by Rinelle Grey
He nodded. “Well don’t take too long.”
He stared at her, eyes boring into her, and the memory of their moment in the pass returned. They couldn’t continue it here in the middle of the village. Even if they were completely alone right now, someone could come around a corner at any moment. But Brianna couldn’t tear her eyes away from his.
The doorknob was yanked out of her hands. Mianna checked in the doorway, sword in her hands. “What are you doing here, Bri! Shouldn’t you be fighting the trolls.” Fear and panic coloured her words.
Brianna turned away from Lyall, the moment broken. “They turned around. They must have seen the mages Prince Balen stationed up there and been afraid of them.”
Mianna stared at her in disbelief. “They turned around? But… they’ve never done anything like that before.” Her sword dropped to her side.
“I know,” Brianna said softly. “It was… unexpected.”
Mianna looked at Lyall, eyes narrowed. “Don’t think this means we’re going to like you any better.”
“I would never think such a thing,” Lyall said promptly. “In fact, I would be quite disappointed if it did.”
Mianna looked at him suspiciously, but Lyall’s face was completely serious, so she just nodded. “I’d better go get the girls out of the basement. They were scared stiff.”
“I need to go check on my men,” Lyall said. “But I’ll be around the village tonight, keeping an eye on things. I don’t think I can sleep.”
His words were strangely reassuring. “I can understand that,” Brianna agreed. “I’m not sure anyone will be sleeping much tonight.”
At least they wouldn’t be awake tending to the wounded. That was rare.
“Remember, don’t take too long making a decision,” Lyall warned. “They’ll be back and better prepared.”
Even though Mianna was looking at her with a frown, Brianna nodded. “I know.”
Lyall nodded and strode off into the fading light. Brianna stared after him until Mianna’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts. “What was he talking about?”
Brianna pulled her eyes back to her twin. “Let’s go get the girls, then I’ll tell you.”
Brianna tucked the blankets around Lylis and kissed the sleeping child’s forehead. She stood up and watched for a few more minutes, but she didn’t stir. Nearly an hour of crying and fear about the trolls had worn her out. In the next bed over, Mianna rose quietly from where she’d been lying down with an equally distressed Kylis.
Without a word, both of them snuck out of the room and down into the kitchen, where Terion handed them both a steaming cup of tea. “So what exactly happened?” he asked. “Trolls don’t just turn around. There has to be something more to the story.”
“I went with the prince to take some of his men to join ours at the pass,” Brianna explained. “Perhaps when the trolls saw them, they knew they were mages, and that put them off?”
“Perhaps.” Terion didn’t look convinced. “Or perhaps the mages were why they came in the first place.”
“What?” Brianna stared at him.
“Come on, Bri, it makes sense.” Mianna stood next to Terion, and Brianna couldn’t help but feel like she was being ganged up on.
“How do you figure that? Trolls have always attacked, this was no different.”
Mianna put her hands on her hips. “They haven’t come over the ridge for two years. Maybe all this time they just wanted the gem, then when they had it, they left us alone. Until those mages showed up. Now suddenly they came back. It’s a bit of a coincidence isn’t it?”
She had a point, it was a bit strange that they had occurred at the same time. Except… “If they were coming because of the mages, why turn around when they saw them? Why not just attack them?”
Mianna checked. She looked at Terion for backup and he shrugged. “Maybe they weren’t expecting to see them right there? I don’t know. But you have to admit, it’s fishy.”
Or maybe they thought the mages wouldn’t be able to defend themselves because of the magic barrier, and they retreated when they realised that one of them had a gem too. But she couldn’t tell Mianna and Terion that. “Does it matter?” Brianna asked. “Either way, they’re probably going to come back. So we need to decide what we’re going to do when they do.”
“Send the mages to fight them,” Terion said. “Doesn’t matter who loses, the winner will be easier for us to defeat.”
Brianna stared at him in disbelief. She looked to Mianna, but her twin’s face was firm as well. It was clear that they’d discussed and agreed upon this before even talking to her.
She’d always known that Mianna and Terion shared something she wasn’t a part of, but this was the first time she’d really felt on the outside. So much for being a threesome. “You saw that panel,” she said firmly. “Our ancestors didn’t stay in this village to watch both sides fight each other to the death. A war on that scale will affect more than just the two sides involved. The entire countryside could be destroyed.”
“Can we use that gem to protect us?”
Brianna stared at Mianna, surprised that her words had hit so close to the truth. The gem could, indeed, protect them. Perhaps that was what it was for? Only up to a point though—a point that she couldn’t explain to them.
Now that the trolls had their own gem, the barrier couldn’t protect the village.
It had all grown too complex. And now her own words were haunting her. If she gave Lyall the gem, would the very thing she feared come true? Could Lyall really defeat the trolls with the gem, or would they destroy more than just each other?
Could they survive if she didn’t give it to them?
“I don’t have any idea how to use it,” Brianna said, her voice rough. “Do you?”
They both looked at her blankly.
“Thought so. So how in this world do you think we can use it to protect ourselves? What we need is someone who does know how to use it.”
“We can’t give it to them, Bri,” Terion said. “I didn’t see the panel you’re talking about, but Mia told me about it, and I don’t see any indication that they’re any better than the trolls. If we give it to them, what’s to stop them from destroying us?”
“If they wanted to destroy us, couldn’t they have already done it?” Brianna demanded. “You saw what they’re capable of. We’re not exactly a threat, are we? Which would you rather trust, them, or the trolls?”
It was an unfair question, neither option looked good to someone who didn’t know Lyall. But she didn’t know what else to do. She couldn’t fight the trolls without help. No one in the village could. They needed Lyall, even if they didn’t want to trust him.
“You want to give the gem to him, don’t you?” Mianna demanded. “You’re willing to risk our entire village on the fact that you have a crush on that mage!”
“I do not have a crush on him!”
What she had went far beyond a crush. If Lyall was right, and she was magically bonded to him somehow, they were linked together for the rest of their lives. If Lyall was right, sending him to fight the trolls was just as dangerous as going herself. Because if he died, she did. And if she died, Mianna would. And Terion would possibly follow both of them. She wasn't sure about that part. What a tangled web they were all stuck in.
She took a deep breath. “Look, I don’t like it any more than you do, but the truth is, we’re in over our head. While it was just a couple of trolls at a time, we could fight them. But if they come in greater numbers, and use magic, we don’t stand a chance. I don’t see that we have any other choice but to ask the mages for help.”
This time, Mianna and Terion were silent. They looked at one another, then Mianna sighed. “How can we trust them?”
“They’re people, Mia, just like you and I. Magic doesn’t change that.” She was going to need more than that to change her sister’s mind. Brianna took a deep breath. “Look, as you said, I’ve been talking to him, and he doesn’t seem that bad. Th
e only thing he wants is to remove the threat of these mages. Our goal is the same in that respect. We can make a deal. We give him the gem, and he defeats the trolls and then leaves.”
She ignored the stab of pain in her heart at the thought of Lyall leaving. It would be best for all of them if he did. And the gem, and the promise of defeating the mages it held, might just be the one thing that would convince him to agree to it.
Mianna reached for Terion’s hand, and he nodded. She sighed. “It seems like we have no other options. We can talk to him, and if he can find a way to defend us against the trolls rather than attacking them, then I suppose we can lend him the gem.”
It was a concession at least. Privately, Brianna wasn’t convinced Lyall would stop at simply defending. And she wasn’t sure she could disagree with him. It was far easier to see the mages similarity to normal people than the trolls. Would a defence ever be enough to keep them at bay?
Unless… “What if we could block the pass?” she blurted out.
“We’ve talked about that for generations,” Mianna reminded her. “It’s impossible. Anything we put there, the trolls just dig through. Remember?”
Their mother had told them stories as children about the time the villagers had tried to block the pass. Six months they’d spent, quarrying and carrying the stone to build a wall. The trolls had destroyed it in six minutes.
“But what if we use magic?”
Mianna and Terion stared at her. “Can magic do something like that?” Terion asked doubtfully.
Brianna bit her lip to stop herself blurting out that magic could do just about anything. “I don’t know, but we could ask the prince.”
Mianna nodded hesitantly, then more strongly. “Yes. That would be the perfect solution. Let’s find him and discuss it.”
Brianna had risen half way out of her chair to do just that, when there was a loud banging at the front door. She hid a smile. Had Lyall grown impatient and saved them the trouble of finding him?
But it wasn’t Lyall who greeted her when she opened the door. One of her men stood there, his face grim.
“What is it?” Mianna asked anxiously.
“There are more mages coming up the road,” he said grimly. “At least double the number that’s here already, perhaps more.”
“Doesn’t mean us any harm, huh?” Mianna turned on her. “Perhaps he was just biding his time until the reinforcements arrived?”
“More likely he wanted more mages to help him fight the trolls,” Brianna countered.
“And what, they were just in the next village waiting? Come on, Bri, get real. He sent for those mages long before he’d even heard of the trolls.”
There was another possibility—that the mages had come more quickly, using magical wind and jumping as she had. She’d made it here within hours that day, and she had no experience to speak of. But she couldn’t tell Mianna that. “How about we find out what he says before making our decision?” she suggested.
Mianna nodded grudgingly and together all three of them headed for the front gate, arriving just as King Balen reined in his horse in front of them. The look of horror in his face as he hit the barrier, then saw her next to Mianna, would have been comical if her heart hadn’t been hammering painfully in her chest. What was he doing here?
He backed his horse up a few steps and opened his mouth to speak.
She’d never been more relieved to see Lyall than when he stepped in front of her and said hurriedly, “Father, we need to talk. In private.”
King Balen didn’t take the hint. “Did you know she was a twin when you bonded with her?” he demanded.
“I can explain everything, but in private, please,” Lyall repeated.
“What are you talking about?” Mianna demanded. “No one here is bonded to anyone.” She looked at Brianna for explanation.
“Which one is which? I can’t tell the difference.” King Balen sounded amused. Amused!
“Father!” Lyall hissed. “Not now.”
“She doesn’t deserve your protection, Lyall. Surely you’ve realised that by now. I told you she was one of them when she left. Surely you’re not so besotted you can’t see that?”
Lyall’s face was frozen, hanging between embarrassment and anger. He said nothing.
“How about you pay attention to your son and discuss this with him in private.” Brianna’s voice was icy. “And maybe try listening to him for once, instead of thinking you know everything.”
King Balen’s amusement disappeared. “I never did like you. I overlooked your insolence because of your obvious power and the advantages it could bring Lyall. Being a twin even helps that. But don’t think it will buy you a place on Isla de Magi. Once we’re done here, you and your sister can rot in the dungeon.” He waved to the men on either side of him. “Bring her back to the camp. Bring both of them.”
“Take a few steps forwards and try that,” Brianna snarled. She had no idea if he could throw his magic through the barrier or not, but she took the chance. Anger coursed through her, focusing through the gem against her breast. She lifted a hand and let the anger flow out through her fingers in the form of fire.
There was complete and utter silence, save for the cracking of the flames. The light flickered, reflecting off the faces that surrounded her, most showing pure fear. King Balen’s face twisted and he pulled his horse back another step.
Brianna had to admit she was a little impressed that that was the only sign of distress he gave.
“Anna,” Lyall said softly beside her. He put his hand on her arm.
The anger bled out of her in a rush and the flames faded. She swayed ever so slightly on her feet, colours flashing in front of her eyes.
Lyall slipped an arm around her waist, and she was torn between being glad of the support and annoyed by it, especially with Mianna staring disbelievingly at her. She was never going to be able to explain this to her twin’s satisfaction.
“Lyall.” His father’s voice held a warning tone. “I think it might be time for that explanation.”
Lyall looked down at her, ignoring his father for a moment. “Are you all right?” he asked.
Brianna stared at him. What a stupid question. Of course she wasn’t all right. She had to somehow explain this to Mianna, not to mention deal with his father’s threats. And Lyall probably wasn’t going to be much help. He never had been very good at standing up to the king.
She pushed herself away from him, her strength returning. “I’m fine.” She turned away deliberately. “Go and calm your father down. I have enough to do with dealing with the mess he made here.”
He didn’t move and it took all her willpower not to turn around and look at him. Instead, she stared at Mianna’s angry face. No, this wasn’t going to be easy to explain at all.
“Lyall!” the king’s voice commanded.
Lyall sighed and turned away. “Yes, Father.”
*****
Anger simmered just under the surface as Lyall followed his father wordlessly back to the camp. It bubbled and threatened to spill over as the king took his time dismounting and pulling off his riding gloves. But Lyall had plenty of practice at keeping it under control.
Finally, they were alone in the tent, the flap closed behind them.
“When you sent for more troops, I thought you’d just found the mages. But you’ve known they were here for several days, haven’t you?”
Lyall bit back a loud denial, took a deep breath, and attempted to explain calmly. “Brianna isn’t one of them.”
The king’s eyebrows shot up. “Good grief. Can’t you see past your lust for long enough to realise that she’s lying to you? You saw that magical display, and in an area shielded from magic. Can you really still believe she’s innocent?”
“I can and do,” Lyall said firmly. “I’ve been here longer than you have, so how about you give me a chance to explain before you make up your mind?”
“I’m listening.”
Lyall thought over the whole
crazy story. Turning up here, seeing Brianna, finding out about her twin, the magical barrier, and then the history of this village all seemed so unbelievable. And then the trolls. He mustn’t forget the trolls.
“This village has been here, guarding the pass over the mountains, since the Great War. Brianna’s people have long since forgotten that this was their purpose, but they’ve guarded the pass against attack after attack despite this. They have nothing to do with the shield, and didn’t even know it existed.”
The king raised an eyebrow. “And they told you all this did they? When they didn’t know it?”
What, did his father think he was stupid? “Of course not. But in an attempt to find whether the mages had been here, I asked Brianna more about the troll attacks…”
“Troll attacks?” his father interrupted. He stared at Lyall in disbelief for a moment, then to Lyall’s chagrin, he laughed! “My goodness. I should have listened to Urster when he said you weren’t up to this task. Surely you didn’t believe superstitious nonsense about trolls?”
Lyall didn’t bother to try to argue his defence, it was plain his father thought little of him, despite choosing to send him on this mission. Instead, he walked across to the table he had been using as a desk, and picked up the troll skull they had unearthed. He held it up without a word.
He felt little satisfaction at the abrupt change in his father’s expression. His eyes widened, and he stared at the skull, then at Lyall. There was no disbelief in his voice as he asked, “What is going on here?”
“It was a magical spell, a curse of sorts,” Lyall explained, only slightly mollified. “Our ancestors put it on the other mages during the Great War and turned them into trolls somehow.”
“How did you find out about this?”
Lyall explained about the crypt, the pictures and the gem. “I sent for more troops when I realised the potential threat these trolls were. Since they have a gem as well, defending against them if they attack again is going to be difficult.”
“Nonsense. They might have a gem, but they can’t possibly have grown in power as much as we have. And we will have a set of twins on our side. They won’t be any match for you.”
