Past of Shadows

by Colleen Connally

  Now, though, Johannes had been left alone when Twiten had disappeared with whom Cono was certain was Kela. Despite the demand, Johannes made no reply. Instead, he rushed to Princess Sareta’s side.

  “It is over,” Johannes assured her. “You are safe.”

  Cono moved to Falco’s side. “It was her,” he whispered. “It was your sister—Kela.”

  Falco shook his head. “Impossible…” His words faded with a glance at Johannes. Running his hand through his long hair, Falco turned to Cono. “What makes you talk this madness? That girl was nothing more than a peasant.”

  In truth, Cono had seen peasants dressed better than the girl. Her hair was long, but unkempt and oily. Her face dirty as were her clothes. Yet, in that moment, he had made a few deductions.

  She had come from the North Country where the land had only begun to thaw. She wore frayed deerskin boots and a tattered fur-lined cloak.

  “Trust me, my prince,” Cono urged. “That was your sister.”

  Falco grabbed Cono’s wrist harshly. “Do not provoke me, Cono. No matter of our past, it will not bode well for you. Kela is dead. You saw her body as well as I.”

  “She lives. I know not how. I know only that it was she,” Cono said in a low voice. “But I do know. As I also know that your Euchoun has knowledge of her. Ask Johannes yourself.”

  Falco released Cono. The room was in chaos. His young sister was weeping soundly on Johannes’s arm.

  Now was not the time to talk. The chamber filled with Royal Wings, the women were deeply distraught.

  Behind Cono, a light touch on his shoulder made him turn. Princess Amicia stood, looking greatly troubled. Despite the tears welling in her large, expressive eyes, she looked exquisitely beautiful, so lithe and graceful. Strands of her blond curls had fallen down around her pretty face, framing it ever so lovely.

  “Would you do me the greatest of favors?” Amicia sniffled. “I want to go back to my mother’s chamber with my sisters. Can you escort us? We would feel much safer if it was you.”

  “Go, Cono,” Falco directed. “Take Sareta with you. I will call for you shortly.”

  Cono frowned, but obeyed. The princesses’ safety was of the utmost importance. Though, if Falco thought he had diverted Cono’s attention from the revelation of Kela’s appearance, the prince would be greatly disappointed.

  * * * *

  Lights still burned in the Twin Towers behind locked doors. The Wing Guards of the White Twin Tower wore the golden hawk, but their band was crimson, the color of Crown Prince Falco. The same colors that Cono wore in Falco’s service.

  Cono had been summoned by the young prince to meet here on the rampart of the White Twin Tower. No one would pay attention to the meeting, not with Falco’s Wings patrolling the area.

  The moon had risen. Yet, he still waited. Cursing under his breath, he felt a pull he needed to answer. His impatience pushed him to the edge.

  During his years in the Royal Wings, he had learned it was best to hold his tongue. There were no secrets in King Edulf’s court. Spies were everywhere. It was as if the walls had ears.

  Rumors abounded about the incident in the early morning. Yet, he had heard nothing whispered about Kela.

  Cono raised his eyes at the sound of beating wings. Falco along with his Euchoun, Johannes, landed beside him.

  Falco approached. He had grown to be a tall, handsome man with a closely trimmed, dark brown beard. The chain of entwining triangles hung about his neck, one Falco had made in remembrance of his sister. Moreover, Cono had long recognized that Falco’s lighthearted manner masked a solemn, seriousness that had developed after the loss of Kela.

  “Prince Falco,” Cono said, bowing his head. “I came alone as instructed.”

  “That is good,” Falco acknowledged, glancing one way then another. “I have a mission for you.”

  “I beg your forgiveness…”

  “Are you going to refuse me, Cono?” Falco challenged. “For I would have thought you would have been quite anxious to go since it was you who declare my sister alive.”

  Cono tensed. “You believe me?”

  “After some persuasion, Johannes has confessed the truth…my Euchoun felt it best to keep the news from me,” Falco said, annoyed. “My sister…the one I have mourned for years.”

  “Your Royal Highness, I explained I had no wish to offend,” Johannes pleaded. “Twiten had purged the memory of any who may have suspected who she truly was at Blackton Castle. If he had known, the spell had not worked on me…”

  “Yes, yes, yes! You have spent the last hours explaining that to me.” Falco waved his hand in front of Johannes, halting the Euchoun’s words. “I want to hear no more from you.”

  Falco took a deep breath, pointing to Cono. “It is you I want to go and retrieve my sister.”

  “But of course, without delay.” Cono’s throat felt raw and tight, thankful. He had almost lost heart, but he was not the only one overwhelmed with emotions on this day. He saw Falco’s lips tighten.

  “King Edulf thinks me a child to keep this information from me,” Falco uttered in a low, hoarse voice. “How does he think I will rule if kept from counsel?”

  Shaking his head, Cono, too, questioned the motive behind the deception, but said, “King Edulf must have had good reason.”

  “I’m certain he did, but I’m taking no chance that he stops my intent. I failed my sister once. I will not again. You are to leave post haste. Do not tell anyone of your destination…not even my cousin.”

  “Yes, Your Highness.” Cono understood the implication. Prince Silas was, also, not to be told. “I need only to know where I journey.”

  Falco said clearly, “The Forbidden Forest.”

  Freedom Questioned

  The journey to the Forbidden Forest took three full days of flight. Grateful, he hadn’t a need to take the trek by land. Cono had never flown to the Forbidden Forest, which was in the farthest northeast corner of the Scarladin.

  There was only one Sordarin stronghold south of the forest within a twenty mile radius. The need had not facilitated more. No threat lay beyond the Forbidden Forest, only the uninhabitable Ice of Galii, which sat over the barren Tolari Mountains.

  No one lived this far north. No one dared. The Forbidden Forest was cursed.

  Cono flew along with Johannes, who had not uttered a word on the first day. Not that Cono cared. Prince Falco’s Euchoun irritated him. Johannes had kept the secret of Kela from her brother…from him.

  In Cono’s eyes—inexcusable.

  Late morning on the second day, Johannes spoke. “How did you know?”

  Cono ignored him. He dipped in the cloudless sky, soaring low over the terrain. Johannes followed. To Cono’s surprise, Johannes kept pace.

  “You need to know, I don’t believe this is a well thought out plan,” Johannes said. “It’s emotional.”

  Abruptly, Cono landed, trailed by Johannes. Cono grabbed the Euchoun up by the leather straps that crossed his chest.

  “Damn right, it’s personal,” Cono uttered through gritted teeth. “She is the Prince’s sister. Her supposed death devastated Falco…the man you claim to serve.”

  Johannes took hold of Cono’s hands, which had tightened their grip. “Let me go, Cono. It was not my place to tell what King Edulf had taken great effort to hide. When Prince Falco and Princess Sareta were found, I heard the rumors of a great Euchoun emerging. Secrecy is imperative to a Euchoun.”

  Slowly, Cono released Johannes with a slight push. Johannes’s words cut deep.

  Fire lit in Johannes’s eyes, literally. The Euchoun was angry. “Do not question my loyalty! You do not understand what it is to be Euchoun. Her life has not been one of ease. It could not be for Kela to become what will be needed.”

  “What is that to mean?”

  “You saw her,” Johannes reminded him. “She has not much. Now, I ask you again how you knew.”

  After a long silence, Cono stated, “I felt her need…her intent.
Almost as if I could talk to her. I haven’t felt that since the night of the Sawamdai attack.”

  Johannes pressed his lips together tightly, but the fire flamed out in his eyes. He looked directly at Cono. “You believe you are meant to bond with her.”

  The tone told Cono of Johannes’s dislike of him. Johannes probably thought him arrogant. He had been called worse. Moreover, it was true. He did believe he was meant to bond with Kela. He had since the first night he had met the girl.

  “Know, as her path has been, neither will yours be easy.”

  “You talk nonsense, Johannes,” Cono asserted, “You, more than most, should understand it isn’t a choice.”

  “It is not.” A small smile emerged, Johannes nodded. “Then, you must know the brittle ice you walk.”

  “I do not need to be warned.” Cono held no doubt what he faced if he bonded with Kela. “Do you think I am afraid?”

  Johannes sidled closer. “No, but you should be,” he warned. “It is not only our enemies that you must face.”

  “Do not talk in riddles,” Cono demanded. “What more do you think I…Kela faces?”

  “I tell you this for I care for Kela. She is my friend,” Johannes said. “But I have questioned why she has trained alone when you have stood by her twice when she showed her strength.”

  “You think King Edulf has no faith in me?”

  “It is not faith in you I question.” Johannes shook his head. “If you indeed bond with Kela, it is the power you will present. Be wise…be humble. King Edulf is astute.”

  “King Edulf will be pleased…”

  “Really? Then why did he bring Kela to the Forbidden Forest without your knowledge. You stood with her with the defeat of the Sawamdai. He must have suspected the bond.”

  Cono fell silent. He had had his suspicions it had more to do with Prince de Flour. Yet, he had never considered another possibility.

  Johannes pressed on. “King Edulf went to a lot of trouble to convince the world of Kela’s death. Do not take that lightly.”

  The pretense of Kela’s funeral had been seen only by a few, but Cono was certain that Prince de Flour had knowledge of her death. He had left shortly afterwards.

  A sudden thought disturbed him. “The body…you are saying that King Edulf murdered a girl to conceal Kela from the world.”

  “It would be my thought. Prince Falco has talked of the death of Kela to me. How the face was disfigured by the venom of the Sawamdai.”

  For years, guilt riddled Cono with the belief he had let the venom flow from the Sawamdai into Kela’s eyes as had been told to him. Relief flooded him on the realization Kela lived, but if what Johannes insinuated was true, King Edulf would have had to poison an innocent with the venom of the Arachnida.

  King Edulf would not have acted without reason. On that, Cono was certain. Again, Prince de Flour came to mind…yet, Cono would be foolish to simply dismiss the elaborate ruse.

  “I will heed your warning,” Cono said. “With the understanding that nothing comes before Scarladin and our King. I have sworn my allegiance.”

  “As have I,” Johannes conceded. “Now before we go further, there are things you need to know about Kela.”

  * * * *

  Twilight was creeping through the woods when Cono arrived in the Forbidden Forest. Quickly, he understood how isolated Kela had been. The small valley would not be visible to anyone but from the sky. Blackton Castle would be even harder to see, setting back into the mountain. Moreover, the closest village was more than thirty miles away through the cursed woods.

  An east wind blew through Cono’s tangled hair, he breathed in deeply, listening to the birds sing. Johannes wasted no time. Cono watched him begin to walk toward a small cottage, but made no movement himself.

  Johannes had recited the story of Kela’s arrival, which included her old Witheleghean nurse. Cono had heard whispers of the woman, but nothing he could recount, much less anything of significance.

  For a brief moment, Cono thought of following Johannes, but he stopped. Is that a whisper? He surveyed the rocky field. His gaze fell to the edge of the dark, deep woods. The trees were tall and vast with thick broad branches.

  He stared intensely. He could have sworn he saw a moving shadow.

  Cono walked toward it.

  He came to a path. With no hesitation, he entered. Cono walked ten paces and saw her, lying on the bank of the inlet. She was sleeping. Her hand dangled into the clear, blue water.

  With her eyes closed, her face had a softened look. She seemed peaceful and so womanly. Her surcoat had crawled up around her thigh, giving Cono full view of her long, toned legs. His eyes scanned upward to her narrow waist, then focused upon her shapely, naked breast.

  Johannes had told him that Kela had not lived a life of ease. He had not exaggerated.

  Her thin threaded surcoat had burst open. The girl was small, but the garment fit tight. Perhaps when she exploded the Hallow Minions, her clothes had stretched the well-worn material.

  Whatever the reason, the cloth had worn through.

  Moving around the sleeping girl, Cono took her cloak which had fallen to the side and placed it about her.

  Slowly, her eyes opened. She blinked once, twice in disbelief. Pulling the cloak about her, she whispered, “Cono? You are truly here?”

  “Yes, Kela.” He smiled. “I’ve come to take you home.”

  * * * *

  Cono quickly realized that Kela was not happy.

  She sprang up with the cloak tight against her. He comprehended she must have discerned what he must have seen. Her face blushed. Lowering her gaze, she took a step back.

  “Kela, did you hear me? I’m here to take you home.”

  Shaking her head, she asked, “Where is my brother? Why is he not here?”

  “The Prince could not make the journey without notice.”

  “Without notice?” she grimaced. “I’m not worth the effort?”

  Her anger confused him. “Do you not realize the chance your brother has taken to retrieve you?” He watched her fingers tighten their hold on her cloak.

  “Falco is taking a chance? After so much time…why now? Because I made myself known when Sareta was in danger?”

  “What is wrong with you?” Cono broke in. “What could he have done? He…we all thought you were dead.”

  KELA

  The Bond

  Twiten had returned to the Forbidden Forest. Guilda and Kela had moved back into Blackton Castle, but everything had changed.

  There was an excitement in Guilda that Kela had not seen in years. Kela understood readily enough it came with the belief she would soon be reunited with Sareta.

  Kela thought she, too, should hold the same exhilaration. Yet, she had none.

  We believed you were dead. She could not get the words out of her head. A sadness overwhelmed her.

  The years that had divided her from her family, Kela told herself she wanted only to be back with her siblings. Now came the realization, she didn’t know if she fit into their world.

  On this trip, Johannes had brought with him the new clothing he had promised. She could not remember wearing anything so soft against her skin.

  Before dinner, she had taken a long, fragrant bath with the soaps and lotions he had brought and brushed her hair until it shined. Looking into a mirror, Kela didn’t recognize herself, neither did she feel like herself.

  Making her way to the kitchen, she inhaled the aroma of a freshly cooked boar that filled the hallway. Guilda had gone out of her way to prepare a hearty meal.

  “Take out the meat,” Guilda instructed. “I have already poured them wine and given them warm bread. Now, go with you.”

  Kela picked up the platter. Humming a lively tune, Guilda went back to stirring a pot of greens. Kela walked toward the large dining hall. Sounds of conversations resonated around her.

  She stopped, placed the tray on the stone floor, and hurriedly left the castle.

  The trail back to th
e cottage was well worn, but a long walk.

  Kela did not care.

  She needed to think.

  With each step, the sounds of the forest became louder, sounds that Kela took comfort in hearing. A full moon lit her path.

  Overhead, a Sordarin flew, his silhouette visible on the ground. Looking up, she wondered who it was. Johannes or Cono? Who needed the night air?

  A moment later, the hawkman circled overhead. His wings spread wide in the cloudless sky. Kela was mesmerized when the Sordarin landed before her.

  At first, he said nothing. He just stood there: too close, too tall, too handsome.

  Cono smiled at her. “Are you heading somewhere?”

  “Should you not be at dinner with the others?” Kela asked. “My destination is not your concern. Now, please either go back to the castle or fly away. I have no intention of detaining you.”

  “You’re not.” Cono reached over and caressed her cheek.

  She recoiled. She had never been touched in that manner for any reason.

  “I have waited for this opportunity to talk with you without interference.” He gazed down at her. “You look lovely.”

  Her eyes flamed. He was teasing her. She would not have it. She stepped around him. His arm halted her progression.

  “You shouldn’t walk unprotected in the dead of night?”

  “You don’t know me well,” Kela retorted. “I’m not afraid. Of what? There is no one here to do me harm. Even if there were, why would someone try to harm me?”

  “I can think of a few reasons.”

  He glanced over her in a way that made color rush to her cheeks. She was happy at least the moonlight was dim enough not to reveal her embarrassment.

  She lifted her chin, her shoulders back. “I can take care of myself. I have been well trained.”

  “In that, I don’t question.” Cono tilted his head to the side, and then looked upward. “It is a grand night for a flight. Do you not think?”

  “I wouldn’t know.”

  “Then it is time to find out.”

  Without another utterance, he lifted her up in his arms and launched into the sky.