***
As they walked across the docks, Edvard thought about this meeting. He remembered the indignation in the strange queen’s voice when she denied her people were slaves. His heart had beat faster as her soldiers jumped to protect her. They loved her, would risk their lives to defend her of their own free will.
The Deojrin could enslave him, could bend him to their will, force him to his knees and make him recite their prayers. But they could not stop him from thinking about what it meant.
***
Ani bundled Leisha back to the carriage as soon as the Deojrin stepped into their dinghies and pushed away from the docks. Behind her Jan and Eli covered their escape and climbed up next to the driver once Ani had her charge safely inside. The coach bore them back up to the hill and under the portcullis. Leisha’s stony silence surprised Andelko. In past crises, she began shouting orders before the carriage driver had time to turn the horses.
When they reached the castle, Andelko ordered the gates closed and the portcullis lowered, relieved to know where they stood. He had seen this town and this castle through one siege before.
Ani did not let herself relax until she rushed Leisha upstairs to her apartments. She cursed herself for agreeing to this whole fiasco when her training told her how these sorts of meetings should occur. She dreaded Zaraki’s reaction when he heard and turned his accusing eyes on her and she shuddered to think what he would have done had been in the tent. Between her stubborn queen and her foolish, fiercely protective best friend, this job would make her grey before she turned thirty.
Stepping into her receiving room, Leisha forced herself to show some restraint and did not rush immediately to her husband. She could tell he had seen the carriage arrive and saw the state of alarm Ani and the other spies arrived in. After a few deep breaths, she said, “I’m fine and the others are on the way here.” But he knew her well enough to see something had happened.
As she tried to shake off the fear that stalked her, anger flared at the arrogance of someone attempting to intimidate her in her own kingdom, her own city. She would not allow Gerolt to threaten her into passivity and silence.
Fear would find no place to live in her.
Symon and Andelko arrived and took seats near to Aniska. They had used this room for meetings for as long as Leisha had been queen, and she kept plenty of chairs to accommodate everyone. They watched her pacing behind the huge desk her father, Davos, had commissioned to commemorate his fifth year on the throne. No one could remember a time their queen had appeared so unsettled.
Gathering her thoughts, Leisha stopped her frenetic marching and described the meeting in detail for Zaraki and Symon. She told them about the strange sensations and realizing Edvard could read her mind. When she got to Gerolt’s threats against her, she saw Zaraki shoot Aniska a furious look. But she could not bring herself to recount the visions Edvard showed her. The images so unnerved her she did not want to relive them right now.
Later, she promised herself.
“I still don’t understand what Gerolt meant by you tainting the land,” Andelko said. “Because of what you can do.”
Leisha frowned, trying to put words to what she felt in the tent. “Their beliefs command them to enslave those like me, to subjugate them, to keep their society pure. It felt like a religious imperative. Like what happened here, during the purge, when they tried to exterminate the mind readers.”
A hundred years ago a wave of religious fervor swept over the kingdoms of Ilayta and mind readers everywhere were hunted down and murdered, often burned at the stake for offending gods who had never previously cared. When the slaughter stopped, those involved, king and peasant alike, looked around at the death and destruction and went back to their homes, wondering what had overtaken them. The few mind readers who survived retreated to the east, where they were left in peace.
Religion withered on the continent. In Tahaerin, where the massacres began, religious belief all but disappeared as people understood the true horror of the purge. Leisha, Andelko, and Symon had no religious training. Moving east, a few pockets of fervent belief existed still in Streza, but many people held only loosely to the faith of their ancestors. Zaraki could remember his mother praying to several different gods for health and good luck, but he did not remember ever attending services. Aniska could only remember her father praying to his god of alcohol. Some monasteries clung to existence in the furthest edge of the continent such as Meszdra, though they were largely curiosities now. In Embriel and Tahaerin religious buildings had long since fallen to rubble, their stones carted off to build homes and taverns and castles.
“It does explain the threat to paint his name in your blood, I suppose.” Andelko froze as soon as the words were spoken, knowing he should have kept it to himself.
Leisha saw Zaraki turn furious eyes on her. “You failed to mention that.” He sounded calm enough, but she felt his smoldering rage burst into flames. He would not tolerate threats against her, but he could not protect her if she kept things from him.
She wanted to say she did not tell him because she forgot, that it was so minor compared to the death they planned for her. But seeing his reaction, she thought she would keep it to herself for now and save the telling for later. It would not change anything, she reasoned, and shrugged it off. “We spent a good amount of time posturing for each other.”
I’m sorry, she told him privately. I just didn’t want to burden you with this, when there are bigger issues.
He cut his eyes over at her. We’ll talk about this later. His thoughts were a riot of worry and anger and he thrust his emotions at her, making sure she knew how unhappy he felt.
“Can the city guard hold them off until the Horse and Guard get here?” Ani asked.
“For a while,” Andelko said. “We have good stockpiles of weapons. They won’t have brought siege weapons with them, so they’ll have to find wood to build them. But, honestly, I’m more concerned about getting trapped here, rather than defending the city from them.”
At the word trapped Leisha felt her heart start to beat against her ribs, like a bird in a cage. “What do you mean?”
Andelko shifted in his chair, looking unhappy and uncomfortable. “Your Highness,” he began, falling back on formality to mask some of his worry. “They have to land their troops and make some sort of camp. It gives us a few days before they’re at our gates. But, capturing you makes the most sense. So I expect them to sail south a bit to the nice, rocky beach we have down there and begin unloading their men. They’ll spend a few days getting everyone off and getting organized. Then, I bet they swing around and put troops between us and the road to the mountains.” He stopped and cast around, looking at the others. “Perhaps we should consider withdrawing to Moraval before that—”
“No.” Leisha’s voice left no doubt as to her feelings on the matter. “This is my city. I’m not abandoning it.”
Expecting that answer, Andelko nodded. “Then I believe the first attack will come at the western gate, the one nearest the harbor.”
“Why?” That did not make much sense to her. A map of the city would show the western gate to be the point furthest in Lida from the castle.
“Because,” Andelko said, “fleeing by ship means you can go anywhere. Attack at the harbor and we can’t escape that way. Fleeing overland means they can hunt you down.”
***
They adjourned in the evening, after deciding to watch and wait tomorrow. Perhaps the Deojrin would sail on, perhaps not. Either way, they could not attack tonight.
This night, though, the residents of Branik Castle prepared for war. Symon started by making lists of things to pack and bring if they were forced to flee. Andelko met with his captains and lieutenants. Aniska conferred with her agents, dividing duties and sending them out to gather information on their visitors’ movements.
Once they were back in their apartments and the maids released for the night, Zaraki turned on Leisha. She could feel his frustration, b
ut at least the anger had cooled. “Write his name in your blood?” he asked, leaning on her desk, arms crossed over his chest.
She went to stand in front of him, looking contrite for once. “I’m sorry. It didn’t seem any more important than his other threats. He made it clear I’m some sort of abomination to his people. Cursed, he called me. That’s their name for any mind reader, apparently.”
“Lovely.” It did nothing to allay his concerns.
They rarely argued, and Leisha hated not knowing what to say to smooth things over. She had so little experience with this. Bickering with nobles made more sense to her than did taking care not to trample over her husband’s feelings. “Please don’t be angry. Honestly, it was no different than any threat I’ve made before.”
“Except it was against you this time,” Zaraki said, his irritation bleeding away to be replaced with anxiety for her. He had saved her from so many threats, killed more men than he remembered to protect her and risked his own life to save hers. Marriage had not erased the responsibility he felt for her safety.
“And Ani was there to protect me. She’s my bodyguard, you’re my husband. And I greatly prefer it that way.”
Finally, he sighed and reached out to take her hands. “I know, and I trust her. It’s hard to give up old habits, and I’m never going to stop worrying. So I’ll try to leave more to Ani and you’ll accept I’m coming with you from now on.”
“You explain it to her, all right?” she laughed, leaning into him, seeking assurance all was right between them.
***
Leisha sat up writing orders to city leaders, commanding their presence at meetings in two days’ time. As Andelko had said, they could afford to be patient while the Deojrin decided if they would land or move on. It would take time to unload their army and set up camp.
It was late in the evening when she finished writing her letters, and though she wanted to go to bed, she could not settle. Something plagued her and tugged at her memories. Something odd buzzed around inside her brain, but it was elusive and fleeting and she could not put a name to it.
Zaraki found her standing outside their rooms, staring at the carved door leading to the apartments, a long robe thrown on over her nightclothes. Lost in thought, she barely noticed him. “What are you looking at, my dear?”
She jumped, startled by his intrusion. “I’m not sure. I have something going round and round in my head and I can’t figure what it is. But it’s something about the saying.” She pointed up at the lintel stone over the doorway. ”And they will awake angry, as dragons from sleep. It’s my family motto.”
Zaraki nodded. He found it odd, but no more than many other odd things about this kingdom and its queen. Taking her hand, he hoped to lead her back to bed and the sleep he craved.
“All of a sudden, I keep thinking I’ve seen it somewhere else in the castle. But I can’t remember where.” She made a face, annoyed she could not solve this puzzle. “I know, I know. It’s not important. But I can’t stop this from popping back into my brain.”
Though he wanted to tell her to come to bed, he knew nothing would deter her from this quest now it had captured her imagination. Scrubbing at his tired eyes, Zaraki thought hard, remembering the early days at Branik. “I’ve been over this castle, top to bottom. I spent months learning every apartment, closet, and storeroom. I know it better than you and I’ve never seen these words anywhere else.”
Sighing, Leisha looked disappointed. “Maybe I’m wrong. I can’t think of where I would have seen it.”
Now, Zaraki found himself engaged in her mystery. “No, I can’t think of any place. The only other writing in the castle are those strange words in Velika Hall.”
Leisha paused, staring down the hallway towards where the little, formal chamber lay. Then her face lit with a smile. She kissed him and took his hand. “You’re brilliant. Come with me,” she said, excitement filling her voice.
Arm in arm, they wound through the halls of the castle. Few people moved about at this time of night, and it almost seemed they had Branik to themselves. “Hand me that, please?” Leisha pointed to a torch on the wall, after trying to reach it first. “There should be laws prohibiting putting things over my head,” she muttered as they walked on.
Tradition had Tahaerin monarchs crowned in Velika Hall, the pretty, little chamber on the north side of the castle. Carved from creamy white marble, the formal space stood as an oddity in a castle that valued function over form or beauty. During the day, sunlight flooded through a huge stained glass window, filling the hall with fractures of color. A ribbed, fluted ceiling rested on stone pillars and intricately carved corbels. Near the top of the walls, someone long ago etched a series of words in a language no one could read anymore. The phrase repeated itself over and over, in a continuous band around the room.
The chamber had remained closed and unused since Leisha crowned him king two years ago. Zaraki smiled as he pushed open the door, remembering her own coronation, when the lords almost went to war rather than bend their knees to a sixteen-year-old girl. That day, her bravery sealed his fate, and he knew he would do everything in his power to keep her alive. He did not fall in love with her for a few more years, but she became more than just his employer that day. She became his cause.
Now, with the flame she carried, Leisha lit candles in metal floor stands. Rising onto her toes, she set fire to torches in their sconces until they shed enough light to illuminate where the ceiling and walls met.
“There.” She pointed to the strange carvings looping and whirling around them. “Those words, we’ve always assumed they’re old Tahaerin. After I heard Gerolt’s men sending to each other in their own language, I think I can read them.”
“How does that work?” he asked, intrigued, as always, by her abilities.
With her head cocked to the side, Leisha considered. “Words aren’t just what we hear and thoughts aren’t purely words. Both are filled with ideas and images and emotions.” She struggled to put words to a concept that defined her every interaction with the world but which he found so foreign. “Consider someone’s name. When you say it, your mind conjures up all manner of different things no one else is privy to, though you may barely notice them. When you say my name if I’m listening— No, I’m going to say yours and let you hear.” She turned towards him, and taking his hands, she spoke his name.
It felt like a flower blooming in his mind. Zaraki felt her love and pride permeate through the whole of him. Flashes of her memories of him competed for his attention as the sound of his own voice echoed back to him. He saw what she thought when she thought of him.
“That’s what I experience when I’m listening to people’s thoughts. This is my world,” she said, pausing to enjoy the look of wonder on his face. Not for the first time in her life, she pitied those without her abilities, but she loved sharing it with him.
“So,” she continued, “when they spoke to each other in their own words, I heard all of the hidden messages, saw the images and learned some of their language.” Leisha shrugged, annoyed again she lacked the words to explain any better.
She stared at the carvings on the wall above them for a long moment. Then slowly, she began to read as she pulled the words and their meanings from her memories of the morning. “Og fe vyl votfne seint, som drager fra savn. Rasveri vyl fylle deres jerter med en brann ilde slukke. Nen med det savn og einsomet vyl fe finne gred.” In a Tahaerin accent, the words sounded harsh and discordant.
“And they will awake angry, as dragons from sleep. That part is easy.” Pointing to the part of the phrase Leisha knew corresponded to the saying, she made a sweeping motion with her hand, dismissing that part of the carving. “The next is less clear. Rage will fill their chests—” She shook her head. “No, it’s ‘hearts.’ Rage will fill their hearts with a fire no death can... quench, maybe? But with stillness— or, no, it’s sleep—and solitude, they will be free once more.”
“What does it mean?” Zaraki asked, rolling th
e words around in his mind.
“I don’t know, but it’s proof we share a common lineage. Gerolt wasn’t lying.”
Gerolt. His name frightened her and conjured images she wanted to forget. Then she remembered his title—Kirous Visarl. The first word meant damned or maybe cursed. He called Edvard Cursed and she recalled he applied it to all mind readers.
Visarl, though—she tried to capture the fleeting thoughts she picked out when he introduced himself. Killer?
No. Visarl meant something closer to butcher. She felt an icy finger trace circles around her heart.
Kirous Visarl meant Butcher of the Cursed.
Death
A day passed and as Andelko predicted, the ships in the bay weighed anchor and sailed south along the coast. He ordered two mounted patrols to follow along the shore and make themselves conspicuous. By late afternoon, the horses and their riders reached a long stretch of beach, perfect for landing troops. Then any hopes the Deojrin might sail on faded when the ships halted their southern trek. Irion ordered two men to head back and let the Lord Constable know foreign troops would likely begin landing in the morning.
At first light Andelko and his captains gathered in the courtyard. They would lead a small number of men down to the beach and wait to see what their enemy intended. Perhaps a show of force would convince the Deojrin to sail on, though no one thought it likely.
Instead, Andelko expected to harass the Deojrin as they began landing their men. Until the Horse and Guard arrived from Moraval, they could not launch a serious strike because they had only the soldiers and archers who guarded Lida and the castle. This would be a chance to send out a few men and observe how their enemy attacked and responded.
After the way she reacted to the idea of retreating to Moraval, Andelko knew Leisha would be difficult to manage. In vain, he had hoped to ride out of the yard without her knowing, because she would certainly insist on coming with him. But the sounds of horses and men milling around the yard woke her. He saw her sweeping down the stairs into the crisp morning, and of course, her damned mind reading told her exactly what he planned.
As Dragons from Sleep (The Tahaerin Chronicles Book 2) Page 5