by SJ West
“Then you know where she is?” Thaddeus asked with newfound hope for our cause. “If we can convince her to come with us to the Fae capital, we may be able to persuade the Fae to accept her as their leader again and decrease the number of lives lost during the battle. It’s quite possible we could perpetrate our own coup instead of an invasion.”
“But those most loyal to Nuala will not accept Lanai as their new queen,” Edmund pointed out. “Especially that boy she left to rule in her place while she is gone.”
“Boy?” I asked. “What is his name?”
“Karis,” Nicole provided me. “I believe you’ve had a run in with him already.”
I felt my body instantly tense at the mention of the young sorcerer who used Dracen like a puppet to conjure up the plagues. He was supposed to be Dracen’s apprentice and friend, but he turned out to be someone with his own evil plans to further Nuala’s agenda.
“Yes, I’ve met him,” I admitted, glancing at Dracen to see what his reaction to this new bit of information was. The slight slump of his shoulders indicated sadness, but the intense focus of his eyes showed me he wanted revenge for what Karis made him do against his will. I couldn’t blame him for either emotion. To realize someone you loved and nurtured for years had simply been using you for his own nefarious purposes had to be gut wrenching. Even with the few memories I retained from Kira, I knew Dracen had been a devoted and loving father to her. I felt sure Dracen was much the same way with Karis while he lived in Ledmarrow Mountain.
“If I may,” Thaddeus said, “I would like to suggest a slight alteration in your plans, Edmund.”
From the stiffening of Edmund’s posture, it was easy to tell that the commander of my army wasn’t used to having his plans questioned.
“And what, exactly, is your proposal?” Edmund asked.
“I would suggest that you send what’s left of our navy to the Fae side of the island instead of placing two of our allies in a position to retain the ground we gain over there. Chromis and Kamora may be our allies for the moment, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t join forces to maintain control over that side of the island.”
I saw the logic in Thaddeus’ suggestion. Considering Sora’s initial demand for Vankaran soil when we negotiated the terms for her country’s help, I had to admit that his suggestion was a prudent one.
“I would have to agree with Thaddeus on this point,” I told Edmund, hoping not to poke at his ego too much. “If Sora or Chromis thought they could keep the Fae side of the island, they would do it in less than a heartbeat. I think it would be a good idea to keep their forces separate.”
“Agreed,” Edmund said with little resistance.
“And might I also suggest,” Thaddeus said, “that we bring the Chromis forces to Iron City? They are the more experienced army, and I wager we will end up with a more bloody battle here at home than we will in the Fae capital. If things work out, placing Lanai on the throne might even keep the fighting to a minimum over there. It’s quite possible that the Kamoran troops will act more as peacekeepers than invaders.”
“That is agreeable,” Edmund said, “and rather well thought out for a politician.”
I wasn’t completely sure if Edmund meant his words as a compliment or an insult. I could tell by the tight-lipped grin on Thaddeus’ face that he wasn’t at all sure either.
“Thank you,” Thaddeus replied, deciding to view Edmund’s words as a compliment. “I do have some skill for strategizing.”
“Fallon,” Nicole said, “do you think you can show us on a map where we can find this Lanai?”
“I can do better than that,” I told Nicole before Fallon had a chance to reply. “I can take you to the spot where we met her.”
Nicole narrowed her eyes at me, looking somewhat puzzled by my suggestion. “Your Majesty, your place is here at the college, not in the wilds of Fae territory.”
“Lanai will not listen to you,” I said, looking at everyone present to make sure they all heard me. “She is an old woman, completely set in her ways. Even though I’m sure you can be very persuasive, Nicole, I don’t believe she will place her trust in you. Sometimes only a queen will listen to another queen. I believe I have the best chance of convincing her to help us and her people.”
“I would have to agree with Queen Emma,” Gabriel said in support of my idea. “Lanai already has a relationship of sorts with her, and hopefully, a certain amount of trust.”
“As a diplomat,” Thaddeus said, “I would also have to agree. Since our queen already has a foundation to build upon with Lanai, she is the logical choice to be our voice in this matter.”
“What about you, Thaddeus?” Fallon asked. “You seem to have a previous relationship with this woman.”
“That was a very long time ago,” Thaddeus replied. “Lanai and I did not part company on good terms with one another. I would suggest that I stay here where I can be more useful.”
“I will go with Queen Emma,” Dracen volunteered.
“Then, I’m going too,” Fallon said.
Gently, I placed a hand on Fallon’s arm to draw his attention. “I would rather you stayed here and kept an eye on things in my absence. You know as well as I do that we will have to take advantage of Nuala splitting her forces. When that happens, you’ll need to help coordinate our troops. You’re the only one I trust to keep Aleksander and his army in line.”
“I don’t like the idea of you being in enemy territory without me,” Fallon said in a low voice meant for my ears alone.
“I can take care of myself,” I said meaningfully, subtly reminding him that I was far from helpless. My powers might not have been completely under my control, but I felt sure they would serve me well if my life was ever in danger. “Plus, Dracen will be with me.”
“I believe I should go as well,” Gabriel announced. “I can help you negotiate any terms with Lanai, if need be.”
I didn’t particularly want Gabriel to come along, but refusing his help would have looked suspicious to the others. I suspected his motives weren’t entirely political in nature, but I couldn’t very well call him out on it considering our present company.
“Of course,” I said to him, “your help would be greatly appreciated, Gabriel. I believe we should set this plan into motion as soon as possible. Dracen, how quickly can you enchant the trillian to transport us back to Ledmarrow? We will need to coordinate with our dragons so they can send out messengers to the ships at sea. Edmund, you should take this time to decide where you want the Chromis ships to make harbor.”
“I will need an hour or two to make the talismans,” Dracen told me.
“I’ll need about that much time to send some of Nicole’s scouts out to see where the safest place for the ships to dock is,” Edmund replied.
“I don’t see a problem with that time schedule,” Nicole said, agreeing with Edmund’s assessment.
“Good, then let’s all meet back here in two hours,” I told everyone. “In the meantime, I’m going to spend as much time as possible with my daughter before I have to leave her again.”
“Allow me to escort you back to her,” Gabriel volunteered before anyone else had a chance to offer.
“Thank you,” I said, being as gracious as possible, even though I would have rather made the trip back to the dining hall alone.
“As soon as we have everything ready,” Fallon said to me, “I’ll come get you.”
“The sooner the better,” I told him. “I want Nuala off our lands.”
“We’ll get her out,” Fallon promised, “one way or another.”
Gabriel walked up to me and held out a bent arm for me to take. I placed my hand through to grip the crook of his elbow.
The flash of a long lost memory played inside my mind. I saw a vision of Gabriel as Jacob, holding my arm in a similar manner as we walked down a city street together.
“I’ve planned a surprise for you today,” Jacob told me as we walked down the crowded sidewalk.
; “And what is this surprise?” I asked him, filled with excitement.
“It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I told you what I had planned.” He chuckled. “Patience, my love, and all will be revealed.”
The vision ended as abruptly as it started. It left me wanting to know what it was Jacob had done for Kira that day. I looked over at Gabriel, but thought better of asking him to tell me what his surprise for Kira had been. He wasn’t the only source of such information. If the day ended up being one important to Kira, she probably wrote about it in her journal. Once I had a moment to myself, I would look to see if she made an entry describing what happened. Gabriel was the last person I wanted to ask for a favor. In fact, I toyed with the idea of requesting that he stay here in Iron City while Dracen and I dealt with the battle on the Fae side of the island. The last thing I wanted to do was spend time with Gabriel, but I knew my personal feelings would have to be pushed aside for the greater good of my country.
I needed to find a way for us to be friends again, even with the knowledge of our past lives out in the open. I just wasn’t sure if I could make that small miracle happen.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
After Gabriel and I left the room, silence enveloped us like a third party as we made our way down to the dining hall. It was then certainty took hold of my heart, and I knew Gabriel felt as uneasy around me as I did him now. When Gabriel cleared his throat—a sure sign that he was preparing to say something to me—I felt my body involuntarily tense as if it was bracing itself to hear what he had to say.
“Am I misreading the signs, or did you fall in love with Fallon during your trip?” Gabriel asked, his voice suspiciously void of any emotion except curiosity.
The question caught me off guard. I didn’t expect Gabriel to inquire about my feelings for Fallon so openly. How I felt about John was none of his business; yet, something buried deep down inside me yearned to tell him the truth. Would the truth cause him pain, or perhaps make him jealous? I wasn’t sure which, if either, emotion he would feel, but I did know he deserved to hear the facts from me.
“Yes,” I confided. “I did fall in love with Fallon during our trip.”
“And is what you’re feeling real or simply Emma’s latent emotions projecting themselves through you?” Gabriel asked harshly.
Gabriel’s words stung my heart and brought up a question I had asked myself at one time. Now, however, I knew what I felt for Fallon were my own feelings and not those of Queen Emma. Intellectually, I understood Gabriel was just lashing out at me the only way he could. Considering our strange circumstances, I couldn’t fault him for his human emotions. However, I knew him. I knew the goodness of his heart. Even if what he just said was meant to hurt me, he would hate himself later on for doing such a thing to a friend.
“They are my own feelings,” I declared proudly, wanting to make sure Gabriel understood my love for Fallon was real and not simply a remnant of Queen Emma’s affections.
Gabriel remained silent for the remainder of our walk back to the dining room. I didn’t push him to speak to me. All I could do was hope that he would quickly sort out his feelings concerning our unique situation. We couldn’t afford any animosity between us because we had too much work to do.
When we entered the dining hall, I was surprised to see Adam Bellas sitting across from Inara and Dena at the table. Dena giggled at something Adam said, making him smile in return.
“I think it would be best if I didn’t accompany you any farther,” Gabriel said to me, eyeing Adam with undisguised hatred.
“I agree,” I replied, not wanting to subject Dena to the tension between the two men. “Please let me know when Dracen is finished making the talismans.”
I removed my hand from Gabriel’s arm. He bowed to me at the waist and left without saying another word.
When I looked back at the table, I saw Adam staring at me. His blue eyes were alight with excitement, and a smile lit his handsome face. My only memories of my brother were those few that Kira shared with me. I knew she loved him, and it was plain to see that he loved her too. Apparently, he had loved her so much that he traveled to alternate worlds to find her doppelgängers. Such undertakings indicated to me that he had been desperate to be with Kira again.
Adam stood from the table and asked to be excused by Inara and Dena before he made his way over to me. I felt a tightening in my chest at his approach and knew in that instant that Kira’s feelings for her brother ran just as deeply as his did for her.
“Can you forgive me?” Adam asked as he came to stand in front of me. “I never meant for my crusade to find you to cause you any pain. That was the last thing I wanted.”
I glanced around the room at all the students present, realizing this wasn’t the best place for us to have our conversation.
“Why don’t we take a walk?” I suggested to Adam.
Adam nodded as he followed me out of the room.
As we walked through the corridors of the college in silence, I noticed a group of three students mopping the floors.
“Why are the students cleaning?” I asked Adam. “Most people use the automatons for such menial tasks.”
“The automatons left the city a few days ago,” Adam informed me.
His words made me come to an abrupt halt. “Left?” I asked in bewilderment. “Where did they go?”
Adam shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not sure. No one has seen them since the Fae occupation started. It’s almost as if they went into hiding and are just waiting for the fighting to stop.”
I thought about this possible explanation for the automatons’ odd behavior. Of course, I knew that the automatons weren’t just machines. The trillian that powered them also contained the souls of those who died during the plagues. Why would they run away when the fighting began? As far as I knew, the automatons did what they were told. They didn’t have the power to reason things out on their own.
I continued to walk down the hallway with Adam by my side, but the exodus of the automatons still plagued me.
Once we arrived in the outer courtyard, where my airship was still anchored, I turned to Adam and found myself staring into his blue eyes with nothing to say. Finally, I found my voice.
“I don’t have many memories of you,” I confessed. “I only have a few from when we were younger.”
“That’s actually more than I could have hoped for,” Adam said. “When our father told me about what he helped you do, he also warned me that even if I was able to find you, you probably wouldn’t remember me. So, a few memories is better than none, Kira.”
Slowly, I shook my head. “I’m not Kira anymore. You need to understand that too.”
A sad smile stretched Adam’s lips. “I do realize that, but you’re still my sister, no matter what form your body has transformed into. I will always love you as such, even if you can’t remember me. I have enough memories for the both of us.”
Adam’s words made me realize that I did, indeed, have another source for Kira’s memories. The only question was: how much did I truly want to know about the person I was born into this world as, and could I trust Adam’s memories to be unsullied by his own personal feelings? It was obvious that he had loved his sister greatly, but could I trust him to keep his anger towards Gabriel out of the retelling of my life? Anything he said about Gabriel would have to be taken with a grain of salt.
“Maybe once this war is over, we can sit and talk about the past,” I told him. “Right now, we all need to concentrate on removing Nuala and her troops from Iron City.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t see how mad for power she had become,” Adam apologized. “If I hadn’t been so consumed by my own agenda, I would have realized what her plans were and been able to give you some warning.”
“I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that she’s our aunt,” I confessed. “From the few memories I have of our mother, I don’t understand how her sister could be so different from how she was.”
“Those
differences may be one reason our mother volunteered to go to Ledmarrow when our father was ready to take on a new apprentice. She and Nuala never got along very well. Even when they were children, mother said her sister had a sadistic streak that she could never fully comprehend. I think Nuala forcing the reigning queen of the Fae out of power was the last straw for our mother.”
“Funny you should mention that,” I said with a wry grin. “We will be going to the Fae side of the island to find the queen Nuala usurped and ask for her help.”
“Really?” Adam asked, looking intrigued by this plan. “To what end?”
“We want to place her back on the Fae throne.”
Adam’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Well, I can’t say I saw that twist coming. I wager neither will Nuala.”
“Have you spent much time with the Fae?” I asked, remembering Dracen mentioning that my brother had spent time living within a multitude of different cultures around the world.
“I spent some time there after our mother passed away. I needed to get away from Ledmarrow for a while, and Nuala was kind enough to let me stay with her.”
“I find it hard to imagine Nuala being kind, even to a child.”
Adam let out a harsh laugh. “I know. Maybe kind isn’t exactly the right word. It was more like she tolerated my presence there. Although, I can’t say I ever thought she was power hungry enough to start a war. I hate it that she used me to further her own agenda. I’m truly sorry about that.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” I consoled. “You couldn’t have known what she was up to.”
“I should have known though. I’m usually a better judge of character than that.”
“Sometimes when people let their emotions get the better of them, they lose their way. It certainly seems like that’s the case with Gabriel.”
Adam took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he considered my words.
“I think you’re right,” he admitted. “Whenever I see Gabriel, all I see is red. I’m not sure I can ever forgive him for abandoning you after Jocelyne’s death.”
