Sapient Salvation 4: The Claiming (Sapient Salvation Series)

by Jayne Faith

The High Priestess stepped forward. She turned, looked up at me, and curtsied. Then she turned to face the crowd.

  She more or less repeated the statement the Temple had released. The one that retracted support for Maya’s miracle status. I gritted my teeth.

  “The true harbinger has come forth,” High Priestess Lunaria said.

  Alarm pinged through me and my mouth went dry.

  The High Priestess raised one arm, gesturing at a spot high in the tiered seats. On that signal, a figure rose.

  It was a woman. She was dressed in grey garb, a sort of draping overcoat. The hood had been pulled over her head, hiding her hair and hanging low enough over her forehead to obscure her eyes.

  She reached up and pushed the hood back, revealing short waves of nearly-black hair.

  And piercing green eyes.

  The world around me seemed to tilt and distort, as if reality tried to twist, to wring itself out.

  “No,” I whispered. Or perhaps I said the word only in my mind.

  I watched the woman descend the stairs. She walked slowly, ceremoniously.

  When she reached the throne room floor, she looked up at me and my heart stopped.

  There was no denying it. I hadn’t seen her in well over a decade, but I would know those eyes anywhere. The woman who moved with catlike grace toward the High Priestess was my tormentor, my teacher.

  It was Jade.

  She turned away from me to stand next to the High Priestess and face the audience. The High Priestess was speaking again, but my brain couldn’t quite focus on her words.

  All I managed to absorb was a name: Jelique Mazor.

  After everything that had transpired between us, I’d never known her real name. Jelique. I wasn’t sure I could ever call her anything but Jade.

  But how was she here? Why?

  High Priestess Lunaria’s fanfare ended. Jade—Jelique—joined a group of priestesses in the audience. I rose on wooden legs. I managed to traverse the steps down to the throne room floor, pivot at the bottom, and enter the hallway under the throne.

  I was aware of Lunaria and Akantha following behind me, but I still saw Jade’s eyes burned into my field of vision like a lingering after image.

  I finally turned to the High Priestess. “How did you find her?” I asked in a tremulous, low voice.

  “I didn’t. She came. She arrived on her own and presented herself to me.”

  “Presented . . .?”

  I didn’t have to ask if the High Priestess knew who the woman was. I could tell by the gleam in Lunaria’s eyes she knew exactly who Jade was. After all, I’d told Lunaria the story of my abduction and torture. She knew more details about those four years than just about anyone on Calisto.

  “Yes. She said she had been sent by the stars,” the High Priestess said.

  “She spoke Calistan?” I was aware of Akantha standing nearby, hanging on every word, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

  Lunaria arched a brow. “She did. I was as surprised as you.”

  I turned abruptly and left.

  Four years of torment and conditioning flooded my mind. I tried to push the memories away. I tried to reason with them. I was a grown man now. I was the Guardian Lord of Calisto and Earthenfell.

  But I felt as if I were being pulled downward. Out of my current life and into a jade-green whirlpool.

  I couldn’t remain on Calisto. Jade’s arrival was my signal to go. I’d take Maya and together we would flee somewhere far away. We’d find a place where my memories had not come to life. We’d start fresh, just the two of us.

  10

  Maya

  I TRIED TO tell myself I was glad Lord Toric had ordered me to stay in the harem quarters during the Tournament’s opening ceremony. It gave me more time to study for my exam.

  While the other women were flitting about, doing their hair and making themselves up for a public appearance, I sat at my vanity reading the harem life manual one last time. I had no fine jewelry to wear, no shadow for my eyelids or sparkling clips for my hair, I reminded myself.

  But really, I just wished to be there in the throne room. I wanted to know what it felt like to look up at Lord Toric from the audience. I wanted to sit there with the secret knowledge that the man on the throne was mine and I was his.

  Besides, if I’d asked nicely Clarisse probably would have loaned me some jewelry.

  I sighed and rubbed my eyes.

  Honestly, I wasn’t even sure I cared anymore about earning the items I’d ordered form the catalog. The shock of the Temple’s denouncement of my miracle was still sitting in my stomach like a large stone. I wanted the comfort of being at Lord Toric’s side or at least in the same room with him.

  When the time arrived for the exam, Hera came for me. As I went with her to the testing room, we passed women in various states of preparation for the Tournament’s opening ceremony. For this event it seemed the style to wear long loose-fitting spaghetti strap gowns in rich jewel tones. I had a citrine-colored gown in my wardrobe that would have been perfect. The yellow-orange color was unusual, and it would have stood out against the many shades of ruby red, sapphire blue, and emerald green dresses swishing through the corridors.

  I sighed again.

  Hera took me to a small testing room with a chair, desk, and a tablet waiting on top of the desk.

  The exam took nearly three hours, and my temples were throbbing by the time I finished.

  When Hera appeared, the corners of her mouth tilted downward and she gave me a look that was decidedly displeased.

  “I didn’t pass?” I said.

  “You passed. By only one point.”

  I let out a breath and clasped my hands together to keep them from curling into little fists of victory. “One point is good enough.”

  More than anything, I was glad to be done studying and not have to think about taking the test again.

  When I exited the testing room, the harem quarters were eerily quiet. The women must have left for the throne room already.

  I went back to my room, hoping the things I’d ordered would be waiting there to give me a bit of diversion. When I found they weren’t, I decided to explore. I wanted to see if I could find the entrance to the secret passage that Clarisse had taken me through to meet Lana, back before I’d moved in with the harem.

  I wandered into less familiar corridors, trying to remember which areas we’d gone through. The quarters were labyrinthine, much larger than I’d realized.

  I started to suspect I’d gotten myself lost when I heard quick footsteps behind me.

  It was one of Hera’s assistants. “I’ve been searching for you!” She was breathing rapidly. “You must come with me. Lord Toric has summoned you.”

  “But it’s still early,” I said in confusion. I hadn’t bathed, my hair was twisted up into a loose bun, and I still wore a plain day dress.

  “Come with me,” the woman repeated.

  I trotted to keep up with her quick pace, and by the time we arrived at the main doors of the harem quarters, I was gulping air. The jog through the hallways wasn’t the only reason my heart pattered a thin, swift rhythm. Why was Lord Toric calling for me at this hour? I wished I’d had the chance to check the media channels, and I tried not to think of the flames licking at the end of the Bridge to Purification.

  A small army of guards waited for me on the other side of the door. There was no chance to catch my breath as they rushed me to Lord Toric’s quarters.

  “What’s going on?” I half panted, half whispered to Tullock, one of the guards I knew.

  He flicked a glance at me but only gave me a slight shake of his head in response.

  By the time I reached the door leading to Lord Toric’s bedchamber, I was frantic with worry.

  The bedchamber was empty. I took a few steps toward the balcony, but saw that it was empty as well. I turned in a half circle, trying to figure out where to go next. Then I heard some rustling noises coming from Lord Toric’s dressing room.

>   I moved cautiously toward the sounds.

  “Lord Toric?” I called out.

  He appeared in the doorway of the dressing room. His hair was disheveled, as if he’d been shoving his fingers through it. His blue-green eyes looked sunken and haunted.

  I took several hurried steps toward him. My throat tightened as I reached out to touch his wrist. “What’s wrong?”

  At his side he held a plain drawstring sack, perhaps a laundry bag.

  He pushed one hand up the side of his face.

  “I think it’s time for us to go,” he said. His voice was flat, empty.

  “Go where? Why do you think we should leave?” I looked up at him, trying to reach him through the haze of whatever was causing him such distress.

  He sighed heavily, finally looking down at me. “We should go far away. Somewhere we can start fresh. Where we can be happy. Just us.”

  “What’s happened, my Lord?” I asked in a soothing voice. Something was very wrong, but I knew it wouldn’t help if I became alarmed. I took his hand and gently pulled him through the nearby doorway. There was a round upholstered ottoman in the center of the dressing room. “Let’s sit down and you can tell me about it.”

  There were a few clothes strewn about. Another bag like the one he held was on the floor, half-stuffed with garments. We sat down on the ottoman.

  “What in the name of the stars could have you so upset?” I asked. I was aiming for a kind but insistent tone in an attempt to draw him out.

  “She’s here.” He turned to me, his eyes wide and glassy.

  “Who’s here?” I prodded.

  “The one who broke me,” he said. “She’s the harbinger. And she’s here.”

  My heart skipped a beat as conflicting emotions filled me in a nauseating rush. The Pirro woman who’d tortured Lord Toric, the one who’d created his dark desires. She was here on Calisto? And she was the harbinger?

  Fear and unexpected jealousy flared like a lit match in the center of my chest. Had she come to take my place?

  I wasn’t sure what to say. Obviously, her arrival had rattled Lord Toric to his very soul. But I didn’t think I truly understood what it meant for him.

  He winced and touched his earpiece. “Yes?” he said to whomever had contacted him. “Allow him in.”

  “Who was that?” I asked.

  “My brother has come.”

  A moment later I heard footfalls.

  “We’re in here,” I called out.

  Jeric came into the dressing room, and when he saw Lord Toric’s face, he stopped short for a second and then approached more slowly. He found a stool nearby and pulled it over to us.

  “So she’s the one, eh?” Jeric sat on the stool and put one hand loosely on his hip.

  His eyes met mine, and he gave me the tiniest of nods. I was suddenly extremely glad he’d come.

  Lord Toric closed his eyes for a second or two. “She’s the one who . . . After all this time, I can’t believe she’s even still alive. Let alone here . . .”

  I reached for his hand and squeezed it, and to my relief he returned the pressure.

  Jeric took in the bags and clothes. “You planning on going somewhere, brother?”

  “It’s a sign that I should go.” Lord Toric raked the fingers of his free hand through his hair. “I’m going to take Maya and . . . go.”

  With a shake of his head, Jeric waved one hand and made a scoffing noise. “Nonsense! If anything, her arrival is a sign that you’re exactly where you should be. No one else has a connection to her. She’s here for a reason. She’s here for the Return.”

  Again, my heart bumped. What if this woman tried to control Lord Toric as she had before? What if . . . what if he wanted her to?

  Jeric pulled his feet up to the stool’s rungs and leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. He looked steadily into Lord Toric’s face.

  “You’re no longer a boy. She can’t hurt you. You’ve learned to live with what she did, and you’re stronger for it,” Jeric said. His glance lingered on my face for a moment before returning to his brother. “You have love in your life. Happiness. Don’t let the Pirro woman drive you away from what you’ve grown into and what you’ve earned.”

  I wanted to throw my arms around Jeric. He’d said the things I wanted to say, words that had gotten lost in the muddle of my own worries.

  Lord Toric looked up at his brother. He shook his head slowly. “I do want happiness, but I won’t find it here. Not now. Maya and I can go, start a new life somewhere else. We could come to Earthenfell after the Return. I’ll leave and you can take the throne. You’re able enough to do the job.”

  Jeric’s face reddened. He rose, his hands curled into fists, and he paced a few stomping steps. “Stop it! This is your birthright and your destiny, Toric. If you leave, I—I won’t do it. There! I refuse to take your place! If you and I are both out of the picture, then who will lead the Return? There are no other male heirs. Not even a distant cousin.” He stopped pacing and came to kneel down in front of his brother. His voice lowered and softened. “Don’t you see? The Pirro woman’s arrival is proof. You are meant for this. No one else.”

  “No, I don’t see,” Lord Toric said, his voice cracking with vehemence. He pulled his hand from mine, turning to Jeric. Lord Toric leaned forward in a challenging posture. “She tortured me. She broke me. And now she’s here as a heavenly sign of the Return? That’s not destiny—it’s some cruel joke of the stars.”

  “She didn’t break you,” I said, my voice weaker than I’d intended, and I wasn’t sure if he’d even heard me. I cleared my throat and spoke louder. “She didn’t break you. A lesser man would have gone mad. From what you told me, you did go mad for a time. In spite of a nation that thought you were twisted and ruined, a mother who treated you like a pariah, and a brother who taunted you,”—I shot an apologetic look at Jeric—“you managed to recover, to grow up to be a good man and take the throne. This, her arrival, it’s . . . you could see it as your greatest triumph.”

  “Yes,” Jeric said. “This is your life come full circle. You have the chance to face your tormentor and know that she no longer controls you.”

  Again, my chest clenched. I hoped, I prayed, it was true. Because if the Pirro woman still held influence over Lord Toric, he and I were finished.

  The three of us sat in silence for several breaths. Seconds ticked by, and I had the sudden sense that the entire world had gone still, that everything had stopped. The universe was holding its breath, waiting for what happened next. The pressure of it seemed to build against my eardrums and compress my lungs.

  Lord Toric stood suddenly, and I jumped. “I must go to my prayer room,” he said.

  I rose, too.

  Jeric followed a few steps after his brother. “You’re not going to leave, are you?” he called.

  Lord Toric paused and half-turned to look back at us. His aquamarine eyes were like two small storms at sea. “No, I’m not leaving. I will lead the Return.”

  I wanted to follow him, even if it was just to sit outside the door of his prayer room until he emerged but I held back.

  “I think he’s going to be okay,” Jeric said. He heaved a deep sigh, sank down onto the ottoman, and shoved his fingers into his hair in a very Toric-like gesture. Then he rested his elbows on his knees and let his head fall into his hands.

  I sat next to him. “Thank you for coming. He needed you. I just didn’t know what to say, what to do for him . . .” I shook my head, frustrated that I’d felt so frozen.

  Without raising his head, Jeric turned his gaze to the side so he could peer at me with one eye. “I got him most of the way there, but it wasn’t until you spoke up that he finally gave in.”

  I gave him a grateful smile.

  I flicked a glance at the doorway and then bent my head closer to his. “How is Lana?” I whispered.

  Jeric straightened and his face relaxed into an expression I could only describe as barely-contained joy. “She is extre
mely well, all things considered. Though of course she wishes to see you.”

  “She returns your feelings, I assume?” I gave him a sly look out of the corners of my eyes.

  He smiled down at his hands and then raised his eyes to mine. “She does.”

  I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about it—Lana with Jeric. But if she was happy, who was I to protest?

  I touched his forearm. “I need to see her, Jeric. I trust that you’re taking care of her, but she’s my twin. It’s like a chamber of my heart has been lopped off all this time we’ve been apart.”

  He nodded. “I know.”

  “Akantha doesn’t know about Lana?” I asked. I didn’t even want to think about what the Mistress of Tournament would do if she believed Jeric had broken off the engagement to be with Lana.

  “I don’t see how she could.”

  “You’re absolutely positive?”

  “Lana is the most precious thing in my life,” he said. “I swear to you I will do everything in my power to make sure she’s safe.”

  “Funny, isn’t it, how you and I began. And now . . .” I didn’t want to embarrass him, but I couldn’t help recalling how he’d stalked me, obsessed over me.

  He gave a short, rueful laugh. “This may sound quite crazy, but . . . I think my heart was searching for her. When I saw you, something inside me latched onto you. It was as if I recognized you, only it wasn’t you I was searching for. It was your sister. It was as if I acted as a parallel Toric, seeking my own Maya.”

  “You believe the stars brought the two of you together?” I asked.

  “Absolutely.”

  I nodded gravely. “I know exactly what you mean.” I rose and smoothed the front of my dress. “I think I’ll excuse myself and use Lord Toric’s bathing room. He summoned me so suddenly I didn’t have time to prepare.”

  Jeric stood as well, and inhaled a sharp breath in through his nose. “Right, and I’ll be on my way. If he wavers—”

  “I don’t think he will. But if he does, I’ll know what to say to bring him back.” I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring look.

  Jeric left, and I went and drew a bath. I felt like a child in Lord Toric’s huge tub. I took my time soaking in the hot water and thinking.