‘Has my roaming created this place?’ he said, looking around.
‘This place, as you call it, is real. It is the Void. It offers nothing. Your roaming skill is powerful enough to lock onto the Void. Most people, even sentients — as those with magic are called — would not be able to touch it because it is so secret, but you reached it easily. Remember its trace now so you can recognise it and move away when you have to. I need you to remain here, in the Void.’
‘Why?’
‘Because this is where the battle with Cyricus will be fought and you are its facilitator.’ Gabe groaned but Fynch quietened him with a soft sigh. ‘Hear me now, I have things to tell you. Things about you and about me that we must share.’
‘Cassien, am I imagining it, or is there a wolf flanking us? And did you lift your hand in acknowledgement to it a moment ago?’
‘You’re not imagining it, your majesty. She is a friend — more than that in fact. Her name is Romaine.’
‘She has a name?’ she said, slightly breathless from the gallop they were now slowing from. ‘My life gets stranger by the moment.’
He nodded with a grin. ‘Shar, but it’s good to be back here. I wasn’t sure I’d feel that way,’ he said, smelling the forest that loomed ahead. Thin woodland had been their neighbour on either side for a while, gradually thickening into the dark blur of true forest. ‘I feel as though I’ve come home,’ he added.
‘And in contrast, I feel entirely out of my depth and scared by the lack of buildings,’ Florentyna admitted. ‘Plus a wolf with a name is following me.’
‘Romaine is my wolf. She would not hurt you — she is protecting us, guiding us in.’
Florentyna smiled. ‘You seem so much more carefree now you’re here.’
‘Carefree?’ he shrugged. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way, but I feel much safer.’
‘Can I meet her?’
‘Only Romaine will answer that question. She may be my soul mate, but she is also a wild beast.’
‘Is that what you are, Cassien? Wild?’
He shrugged. ‘That’s a valid question, your majesty. I possess a wild magic and I like being in the Wild of Morgravia. I essentially grew up alone. Yes, I’m wild,’ he pronounced with a grin.
‘Tell me how you came to be in the Brotherhood,’ she asked, hoping it would help pass the time and take her mind off her insecurities.
So he told her what he knew of himself.
‘You have no memory of parents?’
‘Not really, no. I often feel there was a sibling … an elder one, but I lose that feeling as soon as I lock onto it.’ He shrugged. ‘I’m told I look very similar to my mother, other than my eyes. Hers were dark.’
‘So you get your very blue eyes from your father.’
‘I suppose. I know even less of him. They say he was a traveller.’
‘A merchant?’
He shrugged. ‘I don’t really know.’
‘And yet we all agree you look so similar to Gabriel. You could easily be his younger sibling.’ Their horses had slowed to a walk. Romaine was nowhere to be seen. ‘Do you really believe that you were taken from your parents and raised, first in all-male monastic life, and second, thrust into the forest to raise yourself, amuse yourself, teach yourself for the past decade? And then, with no warning, you are wrenched away from that strange life by an even stranger man called Fynch and told you were the one would save the realm?’
Cassien opened his mouth to speak, but Florentyna continued, cutting him off.
‘What’s more, you have a powerful magic at your disposal. You meet Hamelyn, who seems to have an array of skills equally baffling. He himself is an enigma, don’t you agree?’ She paused only to take a breath, not waiting for his response. ‘Along comes Gabriel into the fray in the most extraordinary manner, I’m sure you won’t deny. And although he hasn’t demonstrated his magics to us, I’m sure they are there … or tell me how in Shar’s bright light that man could not only travel here from another world — or so he says — but carry with him a demon’s servant? Beyond that, he gets himself possessed by the true demon, and in the process has the wits about him to not only return me my quill, letting me know he is not an enemy, but somehow hide within his own body in a spiritual form, only to resurrect himself and his body, which the demon believed was dead.’ She stopped and let out a snort of disbelief, pulling on the reins to pull up her horse. ‘Now I ask you, Cassien. Can you honestly look me in the eye and say this is all coincidence?’
It was the first time Florentyna had put everything she knew into one series of events — as best as she could. It was daunting and she rather wished she hadn’t done so. Nevertheless, she held Cassien’s gaze in the moonlight and awaited his answer. ‘Well, can you?’
He shook his head. ‘No. It is implausible that these events are unrelated coincidences.’
‘Then you can accept that Gabe’s similarity to you may not be a coincidence also … especially as he’s involved. He’s been “orchestrated” to be here at the same time as you were “orchestrated” to keep me safe. You have been brought together to use your skills against Cyricus by Fynch.’
‘Brothers.’ He rolled the word in his mouth. To him that meant his family at the abbey; blood family was a stranger to him.
She was frowning. ‘Fynch knows so much more than he let on to me.’
‘Or to me,’ Cassien admitted. ‘Although in his defence I heard that he did not have a willing audience in you, your majesty. And I was more interested in my role when I met him, rather than knowing his.’
Florentyna knew Cassien was right. She nodded. ‘I didn’t sense any dishonesty. I’m sure if I’d asked more questions he would have answered them candidly.’
‘Yes. We just didn’t ask the right questions.’
‘What would you ask him?’
‘Who my father is. The problem begins there. Why would a mother give up her son?’
‘Both her sons,’ Florentyna corrected and gave him a smug smile.
‘That only makes the situation more intriguing and baffling. If you’re right and we are brothers, she gave us both up to a cause.’
‘The same cause, Cassien,’ Florentyna said, confident now. ‘There is no way that Fynch is not pulling the strings and you are both his puppets. I don’t mean that to sound as cruel as it does. I’ll tell you what, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Fynch didn’t convince your mother to give you both up. He is behind this.’
‘For the right reasons,’ Cassien said, and Florentyna was sure he was trying to convince himself of this fact.
‘Well yes, you’ve saved my life. Gabe saved it again by telling us what we needed to wary of, or I would now be under the control of Cyricus through my sister.’
‘My head is spinning, your majesty, and even though you seem to have found a second wind, I would like to get you into the cover of the deep forest before daybreak.’ He nodded to where the trees formed a perfect gateway and before it stood the huge she-wolf. ‘Romaine awaits us.’
Florentyna blinked in surprise. ‘It looks like a mouth waiting to swallow me into the dark.’
‘Nothing to fear in the forest,’ he assured her.
They come, she said softly over their link.
Fynch had his back to the forest entrance, thinking deeply about what was ahead. Mmm, I know. I can feel Cassien’s presence like an ache.
And the others?
Gabriel … yes. Hamelyn most of all.
Hamelyn is more than worthy, the Dragon had whispered sadly into his mind.
The she-wolf seemed to sense his thoughts shifting to the dragon.
I hope our king does not believe I have defied him by letting you come back into the Forest. You are not meant to leave the Wild.
No, Romaine, the Dragon King would never believe such a thing of you. He is clear that it is I who defy him.
You will pay a hefty price. Why must you do this?
Because I was once mortal. He knew it was not
a helpful answer but it was all he had. Instinct was driving this and somewhere deep and visceral, he knew that while he was disappointing his twin soul, the dragon, this was the right way to proceed.
He turned to greet the sovereign of Morgravia, leading her horse alongside Cassien. Fynch emerged out of the darkness of the trees to stand beside Romaine, whose fur was silvered beneath the moonlight.
Cassien saw him first.
‘Fynch!’ He ran to him. ‘I am relieved to see you well.’
‘Hello, Cassien, my boy,’ he replied, his spirits lifting as Cassien pulled him into a bear hug. ‘I could say the same to you.’ He shifted his gaze to the tall, slim woman who held herself back while the men enjoyed their reunion. ‘Your majesty,’ he now said, bowing, ‘it gladdens my heart to see you safe.’
Florentyna stepped forward and held out her hand. He took it and kissed it gently. ‘Master Fynch,’ she said and he heard the slight tremble in her voice. ‘It is I who am the more glad. Forgive me for not paying your warnings enough heed.’
‘That is the past, your majesty. Don’t look to it now. Worry only about staying safe while we rid the land of the curse that has come upon it.’
‘No, but if I’d listened, Chancellor Reynard might still be —’
‘Even if you had taken my warnings to heart, I believe Reynard would have followed the pathway he took and it is only because of Reynard that we have Gabriel with us, my queen.’
‘You know Gabriel?’ Cassien chimed in, looking up from where he knelt by Romaine, stroking the wolf.
‘He and I have spoken.’
‘Spoken?’ the queen and Cassien repeated together.
Fynch smiled. ‘I will explain. Come. You have made a long journey. Let us return to your old hut, Cassien, and give the queen a place to rest her head for a while.’
He turned and his companions fell in step, following the wolf into the forest.
‘Ride like a demon is chasing you,’ Tamas roared over his shoulder, laughing bleakly at his own dark humour.
Ham was grateful for it, though. It made him feel more secure if Tamas presented confidence. He’d seen death before but not like that: not cold, calculated and so very cruel. But as the wind tore at his hair and turned his horse’s mane into a wave of undulating gold, Ham was reminded that the woman who had died was not Princess Darcelle but merely the puppet of a demon that had stolen her corpse. It had to be done and he admired Tamas for his resolve; the courage it took for him to destroy Cyricus and Aphra and give Darcelle’s body to Shar’s keeping, where it belonged. He wished the corpse had not been dragged behind its horse, but there was no point in worrying over that now, especially with Morgravian riders giving chase in the firm belief that the heir to the throne had just been murdered.
Tamas had been right. The men had no idea where the arrow came from and had scattered in various directions, including theirs. If Ham’s last glance had been correct, three had headed their way, which was easier to stomach than thirty-six angry legionnaires. No doubt the Cipreans had been forgotten and left to get to their ship without another moment’s thought.
He urged his horse forward. ‘Where are we going?’
Tamas shrugged in his saddle theatrically. ‘I’m just trying to get us away. You get to choose where we go.’
Ham was not as familiar with his realm as perhaps the king presumed, but he knew Tamas couldn’t be expected to make the most informed decision either.
There was only one direction to ride. ‘We head north, back the way we came.’
‘Where in the north, though? Not that it matters to me … I have no idea where I am even now,’ Tamas admitted.
Ham wanted to say the Forest. But the Forest was huge. He wouldn’t have any idea where to start looking for Cassien even if they did make it to the Great Forest. He frowned and it occurred to him that apart from Orkyld, there was one other place that he and Cassien had shared and that Cassien may think to go to as a meeting point.
‘We’ll head for Rittylworth Monastery,’ he finally yelled as they galloped, knowing he sounded more confident than he felt. ‘It’s a direct route northwest. We can avoid Pearlis too.’
‘You’re in charge, Ham. Lead the way,’ Tamas said.
Gabe was holding to the Void as instructed but was relieved that he could still sense the familiar grey stone of Pearlis Cathedral. He knew he was sitting by the great dragon and that his hand was still placed against one of the huge toes of the beast’s clawed foot and it reassured him.
What Fynch had told him had been startling, but there was no time to reflect on his past, the discovery that he had family in this world, or the identity of his real parents. He was now part of a triumvirate of power that had to link together in order to destroy Cyricus and he wouldn’t let his companions down.
‘Everyone will be counting on each other, none more important than the next … but you, Gabe,’ Fynch said, fixing him with a stern look, ‘you’re the eldest brother and without you we have no means of fighting Cyricus. We need your skills alone to entice him into the Void. You must commit to memory how to get here, how to stay here and how to design the architecture in your mind to allow others to travel to it. You will have to be strong — you will be tested like never before.’
‘Eldest,’ Gabe murmured. ‘Tested like never before,’ he added. Surely the loss of a child and a wife was more than proof of his mental strength? Maybe that’s why he had been chosen. ‘No,’ he whispered, alone in the nave, ‘you were chosen long before then.’
It was all coming back to him now. Memories that had been so deeply buried that he’d needed the shock of learning that his father wasn’t dead to retrieve them.
THIRTY-TWO
Florentyna had reluctantly agreed to rest. She’d fought it, but Cassien had joined forces with Fynch to insist and she’d eventually lain down. A check by Cassien a moment earlier had seen her fast asleep in his old cot, her mouth slightly open. Cassien had smiled; he was glad that this place was the safest for the queen. He’d never felt anything but secure here.
He stepped outside the hut, knowing time was short. ‘She’s asleep although I doubt it will last,’ he said to Fynch, who was seated on the stump of a tree that Cassien remembered felling to make his small clearing.
‘And you?’ Fynch asked.
Cassien shrugged. ‘I can go without sleep for days, but then you know that.’
‘I do.’
‘There’s something I want to ask you before Florentyna wakes.’
Fynch smiled, but it was awkward. ‘Mmm, well, there’s something I need to tell you before she wakes.’
‘All right.’ Cassien was aware of Romaine padding up to sit beside him. He buried his hand affectionately in the ruff of thick fur at her neck. ‘Tell me.’
‘I’m wondering whether I should pre-empt it by suggesting that you’re not going to be very happy by what you learn.’
Cassien looked at him quizzically. ‘And you just did.’
‘I did, didn’t I? At heart I’m a coward, Cassien.’
‘I doubt that very much. I can tell whatever you wish to say is hard.’
Fynch looked away. ‘Painful is a more appropriate word. Anguish is also another that comes to mind. And perhaps even fear.’
‘Fear? Of whom?’
‘Of you, Cassien,’ Fynch said, raising his head to meet his gaze.
‘Me? Nothing you say could —’
‘Make you despise me?’ Fynch cut in.
Cassien stilled, his mouth open as though robbed of the words it had wanted to say. He frowned.
‘Despise you?’ he repeated in disbelief. He shook his head. ‘No, nothing you say could make me despise you. I revere you.’
Fynch nodded with resignation as though he’d expected Cassien to say something like this.
‘Just tell me,’ Cassien urged.
‘Your mother’s name is … was Jetta.’
Cassien blinked with confusion. Of all the topics that Fynch could have raised, t
he furthest from his mind would have been his mother. He swallowed, immediately feeling defensive. ‘Jetta,’ he repeated.
‘She was exquisitely beautiful. Her hair was raven and she possessed huge, dark, searching eyes that looked like depthless caverns when she was upset, or black sparkling jewels when she was happy.’ Fynch looked away again, but this time it didn’t seem to be from self-consciousness; rather, it was him focusing his gaze on a distant point, searching back through memories … or it seemed so to Cassien. ‘Her complexion was like the palest rose you can imagine and just as velvety.’ Fynch touched a spot on his chest. ‘Here, just above her heart, she had a tiny mark of the gods; it looked like a crescent moon. She once laughed and told me that although she’d known many men she had not loved a single one. And when she did fall in love she was going to ask him to ink the corresponding and opposing half-moon on his chest.’ He sighed and laughed to himself. ‘She said it would form a loose heart shape that would bind them.’
‘How did you know my mother?’ Cassien asked, sounding fearful.
‘I met her by chance on a visit to the Pearlis Cathedral. She lived in the city and loved the cathedral. She told me it humbled her and she liked to clean the feet of the dragon.’
Cassien swallowed. ‘Why?’
‘Jetta said the dragon was the king’s beast and it was her way of honouring Florentyna’s father. Later I learned more. She admitted one day that she felt a strange kinship to the dragon himself.’
‘Surely she wasn’t —’
‘No, she wasn’t, son. Her beast was the blackbird. Appropriate. Mysterious, busy, good mothers, and the females not even black.’ The last one Cassien could see was added for levity, but he wasn’t feeling it.
‘Good mother? Really? I couldn’t agree with that.’
Fynch glanced at him. ‘You didn’t know her.’
‘That’s my point. She gave away an infant.’
‘Your father made her give you away.’
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