by Megg Jensen
I stopped drinking and stared at her over the mug. No wonder my throat and lips hurt so much.
“Three days since the headache that caused me to pass out?”
Johna shook her head. “No, child, that was two weeks ago. It’s been three days — ”
“Since Mark broke down the wall?” I looked at Mark, the tears still sat in the corner of his eyes. “I felt it.”
“I know,” he said. “I’ve never experienced anything like that before.”
“Neither have I.” It was nothing like the time Nemison looked for my gift when Johna and Mark first suspected who I really was.
Mark cleared his throat. “I’ve never broken down a mental wall before. I didn’t know I could.”
“Thank Eloh you did,” Johna said. She dipped a cloth in water, wrung it out, and placed it on my forehead. I relaxed into the cool sensation. “You very nearly died Reychel. I’ve never seen anyone come back from the brink of death like you did.”
I glanced at Mark and mouthed Thank you. He grabbed my free hand, kissing the back of it. His lips felt soft and warm on my skin. Even though I craved the cool sensation of the cloth, I didn’t complain about the contrast. After what we’d been through, I’d never complain about anything Mark did.
“Did you see what was behind it?” I asked. “I was there with Mark every step of the way, but at the moment of impact I lost consciousness again. Did you see anything?”
Mark shook his head. “I didn’t. Just a black essence. It dissipated before I had a chance to figure out what it was or where it came from.”
“Alia?” I asked. She had been the slave assigned to me when I first came to the Southern Kingdom. She’d proved her treachery when she revealed her plans to use a gifted army she’d built against us. Spending far too much time alone with me, she could have easily planted the block in my mind and I never would have known.
“Probably,” Mark said, “or someone who works with her.”
“We’ll find her,” Johna said. “Mark filled us in on everything while you were unconscious.”
“Us?” I asked.
“Yes, Reychel, us.”
I sat up and looked around the room. Nemison stood in the corner, his arms folded across a long woolen cape.
“Aren’t you hot?” I asked. If I hadn’t just recovered from the headache of the century I would have smacked myself on the forehead. It was a stupid question at a time like this.
Nemison chuckled. “No, I’m not. I’m able to use my gift to keep me cool and I prefer to wear this cape all the time. Any more pertinent questions?”
I took a deep breath. Without meaning to, I’d dispelled the tension and I had a much more important question to ask him. “Why didn’t you see the block when you probed me last summer?”
He sighed and walked to my bedside. He clapped Mark on the shoulder, motioning for him to get off his chair. Mark stood up and Nemison sat in his place.
“When I probed you back at Johna’s cottage, I wasn’t looking for a block. All I wanted to do was set your gift free. Entering someone’s mind is a violation, one that can never be undone. It leaves a mark on you forever. I only did what I had to do and nothing more.”
“So we don’t know how long it’s been there?” I asked.
Nemison shook his head. “It’s possible it’s recent. When did the headaches start?”
“When I came here, to the Southern Kingdom. I’d never had one before then. Well, I had, but not that bad.”
“Then it’s possible Alia did this to you,” he said.
The first day Alia served me, she’d also discovered I was the Prophet. That’s the same day the headaches started.
“But why? Wouldn’t it have been easier to just kill me rather than setting something in my head?”
“We don’t know why, Reychel,” Johna said. “We may never know. But for now, until we know for sure that it’s safe, you won’t be allowed to participate in any strategy sessions for the war. It’s quite possible that wasn’t just a block, but that someone was spying on us.”
My door swung open.
“Finally you’re awake.” Krissin kept up her tradition of never knocking. Her blonde hair flew behind her as she breezed into my chambers. “We have a problem. I need you Reychel. Can you get up yet?”
Chapter Four
I pushed my back against the headboard, struggling to sit up. I held my chin high and looked like I had some control over the situation. If there was one thing I’d learned about Krissin it was that I couldn’t show any weakness around her or she’d never respect me. We’d spent the last couple weeks fighting and she’d only given an inch with me when I argued with her. It was the only way I could make her listen to me.
Krissin tapped her foot while looking me up and down. No one else spoke a word.
“I just woke up from a coma.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Krissin waved her hand in the air. “Now you’re awake. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. It’s time to get back to work.”
“Krissin, we discussed this,” Nemison said. “You are not to share anything with Reychel. We don’t know if we’re being monitored.”
Krissin rolled her eyes. “This has nothing to do with the war. I need her opinion on a dress.”
“A dress?” Laughter poured out of me faster than I’d coughed up blood a few days ago. “You want my opinion on a dress? Are you kidding?”
Krissin’s lower lip stuck out just a tad. She had really perfected the poor little girl routine, but I knew better. So did everyone else in my chambers. Johna meandered back over to the table, fidgeting with her wares.
Krissin leaned in closer to me and whispered, “Just in case someone is listening. I need you to play along.”
“Of course I’m not kidding.” Krissin stretched back up and her gaze fixated on her father and then moved to Mark. Neither made a movement. She turned back to me. “Didn’t they tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
Nemison had the nerve to walk away, whistling.
“Mark?”
“I don’t want anything to do with this dress.” Mark sauntered over to the window and stood next to Nemison. “Nice day out there, isn’t it?”
I huffed and laid my gaze on Krissin. “What is this about?”
“Why, only the most important thing to happen to the Southern Kingdom since the last ruler died.”
“The one you killed?” I asked.
“That’s old news,” Krissin said. “I’m talking about my wedding!”
I took in a sharp breath. Wedding? “I thought I’d only been out for a couple weeks. Who are you marrying?”
“Ace,” she said. “Obviously.”
I looked at Mark and Nemison again, but both still whispered at the window. Johna didn’t meet my gaze either.
“Does Ace know he’s getting married?” I wouldn’t put it past Krissin to plan a wedding without consulting him first. “Before I passed out, he had left to scout the supposed gifted army.”
“You don’t have to tell me what I already know,” Krissin said.
“Does Ace know?” I asked again. Krissin wouldn’t plan a wedding without his knowledge, would she?
She lifted her chin and her pert nose pointed up in the air. “Ace loves me. When he comes back from his mission we’ll be married. Then we can move the army out. Besides, we can’t do anything until we’ve heard back from —”
“Krissin!” Nemison yelled as he spun around. “Don’t talk about our war plans.”
“I wasn’t. Not really. Now back to my wedding.” Krissin reached into a bag she had slung over her shoulder and pulled out two pieces of parchment. “I had Manda draw these up for me. She can’t make the gown until I approve it, but I just couldn’t decide if I liked the low-cut neckline, or the even lower-cut neckline.”
I glanced down at the parchment to make her happy. I’d never had much interest in clothes, other than to make fun of the noblewomen who’d frequented Kandek’s castle. When I looked down, I was su
rprised to see two maps.
The first had an arrow pointing to the dock I’d heard so much about. It was the same dock Ace left to scout with a small contingent of the Sons before I passed out. We hadn’t heard back from him. Well, I hadn’t. If I could believe the map, he’d found something there.
“I don’t know.” I carefully chose my words. I pointed at the dock and raised my eyebrows. “I’m not sure how I feel about the waistline. You might look fat in that.”
“Fat,” Krissin squealed. “I would never look fat in anything!” She whipped the maps behind her back and glared at me. “If you want to help me pick a dress, I suggest you never, ever say that again.”
“Okay, sorry.” I swallowed a laugh. I’d actually offended her. After all the times she’d taken me down, I was a little pleased with myself for getting one in on her. “Let me see them again.”
Krissin continued to glare at me, and then, slowly, she presented the maps to me again. I took them, one in each hand, and studied them.
The dock had five hundred enemies marked next to it and four galleons. I knew a galleon was a ship. I had no idea what it meant for the war. If they’d needed covert information on washing dishes, I was their girl. But most of this map meant nothing to me.
Then I saw the second map. This one I recognized, my homeland, the Northern Kingdom. A red circle wrapped around Kandek’s castle and, Keree, the town just north of it.
“I think this one is far more interesting,” I said to Krissin. “But I’m not quite sure I like the red accent. It represents death.” I hoped Krissin knew I meant it as a question. I wanted her to tell me it was just the opposite, that the people in that small town and my friends at the castle were safe.
A rare glimpse of emotion escaped from Krissin’s eyes. Sadness, maybe a touch of pity. I couldn’t tell.
“You’ve hit it on the nose, Reychel. Red does symbolize death. The sash,” Krissin circled her finger around the castle and the town, “is gone.”
I gasped and then covered my mouth with my hand. “Gone?”
Krissin nodded and put her hand on my shoulder. I fought to retain control, knowing that my voice would crack through the rush of tears. Anyone listening in would know right away that we weren’t talking about dresses.
“I need an accent, Reychel. Whether it’s on my shoes,” she pointed to the dock, “or around my waist.” She pointed to my home. “I need to find a focal point.”
“Let me think about the sash,” I said as I handed the maps back to her. “You concentrate on the shoes.”
I glanced back over to the table. Johna shook her head, her eyes downcast. Mark and Nemison had turned back to me. Mark’s furrowed brow and slitted eyes screamed his concern. A small smile graced Nemison’s face. I had made the right choice, and maybe Nemison was the only one who’d agreed with it.
“I need to take a bath and get dressed,” I said. “Everyone but Krissin can leave now.”
“But I — ” Mark started. I held up a hand at him and crinkled my eyebrows.
“Everyone but Krissin,” I repeated. “Go outside and keep watch so we can speak freely. Please?”
Mark sauntered over and kissed me on the forehead. I saw the warning in his eyes. I’d been intrigue’s best friend over the last year. I could take care of myself now.
Thank you, I mouthed to him.
“I haven’t finished treating you,” Johna said. “I’m not leaving.”
I opened my mouth to object. Johna held her hand up, imitating exactly the move I’d used to keep Mark quiet a moment ago. It worked.
“Don’t argue with me, child. I’m staying. You’ll need help cleaning up and I know Krissin won’t bend a finger to help you.”
Krissin shrugged. “True. That’s for servants, not for princesses.”
Johna glared at Krissin, but Krissin turned her back.
“Bye, Daddy.” Krissin pecked Nemison on the cheek.
“Sorry about her attitude,” Nemison said to me. “I can’t imagine where she gets it.”
I laughed. Johna rolled her eyes and Mark good-naturedly punched Nemison on the shoulder.
“It’s okay. I’m used to her now,” I said. Krissin stuck her tongue out at me. Well, I might have been in a coma for a couple weeks, but at least Krissin hadn’t changed. My life had been unpredictable since leaving Kandek’s castle. I could use some predictability, even if it was in for the form of Krissin’s bad attitude.
After Mark and Nemison left, I pushed aside the blankets, swung my feet over to the floor, and stood up. I wavered and grabbed the bedpost.
“Don’t stand up so quickly!” Johna yelled.
Before she could get to me, I slipped back on the bed.
“You could have caught her,” Johna said to Krissin.
“Oh, sorry,” Krissin said. “I thought you’d help her.”
“I was on the other side of the room,” Johna said. “You are an insolent child.”
“I am Princess-in-Residence of the Southern Kingdom.” Krissin straightened up to her full height, which wasn’t higher than Johna’s shoulder.
“I don’t care,” Johna said, her voice flat.
“I killed the last ruler of the Southern Kingdom,” Krissin stated. She stood on her toes and looked Johna in the eyes.
Johna waved her hand in the air. “I once brought an entire military regiment to its knees, keeping them from attacking my town until the battle was called off.”
“Really?” I asked, forgetting Krissin’s spitting match. “How did you do that?”
Johna’s lips parted into a smile. “I was once a beautiful young woman.” She looked Krissin over from top to bottom. “Back then girls were known for their natural beauty, not the over-the-top gowns and makeup you use today.”
Johna’s wrinkled face and stooped back convinced me otherwise, but the glint in her eyes assured me that her claim was possible.
“I used my beauty, much the way Krissin does, to get myself into the heart of a man. Then I slipped a particular herb into his goblet and the goblets of his high-ranking officials. They were down with diarrhea for a week. Can’t march like that and it took too long to send in a new general and commanding officers.”
Krissin’s face screwed up into an expression of disgust. “That’s gross. Couldn’t you have seduced them and convinced them to leave?”
“This was far crueler. You’re not the only one who occasionally delights in someone else’s discomfort. Tea?” She held out a mug to Krissin.
“Um, no. Don’t ever offer me anything to drink again.”
“I’ll take it.” I held out my hand for the mug. I recognized the scent - cinnamon and nutmeg. My mouth watered as I blew across the top of the mug, sending the steam floating toward Krissin. She waved it away, still afraid of Johna’s concoction. I couldn’t wait to drink it.
“Enough of the nonsense,” Krissin said. “I have important things to do now that you’ve seen my wedding dress drawings. Why did you need me to stay here?”
I took a deep breath. “I saw something when Mark was inside my mind. It’s the reason I chose the sash.”
“What?” Krissin asked.
“Not what,” I said. “Who.”
Chapter Five
I sipped the tea, but it was still too hot. My burnt tongue throbbed and I rubbed it on the roof of my mouth to ease the sting.
“Who did you see in there?” Krissin asked again.
“Ivy.” My former best friend had tried to ruin my life and seeing her eye in my mind made my skin crawl.
Krissin rolled her eyes. “As if I care. She’s an amateur. If she’d had a real plan or a decent gift I might be impressed. But I’m not.”
“You don’t know her like I do.” I set the teacup down on the nightstand. “She doesn’t let anything stand in her way if she wants it. What if she still wants to destroy me?”
“Everyone wants to destroy you. Who cares if your stupid childhood best friend wants to?” Krissin sashayed to the window and rested her h
ands on the ledge. “I know I don’t care.”
“But —”
“But nothing.” Krissin spun around on her toes and stared me down. “This war is the most important thing to worry about now. We’re marching for the coast tomorrow. I had hoped you’d come with us as a symbol of hope to our people. But now you’re whining about old news. Ivy isn’t a threat to anyone. She’s not even Malborn, for Eloh’s sake. Are you more concerned about the future of all Serenians or one jealous girl?”
“I don’t think it’s that simple.” I glanced up at Johna, hoping for her help.
“Don’t look at me.” She held her hands up in the air, as if to block herself from entering the argument.
“Can you at least tell me what you think?” I asked Johna. “I know you always have an opinion.”
“That I do,” she said. “But I don’t know enough about the war to say one way or the other. I do know you are our Prophet. However, I could be swayed to the belief that you have already fulfilled your destiny.”
“What?” Krissin’s screech nearly burst my eardrums. “How dare you say that? All she did was perform one little trick. That’s it.”
“Did she inspire the people here? Did she incite them to war? Did she prove her existence and validate their beliefs and hopes?” Johna asked.
Krissin’s hands formed balls, and from the redness of her knuckles I guessed she was digging into her palms with her nails. A rash of pink climbed from her neck up to her face and her eyes squinted.
“Yes, Reychel did all that.” Krissin’s words slipped between her teeth, coming out in a rush. She forcibly relaxed her fists and threw her shoulders back. “But she’s not done. We need her to do more.”
I’d spent years doing what everyone told me. My entire life had been at the direction of others, never on my own terms. I was more than tired of it.
“I’m not going with you,” I said. I looked Krissin in the eyes. If I’d learned one thing about her, it was that she didn’t allow any kind of weakness. It was time for her to see that I had strength of my own.
