Rhoane swallowed his hurt. “Then why did you claim her Darennsai last night?”
“Because, my son, I need the other Eleri to believe it possible.” He stood, as did Rhoane, and embraced Rhoane with surprising force. “Tonight, at table, I will declare you no longer sheanna.” He touched Rhoane’s short waves. “Grow your hair and let the world know you are Eleri.”
Tears stung Rhoane’s eyes. “Thank you, Father.” He held his father close, wishing things could be different. “You saw last night what is in her heart. She will not fail you.”
“For the sake of the Eleri and Aelinae, I hope you are right.” A clash of metal drew their attention to the courtyard outside his window. “One cannot say she takes her obligations lightly,” he said as he watched Taryn jump aside, narrowly missing a slice of Baehlon’s sword. “Does she always exhibit such abandon?”
“In everything she does.”
“Is this what you wish for yourself?”
For a long moment, Rhoane didn’t answer. The previous night he, too, saw into her heart. Saw her innocence and her anguish. Saw the entirety of the life she’d lived with Brandt, saw her conflicted love for him. Over the long seasons of waiting for her, he’d asked himself many times if honoring Verdaine’s prophecy was what he truly wanted. He at last had an answer. “If ever I had the choice, this is what I would choose.”
His father nodded slowly. “So be it.” He indicated his desk. “I should get back to this.”
“Then I shall leave you to your work.” He moved a few steps and faltered. “Father, Carga…?” He could not bring himself to finish the question.
Stephan shook his head. “Your sister knows when her punishment is complete. Only then can she part the veils.”
“I know the man, and it was not her fault. Zakael is clever and manipulative. He was using her to find Taryn.”
“Stop. Is it not bad enough that one of my children is destined to share his body with a Fadair? Once your sister is purified, I will forgive her. Now, go.”
When Rhoane approached the door his father called to him. “I do not completely trust the empress. There is something unsettling about her. A force I cannot name that has permeated her ShantiMari. Tread with care. Because you are no longer sheanna, when you are at her court, you are beholden only to Eleri law and not her whims. And Rhoane, as Darennsai, neither is her daughter. I will explain this to her when I meet with her later today.”
“I do not envy you that.”
Lliandra liked her control over Taryn a little too much. His father’s declaration would anger the empress, but Rhoane vowed to not let her take that anger out on his beloved. He’d been livid at her treatment of Taryn after the Aomori scandal, going so far as to question Lliandra over her actions. Not only did she deny abusing Taryn but she warned him it was not his place to debate her actions regarding her daughters, which included Marissa.
Her thinly veiled threat to leave the crown princess’s affairs well alone confirmed his suspicion Lliandra knew Marissa was involved with Zakael. More than likely, Lliandra was using her daughter as a spy, but Rhoane couldn’t be certain. If he so much as mentioned Zakael’s name to Marissa, she immediately changed the subject.
Rhoane took the winding staircase to the back entrance where he could find peace in the dense forest. He walked through the woods, touching buds that yearned to ripen, and coaxing saplings to grow straight and tall. It had been too long since he’d been home. Too long since he’d been one with nature.
He returned to the Weirren as the sun was setting, casting shadows through the leafy canopy. He had just enough time before dinner to check on Taryn, make certain the paste he’d made for her wound was intact, and then change for the evening. On the way to her rooms, Rhoane caught sight of Marissa at the end of the hallway. Dressed in her dinner attire, she stood a hand’s width from an Eleri youth Rhoane didn’t recognize. From the way he leaned in toward the princess, it looked like the conversation was more than casual.
Changing course, he headed for them, whistling his approach. Marissa feigned a giggle and slapped the boy’s hand before taking it in her own, lacing her fingers with his.
When the lad saw Rhoane, he straightened, a furious blush staining his cheeks. “Your Highness,” he stammered. “I, we, uh, the crown princess was lost.”
“Yes,” Marissa purred. “And this lovely young man was helping me find my way.”
The boy’s thoughts hammered against Rhoane’s. Confusion. Embarrassment. Fear. Arousal. Escape.
“You may leave us,” Rhoane said to the Eleri. “I can direct the princess where she needs to go.”
The boy apologized several times before fleeing in the direction Rhoane had come.
“What a charming race the Eleri are. So helpful, too.” Marissa tilted her head, giving him a coquettish smile.
“Do you know the Eleri share a collective bond? That is not to say every Eleri knows what the other is doing or thinking at any given moment, but in times of severe duress, it is possible for one Eleri to feel another’s emotions.”
“Oh? That must be rather tiresome.”
“Indeed. Especially when someone I have trusted her entire life tries to bribe one of my brethren.” He towered over her, using his size to intimidate her. She didn’t cower, but straightened to her full height, her chin jutting out defiantly. “Do what you will with your own courtesans, but leave my people out of your schemes. Am I understood?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Rhoane. We were just having a friendly chat.”
“Then why does he have Talaithian gold in his pocket and the scent of you in his mouth? Your actions could have cost him his home. The Eleri do not use their bodies as Fadair do. I will kindly ask you to remember this.”
He stormed away before he did something he might regret. Later, he would find the lad and return Marissa’s gold. The taint of her ShantiMari lingered in his senses until he reached Taryn’s rooms. He paused, letting the realization sink in. He could sense another’s power in much the same way Taryn could see it.
Chapter 37
THAT night King Stephan announced Rhoane was no longersheanna. To mark such an auspicious occasion, the king produced two silver crowns, setting them upon Taryn’s and Rhoane’s heads. Rhoane’s was a simple coronet of leaves that resembled Taryn’scynfar, but hers was elaborate, more a headdress than a crown. It circled her head in a complex arrangement of twisted silver. Long swags of jewels interlinked around the sides and back, catching the light every time she moved.
The Eleri celebrated Rhoane’s return to the Weirren with dancing and drinking into the wee hours. Instead of retreating to the bower when they’d had enough celebrating, Rhoane left Taryn at the door to her rooms with a promise he would collect her three bells later to show her the forest.
Dreams of a darkness without a name disturbed her rest. The shadowy figure who tracked her travels loomed over her sleep, taunting her with fragmented oaths spoken in a voice cracked with death. When Rhoane knocked on her door at the first sign of daybreak, she greeted him with false enthusiasm.
The beauty of the forest distracted her from the sense of dread that burned beneath her skin. They rode along paths lined with trees so tall she couldn’t see their tops. Their trunks and lower limbs were covered with ivy or moss, some with flowers dangling almost to the ground.
“Look, over there.” Rhoane pointed through the trees.
“I don’t see anything.”
“Come, but be silent.” He edged Fayngaar forward, with Taryn following. Suddenly, she saw two great wolves loping toward them; each held a tiny pup in its muzzle.
“They’re magnificent. I’ve never seen wolves this close.”
“Not wolves—grierbas. They are rare and very territorial. We must keep our distance.”
“Where are they taking their babies?”
“I do not know. To move them so young must mean their den was disturbed.” The grierbas ran by, close enough Taryn could see the pups
still had their eyes shut. The smaller of the great animals marked Taryn as they passed. Her golden eyes were filled with fear. “We must see what spooked them.” Rhoane turned his horse, leading them away from the clearing.
When Taryn glanced back, the grierbas were gone. She kicked her horse to catch up with Rhoane, scanning the trees around them. A flicker of ShantiMari tickled the edge of her vision, but every time she turned to see where it came from, it would disappear. Her anxiety grew the farther they moved into the vier. When she looked to her left, nausea overwhelmed her.
“Rhoane, there’s something over here, but I can’t tell what it is.” She pulled Ashanni off the path and wandered through the low brush until it became too thick for her mare to traverse. “Stay here,” she told Ashanni after sliding from the saddle.
Rhoane dismounted Fayngaar to search in the opposite direction. She pulled her sword from its scabbard, holding it by her side, her grip loose but wary. The pull of power became stronger, the unease more pronounced. She ducked under branches and through brambles until she came to a wall of ShantiMari so strong it nearly knocked her backward.
She reached out to touch the threads when a voice said, “Now is not the time.”
Taryn spun around, her sword glowing with her ShantiMari. A woman stood before her, dressed in a white gown that pooled in a wide circle. Her dark, waist length hair was held back by a silver crown similar to the one King Stephan gave Taryn the previous night. The woman smiled at Taryn, but there was sadness in her eyes.
“Who are you?”
“I think you know the answer to that, Taryn of House Galendrin, Child of Light and Dark, Eirielle, andDarennsai to the Eleri.”
“I didn’t ask who I am—I asked who are you?” She held her sword level with the woman’s chest. “If you are who I think you are, then you must be a ghost because Queen Aislinn is dead.”
The woman gently moved Taryn’s sword aside. “You do not need this, my daughter.” She took a step toward Taryn, holding out her hands. “I am unarmed and wish you no ill will.”
She sensed no power coming from the woman, but her presence unnerved her. Aislinn had died in a horrific fire, but the woman standing before her looked very much alive. And unmarked. The wall of ShantiMari tugged at Taryn with a viciousness that burned to her marrow.
“I am neither ghost nor dead, and at one time I was the Eleri Queen.” Aislinn made a motion toward the wall, and the discomfort stopped. “Put the sword away, Taryn.”
She sheathed the sword and looked warily at the wall. “What is this?”
“That is not for you to know yet.” Aislinn approached, and Taryn flinched from her touch. “Much has happened to you in a short time. I do not blame you for fearing a phantom. I have longed to meet you and now that you are here. I am well pleased.”
“Are you a figment of my imagination?”
The Queen laughed, and it sounded like the singing of birds in the evening sky. Soft but resigned. “I most certainly am not. It is too much to explain now, but know this—there will come a time when I will need your help. It is then all will be revealed. For now, you must tell no one of this meeting.” She brushed aside a strand of Taryn’s hair. “Not even Rhoane.”
“I don’t like secrets.”
“Neither do I,mi carae, but to be a great ruler, you must learn when it is prudent to keep information to yourself and when to share only what is needed.” Her eyes held such great sorrow Taryn had to look away. “If the Eleri knew of my existence, it would change the course of what is to come.”
“And what is to come?”
“No one fully knows. We have glimpses, but nothing more.”
Frustration boiled inside her. “Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I’m getting tired of only having part of the story. If I’m to accomplish whatever is expected of me, don’t you think I should know what that is?”
“If I were to tell you about this,” Aislinn waved her hand at the wall, “I might upset the balance of events. There is a progression to your knowledge. This is further along your journey. You will have to trust me.”
“That’s easier said than done. I’ve not had much luck trusting people lately. It doesn’t help when everyone is telling me something different. They can’t all be right.”
“I see your quandary. You are very young and inexperienced. In time, you will learn to trust yourself. Only then will you know to whom to give your trust in return.” She held Taryn’s face between her hands. “I believe in you, my daughter, my love,mi carae.” She placed her lips on Taryn’s and kissed her. Cool air passed between them.
When Aislinn pulled back, Taryn was strangely calm. “What did you do to me?” A chill lingered in her lungs, as if she’d taken a deep breath of frigid air.
“When the time comes, this will allow you to step through the wall. For now be content, knowing I am with you, always.” She touched Taryn’s cheek with icy fingertips. “You are quite exceptional, yet you do not believe this to be true. Trust in yourself, my love. We will meet again. Until then, tell no one.” She waved in farewell before disappearing through the threads of ShantiMari.
Taryn stood unmoving, her fingertips on her lips. By the time Rhoane cried out for her, the exchange with Aislinn was no more than a hazy dream, easily forgotten. Rhoane called her name once more, urgency in his voice, and she shook herself. Each time she glanced toward the wall, her stomach pinched and nausea roiled in her esophagus. Not quite knowing what she was doing there, she shrugged off her unease and set out to find Ashanni, answering Rhoane as she did.
The brush was thick in this part of the forest, wild and untamed. As she was ducking under a low-hanging branch, she caught sight of a small bundle of fur lying near the opening of a burrow. On her hands and knees, she crept to the animal, alert to what might be lurking in the shadows. The pup was no bigger than the span of her hand and cool with impending death. She breathed into its face while rubbing its fur until the little thing whimpered, kicking its legs against her. A wave of relief washed over her.
“Rhoane! Come quickly. I’ve found a pup. It’s still alive.” She heard thrashing of bushes and suddenly Rhoane was beside her, breathing heavily.
“We should try to find the others,” she suggested. “It’s only a few days old, I’d guess.”
“They are long gone and will not take this one. I would wager it is the runt, not meant to live anyway. Leave it here.”
“To die? I don’t think so.” She put the pup in her tunic, nestled between her breasts. “I’ll take it with me.”
“Taryn, that is a wild animal, not to be domesticated.”
“I’ll only keep it until it’s big enough to go off and live on its own. If I leave it here, it will surely die.”
He started to argue with her, but she marched off to find their horses. When she approached Ashanni, the mare snorted and backed away. “It’s okay, girl. It’s just a little puppy, nothing to harm you. Just a tiny little thing.” The horse sidestepped when Taryn lifted herself into the saddle, nearly making her fall. She held the reins tight. “Stop that. It’s just a puppy.”
“What will she think when that beast is full-grown? I tell you, Taryn, leave the thing here and let the vier decide its fate.”
The pup nuzzled against her skin, looking for milk. A fierce protectiveness overcame her, and she glared at Rhoane. “I’m taking the grierbas. If you don’t like it, that’s your problem.” She kicked her horse, setting off for the Weirren. Rhoane caught up to her, and they rode in silence. When they arrived at the clearing, they circled it several times searching for tracks but found nothing.
“It’s as if they were never here,” Taryn mused.
Rhoane looked at her, a curious expression on his face. “If I am not mistaken, I believe you were meant to find that animal.” He shook his head, laughing. “Verdaine, what folly is this?” Glancing up to the sky, he laughed harder. “Oh, you cruel Mistress.” Taryn stared at him, afraid he’d lost his mind. “There is nothing for it. You will have to
raise the whelp.”
“The sky told you that?” The puppy scratched her chest and she winced. “I think we need to get some milk, and soon.”
They galloped back to the Weirren, going straight to the kennels. As luck would have it, they had a choice of three bitches. The first two snarled at the pup, but the third gave Taryn a tired look while lying on her side. The pup ate hungrily for several minutes before rolling over and falling fast asleep. The dog licked the grierbas clean before nosing it to the pile of other sleeping pups.
“We can leave her with Sheela for tonight, but do not get your hopes up. Grierbas are not like other dogs.”
Taryn knelt next to Sheela, stroking her fur. “Thank you, sweet girl.”
After a brief, yet heated, discussion with the kennel master, Taryn and Rhoane made their way to the Weirren. The man wasn’t happy about the grierbas but would allow her to stay as long as Sheela and the other pups accepted her.
Taryn kept the grierbas a secret from everyone, including her friends. It wasn’t easy, but she managed to visit the kennels every day, bringing treats for Sheela. By the time their departure date arrived a week later, she’d decided to keep the pup, not wanting to risk her fate if she left her to the vier. She asked the kennel master’s advice on everything from what kind of milk to feed her to when she should teach her to hunt on her own.
His knowledge of the animal was vast, and he made extensive notes that he gave to Taryn on the morning she was to leave. Along with the papers, he handed her a sling of sorts. “To carry the wee one,” he explained. “Keep her close to ye, so she gets the scent of ye on her. She’ll be wonderin’ what’s friend or foe, but if ye treat her with respect, she’ll know what’s right and what’s not.”
“Thank you. For everything.” Taryn gave him a warm hug, even going so far as to brush his cheek with her lips. His scraggly beard scratched her skin much the same way Brandt’s had.
He helped her fit the grierbas into the sling. Then Taryn carefully strapped the pup under her leather tunic.
The Stones of Kaldaar (Song of the Swords Book 1) Page 34