Lark sat reluctantly on the edge of the bed.
Outside, rain pelted the cobblestones of the courtyard below, the sound reverberating off the walls of the small tower room.
Aryanna moved closer to Lark, drew up a chair, and sat. Clearing her throat, she looked Lark in the eye. “Yesterday wasn’t supposed to happen the way it did, and I’m so sorry,” her voice trembled. “No one was supposed to get hurt. That wasn’t the way it was planned. I’m not even sure where to begin.”
Lark folded her arms. “How about the beginning?”
Aryanna nodded. “Fair enough.” She got a faraway look in her eye. “Do you remember the first time Cyrrick came to our castle? He was so handsome. I remember being surprised when I learned he was acting as an ambassador for his family and had come to talk about the fulfillment of the prophecy.
“It became my chore to keep Cyrrick entertained and out of our parents’ hair while they pondered their decision, so we spent innumerable hours together going over boring history books in the library. We talked about every subject you could possibly imagine, from first crushes and broken hearts, to favorite foods and authors, to the dreams and goals we had for our lives. Oh, Lark, the hours we spent out in the garden…I can still smell the fragrance of roses in moonlight every time I think about it.
“We didn’t plan it, Lark. It just happened. We fell in love. We even denied it for a long time, but we couldn’t keep up the pretense. Our feelings for each other were simply too strong. We discussed going to Mother and Father and asking them for their permission to allow us to wed.”
Lark glared. “So why didn’t you?”
Aryanna lifted her chin. “We tried. Mother and Father wouldn’t hear of it. They demanded I marry Sarco. I didn’t know what else to do but try and find a way around it. The thought of a lifetime married to the brother of the man I love is torture. And to know I will forever lose the splendor of being held in his arms is pure torment. Even though I knew I was no longer free to pursue another, I couldn’t seem to help myself. I pursued Cyrrick with a passion. I even seduced him…many times.”
A cold realization seeped into Lark’s heart as Aryanna fidgeted on the chair. How so very alike the two sisters really were. Wasn’t that exactly what she herself had done with Sarco?
The rain froze and turned to flecks of ice as Aryanna continued, “I talked him into helping me search for a way around the rules of the prophecy, and he found the quest. He really is an amazingly intelligent man, Lark.” The hail grew to the size of small pebbles as the sound of Aryanna’s voice morphed into a steady hammering in Lark’s already pounding head. “I threw you and Sarco together. I needed to make sure you and he would be exposed to each other at Carnalval. I had a feeling you’d be perfect for each other. I have to admit, though, I was concerned when you cried all the way home from festival that perhaps you two hadn’t hit it off after all.
“Then I saw the sparks fly between the both of you when we were introduced the day we arrived here. Sarco didn’t even look at me. He only had eyes for you. So I tricked you into taking his Elemental Wizard class in my place. I knew the two of you wouldn’t be able to keep your hands off each other, and I was right, wasn’t I?”
Lark nodded and stared off into space, unseeingly, as the wind howled outside.
“To answer your question, Lark, yes, we did change a couple of the words Sarco was to memorize in that silly book. We couldn’t think of any other way to get him to insult our family, and it was imperative he do so. It was the only way to trick him into having no choice but to do the quest. We both wanted Sarco to be allowed to chose whom he married. Then, we sat back and allowed nature to take its course.”
The sounds of the wind whipping, hail falling, and thunder crashing barely registered in Lark’s mind. She was beyond angry now. Ary was smiling and sounded practically cheerful about the ordeal, as if she and Cyrrick had done Lark and Sarco a favor and should be thanked for their efforts. Lark’s fingers itched to feel the skin of Ary’s throat beneath them.
“You’ve both exceeded our wildest expectations in the attraction department, you really have,” her sister continued, her expression and gestures animated. “But we never, ever meant for anyone to get hurt, Lark. If you don’t believe anything I tell you, you must believe that. And you have to admit, if it hadn’t been for that stupid human rule the halfling had to go and tell everyone about, our plan would’ve worked. Sarco could’ve completed the quest, chosen you, and fulfilled his destiny with the woman he does love. Cyrrick and I would’ve been free to be together at last.”
Ice the size of small stones pummeled the ground and structures below. The onslaught sounded like firecrackers popping.
“Please don’t look at me as if you wish my blood spilled upon the floor, Lark. If you really do, you’re welcome to it. Trust me, you can’t possibly think worse of me than I do of myself. I know what a mess I’ve made, and I take full responsibility for my actions. My only hope is that someday you’ll be able to find it in your heart to forgive me.” Aryanna covered her face with her hands and wept.
Lark stood. Rage competed with guilt. She fought to form a coherent thought as she stared at her sister’s bent head. “Why didn’t you come to me? Why did you feel the need to trick me into falling in love with Sarco? I’m your sister, Ary. I would’ve understood. I would’ve gladly helped. You should’ve trusted me. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t have done for you.”
She fisted her hands to her sides. “Do you have any idea how much guilt I’ve been carrying around all these weeks? And Sarco, God Draka, this has almost killed him, and still may. You ask me to forgive you? I ask you, why didn’t you trust me, Ary?”
Aryanna slowly lifted her head. Tear tracks marred her once-perfect face. “It was never you I didn’t trust, Lark. It was always me.”
Pain, too intense to be held in, flowed up and outward, as Lark’s ears rang with the beating of her heart and the pounding of her head. She knew this was as much her fault as it was Ary’s, probably even more so.
Yes, she and Sarco had been thrown together, but Lark knew in her heart she’d wanted him, and in the end, it hadn’t mattered to her that he’d been meant for her sister. She had taken what she wanted, just as Ary had. If truth be told, they’d all four played equal parts in this debacle.
Lonely, empty years without either the man she loved or the sister she’d always adored stretched endlessly before Lark, and despair chilled her from the inside out. Shivers she couldn’t control shook her entire frame.
Outside, lightning struck so close, a tree beside the tower split in two, and the crashing of it jerked Lark from her trance. Chunks of ice now pelted the ground, and the wind whipped so viciously it whisked away a statue of a previous headmistress, tossing it across the front of the window before depositing it on the other side of the bailey.
Lark couldn’t take her eyes from the out-of-control tempest. She was so absorbed in her own pain and the storm outside, she didn’t hear the footsteps on the stairs. The door burst open with a resounding thud, and a pair of surprisingly strong hands grasped both of Lark’s arms and shook her.
“Get yourself under control, Granddaughter. You must cease this minute. If you don’t, the Academy itself could be lost. Lark, can you hear me, girl?”
Lark crumpled into her grandmother’s arms and sobbed, “I can’t. I’ve only ever been able to control it to a point. I’m sorry.”
Grandmother rocked her, and the wind lessened. The feel of Grandmother Ava’s gentle fingers stroking her hair eased her soul. “You must try, child,” Grandmother whispered. “Just as water tempers fire, flesh tempers spirit. Look deep within yourself. The power is there.”
Lark lifted her head and looked into the kind face of the only parent she’d ever known. “You’re right, Grandmother. I’ll try.” She stood and walked to the window and gasped. The sight of the destruction below was far greater than she could have imagined and it frightened her. “I did this?”
; Grandmother Ava nodded. “And now you must stop it.”
Lark shook her head. “Mother was right, after all, wasn’t she? I am a monster.”
Tears fell in earnest and obscured the view. The feeling of a hand strongly grasping her own, a body standing beside her, and a warmth invading her mind brought comfort. Thoughts floated together as Lark and Aryanna’s minds meshed into one.
“Don’t ever believe that, Lark. You aren’t the monster, she is. You’re special, and Mother could never see past her fears to recognize that in you. It’s her loss, not yours.” Her sister’s love enveloped her. “I’ll understand if you can never forgive me, really I will. I’m not sure I can ever forgive myself. I’m afraid I even bungled the explanation badly, didn’t I? I was so nervous. But then how could I ever justify using my own sister? A sister I love with all my heart. I really only ever wanted happiness for both of us, and I know in my heart Sarco is the man to make you happy, just as Cyrrick is the only one for me. But please don’t blame Cyrrick for any of this. It’s my fault.”
Lark turned to her sister and gazed in Ary’s eyes. She wasn’t sure who cried harder. For the first time, she saw a sister she’d never seen before. This Ary was just as vulnerable, scared, and insecure as she was. Gone was the prissy, proper princess she showed the rest of the world. The woman who stood before her today was simply the big sister who’d made a mistake. It was time to stop the blaming.
“I forgive you, Ary, and it wasn’t just you. We were all in the wrong. We’ll work this out together, you’ll see. Right now, though, I need your help, please. I can’t stop the storm alone.”
Aryanna squeezed her hand. “You’ve always had the power to stop it. It’s within you, but I’m honored you asked my help. I think I know just the thing. It always worked when you were a squirming, squalling baby.”
Lark peeked at her sister and smiled. She closed her eyes as Ary’s voice rang with the strains of a lullaby. The words sounded vaguely familiar. They flittered through her mind.
Outside, the winds calmed, the hail ceased, the dark clouds gave way, and order once more reigned.
“Ary, how could I have not realized all these years that you, too, see into other people’s minds and connect with their thoughts?”
She felt her sister’s sigh as strongly as if she’d heard it. “Because I’m the quintessential princess, Lark. That’s all most people ever care to see.”
Lark placed an arm around her sister’s shoulder, and Aryanna draped one of hers about Lark’s waist.
“I’m sorry, Ary.”
“Me too, Lark.”
****
Sarco was cold. No, cold wasn’t nearly a strong enough word for what he was feeling right now. It was nose-hairs-sticking-together, cheek-burning, breath-crystallizing-in-his-lungs, finger-numbing, toe-tingling, freezing-arse cold, and they hadn’t even begun the long trek up the mountain yet.
He drew the edges of his woolen cloak tighter about himself and glanced upward toward the Alarian mountain range. White clouds obscured the peaks while a gray sky hid the sun. He shivered, as a gust of frigid wind found its way once more up and under the edge of his garment. If it was this cold down here, what would it be like way up there, in the small valley with the flower they sought?
The very recollection of warmth eluded him, and he wondered fleetingly if he’d ever know warmth again.
Warmth had only been a quarter turn of the hourglass ago. That’s how long it had taken the six of them to ride out of the Academy courtyard, up the road, and through the portal. Warmth was no more than a distant memory here, a thing of the past.
The barbarian city of Alaria stretched out before them, coldly beautiful in its wintry, frozen silence. Ice hung like crystal daggers from leafless branches, while structures dotting the barren landscape glistened.
Soaring towers rose in the middle of a sprawling city. They stood proud and tall, yet, to his eyes, the castle adjacent to them appeared bleak and isolated. So this was Lark’s home, where she’d grown up? Loneliness filled him. His mind sought a connection while his heart reminded him just how futile wishing could be.
Sarco sighed, looked toward the heavens, and gaped. The sky here was like a living entity unto itself as it pulsed and moved with energy. Ribbons of light danced across the horizon. Shades of reds and greens blended and swirled together with golds and purples, so close he could almost grasp and touch them. The sight struck awe in his heart.
Why had they been forced to come to this particular place? This farthest, most-northern point of land in all of Albrath? This vast homeland of the barbarian people?
He shivered as he turned in a circle and stared out at a pristine blanket of white. There was only one reason why anyone traveled this far north in the dead of winter. Where else would a barbarian quest begin but in Alaria?
Chapter Nineteen
If ever a man was more missed than Sarco Sunwalker, Lark would like to meet that man. Even though her small tower room was filled close to overflowing with guests, she might as well have been completely alone. Her heart ached, and she wondered—for at least the hundredth time since she’d watched him ride through the gates and off into the distance this morning—how he was faring. Better than she, Lark hoped.
The discussion with Aryanna earlier had left her not only physically but emotionally exhausted. Not to mention the energy it had taken to finally stop the storm. Lark wanted nothing more than to lay her head upon her pillow, cry herself to sleep, and drift off into dreamless oblivion for a few short turns of the hourglass.
That wasn’t possible yet, though. There would be plenty of time for tears and sleep later. Right now, this meeting needed to get underway.
Lark glanced around the room, not sure where to begin. Five faces stared silently at her. Well, six, if she counted Tug. Aryanna, the twins Ally and Audrey, Laycee, and Briar sat waiting.
Lark took two deep breaths to try and calm the nervous rumbling of her tummy and cleared her throat. “First, let me say thank you in case I forget to do so before we’ve finished here this evening. Second, I need to assure all of you if at any time you wish not to be a part of this, Aryanna and I will understand and in no way hold it against you. This is our problem to deal with, and though we’d love all the help we can get, we don’t wish to cause anyone a moment’s trouble.”
Lark fidgeted with her hands as she glanced toward her Channeling instructor. Nerves momentarily caused her to pause and gather her thoughts before continuing. “Briar, you’ve become much more than a teacher to me. You’ve become a trusted friend and advisor, but you’re the only one here who is neither directly related, nor in the employ of this family. There is always the possibility being a conspirator with us could cause you difficulties in your position. We’ll most certainly understand if you don’t wish to be involved.”
The tinkling sound of Briar’s laughter helped settle Lark’s nerves. “I’m honored you and Aryanna trust me enough to ask for my help. I’m not concerned about my position. It’s secure. And believe me, right now, I need something to keep me occupied so I don’t go chasing after my sneaky husband and do more than burn his eyebrows off. Do you know what he did to me? He tricked me into drinking my own sleeping potion so I couldn’t go with them. Just wait ‘til he gets home. Oh, yes, I need to be kept busy. Count me in. I’ll do anything I can to help.”
Lark laughed. “Thank you, Briar. And I wouldn’t want to be Uthiel when he gets back, though I wouldn’t mind watching the fireworks.”
The room broke out in a round of giggles as Lark turned her attention back to them. “All right then, I’m going to tell you what Aryanna and I have decided and what we plan on doing about it. When I’m done, if you’re all still willing to help, it’ll be greatly appreciated.”
Heat crept up Lark’s cheeks. The thought of divulging a secret she’d kept close to her heart for so long left her feeling vulnerable. Still, she took a deep breath and plunged onward. “Ary and I have decided to go against the dictates of our
parents.”
A hush fell over the room.
“Ary is in love with Cyrrick and doesn’t want to marry Sarco. I’m in love with Sarco and wish to spend every moment of the rest of my life with him. So you can see our dilemma. We need help finding a way around the humans’ who-marries-who-and-when rule.”
Soft gasps and almost inaudible whispers filled the air. Laycee responded first, just loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room. “Have ya both lost ya minds? Has the entire world gone crazy? Ya can search ‘til VoT freezes over for all the ways ya want around any rule and it still won’t matter a hill o’ beans. There’s no way around ya parents’ dictates, and they’ve declared it’s Ary who’ll marry Sarco. Love, bah! What has love ta do with duty? As ya governess, it’s my responsibility ta tell ya ta cease this silliness immediately, be good girls, and do what ya parents say. End of story.”
Laycee’s eyes twinkled as she stood, fisted her hands, and placed them firmly on her hips. “Now, as ya probably-soon-ta-be-out-of-work friend, what can I do ta help?”
“You can count us in,” Ally cheered.
Audrey chimed in. “We’ve never agreed with all the letting-the-king-and-queen-do-the-choosing-for-you thing anyway. Being a princess shouldn’t mean giving up all rights to happiness.”
Lark held up her hand, and a hush fell over the room. “It’s settled, then. First thing tomorrow morning, we’ll meet in the library. We’ll read every single word of every page in every history book ever written on the human race. Somewhere, in one of those books must be the answer we’re searching for. There is nothing more we can think to do.”
“What about asking Grandmother Ava?” Ally interjected. “She knows more about humans than anyone else I’ve ever known.”
Lark shook her head. “We can’t involve Grandmother. She’s the moderator of the Council of the Elders. She can’t be expected to go against tradition, and I don’t want to get her into trouble. We’ll have to do this one on our own, I’m afraid.”
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