by Missy Jane
Theda clasped her hands together nervously and tried to smile. “How do you do?”
“You’re so like your beautiful mother,” the woman exclaimed. “Forgive me.”
“Oh there’s nothing to forgive, my lady…”
“Doreen. I was your mother’s lady. I attended to her every morning, so I wasn’t there when she…” Doreen sniffled and bowed her head. “I didn’t know of her plans.”
Theda’s chest ached in sympathy. She must have felt very close to her mother, and abandoned or betrayed by her abrupt departure. She took Doreen’s arm from Kephas and he stepped back out of their way.
“I’m sorry that my mother left as she did. I’d love to sit and talk with you sometime. Perhaps you can tell me what she was like back then.”
Doreen’s old faced lit up, looking years younger. Her bent shoulders straightened as she patted Theda’s hand. “I would love that, Princess. Find me when you have time. I’m usually helping around the castle with whatever tasks an old woman like me can attend to.”
She patted Theda’s cheek with one hand before pulling away to hobble off. Theda wondered how many people her mother had hurt by running away. She looked toward the open doors of the throne room and knew the one person who may have been hurt the deepest still awaited them. After a deep breath of resignation, she strode forward.
He was smaller than she had imagined, and much, much older. Her mother had barely had a strand or two of silver hair at her temple, but the king’s head was snowy white. His crown barely reached the top of his throne, and the wizard sitting to his right towered a foot above that. Another gargoyle stood to his left, but he stared straight ahead, not even acknowledging his brothers.
Theda stopped within the throne room and Kephas stepped up to one side, placing his hand on her shoulder. Goran walked a couple of paces ahead of her before stopping. “Your majesty, may we present Princess Theodora. However, she is known as Theda now.”
The King stared at her in silence, and the rest of the room followed suit. Then he stood and walked down the four steps to the floor. He didn’t hurry to her, nor did he hesitate once he’d started. When he was an arm’s length away he finally stopped and studied her face.
“Theda. You are…”
He closed his eyes and bowed his head. When he looked up again a sheen of moisture was in his eyes that caused an ache in Theda’s chest. Kephas squeezed her shoulder, then released it before stepping back.
“Theda,” the King started again. “You look exactly like your beautiful mother. I’m so happy, and honored to meet you, though I have wished every day of your life that we had never been parted.”
He lifted his hands and she was shocked to see they were shaking. He didn’t try to hide this weakness from her, or anyone else in the room. He simply held his hands out, palm up in invitation. After a moment’s hesitation, she set her hands in his. He closed his eyes again and sighed, then lifted both hands to his mouth and laid a light kiss against them.
“My daughter, I realize you don’t know me, but I hope we can remedy that now that you’ve returned.”
“I…” She struggled to find the right words, when Kephas’ warmth covered her back.
“Your majesty,” he said. “We have news…of the Queen.”
The King’s brows went up and he looked to Theda for answers, but she couldn’t find the words to explain.
Kephas came to her rescue again. “Perhaps we can sit in council?”
The King nodded and slowly released her hands. “Yes. Yes, of course.”
* * * * *
Most of the Twenty were not present at the war room, which surprised Kephas until Berlios explained about Zephara’s final test.
“It should be over by now. All will know the results soon enough.”
When it was obvious he’d say nothing else, Kephas turned his attention back to Theda. Her pale face belied her nervousness as she sat beside him. He leaned toward her and whispered in her ear, “All will be well, my love. Fret not.”
She glanced at him but said nothing. The King finally arrived and took his seat at the head of the table. Many of his brothers had gathered as well, only Nel and Orestes stayed behind to be with their wives and guard their castle. Wynn remained with Zephara, so that put nine of them at the table. Steinn was the last to arrive. He appeared tired and agitated, but took a seat quietly and looked at no one as the King began to speak.
“Thank you for gathering, everyone. As most of you already know, my daughter has returned to us.” He looked at her with love in his eyes. “Thank you, Master Kephas, for seeing her home safely.”
Kephas bowed his head in acknowledgment.
“My daughter is now known as Theda, and she has news of our Queen.”
She tensed beside Kephas and he set his hand on her thigh beneath the table. She gave him a grateful look before facing her father again.
“My mother and I had lived in the Southern Rim of the Outlands. We made our home most recently in a small fishing village. I have… I’m different, and not everyone was comfortable with how different. So we kept mostly to ourselves and made do with what we had. She was a healer and I tried to help when and where I could. A few weeks ago two women arrived on our doorstep complaining of a chest ailment. One was coughing terribly and the other made a show of helping her move around. As soon as my mother let them into our home they pulled out swords and ran her through. I was able to escape out a window and run while my mother used her small powers to hold them there. When I returned to my home and found my mother dead, a villager was there. He said the women asked if I was the Princess. He didn’t know and told them as such. I buried my mother’s body and left the same night.”
This took a moment for the room to absorb, but there was more to come. “I didn’t know what caused them to attack, or who they were until recently.” She glanced at Kephas. “When we journeyed through Keva, I noticed the same style of dress as those women wore. I kept quiet in Keva and stayed close to Kephas, but no one seemed to know who I was.”
Rage filled Kephas’ soul, but it was nothing compared to what he spied on his King’s face. The man might be old, and human, but wasn’t King by chance. He had always been a great and mighty warrior when the occasion called for it. Having the gargoyles at his beck and call had softened him a bit physically, but his countenance would never change.
“You’re saying that two Kevan warriors murdered my wife?”
His voice was nearly a whisper, yet everyone at the table held their breath.
“Y-yes,” Theda replied.
“Describe them,” Berlios said.
“Um…they were attractive, as all Kevan seem to be now that I’ve visited their land. And they were strong. They looked like warriors once they flung off their cloaks to attack. One of them had fiery red hair, the other golden.”
“Iva and Kalypso,” Steinn said suddenly. “They were banished after it was revealed how they’d kidnapped Nel. It’s possible they traveled to the Rim.”
“But for what purpose?” Goran asked. “Why would they attack the Queen?”
“Why would they help Albain in his plot to gain the Wizard Stone?” Kephas asked. “Why would they do any of the things they’ve done that go against our treaties with Keva?”
“They’re no longer considered Kevan,” King Kadmos said. “That alone may have inspired their actions, though why they would go after my family is a mystery. And how did they find them?” He glanced around the table at each of the gargoyles present. “I want those mysteries solved quickly.”
The brothers nodded their acceptance of this task. Kephas looked to Theda once more. “Tell him of Albain.”
The King’s attention shot back to her. A low grumble sounded around the table from every mouth.
“Um. Albain was just an old man we’d met in the village. He came to my mother on one or two occasions fo
r herbs. But we thought it was really to flirt with her more than anything else.”
The King growled low, an impressive tone for such an old human, it almost sounded gargoyle.
“Did he carry a staff?” Berlios asked.
“Yes. He only used it to walk, as far as I could tell. When I fled home, I found him in the woods and he shared his dinner. He offered to escort me to Halstrid, but shortly after setting out we were overcome by bandits. One grabbed my bag and they ran. Albain gave chase. Then Kephas found me.”
“I never saw him,” Kephas confessed.
“Did he ever give you reason to believe he knew you were the Princess?” Bastien asked.
“No. But now that I think back on it, he did give my mother a lot of attention and acted more familiar with her than their time together warranted. I don’t know if she really noticed. She did what she could not to encourage his attention. I think his visits made her uncomfortable.”
“She didn’t know he was a wizard of Halstrid?” the King asked.
“Not that she ever said. But…” She ducked her head as if embarrassed. “We didn’t speak of Halstrid often. It always caused an argument between us, as did many things.” She faced her father again. “I wanted to come, to meet you. She refused to speak of it.”
The King’s face showed his pain but he simply nodded. Theda placed her hand on top of Kephas’, where it still rested on her leg, and squeezed.
“I want two Masters to travel to Keva and speak to Iva’s former housemates,” the King said. “Find out if any of them know of a reason she would attack me personally. Any old grudge or repressed anger over anything I may have said or done.”
Steinn and Goran stood. “We will go.”
“Good. For now, my daughter will stay here under the protection of the Twenty. The rest of you will schedule your patrols for the castle accordingly.”
He stood and everyone followed suit, then slowly filed out of the room. The King looked at Theda where she remained beside Kephas.
“Daughter, would you come to my chambers for tea? I’d like to sit and talk…if you’ll allow it.”
She tensed and then looked up at Kephas.
“I’ll remain right outside the chamber doors,” he said.
She didn’t look completely happy with that arrangement, but nodded and stepped away. “All right. Lead the way.”
Chapter Fourteen
Zephara labored for breath as her muscles strained and sweat rolled into her eyes. Beneath her, the trembling muscles of her eternal-mate quivered and he growled in anger. He tried to buck her off his back again but she held on as if riding a wild beast. She kept the leash of her magic wound tightly around his neck, applying pressure to the point that would help him lose consciousness, but not his life.
“Please, please, please,” she whispered as she waited for her magic to work.
She had tried everything. Calling out his name hadn’t worked, begging him to see her hadn’t worked. Brute strength and all of the weapons at her disposal had given her an edge, but she couldn’t bring herself to physically hurt him. Knocking him out was her only option. It was clear he couldn’t see her for who she truly was. She had used some of her power to dip into his mind as much as she could and realized he saw her as an enemy. Her power for mind-reading never lasted long and she wasn’t able to unwind the magic veil over his eyes.
Just as she thought her strength would fail her he began to weaken. She waited until he slumped beneath her before allowing her leash to go slack. Her panting breaths sounded loud in the silence now that his growls no longer echoed around them. She rested against his warm, slick skin a moment before rolling off him and onto the ground. Her eyes slid closed as she waited for her breathing to slow to normal. Then she opened her eyes to find an enraged gargoyle above her.
“Wynn, no!”
The world shook around her and then lightened as she finally opened her eyes. Her eternal-mate stared at her with a grief-stricken expression as he stopped shaking her shoulders.
“It’s all right now, my love,” he said. “You’re safe. It’s over.”
It took a moment for all of her memories to return: fighting with Wynn as he attacked her like an enemy, attempting to knock him out only to fail miserably, his final attack and her internal reaction to blast him with her magic. Then the aftermath: him lying dead on the ground as she sobbed over his large body, her carrying him over her shoulders into the wizard’s castle and begging for help. Finally, her resolve at losing her eternal-mate and her conviction to be the best wizard the Twenty had ever seen.
Then their revelation that Wynn wasn’t dead after all…and she had passed their damnable test.
She hadn’t lasted much longer after that, not even long enough for Wynn to wake from their spell. She had fallen into a deep, healing sleep until this moment.
“Wynn?” she whispered.
He nodded but seemed incapable of speech as he slid his thumbs beneath her eyes. Was she crying? Of course she was. Had been, in fact, since the moment she thought she had killed him. Never would she have thought it possible to kill her eternal-mate, even in self-defense. But her instincts had been too strong, and too fast, to fight.
She lifted a trembling hand to rest on the side of his face and he closed his eyes.
“You’re alive,” she whispered. “They told me you were, but…”
He opened his eyes and gave a weak smile. “I’m alive, and well. At first I didn’t remember anything after you left me to take your final test. They wanted to spare my feelings, I suppose, but I insisted they let me know what had happened. After much arguing they finally gave me the full of my memories.” He swallowed loudly. “I attacked you.”
The shame in his voice and the look in his eyes had her throwing her arms around him and pulling him against her. “It wasn’t your fault, Wynn. They bewitched you to test me. They had to know I would defend myself and the kingdom against any threat, even you.”
He held her just as tightly and groaned. “I know. But I could still strangle every one of them for this.”
“It’s over. Just as you said. It’s done.”
“Yes.” He sighed and moved up on his elbows to see her better. “They said you’ve passed your test. You’re one of the Twenty now.”
The thrill she had expected to feel at such news was noticeably absent. She had wanted to be a part of the prestigious group for years, but never at such a cost, even if that cost had been an illusion.
“Yes, I am. Or, I will be, if you’ll allow it.”
Shock registered on his face. “Me? I neither allow nor deny you anything, Zephara. You are very much your own woman.”
“I want to be your woman, Wynn. Your partner, your equal. But I never imagined they would use you against me like that.”
He shook his head. “Neither did I, but it is understandable. They have to know your weaknesses. Your love for me is a weakness to everyone but us. But now they know that even when tested, you will always be the wizard you were meant to be.”
Her emotions had tears spilling over again. It no longer mattered if he saw them.
“You are my woman, my love.” He punctuated his statement with a soft kiss. “I want you to be happy. If it’s as part of the Twenty, then that is what you must do.”
She ran her hand over one side of his handsome face and tried to shake away the memory of it in death. A tremor went through her at the thought.
“So long as I never have to kill you again, for any reason. I’d rather kill myself first.”
He quickly covered her lips with one finger. “Shhh. Never say that. I don’t want to even imagine your death.”
“And yet I was forced to witness yours and bear the weight of it. It was horrible.”
He kissed her again. “I’m sorry. But I’m not sorry you defeated me, and would never ask for it to be any different.
If I ever hurt you, my love, it would be the death of me.”
“And I thought it would be the same for me, but I fought thoughts of death in the face of the wizards. It seems that was the right thing to do.”
“You would live for me, for the kingdom. You would live to protect those who need you. Promise me.”
She shook her head and he squeezed her shoulder.
“Promise me, Zephara.”
“Promise I’ll never have to battle you again.”
He seemed to think it over for a moment. “If I am able to control myself enough to stop, then I promise you will never have to battle me. But if I ever do attack you, you must defend yourself.”
She knew it was the best she would get out of him, and finally nodded in acceptance. He relaxed against her and kissed her again.
“My beautiful woman, my eternal-mate, my wizard. I’m so happy you found me.”
“As am I.”
He made love to her, careful of her fading bruises and scrapes. When they fell asleep in each other’s arms she dreamt of his death no more.
They woke the next day and held council with the wizards. Everyone planned to journey to the King’s castle immediately to help protect the Princess. Zephara seemed angry but Wynn didn’t want to question her in front of everyone. He was answered when she stood to gain everyone’s attention as the meeting was about to end.
“And my brother’s attackers?” she asked with confidence and authority. “What news of them?”
“We’ve been unable to locate any of the Varish,” Corbin admitted.
“And who will be looking if everyone is protecting the Princess?”
Kephas started at her tone and placed his hand on her arm but she ignored him. Her tense body spoke of her annoyance.
“Do not forget that one of our Masters was also attacked,” Frederik said, nodding to Wynn. “We have humans who keep an eye on things in every village. You will soon begin to meet them as you tour the kingdom. For now, please be assured that we haven’t forgotten about either of your brothers and we do plan to address it. A message has been sent to the Varish, but they rarely allow outsiders onto their shores. Whether it will reach their leader or not, and whether he will care to address it, is anyone’s guess.”