Chadwick’s eyes flicked about the room nervously. He sat back with his chin in his hand, his brow furrowed while his fingers worked as if he were trying to rub the goatee off his face. He turned toward Illiri, his face still in deep contemplation. Tenzi heard a door open and turned to find a guard waving for Sharene.
The captain of the guard bowed toward the duke. “Please, excuse me, Your Grace.”
While Sharene walked toward the exit, Tenzi turned to address the man on the dais.
“Duke Chadwick, I think it best if King Dalwin remains here while we send word to King Brock. I could take him to Kantaria, but the sea has become quite dangerous.” Tenzi held her hands out, palms up in appeal. “The Empire has a weapon that can destroy a ship…sink it with one blow. If they are aware of the king’s escape, they may come after us. My ship was known to have been docked at Sol Polis, and it presents a risk – a risk we dare not ignore.”
Chadwick turned toward Illiri again. Tenzi’s brow furrowed, having seen it before. She holds the helm, not Chadwick. After a long and silent moment, the duchess nodded.
The duke turned toward Pretencia. “King Dalwin, we would be honored to have you remain at Wayport as our guest. For…”
The door burst open, drawing everyone’s attention. Tenzi turned as Sharene strode down the aisle, her face like stone. Behind her was a young man, tall with black hair, amber eyes, and broad shoulders. His clothing was fine enough for presentation at the palace, yet lacked the frivolity of the Duke’s outfit. Eight armed guards trailed the young man.
When they reached the front, Sharene stood to the side, and the young man walked past Tenzi to stand before the dais. The guards fanned out behind Tenzi the others, the outer two each raising a loaded crossbow, aimed at the young man. When the remaining guards drew their swords, Tenzi turned toward the newcomer in curiosity. Who is this? Why do they perceive him as such a threat?
“Duke Chadwick, Duchess Illiri,” the young man bowed his head.
“Um…Master Kony,” Chadwick stammered. “What brings you to our court?”
“I just arrived from Kantaria and came to the palace, straight away,” Kony said. “I am here to inform you that King Brock and Prince Broland are dead. The queen may join them, for she remained in a coma when I departed.”
Tenzi gasped and glanced at Parker, who stared at Kony with a furrowed brow and pain in his eyes. Brock had been Parker’s friend even before Tenzi met Parker – and that was twenty years ago.
Chadwick and Illiri locked eyes for a long moment. He leaned forward and addressed Kony. “You know this for sure? The king and prince are dead?”
“Yes. You see, I was there when the incident occurred.”
The duke sat back, his fingers tapping the arm of his chair.
Kony turned and eyed Pretencia. “I believe it is time for you to commit, Chadwick.” He turned back toward the Duke. “After all, we cannot have a rogue king roaming free, can we?”
Chadwick’s eyes flicked from Kony, to Pretencia, to Tenzi, to the guards. He kneaded his hands and squirmed in his seat.
“Oh, for Issal’s sake,” Illiri swore. “It is time to be a man, Chadwick. Arrest them and let us be done with this charade.”
With a nod toward his wife, Chadwick said, “You’re right, Illiri.” He turned toward Kony. “Ikonis, please join us on the dais. I do not wish you to get hurt.”
As the young man climbed upon the dais, Tenzi’s and Parker’s eyes locked. He nodded, and she knew what she must do.
“Dalwin Pretencia,” Chadwick announced, “I am formally placing you and your companions under arrest. Any who resist or attempt to flee will be killed.”
Pretencia’s face grew red, his cheeks shaking as he sneered, “You cannot do this, Chadwick. I’ll not be locked in a cell again.”
“Would you prefer death, Your Majesty?” Contempt dripped from Illiri’s tone. “A new order has risen. One that already claimed your kingdom, and will now add Kantaria to its lands. Chadwick and I will govern all of Kantaria now that Brock no longer stands in our way.”
“You heard the duke,” Sharene said to the guards. “Put them in shackles.”
Tenzi lifted her hands and held them behind her head in surrender. Moving carefully, she slid a hand beneath her hair and gripped the hilt of the blade that hid in her vest, between her shoulder blades. With one fluid motion, she spun, launched the blade toward a guard who held a crossbow, and ducked low. The dagger struck him in the throat and he pulled the trigger, sending a bolt over Tenzi and striking the opposite bowman in the shoulder. Tenzi raced toward the second bowman as he staggered. She dropped to her hip, slid across the marble tiles, and stole the crossbow from the guard’s grip as she glided through his legs. Rising to her feet, she shot a bolt toward the window as she leaped. The window shattered when the bolt struck, and she flew through the opening while glass rained down. Dropping the crossbow, she wrapped her arms around a tree limb to catch herself. When she looked down, Tenzi found herself dangling two stories above the ground.
“Get her!” Illiri shrieked from within the room.
Tenzi looked back at the broken window as guards rushed toward her. She rapidly walked her hands along the branch, toward the tree trunk. With a jerk, the branch bent and bounced with added weight. A backward peek revealed a guard hanging by one hand and trying to get a grip with the other. He grabbed a smaller branch that snapped, and he fell with a cry.
When her feet were able to reach another branch, Tenzi shifted to it, scrambled to the trunk, and began to climb upward. Once she was well above the wall, she worked toward it with her feet on one branch, her hands holding the one above it. More shouts came from the broken window, joined by shouts below as guards poured out a door into the garden below.
She neared the wall, the branch supporting her feet hanging a stride from it and a few feet above it. The wall was two feet thick, the drop beyond exceeding fifty feet to the river. A twang sounded and the leaves before Tenzi’s face scattered in a burst when a crossbow bolt flew past. Glancing backward, she found another bowman running toward the window. With a prayer on her lips, Tenzi jumped off the branch, pushed off the wall with one foot, and launched herself beyond it. As she plummeted toward the river, she prayed that the water would be deep enough, or her escape meant nothing.
7
Within the Void
Cassie kept her cloak wrapped tight about her to fend of the cold. Snow beneath her boots crunched with each step. Another set of footprints dotted the road, heading in the other direction. Snow had begun to gather in those tracks – tracks Cassie had made less than an hour earlier.
She stopped and listened. Somehow, the world seemed quieter during the snowfall, as if everything had stopped to stare in wonder. Again, her gaze shifted toward the gray blanket overhead. Softly falling snowflakes settled on her cheek, her forehead, her eye, each melting within moments of contact. She opened her mouth to the sky and waited. While snow did collect and melt on her tongue, the moisture was a pittance. It would take forever to quench my thirst this way. With a sigh, she lowered her head, pulled the hood up, and continued back to the Ward.
Weeks prior, she had anticipated the first snowfall, expecting a wondrous experience. Unfortunately, recent events had consumed her joy and left her hollow and numb. Broland never got the chance to see or touch snow. Now…it’s too late. The thought of what might have been rekindled her sorrow and sent fresh tears down her cheeks. Using the corner of her cloak, she wiped them dry and noticed someone standing beside the stables.
It took Cassie but a moment to realize it was Rena, wearing a gray cloak that matched her own. White flakes dotted the girl’s auburn hair, and concern filled her green eyes. As Cassie drew near, Rena called out.
“I was hoping you would return sooner. It’s cold out here.”
“Didn’t you grow up in Cinti Mor?” Cassie asked.
“Yes. But we knew better than to linger in winter weather for no reason.”
“I
have my reasons…” Cassie left the rest unsaid. Rena knew why.
“How are you today?” Rena asked. “You had already left the room when I woke.”
“I…couldn’t sleep.” Not that I tried.
“You attempted to reach your mother again last night?”
“Yes.” There was no reason to hide it. “I am able to enter the dream world with ease, and I can sense which dream is yours. My mother, however… There are so many dream bubbles. I don’t know how to locate hers among the thousands of others.”
Rena turned. “Come on. Let’s go inside.”
Cassie followed, stepping in Rena’s tracks. The snow was already halfway up her boots and it left Cassie wondering how much would accumulate by the time the storm finally passed through the valley.
Rena opened the door and Cassie hurried inside, stamping her feet and littering the rug with clumps of snow. She lowered her hood and fluffed her cloak to add more snow to the entryway, leaving the floor damp and glistening.
“It sounds as if your attempts would be more productive if fewer people were sleeping.” Rena said as she dusted herself off.
Cassie gasped. “Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?”
Rena’s eyes narrowed. “Are you messing with me?”
“No. I’m serious. I was thinking that dream walking needed to take place at night. Since my mother remains unconscious, she is sleeping during the day when there are far fewer dreams occurring.”
“So, you are saying…”
“I’m saying that I should try it now.”
“It’s almost time for lunch.”
“Exactly.”
Rena stared into Cassie’s eyes. “If you wish to try now, I will come watch over you.”
“I would…appreciate that, so long as you don’t interrupt me.”
Without waiting for a response, Cassie dashed up the stairs with Rena following. As she walked to her room, Cassie sought her source of Order. Within the blue, calm presence, she settled into a walking meditation. Rena unlocked the door and Cassie shuffled inside, shedding her damp cloak before heading to her bedroom. She sat on the bed while Rena closed the curtain. By the time she was lying on her back, Cassie’s eyes were closed, and she was in full meditation.
She extended herself into the blue presence of Order and pushed through into the other place, beyond.
The void was quiet and far less populated than in the past. A smattering of bubbles remained close to Cassie, but the one she needed was in Kantar. Thinking of her home, she willed herself there, and her surroundings shifted, a new group of bubbles appearing. Am I really in Kantar…or the dream version of it? she wondered. If so, how do I know which dream is hers?
She extended toward a bubble, touched it, and poked her head inside. She sensed a man’s presence, his dream coalescing to a bedroom with a massive bed covered in red blankets. What Cassie saw next made her gasp and recoil in embarrassment. When she withdrew, the bubble sealed behind her with a soft pop.
Oh, my, she thought. I must remember that these bubbles are filled with private thoughts. Sometimes, very private thoughts. Rather than continuing to try every random bubble, Cassie chose a new tactic.
Thinking of her mother, Cassie tried to focus on her mother’s spirit, her honest nature, her compassion. She visualized her mother in her mind and again willed herself to shift.
Three bubbles floated near her, one of them somehow drawing her attention. Cassie responded and carefully slid her hand through the bubble’s wall. Within, she sensed something familiar.
Eager to see her mother, Cassie pushed herself into the bubble. What she found was unexpected.
She and Ashland were in a closet. The door was closed, a slice of daylight coming from the crack beneath it. An oppressive sense of hopelessness hung in the air. Shadows and cobwebs and worse waited in the dark corners.
Cassie’s eyes adjusted, and her gaze fell upon her mother. Ashland was just a girl, no more than eleven or twelve years old. Her face was bruised, her eye swollen shut, her arm held close to her chest while blood dripped from her elbow. Concern for this poor girl welled up inside Cassie. She knelt and put her hand on the girl’s head.
“You are injured. I can heal you.”
Ashland blinked. “I’ve been waiting for the Master Herrin to heal me, but Tyrin will not allow them near me. He says I will learn nothing if I am not allowed to feel pain.”
“Tyrin?”
“My uncle.” The word was bereft of affection. “He’s training me so I can one day attend the Academy in Fallbrandt.”
Cassie had never heard her mother mention an uncle. “Did he do this to you?”
Ashland gave a weak nod and turned away in shame. “I…must learn respect.”
Cassie made a decision, touching the girl on the arm while seeking her source of Order. Ashland gasped and chill wracked her body. The girl morphed, her appearance aging.
“What did you do to me?” Ashland’s voice sounded older.
“I healed you.”
Silence for two beats.
“Cassie?”
Hope welled up inside Cassie, her eyes blurring from tears. “Yes, Mother. I’m here to help you.”
“Where are we?”
Cassie wiped her eyes. “This is a dream. I need you to wake.”
“A dream?”
Ashland stood and tried the door, but it did not open. “It’s locked. I…I don’t know how to get out.”
“Use your magic, Mother.”
Ashland blinked “My…magic?”
Cassie set her jaw, drew the knife at her hip, and began carving a symbol into the door. She then reached out for Chaos, and took it in. Raw energy flared inside her until she poured the energy into the rune. It, too, flared to life, illuminating the closet with crimson light until the symbol pulsed and faded. Spinning, Cassie kicked the door with her heel and it shattered, splinters swirling in the air and dissipating in a wisp of smoke.
Beyond the door, was a pale, shapeless space lit by white light.
Ashland stared at it. “I…am afraid.”
Cassie took her arm. “Don’t fear, mother. I’m with you. You can do this. You must wake.”
Ashland stared into Cassie’s eyes and nodded. “Yes. I must wake. Brock needs me. My people need me.”
Tears of loss blurred Cassie’s vision as she turned away. I cannot tell her about Broland and father. Not yet. Not now.
“Let’s go,” Ashland said as she headed toward the door.
Cassie moved with her mother, through the doorway, and into the light.
The bubble popped and the void returned. Cassie ignored the other bubbles and willed herself toward her own distant source of Order. Relief stoked dormant happiness inside her. She had done it. Her mother was awake, but new fears had surfaced, and there was little time to act.
Cassie opened her eyes and sat upright. Rena jumped and put her hand to her chest.
“You startled me,” Rena’s breathed heavily. “Is everything all right?”
“I found my mother.” Cassie flung her legs off the bed and stood. “She is awake, but she’s in danger.”
Cassie waited in the quiet corridor, leaning against the wall. The briefing room door opened and she strode forward, ready.
“Cassie?” Master Hedgewick arched his brow while looking up and down the corridor. “Were you waiting this entire time?”
Cassie nodded firmly. “Yes. It is imperative I speak with you and the other leaders.”
Hedgewick moved aside and waved Cassie into the briefing room.
Delvin leaned forward in his chair, appearing alarmed – an unusual display of emotion from him. “Is this about your brother? Are Quinn and Brandt in trouble?”
“No.” Cassie shook her head as she approached the table. “He hasn’t contacted me today.”
“What’s this about, Cassilyn?” Firellus said.
Her gaze swept the faces of the three men as she considered where to begin.
“My mot
her is awake.”
Hedgewick leaned forward, his brow furrowed. “Ashland? How do you know this?”
“I…” She could not think of a response that wouldn’t also reveal her secret. Oh, well. They would find out eventually. “I contacted her in a dream.”
Delvin chuckled. “I contact many women in my dreams. Some are queens, some…not so much.”
Cassie scowled at him. “I’m serious. I have been able to…visit other people’s dreams. I entered Rena’s dream a few days ago and have since been trying to do the same to contact my mother. Earlier today, I was able to do so. I found her, helped her, and she woke.”
“That is…incredible.” The awe was apparent in Hedgewick’s voice. “How does it work?”
With a huff, Cassie rolled her eyes. “That’s not important. She’s awake.” The men stared at her. “Don’t you see? Once word gets out that she survived, she becomes the target of another attack. My mother, the queen of Kantaria, is in danger. We have to help her.”
Delvin’s eyes narrowed, and he turned toward Firellus. “She has a point, Elias.”
“True,” Master Firellus leaned back, his finger tapping the table as he considered the situation. “But, who can we assign? We just agreed that we must send a squad out to deal with the latest disaster in Vallerton. If we have a rogue arcanist, as we suspect, it will only grow worse if we ignore it. With Bilchard, Rena, Kirk, and Nalah set to depart with Kwai-Lan, that leaves only Cassilyn, Curan, and ourselves.”
Cassie’s brow furrowed. Rena is leaving? On a mission? I wonder if she knows, yet.
A grimace crossed Delvin’s face. “You’re right. We dare not send Cassie because she is too valuable…especially now that she can communicate in dreams. I suspect we can utilize this new skill in a number of interesting ways.” The man grinned at the thought before shaking his head, as if to clear it. “The only option is Curan, whose fighting skill and natural abilities make him a solid fit, but he’s only been here for a few weeks. Sending him out on a mission this early would go against protocol.”
An Imperial Gambit (Wardens of Issalia Book 3) Page 7
