Eventually a blonde servant girl, dressed in a strange tunic and vest adorned with weapons, informed them that the goddess was beginning to stir in her sleep. They finished the last dregs in their wine cups and then Emaree followed Tinaya to Aldoa’s chambers. The room was not far at all from the one she had been resting in with Quentin. She wondered for a moment if he was still sleeping, and made a mental note to take him food after they had spoken with Aldoa.
The goddess did not move when they entered the darkened room. Truthfully, Emaree thought that Aldoa’s chest had stopped moving. She held her breath unknowingly, letting it out as the goddess drew in a long, slow breath. The old woman’s head turned to the side and her eyes opened, resting on her visitors.
Tinaya glanced at Emaree. “You wished to speak with her, so go ahead. I shall wait in the hall. Do not bother her long, Emaree.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Emaree watched Tinaya walk out of the room, and then returned her attention to Aldoa.
The goddess was sitting straight up in the bed, looking at her with softly glowing eyes. Emaree took several steps back, and nearly tripped on the bear rug adorning the floor.
“It seems as though your legs need some more work.”
Emaree blushed. “Oh no, milady—I only lost my balance for a moment.”
Candlelight flickered to life all about the room in a grand display of light. The inner light faded from Aldoa’s eyes, replaced by the flames of the candles. The goddess smiled warmly.
“I take it they work well enough then, yes?”
Emaree ran to the side of the bed and fell to her knees. She brazenly grasped the goddess’ hand and put it to her lips. Fresh tears spilled from her eyes. “Goddess Aldoa, a thousand thanks to you for blessing my body with your healing powers and curing it! I had given up all hope of getting better years ago. Never would I have thought I would be able to walk again as I do now. I wish I could explain how grand my appreciation is for what you have given back to me.”
Aldoa used her other hand to pat Emaree on the head. “There, there, little one. Do not shed tears.”
“But they are tears of joy, Goddess! And such tears I never thought would fall from my eyes again!”
Aldoa softly pushed her back so that she could swing her legs off of the bed. She tapped the bed beside her and motioned for Emaree to join her.
“I visited you once in the mountain. Do you remember?”
Emaree nodded. “Yes. You said that my salvation was coming, and you were right. But Goddess, why did you not heal my full body then, and only healed my most recent burnings? Why wait until I am here with you in this strange city?”
“Because, my dear, if I had healed you wholly as you lay in the bed of that wretched room, the other witches would have known there was someone very powerful in their domain. I did not wish to make them aware of my presence, and so my visit was a short one. I showed you a sample of my power to boost your hopes so that we did not lose you that night. I know what was on your mind.”
Emaree found another place in the room to look at, embarrassed by her plans she’d had when the goddess had first made her acquaintance. She had wanted nothing more than to die.
“Death was a sweet whisper in my ear,” she said softly. “It was the only way I could think of to escape. All those years I wasted away in that horrid place, barely leaving that room. Damn them…all I wanted was to find peace.” Her face became stricken with tears yet again; they sparkled in the candlelight as she spoke. “They took everything from me. My entire family is gone now. They tortured innocent people to get what they wanted from me and I will hate them for it every day that I live.”
“Do not let this hatred consume your life,” Aldoa warned.
“How can I not?” Emaree asked bitterly. “They have driven me to this point, and I cannot retreat to be the person I once was.”
The goddess gave her a tired smile. “Child, no one is who they once were. Mortals are a species which are always emotionally evolving, whether for better or worse. You had a long stretch of your life that you lived in captivity and torture. Your children were taken from you and raised as your enemies. You became another person entirely in order to survive. That little girl you were when your family was alive…she’s gone. She died with your family and rests with them still. The woman you became as Rohedon took you to be his sixth wife…she is gone as well. You may not think so, but just you wait and see, yes? Already you are different. Your body is fixed, but now you must fix your mind. This will be harder to do. The mind is trained in bad habits of the past, and you must find a way to break those habits. You are unable to trust anyone right now…but soon you will have great need to put your trust in others, as they will be the only way to keep your freedom. You may not think that you are strong enough to go down this path, yet because of your past and what you have been through you are the perfect person to go upon this journey.”
Emaree was gazing at the goddess. “What journey must I go on now, Your Grace? The weight of yesterday and all the days past drag me down inside. My body is frail because my soul is so heavy that I cannot move. What good could I possibly be to anyone?”
Aldoa squeezed her hand. “I have read what the stars say about you. You are important, and your future is a bright one should you endure this course. Do not let anything drag you down anymore, little one. Use it to help you stand straighter, walk farther, and build you up. You will need the strength that is left inside you. Besides, even now the witches plot.”
Emaree let the words flow through her, and a fire ignited in her veins. She thought of the witches and of the other goddess, and looked back at Aldoa with a fresh expression of hope.
“At first light, we are leaving this place, Aldoa. We need to follow our stars.”
“We?” said the goddess.
“Yes, we,” said Emaree. “If I am needed, then so are you, and perhaps more than I. Let’s do this together.”
“And where is it that we are going?”
Emaree stood up and walked away a few paces. “To war, Goddess. We are going to war.”
Quentin felt someone shaking him. When he fully came to, he found himself holding a knife to Emaree’s throat. One hand was upon his arm, and the other held a plate of food.
“Dear gods, I am sorry,” he said.
“After all we’ve been through, I think I understand,” she said with a slight smile.
“Your tongue is back,” he said with a smile. He took the knife away from her throat and sat up, wincing. “Oh, but I am stiff! How long have I been asleep?”
“The whole day,” she answered. “You need to eat now, so I brought you some food. If you need more, I can get it for you.”
“No, no, this is fine,” Quentin replied. He set the knife down on his lap and took the plate, digging in to the food.
Emaree laughed. “It looks as though you are feeding two stomachs.”
He chuckled. “It feels that way. To say that I am starving would be a vast understatement. And this food is the best thing since woven cloth.”
Emaree stood up and moved to sit on the opposite end of the couch.
Quentin eyed her while he ate. “You can walk now as well.”
“Thanks to the goddess you brought me to, Quentin. She has healed my body. I feel like a new person, inside and out.”
“That’s good to hear. She is a good woman, this goddess. You will grow to like her.”
“I already do,” Emaree said. “So, how are you feeling? You went through…well, you had a lot happen to you in that mountain.”
“A little drowsy, and still half-starved,” he answered. “But otherwise I feel pretty good…all things considered.”
“Quentin, I have something to say.”
“Then speak it. I will not stop you…the food is too good.”
She smiled, and began to speak again. “I was on the verge of ending my life. Aldoa came to me one night and gave me hope. She said that someone was coming for me. I know you probably
didn’t plan on saving me when you arrived in Rohedon’s Realm, but I am so grateful that you did. And you not only did it once—you did it multiple times.”
Quentin swallowed his food and gave her a sobering look. “Don’t get it twisted, Emaree. I was there for other reasons than you.”
She was taken aback by his tone. “I know this. Yet you didn’t have to take the time to rescue a crippled woman in the midst of your own mission.”
“After seeing how you were treated, I could not have left you and been the same man when I returned.”
“Thank you, Quentin. That’s all I really wanted to say. Your actions made you a hero time and again, whether you want to accept it or not. In my eyes, you will forever be a hero, and a valiant man.”
He shrugged as he finished the last of his bread and swallowed it. “What’s done is done, and I am glad you are safe for the time being.”
“Yes…for the time being.”
Something in her voice made Quentin rotate his head to look her in the eye. “Why do you say it like that?”
“There is no telling what tomorrow will bring.”
He grunted. “I know what it will bring: it will bring you food and rest.”
“Perhaps not. Perhaps tomorrow will bring the dawn of a new mission for my life.”
“Speak your mind, woman. I haven’t the time for riddles and my stomach yearns for more food.”
Emaree stood up and said, “Tomorrow, we go to war. Will you go with us?”
Quentin looked around the room behind him, and then back at Emaree. “Exactly whom do you mean by ‘we’? You already know I’m going to help my brother and my queen; but you, my dear...you’re staying here where it’s safe.”
“I have had a long conversation with Goddess Aldoa. We are leaving at dawn to go after your brother and his queen. They will need all the help they can get, and we cannot leave their cries for aide unanswered.”
His eyebrows shot up nearly into his hairline. “Is that so, huh? The goddess agreed with this plan of lunacy?”
Emaree nodded once decisively.
He set his plate down on the table in front of the couch and slipped his knife back into its hidden sheath as he stood up. “Well then, my feisty new friend…let us heed the call to war.”
Chapter Twelve: Bickering and Madness
Cambry approached the older man nonchalantly. “Good day to you, Hans.”
Hans turned to see who spoke to him. “Ah, good day to you as well, my Lord.”
Cambry swiveled his larger horse around Hans’ smaller one and repositioned himself on the other side. “How fares the Lystian king, my friend?”
The manservant frowned ever so slightly. “Worse than yesterday, I’m afraid. I’m not sure what has come over him. Even though his brother is safe, it seems as though his mind is breaking. He is not himself.”
The man from Jevelas tugged at his topknot, which he wore in a tight braid today. “His behavior is affected by the witch’s powder. It deteriorates the mind over time, but in his case it seems to be moving along more quickly.”
“How do we stop it? Is there something we can give him which would help?”
Lord Cambry gave a slight shake of his head. “Nothing that I know of.”
Hans leaned over, whispering, “We cannot have a king go mad in front of his people!”
“Is this something you think I do not know?” the other man spat. “I am well aware of the implications of such a predicament.”
“What about the goddess? Would she be able to do something?”
“I have not seen her and do not know if she travels with us,” Cambry replied. “Also, do we know if she can heal afflictions of the mind, or only of the physical self? We may pray to her for guidance, but who knows if this is something she can actually help with.”
“This has to be fixed.” Hans’ tone was dark and foreboding. “Her Highness cannot lose him to insanity. She cannot lose him at all.” He looked ahead a little ways to where the queen and her entourage travelled.
Cambry knew where the man was looking. “You are afraid that if the king loses his mind she might turn to other avenues of distraction.”
Hans sneered. “Perhaps. Perhaps not. I only worry for her heart.”
“Hans, I believe all those closest to her know of the infidelities of the king to his wife, and I know you care for the queen as though she were your own child.”
“I’m sworn to protect her at all costs!” he hissed. The older man held out his scarred hands for the other man to see. “I have given my life for this sole purpose, Lord Cambry. You must understand my concern.”
“That may be, but you cannot protect her heart from every fracture which might occur when it falls.” He leaned towards Hans. “If the queen were to take a lover while her king goes mad, could you really blame her if it kept her mind focused where it needs to be in this war? I think that’s a question you might want to consider the answer to.”
“Damn you,” Hans grumbled.
“Yes, by all means—damn me. But that doesn’t change any facts which lay before us, now does it? Silvia loves her king; we can all see that. Just as we all see the flames of desire which have risen up in the prince’s eyes. Nothing any of us can do is going to affect what is felt or done between all of them. Would you rather her heart spiral down into Eerich’s hells and be crushed by her husband’s actions, or would you rather she take solace in the comforting arms of someone who has gone out of his way to see to her needs and feelings? If it is discreet and does not cause a stir amongst her people, then I see no harm in it. Let her take her comforts where she can while we try and find a way to cure her husband of this malady.”
Hans’ demeanor towards the prince in question did not change. “I wish he would take a leave of us.
“And risk losing such a warrior?” Cambry asked incredulously. “Have you lost your bloody mind, man? Mayhap you have not seen him as he fights, but I have. The man is one with his weapons and fights extremely well. Any leader in your lands or others would consider him a mighty asset to any army. If you think differently, then by all means give me proof of your discord with his skills.”
“I do not dispute his talent with a blade,” Hans responded dryly.
“Do you also not dispute that he has put his life on the line for your queen? Not sure if you’ve noticed, but he’s barely been out of her immediate vicinity since we left Lystia. If anything, value him as an extra guard for her. Another set of eyes is never a bad thing.”
“It would depend on where those eyes are staring.”
Cambry angrily moved his horse to stand in front of Hans’ mare, stopping both animals. Soldiers immediately began to steer their beasts around the two men, casting a wary eye upon them both. “I have never seen that man behave in a way that would dishonor Her Majesty. His eyes look out for her, not just look at her. Perhaps it is your eyes that need to be adjusted. The only thing I can see is mistrust in a man who has proven himself over and over again without it being asked of him. His status should give you pause as well, sir. His parents were the cherished friends with Silvia’s—everyone knows this. He was raised to respect her family and he will not forget that at any point. Believe what you will, but I would trust Dalton with my life…as should you.”
With that said, the tall man upon his horse steered his beast away and rode off to join the company of those they had been speaking of.
Hans stared after Cambry, grinding his teeth in fury. Not because he hated him for what had been said or how it was laid out before him, but because he knew in his heart that Lord Cambry was right.
Natosha felt a presence in the room with her, though she was sure she was alone. She worked a hefty piece of clay off of a large block and put it on the table to break off smaller pieces. Her neck prickled and she looked up sharply.
She was still alone, but the feeling did not dissipate.
An hour later, she did not look at the door as it opened. She could sense who it was as soon as they walked
in.
“What do you want?”
“I just stopped in to see if you needed help,” Clea said.
War Against the Realm Page 16
