“Enter,” Casimer said.
That was fast, Echidna thought. The instructions she had ready on the tip of her tongue fell away when the visitor stepped through the door. Instead of one of the servants, it was Nils who came into the room. Echidna sat up straighter, smoothed a non-existent wrinkle from the fabric of her robe, then picked up her needlework and began stitching again. She should at least give the appearance that she wasn’t eavesdropping on the conversation.
“Good evening, my King, my Queen,” Nils said. He bowed so deeply that he nearly folded himself in half, then rose and closed the door behind him.
Echidna heard shuffling of papers as Casimer set aside the stack he had been working on. “I wasn’t expecting your next report until tomorrow morning.”
“I have two items to report. I did not think you would want to wait until morning to hear about either one of them,” Nils said.
Echidna glanced up and saw that Nils was standing with his hands folded at his waist. It had always struck Echidna as an oddly meek gesture for a man with such a commanding presence.
“Very well,” Casimer replied. “What is the first issue?”
“Not long ago, we received a report from one of our informants. He has learned that the Ohanzee are traveling across Chiyo in search of antique books with crystals embedded in the spines.”
Casimer tapped the end of his pen against the desktop. “How interesting. Do we know the significance of these books? What do they intend to do with them?”
Out of the corner of her eye, Echidna saw Nils’ long ponytail sway as he shook his head. “Their reason for seeking the books is currently unknown. Their intent is also unknown.”
For a moment, the only sound in the room was the tapping of Casimer’s pen. Finally, he asked, “Is it just one book that they are searching for?”
“The informant had the impression that they are looking for multiple books, but they all share that basic description. He seemed to feel that they already had acquired at least one.”
Before Casimer could respond, there was another knock on the door.
“Who is it?” Echidna called out.
“The request bell rang, my Queen,” came a woman’s voice from the other side of the door.
“We are busy right now. I will summon you again later.”
“Yes, my Queen,” she replied.
Casimer met Echidna’s eyes and inclined his head gratefully. He was sorry to make his wife have to wait for whatever it was she had wanted from the servant. Turning back to Nils, he said, “We need to discover what the Ohanzee are up to. Send some men to find out why they are collecting the books. If they have one already, retrieve it and bring it here for examination.”
“There is one small problem with that order. The Ohanzee were last sighted in Silvus, and the informant’s report indicated that they would soon be traveling north to Rhea,” Nils said.
Casimer slammed his fist on the desk. “Once they get to Rhea, they will be out of our reach!”
“I had the same concern. Knowing that you would want to intervene, I took the liberty of dispatching agents after I read the report,” Nils replied.
Echidna’s attention snapped to Nils midstitch, and she gasped as she poked herself with the needle. Her eyes narrowed, both from pain and displeasure. She pressed the injured finger against her lips and watched for Casimer’s reaction. Nils may be the Chief of the Senka, but even so, he had overstepped his authority to take such an action before consulting Casimer. Much to her surprise, Casimer did not seem displeased.
“I would expect no less from you, Nils. Efficient, as always,” Casimer said.
Nils humbly bowed again. “I do not deserve your praise, my King. I live for the throne of Marise.”
Casimer thrummed his fingers on the arm of his desk chair. “What is the second item of concern?”
“As you requested, a survey was conducted with each of the doctors in Nyx. The sickness continues to spread, though it has not yet reached epidemic levels. There were three times as many cases reported this week compared to the previous. It appears to affect young children and the elderly more so than adults.”
Casimer sighed. “That is troubling. Does it continue to be resistant to the usual treatments?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Some infected patients have made recoveries with the help of the usual medicines. However, those individuals were quite healthy before getting sick. They may have recovered on their own even if they hadn’t received any treatment. Those who don’t improve within a few days do not have a good prognosis.”
Casimer scratched his chin. “We need to address this before it gets out of hand. I am only now firmly establishing my control over Chiyo. I don’t want to lose that progress by dividing resources to battle an epidemic at home. Arrange a meeting, and instruct each of the doctors in the city to attend or send a representative. I want to determine a logical course of action to take to prevent the spread of this disease. An effective treatment method must be found as soon as possible."
“I will make it so,” Nils replied.
“In the meantime, I want all caretakers who have contact with Ladon sequestered within the castle. If children are affected disproportionally more than adults, I want to minimize the risk of Ladon being exposed,” Casimer said.
“Yes, my King,” Nils replied.
“Very well. You are dismissed,” Casimer said. Nils bowed once more before leaving.
Casimer stood and crossed the room to stand before the fire. Now that Nils was gone, Casimer didn’t bother to hide his weariness. Echidna swept across the room and wrapped her arms around her husband from behind.
“Are you sure that isolating Ladon within the castle is the right choice?” Echidna murmured.
Casimer’s shoulders sagged, and he exhaled a long breath. “I have already lost one son. I will not risk losing another.”
Echidna dropped her arms and took a step back. “And what about me? You’ve already lost one wife as well. Are you not afraid that I could catch this illness?”
“As if you would tolerate having your freedom limited, even if it was done with the best of intentions.” Casimer turned and placed his hands firmly on Echidna’s shoulders. There was a twinkle in his eye as he teased her. “I think this strange illness should be afraid of catching you.”
Echidna’s amused giggle turned into a purr as Casimer’s lips met hers.
Chapter 17
Peeping Twins
“Let’s all get in at the same time,” Eloc said, rubbing his hands together in greedy excitement before bounding toward the water.
A strong hand shot out and yanked him back by his collar. “You and Cole can go in together if you want. I realize that you two have no modesty, but I’m going in alone,” Rian said as he reeled Eloc in.
“Well, I’d prefer to bathe alone too,” Eloc whined. He straightened his shirt, glaring at Rian all the while. “But, if we take turns, we’ll have to wait longer.”
Jarold shrugged his broad shoulders. “After the last few days, I don’t care if I have to get in with a bear. It doesn’t really matter anyway. The water is so cloudy it’s practically opaque.”
Nerissa’s heartbeat quickened as she hungrily eyed the steaming hot spring. Her increased pulse was fueled not only by the enticement of a nice, long soak, but also by trepidation. If the conversation kept going down this path, how was she going to get out of this situation without any awkward questions? She shot Raysel a side-eyed plea for help. There was no way that she could skip the bath entirely. After these last few days, she needed one as much for hygiene as for a way to relax.
The days following the dinner party at the Governor’s Mansion had been frustrating, to say the least. They had scoured the city, shop after shop, and merchant after merchant. It had been a fruitless effort. A grand total of three books with crystals in their spines had been found, but only one was old enough to be from the set they sought. Just to be thorough, Nerissa had discreetly tested the crystal from
each of them. None reacted to her touch. Was the book still somewhere in Silvus, waiting to be found? The reference to the forest province in the prophecy had seemed so clear. Could the “heirloom hidden among the leaves” actually refer to something other than one of the books? The uncertainty was maddening. In the end, there had been no choice but to move on for now. They would return to the city later, and perhaps Brigs would come across a clue in the meantime.
Raysel saw Nerissa’s imploring look, but his placid expression remained unchanged. There was no reason for him to speak up if Rian was going to remain adamant. If there was one thing that could be counted on, it was Rian’s stubbornness.
As expected, Rian folded his arms across his chest and set his jaw. “I don’t care how long it takes. I’m going in by myself.”
“I-I’m not going to share either,” Desta squeaked from the back of the group. Her face had turned red all the way up to the tips of her ears.
Raysel patted her head consolingly. “How about a compromise,” he suggested. “Jarold, Cole, and Eloc can go first as a group. When they are done, they can begin setting up camp for the night and making dinner while the rest of us take turns.”
“That’s fine with me,” Jarold said.
“Likewise,” the twins echoed.
Leal stepped up from the back of the group. “I don’t mind sharing,” he chimed in.
“Very well. While the four of you are in the hot springs, we will feed and water the horses and then begin our evening practice,” Raysel said. He started back down the narrow footpath that connected to the small clearing where they had left the wagon.
The clearing itself was littered with the ashy remains of long-dead fires and a scattering of objects cast aside or forgotten. A tattered shirt, an empty burlap sack, and a crumpled tin cup were among the items that gave evidence to the fact that this campsite was well known, despite its remote location. A bucket containing an unidentifiable brown muck had also been left behind, which Rian unpleasantly discovered as he carried a bale of hay to the horses.
“Son of a—” Nerissa heard him exclaim.
“You can bathe next, Rian,” Raysel yelled in a hasty attempt to drown out the rest of his friend’s sentence. “Clean yourself off the best you can for now.”
Though Raysel’s promise brought an end to Rian’s shouting, Nerissa could still hear his angry grumbling between splashes of water as he rinsed the mystery goo off his leg. Throughout the incident, Desta had remained studiously focused on brushing Keme, but Nerissa could see tears gathering at the corners of the girl’s eyes from the effort of holding back laughter. That was a wise choice. Rian definitely would not appreciate anyone drawing amusement from his misfortune. Nerissa wouldn’t have been pleased either, but that didn’t change the fact that her own lip stung from biting down on it to maintain her neutral expression.
A short time later, the first group of bathers began to trickle back. Rian wasted no time before stomping down the path with a change of clothes bundled under his arm. When he returned, he looked refreshed and considerably less grumpy.
Raysel turned to Desta. “I noticed that there is a rocky outcropping near the spring. It’s tall enough to give you privacy but still has plenty of room on the other side for Caeneus and me to spar. I’m sure you will be fine on your own, but if you want, we can practice there so you won’t be by yourself.”
“I would appreciate that,” Desta answered, nodding rapidly. “I know that Jarold was just joking about sharing the water with a bear, but I still wouldn’t know what to do if an animal showed up. What if a raccoon came and stole my clothes?”
Nerissa and Raysel exchanged skeptical looks. The question was so absurd that it didn’t seem possible that Desta really believed such a thing. The look of relief on her face indicated otherwise though.
“Well, as long as we are around, you should have no fear of thieving wildlife,” Raysel replied. That was the most diplomatic response he could come up with. “If you need anything, all you have to do is call us.”
**************************************
Several minutes later, the steady click-clack of practice swords resonated off the nearby rocks and echoed into the trees. So far, Nerissa had narrowly managed to dodge and block each of Raysel’s advances. The first beads of sweat had just sprung from her skin when an ear-splitting shriek pierced the air. Distracted, she automatically lowered her sword as her attention turned from her opponent to the source of the sound. Raysel landed one last blow, poking her chest above her heart with the tip of the wooden sword.
“There are distractions on every battlefield. Don’t ever let your guard down!” he hastily chided her. He flung aside the practice sword with his left hand while simultaneously drawing Thorn with his right. “Follow me!”
Nerissa pulled out Harbinger and rounded the rocky outcropping a few steps behind Raysel. She knew that she shouldn’t take Desta’s distress lightly, but as she rushed to the water’s edge, Nerissa fully expected to find the cause of the scream to be small and furry. As soon as her eyes met Desta’s, the girl’s face turned the bright red of a boiled lobster. She wrapped her arms across her chest and erupted with another screech before plunging even deeper below the surface.
Brows furrowed with confusion, Nerissa continued to scan the area for signs of the fuzzy invader.
“Look away, Caeneus,” Raysel said emphatically.
“Why?” Nerissa asked, but the word had barely passed from her lips before realization dawned on her. “Oh!” she said, pivoting so that her back was to Desta. Of course! It was natural that she would be upset by Caeneus seeing her in the bath.
“Why did you scream, Desta?” Raysel asked.
“I saw a face in the trees!” she exclaimed.
“We’re going to turn around,” Raysel said. “Where did you see the person?”
When Nerissa turned back, Desta was visible only from the chin up. “It was in the trees over there,” Desta replied. She pointed with a trembling hand toward the trees not far from the path that led back to the campsite.
“If you see them again, call us,” Raysel instructed before pushing into the foliage in the area Desta had indicated.
“This brush is so dense that I don’t even know how Desta could have seen anything,” Nerissa said, slashing the branches out of the way with Harbinger’s sheath as she trailed Raysel.
“I’m not sure either. But someone has definitely been here before us,” Raysel said. He ducked beneath a low-hanging limb. “I can see where they disturbed the undergrowth on the way through.”
“Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that I already know who the guilty party is?” Nerissa asked.
“I realize that was meant to be a rhetorical question, but don’t you mean the guilty parties?”
Before she could voice her agreement with Raysel’s sentiment, Nerissa caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. “I just saw something this way!”
Raysel veered to the left and maintained his steady pace. He tromped down the growth with each step so that it would be easier for Nerissa to follow him. “Are you sure?” he asked a minute later. “There’s no sign that anyone has come this far.”
Nerissa whirled as she heard a soft snap behind her. There, not ten feet away, barely visible and wedged between the trunks of a triple-stemmed sycamore tree, was one of the twins. She and Raysel had gone right past him without noticing.
“Found you,” she huffed, winded from the exertion of the chase.
Defeated, Eloc sagged against the tree. He held out his hands, palms up, in an exaggerated display of submission. “I yield.”
Nerissa heard a sigh and the distinct click of a sword being sheathed. “Where is your brother?” Raysel asked, scowling. He put his hands on his hips and scanned the immediate area. “Don’t try telling me that you came alone. I know better.”
Eloc’s expression soured to match Raysel’s. “You’re right.” He wrapped his arms around one of the trunks, as if hugging it, then
shook it with all his might. The overhead branches swayed, and a shower of yellow leaves rained down. But the leaves were not the only thing that fell out of the tree. Cole tumbled out, dangling by one hand. His grip slipped from the continued shaking, and he dropped awkwardly to the ground, landing on his hands and knees.
“Traitor!” Cole remarked as he dusted himself off.
Eloc extracted himself from the tangle of trunks and joined his brother. “This was your idea in the first place. If I’m getting in trouble, I’m taking you down with me.”
“Literally…” Cole glowered at Eloc while rubbing one knee. “You didn’t have to take down half of the tree in the process!”
“You deserved it,” Nerissa said, glaring at them with narrowed eyes.
“We didn’t even see anything!” Cole exclaimed. “No harm done, right?”
Raysel’s scowl deepened. “That is not the point. Caeneus, walk these two to the camp. I’ll come up with a suitable punishment while I go get Desta.
Nerissa nodded sharply. “Lead the way.”
“We’re in real trouble if Raysel’s punishments are anything like the ones his father comes up with,” Cole said as he tramped in the direction of the path leading to the campsite.
Eloc’s lips twitched to one side in consideration. “Raysel grew up getting them from his father. He’s got a lifetime of experience to draw from.”
Reflection: Harbinger of the Phoenix (Records of the Ohanzee Book 2) Page 14
