He seemed to have aged a decade since Meaghan last saw him. His white hair and beard had thinned. His portly size had decreased, making him almost underweight. Weariness shadowed his once jovial steel blue eyes. And a ghostly pale complexion made the fine veins streaking his nose and cheeks stand out like red rivers. His physical decline served as a grim reminder that he had lost his daughter in the village attack. Grief left no one unscathed.
Meaghan followed him around a short alcove, ducking to avoid hitting her head on the deep gray rock, and entered into one of the main living areas. The cavern stretched long in front of her, then banked to the left, continuing until Meaghan could only see shadows in the distance. Along the walls, torches burned with white fire.
“There are several caverns like this throughout the kingdom,” Sam told them. “They've allowed us to create habitable living arrangements. It's not ideal, but...”
“The people seem happy,” Nick finished, smiling as a woman waved at him. She had not been the first to recognize the King. Many had waved in recognition since the tour began. Meaghan accepted the woman's broad grin with a nod, but did not stop as Sam led them between several evenly spaced rows of boulders.
“They're safe,” Sam said. “It's what matters most. This section serves as our gathering hall. We use it to hold weekly meetings and school sessions. At the end of the cavern, there's a separate area for the children to play. Some of the parents carved a playground in the rock with their powers.”
He turned to his right, taking a passageway Meaghan had not seen before and led them into a smaller, rectangular cave. Families gathered in front of tents, talking or cooking small meals over carefully managed fires. These, too, glowed white. She trailed her eyes from the flames to the roof of the cavern, surprised to see no smoke collecting over their heads. When she glanced back at Sam, he smiled.
“You're wondering about the fires,” he said.
“I've never seen anything like it before.”
“They're smokeless. We found a spell in one of the first caves we inhabited. It seems the ancient people of this world had already discovered the hazards of living in caves without enough ventilation. Shall we continue?”
She nodded and he wove his way among the tents, leading them toward the back of the cave. “We organize hunting and gathering parties every day to ensure we have enough food. Everyone old enough takes a shift at least twice a week. We've had good luck with it so far, but as our numbers grow, that will change. If we aren't able to win this war soon, we may have a starvation issue.”
Meaghan frowned, and then chased the reaction away when a woman who had been watching them shook her husband's shoulder and pointed in their direction. Meaghan kept her voice low as she spoke. “What plan do we have in place to battle Garon?”
“We don't have one,” Sam responded. “We've been waiting for the right time.”
“The right time for what? It seems the need is now.”
“We're not ready yet.”
She halted in the back of the cave. Miles and Nick stopped alongside her. A few people watched, but none sat close enough to overhear.
“How can you not be?” she asked. “You've had over fifteen years to prepare. Garon destroys more villages and depletes our numbers every week. If you wait any longer, we might not have enough people left to fight him.”
Sam tucked his hands into his pockets, and then rocked back on his heels as he studied her. When he frowned, she felt both judged and dismissed. “You haven't been in Ærenden long enough to understand,” he said. “It's more complicated than it seems.”
“Then explain it to me.”
“We're waiting for a sign an ancient prophecy predicted.”
She stared at him, uncertain she had heard him correctly at first, but then her cheeks burned with anger when she realized he had meant what he had said. “A sign?” she asked. “You're basing your entire campaign on some sort of mystical prediction?”
“As I said, you don't know this kingdom well enough to understand.”
She took a step closer to him, finding it difficult to care if the people around them saw her reaction. “Don't tell me I don't understand. I understand plenty. I understand you and the other Elders are hiding behind a prophecy because you don't have enough courage to take control. And I understand that by not fighting, you've given Garon all the leverage he needs.”
Sam's eyes locked on hers and he met her attack with one of his own. “I find it convenient that you choose to dismiss the prophecies you don't want to follow, and then wield the ones you do as a noble shield. Do you think I'm a fool? Do you think I don't remember you used a prophecy to protect Nick from being punished for your wedding?”
“The wedding happened without our permission. It's not like we chose to break the law.”
“Then I guess you should have taken more control,” he spat back. His attention turned to Nick, who stood in silence beside her. “And what do you think? You grew up here. Do you agree with her? Are we cowards?”
“Her word choice is unfortunate,” Nick responded. She stiffened, but he took her hand in his and squeezed it. She heeded his request to remain silent. “She knows you aren't cowards, but she can also feel our people's suffering more than we can.”
“And we see them suffer every day,” Sam countered. “We heal them. We guide them. And we counsel them after Garon subjects them to the deaths of their loved ones and horrors beyond their worst nightmares. All while she's done what? Hid from the war in safety and comfort?”
This time Nick stiffened. He grabbed Sam's arm, but did no more than urge him into an alcove, away from any prying eyes. “You know better than that, Sam. Meaghan has done exactly what the Elders requested of her. She's trained and she's ready. She wants to help and I think you do, too. Waiting is bothering you as much as it's bothering her, isn't it?”
Sam glared at him for moment and then sighed. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “We've discussed it, but we can't do anything until the sign comes.”
“Why?” Nick asked. “I know how important prophecies are, now more than I ever did before, but I also know we have to prepare for them. If the sign comes, are we ready to fight? If not, we have work to do, and we need to start doing it. That's all Meaghan is saying.”
Sam nodded and brought a hand to Nick's shoulder. “I've watched you since you were a small boy,” he said. “But somehow, I didn't realize how much you'd grown up. You have a lot of wisdom and a good way with words. We're lucky to have you as our King.”
The compliment brought a smile to Nick's face, but as they continued walking, it weighed on Meaghan's mind. Nick would make a great King, but she had her doubts about whether she would make a good Queen. More so now, after Nick had smoothed over her argument. Sam was supposed to be her ally, not her enemy. Her mind flashed to Abbott's prediction, and though she usually tried not to think about it, today she held on to it. She needed to ensure Nick fulfilled the Dreamer's vision, even if she died doing it.
§
MEAGHAN WISHED she had her mother's power. Making her way across a city of tents in the darkness seemed like a fool's journey. Adelina could have done it without even stubbing a toe, but Meaghan had not fared so well. Bruises dotted her calves and knees, evidence of her inability to navigate rocks without more than the gentle glow of a few dimmed torches. She had held in her curses and suffered the pain without the aid of a single moan, all to avoid detection. She trailed a hand along the cave wall and hoped the villagers remained frozen in sleep. It would not take much, just an errant leg or arm extending into her path and her mission would fail.
Nick still slept in their tent. The Elders had retired hours ago after granting Nick and Meaghan full permission over the protective barrier to the caves. She could now exit and enter as she pleased, unlike most everyone else who lived within its boundaries. Miles had also lectured her on the responsibility of her new freedom. She must be careful about the people she let inside, and she must be wise about when she left.
The wrong choice could cost lives.
She suspected her willingness to test both warnings would not meet the Elders' satisfaction, but she had little choice. Not after the decision that had been made tonight.
She bit back a curse when her knee found a boulder, and kept moving. Based on her memory of today's tour, she should be close to the back entrance of the sleeping cave. The next cave offered enough light through a hole in the roof to allow her to dash through it to the exit. Then it was only a matter of hunting the hunter.
A faint glow greeted her from the right and she followed it into the larger cave beyond. Focusing on the moonlit forest framed in the entrance, she broke into a run. She had almost reached the outside when a man stepped out of the shadows to block her path.
“Where do you think you're going?” he asked.
The teasing in his voice bothered her only because her heart still galloped from the surprise. She huffed out a breath and glared at Nick's oldest friend. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”
“I have a hard time believing you're so easily scared. I've heard stories about your first battle. They said you were a rock.” Max chuckled. “Literally.”
“Funny.” She planted her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes into slits. The feigned anger only increased his laughter. “Quiet,” she hissed, afraid his noise would travel. She had not punished her legs sneaking out of the caves to have him wake everyone while she stood feet from escape.
“Why?” He cocked his head to the side. “You're not sneaking off to somewhere, are you? Meeting a lover, perhaps?”
This time, real anger turned her body rigid. She dropped her arms. He had not stopped joking since he had come to greet her and Nick earlier in the afternoon. Given how few months had passed since Max had lost his wife, Meaghan had forgiven the often inappropriate comments as a defense mechanism, but this time he had crossed the line.
Max seemed to understand his mistake almost as soon as he made it. He ran a hand through his hair, following the blonde strands until they ended at his shoulders, and then offered her a meek smile. “Sorry.”
“Forget about it,” she said, letting her anger go with a forced exhale. “We all cope differently.”
He nodded and looked away. “I'm glad Nick figured out the trick with the doll. It's nice having him around again.”
She smiled, but said nothing. Nick had told everyone she controlled her power by transferring it to the doll. If his suspicions were true about Abbott, and a traitor still resided in their midst, he hoped the lie would draw the person out of hiding. Stealing the doll, and her power, would be too much for any of Garon's minions to resist.
“Can I see it?” Max asked, his joking tone returning. “It must be an ugly thing. Nick was always terrible in crafts class.”
“It's hidden,” she told him, crossing her arms over her stomach. “I'll show you tomorrow. I have somewhere I need to be.”
She stepped around him and continued toward the forest.
“You shouldn't go out there alone,” Max called after her.
“I'll be fine,” she said, turning around to look at him. “Go back to sleep.”
He tucked his hands into his back pockets. “I don't sleep much anymore. I tend to wander the caves at night. I'd prefer to walk outside, but I can't get back in. Can you?”
“Yes.”
“I figured as much. It makes sense to give the Queen free rein over the castle, even if the castle is a dump inside the earth.” He smiled again, but this time the gesture held no levity. “You're lucky to have your King, you know.”
“I know.”
“Good. Then don't forget what it'll do to him if you get in trouble. You're looking for the Zeiihbuan, right?”
Surprised he had guessed, she could not find the words to respond. He stepped forward, closing the gap between them.
“I'll take that as a confession. You were asking about him today. I heard you. And you stopped asking when the old woman said she saw him run into the forest. He's dangerous.”
Meaghan held her ground, though Max took another step forward. “He's not dangerous,” she said. “He's a good man.”
“Then why are you looking for him without your Guardian? Is it because Nick doesn't approve?”
She shook her head, but could not think of a plausible reason to object. She could not tell Max the truth. She and Nick had never discussed looking for Faillen.
“You're not going,” Max continued. “As Nick's fellow Guardian, I'll stand in his stead. I won't allow it.”
He closed the last of the distance separating them, but before he could grab her, she turned and ran. He did not pursue. If he exited the cave, he would never be able to return for help. But that would not stop him from sounding an alert. At most, she had twenty minutes to accomplish her goal.
They would need to be the twenty luckiest minutes of her life.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
AN OWL hooted in the distance. Crickets chirped in excitement closer by. Leaves and bushes rustled as Meaghan pushed through the otherwise slumbering forest. She had slowed to minimize her noise, but the effort would not matter. She could have a dranx's power of silence and Faillen would still have no trouble finding her. She would never hear him, or the flight of his knife as it sought her heart.
Something stirred within her and she paused, recognizing it. The emotions felt distant, but their intensity made it easy for her to separate them from each other. Distrust, anger, guilt, and despair suffocated her like thick blankets. Caution, curiosity, and anticipation coupled the darker emotions, and she understood the source of them. Faillen watched her, and followed. Or more likely, he hunted her.
She continued, maintaining the same pace as before. Her nerves spiked and she tucked her hands inside her cloak to keep them from shaking. She needed to talk to him, which meant she needed to hide the fact she had sensed his presence until he came close enough to hear.
His anger increased, and the strength of it almost stole her courage. She forced a breath, using the cold air as a salve and kept going. Faillen's emotions worried her, but until she felt malice or hatred in him, she would not run.
A mouse scurried across her path. She jumped, using the surprise as an excuse to stall a little longer, and then gasped when a dark shadow dropped from the tree next to her. It swooped, silent and deadly in front of her face, and then it disappeared again. It took her a moment to recognize the glint of talons in the hazy moonlight, and a moment longer to see the white body of its prey struggling within its grip. The mouse broke free, fell, and then became captive again. This time, she saw something else that gave the bird a name. She saw gold.
“Scree,” she said, drawing a hand up to her heart. “You survived.”
“No thanks to you,” Faillen responded behind her.
Meaghan turned, her hands raised and empty. She knew he had approached. His emotions had swelled and closed in on her when Scree dove for dinner, and she had let him come. Now she would discover if her trust had been misplaced.
The tip of a blade hovered inches from her face, its sharp edge flashing a threat by the moonlight, and her faith waned.
“I didn't start the fire,” she whispered. She had wanted to sound assertive, but her voice would not cooperate. She curled her fingers into her palms and tried again. “If that doesn't matter to you and you mean to avenge Ree's death with my life, your time is now. I brought no one with me.”
“I know. I've been following you since you left the cave.”
Faillen turned the knife in his hand. His eyes flicked to her throat and she swallowed the fear choking her.
“You should have brought someone,” he told her. “I could kill you. I'm as much your enemy now as Garon.”
“If you were, I'd be dead already and we both know it. I've come to help you.”
“I don't need your help. I don't need anyone.”
“You need your son,” she said, lowering her hands. “He needs you. Now more than ever.”
&nb
sp; Faillen looked away. Guilt surged through him. “Where is he?”
“Neiszhe's watching him.”
“Cal's wife,” Faillen said and withdrew the knife from Meaghan's neck, though he did not return it to his belt. “I didn't know she was his second.”
Meaghan nodded. “His first wife was a member of the castle guard. Garon killed her.”
“Is that why Cal won't talk about the attack on the castle?”
“It's one of the reasons. He was also close to my father, and to a lot of other people who died that day. But Cal isn't the only one to find grief in this war. Garon's taken from all of us. He murdered Nick's father in front of him. He sent Mardróch to Earth to kill James and Vivian, the people I knew as my parents.” She drew in a shuddering breath. Her own grief mixed with what she felt from Faillen. “And recently, he destroyed Neiszhe's village.”
“And now he's taken Ree,” Faillen said. He tightened his fist on the knife. “As well as my son.”
“Not for long. We're going after him.”
“Because you're worried about what he could do to your war,” Faillen spat out, his anger building again. He brought the knife back up, his eyes seeking hers across the blade. “You're no better than Garon.”
“The Elders want to do it for that reason,” she admitted. Taking a step forward, she cut the distance between them, forcing him to choose between using the blade and lowering it. It wavered in his hand, an inch from the base of her throat. “But they don't know you. I do. I know your boys, and I knew Ree. I want revenge for what Garon did and for what he's doing to Zeiihbu.”
She stepped forward again. The tip of his blade touched her skin, and then Faillen swore and threw it. It lodged into the ground at her feet. “Are you insane, or do you want me to kill you?”
“Neither,” she answered. “I want you to face the truth. You know who you are. Don't let Garon change that. Don't betray Ree's memory of you.”
Aerenden: The Gildonae Alliance (Ærenden Book 2) Page 25