“I’ll speak with her about it when she wakes. She’s supposed to tell me what happened with the cloak this morning anyway.” Lyr looked over at the water clock. “Not long until the mages arrive for our meeting. Do you think the five of them will be sufficient?”
“They’ll have to be.” Kai shrugged. “There’s no telling the state of the place or how much time has passed in their realm. I hope we find people alive to help.”
“As do I.” Lyr stood, then bit back a groan at the twinge of pain. “I suppose we’ll see.”
The door clicked open, and Arlyn shuffled through, her bleary gaze focusing on Kai. Lyr smirked as his friend rose, lifted a cup from a side table, and carried it to Arlyn. She’d once tried to transmute tea into coffee before Lyr had told her she didn’t possess that type of magic. Good thing they had this particular tea, the herbs selected by Lial to energize. A gentle, minty smell wafted through the room as Kai used a simple spell to heat the blend.
Arlyn downed half the cup before she glanced at Lyr. She shoved a few stray strands of hair from her face and grimaced. “Sorry. You know how I am when I haven’t had enough sleep.”
Lyr chuckled. “Indeed.”
“Was working on the cloak that rough?” Kai asked, his brow furrowing. “I tried to wake you, but you mumbled a curse at me and pulled the blanket over your head.”
Humor lit Arlyn’s eyes, and Lyr couldn’t help but smile as she gave Kai a playful shove. “I guess you didn’t try the right method.”
A wicked grin crossed Kai’s face. Lyr shook his head at the two and turned toward his desk. Even paperwork was more appealing than watching them flirt. Then his gaze landed on the top report as he settled into his chair, and Lyr sighed. The seal of Lady Alarele. He wished the sons of House Nari and House Anar would form a mating alliance and get it over with. Why they didn’t recognize the source of their tension was beyond him.
“That bad?” Arlyn asked, and Lyr glanced up to find her standing on the other side of his desk. Kai had returned to his seat, though he still smirked.
Lyr tapped a finger on the stack of papers. “Another pointless conflict in an ongoing feud.”
Arlyn frowned. “Could it be related to our other troubles?”
“I doubt it.” Lyr skimmed a few lines of the report and then smiled. “Aren Nari’s insult to Rereth Anar’s tunic isn’t likely to cause a multi-dimensional incident.” A laugh slipped free. “But don’t try to tell them that. They’d never believe it.”
“Too bad everything can’t be that simple,” Arlyn said, rolling her eyes. Then her humor faded, replaced by a worried grimace. “Like the cloak.”
His scalp prickled at the word. The cloak. Gods, how he hated that thing. “What did you find?”
“More than one person worked on it. At least one Sidhe.”
“Sidhe?” he asked, his voice turning cool as fury washed through him. “The Sidhe worked on a cloak to breach our defenses even as they asked for our aid? Who else, then?” His fists clenched at a new thought. “The Ljósálfar?”
Shaking her head, Arlyn leaned forward. “No. Nothing like that. Lady Meli’s people weren’t involved, best we could tell.”
“Kien?” Lyr ground out.
“Selia and Corath believe so,” Arlyn answered. “A Moranaian for sure.”
“Perhaps if we discover our traitor among the Sidhe, they’ll lead us to Kien.” Lyr’s gaze slid to the mirror beside his desk as he did a quick mental calculation. “It’s too early to call on Lord Meren to discuss the Sidhe’s involvement. That will have to wait until after Kai leaves for Neor.”
His daughter’s restless shifting caught Lyr’s attention, and he returned his focus to her face. “Speaking of which…” Arlyn began, then caught her lip between her teeth.
Lyr stilled. “You want to go.”
“What?” She laughed, and Lyr’s sudden tension eased. “No. I’m not trained enough for a mission like that. I wanted to ask about approaching the fairies again. But based on how they acted before, I was afraid I’d done something wrong.”
“Doubtful. They’re a mysterious bunch and prone to whims.” His brows lowered in thought. Would the fairies be willing to help the Ljósálfar by sending an earth-healer if petitioned directly? “Perhaps you should take Meli with you. She can present a formal case for their aid.”
“And I can quiz her about her intentions toward my father,” Arlyn said.
Lyr rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “Arlyn—”
“You should see your face,” she interrupted, chuckling.
Never one to pass up a jest, Kai broke his silence with his own deep laugh. “Red isn’t a bad color for you.”
Lyr’s eyes narrowed on his friend. “Red will be an excellent color on you next time we’re at the practice field. It’ll even be worth Lial’s grumbling when he heals you.”
“Sure.” Kai only grinned. “If you can keep from getting wounded for a couple of days, we can spar.”
At the knock on the door, Lyr straightened. The mages. Soon, they’d learn how the Neorans fared. He shook off a sense of foreboding even as he called for them to enter. Whatever news the day held, at least it would soon be over. He hoped.
Chapter 20
Thirty guards, five mages, three healers, and ten sonal, including Kai. Lyr studied the group as he and Arlyn followed behind them. Would it be enough? They’d been ordered to return if the opposing numbers were too great, but that was no guarantee. Lyr’s very blood hummed with the worry of a leader forced to send his people into danger, the feeling made worse by fear for his friend. And not only for the sake of that friendship but also for the risk to Arlyn if Kai was lost.
The pain of a severed bond was immense and immortal.
Children’s laughter greeted them as they entered the clearing in front of the portal. In the last couple of days, a few more of the surrounding trees had been removed in case greater numbers needed to cross through the Veil, and Eri and Iren took full advantage. Though Iren was six years older, he left his young dignity behind for the little girl, playing games of tag or teaching her bits of magic. However, their presence here at this exact moment was suspect. Were they playing at something greater?
“Eri. Iren,” Lyr called as he and Arlyn came fully into the clearing.
With renewed laughter, the children ran up, their faces innocent. Lyr knew them well enough to doubt those expressions. Eri merely grinned. “Yes, Myern?”
“I have no doubt your parents told you of our mission this day. This is no place for children.”
Iren’s brows pinched. “But Eri said—”
The girl in question grabbed his hand. “Don’t blame Iren. I’m just here for Lady Arlyn.”
“Me?” Arlyn glanced around the clearing as though searching for the reason. “Why me?”
“I know you’re tempted to step through with him.” Eri’s expression sobered. “Don’t.”
“But…I…”
Eri released Iren to tug Arlyn’s arm. “You must stay for your work here. There are other wars for you to fight, but they are not this day.”
Arlyn paled, and Lyr felt the blood drain from his own face. Eri’s eyes glowed with power, her words suddenly resounding. There was no denying that she was not speaking as herself alone. Other wars? And Arlyn fighting in them? He both needed to know and absolutely did not wish to.
Lyr swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. “Is there anything you’d like to tell us?”
“No.” Eri giggled, a little girl once more. “Don’t worry so much. It makes you look older than your years.”
Kai coughed into his hand, and the others pretended to examine the trees around them. Perhaps they hoped that intruders might descend upon them to distract Lyr from Eri’s words. Instead of anger, though, Lyr found himself laughing. He loved having children around. They knew little of the politeness that grew more and more ingrained as they aged, leaving cold formality in adulthood.
“Go on, then, and escort h
er back. I’m sure Iren can guard you well.”
Iren rolled his eyes, though he chuckled. “Like she needs my help.”
“True enough.” Lyr shared a smile with the boy. “More than true enough.”
Only the barest glow greeted Kai’s group as they stepped through the portal. Kai squinted against the shift from the relative brightness of the Veil. What had happened to the lights lining the cave walls? Had the Neorans depleted the energy reserves of their city in this war of insanity? He paused with the others until his eyes adjusted and then gave the signal to move forward.
Kai called for a halt again at the cave’s mouth. Full night had fallen, and the magic-created moon was a mere crescent. This time, no mage lightning cracked above. No cries or shouts met his ears. He heard nothing but the eerie creaking of the broken metal lanterns swaying on their poles by the entrance.
Heart pounding in his ears, Kai examined the area. Were the Neorans hiding, resting—dead? The danger had been obvious before and thus easier to avoid. Darkness and silence bore the potential for ambush at every turn. Based on the change in the moon’s phase, a couple of weeks had passed in this dimension, if not more. If Kai or the other two scouts had been detected on their last visit, the Neorans would have had plenty of time to prepare for their return.
He glanced over his shoulder. “Mage Ilera, can you shield us from attack?”
Ilera gestured to the female on her right, whose hands began to move in an elaborate pattern even as her eyes closed. Kai rarely witnessed the greater magics, the ones that took more than thought and energy. Almost all Moranaians could do basic things, like protect themselves or light fires, but mages spent decades constructing combat enchantments for quick use. Her hands flew through the patterns too fast for him to follow, and the shield formed around them before he had time to analyze.
A necessity during war.
“We will take turns holding this shield so our power might last longer,” Ilera explained. “It leaves the rest of us free to react to any threats.”
Kai directed the group to follow the road. He tensed in reflex as they moved out into the open, a strategy he never would have taken without the mages. Time, however, was not on their side. The mages had brought energy crystals to augment their power, but those wouldn’t last forever. The group had until the energy crystals and their own reserves ran out to explore all of Neor and save whomever they could. Stealth cost moments they did not have.
As they advanced, the warriors fell into formation around the healers and mages while the sonal ranged in front. Maybe he should have left the scouts, since there was little to explore beneath a mage shield, but something told him he might need them. If there were any chance part of the group might need to break away, he would be prepared for it.
They heard nothing but their own footsteps as they followed the long road all the way to the first set of buildings. The same could not be said of smell. As the stench of death reached them, Kai gagged. Something had gone wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong. The smell was so strong he began to doubt any were left alive. None among thousands.
Kai led the group between the first two buildings and then halted, his eyes going wide. Bodies were everywhere, revealed by the wavering blue glow of the energy shield, and it didn’t look like they’d been fighting each other. Some were scorched or run through. Some had the handles of knives sticking from their chests. People slumped against walls, vacant eyes still pinched with lines of terror, mouths open in silent screams. Entrails were strewn across the ground.
No small force could have swept through the Neorans like this.
With a quick command, he had the mages cast light globes to hover above. Greater illumination was…not helpful to his composure. Vomit burned up the back of Kai’s throat, but he pushed it down. One of the mages retched, and even the scouts and warriors had gone pale. Only the healers had any color, but they’d long trained to detach from such sights. Kai just hoped there would be some left to heal.
He forced his gaze away from the blood and entrails scattered around the street. He had to lock away the horror of the scene so he could function. The army that had poured through the city must have been great, great enough to smash even the resistance of the maddened. Many had obviously been killed while trying to run. If any of the attacking force remained here, Kai’s group was in danger. He couldn’t afford to stand here being ill.
He broke the party into five groups, a mage with each to shield them. A risk, but the buildings had to be searched as quickly as possible. By rights, he should return to Moranaia for additional soldiers, but he wouldn’t leave survivors behind. If that army happened to return…Kai shuddered. He’d have to make sure they were gone before that happened. As the others dispersed, circling the city to start at different points and move inward, he gestured his own group forward.
Neor was organized almost ruthlessly, the sections divided by use or need. The street they traveled was lined with businesses almost to the center where the palace rose, an entryway designed with visitors in mind. Through shops and inns they searched, many thankfully abandoned when the healthy had initially left the city, and found bodies left where they’d tried to hide. By the time Kai’s group was halfway down the road, two survivors had been found, both near to death.
Warriors carried the injured on doors yanked from empty buildings while the healer tried to work as he walked. It was a struggle to drag the wounded into each building, but Kai dared not leave anyone outside without the protection of Ilera’s shield. As he ducked into a tavern at the sound of a low moan, he directed the warriors to wait with the injured beside a narrow staircase. Then he tightened his grip on his knife and scanned the room.
The groaning sounded again, leading him to a table in the corner. At first, he thought he was mistaken. All three occupants, two women and a male, were slumped across the table. The youngest stared at him with sightless eyes from amid the food on her plate, her long brown hair tangled in the mess, and the blond male was much the same.
But the elder, her gray hair marking her age, rocked her head slightly and let out another moan. The healer rushed forward to shift her upright, revealing the black stain of mage fire that covered half of her body. The main blast must have hit the younger two the hardest, the effects weakened enough by the end for the older one to survive. Frowning, Kai eased closer. That burn had the tinge of Sidhe magic.
The elder’s eyes shot open. “The cries. The cries.”
As though her words summoned the sound, an indignant shriek split the night from the room above. A baby?
Though leaving the shield was a risk, Kai abandoned the woman to the healer and rushed up the stairs, not certain he wanted to see what he might find. He followed the cry to a room along the hall, hesitating only a moment before he pushed open the cracked door. And sagged in relief at what he found.
A baby sat up in her crib, her dark hair tangled with sweat as she screamed. A small boy stood beside her, trying his best to shush her cries. At the creak of the door, the boy, no more than seven, positioned his body in front of the baby even as tears leaked from his eyes. There was no sign of a struggle here. Though their faces pinched with terror, both were unmarked by the slightest hint of injury.
“I mean no harm,” Kai whispered, kneeling in the doorway. The boy’s eyes widened, and he shook his head. Of course, the child didn’t speak Moranaian. Kai switched to Neoran, thankful he’d learned the language during his training. “I mean no harm.”
“So said the others,” the child said.
“I come from Moranaia. Your queen asked for our help.”
The baby had stilled, her angry cries replaced by a smile. Her brother gave her a startled look. “She likes you. The others…they didn’t kill us, but we heard the screams.”
So even the butchers had stopped somewhere. Kai made note of that detail. “What are you doing here? I can hardly believe that the queen left children behind.”
“Father hid us.” Fresh tears slid down the boy�
��s cheeks. “Mother got sick, but he thought he could save her. I don’t know where they are now.”
“How old are you? Both of you?”
“I’m six.” The boy paused to think. “Neris is nine moons, I think.”
Kai stood slowly, trying not to alarm the children. “Do you know how long you’ve been here?”
The boy shrugged. “A day, maybe. I fed Neris whatever I could find for her. But she keeps crying for milk. There’s none good of that.”
“I have warriors, mages, and healers below, all ready to take you to a safe place.” Kai took a deep breath. “Will you come?”
He held that breath as he waited for the boy to deliberate. And let out a long sigh of relief when he nodded.
The little girl called Eri skipped down the path ahead of them, happy now that she’d gotten her way. Grinning, Meli shook her head. She’d initially protested when Lyr had found her in the garden and asked her to go with Arlyn to the fairy pond. What help would she be in a meeting with fairies? But then the little girl had danced into the clearing, her eyes lit with something otherworldly, and insisted Meli should go. She’d opened her mouth to argue when Lyr leaned over to whisper that the child was a seer. The wise heeded those with the sight.
Even when it led to an insane journey through the Veil to another world.
“She’s a little uncanny, isn’t she?” Arlyn asked.
Nodding, Meli glanced at Arlyn. “Absolutely. I have never seen one so young with such a gift. Is that something common here?”
“I don’t think it’s common anywhere,” she answered with a smile, though her face looked pale and drawn beneath the forced humor. “I have the greatest sympathy for her poor father.”
Meli’s brow creased to see Arlyn rubbing her stomach. “Are you unwell?”
“It’s Kai,” the girl muttered, her steps slowing. “Whatever is happening on Neor must be bad. He tries to shield me, but sometimes I catch hints of what he’s feeling. It’s making me nauseous.”
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