“I had a daughter with one of your kind.”
“I do not know anything of your daughter.” She shook her head, but the other generals seemed surprised at my words, especially Dissonti, whose green eyes opened wide.
“Oh but you do, you know all about how to make a child between an Elven and one of—”
“Stop!” Her command cut me off, but she didn’t seem flustered by my words. “What is such knowledge worth to you?”
“I have a few other requests.” I smiled at the small victory. I hoped that her generals were unaware of Nadea, and she confirmed that she wished to keep this a secret.
“I want free roam of the castle and countryside, to come and go as I please without fear of attack.”
“I find it ironic that you would fear attack from us,” Jayita scoffed. Telaxthe licked her lips slightly.
“What else?”
“You’ve extended terms to the rulers of Nia. I too am a citizen of this country and a knight of Nia. I would like to make the same agreement of peace.” Alatorict clenched his fists tightly and the muscles on his jaw tensed into balls of fury.
“Anything else?” Telaxthe asked calmly.
“No.”
“What will I acquire in return?”
“I will share the location of the Radicle I came through.”
“I will already have that. What else?”
“I can give you more information about my past. The truth and the details the historians may have left out or never known.”
“This is tempting, however, my motivation for researching the Destroyer was to mimic his techniques to better manage and train my army and secure this world for our settlement. Now that I have done so, I doubt there is anything more I need to know about your past. Do you have anything else to offer?”
“What do you want?”
“I asked you to tell me what you were offering.” She shook her head and sighed. The movement reminded me of Nadea.
“Yes. But there is something only I can give you, or you would not have bothered coming down here to speak to me.”
“This conversation is finished, O’Baarni.” She turned and began to walk away. Her movement was unexpected and my heart fluttered in my chest.
“Wait!” I called after her and tried not to sigh when she stopped and took a few steps back to stand before me.
“You said you made a mistake when you came to this world and led with force, but in the end you conquered these people through violence and cunning. I am just one man and I can’t stand against your army. I want to know that my friends are safe and happy. I want to know of my daughter, and I want to live peacefully, just as you want for your people. I did not remember much when I awoke, but I did remember hating your kind. I want that to end. I just want peace between us.”
The empress stared at me without emotion. The strain and tension in the air was palpable. If I spoke again, she would doubt my sincerity.
I was done fighting. I was done hating. If Nadea and Jessmei were unhappy here, I would take them away from this place, but I would not kill Telaxthe or attack her people. I just did not care about exterminating them anymore. That Kaiyer had died with Iolarathe.
All I cared about was my daughter and the chance that she too had somehow survived these thousands of years. The possibility had crept into my mind deep in the darkness of Nadea’s keep when I recalled following Iolarathe’s trail and encountering the old Elven steward of the Radicle.
I had lived in the void of the Radicle, suspended in a stasis that kept me alive far longer than any O’Baarni or Elven could normally live. It was possible that she had as well. If I could find her, perform the same ritual that Nadea used to awaken me, I could save her. That dream shone so pure and bright in my heart that every other goal paled in comparison. I did not want to kill anymore, but if there was a chance I could meet the daughter Iolarathe and I had created, I would battle endless waves of foes and death, be they Elven, O’Baarni or human. Nothing mattered more than her.
“There will never be peace between us, Kaiyer. Perhaps I could forgive your past, but you have recently inflicted atrocities against my people. Hundreds died when you used magic to create your armor again.” She paused and a flicker of sadness crossed her face. “And you took Isslata from us.”
“Yes I have killed your people. You have killed mine. Is an Elven life worth more than a human life?” The words came quickly to my lips. There was no way I could defend my actions, only try to make her see how similar we both were. “There have been casualties on both sides. I want peace now.”
“When it is convenient for you!” she yelled and her generals clenched their jaws tightly. Even Vernine seemed startled by Telaxthe’s outburst. “Now that you can no longer take what you want through murder, you come to me on your knees begging for peace and favors.”
“Just as you did when you realized you could not get your daughter through murder! Now that you have her, you would deny me the same?” The generals and guards gave questioning glances to their empress, but she ignored them and glared at me.
“I paid for that information by killing one of our only O’Baarni allies, and now his sister is here sniffing around. You never even delivered on that promise. I found her on my own!”
“I intended to tell you, but then . . .” My eyes darted to Fehalda and I recalled being paralyzed by her gaze as we stood on the shores of the pond. I remembered her drawing her sword, just as Malek had.
“Why did you leave me there?” I asked Fehalda. My head started to pound in pain.
The white-haired woman seemed surprised at my question and glanced between her sister and the other generals.
“You don’t remember?” She crossed her arms and licked her lips.
“No.” I reached up to my temples and rubbed them carefully.
“Stop!” a voice said from outside of the bars.
“What?” My vision was starting to darken and I felt the Earth pulse through my veins angrily.
“By the Dead Gods, please stop! Tell him of his daughter. Telaxthe, please!” the voice screamed and I heard the sound of swords being drawn.
“I will tell you, Kaiyer!” Telaxthe’s shout cut through the thump of my beating heart and the ache in my head. I gasped like I had been holding my breath and I felt the pressure in my skull begin to fade quickly.
I looked up from my shaking hands and saw that the Elvens had their swords drawn and were standing against the wall of the far corridor. Yillomar had positioned his large frame in front of Dissonti and the other Elvens formed a barricade between my cell and the empress. The Elven with jade hair shook like Jessmei had when she almost died from hypothermia, and her matching green eyes were impossibly wide. The emerald gems were filled with terror and I seemed to be the focus of her fear.
“What did I say?” I looked back and forth between Telaxthe and Dissonti.
“I will tell you what I know, everything we’ve gathered of your past. Then you will leave with Turnia. You will depart this world and never return. Those are my terms.” The empress was a shrewd negotiator, yet I could see she struggled to keep her calm against Dissonti’s outburst.
“I will not leave this world.”
“Those are my terms, Destroyer. You can kill me now if you wish, but then you will never learn of your daughter.”
“How could I kill you? I am in this cell without a weapon and you have all your generals surrounding you with their swords drawn. I said I wanted peace between us.” Telaxthe was taking a huge risk allowing me to leave with Turnia. I could tell the O’Baarni clan leader what had really happened to her brother and bring the wrath of the clans to this world.
“He doesn’t know. Oh no. The Dead Gods have cursed us. He doesn’t even know!” Dissonti babbled between sobs.
“I’m sorry, Telaxthe.” I raised my open hands and shook my head. “I don’t know what I did to upset her.”
Telaxthe closed her eyes and I saw a tear streak down her face. “Our ancestors, Iolarath
e’s people, never guessed who you really were. They thought you were just a human who knew our magic. Iolarathe and her half-sister suspected the truth.”
“Nyarathe? What truth about me?”
“You are an O’Baarni.” She spoke the words with a tone of finality and dread.
“Yes. That is what we called ourselves.” I shook my head again and tried to figure out how to get the conversation back to my daughter.
“No. Your army called itself that, but it is an old word for an ancient race of powerful humans.”
“Yes that is why we called ourselves by that name. To honor our past.”
“Maybe so. Did you think of the name?”
“Yes. I believe I did.”
“This ancient race may have looked like humans, but they were as far from your race as the people from this world are from us. They were monsters. They wielded magic equal to that of the Gods who created them. We were made to serve them and we lived with them in much the same way that humans lived with Elvens in Iolarathe’s time.”
“How could I be one of them? I was born a slave. I was just a stable boy. The Elvens imbued me with magic.”
They looked amongst themselves for a few seconds and then Telaxthe spoke.
“Our elders foretold that the return of an O’Baarni would signal the end of our existence. They said that a single harbinger would revive the dragons and the resulting battle would destroy us all.”
I gritted my teeth in frustration and tried to keep from ripping the cell bars out of their mounts. I wanted to point out that she really had not answered my question, but I knew enough about myself to know that I could not speak right now without sounding angry. There was a small cot in the cell and I stepped back and sat on the edge of the straw mattress.
I had done something to terrify Dissonti. I thought back to the previous meetings with Telaxthe and her generals. There was something strange about the green-haired woman that I noticed then. The other generals turned to look at her whenever I spoke. I remembered her odd replies to my statements, as if she was able to tell if I was speaking the truth.
I searched my memories for some sign that what she said was true and something stuck out with a glaring brightness. I dismissed the memory at first, but my brain would not put the recollection away.
“Even if I was one of these beings, I do not intend to revive any dragons or destroy anything more. I would not even know how. As I said before, I just want to learn of my daughter and see my friends. I want to know that they are safe.”
“Do you agree to my terms?” Telaxthe asked. I looked up from the floor of my cell and frowned. Telaxthe stood on the other side of my cell with only Fehalda and Vernine. The rest of her generals were gone.
I rose and walked toward the bars of my cell. Telaxthe stood a good ten feet away at the far side of the hallway, but she appeared unafraid of me. Telaxthe’s outfit was different from a few minutes ago. Instead of the stars and moons on a bed of leaves, it was a light green robe with gold vines embroidered across the silk. I had lost time somewhere between our conversations. Had my memories pulled me that far away from reality?
“How many days have passed since we last spoke?” My throat was dry and parched.
“We spoke yesterday morning. It is almost evening now.” The three Elven women glanced briefly between each other but didn’t seem surprised by my question. “Do you agree to my terms?”
“I want to see Nadea and Jessmei.”
“No. I’ll tell you what I know of your daughter and then you will leave with Turnia. Those are the terms.” Her eyes narrowed slightly and I sensed Fehalda and Vernine tense their bodies.
“What have you told Turnia?”
“That is none of your concern at the moment.” She shook her head and her bronze hair reflected the torchlight like a mirror.
“You haven’t told her anything. If you had, she would be down here right now, hauling me away.”
“You can make whatever assumptions you want, Kaiyer. I am offering you information about your daughter and in exchange you will leave this world with Turnia. Do you accept?”
“I made other requests.”
“But you can only give me this. You have nothing else to offer. Perhaps if circumstances were different I would feel some undercurrent of benevolence. As it stands, you’ve killed a Singleborn and hundreds of my kin. Your actions cannot be forgiven.”
“What is a Singleborn?” I focused on the unknown term and tried to puzzle out my next argument against her logic.
“I am surprised you don’t know.” She licked her lips slowly and then continued, “Our kind normally bear twins. Perhaps once every few generations, a single child is born. They are destined for greatness and often gifted with exceptional powers. Isslata was one, and when you murdered her, my people felt a loss beyond what I could ever make you comprehend.”
I nodded and recalled the many nights of lovemaking with the fierce Elven woman and the conversations we had together. Isslata seemed to have strange political clout that extended beyond the influence of Alatorict, who was her commanding general. Perhaps her station amongst the Elven people allowed most of my earlier freedom in the fortress.
“I would accept your terms now if you included a visit with Jessmei and Nadea.” I let go of the bars and let my hands hang outside of the cell. “Tell me everything you know of my daughter and allow me to see my friends. Then I will leave with Turnia. I will confirm whatever lie you told her about Kannath. That may save your people future interference from the clans.”
Telaxthe studied my face for a few seconds and then gave one last lick of her lips before she nodded.
“I will agree to that. I have plans for dinner, but I will arrange for Jessmei and Nadea to see you. Afterward, I will instruct you on the story you will tell Turnia about Kannath before you depart. Once you leave through the Radicle, you will never return to this world.”
My heart was heavy with the idea of agreeing to this. What if my friends were suffering under the empress’s rule? Could I live without Nadea and Jessmei? The thought made me realize how much I loved the two beautiful women. Chances were that my daughter was long dead and the information that Telaxthe gave me would not lead me to anything more than a pile of unanswered questions. Would I give up my life here for even more pain?
“I’m assuming this will all take place after you tell me of my daughter?”
“I am not a fool, Kaiyer. As soon as I give you that information, my usefulness to you will end and you will attack us as you did before. No, you are far too powerful for me to trust your promises.” She scoffed with a smirk. “I will journey with Turnia to the Radicle. Before you leave, I will tell you what I know. Then I can watch them drag you onto the dais and send you to whatever hell they have in store for you.”
“Fine. I agree,” I said at last. My chest hurt and felt relief at the same time. At least I would be able to say my farewells to Nadea and Jessmei. At least I could tell them I was sorry that I failed to protect their kingdom.
“Excellent.” Telaxthe’s face broke into a smile that reminded me too much of Nadea. Fehalda and Vernine also grinned and I could feel the tension on the air lift like fog being blown away by a spring breeze.
“Expect the princess and duchess to come to you tonight. I will speak with you in the morning before we depart so we may align our stories.” She moved to leave and then stopped herself. The empress turned to face me again and spoke.
“Did you know that Iolarathe was a Singleborn?”
“No. I had not heard the term before you explained it to me today.” My memories spun and I tried to recall any mention of Iolarathe’s status during my time in the stables when we were lovers.
“Interesting. It adds even more irony to the legend and confirms my suspicions of you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Two Singleborns chose to mate with you; amongst others.” She turned slightly to her side to where Fehalda and Vernine stood. “Perhaps it is just coinci
dence? I am glad I will not find out more. Watching you leave shall bring me the same joy I experienced when I finally won this world for my people.” She turned and walked away without another word. Both Vernine and Fehalda gave me a short glance before they followed their empress into the lighter parts of the dungeon.
Then I was alone to wait for Nadea and Jessmei.
Chapter 24-Iolarathe
The gentle light of dawn caressed my face and awoke me from the pleasant slumber of the night. I opened my eyes and stretched against the cradle of my hammock before swinging out of the elevated bed and standing. There was a deep chill in the air and my feet cringed against the wood floor of my cottage.
There was an iron stove a few steps away in the kitchen and shortly I had a fire in its belly to warm water for tea. I prepared the rest of my breakfast just as easily, with a few eggs from the hens I kept and some thick strips of salted bacon from the hog I butchered at the start of the winter. The air had carried the smell of spring for the last few weeks, and while I welcomed the warmth, the long list of tasks the season brought was exhausting to even consider.
I slid my hot breakfast off of the iron skillet and onto a dish and sipped the pine lemon tea. I was surprised that my rooster had not woken me. He normally cried out as the sun crested the sky, but I had not heard a peep out of him during the time I cooked my breakfast. I feared foxes might have gotten into my chicken coop and killed the birds, but I waited until I finished eating before putting on clothes and investigating.
The morning sun was out in full glory and I stretched against its heat when I stepped out of my stone cottage. I let out a breath of steamy air and surveyed the glade I had chosen to inhabit for the last ten years.
My home sat on the crest of a gentle hill that backed into a grove of pine and maple trees. At the bottom of a grassy slope on the south side was the small river that ran smooth and straight for half a mile in either direction. On the north, east, and west sides of my glade were the steep rocky slopes of the Intirli Mountains. The river eventually led to a small lake that in turn mixed with a fjord before passing into the sea.
The Destroyer Book 4 Page 27