I raised my eyes. “They ask for those things?”
She nodded. “I don’t judge them, Nor. They are the ones who judge themselves.”
“Are you afraid you’ll see her?” I ventured after a few moments of silence. “Ana.”
Adriel started to head for the door. “I’m not afraid. I pray for it every time I go. And that’s the problem. She’s married, with a child. Those are things I’ll never have. Not because I don’t want them, but because no one wants them with a witch.”
It was my natural inclination to explain all the ways she was wrong, but I could tell that she would have a counterargument for anything I said. Besides, she knew her life. I was a stranger here. What could I possibly know that she didn’t?
Instead, I placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re right, Adriel. I do know what it’s like to be misunderstood, to feel like you don’t belong anywhere. And I don’t know how to make it better. But I do know one thing.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
I smiled. “You’re not alone.”
17
Zadie and Sami were already at the meetinghouse when we arrived, and I ran to my sister the moment I saw her. She practically glowed with health and happiness, and I felt an unfamiliar stab of jealousy toward Sami, knowing that her happiness had very little to do with me.
While the councilmembers assembled, Zadie led me to an alcove so we could talk. “How are you?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” I assured her. “I have so much to tell you. But first tell me how things are with you and Sami.”
She blushed and looked down at her hands, twisting a bit of the lace edge of her sleeve. “We’re good, Nor. I can’t tell you how good it feels to hold him, to know he’s safe.” Her smile faltered. “And then I feel guilty because I know the people we love are suffering.”
“Our parents are at New Castle,” I said. “All the Varenians are.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “What? How do you know?”
I hadn’t told Zadie about the visions and dreams yet, in part because I hadn’t understood them, but also because I hadn’t wanted to frighten her. “I’ll explain everything to you, I promise. But for now, I just need you to trust me.”
“Let’s get this meeting started, shall we?”
I turned at the sound of Yana’s voice.
“The prisoner is ready for us. He’s been tied down, so we should have no problem removing the stone.” She glanced at Roan. “I’d like to lead the interrogation.”
None of the other councilmembers protested, but Talin stepped forward. “With all due respect, Yana, I know far more about Ilara, New Castle, and my brother than anyone else. I believe I can get the most useful information out of him the fastest.”
“And with all due respect, Talin, he is our prisoner, captured trying to cross our border.” Yana looked out over her fellow councilmembers. “Anyone opposed to me questioning the prisoner, say aye.”
“Aye,” Roan said immediately, earning a glare from Yana.
I studied the other members, several of whom moved uncomfortably in their seats, but they kept their hands down.
“Wouldn’t a vote be fairer?” I blurted.
“What do you think this is?” Yana said, turning her blistering glare on me.
It was hard not to be cowed by her, but I remembered what Roan had said, that Yana would only respect me if I spoke my mind. I stuck out my chin stubbornly. “Perhaps if it was a blind vote, people may be more inclined to show their real preference.”
All of the councilmembers turned to stare at me as if I’d grown a second head. But I knew I was right. That was how things were done in Varenia when the elders held a vote. They wrote their decisions down on a piece of parchment and placed it in a box. Governor Kristos gathered the votes and read the decision when they were finished.
“That was the way we did it before,” Roan said.
Before what? Several of the councilmembers were nodding their agreement. Yana’s face was pale beneath her freckles.
“Very well,” she ground out. “We’ll do it by secret ballot.”
I exhaled in relief. I had been prepared for a fight, but Yana only studied me coolly.
After the votes were tallied, they came back five in favor of Yana, five in favor of Talin. Yana wasn’t allowed to vote since she clearly had a vested interest.
“Who has the deciding vote?” I whispered to Roan.
“Generally, it falls to the eldest member. His vote counts twice.”
I glanced at Hoff, who was one of the few people who didn’t seem intimidated by Yana. He rose from his chair. “I voted in favor of Talin,” he proclaimed.
Yana’s expression remained flat, but I could see that the nod of agreement she gave didn’t come easily.
“Don’t get too cocky,” Roan said in my ear, and I realized I was grinning. “No one holds a grudge quite like Yana.”
My smile vanished as Talin, Zadie, Adriel, and I followed him toward the dungeon, where the prisoner was being held. Yana and Hoff were also in attendance, while the rest of the councilmembers stayed behind.
At least there were windows, I thought, unlike the New Castle dungeon. But it was still a prison, designed to hold people in, not make them comfortable, and I couldn’t stop the memories of my own captivity from flooding back. I’d spent days alone in the dark, living in my own filth, subsisting on moldy bread and thick, metallic-tasting liver stew. Ceren had come to visit me only when he wanted more of my blood. And the last time he’d come, I had only managed to escape by stabbing him.
Ceren’s guard sat in a heavy wooden chair, restrained with leather straps. His skin was sallow and gray. We were doing him a favor by taking away the stone, though with the way he screamed and struggled as soon as Roan touched the necklace, it was clear he didn’t think so.
Fortunately, the straps held, and the prisoner’s color began to return almost as soon as the stone was off his skin. Roan, who wore thick leather gloves, immediately dropped it into a metal tray, where it couldn’t influence anyone else.
The guard blinked and shook his head as if he was waking from a dream, exactly as Talin had said.
“Where am I?” the man asked, looking from Talin, who stood directly in front of him, to Zadie and me. He seemed to relax a little when he saw there were women present.
“You’re in Galeth,” Talin said calmly. “You were captured and imprisoned when you attempted to follow us across the border.”
He stared blankly at Talin, as if the words meant nothing to him.
“What is the last thing you remember?” I asked, coming to kneel in front of him. It must be terribly disorienting to find yourself restrained in a room full of strangers, and so far, he wasn’t even struggling.
He closed his eyes. “I was in my village. The king had come to test all the strongest men, to see if we were worthy of being chosen.”
“Chosen for what?” Talin asked.
“To be a member of his guard. To receive one of his bloodstones. He told us they would bring us unimaginable power.” His face colored as he glanced between us. “I know it sounds foolish, but I’d seen the king before with my own eyes. He’d always been weak and sickly, but he looked like a completely different person. He said it was because of the stones.”
“And you were chosen?” I asked.
“Yes. So were my brothers. I haven’t seen them since.” He squinted a bit, looking at Talin. “You’re the king’s brother.”
“I am.”
The man bowed his head. “Your Highness. The king told us we were to find you and capture you. I don’t remember why.”
Talin sighed. “I’m fairly certain he didn’t actually give you a reason.”
The Ilarean sagged a little in his restraints. “Am I going to be executed?”
“Of course not,” Talin said. �
��You weren’t in control of your actions. We just need to know a few things.”
He licked his lips nervously. “What kinds of things?”
“Everything you know about the bloodstones and my brother’s plans.”
The man looked crestfallen. He seemed eager to cooperate—or at least to not be punished. “I don’t know.” His eyes darted from Talin to Roan. “The king wore a crown full of stones like those,” he said, glancing at the necklace in the tray.
“He placed that on me himself,” the man said. “That’s the last thing I remember.”
“How many stones has he given out?” Talin asked.
“I wish I knew. Hundreds, at least. Ours wasn’t the first village he visited.”
“And he’s only recruiting men?”
“I—I believe so?”
Zadie appeared at the guard’s side so quietly I hadn’t seen her move. She held a cup of water to his lips, and he drank eagerly, nodding in thanks when he’d finished.
“Did he tell you why he was growing his army?” It was the first time Roan had spoken.
“He said he was going to restore Ilara to its former glory,” the man said. “That we would no longer allow territories to secede, like Pirot and Meradin. That we would defeat the so-called woman king. He said he wouldn’t allow us to remain weak, that he wasn’t like his father.”
Talin’s mouth flattened into a line. “Was there anything else?”
The guard couldn’t meet Talin’s eyes. “He...he promised us that those who stood in his way would be executed, but those who served him would be rewarded with land and other riches.”
“I can’t speak for my brother,” Talin said. “But I believe it was his intention to let you all die, if need be. I’m sorry. It seems he controlled you completely while you wore that stone.”
Rage and disgust for Ceren coursed through me. Once, he had used his power to intimidate others. Now, he could literally control them like puppets, and he did so remorselessly, with no regard for anyone but himself. How many people could he control at once, I wondered? A hundred? A thousand? An entire army?
I could see the guard was on the verge of tears. “What became of my brothers?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” Talin placed his hand on the man’s shoulder. “What’s your name?”
“Jerem.”
“I hope we’ll find your brothers, Jerem.”
Roan stepped forward. “We’ll need to vote, but as far as I’m concerned, you can leave Galeth with Talin and his men.”
Talin nodded his thanks. “You’ll be free once we reach Ilara. You can go your own way, or you can join my side and fight against my brother. It’s your choice to make.”
The man’s eyes darted around the small room, taking us all in as if he suspected this was a trap. “What is your side?” he asked finally.
“I fight for the woman king,” Talin answered, and Roan’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. “And I am here to ask the Galethians to join me.”
* * *
Yana looked like she was ready to kill Talin, but Hoff managed to escort her back to the meeting room while Roan led us to another part of the fortress. There was a large sitting room decorated with tapestries and carved furniture, similar to what I’d seen in New Castle. Roan collapsed into an overstuffed chair and flicked his hand at us, indicating we should all sit.
“I’m sorry,” Talin said, still standing. “I didn’t want to ask for your help before you understood the magnitude of what we were up against.”
“Do you take me for a fool?” Roan asked, sitting up. “I knew your purpose from the start. Why else would you elect to stay, when your mother is about to start a war?”
I wasn’t entirely surprised Roan had guessed our plans. “You understand why we didn’t mention it to the rest of the council, though, don’t you?” I said. “We couldn’t risk being thrown out of Galeth.”
“I do understand. What I can’t figure out,” Roan went on, “is why you didn’t tell me you were on the side of the woman king.” He was looking at me when he said this, but Talin answered.
“I did. I told you my mother and sister were alive and my sister was the rightful heir of Ilara.”
“But you didn’t tell me she was the woman king.”
“I’m sorry,” Talin said, blinking. “I thought that part was obvious.”
Roan sighed in exasperation. “It wasn’t. And besides, do you know what this so-called woman king—I imagine that refers to your mother, since your sister is barely out of her swaddling clothes—is doing?”
My thoughts went immediately to Shale and Ella. I had wanted to believe that they were wrong about Talin’s mother, but if Roan had heard something similar, it would be harder to dismiss.
“I’ve heard rumors,” Talin said, his voice hardening. “But they are just that, rumors.”
“Most rumors have some truth to them,” Roan retorted. “Even if she isn’t conscripting everyone to her army, why should we side with her any more than Ceren? We’re not interested in a monarchy, whether it’s a kingdom or a queendom.”
“I would think some people would be very fond of the idea,” I mumbled.
Roan smirked. “Yana likes to believe she’s in charge. She’s not.”
“I can assure you that my mother is nothing like Ceren,” Talin said. “She’s the gentlest woman I’ve ever known.”
My eyebrows rose at that, but I kept my mouth shut. Talia had survived a murder attempt, escaped New Castle while pregnant, and raised a child—and an army—in exile. I doubted anyone who knew her now would describe her as gentle. But Talin had only known her as his mother.
“Gentle women don’t command armies,” Roan said. “And we won’t commit our forces to hers. You were delusional for thinking we would.”
“Even after what that Jerem said?” Talin asked, his voice rising with anger.
“He told us what Ceren wants to do, not what he’s actually doing. We’ve protected our borders without breach for decades. If we send our fighters south, how will we do that?”
“You don’t need to send everyone,” Talin said. “A thousand riders would—”
Roan laughed, a deep, booming chuckle that rang completely false. “You’d be lucky if we gave you a dozen.”
Talin turned and ran his hands through his hair in frustration.
“Listen,” I said, stepping next to him. “A dozen riders wouldn’t help your mother, but it might be enough to get us to New Castle.”
“You know we can’t go there yet—not without the backing of my mother and her army. We’ll be slaughtered if we attempt to rescue the Varenians on our own.”
I raised my voice so the others would be able to hear. “What if we didn’t need to launch a full-scale attack on New Castle? What if we could get right to the source of all of our problems?”
“You mean Ceren?” Talin asked. “Are you suggesting we assassinate him?”
“Cut off the head to kill the body,” Roan said. “It makes more sense than trying to face his army.”
“New Castle is a thousand times harder to penetrate than Fort Crag,” Talin countered. “There is only one way up the mountain. Ceren will have sealed up the exit you used by now, Nor.”
I’d already considered that, of course. But on the ride here, a new plan had begun to formulate in my mind. Now that I knew exactly what Ceren wanted, and why, the solution seemed almost too simple. I knew Talin wouldn’t like the next part of my plan, but if I could learn to trust the people around me, he would have to do the same.
“What if we could lure the eel out of his cave, rather than try to enter it?”
Roan and Talin both turned to look at me. “What?”
I took a deep breath. “Ceren still needs my blood. Why else would he chase us here? He’s using a lot of magic to control minds with the bloodstones, and I
believe my blood is giving him the strength he needs to wield it.”
Roan looked horrified, but it was Talin who spoke up. “You’re not going anywhere near New Castle.”
“Believe me, I have no intention of ever going there again. I was thinking more of using me as bait.”
Talin frowned. “How is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“He can track me,” I said, “through the visions.”
Zadie, Sami, and Roan turned to stare at me, but I held up a hand to quiet them. “If I leave the safety of Galeth’s borders, I believe Ceren will come for me.”
Talin folded his arms. “I know I can beat him one on one, even with his newfound strength.”
“Thank you, but I wasn’t finished.” I took a deep breath. “I think we should split up.”
Now it was Talin’s turn to stare at me, but I continued on before he could protest. “If I’m reading Adriel’s book correctly—”
“That’s a big if, Nor,” Adriel interjected.
“If I’m reading the book correctly, then Ceren can’t control people who are far away from him. It explains why he came to Varenia and Galeth himself, and why the guards he left behind are essentially mindless. Which means New Castle would be vulnerable. You could potentially take it on your own, without Talia’s army.” I knew it was all a risk, but it might prevent a massive war and give us the chance to rescue my parents much sooner.
“There would be no guarantee you could outrun Ceren,” Talin said. “Or that I’d be able to breach New Castle.”
“Do you have another idea?” I asked.
He gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.
There was one more thing we needed, and unfortunately, it would depend on the last person I wanted to ask for a favor. “Do you really think you can get us a dozen riders, Roan?”
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