Heirs of War, Crown of Flames

by Mara Valderran

  “What are you hoping to find out now?” Rhaya asked.

  “I want to know where they were heading,” Zelene answered simply. “If they headed for the mountains, we should be able to figure out what world they're in and where they are. Then we can go there and start searching for them.”

  “We?” Terrena repeated dubiously.

  Zelene turned to face her and narrowed her eyes. “Yes, we. Someone around here has to do something. Why shouldn't it be me?”

  “Because you are no match for even the weakest soldier, let alone a highly trained and skilled Cahiran,” Terrena responded sadly. “Your heart is in the right place, but you have no more abilities than the Tainted. How do you expect to fight against these people?”

  “I don't know,” Zelene retorted angrily. “Sharp, pointy objects seem to do the trick on most people, so I thought I might start there.”

  “You wouldn’t survive, Zelene,” Terrena said with finality. “You have no idea what they are capable of, but I do. Perhaps instead of eavesdropping about matters that should be left to the Duillaine Banair, you should ask Isauria about the sort of horrors the Cahirans are capable of.” Her words had an edge to them, her anger over how lightly Zelene treated the situation with the Cahirans bleeding through. “Or I could tell you a story or two if you'd like. Would you like to hear about the time they caught up with us when I was ten and sent a plague to the village that we had sought shelter in, wiping out every man, woman, and child in sight? Or maybe I could tell you about how they nearly killed me before we returned.”

  Zelene could see that Terrena had a point but didn’t want to concede to it just yet. “Do you really think the Duillaine Banair are doing everything they can to find her? Because from what it sounded like to me, Sylvanna is trying to keep everything pretty hush-hush.”

  Terrena nodded knowingly. “As well she should. They already learned the hard way that the Cahirans have ears and hands everywhere when Solanna's child was taken. And there must have been spies in place when Nandalia left, otherwise the Cahirans would have never been lying in wait for her. Sylvanna is right to keep any and all information about Ariana quiet lest the wrong person hear it and we inadvertently lead Kellen to her.”

  Zelene shook her head fervently. “No, I know what I heard, Terrena. And she wasn't concerned about spies. She’s more concerned about that guy Ariana is with than anything. Does that really add up to wanting to find her to you?” Before she could answer, the anger melted from Zelene and her gaze turned pleading. “What would you do if it was Rhaya? Wouldn't you do everything in your power to try to find her?”

  Rhaya took the opportunity to interject her opinion. “We can still help.” When they both turned to her, she explained. “Zelene, you think that the Duillaine Banair aren't doing everything they can to find Ariana. And Terrena, you think it would be suicide for Zelene to try to go after Ariana herself. But if we take the stuff Isauria tells us and use it to find Ariana ourselves, then there's no reason why they can't go after her with their armies. People really believe in this whole Prophecy thing, so they'd probably be lining up at the gates to help bring Ariana back.”

  “You don't believe in the Prophecy?” Terrena asked.

  Rhaya shook her head. “I don't know. I've never been big on fortune telling. And it is kind of vague. I mean, who's to say they didn't already put everything the Prophecy talks about in motion just by sending us away? They've given the people something to believe in. They believe in us, which means they will be behind us and any changes we want to make. And let's face it, growing up in Dhara and on the run with the more downtrodden side of Estridia has given us some pretty unique perspectives.”

  Zelene nodded, understanding Rhaya's line of thinking. “I get that. If we had grown up here we'd probably be just like them and then nothing would change.”

  “But back to my original point,” Rhaya said as both girls seemed to be mulling over the Prophecy and not the problem at hand, “there's no reason why we can't help find Ariana. Right? And then leave all the fighting to people who actually know what they're doing.”

  Terrena and Zelene watched each other, testing to see if the other would agree to those terms. Slowly, they both nodded.

  “But we keep this between us,” Terrena added quickly. “Whether you want to believe it or not, there are always Cahiran sympathizers hiding among us. Just as we have our people amongst them.”

  “Fair enough,” Zelene agreed. “But I'm going to let Ellowyn in on it. She can help since she can move around unnoticed too.”

  Terrena hesitated, withering at Zelene's glare. “I'm not saying your servant is a bad person, but maybe we should keep it between the three of us. You've already proven how easy it would be for anyone to dress as one of the Tainted and get around here. She could very well be a Cahiran spy using her position to get close to you. We just need to be careful,” she concluded firmly but clearly fearful of Zelene's reaction.

  Surprisingly, Zelene only waved her off. “Ellowyn's cool. Her sister is a teacher here, so I'm pretty sure we can rule her out as a spy. I dig the paranoia, though. And I'd say the same of the Duillaine Banair.”

  Terrena scoffed. “What reason would they have to cause Ariana harm, Zelene? Without her, the Prophecy cannot come to pass. She is the fifth. She completes our circle.”

  “I don't know,” Zelene answered. “I just know that I don't trust them. And I want to keep them out of this until the last possible minute. If we find Ariana, we tell them. But not before. I don't want to risk them trying to stop us from finding her.”

  “Fair enough,” Terrena used Zelene's own words to show her agreement. “But you are forgetting one important part of this. Isauria has the gift of seeing, but so does Solanna. And while Isauria is channeling her gift to watch over Ariana, that means there will be nothing stopping Solanna from checking in on us. So just . . . be careful what you say and do. I don't want to see you get into trouble.”

  “Thanks,” Zelene said, surprised at how Terrena was looking out for her. She didn’t think Terrena was a bad person, but she was under the impression that Terrena didn’t like her very much. Either that, or Terrena had a very bad tongue-clucking habit that acted up when Zelene was around. “I'll keep that in mind.”

  “I think we should probably keep your betrothed out of this as well, Zelene,” Terrena said. “I know he's been a great comfort to you, but the fewer people that know about this, the better.”

  Zelene stared at Terrena, eyebrow cocked, certain she had misheard her cousin. “I'm sorry . . . my what?”

  Rhaya leaned over to her sister and whispered loudly, “I don't think she knew about that.”

  ***

  Ellowyn worked as swiftly as she could. She tucked the last corner of the freshly laundered sheets under the mattress. She searched the room anxiously, unable to shake the feeling that she was forgetting to do something. She idly fluffed the pillows, running over the list of her usual chores in her mind when she heard the door to the anteroom open. She quickly dropped the pillow and rushed over to the window to lean against it casually as if she had been doing nothing all day.

  Cedwen's blond head peered around the door, which she had left ajar, and she allowed herself to relax. Still unsure of what formalities to keep up with whom, she gave a slight bow of her head. Since befriending someone of Zelene's status, she had found that this peculiar relationship had been met with mixed reviews. Some people took a page out of Zelene's book and spoke to her in a friendlier manner than she was accustomed to, while others addressed her with scorn. She struggled to keep up with who she should remain formal with and who she should speak to casually. “Greetings of a bright day to you, Prince Cedwen.”

  “And to you,” he said with a bit of puzzlement lining his Western accent. “Are you all right? You look a bit flustered.”

  “I was trying to finish my chores before Ainnir Zelene returns.”

  He strolled over to her, a strut in his step as though he looked to impress.
“If she hears you call her that, she'll take your head off.”

  Ellowyn nodded in agreement. “Much like she would if she were to catch me making her bed or cleaning her room.”

  He leaned against the bedpost near the window. “Yes, well, your secret is safe with me. Are you expecting her back soon?”

  The maidservant risked giving him a knowing look before going about her chores. She pulled her rag out of her pocket and began to dust off the nightstand. “I am, my lord.”

  “There's no need to call me that,” Cedwen said in a jovial tone. He stepped closer and plucked the rag from her long fingers. “We're all friends here, are we not?”

  She turned around to face him, abandoning the disarray of the nightstand as well as all formalities with her young companion. “Are we? Or are you hoping I might help you get in Zelene's good graces?”

  Cedwen sat down in the dining area and kicked his feet onto the table. “Can't it be both?”

  Ellowyn pushed his feet off the table. “I just cleaned that.”

  He hopped up and winked at her. “And now it looks like you didn't, so Zelene won't be furious with you. See? Your friend just did you a favor.”

  Ellowyn grew serious. “I'm not used to having friends. I'm not supposed to have any because of what I am.”

  “Does it feel wrong to you?”

  She shook her head. “No. It feels nice.”

  He took her hand and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “Then it must be right.” He patted her hand. “Don't over think it, Ellowyn. We're all lucky to have a friend like Zelene. And if you see our mutual friend, please tell her that I am looking for her and need to speak to her about something very important.”

  “I will,” she assured him.

  ***

  Zelene disappeared for the rest of the day after the news Rhaya and Terrena had given her, hiding away in the kitchens. It was the one place in Anscombe she could blend in perfectly. The Donnfay didn't have much to do with food. They would serve it, but they left the kitchens to the servants and the Tainted, which meant Zelene was free to be alone with her thoughts.

  She didn't know what she was angriest about: the way Sylvanna treated Ariana's predicament, or the fact that Cedwen had been parading around as her friend all the while knowing they might end up betrothed in a few short years. The idea made her scrub the pots even harder. She eased off, closing her eyes when the thought to talk to Kyle about it all occurred to her. It was easy to forget sometimes that he was gone. Maybe she was in denial about her own heartbreak. In truth, she'd been losing him for a long time before they even arrived here.

  The only difference was that before, even when he did his best to get her to hate him, she at least knew that he was okay. Now? She didn't even know if he was alive.

  She glanced up, feeling someone watching her, and was surprised to find the same woman she had seen leaving Isauria's room earlier. “Are you lost?” she blurted out without thinking. She immediately regretted her harsh tone when the woman flinched as if stricken from her words. “Sorry. I'm just not used to being noticed, I guess.”

  “I understand,” the woman stuttered. “I didn't realize you could see me watching you.”

  “You're sort of standing in plain sight. Why are you watching me?”

  The woman's chest rose and fell with her quick breaths. “You looked sad. I just…I was wondering…what's wrong?” she asked the question with concern even though there was a clear light of excitement in her pale brown eyes.

  Zelene went back to her scrubbing. “What does it matter if I'm sad?” She pointed to the head wrap concealing her hair and marking her as one of the Tainted even though it was just a disguise. She still couldn't shake the feeling that she belonged down here, scrubbing away other people's filth, rather than up above. “I don't exactly matter, do I? I mean, I can't wield the elements so obviously there's something wrong with me.”

  “There is not,” the woman argued, taking two rushed steps forward and then quickly stopping herself. “Never doubt yourself, Zelene. You know your own heart and that is the most important thing. Stay true to that and you will never fail.”

  Zelene tilted her head back and flexed her jaw. “You know who I am.” She threw down the washing board, causing the soapy water to splash onto her dress as she stood up. “Is there anyone around here who doesn't see through my disguise?”

  “I won't tell anyone,” the woman said with a crooked smile that seemed to hold many secrets. “I recognized your face earlier, which is how I knew. I tend to be more observant than most people, though, so I think your secret is still safe. But I can see how someone in your shoes might wish to disappear from time to time.”

  “Good,” Zelene said. “And thanks. I think.”

  “You think?”

  Zelene crossed her arms over her chest. “Would you have cared if you didn't know who I was? I mean, if you thought I was just another one of the Tainted walking around. Would you have cared that I looked sad?”

  “Of course,” the woman answered as if Zelene asked the simplest question ever presented to her. “For more reasons than you could possibly understand or than I could explain.”

  “Try me.”

  “The simplest way of looking at it?” the woman asked. She brushed some of her graying red hair over her shoulder and folded her arms over her chest, mirroring Zelene's stance. “You are still a living, breathing person. And that means you deserve my concern and my care.”

  Zelene's brows shot up over the simplicity of the idea from someone who had been raised in this society. “Wow. I think that things would be a lot better around here if more people thought like you.”

  The woman examined the young girl before her and took a moment before responding. “I have learned in my time that everyone is deserving of love. And that every single person deserves to have someone to fight for them.”

  “I like that,” Zelene commented. “‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal . . . ’” She shook her head at the woman's confused look. “Just something from a history class that seems pretty relevant right now. Something from my world. Dhara.”

  “It's all right,” the woman said with understanding as she glanced at something behind Zelene's back. “I believe your friend is here. I should let you two talk. Maybe we will see each other again soon.”

  “I'd like that.” Zelene turned to wave Ellowyn over, eager to introduce them, but when she turned back around, the woman disappeared around the doorframe.

  “Cedwen's looking for you,” Ellowyn said.

  Zelene's blood boiled anew. “Oh, he can keep looking. Wait until I tell you what I found out today.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Alec hated listening to Ariana's whimpers when the nightmares came. She never wanted to talk about them, but she didn't need to tell him what they were about. He imagined that the same villain from his nightmares also starred in hers. Weeks and miles away, and Kellen haunted them still.

  Alec turned over onto his side toward Ariana and brushed her hair from her face. He wanted to wake her, but he knew from experience that it wouldn't work. The first night, he tried gently shaking her. The next night, when her soft whimpers turned into tortured wails, he had been decidedly less gentle. But no matter how hard he shook her, or how much he shouted her name, she didn't come back to him.

  She made a strangled noise of fear, and he pulled her close to him. He held her head against his chest, whispering reassurances into her hair. “She can't hurt you, Ariana. I won't let her touch you again, I swear. It's just Alec and Ariana now, remember? Just us.”

  She gasped and then shot up. She looked around, disoriented, and then noticed him watching her with concern. “Sorry.”

  He sat up and put his arm around her, guiding her back to his chest. He knew he should be more careful with his affections, but he couldn't stand the distance between them, especially when she was hurting. “You were having a bad dream.”

  She shook her head and push
ed away from his embrace. “It's more than that. Alec, I think something very bad has happened to my sister.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She paused, gathering her thoughts. “It's like I'm watching through someone else's eyes. At first, I thought I was just reliving everything Kellen had done to me. But it was always different. And . . . there’s more. Kellen has been speaking to me, directly. The first time, she told me the girl's suffering would end if I came back to her. This time, she called the girl family.”

  “Why do you think it is your sister?”

  “I don't know. A feeling, I guess. I feel this connection with the girl she's torturing. You said before that I had a twin, right? What if it's her?” She wrapped her arms around her torso and hunched over, her gaze lingering on the ground. “There are studies back on Dhara about the bonds between twins, about how they can be separated at birth and still sense the other. Like when bad things happen to one of them? Or if one of them dies . . . ” She glanced up at Alec with panic. “It's supposed to be stronger with identical twins. What if that's how I can see through her eyes? Like our bond is stronger because of the magic and the fact that we're twins?”

  Alec blew out a breath and thought this over. “I suppose it's possible. You aren't identical, but that might not matter.”

  She pulled back and stared at him, distrust evident in her eyes. “How do you know that? That we aren't identical?”

  Alec silently cursed himself. “I've seen Zelene. And before you ask, it's a long story that I'd rather not get into. The question we need to ask is how Kellen would have gotten to her with all the protections surrounding Zelene.”

  “She got to my mother,” Ariana pointed out heavily. “Doesn't seem like it would be that hard for her to get Zelene or one of the others.”

  “Still, let's not jump to conclusions. We don't know who it is yet, or if it is even real.”