as they relate to the present. I can see all the parts of this grand puzzle in motion.
He reached out, touching the thickest and most visible line. Roz the Red. Have you found her yet?
Tachios glanced at his own aura, finding the thread of fate that tied him to his oldest sister. He watched as the thread between Valx and Roz slowly moved until it followed the same path as the line between Tachios and Lilan. That’s it. After all this time, you’ve found my sister. I know it won’t end well for Lilan, but that child is the key to Ter’al’s future. I’m certain Valx’s oldest friend will protect his child and raise it right.
He watched and waited until his sister’s thread vanished, and then sadness washed over Tachios. Sleep well, dear sister. I’m sorry I wasn’t a better brother to you.
***
“This is for what you did to Mil,” Roz said, plunging the blade into Lilan’s chest.
The Northern woman didn’t even have the strength to fight. When Roz and Myamere had broken into the room, Lilan had told her maids to leave the inn she’d been hiding away at for the last year. Roz had allowed them to retreat, expecting Lilan to fight. However, the woman had simply nodded from her chair, where she looked too weak to move, and closed her eyes.
Lilan didn’t flinch as the blade went through her shriveled, sickly body. She opened her eyes and gazed at the nearby crib. “I love you both,” she muttered as her eyes dimmed.
“Both?” Myamere said, approaching the crib. “Hey, uh, Roz.”
Roz sheathed Cauli’s blade and then approached the crib. She looked down at the two babies, which both had strands of white hairs on their head. “There’s two?”
She grabbed the girl, and Myamere picked up the boy.
“Let’s hurry back to the dragons,” Roz said.
They walked through the inn, passing people with worried eyes. Someone saw one baby’s white hair and muttered to another. By the time the rest of Ter’al knows we were here, we’ll be far away. I wonder how long Lilan was hiding here with only a little money and two maids. Maybe Tachios helped her. He did tip me off that she was somewhere in this city.
They exited the building, and Roz whistled for the dragons that had been circling overhead. Vinefire and Seawing flew down, and the humans climbed onto the dragons.
As Roz climbed onto Vinefire, her eyes locked with a gray-eyed cat on the roof of the inn.
Is that—Shift? But how? How did she find us after all this time?
Roz glanced at Myamere and the sword at his side. His sword! I remember a year ago, he complained about someone swapping out his sword. Shift must’ve shaped her blade as a copy of his. She’s been following us this entire time, knowing I’d never quit until I found Valx’s child.
“Let’s go,” Myamere said.
Roz nodded, and they pulled the reins of the two dragons. The dragons took flight, but Roz kept eye contact with the cat for as long as possible.
Shift will never quit following these children. She’ll be their hidden guardian for the rest of their lives. Maybe she’ll do a better job of protecting them than she did with Valx and Amikah. Maybe she’ll even stand by their side when they unite Ter’al and save it from the Feyans.
Roz looked down at the baby girl in her arms. One day, she’ll hear her father’s story. And much later, these two children will have stories told about them too. Roz took a deep breath. I’ll make sure those stories are good ones.
Author’s Note
I want to thank you for finishing the third Greatborn novel. This concludes the original story I envisioned for Valx some years ago. One day, I might revisit the land of Ter’al with new stories, but for now, I’d like to take a break from this world to explore others I’ve been bouncing around in my head. Be sure to leave a review if you enjoyed the Greatborn series and would like to see more of Ter’al in the future, and once again, thanks for reading.
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