Aerenden: The Zeiihbu Master (Ærenden)

by Kristen Taber

  “That the gorge eats magic,” Faillen answered.

  “I highly doubt you look sick from something we already know,” Cal responded. “What else?”

  Faillen hesitated. “I think maybe we should get Artair and Élana before we discuss it.”

  “I sent Artair home,” Cal told him. “And Élana isn't part of the rescue mission.”

  “Artair didn't go home. He went into the camp to see if he could find a Healer.”

  “Stop stalling.”

  Faillen folded the paper in half. “You're going to overreact.”

  “Faillen!”

  Faillen puffed out a short breath, but gave in. “We have a traitor in the party. There are more details in the note, but—”

  “I knew it,” Cal muttered, rage turning his face red again. Before Faillen and Meaghan could react, Cal ran across the field toward the tent village, his long legs vaulting him faster than Meaghan's best speed. Even though she knew she could not catch him, she tore after him, hoping to outmaneuver him in the maze of tents. They never made it that far. Élana and Artair were already making their way across the field. Artair never got the chance to react before Cal tackled him, driving him to the ground with the force of a stampeding bull.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  IT TOOK both Faillen and Élana to drag Cal away from Artair. They deposited him on the ground several yards away, and then Faillen blocked him when he attempted to dive toward the young Guardian again.

  “Don't you dare,” Faillen barked. “I won't allow you to hurt him.”

  “He's a traitor,” Cal said. “He's Garon all over again.”

  “I'm not,” Artair protested. His voice came out weak, but he managed to struggle up to sitting. He lifted his injured hand, now bandaged and splinted, to the back of his head and winced. Fresh blood coated his fingers when he lowered them. “This is not a good night for injuries.”

  Meaghan glared at Cal. “You're an idiot. How do you expect him to protect anyone with a broken hand and a cracked skull?”

  “He deserves a lot more than that,” Cal shot back. “Not that I expect you to realize it. You're so taken by him that you'd defend him to your death.”

  “Damn it, Cal. We're not in love with each other.”

  “Don't lie to me. I saw you together. I know better. You've fallen for his tricks just like your mother fell for Garon's.”

  Meaghan opened her mouth, then closed it again, unable to find words to speak. Had her mother been in love with Garon?

  “I guess you haven't seen that in your book yet,” Cal said. “Your mother and Garon had a relationship before she finally decided to love your father.”

  “What on Earth are you talking about?” Meaghan finally managed past her dry throat. “What happened between them?”

  “I don't know everything, but I saw enough. I walked in on your mother and Garon kissing a few weeks after her wedding. She begged me not to tell anyone. I didn't, but if I had, maybe this war could have been avoided. Maybe Ed would still be alive.”

  “That's not what happened,” Élana said.

  Cal turned on her. “What do you know? You weren't there.”

  Élana held his gaze and waited for the reality of her Historian power to dawn on him. “I didn't put what happened between Garon and Adelina in the book because I didn't want Meaghan to think her mother was the cause of this war. She and Garon didn't have the relationship you think.”

  “You mean Cal got that one wrong too?” Artair remarked.

  “Quiet,” Cal snapped, then turned back to Élana. “I know what I saw.”

  “You saw the end of what happened. I saw all of it. Adelina and Garon dated some before her wedding, but she wasn't in love with him. Garon may have been in love with her, but his goal has always been the throne. He may have been able to convince her to love him in time, and their powers may have combined, but he never got the chance to make that happen after Ed came along.”

  “Yet she and Garon were kissing after the wedding,” Cal pointed out.

  “He kissed her,” Élana told him. “Against her permission. She made it clear she would remove him from his duties if he ever did it again. Ed also made his feelings known to Garon, after Adelina told him about it.”

  “Ed knew? Why didn't he tell me?”

  “He didn't know you well enough when it happened, and by the time you did know him better, he no longer spoke of it. His distrust of Garon stayed in place, though. It's why he never mentioned me to anyone other than Adelina.”

  Cal nodded. “Makes sense, I guess. I just wish Adelina had told me what had happened. It was some time before I trusted her again.”

  “Understandably so,” Élana responded. “Ed always told me her kindness was one of his favorite things. It was a wonderful trait, but unfortunately, it prevented her from seeing Garon as a threat. She thought her wedding had hurt him, and she gave him a second chance because of that. It left him the access he needed to remove her and Ed from the throne after his back-up plan was put in place.”

  “The Mardróch,” Artair guessed. “So you're saying if she'd fallen in love with him, he wouldn't have created them?”

  “Not necessarily,” Élana responded. “From what I've seen, he was working on creating the Mardróch at least a year before Adelina and Ed's wedding. I think he would have betrayed her even if she had fallen for him.”

  “But that's the past,” Meaghan said. “It doesn't change the fact Cal accused me of hurting Nick in the same way he thought my mother had hurt my father. And it doesn't change the fact he still thinks Artair is the traitor.”

  “No, it doesn't,” Cal said.

  “I can't prove I don't love Artair, but I can assure you I wouldn't hurt Nick in that way. Please trust me.”

  “And if I don't?”

  “Then I can prove I don't love Meaghan,” Artair said. He struggled to his feet, swayed a little, and then stood strong. “I'm wed to Talea. You can confirm that with her when we get back.”

  Cal stared at him, his eyes wide, but the next question came from Faillen.

  “When did that happen?”

  “A few nights ago. I would have told everyone, but Talea was afraid Cal would be upset.”

  “Why would she think that?” Cal asked.

  The hurt in his voice surprised Meaghan and she frowned at it. “Because you hate Artair,” she answered. “Because this isn't the first time you've accused him of being a traitor, despite everything he's done to try to prove otherwise.”

  “Oh.” Cal scrubbed a hand through his beard. “You really aren't in love then?”

  “Would Talea's and my powers have wed us if I was?” Artair asked.

  “I suppose not.” Cal dropped his hand. “I guess the past isn't as much in the past as it should be for me. I thought I'd failed to protect Ed by protecting Adelina's secret, and the way you've been acting made me think,” he hesitated. “Well, it made me think what I did.”

  “You want to protect Meaghan,” Artair said. “I get that, but I'm not your enemy. I'm here because I want the same thing. We all do.”

  “Not everyone does,” Faillen corrected. “Someone's planning on killing her and we need to figure out who it is.”

  “Any suggestions on where to start?” Cal asked.

  “By ruling out everyone here. Can you prove you're not the traitor?”

  Cal raised an eyebrow. “I should think my loyalties wouldn't come into question, although I'll admit I've considered killing her at least a dozen times since we met. If it was in my nature, she'd be dead by now. I've had ample opportunity.”

  Despite the sobriety of the situation, Faillen offered Cal a lopsided smile. “That's proof enough for me.” He turned to Artair. “What about you?”

  “I'm not sure how to prove it,” he responded. “But I've been alone with her plenty of times, if that helps.”

  “It doesn't,” Faillen told him. “Every time you've been alone with her, you weren't far from camp. She could have defended herse
lf easily enough, and had help in time to ensure you couldn't have gotten the job done.”

  “True,” Artair conceded. “But not earlier tonight. She was far enough away so you couldn't have helped in time, and she wasn't using her power. I followed her for a while without her realizing I was there. I could easily have killed her then.”

  “You did what?” Cal demanded of Meaghan. “Are you crazy?”

  “She won't do it again,” Faillen told him. “Artair made her promise, and he gave her a speech that would have made you proud. I think that's good enough for me.”

  “Me too,” Cal agreed, though he shot Meaghan a warning look that told her he would be giving his own speech when he had the chance. “So that leaves you, Faillen. How are you going to prove yourself?”

  “With Nick's words,” Faillen answered and held up the paper. “He said the traitor's a Guardian. It seems there's a secret group of Guardians called the Shadow Guard whose goal was to prevent Meaghan from being born. Since they failed in that, they now aim to correct their mistake.”

  “That doesn't make any sense,” Artair said. “Why would a special Guardian force be formed to stop one woman?”

  “It seems there's a prophecy directing them to stop her or she'll destroy Ærenden.”

  “Another prophecy?” Meaghan asked. “It seems to line up with the others, doesn't it?”

  “Hardly. Nick said the Shadow Guard member he spoke with was dying from poisoning and didn't make much sense. The Elders have scoured known prophecies and haven't found anything. It's possible the group was misguided from the beginning, or its message has been warped over time.”

  “Right,” Meaghan said and closed her eyes. Her head screamed in pain. She pressed her fingers against her skull and felt the sharp bite of her fingernails against her skin, but did not ease the pressure until she felt an arm slip around her shoulders.

  “Vivian protected you,” Cal's voice came soft at her ear. “She lived with you for years, through every emotional moment, every sick day, every family memory. She raised you as her own daughter. There's no way she could have been in close contact with you for that long without seeing your future. She would have known if you were meant to destroy Ærenden, and no matter how much she loved you, she wouldn't have allowed that to happen. This Shadow Guard, whatever it is, is wrong. Do you understand?”

  Meaghan nodded. Cal tightened his grip and then pulled her against him, bringing his other arm around her. She gave in to his warmth, and to the protection his body provided. Turning her head, she listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, and heard the rumbling of his next question in his chest.

  “What else did Nick say? Maybe there's a clue in his letter you're not aware he gave us.”

  “There isn't much else. He said the Shadow Guard member killed some other Guardians because they caught him talking to the traitor on a commcrystal.”

  “A commcrystal?” Artair asked, and the panic in his voice made Meaghan lift her head. His face looked as white as a starched sheet. “Are you certain?”

  “That's what he said,” Cal responded. “What do you know?”

  “We only have one commcrystal, right?” Artair asked. “And you gave it to Talis?”

  “I did. Did you see him using it?”

  “No, not him, but,” Artair hesitated. “I don't want to accuse anyone, especially someone you care about.”

  “There's no time for that. If I find out someone I'm close to is trying to hurt Meaghan, I won't care for them much longer.”

  Artair nodded. “You didn't give the commcrystal to anyone else during our mission did you?”

  “No,” Cal responded. “Out with it. Give me a name.”

  “Eudor,” Artair said. “I only saw him with it once. He told me he was relaying a message for you. I didn't have any reason to doubt him, so I didn't question it, but if he's in the Shadow Guard, Malaki probably is too.”

  Meaghan's body went numb with the thought. “That can't be,” she whispered. “I didn't sense anything bad from them. They couldn't—”

  “We can't be certain of that,” Cal told her. His eyes trailed to Faillen. “But we also can't be certain it's Eudor. I've known him a long time and I wouldn't think him capable. Besides, if he was the traitor, why didn't he kill Artair?”

  “Because he didn't have access to Meaghan yet,” Faillen said. “Removing one of her Guardians wouldn't be enough.”

  “But more than one might be,” Cal said and his face paled. “And now that we're split up,” he stopped talking. His grip tightened on Meaghan's shoulders. No one dared finish his sentence, but they all knew.

  Now that they had split up, Eudor had the perfect opportunity to eliminate Talea and Talis.

  §

  THEY SPED down the mountain, ignoring the pain tearing through their muscles and the agony of their lungs as they forced air in and out of them at a torturous speed. Meaghan and Cal led the charge, both holding their hands in front of them to broadcast the light spell.

  Several times, Meaghan lost her concentration as she dodged logs and roots in her path. Each time, she recited the spell again and her ray of light rejoined with Cal's so that the night illuminated in front of them.

  No one had spoken since they made the decision to try to reach Talea and Talis tonight. They did not know what would greet them when they arrived in Élana's village. Everyone could be fine if Eudor continued to play his part of innocence. Or everyone could be dead, slaughtered by a trusted friend. Élana's husband and children were no safer than Talea and Talis. Talis still recovered at her house, which meant Eudor had to get to him somehow. Killing her family would be a lot easier than figuring out a way to sneak past them.

  Meaghan's ray failed her again. She cursed. Her breath came short as she recited the spell once more. “Into the darkness, shed a light.” Her power surged into her hands, warming them. “A ray to shine me through the night.” She choked on a breath. The warmth in her hands faded and she pushed to continue before she lost control over the spell. “A wish I gather, I command,” she wheezed, “as power descends from these hands.”

  A ray of light shot from her hands, highlighting the seemingly endless rows of trees in front of them at the same moment Cal's light failed. His breath came too labored, too sharp to recite the spell again, so she spread her hands, surging more power into the spell to try to compensate for his missing light.

  It did not provide as much light as the combination of both of their rays, but it helped enough so they could see the dangers that reached up from the ground, or dropped from above in the form of vines or branches.

  She kept her empath power heightened, searching for any sign of danger or the putrid smell of Mardróch. They needed the light in order to travel while the sun still slept, but it also gave their location away. If Garon's minions were around, they would be able to see their prey from miles away as easily as a ship in the ocean could see a lighthouse.

  When the sun rose, she let the spell dissolve. They pushed forward, their drive born of habit now instead of will. Even Artair had managed to keep pace with everyone. He had stopped bleeding, but she had no doubt Cal had given him a concussion, and the bandage had long since loosened on his hand. Yet he kept his head lifted as they continued pushing forward.

  Though she tried to keep from sensing him, she knew panic drove him. Losing Talea would be far more painful than anything he endured now.

  Early morning stretched before them by the time they reached the entrance to the gorge at the base of the mountain. They were beginning to slow from an exhaustion they could no longer ignore. Cal handed them each a few muddleberries that he fished from his pockets. Meaghan popped them into her mouth without examining them, and swallowed quickly when she thought she detected the texture of lint on their skins.

  A surge of energy came almost immediately, and by mid-morning, they burst through the front door of Élana's house.

  “Darvin?” Élana cried out. “Mycale?”

  No answer gree
ted her.

  “Arland?” she tried again.

  Still no response came and Meaghan's heart sank. She charged down the hallway, following the mix of emotions she sensed from the healing room. Pain, fear, panic, confusion, and sorrow swirled within her head, and she muted her power before it could overwhelm her. When she reached the end of the hallway, Cal blocked her from entering the room, but he could not protect her from what she saw.

  Blood collected into pools on the floor and sprayed the walls with a mix of fine mist and heavy drops. There was more of it than she had ever seen before. Some of it had dried to near black. Some remained bright red and fresh. It stained everything it touched, turning light yellow oak to sick-orange and white trim into deep pink.

  Cal pushed her behind him. She grabbed his arm, expecting to see Eudor advancing on them, but saw Arland instead. Sobbing, he ran past and fell into his mother's arms. Meaghan heard voices and turned to look in the direction of the cots, though her head felt heavy and her eyes did not seem to comprehend the scene greeting her. It seemed more like a movie than real life. The voices had come from Mycale and Darvin. They directed each other as they worked on healing someone who lay between them on one of the cots. The scene looked familiar to Meaghan and she struggled not to remember a time when May and Neiszhe had worked together in a similar way.

  Mycale and Darvin had covered their patient with a blanket and Meaghan could not make out who lay beneath it, but she knew it was not Eudor. She saw him on the floor by the cots, his face streaked in blood. Rivers of it had dried where it had exited his eyes, his nose, and his mouth. Talea had killed him.

  Meghan's eyes drew from Eudor's body to his son. Malaki sat on the edge of a cot, looking as shocked as she felt. He stared at the only patch of floor untouched by blood, but she doubted he realized it. His eyes appeared distant, unseeing.

  Which meant the person Darvin and his son tried frantically to save had to be Talea or Talis. She found neither of them and a cold fear strangled her.

  Artair forced past Meaghan and raced across the room, his feet trailing malformed bloody footprints behind him. Meaghan grabbed the doorway. She felt dizzy. She felt lost. Then she felt relief when Artair knelt beside the cot. Mycale moved and Meaghan caught her first glimpse of Talea sitting on the floor. She turned her tears into Artair's chest when he took her into his arms.