Select

by Patricia Reding

  “That was Broden she carried?” Piers asked.

  “It was.”

  “And he’s Zarek’s son, you say?”

  “Yes. He’s been with me and the others at the compound since Rowena sent him to me as a babe.”

  “I see. But surely, he’s sworn to protect the twins.”

  “Ahhh . . . no,” Lucy said. “He wanted to when he was a child, but I forbid it until he reached adulthood. Then I guess I just . . . forgot.”

  “You know, you might have informed us of this earlier, Lucy.” Piers, scowling, shook his head. “In any case, you say that now he’s with his father. But what’s he doing in Chiran? How did he get there?”

  “We’ll have Marshall and Jerrett address your questions,” Reigna said, “when you’re ready.”

  “Excuse me?” Piers interrupted. “Where is Dixon?”

  Mara choked back a sob. “He is . . . not . . . here.”

  “Why?”

  “I fear . . .” She held her hand to her chest, willing her heart to calm, her tears not to spill. “I fear something terrible has happened to him.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that,” Skylar said.

  “May we get on with this?” Lucy asked.

  Mara and the twins glared at her.

  “Have a heart, Lucy,” Reigna said. “If something happened to him, it would be a great loss for us all.”

  “Yes, of course, it’s just that . . .”

  “Never mind, Lucy. We wouldn’t expect you to understand.”

  “Well!”

  “Reigna, Eden,” Mara interrupted, “let’s just proceed.”

  Reigna took her Oathtaker’s hand, then looked back at the others. “Our first witness is Marshall.”

  She arranged for him to be put in the special room reserved for witnesses who were not allowed to see the Council members, though when seated within it, the members could see the witnesses.

  “Marshall, please tell the Council what you discovered in Chiran.”

  He informed the group of all he and Jerrett had learned.

  “Zarek intends to invade Oosa?” Lucy asked.

  “Actually, it’s worse than that. It seems he’s already sent troops ahead to determine where best to enter our borders.”

  “We’ve heard nothing of any . . . invasion.”

  “Which leaves me to fear the worst,” Marshall said. “Either they’ve done nothing more than scout things out, or they’re decimating the villages they enter so as to leave no . . . survivors, no . . . witnesses, behind.”

  “Goodness,” Mildred said, a hand to her throat, “that’s terrible.”

  “Yes, so we must get an army prepared to respond, as quickly as possible. You should also know that Zarek plans to prepare camps in which he’ll keep prisoners he’ll use as slave labor to build his weapons.”

  “That’s awful.”

  “Yes, it is. But again, there’s more. He intends to . . . work them to death.”

  “Oh, my.”

  “Yes,” Eden said. She looked at the other members. “Now, have any of you more questions for Marshall?”

  “None,” Piers responded for himself and the others.

  “All right. We’ll hear from Jerrett next.”

  Jerrett sat in the witness chair, Bane at his side.

  Lucy looked up. “What is that with you, Jerrett?”

  “This?” He patted Bane’s head. “It’s a dog.”

  “That’s no dog.”

  “No? What would you call it?” He chuckled.

  “Jerrett, look closer. That’s no dog. That’s a wolf.”

  The Oathtaker glanced at Bane. His eyes narrowed. “Goodness, I think you’re right.”

  “Why is he with you?”

  “I adopted him—and it’s a good thing, too. We’re attached through my attendant magic. He helped me to get out of Chiran alive.”

  “Excuse us,” Eden interrupted, “but we need to move things along here.” She looked at the witness. “Jerrett, please tell us what you learned in Chiran.”

  He confirmed some of the details Marshall had shared. “Also, Lilith’s son, Broden, is there—with Zarek.”

  “Yes, Mara mentioned that,” Skylar said. “What’s he doing there?”

  Jerrett shrugged. “From what I overheard, it seems he’s assisting Zarek.”

  “No!” Lucy exclaimed.

  “I’m sorry, but it doesn’t look good. And just think of everything he could tell Zarek. He knows so many of Oosa’s . . . weaknesses.”

  “I don’t believe it,” Reigna said.

  “Of course, I’m not certain sure, Reigna, but . . . Well, there’s more. It seems that Carlie is there with him. I believe they’re holding her hostage.”

  “Carlie! A hostage?”

  Jerrett wiped his hand over his head. “I’m certain it’s her. He calls her ‘Mouse,’ but I never got to speak with her. I only know that she’d been beaten severely. I overheard Rowena’s sisters, Sally and Janine, speaking with—”

  “What? Sally and Janine?” Lucy asked, jumping to her feet.

  “Yes, they travel with the emperor.”

  Slowly, she sat back down.

  “Do Jules and Nina know about Carlie?” Eden asked. “Oh, no, of course they wouldn’t know,” she answered her own question. “We’ll need to inform them as quickly as possible.”

  “Yes, but it’s even worse than that. Broden brought along with him, the great sword.”

  The room went silent.

  “Yes, I know. Thank you, Jerrett,” Lucy said.

  Eden removed him from the witness room, then returned.

  “What’s this about the great sword, Lucy?” Piers asked. “What do you know about this?”

  She nodded. “The night Broden was taken from the compound, he had it with him.”

  “Shouldn’t we have been informed of this?” Skylar asked, his eyes like daggers.

  “You know, Lucy,” Piers said, “I’m concerned about all you’ve been keeping from us.”

  She sighed. “I’d hoped Broden would escape and return. I just didn’t have an opportunity to tell you about what transpired, that’s all.”

  Skylar sighed. “This gets worse by the minute. And Lucy, I am most displeased to hear of your part in all of this.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m the one who sent Marshall and Jerrett to Chiran in the first place. And it’s a good thing I did or we’d have no idea what’s going on there.” She turned back to the twins. “Please, proceed.”

  Eden arranged for the next witnesses. When she turned back to the Council, Basha and Therese sat ready to testify.

  “Therese, thank you for coming. And you too, Basha,” she said.

  “It’s good to be home,” Therese said. “Well nearly, anyway.”

  “What have you to share with the Council today?”

  Therese explained all about her and Basha’s travels.

  “So, you’ve prepared the palace, you say?” Reigna asked.

  “We did all we could.”

  “Good,” Eden said.

  “Why is that good?” Lucy asked.

  Reigna grinned. “Actually, Eden and I have already discussed this with Mara. It’s time our sisters join us, and that we all move back there.”

  “I see. Even though it’s so close to the border with Chiran? Are you sure that’s wise?”

  “All the more reason to go there. We’ll be closer to the action that way.”

  “Basha, what have you to add?” Eden asked, turning the Council members’ attention back to the witness.

  “We met yesterday with some of the others that we, with Skylar Hadwin’s assistance, sent out in search of the remaining Select and Oathtakers,” Basha said. “Those who haven’t yet returned here, will likely arrive soon. In any case, I’m sorry to say that what we’ve found isn’t good. At best, we’ve collectively located a few thousand Select with Oathtakers. Most of them are first and second-born. As to Oathtakers without charges, we estimate there may be anoth
er . . . ten thousand or so.”

  Piers slumped in his seat. “They’d have been the group that we’d likely have drawn from to build, and to train, an army. This is not much to work with.”

  “No, it’s not,” Therese said. “Also, we met a man, Alexander Trumble, in a village called Little Creek. It’s not far from here. His charge is a young woman who barely escaped Lilith’s wrath some years back.”

  “How did that come about?” Lucy asked.

  “Though tiny, the girl could speak. When the soldiers heard her, they left.”

  “What’s that got to do with anything now?”

  Basha rubbed her forehead. “Two things. First, having met them, we’re convinced that there are many in Oosa who’ll not assist in responding to any challenge from Chiran. Even amongst believers, there are those who blame the Select because of Lilith. They may believe in the cause of life and freedom, but enlisting their assistance against Zarek could prove difficult.”

  “Also, there’s something unusual about Trumble’s charge, Felicity,” Therese added.

  Lucy’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that?”

  “Oddly, she seems to have some prophetic type ability. The difference is that she doesn’t see things that may happen in the future. Rather, she sees things as they are happening in the present. Earlier today, she, Trumble, Therese, and I, met with Mara and the twins. Felicity had seen visions of Reigna and Eden for weeks. Periodically, she insisted that others gather with her to pray for them—just as she had us do here in the city before Mara and the twins returned. We understand from what Trumble has said, and given what the twins told us of their . . . adventure . . . that Felicity has some connection to them.”

  “So, that’s good. Right?”

  “Yes, that’s good. But this morning Felicity became newly . . . agitated.”

  “Why?”

  Therese wiped the hair from her brow. “She’s convinced that danger is on its way here.”

  The Council members went silent.

  Finally, Piers leaned forward. He tapped on the table, repeatedly. “Perhaps she’s somehow aware of Zarek’s troops here, in Oosa.”

  Basha and Therese exchanged a glance.

  “Here? Now?” Basha asked.

  “That’s what Marshall and Jerrett have surmised.”

  “Goodness.”

  Reigna held her hand up. “Eden and I’ll meet with Felicity again. Perhaps there’s something more she can tell us. If not, her skills may still come in very handy.” She glanced around. “So, are there any more questions?”

  No one spoke.

  “Good.” She removed Basha and Therese from the witness room, and then returned. “We’d like to introduce you to Ephemeral and Fleeting now, if that’s all right with you.”

  “The flits?” Skylar asked, his enthusiasm evident.

  “Yes.”

  Moments later two small beings flew around the twins. After dancing in the air for a few moments, they landed, one after the other, on the tabletop.

  The Council members watched on, their mouths agape.

  Reigna introduced the flits. “They’ll serve as messengers for us in the venture to come,” she said.

  “Simply amazing!” Skylar exclaimed.

  “Yes—now, for our report. Eden and I learned a great deal while we were away. We understand our roles. I am a warrior. I’ll lead our response against Zarek’s invasion.”

  “And you? Lucy asked Eden.

  “I am a peacemaker. But I understand that to experience peace, we’ll need to beat back this threat. I’ll be Reigna’s first assistant.”

  Mara stood. “Well, if that’s all, I suggest we get started. We’ve no time to lose.”

  “Before we do, there is another item of business to which we must attend,” Lucy said.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  “Oh?” Mara asked.

  The woman scowled. “Did you think we could just ignore what happened?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Lucy’s brow rose. “I am talking about how you abandoned your charge—or charges—as the case may be.”

  Mara blinked rapidly. “I . . . didn’t . . . abandon them.”

  “That is a serious charge, Lucy,” Mildred interrupted. “But Mara, as you know, we must of course, address it. What is she talking about?”

  “Mara lost her memory for a time,” Eden said.

  “And abandoned her charges,” Lucy asserted.

  Mara approached the woman. “I did not abandon them.”

  “Perhaps not in the traditional sense. In any case, are we to understand that you’ve now recollected all?”

  “I have.”

  “Well, suffice it to say, since you’re now in your right mind—”

  “What happened?” Piers asked.

  “You left the twins in danger?” Skylar asked. “Arrangements should have been made so that a new Oathtaker could have been assigned to them.”

  Lucy stood, her hands before her on the table. “Exactly. The situation left them in danger and without proper . . . protection.”

  “Wait!” Mara exclaimed. “You cannot fault me for this.”

  “I do not fault you,” Lucy said. “I fault another. As a matter of fact, I’ve arranged for a witness of my own today to speak to this.” She went to the witness room.

  Mara sat, looking at the floor. After everything that had transpired, would the Council really remove her? Take her credentials from her?

  A collective gasp arose from the attendees.

  She looked up, followed the gaze of the others. “Ah!” she cried, a hand to her mouth.

  There stood Dixon, banded, and in chains.

  “Dixon!”

  His eyes remained downcast.

  Lucy took her seat. “So . . . Dixon . . . We have some questions for you. I understand you knew of Mara’s condition and arranged to take her away so that no one else would learn of it. Is that right?”

  He looked up and glared at her. “It is,” he said, through gritted teeth.

  “How did he get here?” Mara asked.

  Lucy turned her way. “I sent someone out looking for the two of you. I was watching the moons and anticipated the fulfillment of prophecy. My assistant found him and brought him here—after banding him so as to remove his ability to communicate with you via the magic crystals he carries.” She scowled at Mara. “After all, I couldn’t chance that the two of you might concoct some wild story.”

  “But why the chains?”

  “Even without his attendant magic, Dixon is quite . . . strong. I couldn’t risk that he’d overpower my man. Now, if I may return to business.” Lucy glanced at each of the Council members in turn. “As you all know, Dixon swore an oath to protect the twins. I believe he broke that oath, and I intend to get some answers. We may even need to try him for treason.”

  Mara sat down hard, then immediately shot back to her feet. “Lucy, how did you know about my condition?”

  The woman pulled back. “I . . . ahhh . . . Well, I . . . ahhh . . .”

  “You knew.”

  She blinked rapidly. “I . . . well . . . not before the twins left the compound.”

  “But you knew. And what’s more, they were left under your protection. You do recall that you also swore an oath for their benefit?”

  The woman shrugged. “So?”

  “So,” Mildred said, “you could have come to this Council yourself, Lucy, at any time, to have Mara removed. But you did not. Your keeping such information from us is actionable conduct.”

  Reigna stepped up. “Excuse me, everyone, but this ends right here, right now.”

  Mara turned her way. “But—”

  Putting her arm around her Oathtaker, Reigna squeezed her closer, affectionately. “No, Mara. We can’t afford to be divided. Besides, everything happened as was intended. You see, Eden and I left the compound because . . . Well, because we had to. Don’t you see? You all protected us too much. You always said that it was wrong to
keep someone a baby for too long.”

  Mara grinned. “I did.”

  “Well, that’s what was happening. But we needed to earn Ehyeh’s favor and we could only do that if we were tested in the real world.”

  Eden approached. “She’s right, Mara. You’re not to blame. Dixon’s not to blame. Lucy’s not to blame.” She grinned at her sister. “We’re to blame, if anyone. But in fact, all of this was necessary in order for us to determine our rightful roles.”

  Mara nodded. “You’re right.”

  Lucy cleared her throat. “Yes, I . . . I agree. I understand now. It was . . . wrong of me.”

  “Never mind, Lucy,” Mara said, “it’s forgotten. Like the girls said, we need to stick together now more than ever.” She looked to the floor. “Now would someone please remove that band? And release Dixon from those ridiculous chains?”

  Lucy went to Dixon and set him free.

  He brushed past her brusquely and headed toward Mara. He stopped just before where she stood.

  “What do you remember?” he asked.

  She looked up. Tears spilled. “I remember everything, Dixon.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She threw her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. “I’m certain. And you know . . . I think I had it right the first time.”

  “What’s that?”

  She looked back up at him and smiled. “My being here—in your arms. It really is exactly where I belong.”

  Keep reading for a sneak peek at Ephemeral and Fleeting: The Oathtaker Series, Volume Three

  Excerpt

  Ephemeral and Fleeting: The Oathtaker Series, Volume Three

  Chapter One

  It almost tickled, the way it ran down from behind her ear and across her neck before dripping from her hair, its crimson warmth collecting in a puddle before her. The pain nearly unbearable, and unable to move, as a weight pinned her to the floor, she watched the glistening ruby pool grow. How ironic that with all her efforts over the past years to protect Ehyeh’s chosen, her days would end as the result of an accident entirely of her own making.

  She knew her time ran short, as the Good One had revealed things to her some time ago. But this was not at all what she’d expected. Her mind racing, she revisited images from her past. Two, in particular, troubled her. She’d not been mindful of discussing some things with others who had a need to know. The thought made her wince. Also, she’d failed to understand, failed to allow that there were those who might know as well—or even better—than she, failed to appreciate the difficulties they faced.