A King's Caution (The Eternal War Book 2)
Page 74
“About time,” Eledis griped when Raimie flung himself into a chair.
“Sorry,” Raimie muttered. “I got a little distracted.”
“I don’t mind, papa!” Namia chirped. “You’re here! We can have cake!”
“Not quite yet, darling,” Eledis said with a chuckle. “First, we eat our meal. Then, cake.”
Namia made a reply, but Raimie was too focused on his grandfather to catch specific words. A red line slowly carved from one side of Eledis’ neck to the other, and when it completed, the freed head clattered into the bowl which waited below it.
Armed with Daevetch, Raimie jumped to his feet, frantically scanning the hall, but the walls remained perfectly still and unmoving, and Eledis quizzically frowned at him. Ren grabbed his arm, concerned.
“What’s wrong, love?”
“Nothing!” Raimie muttered. “I just… It’s nothing-”
The dining hall’s doors slammed open with a bang. Through them strode a man who could have been Raimie’s twin if not for the bruises, fat lip, and broken nose.
“That is enough!” he shouted. “This becomes ridiculous, heart of my heart!”
“I’m sorry,” Raimie called, hands drifting to weapons. “Who are you?”
“No.”
The man was across the room in an eyeblink, vanishing and reappearing as if by magic. Eledis and his girls gasped, jerking away with surprise, but the intruder ignored them. He shoved a finger in Raimie’s face.
“You will not put me through that again. I will not indulge it.”
Something tickled the back of Raimie’s tongue. A word. A name.
“Nylion?” he whispered.
The room shuddered, guests fading by the dozen.
“What’s happening?” Raimie shouted, reaching for his girls. Ren’s fingers intertwined with his, but he never found his daughter’s. “Namia!” he shouted as the room shook.
The feigned jungle cracked and splintered into dust. Tables and chairs on the room’s outskirts vanished, their occupants joining them in their new reality. The wave of disappearances steadily approached, and Raimie frantically scrambled to retain what he could. He clenched Ren’s hand as Little became a ghost, obsidian walls peeking through him. The spy raised a hand with a sad smile before he too dwindled to nothing.
“No!” Raimie shouted.
The walls gave a final quake before crumbling, revealing a flat, drab landscape.
“Where are we?” he asked, rounding on Nylion. “What’s going on?”
“It was not real,” Nylion softly answered. “None of it was.”
At the man’s words, the blood in Raimie’s veins turned to ice. “That’s not true!” Raimie protested. “See? Ren’s right here!”
But his hand was empty, and his wife was gone as were Eledis, Kylorian, and everyone else. Everyone except Namia, standing beside his abused twin. He fell to his knees before his little girl, gathering her into a hug, but his arms passed through her body.
“We are in our head, heart of my heart,” Nylion explained. “You made it up. The birthday party, a five-year-old child. All of it. I am sorry. I wanted to indulge you longer, but circumstances in the waking world have reached a tipping point. You must wake if you do not wish disaster.”
His other half’s words floated by Raimie half-heard. “You’re not real?” he asked Namia, his little girl, his little monkey.
Shaking her head, she rested her palm against his cheek. When he closed his eyes, Raimie could pretend he felt warmth spreading from where it lay.
“Papa, please let me go.”
Drawing a shuddering breath, he nodded.
The world blurred brown, and he rapidly blinked to clear moisture from his eyes. Wood beams. Rafters. A ceiling. He sat up slowly, expecting all manner of aches and pains, but appeared to be free of injuries.
Where was he? A plain room. The murmur of voices outside. A few strange contraptions strewn across the floor. This must be Qena.
Ren lay beside him, but when he tried to wake her, she wouldn’t stir. Alarm bells rang in Raimie’s head, and he cast about for help. Beside the door, someone slumped in a chair, gently snoring.
“Oswin?”
Snorting, the spymaster jerked upright. “What? Who?”
“Never thought I’d catch you sleeping on duty,” Raimie commented.
Oswin noticed his charge upright in bed, and his eyes widened. “Raimie!” he exclaimed, flying across the room and trailing words in his wake. “You’re awake! How do you feel? Can I get you anything?”
“My wife,” Raimie cut in. “Why won’t she wake?”
“Ah.” Oswin nervously tugged on an ear. “She’s catatonic, Raimie. Much like you were. Kheled calls it ‘doll state.'”
Raimie stiffened. “So she’s safe,” he murmured. “Where is Kheled? The Eselan’s usually beside me when I wake like this.”
“In, uh… He’s in a cell,” Oswin answered, swallowing and looking away. “Marcuset… Emri… Whatever his name is, attempts to pin the blame for Uduli’s fall on him.”
That explained what he’d heard in the dream. Grudgingly, he had to admire Uncle Emri’s tactic. Blaming Kheled would divert hostility from them, and an Eselan primeancer would make the perfect scapegoat.
“This situation makes you uncomfortable,” he commented.
“Of course it does!” Oswin exclaimed. “Kheled’s the reason Ren’s alive, and his assistance was essential in vanishing you from the city.”
Raimie flopped into pillows, throwing an arm over his face. “Let’s not discuss politics, Oswin.”
He fell silent. So many problems to tackle and one shared this room with him. His body went stiff as he considered Little’s death, examining the unexpected hole the spy had left in his life. He poked it, and air rushed into his lungs at the pain. His hurt, however, was nothing compared to Oswin’s. Raimie knew his oldest friend had considered Little a son. He bit his lip, unsure how to express his sympathy for Oswin’s loss or how to share his own grief.
“I’m sorry about-”
“Don’t,” Oswin muttered. “I can’t yet. Just… leave it for now.”
“Whatever you want, my friend. I only ask that you tell me if I can do anything for you.”
“Of course,” the spy agreed, noisily clearing his throat. “You’ve missed much, Raimie. Do you think you can meet with some overwrought people?”
“Hell no. Besides, I’ve something of my own to manage first. Can you retrieve Kheled with none the wiser?”
“Of course. I’m your best spy,” Oswin’s voice caught, “after all.”
“Thank you,” Raimie mumbled.
The door closed, but he didn’t allow his mind clarity, couldn’t handle… He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. One thing at a time.
When Oswin returned, Raimie was surprised to hear clinking metal in his wake. Lifting the arm covering his face, he barked a single laugh.
“Why are you still in those?” Raimie asked, pointing to the shackles around Kheled’s wrists and ankles.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m an excellent prisoner.” Kheled sniffed with false disdain.
“Ha-ha,” Raimie laughed. “I assume you nicked the keys, Oswin?”
The spymaster flicked the key ring around his finger before tossing it to Raimie.
“Thank you. Please wait outside.”
After bowing, Oswin slipped through the door. Neither Kheled nor Raimie moved once they were alone, simply stared at one another, and if a challenge rested in their gaze, neither acknowledged it.
“Get over here so I can take those off,” Raimie eventually said.
Standing beside the bed, Kheled offered his bound hands, and upon freeing them, Raimie bent over to unlock the ankle shackles. Once they’d fallen to the ground, Kheled solemnly brandished a lock pick from where he’d stashed it in his sleeve’s cuff, making Raimie roll his eyes. The Eselan gingerly laid a hand on Ren’s head before retrieving a chair.
&nbs
p; “So, you’re the scapegoat, huh?” Raimie asked, absently rubbing his aching leg.
“Apparently,” was all Kheled would say.
Raimie waited in vain for more before deciding his friend wasn’t willing to play his game. Kheled didn’t want to wade through the bullshit of small talk which preceded a conversation’s meat and bones. Fine. Straight to the heart of the matter.
“Where were you?”
“Doldimar lured me into a trap.” Kheled shrugged. “It’s happened before but never with such disastrous consequences.”
Blood stained teeth biting and tearing chunks of flesh.
Raimie grit his teeth, breath hissing between them with great rapidity. Not yet. Too much to do… Not yet.
“Khel, you’re my friend,” he said, rapidly blinking, “but an irrational part of me blames you for what happened. I hardly have any room to judge. Doldimar entrapped me too, but the point remains if you’d gone on the field trip with the primeancer students, I’d have been home when the bastard attacked. I could have gotten Ren and the… baby to safety before coming to find you. Like we’d planned.”
“I know,” Kheled murmured. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not looking for an apology,” Raimie said, pinching his nose. “I don’t need an apology. I need…” He noisily exhaled, smacking the bedsheets with his raised hand. “I love you like a brother, Khel, but after this, after losing Namia,” his throat tightened, “I need some space. You have to go until I can sort through… what happened.”
Kheled slowly nodded. Rising from his chair, he returned it to its place beside the door. He smashed the glass from a window and slung a leg over the sill. When he looked back at Raimie, the only sign he showed of anything besides detachment was a visibly leaping Adam’s apple.
“Let me know when you’re ready.”
Raimie nodded, and his best friend slipped into the night. The release of tension snapped like a severed bowstring, and he slumped. He’d done it. He’d banished Khel. The knotted mess of blame, grief, and love he carried for his friend could momentarily be set aside. He could assume the challenge of freeing his kingdom again with one less aching, blistering sore in his heart to distract. Banishing Kheled would also cool tempers, reverse the damage Emri had done to him. When next he returned, he might not immediately be clapped in irons. And perhaps love would have taken precedence over blame and grief, the knotted coil in his heart which belonged to Kheled.
Rolling over, Raimie stared at his wife. Would Ren ever wake, or was she doomed to remain stuck in her mind, much as he’d been? She’d had their child ripped from her, should have died from her grievous wounds. He couldn’t blame her for retreating longer than he had. He’d only viewed the bloody bundle in the Enforcer’s arms as they tumbled toward the ground, only watched helplessly as the man ate his child…
“Do not return to your dreams. You have too much to accomplish here. If I could, I would take your place so you can heal, but I do not believe anyone would follow me.”
Raimie shuddered to awareness, realizing with a start how close he’d come to falling into ‘doll state’ once more. The draw to leave this world of pain and misery was tantalizing to the point he almost couldn’t refuse it.
Thank you for keeping me tethered, Nyl.
“Of course, heart of my heart,” Nylion murmured. “Now, are there not duties we should perform?”
Sighing, Raimie sat as straight as he could and smoothed the bedsheets. He folded his hands in his lap, calling for his oldest friend. Oswin stuck his head around the door.
“Time to fix this mess. You can send them in.”
Author’s Note:
Thank you for reading the second installment to The Eternal War series. If you enjoyed the book, please consider leaving a review or visiting my website to leave a comment. I thoroughly enjoy hearing from my readers! If you’d like to read more of my short stories or check on the progress of the next book, feel free to check out www.brennancadams.com. While there, sign up for the mailing list, and you’ll receive a free copy of my novella When Friends Collide.
Glossary of Locations, Races, and Military Types
People
Esela (ES-el-LA): second race brought over to a human occupied world from their homeland by Alouin; magic wielders
Matvai (MAHT-vai): dwellers of the mountains; the clans
Vasnavai (VAWS-nah-VAI): leader of the Matvai
Military Names
Zrelnach (ZREL-nawk): the military arm of the Esela
Kiraak (KEER-rack): nigh invincible bulk of Doldimar’s army
Overseers: powerful Kiraak
Primeancers (PRIME-an-sirs): those who can utilize Ele and Daevetch’s energy
Enforcers: primeancers under Doldimar’s control
Locations
Ada’ir (AH-da-EAR): country of Raimie’s birth; the story begins here
Daira (DIE-ruh): capital city of Ada’ir
Sev (sev): independent port city-state within Ada’ir’s borders
Auden (AW-den): land currently oppressed by Doldimar; located across the sea
Uduli (U-duh-lee): capital of Auden
Tiro (TIE-row): city headquarters of Auden’s resistance
Da’kul (dah-COOL): enemy fort near Tiro
Nephiron (NEF-ur-ron): Auden’s main port city
Lyzencroft (LIE-zen-croft): dead civilization on Auden’s east coast
Qena (CHIN-uh): Audish village composed of scientists and engineers
Character Pronunciation Guide
Main
Raimie (RAY-me)
Nylion (NIL-ee-un)
Kheled/ Erianger (KEL-led/ air-ee-ANN-jur)
Doldimar/Arivor (DOLE-dim-mar/AIR-ah-vore)
Eledis (EE-lah-dis)
Alouin (al-o-WEEN)
Ele (EL-uh)
Daevetch (DEE-vech)
Those of Ada’ir
Aramar (ARE-rah-mar)-Raimie’s father
Gistrick (GIS-strick)-Zrelnach commander, Aramar’s friend
Madeleine (MAD-ah-line)-Pointer’s wife
Lulani (loo-LAHN-ee)-Pointer’s daughter
Belqarim (BEL-kah-rim)-former King of Ada’ir
Kaedesa (KAY-des-uh)-Queen of Ada’ir
Those of Auden
Drena (DRIN-uh)-Eselan seer
Marcuset/Emri (MAR-cue-say/EM-ree)-commander of Raimie’s army
Kylorian (kai-LORE-ee-in)-Ren’s adoptive older brother
Riadur (REE-uh-der)-Ren’s adoptive father
Hadrion (HAY-dree-in)-Ren’s adoptive younger brother
Coleath (COLE-ee-ath)-Kheled’s father in this cycle
Umvarith (UHM-vah-rith)-human Minister of Law
Xyro (ZIE-row)-Eselan Minister of Finance
Those of the King’s Hand
Marsuvius/Thumb (mar-SOO-vee-us)
Lysinthir/Pointer (LIE-sin-thur)
Oswin/Middle (OZ-win)
Silivren/Ring (SIL-ah-vren)
Lornilen/Little (LORE-nah-lin)
Those Associated with the Primeancers
Nessaira (nes-EYE-rah)-Overseer for Teron
Miranon (MEER-rah-non)-scientist from Qena
Tejesper (TEH-jes-per)-scientist from Qena
Jeme (GEM-ah)-Zrelnach
Yanovna (yuh-NAHV-nah)-Matvai older woman
Talkovsky (tal-KOV-skee)-Matvai teenager
Those of the Matvai Homeland
Sigemond (SIG-uh-mond)-barkeep in Tiro
Dyomina (DEE-o-MEE-nah)-Vasnavai for the Matvai
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