“I did earlier, but you did the right thing. I feel better now—lighter, I guess.”
They walked arm-in-arm toward the castle. “I do not like to think of you anywhere near Valterys or Zakael, but with the events of the past few days, we have no other choice. Promise me you will be safe.”
“Now that the assassin is no longer a threat, we can travel in safety.”
Lliandra bent her head toward Taryn’s. “My darling daughter, never think you are out of danger. You must live each moment as if the assassin were hunting you still. That is what will keep you alive.”
Her mother confirmed what Taryn already knew. Even with the assassin locked up, other threats waited in the shadows. Her anxiety spiked another notch.
Lliandra lifted her face to the sun, inhaling the crisp air. “I do so love this city. It’s unfortunate what happened, but you must not let your heart derail you from your tasks. People will die—it’s that simple. The less concerned you are for their well-being, the less painful it will be for you.”
“How can you say such a thing?”
Lliandra’s eyes filled with sadness and a longing that almost broke Taryn’s heart. “Darling, I am nearly three hundred seasons. Those without ShantiMari live to be half that. I have seen my share of death. It never gets easy and it never ends. It is a fact of life. One you must accept.” Lliandra looked away but not before Taryn saw a tear slide down her face under the mask of Mari.
Kaida nudged the empress’ hand until Lliandra stroked her head. “Kaida seems rather fond of you, and I think the feeling is reciprocated,” Taryn teased.
“Your grierbas is quite remarkable, as are you. You have a pure heart, my daughter. Never lose that. Never let anyone take that love and goodness from you. I see in you a greatness that defies the gods and an immense sorrow.
“I don’t know what I would’ve done had that been you the other day.” She held Taryn tightly against her. “My time draws close, but there is much we must do before then. You must learn to control all three powers and quickly.” She let go of Taryn, shaking her head. “I never should have let Brandt take you so far away. There is too much to carry out and not enough time. I fear you will not be ready when the day arrives.”
“What’s going to happen? Do you know?” Her gut lurched at imagined scenarios.
“I don’t know the future, I’m afraid. Just bits and pieces of images that flash into my thoughts.”
“I’ll learn, Mother. I’ll go to Zakael and get stronger in all my powers.”
“Go to your half-brother. Take from him all you can. He is nearly as powerful as your father. When you’ve finished with him, return to Talaith.” Lliandra touched her cheek. “Together, we will make Aelinae balanced once more.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
A light snow fell as Taryn and Baehlon walked through the square toward the temple. A few townsfolk rushed past, but no one paid them any mind. They were too busy with their final preparations for the end of the Light Celebrations. Taryn skipped up the few steps to the temple and entered into the darkness. Baehlon lit several sconces while Taryn wandered to the center of the space. Kaida circled the room, sniffing the air before returning to sit beside Baehlon near the door.
She wasn’t sure why she’d come. For a long time, she simply stood, staring at the marble pillars that ringed the temple’s interior. A few benches were tucked into alcoves along the wall, but otherwise it was an empty space. Taryn walked in a slow circle, touching each column. Her pendant buzzed with contentment as she moved from one to the next. Baehlon kept to the shadows, but she knew he was there.
A set of colored tiles on the floor caught her attention and she followed the stones in a labyrinthine path until the tiles ended abruptly. Taryn stared at the floor and then at the wall a few steps away. Nothing indicated why the colored tiles ceased. More puzzles. More games. She was tired, too tired to sort out the whys and hows. Still, curiosity pulled her attention to the tiles and she studied the pattern like an artist would a nude. Each turn, every sharp angle—there had to be a meaning for it.
Morning bells sounded and Taryn drew in a long breath. Her gaze drifted to the ceiling and she gasped.
A bright light descended from the dark, coalescing into a beautiful woman surrounded by hair as black as onyx, her skin the color of melted chocolate. She held out her hands to Taryn. “Welcome, my daughter.”
Taryn curtseyed low to the ground. “Are you Daknys?”
“I am. I have long wanted to meet you.” She glided to a bench and sat. Taryn followed and shifted her sword to the side before taking a seat beside the goddess. “Ah, you have my father’s gift with you. May I see it?”
Taryn pulled the blade from the scabbard, handing it to her. It began to pulsate and glow. “What’s happening?” Taryn asked, tempted to take the sword from Daknys.
“It is remembering me.” She held the sword out before her, squinting down the blade. “You’ve taken good care of Ynyd Eirathnacht.”
“Who?” Taryn was certain she didn’t know anyone by that name.
“The sword. There is much power in a name—you should know this.” Daknys blew on the blade. It turned a soft pink, followed by blue and then violet. “You are troubled, young Taryn.” Her fingers danced along the edge of the sword. “Ynyd Eirathnacht has accepted you as the Eirielle. This has awakened my lover and betrayer.” Daknys handed the sword back to Taryn. “He hunts you in your thoughts.”
Taryn carefully replaced the sword in the scabbard. “You learned all this from blowing on it?”
“No, my dear, from you. Your heart told me what your mind could not.” She tilted her head, smiling at Taryn. “Rykoto knows you hold the key to his freedom.”
Taryn glanced over her shoulder at Baehlon and whispered, “You mean the seal?”
Daknys laughed, a rich, hearty sound that filled the temple. “No, but you will need it soon enough. What Rykoto seeks is much more valuable than the seal.”
“What then?” Taryn asked. “I don’t have anything else, unless you mean the crown Nadra gave me or this sword.”
“It is none of those things and all of them. You will have to discover what he seeks on your own, little one. It is part of your path.”
“I hate riddles.” Taryn sighed. “Can you at least tell me how to stop him from entering my mind?”
Kaida padded to where they sat and curled herself at Daknys’ feet. The goddess petted the grierbas, whispering something only the two of them heard. Kaida glanced at Taryn knowingly, sending a chill of dread down her back.
“I cannot. I will say this. You must never let Rykoto have what he seeks and to succeed, you must know what you need from him.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Why do I want anything from him?”
“This path has been laid before you. I cannot intervene.”
“Bloody hell, then why come here to see me if all you’re going to do is tell me what you cannot do?”
“In life, there is always suffering and pain, but there is also love.” She traced the runes on Taryn’s hand. “You must protect that love with your entire being.”
“Is something going to happen to Rhoane?”
“I know much of what is to come, but life is malleable.” She touched Taryn’s cheek. “For me to tell you could possibly bring about that which might otherwise be averted. Either way, it would only make you suffer all the more.” Her shoulders lifted in a shrug and her hair fanned out around them. “Until you believe in who you are, nothing I say will matter.”
“I know who I am,” Taryn said defensively.
“Yes, but you do not believe in yourself. That is why Kaldaar was almost released from his banishment. That is why Rykoto haunts your thoughts. You have no belief, which gives them power. You must become stronger, Taryn. Kaldaar is close to being freed. That can never happen.” Her face held the sadness of a dozen generations. “What he did to Julieta is nothing compared to what he will do to Aelinae if he returns.”
“
Do you know who is behind the phantom? Who wishes Kaldaar to return?”
“I do not. They are powerful, of that we are certain. They can hide themselves from us.”
Taryn assumed “us” meant the other gods. A sliver of anxiety wrapped itself around her rapidly beating heart. If they couldn’t see the phantom, how would she ever defeat him for good?
“You will grow in your power and your belief. Use the gift the phantom has given you. Embrace it. Nurture it.” Daknys lifted from the bench, her gown and hair floating on the air. “I must go now, little one. I hope I have eased your sorrows a little.” Daknys inclined her head to Kaida. “You would do well to learn what you can from the little hunter.”
“Wait. The Shadow Assassin. Do you know who controls him?”
“You have the answer within you already. Believe in yourself. Trust in what you cannot see.” The light surrounding her brightened, then rose to the ceiling before winking out with a spark.
Taryn’s thoughts whirled in a tempest. She kicked at the marble floor. “Fuck!” She yelled up to the darkness where Daknys disappeared. “Fuck, fuck, and fuck. I fucking hate riddles!” More questions rattled her mind. Plus, she never asked about the pattern of the tiles. Daknys would probably tell her the answer was in her already. Stupid gods and their games.
“The meeting did not go as well as you’d hoped?” Baehlon asked in a quiet voice.
Taryn pushed past him, out of the temple and into the cold. “She said I knew who was controlling the Shadow Assassin. Well, she said the answer is within me. That I just need to believe. What does that mean?”
Baehlon fell into step beside her and Kaida kept close to her thigh. “I think it’s all the free time they have. They’ve nothing better to do but make up tasks for us mortals to complete at their whim.”
“I hate riddles,” Taryn said.
“It seems Daknys set you up for a good one. Perhaps Rhoane can help us decipher it.”
A sinking feeling slowed her pace. “Maybe.” Instead of returning to the castle, Taryn turned them toward Southside Gate. She stopped on a bridge to gather her thoughts, idly watching the water flow downstream. “Ever since the attack at the Stones, I’ve had this sense of dread. It lifted when we arrived here, but now, it’s even worse.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you to Gaarendahl? Another sword could be useful,” Baehlon offered.
“I doubt swords will be necessary where we’re going. I need you to stay with the empress. Be my eyes and ears. Something she said to me the other day has got me thinking. She said when I’m done learning what I can from Zakael to return to Talaith. That together we would bring balance back to Aelinae.”
“Aye, that’s what she’s been saying from the beginning.”
Taryn dragged her gaze from the river to glance up at the big man. “It was the way she said it. I don’t know…as if she needs me to have my Dark powers to accomplish something. I need you to find out what she’s up to besides the illegal taxes. Be my spy, Baehlon. Talk to the servants—they know everything that happens in the palace. Find out everything you can about Lliandra and Marissa. If they are planning something, I need to know. Especially if they think I’ll help. Mother or no, I won’t be anybody’s puppet.” She surveyed the area, orienting her location. “Come on, there’s something I need to do.”
They hurried through the city streets until they neared her destination. When they were several shops away, Taryn pulled Baehlon into a pub, taking a table near the window.
“Stay here, keep hidden, but watch the area. Mark who comes and goes. I’ll be back shortly.”
“Taryn.” His baritone held a bitterness she knew too well.
“This needs to be done alone, Baehlon. I’m seeing a friend. There is no danger for me, but please stay here and watch the street.”
He didn’t like it, but he did as asked. Taryn slipped out the back door, pulling shadows around her. Sounds from the smithy echoed down the alleyway, beckoning her closer.
Iselt dropped his tools when he saw her standing in the middle of his workroom. It took only a fraction of a second for him to compose himself before he bent at the waist in the most pathetic bow she’d ever seen.
“Your Highness. I did not know we had an appointment today.” He retrieved his tools from the floor before gently removing the blade she was inspecting. “What can I do for you?”
Taryn tapped her nails on a tabletop and regarded him for several moments before taking a risk she hoped she wouldn’t regret. “I have need of your skill, Iselt.” With care, she extracted the throwing star and dagger from a pocket, holding them out to him. “I need to know where these were made and for whom.”
Iselt drew back. “They reek of Black ShantiMari. You should not have touched them.” He withdrew a rag from his apron and took them from her, inspecting the insignia on each. “I don’t recognize the marks. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.” He held the bundle out to her, but she ignored it.
Instead, she raised a hand to his face. He looked at her with wild eyes but did not pull away when she ran the back of her fingertips over his cheek up to his ear. She pinched the rounded tip of his ear and smiled when he swayed into her touch. “I saw the Artagh in you, but half Eleri as well? Now that is a surprise.”
Anger flashed in his eyes. “My whole life, no one has ever guessed. How is it you know?”
“Because,” Taryn said softly, “I am Darennsai.”
“I’ll not swear fealty to you.”
“I’m not asking you to.”
An internal debate raged across his features. Finally, he said, “If you keep my secret, I will do as you ask.”
“I have no intention of telling anyone about you or what transpires here today. Do you understand?”
He nodded miserably, still not trusting her.
“What I ask of you will come with no small amount of danger should it be found that you are helping me. In return, I will ease your suffering. If you ever need my assistance, you will have it.”
The play of emotion across his face intrigued her. Something made him seek anonymity to the point of disguising himself with what little ShantiMari he possessed.
“Are these from the man who attacked your maid?” He waved the bundle in his hand.
Taryn wasn’t surprised he’d heard. There was no such thing as a secret at the Light Court. She told him about the Shadow Assassin, his previous attempts on her life, and finally, about his capture. He listened carefully, asking only a few questions, periodically nodding his head while making notes in a journal.
“It will take some time to find the maker. I have to use alternative methods, but I will do as you ask.”
Taryn fulfilled her end of the bargain by removing the remnants of Glamour that shimmered under his skin. By the time she’d finished, his ears were rounded and his skin as dull as an ordinary man’s. She tied off her power to make the effect permanent.
“Thank you.” Islet pinched the skin on his forearm again and again to make certain no Glamour bloomed beneath his touch. The mistrust didn’t completely leave his features, but it was enough.
She said in a quiet voice, “Darius will be joining my household in Talaith. If you should feel the need to relocate, I can make the necessary arrangements.”
His face paled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Your Highness.”
“Darius doesn’t know, does he?”
Iselt shook his head hard, refusing to face her. “I’d like it to stay that way. He’s had a good life here. What was between me and his mother is past. She never told her husband, and I thought it would be best for the lad if I let him go.”
Taryn wasn’t happy she’d been right. This was another thing she couldn’t share with Rhoane. Not yet, anyway.
She gave Iselt several gold coins with as many reminders to watch for his safety. He promised to send word when he had information. The heavy clang of metal rang out as she pulled the shadows around her and slipped from his shop.
She took a risk in trusting a complete stranger, but she’d made certain his fate was tied to hers. If for no other reason than the love of his son, he’d help her. Daknys said she needed to believe in herself, but at that moment, she needed to believe in others even more.
Chapter Twenty-Four
In complete contrast to the solemnity of the first night of the Light Celebrations, the final night was a raucous welcoming of the new season. Gone were the haunting songs and candlelight procession through the town. Instead, the townsfolk gathered around a huge bonfire in the town square, drinking and feasting with the rest of the court. Taryn made a brief appearance to toast the participants of each event and then slipped away before her mother could command her to stay.
Throughout the day, she and Rhoane had said their goodbyes to their friends, each time hearing their recriminations and doing their best to explain why Taryn needed to go to Zakael. None of them favored the trip—including Taryn and Rhoane.
Duke Anje caught up to her as she and Kaida hurried back to Ellie’s bedside. They didn’t speak, but Taryn knew what he was thinking. He’d tried to talk her out of going to Gaarendahl, promising he could help her with Dark Shanti, but they both knew his power wasn’t nearly the equal of Zakael’s. In the end, he had relented, but there was a strained apprehension in her uncle she’d not previously noticed.
When Anje followed her into her rooms, Taryn stopped him with a touch on his sleeve. “Please, Uncle, no more about Gaarendahl. Ellie needs calm and rest. It would do no good to argue in front of her. I’ve said my reasons for going and you have yours for my staying. Let’s be done with arguing and move forward.”
“Of course, my darling. We will speak no more of your trip. Tonight, we are here for your maid.”
She regarded him skeptically, unsure if he really meant it. He was not usually so easily swayed from a good debate. As if to prove her wrong, he took a seat beside Ellie, speaking softly to her about the wonders of Talaith, reminding her of all she had to look forward to on their return.
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