by Ann Bakshis
“Honora, this is Aliza,” Henry says, introducing us. “She’s going to take care of you from now on since I have Job to attend to.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, dear,” Aliza says, smiling.
“It’s nice to meet you as well,” I croak since my throat injuries have decided to flare up.
“I’ll take her from here, Henry. Let me know when the physician arrives,” Aliza says, taking my hand.
“Yes, dear,” Henry replies, winks at her and leaves, shutting the door behind him.
“Would you like any assistance with your bath, or do you feel all right on your own? I don’t want to intrude on your privacy,” Aliza says, which makes me love her instantly.
“I could use the help,” I say, though I don’t really. It’s actually the company I want more than anything. A kind face and gentle disposition is always nice to be around regardless of what my true intentions may be.
She smiles and helps me take off the dress, torn when Lycus’ men snatched me in Nysa. He had me put it back on to demonstrate how poorly he took care of me. Aliza helps me into the tub filled with hot water. Salts are added and they fizz upon contact with my skin, easing the tension in my muscles and relaxing me a bit. Aliza hands me a rag to wash with while she tends to my hair, which is all knotted. Even though we don’t speak, having her in the room gives me great comfort.
“Can I ask you something?” I ask, my voice shaking from nervousness.
“Yes, dear.”
“Do you think a woman who’s been brutalized in the most perverse way possible could ever be worthy of love?”
“Yes, of course,” she replies. “No one is ever undeserving no matter what they’ve been through. Love is what heals us, not wounds us. King Evander loves you tremendously, if that’s what has you frightened. That’ll never cease or change.”
“I hope you’re right,” I utter, though I don’t believe a word of what she says.
When I’m clean, she hands me a soft white robe to wrap around my aching body before leading me back into the bedchamber where I’m provided with a soft cotton nightgown. Once I’m dry, I don it then get under the covers. Aliza plumps up my pillows for me to sit comfortably against the headboard, then she lovingly tucks the blankets under me as there’s a soft knock on the door. She goes to answer it and it’s Henry with the physician.
“I’ll wait out here,” Henry says, before closing the door.
Aliza sits beside me on the bed and holds my hand while the older man carefully examines my throat. I wince from his touch, but that’s to be expected. I’m praying he doesn’t want to check me elsewhere, but he doesn’t even bring it up though I’m sure he’s been advised.
“There doesn’t appear to be any internal damage,” he says. “Just a lot of swelling and bruising, which will go down in time. I suggest plenty of rest for the next several days and you should start to feel better.”
Aliza escorts the man out to Henry, who waited in the hall like he promised.
“I’ll bring you some tea,” she says, lingering in the doorway. “It’ll help with the pain.”
She gently closes the door behind her, and I’m left alone to my thoughts, which only cause me distress. I don’t know what to do with myself with leisure time; I’ve always been active in some way, whether it’s going to the market, working with Caster in the village, swimming in the lagoon, training, or hunting. Having to be sedentary for several days is going to drive me insane, like it almost did in Longemere.
Aliza returns later with my tea and some dinner, then takes the dishes with her when I’m done and tells me to get some sleep. The oil lamps in the room are dimmed to a subtle glow and since the sun has set there’s only darkness outside now as well. I try to get comfortable in the bed, but the loneliness is starting to get to me. None of them, other than Aliza, has checked on me since Henry took me from the solar and I’m greatly upset by it. I’m not sure how much time passes before I can’t tolerate it anymore, but eventually I get out of bed, put the robe on, and step into the hallway and see light is being cast down from a library at the end. Henry, Argus, Caster, and Evan are all sitting around a desk in their nightclothes talking but stop when I enter the room.
“You should be in bed,” Caster says as he gets up.
“I can’t sleep,” I reply, waving him to sit back down. “What are you all discussing?”
They glance at each other, probably hoping someone else will answer.
“It’s nothing important,” Caster finally answers.
“If it has to do with Lycus, I want to know about it.”
“You’ve been through enough, Ore. You don’t need to know what we’re discussing,” Evan says a little too harshly.
“Don’t speak to me like that,” I retort. “I’m not dead, only broken, which means repairable if you actually gave a damn.”
I go to leave when Evan is quickly beside me, grabbing my arm so I’ll turn and look at him.
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” he says.
I pull free from his grip. “Then why are you avoiding me?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer, which tells me everything I need to know, so I return to my room where I close the door and get back under the covers, this time bawling my eyes out as a real fear of losing him settles over me. I knew what I thought was accurate, I was just hoping to be wrong. I decide at that moment to leave Latrest after I’ve stolen the medallion, but I won’t return to Lycus like he wants me to. I won’t tell any of them where I’m going, and I’ll make sure to do it during the night while they’re all asleep. I’ll have to see if I can locate a possible secret passageway like Longemere Castle has. Then I’ll grab my father’s longbow, which is still currently in the solar leaning against the bar, pack a small bag with whatever I can find, and head out. I don’t care where I wind up, as long as I’m far from here and Geron. It’ll make it harder for Lycus to find me when he realizes I plan on deceiving him, and easier for Evan to forget me.
Eighteen
Evan
“You couldn’t have handled that any worse,” Caster says, annoyed.
“I know,” I reply, agreeing with him. “I just don’t know what to do. I’m lost.” I turn to look at all their worried faces. “How do I handle this?”
“What’s there to handle?” Henry asks. “You love the woman, she’s hurting, you comfort her.”
“But what Lycus has done…” I begin, but my voice trails off.
“Then you make him pay for it, not Ore,” Argus says. “Stop punishing her for something that was out of her control.”
I pull the doors closed before returning to my seat by Henry at the desk. “I just need time,” I say.
“You may not have time,” Caster says. “Lycus could be here any minute and we’re all sitting around with our heads in our hands because of what happened. We know you’re hurting, but Ore is the one who went through his hell, not you. We need to get her out of here as quickly as possible because Lycus knows this is where she is now. I don’t care what that physician said about letting her rest, and I’m sure the same thought has crossed her mind as well. She’s probably already thinking of ways to get out of the castle and away from everyone. That includes you if you don’t knock this shit off.” He points to me with his last remark.
“Then what do you propose?” Argus asks.
“We make our way to another kingdom, one he can’t possibly get in to,” Caster replies.
“That’s all well and good for Ore and you, but I can’t go,” I say, my voice rising. “I have a kingdom to protect. If I leave it vulnerable, he’ll slaughter them all just trying to locate her.”
“I have men for that,” Argus says with authority. “A king is no good to his kingdom if he’s dead.”
“But a king isn’t truly a king if he runs away instead of dying for his people like he’s vowed to do,” I counter, becoming agitated.
“Well, all of your arguments will be moot if Lycus gets his hands on those medallion
s,” Henry interjects. “And from what Kerron said, that’s exactly what Lycus intends to do. So, him obtaining Ore now or later isn’t the real issue, it’s the medallions and what they do.”
“What do you mean?” Caster asks.
“This is called the Regnum Parable,” Henry says, tapping the thick leather-bound book that’s currently resting on the desktop. He removed it from one of the bookshelves shortly after calling us into the library.
I’ve seen the book before, but I never really paid much attention to it. It’s just as old as the kingdom, is very heavy, and if you don’t handle it properly it’ll fall apart. The book on the outside is nondescript, except for the cover which has the markings of all nine kingdoms circling a peak of what’s supposed to be the Kunlun Mountains. From what I’ve seen of the pages, the book is beautifully illustrated and full of so much information that it would take months if not years to siphon through it all.
“It contains the entire history of Reynes including all its current kingdoms and the possible existence of a lost kingdom to the east of the mountains,” Henry continues. “The medallions are what will allow you to enter this forgotten civilization if you find the gate leading to it.”
“I don’t see anything troubling about that,” Caster says.
“On the surface, no. It’s what could still be lingering in its ruins that might cause us issues,” Henry says.
“That’s assuming such a place really exists,” Caster counters. “I’m sure if any of the other rulers believed in such a fairytale, they’d have discovered it by now. Obviously, that hasn’t been the case, so what would make Lycus want to? I know he’s power-hungry, but does he realize all the obstacles he has to go through just to get there? It seems as if it’s not worth the effort.”
“The other kings and queens realized the wickedness that could still possibly reside there, so none have been tempted to find it until now,” Henry says. “This isn’t just any ordinary kingdom he’s going to try to locate, but one that once brought a plague so horrifying to the land that existed before Reynes that it ruled for years before finally being imprisoned far beyond the lost kingdom by Dermont the Wise. The plague is known as the Shadows.”
“What the hell is that?” Argus asks, chortling slightly.
“A curse brought on by dark magic,” Henry replies.
“Magic? Are you serious?” I ask, dumbfounded. “There hasn’t been anything so preposterous as that in several centuries. It died out shortly after Reynes was founded.”
“You have read this book,” Henry comments, smiling.
“Only a few pages. Apparently not as much as you have,” I reply.
“Why did it die out?” Caster asks.
“Because of Toorkuns, the kingdom that I’ve been referring to that lies east of the mountains,” Henry answers. “It was lost when the gate connecting it to Reynes was damaged in the removal and trapping of the Shadows. All magic in this realm died out as the powers were strictly drawn from that one specific kingdom. Everyone here has gone so long without magic, no one really thinks about it anymore or even notices it’s missing.”
“Could the Shadows still exist, if it even did in the first place?” Argus asks.
“Is that something you’re willing to find out?” Henry counters. “If we’re to assume the Shadows is still alive, then we need to understand the ramifications if Lycus succeeds in his plans. It’ll alter Reynes forever, possibly eradicating every kingdom as it now exists and creating a world filled with malevolence and death.”
“Would Lycus know this? I mean, it’s obvious he’s read this book, but does he understand the consequences of his actions?” Caster asks.
“Only Kerron would know that answer,” I reply. “But would Lycus even really care? I’m sure he’s assuming he can acquire the powers the Shadows contain if he can find the gate into Toorkuns and open it. He’s power-hungry and this would provide him with an unlimited source, as well as new methods of maintaining his influence. There’d be no stopping him.”
“We’re just supposed to waltz into these kingdoms and ask them to hand over their medallions because we think a madman is going to unleash a magical plague that’s rumored to have existed in ancient times?” Caster asks. “They’re all going to think we’re nuts. Even I’m starting to, the more we talk about this.”
“He, and we, will have a difficult time getting to and past the kingdom of Otarid, which would need to be done to reach Toorkuns,” I say. “The dragon queen doesn’t take too kindly to us valley dwellers.”
“There’s a reason they live at the top of that mountain range,” Argus adds. “They’ll kill us while we’re still trying to get through the Kingdom of Strygon, which is at the base.”
“What if we simply destroy the medallions we do have?” Caster asks. “He’d never be able to open the gate because he’d be lacking the ones for Pelheim.”
“What do you think destroyed Drouviel?” my father asks from the now open doorway, his skin white as a sheet as he leans heavily on a cane he just started using this morning.
Henry rushes over to him and helps him to the nearest chair. “You shouldn’t be out of bed,” he scolds my father. “Your health is too poor for you to be roaming the halls.”
“I thought you said Drouviel collapsed because of how they selected their king and queen,” Argus says to Henry.
“I did because that’s how it’s documented in the Regnum Parable,” he replies.
“But it’s a lie,” my father whispers. “Just like the knowledge about Toorkuns being a lost kingdom. Toorkuns was never lost but deserted, and with great reason.” He takes a deep breath, which rattles his body before continuing. “My father told me about the Dewins, the witches and sorcerers that once lived in Toorkuns, as did his father, and so on. It’s believed that a sorcerer who was so obsessed with obtaining as much power as possible that he conjured the Shadows as a way to become more powerful than his counterparts. The Shadows wasn’t what he expected, and drained the life from him, killing him and then attacking the other Dewins. To protect Reynes, the gate was sealed and the medallions that controlled it scattered amongst the kingdoms.”
“Then, how did Drouviel fall?” Argus asks.
“It’s true that the king and queen of Drouviel were siblings at the time of its destruction, but it wasn’t due to their weakness for the flesh that caused it,” my father says. “They tried to destroy their medallions and the dark magic embedded inside rebounded, killing everyone and laying the kingdom to ruins.”
“Why did they want them destroyed?” Caster asks.
“Because they understood the danger such items hold if they fall into the wrong hands,” my father replies. “They were trying to protect the realm in case anyone tried to obtain the medallions and do exactly what Lycus is planning on doing, but instead, they wound up obliterating the very thing they were trying to protect.”
I get up and stand beside my ailing father. “It’s your sickness that’s making you think this way,” I say in a hushed tone. “You need to return to bed.”
“It’s actually giving me clarity, son,” he replies. “I was praying this time would never approach, as have all our ancestors, but if Lycus is determined to bring the Shadows back into Reynes, you have to stop him at all costs.”
“If we can’t destroy the medallions, perhaps warning the other kingdoms is best,” Argus says.
“They’re not going to buy this bullshit,” Caster says, “regardless of whether they have a copy of the Regnum Parable or not. Plus we could possibly be putting the very same idea into their heads that Lycus has. We don’t know what the kings and queens are aware of, so if any of them are as ruthless we’d be giving them instructions about how to take over the entire land.”
“Well, we have to do something,” Henry says.
“We attack Geron,” I say. “If Lycus is dead then this ends, and everyone is safe. Besides, he needs to die for what he did to Ore.”
“I agree,” Caster says. “The s
ooner we undertake this the better.”
“I’m going to take Job back to his room,” Henry says, helping my father to his feet. “You do whatever you feel is necessary.”
The two disappear down the hall while Argus departs to check in with the Vagter who are patrolling the grounds, leaving Caster and me alone. I retake my seat next to him as he rubs the spot on his leg where the horse fell since it’s obviously still bothering him.
“I don’t know if I told you how sorry I am about Elizabeth,” I say.
“I just can’t believe she’s gone,” he replies, then chokes back tears that are working their way forward. “Never let a day go by that you don’t relish the time spent with the woman you love. I waited far too long with Elizabeth and now she’s gone. Don’t make the same mistake with Ore.”
“When did you know you loved Elizabeth?”
“It came on so gradually that I don’t ever remember a time where I didn’t,” he replies. “We both needed each other because of our promise to David, but when Ore was little, we realized he wasn’t returning to us. Elizabeth was distraught and I was there to comfort her. It wasn’t long after that we became lovers. We both wanted to marry as the years passed, but we felt it would be like we were betraying David on some level, like we’d be admitting he was gone. Now I wish I hadn’t put it off.” He stands and places a hand on my shoulder. “She needs you, Evan. Don’t hold off when you still have her here.”
He chokes on sobs as he heads towards his room, which is beside Ore’s. I get to my feet, leave the library, and stand in front of Ore’s door, hesitant to open it. When I do, I make sure to do it slowly so not to wake her and am startled to see she’s not alone. Holding her is Aliza as they lay on the bed, Ore curled against the older woman’s side while Aliza strokes her back.
“She just fell asleep,” Aliza whispers as I quietly close the door behind me. “The poor thing was crying so hard she was making herself sick. I couldn’t let her be alone like that.”
“It’s my fault she feels this way,” I say, taking a seat on one of the couches across from the bed. “I haven’t been consoling her like she needs.”
