by D. E. Morris
“There is nothing to forgive.”
“I have been rather consumed with the preparations for a wedding myself, one for my eldest daughter.”
Ashlynn folded her hands before her, her smile bright. “How pleased you must be.”
“I will be more pleased when the whole thing is over, especially since the recent passing of my wife from illness is heavy on the hearts of my kingdom.”
“I had not heard,” Ashlynn lamented. “My deepest condolences.”
With the formalities of greetings over, Donnchadh looked at the two before him with an unreadable expression. “I'm sure you haven't come all this way to exchange simple pleasantries. As we are all well aware, your Elemental kin have been here twice in the past few weeks and their last visit was not a pleasant one. In fact, I told them never to return again. Am I correct in assuming that you are here to try and reason with me?”
“I would not dream of it,” said Ashlynn honestly. “Badru has no need to be here since our Elemental sister has passed away, and Cavalon is - well to put it simply - an ass. I have heard the tale of what happened to the keep that night and offer my sincerest apologies as their kindred. You know what anger and pain can do to a Gael. Sometimes it is all we can do to control ourselves. Badru was so grieved at what he found in that tower that he simply could not contain himself. His actions were that of a man in great anguish, not of carelessness, I can assure you.”
Donnchadh appeared unaffected.
“We are here on behalf of Jessiah,” she continued.
“Why? What concern of yours is he?”
Ashlynn had the grace to appear girlishly bashful for a moment. “While he was at Altaine he and one of my ladies formed a romantic attachment; it is at her request that I am here more than anything else. It has come to my attention, however, that Jessiah originally hails from Caedia which, since he still has family lands there, would put him under High Queen Luella's rule.” She paused to smile winningly at Tasarin. “She would be here herself but is in the first weeks of pregnancy and has sent her husband in her stead in the hope that you will release Jessiah to us. Neither of us is here to make unreasonable demands.”
“Really?” Donnchadh's head tilted to the side in clear disbelief. As he held Ashlynn in his gaze she steeled herself for what he would come against her with, but after a moment he nodded to one of the guards by the door, sending the man on his way.
Taking this as a positive turn of events, Ashlynn offered him a grateful smile. She then spared a quick glance at Tasarin; it was his turn to speak.
“I have already given them to Her Majesty and the other Elementals, but I wish to offer my condolences to you as well, Your Majesty.”
Donnchadh looked at the elf in confusion. “Condolences for what?”
“The loss of Nealie O'Dwyer, of course. It is my understanding that the two of you were close friends.”
“We were friends. That is all.” His eyes went to the window, careless. “Though any loss of Ibayish life is a tragic one, I cannot say hers is an especially painful one.”
The king was skilled at concealing his true thoughts and emotions, but Fintan was not so proficient and the way Cailin's lips were pressed together and her eyes downcast spoke volumes.
“You will be happy to know we have located her child.”
Tasarin's words sparked a light of interest in Donnchadh's otherwise stony expression, though it was gone as quickly as it appeared. “And is it a child indeed?”
“Yes,” said Ashlynn. “A darling little girl by the name of Rowan. She is blind and practically feral in the way she talks, but she is enchanting.”
“Safe inside the walls of Altaine,” Tasarin added.
“When do you plan on bringing her back here?”
Ashlynn tilted her head. “Why would we bring her back here?”
“She is an Ibayish citizen, is she not? That means she belongs in Ibays.”
“She has been separated from her father,” said Ashlynn. “I plan to keep her safe with me until we find him.” Her lashes fluttered innocently. “Unless you happen to know where he might be. After all, she was taken from your very township and forcibly delivered to your secret village of death.” Her saccharine tone did not waver. “I cannot possibly be asked to believe you have no knowledge of your precious Ibayish people being gathered and sealed away like that, especially when it happens right under your very nose.”
Donnchadh fixed her with a cold stare. “What are you asking me?”
A shuffling in the hall preceded the departed guard's return, escorting a bruised and beaten Jessiah. The guard shoved the younger man forward with hands still bound. Losing his balance, Jessiah fell forward onto the hard stone floor buffered only by a thin carpet. Immediately Tasarin rushed forward to help him to his feet and began looking him over.
“He did nothing to deserve this!” cried Ashlynn heatedly.
“He betrayed me.”
“How? By making the decision to deflect to Siness?”
Donnchadh's eyes narrowed. “Watch your impertinence. This is my kingdom you stand in, not yours.” He looked upon Jessiah with disgust. “Take him and go.” Almost as an afterthought he added, “You will do well to limit your visits here from now on.”
The thinly veiled threat had Ashlynn seething, but Tasarin spoke before she could, his normally soft voice hard as steel. “It would be folly to make enemies of Siness and Caedia. For if one is scorned today, so shall the other be. Ibays needs our trade agreements as well as our full treasuries.”
“Ibays needs no blood money from Caedia,” spat Donnchadh. “Neither you nor your new bride earned any of the gold in your coffers. Tadhg was the one who robbed our villages and took everything we had. His bastard daughter, not even his real daughter, can keep every cent of it.”
Tasarin's eyes widened in an anger that was rarely seen in him, and Ashlynn hastened forward to take his arm. She was known for her temper, but few knew of the fires that could be risen inside an angered elf.
“As for Siness,” continued Donnchadh, “you can keep your charity. We don't need it to survive.”
“Really?” Ashlynn let go of Tasarin to fully face the man on the throne. “How many of your fields have yielded full crops, or even made it through an entire season before wilting away, drying dust? How fat have your cattle gotten on your infested grains?”
“We yield enough to survive.”
His answer made Ashlynn laugh in disbelief. “For who to survive? Your people and you? Or are you thinking only of yourself?”
Donnchadh looked at her, smug. “My people would see their high king taken care of before themselves.”
“And how many of them will still support you when they are starving to death?” asked Tasarin. “I have known you for a long time, Donnchadh. You and Nir were friends and allies. Do not turn your back on all those years of harmony between Siness and Ibays.”
“Do not play to past affections,” growled Donnchadh. He looked harshly at Ashlynn. “I see the sash you wear and it moves me very little. You are just a child playing dress up in her mother’s gowns and jewels. You are no High Queen and your husband-”
“My husband is a great king!”
“Your husband is a buffoon!” Donnchadh's face had gone red enough to match his beard. “The only reason we won against Laidley and Merrik is because all of the nations came together as one. With you and Jaryn on the throne in Siness you have made yourselves the weakest nation among us and you do not even see it!”
A cloud passed across the sun and shadows came alive where there seemed to have been none before, the darkest one hovering under the canopy above Donnchadh. It made Ashlynn gasp and step back. Tasarin, taking her movement as a reaction to Donnchadh's words, moved himself between the two of them. “Are you threatening the nation of Siness?”
“Everyone is threatening Siness,” returned Donnchadh darkly. His eyes stayed on Ashlynn. “Danger hovers in every blackened corner. Behind every smiling face there is some
one willing to cut you down in order to take what they believe is theirs. It is only a matter time time before the illusion of happiness that you have created for yourself is shattered and all of your nightmares become reality.”
Her pulse quickened in her throat and Ashlynn found herself unable to speak.
“You fool yourself, Ashlynn, if you think any loyalties to your father remain. As we speak there are those among even your court who discuss in secret how easy it would be to remove you from the throne. If you think now that you cannot trust me, a man who is willing to tell you just how eager he is to show you how far he can reach and how strong his country really is, what about those who fondly take you with one hand while brandishing a dagger with the other?”
“That is enough!” Tasarin commanded. He turned to Ashlynn to see the color drained from her face. Her eyes were locked on Donnchadh and unable to look away. The elf took her by her arms and gave her a gentle shake, forcing her to look at him. “It is time to leave.”
“Take your new friend with you,” mocked Donnchadh. “The sight of him makes my stomach turn.”
Tasarin took command and untied Jessiah's binds so he could walk on his own and have the use of his hands as well. Only as an old friend could do, he then put a hand to Ashlynn's back and turned her to lead her out of the throne room. Before they had gone completely he cast a look to Cailin. It was clear she was torn. All they could do was pray she made the right decision.
They were silent as they made their way through the halls, hasty as they could be with Jessiah limping between them. Tasarin kept stealing glances at Ashlynn, concern in his gaze that she was ignoring on purpose. “I'm fine,” she managed to breathe, though she felt anything but. Even with Tasarin on one side of Jessiah with his arm around him, Ashlynn felt like the young man's arm around her shoulders was dead weight. Her heart was still racing and every word of the altercation with Donnchadh was replaying itself over and over in her mind.
“Which way?” asked the elf when they'd come to a four-way split in the hallways.
Jessiah tried to speak but a voice behind them said, “This way,” before slipping under Jessiah's arm, relieving Ashlynn.
“Cailin?”
“Come on.”
Ashlynn found herself walking behind the others and continuously glancing over her shoulder. She half expected to see Donnchadh or at the very least one of his guards, yet the halls were oddly silent. For some reason this made her want to be out of there even more quickly.
They were not stopped at the gate, nor were they questioned or delayed. The sunlight was a welcomed changed when they finally made their way outside, and they passed under the raised gate easily. Once outside of the outer wall and into the village, they set Jessiah down so they could have a moment to talk and decide what was to be done next.
“What happened?” Tasarin asked immediately. “I saw the change in you.”
“So did I,” Cailin admitted. “I've never seen you look so haunted.”
Ashlynn pressed her hands to her stomach, still feeling the strong fluttering of panic. “I don't want to talk about it.” She crouched before Jessiah, eager to draw the attention elsewhere. “What did they do to you?”
One of his eyes was swollen shut, there was bruising to his face and bare arms, and along with the limp in his left leg it was clear he was favoring his right shoulder. “You should see the other guy.” Jessiah managed a weak grin that revealed a few missing teeth.
“Let's get out of here,” muttered Ashlynn. Cailin quickly braced Jessiah to help him to his feet, but before Tasarin could get on the other side of the young man, Ashlynn held out a hand. “Take a ship home from here. Luella needs you.”
The elf's brows drew together. “So do you.”
“Whether I need you or not is irrelevant; I am your friend, Luella is your wife.”
This did little to dissuade Tasarin. “Have you anyone at Altaine as skilled in healing magics as I? Jessiah needs me as much as you do and it will take some time, even with Badru's help. I am almost certain the boy has more than one broken rib and there may be internal bleeding.” He took her arm. “Luella does not need me as you do right now. Besides, knowing Donnchadh's distaste for us right now I would have a hard time trusting any vessel sailing from his ports. And lest you forget your geography, Siness is closer to Montania than Ibays. ” He stepped past her and slipped Jessiah's free arm around his shoulder. “We should not waste any more time.”
It was a slow going process to leave the village and get out into more open fields so Ashlynn could shift. Cailin sat up closest to Ashlynn's head, Tasarin a bit farther down her neck, with Jessiah propped up in between them. There was no more conversation or preamble, everyone simply settled themselves in for the flight back.
With Ashlynn's massive form in the sky it was nearly impossible for her guard not to see her arrival, so when they finally landed at Altaine there was a fairly large group waiting to see if Jessiah had been secured. Cavalon, Badru, Jaryn, with Rowan in hand, Wessely, and all three of Ashlynn's ladies were at the forefront of those waiting. Cavalon and Badru hurried forward to help Jessiah down and Wessely offered a helping hand to Cailin.
“This could not be young Cailin, the girl who held secret meetings with my eldest troublemaker.”
She grinned as her feet hit the ground and gave a small bow. “Your Highness. It is good to see you again.”
“And you. I hear you have done rather well for yourself at Lerranyth.”
Her grin turned into a grimace. “Any favor I had there is now gone. Apparently I've joined the Sinessian rebels.”
“Jessiah!”
Lilia rushed forward as he was lowered to the ground and nearly pushed Badru out of the way to be of use. “What happened? Are you all right?”
“Bring him inside,” Tasarin instructed. “I will follow in a moment.” Ashlynn shifted to her human form as Jessiah was brought in by Lilia and Cavalon, Badru close behind and Tasarin eager to follow. “I will tend to Jessiah and then we need to meet. All of us.”
The stern tone from the elf made Jaryn stiffen immediately. “What happened?”
“We may have a fight on our hands,” Ashlynn supplied. She noticed Lochlainn in Mairead's arms and immediately took him from her, snuggling him close and showering his face with kisses. His giggle and the way he grabbed for the sparkling jewels at her neck and ears lifted her anxiety in a way even her flight could not, and it brought immediate tears to her eyes. Jaryn noticed this as well and touched her arm. “I'm all right,” she said weakly. “I just needed this.” She turned and crouched down, pulling Rowan to her as well and kissing the top of her head.
“How can we serve you?” Zarra asked with unusual gentility.
Ashlynn sniffled and stood up straight, paying no mind to the way Lochlainn's fingers tangled themselves in her necklace. “Have the servants make up quarters for Jessiah. Good rooms. In the east wing.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Zarra curtsied and left, leaving Mairead waiting for her own orders. “Stay close. I want you in the meeting.”
“Of course.”
Jaryn and Tasarin met gazes, the elf looking unusually dower. “We've lost Donnchadh as an ally, haven't we?”
Tasarin frowned. “It would seem you have gained him as an enemy in return.”
Jaryn slid an arm around Ashlynn's waist in a protective manner and for once, she didn't fight against it. She needed his strength. It was rare when she felt she couldn't stand on her own two feet, but this was one of those moments. Looking at the evening sky, she shivered despite the summer heat. “Come on,” Jaryn muttered in her ear. “Let's go inside.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lilia was already doing her best to tend to Jessiah's wounds in one of the cooler rooms of the lower level of the castle. She was gentle as she pressed a cold wet cloth to his bare back to wipe away the dried blood that had been left over from the skin being split by a whip. The red and angry ill-healing wounds made her stoma
ch queasy, but she pressed on and tried to keep herself from getting sick.
“You don't have to do this,” said Jessiah weakly. He winced as she touched the cloth to a particularly tender spot by his shoulder. “Tasarin said he could heal me.”
“Heal, yes; clean, no.” She rinsed the cloth out and moved to the side of his face. “They were brutal.”
“Yes they were.”
“Why was Donnchadh so cruel to you?”
Sighing, Jessiah shook his head. “I suppose he wanted to make an example of me. Everyone knew I was one of his favorites and he wanted to let them know that even those in his favor must pay the price of betrayal.”
Lilia paused, looking at him. “Is that was he told you? That you betrayed him?”
“Not in so many words, no, but I was with Badru and Cavalon when that keep was destroyed. It was my responsibility to see that nothing happened and I failed Donnchadh in that. He can be a cruel king and not as forgiving as Ashlynn or even your own Volar high queen.”
A frown turned down the corners of Lilia's lips. “The Volar are not always so forgiving.”
“What do you mean?”
Her expression darkened and she reached for the water bowl to clean her cloth again. “Volarim are peaceful by default. We avoid conflict and when conflict must be settled it is always in the gentlest way possible, yet there are times when gentle resolution is not possible. It is rare we use it but we have a place called the Isle of Contest. It's completely secluded and cut off from the main island. Anyone looking at it from the sea or even above would think it nothing more than a little island of trees. But hidden under the canopy of branches lies something of an arena.” She stopped and looked down at her lap, her gaze far away. “I've witnessed men and women lose their wings, have them severed from their backs in the cruelest form of punishment. I've seen them stand trial and even be sentenced to death, only to have it be immediately carried out before every witness present.”