by Casey Odell
The king glanced down at her right hand, then back at her, eyebrow raised in challenge.
They remained there, unmoving, for the longest, tensest moments of her life. Claire didn’t know what this would cost her, but she didn’t care. Perhaps she was being too reckless these days. But she was tired of being treated as a tool. Of being a prisoner. She needed to take control of her own life. What she had left of it, anyway.
With a slight laugh, the king released her. Claire took a deep breath and let it out slowly as relief seeped through her. But she couldn’t relax yet.
“I see my brother has influenced you, child,” the king said, amusement in his voice. “Brave enough to threaten a king.”
Claire raised her chin, letting her resolve shine through.
“But don’t think the Council will stand for such insolence.” His expression grew serious again. “Or me for much longer.”
She gulped, ready for him to call the guards and throw her into the dungeons. Or worse…
“However, I could forgive such behavior if you pledge allegiance to me.”
Claire’s jaw dropped open. She’d walked right into that trap. He had her, and by the look on his face, he knew it. It was her turn to glare at him while she weighed her options. Pledge to him or face the consequences. A tough decision, but when it was put into such simple terms, it was pretty much made for her.
“Fine,” she said, her jaw tense. “Claim me if you want.”
Satisfaction showed in his eyes, a smile touched his lips.
“But,” Claire said, interrupting his quiet victory. “I will not stay here. I refuse to.”
“Pledge to me and you can go wherever you please.”
Claire studied his beautiful face full of hidden schemes. They both knew that as long as Lianna and Razi could sense her, no matter where she went, she would never truly be free.
“Then I am in your service, my grace,” Claire said, curtsying. She turned to leave then, but when she reached the door, the king called out to her.
“My brother,” he said. “Keep him away from here. If he shows his face around here again, the Council will kill him.”
Claire nodded and slipped out the door, her soul officially sold.
Over the next few days, Claire made preparations to leave. In a ceremony less showy than the last time, she swore her allegiance to the king before the Council and a small smattering of witnesses. She guessed it wasn’t as momentous an occasion as when the infamous Sin de Reine had finally been tamed. She wondered what Farron would say. If she saw him again. No, when she saw him again. Surely he wouldn’t be happy. But swearing an oath to the king seemed the lesser of two evils.
It was the eve of her departure when Lianna came to her room to bid farewell.
“Where will you go?” she asked, worry clear on her beautiful face. She sat on the bed as she watched Claire gather her things. A luxurious silk robe hinted at her voluptuous features underneath. If she wore anything underneath, Claire didn’t know. Or want to know.
Claire clutched the stone shard she’d found previously in the palace’s library. Her magic stirred restlessly, reacting to the artifact. “Someplace I hope to find answers.”
Lianna just looked at her, confused.
“There is a place called Uru Baya. That’s where the forest elves were bringing me before I…” Claire trailed off. She couldn’t say she had escaped the elves so much as she had been captured all over again. It didn’t matter, though; they both knew the truth of what had happened. “Farron told me before that there may be someone there that could decipher this. In any case, I may be able to find some answers, at least.”
“Answers to what, Claire?”
She gave Lianna a pointed look and held up her right hand.
“Ah, I see.” Lianna sat back on the bed, leaning on her hands. “Are you going to try and restore magic to the land as well?” she asked, but the question came out more of a jest.
But Claire wasn’t joking. “Yes,” she said, serious as she could muster given the impossible odds stacked against her.
Lianna sobered and sat up straight, looking at Claire as she packed what little belongings she still had. “You are serious?” she asked. “Do you think it is possible?”
Claire shrugged her shoulders. “I have to at least try.”
“Did Líadan put you up to this? Is that why he is letting you leave?”
“No,” Claire said a little forcefully. “I do not do this for him. Nor the Council. I am doing this for myself, and for the people of all lands. I haven’t given up all hope. Not yet.”
“I see.” Lianna leaned back again. She didn’t look too enthusiastic about the idea.
“You don’t want magic to return?”
She shrugged, making it look much more graceful than Claire had done just moments before. “I cannot say I have not benefitted from the current situation. I just want you to think about the consequences of it, if magic were to return to the land again. There was a reason it vanished in the first place.”
Claire nodded. She would cross that bridge when she got there. She didn’t know if it was even possible.
“I know you do not like him,” Lianna said, her face somber. “King Líadan. I do not blame you. He has told me what he and the Council have done.”
The blood drained from Claire’s face. So she had known. For how long?
As if reading her mind, Lianna answered, “He told me the other night. He was afraid that I would hear it from you or Razi, seeing as how he is not in the Council’s favor anymore.”
“And you don’t hate him for it?”
“I do not love him for it. But no, I do not hate him. I believe he does what is right for the kingdom, for his people. He was— is— in a desperate place. He has made mistakes, as we all have. Besides, it is not like I have anywhere else to go. I will not give up the life I have built here so easily,” Lianna said. “Here I can change things. Here I have power. But I cannot do anything if the king does not trust me or confide in me.”
Claire wasn’t sure she agreed with her, but she nodded anyway. There was no use arguing with her. Lianna had her own way of doing things, and if she could find it in her heart to forgive the king, then that was her choice. But Claire didn’t have to. It was a much more personal matter to her.
“Be careful, Claire.” Lianna placed her hand on Claire’s. “Are you sure you are well enough to do this? Are you alright after what happened?”
“I think so,” she said. She still didn’t know how she felt about taking so many lives, even if they were the centaurs. But she had managed to stop the horde, or at least a part of it, and spare innocent lives from what she had gone through, or worse. Besides, it wasn’t really her, she kept telling herself in a vain attempt to ease her conscience. It was her magic that had taken control. Made her do those things… “I don’t think I really have much of a choice. This thing is going to swallow me up whether or not I do anything.”
Lianna gave her a reassuring look. “Know that I will be there if you need me, Claire.”
“Thank you,” Claire said. “For everything. Really. I wouldn’t have made it this far without your help.”
A small smile curved Lianna’s full lips. “And do not forget to tell Fare that he owes me one as well.”
“Alright.” Claire wondered briefly what it would be like to have him indebted to her, instead of the other way around. It must be nice.
“The king warned you, about Fare?”
Claire nodded. “Yes. But why try to kill him? Didn’t he swear an oath to them?”
“That is just it,” Lianna said. “They got what they wanted. It was a knife in the king’s back when his own brother chose the Council over the king. They have no more use for Farron. And they have been wanting to get rid of him for years. Use caution, though I think Fare already knows this because the Council will not wait for him to return to the palace to try for his life. They have influence in more places than Derenan.”
Great, y
et another weight to add to her shoulders. As if she and Farron didn’t have enough people after them. Claire nodded in understanding. “Just add them to the list.”
Lianna laughed.
“Will you protect them, the other Star Children?” It was a lot to ask, but if anyone could do it, it was her.
“I will try my best, Claire.”
“Thank you.” It set her conscience at ease knowing that Lianna was looking after them. And now that Razi was on the outs with the Council, perhaps he would look out for them as well. They may be prisoners, but Claire wanted them to remain just that. She didn’t want them to become tools like she and Razi had.
After a too-tight hug, Lianna said her final farewell and left. She wore a somber look, one that said that she may never see Claire again. And perhaps she was right. The odds were stacked against her. But if her mother and her journey so far had taught her one thing, it was that she couldn’t give up without trying.
The next morning she set out alone. She had insisted on no guards this time. It might prove to be a reckless decision, but she didn’t want to be responsible for their lives. It was becoming increasingly more dangerous to be around her. Only now, thanks to the efforts of Razi, Farron and her previous teachers, she felt like she was finally able to protect herself to some degree. She had managed to borrow a few small blades from the palace armory, her own being left behind with Farron, but it was her magic that gave her a sense of security. With it, even her own meager powers, she felt strong. No wonder Razi and Lianna were so confident.
Azra, the horse she had taken to Et Tessera, was back, along with Farron’s and the others. She wondered how Alan and Graham were doing. If the Council had done anything to them. If they blamed her for what happened to their captain, Chet, and Zeriod. The weight of their deaths would forever weigh on her shoulders. And the guilt was heavy.
As for Bahkar, she would deal with him personally, one way or another. He wouldn’t get away with what he had done. What he will do. She didn’t have a plan yet, but she would think of something. She had to.
She set out shortly before sunrise, Farron’s horse reluctantly in tow. She was antsy without her owner, but Claire assured the horse that she would be reunited with Farron again, somehow. She planned to go to the Haven first and leave word there of where she headed. Surely Farron would stop there before returning to the palace. At least, she was counting on it. From there she had to cross the Great Rift again and head north to Uru Baya. Not an easy journey to make alone, but at least this time she would be able to get a good look at the rift, unlike the last time she’d crossed it.
And then hopefully she would find some answers, because unless she did, it could very well be her last journey.
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