The muscles along Lore’s neck and shoulders stiffened. Ten minutes ago, he would’ve killed this man and not thought anything of it. What now? Lore placed a hand on the Temanin’s shoulder. This soldier was the enemy…and yet he was still a man.
“Captain,” Geoffrey said nearby. Lore glanced over his shoulder. “We’re finding both Temanin and northerners soldiers scattered across the streets.” Geoffrey knelt down near Lore, his torch lighting up his tired face. “What should we do?”
Lore looked back around. The Temanin whose shoulder his hand lay upon had crouched into a trembling ball.
Geoffrey watched the quivering Temanin soldier. “Captain, what happened to these men?”
What indeed? Suddenly Lore stared at the Temanin, his mind dredging up a memory of another man crouched down, clutching his face, and shouting about light…
The man Lore had found in Rowen’s room way back at the Mostyn inn. Lore’s mouth went dry. Rowen, a Truthsayer. Rowen, a Daughter of Light—
Lightning flashed above him, followed moments later by a deafening boom.
“Geoffrey,” Lore turned to look at the guard, his heart pounding now, “I need you to run back to the castle, to the infirmary, and have Balint check on Rowen. She should be there.”
“Rowen?” Geoffrey’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “What does she have to do with—”
“No time to explain. I need you to do it now.”
“Yes, Captain.” Geoffrey stood and darted back toward the castle gates.
The Temanin soldier continued to shiver beneath Lore’s hand.
Had Rowen done this? But how?
The Word.
Glancing west where he had seen the surging beam of light, Lore felt an invisible fist punch his midsection. If that light had truly come from Rowen, then she was somewhere out there in Anwin Forest. Everything inside him exploded, demanding he rise to his feet and race to the forest and find her. Had the Temanins caught her? Was she all right? But most importantly, where was she now?
Another jagged flash of light ripped across the sky. This time the bolt tore open the dark clouds that for an hour had hung heavily across the White City. A loud boom filled his ears. Torrential rain came pouring down and snuffed out his torch in an instant.
Lore found himself in complete darkness with the rain pelting across his head and back. He dropped his torch and held out his hand, feeling in the darkness. He could feel the uneven ridges of the cobblestone beneath his boots.
He could do nothing now, he realized. Not without light. His only option was to find his way to the castle and regroup with his men. Then, using covered lanterns, they would scour the city.
The fierce staccato of rain drowned out all noise. He could not see his guards, nor could he hear them. He hoped his men found their way back to the castle through the storm. The darkness and rain made it hard to see or do anything.
Lore held out his hands and felt his way in the dark. Fear and impatience began to twist inside his chest. He hated feeling helpless, hated being delayed by the rain when the men scattered around him needed him, hated knowing Rowen could be out there, in this storm, and potentially in danger—
Wait. The word flowed like cool water across his mind. Wait and trust.
Lore’s heart slowly returned to its normal beat. He knew that prodding. He let out a sigh. He had no choice: He would have to wait.
His hand bumped up against rough, wet stone. Lore felt along its surface and realized it was the inner wall that surrounded the castle. Moving more quickly now, he felt his way toward the gates. His clothing clung to his body, and his hair hung across his face in long wet strands. The rain continued to pound down on him, intent on crushing him to the ground.
A minute later, his hand left the wall. Careful to keep his right hand on the stone, Lore leaned to his left. Orange torchlight flickered in the distance. It was the castle. He left the wall and hurried toward the lights ahead.
Impatience began to build inside him again, but this time Lore held it in check. He could do nothing more now, no matter how much he desired otherwise. He had to find lanterns and wait for the others. But once he could leave, he would be the first one out. He would find his men.
And he would find Rowen.
28
Bright light filled Rowen’s eyes.
She opened them with a groan. Clear blue sky shone overhead. Birds twittered to her right and somewhere behind her she could hear the roar of water. Twisting her head, she found herself lying in long green grass.
As her mind awakened more, she realized her entire body was damp. A cool breeze brushed along her body. Her skin prickled at the sensation, and she shivered. Rowen sat up and rubbed her arms.
Grass and white flowers waved in the sweet mountain air. The tall dark trees of Anwin Forest stood a hundred feet away. Twisting her neck, she saw the ivy-covered ruins. Mist drifted from the waterfalls to the right. A hint of a rainbow shimmered in the spray. She was in the same meadow. Rowen looked to her left.
The man from last night was gone.
For one heartbeat she wondered if it had all been a dream, a strange dark dream. She stood and looked down around her. Nearby, the grass lay crushed.
No, no dream. She could see where the man had fallen. So where was he now? Rowen glanced around again, but she could neither see nor hear anything other than the waterfalls and a bird singing.
She felt exposed here, out in the open. A Temanin could find her here at any moment. She needed to get back to the tunnel. Rowen took a step toward the tree line and found she could barely move. Her strength felt sapped, and her body ached. She wrapped her arms tighter across her middle and slowly continued. She couldn’t stay here, not when the enemy could be around.
Events from last night began to trickle back to her awareness. Touching the man with the dark eyes, seeing—
Her stomach roiled as her mind replayed the darkness she had seen. Lust, lies, greed…murder. So much murder. Rowen let go of her arms and wiped her hands. She could still feel the blood he carried. Such an evil, dark man.
But also a lonely and fearful man. A man who wanted peace, forgiveness. Healing. She knew. She had seen it in his eyes when he had reached out to her with his bloody hand.
Rowen shook her head, ashamed of her disgust. On the inside, that man was no different than she was before she had met the Word. Darkness filled all hearts. And every heart needed the touch of the Word. Even one so evil as him.
A soft breeze brushed her face. Rowen watched the small white flowers at her feet bow to the wind. She remembered power flowing through her. At first, it had been her truthsaying power reaching inside the man, tearing away the lies he had wrapped himself in. But from the moment the Word had appeared and moved toward the man, she had become merely a conduit of the Word’s power.
Rowen closed her eyes. She had been able to hold on only briefly before sinking into oblivion. But from those few heady moments, she understood why He, and no one else, was the Word. She might be an Eldaran, with a power unlike any other mortal, but she was nothing, nothing compared to the Word.
When her power had moved in her, it had felt like a raging river being channeled through her palm. Powerful and wild and heady. As if with a twist of her wrist, she could’ve done anything to that man. But the Word’s power had felt like liquid metal flowing through her body, evaporating her own power until only steam remained.
Yet even within that searing power she had felt the cool, soothing touch of love and peace. For one brief moment Rowen had watched as the One and All had humbled Himself to touch, to heal, to take on the darkness of that evil man.
Rowen opened her eyes and felt a single tear run down her cheek. She still didn’t understand why the Word would heal that man—or herself, for that matter. Such darkness did not belong with such light. But the Word had chosen to heal them anyway. And Rowen knew she had a long way to learn to love like that.
Sudden movement amongst the trees tore her mind away from
her thoughts. A man stepped out from the trees.
Rowen clutched her chest, paralyzed. The Temanins had found her. She took a step back, ready to run. Then she hesitated. The man, he looked… familiar.
Lore?
Her breath came out in one long rush. Lore looked up and saw her. He began to run across the field toward her. Her heart twisted strangely. Rowen hesitated, then took a step forward—
Her legs buckled beneath her. Rowen gasped and threw out her hands. Down she went, knees and palms hitting grass and hard earth. Waves of fatigue washed over her. Trembling, she tried to get back up.
Boots flashed in front of her eyes and strong hands gripped her forearms. Lore lifted her to her feet. “Rowen, are you all right?” His eyes roved across her face, his eyebrows drawn together in concern.
“Captain,” Rowen said, overwhelmed by the intense look in his dark grey eyes. She couldn’t think. The adrenaline rush was morphing into shock.
“What happened to you? Do you need to sit?” He readjusted his hold on her.
Rowen looked up and opened her mouth to speak. No words came. It felt as though everything had been drained from her. Perhaps everything had. She could hardly stand now. If it weren’t for Lore holding her up, she would be lying on the grass.
Lore’s frown deepened. He spoke, but his voice faded away.
Heat began to swirl again inside her chest. Her eyes widened at the feeling. Panicked, Rowen looked down, expecting to see her hand glowing again. But the heat, instead of flowing down her arm toward her hand, seemed to radiate out from her, as though her power were reaching outside her body, feeling those around her…
Suddenly she could feel Lore’s deep concern for her…and his relief at finding her. And something else, like a blazing fire inside of him—
Rowen gasped. Had she just used her truthsaying power on Lore…without touching him?
A cool hand touched her forehead. Immediately, the heat inside her dissolved. “We need to get you back to the castle.” Lore removed his hand. “You’re warm and pale…and wet,” he finished, his eyes taking in the rest of her physique.
Rowen glanced down, seeing herself for the first time. Her blood-splattered uniform clung to her shivering body. “I-” she stuttered, still shaken over the fact that her power had somehow been triggered without her mark. Had her experience from last night somehow amplified her ability? Rowen shuddered at the thought.
“Here.” Lore tugged at the clasp around his neck and pulled the dark cloak off of his shoulders.
“How did you find me?” Rowen watched his face as he placed his cloak over her.
“I saw the light last night,” Lore said in a strange tone. He clasped the brooch shut.
“Light?” Rowen gripped the cloak close to her body. Lore took a step back. The cloak smelled like rain and leather. Like Lore, she realized. Before Lore could answer, another man emerged from the forest. Blond hair pulled back. Black tattoos across his right cheek.
“Captain!” Aren shouted. Then, “Rowen?”
Rowen watched Aren dash across the tall grass.
“Aren!” Lore yelled back.
“Captain.” Aren came panting to Lore’s side. “I can’t believe it! You found her—” he turned to look at Rowen. “But how? Where have you been, Rowen? We’ve been so worried—”
“There will be time for questions later,” Lore said. “I need you to go back to the castle and tell Balint I found Rowen.”
“Balint?” Aren said in surprise.
“Yes.”
Aren hesitated, a frown on his face. “Yes, Captain. But what about Lady Astrea? She will want to know that Rowen has been found.”
“I will tell her myself after I get Rowen back to the Healers Quarter.”
Aren nodded. “Yes, Captain.” He gave Rowen one more look before turning and heading back toward the forest.
Rowen watched Aren disappear into the trees. “I don’t understand.” She turned back to Lore. “How are you and Aren getting in and out of the city? I had to come through the tunnel.”
“The Temanin Army is gone. Or at least, most of it.”
“Gone?” Rowen stared at Lore, speechless. “But-but how?”
“We’ll talk about it on the way back. Do you think you can walk?”
Rowen brought enough of her mind back to assess her body. She could stand—but walk? “I don’t think so.”
Lore moved to her side and held out his arm.
Rowen took it. Her legs trembled. Lore slowly led her across the meadow. The Temanin Army…gone? Impossible! But then, how were Lore and Aren here? And Lore wouldn’t lie…
“A lot happened last night,” Lore said. He grew quiet, as if thinking of what to say. “I’m not sure how much you remember of yesterday.” He turned and looked at her.
“Not much,” Rowen replied. Her mind felt hazy. “I remember…” She stopped. She remembered boulders flying. She remembered Donar, and trying to heal him. Rowen swallowed and looked down. She wasn’t ready to talk about that yet.
Lore nodded as if understanding. They began to walk again. “The bombardment never stopped yesterday,” he said in a quiet voice. “I had a servant take you to the Healers Quarter, and I made sure Lady Astrea was safe. Don’t worry, she is,” he said when Rowen looked at him.
“Afterward, I headed to the outer walls. I did everything I could think of to keep our city safe. We fought all day and into the night. But nothing we did seemed to stop the tide of the Temanin Army. They outnumbered us. For every Temanin soldier we shot down, three more took his place. Their catapults pounded our walls and gates. But we held on. And when evening came, I thought we might actually live to see the next day. Then the Temanins brought out their greatest weapon. A catapult like none I have ever seen.” Lore paused. “It took out most of the main gate with one hit.”
“No!” Rowen looked up at Lore.
His eyes were now seeing another time. “I knew the end had come. I called for a retreat. We raced to the second gates. The city burned behind us. Temanin soldiers were storming through the city. And then…” Lore’s voice hitched.
Rowen felt her stomach clench.
“Then I ordered the castle gates shut.” Rowen turned and stared at Lore’s face. His lips were now pressed in a grim line. She saw the agony written across his features. “I had to shut the gates on our own soldiers to protect those inside the castle.”
Her throat tightened. To condemn your own men… “But what happened?” Rowen shuddered inwardly at the scene Lore painted. “How is it you’re here?” And not a prisoner, she thought. Or dead.
“The Word,” Lore said quietly. “The Word saved us.”
Rowen scrunched up her face. “How?” The word fell from her lips.
“All hope had left me, Rowen,” Lore said. They reached the trees and stopped. He turned to look at her. “I did not believe we would live to see morning. I could hear the battle raging on the other side of the gates. And I stood there, knowing I had shut the gates on our own men.
“I fell to my knees and cried out to the Word. But deep in my heart, I did not believe we would be saved.” He gave her a small laugh. “I forgot that the Word could do anything. And He did. As I knelt there beside the gate, yelling at the sky, suddenly this pillar of light shot out of Anwin.”
“Light?” Rowen remembered Lore had said something about that earlier. Something about how that was how he had found her…
“It soared toward the sky, lighting up the entire area. All the fighting stopped. Everyone stared at the light. Then the surge of light…” Lore seemed to search for a word… “collapsed. The light flowed through the trees, tossing men like a flood as it swept across Anwin Forest and into the city. Men screamed like I’d never heard before.”
Light. Anwin Forest. Men screaming. Rowen had heard men scream before, when she had used her mark on them…
Suddenly Rowen felt lightheaded. She could barely breathe, barely believe what her mind was now telling her. It all made sense.
And yet the truth of it terrified her. That pillar of light Lore spoke of… It had come from…
Her.
“It was me,” Rowen whispered, scarcely realizing that Lore had stopped talking. “The light came from me.”
He turned to face her directly. “I know.”
Rowen looked up in surprise. “You know?”
“After the light disappeared, a handful of guards and I went out into the city. I spoke to one of the Temanin soldiers, and all he could say was ‘The light.’ I remembered that night in Mostyn when I found that man in your room—you remember?”
Rowen nodded slowly. She did not like to think about that night.
“He had said the same thing. ‘The light!’ Then, when I discovered you were gone from the Healers Quarter, I knew it was you—that some way, somehow, your truthsaying power had caused that light. And that light terrified everyone it touched. I believe it caused each person to see the darkness inside themselves, incapacitating those we found outside the walls.”
Rowen remembered what the Word had told her last night: You must hurry. Your entire city is at stake… She had gone to that meadow thinking she would be touching only that evil man. But the Word had used the power inside her to do far more. He had saved the White City…through her.
Rowen felt horrified and awed at the same moment. What was this thing inside her that could do such things? She began to shake again. What other things could she do? And should anyone have such power?
Trust me.
The words drifted softly inside her mind.
Trust Me, Daughter of Light. You have been gifted to help those who cannot help themselves. And under My guidance, you have nothing to fear. But the road will not be easy…
The vision she had seen of her life as a dark road came back to her: a long dark road that led toward light. To trust the Word would be to have His hand in hers, a companion along that dark path. To not trust would be loneliness and fear. And to possibly fall away from that path into total darkness.
Rowen shivered at the thought. Oh, Word, I will trust you, she cried inside her mind, mentally reaching for Him…
Daughter of Light (Follower of the Word Book 1) Page 36
