The King's Questioner

by Nikki Katz

  Footsteps and muffled voices erupted from the other side of the hall. A few moments later, Cirrus and Luna appeared in front of the large tomb. Cirrus eyed the skylight in the main hall and mouthed the words thank the gods.

  They spotted Reign and Kalen and made their way over.

  Reign ignored them. “How would you be able to get into my memories? What does that mean? What does that involve?”

  He looked at his gloves. “It doesn’t hurt. I only touch you and enter your mind.”

  She sat there in silence, unsure.

  “Oh bloody crow,” Cirrus said from where he lounged against the wall, taking in the scene. “He’s done it to me before. Do you want me to prove to you it doesn’t hurt? Fine.” He sighed and shoved up his sleeve. “Go on, show her.”

  Kalen and Luna turned to Cirrus. Before the prince could change his mind, Kalen ripped off a glove, rose, and stepped over to him.

  He plunged into the prince’s mind, and even though he was out again shortly, his forehead pulsed and threatened to drown him in pain. Kalen sank to the ground and curled his head to his knees. He reached for the tea leaves in his pocket and chewed on a few of them. It eased the agony a fraction.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Reign’s voice soothed the pain’s intensity.

  “He reacts this way every time,” Luna said. “It’s an aftereffect of his power.”

  “If it’s painful, why do you want to do it again?” Reign asked Kalen.

  “It’s important to me that I seek the truth. Always. I believe you’re a part of this truth, and a path to saving the kingdom.” He inhaled a shaky breath. “You’ll notice he has no idea what I saw. It’s harmless to him.”

  “Other than knowing you’re creeping through my thoughts.” Cirrus’s words were a mumble.

  “There’s the animosity I was expecting.” Kalen would have laughed if his head wasn’t still throbbing.

  Reign walked over to sit in front of him.

  “Can you do it quickly? And then when you’re done, and you discover I’m not the princess, will you all please leave?”

  Her sleeves fell to reveal the scars on her wrist, and she grabbed his hand.

  He tumbled forward, his mind falling into hers.

  He stood in a mirrored foyer. Images reflected back on one another to infinity until he wasn’t sure what was real and what was a mere replica. A hallway stretched in front of him, with doors on either side. Most of them were open, and the few that were shut had the simplest of locks.

  The mirrored image was the one he couldn’t stop staring at. It drowned out nearly everything else. In it, Reign tucked into herself, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood but also to prevent herself from crying out. A man stood over her, features hard to distinguish, all grays and muted tones. One hand lightly gripped the back of her neck. The other held a jewel. It must be Nero. Moments passed, and then Reign seemed to feel relief, her body sagging and her teeth releasing her lip.

  The reflections all had minuscle differences. How many times had Nero done this?

  Kalen walked farther into the recesses of Reign’s memories. Hallways stretched in front of him, with doorways open on either side. A simple turn of the key and he pushed them open. Through each doorway, Kalen caught glimpses of the images. On a rare occasion Reign had a pleasant memory, but they were few and far between. Most of them were depressing. A young girl trudged through the snow, wearing mere rags against the biting wind. A confused toddler stared up at a woman who screamed at her with green and yellow words and then slapped her across the cheek. He wanted to explore further, but he didn’t have the time or luxury, and it felt intrusive.

  The end of the hallway loomed. He peeked in the second-to-last door and saw an infant crying in a bassinet as it jostled with movement.

  He approached the last room. This one was locked, but one twist of the key and the door opened silently on its hinges.

  The scene was disjointed, the focus strange in the lack of understanding of a newborn. He saw her mother, the queen, looking down at her. Love, sadness, and something that looked akin to terror filled her eyes. Her lips, feather soft, brushed Reign’s cheek, and she began to sing softly. The words were silver threaded with pink, and the tone carried something of a confession, wrapped in longing. A tear dripped from the queen’s eyes to tickle Reign’s cheek. She winced and turned her head away. The queen straightened, still holding Reign in her arms and singing the exact same lullaby Reign had been singing in the monk’s memory.

  The tears kept falling, and Reign kept twisting in the queen’s grasp. Her mother’s agitation grew, and Reign’s heart began to race. Her lungs felt near to bursting, but she couldn’t cry, couldn’t wail, or she would only add to the queen’s melancholy.

  Something wrenched inside her, an agonizing feeling of burning and pain. Reign didn’t know what it was, how to control it, and so she released it. The relief was instant, but only for a brief moment.

  The queen tensed. Her hands squeezed at Reign hard, and the infant began to cry. The mother sank onto the bed and curled around Reign. Her eyes were wide, staring off into nothing, her breaths slowing until they no longer came at all.

  The baby stopped crying.

  A boy walked in.

  The king walked in.

  The baby started screaming again.

  All hell broke loose.

  CHAPTER

  18

  “What’s going on here?” The voice was familiar, but Kalen couldn’t place it, couldn’t do much other than cradle his head.

  “What is he doing?” The same voice. Kalen became aware enough of his surroundings to realize it was Nero who spoke. Of course. Reign had asked him to come.

  Reign stood, cold air rushing to replace her body heat. “They wanted to speak with me.”

  “About what?”

  “That’s private,” Luna said, an air of authority coating her words. “What are you doing here?”

  “She called for me.”

  “I … I think I’m fine now.” Reign stalled on the words, and Kalen wasn’t sure if she spoke the truth or if she didn’t want Nero to help her in front of them.

  “Are you sure? They can leave us in privacy.”

  She shook her head. “Thank you for coming.”

  Kalen finally looked up and saw Nero standing in the doorway, his gray cloak pulled tight around his thin shoulders. His watery eyes had turned to steel, and his gaze swept back and forth across the room. Kalen was certain they made an unimposing picture, what with him incapacitated on the ground, Luna lounging with her foot against the wall, and Cirrus crouched on the balls of his feet opposite her.

  Kalen forced himself to stand. “What have you been doing to Reign?”

  Nero turned slowly to face him. “Nothing that she hasn’t asked me to do.”

  Reign touched Kalen’s shoulder, the sensation searing into his skin. “He helps me control my emotions, that’s all.”

  “Reign.” Nero’s word spoke sentences.

  Suddenly Kalen felt devoid of motivation or much action at all. He sank to the ground.

  “I’m exhausted,” Cirrus said, fighting a yawn.

  Reign looked quizzically at Nero but didn’t say much as she slid down the wall to sit at Kalen’s side. Her head fell to his shoulder.

  Nero practically vibrated with energy, shifting from foot to foot, his hands trembling at his sides. He glanced at Luna, who was the only one still standing. She kicked Cirrus’s knee, and he barely flinched. She stepped toward Nero. “What did you do to them?”

  His eyes widened, and he fled the room.

  “Wait!” She ran after him, her boots kicking at loose pebbles that went flying to ping off the walls. The sound seemed to echo in Kalen’s brain, and his eyes finally closed.

  He didn’t know how long they stayed like that. Minutes. Possibly longer.

  Luna shook him awake. “I lost him in the corridors.”

  “Lost who?” Kalen felt as if he spoke around a mouthful of
marbles. A tendril of Reign’s hair tickled his cheek, but he didn’t dare push it away.

  “Nero. What did he do to you all?” She kicked Cirrus’s knee again, and he opened his eyes.

  “He drained our desire to do anything.” Reign peeled her head from Kalen’s shoulder. “Took our energy.” She paused. “But it didn’t impact you.”

  “Nothing does,” Cirrus said as he pushed himself into a stand.

  “Honestly?” Reign was suddenly much more alert. “Do you … You don’t … Do my emotions affect you?”

  Luna shook her head. “Sorry.”

  “No.” Reign launched upright. “Don’t be sorry. That’s amazing!” She threw her arms around Luna, who stood as still as the sculptures on the tomb across the corridor. When Luna didn’t return the gesture, Reign dropped her arms to her side. She glanced in the direction Nero had fled. “Why did he do that?”

  “That’s an easy one,” Cirrus said. “He wanted to get away without pursuit.”

  “But why?”

  Kalen answered this time. “He has something to hide.” And Kalen knew exactly what. “Why did you call Nero down here? To take your emotions? Is that what he does?”

  Her lips pursed together, and her hand gripped a fistful of her skirts. “Yes. I should return to the inn.” Reign stepped out of the room and began to cross the catacombs to the opening behind the tomb.

  “Where does he put the emotions?” Luna hurried after her.

  “He used to absorb it himself, like he did just now in draining us. Obviously the negative emotions take a toll on him. That’s when he learned he could transfer them to objects.” She ducked into the tunnel, and her pace increased. Kalen practically shoved Cirrus ahead of him so he could hear Reign as she continued to talk. “He tried different items, but learned crystals are not only the best at absorbing the energy of the emotions, they are also easily destroyed.”

  “Destroyed?” Kalen called out from the back.

  “Yes, he fills them and then takes them to the mountain edge to shatter them.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Kalen’s shoulder brushed against the edge of the tunnel as it narrowed.

  “Of course I am. Why would he want objects full of negative energy?”

  “Reign, he’s not destroying them.”

  She stopped so fast that Luna tripped, and they all stalled in the tunnel. “Yes he is. I trust him; he’s been nothing but helpful these past couple of years. You have no idea what it felt like, being trapped down here. It was only when he worked with me for several months that they allowed me to leave, and even then only for short periods of time until we got a process that worked and my ability somewhat under control.” She paused. “I’m telling you: I’m not a princess. I’m only a danger to those around me.”

  Sunlight filtered in as they reached the tunnel’s end.

  “You’re all better off without me.”

  * * *

  “I DON’T KNOW if we can take her home.” Cirrus smacked Luna’s stick. The brothers would not allow the practice of Hakunan inside the cloister, which was fine by Kalen, as their silent, judgmental stares disturbed him.

  Cirrus had led them outside the monastery walls to continue the training while they brainstormed options. He and Luna each held a long, thin branch in an outstretched hand as they danced inside a small, invisible space. Cirrus’s injured arm hung at his side, and he kept his elbow tucked against his waist.

  “She’s your sister,” Kalen said. They hadn’t talked much on the trek to the monastery as Kalen’s mind whirled and tried to make sense of everything. “She has the same memory.”

  “She has no control,” Cirrus said. “How do we even deal with her? I can’t breathe when she starts to get angry.”

  Kalen rubbed at his arms. “I’ll help her. Perhaps she can better lock up some of her painful memories, or I can search her mind to try to find patterns of when she releases the emotions.” He paused and stared at Cirrus. “Speaking of…” He waited in silence for Cirrus to stop tapping Luna’s stick and turn to him.

  “Have you returned to the vaulted memory?”

  “I’m not that fond of it.”

  “No, you’re afraid of it. Or rather, you’re afraid of getting to it. Do me a favor and go sit with the memory for a bit. I think it will help, and perhaps you can unlock some of the knowledge on your own.”

  “Could you possibly be more cryptic?” Cirrus asked. Luna smacked Cirrus’s good shoulder, and he whirled around to counter her next move.

  Kalen waited for them to finish attacking each other.

  “When I was in your mind earlier, I went to the vault.”

  Cirrus’s lips mashed into a thin line.

  Kalen told him what he’d seen.

  He’d raced to the memory of the princess and watched again as a young Cirrus approached his baby sister and began to choke. The king threatened to send her away. The prophet spoke. Then another woman swept in and took Reign, wailing red ribbons of cries and waving her baby fists in the air.

  Cirrus wanted to run after her, he knew something bad was about to happen, but the king made him stay. A tall man in tight-fitting garments arrived shortly thereafter.

  “I can’t promise this will work.” The man’s voice was thin and high, the words pale blue and light as snow. “I’m a crafter, but I can’t be sure that a mental room will stay over the years as the boy’s mind develops.”

  “Do your best,” the king said, his words threaded with black ribbons of threats.

  Kalen tried to observe Cirrus’s mind and the vault, while at the same time watching what the sorcier did in the memory. The vault didn’t exist, and then suddenly it did, which was odd, because Kalen had seen it this entire time.

  A confusing paradox to be sure.

  The memories were nudged inside, even though they were already there, and then the sorcier encouraged Cirrus’s mind to lock them before adding locks of his own after.

  “Is there a way to discourage him from unlocking the memory himself?” the king asked.

  The sorcier pondered this briefly. “I could build in an extra layer of protection, making him leery to go near the door at all.”

  And it was then Kalen saw it. He hadn’t before, with his focus on the door itself and opening the locks. He hadn’t seen it because it hadn’t bothered him, but now that he could, it all made sense.

  The exterior of the vault was shrouded in darkness. A thick cloud that seemed to pulse and retract to a beat of its own.

  And then, as the sorcier retreated from Cirrus’s mind, he crouched and faced the boy. “The darkness is absolutely terrifying. Be wary of it, as there are dangers at every turn. Always seek the light.”

  He rose and faced the king. “Continue to foster this fear if you want the secret to remain hidden.”

  The king nodded and expressed his thanks.

  And then Kalen had removed himself from the prince’s mind.

  Cirrus leaned on his staff, his focus somewhere in the tree line behind Kalen.

  “Reflect on it,” Kalen said. “I think you’ll find you can rid yourself of your fears.” He then turned to Luna. “We need to go get those amulets. It’s the only way to prove to Reign that Nero is not destroying them.”

  “Count me in,” Cirrus said.

  “No. Absolutely not.” Kalen stared at him like he’d gone daft. “You’re way too susceptible to the pendants’ powers. Can you imagine if we find more?”

  “You can’t leave me here.”

  “Of course not. You go into town, ask to meet with Nero so we can make sure he stays away until we are clear. See about your sister, how often she’s out of control, and how much she’s progressed in controlling her emotions.”

  “Seems like a rather boring assignment,” Cirrus said.

  “If you dare say ‘it’s not fair,’ I’m going to punch you.” Luna undid her braid and began to replait it, tucking the strands that had loosened during the training now tight against her scalp.

&nbs
p; “I think a kiss might make me feel better.” He closed his eyes and puckered his lips. Luna dodged and brought her stick up under his neck. His eyes widened in surprise, and then she winked and leaned in to quickly brush his lips with her own.

  Kalen didn’t know who was more shocked by the move, him or Cirrus. Luna stepped back and released the stick from his neck. Cirrus grinned at him over Luna’s head. I win, he mouthed.

  Kalen rolled his eyes. Of course the prince was still thinking of the silly bet.

  He turned to Luna. “I think it’s time to visit Nero’s.”

  * * *

  LUNA AND KALEN stepped out of the monastery and hugged the outer wall behind the grounds. They moved quickly to keep warm in the falling temperature of the late afternoon and stepped through the gap cut into the tree line ahead. The sun shone through the lattice of branches above, casting a pattern on the ground. They skirted bushes and larger rocks that lined the hard-packed ground. When they reached the other side of the forest, they found an entire village of homes. Some were set farther back from the road, while others were cut into the side of the mountain at an angle that wasn’t visible from the approach into the city. The residents clearly didn’t want to be seen, or visited much, up this way.

  Luna led Kalen through the streets and walkways toward the far outer edge of the homes. “It’s that one.” She pointed.

  The house was two levels high and had wings jutting out over a cliff. Supports had been attached to the mountain to hold some of the weight, but the overall result was a precarious-looking structure.

  “You unlock the door and stand lookout. I’ll go inside to steal the pendants.” Luna waited for Kalen to agree, and they inched forward. They clung to as many shadows as possible, but there was a fair amount of open space between the last house and Nero’s. They dashed to the front door and stood silent on the front steps.