by N. C. Hayes
The floors and walls were made of light gray stone, brightened by sunlight pouring in through the enormous windows that lined the room, three on each side, reaching from floor to ceiling. Brightly colored tapestries hung along the walls: one painstakingly woven into detailed pictures of wildflower fields, and another a perfect depiction of the night sky. Beautiful tables lined the room but lay empty, awaiting guests and food to fill them. At the far end of the hall stood a small group of people, hands folded, waiting for us.
The man at the front of the group wore a teal tunic with gold embroidery at the wrists and neck. The color was bright, and complemented well by the man’s dark skin. His braided black hair was pulled back from his face, which was as smooth and youthful as any Medeisian. The woman beside him wore matching colors, her dress similar in style to the daring, low-cut ensemble Hannele had worn to the coronation. Her gown bore no embroidery or embellishment of any kind. Instead, she wore a simple golden circlet atop her head and a large necklace made of gold that extended down over her shoulders, forming into roses and thorns, something between jewelry and armor. The tattoos that covered Aydan’s arm, and that I’d seen glimpses of on Gerridan and Alastair’s bodies, covered every visible inch of the lady’s skin, up the sides of her face, which was stoic but not unkind as they took in our arrival.
Aydan walked toward them, the rest of us falling into rank behind him. He stopped a few feet away and the couple, along with a group of people standing behind them, bowed in unison.
“Your Majesty,” the woman said, “welcome home.” Aydan took a step closer and kissed each of her cheeks.
“Grandmother,” he said with a nod. Another nod to the man. “Grandfather.”
Priamos and Solandis, the Lord and Lady of Sylvanna.
I tried not to gape as Aydan exchanged greetings with his grandparents, who were now hugging him and speaking casually. Solandis smiled broadly at Aydan. Her eyes fixed on me. “This must be the new one,” she said. I swallowed.
“Yes, my Chief Advisor.” Aydan gestured for me to come nearer. I took a few steps forward. “Lady Shaye Eastly.”
I curtsied, then faced the pair, waiting for them to speak first as Hannele had instructed me. Lady Solandis looked me up and down once before saying, “Well, you must favor your mother’s looks. You look nothing like Lord Redfern.”
“Thank you, my lady,” I replied, unsure if the comment was a compliment.
“It is my understanding that Lady Brina commanded our troops as well as any Sylvannian-born soldier,” Priamos added. “Are you skilled in battle, Lady Shaye?”
“I’m afraid not, my lord,” I said.
Aydan said, “Lady Shaye is recently under the instruction of both Lord Gerridan and General Alastair. They tell me she has improved greatly.”
“Good. You may need it,” Solandis said. A dismissal.
I fell back into place beside Gerridan, who gave the briefest nod of approval. Quietly, I let out the breath I’d been holding in. Aydan didn’t care much for formalities, but from what my friends had told me, these ancient nobles certainly did.
“Your Majesty, will you be joining your grandfather and me for dinner tonight?” Solandis asked.
“Tonight, I have much to do,” Aydan replied. “I’ve been away for a long time. I’ll be getting my household in order. But perhaps tomorrow, after our agreements have been signed.”
Solandis inclined her head. “Indeed, there is still much to plan for the eclipse as well. We look forward to our audience with you tomorrow night.”
“Lady Grandmother.” Aydan kissed her hand before turning on his heel and taking our hands once again to effuge out of the castle. As always, the falling sensation unsettled my stomach. Once I steadied myself, I looked around the sitting room where we now stood, in Aydan’s private residence.
It was a house. Not a castle. Not a manor, or mansion. But a house, albeit a large one, large enough for the entire Cabinet to live with him, as well as his servants—
Behind me, I heard a gasp.
“My lady?” Isolde was standing in a doorway, staring at me as if I were a ghost.
“Isolde.” Her name caught in my throat as I stepped toward her. She moved to curtsy, but I wrapped her in a hug before she could.
“His Majesty sent word that you were safe once he returned to Ayzelle, but—” She cut herself off, pulling out of the embrace. “It is good to see you, my lady.”
“And you, Isolde. Is Tory here? And Zale?”
“Yes, they’re down in the kitchens, I—” She looked over my shoulder, and I realized that my friends were all watching us. Isolde curtsied. “Your Majesty, princess, my lords and ladies. Welcome home.”
“Hello, Isolde,” Gerridan said warmly before walking up a flight of stairs beside us. Hannele, Kenna, and Alastair all greeted her briefly and went their separate ways.
“I asked Elise to send a note ahead of us. Was it received?” Aydan asked.
“Yes, Your Majesty. The items you requested are in your study.”
“Thank you.” He turned to me. “Will you join me?” I nodded and followed as Aydan led the way through the house and into a back room. The walls were lined with bookshelves that reached from the floor to the ceiling and were filled to the brim. In the center of the room, there was a desk. He sat behind it and gestured for me to sit in the chair in front, where I watched and waited as he shuffled through a stack of papers nearly an inch thick. Over each one, he waved his hand and left his blue seal upon it. Once he’d made his way through the pile, he slid them across the desk. I picked them up and flipped through them.
“What is this?” I asked.
“Those are the deeds to the remaining properties once owned by Lord Ronan Redfern,” he said. “Upon his execution, all properties in Ayzelle belonging to House Redfern were seized by the Crown and destroyed. As you can see, there is a considerable amount remaining here in Sylvanna. They are yours by right.” I quickly slid the papers back to Aydan.
“I don’t want them,” I said. “I don’t want anything to do with House Redfern. I don’t want his properties. The Crown can have them.”
“You can sell them if you wish.” Aydan shrugged. “Or burn them to the ground if you so desire. But you are by right the head of House Redfern, and the owner of”—he quickly counted the deeds—“thirteen estates. None of them are operational, of course, but you are now a very wealthy woman. The Crown can offer you help in making any of them livable, so you have plenty of choices for the location of your new home. You could be settled in within a couple of weeks.”
“My new home?”
“You seemed adamant to resign last we spoke,” Aydan replied stiffly. A lump formed in my throat.
“I don’t want to resign,” I said softly. “I’m sorry for my behavior—”
“I’m not looking for an apology,” he said. “I’m simply delivering to you what is yours by right.” He slid the deeds back to me and added, “Your position was not offered to you as a debt to be repaid, but as it seems it has been perceived that way, I wanted you to know that you are not stuck with me, or this Cabinet, my lady. The choice is yours, and always will be.” I took the stack of papers from him and placed them in my lap. My lady, he called me.
“If it’s not any trouble,” I said, “I would like to stay near the rest of the Cabinet. I will make a decision regarding these properties at a later date.” He nodded.
“A room has been prepared for you, next to Hannele and Kenna. Your belongings have been placed there already. The servants will call you for dinner. Until then, the day is yours.” He began shuffling through another stack of papers littering the desk.
“And after dinner?”
“What about it?”
“Will we be continuing our lessons together?” Aydan looked up.
“I believe you were correct in saying that our lessons weren’t going anywhere,” he said. “We’ll have to rethink how to approach your extra abilities. Let’s set it aside for now. Tomorrow we�
��ll sign the new trade agreement between Sylvanna and the Crown, and the eclipse is the following night. Consider this a day off.” His tone indicated that he didn’t want to talk any longer, so I stood and matched his formality with a curtsy.
“Your Majesty,” I said before turning to leave. I could have sworn I saw him wince.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Hours later, I was in the front sitting room, letting my stomach settle after an enormous roast venison dinner prepared by Zale and Tory to welcome the Cabinet home. Hannele and Gerridan sat on the sofa opposite me, her head resting on his shoulder, the both of them nearly asleep. Alastair had returned to his bedroom, saying something about training in the morning. Kenna sat in an armchair, her legs draped over the arm while she flipped through some book she’d been wanting to read.
“No lessons with Aydan, then?” she asked after a while.
“No, we’re going to reassess after the eclipse,” I said, plucking at a thread in the sofa. “When and what is that, anyway?”
“It’s a festival,” she said. “A feast and a ball honoring the union of Ehnara and Lehrun. The day after tomorrow. You’ll have fun.”
“Yeah, fun.” I thought of the last ball I had attended. And with whom. “Is there any word on Stefan?”
“The captain’s condition is the same, last I heard,” she replied, putting her book down. “Still rambling. The healers in Ayzelle don’t know what to do for him.”
“Isn’t there somewhere else he can go?” I asked. “Can the Crown fairly sentence someone who doesn’t even remember committing the crime?” Kenna looked thoughtful for a moment, staring up at the ceiling.
“There may be some healers in Xarynn who could take a look at him. I’ve heard of a place where they help people whose minds have been affected by magic—particularly witchcraft. I wonder if . . .” She fell silent, then stood from her seat. “I’m going to write a letter.”
I sighed. “I think I might go for a walk.”
“I’ll see you later, then,” she said as she headed for the stairs. Before she reached the top, she called over her shoulder, chuckling. “This would be a lot easier if we had an actual witch around. They could reverse his condition—maybe teach you a thing or two while they’re at it.” I huffed a laugh as Kenna continued her ascent, then glanced over at Gerridan and Hannele, who were now fully asleep. Gerridan’s arm was wrapped around the princess, both of them slumped over but looking peaceful. I waved my hand and spread a blanket over top of them before walking out the front door.
I made my way down a path leading from the house. It was completely dark out, but the ground was illuminated by the full moon and the beautiful glowing white flowers that lined the path. With their light I could see scores of trees and shrubs surrounding the area, and other houses in the distance. The whole of the village looked as if a gardener had designed it, but something within me said that it was the magic of this land that had perfected its own design.
The moon was so bright that I stopped to admire it, and I wondered if Ehnara watched over this place. If she was even real. I didn’t know much about the goddess, nor her male counterpart, Lehrun. They were not to be discussed in Nautia. No gods were worshiped there, though most mortals celebrated Yule out of tradition. I wasn’t sure how long I had been standing there when I heard footsteps behind me. “The moon is beautiful tonight,” I said.
“It is,” Aydan agreed from my side.
“I’ve waited a long time to see Sylvanna. For a while, I wasn’t sure if I ever would. I couldn’t wait until morning to step outside.” He didn’t reply; instead, he too looked up at the sky, watching the moon as the chill night air surrounded us both. “Kenna said the eclipse celebrates Ehnara and Lehrun,” I said after a few moments. “I don’t know much about them.”
“The story goes that Ehnara embodies the moon: the mother, watching over her children as they sleep. A guiding light in the darkness. Lehrun embodies the sun: the father, life-giving, allowing all things to grow. Their love for one another is deep and all-encompassing, but for them to truly be together would mean destruction for the world—us, their children, whom they love dearly and protect fiercely. To allow us to thrive, they must remain apart. An eclipse is a rare stolen moment between lovers. We celebrate their love, and their sacrifice.”
“That’s beautiful,” I said. “Do you believe? In them, I mean.”
“I never used to,” Aydan sighed. “As a child I would get dragged to the temples for rituals at the solstices and equinoxes, but I never took it too seriously. After the duel, I abandoned what little belief I did hold. But during the coronation, when that oil touched me— I can’t quite explain it, but it was like they were there. They seemed to approve, for what it’s worth.”
After another moment’s silence, I said, “Kenna said something else interesting. It was just in passing, as a joke, but I’m curious what you think about it.”
“Oh?”
I hadn’t been able to get the words out of my head since she said them. “We were talking about Stefan’s condition. She said that it’s too bad we don’t have access to a real witch to reverse whatever it was I did to him—and someone who could teach me a thing or two.”
Aydan stiffened. “And?”
“What if . . . well, would such a thing even be possible? The Nautians employ witches in their palace. Could we . . . could we maybe locate—?”
“You want to learn from a coven?” he asked harshly.
“No, but—what we’ve been doing so far hasn’t worked. We know what coven Lord Ronan sought out. Maybe the Children will be sympathetic. Maybe they’d be willing to make a deal.” I turned to face Aydan, who was gaping at me. “I know it sounds crazy.”
“You’re right, it does,” he said. I bit the inside of my cheek and turned back to pretend I was looking at the moon again.
“You said you wanted a different world. A united Medeisia. Extending an olive branch to a major coven could—”
“I meant quelling mortal uprisings. Opening trade with Nautia. Not cozying up to the very people who helped your father try to destroy this kingdom,” he spat.
“You can’t teach me how to control these powers.” My fingers sparked. “Nor can any other Medeisian. The accident with Stefan made it very clear that I’m constantly just a step away from killing myself or someone else. You saw what I did to him. I shattered his mind. My motivations are nothing like Ronan’s—how dare you compare me to him—”
“That’s not what I—look, I know everything that happened with Captain Whittaker has been difficult, and that your recovery was brutal, but this isn’t the answer.”
“Then what is? It only gets worse, Aydan. I have to take that damned tincture every night, I now have three elements bursting from me without warning, and yesterday we learned that I’m a fucking mindwalker—” I threw my hands up in frustration, and along with the motion, a nearby sapling began to grow taller.
Taller.
Aydan and I stared as the tree grew so large before our eyes that its roots sprung up from the earth, loosening the dirt around it. Creaking out an ominous groan, the weakened roots gave out and the tree began crashing down toward us. Aydan swore and grabbed my hand to run, but we were too slow, and within seconds, the branches were just over our heads. Aydan threw his body over mine, tackling me to the ground.
We both coughed as the dust settled around us. Aydan was on top of me, with a branch laying over his back, pinning him to me, and me to the ground. I raised my arm and focused, willing the branch to break, or the tree to lift itself back into the air. Dark flecks floated in my vision and my breathing became labored as I clenched my teeth and pushed my will further into my palms and—
Everything went black.
“Shaye, come on, wake up—” Aydan’s voice was frantic and I felt myself being shaken. My eyes fluttered open, and his hands held my face as he looked me over for injury. “Are you all right? Can you hear me?”
“I’m fine.” I pushed myself up.
Everything was spinning. I leaned to the side and vomited. “Make that four elements,” I said before vomiting again. Aydan’s hand rested on my back, but I shook him off as I moved to stand.
“Take it easy.”
“I’m fine,” I snapped, brushing leaves and twigs off my dress and plucking them from my hair.
“You just lost consciousness,” he said.
“Yes, and I would love to learn how not to do that. But the one person who can help me find a teacher refuses to do so.”
“It’s not that simple. We’re talking about millennia of animosity. The Children would sooner kill me on sight than make a deal. We don’t even know where they are, other than somewhere in the Creg’tam Mountains.” Aydan’s voice was dripping in frustration. I fumed and tried not to stumble.
“I suppose you’d better start looking for a new advisor, then,” I said, swaying. “I won’t survive this much longer.”
“Shaye—”
I felt myself hit the ground before passing out once again.
Chapter Thirty-Four
I woke with a pounding headache and clutched my head as I sat up and tried to determine where I was. It was a large bedroom suite, with a wardrobe and vanity similar to the ones in my room in Aydan’s chambers back in Ayzelle. Even the embroidered white quilt matched, which had me half wondering if the contents of that room had simply been transported here, like my luggage.
“Easy there,” said a deep voice. Alastair was sitting in an armchair in the opposite corner of the bedroom. He waved his hand and a glass of water appeared on the bedside table. I took it and drank deeply.
“What time is it?” I asked hoarsely. “What happened?”
