by Zora Marie
“Multly is here,” Starling said. “He’s muttering something about training you until Vainoff arrives.”
Linithion sighed. “Alright. Is it almost lunch time?”
“Yes. Would you like to eat in here or out with everyone else?”
There was a long stretch of silence and Zelia knew it was because if they ate with everyone else, Linithion would be expected to sit in her father’s seat at the head of the table.
“In here, please,” Zelia answered. “I’m starving and can hardly move, so…”
“Should I have Loboran come torture you with stretches?”
“Uh…” She wanted to say no, but she’d probably actually needed help if she was planning on getting out of bed anytime soon.
“It’s either Loboran or Donavain.” Linithion stared at her with enough stubbornness to match Zelia’s own.
“Fine. Loboran it is. At least he won’t make me spend all day stretching.”
“Though you probably should.” Linithion turned back to Starling. “Thank you. Let me know if you need me.”
“We will. Just don’t forget about Multly, or his squirrel might come hunting for you. She’s unusually fussy.”
“And why do you know his squirrel so well?” Zelia asked.
“Because Multly lives along the northern border, most of the time at least. Sometimes Banon’s people find him further north. Either way, I’ll go see if I can snag some lunch for the two of you.”
“Thank you.” Linithion sagged against the door as she shut it, as though the short social interaction had drained her.
Zelia wished she could get up and go to her, but was afraid she’d get a muscle cramp and collapse in the middle of the floor if she tried. So she waited in silence for Linithion to push off and come back to her on the bed.
17
Linithion stared blankly out the window as they ate. Zelia wanted to say something to help, but she didn’t know what. Nothing could take away the bite of losing a loved one and in this case, they couldn’t even give him a proper burial. His soul would never even be reborn since he died there, and his soul couldn’t be released here. She knew she shouldn’t feel guilty for what Erolith had chosen to do, because it had been his choice. But she couldn’t help but feel at fault for what Linithion was going through now.
If she had never told anyone about the Hyperian guards, none of this would have ever happened. If she hadn’t pushed herself so much the last few days, perhaps they would have been able to do something differently.
“Maybe,” Rogath’s thoughts broke through her own, “but Yargo says that putting up a fight probably delayed the war and will save thousands of lives. Besides, all of this is as much my fault as it is yours, if you want to think of this that way.”
“How long have you been listening in?”
“I only did because I felt your emotions turn. I wanted to make sure you were alright, but I need to get back to training. Steffon is determined to make me a better fighter, and with Terik taking a break for a couple of days…” Rog gave a mental shrug and his presence faded.
Zelia sighed. She hated all of this.
“What?” Linithion asked, her gaze never shifting from the window.
“Nothing. Just Rog. You should eat.”
Starling had brought them a small tray with dried fruits, vegetables, and nuts. He apparently expected them to pick at their food. Zelia hated seeing Linithion this way. She missed the spunky Elf she had fallen for.
“Are you ready to go see Orvi and Raven?” Linithion asked.
“Of course.” Zelia slid out of her chair. Loboran had come and helped her stretch enough that she could safely hobble, but she doubted she’d get far without her legs cramping up again. Still, Zelia could tell that Linithion needed to go sit and be with their dragons. The bond between Linithion and Orvi was strong enough that perhaps it could sooth Linithion.
“We’ll meet you near your building, so you won’t have to go far,” Raven said in her mind.
“Thank you.”
“Should I bring this boy, Donequen, with me? He has been scratching loose scales off of Orvi for an hour while waiting to see you.”
“Wait, what?” Zelia asked and Linithion stared at her. “Sorry, Raven. Um, apparently Donequen has been helping Orvi shed her loose scales while waiting to see me.”
“He isn’t scared of the dragons?”
“Apparently not. He’s always gotten along with animals better than anyone else, though he was afraid of wolves before we met.”
“No wonder you two became friends. Tell Raven to let him come. Orvi must like him too if she’s letting him help with her scales.”
“Yeah, apparently he’s been at it for an hour.”
Linithion didn’t say a word as she made the short sprint to Orvi, and Zelia stopped on the path to watch her go. Orvi curled around Linithion and tucked her under a wing.
“How is Linithion holding up? Orvi keeps staring towards your room, but she won’t talk about it.”
Zelia sank down against Raven’s side and listlessly rolled snow into a ball beside her. “She’s as well as can be expected. She and Erolith were close.”
“And what about you?”
“You already know how I am.”
“Talking is still good for you.” Raven made a rumbling purr and her scales warmed against Zelia’s back.
“I’m… I’m alright. I just don’t know what to say and I can’t do the things I want to do to help. This body is more frustrating than the last.”
“Well, all good things must be earned. No different than our bond. You may not have noticed it with everything going on, but our bond is getting stronger.”
Zelia felt for her connection to Raven, and she was right, the thread that linked them was thicker and more tangible than before. It wouldn’t be long before it would be stronger than her connection to Rogath. Raven hummed a little note and the bond thrummed with love and compassion.
“I love you too.”
Raven nuzzled her hair. “Yes, you are loved by many, as is Linithion. That is something I don’t want either of you to lose sight of.”
“Mind if I join you?” Donequen asked.
“Speaking of love, I like this one. I can tell he’s a loyal friend.”
“Do you really have to ask?” Zelia tossed the snowball at him.
Donequen caught the snowball and waved her jest off as he sank down beside her. “So, Mineria isn’t as different as I thought it would be, and you apparently have a thing for pain in the butt stallions.”
“I take it you’ve met Bête Noire.”
“Yep. Starling was giving me a tour and Thunder came up in conversation, so we ended up in the pasture. I must say, Bête Noire is a bigger diva than Thunder, and has a sweet tooth.”
“Yeah.” Guilt filled her for not saying goodbye to Thunder and for not going to see Bête Noire. Both had been there for her and yet she was failing to be there for them. “How upset would you say both of them are?”
“What? Oh, they’ll be fine. Thunder seemed peeved of course, but he always seems that way around me and Starling’s been explaining things to Bête Noire. Do all the Elves here talk to their horses like that?”
“Most do, the older ones especially. Eleanor and Erolith’s mother could speak to the animals as I do. She was the last Elf to have the ability. So, how’s your brother?”
“Good. He was taken in by a barren couple. Well, we both technically were, but it just never felt right.” He broke a chunk off the snowball and sent it skittering across the ground.
“I get it. He’s taken to them well though?”
“Yeah, even calls them mom and dad already.” Donequen bowed his head.
“Hey,” Zelia nudged him, “you’ll always be his big brother.”
“Yeah, I guess. Zivu said you two could use some help here, and apparently I was one of the better spell users before I put magic aside to take care of mom and Devlen.”
“Yeah. Things are kind of fal
ling apart here and I…” She stared down at her hands. They weren’t nearly as thin as they had been, but she was nowhere near being ready to defend herself, much less anyone else.
“Well, it’s a good thing Zivu made me a member of the guild before I left. She even gave me a copy of their spell books, so I’m not just limited to spells I’ve already memorized.”
“Really?” Zelia knew making Donequen a wizard had been among the plans for fixing Mineria’s defenses, but she hadn’t known the details. Hadn’t known they would do it so soon.
“Yep.” He pulled an amulet loose from his tunic and it glowed blue in the morning sun. “She gave me a power stone and everything. I asked for it to not be a staff, they’re a pain to carry on horseback.”
“And here I thought they had to be a staff.” She stared at the stone and its carefully crafted holder. It was smaller than the others she had seen, yet it seemed brighter and its soft hue reflected Donequen’s personality and the color of his eyes. “It fits you.”
“Thanks. The staff just makes it easier for you to direct spells, but I’ve never had an issue with that.”
“So, can a power stone be removed from a staff?”
“Only if the person the stone is bound to chooses to, otherwise the stone is bound to whatever is holding it.”
“Interesting…” Zelia thought back to Linithion’s idea that Zelia could have absorbed some of her mother’s power, of the stone’s power. “Did Zivu mention a power stone that was my mother’s?”
“You’re mother’s? I thought…”
“So did I, but Skylar’s great aunt apparently gave birth to me. She died because I was absorbing her power, weakening her during the Old War.”
“That wasn’t your fault. I heard tales of Starfer along with those first stories of you when I was little more than a hatchling. If the stories were true, she was a stubborn warrior not unlike yourself.”
“Well, if you absorbed power from her, the stone is probably bound to you now.”
“Xander had it…”
“So, bug Rogath to see if it was recovered from the cave.”
Zelia sighed and reached for the mental connection that tethered her to Rog. “You free to talk?”
“Just a minute…” Rog responded, more than a little strain in his tone. “Alright, I can talk for a minute, or less. Mom is tapping her foot…”
“Magic practice?”
“More like drilling. She just came and got me from working with Steffon. Going back and forth between them is starting to make my head spin.”
“Well, this might distract her for a few. Would you ask her if Starfer’s power stone was retrieved?”
“Who’s?”
“My mother’s”
“Oh…” There was a pause and she assumed he was asking Zivu. “It was, but Xander was experimenting with it so it is extremely unstable. I think she was hoping you had forgotten about it.”
“I had, but with Erolith dead.” She didn’t want more power, but she might need it.
“You’ll be able to protect her, even without the stone. But Mother is attempting to repair it. Not sure why since we usually destroy unstable power stones.”
“Because she probably thinks my broken connection to it might be what’s causing my powers to be unstable. It might be what causes me to blow up when I use fire and ice.”
“That actually makes sense. Well, I’ll see if there is anything I can do to help with it. Talk to you later, alright?”
“Of course.” Her connection with Rog faded and she glanced at Donequen to find him staring at her.
“So?”
“Zivu’s trying to fix it. Xander tampered with it.”
“Lovely…” Donequen sat back against Raven.
“And they always said I was the fool,” Multly muttered to his squirrel as he stopped in front of them. “We need to talk.”
The Dwarven wizard gave Donequen a passing glance, and did a double take before snatching up the amulet. Zelia couldn’t help but snicker at Donequen’s surprise as he stiffened. Zelia had learned long ago to expect just about anything from the addled wizard. Multly dropped the stone back onto Donequen’s chest and grumbled something incoherent to himself.
“Guess we’ll talk to you, too. Vainoff had better hurry up.”
His squirrel chattered at him, saying something about not being so pissy.
Multly ignored his companion and paused to look Zelia over. “Do you need a hand getting inside?”
“I’ll help her,” Donequen said.
“Good. Bring Linithion too. Eleanor waits.” Multly turned and hobbled off across the snow-covered field.
“Um… is he?” Donequen nodded his head towards Multly before helping Zelia to her feet.
“All there? No, but he’s a loyal friend to Vainoff and the others. I do think that’s the most I’ve ever heard him talk to anyone but his animals.”
“So, he can talk to the animals?”
“Not like I do. He tried to make a spell to allow him to communicate with them a long time ago, but from what I understand it only made his mind worse. He’s still better at performing spells than Asenten ever was though.”
“So… what? He’s supposed to teach us?”
“It seems so, until Vainoff gets here at least. Linithion?” Zelia asked as they reached where Orvi laid curled up in the snow.
“Give her a minute…” Orvi said, her tone mournful as she flexed her wing the slightest bit, a subtle hint at where Linithion sat.
“Should I wait or...?”
“Go ahead and she’ll catch up.”
“Multly and Eleanor want to talk to us, just join us when you’re ready.”
“Alright,” Linithion whispered and her tone made Zelia want climb under Orvi’s wing and hug her tight.
“Let her and Orvi have this time. They share in mourning their parents,” Raven said. “I’ll let you know if she needs you.”
“You won’t be able to once I’m in that room…”
“There’s a window, just stay where you can see out.” There was a hint of amusement in her tone, as though she planned to do some sort of dance in front of the window to get her attention.
The amusement was lost on her though, as she glanced between Raven and Orvi. “Alright.” She turned towards the scrying room.
“You know, not being able to hear half the conversations you have around me is… disconcerting at times.”
“No worries, I don’t talk about you behind your back… only to your face.” Zelia grinned at Donequen.
“Oh, and that’s supposed to make me feel better?” Donequen laughed and hauled her off her feet. “And just for that, I’m going to carry you around like a rag doll, a heavy rag doll.”
“Hush, I’m not that heavy.”
“I’m joking. Though how am I supposed to know how much you should weigh? I don’t exactly go carrying people around all that often. Though you are lighter than the two hay bales I usually lug around. Easier to carry too.”
Zelia rolled her eyes and huffed a sigh. “Just put me down. It would do me good to move.”
18
“Why me?” Multly grumbled into the bowl as Donequen shut the door behind them.
“Because Vainoff is not there and you know his old bones don’t move as fast as they once did. He’ll be there to take over as soon as he can. I know it’s not ideal, but they need to be ready.”
“Good morning, Eleanor,” Zelia said as she stepped up to the pedestal.
“Good morning, dear. How are you and Linithion holding up?”
“Could be better. Linithion will join us in a while.”
“Where is she?”
“With Orvi. Have you heard of the Fenari testing the defenses anywhere else?”
“Near Coridale they’ve had some attacks. I’m struggling to convince King Eadwine to accept help. Actually, I’m struggling to get him to respond to me at all.”
“Even after they’ve been attacked?”
“His
majesty is paranoid about magic.”
“If they’ve already been attacked, we don’t have time to negotiate.”
“That’s why I need Linithion here, and apparently Donequen. Decisions to intervene in someone else’s kingdom must be decided by the guild,” Eleanor said.
The door opened behind her and Zelia turned in time to catch how Linithion lingered by it even once it was shut. “Sorry I’m late,” Linithion said and pushed away from the entrance.
“It’s alright. I’m sorry we can’t give you the time you need to mourn,” Eleanor said.
“I always knew I wouldn’t have the time. I just didn’t realize how much I would need it. Or how soon. So, what does the guild need to decide?”
“Whether we are going to intervene in Coridale or not. If the Fenari gain a foothold there, it will be near impossible to remove them. The only thing standing in their way are the wards put into the castle’s foundations when it was built, and it’s only a matter of time before the Fenari break through those wards.”
“Even after being attacked, they still refused help?”
“Their people want our help, it is their ruler who does not,” Eleanor said.
“Then we may not have a choice.”
“Perhaps one or two of us could go to convince him?” Donequen asked.
“Whoever it is would have to be willing to displace the ruler if it comes to that,” Linithion said.
“Then I’ll go,” Zelia said. “Multly and I are the only two here who have killed and can leave. Raven can take us. It would be what? A two—two and half—day flight from here?”
“Are you sure you can do that?” Eleanor asked.
“You should know better than anyone that I can do what needs to be done. What’s one more life to save hundreds?”
“Do either of you even know how to negotiate with a ruler?” Linithion asked.
Zelia studied Linithion. She hadn’t seen this side of Linithion before, the side where she was a ruler before anything else.
“I’ll go with her. I was taught some of the skills necessary, all Hyperian warriors are. That’s what I was training to become before my father died,” Donequen said.
