Severance (The Sovereign Book 1)

by Michael Pritsos

  Ana

  The room was dark when Ana awoke from sleep and ran her hands through her long tangled hair. She felt tension in the air, but couldn’t put her finger on where it was coming from. She sensed that she was alone in the room but still had the urge to get up and look around for the source of her uneasiness. She climbed out of bed and felt for her woolen robe, throwing it around her revealing nightshift. She heard a knock at her door and jumped as the sound pierced the silent night around her.

  Ana moved wearily towards the door and took a deep breath before opening it to reveal the late-night visitor. The hinges made a low squeal as she pulled it wide and she hid all but her face behind the door from the man standing before her. “Who are you?” Ana asked unsteadily.

  “I am here to warn you of danger ahead,” the man said with a deep gravelly voice. “Hold those you love close in this dark hour.”

  Who is this man, and why is he warning me of danger? The Gaian woman tried with all of her strength to break into the man’s mind but he seemed to have a barrier in place to protect against any prying. She squeezed her eyes shut to will away any danger. When she opened them again the man was gone, and the anxious feeling she had was beginning to fade. She moved from behind the door and stepped into the night. In the distance she could hear the waves along the beach and the footsteps of sentinels. Everything appeared so normal in comparison to what it was only moments ago.

  Ana shivered even though she had the woolen robe to fight the early spring chilliness at night. She took another look around the dark street that was only lit by a few torches placed at each of the crossroads. Without any more delay she turned and quickly ran back into the house and shut the door with a heavy thud, leaning against it for several minutes to catch her breath. As she peered around her room she noticed that just like the dark street behind her it was also very normal inside. Am I losing my mind?

  Suddenly, just as her breathing returned to its usual rhythm, she felt as though the floor was ripped out from beneath her. She was falling into darkness, her robe carried away by the force of gravity and her shift pulled up over her head. She struggled to pull it down again so she could see, though that act did little good due to the shadows that engulfed her. There was a dim light beneath her that she was falling straight towards and she braced herself for impact as she neared it. After an eternity of falling she finally crashed onto something softer than what she expected.

  Panting, she opened her eyes and realized she was in her bed, sweat soaking her nightshift and matting her hair to her face. She looked above her instinctively but only found her ceiling intact as it always had been. Ana realized then that the whole thing had been a horrifying nightmare, and with this realization came a lurching in her stomach. She leaned over the side of the bed just as the contents of her dinner came pouring out of her.

  *

  Ana and Sophia were meandering through the market to gather ingredients for dinner that evening. They had decided it was time for Xander to join them at their table since he and Ana were now public with their relationship. Ana was quite nervous, especially considering the awful dream she had had the night before. Sophia’s thoughts were a mess of worry as well, and Ana tried not to pry for her reasoning. She was about to confront her mother on what was making her so edgy, but decided to try a light topic to see if it was only her imagination. After all, she had been pretty shaken after her dream the previous night.

  “Would you like to call on that serving girl today? I know it’s been quite a while since we decided to buy a painting from her, perhaps we should get around to that.”

  Sophia smiled slightly, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’d like that.”

  “We can go when we’re finished here if you’d like…” Ana suggested, trying again for a reaction from her mother, but discovering almost immediately from her thoughts that Sophia was not going to agree.

  “Perhaps another day, my child.”

  Ana gave up her attempt to be casual, deciding to address the matter directly. “Mother,” she began slowly, “what is the matter?”

  Sophia chuckled, placing some carrots in the woven satchel that she had brought along to stow their supplies. “I apologize, my daughter, we should be having a very pleasant morning, but here I am bringing down the mood.”

  “It’s all right… I don’t feel very pleasant this morning.”

  “Oh? Why is that?” Sophia asked, concern sweeping over her dark features. Her hair framed her face nicely that day and the lack of wind was keeping it looking fresh.

  “I had a terrible dream that danger was looming. It was quite frightening,” Ana explained, realizing that her words were in no way fitting for the circumstances. Sophia considered what she had said, but Ana unwittingly heard her thoughts and exploded with anxious questions. “You had a nightmare, as well? What was yours about? Were you falling at any point? Did you see a man?”

  Sophia stopped gathering food and placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Calm down, Ana! Yes, there was a man. He was warning me about some kind of danger but disappeared when I pleaded for him to tell me if it was about you. Then it was as if I had fallen down a dark tunnel, only to find myself back in my bed. It was terrible.”

  “That is almost exactly what I dreamed! The only difference is that I was too frightened to speak to the man.” Ana knew that the coincidence was too much, and the solution crossed her mind immediately. “I must have tapped into your mind without realizing it and had the same dream as you…”

  “I suppose that’s possible. Your father used to speak of things like that, but usually it was about very normal situations. For instance, when he had the chance to sleep with me when he stayed in Triton, he would often have dreams where it felt like he was working in the nursery. In reality, the crew of his ship was never supposed to be wondering around in there, so he didn’t even know what it looked like. He always said it must be that his mind reached out to mine when we slept.”

  “Aye, that must be it. The only problem is that I had a distinct feeling after I woke up that it was a dream about Xander,” Ana explained, worrying again.

  Sophia sighed. “I had the same feeling.”

  The two women looked at one another with sad eyes. Neither of them wanted to pay too much heed to the dream, but they couldn’t ignore it entirely. “Perhaps this has to do with the death of King Philip. Ever since we heard the announcement in the town center the day before last I have been worried about what this means for Xander. He is moving up in ranks so quickly and I suppose I’m worried that the chaos of a new regent will put him in more danger.”

  “That could be the reason why you would dream such things, but why would I? I haven’t thought of things such as that, but I am always worried that Xander will be put in harm’s way because of the effect that it would have on you.”

  Ana started walking again and Sophia followed suit. She was thinking very hard about why they dreamed such a dream, and then it dawned on her. “We may be thinking about this in the wrong way, Mother. It is also possible that I was the one having this dream and forced it into your mind.”

  Sophia nodded in understanding. “Aye, this is possible, though I’m not sure how much it matters why this dream happened. The fact is that it did, and you should speak to Xander about it. Tell him you are worried that something bad will happen and have him pay extra attention when he goes on his rounds. If he knows you are worried, perhaps he will be even more careful than he already is.”

  “Yes.” Ana smiled, trying to reassure herself that everything would be all right. “I will just let him know to be careful.”

  “Good girl. Now, let us finish our shopping so we can go home and prepare a wonderful supper for tonight. Are you excited to have him join us?”

  “I am more nervous than excited,” Ana replied, picking up a ripe tomato and placing it in her satchel.

  “On second thought, I think I might like to get that painting before we go home. I think we should have plenty of time,”
Sophia said.

  “That would be nice, and I’d like to show it to Xander tonight.” Just then, Ana heard a voice that seemed to be speaking of Xander. She listened harder, looking around for where the voice might be coming from.

  “Why would he risk our security for that Gaian? He’s so handsome…” Ana heard the thoughts as clear as day and when she located the girl they belonged to her thoughts immediately ceased with some cursing.

  Ana turned back to her mother with slight amusement in her eyes. “Well, I just heard some woman thinking that Xander being with me is a threat to Thalassan security… and apparently he’s too handsome for me.”

  Sophia snorted and they both giggled. Ana already knew that most of the Thalassans that live on Triton know her well enough to know that she’s not a threat to security. Even with the influx of new people due to the war efforts it was still a small community where people talk and news spreads quickly. As far as Ana could tell there were only a select few people who legitimately thought it was wrong for them to be together. The rest were either young girls that were jealous of her or men that were jealous of him. Either way, Ana was flattered.

  When Xander arrived for dinner at dusk, Ana was seated on the steps waiting for him. She stood when she saw him approach and they kissed, tenderly at first, but the kiss grew deeper until it was bordering on inappropriate. She pushed him away with a giggle and he cleared his throat. It had been a while since they had been alone together and neither one had very much self-control when they were alone for even a moment.

  “Forgive me,” Xander said, running his hands through her hair to smooth it, then fingered the silver chain he had recently given her to commemorate their relationship. “I just missed you.”

  “You always seem to miss me,” Ana said, pretending to pout.

  Xander furrowed his brow. “I know I’m gone at times… but does it bother you? I want you to be honest and I won’t be upset if you say that it does. It’s just that that is something we haven’t discussed yet.”

  “It only bothers me when I really miss you, but then I remember how important you are and I’m reminded of how proud I am of you. I love you. Your job doesn’t change that.” Ana stood on her tiptoes and lightly kissed him on the cheek as if punctuating her sentence.

  “You’re amazing. I hate that I have to spend so much time away from you, but just know that you’re on my mind every moment that I’m away,” Xander said smoothly.

  His words suddenly made Ana remember why she had been waiting outside to see him. “Xander, that actually brings me to a point. Please don’t spend too much time thinking about me, or any other distractions… I’m worried something bad might happen.”

  Xander laughed. “I wasn’t completely serious when I said I think of you every moment, Ana. I still have my work to focus on.”

  “Aye.” Ana blushed at how vain she had sounded. “I had a nightmare last night. A man told me that danger was ahead, and I had a sense that it was about you. I just want you to be especially careful, all right?”

  The young captain swallowed hard. Ana could tell from his thoughts that he was deeply affected by how worried she was about him. It seemed that no woman had ever bothered to care for him as she did. The Gaian woman didn’t mean to pry, but a flash of golden blonde hair crossed his mind just before he shut her out. An awkward silence followed.

  “I swear I will be careful,” Xander said, trying to break the tension in the air. “Come, let’s go inside and eat.”

  Ana allowed Xander to take her hand and lead her up the steps to her front door. Once inside, they both forgot about the uncomfortable feelings from moments before. Ana smiled as Xander noticed the new painting hanging on the wall above the table. He recognized the artist immediately and complimented Sophia on the new addition to her already very full collection. Ana was about to suggest that he see the one she had purchased for herself that was on the wall above her bed, but thought better of it as she saw Thomas glaring at her warningly. They sat down to a table filled with wonderful food. The fruits and vegetables that the women had picked out at the market that morning were there, garnishing hefty portions of roast mutton. Thomas was gruff when he greeted Xander, but in the first few moments of the conversation at the table he warmed up slightly.

  “So,” Thomas said, once they had exhausted topics such as the weather and how great the food smelled, “it’s a shame about your king. I was sorry to hear that. I know he was well loved around Thalassa.”

  Xander nodded solemnly. “Aye, he was a good king. Better still, he was a good man with a kind heart. I grew very close to him in my years of service at the castle in Pontos, and much of my success is due to him.”

  The table grew quiet for a moment in an impromptu moment of silence in remembrance for the king. Thomas broke the silence, directing his question towards Xander again. “What do you know about this new fellow?”

  “Patrick… He’s a fine man,” Xander said, and Ana could tell by his voice that he was being sincere. “I spent some time with him recently, and there’s not much to dislike.”

  “What about his politics? Is he like the old man?” Thomas asked.

  “I should like to hope so. King Philip was a great advocate for Patrick’s wedding to his daughter, Roselyn. I can only assume his role as regent will reflect that good character,” Xander answered. “You’ve not heard much about him, I presume?”

  “I don’t have time to listen to the gossip of the fools I work with. I am the highest paid dockworker because I work the hardest and accomplish the most. That doesn’t happen while standing around talking about the royal family.” Thomas’ tone was as curt as usual but he was not unkind to Xander.

  “My apologies, sir, I meant no disrespect,” Xander said, bowing his head slightly.

  “Oh, Xander,” Sophia spoke up for the first time. “Thomas is just trying to intimidate you. That was a natural thing to wonder, and he knows very well that right beside him I was wondering the same thing. In fact, I think you will be surprised to know that Thomas knows a considerable amount about the royal family and most of it was picked up from talking at the docks.”

  The mood at the table got considerably lighter as Thomas burst out laughing. The effects of his wine had surely been sneaking up on them. “I was serious when I asked about his policies. I hear you will be shipping out for battle in the morning.”

  “Aye,” Xander nodded, poking at his food nervously. He had told Ana that he would have to ship out for battle soon but he only found out that afternoon that they would leave the following morning. “We are to attack Tartarus in retaliation for the ravaging of the island of Anapos.”

  Ana stuck a spoonful of corn in her mouth and chewed fervently. Why didn’t he tell me this when I told him of my dream about the warning? Thomas shot her a quick look having heard this and she mentally brushed him off, turning to Xander. “When do you return?”

  “Whenever the job’s done,” Xander replied with a shrug.

  “Well,” Sophia spoke up, “may the gods give you speed and strength, Xander. But let us change the subject to happier things! You’ve completed your lessons with me and I have a gift for you.”

  Xander blushed deeply and Ana smiled with pride as her mother pulled a brown sack out from underneath her chair. Ana leaned over to see what it was. Inside the bag was a thick, leather-bound book about war tactics. She handed it to Xander and as he opened it his face lit up. “This is great, Sophia, thank you.”

  * *

  After dinner Ana volunteered to clean the table. Sophia and Thomas retired to their bedroom. Xander stayed behind to help but Ana could tell he was so lost in thought that it was making him unfocused. He dropped a cup but snapped it out of the air before it crashed to the ground. Ana laughed; the sudden combination of clumsiness and accurate reflexes was quite entertaining. Xander placed the cup in the kitchen with a sheepish grin and turned back to gather more dishes from the table.

  “Is something on your mind?” Ana asked, feigning
mere curiosity.

  Xander rolled his eyes, but not without humor. “You would know, wouldn’t you?”

  “Yes, I suppose I would. If I made a habit out of prying into your mind. In fact, I’m actively trying to stay out until you tell me what’s wrong,” she defended herself.

  “You can hear my thoughts as readily as I can hear your voice,” Xander said. “I am only upset that we had to have that discussion at dinner before I had a chance to tell you about the battle. I do not want you to think I kept it from you intentionally… however, I cannot read your mind to know that you understand that. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s all right, I do understand. I felt your concern for my feelings throughout the dinner. I know you didn’t mean to keep it from me. I only want to know your reasoning for not telling me when I told you that I was worried about you.” Ana stopped washing the plate in her hand and turned her attention to Xander. She saw him shift uncomfortably and a brief flicker of anxiety crossed his mind.

  The officer sighed, obviously searching for the right words. “Your dream… and the fact that you were worried about me… it scared me. Here I was preparing to tell you that I am about to leave for the biggest battle I have ever seen, and you tell me you had a dream where I’m in danger. I needed to digest that before I said anything.”

  “You covered yourself nicely.” Ana chuckled. “I’m not sure whether to be proud of you for getting better at clouding your mind or worried!”

  Xander laughed and the tension eased. He moved to the Gaian woman and wrapped his hands around her waist. “You can be proud, for it may do me good to hide my strategies from Gaian minds in battle, but you don’t need to worry because I would never deliberately deceive you.”

  Ana kissed him gingerly on the mouth, reveling in the sweetness she found there. His lips were soft and she lingered there for a while since tonight would bring the last kisses she got for at least two weeks. She refused to believe it would be the last time they would be together, nightmare or no nightmare.