by Day Leitao
General Keen stood where he was. “Don’t call me that. Is that how you pay me? After all I’ve done for you? After I’ve received you here and given you everything?”
Darian tried to calm himself down. He had to muster his calmest voice. “I was trying to be a good son. You wanted our family to stay in power, didn’t you? That’s how I infiltrated the insurgents. I have a good influence over them and no matter what happens our family will stay in power.”
“Liar!”
His father moved his arm and Darian feared he’d cut the rope. Darian stepped forward, and the guards pointed their guns toward him.
But the general then stepped forward, away from the rope. “You conspired with them.”
“I had to gain their trust.”
General Keen looked at Darian as if he could see inside him. Darian looked at his father and didn’t break eye contact. He knew he looked relaxed, calm, and truthful, and he hoped his father could be swayed.
Darian said, “Let’s stop this. We can go to the main auditorium. They are revolting against the King. You can say you had nothing to do with this. I will support you. They listen to me, father.”
General Keen laughed. “You know what’s wrong in all that you’re saying?”
Darian had no idea what his father meant.
“You never called me father. Not like that. You’re like your mother. Never cared. You should pay for your treason, Darian, by watching the girl die.” He stepped closer to the rope and touched it with the hatchet.
Darian had to remain calm. “I’ve never been the most loving son, no, but that doesn’t change the fact that you won’t gain anything by hurting the princess.”
“Princess? She’s no princess. Don’t you know? The king is no more. It’s going to be me. My true son is coming to take the power for those who really deserve it. Your silly plan to become king didn’t work. It didn’t work.”
Darian glanced at Cayla. Their eyes met. She wasn’t angry at him. She didn’t believe the lies Keen was saying. Darian concentrated. Funny how sometimes he could do his convincing voice, but now it felt as if he was failing. “Let her go then. She’s worthless as a hostage.”
Keen laughed. “Oh, my innocent, stupid, ignorant, little son.”
Cayla looked away. Darian had no idea what the laugh was about and he feared that it didn’t matter because his father was losing his mind.
Darian tried to change his tactic. “Let her go, and I’ll help you escape. In case your plans don’t work.”
“No.”
“I told you I have good relations with the insurgents. Sian has good relations in the army. Our family can stay in power, no matter what happens. Let her go, and if the insurgents and Lylah win, I’ll guarantee you’ll still be general.”
“And you think you can do that?”
“I’m good at convincing people.”
“You’re like your mother! Your unnatural magic, making people do what they don’t want.”
Darian had no idea that his father knew about his mother’s special skill, and that he knew that it was considered a type of magic. Darian himself knew little about it. It was called spell-speaking, or whispering, depending on where you lived in Whyland. Darian once heard that he had that skill as well, but sometimes he doubted it. It didn’t seem to affect his father, though. And the worse is that he feared his father’s mental state. Darian’s heart beat faster as his confidence melted away. Still, he had to remain calm and try to negotiate.
“Yes, I’m good at convincing people. And I can convince them you can still be a general. It would be good. We could re-unify the army. Let her go and I give you my word, a binding word, like we say in my village, that I’ll do everything I can to make sure you’ll keep command of the army.”
“Everything you can is not good enough. I’m going to be king, or else she dies.”
Darian sighed. He was getting frustrated. Why Cayla? Was his father trying to hurt him because he’d betrayed him?
Keen stepped forward. “Do you want to help me? Get that witch here. I’ll negotiate with her.”
A loud shot startled Darian. His father fell forward. The two guards had their eyes closed, as if sleeping, and yet, they’d shot General Keen.
“I’m sorry.” A woman’s voice came from behind Darian.
Darian turned around and saw Lylah.
“I’m sorry for your father. There was no way to reach him,” she said.
Darian looked at the guards. They had now fallen on the ground, as if sleeping, the same way Nia did with her dagger, except that Lylah had no magical object or weapon whatsoever. Darian didn’t know how to feel about his father, but he knew how he felt about Cayla. He ran towards her and removed the gag around her mouth. She had red marks on her cheeks.
“How are you?” he asked.
“Fine.” Cayla was stiff, and looked at Lylah’s direction.
Darian looked at the woman as well. “Thank you for saving her.”
Lylah shook her head. “I still wish I could have avoided his death. I wish, and I’m sorry, but I couldn’t take chances. One day you’ll understand. Well, I have an attack to halt.” She turned around and left.
Darian had a lot of work untying Cayla’s hands and feet. Darian glanced at his father’s body. He wished his father had been different, he wished he didn’t have to die, he wished they could have been a family. Now all that was left was his brother, and he didn’t have great expectations from that side either. Cayla got up and looked around, at the guards, and at General Keen.
“You tried,” she said. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“Let’s get out of here. I’ll send someone for the body and the guards.”
He reached his hand for her.
Cayla shook her head. “Lylah.”
Lylah had left, but for some reason she made Cayla nervous. Either way, this wasn’t the time to argue why she wouldn’t take his hand. With all that had happened, he wouldn’t be surprised if Cayla refused to hold his hand for a long time. He left the room, and she followed him. Darian wanted to ask her how she’d gotten in the castle, why she didn’t stay where she was, why she hadn’t listened to him, but he knew he’d sound angry. Angry at Cayla. And he was angry with himself.
He asked something different, “Weren’t you afraid?”
“If it had been my time to die, I’d accept it. I only hoped the block was heavy enough that it would be quick. But then I was afraid for you. Cause you’d be sad.”
“Sad? I think I’d die.” He wished he could hug her, but she was still distant. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You called me, and I didn’t…” he looked down. “I’m sorry.”
Cayla sighed. “It’s how things had to be. The only upside is that we learned about your brother’s plans. From what I see Karina managed to tell Lylah about it.”
Darian closed his eyes. “My brother.”
“He was defending your father.”
“He probably didn’t know it all. He’s not like my father, he isn’t. I have to—”
“Go. I’ll be fine.”
Darian didn’t want to leave her, but he didn’t want to risk seeing his brother killed, even if he hadn’t spoken to Sian in over a year, even with everything. He ran to the dock outside, decided to find a way at least to communicate with his brother.
Gone, they’d said. Gone. Sian tried to make sense of the message from Mouth Mountain. Nobody simply disappears from a cell. Maybe the guards had betrayed him, or had been bribed, and had let the girls go. But then, maybe they were telling the truth. And if that was the case, it changed everything. She’d said it. Apart from the glimmer in her eyes, she seemed to be telling the truth. Sian knew when people were lying, he knew it. Teleporting. Interdimensional teleporting. Magical shoes. And if all that was true, then his plans were based on a flawed logic. He couldn’t win a game if he didn’t know all the rules. It meant that his father’s fear of magic wasn’t nonsense, as Sian had always believed. Magic. It was real.
Sia
n took a deep breath and considered. He looked outside the window and saw a few lifts in the distance, flying towards the castle. Would their surprise be gone as well? He considered cancelling the attack. Maybe he’d need to rethink. He should have known, though. And what hurt more was that, in a way, he did know. From the moment he heard about Cayla stepping out of the castle on her own, with an unknown girl, he knew that something didn’t add up. Even then, perhaps he hadn’t understood how much.
A red light popped on his panel. Written communication this time, no sender, one of his sources within the insurgents: Girl warned about your attack. Cayla taken by general Keen. Magic woman with us. Powerful. Lylah?
Sian didn’t have to read it twice. The girls had indeed teleported. And yes, the woman was Lylah. Karina had told him everything, and had warned him. Cancel the attack, negotiate. Strike a deal. Her plea was not for her friends, it was for him, as in “please don’t attempt something you can’t win, or please don’t risk getting hurt”, as if she cared. And yet she told the insurgents about his plans. His own fault. The first time in his entire life he’d done something stupid. Of course, had he taken into consideration teleporting to the castle, he’d have done everything different. So many things he hadn’t taken into consideration.
What about Cayla taken by his father? He felt uneasy, since General Keen had wanted to kill her. Sian hated Cayla, but still… Then again, his father must have known by now that she was a valuable hostage. He’d use the annoying princess to find a safe way to escape. That’s what Sian himself would have done.
Sian’s mind went back to the war strategy classes. He liked those, and liked to wrap his head around all logical outcomes. The history of war wasn’t as elaborate as it should have been, though. Most battles were quite straightforward. But one thing he learned, even if he had never imagined he’d need it; fighting is not only about knowing when to advance, but when to retreat. Her words came to his mind. I saw her take down two lifts. That hadn’t made sense then. He’d thought it was a bluff. Again, it was a warning. Strike a deal. Sian had to make his decision. He always won, but that was because he knew when to act. This wasn’t the time.
He opened the channel for all his troops. “Operation retreat. Spread out. Back up everyone, but don’t return to Mouth Mountain.”
He turned it off, and could almost hear the incredulous murmurs over the silence. A light came up. Liam.
“What’s going on?” As Sian predicted, his friend sounded puzzled.
“I miscalculated. We’ll have to surrender and negotiate. We need to blend in and support whatever new government they decide.”
“What about your father?”
“He’ll find a way to escape. His loyal soldiers in the castle have been imprisoned. Loyal troops are too far away to help us now. We’d plunge into a war we can’t win. Not worth it. Our surprise element is gone as well.”
“What’s your new plan?”
Sian smiled. Liam knew that there was more to it than just surrendering. “I can’t say right now. I’ll be gone for a while. Could you lead the negotiations?”
“Wouldn’t you—”
“Trust me. Contact my brother. He’ll know how to get you to the insurgent chain of command. Tell them we were not supporting anyone, that it was just army’s regular procedure, that we were an extra emergency force, answering a call from the castle.”
“They won’t believe me.”
“No. But they’ll be happy to pretend they do. They have the forces to take Whyland. The question is not whether they can win, but how easily. They’ll take all the help they can.”
“Why don’t you stay then?”
“My precious ego can’t stand bruises.”
Liam laughed. “What about mine?”
“You didn’t come up with the plan. No, I need time. I need to leave. I’ll be in touch, though.”
“Peace it is, then.”
And like that, Sian dismantled one year of planning. Planning based on false premises, missing key points. He’d never again try to do anything before understanding more about magic. He’d have to understand what he’d always thought was nonsense, the nothingness his father fought against. But then, forbidding people to talk about something or pretending it doesn’t exist didn’t make it any less real. It was even worse, because it made people unprepared. Denial was stupid. The key was understanding. Sian was ready to revamp all his assumptions and beliefs. That was the only way he could ever reach his goals.
22
Darian and Cayla
Darian looked from the window in his temporary room in the Army tower in Siphoria. He could see a good part of the city, illuminated in its night-lights. Across the river stood the castle. He wondered what kind of place it would be. The leaders would meet the next day, and he wondered what would happen. Strange how he’d planned to depose the king and yet hadn’t really planned about what would come after. It wasn’t as he expected. Not at all. Not only he’d underestimated the forces loyal to his father, he had absolutely no idea about Lylah. He had always thought that he’d grown up surrounded by magic, or people who practiced so-called magic, but he had no idea that there was a type of magic that could manipulate elements, that could control people, that could help a single person take a castle in a matter of minutes. All of this was new, and all of this was something he had to think about and digest.
He hadn’t been able to find his brother, but his brother had found him, for a weird goodbye with a book and a request, before disappearing, who knows where. At least he was alive. Darian didn’t dare tell him how his father had died. The thought consumed him with guilt.
But his biggest worry was Cayla, as she was in the castle that was no longer her father’s. Nia had been nominated guardian of the castle, but still… And he couldn’t talk to her since her necklace didn’t work there. He wondered how she was taking everything, and what would happen to her, now that her father was imprisoned. He also wondered how she felt about his part in deposing her father. He’d left a note for her, but wasn’t sure whether she’d got it.
Staying in the tower and worrying wouldn’t accomplish anything. He decided to go to the castle. It wasn’t the safest place for Cayla right now. There was always the possibility of an offense by some remaining forces loyal to the deposed King. True that Lylah was in the castle, which should dissuade anyone from attacking it. She’d probably be nominated queen. That was what many people wanted. Darian had always thought that there could be a different way to rule Whyland, but then again, his plans hadn’t included a transition to a different type of government, and hadn’t taken Lylah into consideration. He’d spend so long thinking he had to depose the king that he’d forgotten to think what would come after. Maybe restoring the queen would be a good idea. Lylah. She’d killed his father, but saved Cayla.
The night was warm but not hot, and he felt a cool breeze as he crossed the bridge over the Silver River, book in his hand. In the castle, the guards at the door knew who Darian was, and allowed him to get in. He had no problems getting anywhere. In the maze of corridors, he was still able to sense the direction where Cayla was. Maybe the necklace did work a little in the castle. Or maybe he could feel where she was. Darian didn’t doubt anything anymore. He came to her hallway. His heart started racing. Of course he was afraid. He was coming to her bedroom. He’d never knocked on her door before, and he wondered if it was too intrusive, too…
“Hello.” A woman’s voice startled him.
Lylah was there. What was she doing in that area of the castle? Right. Royal quarters. Perhaps she would have more right to a room in that area than Cayla, but that was a day too early.
“Hello,” he replied.
“Are you looking for someone?”
“I need to check how Cayla is.”
She squinted. “At this time?”
Maybe Lylah could make someone shoot the person they were supposed to defend. Maybe, like some people said, she could even bring down lifts. She wasn’t his enemy and didn
’t intimidate him.
“It was a long day.” He pulled his necklace and held the now yellow stone. “You do know what this is, right?” Lylah had a look of recognition. Of course she knew. “Cayla has the other twin. So you know what we are.”
She took a long deep look at him. “You’re welcome to come back tomorrow.”
“Cayla had a hard day and I need to talk to her. Tell me, do you plan on preventing me from seeing her?”
“I need to understand what you want.”
Darian asked, “In her bedroom? I could name a couple things. None of them forbidden, based on everything people claim you believe. Or are they wrong? I’m just asking to check if you’re like the previous king. Curiosity.” Maybe he’d gone too far, but he had to know where this new, maybe-queen, stood. He had to. He hadn’t gone through all this trouble to be forbidden to see Cayla again.
Lylah stared at him. Her eyes were calm, deep—and piercing, as if she could see his soul.
She spoke after a few long seconds. “I’m not forbidding anything. Her door is the third on the left.”
“I know.”
Lylah had a half smile then turned around and walked away. The interaction had been odd. Why was she asking those questions? Darian walked to Cayla’s door and took a deep breath before knocking. Perhaps she would be angry, surprised, or annoyed. But he had to see her.
The door opened sooner than he’d expected. From surprise her face changed to worry. She pulled him inside and shut the door. “What are you doing here?”
“I needed to see you.”
“Here? What if someone catches you?”
Darian looked down. How could he say it in a way that wouldn’t be rude to her father? He tried, “I don’t think anyone minds.” This didn’t sound good. “Anymore. Meaning someone who can make decisions.” She didn’t look happy. He added, “I’m sorry for your father.”
“Don’t lie,” she snapped, then changed her tone. “How did you get in? Didn’t anyone stop you?”