Aerenden: The Zeiihbu Master (Ærenden)

by Kristen Taber

  Meaghan trained her eyes on the cot again, and her relief dissolved as reality caught up to her. Talis was the patient. Talis was the one who remained motionless, noiseless as two talented Healers worked frantically to save him. Talis was the one who gave no emotion when she stretched her power out to him. And Talis was the one who Darvin spoke of when he stood. The Healer's clothes had been soaked in blood, his hands stained by it. He did not seem to notice, but Meaghan did.

  It was all she could focus on when he said the words she did not want to hear, but would never forget.

  “He's gone,” he whispered. He pressed a hand to his mouth, and then dropped it again, leaving a red handprint behind. Fresh tears coursed rivers through it. “I'm so sorry. There's nothing we could do.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  DARVIN BREWED jicab tea on the stove in the kitchen and then filled mugs, lining them across the counter for everyone to drink. Steam rose into the air, lifting an odor all too familiar. Meaghan closed her eyes, trying to ignore it, but the scent did more than remind her of the bitter taste the jicab tea would bring to her tongue. It reminded her of the night Talis had pushed his power too far in an effort to ease her mind about Nick, and of the story he had told about the woman he loved. It did not seem fair. Love had tortured his mind and his heart, driving him into this mission, and now he lay covered in a sheet, surrounded by his blood and the blood of his murderer.

  Élana tried to erase the red with potions and solutions, but Meaghan knew it would remain as a permanent stain in her memory. She heard the water run as Élana filled another bucket, and Meaghan tightened her hands together in front of her, squeezing them until they hurt.

  Someone should be helping Élana. The job had to be daunting and Meaghan knew the steady reminder of death would only weigh on her aunt until her muscles could no longer function from grief. But Meaghan could not find the will to volunteer. She could not speak. She could not move. She could not focus her eyes to see anything more than the blurry outline of a world that now appeared so distant from her. And she could not cry.

  Talea's tears had poured freely, her sobbing turning to wailing when Talis died. Artair had held her, supporting her weight as best he could even though his own grief took the strength from his arms. Then, when exhaustion erased Talea's tears, he had led her upstairs to Mycale's room. Darvin had ordered her to rest and return when she felt better.

  Meaghan would have considered the word laughable if she could feel any emotion at all. She doubted any of them would feel “better” for a long time, least of all the dead man's twin sister.

  After Talea had left, Darvin had taken his sons upstairs, commanding them to rest as he had Talea. Faillen followed, and Meaghan realized he did not want to leave Artair alone with his grief while Talea slept.

  Time slipped by, washing over Meaghan like water. The waves of it beat a steady rhythm against a single question in her mind. Why had she not sensed Eudor's deceit?

  Guilt burrowed through her numbness and she tightened her fingers to the point of pain in an effort to keep them from shaking. It did not work.

  Darvin returned. He had changed into fresh clothes, removing the stark red evidence of the last drops of Talis's life. His white shirt glowed in contrast to the shadows and dark blood remaining in the room. Meaghan's eyes fell to the floor, and then found the sheet covering Talis's body.

  Cement blocks built walls within her. One sat in her throat, filling it with a lump that made it difficult to swallow and impossible to speak. One pressed on her lungs, preventing her from taking anything but shallow breaths. One landed in her stomach, wedging itself in such a way that she felt nauseous. One pounded the back of her eyes, creating a headache more painful than any she had known before. And one encased her heart, slowing its beating.

  Malaki seemed to have become the same cement structure. He sat on the cot, his eyes still locked on the floor, his hands gripped in his lap. His sleeve and the front of his shirt lay in tatters, and through the cloth, she saw gashes in his skin.

  Darvin knelt beside the cot and pressed his hands against Malaki's chest. Malaki tried to push him away, but Darvin held firm.

  “It's time for you to be healed,” he said. “I won't let you refuse again.”

  Malaki closed his eyes and dropped his arms. The healing did not take long, and Meaghan knew Darvin had accelerated it, but even with the pain the healing should have caused, Malaki did not move again or make a sound. When he had finished, Darvin stood and approached Meaghan.

  “Has she said anything?” he asked. “Has she moved at all?”

  “No,” the answer came from beside her and she realized for the first time that Cal stood with her. She could feel the pressure of his arm around her waist, but she found no comfort in it.

  “She's in shock,” Darvin told him. “Will she sleep?”

  “I doubt it.”

  “Then bring her into the living room. We need to get her away from this room.”

  The pressure on her waist shifted, becoming insistent, and she let it guide her down the hallway. She floated, and then she sat on the couch in the front room. Darvin set a fresh mug of tea on the coffee table in front of her.

  “You need to drink it,” he insisted, though the thought of it turned her stomach. She lifted her hand to her mouth, but moved no more.

  “Meaghan,” Cal said, the worry in his voice prompting her to look at him. “Please take the tea.”

  She shook her head. Her eyes misted with the tears she still refused to shed, and he nodded. Somehow, he understood, and when he lifted the mug from the table and handed it back to Darvin, she closed her eyes and sighed in relief.

  “Give her something else,” Cal told the Healer. “It's a long story, but it's reminding her of him. Use pine berry tea if you have it.”

  “That won't work as well.”

  “This won't work at all if she can't drink it.”

  Darvin must have agreed because his footsteps retreated down the hall. Meaghan opened her eyes again when she felt Cal's hand cover hers. She looked at him again.

  He had aged years in minutes. He lifted red-rimmed eyes to hers and she read the grief and guilt in them. He had known Talis longer than anyone but Talea. He had watched Talis grow, bonded with him over similar powers, and helped train him to become a well-respected Guardian.

  And Cal's decision to bring Eudor into this mission had cost Talis his life. He could not have known about Eudor's treachery. No one would have guessed it, but she realized speaking the truth would not ease Cal's mind. He would cling to his guilt for a long time.

  She brought her other hand up to cover his and sat in silence, offering what little comfort and acceptance she could, only letting him go when Darvin brought back the new cup of tea. He handed it to Meaghan and then gave a second mug to Cal.

  “You don't look well either,” Darvin said and Cal nodded, accepting the tea without argument.

  Darvin sat in the chair opposite Meaghan. “How did you know to come back?” he asked. “You must have traveled all night. Did Élana see something in Eudor's past?”

  “No,” Cal answered and set his mug down. He brought his hand to Meaghan's mug, forcing her to lift it. She took the hint and sipped. It tasted of cranberries and honey, with a hint of something close to rosemary and she would have preferred it to the jicab if it had not been too hot. It scalded her tongue, muting the sweet-tart taste of the red liquid, but she continued drinking anyway. It did not take long before she felt its effects. Her fingers and toes tingled and the cloud lifted from her mind. Only then did she realize Malaki had followed them out of the healing room. He stood in the entrance to the hallway, watching them. Cal did not act concerned with the younger man's presence, but he had shifted to the edge of his seat, poised to jump up if needed.

  “Then how did you know to be here?”

  Cal's eyes trailed to Malaki, and Meaghan realized he did not want to share the gildonae's existence in the presence of a potential traitor. “Tell me wh
at happened,” Cal responded instead.

  Darvin pushed forward in his chair and raised an eyebrow at Cal. “Are you sure you want to hear about it?”

  Cal set his mug down on the table. “It's necessary. We need to find out what Eudor did.”

  “So you know already,” Darvin said and sat back in his chair again.

  “That Eudor was a traitor?” Cal asked.

  Darvin nodded, but something in the hard set of his face made Meaghan feel like he meant more. She released her hold on her empath power, focusing it on Darvin. She sensed both guilt and deception from him. She set her mug down next to Cal's.

  “Yes, we found out,” Cal said. “Though I never thought he was capable of it, especially after what Garon did to Alisen. I wish I knew if he had something to do with her death.”

  “He didn't,” Darvin told him. “His treachery had nothing to do with Garon.”

  “How can you be so certain?” Cal asked. “Did he say something about it?”

  “He didn't say much,” Darvin answered and leaned forward to press his elbows into his knees. “It all happened too fast. Malaki and Talea stopped by to visit this morning. The company seemed to be helping Talis feel better, so I invited them all to come whenever they could. Eudor showed up about an hour later. I was helping Arland with his studies, so I told Eudor to head down the hallway. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes after that when I heard the screaming.”

  “Screaming?” Cal asked. “Talis, you mean?”

  “No, Talea. By the time I ran down the hallway, the attack was almost over. Talis had been stabbed. Malaki was fighting his father, trying to prevent him from getting to Talea, and while I watched, well,” he knit his hands together. His knuckles turned as white as his face. “I've never seen anyone with a power like hers before. I'm still not sure what she did, but Eudor started bleeding. From everywhere. His eyes, his nose, even his ears, and then he collapsed.”

  “She killed him,” Malaki whispered from the doorway. Meaghan looked up at him and refocused her power. Everything she sensed from him felt muted, but his strongest emotion came through as disbelief.

  Cal also redirected his attention to Malaki. His eyes narrowed in anger. “She had a right to defend herself.”

  “She,” his voice broke and he passed a hand over his forehead. “Talea saved my life.”

  “Why do I have a hard time believing that?” Cal challenged. “Why do I have a hard time believing you knew nothing about this, that you didn't have a part in it?”

  Malaki shook his head. “I couldn't. I wouldn't.” He drew in a shuddering breath, and closed his eyes, but not before Meaghan saw his tears. “Why would he do this?”

  “You tell us,” Cal responded. “You were his son. You were heir to whatever secrets he held.”

  “I didn't know,” Malaki protested, and Meaghan felt a surge of panic within him, though it soon dissolved into the numbness consuming him.

  “You'll forgive me if I don't take your word for it,” Cal remarked, his tone stiff. He stood, and took a step toward Malaki, but Darvin held up his hand to stop him.

  “Don't jump to conclusions, Cal,” he said. “Malaki's wounds weren't superficial. Eudor could easily have killed him.”

  “Taking wounds like those in the house of a Healer isn't exactly risky,” Cal countered, but sat back down anyway. He glanced at Meaghan. “Can you sense him? Is he telling the truth?”

  She shook her head. “No, but I couldn't sense Eudor. I had no idea he—”

  “You sense emotions,” Darvin interrupted, his voice soft and soothing. “You don't read minds. Eudor may not have felt guilty for what he meant to do. He may have considered himself justified.”

  Meaghan squeezed her eyes shut. If that were true, Eudor would not have felt as if he had anything to hide. Without deceit or shame, her power would be blind. She focused harder on Malaki, determined not to let him fool her in the same way his father had, but discovered nothing more than she had already sensed.

  “I'm sorry,” she said. “My power is useless on Malaki too. I sense disbelief, some panic, but most of his emotions are weak. It's like he's muting them.”

  “A secondary power?” Cal wondered.

  “Shock,” Darvin answered. “I can sense it in him. I'm sure you know from being wed to a Healer that it has physical side effects.”

  “Which is why you can sense it,” Cal said. “But it doesn't prove his innocence. Shock could just as easily stem from him losing his father and failing at their attempt in assassinating Meaghan.”

  Surprise pushed through Malaki's numbness. He frowned at Cal. “Dad was after Meaghan?”

  “Didn't you know already?” Cal responded. “If you weren't helping him with that, how was he able to injure Talis? Even if he was able to pull a knife, Talea would never have allowed him to use it without intervention.”

  Malaki shook his head and sank against the doorframe. “He asked for tea.”

  “Tea?” Darvin echoed. “I don't understand.”

  “He said he wasn't feeling well. He asked us to make him some jicab tea. Talea went into the kitchen to do it. She couldn't find the tea, so she asked me to help her look. Talis was asleep. He never screamed. We heard a groan and when we turned around,” he lifted a hand to wipe a tear from his cheek. “I didn't know him. I've never seen that look in his eyes before. It was like watching a razor beast attack. He went for Talea and I did my best to protect her.”

  Cal looked to Meaghan and she nodded. Malaki felt guilt for his father's actions. “I think he's telling the truth.”

  “You think?”

  “He's still hard to read.”

  Cal grunted. “It's not enough.”

  “No, it's not,” Darvin agreed. He placed his hand on the arm of the chair next to him and spoke to Malaki. “Sit, please.”

  Malaki did as Darvin requested. Cal inched forward in his seat so he teetered on the edge of the couch. Meaghan wondered if he might fall off, but he managed to keep his balance.

  “There's something I need to tell you three,” Darvin said, and Meaghan sensed his guilt again. The deceit disappeared, and she realized he was about to divulge what he had been hiding. “It's difficult for me to talk about and I suspect it will be even harder for you to hear.”

  “Does this have anything to do with why you asked to have your Guardian powers stripped?” Cal asked.

  “Unfortunately, yes. What do you know about it?”

  “Nothing worth mentioning,” Cal told him. “Just rumors.”

  “None of which can come close to the truth of what I did,” Darvin said. “Or what I was assigned to do.”

  “Assigned?” Meaghan asked and felt detached from the word as his guilt fell into context for her. There was only one reason the emotion would have a place in this conversation.

  “Yes.” Darvin pressed his knuckles underneath his chin as he regarded her. “What I'm about to tell you is known only to one other person. My wife has seen my history. She knows the full story and she knows both my guilt and my innocence.”

  “Guilt for what?” Cal asked. “What are you talking about?”

  “Those aren't easy questions,” Darvin told him. “I'll answer them, but I need you to listen to everything I have to say before you react. You were close to Ed, so I realize my request will be hard for you, but it's important. There's a lot you need to learn.”

  Cal nodded, and Meaghan swallowed past the lump forming in her throat. She felt certain now of what he was about to say. Her hands shook as she brought them together in her lap.

  “You're a member of the Shadow Guard,” she whispered.

  Darvin held her gaze. Surprise flashed through him, but he did not show it on his face. “I was,” he confirmed.

  Cal vaulted from his seat, shoving the coffee table out of the way so he could stand between Meaghan and Darvin. His breath came ragged and short. He drew up to his full height, towering over the Healer as a volcano ready to erupt.

  “Cal,” t
he soft voice came from the hallway, a salve against Cal's rage and he trailed his eyes to it. “Darvin poses no threat to her,” Élana continued. “He never did.”

  “If he had anything to do with the castle—”

  “He didn't,” she assured him. “I've seen his sins, and they aren't as bad as you imagine. He had nothing to do with Garon's attack. If he had, I would never have wed him.”

  Cal turned his attention back to Darvin. “If you had nothing to do with it, then why did you ask to have your powers stripped after it happened?”

  “Because the Shadow Guard is comprised of Guardians.”

  “It's the only way you could get out,” Cal realized and studied Darvin a moment longer before he lowered his body back onto the couch. “Why didn't you warn us? If you knew Meaghan's life was in danger, why didn't you warn the Elders or at least tell us about it when we came here?”

  “The Elders knew why I asked to be demoted. They held a trial to determine if I should also be executed, but found me innocent and allowed me to leave.”

  “So you thought they would have told us already?”

  “No. I thought they had eliminated the Shadow Guard. They told me they would make it a priority after they reestablished a secure Guardian village. I lost touch with the Elders for some years after that. When I contacted them again, no one from the old council still lived. I didn't want to revisit my guilt with them, so I left the past where it belonged. Since I didn't see any evidence of Shadow Guard activity, I assumed the council I spoke with had succeeded in eliminating the Guard.”

  “If their goal was to murder Meaghan, then they would have had no reason to remain active,” Cal pointed out. “Like everyone else, they probably thought she was dead.”

  “I realize that now,” Darvin said and Meaghan felt the misery in his words. “If I had known they were still around, I would have warned you.”