“Your Highness, we need to get her out of here.”
Okivra. What was he doing? Your Highness? “Thade, what is going on?”
Another pair of strong arms took her from Thade’s embrace. She was lifted up high, the white of Okivra’s hair seeming to glow in the dark around his face. He was taking her through the trees where she’d found her way to Damir. The other Ovatai warriors were around them, creating a shield against attacks which might come from unseen foes amongst the trees. Over Okivra’s shoulder, she could see Thade behind them, the forlorn expression never leaving his eyes.
They were getting closer to the initial point of their attack. Bodies littered the ground, many of which appeared to be of her men combined with fallen soldiers of the Mialan and Siscalian armies. The enemy uniform was scattered about with increased frequency, outnumbering the loss on the side of the Vor’shai.
“What happened?” Cadell’s voice sounded pained, just outside of her line of sight. “Most of them just suddenly dropped. Our scouts can’t find any sign of them anywhere.”
“Damir is dead,” Thade announced. “The soldiers kept alive by his magic likely died alongside him. The Sanarik are not unintelligent enough to stick around when they know they are losing. If we are lucky, the rest of their living troops have retreated.”
Embarrassed at her weakened state, Leyna tried to regain her strength, not wanting to be seen by her men being carried about in the arms of Okivra like some pathetic child. “I am fine to stand on my own,” she argued.
Okivra’s right eye twitched oddly. Without hesitation, he released his hold on her, setting her down on her feet. He snorted in amusement at her trembling legs, barely able to hold her up without her hand reaching out to brace herself against his sturdy chest.
From her new view, she could see Cadell, his arm covered in blood, limp at his side. “Commander Tercsin, see that the Captain is returned safely to the camp for the doctors to look over. Varik, you come with me to see the Prince out of this place before any lagging Ven’shal decide to take a shot at him.”
Tercsin… Zander. He was alive. Leyna heaved a sigh of relief, the exhale of air nearly causing her to collapse to the ground. Okivra’s strong hand grabbed onto her arm, holding her up. “My men and I will follow your Captain. In her condition, watching her is necessary now.”
Hands were pushing her along toward the horses left outside the perimeter of the enemy camps. Despite her exhaustion, she didn’t want to go. She wanted to see Thade. There were so many questions still to be answered. “Thade,” she called out, turning back. “What is going on?”
“Now is not the time, Captain,” Cadell stated firmly. “We will discuss this later. Do as you are told and follow Chief Okivra. That is an order.”
She could see Thade watching her. His legs moved him forward a step, held back by Uttae’s immense frame stepping in to block him. Your Highness. She couldn’t get the words out of her mind. Thade was the Prince? It couldn’t be. It was impossible.
“The horses are right over here,” Zander’s voice could be heard from somewhere nearby. Lost in her own thoughts, she no longer cared what they did with her. Everything was too confused, too garbled by the chaos of what was happening around them, unable to think clearly enough to bring the details together with any cohesion.
Fatigue was returning, the last of Thade’s extended energy fading from her limbs. She was being lifted onto a horse. I can’t control this thing, she thought distractedly, her upper body slumping forward. Zander climbed up onto it behind her, guiding her back against him. “I’ve got this,” he said quietly, taking the reins around her to hold her in place with his arms. “You just get some sleep. I have a feeling you are going to need it in the next few days.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Every inch of her body ached where she laid, her eyes slowly opening to take in her surroundings. The bed she was in provided too much comfort to be the tattered mattress in her tent. There was no bite to the air from the cold winter wind. Not even a cool draft. It was warm and relaxing, tempting her to close her eyes and drift back off into sleep.
When the memories of the battle crept into her head, she felt her heart start to race, the fear and confusion that had plagued her after Damir’s death rushing over her once again. A reminder of all the things that didn’t make sense. The things that didn’t quite fit in the big picture. Your Highness…
Sitting up in the bed, Leyna held her head in her hands, unable to think straight. They addressed Thade as the Prince. But how could that be? The royal name was Levadis. He was Thade Imri. Was he some kind of decoy? A false prince on the battle field to distract the enemy from the real one? It was possible. It seemed devious enough for Cadell to try. That had to be it. It was the only explanation which made any sense to her.
She had been stripped of her armor. The heaviness of it no longer hindered her movements, reminding her of her state of health during the last conscious thoughts in her mind. Bandages were bound about her arms and legs. Someone tended to her wounds. And her clothes – they were clean. Fresh. Her frayed field uniform traded in for a thin, soft nightgown of shimmery grey silk lightly brushing over her skin. Frantic, she clutched at her right hand, remembering the sight of her mother’s ring on Damir’s finger. To her surprise, she could feel the metal against her skin. Someone had retrieved it for her. Or maybe she was imagining it all…
Movement on the right side of the room caught her eye, her head snapping to see what, or who, was there. She was surprised to see Cadell quietly stepping into the room, his arm arranged in a sling on the outside of a well-tailored velvet tunic, the deep forest green shade bringing out the ruddy glow of his eyes. “Ah, you finally wake. I am happy to see that.”
“Where am I?” she asked. It seemed a most logical question, yet at the same time foolish. They were inside a room, filled with exquisite decorations, and any comfort she could ever ask for. She’d been brought back to the palace of Queen Vorsila, but why? There was still so much to be done on the field.
“You are in your quarters, Your Grace.”
Leyna peered at him through her long lashes. His behavior was confusing. Your Grace? Why would he call her that? “What happened to Captain?”
“We are beyond that title here in these walls. And given the circumstances, I believe we are beyond that title in most places.” He closed the door behind him, careful not to make too much noise. “There are others still waiting to see you when you are up for company. I do not want them to catch wind of you being awake quite yet. How are you feeling? Is there anything I can do for you?”
“You can tell me what is going on,” she frowned. “I think at this point, I have a right to know everything.”
“You do, yes. And I fully intend to explain, but before I can, I need to show you something. If you feel up for a bit of a walk.”
She eyed him, suspicious of what could be going through his mind. How could she be certain of his honesty now after so much had been kept from her?
Careful of her lack of balance, Leyna scooted to the edge of the bed, her feet getting a feel for the floor, steadying herself before rising up to center her weight. She wobbled slightly. Other than the aches and pains in her joints, she felt surprisingly well. Healthy. Energized by the much needed rest. And on an actual bed! For the first time in over a year she remembered how it felt to wake up without discomfort.
With hesitant steps, she made her way to a wardrobe situated near the opposite wall from where Cadell stood. There had to be something inside it. Anything would do to cover up her nightgown to allow her a stroll, so long as it did not take her far from the room. Her energy was not reliable enough to guarantee long, strenuous walks.
Inside the wardrobe she found only a few items. They looked familiar, yet foreign. Garments fashioned of fine silks, damask patterns, and elaborate brocades. It had been well before the war when she’d seen them all last. The contents of her bag packed the day she left for Tanispa.
There
at the far left was her old cloak, the fabric worn, but suitable for what she needed it to do. Removing it from its hook, she draped it over her shoulders, her fingers easily able to secure the clasp, making sure her body was completely covered before pulling the hood up over her head. “I hope you are leading. These walls are nothing but a maze to me.”
Cadell gave a sharp nod as he stepped away from the door he was standing near. “We will have to take the servants’ corridor in order to get past those waiting outside this room. Make sure you put on some shoes. It is still cold outside.”
“We are going outside?” Leyna gawked at him in surprise. In the snow? What could he possibly need to show her that required them to trek through the freezing wind? To argue would be pointless, however. In a quick grab, she pulled a pair of fashionable high-ankle slippers from the wardrobe, sliding them onto her feet while trying to keep pace with Cadell through a smaller door not far from the bed.
He guided her down the twisting hallways. No words being passed between the two of them until they reached another door, unremarkable from the side they approached. With his free hand, Cadell turned the knob, a flood of light filling the darkened corridor from an open window somewhere on the other side. Stepping through, he motioned for her to follow. Not wanting to be lost in the dark hall, she moved through the opening, her eyes taking in the sight.
A large bed sat against the wall to her left, the frame crafted from a sturdy wood, painted with golden trim on high canopy poles reaching up toward the ceiling. The silken curtains were drawn back, the blankets untouched, perfectly in place, as if no one had slept there for quite some time. Paintings of well-dressed men and women whose faces looked foreign to Leyna decorated the walls. The colors were vibrant, the detail immaculate, an uneasy feeling coming over her at the sensation of being watched by the people within the frames. “Where are we?” she asked quietly, afraid of disturbing the peace of the empty room.
“These were Prince Enaes’s quarters before he was taken from us. We are merely passing through them to get to our destination.”
Leyna shuddered to think of being in the room of a dead prince. It felt wrong, somehow. An invasion of his privacy. She couldn’t help but to be astonished at the cleanliness of it. A lack of dust on the surfaces. The maids certainly kept the place up rather well for the occupant of the room, as if they anticipated one day for him to return. But that would never be so. Another casualty in an unnecessary and brutal war.
When they stepped out of the spacious rooms, she exhaled, unaware that she’d even been holding her breath. It was a relief to be back in the main hallways of the palace. The royal wing lacked the hustle and bustle of the courtiers, no one around to see them making their way to a large arched door at the end of the hall, stepping through to the blowing wind outside. She’d expected to find herself in a massive courtyard of some kind, designed for the royal family to seek solace from their busy days and nights. Instead, it opened out into an expanse of now frozen and dead gardens, barren of any color other than the glistening white coating of snow over top the trellises.
Cadell continued, his pace slowed to allow Leyna a chance to catch up with him. It was difficult not to be distracted by the sights. They were entering into a stretch of trees, a well traveled path cut through them, lacking any sign of prints in the snow to indicate anyone to have passed through recently.
Up ahead, Leyna could see a clearing of some kind, the snowfall lessened by the branches overhead which created a slight barrier around the area. As they approached, Leyna became suddenly very aware of what the clearing was. Her blood ran cold, a shiver coursing through her spine at the sight of the tall, elaborate headstones lining the whitened ground. A cemetery. Given the location, she could only assume it was not one which was generally open for the public to visit on a whim.
She continued to follow Cadell, finally coming to pause in front of a grave still decorated with trinkets and farewell gifts. It sat within a group of closely gathered sites, the names carved into the surface of the stones in a fancy calligraphic script. Staring down to the one at her feet, she grimaced at the sight, guilt rising up inside her. Prince Enaes Levadis.
Her eyes were drawn to the other stones in morbid fascination. It appeared to be a family plot, another grave similar to Enaes’s situated to the right, bearing the name of the eldest Prince, Thade’s voice still clear in her mind speaking of the tragedy involving the Levadis children over the years, the name of Prince Ehren floating across her memory.
In the center of the small headstones rested two, much larger graves, only one of which bore any carving to indicate who was buried beneath it in the frozen ground. King Ehren Imri Levadis. Leyna glanced over to Cadell, unsure of what to say. Imri. A name ingrained forever in her head.
“The Imri family was of the highest noble ranks in Tanispa during the time when Queen Nalashi was seeking a husband for her daughter, Vorsila. Ehren was a fine gentleman and he was quite smitten with the Queen’s daughter as it was. Negotiations were swift and the two were married. Ehren, within tradition, took the Levadis name upon entering into the royal family. Upon his death shortly after the birth of their youngest son, Vorsila named the child in memory of his father. Thade Imri Levadis.”
“This unmarked grave – is this intended for Queen Vorsila?” Leyna gazed at the blank stone, a perfect match to the massive carved statue at its side, a mirror image of the design, simple, yet elegant, with two doves perched on the top of an arch linking the stones together.
Cadell nodded in solemn appreciation. “When she leaves this world, she will finally be reunited with her lost children and her beloved husband. I think even now she grows weary of the heartache the loss of so many loved ones has caused. She has yet to fully recover from Enaes’s death. I doubt anyone could blame her for her misery.”
To the other side of the blank stone was another, smaller marker, the image of a rose carved over the Levadis name. It bore no first name, only a single date to denote both birth and death. Beyond it marked the resting place of Princess Amari, though her grave appeared simple next to the two smaller stones to its side, adorned by two tiny cherubs resting atop, their fingers outstretched toward one another to create a small arch across the gap to touch in the center. Kadri and Kaelin Levadis. The twins Thade had spoken of so long ago. Murdered at what was believed to be the hands of some Ven’shal assassin.
“Why did you bring me here?” she asked, suddenly uncomfortable at being surrounded by death on all sides.
Cadell brushed his fingertips over the letters in King Ehren’s name, his expression filled with thoughtful contemplation. “Look around us,” he replied quietly. “Every person lying in rest in this plot bears a single name, linking them all, dating back to the earliest documented kings and queens of our people. The Levadis name is timeless among the Vor’shai. But it is in danger of dying. The Ven’shal have seen to that quite successfully in the murders of the only daughters born to Queen Vorsila and her husband.”
A cold wind whipped through the clearing. Leyna let her eyes take in everything around her, a heavy weight on her shoulders to think of what Cadell was saying. If Thade married within the Vor’shai, by tradition he would take on the name of his wife. Vorsila would see her family name removed from the throne. She would lose everything then. A failure in a line of the strongest Vor’shai family in history. “What does this have to do with me?”
“It has everything to do with you, Leyna,” he sighed. “There was more behind the Queen’s decision to keep distance between you and her son than simply his safety during the war. She fears his marriage. While an heir is important to her, she recognizes that the only means of attaining one from a son would cost the Levadis family the throne. She is a proud woman; one with many years still left ahead of her. She would rather seek a new husband and attempt to give birth to an heir of her own than watch the family name die with her son’s wife. Part of her hope was that he would lose interest in you while separated and she could continue t
o seek a match for him with a family who would willingly defy the tradition and take the Levadis name in marriage. But the nobles are power-hungry people. Such an agreement is not likely to be met inside the Vor’shai.”
“Are you saying she would give up the purity of the family line by marrying him to a woman of some other race simply to keep the Levadis name in power?”
“The thought was discussed, but she turned it down as well. Her options are few. My fear is that she will not give her blessing for your union with her son. Your grandfather is not exactly unknown amongst the court.” Cadell shifted his injured arm uncomfortably. “There is more to a royal marriage than a simple engagement. If Prince Thade were to request your hand in marriage, in a more official capacity than you say he did before, negotiations would be opened between Queen Vorsila and the Evantine family. Iden would never agree to the marriage without securing his own name for the throne.”
Covering her face with her hands, Leyna tried to hold back the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. It couldn’t have all been for nothing. Things were supposed to be better after the war. He’d assured her of her approval to be with Thade in the event of a victory, and now he was rescinding the promise? This couldn’t be happening. She’d come so far and in the end it would be her own blood that destroyed her. Her own kin. Iden would be the cause of her misery in life the same as he had done to her mother up until her death.
“I thought her acceptance of me for marriage into her family was already given. Is it not true she gave her blessing for Enaes to seek my hand?”
“She didn’t expect him to actually find you, and even more so, she did not expect her other son to fall in love with you.”
“But I am an adult,” she argued. She winced at the pressure of her hands against an unknown injury on her face, lowering her arms back down to her sides in exasperation. “I am perfectly capable of negotiating my own terms! The Evantine family denied my existence. Do you honestly believe I have any desire to maintain their last name were I to marry?”
The Myatheira Chronicles: The Vor'shai: From the Ashes (Volume 1) Page 96