by Edun, Terah
“The boy has nothing to do with this trial,” said Vana, “His faults are his own. His mother, however, was accused of a crime. A crime none can prove, aside from the people there. We’ve already heard the testimony and seen the visions of the last living person in that room. If we can’t trust that, we can trust nothing.”
“She could easily have manipulated her memories!” he shouted.
“And how would she have done that?” Vana asked calmly.
He spluttered, “I don’t answer to you. Besides I speak as the voice of many here.”
“And yet no one else speaks up as you do,” she pointed out coldly.
The emperor leaned forward in earnest, “The duke of Carne is right. His voice is raised for many. But my voice speaks for all.”
“Sire—” interrupted the duke.
“Be silent and be still!”
The duke of Carne quickly took his seat.
“In the matter of regicide against my first wife, Empress Teresa Athanos Algardis, I pronounce the evidence inconclusive to condemn Lady Lillian Weathervane of the crime.”
Ciardis shot forward with a delighted scream.
“However,” said the seated emperor with a cold glance at her form, which now stood frozen halfway across the room from her mother, “I also deem the evidence unsatisfactory enough to absolve Lady Lillian Weathervane of said crime. Therefore I pronounce my decree: The Lady Lillian Weathervane is hereby ordered to a sentence of twenty years’ imprisonment in the palace dungeon, effective immediately.”
A gavel banged in the distance while a yeoman announced the emperor’s sentence to the crowds outside. Stunned, Ciardis stayed still, unable to move until she saw Lillian being dragged away by guards. Lunging forward, she screamed at them to stop. When her shackled mother was pushed through a side door, only then did she realize she was crouched and sobbing in Sebastian’s arms.
Uncaring of the nobles who lingered and stared, she sobbed over and over again, “I failed. I failed.”
“We’ll get her back,” said Sebastian tightly as the others gathered around the two to shield them from curious eyes.
Vana walked over and asked abruptly, “Why?”
Ciardis looked up from where she knelt with tears streaming down her face. “Why what? Why would we save her? How can you ask that?”
“No,” Vana said, waving a dismissive hand. “Why did neither you nor your mother give the last piece of evidence which would have proved the elder prince’s connection to the princess heir?”
Sebastian said shortly, “We can’t talk about that here.”
Thanar frowned, “I think it’s absolutely key that we do. The sooner the emperor finds out, the sooner she is free.”
“He can never find out,” said Sebastian.
“Why?” whispered Terris quietly as she brushed a hand through Ciardis’s hair.
Sebastian took a deep breath and put a sound and sight shield up. “Because that kasten ship is the key to Emperor Maradian Athanos Algardis’s downfall, and he would do anything to get his hands on it.”
Shock lined all of their faces.
“Did you just say Emperor Maradian?” said Vana with careful diction.
“I did.”
Chapter 23
As they filed out of the palace gates, Ciardis had to wonder what in the world they were going to do with the latest twist in their plans. Not only was an unstoppable god coming, but they had learned that the man who would lead the empire into battle against the deity was a conniving murderer who had just imprisoned her mother for the next two decades.
“I’m surprised he didn’t have her executed,” said Vana.
“Why would he?” said Sebastian bitterly. “By keeping her locked up and imprisoned he not only he keeps all hint of his secrets safe but also gets a scapegoat for his murder while making sure that she can’t tell a soul anything else about that night. It also keeps rumors from spreading like wildfire with her death.”
“Sebastian,” said Ciardis slowly, “I know this is hard. But we must think of the consequences—”
“Consequences?” he snapped, “My father is most likely being held prisoner at the hands of his own brother. Maradian needs to fall.”
“Fall?” questioned Lord Meres. “Or be revealed for the true imposter he is?”
“How do we prove it?” asked Terris, ever to the point.
“Only one of imperial blood or a consort can see through his guise and only if they’re looking for it,” said Vana practically. “That presents a problem in itself.”
“Not to the mention that fact that we need proof that he is who we think he is,” said Thanar from where he hovered close to them in the sky.
“Then we’ll get proof,” said Ciardis stubbornly. “But first we must force him to release my mother and to do that we have to prove Leah of Carne’s culpability in Empress Teresa’s death.”
“Agreed, she could also provide the evidence we need to prove the emperor isn’t who he says he is,” said Lord Meres.
“And how do we do that, exactly?” said Sebastian tightly.
“We go to the source,” said Vana softly. “We track the woman to her lair.”
The cold winds around them picked up and they all shivered as one.
“Then why wait?” Ciardis asked. “The duke of Carne has attacked us at every turn. Let’s turn the tables. Tonight.”
“Tonight,” seconded Sebastian.
They returned to their temporary quarters to prepare. Sitting in her small room Ciardis had the urge to explore the underground caverns more. She itched with wonder over where they really where and why the city’s residents referred to the caverns as an ‘underground city’. So far all she’d seen was red caverns, large stalactites, and water dripping in rivulets down the ceiling. Nothing to suggest it was or ever had been inhabited by anything close to human.
But she would explore another time. They had to be ready to go now to face the duchess of Carne. To get answers from the duke of Carne and to obtain proof needed to free her mother. She had already changed into thick leather pants with a white tunic. Over that she wore fitted chainmail and she hoped to grab an extra sword from one of Meres’s men. It wasn’t her favorite weapon, but it would do in a pinch. She lost her last glaive in the melee at the lord chamberlain’s manor.
When she heard steps behind her she whirled around.
Sebastian stood there. Silent and guarded.
He wore his armor like a shield and his face was closed down. But what caught her eye was what was in his hands. In his left hand he held a sword of average length but exquisite workmanship. In his right hand he gripped a glaive.
“Before we left the lord chamberlain’s home, I requested that his manservant procure for you a weapon,” he said reluctantly. “I knew that you would prefer a glaive from your previous work with them, and I meant to give it to you before we left the manor home. Instead, you arrived so late I had it packed away for delivery later on with the wagon supplies.”
She stood still. Unsure of what to say.
Finally, “Thank you,” emerged from her mouth.
He thrust the glaive forward with a stiff hand. “Here.”
She took it in both of her own. He turned and walked away. She watched his back retreat silently into the dim light. Heart heavy but mind singing with joy at holding a weapon she knew, she tested the balance in her hands. With a staff carved of trim ebony hardwood and a metal blade with a wickedly sharp end, she hadn’t seen a more beautiful piece of artisanship. Even the blade had carvings into its surface—swirls and lines in intricate detail. But more than its beauty, it was functional and deadly.
Quickly she moved into formation to practice. With quick footsteps, she whirled around with the glaive at chest height to test its weight and balance. Easing back after a few more moves she acknowledged that it was perfect. Perfect for her.
Much like the young man she had let down.
She shook her head to dispel those feelings; Ciardis knew s
he didn’t have time for trivial concerns such as those that clouded her heart. They had to face one of the most powerful men in the empire soon, on his turf, and not bring the emperor’s wrath down on them while they did it.
A sharp whistle penetrated her thoughts. She looked up to see someone beckoning her over from the campfire in the distance.
Vana said from the front of the pack, “We need to get in to the duke’s residence, get out, and not attract attention.”
Sebastian nodded grimly.
“Therefore only a few of us will be making this journey,” said Lord Meres. “We can’t risk the duke of Carne knowing we’re coming or pontificating in court that we brought an army down on his head.”
“Like he did?” said Terris dryly.
“No,” said Sebastian grimly. “By court standards he was well within his rights. He hired assassins legally to kill us all. He didn’t raise an army or send his private militia. It was neat and it was a small force.”
“You and I have different expectations of legal. Though I suppose you mean like those four men that tried to kill you in the aether realm a year ago?” Ciardis said.
Sebastian cut his eyes to her and then quickly away. “Exactly. There are rules of engagement and we must follow them to the letter.”
“Fine then,” Ciardis said, looking at Vana. “Whom do you suggest? And what’s the plan?”
“We get in, we find out what he knows about the princess heir, and we offer a peace deal,” said Vana.
Protests erupted all round, mostly centered on her last point.
“Stephanie died because of him,” said Christian fiercely with white-hot anger in his eyes.
“I know that,” said Vana.
“Then why would you want to make peace with him?” demanded Ciardis.
“Because mother ordered it,” said Caemon.
Ciardis rounded on him. “What? When?”
“A few days past, when I went with Vana to the magistrate’s court,” he said.
Sebastian sighed and said, “She was right. Lillian is one of the finest political minds I have known. And what she told us I agree with. Already we have drawn the hate of one of the wealthiest and most influential dukes in all of Algardis, but if we kill him, we will have blood debt with his family. And you do not want to mess with the Carnes. For every one that dies, there are five more to take their place.”
“That family is like a hydra,” Vana said bluntly. “Vicious, powerful, and ever fruitful. We need them on our side.”
Grumbles continued.
“Enough,” said Sebastian, “We have to have allies to fight a god. We can’t do that if our second greatest militia in all the land is a foe, as well. I hate what the duke of Carne has done and I know the lord chamberlain is furious as well, but he has agreed, the matriarch of the Weathervane family has agreed, and I agree: We must make peace.”
“And what about what I agree to?” Ciardis asked tautly.
The Prince Heir turned to her resolutely. “Well what do you want to do, Ciardis? This was your plan, your idea. Come to court and beg the emperor’s forgiveness, gather the political allies to our side. Isn’t this part of that plan?”
“Sometimes plans change.”
“Do they, now?” he asked quietly.
She wasn’t sure if they were still talking about political alliances.
But she backed down anyway. “But I can’t say I can think of anything better.”
Caemon sighed and abruptly said, “They’re right. We need this. It’s like a game of hard pins. With the duke of Carne allied with us, the emperor will heed our call to action and then the dragons will stand with us. Without one we don’t have the other.”
“It sounds like we’re sacrificing our battle against the emperor for a temporary alliance,” Ciardis said.
“No, we need the duke on our side. But not his wife. If we can get him to see reason about Leah and the imposter emperor, then we have one of the most powerful men in the empire allied with us,” said Vana.
“Why, then, are we invading the Duke of Carne’s home in the middle of the night?” said Christian.
They all looked to Vana. “He’s not exactly going to welcome us over for tea. A small group steals in in the dead of the night and we talk things over. Alliance formed in less than an hour.”
“Whom do you want, Vana?” asked Caemon.
“Thanar, Sebastian, and Ciardis,” she responded.
“Perhaps a few of my men and myself,” Lord Meres said firmly.
Vana shook her head. “We need to move in and out over the rooftops quickly. Four is enough. The rest of you will guard our citadel. Because if it falls, we will have nowhere to turn to.”
Meres nodded and then turned to bow shortly to Sebastian. “My lord, with your permission, I will go and disperse troops for fortifications. We need men on the spy holes as well as the entrances. I’ll keep some in reserve to be stationed up and down the city streets above to warn of attacks.”
Sebastian nodded.
As he left, the chosen four for Vana’s plan looked at each other with two noticeably avoiding the eyes of one another.
Everyone else dispersed. Before Sebastian and Ciardis turned away, Vana said, “I picked the two of you because I knew you could work together. The power you can manifest as a team is beyond anything I’ve ever seen. But if you don’t get your heads out of your asses and get it together before we leave this cavern, I’ll knock you unconscious and take Caemon and Christian instead.”
They stared at her as she stalked off muttering about idiots and children.
The silence stretched while Ciardis stared somewhere along the lines of Sebastian’s breastplate, and she got the feeling he was looking up at the stalactites on the ceiling.
Finally, when she couldn’t stand it anymore, she said, “I don’t want Christian to go. He’s not well.”
She looked up at Sebastian to see him staring at her with fire in his eyes. “Is that all you have to say?”
She threw up her hands in frustration, and quickly scrambled to grab the glaive which fell towards the floor. Staring back up at him, she glared.
“Well, what do you want me to say? You want me to apologize? Well, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I let him kiss me while we were in a middle of a battle for our lives and I had no idea what was happening, let alone why he thought that it was an appropriate time. Ironic, huh? That I didn’t see it coming. And I’m sorry that he kissed me again on the rooftop. Though, honestly, I could have maybe seen that one coming. But I did push him off and let him know it wasn’t acceptable. But no, you wouldn’t let me explain that, would you? You questioned and you judged and you didn’t listen.”
Sebastian crossed his arms. “Did you enjoy it?”
“Really?” She whirled, turning away because she was seriously considering putting the blade end of her glaive into his smug, princely neck.
Then she heard him move behind her.
“No, wait, Ciardis. I’m sorry.”
She kept walking. He grabbed her elbow and let go in quite a hurry when she whirled around with the glaive still clutched in her hands and a murderous expression on her face.
“Just admit it,” she snarled. “You don’t trust me. You never have. Not with General Barnaren. Not with the daemoni prince. I’ve never done anything to earn that mistrust. And I never would. But I can’t and I won’t deal with your jealousy. Not now. Not when I trying to save my family, my friends, and this empire. Which, might I remind you, is sort of your job.”
With that parting twist she stomped away.
She knew Sebastian still watched her as she distanced herself. She could even feel his confusion in the back of her mind, as he had forgotten to put up his mental shields. All she could think was, Good, let him stew. Through his mind’s eye she watched as he turned around and saw Terris, Christian, and Vana standing together, blatantly staring.
“Aren’t you supposed to be working?” Ciardis heard him snap as he stomped off.
&nb
sp; A few minutes passed and Ciardis came back. Not to speak with Sebastian, but to look for Vana. When she saw her she walked straight up and said, “I may be more powerful with Sebastian, but I am just as powerful without him. I won’t get in your way and I won’t get in his. We can be a team. A team of individuals with individual strengths and individual weakness.”
Vana finished coiling rope and stuffed it into her backpack. “Are you done?”
Uncertain, Ciardis looked at her. “Yes.”
“Fine,” Vana said.
“Fine?”
“It’s fine,” she responded. “But know this. When the day comes that you’re fighting a demi-god, you’ll wish you’d had every extra bit of power you possessed, and you’ll wonder what could have been if you had just buried this hatchet with Sebastian.”
“He’s infuriating!”
“Did I say I wanted to hear more about problems in your love life?” Vana said. “No, I didn’t. We’re moving out in five minutes. Be ready.”
And that was that.
An hour later Lady Vana, Prince Heir Sebastian, the Daemoni prince, and Companion Trainee Weathervane were awkwardly perched on a roof within shouting distance of the walls that guarded the Duke of Carne’s villa. Awkward because of their crouches on the peak of the roof, and awkward because Ciardis laid an even distance between Thanar and Sebastian. She could feel anger radiating from them both. She had no idea what Thanar’s problem was, and she didn’t really want to know.
Vana put down a spyglass and whispered, “In two minutes, at midnight, the guard changes over. We’ll sneak over the wall in between shifts.”
“And how do you propose we do that?” Sebastian asked.
“It’ll be easy for Thanar,” concluded Vana, “He’ll fly over with Ciardis and take out any guards waiting on the top. You and I will go by vine.”
“Vine?” said Sebastian.
“Let’s go,” said Vana as she quickly scrambled down the roof. For a few precious minutes, heavy clouds covered the moon. It was as dark as it was going to get. Sebastian scrambled behind her.
As she watched the two of them reach the base of the building and sprint across the open street, Ciardis grimaced in worry.