by Kim Stokely
The blond-haired messenger is dwarfed by the enormous wooden table and vaulted ceilings. His impressive leather chest plate and embellished velvet cape seem childish compared to the pictures of royalty hanging on the walls. He is not a young man, but not old either. Probably somewhere in his early thirties.
He stands when we enter, but doesn’t bow. “Queen Alystrine, I have waited long to speak with you.”
“I was only just told of your arrival.” I make my way to the large wooden chair at the head of the table. “You have a message from the Mystics?”
He gives me a curt nod. “Lord Donagh insists you release his son, Caradoc, immediately to my custody.”
“Excuse me?”
The emissary’s jaw tightens. “Do not deny the fact that you hold Lord Donagh’s son in your prison. Our soldiers saw you magic him away from the tavern. They saw the bastard, Kyran, force Caradoc onto his horse. They followed until the bastard managed to lose them in the forest.”
With a sweep of his cape the man strides up to where I sit. Maris and Geran hurry to my side. The messenger’s green eyes flash with anger. “Know this, if Lord Donagh’s son is mistreated in anyway, there will be a high cost to pay.”
Geran puts his hand on my shoulder, pressing down with enough force that I know he doesn’t want me to speak. He stares the messenger down.
“Do not threaten the Queen of Ayden, Mystic, or our revenge will be swift. We will consider the matter. Return tomorrow afternoon for our answer.”
“May I see Lord Donagh’s son, to verify that he is being well treated?”
“Tomorrow.” I stand. “You may see him tomorrow and receive our answer then.”
I head for the door and instruct the guards waiting outside to escort Lord Donagh’s lackey to the gate.
Geran and Maris follow me down the hall without speaking. Devnet and Kyran approach us as soon as we enter the dining room. My uncle’s gaze shifts between our faces.
“Well? What news did he bring? What does Braedon want?”
“Apparently they think we’ve taken Caradoc prisoner.” I look at Kyran. “Your father wants him back. Unharmed.”
Kyran snorts. “Well we didn’t shoot him.”
Maris places her hand on my back, gently pushing me toward the table. “The others have been waiting to eat until you arrived. Sit, and we can discuss what to do while we dine.”
I pick at my food, focusing instead on Kyran. “What do you think?”
My father raises his brow. “This is a matter we should all be in agreement on.”
“I know that.” Instead of eating, I take a sip of wine and turn back to Kyran. “You know your family better than any of us. I’d figured they knew Caradoc was helping you, but I guess not. Would it be better to keep him here with us anyway, or send him home? Would he spy for us, do you think?”
Kyran thinks for a moment. “What terms did my father set out?”
“Nothing specific,” Maris explains as she cuts the slice of chicken on her plate. “Only a vague threat of remuneration should we refuse to turn him over.”
I push the peas on my plate into a pile. “I think the first thing we need to do is bring him to the castle in the morning. We should at least pretend he’s our prisoner. Is he well enough to travel through the passages?”
“Why a passage?” Devnet asks. “Why not bring him under guard?”
Geran lifts his fork, waving a chunk of potato around as he answers, “There are undoubtedly soldiers in the city. They will be watching for any strange movements.”
“I can retrieve him,” offers Quinn, “if he is well enough.”
“Aye, he is healed.” Kyran casts a fleeting look toward Geran. “It’s probably best he return to our father. He is no use to us here, and I know there are those who would rather treat him as a prisoner than give him free roam of the palace.”
Geran sniffs, as if agreeing.
The others settle into eating the roasted chicken while I stare blankly into my cup of wine. Kennis asks Kyran something about his visit with Caradoc that afternoon, but my mind can’t seem to make sense of the all the words. I glance lazily down the table. My ladies-in-waiting all eat quietly. Even the talkative Lady Moira seems preoccupied.
“Alystrine.”
Hearing my name wakes me out of my haze. “Excuse me?”
Geran is watching me. “You said you would eat. You agreed.”
I look down at my plate. My stomach flip flops. “I’m not hungry.”
Now every eye is on me. I’m hot and uncomfortable having my every bite scrutinized.
Thankfully, Geran turns to his brother. “Maris and I both believe there is some dark force working within her. Perhaps the demon left a latent curse behind. Will you examine her after dinner?”
As much as I hate the idea, maybe it would explain the constant visions when I sleep.
The others finish their meals. My family want to escort me up to my rooms immediately for Devnet’s examination, but Lady Moira asks if she might have a moment alone.
“I’ll be right there,” I promise Geran when he glares at me.
Once the others leave ahead of us, Moira and I make our way out to the corridor.
“Your Majesty,” her brown eyes hold a deep concern. Her whole body fidgets. “Please, you know how much I care for you. I would not say anything unless I thought it might help.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I believe you have been cursed, my lady, but not by the demon.”
“Then who?”
Her gaze darts around the hallway. She lets out a soft whimper.
“It’s okay. You can tell me.”
“I do not know for sure.” Her lips purse together. “I only suspect. . . Do you know where Lady Siobhan spends her time while we are with you in the library? Learning to read by your side?”
A pit forms in my stomach. I’m glad I haven’t eaten. “No. Why?”
Moira’s shoulders sag. She whispers intently as we arrive at the staircase to my rooms. “Have your uncle look in your rooms for a Casting. Be sure she has not left something with a spell to make you ill.”
“I will.” I give my friend a hug. “Thank you.”
Moira walks back down the hallway as I start up the stairs. Quinn’s voice echoes in my head. We need to speak with you immediately.
Only Kennis and Quinn are waiting for me when I get to my rooms. “Where’s everyone else?”
“They received word from one of the scouts in the Common Lands.” Kennis places her hand on my arm. “The Mystics are marching toward the Plains of Sharne. By the Wesfall.”
“Tegan.” His name comes out softly. I hadn’t meant to speak it, but I’m so tired I can’t stop myself.
My mother nods. “I knew you’d be upset.”
I sink into a chair. “I thought they would wait until spring.”
“Winter doesn’t last long here in Ayden.” Kennis sits on a stool in front of me. “Spring will be here within another month.”
Quinn steps forward. “The Ovates may have predicted mild weather from here on out.”
“Do they know? Our soldiers?” I look between them. “Have they been warned?”
Quinn nods. “We have sent word.”
“But will it get there in time?”
He comes to stand behind my mother. “Our fastest messengers have been sent. Do not worry.”
“Couldn’t you go? Through a passage?”
Kennis shakes her head. “It’s too dangerous to travel outside of Uz, now that we know there could be demons lurking within them.”
I brace my elbows on my knees and put my head in my hands. My mother rubs my back. “There’s nothing you can do, Alystrine.”
My thoughts are wild. Unfocused. Desperate. I see Tegan. Slaughtered.
Quinn’s voice is low, but weighted. “Do not think of going to him.”
I lift my head. “But if he’s surprised—”
“Our messengers will arrive in time.”
Ke
nnis kneels at my feet then reaches up to hold my face in her hands. “Promise me. You will not go to him. You cannot. Even if there are no demons, you understand what would happen if you went to him alone?”
I nod, but fear churns in my stomach.
“It could ruin you. Promise me, Alystrine.”
“I promise,” but I know I’m lying. I can’t let the last images I have of him be those from my dreams. I have to know the truth. And whether or not he loves me, I can’t just let him die. “When are the others coming back?”
Kennis drops her hands from my face. “Soon. Your father still wants Devnet to examine you this evening.”
I stand and pace. I know I need to get Quinn out of the room. As another Portal, he’s the only one that could possibly stop me in the passages. I throw out the only distraction I can think of. “Moira doesn’t think the demon is my problem.”
“Why?” Quinn’s voice trumps my mother’s, “What?”
“She thinks Siobhan is using a Casting to mess with my mind.”
Kennis’ eyes follow me as I continue to pace. “Could it be true?”
“I don’t know.” My body buzzes with nervous energy. I can’t stand still. “I know I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since before I fought the demon.” My fingers rub against my temple, trying to dampen the pounding headache creeping into my skull. “And the dreams. The dreams are horrible. And getting worse every night.”
My mother comes to my side. “Why didn’t you say anything before now?”
“Because I was afraid.” I turn away from her. “The dreams are all about Tegan and Kyran. Things they say to me. The things I see . . . .” My voice cracks as I struggle not to lose control. “I thought you’d be angry with me.”
“I’ll send for a servant to bring the others back.” Quinn strides toward the door. “There is some dark magic at work here.”
Kennis tries to comfort me, but her touch is like ice on my skin.
I cross to the other side of the room. “Am I going crazy?”
“No.” The worry on her face betrays her fear. “Try to calm down.”
“I will.” But I know, the only thing that will stop this crushing wave of anxiety is to see Tegan. To warn him of the Mystics’ attack. To prove to myself that my dreams aren’t real.
Alystrine! Quinn’s voice echoes through my head. He turns from the door. “No!”
I stare into my mother’s eyes. “Please try to understand.”
I am already gathering the energy I’ll need to take the passage when she comprehends what I mean to do. She runs toward me, her arms stretched out.
“I’m sorry.” I close my eyes, find the silver thread between us, then push myself into the passage toward Tegan.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Betrayals
I know I shouldn’t go to him. I know it’s wrong. Kennis’ words of warning still ring in my ears.
Tegan is farther than I imagined. My body reels as I travel through the black void with only the slender silver strand to follow.
And then my feet land on solid ground. I blink, trying to adjust to the brightness of the . . . tent. I’m in a large tent made of dark brown material. This is no ordinary camping tent. This is meant for war. Several wooden stools surround a table covered with maps. In one corner, about ten feet away, is a pallet of sheep skins and blankets. The walls billow inward as the wind moans outside. Rich woolen rugs of maroon and blue cover the floor. Torches cast a warm golden glow.
“Ally?”
I turn and see him.
Tegan.
Everything else is forgotten as he crosses the short distance between us. I think he will take me in his arms, but he stops a few inches from me. We are so close, I can feel his breath on my cheek.
We do not touch.
We do not speak.
Instead our eyes search each other, as if trying to imprint this moment in our memories forever.
Finally, when the need in my body overwhelms me, I lean forward and kiss him. As always, our bodies press together as if we are trying to make ourselves one. His fingers weave themselves into the elaborate braids Tamra created earlier. With a slight tug, they loosen. Tegan lets out a groan. Stepping back, his fingers move under my hair until it cascades down my back. The look in his eyes is like nothing I’ve seen before. It is a hunger.
We stand apart, panting in our need and desire but, at least on my part, afraid to take another step because if I do, I won’t be able to stop.
“Why?” He has to catch his breath before he can go on. “Why did you come?”
“I had to see you again. To warn you.”
“What has happened?”
“The Mystics are marching to Wesfall. They’ll be here tomorrow.”
He only blinks, like he doesn’t understand the danger. I want to hold him, take him somewhere safe, but stop myself. The images from my nightmares race through my brain. I close my eyes. “And I have to know the truth.”
“The truth?”
I don’t want to look, but I must. Tegan’s eyes will tell me everything I have to know. I lock my gaze onto his. “Do you love me?”
My answer appears in an instant. His need, his love for me, is as deep as mine for him. He takes my face in his strong, calloused hands. “Yes. By Ruahk, yes.”
My heart skips a beat as he kisses me.
Because something else flashed behind his eyes just before he closed them. Had I not been watching so closely, I would have missed it.
I can sense it now, too, through his fingertips. His skin.
Fear.
Desperation.
Even as my body instinctively responds to his passion my mind pulls away from him. I think of Kyran. Of what this betrayal will do to him. The pain it will cause him. My brain screams at me to stop Tegan. Push him away. Leave this place before it is too late.
Tegan lifts me into his arms and, for a moment, I am connected again. He carries me across the tent. I feel as though I am flying through another passage, only this one is full of light and heat. He lowers me to a pallet of blankets and pillows.
As he leans over me, I see it again. Panic.
I reach up to brush back the hair that has fallen across his forehead. “What is it?”
He turns his face to kiss my palm.
“What are you afraid of?”
He nuzzles my hand. “Nothing.”
I know he’s lying. Even if Caradoc was wrong, and Tegan has not betrayed me, there is still much to be afraid of. This act carries consequences far beyond this tent. Not only between him and me, but between me and Kyran, us and Ruahk, between myself and those I rule.
Tegan lowers himself to my side but I roll away.
He lets out a startled cry. “Ally?”
His fear has filled me. It’s as if by stopping the momentum of our passion, I’ve broken a spell. “Why now?”
“I don’t understand.” He shakes his head. “I thought this was what you wanted.”
“But before, on the beach in the Other World, you said you couldn’t because it was a sin. What changed your mind?”
He’s confused and can’t look at me as he seems to search for an answer he hopes I will believe.
“What have you done?” I whisper.
His silence fills me with anger. His betrayal is written all over his face.
“What have you done?” I scream.
“I do love you, Ally.” He grabs my shoulders. “I swear by Ruahk, I love you.”
I struggle to free myself, but he is too strong.
“Please, believe me.” He tries to kiss me, but I turn my head. His lips press against my neck. He lets out a choking sob. “I love you.”
I manage to thrust him away. I escape his desperate attempts to hold me by running to the opposite side of the tent.
My mind is filled with thoughts, both his and mine. I let out a moan as I fight back tears. What have I done? Why couldn’t I see what this will cost me?
“Please.” Tegan climbs to his fe
et. “You don’t understand.”
The hairs on my arms stand up. From all around I sense darkness and evil. It invades my body, filling me with blackness and despair. In horror, I tear at the opening of the tent and flee outside.
And straight into a wall of Black Guards on horseback. Before I succumb to panic, I reach inside myself to try and find the passage back to my palace.
I feel nothing. No wind. No passage. Only terror.
Braedon’s low and sensuous laughter slithers through the air and coils itself around my heart. I’ve heard it so often in my nightmares. He steps from between the beasts on horseback and smiles. “The Guards are blocking any passages out.”
I can’t move my legs. It’s as if they’ve been turned to lead.
Braedon stalks me. His pale skin glows in the moonlight. His black eyes dance with sadistic pleasure. “I am surprised you sensed our trap before it was completely sprung.”
Lord Rafer, Lady Moira’s father, stands behind him. “It matters not. She came, that was all we needed.”
Maybe the Black Guards are pushing visions into my mind. Maybe I figure it out on my own. I see my fate. Tegan and I are to sleep together. Lord Rafer will drag me in front of the Joint Assembly and denounce me. An examination by one, or a board of healers, will be proof enough of my infidelity. The Elders would be forced to take back the crown by their own laws. Most Commoners would abandon me as well, judging me incapable of keeping a pledge.
Still frozen, my voice squeaks, “I won’t do it.”
Braedon’s laugh is ice to my soul. “We no longer need your cooperation.”
“Tegan wouldn’t force me.”
“Oh, my dear, he does anything I command.”
Braedon’s amusement brings sour bile to my throat. I can’t swallow. “I’ll abdicate. I’ll give the throne to Kennis.”
“And who will inherit after her? Her barren womb will produce no heirs.” He circles around me. “Once she is dead, I will take the throne for myself and my family. It will be ours for eternity. Your betrayal ends the power of the Elders.”
“I haven’t betrayed them.”
“By coming here, that is exactly what you have done.”
