The Stones of Kaldaar (Song of the Swords Book 1)

by Tameri Etherton

She was rushing through the halls one afternoon, late to meet Sabina and the others, when she almost collided with Herbret outside the library.

  “I’m in a bit of a hurry. If you’ll excuse me.” She said, motioning him aside.

  Herbret stood in front of the heavy doors, and Taryn had to step around him to enter the library, but he blocked her with his bulk. “I’ve been meaning to find you to discuss Harvest festivities.”

  Taryn gave him a blank look. “What? Yeah, okay, make an appointment with my seneschal person. I really am in a rush.” She nudged past him, but he was like a statue. “Herbret, what’s wrong with you? Move.” He harrumphed and planted his feet into the marble floor. “Seriously? If you don’t move your ass this instant, I’ll hang you from the top of the flagpole in your small clothes.” She could probably do it.

  Herbret scooted a fraction to the side, fat droplets of sweat dotting his upper lip.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re trying to hide something. Are you, Herbret?”

  A slight squeaky tremor to his voice gave him away. “Of course not, Your Highness. You’ve been locked in here for too long, and I simply must discuss some important matters with you.”

  “As much as I’d love to stay here and discuss whatever it is you think is important, I’m late to somethingIthink is important. I won’t ask you again. Move.”

  He sidled a step to his left, and she pushed past him to open the door, breathing in the musty aroma of the library. A lightness settled around her as it always did when she entered the cavernous space.

  The library took up five floors of the north wing. Merchants and courtiers moved through the stacks, silent in their quests. She sped past them to the secluded corner she’d staked out as her own. Dozens of threads of ShantiMari protected the space from anyone not permitted to enter. Not her ShantiMari, but the librarian’s. Scrolls and parchment were scattered across the top of a huge table where she’d left them the previous day. She rummaged through a stack of papers, looking for the letter she’d received from her uncle. It had a message for Hayden she needed to share. Tucked under her teacup was a sealed envelope. The front was blank and Taryn knew the letter inside would be unsigned. She’d received several similar notes since arriving in Talaith. Always anonymous, always with a clue to help with her research. She had no idea who sent them, or even if they were an ally, but she read each and annotated her findings based on the clues.

  A movement to her right distracted her from her search, and she looked up to find Celia pawing through a shelf of rolled scrolls. Taryn knew the section well. It housed ancient prophecies and utterances from oracles the world over.

  “Celia? What are you doing?”

  She spun around, a manic look in her eyes. Her hand whipped behind her back. “Nothing. I mean, the crown princess asked me to recover an old register.” She waved the scroll in the air. “Found it.” Before Taryn could ask to see the paper, Celia ran off, her slippers shushing on the thick carpet.

  “Okay, then,” Taryn muttered and debated following her. But she was already late, and Celia often borrowed scrolls from the library. She shrugged it off and resumed her search for the letter. Once found, she hurried to the beach.

  Kaida ran along the shore, barking and snapping at the waves as they tumbled against the sand. Taryn paused in her steps to relax, to savor the moment. The people she loved most were at the cove, waiting for her. She looked down at the gathered group and counted her blessings, which, she was happily surprised to find, were many.

  She jogged the rest of the distance and flopped on a blanket beside Sabina before handing the letter to Hayden. He scanned his father’s words and carefully folded the parchment, placing it in his tunic pocket. Instead of the stiff breeches and heavy frocks they’d previously worn, Taryn had Tarro make them shorts, and for the girls, midriff-baring tank tops made from soft cotton. It was the scandal of the court, but with the next tide there would be a new scandal.

  “I worry about you.” Sabina sat next to Taryn, watching her face. “Since we’ve returned you spend your days fighting or studying. You need more of this.” She waved her hand expansively around the cove.

  “It’s true, darling. You work yourself much too hard.” Faelara sat under a skirm tree, its broad leaves providing shade, but still she wore a huge straw hat to keep the sun from her skin. That she’d even come to the beach surprised Taryn.

  “No rest for the wicked, eh?” Taryn joked. But they were right. Since returning to Talaith she’d left little time for anything fun.

  “Race me.” Sabina took off before Taryn had a chance to recover.

  She sprinted past Tessa and Eliahnna, who were introducing Kaida to the depths of the ocean, and dove into the waves. The cool water flowed over her, and she swam with even strokes to the rocky island where Sabina waited. Hayden splashed beside her, pulling himself up first before reaching out a hand to help Taryn. They lay on their backs, shielding their eyes from the sun. The days were getting shorter, the water colder, as they headed into harvest. Summer’s last breath was sighing into the past.

  “Where were you when I was growing up?” Hayden asked his cousin. “Those girls never liked to come down here until you arrived.”

  “I am quite curious to know where you were raised,” Sabina admitted.

  Taryn pointed vaguely at the mountains. “Over there or maybe there,” she said, nodding toward Haversham.

  “You’re such a bloody tease.” Hayden said, mimicking her speech. He pushed on her shoulder. “Why’s it such a big secret?”

  “If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me for a start, and if you did, well, then, I’d have to kill you.”

  “I tell you my secrets; it’s only fair you tell me yours.” Sabina pouted.

  Taryn leaned forward, beckoning them closer. “I come from beyond the stars.” They both slapped her leg, and she laughed at their stricken faces. She rolled to her side, facing them. “Hayden, can you come to my rooms tonight? I want to try again.”

  His lips pursed in displeasure. They’d met several times since returning to Talaith, but Hayden hadn’t been able to teach her any of his Dark skills. It was as if there was a void where her Dark Shanti should be. She could sense it, almost pull from it, but could never quite grasp it.

  “Are you certain? Last time you nearly set yourself aflame.”

  That wasn’t entirely true. She’d been recreating the ice and fire effect she’d discovered after her coronation and lost control for a split second. She’d doused the flames and no one was the wiser. Except Hayden, who’d witnessed the whole thing.

  “I’ll be more careful. Just one more time, please?”

  “When have I ever been able to deny you?” He tugged on a strand of her silvery hair. “You’ll be the death of me.”

  “Don’t say that.” Her tone held an ominous edge. “Never say such a thing.”

  “It looks as though your beloved has decided to join us.” Sabina squinted toward shore, where Rhoane and Baehlon were setting down two large baskets. “And he’s brought tea. I’m famished.” She dove into the water and swam away with elegant strokes.

  “She can sense the future, you know. It sometimes upsets her to the point of melancholy.”

  Taryn didn’t know. Apparently Sabinadid keep secrets. Her friend emerged from the waves, shaking her long hair free of water.

  “You were telling the truth, weren’t you?”

  “Yes and no.” She didn’t want to lie. Not to him. Not anymore. “Someday I’ll tell you where I was all those seasons, but not yet.”

  “I think I’ve known since that day at Ravenwood when you kicked the sword off me. We were already connected mentally, but the sword strengthened the bond. It wasn’t until the Narthvier that I realized all the strange images and memories I was having were actually from you.”

  Taryn stared at him, not knowing whether to be relieved or horrified. “You never said anything.”

  “I just did, didn’t I? You can trust me, Tary
n. I may not have Zakael’s strength in ShantiMari, but I know enough to keep my mind locked. Let me help with your burden.”

  She wrapped her arms around him and muttered words of thanks and gratitude, of relief and fear that if he got himself killed the duke would never forgive her. Hayden chuckled, his strong chest heaving against hers. Having him know the truth was right somehow. She wasn’t sure why, but Hayden needed to know.

  “I wonder if the sword is blocking you from your Dark Shanti,” he murmured.

  “Why would you say that?”

  He rubbed his chest where Marissa’s ShantiMari nearly killed him. “Well, it sings to you, right? So maybe those songs are important. At Ravenwood, I’m certain it told me to ask for your help.”

  “It’s possible. I’m always being told there’s a progression to my learning. Maybe it thinks I’m not ready yet.” Taryn recalled something else from Ravenwood—a beautiful woman with dark skin and flowing black hair.Learn the words, she’d said.

  Hayden’s stomach gave a thunderous rumble. “I know what I’m ready for. Shall we?” He held out his hand, and they dove into the water together, racing to the shore.

  Chapter 47

  A CRACK of thunder rattled the thick plates of glass in the old library, temporarily pulling Taryn from the fuzzy depths of thought. She was surprised at how dark it had become, the hours that passed without her noticing. Kaida lay on a pillow not far from her chair, paws twitching in sleep. Dreaming of chasing hares, most likely.

  Taryn rubbed her eyes and knotted her hair into a sloppy bun atop her head. The beautiful cascade of curls and braids Lorilee had given her that morning had long since been destroyed. The papers she was studying served no purpose in answering her questions. If anything, they created more questions, and then more to answer those. She hated riddles, but it seemed the prophets of old were keen on twisting words.

  She pushed the papers aside and banged her head on the thick wood. A loudthunk echoed through the empty rooms. She was alone. Vulnerable. She glanced at the place where her guard usually kept watch, a chill passing through her when she saw it empty. Her gaze traveled behind her, and up the tall stacks of shelves to the top of the palace. Books and scrolls were crammed into every conceivable nook and cranny. Thick beams crossed overhead, looking imposing where only a few bells earlier she’d greeted them with genial familiarity.

  A skittering in one corner made her flex her hand toward her sword, but she wasn’t wearing it. She’d left it in her rooms because it was ridiculous to wear it in the library.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid, she chided herself.

  A palace cat stretched across the entry to her little enclosure, reaching out with first one calico speckled paw, then the other, before extending its back legs. The cat sat on its haunches and groomed itself, ignoring her and Kaida.

  Taryn sagged into the chair, apprehension sloughing off like a thick coating of mud.

  Carina, one of the six guards Anje had chosen for her, popped her head through the entryway. “You have a visitor.”

  Tessa sidled past Carina to enter the space. She balanced a tray with a steaming pot of grhom and two plates piled high with food. “You missed dinner,” she said in a disapproving tone. “Again.”

  Apparently, Taryn’s hermit-like obsession wasn’t approved of by her youngest sister. She’d slept in the library the previous night and—she sniffed beneath her tunic—apparently missed a bath or two.

  “Thank you.” She took the tray from Tessa and placed it on the table. “Are you joining me?”

  Tessa shook her head. “I thought Carina might be hungry.”

  A slice of guilt cut through Taryn. She hadn’t even considered the woman’s needs. How unbelievably selfish of her.

  “That was very nice of you.” She cleared a place for Carina amid all the papers and bade her join them. Her guard looked suspiciously at the dark library and then pulled a chair to the table.

  They talked about Taryn’s work for much of the meal, with Taryn trying to explain the scroll she’d been reading. It had to do with a prophecy about Kaldaar, the firstborn son of Nadra and Ohlin. It documented his creation of the Black Arts, his manipulation of Rykoto, his rape of Julieta, and his fall from grace. All things she knew from Rhoane’s telling those first few days on Aelinae.

  What caught her attention was the repeated mention of a vessel. Without this vessel—and this was where the wording got tricky—to hold or contain their power, the Black Arts would not continue. Taryn was trying to unravel the meaning of the prophecy when the storm had interrupted her.

  She shuffled through the scrolls on her desk. “There must be a second page, but I can’t find it.”

  “Have you tried looking where you found the parchment in the first place?” Carina asked. “Perhaps it was placed on another shelf.”

  “I thought of that, but it’s not there. Besides, the librarians are too meticulous to make a mistake like that.”

  “Maybe someone else took it.” Tessa tapped a little finger to her lips. “Is there a reason anyone else would need to study the prophecy?”

  “I suppose anyone who wanted to know the history of the Black Arts.” Taryn got up and went to the section where the scroll should’ve been. She poked around again, moving aside scraps of paper and scanning several parchments before turning back to the others. “It should be right here.” She smacked the shelf, and a light puff of dust rose in the air.

  A quick stinging sensation from her pendant set her nerves on edge. Her skin prickled and she rubbed her arms, irritated at her pendant. Then she recalled the previous week when she’d searched for Anje’s letter.

  “I think I know who has it.” Taryn rejoined the others and took her seat. She lifted her grhom to her lips, contemplating her next move. “We need to retrieve it, but I’m sure it’s locked in her rooms.”

  “Who?” Carina and Tessa said in unison.

  “Lady Celia.”

  Tessa chewed a piece of Taryn’s bread, her fingers tapping out her thoughts on the crust. “I could do it. I know Celia’s rooms like my own.”

  “We couldn’t risk it. This is dangerous, Tessa. If you got hurt, Mother would kill me.”

  Tessa straightened in her seat, making herself as tall as she could. “I’m not afraid. Besides, I’m perfect. I know Celia, so my being in her rooms wouldn’t look suspicious. I’m a princess. No one would dare question me if I want to visit her. And, I know all the secret passageways that lead to her rooms, as well as most of the hiding places she might use. If there is a spot of trouble with her Mari, I can always have you use your sword.”

  “It doesn’t work like that, but you might be our best bet.”

  Taryn set the scraps of her meal on the floor for Kaida, who had awoken from her nap. The palace cat sat nearby and finished its meticulous grooming before blinking its amber eyes lazily and sauntering over to eat off the plate, too. Kaida regarded the interloper with a cautious glance but then resumed her meal.

  The small group left the library and followed Tessa to a small alcove hidden behind a thick tapestry. Two orbs—one multihued and the other cornflower blue—led their way through a maze of corridors until finally Tessa stopped. She opened a slender door a crack and listened. A moment later she slipped through the door and out of sight.

  Taryn and Carina waited in the cramped space for Tessa to return from Celia’s rooms. She shifted against the cool wall and brushed a web from her face. “So,” she kept her voice low, “what’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?”

  From the scant light of the floating orb Taryn had made, she saw Carina’s brows pinch, her lips twist to the side in thought. “We’re here to wait for Tessa.”

  Taryn chuckled, then checked herself. “It was a joke. Where I came from, that’s how guys tried to pick up girls.”

  “Did it work?”

  “I doubt it.” A rat scurried past them, racing over Taryn’s boot to get past Kaida. The grierbas watched it run off with detached interest
. “What’s taking her so long?” Tessa had been in Celia’s suite at least a quarter of a bell. Taryn paced in a small circle, using all the space she had. “We should see if she needs help.”

  Carina put a hand out to stop Taryn. “She knows how to reach you if there is trouble. Calm. Breathe.”

  “You sound like Rhoane.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  The door creaked open the width of a hand, and Tessa slithered through clutching several papers to her chest. She made sure the door clicked and then looked up at them with a broad smile. “She had half the library in there. I took what I thought was most important.” She gave a cautious glance at the opposite wall. “Let’s not linger here.”

  Once in Taryn’s rooms, they spread out the sheets and scanned them. Some were lineage histories, others mundane housekeeping records. Three of the pages made Taryn’s chest tighten, her breathing quickened. One was the missing second page of Kaldaar’s prophecy; another was a prophecy that dealt with her, specifically; and the third was a family tree.

  Taryn gathered up all the sheets except those three. “We should return these to Celia’s rooms. She might miss them and become suspicious.”

  “She won’t. Trust me. There were books and papers everywhere. You would’ve hated it. No organization, no proper care, or handling—that’s what took me so long.”

  Taryn chewed the inside of her cheek. In the morning, she’d share what she found with Rhoane, but it was late and she needed rest. “You’ve been a great help tonight. Carina, can you take Tessa to her rooms, then give Kaida a break outside before retiring?”

  Tessa started to argue, but Taryn cut her off. “We’ll meet tomorrow and sort out what Celia is up to. I promise.”

  Before she left, Tessa handed Taryn several cream colored envelopes, each opened. They were the notes she’d sent to Rhoane. “I found these beside her bed.”

  Taryn tucked the pages into her tunic. “Thank you, Tessa.” She kissed her sister’s forehead, lingering to inhale the sweet scent of citrus and mint.