by Candy Crum
The governor exchanged looks with his druid companions and his son before turning back to the Chieftain. “I guess you could say it didn’t go well.”
The Chieftain’s brows lifted. “That sounds like an interesting story. Come. We’ll talk about it over some wine.”
The governor smiled, knowing the Chieftain loved his wine at night and his kaffe in the morning. They were his favorites.
Once the mugs of wine had been handed out, the Chieftain wanted answers.
“So, in other words,” he began after hearing the story, “you left them good and pissed off.”
The governor sighed and nodded. “Yes. We did. It certainly hadn’t been my intention, but it was obvious they came there for a fight. I’m betting that even if I had delivered Talia, they would still have wanted blood. They had decided on the way that they would have it whether they got what they were after with Talia or not.”
Nodding, the Chieftain said, “I’d have to agree with that. What will you do now?”
“They’ve more than likely sacked the city by now,” Nathaniel said. “Cella was abandoned, and there was no one to stop them. To get even, they probably burned it to the ground.”
The Chieftain shook his head. “Not necessarily. If you weren’t there to see them do it—for them to torture you directly with their actions—it’s possible they left it alone. They like death and dismemberment. They like to make their victims’ final moments twisted and painful, emotionally and physically. Torching the city after you left would have served no purpose. However, there’s no way for me to know that for sure.”
The governor sighed. “I guess there’s a sliver of hope, but I’m not counting on it. Oh, well. There’s nothing we can do about it until Arcadia is back under control and we have the full strength of the Guard on our side.”
Nathaniel nodded. “Right. We made a deal with Amelia, and she’ll honor it. That just seems to be who she is. Let’s not worry about it now. We helped Arcadia, and they’ll help us, too.”
“That’s true,” the governor said, nodding his head as he tried to force away the negative thoughts. He pulled his eyes from the ground back to the Chieftain. “Where’s Elysia? I figured she’d be here to greet us.”
The Chieftain smiled, but the expression was unreadable. It didn’t look either amused or sarcastic, so the governor wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.
“My daughter got a little drunk and went for a swim. During her sojourn in the frigid water, she decided it would be a good time to go sneak into Arcadia.” His voice was flat. Apparently, the smile had been one of moderate annoyance.
The governor’s eyes widened, and his weren’t the only ones.
A shocked Cassondra stepped forward. “What? Why would she do that? That seems so reckless… not like her at all!”
“At first, I didn’t think so either. I was beginning to wonder if maybe she wasn’t having a breakdown of some kind. She’d had too much to drink, and she was talking about Liam, Cathillian’s father, and a lot of other things. She was excitable about it all. Once I got her to calm down, everything made sense, though I’m still not as happy about it as she was,” the Chieftain said.
“What about this makes sense?” Ryel inquired, worry and a tinge of authority entering his voice as he became even more concerned for his fellow warrior and Elder.
The Chieftain sighed. “I know it doesn’t sound like her, but I let her go because I felt it was what was needed. Cassondra, you were there for her when Liam was killed. You know she cried that night, then woke up the next morning and acted like nothing happened. She has done that every day since. She never wanted Cathillian to see her weakness. Now that he’s gone… Now that Arryn’s gone…”
Compassion crossed Cassondra’s expression. “She’s being hit with a wall of emotion she has no idea how to deal with.”
The Chieftain nodded. “My daughter is strong… stronger than even I knew. As I said, at first, I thought she was going mad, but when she calmed down I knew what this was. I went through the same thing when her mother died, only for me it came much sooner. The kids are grown. They are out fighting a war, and she is stuck here waiting for another to take place. But at this moment, we are not in danger.
“Elysia felt like she was sitting here doing nothing. She hasn’t set foot in Arcadia since she was a child, so she has no idea what conditions are there—what Arryn and Cat will walk into. She feels like she’s sitting here twiddling her thumbs with a smile on her face while she sends her children into a trap. Knowing what that feels like, I understand. I allowed her to go.”
Clara stepped forward, and the Chieftain smiled and nodded.
“Yes, Clara. I saw her before she left. She was with Alehah and Rae, and before you ask, very sober and determined. I haven’t seen her so determined in a while.”
There was a pause as he nodded again, Clara having said something else to him.
The Chieftain stepped forward, placing his hands on her shoulders. “I assure you, she’s just fine. The plan is for her and the Schatten warriors to sneak into the city. They are going to speak to the rodents and birds in the area, get trusted information. They want to know anything that might be of use to Cat and Arryn. No engaging, no warfare—just information. See? It’s not so bad. This is giving her a sense of purpose, so I supported it, even if I don’t like the risk. After all, these people do have mental abilities.”
“We should all pray the goddess returns her safely,” Ryel said. “All of them.”
The Chieftain held his hands out to his sides. “Let’s worry over this no more. Instead, let’s celebrate your safe return! Always celebrate life—or death. How about some wine?”
The governor smiled. He hadn’t had much experience with the druids, but he had learned two things: they were incredibly powerful, and the Chieftain used any excuse he could to “celebrate” with his people.
If he hadn’t been responsible for an entire city, he might have considered a more permanent stay—that is, if they would have him.
13
Arryn silently stared at the impressive number of steps leading up the side of the mountain to the Temple of the Mystics, eyes wide. She swallowed hard.
“You ready?” Amelia asked.
Arryn looked at her, hope in her expression. “Is teleporting an option? Because I’m getting better, and I bet I can make it without excess fatigue.”
With a roll of her eyes and a smile, Amelia said, “Nope. According to Julianne, when you make your first trip to the Temple, you must walk the whole way. If you cheat, you don’t find any real enlightenment—or something like that. Anyway, it’ll be my first trip, too, so we’ll make it together.”
Snow nudged her, a low purr rumbling in her throat as she silently offered to carry Arryn up the steps.
Taking a deep breath, Arryn nodded. “Okay, then. If we’re gonna do it, may as well do it right.” She turned to Snow and scratched her neck. “You and little man can just stroll with us. I’ll make this hike myself, but thank you for offering.”
Snow momentarily leaned into her touch before nodding and pulling away. Arryn stumbled into Amelia as Dante darted through her legs to begin his run up the steps.
Amelia laughed as she helped Arryn stand upright again. “Well, someone’s in a hurry.”
She scowled at Cathillian with suspicion for a moment, hands on her hips, before turning back to Amelia. “That would be because someone, not to name any names”—she pointedly nodded her head in Cathillian’s direction—“told Dante there would be a whole new group of people to snuggle him and tell him how damn precious he is. The cub is spoiled rotten already.”
“Hey!” Cathillian said, poking a finger into her shoulder. “He might be bonded to you, but he’s my best buddy. You shut your mouth. He’s perfect.”
Snow reached out and swatted Cathillian on the ass, shoving him forward as she growled.
“She said, ‘You did this, so you get to deal with it.’”
His brows creas
ed as he matched Arryn’s defiant stance, hands on his hips. “I know what she said!” He turned to Snow. “And you might have birthed him, but he’s my best buddy. You just shut your mouth, too! He is perfect.”
Arryn rolled her eyes as Snow let out a louder growl, lunging at him a bit. Cathillian jumped and ran toward the steps. “I’m coming, Dante! The bitches are crazy!” he shouted, looking over his shoulder to make sure Snow wasn’t really after him.
“Ha!” Arryn said, before laughing. “Serves him right. Nice one, Snow.”
When Cathillian caught up with Dante, he snatched him up in his arms and hugged him tightly. Amelia, Arryn, and Snow began their walk up the steps. They had left Samuel and Celine back in the rearick town to tend to the house he hadn’t seen in months.
It took quite some time to reach the top, and no one spoke as they fought the burn in their legs. Snow was the only one who didn’t seem to be affected, and Arryn found herself regretting not taking the snow cat’s offer.
After all, she had spent her entire life on a mountain. This was nothing to her.
When they reached the large entry doors, two men in robes awaited them. One had brown hair, while the other had dark auburn. Each wore a serious expression, but did not seem threatening—though Arryn knew they would be if challenged.
The moment they stopped, Arryn felt a familiar buzzing in her mind, the tingling feeling she had experienced often while teaching at the Academy. It was the sensation of someone brushing against her mind.
Amelia had given her brief lessons on how to shield her mind, but Arryn had no plans to do so now. If what Amelia had told her about the New Dawn was accurate, any attempt from her to shield herself would have been met with suspicion, and rightly so.
Besides, she had nothing to hide. In fact, the less she had to explain and the more they could learn from looking through her mind, the better.
The men looked at Snow with great concern, so Arryn took a step forward and ran fingers through her thick fur. The big cat purred before flopping down to the ground next to Dante—who was thankfully sitting still—and resting her large head on her paws.
“Greetings,” the auburn-haired guard said. “My name is Nigel. Amelia, I know your face from Julianne. You are a near and dear friend to our Master.”
Amelia stepped forward and smiled, bringing her hand to her head and then placing her fist over her heart, giving their salute of respect. The guard smiled and repeated the action.
“Thank you, Nigel. These are friends of mine. I’m unsure how much you saw in our minds, but Arcadia has been taken by a mystic—”
“Several,” the dark-haired guard said, compassion in his expression. “I’m sorry for that correction, but there are several. We have seen the images in the minds of the rearick coming and going from the city.”
Amelia inhaled deeply, all happiness disappearing from her face. “I had suspected. We’d discussed the possibility, but there was no way for us to know for sure.”
Nigel nodded. “Amelia this is Varick. Please forgive the lack of introduction. As for the news, I’m sorry. Your friends are wondering why we haven’t made an attempt to stop it since we knew what was happening, but I think you understand.”
Amelia looked at Arryn and Cathillian. “With the New Dawn pressing down on them, they are as trapped here as the Chieftain and Elysia are in the Dark Forest. Impending war.”
“We have been lucky that the New Dawn have stayed away so far. We’ve recently received a visitor from beyond the Madlands, where Julianne has gone to deal with the threat. It seems she has been very successful so far. Still, we have to protect the Temple. Please, come in. You and your friends are welcome—even the furrier of you.” He smiled at the tigers lying on the ground.
Amelia gave a polite smile and nodded. “Thank you, Nigel.”
The guards led everyone inside. Arryn stayed very quiet, doing her best to push away the annoyance she felt at the constant buzzing in her mind. She didn’t mind them being in her head, but she hated the sensation it caused.
After several moments, a warm, calming feeling washed over her. She felt her earlier discontent melt away, and she sighed. Comfort replaced any fear or worry from before.
“You’re safe here, Arryn,” Nigel said. “You’ve been through quite a lot, I see,” he said, taking particular interest in her.
Arryn nodded. “You could definitely say that. I’m not exactly sure what you’re referring to, though. I can’t see what you looked at. I could only feel you looking.”
“Oh! So, you’re what we call a ‘sensitive.’ It means we can’t snoop around in your mind without you knowing about it,” he explained.
She nodded. “Before I ever had a clue what mental magic really was, I went to Arcadia and met Amelia. I almost immediately felt it when she nosed through my thoughts.”
“Interesting. Do you practice? Sensitives usually make good mental magicians,” he told her.
“Oh, no. I have my hands full enough with physical magic and nature magic. I don’t need anything else. Amelia taught me enough that I can shield my mind. I don’t really need more than that.”
He chuckled. “There might come a day when that changes. If and when it does, feel free to come back. Before you leave, you should at least allow us to teach you how to properly meditate. In times of great stress, or when you have used too much magic and exhausted yourself, meditation can allow you to recharge without actually sleeping.”
Now that sounded useful. “Thank you, I’d like that. I might not have need for illusions and things like that, but I can’t deny the need for recharging on the go. I’ve been in several situations where that would’ve come in handy.”
“The Frozen North?” he asked.
She looked at him, a bit surprised, then remembered he had been fishing around in her mind. She nodded. “Yes, the Frozen North. That mountain damn near killed me a few times, but I’m a lot stronger for it. I’ll never regret it.”
They wound through the halls, Amelia and Cathillian chatting with Varick as Arryn continued to talk with Nigel. Snow stayed close behind with Dante, looking at the tall walls and the art.
Though the tiger had been in the Arcadian Capitol building, there had been a sense of urgency the entire time, limiting her ability to look around. Arryn could feel her sense of wonder and excitement as they paced these halls.
They came to a great room with large dining tables. Nigel smiled as he gestured around. “Please, have a seat. We’ll eat and have some drinks, and after that we’ll discuss the things going on outside the Temple. I know your situation is urgent, but your stomachs are as well. It’s necessary for a healthy mind!”
Varick’s eyes turned white for a moment before he put his hands together and smiled. “We must get back to the entrance, but others will be in to welcome you. Zoe and Margit say they will be here soon.”
With that said, Nigel and Varick helped them get comfortable before making their way out of the room.
“Julianne said they have great food here,” Amelia offered, looking around the room.
“Given they live a life of indulgences to keep their minds healthy,” Arryn replied, adding a bit of sarcasm to the last bit, “I’ll bet the food will be pretty unforgettable. Speaking of which, my stomach is growling so loud I sound like Snow when she snores.”
The tiger’s gaze snapped to her, a low rumble in her throat.
“What? You’re the only one who can make fun of people for snoring? You do, too, sweetheart.”
Snow grumbled again, bumping into Arryn’s chair and knocking it over. She spilled onto the floor, laughing as she relaxed there.
“You and Snow are the best friends I’ve ever seen,” Cathillian said. He was holding Dante. “Not like me and my little buddy here at all. So much better.”
“Oh, hush,” Arryn said, standing. “She’s just grumpy like her druid mom.”
Cathillian opened his mouth to speak and Arryn held up her hand.
“Are you really goin
g to walk into that?” Amelia asked Cathillian.
Laughing, he turned and sat down in a chair, adjusting the cub in his lap. “I guess not. I’ll pass—this time.”
Arryn fixed her chair and took a seat. “Thanks. I think they’d frown at murder on the Temple grounds.”
Cathillian rolled his eyes and went back to snuggling Dante—further spoiling him—while Amelia sat on the floor next to Snow, soon lying against her and using her as a pillow.
Arryn closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. She wondered if meditation was anything like what she had always been taught to do. While she had no interest in learning mental magic, she would be excited to learn meditation. Thinking of what she had been through lately, she knew it could potentially save their lives.
14
Elysia, Alehah, and Rae made it to Arcadia just as the sun was going down. They stayed back, patiently waiting for the sun to finish setting and the city to go to sleep.
The plan was simple enough, and Elysia had full faith they could pull it off without getting caught, but there was always a chance. That was why she had brought the Schatten with her. They specialized in subtlety and would be a great help to her.
Her father had been concerned for her well-being, but in truth she hadn’t felt so good in quite some time. The whole time Cathillian and Arryn were in Arcadia, she been sitting in trees as she watched the wall, or on patrol, or even fighting occasionally.
All the while wondering—worrying—what might be happening in Arcadia. Every note Cathillian had sent seemed quick. Straight to the point. He was always a terrible liar, and she had a feeling the letters weren’t honest, though she had often wondered how much of that was her own suspicion and how much of it was guilt.
She had been lying in her letters to Cathillian, too. How many times had she told him everything was fine while they were being attacked or stalked from a distance by the dark druids?
Still, her worries about the possibility he and Arryn might be in trouble she had always kept to herself. The last thing she needed was to give her father even more reason to think she was overprotective.
