“Leyna, I had no idea you were important enough to be invited to the Queen’s masque. It’s an honor to have you as my slave,” Zander laughed, turning away from Maeri’s shocked expression to take a seat across from her at the table. “That explains Feolan’s interest.”
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she tried to take in what Zander was saying, only somewhat grasping his meaning. “You mention many things which you lack an understanding of. Perhaps you should think before you speak implications to which you have no backing.”
“No backing? Leyna, I may speak in jest currently, but I watched the way he kissed you. There had to be at least some enjoyment in it on his end for the tenderness I sensed.” The lighthearted tone had disappeared from Zander’s voice, his eyes staring back at her steadily. “Regardless of what either of you say, he wanted it and you certainly did not seem opposed. You stood there and let it happen; and even you cannot deny that you returned the kiss.”
Had she? It was hard to believe, but everything had happened so fast. One minute she was being pulled into Teagan’s gruff embrace while the next she was being held close in Feolan’s arms, his lips pressing gently against her own. She hadn’t moved to prevent it or to stop it. There had been no time to. By the time she’d realized what was happening, Feolan was already drawing away from her. “You linger on an act which does not matter at all, nor is it any of your business.”
She was very aware of Maeri’s questioning gaze. Her confusion was justified, given the heated banter between her and Zander. Maeri was learning much just from their bickering. No doubt the mention of her being Zander’s slave had been the first thing to catch her attention. The discussion about kissing Feolan would likely have been the second, considering her obsession with his lips. She would want to know all about them, once the initial shock wore off from the rest of the information being tossed about. “Leyna,” she said hesitantly. “I nearly forgot the reason I sought you out, but I am reminded now.”
“Oh?” Leyna peered over to Maeri quizzically. Somehow their conversation had veered off course drastically. “I was curious myself as to how you learned of my whereabouts. You say you spoke with the Consul and Lord Feolan, but I find it hard to believe they would have told you where I was.”
“You are correct,” Maeri nodded, making no attempt to argue the truth in Leyna’s statement. “Honestly, it took far more work to pull anything from them than I would have liked. The Consul is like a rock. I had to wait until he left the room before I could try and whittle away Lord Feolan.”
“I was under the impression, based on what you said before, that you merely bumped into them on the street – ”
“Of course not.” Noticing Zander’s questioning gaze upon her, Maeri fidgeted in her seat. “I might seem ignorant at times, but I’m smarter than you think. I recalled Lord Feolan to be associated with the Consul. When I arrived, the first thing I did was seek out the Consul’s home in hopes of either finding you there, or at the very least someone who could tell me whether or not you were in the city.”
Rolling her eyes heavenward, Leyna exhaled an exasperated breath. So she’d manipulated the information from Feolan. It explained a great deal, though how Maeri pulled off such a feat, she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to know. “So that is why you approached the way you did. I thought it curious for you to be so discreet. What all did you extract from him?”
“Only bits and pieces, but enough to know that I needed to find you and convince you not to do this. Have you lost your mind, Leyna? Because I made sure to tell the Consul that he clearly lost his in putting you in such a position.”
“If you came here to convince me not to do this, then you are wasting your time. Does Feolan know you were coming to find me? They were okay with the idea?” It was foolish, in her opinion. Maeri’s arrival to Zander’s home could ruin everything. Thade was an intelligent man. He never would have allowed it, nor would he have trusted a woman he barely knew to cross such a dangerous line.
Maeri pursed her lips irritably. “They were going to try and keep me away from you. Once the Consul discovered Lord Feolan divulged your location to me, he insisted I remain there with them. He was convinced that my association with you could be detrimental – but I fail to see why. No one in this city knows who I am.”
“So you directly disobeyed the Consul’s orders?” Zander’s mouth hung agape at the thought. “Do you have any idea of the repercussions that could bring?”
“Well, I could not just stand around there knowing my best friend was being used as some kind of bait. Leyna, you could be killed!” Caught up in her emotions, Maeri’s hand slammed down on the table, the impact causing her to flinch in surprise at her own action. “I had to get away from there. For all I know, they are still out looking for me. What exactly is it that you intend to do? And why does this man call you his slave?”
“Because in a sense, I am,” Leyna sighed, sitting stiffly back down in her chair. There was no point in lying to her. Zander had opened up the questions with his absent-minded rambling, not to mention whatever Feolan unwittingly let slip under Maeri’s prying. It would all come out eventually – it would just cause less frustration if she was honest about it now.
“In a sense? In exactly what sense is that?”
“The one where she is serving our people and the Queen,” Zander cut in. “I would never actually enslave her. It would be traitorous to do so to my own kin.”
Reaching her hand across the table, Leyna lightly rested it on Maeri’s arm, hoping she would understand what she was about to say. “What I am about to tell you can never leave this room. If anyone were to find out, I could be killed for it… and possibly you as well for being an accomplice. Do you understand?”
“Yes. Of course, I understand, Leyna. I understood that much before I even came here, which is why I disagree wholeheartedly with your participation in this.”
“But do you swear not to speak of it?”
“I will tell no one. Just tell me what is going on so I can better understand why our Queen’s men would do this to you.”
“I am working secretly for the Consul in order to infiltrate a group of possible traitors to our people. In order to do that, I have had to disguise myself to arrange for my sale as a slave to one of their more powerful leaders. This will allow me access to their home, and if we are lucky, to whatever information they might have which will help to prevent – whatever it is that they are planning to do.”
“You are spying on them but don’t know what they are planning to do?” It was a logical question for Maeri to ask. Possibly one of the most difficult ones for Leyna to accept as well. They had speculation, but no facts.
“We have ideas,” she frowned. “We know one of them has ties to the Ven’shal and that they might be planning to find a means of bringing Arcastus back to life – but we have nothing else to support that. We need someone to get in close enough to find out more… and that person right now is me.”
Maeri leaned back in her chair, taking in the details presented to her. Leyna couldn’t blame her for the disapproval she read there on her friend’s face, barely contained by her gentle features. Maeri was no fool. She knew the history of their people very well, thanks to Faustine’s teachings, and while she couldn’t possibly know the full extent of the danger, she clearly knew enough to drive her to argue. “And once you are ‘sold’ to these people, then what? How do you anticipate getting this so-called information to the Consul? Slaves are not exactly allowed to roam about freely to sneak around and visit whoever they please. They will be watching you like a hawk… imagine if a man was attempting to court you and Lady Faustine was leaning over your shoulder every step of the way.”
She couldn’t help but laugh at the mental image of Faustine tagging along with one of them while out with a prospective suitor. Her point was valid, however. Nothing would get past Faustine’s eyes much the same way nothing would get by the watchful eyes of those in charge of the slaves.
“I was still working on that detail,” Zander grumbled, flopping back in his chair in frustration. Leyna didn’t know what else she could say. Their mission would be pointless if she was trapped inside it with no way of getting information out. “I guess I hoped the Consul would have told us how to accomplish that.”
Propping her head up with her hand on the table, she heaved a sigh, shrugging her shoulders in defeat. “I am sure he expected us to think of it, since this whole thing was our idea. You know how much he disapproved of it in the first place.”
“He did? Given how easily he folded on the matter, I assumed he did not mind too much.”
Leyna peered quizzically at him from under her long lashes. How could he possibly not know? He had been there… “Ah, yes. You showed up after I had already argued him into submission. I suppose that makes this my fault, then. All I was thinking about was getting him to let me help. The smaller details really weren’t at the forefront of my mind at the time.”
“Well…” Maeri nibbled her lip thoughtfully. “Since clearly I have no chance in changing your mind – is there anyone else involved who would be closer to you?”
Shaking her head, Leyna tried to picture how angry Kael would be if he were to learn the truth about her. To be kept in the dark by his own people. Thade and Feolan must have had their reasons for hiding such details from him. But why, then, had they revealed so much to her? They had no choice other than to tell her about Zander, but Kael – his involvement could have remained a mystery to her.
“There is no one.”
It wasn’t really a lie. There would be no one close enough to her that could know about her intentions. Regardless of his status as an ally, Kael had to remain a stranger to the truth. She couldn’t rely on him to pass word to Thade for her. There was no saying he would even be allowed near her once under the ownership of Mikel.
“What if I could help?”
“No.” She couldn’t allow Maeri to get involved. It was too dangerous to even consider. If she was caught as an accomplice to Leyna, they would both be killed. Much the same way that Maeri knew could happen to Leyna. Why would she fight with her to convince her not to do this only then to willingly throw herself into the middle of it as well? “Maeri, I know you mean well, but I cannot allow you to even think about putting yourself in that position.”
Maeri raised her eyebrow at Leyna, her gentle features transforming into an uncharacteristic frown. “So I came here fearing you to be in danger, only to find that you are, in fact, in deeper than I thought and too stubborn to listen to my pleas of stepping down from the idea – and now you refuse to let me help you?”
“Within the next day or so, they will be coming to take me away to Dalonshire. I have no way of knowing where I will be once there or anything else about what my predicament will escalate to.”
“Dalonshire? I could travel there ahead of you and keep watch for your arrival –”
“Maeri!” The thought alone was scaring her. It frightened her to think that Maeri’s idea could have merit while knowing it was such a risk to take. If anything happened to her friend because of her, she would never be able to forgive herself. “I cannot, in good conscience, allow you to do anything.”
Anger was slowly starting to build in Maeri’s eyes once again. Leyna could see it there, the deep green glow flaring up brighter. Her hand dropped hard down to the table, her back stiffening against the chair where she sat. “From the sounds of things, however, you cared little about the consciences of others in regards to your own involvement. I could see it in the Consul’s eyes when I questioned him. Neither he nor Feolan wanted to let you do this. Do you have any idea what they must be feeling right now? Or if they discover you are ill-treated in any way, how much do you think that will hurt them, knowing it was their fault because you convinced them to allow it? You will force others to experience that pain but yet you will save yourself from it? Even though you know you need help and I might be capable of providing that?”
Her words were like daggers to Leyna’s heart. The truth behind them was startling. She’d been unable to get the thought out of her mind about how Thade would feel if he knew anything about the treatment she was already receiving simply for the sake of their act, let alone the pain it would cause him if anything happened to her in Dalonshire. The tortured look in his eyes that night in the study when she insisted he allow it. Yet she’d fought with him. She had worn him down with her own twisted logic, convincing him that he would be doing her a greater injustice by preventing her from doing what she wanted. It was selfish of her then much the same way it was selfish of her now to deny Maeri her request.
Leyna hung her head shamefully. She couldn’t believe what she was about to agree to. It went against everything she believed. “What do you have in mind?”
The anger on Maeri’s face dissipated instantly, her entire body relaxing with relief. “What I was thinking is… I could head to Dalonshire and try to keep watch for you. Now, obviously, with how little I know, there is no saying that any of this would work but, I could try to follow where they take you and keep an eye on you. If they ever allow you outside where you could hide a letter for me to retrieve, then I could bring it back to the Consul. That sounds safe enough. I could simply check back at that location every so often to see if you have left any further notes. They would never even have to know I exist.”
“There are a lot of variables in that plan which could easily fall through,” Leyna frowned, her features creased in contemplation. Was it worth risking Maeri’s safety for something with so little guarantee?
“Leyna, frankly anything we try to arrange at this point is going to have variables and holes all over,” Zander shrugged. “Any plan is better than no plan, and if it doesn’t work, then essentially you get what you wanted in the first place. If there are no letters to collect, then Maeri doesn’t get involved, and you have nothing to worry about except how to get yourself out of there. That’s my biggest concern. No one can protect you once you are inside. They could kill you, and none of us would even know it.”
“Fine.” They were both against her now. There was no chance at convincing two people who were just as stubborn as she was that it wouldn’t work. “If you see me in Dalonshire, do not approach me and never call me by my name. They know me as something else. But promise me – if you cannot find me there, please come back to Siscal.”
Rising from her chair, Maeri gazed solemnly at Leyna. “I can’t promise you that,” she sighed. With hesitant steps, she moved over to Leyna, leaning forward to wrap her arms around her tightly. “If I cannot find you, I will do everything in my power to change that without putting you in any more danger than you already are. Don’t worry about me.”
Leyna gave in to her friend’s embrace. Something about knowing Maeri would be close by eased her spirits at the thought of being sent away to Dalonshire. The future for her would be grim, but to have her friend supporting her gave at least a soft light to the situation. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I will do what I can to make sure I am visible when we cross into the city. It’s been years since I was there last, but if they still have the gates near the border; that would be the best place to wait for me. Any carriage even just passing through has to cross through it. I will find a way to show my face from the windows.”
“Thankfully, I have a carriage ready for me. I should be heading for Dalonshire as soon as possible, I think,” Maeri smiled, straightening her back up proudly. “If I linger here, the Consul might find me and prevent me from going.” There in the dim light of the room, Leyna couldn’
t help but think that her friend looked more like a woman now than she had before.
“Be careful, Maeri.” What else was there to be said? Lowering into a curtsy before Zander, Maeri was already heading toward the door. Her mind was set. She would find Leyna, whatever the cost. Of that, Leyna was certain. Her friend had proven to be crafty as a young girl when they’d gotten into trouble around the house. She had a silver tongue that could persuade almost anyone of anything she wanted. Leyna just hoped it would work as well on these people as it had on Feolan.
Chapter Nine
The trip to Dalonshire felt different from inside a carriage than it had on horseback during the war. More comfortable, but longer. She lacked the control to speed up the pace of the animals.
Kael had accompanied Gislan to retrieve her from Zander’s possession. Gislan disliked getting her hands dirty. The job of loading Leyna into the carriage had been left to Kael. The sight of him at the door had sent her into a panic, afraid he would strike at Zander again the way he’d done before. Her biggest fear was that Kael would argue against Gislan’s purchase of her, ruining the only chance at getting close to Mikel. Instead, he seemed to endorse it, though making sure to never let her out of his sight.
Throughout the trip, he was at her side. She was constantly aware of his presence, watching her with his sympathetic eyes. It was unnerving to Leyna while at the same time she didn’t mind the feeling. His face had occupied her dreams since the day they met. Nothing more than an infatuation. He’d stood up for her, trying to comfort her in her time of strife. Those deeds couldn’t be ignored, even if they were unnecessary at the time. To him it was real and he had acted for her honor.
His position at her side in the carriage kept her heart rate steadily above normal. At Faustine’s, they were rarely in the company of men. It was forbidden under any circumstance unless the man was the driver of Faustine’s carriage. Because of that, she found her body’s reaction to Kael confusing. Her hands trembled at the thought of him next to her. The sound of his voice made her stomach flutter uncontrollably. She didn’t like the feeling one bit. During the war, she’d always had control of her senses around the men, which made it easy for her to dismiss their affections. Now there was some part of her that both craved and feared Kael’s attention. It made no sense to her rational mind.
The Myatheira Chronicles: The Vor'shai: From the Ashes (Volume 1) Page 26