Finding Refuge: The Marked Ones

by Cathi Shaw

  Bellasiel answered angrily and Kiara was surprised when she didn’t deny it, “Do you blame him? Look at the damage he did to that girl. He could easily do the same to Omen.”

  “Would he have more reason to do the same to Omen?” Kiara couldn’t help asking. Bellasiel shifted her attention to her.

  “I’ve been thinking about what happened to Teague,” Kiara explained. “It’s kind of convenient that he killed Deanna, isn’t it? After all you wanted to get rid of the girl right from the second you realize she wasn’t Marked. I can’t help wondering if you had Teague do your dirty work for you.”

  Bellasiel’s eyes narrowed. Kiara regretted her words almost instantly. She had not meant to share her suspicions with Bellasiel. She hadn’t even shared them with Caedmon yet. Now because of her big mouth, the Elder knew that she didn’t trust her.

  Caedmon spoke. “Bellasiel, give me the keys to my brother’s cell. If you don’t give them over willingly I will take them. You know I can do it.”

  Bellasiel eyes hardened but she didn’t argue. She reached into her desk pulling out a heavyset ring of keys.

  “We are only trying to help your brother,” she told Caedmon as she handed him the keys. But Kiara couldn’t believe anything she said anymore.

  Caedmon didn’t acknowledge the Elder’s words at all. He just headed back to the dungeon.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “Well? Do I get to explore on my own all the time now?” Mina asked teasingly as she looked at the scroll Arion had unfurled onto the table. They were in his chambers examining the find from the novelty shop. “Don’t you think I earned it?”

  Arion raised his eyebrows at her. “No,” he answered flatly as he continued to examine the parchment in front of him.

  Mina could barely contain her excitement. There was no doubt in her mind that they were looking at one of the lost copies of the Prophecy. What were the odds that her art fascination would lead to such a find? She knew she was gloating but she couldn’t help it. And she knew Arion was pleased, too. She could tell since he was taking her jibs with good humor.

  Arion finally looked up and nodded. “It is an original.”

  Mina hopped up and down and clapped her hands. “How do you know?”

  “Well, it’s on Elder parchment – but even the shopkeeper could tell that. Look at this …” he picked up the scroll and walked to the window of her room. Pulling back the curtains so the sunlight shone in, he held the scroll up to the light.

  Mina gasped. In the sunlight the ink on the page grew almost translucent.

  “Only copies of the Prophecy were made with this ink. It’s called solas na gealai.” Finally Arion lost the serious expression that had been on his face since leaving the shop with the scroll. He grinned at Mina. “You did it! You found the Prophecy.”

  Mina couldn’t help beaming back. She’d felt tremendous guilt for the loss of the first copy that had been sitting on her desk in the library in Séreméla. The same scroll that Eöl Ar-Feiniel had lost his life for. If she hadn’t been so stupid she would have known what that parchment had been and perhaps the old archivist would still be alive. But now that they’d found another copy of the Prophecy, they had a chance of learning what the Mark might mean.

  Arion’s smile faded suddenly.

  “What’s wrong?” Mina asked.

  “Well, we have found what appears to be a complete copy of the Prophecy but we have no way of deciphering it. With Eöl Ar-Feiniel gone I don’t know anyone who could read this ancient dialect.”

  Mina smiled tentatively. “Well, I can read a bit of it,” she admitted. “Eöl Ar-Feiniel was teaching me how to read it. Apparently I had a bit of a knack for it,” she added shyly.

  Arion stared at her. “You had a ‘knack’ for it?” he asked incredulously. “Do you have any idea how complex this dialect is? And you didn’t even grow up speaking the Elder language.”

  Mina shrugged. “It just makes sense to me.” She pointed to the scroll spread between them on the table. “Eöl Ar-Feiniel said that he thought people had been misinterpreting the Prophecy for a long time. He thought that it was in part because for some reason they had relied on the Draíodóir to translate it for them.” Mina paused remembering how angry the old archivist had been by the fact that the Draíodóir had full access to an Elder prophecy. She couldn’t help wondering how the Draíodóir had gained control of the Prophecy in the first place. The one time she’d asked Eöl Ar-Feiniel about it, he’d become so furious he couldn’t even speak.

  Mina looked up from the parchment when she realized Arion hadn’t said anything to her. He was watching her with a look of wonder on his face.

  “What?” she asked.

  “It’s just that …” he trailed off. “Nevermind. Show me what you understand.”

  Mina watched him for a moment wondering what he’d been about to say. Then she turned back to the paper in front of them. It wasn’t like it was easy to decipher. Even though she understood it to some extent it still took a long time to really begin to translate it. The time that Eöl Ar-Feiniel and her had spent on the Prophecy scroll had led to very little progress. That’s why they had switched to other, more accessible documents to translate at first.

  Mina felt another pang of regret. At least doing the translating with Eöl Ar-Feiniel meant that the archivist was working with her and she had his expertise to lean on. It was almost as if they were completing a puzzle together. He had been so knowledgeable and the loss of him would mean more than just losing a friend.

  “Mina?”

  She focused on Arion’s face, her thoughts pulled back from the memories of her former mentor.

  “Are you alright?” he asked and Mina suddenly realized her cheeks were wet with tears.

  She sniffled and nodded. “I’m sorry. I miss Eöl Ar-Feiniel.”

  Arion nodded in understanding. “Does it help to know that he would be very proud of you for finding the Prophecy and continuing on with the work?”

  Mina smiled a little and nodded.

  “Did you know him?” she asked Arion curiously.

  He looked wistful. “I did. I actually spent quite a bit of time in the library in Séreméla. I found it soothing.”

  Mina couldn’t help wondering for a moment how stressful life must have been for Arion in Meldiron’s guard.

  “I might be able to help you, if you show me how Eöl Ar-Feiniel guided you through the translation.”

  Mina looked at the parchment spread in front of them. “It took an incredible amount of time to translate even the tiniest bit,” she said slowly.

  Arion pulled a chair close to the table. “Good thing we seem to have an abundance of time right now, isn’t it?”

  #

  Mina’s and Arion’s days were now full. They spent their mornings training and their afternoons and evenings working on the Prophecy. It was slow, arduous work and often Mina felt that she made a bit of progress in the translation only to continue and find that she had to start all over again. But she was enthralled with it. Some days she was so caught up in the challenge that she forgot to eat dinner entirely.

  One late afternoon she looked up from where she was trying a variety of combinations of letters on the page to find Arion staring at her.

  “What?” she asked, suddenly self conscious.

  He shook his head. “It’s just that you are so passionate about this work.”

  Mina felt her cheeks heat. “I find it intriguing. After all here is a scroll that is thousands of years old – so old that its original meaning has been lost – and yet it could hold the answers to the future of life in Five Corners. It gives me the chills to think that we are privileged to be attempting to read it!”

  Arion smiled at her. “You really do love the Elder language, don’t you?” he asked.

  Mina nodded. She did but she didn’t try to explain why. It was as though for the first time she had finally come home to her roots. She felt more comfortable with the Elder words than she did
with the common tongue. In fact, since they’d started working on the Prophecy, she found that Arion and her more often spoke in the Elder tongue than in the language she’d grown up speaking with her sisters.

  The first time it had happened, Arion had laughed at her and had to point it out before she realized. Now he just took it for granted that she would speak to him in his native tongue. Mina had a suspicion that he liked the fact that she was fluent in his language so quickly but she didn’t talk to him about it. She thought she’d just enjoy the pleasure that lit up his face when they talked.

  As for the Prophecy, it was a mystery that was proving exceedingly difficult to decipher. They’d been able to translate the first few phrases but they told them nothing. The introduction to the text was typical of any piece of Elder writing, listing the ages and the Elder royalty. That part had been easy. But what came afterward was an intricate maze of lost meaning.

  But Mina wasn’t going to give up. When they’d managed to eek out the meaning of just one word or phrase, Mina found herself falling asleep with a smile on her face. But in their short time with the document it was becoming clear that it would take the two of them years to fully translate it. That was unless they could find someone who was proficient in the ancient dialect and outside the Draíodóir ranks; Arion did not know of a single person. Even poor Eöl Ar-Feiniel only had a rudimentary understanding of it.

  Still Mina was confident that there would be a way to unlock the mysteries of the ancient text. She just had to figure out how to do so.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Thia, Xyrisse and Meldiron arrived in Bermgarten late in the afternoon four days after they found the Hunters’ bodies. Meldiron had amazing senses when it came to Arion’s way of thinking.

  “I’m sure they wouldn’t stay on the outskirts of the city,” he said as they entered the busy centre. “They would go to the heart of the city where there are more people. The most heavily populated part of town is where Arion would have taken Mina.”

  Thia was surprised that Meldiron was so sure of himself but Xyrisse agreed with him.

  The Nasseet girl nodded. “Yes, I also sense that they are closer to the center of the city,” she told them.

  Thia had never been in a city the size of Bermgarten. It was larger, or at least it appeared larger, than Sailsburg. She asked Meldiron about it.

  He nodded, “Yes, it is bigger than Sailsberg not by much but it is a more condensed city. Because we are relatively close to the Eastern Mountains, where there are Raiders, this city is not as safe as Sailsburg and so the people tend to live closer together. Along with taking other precautions for their safety.”

  Thia waited for him to elaborate on his last comment but he just kept leading them through the city streets without saying anymore. She couldn’t help wondering what their additional precautions might be.

  Thia had never seen a city like this one. Everywhere one looked there were people and the buildings seemed to be taller than any of the buildings she’d seen in other towns and cities. People lived on top of one another more than even in the poorest areas of Sailsberg.

  The streets and alleys were dirty and the smell of excrement was heavy in the air. Thia suppressed a shudder. She didn’t think she’d want to be wandering around this city by herself. She was thankful that Xyrisse and Meldiron were travelling with her. And she hoped that her sister still had Arion to look after her. She didn’t like to think of Mina in this city on her own. Kiara would have been able to fend for herself but Mina was a happy, daydreamer who could only too easily fall into trouble alone in such a place. Thia smiled as she thought of her sweet blond sister. Mina always thought the best of all people and, living sheltered as she had been at the Inn her whole life, Mina had no reason to believe there were ugly people in the world who would hurt her if they had a chance. She was too naïve and innocent. Even after the attack by the Hunters had left her unconscious for months, Mina was still a trusting soul. Thia couldn’t imagine her ever changing.

  It was almost the dinner hour when they located the inn where Mina and Arion were staying. Meldiron believed it was definitely the lodging that Arion would choose for the princess and Xyrisse sensed that Mina was in the building.

  Meldiron inquired with the innkeeper and he confirmed that they were staying there. Thia felt a wave of relief wash over her. Her sister was safe and well. Meldiron had just ordered rooms for the Xyrisse, Thia, and himself when Arion and Mina walked through the entrance on their way on the dining room.

  “Thia!” Mina cried in delight and swept her up into a warm embrace. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  Thia smiled at Mina, noting that her sister looked happy and well. Relief flooded her. Even though they’d found no indication that Mina had been hurt in the clearing, Thia had to admit that she had been concerned for her sister. The bodies of three Hunters and evidence that Arion had been injured didn’t bode well for Mina’s well being. But Thia could see that her fears were in vain. In fact, Mina looked almost radiant.

  “You must be exhausted,” Mina said as she looked closely at her. Thia resisted the urge to rub her eyes and forced a smile at her sister.

  “Riding always tires me out, as you know,” she admitted unwilling to let Mina know just how troubling the last few weeks had been.

  Mina turned to where Meldiron and Arion were greeting one another. She put her hand on Arion’s arm, Thia refrained from raising her eyebrows at the gesture of familiarity. “Thia is tired,” Mina told the two Elders. “I will take her and Xyrisse to their rooms to rest and we can catch up with one another over dinner in a few hours. Thia and I will share a room, Meldiron,” she added happily.

  The crown prince looked like he might argue but Mina, to Thia’s surprise drew herself to her full height and looked at him in almost a regal way.

  “Thia is my sister and I miss her,” Mina said directly. “We will want to spend some time catching up. Besides it wouldn’t hurt the Crown Prince to save a few coins for later.” She winked and giggled as she pulled Thia towards the stairs. Leaving Meldiron staring after her in surprise.

  “You have no idea.” Thia heard Arion murmur to Meldiron before Mina pulled her the rest of the way upstairs. It appeared that her sister had learned how to assert herself.

  #

  “So tell me everything! How did you get here?” Mina asked as soon as they had settled in her room. Xyrisse had stopped in her own bedchamber only to deposit her things, seeming to prefer the company of the women to her solitary space.

  “How did you know where to find us?” Mina prodded.

  Thia told her how they’d stumbled upon the camp with the dead Hunters in it.

  “Meldiron knew that Arion would think to hide you in a city. And Bermgarten was the closest city.”

  Mina nodded and then looked at Xyrisse. “And you don’t want to,” she paused and swallowed nervously. “Kill me anymore?”

  “The marker has faded. I was able to sense you and Arion only because of the Mark not because of the attack you suffered. With the fading my desire to kill you has also disappeared,” she reassured Mina gently. “I’m sorry if I caused you any distress. I can’t help what I am.”

  Thia spoke next. “Mina, we must speak to Meldiron and Arion about the rest of our journey.”

  Mina sobered for a minute. “Are we going to carry on to the Refuge now? Is it safe?”

  Xyrisse nodded. “It should be safe. You are no longer any more trackable than a regular Marked One and you’ve been in Bermgarten long enough to have lost the trail of any Hunters that were following you.”

  Thia spoke up. “Mina, I wouldn’t press this if it weren’t for Teague.”

  Mina looked at her, reading the worry on her small sister’s face. “What have you learned?” she asked.

  But Thia shook her head. “That’s what’s worrying me,” she admitted. “I haven’t learned anything. I’ve still not been able to connect with Teague in the dreamwalks.”

  Thia didn’t say the
rest of what she was thinking. No one could go that long without sleep. Her fear that Teague might be dead returned but she wasn’t going to share that with the others just yet. It wasn’t something she wanted to say aloud.

  #

  Mina snuck out of the room she was sharing with Thia early the next morning. Her sister was exhausted and she didn’t want to disturb her sleep. Besides, Arion and her had been on the verge of a breakthrough with the Prophecy yesterday. She couldn’t wait to get back to it.

  Mina slipped into Arion’s room as she usually did but he wasn’t sitting at the table where the Prophecy was laid out. Instead she heard voices coming from the adjoining sitting room. Elder voices.

  Clearly her brother had beat her to his friend’s room. She paused inside the door trying to decide if she should join them or retreat and knock. Her brother would surely find it strange that she was so comfortable entering Arion’s room without first announcing herself but their routine was to meet early for training and then work on the Prophecy. In fact, other than for sleeping, Mina spent most of her time in Arion’s rooms working on the manuscript.

  “I can’t believe it, Arion. How in the world did you find it?” She heard Meldiron ask.

  Mina smiled, waiting for Arion to tell the story of how she’d discovered the shop of novelties. But instead of launching into the tale, Arion answered her brother casually. “Chance, I suppose,” he said.

  Mina glared in the direction of the sitting room. Why wouldn’t he tell Meldiron the truth? She took a step in that direction, determined to set the record straight when her brother suddenly poked his head through the doorway.

  “Ah, Mina!” Meldiron said with a smile. “Were you looking for me?”

  “Um …” Mina didn’t want to hurt her brother’s feelings but the truth was that she wasn’t looking for him. She was hoping to work on the Prophecy. She opened her mouth to say so when Arion interrupted.