by Alison Pensy
"What?" Who knew that one word could hold so many feelings. Disbelief...surprise...fear.
Faedra brought her gaze back to Vivianna, who was silently waiting for an explanation.
"No. Not really me, well, it wasn't my fault."
Vivianna's lackluster brown eyes shone with confusion.
Faedra really didn't want to relive those moments, but whatever her sister had done to her in the past, she, at least, deserved an explanation of how she lost her father.
"Zaven badly injured him." Faedra continued. "Two Messengers brought him to the World of Men when Zaven attacked. They knew he would be safe there. I can heal with Savu's power, I can bring people back...or rather, I could."
Faedra held up her arm and pushed her thick sweater down from her wrist to reveal the ice bracelet. "Zaven gave me this as a wedding present. Pretty isn't it?"
Vivianna agreed with a subtle nod.
"When I tried to save our father, this cuff absorbed all my power and father's energy. Once I had started, there was nothing that could be done to stop it. Now, all my power is stored in this pretty trinket."
"But, I saw you. You just used your power against Zaven."
"It wasn't mine."
Vivianna shot her an odd look, but said nothing more.
They stood silent for a moment. Faedra didn't wonder what must have been going through Vivianna's mind. She had far too much on her own mind to worry about, least of all, what she was going to do with the very person she had just rescued.
"How did Zaven get you out of your cell, anyway?" Faedra asked. "I thought it was impenetrable."
"The magic was attached to me. Zaven realized if I became weaker, so did the magic around me. He didn't feed me or give me water. I haven't eaten for days."
So, that was why she looked like a bedraggled kitten instead of a powerful predator.
"What do we do now?" Vivianna asked after a moments more silence.
"To be honest, I don't know."
All Faedra could think of was how the counter-attack was going. Were her friends and family safe?
***
The fog bank lifted, and Faen's eyes alighted on row upon row of Zaven's men. Their bodies looked distorted behind the curtain of water, but the Ambassador had certainly put together a sizable army.
"Now!" Faen hollered.
Each of Derian's men thrust their hands forward. The wall of water surged. But, instead of crashing over the army, they walked forward, step by step, pushing the wall towards the Alsians on the other side.
"Charge!" Faen heard over the roar of the huge wave. He smirked. They still didn't have a clue what was coming at them.
The first row of Alsians hit the water and tried to push through. As they did, their bodies deformed, and unearthly shrieks echoed through the wall. Faen hadn't been sure what it would look like to see a body melt. It wasn't pleasant...like candle wax melting in a fire.
They were able to destroy three rows of men before the Alsians realized what was happening and started to retreat. It was now or never. They had to release the wave and take out as many of Zaven's men as they could. The dragons would have to help keep the others at bay until Derian's men could reform the wave and repeat the whole process.
"Let it go!" Faen shouted.
Derian and his men dropped their hands. The wall of water wavered for a second before crashing down to the ground. The Alsians turned and started to run in the opposite direction, but for many of them, it was too late. Their legs melted from underneath them, bringing them crashing to the ground, only to have the salt water consume everything that was caught in its path.
The valley filled with more cries of despair before they were swallowed up by the salt water. The remaining Alsians looked over their shoulders as they ran back towards the city walls. Some of the side-liners decided they may have a better chance if they split to either side of the wave, only to be met by the ferocious flames of the dragons that ambushed them from above.
Derian's men drew the water back, reshaping it into another enormous wave. This time they were drawing closer to the castle. Faen had a twinge of remorse as he ordered the wave released again. The damage to the city would be colossal but he was determined that he would flood every building if that was the only way to insure Azran's safety.
Water crashed over the wall and spilled through the arch. It sluiced down every alley and lane, snaking its way into the heart of the city and sweeping with it everything in its path that wasn't a permanent fixture. Everywhere the salt water touched, the ice melted. Their plan was working. Faedra's plan was working. Faen turned to look up at the ridge where his wife would be watching her city being liberated. His heart hitched a ride to his throat.
"What is it?" Rowan asked, noticing Faen's expression darken.
"Faedra. She is gone."
Rowan followed his son's line of sight. "Go. I will continue here."
Faen beat his wings. "Jocelyn!" he called. "Come with me."
Jocelyn nodded and joined her brother in the air.
Faen looked around him for another ally close by. "Ignis!"
The red dragon finished melting the Alsian he had cornered before turning.
"Faedra is missing. Would you come with us?"
Ignis looked to the top of the valley wall where the Custodian should be spectating. His eyes narrowed. He gave a curt nod as he joined Faen. The three of them took off towards the ridge.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Faen scanned the area as soon as they landed on the ridge. It was hard to tell if there were any extra footprints or a struggle with all the disturbance their group had made prior to descending to the valley floor.
Jocelyn touched Faen on the shoulder. "Brother," she said, pointing to the binoculars on the ground. Faen walked over and dropped down on one knee. He picked up the binoculars and examined them. "Something is wrong." He stood up and handed the broken binoculars to his sister to inspect. "Faedra!" he called. Silence answered him. "Faedra!"
"Faen," Ignis beckoned from near a tree several feet away. He was back in human form, looking intently from the ground, then up into the branches.
"What is it, Ignis?" Faen asked as he and Jocelyn strode over to where the red dragon was examining the trunk.
"Something hit this tree with tremendous force. See, here," Ignis said, running his fingers down the trunk. "All the ice has been dislodged from the bark. And down there..." he pointed to the ground, then up into the canopy. "...Icicles from those branches are all over the ground. Something hit this tree, shaking it enough to dislodge the icicles."
Faen's face paled.
"Brother, I know what you must be thinking. But, I do not think it was Faedra who was thrown into the tree."
"How do you know?"
"Because there are three sets of footprints heading into the forest over there." Jocelyn pointed to the footprints in question.
Faen ran over to the edge of the forest and crouched low, examining the prints.
"These are Faedra's. She is wearing her hiking boots, no one else in this realm would leave a print like that. But whose are those?" He ran his fingertips over the petite print next to that of his wife. Whomever the print belonged to, they were barefoot. He would hazard a guess they were also female. This was not making any sense. Who in their right mind would be out in the freezing cold with nothing on their feet? Although, he had to admit, that was the least of his worries. His fingers trailed next over the print that bothered him the most. The third, much deeper impression belonged to a larger, heavier owner, also barefoot.
Faen looked deeper into the forest. Something caught his attention. He narrowed his eyes, then stood, dusting the ice off his hands. "Come on. We have to get to her before Zaven does."
"How do you know it's Zaven?" Ignis asked.
"A hunch," Faen threw over his shoulder as he darted into the forest following Faedra's footprints.
"I'm guessing from the look on your face, your brother doesn't usually believe in hunches."<
br />
Jocelyn clacked her mouth shut and looked up at the red dragon. She shook her head.
Ignis smiled. "Didn't think so." He gestured with an open palm towards the forest. "Shall we?"
***
Faedra paced back and forth, chewing on her thumbnail. It was probably not the most sensible thing to do. The sound of crunching frozen leaves under her feet was the equivalent of posting a neon sign with a big arrow pointing to their location. But, not knowing what was going on in the valley was eating her alive. Were those screams from her people or Zaven's? After a moment Faedra stopped, her shoulders tensed. Even without her powers she could feel an intense gaze boring into her back. She turned and glared at Vivianna.
"What?" she snapped.
Vivianna was seated on a boulder several feet away. Her eyes did not avert from Faedra's when they met. Faedra had a hard time believing this was the same woman who'd had her mother killed, who'd tried, and failed three times, to do the same to her. She found it hard to hide the animosity in her eyes as she raked a glare over the frail body of her foe. Even the woman's wings were limp and lackluster.
Vivianna said nothing; she just continued to watch as the Custodian started pacing again. Faedra's mind was blank. What good was she as a queen when she couldn't even decide on the next course of action to take? They couldn't stay there all day. For one, it was freezing, and, for some unknown reason, Faedra had felt charitable enough to give Vivianna her coat, though she was still trying to figure out why. What Faedra wouldn't give to have her fire back right then. If she ever got it back, she vowed she would never complain about it again.
Faedra massaged her forehead with her fingertips. She needed to get help, alert the others to Zaven's whereabouts. She couldn't do that with Vivianna in tow.
She stopped pacing again and looked down at the woman she was supposed to despise. Why did she only feel pity?
"I'm going to get help."
Vivianna's blank expression turned to one of panic. "What about me?"
"What about you? I saved your life, Vivianna. That's as much as I promised to do." Faedra turned to leave.
"Faedra?"
Faedra stopped but didn't turn back.
"For what it's worth," Vivianna continued, her voice a timid whisper. "I'm sorry."
Something snapped in the Custodian at those words. She whirled around, bearing down on the disgraced princess with murder in her eyes. She grabbed her around the throat. Vivianna's eyes widened.
"No, you don't," Faedra spat, holding her adversary firm. She hardly even recognized her own voice, it was so full of malice. "You think everything you've done to me, to my family can be wiped clean with 'I'm sorry'?"
Faedra felt Vivianna swallow under her grip. Their eyes were locked on one another. Faedra wished she had her powers, that she could read Vivianna's energy to know if this was just another ruse or if she meant what she said.
"Faedra!" A voice echoed through the fog.
Faedra tore her gaze away from that of her half-sister to look into the fog. "Faen," she whispered to herself, then called out, "Over here!"
The thick blanket she had created shrouded everything, but she strained to see through it, nonetheless.
"Faedra!"
"We're over here, Faen!"
Faedra looked down and let go of her sister's throat, as if it were burning the palm of her hand. What was she thinking? She may have cause to despise the woman sitting before her, some would even say she would be justified in killing her. No, she would not resort to murder. That would only bring her down to Vivianna's level, and that of Savu and Arawn. She was better than that. So much better than that.
Before long, Faedra could hear the sound of crunching. At first, her heart soared as the footsteps drew nearer. She was about to call out again, but a cold shiver skittered down her back. What if it was Zaven? If Faen had been able to follow their tracks, Zaven could have quite as easily.
"What is it?" Vivianna whispered.
Faedra put her finger over her lips. "Shh." She crouched down beside the boulder and peeked over the bush they were hiding behind. Three shadowy figures loomed ahead. She could see two of them had swords outstretched in front of them. All three were scanning the area around them.
"Faedra," Faen whispered into the fog.
"Oh, thank God," Faedra uttered, as she sprang up from behind the bush. "Over here." She waved her hands in the air. Faen spotted his wife and sheathed his sword as he ran towards her. Jocelyn kept her sword extended, her eyes still checking the vicinity as she and Ignis followed after Faen.
Faen grabbed Faedra's face in his hands. After planting a desperate kiss to her lips, he pulled back and searched her eyes "Are you okay? I was worried sick. What happened?"
"I happened." The voice was smooth, calculating, and it sent chills throughout Faedra's body.
She turned and saw Zaven a split second before she was ushered behind her husband's back by one of his strong arms. The other was pulling his sword from its sheath with the familiar sound it made when being pulled from its metal casing. Faedra peeked around his shoulder.
"It's over, Zaven," Faen announced, sword outstretched. "Your army is defeated, your men are retreating...what is left of them."
Zaven's eyes narrowed at the Guardian and a sneer curled his lip. "I'll show you defeat," he spat, as he flicked out his fingers and ten arrows of ice hurtled towards Faen's chest. Faedra's scream got stuck in her throat, strangled by the knowledge there was nothing she could do, she had no power to deflect them. The thought of losing another loved one ripped her apart. She couldn't go on living without him.
"No!"
Faedra heard the defiant word just before seeing a blur of blue jump in front of her husband. In her periphery, she saw Ignis change. A roar of flame shot past their group, hitting its mark straight on. A sickening scream echoed through the fog. Faedra scrunched her eyes and buried her head in Faen's back at the sight of Zaven's deforming body. She could hear the roar of Ignis's fire. He didn't stop until there was silence, until there was no chance his victim was left alive. Not only did the dragon melt their aggressor, but he also made sure to heat the water remaining until it had completely evaporated. The steam that was once Zaven, floated up and mingled with the swirling fog.
Faedra heard a gurgle and felt her husband shift in front of her. She opened her eyes as the figurative dust settled and noticed he was holding something. She stepped out from behind him as he lowered into a kneeling position, taking Vivianna's limp body with him. Blood was seeping through her blue gown turning the fabric purple.
Faedra's nostrils twitched as the smell of warm blood wafted on the air and clung to the vapor swirling around them. She kneeled beside her husband. They exchanged glances before returning their eyes to the disgraced princess, who may very well have just taken a step to redeem herself. Her eyelids looked heavy and uncooperative as she tried to open them. Vivianna attempted a small smile in Faedra's direction.
"Why did you do that?" Faedra murmured.
Vivianna started to talk but a wheezing splutter was all that passed her lips. Faedra leaned in, angling her ear towards Vivianna's mouth. "I have already taken so much from you," she whispered. "I could not see you lose another. You will make a just queen, Faedra. Azran is lucky to have you." Vivianna closed her eyes as her head slumped against Faen's chest.
Faedra let herself drop backwards a few inches, planting her backside on the ground. She crossed her legs and stared at her half-sister, her feelings a cause for confusion. Shouldn't she be doing a happy dance around the forest right at that moment? The person who had spent the last couple of years trying to ruin her life was gone. Dead. No more. Why then did she feel sadness and pity for the woman who lay limp in her husband's arms?
"We need to give her a royal burial," Faedra blurted a few moments later. She looked up at Jocelyn and Ignis. "For all that she did wrong, she saved Azran's new king." She turned to her husband. "She could have let you die, and I would have lost you." T
ears pricked behind Faedra's eyes at the thought of seeing the arrows that were sticking out of Vivianna's chest sticking out of Faen's, instead.
Faen rose and gently handed Vivianna to Ignis. He leaned over, scooped Faedra's coat off the boulder where it had slipped off Vivianna's shoulders, and placed it around his wife's.
Faedra pushed her arms into it and zipped it up, pulling the hood over her head. She shuddered. "I can't ever remember being this cold."
Faen leaned over and picked up the book of Anohs. "You do have the power to change that," he said with a wry smile.
A look of realization swept over Faedra's features, and she slapped her forehead with her palm. "Well, d'uh." She pulled the book from Faen's grip and closed her eyes. In the next moment, warm sunshine broke through the dreary gray clouds and came streaking down through the trees. Having no one to challenge the temperature, it ratcheted up within minutes. Faedra pushed her hood back and lifted her face to the sun. She could hear drips hitting the undergrowth as the ice on the branches started to melt.
She turned back to Faen. "Were you telling the truth? Did we really defeat Zaven's army?"
Faen smiled. "I would imagine Derian and his men have vanquished every last one of them by now. Azran is yours again, My Lady." Faen did a low bow with a sweep of his arm. Faedra doffed him on the arm. "Stop that. It's yours, too. Or had you forgotten that you are now king."
Faen smiled and put his arm around Faedra's shoulder. "Come, let us get back to the others. I fear we have a lot of cleaning up to do."
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
As they flew down to join the others in the valley, Faedra could see the last of the salt water being siphoned back to its rightful place. When they had finished, Derian picked up the cypher wheel and handed it back to Todmus.
"We will forever be in your debt, Derian," Faedra said. "If it wasn't for you and your men, we would have lost Azran. Thank you."
"Your father was a good man, Faedra. We could not sit by and let this injustice go unpunished."
