by Rinelle Grey
As though obeying her command, the wind that had filled the sails since she left Isla de Magi mere hours ago, calmed. The sudden change caused the ship to pitch forwards sharply, almost throwing her over the railing. She clutched at it with both hands to steady herself.
Rocks loomed in front of her eyes, and she threw her mind to the right. The ship obeyed her panicked thoughts and jumped aside, missing the rocks by a hair’s width.
Brianna took deep gulps of sea air and pulled her eyes up to look at the distance to the docks. It was both impossibly far and barely anything at all compared to the distance she’d come. But she couldn’t continue at her earlier speed. Questions on how her ship had moved so much faster than the others in her harbour would slow her down far more than moving at a normal speed would.
So she bit her lip impatiently as she let the natural wind power her the rest of the way, only using her magic to alter the ship’s course when needed, bringing it alongside the wooden dock with barely any attention from the people on shore. She glanced over her shoulder again, scanning the few ships bobbing in the harbour. If any of them were Lyall’s, they would be moving far faster.
She tied off the ship, then walked off the dock, not allowing herself to look back.
Her journey had barely begun. There were miles to go before she could reach Eryvale, and the distance would go far faster on horseback. Syrid might lend her a horse, if she explained her problem, but she would need to tell him where she was going.
And the inn would be one of the first places Lyall would look.
Her heart warmed at the thought of him galloping after her, maybe overtaking her before she even reached the village. They could go together, and with his knowledge of magic, perhaps they could protect the village from any further troll attacks.
An image of Mianna in her wedding gown intruded. Lyall had no place in her village. She wasn’t even sure if she did anymore.
Was there any point in going back? What if nothing had happened? What if she returned to find it had all been a dream? Her certainty wavered. Surely it couldn’t be true? The trolls had never attacked in those sort of numbers before, nor had they ever gone anywhere near the graveyard. None of it made any sense.
But the feeling deep in her heart that something was wrong, that her twin was in trouble, pushed her on. She skirted around the inn, staying to the outskirts of the city, then found the road leading north. It would take several days to reach Eryvale on foot, but she didn’t know what else to do.
She settled into a jog, her eyes on the far fields. If only she could just jump over the space in between and travel as fast as her eyes could.
The blue sky melted into the green grass, and Brianna’s feet faltered. Suddenly, instead of running on the gravel track, there was grass under her feet. She slowed to a stop and glanced behind her, shaking her head to clear the strange floating colours.
She… she was on the other side of the field, in the exact same spot she had been staring at a few moments ago. How had that happened?
Frowning, Brianna glanced ahead of her, picking a spot far distant, under a shady tree, and focused on it, willing her whole being to be there.
The world tilted, then solidified, the shade from the tree a welcome reprieve from the heat of the sun.
This magic stuff sure came in handy.
By the time she reached the woods near Eryvale though, many hours of repeated magic use was starting to take its toll. Exhaustion seeped through every bone in her body, and she wavered on her feet as she stared at the village from behind a tree, straining her eyes to see at the distance. Had it just been a dream, or had the trolls attacked? If she could find out before anyone saw her, then she still had the option of leaving if the horror had just been a product of her imagination.
Could she do it? Go back to Lyall now, having been so close? If only she could see Mianna, even for a brief moment.
There, movement near the edge of the village. Brianna’s heart sank as she recognised the slow processional march into the graveyard on the west side of the village. She couldn’t make out details at this distance, but she could tell that there was more than one body. As the procession wound its way through the headstones within the white picket fence, growing longer and longer, her hopes dissipated.
The signs were all there. A terrible tragedy had happened last night. There was no pretending it hadn’t happened.
If her mother was dead, she had a responsibility to the village. She and Mianna would be in charge, and she couldn’t let her twin do it alone.
She glanced back over her shoulder as if she could see Bymere, and beyond it, Isla de Magi. The image that stood out in her mind though, overshadowing everything else, was an image of Lyall, staring down at her as he had on the beach, love shining in his eyes. She heaved a sigh.
Then she squared her shoulders and looked towards her home. Everyone would be attending the funeral. There should be no one left in the village to see her, so she picked an area in the shadow of a building to move to.
The ground shifted. But when it steadied, she wasn’t standing in the shadow of the building, but in the middle of the grass, half way between where she had been and her intended destination.
Brianna frowned. She must be more tired than she thought. Or had her magic run out somehow? Did that happen? She should have paid more attention when Lyall was talking about how it all worked.
When she took a step forwards, towards the graveyard, her mind tingled. She panicked at the feeling of something pulling a part of her away and jerked backwards.
The feeling disappeared, and she stared at the space in front of her, perplexed. Shaking her head, she stepped forwards again, only to have the same feeling wash over her in a wave.
What was going on?
“Brianna!”
Her twin’s voice floated on the wind.
The funeral procession had stopped, and everyone stared in her direction. A small figure left the head of the line and flew across the field towards her. She opened her arms as Mianna crashed into her, tears flowing, mumbling incoherently about her mother, the trolls, and how glad she was to see her.
A few other villagers followed, gathering around, not sure what to say, while those that remained in their places in the procession stared from a distance. Rasell stepped forwards, possibly because his wife shoved him. He cleared his throat. “Um… Brianna. We… we thought you were dead?”
Mianna glared at him. She pushed herself away from Brianna, swiped the tears from her eyes and put her hands on her hips. “My mother is dead and miraculously my sister has returned to attend her funeral. Save your recriminations until later!”
Rasell opened his mouth, glanced back at his wife, then closed it again. He inclined his head once. “Of course, Mianna. There is plenty of time to discuss this later.”
It was a reprieve. Brianna didn’t fool herself into thinking it was anything more than that. But for now, it would have to do. She let Mianna take her hand and pull her into her accepted position at the beginning of the procession.
Terion stared at his wife, then at Brianna. He took a step back from where he had walked next to Mianna, and took up a position behind them.
Brianna tried to ignore the thoughts that rocketed around her head at the sight of him. Tried not to think or wonder what was going to happen now. Instead, she focused on the wrapped corpse the stretcher bearers carried next to them.
It had all been true. Her mother was dead. Trolls had attacked their village in unprecedented numbers, leaving them all but defenceless. She glanced back at the line that stretched behind her, counting the bodies. She gave up at twenty.
So many dead.
Sombre faces glanced in her direction, curiosity written on each one. But no one broke the silence to whisper to each other. Giving the dead the peace they deserved was too important to everyone in the village, for if you couldn’t find peace in death, then what was the point of anything?
Mianna clutched at her hand, silent tears run
ning down her cheeks. But Brianna just felt numb. Too much had happened in too short a period of time. To go from how happy she had been last night, squeezed into the ship’s bunk with Lyall, to this… none of it seemed real.
Lyall.
Was he looking for her? Silly question, of course he was. But he wouldn’t find her. Not here.
And she couldn’t go back now. The villagers wouldn’t believe a faked death a second time. She was going to have enough questions to deal with already.
It was over. She’d never see him again.
Emotion welled up in her at the thought, and her heart ached. It was like losing Kylis all over again, only worse. Worse, because what she felt for Lyall eclipsed anything she’d felt for Kylis, and worse because he wasn’t dead. He was still out there searching for her, not knowing why she had left or why she didn’t come back.
And she couldn’t even share her misery with her twin. She couldn’t ever explain to Mianna what had happened. Not about Lyall, not about her magic, none of it. Mianna wouldn’t even begin to understand. Everyone was so convinced magic was evil, that if she even suggested she could do magic…
They reached the edge of the newly dug grave, and the silence was oppressive as their mother’s body was lowered into it. Terion stepped forwards, next to Mianna, and took her hand. Mianna dropped Brianna’s hand to turn and sob her distress into his shoulder.
Loneliness washed over her, standing alone in a crowd of people. Her twin had a husband, a lover. She had no one—no one’s hand to hold, no one’s shoulder to cry on.
Tears slid down her cheeks as she looked at her mother’s body, the thud of the first clump of dirt hitting it loud in the silence.
Loud sobs broke out nearby and a baby’s wail split the air. Brianna glanced over to see Sari on her knees next to an open grave, her baby in her arms, as she cried over the body being lowered. Breck. A strong and capable warrior. They hadn’t even made it to their second anniversary, or their baby’s first birthday.
There was nothing but sadness here on the ridge.
Why had she come back? Why did any of them stay in the first place?
A woman stepped forwards and cradled Sari in her arms, rocking her back and forth in an attempt to give comfort. Someone else took the baby and soothed it quietly.
Corlin stepped forwards and put his hand on Brianna’s shoulder in a silent show of support. Mianna slipped an arm around her from the other side, still holding Terion’s hand.
She wasn’t alone. All these people had known and loved her since the day she was born. They would be here, offering their silent presence, on the day she died. And any one of them would stand beside her to fight a troll. Could she ask for anything more?
The ache in her heart eased a little. But it wouldn’t go away. No matter how much these people loved and cared for her, they weren’t Lyall. None of them could ever replace Lyall.
*****
“It’s not right,” Rasell said firmly. “If anyone finds out, we’ll be excluded from the trade treaty. You shouldn’t have deceived us like this, Brianna.”
Now the oldest person in Eryvale, Rasell had taken on Ethean’s role upon his death—to preserve the village’s history and uphold the law. But unlike the old man, he lacked compassion.
That was a little unfair. Of course he wouldn’t understand. No one could. They knew Mianna and Brianna were different, but they didn’t really get the implications. And while she could see pity on some of the faces around her, she knew there was nothing they could do to help her. There wasn’t anything anyone could do.
She’d messed up royally by leaving. Or by coming back.
She wasn’t sure which.
“Brianna didn’t mean to deceive anyone,” Mianna said stoutly. “She just wanted to see the world. But she came back when we needed her, because she’s one of us. She belongs here. And we need her.”
“But what are we going to do!” Rasell’s wife, Mailet, wailed. “We won’t survive without the trade treaty. If we can’t trade with the other villages, we won’t have anything.”
They wouldn’t have all the pretty laces and ribbons, that’s what she meant.
Even as she thought it, Brianna knew she was being stubborn. They did need the trade treaty. For food, building materials, and most importantly, metal for forging new swords.
“So don’t tell them,” she said.
All eyes turned in her direction. “Don’t tell them,” Rasell repeated. “But… they’ll notice.”
“No one visits us here,” Brianna pointed out. “Except for those who go over the ridge. No one wants to risk being caught in Eryvale during a troll raid. Has anyone talked about my death outside of the village?” She looked around as the villagers exchanged glances, shaking their heads.
“Then they won’t know that I died and came back. Problem solved.”
If only it was that easy.
“The problem isn’t you coming back from the dead, though that is suspicious enough,” Rasell said. “The problem is you not being married to Terion. That’s the part that breaks the law.”
He’d said it. There was no avoiding it now. Brianna avoided looking at Terion, who stayed at the back of the room.
She couldn’t face the thought of marrying him. It was hard enough to think about never seeing Lyall again, but to marry someone else…
She just couldn’t do it. And she opened her mouth to say so when Mianna spoke up.
“Does it really? I mean, the law says that both twins marry the same person. So if one of us is married, doesn’t that just automatically mean the other one is too?”
Rasell looked thoughtful. “That could be one interpretation, yes. I will have to check on the wording of the law…” His eyes glazed over, as if he were already pouring over his books. That was one trait he had in common with Ethean.
It didn’t make her feel any better. Nor did Mianna’s words. Tight bands closed over her heart, making it hard to breath. Married to Terion. Stuck here forever. Never seeing Lyall again.
She already knew it. Had known from the moment Mianna saw her in the field. But somehow, this made it worse.
But what other alternative was there? Rasell was right, they couldn’t risk breaking the trade treaty, and that meant that she and Mianna had to marry the same man. And since Mianna was already married…
Her twin was looking at her with a pleading expression in her eyes. “If that satisfies the law,” she managed, though the words almost stuck in her throat.
The rest of the meeting was a blur. It was almost a relief when everyone left her mother’s house, hers now, leaving her, Mianna and Terion alone.
Terion glanced from Mianna to Brianna. “I’m going to go chop some firewood,” he mumbled and escaped from the room.
Tiredness overwhelmed Brianna, but even though she closed her eyes for a minute, she was aware of Mianna’s gaze. There were things that had to be said, explanations that wouldn’t wait until tomorrow. She sighed, and opened her eyes, staring into the set of eyes, so like her own. Why did it suddenly feel like Mianna was someone else? Where had the closeness gone?
“Why did you come home?” Mianna asked quietly. “Why now?”
Brianna struggled to explain. “I knew something was wrong. I had a dream, a nightmare, that the trolls had come, and I had to come and see if it was true.”
“But how did you get here so quickly? Were you somewhere close by?”
Brianna shrugged and skirted the question. “What happened here? Do you know why they attacked? It wasn’t a raid, was it?”
Though Mianna’s eyes narrowed, she let the question distract her. “No, it didn’t follow the pattern of any of the raids we’ve seen before. There were so many trolls…” A shudder shook her body. “They… they trampled the graves, broke some of the stonework… And mother…” Her voice broke.
Any distance Brianna had felt dissolved in that moment. “Oh, Mia.” Tears filled her eyes, and she held her twin, rocking her back and forth. “You’re not al
one now. I’m here, and this time I’m not going anywhere. I’ll protect you from the trolls.”
Mianna pulled back, wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve. “But, Bri, what about Terion? I know you didn’t want to…”
“We can pretend,” Brianna said roughly. “No one will ever know if I… if we… if anything ever actually happens between us. I know you love him, but I just can’t…”
Mianna stared at her. “Bri, was there… someone else? I got the feeling…”
Of course. Her sister had the same sixth sense she did. They always had, ever since they were children.
“Sort of. But it was never going to work out. So it’s better that it’s over now.” She shut off the corner of her mind that tried to yell that it had been perfect. There was no point dwelling on what couldn’t be. “My place is here. Now, it’s obvious something is going on with the trolls. We need to prepare for another attack, be ready for them. I have several ideas of how we can improve our chances of defending the village.”
If she was going to be in charge, she was damn well going to do the best job she could.
Lyall stood at the bow of the boat. He didn’t waver on his feet, despite the fact that the speed of the boat caused considerable turbulence. Even without turning his head, he was aware of the whispers from the other mages, most far older than him. They thought he was unsuited for this job.
He didn't care what they were saying. His eyes focused on the rapidly approaching shore, searching the boats moored there for one particular one.
There it was, his own yacht, moored at the same jetty he had used last time. But though he searched the crowd gathering and pointing on the beach, he couldn’t see Brianna.
He couldn't sense her either.
That fact wasn't unusual. Their bonding was still new. The ability to sense each other’s presence would increase with time. But he really wished it was fully developed now, it would make it far easier to find her. He comforted himself with the fact that it would grow, regardless of the fact that they were close to each other, even if it would be a little slower. It may take a few weeks, even a month or two, but eventually, he would be able to tell where she had gone.
