by Alison Pensy
Faedra reached up and planted a kiss to his lips. "Don't be silly! Of course not." She followed her kiss with a reassuring smile. "Give me a leg up?" she asked as she turned to the horse she had retrieved from one of the stalls. A moment later, they were cantering across the courtyard and heading for the woods outside the castle grounds.
***
"That was just what the doctor ordered," a rosy cheeked Faedra said, as she and Faen wandered down the main corridor of the castle. At this point, she was ready and willing to take the reprimanding she would surely get from her tutor. But, she didn't care.
As they neared the door to her father's study, she stopped dead in her tracks, tugging Faen to a halt with the hand she was holding.
Faen looked around at her, concern clouding his features.
Faedra brought her finger to her lips. As she did so, Faen reached his hand down to rest on the hilt of his sword. "What is it?" he whispered.
"Anger and..." she stared into space, her eyes gazing about the corridor, internally trying to assess the other emotion she could feel. She dragged in a deep, calming breath. Whatever the emotion was, it was a disturbing one.
"Get them bound!" an angry voice bellowed from behind the closed door.
"I'll do no such thing, Zaven!" an equally furious voice boomed just before a hefty thump resounded off a wooden surface. Faedra imagined the king's fist meeting the top of his desk. Something it was prone to do when her father was less than content with a situation.
"See reason, Kenreth. You have, as they say in the World of Men, a ticking time bomb on your hands," the other voice continued, more controlled and calculating this time.
"That is ridiculous!"
Faedra did not recognize the other voice, although the name sounded familiar. She met Faen's expression with an equally bemused one of her own. "What's going on?" Faedra whispered to her Guardian, who still had his hand resting on his sword. He shrugged.
"And what would you know of the World of Men, Zaven?" the king continued, dropping his voice to match his adversary's cadence.
There was silence for a second.
Faedra and Faen inched closer to the door.
"Enough to know they are a menace to themselves and a danger to the rest of us. The whole lot of them should be...dealt with."
"What?" Faedra whispered wide-eyed to Faen. "Was that a threat to my world?"
"Sounded like one to me," Faen replied, his voice somber.
"How dare he..." Faedra reached for the door handle but was intercepted by Faen's hand on her arm. When she shot him a questioning look, he shook his head. "Let your father handle this, Faedra." She hesitated for a second, then withdrew. If it was one thing she had learned in her 'princess training', it was that the monarch should never have their authority questioned by someone beneath them, especially in the presence of someone of rank from another realm. Faedra realized that her bursting in right then would have made her father look stupid. It was a hard thing for her to do, but she had to have faith that he had her best interests at heart, and that included the World of Men.
"Careful, Ambassador," the king warned. "That sounded much like a threat."
"Yes, well, I digress. I am not here to discuss the World of Men. We have much more pressing matters to deal with."
"And by matters, you are referring to my daughter."
Faedra sucked in a breath. "They're talking about me!" she spat in a harsh whisper. "Why would he call me a ticking time bomb? Who is this man?"
Before Faen could answer, the voices in the other room became even more heated. Faedra flushed with the energy the man was giving off. It was hatred and frustration. Why would a man she had never met before have such strong emotions towards her? None of this made any sense. She leaned back against the wall and shook out her hands. Another trick she had learned over the past few months to help disperse the energies her body would still absorb against her will. It may have been a year or so since she acquired Savu's powers, but they still required constant control. Control that she was still learning to master.
The double oak doors flew open with such force Faen and Faedra had to take a few hasty steps backwards to avoid being hit as they bashed against the stone wall on either side of the opening. Too late to make a subtle exit, they were left standing in the middle of the corridor, right in front of the open doorway.
The man named Zaven stood just the other side of the study's threshold with his back to the two eavesdroppers, oblivious to their presence. He was at least seven feet tall, and from Faedra's vantage point, looked like he was made from nothing but opaque ice. Faedra blinked and gave her head a quick shake. The immense creature standing before her was nothing more than an animated ice sculpture. A perfectly formed replica of a human male, at that. Even his only piece of clothing, a pair of calf-length breeches, was made of ice. The temperature in the corridor dropped by several degrees.
"Get them bound, Kenreth! Or we'll do it for you!" Zaven's voice boomed across the study.
He turned on his heel, ready to storm out of the study, but stopped for a heartbeat upon seeing Faedra and her Guardian standing just a few feet away from him. His eyes narrowed as they fell upon the Custodian, and he regarded Faedra with look of malice. Ice started to spread like moss on the walls around them. As Zaven breathed, tiny ice crystals blew from his mouth and fell like snowflakes to the floor. Faedra could not tear her gaze from the man who was oozing hatred her way, until, a split second later, a wall of muscle blocked her vision.
Faen had stepped in front of her, hand back on the hilt of his sword. Zaven cast a glance down to where Faen was wrapping his fingers around his sword. He shot Faen a look of disdain, then threw back his head.
"Ha!" he barked before pushing past them and stomping off up the corridor.
"I warn you, Zaven. Touch one hair on her head and I will make sure your realm lives to regret it!" the king bellowed at Zaven's retreating back.
Zaven threw a hand up in dismissal before slamming through the doors at the end of the corridor and disappearing out of sight.
"Who was that?" Faedra asked her father who was now standing next to them.
The king wrapped a reassuring arm around his daughter's shoulders and guided her into his study. "No one you need concern yourself with."
"Really?" Faedra said, not able to hide the sarcasm in her voice. "It didn't sound like nothing to me."
"He is the ambassador from Alsius, the ice realm."
Of course. Faedra realized at that moment, she really ought to pay more attention in 'princess training'. One of her lessons had covered all the important people in each realm and what their duty was. That was why his name sounded familiar.
"He came here to sign the agreement between Alsius and Umor, the water realm," the king continued. "They have been feuding since before I was born. There is a fragile peace treaty between the two. I wanted to make sure that when they both come to compete in the tournament, they will remain civil to each other and play fair. Alsius has signed; the king of Umor will be arriving in the next few days."
"That reminds me," Faedra said. She wasn't nearly finished with wanting to know what Zaven's problem really was, but had to get something else out first.
Her father raised a sleek brow.
"How can you call it the Seven Realms Tournament when only six are allowed to compete? That's a bit hypocritical, don't you think? It's like the Americans having a 'World Series' that only they play in."
The king scrunched his eyebrows.
"It's a baseball tournament."
"Faedra, I have explained to you time and again why I cannot allow humans into our realm," the king said with a martyred tone as he wandered back towards his desk.
"There is one human you let in, though. He could compete and represent the World of Men," Faedra continued, not wanting to let the matter drop. "At least, it would be the truth when you call it the Seven Realms Tournament."
"What sport could Henry possibly enter against all the champions
of the other six realms?" the king asked, as he stopped in front of his desk.
"Darts."
"Darts?" The king's eyebrows nearly disappeared under his crown.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Faen interjected. "It's where you throw three small arrows at a target a certain distance away. The first person to score down from 501 and ends with a double, wins.
"Thank you, Faen. I am well aware of what darts is," the king retorted.
"Yes, sire."
"My dad was pub champion three years in a row," Faedra continued, volunteering her unsuspecting 'other dad' for something he was blissfully unaware of.
The king rested his chin on his fist and gave his daughter a considering look. "Hmm."
"Hmm, yes, I'll consider it? Or hmm, you're just crazy, now get out of my office," Faedra quipped.
Faedra saw her father press his lips together in a tight line. An attempt to stop the smile that was threatening to break free. She had him, she just knew it.
"Maybe it is about time we had a fresh event in the tournament."
Faedra did a little skip on the spot and threw her arms around the king. He hesitated for a second before reciprocating. Faedra felt his hesitation but could also feel his emotion. He still wasn't quite used to showing affection and was torn between looking like a king and acting like a father. Faedra also sensed that each time she gave him a hug, he felt more and more at ease with giving one back. Give her a little more time and he would be the one asking for a hug.
The king pulled back and looked down into his daughter's eyes. "Now, young lady. I believe you are late for your lesson. Saxen will not let me hear the end of it."
Faedra's expression fell. "Do I have to?"
"I need not answer that question," the king said with a reprimanding tone.
"Wait. Before I go, what did Zaven mean by a ticking time bomb?"
The king's brow rose again. "Just how long were you standing outside my door, madam?"
"Long enough. I heard him threaten my world, too."
The king puffed out a sigh and rested his hands on Faedra's shoulders. "You leave Zaven to me. He is full of cold words and not much else."
"He sounded pretty serious to me. Why does he hate me so much?"
"He doesn't hate you."
"Father, I could feel hatred coming off him in waves and it was aimed at me. I've had enough practice with Vivianna to know what that feels like."
The king closed his eyes at the mention of his eldest daughter. The one he was keeping locked up in the dungeons below their very feet. Faedra felt bad as soon as she'd mentioned it. She could feel her father's remorse and cursed herself for the slip up.
"You have nothing to worry about, Faedra. I promise," the king said, turning his daughter around by her shoulders and pointing her towards the door. "Now, go to your lesson before Saxen has my head."
As Faedra turned towards the door, a wry smile curved her lips. For the first time since she was forced to take the lessons, she realized she could put them to good use. Yes, Faedra was going to be a very attentive student this afternoon.
CHAPTER THREE
"Hi, Dad," Faedra said, as she and Faen materialized in the kitchen at the Bennett cottage, compliments of the ruby staff. She wandered over to where her dad stood at the counter.
Henry stopped what he was doing and turned from where he was preparing dinner. His face lit up with a smile upon seeing his daughter. He put down his knife and wrapped his arms around Faedra.
"Hello, darling," he said, pulling away to hold her at arm’s length. He gave her a quick look over from head to toe. "How are you?"
Faedra smiled at her dad's gesture. He was acting as if he hadn't seen her for weeks, when in fact, she and Faen had stayed for dinner the evening before last.
"Good, thanks," Faedra replied as she plunked herself down on one of the dining chairs and rested her arms on the table.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Bennett," Faen greeted, seating himself beside his fiancée.
"Afternoon, Faen. And it's Henry. How many times do I have to tell you...?” Henry shook his head and shot Faen a warm, knowing smile. "...never mind."
Faedra raised her eyes heavenward. She doubted that Faen would ever call her dad by his first name. He was just too proper. Maybe when they were married he would relax his manners just a tad. But, then again, maybe not.
"How's 'princess school' going?" Henry asked.
"Urgh, don't," Faedra said, dropping her forehead onto her arms. She looked up again, a martyred expression in her eyes. "Today I learned that prince so-and-so from somewhere-or-another doesn't like apples, and if I am ever to invite him to a banquet, I must be certain not to serve anything containing apples for it would be..." she air-signed quotation marks with her fingers, "...tantamount to a declaration of war."
"That bad, hey?"
"Worse."
"I'll put the kettle on then, shall I?" Henry said.
That put a smile on Faedra's face. She gave her hands an odd look before sending some energy there to warm them. She rubbed them together, a human gesture that stuck with her even though she never needed to rub them together again to get them warm. She had a raging furnace locked inside her; all she needed to do was open the 'door' and direct the heat where she wanted it. "It's a bit chilly for this time of year, isn't it?"
"Now that you come to mention it, the weather has been a bit odd the past few days," Henry shot over his shoulder as he busied himself with the tea kettle. He opened a cupboard above his head and reached up to grab three mugs. "But this is England, so anything goes. It'll probably be sun-bathing weather tomorrow."
Faedra instinctively touched the amulet that hung from her neck. It was still there, safe and sound. She relaxed a little and gave her paranoid self a quick inward pep-talk. No one was controlling the weather. The amulet and the book were safe, and, without the amulet, no one else, to her knowledge, had the power to control the weather. But after hearing Zaven's comment earlier that day, it had put her senses on alert. Her dad had a good point, though. England was hardly the most predictable place on the planet when it came to atmospheric conditions.
"Anything wrong?" Faen asked after noticing his charge rubbing her thumb over the surface of the amulet. A gesture he had become aware of her doing when she was worried about something. To add to that, her face was stoic, contemplating.
Faedra broke from her thoughts and turned to her Guardian. She held his concerned gaze for a moment, taking solace in the calming serenity of his energy. "I hope not," she whispered.
Their connection was broken by her dad. "Here you go, darling," he said, handing her a steaming mug of tea from across the table. She smiled back at him as she took it.
"Biscuit?" Henry asked after handing Faen his cup.
"Yes, please," Faen said.
"Oh, go on then," Faedra responded. "I doubt if a couple of biscuits will make a difference to me fitting into my wedding dress."
Her dad reached into another cupboard and pulled out a round tin. He took the lid off and placed it in the middle of the table before retrieving his own cup of tea from the counter and joining his daughter and future son-in-law.
"Dad," Faedra said cupping her hands around her steaming mug. "I hope you don't mind but I've volunteered you for something."
Henry's expression became guarded. "What did you do?"
Faedra gnawed on her lip for a second before answering. "You're going to be the only delegate to represent the World of Men in the upcoming Seven Realms Tournament," she blurted, as fast as the words would come out.
Henry nearly spat his mouthful of tea across the table. "What?!" he exclaimed after a hefty swallow to force the liquid down.
Faen's hand crept across the table to cover Faedra's again. "I think it may have been wiser to ask your father if he would like to compete before you volunteered him," he said.
Faedra looked at her dad who was doing a good impression of a deer caught in the headlights and turned back to her Guardian. "Yeah, I guess.
But you know what I'm like when I get a bee in my bonnet, and it just bugged me that the World of Men wasn't represented. Well, now it is." She gestured with open palms towards her dad who was still looking a bit dumbstruck.
Henry did a subtle shake of his head to bring himself back to his senses.
"And which event, dare I ask, did you volunteer me for?"
"Darts," Faedra and Faen announced together.
"Darts?" Henry cast an incredulous look towards his daughter. "They play darts in the other realms?"
"They do now," Faedra said, a wry smile curving her lips. "Father decided they could do with a fresh event in the tournament."
"No doubt with a little persuasion from a certain young lady."
Faedra's smile grew into an all-out grin.
"Oh, go on, Dad. You were pub champion three years in a row. And, besides, you’re the only human my other dad will allow into Azran. You have to represent the World of Men."
"But, darling. I haven't played darts for a while," Henry said, his eyes pleading with her to see what a stupid idea this was.
"Well, you better start practicing then," Faedra said undeterred. "The tournament's in a month."
It was Henry's turn to sport the martyred look, which he turned on Faen. "It's not too late to back out, you know," Henry said with a wink, which earned him a doff on the arm from his daughter.
"It is your daughter's passion for doing what she thinks is right that makes me love her so much," Faen responded.
Faedra leaned over and rested her head on Faen's shoulder. "Aw, you know just the right thing to say at just the right time."
Faen inclined his head.
"So, how are the wedding plans going?" Henry asked. "I expect the king is tearing his hair out trying to organize a wedding and a tournament."
"Actually, he seems pretty calm about the whole thing," Faedra replied. "Most of the tournament preparations are being done by a separate group from each realm. They all get together and make the arrangements. It's just that Azran is hosting it this time. So apart from making an appearance at the opening ceremony and competing in a couple of events, he's not getting too involved. As for the wedding, it's getting there. We have our last fitting for myself and the bridesmaids next week. I don't have to worry too much about the wedding here until after the tournament. I thought it would be too much to try and fit it in before, so I'll go with Amy and Zoe for a fitting in a month or so. I'm glad we are just having a small wedding here. I have a feeling the one is Azran is going to be a little... overwhelming."