Joel swallowed down a wave of nausea. “Sarpedon had his own sons killed?”
“Without hesitation. I imagine Prince Alerio won’t make the same mistake.”
“No,” Joel replied, focusing his gaze onto the placid water of the pond, watching the koi fish again. “He’ll attempt to stake his grounds elsewhere. King Rishi will see right through him though. The King will never allow Alerio to marry his daughter, or anyone else from Arden for that matter.”
Kirk nodded. “Your king seems to be a wise man.”
“Not a popular opinion among your fellow Imperial citizens.”
“You’re right.” Kirk’s voice trailed off as a servant boy passed by with a pair of metal scissors and began to trim the hedges nearby. Kirk motioned for Joel to follow in the opposite direction, and once they were standing beneath the shade of an olive tree—safely out of earshot—Kirk cleared his throat and continued on. “I must admit even I’m a little wary of your great King Rishi, try as I might not to be. He’s viewed as a traitor here.”
“That’s a matter of opinion.”
Kirk winced. “I know. But you have to realize how difficult it is to think otherwise when I’ve been told my entire life that the King of Arden betrayed his country and even made deals with a demon to ensure his ploy saw fruition.”
Joel raised an eyebrow. “Pardon? What is this about a demon?”
“Here in the Empire, it’s whispered that Rishi Radek wields the power of a demon.” Kirk’s voice trembled as he spoke. “He made a pact with an ancient evil being to secure Arden for himself. Even now, the demon remains in his servitude, disposing of all those who would stand in his way—”
Joel held his hands up defensively. “That’s a lie!” Head spinning, he tried to slow the rapid pounding in his chest. Chhaya’s bane, what in the two worlds are they teaching the people here? King Rishi, wielding a demon? I’ve never heard such a ridiculous fabrication in my entire life! Joel straightened to his full height. “King Rishi is a good and honest king. My father has worked with him for years. My aunt is married to him. Whatever defamations the Northern Empire has been spreading are just that—lies. King Rishi would never be fool enough to make deals with a demon.”
“I’m sorry,” Kirk apologized, taking a step back. “I didn’t mean to offend your king. It’s just—it’s what we’ve been told.”
“I know,” Joel replied, his own voice clipped. “I just wanted to clarify.”
“Understandable.” Kirk stared at the ground and said nothing more.
Awkward silence blanketed the pair of mages for some time. Joel took a deep breath and loosened his stance, suddenly feeling bad for lashing out at Kirk. It’s not his fault. The Empire has been whispering lies into his ears since birth. Can I truly blame him for believing them? Wouldn’t I have done the same? Haven’t I already done the same? The people of the Northern Empire have always been painted in such a negative light. Until I came here, I lumped them all together and labeled them as “evil.” But there are decent people here. Isn’t Kirk proof enough of that?
Joel cleared his throat. “I apologize for my impetuous reaction. I didn’t mean to lash out at you. This place seems to have brought out the worst in me.”
“You’re far from home. I don’t blame you for being on guard. Apology accepted.” Kirk sighed, his mouth curling upward, the first sign of a smile returning to his lips. “Now, about this Lord Hasain Radek of yours. We should keep looking—”
His sentence was cut short as the sound of sandals hitting stone pavers grabbed both men’s attention. Joel turned to look down the path as Kirk did the same. A young girl dressed in servant garb raced toward them. Her brown hair was pulled into a bun, drawing attention to the worried frown and creased eyebrows that had overtaken her pretty, oval face.
Kirk’s smile immediately fell away. “Kenisha? What’s wrong?” As she approached, he reached out to take hold of her slender hands.
The girl crumbled against his chest. “I’ve been looking all over for you!”
“What happened?” Kirk asked, embracing her gently around the shoulders. “Are you all right?”
Tears welled in the corners of her green eyes, but she blinked them away. Stealing a suspicious glance toward Joel, she lowered her voice a pitch. “I need to talk to you, brother. Right now.”
Kirk nodded. “Of course.” He kept one hand on her shoulder and motioned toward Joel with the other. “Kenisha, this is Joel Adelwijn of Arden. Joel, this is my sister.”
Joel offered his hand for a shake. “Lady Kenisha, it’s a pleasure to meet you—”
“Lady?” Kenisha stared at his hand in bewilderment, like she’d seen a ghost. Keeping her own hands a safe distance away, she jerked her head around to frown at Kirk. “I need to talk to you somewhere private. Alone.”
Kirk squeezed her arm. “It’s okay. You can speak freely, sister. He won’t betray us.”
Joel took a step back, giving the siblings more room. He could tell by Kenisha’s rigid stance that her suspicions were far from eased, but it appeared she was going to trust her brother. Paling even more, she spoke in such a soft voice that Joel had to strain to hear the words. “I’m making plans to leave the palace.”
Kirk’s voice dropped to an anxious whisper. “What? Keni, no—”
“I can’t stay long,” she continued. “The prince will be back from the gladiator match soon. But I had to tell you about this.”
“You can’t just leave! Where will you go? It’s not safe out there!”
“It’s not safe here either, Kirk! And I won’t allow that—that vile pig to touch me again.” Rage briefly flashed behind her eyes. “Listen, one of the handmaidens I work with has family on the western border of the city. Her grandparents own an inn out there, and she says they’ll hire me as a tavern wench if I mention her name.”
“The western border? Don’t you remember how dangerous it is out there?”
“I’ll be all right,” Kenisha replied. “It’s not like I’ll be on the street. I’ll work for my room and board. You don’t have to worry—”
Kirk shook his head fiercely. “You’re my sister. I’ll always worry. Besides, even if these strangers were willing to take you in, there’s no guarantee you can even get there. You can’t just go walking out of the palace gates! The guards won’t let you through.”
Kenisha’s eyes darted around the garden. “I’m not going to use the gate. I know another way out.”
“Another way?”
Her voice came out in a rushed whisper. “Over by the servant quarters, there’s a passageway that leads down into the catacombs. Fabius, one of the pages, told me he’s explored the system extensively. He says there’s a drainage opening that comes out on the far side of the palace wall, large enough for a person to slip through.”
“That’s your plan? That sounds crazy! How do you even know if you can trust this page? You could just as easily get lost down there and never find your way out!” Kirk gripped his sister’s hand again. “Don’t go. I’ll figure something out. Just give me a little more time.”
“Time is running out. I can’t stay here much longer. I can feel the stone walls closing in around me—”
“We have to stay together,” Kirk pleaded with her. “You can’t go beyond the dome. Not with winter on the rise. Please, reconsider.”
“You can’t protect me forever.” Kenisha smiled sadly, squeezing his hand. “You know I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, right? I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for you. When Mama died, we both should have perished with her, but you saw us through. You kept our hope alive even when mine had withered away.”
Kirk’s jaw trembled. “It’s my job to protect you.”
“No,” she replied with a deep sigh. “Not anymore. I have to protect myself.”
“I’ll—I’ll go with you when you leave.”
“Absolutely not. You have a good, decent life here, Kirk. And what’s even more important is you have the opportunity to
better yourself. I won’t let you throw that away.”
As Joel observed their interaction, he realized Kenisha couldn’t have been any older than Heidi. He couldn’t even imagine his own sister being thrown into a situation like this and him being powerless to help her. His heart ached as he watched the siblings, knowing the terror both must have felt.
Just then, the sound of voices from beyond the hedges floated over to where they stood, signaling the approach of newcomers. Kenisha raised her head in alarm. “I have to go. I’ll be in touch. When the time comes for me to leave the palace, I’ll try to get word to you.”
Kirk reached for her as she darted away, but his hand fell just short. “Keni, wait!”
She looked over her shoulder long enough to utter, “I love you, brother.” And then Kirk was left to stare at the back of her head as she ran away.
For several moments, the mage trainee stood there, hand still extended and eyes misty with tears, but finally he dropped the arm to his side and blinked the wetness in his eyes away. His silence betrayed his anguish as he stared into the distance as if he were lost.
Joel wrung his hands, unsure if he should walk away or offer words of comfort. He elected the latter, knowing if he’d been in the same position, kind words would have been appreciated. “I’m sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help.”
Kirk wrapped his arms around himself and gasped. “I feel like I failed her.”
“No,” Joel replied. He moved closer, reaching out to tentatively set a hand onto Kirk’s shoulder. “I don’t really know either of you, but only a fool could deny the love you share for each other. She knows you do your best.”
“My best isn’t good enough to keep her safe anymore.”
Joel didn’t know how to respond. All he knew was the more time he spent with Kirk, the more Joel wished they could be friends. But they couldn’t, not really. His time in Teivel was running out. Soon he’d have to return to Arden. He could only hope that Kirk and his sister found happiness. After all they’d been through, didn’t they deserve it?
Joel wandered in the direction of the suite, his troubled mind recounting the woes of Kirk and Kenisha Bhadrayu. He wished he could do more to help the siblings, but he couldn’t even help himself. I feel so helpless in this place. Sighing, Joel stopped to rest against a marble column.
Before him, the sun shone through a great window facing the courtyard, bathing him in light. The shimmering rays should have felt warm, but he could glean no such comfort from any of it. As far as he was concerned, the sun may never shine again.
“If not for where we are, it would be lovely, wouldn’t it?”
The breath caught in Joel’s throat as he whirled around. “Hasain! Where did you come from? I’ve been looking all over for you!”
Hasain’s pale face hung in a forlorn frown and his eyes were red. Joel couldn’t recall a time his cousin had looked so frail. The Radek lord opted to look out the window as he spoke in a trembling voice. “I needed a walk to clear my mind.”
Joel nodded. Reasonable. The royal garden had been a welcome relief after the gore he’d witnessed. Hasain must have desired the same reprieve. “Take care next time. I feel we shouldn’t wander alone here.”
“I needed to be by myself.” Hasain’s voice was clipped, and Joel knew better than to press further. “This place is barbaric. How could anyone fault my father for leaving?”
“I suppose they don’t know any better. If this is all they’re used to, they don’t even know enough to dream of anything better. Likewise, they don’t think to question the cruelty of their arena because it’s always been a part of their lives.”
Hasain gasped and tipped his head down. Joel politely ignored the strangled sob, allowing his cousin to regain the control he was typically so proud of. “They were slaughtered like animals. All of them, but especially him.”
Joel knit his brows together. Who?
“They broke his wing and threw him in there like he was a wild beast.”
Oh. The demharlin. Joel wished he could offer some form of comfort but didn’t know what to say. He’d never known Hasain sympathized so readily with the Otherfolk. He was often so aloof and contemptuous toward other humans that it surprised Joel to see Hasain so devastated by the death of the demharlin.
A few moments passed while neither said anything. At long last, Joel couldn’t take the silence anymore. “It was wrong for them to treat it—him—so badly. I’m sorry your heart is heavy with this burden, Hasain. You know there was nothing you could do, don’t you?”
Hasain’s dark eyes flicked up, and his dark orbs were just as troubled as before. “If I could—have no doubt—I would have slaughtered his captors the same way they slaughtered him.”
Cold spiked like shards of ice beneath Joel’s skin. He hadn’t been prepared for the unmasked rage in his cousin’s voice. Hasain didn’t even look like himself. Fury warped his features and contorted his face into a frightening caricature of his normal self. Joel withdrew slightly. What grief could force Hasain to look so terrible?
It’s this place. Joel rubbed the back of one hand absently. He’s not handling the Empire well. None of us are. How much more can we be expected to take before our spirits break?
The echo of footfalls through the hall broke Joel’s cold thoughts, and he glanced up to see who approached.
“Oh, look! We’ve finally managed to find the missing lords!” Prince Alerio’s voice danced along the corridor.
Joel shuddered. Hasain also seemed to withdraw farther into himself.
Liro strode alongside the prince like he’d always been a part of Alerio’s entourage. “We were beginning to wonder if you’d both slunk away to weep for the losers.”
Alerio laughed and his followers mirrored him. He waved a hand at Liro. “Stop now. My sides hurt.” He took a couple of deep breaths, managing to chase away his giggles, before standing back to his full height. “We go now to take refreshments after sitting in the hot sun. Would either of you care to join us?” The coy twist of his voice gave away his game. He was challenging them.
Hasain was dangerously quiet, and Joel found himself stepping forward to speak on both of their behalves. “Forgive us, Highness. Lord Hasain and I are not used to such blood sport. Refreshment may not set well with us just yet.”
Liro lifted his face to smirk at Alerio. “I told you they’d taken ill. As pampered as they are, the sight of a bit of blood has put them off.”
Laughter filled the entire length of the corridor as the prince and his courtiers enjoyed the joke. Joel could feel his face go hot but held his ground, hoping desperately Hasain would also be able to keep his composure.
Alerio flicked a wrist at them as he passed. “You Ardenians are too entertaining. I shan’t know what to do with myself when you leave. I would suggest you go take your rest, my lords, so you might be able to take your meal this evening.” He and the others walked on, their scornful laughter bouncing off the stone walls even after they rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.
Joel’s feet were rooted in place. He shook so terribly he didn’t dare try to take a single step.
Hasain sighed heavily. “I hate this place. I want to go home.”
Joel couldn’t say anything, but he agreed. He wished, more than anything, that he could go home as well.
Gib stood outside the library doors for what seemed like an eternity. He felt a fool for hesitating, but he couldn’t shake the worry of knowing too much. If he were to find the book Diddy had suggested, would there be any going back? What if he couldn’t keep whatever secrets the book revealed? On the other hand, if he never learned the truth, he might risk failing Diddy or the royal family at a crucial moment. Sighing, he pulled the door open.
The aroma of incense welcomed him into the cozy space. Unlike the rest of Academy, the library was often so quiet that the soft glow of mage orbs could lull an unsuspecting student off to slumber if they weren’t careful. Gib looked first right and then left,
taking in the endless rows of books stacked to the ceiling twice his height. He had no idea where to even start. Weighing his options, he decided he’d have to go to the desk and ask for help, lest he be there all night trying to find this book.
The counter stood in the middle of the room, directly in front of the doors. He couldn’t see anyone there but stepped up to the desk anyway. The attendants were never very far away.
Hushed whispers bounced off the walls around him as he waited, but Gib paid the voices little mind. He was entirely focused on remembering the name of the text and finding a secluded spot to sit. Perhaps if he was lucky, he would be able to find an available seat next to one of the windows. At least that way he’d be able to keep track of the time.
“Gibben Nemesio?”
Gib startled at his full name and was surprised when he turned to look up at Kezra’s elder brother, Zandi. He looked sharp in his mage robes, and his emerald eyes glimmered along with his smile. Gib inclined his head by way of greeting. The last time they’d crossed paths, Gib had been terribly rude. He couldn’t imagine why the other man was offering anything more than a cold shoulder now.
“What brings you here?” Zandi asked. “I would have thought a councilor understudy such as yourself would have meeting notes to pour over. Or did one of your Academy professors assign you research?” Zandi made conversation easily enough while he rummaged through sheets of parchment paper on the unattended desk. The gentle lilt in his voice was almost hypnotic.
Gib had to focus to respond. “Independent research. I have to find a book.”
Zandi found the piece of parchment he must have been looking for and began to scribble onto it with a quill. “Oh, you’ll have to ask Syther about that. Unless it’s magic studies, I have no idea where anything is in here.”
Nightfall: Book Two of the Chronicles of Arden Page 28