“Look around you, Evie. Does anything look familiar? Smell familiar? Taste or sound familiar?”
She could feel pinpricks of perspiration and the hairs standing up at the back of her neck. She’d been trying to shut out all of the foreignness of where she was, hoping that as the drug wore off, so would the sense of dislocation. And while she couldn’t understand how they had not been splattered across concrete, her logical mind told her that there had to be a rational explanation, no matter what insanity had taken over her friend. But it was true, nothing felt familiar. This didn’t feel like scenery from a world she knew; the air was cleaner, fresher and the land around them looked virgin.
Ignoring her silence, he continued, “None of it is familiar because we are no longer where you think we are. We have traveled through time and lands.”
“You’re beginning to scare me, like you scared all the other people I used to defend you against.”
“I never needed your defense.”
“But still I gave it, because I loved you.”
He flinched as though slapped. “Evie, you’re going to have to trust me. Nothing you see from here on is going to be familiar to you. Hospitals don’t exist here, neither does any of the technology you have taken for granted. I know you think I’m crazy but I am all you have. And I promise you that I am sane.”
“Why am I here?” she demanded, her confusion mounting to the stirrings of panic.
“I just told you. You were born here. I had to return you to your home.”
“Return me? So you’d already taken me from it once . . . is that what you mean?”
“Yes,” he said, shocking her. “I took you from this world when you were a newborn.”
“Twenty years ago?”
He shrugged. “Yes, but perhaps time passes differently in the world I took you to. How old do I appear to you?”
It was her turn to shrug. “I don’t know. I suppose beneath all that terrible beard and unruly hair you are in your late thirties, early forties. Why? How old did you hope to be?”
He nodded sadly. “I was just eighteen when I was given the task of taking you to safety.”
She needed to keep him talking while her mind tried to make some sense of what was going on. “So my father—the king,” she said carefully, nodding at him to show that she was trying, “asked you, a young noble, to rush me away to safety from this Loethar fellow who was killing all the royals.”
“Thank you for paying attention.”
“So that makes me a princess.”
“Yes. That’s why we had to protect you.”
She couldn’t help herself. As much as it galled her to humor this ridiculous story any further, she was intrigued as to where he’d take the tale next. “Do I have siblings? Fellow young royals?”
“Two brothers, one of whom is adopted.”
“Ah, so they were whisked off to other places, were they?”
He shook his head. “No, only you. You had to be hidden. The Valisar dynasty has never had a surviving daughter. In centuries of rule, all girls—until you—have either died in the womb or soon after birth.”
She hadn’t expected that and felt a fresh wave of panic. He really looked like he believed all this. “So I’m the first surviving female heir of the Valisars and they had to get me away. Why? Isn’t a male heir more important, or do they do it differently in the Denova Set?” Even she could hear the sarcasm biting and hated herself as she watched those words batter against someone she loved.
“Your brother, Leonel, is the primary heir. But Leonel is not gifted in the way we suspected you could be . . . and I now know you are. We were right to take the precaution.”
“Gifted?” She felt goosebumps rise on her flesh. “What are you talking about?”
“The talent that was beginning to show itself through your work as a healer will actually have been severely suppressed in the world I took you to. Here, it will presumably manifest itself far more dramatically. At least that’s what I’ve been led to believe.”
“You’re losing me, Reg.”
“Call me Corbel . . . please.” She really did feel lost, and she assumed it showed because his expression softened. “Let me tell you everything I know and then you can make up your mind.”
“About whether to stay, you mean?”
He shook his head. “There is no way back, Evie,” he said gently. “Hear me out, hear it all and then decide whether you still trust me.”
Her mind was reeling but she didn’t feel as though she had much of a choice. Carefully, she returned to her position against the tree and nodded. “All right, Corbel de Vis, tell me everything you know.”
Chapter Two
Kilt Faris chewed on a piece of meat. Jewd had insisted that he eat. It had been several hours since he’d faced his nemesis and though his men had left him alone he knew that patience wouldn’t last. The sickness had passed but he could still taste its acid remnants at the back of his throat. How would he ever explain his behavior to his people . . . to Jewd?
From the corner of his eye he saw Jewd and Leo nod between themselves and approach, sitting on either side of him. He knew they wanted answers.
“Where is he?” Jewd asked Leo, breaking the tense silence.
“I’ve asked Gavriel to get him away. He and the woman have taken Loethar higher, heading east. I’ll meet up with Gavriel shortly . . . when we understand more.”
Jewd nodded and they both turned to Kilt.
“Are you going to explain it?” Leo asked.
“I didn’t know, if that’s what you’re asking,” Kilt growled.
“Didn’t know you were an aegis, or didn’t know who your Valisar was?” Leo said firmly.
Kilt ground his teeth, flung the piece of meat down. “What was the point in admitting anything all these anni? It hasn’t been relevant, wasn’t relevant until now.”
“Leo’s just finished telling me what an aegis is. What I want to know is, did you know you were one?” Jewd demanded. His voice was quiet but his tone told Kilt that he did not want anything but a truthful response.
“Yes,” he said through gritted teeth, avoiding Jewd’s eyes.
“For how long?” Jewd pressed. Kilt could hear the pain in his voice.
Kilt sighed. “Does it matter?”
“To me it does, because you’ve been lying.”
Now he did look at Jewd and saw the anguish in his friend’s face, recalled promising the man just the day previous that he had no further secrets. “Jewd, please listen to me. I didn’t know that Loethar was even Valisar. How could I? None of us did. I learned about the powers of the ageis at the Academy. I sensed my powers were more than just a trifling magic around the time of my mother’s death, but essentially they felt like tricks for most of my life.”
“I don’t believe persuading people to spill their private knowledge is a circus trick, Kilt,” Jewd interrupted, his voice hard. “What you’ve admitted to being able to do is hardly trifling. It fills me with both awe and dread. And anger—because you chose to keep it from me.”
“I told you, I have not used those powers until just days ago when I went in search of Lily.”
“Well, at least you admit that she means that much to you!” Leo cut in archly. “We will find her and we will get her back, Kilt, I promise you that. But right now we have to understand what we’re up against here. We are not your enemy, so stop treating us as if we are. Jewd and I need to share as much as possible with you or we can’t protect you.”
Kilt laughed sadly. “Protect me? You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”
Leo was not to be dissuaded by the disdain in his friend’s voice or the low threat that underpinned his words. “That’s the point I’m making. We don’t have any idea and so we wish to understand. I know what an aegis does, what he or she is born for. I’ll be honest, I’ve never felt mine present.” He gave a hollow grin. “But, my understanding is that as a Valisar I should feel that person and only that person who was bor
n for me.”
Kilt sighed. “That’s right. The Valisars are only aware of their own aegis,” he lied, grateful for Leo’s obviously weak powers. “However, an aegis who comes too close would be aware of all the Valisars, which is why it’s so dangerous.” He felt bad for lying, but knew it was necessary. “The magic inside me recognizes you even though I am not your aegis. Your presence sickens me, Leo.”
Leo looked at him, open-mouthed.
“That came out the wrong way,” Kilt backtracked. “What I’m trying to say is that what you saw me experience with Loethar is, to some degree, how I feel around you.”
“I make you feel ill?”
Kilt nodded. “I have worked very, very hard to overcome it. But it is always there. Your father did the same to me. The first time I saw the king from a distance my magic responded to him; that’s how I knew what I was. That’s why I made my home up here in the highlands, so I could avoid the towns and city, live as an outlaw, keep to myself and only have people around me I could utterly trust.”
“And that’s why you’ve been avoiding me.” Kilt watched the young king throw a glance at Jewd.
“I have kept my distance, Leo, but I have not avoided you. Apart from your dealing with Freath, I am proud of you and what you have become. I just find it hard to be around you for long periods.”
“And it’s different with Loethar?” Jewd asked.
Kilt gave a snort of despair. “Wildly different. I lose control. He nearly undid me back there,” he admitted. “And he knew it. If he has another attempt at me, I won’t win. I was only able to resist this time because all of you came to my aid.” Kilt shook his head with disgust. “Loethar’s a Valisar!” he spat. “Incredible! He murdered his own brother.”
“Half-brother,” Leo corrected. “And he would take you to task over that. My father killed himself to prevent Loethar having the satisfaction.”
Kilt shrugged. “Half-brother, full brother. Did your father know they were related, do you think?”
Leo shook his head wearily. “I don’t know the answer to that. My heart says no, but Loethar seems to think my father was aware of him. My father was a man of secrets. It’s possible he could have known—that might explain why he went to such lengths to have the plan in place for me should Loethar overrun the Set.”
Kilt agreed. “I didn’t know Brennus in the way that many did but my instincts combined with what I’ve learned over the anni suggest that he was perfectly capable of having this information and acting upon it.”
“Why didn’t he just send an army in and kill Loethar if he knew?” Jewd wondered.
Leo shook his head. “That would not be his way. My father was not a coward but confronting Loethar on his territory, with nowhere for an army to take him by surprise, no familiarity of the lay of the land or helpful knowledge of what the enemy was capable of, would have definitely made him reluctant to take that approach. And perhaps he wasn’t completely sure of Loethar’s birthright, so he waited for Loethar to come to him.”
“Very costly,” Jewd remarked.
“In hindsight, yes. Too costly,” Leo admitted. He frowned and turned back to Kilt. “So in Loethar’s presence you will always feel nauseous and without control?”
“In his presence I will be at his mercy. I will be made well again, of course, but only when he’s bonded me.”
Leo nodded and looked at Jewd, who wore a quizzical expression. “The Valisar must consume part of his aegis to trammel him.”
“Consume? As in eat?” Jewd qualified, a look of dismay on his face.
Kilt nodded at the same time as Leo and Jewd looked away, disgusted, then stood. “Well, that’s going to happen only over my dead body, Kilt.”
Kilt smiled sadly. “I don’t deserve you, Jewd.”
“No, you don’t,” the big man replied. “You don’t deserve Leo or Lily or any of the people who support you.”
Kilt nodded in acknowledgment. “There’s more, and you might as well know it, now that I’m being forced to bare my soul,” he said. As his companions threw a worried glance at each other, he continued, “I don’t know what it is but I’ve felt a disturbance.”
“Disturbance?” they asked together.
Kilt considered how best to explain himself. “Not so long ago I suffered a sort of dizzy spell. I thought it was still part of the same response to Loethar but I’ve been thinking about it and it was not. I have no doubt now. It had a different signature . . . it felt different. I don’t really know how to describe it and while this might sound fanciful, the only way I can pin it down is to say that it felt very clean . . . a really pure sort of magic.”
“Loethar’s is tainted, you mean?” Jewd tried.
Kilt shook his head. “No, not exactly. Loethar and Leo possess no magic of their own. Neither of them is empowered in the way that say I am or any Vested is. But both are Valisar and a Valisar can respond to the magic of the aegis. I should also tell you, Leo, that your Valisar magic is very weak. I’m grateful for that or I would never have been able to live around you.”
“Trust me to be the weak link in the family,” Leo replied quietly but savagely. “I suppose Loethar is strong?”
Kilt nodded.
“Go on,” Leo said, his mouth twisted in private disgust. “What about this new feeling you’ve experienced? Who or what is it?”
“I don’t know. I can only use the word pure because it feels like it has its own source, its own reason. But beyond that I don’t understand it.”
Each of them paused to consider this new revelation but it was Leo who broke the silence. “Well,” he said, straightening, “we can’t worry ourselves with what we don’t know, don’t understand yet. We have enough to frighten us right now. We need to make a decision about Loethar and we have to consider the next step for Lily. Whatever else is hurtling at us can wait as far as I’m concerned.”
Jewd nodded. “I agree. Let’s make a decision about Loethar. Do we kill him? I’ll oblige if no one else has the stomach for it.”
“No,” Kilt said. “His death achieves little right now. We need to know more about why he’s here. Why he’s alone. What his intentions are.”
“To bond you, clearly,” Leo said.
“No, that’s not right. He had no idea that his aegis was roaming the north. And if I wasn’t the attraction the most obvious conclusion is you,” Kilt said, stabbing a finger toward Leo. “Except he didn’t even know you were alive! He wouldn’t have even recognized you or known you were the missing Valisar if you’d introduced yourself under a guise. So he’s here for different reasons. And he certainly didn’t arrive here willingly. Why did he travel north? Why alone? We need to learn as much as we can to help Leo’s chances.”
“All right, but we can’t let him near you,” Jewd argued.
“We don’t have to. I will speak with him,” Leo said, his tone brooking no argument. “It is my place, anyway, to do so. His challenge is essentially at me.”
Jewd frowned. “If he’s the rightful heir, where does that leave you, Leo?”
“Leo is heir,” Kilt growled. “His father was king. He is next in line.” He looked at Leo. “The fact that your grandfather sowed wild seeds on the plains is not anyone’s concern. Loethar is a bastard heir of mixed blood. Brennus married a royal; you are a blueblood. That gives you rank.”
Leo didn’t look convinced. “I suspect we won’t get an opportunity to argue it in front of the nobles. Loethar took the crown; he has worn it for over a decade now and let’s be very frank, his people are now comfortable with who is ruling. The fact that he is Valisar only improves his position, if I’m honest.”
It was Kilt’s turn to share a worried glance with Jewd. “Are you relinquishing your claim, Leo?”
“Absolutely not! I’m simply stating that we could argue the rights and wrongs of it until we’re blue in the face. The fact is he wears the crown. Me arguing my lineage makes little difference. I must take the crown back . . . by killing him if necessary. And
if that whore Davarigon giant hadn’t got in my way, I might have achieved that and this conversation would be academic.” He took a deep breath. “I’m going to talk to Gavriel. I’ve got a decade’s worth of catching up to do with him.”
“Don’t let Loethar corner you into doing anything hot-headed,” Jewd warned. “You are a king. Don’t forget that. It’s your calm and your inability to be taunted that will most frustrate him.”
“You made a fool of him once,” Kilt agreed, “hiding under his nose and then escaping so audaciously. Continue to make a fool of him by not falling prey to his baiting. That’s how you’ll keep the upper hand.”
Leo grinned. “Thanks.”
After he’d left, the two men remained quiet for a while. Finally Jewd sighed. “Were you planning to tell me or were you just going to give me the slip?”
Kilt looked up at his friend. “Why do you think I’d leave?” he asked, dismayed.
Jewd shook his head, gave a brief rueful smile. “I’ve told you before, I’m big, not stupid. Did you think I couldn’t work it out for myself?”
Kilt looked down again. “Jewd, I don’t know what to think but I know this: you are the best friend a man could have.”
“I’m glad you realize that.”
“I would have discussed it with you.”
“Look at me when you say that. I have to know I can trust you, Kilt, or as I’ve told you previously, it might be easier to leave you to it.”
“That’s not what I want.”
“Then I demand your honesty.”
Kilt stood up, feeling stronger again despite his aching muscles. He sighed. “I guess I don’t even need to ask if you’ve noticed anything about Leo.”
“I’ve noticed. Leo is pushing for independence. He won’t live for very much longer under your thumb.”
Kilt nodded. “That’s as it should be. He’s been groomed to rule since he was on his mother’s teat.”
King’s Wrath Page 2
