Soul Shade (Soul Stones Book 2)

by T. L. Branson

  “What good is a solution if we have no people to protect?” Ocken asked.

  “It’s an admirable thought, if a bit impractical,” Gus said. “Please don’t mistake my words for ingratitude. But if you rush off to help every person in need, you’ll never finish your mission and we’ll all be doomed.”

  “Then consider this a personal favor from Robert,” Ocken said. “Because if I’m being honest, I didn’t want to stay. But the fact is we don’t really know where we’re going, as our only lead has slipped away. So maybe in helping you’ll we’ll pick up the trail again.”

  “I’ll raise a mug of ale in your honor once we reach Luton,” Gus said with a smile.

  “I’d like that,” Ocken said.

  “Well,” Gus said, rubbing his hands together and picking up a crate of food. “Shall we?”

  Ocken grabbed his claymore and joined Gus and the survivors at the entrance to the mine.

  “Where’s Robert?” Ocken asked Gus as they started down the trail.

  “He went out an hour ago,” Gus told him. “Said he had some unfinished business to attend to and that he’d be along once we left. Poor boy has lost so much in his life. I think he just wanted some time to himself.”

  Descending the mountain was slow going with the women, children, and all their essentials. Ocken hoped they’d pick up the pace once the open road lay before them. The last thing they needed was for an army of elves to overtake them after they left the relative safety and obscurity of the mine.

  As they neared the city, Ocken took them along a road that led north of the town square. The billowing smoke from the day before had been reduced to a wisp, but it was probably best to keep that sight out of the minds of the children.

  Consequently, the path also led them past Robert’s house, where he assumed the young man had gone. Sure enough, as they drew near, Ocken found Robert sitting on what was left of his porch, staring at a bouquet of blue flowers.

  Seeing Ocken, Robert sprang to his feet and came up alongside Ocken.

  “Have you been back here since yesterday?” Robert asked.

  “No,” Ocken said. “Why?”

  “These flowers,” he said, holding up the bouquet. “They weren’t here when we arrived.”

  “So?” Ocken asked.

  “Did you put them there?” Robert asked.

  Ocken shook his head.

  “Will was here,” Robert declared.

  “What?” Ocken asked, narrowing his eyes. “How do you know?”

  “There’s a grove not too far from here,” Robert explained. “It’s kind of tucked away, hidden behind a wall of shrubs and branches. In the late fall, these blue flowers bloom, signaling that winter is on its way. Will used to pick these and give them to our mother.”

  “So you think Will put those flowers there?” Ocken asked.

  “I didn’t do it, and if you didn’t, then who else could it have been?” Robert asked.

  “All right, so where is he?”

  “I don’t know,” Robert said, shaking his head. “There were two sets of fresh footprints. If it was Will, he’s not alone. The tracks led back to the library, then out of town toward Luton.”

  “You think he got what he came for?” Ocken said. “That something in the library told him where to find a soul stone and it’s leading him back to Luton?”

  “Like I said, no idea,” Robert told him with a shrug. “But it would seem that way.”

  Ocken got a sudden spring in his step. They could assist the survivors and help them to safety while still staying on course to finding Will.

  “Let’s get a move on, people,” he shouted behind him.

  If Will was going after a soul stone, he would need their help.

  Khate, along with Ari and his men, escorted Maya to the gates of Penrythe’s upper city. Bryn stood out front chatting with the guards. When Ari approached, Bryn stopped talking and turned to address him.

  “The queen is safe?” he asked.

  Maya stepped forward, pushing the elf to his knees in front of her. “I am. Thank you,” she said. “And you are?”

  “Bryn, Your Majesty,” he said, bowing and glancing between her and the elf.

  “Please, I’ve no patience for pious pleasantries right now. Maya is fine,” she said. “How did you know I was in trouble?”

  “I saw you get abducted,” Khate answered for him, “and tracked the elves back to that warehouse. I almost ran in alone, but there were more waiting outside.”

  “Sorry to interrupt,” Ari said to Maya, then turned to Bryn. “Bryn, can you see them inside? The boys and I are going to march back on that warehouse and finish the job.”

  Bryn nodded.

  “You won’t find them there,” the elf said.

  “Excuse me?” Ari asked, looking down at the elf.

  “They’ll be long gone, and you won’t find them if they don’t want to be found,” he explained.

  Ari grunted and motioned for his soldiers to follow as he went back down the hill.

  “Come on,” Bryn said, waving. “I’ll show you in.”

  The guards at the gate stepped aside as Bryn led Maya, Khate, and the elf into the upper city.

  “I thought you said we couldn’t get in here,” Khate said to Bryn as they walked through the gates.

  “I never said we couldn’t,” he replied. “I said I preferred not to come here. But the current situation demands it, though I’m not happy about it.”

  “You looked pretty chummy with those guards,” she remarked.

  “We’ve known each other a long time,” Bryn said.

  Khate glared at him.

  “I’m an old man, lass,” he said. “I’ve lived a long and varied life. I know a great many people.”

  When they emerged on the other side of the wall, the differences between the upper and lower city were night and day. Where dirt and grime coated nearly every inch of every structure in the lower city, the upper city had nary a spot. The streets were washed white, there wasn’t a piece of trash to be found, and all the buildings were in excellent condition.

  Compared to the scraggly scoundrels that roamed the lower city, the people that walked through the streets here were well groomed and wore expensive finery.

  The buildings were taller, too, and more decorative. Tall spires adorned the tops of structures, and the ornate stylization of the walls and roofs were superfluous. It all seemed like a grand waste to Khate. Even Shadowhold, in all its glory, had remained practical despite its luxury.

  Or perhaps her nearly two decades in Celesti had accustomed Khate to living minimally. Either way, Penrythe was unlike anything she’d ever seen.

  Bryn led them through the winding streets like he knew where he was going, and before long they were entering Meridian Keep.

  A servant took note of the band and ran up. “Bryn? What are you doing here, I haven’t—”

  “Good to see you, too, Baden,” Bryn said. “May I introduce you to—”

  Baden gasped and fell forward onto the floor. “The queen!”

  Some of the other servants that were walking by stopped, and the heads of others popped out from behind doors and walls. They all started with a rush of chatter that grew to a loud hum.

  “Yes, yes, go on, nothing to see here,” Bryn said, shooing them away.

  “Is there anything I can do for you?” Baden said.

  “In fact, there is. Please arrange for accommodations for me and my friends here and send word to Governor Sanders that we seek an audience at the earliest convenience,” Bryn said.

  Sanders? Khate thought. Is the governor related to Bryn? Maybe a brother? That would explain his familiarity.

  Pointing at the elf, Bryn added, “Oh, and send one of Ari’s men to take this fellow to a holding cell.”

  “No!” Maya said.

  Bryn recoiled and looked at her with confusion splayed across his face.

  “Uh, this elf posed as my officer for the past week. I’d prefer to keep my eye on
him personally,” she explained.

  “Very well,” Bryn said. “Send the guard to Her Majesty’s chambers, then.”

  Baden nodded and said, “Right this way.”

  They ascended five flights of steps and were brought to a room at the end of the hall with two grand doors trimmed in gold and marble. Baden pressed down on the handles simultaneously and pushed open the double doors.

  A room the size of the Shadowhold’s entrance hall lay before them, the high, vaulted ceiling making the room appear even bigger. A stone fireplace dominated the wall to the left, and the largest four-poster bed Khate had ever seen sat against the opposite wall.

  In between, sofas and luxury chairs circled around the hearth with a large area rug and two tables.

  “Please, make yourselves comfortable,” Baden said with a bow. “The governor will be with you shortly.”

  Baden exited, leaving Khate and Bryn with Maya and the elf. All eyes turned to Maya as an awkward silence fell between them all. She pushed the elf into one of the armchairs and sat down on the sofa.

  “I suppose I should give you my thanks once more,” Maya said. “But I’m safe now. If you have other business to attend to you’re more than welcome to leave.”

  Khate leaned against the wall, showing she had no plans to go. She wasn’t about to leave her niece.

  Bryn took her cue and said, “Nonsense, any business we have can wait,” he said. “It’s not every day you meet the queen.”

  Maya forced a smile.

  “Besides,” Bryn said, nodding at the elf. “I sense a story here, and if there’s anything old men like me love, it’s a good tale.”

  Shifting uncomfortably in her seat, Maya said, “Very well, then. I suppose an explanation is the least I can do. Where to start? I—”

  The doors flung open and the shrill voice of a woman said, “Bryn Sanders! Didn’t think I’d ever see you here again.”

  “Nor did I, Millicent,” Bryn said, turning around.

  “Governor Sanders!” Maya said, hopping off the sofa and rushing over to shake the woman’s hand.

  “Maya Drygo, as I live and breathe. It’s been a long time, my dear,” Millicent said with a smile.

  “Hold up,” Khate said. “Sanders? So are you Bryn’s sister?”

  “Wife,” Bryn said, flatly.

  “Ex-wife,” Millicent corrected.

  “You’re the governor’s husband?” Khate asked. “All this time and you’ve never mentioned that detail?”

  “Ex-husband—weren’t you just listening?” Bryn clarified. “And there’s good reason I didn’t mention it.”

  “There sure is,” Millicent said. “The little dreamer wants nothing to do with me.”

  “I never said that, Milly,” Bryn responded. “Why can’t you understand that a man just wants a little adventure in his life? Being cooped up in this keep was driving me crazy.”

  “I’m still appalled you ran away with that wench,” she said.

  “I didn’t run away. You divorced me, remember?” Bryn said. “Am I not allowed to remarry? Just because you choose to be unhappy doesn’t mean I can’t be.”

  “All right, all right,” Maya said. “Wow. You two have issues. Can we set that aside for the moment?”

  “I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” Millicent said. “May I start off by also apologizing for the terrible events that occurred in my city this afternoon. Had I known you were coming, I would have had an armed escort waiting for you at the gates of the lower city.”

  “I’m not sure that would have mattered much,” Maya said. “The elves were determined to take me. I think that—”

  “Did you say elves?” the governor asked.

  “Yes,” Maya said, glancing over her shoulder at the elf in the chair.

  Millicent followed her gaze and said, “By the gods, is that one of them? What’s going on?”

  “Let me be forthright with all of you,” she said, her eyes settling on Khate, Bryn, and the governor. “What I’m about to do you may find a little alarming.”

  A ball of red light appeared in Maya’s hands. The governor gasped. Khate had explained Maya’s power to Bryn, so he wasn’t as shocked, but even his eyes grew wider at the sight. Separating her hands, Maya stretched the energy and the ball grew larger. At once, she flung out her hands. The energy ball rapidly expanded and collided with the walls, lining the room with a webbing of power.

  “We’re safe now,” Maya said.

  “Safe from what?” Millicent asked.

  “From Ophi,” the elf said.

  “The goddess of knowledge?” the governor asked. “But she’s—”

  “Dead?” Maya finished for her. “Far from it. I’ll explain more in private later, but the short of it is that Ophi is gathering the elves in the north.” She turned and looked at the elf. “What did you call your homeland, Thallan?”

  “Morathil, our kingdom is called Morathil,” he said. “But it is not our homeland. Aralith is our homeland.”

  “What is she gathering the elves for?” the governor asked.

  “War,” Maya said. “And if an elf named Jharak is to be believed, Celesti has already fallen.”

  “By the gods,” Millicent said, falling back into a chair. “And you’re here to what? Ready us for war? Why not just send a letter?”

  “Quite frankly, I don’t know who to trust,” Maya said, glaring at Thallan. “Berxley wants me dead, even Shadowhold spat in my face, and who’s to say my letter wouldn’t be intercepted? Besides, I didn’t want to start a panic, so I figured the information would be best shared behind closed doors.”

  “Well, Penrythe is at your command,” the governor said. “What are your plans?”

  “If we want to have any chance of surviving the weeks and months ahead, we need to stand together,” Maya said. “Ophi understands this, and she has tried to divide us at every turn. I have been traveling the kingdom rallying the provinces, but Berxley has proven to be problematic.”

  “I received word about a battle in the bay,” Millicent said, nodding.

  Maya pursed her lips and sighed. “Some of my men were captured or killed in that battle. For their sake and mine, I have to assume captured. Before I go any further in this tour to rally the kingdom, I want Berxley brought to its knees and Khal, Jade, and Evangeline freed.”

  “Khal?” Khate asked.

  “Yes, do you know my uncle?” Maya asked.

  Khate considered telling Maya who she was. But it just didn’t feel like the right time.

  “You could say that,” Khate said. “And… Evangeline?”

  “Evangeline? No, I said Riley. I’m pretty sure I said Riley,” Maya said.

  Okay, that’s a little odd, Khate thought.

  Her sister’s name was Evangeline, but she’d died two decades ago.

  “If Khal is in danger, I’m going with you,” Khate said.

  “Your help would be much appreciated,” Maya said, smiling.

  “Who are the other two? Jade and Riley, you said?” Khate asked.

  “Jade is one of my lieutenants, and Riley is one of the last surviving royal guard of Shadowhold, along with a man name Ocken,” Maya said.

  The world stopped for Khate. There could be no mistaking it. She’d never met another man by that name. The conversation continued on, but Khate heard none of it.

  Ocken.

  A man at one time she wished she’d never see again. Destruction and death seemed to follow him. Yet there was no one she’d rather have beside her in battle. He was loyal to a fault and maybe a little overprotective, but he had a big heart and an even bigger swordstaff.

  Memories of her and Ocken standing back-to-back facing a horde of enemies flashed through Khate’s mind.

  “Where is he?” Khate asked.

  All eyes fell on her, curious expressions on each face.

  “Where is who?” Maya asked.

  “Ocken,” Khate answered. “Is he with Khal?”

  “No,” Maya said, shaking her head. �
��I don’t know where he is. He went with Robert to find Will. Do you know Ocken, too?”

  “I think I need to turn in early,” Khate said abruptly as she turned and ran out the door.

  30

  Will lowered the map and looked at the river, then lifted the map once more.

  “Are you sure this is the place?” Will asked.

  It seemed looked like any ordinary river. The surface was flat and unbroken, save for where a beaver was making a dam at the mouth of a small creek as it joined up with the larger body of water.

  “I’m positive,” Sowena replied. “The fishermen always come in talking about the first bend in the eastern most tine of the Trident. It’s the only way in or out of Luton. Most of them are so spooked by the legend that they have prayer shrines on their vessels to ask for blessings and safety as they travel.”

  It doesn’t work that way, Lotess said. We can’t actually hear people. Well, Ophi can—she sees and hears everything—but the rest of us have never been able to.

  Then why do people pray? Will asked.

  It gives them comfort, I suppose? Lotess said. Truth is, we aren’t really gods, just a group of people who were given the gift of magic. But in a world with very little magic, you can understand why some would call us gods.

  “This place doesn’t look haunted,” Will said. “I don’t see any sea monsters, no scary rock formations—nothing that would seem to indicate there is anything unique it.”

  “Well the legend states that a ship sank here,” Sowena said.

  “I thought there was no ship,” Will said.

  “So maybe it’s something else, like a chest or something in the water. I don’t know,” she replied.

  “Wait here,” Will said, taking off all of his clothes except his undergarments. “And get a fire started, will you? It’s going to be freezing when I get back.”

  Will dove into the water. The cold slammed his chest, squeezing his lungs like a boa constrictor to its prey. The good news was that the river wasn’t that deep—it only went down about twenty feet. The bad news was that it was fairly murky, and Will struggled to see more than a foot or two in front of his face.