“Because these elves want peace,” Kain said. “They’re content to live in their northern mountains and leave us be, except for the occasional trading excursion.”
“And the women who reside in this palace, who are seated outside this room, represent this faction?” Queen Adriana asked.
Kain nodded. “They do.”
“You trust these leaders?” King Beniel’s eyes widened.
“I do,” Kain said, realizing it was true.
The Queen stood. “Why did you feel the need to lie about your rescue from this Faenwelar? I am afraid I cannot understand this.”
Kain’s hopes took a dive. The Queen had seized on the very issue Kain couldn’t explain away. Not without revealing the truth.
The Queen continued over Kain’s silence. “I cannot understand unless there is much more to this story than you have revealed. Unless there is some truth to the speculation which Lieutenant Formosa brought us?”
The room tilted and Kain sat down heavily in his chair. He couldn’t protect anyone, not his parents, Alique, Niko or Gwaethe. Well, Gwaethe wouldn’t care. She’d wanted all this out in the open since they had first met.
“General?” King Beniel said. “Your silence damns you.”
“Gwaethe searched for me as did Faenwelar,” said Kain. “They were in a race to see who could find me first. It was why the Zorba estate was taken hostage, to draw me out.”
“And why are you so important, general?” Queen Adriana asked.
“Because I have elven blood. It is alleged that I am the son of past elven king, Orionkael Arenil.” Kain was glad he was seated for his legs shook and his stomach wanted to hurl its contents at the feet of the monarchs.
When Kain finally met King Beniel’s eyes, the man appeared fit to explode. “General, I chose you to lead my army because I believed you had integrity. Now I find you lied about your rescue from the elves and even about why you were taken in the first place. You are a pawn in an elven power war and you did not think it important to inform me?”
“It was wrong, Your Majesty,” Kain said quietly.
“How long have you known?” the King asked.
“I discovered my parentage from Faenwelar,” Kain said. “At first I didn’t believe it was true, but as time went on, more evidence mounted. When I returned I confronted my mother.”
“She confirmed it?” The Queen’s eyes were as hard as Beniel’s. Neither were pleased he had lied.
Kain nodded. “Orionkael was my father.”
“Let me get this straight, general,” the King said. “You are heir apparent to the elven throne? Who is Lady Gwaethe? Your lover?”
“She’s my half-sister, Your Majesty. We share a father, whom I will never meet.” Kain stood and stepped forward. “You must understand, Sire, when the revelations broke, I was under extreme pressure. Lady Alique and I were fighting for our survival. I couldn’t believe everything that I had ever known was a lie. Do you think I welcome this news? I’d rather be just plain General Kain Jazara, son of a master craftsman, not a missing elven prince.”
“So you kept the information hidden because you could not accept it?” the Queen asked. “When were you going to reveal this to us?”
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure I would,” Kain said. “I’m still not sure that this will change anything for me.”
“Well, general,” King Beniel said, “let me make this clear – your elven heritage, and the fact that you kept it secret, changes everything for me. I cannot have a man I don’t trust leading my army. As of now, you are relieved of your position. I will have further decisions to make as to your status in the kingdom, but for now you should remain in the city. Pack your things and move out of your rooms. Formosa will relieve you of your commission.”
There was plenty Kain could’ve said but nothing that would help, nothing that would ease the shame that threatened to cripple him. He saluted the King, bowed low to the Queen, and left.
Nikolas leapt to his feet as Kain emerged and Gwaethe sent a strangled plea.
Tell me what has occurred, brother. You are distressed!
Kain ignored her. “Let’s get out of here,” he said, glancing at Nikolas. “I’m going to collect my things and then I need a drink.”
*
Kain stared into his ale as he sat with Nikolas at The Soldier’s Arms. It wasn’t the best tavern in the city, not what he was used to as general, but it suited his new status. The clientele was a mix of enlisted men, mercenaries and shady businessmen, and Nikolas looked decidedly uncomfortable there.
“I still don’t get why you chose this place,” he whispered across the table. “If these men get wind of the reason for your disgrace, they’ll kill you.”
Kain shook his head. “It’s close to the castle. I have to be near her.”
“I told you I’d keep you posted,” Nikolas said, rubbing his hand through the stubble on his chin and casting his eye across the patrons at the bar. “I’ll check on her every day and let you know, only please don’t make me come here.”
“Don’t you see, Niko,” Kain said. “It doesn’t matter where I am. I don’t matter.”
“This will all blow over and you’ll be reinstated,” he said. “Go and stay with your folks.”
“You didn’t see the King’s face. I’ve made a fool of him and broken his trust. He’ll not have me back. I’ll be lucky if he doesn’t try me for treason.”
“Then perhaps you should lie low for now?”
“I’m not going anywhere until Alique—” Thought of her snatched the breath from his lungs. Her condition was unchanged. Kain suddenly felt totally devoid of hope. “I have to know how she fares. When I do, then I can make some decisions.”
“Gwaethe will want to see you.”
“Perhaps,” Kain said. “Don’t tell her where I am. I need to sort through things without her pressuring me.” Already Gwaethe’s messages were a buzz he couldn’t quite shut out. She’d completed her audience with Beniel and Adriana. They were polite but it was clear they didn’t trust her. Kain hadn’t replied and his sister’s pleas had become ever more desperate. She was terrified her people would lose their next king, but Kain didn’t care. He’d lost almost everything that had been important to him. Right down to his identity.
Kain shut his eyes and tried his soldier’s trick of packing unwelcome thoughts away and shutting the door on them. Gwaethe wouldn’t be shut away. She kept forcing her way back at him.
I know what you are trying to do, brother. It will not work!
Leave me alone! His tone must have been savage for Gwaethe’s presence in his mind vanished as though he had clicked his fingers.
Nikolas was looking at him strangely. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
Kain almost laughed. “I’m very certain I’m not, but don’t concern yourself. Once I hear that Alique is recovered, I hope I’ll know what to do.”
“If you’re right, you don’t have too many options. I don’t wish to see you hung for treason.”
“I must know Alique’s fate. Besides, the King has commanded that I stay in the city and, despite what he might think, I’m a man of my word. I’m going to see this through and no one will push me one way or the other.”
Nikolas shook his head. “How did it get this complicated?”
“No point in going down that track. I just have to take one day at a time. You’ll let me know of Alique’s condition every day, won’t you?”
“I can for the next few days, but after that I’m back to my estate. Merielle is waiting for me.”
Kain drew in a breath. “Then I’ll get my information some other way. Gwaethe perhaps.”
Nikolas nodded. “Listen, I must get to the docks and check on my ship. How about we meet later for some sword practice, take your mind off all of this for a while?”
Kain smiled. “I’ll meet you at the barracks.”
*
Kain stalked back and forth across the private dining room in The Soldier’s Arms. He f
elt like a caged lion. He’d received no word of Alique for two whole days and he felt as if he’d go crazy if he had to wait any longer. Nikolas had returned to his estates and Gwaethe was not responding to his messages. That meant either she couldn’t hear him or that she was ignoring him. Perhaps she was holding out on him, to make him desperate. Well, he wasn’t going to beg, not yet anyway.
No, he wouldn’t ever beg. Gwaethe had to understand that anything he agreed to was on his own terms. If he allowed her to manipulate him it would set a dangerous precedent for the future. But how to get information on Alique? Could he somehow get into the castle and see his lady? His heart leapt at the thought of being able to touch her again. He could do this if he planned carefully.
Chapter 21
Alique wandered through a wasteland seemingly devoid of any living thing, though voices came and went through the fog. One voice was constant, or had been in the beginning. She had not heard it for some time now and she found herself slipping deeper into the mists. It was a deep voice, a loving voice, a voice full of regrets. She knew she should remember to whom the voice belonged, but her thoughts would not order themselves.
Sometimes there was pain, shooting agony that rocketed through her skull and made her wish for release. Then would come the cool moisture on her brow and soft soothing sounds that allowed her to drift back into the mists. Alique lived in a state of permanent thirst. Could the voices not see that she needed water? So little water came to her and that which was offered was greedily consumed, but then she would slip away again.
She had been searching before this happened, that she remembered. Searching for her papa. Had she found him? She seemed to remember his voice, low and sad and hopeless. Why did he despair so? It was frustrating hovering here in this nothingness. Alique was a woman of action, she knew that for a fact. She should be up and caring for others.
Was she dead? Was this the place between heaven and hell where you went to be judged? It certainly was not heaven, for she would have seen the Goddess by now. It felt more like hell – being unable to communicate with anyone and having voices drop away one by one. What she feared most was the moment when the last voice was silenced and replaced by the void. Yes, it was far closer to hell than anything else.
Goddess, what have I done to deserve this? She had not always been virtuous – not ever really – but lately she had tried very hard to be a person her family could be proud of. She had tossed away her girlhood and embraced a career of service. She had stood by her family. She thought she might even have been a little brave, though she could not remember specifics. Perhaps it was all a dream.
The man with the deep voice was not a dream though. He had been real and she had loved him. He might even have been part of the reason for her transformation. What was his name? If only she could remember, perhaps she might claw her way out of this place.
“Rest, Alique,” a man’s voice said. “Don’t fight this. You must rest.”
No, I cannot rest! I have to fight! You don’t understand. Alique instinctively knew that if she didn’t fight, this would be the sum total of her existence for ever. The pain struck her and she curled her toes. Someone shoved something in her mouth, something hard, but she pushed it away and screamed. She had to scream, to make a sound, and this time she heard herself, felt herself draw closer to the surface of the wasteland. Perhaps if she continued to scream, she could pull herself out of this?
But a cup was raised to her mouth and a bitter liquid trickled past her lips, just a few sips, which she swallowed obediently as she had always taken her medicine. Slowly the pain ebbed and Alique slipped away into the gray mists.
*
Kain was up before the dawn and washed his face with cold water from the basin in his room. The shock drove the last vestiges of sleep from his brain, not that he’d been getting much sleep. The thought of seeing Alique had kept him awake at night, planning how he could visit her. Finally, last night, Gwaethe had sent him one sentence. Alique was unchanged, and all thought she would not recover.
Which only made him even more frantic to get to her. Late yesterday, he sent a note to the Queen asking for permission to see Alique. His request had been denied. Common sense told him to drop the matter, that he could do nothing for her and he should be content to remember her as she was – vibrant and quarrelsome. To hell with common sense! As long as she was alive he’d hope, and remember, and long for her.
Kain crossed to the chest at the end of his bed and opened the lid. He drew out the priest’s cassock and held it up. It was dark blue with a hood and should disguise him well enough. He had paid some men still loyal to him to start a ruckus at the castle gates so that he would be under less scrutiny when he sought to gain admission. Priests were welcome anyway, and at this time when so many were injured, there were many more about.
This had to work because if it didn’t, castle security would be tightened and it would be even more difficult to gain admission. Kain pulled his breeches and tunic on and slipped the cassock over his head. He wouldn’t take weapons into the castle, instead relying on his bare hands for defense if required. There was no point going in armed.
He slipped down the back steps of the tavern and out into the stable yard, exiting through a rear gate into the alley behind the inn. All was quiet and there was just enough light to see by. Kain strode up the alley, heading in the direction of the palace.
He was soon within sight of the palace gate and found the group of men who had agreed to create the diversion. He didn’t know what they thought of his scheme, and didn’t care. He nodded at them and they strode toward the gate, engaging the two guards on duty.
Kain tightened the rope at his waist and lit the incense in the holder that hung from it. May as well look the part. He walked slowly toward the increasingly loud ruckus. As he drew level, one of the guards spotted him.
“Good morning, Father.”
“Good morning, my son,” Kain said, his voice low and husky. “I have been called to prayers for the Lady Alique Zorba. Dawn prayers,” he added, to heighten the urgency. All knew that prayers at dawn and dusk were more often answered.
“Yes, Father,” the guard said. “A terrible business. So young, she was.”
Kain’s jaw tightened at the past tense. “We still hope for recovery, my son,” he said, working hard to keep the anger from his voice.
“Of course, I meant no disrespect to you or the lady. I’m sure your prayers will be answered.”
At that point, the men started pushing and shoving at each other and the soldier with Kain ushered him through the gate. “Go in peace, Father,” he said before turning back to the mob.
Kain didn’t need more urging and rushed through, remembering to slow his strides to a more sedate pace once he was inside the castle grounds. He’d never seen a priest hurry about his business. Avoiding the front entry, he walked around to the servant’s door. Another two guards stopped him just as he reached for the handle.
“Wait a moment!” the burly one said. “What’s your business?”
Kain’s heard thudded but he turned to the men and smiled. Not that it was light enough to see the smile but they would hear it in his voice. “Glad I am you’re on duty, my sons,” Kain said. “I would not wish for the good people inside to be unprotected with things as they are.”
The men frowned in unison and Kain was suddenly certain he had failed.
“Speak your business, priest,” the burly guard snapped. His companion pulled at his sleeve and whispered into his ear. “I’m waiting,” he said, tugging his sleeve from the other man’s hold.
“I’ve been called to dawn prayers for the Lady Zorba, my son,” Kain said. “You might have heard she is gravely ill.”
“I’ve heard,” the burly man said. “What do you want?”
“I seek admission to the castle,” Kain said. “Allow me to pass and I’ll be about my task.”
The guard’s companion spoke up. “We don’t want to invite the ire of the Goddess,
Enry! Leave the man be.”
Enry glared and Kain held his breath. Don’t pick this moment to do your job properly, Enry!
Enry reached past Kain and opened the servant’s entry door. “Go, priest, and make sure you put in a good word for me with the Goddess. I could use some luck.”
Kain slipped through the door and closed it behind him. He paused to recall the layout of the palace. Certain chambers were reserved for the care of sick nobility. The Chamber of the Sky was the premiere chamber and Kain would bet that was where Alique was. It was at the front of the castle on the third floor.
He waited a moment longer, mapping out the route in his mind so he would avoid the most people. Kain adjusted his hood and set off for the upper reaches of the castle.
The halls were almost completely devoid of guests and residents at this hour, with just a smattering of servants beginning their day. The smell of baking bread wafting from the kitchens was quickly lost as Kain climbed higher. He kept his head down and swung the incense pot, wafting the sickly scent around the hallways. Any servants he did meet stepped out of his way with a muttered “go in peace”.
Even the odd noble he encountered avoided him. Priests were mysterious people and while folks respected them, few felt comfortable around them. Kain had long ago decided that the clergy reminded the populace of their failings and no one wanted to think about that for too long. He smiled, he might as well have been invisible to most folk in this castle. As long as he didn’t come across the monarchs or the good doctor, he might just get to see Alique.
He paused outside a door like any other along the hall. This was it. I think. No point waiting in the hall. He turned the handle and entered, finding sky blue walls and white drapes that mimicked fluffy clouds. The Chamber of the Sky. A faint noise came from the bedchamber adjacent and Kain crouched behind a chair that sat by the fireplace. The murmur of a male voice floated from the room. Doctor Mosard?
Kain settled in to wait until the doctor left. His ears strained to pick up the sounds from the adjacent room. Was Alique awake? But there was no feminine voice, and Kain would have heard hers instantly. Goddess, please send him out so I can see her! I need to touch her, feel the soft skin of her fingers against mine. He yearned to be in that room. It was torture beyond anything he had experienced in the five days since he had seen Alique. Tension mounted, his body thrumming with it. Kain swallowed the moan that rose as the minutes ticked by. They seemed like hours. His body protested the cramped space but he barely noticed.
The Elf King’s Lady: Wildecoast Saga Book 2 Page 22