by B. T. Narro
I wasn’t sure they had met before, but I knew the king must’ve recognized Eslenda’s name.
Eslenda always seemed to have the same expression, like something was deeply bothering her. She was a beautiful elf, with a slender face and a hair color unseen on any human head—white but blushed faintly pink. It matched her rosy cheeks, as she was partially out of breath.
Eslenda valued watching Curdith Forest above all else. She had made that quite clear plenty of times when we’d asked for her help and she had denied us. If she was here instead of in the forest, then something was amiss.
“There is a large number of troops headed toward Koluk,” she told the king. “Many of them came from Rohaer and joined the dark mages who escaped from your cities.”
“Is the size and strength of this group similar to the last one?” the king asked.
“I believe they are stronger. However, I could not get close enough to witness their group in its entirety. I was detected by a powerful mage of order. The last group had no such mage. Currently, they are still many miles from Koluk. However, I cannot return to spy on them without risking death.”
She was referring to her spell of invisibility. Like my healing spell, it was one of the most demanding spells known. She couldn’t keep it up for long, and she certainly couldn’t move very quickly while it was up. Cason had mastered the same spell, and even he had the same limitations.
I had spent many hours with Eslenda, trying to learn how I might be able to identify an enemy who was cloaked with invisibility. Unfortunately, my skill with ordia hadn’t been good enough for my Identify spell to pick up her illusion, and I imagined I wouldn’t have much luck these days, either. My spare time had not gone into practicing Identify because I didn’t seem to have a knack for ordia. I didn’t progress very quickly, like I did with dvinia.
“Do you know their intention?” the king asked Eslenda.
“No. I had to flee before I could find out anything, but I suspect they have come to aid Valinox with something.”
“Yes, I agree. Are you sure they are headed for Koluk?”
“They were traveling in that direction, but I can’t say that it is their destination.”
Nykal shared a look with his councilman. The king motioned for Barrett to leave the circle with him so they could share words out of earshot of the rest of us.
Eslenda seemed insulted by the act, but I had a question to distract her. “Did you happen to see the mage of ordia who spotted you?”
“I did see just before I ran.” She gasped and muttered something in Elvish. “I recognized her. Now I know from where. She was with all of you when you came to the forest arguing about the traitor.”
That was what I had feared. “When was this exactly?” I asked.
“Yesterday.”
Eden and Valinox attacked me today. So Eden hadn’t allowed Eslenda to spy on the army, but she couldn’t bring herself to kill me.
“Eden?” Hadley asked me.
I nodded.
“You told her about Eden?” Kataleya seemed upset with me. I didn’t understand why.
“It’s better that she knows,” I said.
“You’re really starting to piss me off,” Reuben told me. “You act like this witch is more important than the rest of us. Don’t you care about honor?”
“That depends on what kind of honor,” I told him honestly. “Look, Reuben. I don’t want to get into an argument. You know that I only care about winning this war against Rohaer, Valinox, and dteria. That’s it. Hadley is not more important than anyone else here, but I’m not going to push her away just because she took Whitley’s essence…”
I stopped myself as I noticed Kataleya’s furious expression. “What she did was not right,” I hastened to say. “But it’s not enough reason to send her away.”
“It is enough to punish her!” Reuben argued.
“You all will stop bickering about this,” the king said as he and Barrett returned. “There isn’t time for any of my sorcerers to be questioning each other’s loyalty. I will address your concerns with Hadley, and then we will put it behind us. Do you understand, Reuben and Kataleya?”
“If you address my concerns properly,” Kataleya replied snidely.
I had never heard her speak back to the king in such a manner. Even his majesty seemed surprised at first, though his face soon softened.
“Kataleya—”
“I’m sorry,” she said, interrupting him.
“I was going to say that I understand this must be very difficult for you, having just lost your father. However, there is a right way to go about this. Your defiance will only make it worse.”
“Yes, I understand,” she said with a bowed head.
“I don’t!” Reuben said. “The witch defiled a noble’s corpse! Yet she stands here as if she’s as good as the rest of us.”
“She defiled nothing,” Barrett said. “I believe Eslenda is a powerful mage of ordia, like I am. Perhaps she can confirm this with me to better ease your conscience, Kataleya and Reuben.”
“Aren’t there more important things to do than argue?” Eslenda asked.
“This is important,” the king said with a deep tenor. “And it will only take a moment.”
Eslenda gave a sigh. “What can I do?”
Hadley spoke up. “I took the essence of Kataleya’s father without her permission. I knew she wouldn’t let me, but it was a rare essence. I knew it would prove valuable.”
Eslenda was shaking her head. “I do not want to get involved with witches. None of you should. I recommend you take this one out and end her life. You will be better off for it.”
“What? No!” Hadley looked around frantically.
“Sounds good to me,” Reuben said and grabbed her.
Hadley didn’t struggle. “You can’t be serious. I only came to help.” She looked at me. But I trusted the king to handle this. Me intervening would only make it worse.
“Release her, Reuben,” the king said. “Whether she will make herself useful or not is still to be decided, but she has not defiled any corpses or dishonored any nobles.”
Reuben let go of Hadley. “How can you say that, sire?”
“There’s no such thing as a good witch,” Eslenda said. “Because there’s no such thing as a good curse.”
“That’s not true at all,” Hadley said. “A curse is just like any other spell. It is neither good nor bad. It does not demand anything from me. It does not change who I am, like dteria spells that require more force to cast. It is a tool, like a sword, or a bow. In the wrong hands, these weapons can do great damage. But in the right hands, in my hands, they can be used for good. What I’m sure the councilman is going to ask you, if you wouldn’t keep interrupting,” she told the elf, “is whether a witch, even a powerful one, has the ability to alter a person’s soul. These nobles believe that I have harmed the soul of Kataleya’s father in some way. As a mage of order, we’re assuming you know the answer to this.”
“Great, another noble.” Aliana muttered to herself as she rolled her eyes.
Yes, Hadley’s manner of speaking had made that quite clear. But what Aliana didn’t know was what this noble had been through before she’d escaped Rohaer. I thought that if Aliana did know, she would realize how different Hadley was from Reuben and Kataleya, who had been given just about everything in their lives.
“Yes, that is true,” Eslenda said. “No one can alter or harm another person’s soul. So that is your concern, noble girl?” she asked Kataleya. “You think she harmed your father’s soul when she took his essence?”
Kataleya nodded.
Eslenda scoffed as she gave the king a look. “Aren’t these your students?”
“Careful, elf,” the king scolded.
“I will not be careful. There is no time to worry about pride and the honor of nobles. I am frustrated that I am used to settle these matters. I have come here for support against Rohaer!”
“As have I,” Hadley said. “So
don’t pretend you are above all of this when you recommend my death without even knowing me!”
I didn’t imagine the earlier comment had hurt Hadley that much, but her face was red with rage now.
“You are a witch! I have had enough of this.” Eslenda turned to the king again. “I’m offering to help fight. You may never get this chance again. What is your plan?”
“It’s unlikely that Rohaer’s troops are going to attack Koluk,” the king said. “I’m sure the group from Rohaer is well aware of the Thieves’ Guild’s hold on the city. Valinox hopes to weaken us, not them. If Valinox tried to gain military control over Koluk, we would leave the city and let the Thieves’ Guild deal with them.”
“But didn’t the Thieves’ Guild let Cason control the city?” Charlie asked.
“Cason never had command over the city in a military fashion,” the king explained. “He hoped to, and that was why he brought one hundred sorcerers and soldiers from Rohaer to help him take it. They were destroyed.”
“Oh yes, I understand,” Charlie said.
“I believe their plan can be figured out based on one simple thing,” the king said. “Eslenda, did they attempt to trap you or did they shoot arrows at you from afar?”
“They shot at me.”
“That was what I figured. I think they knew you would come to us.”
I realized what the king was saying. “They’re planning a trap.”
“Yes. They wanted Eslenda to inform us so we would face them in the forest.”
“Oh,” Eslenda said, then lowered her eyebrows. “Oh….”
“So what do we do?” I asked the king.
“We have to figure out what they’re planning,” he replied. “I will most likely need your help, Eslenda. The rest of you will go back to Koluk and continue dealing with the thieves.”
I was surprised that this was the king’s plan. Was Koluk really that important right now?
“Sire,” Aliana said, her tone respectful. “I don’t know if we’ll ever get rid of enough of them to make a difference. There are so many.”
“Koluk must be liberated,” the king insisted. “And it’s better sooner rather than later.”
I looked at my peers, who had been trying to get rid of the Thieves’ Guild there for weeks. They had gone quiet, and most couldn’t seem to meet the king’s gaze.
I wasn’t sure if the king noticed as he spoke to Barrett, “This group from Rohaer might be good fortune for us.”
Barrett nodded, a twinkle of opportunity in his eyes.
I didn’t know what the king was referring to, but I had not been privy to most of his conversations.
The king finally addressed all of us again. “I’m sending you off with a message to Leon and Jennava that I expect to remain sealed and read only by them. Now pack for the trip. You will be leaving soon.”
“The witch as well?” Reuben asked.
“Yes.”
I didn’t understand why the king would want to keep a plan from us.
At least I would see Michael and Remi soon. All of us would be together again, finally. Even if the circumstances were troubling, I welcomed it.
“Kataleya, have you decided?” the king asked.
I held my breath. We could use her help, no matter her attitude. That’s all I cared about, as I had stated many times.
“I need a little more time to decide.”
“You don’t have much longer.”
“I understand.”
“You all are excused,” the king said. “Eslenda, you can stay and discuss tactics with me and my other spies.”
“I am not your spy,” she said defensively.
“I thought we were done arguing over semantics. I don’t care what you are. Are you helping or not?”
“I am,” she muttered.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
It didn’t take me long to get my things together for the trip. I didn’t know how long we would be staying in Koluk. I hadn’t even had a chance to unpack. I hoped I would be returning soon and with good news, but given the presence of a small army near Koluk, that seemed unlikely.
I was surprised when Reuben walked into my room as if it was his, passing by me and flopping down on my bed.
He gave a great sigh.
“Um,” I said. “Is everything all right?”
“I just want this to be over,” he told the ceiling. “I haven’t seen Burda since I was sent to Koluk. I hope she still remembers me.”
Burda was the girl we had helped at Red’s Tavern. I didn’t know she and Reuben were still together. It wasn’t like Reuben and I chitchatted, pretty much ever. But it sounded now like he was expecting some reassurance.
“I’m sure she remembers you,” I said with a bit of confusion.
“Sorry, am I bothering you?” Reuben asked sarcastically as he sat up.
“I’m just confused is all,” I admitted.
“About what?”
“About your reason for coming in here.”
I realized my mistake when he didn’t get angry but looked frankly sad. “Aren’t we friends now, Jon? Or are you still angry about everything that happened between us so long ago?”
“Oh, of course we’re friends.”
“I’m glad to hear that, because I don’t have it in me to hold a grudge. I’m pissed off enough toward these thieves in Koluk. You’ll find out what I mean soon enough.”
“I’m sure I will,” I answered with a better attitude now that my confusion had been dissolved.
Aliana knocked on the doorway as she entered my room. “You both finished packing as well?”
“Most of my stuff is back in Koluk,” Reuben said.
“Mine, too,” she said.
“Is there something you need, Aliana?” Reuben asked a little impolitely, I thought, but I couldn’t be one to judge having just done the same to him.
“I want to end this feud between us,” she told Reuben decisively.
I pretended I was still busy packing as I took my eyes off them.
“There is no feud,” Reuben said. “I was just telling Jon I hold no grudges anymore.”
“But you still disagree with me as to what to do about them.”
“Yes, I want to kill them. Why is that so hard to understand? They want to kill us.”
“They don’t, though!”
Reuben lay back on the bed. “We’re just going to argue. Maybe it’s best if we don’t.”
Aliana scoffed. “Fine.” She left.
Reuben seemed a little more mature to me than when I had last seen him. I felt like I was getting a glimpse of what kind of man he was going to become. He was growing into a noble much more like Kataleya than the haughty young man I had nearly fought with upon first meeting him.
I was glad to see it, though I was concerned about this disagreement between him and Aliana. One of them was right, and believing the wrong person could lead to someone dying.
“Are people in Jon’s room?” I heard Kataleya in the hall.
“Just Reuben,” I heard Aliana answering.
“Can you go in there while I get Charlie?” Kataleya sounded like this was serious, whatever it was.
Aliana agreed and met us back in my room. Soon Kataleya showed up with Charlie and shut the door after her.
“I’m sure you all know what this is about,” Kataleya said.
“The witch,” Reuben answered, now sitting up on my bed.
I felt phrases of anger wanting to come up. Hadn’t we settled this already? But I needed time to figure out the right words so I wouldn’t make this worse, and Kataleya looked like she was about to ask me a question.
“What did she tell the king, Jon?”
“Probably just the truth,” I said with a biting tone. “She’s an outcast from Rohaer. She has every reason to help us. She was already using her curses to help people before the king was aware of her, and she only ran because she thought the king would put her in the dungeons. I’m sure Remi can confirm this.”
&n
bsp; “But how do we know she won’t sacrifice something we care about for her own goals?”
“I agree,” Reuben said.
“Wait, we don’t trust her?” Charlie asked. “But the king—”
“The king is desperate,” Kataleya interrupted. “He made her agree to a contract saying she won’t help Rohaer, but there’s nothing in the contract about helping us. I don’t feel safe with her coming to Koluk.”
“You’re not going back to your father’s estate to help your mother?” Reuben seemed to think this was the right choice, given his tone.
“No, I’m staying. Now, the only way we can convince the king to leave the witch here until she proves herself is if we all agree.”
“You know I agree,” Reuben said quickly.
“Charlie?” Kataleya asked.
“All right, I agree.”
“Aliana?”
I knew Kataleya was saving me for last, hoping everyone else’s agreement would persuade me. However, Aliana seemed reluctant to answer. I had hope she would choose reason over emotion.
“Aliana, imagine it was your mother who was killed and Hadley had taken her essence the morning after,” Kataleya said.
“It’s not about that,” Aliana said. “You weren’t in Koluk. You don’t know what it’s like there. If Hadley is really on our side like she says she is, we could sure use her help.”
“But that’s the problem!” Kataleya argued. “We don’t know what she wants. She’s likely to cause us more problems.”
“Remi vouches for her,” Aliana countered in an even tone. “Remi risked expulsion—and inadvertently her life—because she trusted this witch to do the right thing. She wouldn’t have sneaked out of the castle during the night if she’d had any doubt about Hadley’s intentions. So you don’t have to trust Hadley. You just have to trust Remi.”
It seemed like Aliana had matured as well since I had last seen her. I couldn’t remember her expressing herself this clearly and without emotion.
It made me wonder if I had changed as well.
I couldn’t tell what Kataleya was thinking as she stared at Aliana. There was a knock at the door.
“Can I have the chance to speak on the matter?” It was Hadley’s voice.
