“Sabeara, you made it.” Jasper smiled as I came to sit down beside her.
The sunroom was covered in windows and light poured into the room from all sides. Frost still lingered on the panes of glass and I shivered at the initial chill. A steaming cup of tea was passed to me and I immediately added three cubes of sugar.
“It is splendid that you decided to join us. It has been our greatest longing to finally get to sit and chat with the two of you,” Ruby said. She was clothed in a beautiful red tea dress that matched her crimson eyes. Sunn sat beside her, fiddling with the cup and saucer in front of her looking bored.
“Oh, I do agree,” Jasper said.
I nodded. “Sorry I was late. I got stuck in the library.”
“Do you like to read then?” Embrosine asked, her eyes genuinely curious.
“Yes, I enjoy a good story.”
“Don’t we all,” Ruby commented.
For a moment I felt as if the queen could see right through me. She was so pristine, so confident in the way she sat—it was extremely intimidating.
“Embrosine, where is your husband?” Jasper inquired, and I noticed the flicker of her gold coin from her lap. She was nervous.
“He is off at sea. He’s the captain for the water voyages. He’s been helping with the raids,” Embrosine explained.
I frowned at the news. “Where is your husband from?” I asked, and I could see Sunn perk up in the corner of my eye at the mention of her father.
“The Isles of Arradale.”
I’d heard of the islanders before. It was more of a tribe than another kingdom. The Isles were a series of small islands out in the ocean that kept to themselves. I didn’t know much about them other than what I’d read from textbooks.
“Our union was my father's strategy to bring more soldiers to our armies. The Isles had an entire tribe of well-trained soldiers that helped us build our army.”
It didn’t sound much different from the political situation Jasper seemed to be in.
“My father is an amazing sea captain, and sometimes he takes me with him on his voyages,” Sunn said excitedly from across the table, evaporating the sudden melancholy cloud in the room.
“Don’t interrupt without being asked a question,” Embrosine scolded Sunn. Her reprimand reminded me of etiquette lessons I’d had when I was her age. Only unlike Sunn, I had been considerably more untamed with my mannerisms.
“I was informed of your recent Granting, Jasper. How is your power?” Ruby asked, and I realized I had yet to see much of Jasper’s abilities since the Granting night.
“I’ve been learning something new every day,” Jasper said, looking down at the glow in her chest fondly.
“Am I correct that you can manipulate the air?” Ruby asked.
Jasper nodded, closed her eyes, and suddenly a soft breeze filled the room. It fluttered the azure curtains framing the windows and caused ripples in my tea.
Sunn’s eyes widened. “That’s amazing!” she exclaimed.
Abruptly the air stopped.
“I’ve only learned how to start a small wind and turn the air hot and cold.” Jasper looked embarrassed at her little presentation. Embrosine gave her an encouraging hand pat.
“With time I’m sure you will learn much more.”
When the first window broke, it took me a moment to grasp what was happening. All of us instinctively reached up to cover our heads when we heard the ear-splitting shatter. Splinters of broken glass tinkled over us and onto the tea table.
I don’t know whose screams were echoing off the walls. It sounded like Jasper’s or maybe Sunn’s. I instinctively fell to the ground and spotted underneath the table a lonely arrow lying amongst the remains of shattered glass. Once the first one hit, the second one came soon after.
There were only two guards in the room, and when they came rushing to our aid, they both grabbed the queen first, and began escorting her out as quickly as possible. Embrosine covered Sunn with her body and immediately ran for the door.
Each window, one by one, was broken by the arrows and then followed by a shower of shattered glass. Ropes were hefted over the edges of the windows and men in black cloaks began climbing into the sunroom.
“Jasper, run!” I screamed.
I stumbled to my feet and lifted her with me. She looked back at the wave of intruders entering over the window sills, her face an expression of pure terror. “Jasper, come on!” I tugged on her again, but the look of horror had suddenly vanished, and she had a determined glint in her eyes. There were two black cloaks, ahead of the others, and they were headed straight for us.
I watched Jasper close her eyes, then giant gusts of wind began whipping around the room. The table and chairs went flying across the marble floors and the paintings on the walls fell with a loud crash. She directed the wind at the two men coming for us and sent both of them soaring backward into the wall. They groaned in pain as they slumped to the floor. Once she saw she had done some damage, she quickly turned and together we continued running toward the exit.
At this point the queen was gone, and Embrosine had successfully gotten Sunn into the hallway and away from the scene. Embrosine came back into the room, urging us to keep going. The guards hadn’t returned yet, and no others had come to our aid. Fear laced my veins as I watched Embrosine stride right past us and point her palms at the intruders.
Electric blue sparks flew from her fingertips, hitting two of the intruders in the chest. They both collapsed, convulsing against the blue light she’d sent into them. Her hands continued to spark, readying to take out more infiltrators as they came over the windows.
We made it to the door unharmed and I quickly pushed Jasper into the safety of the hallway. The two guards that had helped Ruby escape ran back toward us.
“Go to them!” I told her, but she shook her head.
“No, I can’t leave you.” Tears filled her beautiful violet eyes and I screamed at her again.
“Go, now!” I pushed her and reluctantly she took off running into the safety of the guard's arms. Seeing she was in good hands, I turned back around to Embrosine, who was still warding off the other men.
“Embrosine!” I screamed, but she wasn’t listening. She continued to use her power, leaving me in awe as I watched. The sparks were dazzling, but oh so deadly. Each black cloak that was unlucky enough to cross paths with the blue flames, fell to the floor, completely limp. But soon she began to be outnumbered. She wasn't going to be able to get all of them. There were dozens of black cloaks piling in through the windows, like a pack of wild animals, jostling and running over one another with the intent to kill.
Not thinking rationally, I left the safety of the doorway to go to her side.
“Embrosine!” I yelled again.
I had just gotten to her side when the arrow hit my right leg. When I fell to the floor, the sharp littered glass furrowed into the palms of my hands as I tried to break my fall. For several agonizing seconds, I could only lay on the floor, staring at the arrow in my calf and the blood running down my fingertips. It was at that moment our rescuers came through the door, all three of them.
I heard the sound of fighting, swords clashing, and bodies falling. I could hear my rapid breathing and I tried to slow it down, but it seemed I was in shock, my body frozen. I felt my body leave the ground and a pair of arms carrying me. When I looked up I was met with Mid’s beautiful emerald-scarlet eyes. He gazed down at me, panting heavily. He had a worried expression on his face as he looked at my bleeding leg and hands.
“It’s all right, you’re going to be okay,” he said. My head was resting against his chest, and when I looked over his shoulder to see the remains of the sunroom, my heart sank. Black cloaked figures scattered the floor, blood eerily staining the white marble. Oli was taking out the last of the black cloaks, and I watched as he pulled his sword from one of the men's chests. The red glow dissipated from the fallen man's heart leaving him lifeless. I’d never seen Oli kill anyone before, and the image was burned in
to my brain like a searing brand iron.
My eyes flitted to Embrosine who was being helped from the ground by Shar. I watched her body fall into his outstretched arms, exhausted from her efforts. He said something to her, probably making sure she was okay, and then I thought I saw his hand cup the side of her face.
It was blurry from that moment on. My reality soon became filled with pain and a heaviness that felt tied to my every bone. I don’t know when it stopped, but at moments I feared it never would. Dreams resurfaced of the tea room, Embrosine, and the black cloaked figures pouring in. And all I wanted to do was help her, save her. But every faint, whispering dream that came added to the agony because I realized I couldn’t.
TWENTY-FIVE
I resurfaced from an ocean of blackness I’d been drowning in and was immediately met with an uncomfortable ache in my leg. I felt weak and drained. My eyelids were heavy, and my arms and legs felt like they were being weighed down by bricks. A familiar feeling like I’d been here once before, washed over me. Groggily, I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings.
I was in a bed, wrapped in a soft white linen blanket. The mattress was cradled in a massive four-poster frame. A wispy canopy fluttered on all sides of the bed, catching in the slight breeze as it came through the window. It was mystical, the way the flimsy fabric flapped in the cool wind. At first, I thought I was alone, then I felt a hand squeeze mine.
I looked to my right and found Jasper sitting in a chair beside the bed. Her beautiful violet eyes were full of worry and her blonde hair was slightly tangled from lack of brushing. She looked tired.
“Jasper?” I croaked, and she immediately got tears in her eyes and reached over to hug me.
“Oh, Bear, I was so worried,” she cried.
I could feel the soft droplets of her tears fall onto my neck. “What were you thinking?” she whispered, still hugging me.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” I croaked, my voice scratchy from sleep. The sunroom events came back to me slowly and I began to remember—the screaming, arrows breaking the glass windows, and everyone escaping while Embrosine stayed behind. I recalled going to her, and I knew it was wrong, but for some reason, in that moment, I couldn't just leave her to die.
“I couldn't abandon her.” It was all I could say.
Jasper pulled away to look me in the eye. “You have to promise to stop getting hurt, I can’t take one more incidence,” she said sternly, and I nodded, but the motion was limited due to my soreness.
“What happened to me?” I asked, trying to sit up in bed. Jasper helped me get to a resting position against the headboard, and I looked down to see my leg still wrapped in bandages.
Jasper noticed my gaze and shook her head sadly. “Your leg was hit by an arrow. It was dipped in some sort of poison. The healer tried to help it, but it seems the poison wouldn't allow it to heal completely. So he made you sleep for several days to make sure your body could recover.” As Jasper explained this I moved my leg up and down, trying to shake out the soreness.
“Is everyone else okay?”
“Embrosine had a couple scrapes, but she was mostly unharmed. Oli had a large cut on his arm, which was absolutely terrifying, but the healer fixed them both up nicely. Overall, everyone turned out fine.”
I was grateful to hear everyone had remained mostly unscathed during the terrifying events.
“Where are we?” I asked, gesturing to the unfamiliar room. Jasper’s face fell and she looked reluctant to answer.
“Ethydon,” she whispered gently.
My eyes widened and I pushed back the rest of the sheets and started to get out of bed.
“Careful, Bear,” she panicked, and began helping me stand. I started for the balcony doors that were cracked slightly open. “Sabeara. . .” she cautioned me, but I needed to see for myself.
When I opened the doors and looked out at the scene below, I couldn’t help but gasp.
The castle was high on the mountainside and barely noticeable amongst the forest because of the dark foliage that surrounded it. Trees and greenery nearly covered every square inch of stone that the castle possessed. It was almost as if the greenery was growing into the stone with thick threads of branches. The intertwining plant life held the structure together, resulting in a stony masterpiece that was utterly mystifying. The balcony I stood on protruded out from one of the tall castle spires and I could see the entire Ethydon city below. It was this sight that caused me to recoil in shock.
Ethydon was filled with people. It was nearly overflowing with Stone-Hearted civilians. Tents dotted the once bantam kingdom. Refugee camps were being established, diffusing out from the center of the city. I could see red and brown cloaks moving about, small ant-like specs in the distance. Coming from over the hills, adding to the masses of people, were lines of carriages and wagons pulling down into the safety of the city. It was over the trees and beyond the hills that caused the tears to fill the corners of my eyes.
The entire sky was covered in thick black smoke, the sun an effulgent vermillion. I could see the orange and red flames even from this distance, still burning the remains of our kingdom.
“What happened?” I whispered.
“They attacked the city, began burning Asmede. Then they raided the castle. The only option was to flee,” Jasper explained, her voice breaking while relaying the tragedy.
I stayed, staring at the scene below unable to comprehend it. Ethydon had become a sanctuary for our people. Asmede was burning and probably many other villages were under attack.
“Our kingdom. . .” I cried, my heart nearly breaking in two. My sister came up beside me and put her arm around me.
“We are at war, Sabeara.”
I felt a sort of guilt standing there, safe in the castle walls, while the rest of the citizens were fleeing or fighting for their lives.
“This can’t be real.” I was reluctant to believe I wasn’t dreaming.
“I know it’s hard to grasp,” Jasper said solemnly.
It was then that I heard the door open to the bedroom and Oli walked in. He found us on the veranda and seeing I was awake quickly enveloped me in his safe embrace. He didn’t say anything and just let me sob for a moment into his red cloak.
“Everything is going to be all right, Little Bear.”
“It’s exactly what the book says Oli, the burning, the people...the wars.” I started to ramble amidst my mess of tears.
“Shhh. . .” he tried to soothe me, but I shook my head, not believing that anything would be the same again. I didn’t know how we’d ever recover from the burning, the wounds they inflicted on our lands, and our people. Upon thinking of wounds, I pulled away. My tears suddenly ceased when I remembered that Jasper had told me Oli had gotten hurt.
“Jasper said you were wounded.”
He shook his head and gave me a tight smile. He was obviously stressed and visibly heartbroken despite trying to look brave.
“I’m fine, really. Don’t worry about me.”
“Is it time, Oli?” Jasper suddenly interrupted.
Oli turned to give her a small nod. I turned and looked at Jasper, confused as to what they were talking about. “Time for what?”
“King Knadian wants to have a meeting about everything that has happened. If you don’t feel up for it, I understand,” Jasper sympathized.
I quickly wiped away my tears, shaking my head. I tried to pull myself together, but I knew it was a pathetic attempt. I was a mess.
“I’m fine. Let me come,” I pleaded.
Oli’s face was grim as he reluctantly nodded. Reaching for his cloak around his neck, he proceeded to wrap it around my shoulders and take me by the arm. Jasper came to my other side, threaded her fingers through mine, and together we left the room to the meeting.
I LOOKED at the ornate decor as we walked; beautifully painted murals of Ethydon covered the walls, giving the hallway a hauntingly real feel of the forest. Candles in beautiful gold prickets lit the way with brown and gold tapest
ries draping the walls. A thick green rug was rolled down the entire length of the floor, resembling green grass. I closed my eyes for a second, imagining I was back in the forest I’d stumbled upon with Mid so long ago. I could almost hear the birds singing and the sound of the river rushing in the distance. I imagined this sight until several moments later I realized the murmur of water wasn’t just my imagination. The sound seemed to be right in the room with me, very specifically, coming from above me. My eyes popped open in confusion, and I looked up to see what the noise could be.
To my complete shock, I found there to be water, running horizontally along the ceiling. It was twirling and twisting into beautiful designs. It trickled down the hallway, making a musical tinkling sound that echoed through the entire corridor.
“Water?” I questioned.
“King Knadian, he’s a water wielder,” Oli explained, and I vaguely remembered Mid saying something about the king's power during the festival. I remembered sending the boats down the fountain, the beautiful centerpiece to the Ethydon city. Though the running water was an unusual choice of decoration, the result was utterly breathtaking.
We stopped at two massive wood doors with intricate gold handles. When we stepped inside everyone had gathered into what looked to be King Knadian’s study. It had the same water running along the walls and ceiling. Reds and purples seemed to be the color of choice for the room, giving off a warm, cozy feeling. Crimson couches and chairs rested around a handcrafted wood table. A dark plum rug with golden tassels covered the entire length of the floor, while vases with peacock feathers graced decorative side tables. Impressive book shelves stretched to the ceiling between the rivulets of water and caused the candlelight to twinkle in the water's reflection.
“Sabeara, I’m so glad you are okay.” My father rushed over to us and pulled me into a fierce embrace. I hugged him back, a little caught off guard by his sudden affection. It wasn’t until the feeling of being smothered overcame me that I patted his back, indicating he could release me.
“I thought I lost you again,” he said, his voice filled with emotion. As he pulled away, his eyes looked down at my injured leg.
Granted (Granted Series Book 1) Page 19
