“This is also not our decision to make, Valar,” said Nefiri, her voice calm once more. “Why are you not presenting her to the Elven council?”
“The Elven council has been corrupted by Princess Taraniz. Though she has not shown the same signs of magic as Runa, I believe she has some form of power over those people close to her. There is no other explanation as to how she has been able to control the entire Elven army and most of the council before Aramor’s death.”
“Yet you were spared,” Una sneered.
“A few others as well that I have been able to confide in these past three years. We have all spent much time away from the palace. We believe it is for this reason that her influence is not as strong over us.” The man’s eyes became glassy and distant, and his voice turned to a whisper. “When you are with her, you can feel a weight on your mind, and a tightening in your chest. She is forcing her will upon you. She is unpredictable. Three years ago, she was gregarious, intelligent, if haughty at times. Aramor’s deterioration occurred when Taraniz began having incidents of panic attacks and anxiety that quickly turned to anger and downright madness at times. I believe she has a magic in her she cannot control. And unless we can find a way to dispel her of this magic, she is lost to us. If Piper has the support of the Dwarvik council, then her case to the Elven council once Taraniz has been dealt with, will be a much easier fight.”
“Cannot the heir of Aramor and Runa speak for herself?” asked one of the younger elders who had not yet spoke. She was short and stern, and crossed her arms before her in defiance.
Piper looked at Valar and he nodded to her. Piper unhooked her arm from Valar’s and walked the length of the long table. She held her chin high, and glided across the floor so unfamiliar to the boys. She turned to face the elders and royals, and Jack, Leo and Jayson saw that the Piper they knew had changed.
“I will speak true and say all that has been presented to you today was only told to me a few days ago. I admit, I grew up in a small village believing myself to be only the stubborn daughter of a blacksmith and healer. I believe Valar with all my heart, even if I doubt myself. You are right, all of you, to question my ability to rule. I question myself. But the day a ruler believes themselves to be all righteous and without fault is the day our people will fall. I have studied the laws of my people, played court to learn the ways of the Elves in high society with my grandmother, and I have an advisor willing and ready to guide me the rest of the way.
“I do not know if I will be worse than Taraniz, or as wonderful as Runa. But, as I stand before you this day, I vow to uphold the laws I believe to be true and just, to govern the Elven people of Chartile with humility and strength, and I will stand before the tides of life not as Eva Ruani, but as Piper Romilly, for that is who I am. I ask for your support as we work together for the good of our peoples, and the strengthening of all of Chartile. Will you have me as your Elven Queen, good elders? Will you stand with me as an equal to forge a better tomorrow?
“I ask you now, friends and strangers alike, no more fancy words, no more talk. Let us settle this and be done. For the good or ill of my future as Queen, I implore you to make your decision so we may begin the necessary preparations for defending our future together.”
Chapter Thirteen
Lessons
Jayson, Jack and Leo lounged in the common area of their quarters after the council meeting. Several bottles of pearl wine and trays of herb stuffed mushrooms, cheeses and some sort of roasted mountain groundhog littered the floor and tables around them. The council had almost unanimously decided to support Piper, though they all agreed they had little choice. The meeting dispelled thereafter, and the boys hurried back to their rooms. The thought of being cornered and questioned by anyone was too daunting, and Jack didn’t want to see Gemari try to hold back the tears any longer.
They ordered as much food and drink as they could think of, and attempted to put the stress of the day behind them. Since there were no age restrictions on alcohol in Chartile, Jack, Leo and Jayson were quite drunk soon into the evening. They recalled their tales of the day with far more vigor and guffawing than was really necessary. Leo told them about his encounter with the Black Diamonds, and his meeting with Kylani and Brande. Jayson and Jack drilled him for over an hour about the mines looked like. Leo took another swig of pearl wine and forced them to change the subject.
“Jack finally kissed Gemari,” Jayson blurted.
“It’s not what you think,” said Jack when Leo’s mouth fell open.
Jack launched into the story until Leo fell out of his chair, and rolled on the floor, kicking his feet with laughter. Jack was not amused and sent a piece of cheese flying at his friend’s head. The night became a blur of stories and tales from their past, laughing and drinking until at least two empty bottles of wine rolled on the floor among the empty food trays.
The laughter died away, and silence hung in the air between them. They looked at each other, sipping their alcohol and watching the moon rise outside their window. It was almost the same moon that shown down on them their first night in Chartile. Their heads spun and their minds raced. They looked at the empty bottles in front of them. A tingle ran up their backs, and a knot formed in their stomachs that had little to do with the wine.
Jayson set his chalice down. He re-corked the wine bottle that sat on the table and placed it in the cupboard by the window. Neither Jack nor Leo stopped him. They would be attending a battle strategy meeting in the morning, followed by the responsibility of acting as liaisons between The Black Diamonds and the Council afterward. Leo and Jack poured the rest of their wine into the stone basin sink. They did not look at each other, but quietly headed to bed.
They wanted to believe the events they had experienced and helped to shape these past few days had made them grow up. Yet they couldn’t shake and uncertainty that grew inside them. They doubted themselves, and they doubted each other. They had tried to suppress it, but the pearl wine sitting heavy on their stomachs made it far more difficult. Try as they might, they couldn’t deny they were still just three kids from Swansdale, Ohio. They really had no idea what they were doing.
Someone was using a sledge hammer in the next room. It woke Jayson from his staggered sleep. He had gotten up in the middle of the night to relieve his heaving stomach, but that was the last thing he clearly remembered. He found himself face down on the cold common area floor and tried to push himself up. The room swam before him, and there was still that pounding. He couldn’t focus. He laid back on the floor again, but he could not seem to figure out what was going on. He tried to push himself to his knees again, and suddenly felt sick. He ungracefully sprawled back out on the floor, the side of his face finding comfort in the cool marble. He had to decide whether to stay still so as not to aggravate his dizzy head, or run for the chamber pot beside his bed to relieve his stomach again.
The pounding lessoned. Jayson heard a sharp click. The door to the Emerald Quarter opened, and someone with heavy footfalls walked into the room. The stranger stopped beside Jayson, surveying the scene of the room. Two bottles of pearl wine lay empty and rolling on the floor beside Jayson who was covered in vomit. Jayson was too weak to lift his head to look at the towering figure beside him. He listened as the stranger carefully stepped over him and headed toward one of the bedrooms where Leo slept. The last Jayson remembered, Leo had been sitting upright in bed with his back against his headboard and a pitcher, assumingly full of sick, on his lap between his legs. Jack had been able to hold his liquor, but still managed to fall out of bed, and lay on the floor in a tangle of white linen when Jayson had hurried from the room some hours before.
Jayson heard the stranger walking through their rooms. His heart raced. His mind told him he should investigate who it was. Not everyone they had met yesterday at the council meeting was a friend. But his spinning head and queasy stomach told him otherwise. He felt the vibrations of the footsteps draw near to him again, and two strong hands
gently lifted him. “Come on, you little drunkard,” said Dimitri’s soft voice. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
Dimitri changed Jayson’s clothes, and cleaned up the pool of sick in the common area. He handed Jayson a nasty tasting herbal tea he had ordered to be brought up from the kitchens. He instructed Jayson to sip it slowly, then went to work on Leo and Jack. An hour later, all three sat in the chairs in their common room, mugs of steaming hot tea in their laps, and their heads firmly held in their hands. The pounding had subsided a bit, as had the blurriness, but the feeling of having to puke hadn’t yet left them. Dimitri chuckled quietly at them.
“How does my dad do this every weekend?” asked Jack, lifting his head. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his perfectly handsome hair was a tangled mess.
“Remind me never to drink again,” said Leo through his hands.
“Remind me of this at my bachelor party,” said Jayson into his tea. “If I live that long.”
“Did no one warn you about the pearl wine?” Dimitri asked, attempting to stifle a laugh, “It is very strong.”
“No kidding,” said Leo. He finished off his tea with a look as grotesque as the herbs tasted.
“The reason for my visit was to inform you I spoke with Nefiri and Valar. They have agreed to let me train you in magic.” Jayson, Jack and Leo looked up at Dimitri, pushing their headaches aside.
“Really?” whispered Jayson.
“But, we haven’t really shown any signs,” said Leo.
“When you helped Piper, it was proof enough that you have magical abilities. As much as the dwarves wish to fight it, our religious methods border on the mystical. And more, as Nefiri’s unofficial adopted son, I have been allowed certain privileges with my abilities. The day we helped Piper was not the first time my orenite cuffs have been removed. Though I would highly recommend not speaking of this. It was I who taught Piper to control her magic several years ago when she was first banished. Or rather, we taught each other. It was a time of trial and error and learning from each other’s mistakes.”
“Why doesn’t Piper want to teach us herself?” asked Jack. “I’m complaining that you are. It’s just, well, I guess we’ve been through more with her, and she’s taught us so much already. It’s like she’s afraid of it.”
“Do you know why Piper was exiled from Outland Post?” asked Dimitri.
“You mean the riot?” asked Jayson. “She was just trying to do what she thought was the right thing. She can’t blame herself for that forever.”
“Unfortunately she does.” Dimitri sighed. “And for the deaths of her parents.” He sighed and leaned forward, clasping his hands together. “They were trapped in their home when it caught fire. They were unable to escape, as were many other people in the village. It was not a natural fire, and Piper was the one who started it. I believe part of her has taken on this role as Queen to make up for the lives she feels responsible for taking. It will take her some time to come to terms with her abilities, if she ever uses them at all.”
Jayson, Jack and Leo sat silent. Their stomachs churned, and it wasn’t from their hangovers.
“But she didn’t mean to,” Leo said quietly.
“Yeah,” said Jayson, “It’s not her fault. It was an accident.”
“Until you have blood on your hands, you cannot know the struggle she faces every day, the nightmares and the screaming. She was only your age when it occurred. Can you say you would handle being responsible for the deaths of so many any better? People whom you had grown up with and cared for?”
Leo shook his head, and Jayson and Jack remained silent. They sat quietly, sipping their tea or rubbing their temples.
Finally, Jack spoke. “Why are we getting magic lessons? Does the council want us to use magic during the fight or something?”
“No,” Dimitri stretched his arms above his head and leaned back in his chair. “Valar believes Taraniz may remain at the castle during the battle. The dwarves will attempt to hold her forces off as long as possible, as this is a proper fortress. If the elves are able to break through the defenses, the dwarves will draw her forces out to The Great Plains between Mount Kelsii and the Belirian Forest. And, if Taraniz does remain at the castle, then we will have only succeeded in delaying her takeover of the dwarves and temporarily diminishing her forces. Valar is right that we need to either kill or capture her. There will be no negotiating while she has the upper hand.”
“I know my head is killing me right now, but what’s that got to do with us?” Leo asked. He still had one hand pressed firmly against his forehead. “I feel like I’ve said that a hundred times! Why can’t you people just explain stuff?” He now understood why hangovers made people so irritated.
Dimitri chuckled again. “Have you heard of the orenite circlet that was used to kill Duke Noraedin?” The boys nodded. “You have also heard that we believe Taraniz to be the reincarnated soul of Noraedin?” They nodded again. “Valar wants to send a small party into the Elven palace during the battle to search for the circlet. We can then use it to kill her, just as it was done with the Duke centuries ago.”
“Is killing her really necessary, though?” Jayson asked. “I mean, can’t you just do an exorcism or something and get rid of his soul?”
“I have heard of no such thing.” Dimitri’s brow furrowed. “One cannot remove a soul the same as someone can remove a possessing spirit from the mind, if that is what you are suggesting. A soul is the essence of a person, who they are. If you remove a soul, you will be left with an empty shell that is unable to accomplish anything beyond the basic instincts of life. There would be no emotion, no growth as a person. No, it would be far better to kill someone than allow them to live such an existence.”
“I mean, do we have to kill her? Maybe we can figure out a way to turn her good or something,” suggested Jack.
“To risk her escaping? She is also controlling the soldiers and Elven Conclave. If she remains in naught but a holding cell, and is not stripped of her magic, she will still be able to manipulate those people under her control. Chartile will never truly be free of her, or rather, of Duke Noraedin, if she is allowed to continue to live. If she has truly lost control of herself as Valar has said, then there is nothing we can do to save her.”
“Maybe only little, but not nothing,” Jayson snapped, “Weren’t you just talking about what it’s like living with killing someone? Now you want us to do it? That’s bunk, man.”
“We refuse to be part of this — this secret special-forces task group thing unless we agree we’ll at least try to save Princess Taraniz. Not just kill her. It’s not the way our world works,” said Leo. He crossed his arms defiantly, but still squinted from the pain pounding in his head.
Dimitri sighed and rose from his chair, running his fingers through his jet black hair. “I will speak with Valar. I would not have been able to train you in your current condition today anyhow. Speak to no one about what we have discussed here today. I will meet you here tomorrow morning. Until then, drink plenty of water and rest. You will need it.” He smirked and gave the boys a short nod. He headed for the door. His footfalls still louder than they should have been, pounding in the boys’ ear. He turned, winked at them, and closed the door behind him. Jack, Leo and Jayson sat in silence once more. It was a situation they were beginning to experience far too frequently.
“I don’t want to have to live with what Piper goes through every day,” Jayson whispered. “I don’t want to have to kill anyone.”
“Dimitri said he would talk to Valar about trying other options,” Leo pointed out, pouring himself more tea.
“Yeah, but just because they say they are going to do it, doesn’t mean they will,” said Jayson. “How many lies have we found out from these people since we got here? How do we know they’ll keep their word? You think they’ll ask a bunch of kids what to do with Taraniz once she’s captured? Like, they won’t ask us what we think about it.”
“That’s true,” Jack added quiet
ly. “I’m sure Taraniz will be brought before the Elven and maybe even the Dwarvik council for judgment. We won’t have a lot of say then. We really didn’t have a whole lot of say yesterday. Things just kind of worked out that way.”
“These people believe we are the reincarnated kings! They have to listen to what we say!” Leo argued. He glared at Jack and Jayson. He was frustrated at something he couldn’t pinpoint other than the pain in his head.
“Not if we keep acting like we did last night!” shouted Jayson, jumping to his feet.
“Hey, I wasn’t the only one getting wasted,” spat Leo. He leapt to his feet as well. His mug of tea clenched in a white-knuckled hand.
“I did say we, doofus. I’m not blaming all this on you. I’m just saying, if we want these people to respect us, then we need to, like, earn it.” Jayson exhaled loudly and sat back down.
“Why not? Haven’t we been through enough already? Freaking trolls and vampires. I haven’t used a proper toilet in over a month, man!” Leo raised his voice in a way his friends had never heard before. He wasn’t the first of his friends to lose his temper or his nerve.
“Leo, I’m sorry,” said Jayson. He stood to meet his friend’s gaze. He reached out and placed a hand on Leo’s shoulder. “I’m right there with you, dude. I want to go home as much as you do. It’s kind of the thing that keeps me going. I don’t want to think about home too much, because if I do, I…I get scared. More scared. God, I’m scared all the time! Every night I go to sleep and hope that when I wake up this would have all been a dream. But it’s not. It’s real, and that scares me to death! I keep going because I’m starting to think this might be my new home, and I don’t want it turning to crap like my last one. So, can you just try to see where I’m coming from for a minute?” Jayson’s voice cracked, and the tears he had been holding back began to fall. They were tears he often cried at night, but never in front of his friends. “We have to grow up, okay?” he said through sobs. “We have to be the people they want us to be. And maybe, someday, we can go home and then we don’t have to worry about things like toilets anymore.”
Chartile: Prophecy Page 13