The door closed loudly behind her. Yularian stared at it for a long time.
The man sat opposite him was the first to speak. “Your Highness,” he began. “We cannot allow her to inform Dragonvein of our plans. She must remain here.”
Yularian finally dragged his eyes away from the exit. “She knows nothing,” he said. “At least, nothing that could harm us.”
“Please, Your Highness,” the man pressed. “You must insist that she stays. If she has discovered that Lynial Dragonvein is with us –”
The king’s fist slammed hard down onto the table, causing the papers to fly about. His voice was close to a shout. “I’ve already told you, she knows nothing! Do not presume to tell me what I must do regarding my own daughter. Am I understood?”
“Indeed, Your Highness,” he replied. “We understand.”
Another short silence developed, during which the generals began exchanging several furtive glances. This did not go unnoticed by Yularian. Alarm bells immediately started to clamor in his head. His eyes shot to the door and his hand drifted to the dagger on his belt.
The general sitting to his left suddenly sprang up, blade already drawn. Yularian grabbed his wrist and slammed it hard down on the table, dislodging the weapon.
“Guards!” he shouted.
The rest of the assembly had already risen and were converging, each one of them wielding a dagger or a long knife. Yularian, however, was not going to make himself an easy victim. Putting all of his body weight behind it, he kicked out at the first attacker to reach him, sending the man staggering back into those close behind. This gave him just enough space to race past them and rush to the door. It swung open an instant before he reached it. Two of his personal guards were standing there. He tried to pass between them, but they closed in to block his path. His eyes shot wide as a dagger plunged into his back.
Blind rage blotted out the pain. “Traitors,” he shouted. “All of you. Traitors!”
He was still cursing them as both guards shoved him back inside the chamber. Slashing wildly, he tried to free himself from the grip of his five attackers. He managed to inflict several minor wounds, but it made little difference to the outcome. Three more daggers quickly sank into his body, the final one a fatal strike to the heart.
As the dying Yularian glared at his attackers, in a final act of contempt, he spat blood full into the face of the nearest one. An instant later he collapsed to the floor. The five commanders and two guards stood over him stone-faced and silent as they watched the light fade from his eyes.
“And now for the final matter,” said the man who had dealt the killer blow.
Ethan could scarcely believe what he had just witnessed. “This would never happen,” he insisted.
“I’m afraid it will,” Shinzan countered. “And before you say I am a liar…” He flicked a hand at the spirit of Lumnia.
After several seconds, she reluctantly nodded. “It could be true. But this is only a possible outcome. Nothing is certain.”
“I think you mean probable,” Shinzan corrected, before turning back to Ethan. “So you see, even if you did find a way to vanquish me, nothing will have changed. Your kind will continue to suffer. And you…your suffering will be the most terrible of all.”
The room began to fade.
“There is no need to show him this,” Lumnia objected.
Shinzan sneered. “Oh, I think there is.”
Ethan now found himself inside a spacious bed chamber. Kat was pacing back and forth in front of a hearth, muttering furiously to herself. The sound of a knock on the door sent a wave of panic through him. There was only one reason why Shinzan would want him to see this.
“That’s enough,” he said.
“No,” his tormentor replied, his tone hard and unyielding. “In fact, this is only the beginning.”
Ethan looked appealingly at the spirit of Lumnia, but she remained silent and stoic about what was unfolding. Her emotionless response sparked a moment of fierce frustration. Surely, she had something to offer?
Kat answered the door. Three servants brought in a light meal of fruits, cheese, and wine.
“I’m not hungry,” she told them.
Heedless of this, they set out the repast on a table before leaving the room.
Kat continued to pace for a time longer. Eventually, she sat down and picked her way through the fruit until finding a temptingly plump red cherry. She eyed it for a moment before popping it into her mouth.
The effect was virtually instantaneous. Her hands clutched desperately at her throat. Wheezing and coughing, her face gradually turned a sickly shade of purple. As she fell from her chair writhing in agony, blood trickled from her nose and from the corners of her mouth.
Ethan fought to contain the cry of anguish seeking to burst forth. He would not let Shinzan see him wail. It’s only an illusion, he kept telling himself. Kat is alive. She is safe.
“You would think they might have used something less painful,” Shinzan remarked. “At least her father died quickly. They must have really hated her.”
Kat’s agony continued for another full minute, her body twisting itself into ever more convoluted shapes in a vain attempt to ease the suffering. Finally...mercifully...it was over. Again and again, Ethan kept reminding himself that none of it was real.
“You have made your point,” said Lumnia.
“Not yet, I haven’t,” Shinzan told her. “But I soon will.”
“Does this have to happen?” Ethan asked Lumnia. “Does it have to end this way?”
She continued to stare at the floor. “Nothing is certain. Not even I can predict what must be.”
“Don’t let her fool you,” Shinzan interjected. “She knows full well that this is what destiny holds for you.” He gave a mocking laugh. “She enlists your help using the vague notion of hope as bait. She tells you a future that has almost no chance of coming to pass. She entices you with dreams that will never come true.”
“And what do you offer?” scoffed Ethan. “Certain death? More pain?”
“I have already explained this to you once,” he replied. “Death is a certainty. As is pain. What I am offering is truth.” He sniffed at Lumnia. “Which is more than I can say for her.”
Ethan expected a rebuttal, but she said nothing.
“I still prefer her lies to your truth,” Ethan told him.
Shinzan laughed. “You say that now. But there is more for you to see. And I think once you have, then you will at last know what you must do.”
“Then let’s get it over with.”
As he finished speaking, Ethan saw a single tear falling from Lumnia’s cheek.
Chapter Nineteen
Lylinora tossed the book she was holding onto the bed beside her chair; much as she longed to sleep, it seemed as if nothing she tried would induce it.
Markus was long overdue, and the reports coming in regarding the war had stoked her desire to join the fight. She knew she could save many lives. More than that, it was her duty as a mage to do so. Only Estella’s constant reminder of her promise to Markus kept her where she was. That, and of course the critical need to protect the life growing inside her.
Still, Lylinora fretted. By now, Kat and the others would definitely be wondering why she hadn’t arrived. She wanted to send word to make them aware of the situation, but Estella had advised against it. The Urazi had recently killed several key Imperial officials, thereby slowing their supply lines considerably. Only the silent ones, who seemed able to march without food, water, or even rest, remained unaffected by their tactics. The Emperor would know who was behind this disruption, and the routes to and from the stronghold would be closely monitored. Any unnecessary traffic might easily reveal their secret location.
“We’ll let them know as soon as we can,” Estella had promised.
The two women had become quite close since Lylinora’s arrival. Their mutual experience with duty and leadership gave them a special bond. Often they would enjoy a q
uiet conversation before retiring to bed, speaking of simple matters concerning their families and life away from the burdens they both faced. Estella confided how worried she had been about her husband and their children. Because of this she had arranged for the Urazi to move them to a relatively safe location. However, as she did not want them knowing anything about her secret role, she had been forced to do so by means of an elaborate ruse. At this moment, they were locked inside an elf hut near the shore, guarded constantly and unable to leave. She hated thinking about how frightened they must be, but anything was better than them staying in their home. The move had proved wise. Only two days after they left, their village had been burned to the ground and most of its inhabitants slaughtered by the silent ones.
The bottle of wine on the shelf across the room was calling for Lylinora to briefly forget her pregnancy and drink herself to sleep. The temptation grew. Surely breaking the rules for just one night couldn’t do any harm. The herbs the Urazi healers had given to her had worked for a short time, but then lost their effectiveness. The man who had provided them insisted that her anxiety was simply too strong for a mild remedy. Anything stronger, he warned, could harm the baby.
A knock at the door was an almost welcome distraction. “Come in.”
Estella entered. She was wearing the cotton robe and slippers she always put on after her duties for the day were completed. Her usual smile, however, was absent.
Lylinora offered her a seat. “Is something wrong?” she asked anxiously. “Have you received word about Markus?”
After sitting down, Estella folded her hands in her lap. “Yes, I have. And before I say anything further, as far as I know he is unharmed.”
Despite this assurance, Lylinora stiffened. “What’s happened?”
“We were given a message from someone close to the Emperor,” Estella continued. “One we could not possibly ignore.”
Realization came with a rush. “That’s where he’s gone, isn’t it?” she said, fuming. “He couldn’t just send someone else to check it out. He had to go himself.” She cast an accusing look at Estella. “And you knew all of this and didn’t tell me.”
“I’m sorry,” she replied, though there was a firmness to her tone. “I consider you a friend. I hope you believe that. But my duty is to the Urazi. I didn’t think you should know.”
“Then why are you telling me now?”
“Because Markus has disappeared.”
Lylinora shot up from her chair. “What do you mean, disappeared? You had better tell me every last detail. And quickly.”
Estella held up her hand. “I will. But I need you to stay calm.”
Lylinora could barely stop her hands from trembling. This was what she had feared most of all: to be left helpless and alone, not knowing what had become of him. After a long moment, she resumed her seat. “So tell me.”
“Like I said, the message claimed to be from someone close to the Emperor. We can only assume this to be a noble. Likely someone serving in his palace.”
“Why would you say that?”
“To get word to the Urazi, one must know how to go about it,” she explained. “Only nobles and high-ranking commanders would have such knowledge. And Shinzan himself, of course.”
Still speaking, Estella stood and crossed over to the bottle of wine and poured herself a glass. “Naturally, we considered the possibility that it might be the Emperor trying to draw us out into the open. However, the message offered us a way to get close to him, and that was too tantalizing an opportunity to pass up. In the end, Markus decided he would go check to see if the offer was valid.”
Lylinora made a silent promise to make him pay for this deception. “So off he went, without any regard for me whatsoever. Where did he go exactly?”
“The town is called Ketiver,” Estella replied. “It’s -”
“I know exactly where it is.” Lylinora’s jaw tightened. “And did he go alone?”
“I wanted to send someone with him, but he insisted it would be easier to pass unnoticed if he traveled on his own.”
Lylinora huffed . “Of course he would. The fool...the damned fool.”
“We have Urazi agents in the area,” Estella added quickly. “That’s how I know at least some of what happened next.”
“And what did happen?” Lylinora was afraid to hear the answer, but knew that she must.
“From what we have pieced together, the message must have been true. It seems that Markus killed a guard and the quartermaster at a local storage facility and then burned it to the ground. Why, we are not certain, though he definitely wouldn’t have done it without a good reason. We think he then found a way to smuggle himself on board one of the wagons delivering supplies to the Emperor’s palace.” She spread her hands. “After that, we don’t know.”
Lylinora was unable to speak. The terror in her heart was threatening to rob her of her senses. Her breathing became increasingly rapid as tears ran freely down both cheeks. Estella set down her glass and knelt in front of her, taking her hands.
“I know you are afraid for him. I am too. But if anyone can survive this, it is Markus.”
Her calming words had quite the opposite effect. Lylinora suddenly leaped up, the sharp movement sending Estella sprawling. Her body glowing with the fire of magic, she let out a primal scream. “You…Markus...I hate you both. I should have never come here. Never!”
Estella scrambled up and backed away. “I understand how you feel. But you must please calm down.”
“Calm down? You tell me that the man I love – the father of my child – marches off to his death, and you want me to calm down?” A hollow laugh escaped. “What does he plan to do? Sneak up on Shinzan and stab him in the back? Is he insane? Are you?”
“No. We have a plan. And I’m sure Markus would not have gone if he didn’t think it could work.”
“A plan, you say! This gets better by the second.” She paced around for a few moments then drew in an exaggeratedly large breath. “Very well, I need to hear this. Tell me, what kind of pea-brained scheme have the two of you come up with?”
* * * * *
Lylinora placed her hands over her belly. “I hope you can forgive me,” she whispered.
Estella was due to return shortly with a few odds and ends she thought might be useful for the journey. It was a long way to Noel, and Lylinora knew she would need to take great care in avoiding Imperial patrols. Not that they would pose a real threat to her. But if Shinzan should become aware of a mage nearing his border, it could end things very quickly.
She wondered if her mother would have risked so much, given the same circumstances. Something told her the answer was no. Nevertheless, in spite of many years of being taught how to control her passions and impulses, she could see no other course. She knew that should things go poorly, she would never forgive herself. At the same time, she also knew beyond doubt that Markus would not survive this without her. How she knew was another matter. It was as if some part of her spirit was reaching out from the recesses of her soul, urging her on. It would not be ignored.
The plan Estella had explained was actually quite good. And were the target anyone other than Shinzan, she would be confident that Markus could make it work. But it was Shinzan. And to think this would end in anything other than Markus’ death was delusional.
She understood full well why he would choose to make the attempt. No one knew him better than she. Not even Ethan. No one could. The moment she’d touched the scars he once bore, she’d known him for the man he was. Dark and tortured, yet kind and loyal. A duality that made him both mysterious and enticing.
He would see this as a chance to spare Ethan, and to make right all the wrongs he had committed. Passing through the arch had made him whole in a way he had not been for a long time. But even that could not wash away the memories and guilt completely.
Shortly after arriving at the Urazi headquarters, she had asked him if continuing to take lives troubled his mind.
“No
,” he had told her. “Not in the way it did when I was young.”
“How do you mean?” she asked.
“I now kill for my own reasons,” he explained. “Not at the behest of someone else. When I take a life, I know why I’m doing it. When I joined the Hareesh, they told me who to kill. If it wasn’t the Hareesh, it was the Empire. I almost never knew why my victim had to die. And after a time, I stopped caring.”
“And now?”
“Now...I am whole. What I was before shattered me into pieces, even though I didn’t know it at the time.”
“And the archway healed you?”
Markus had brushed back her hair and kissed her brow. “In part. It brought me face to face with who I had become and forced me to look at the horror of my life. But it was you who kept this knowledge from driving me mad. Without you, I wouldn’t have come out the other end. Not because I’m weak, but because there would have been no purpose for me. Your love gave me that purpose. And that’s why I made it through.”
Lylinora let out a frustrated grunt. “And now you’re off to kill Shinzan. Damned fool!”
“And what would he say about what you’re doing?”
So deep were her thoughts, she hadn’t noticed Estella enter. Her friend was holding a small pack and a silver flask. “I think he would say exactly what you are thinking,” Lylinora admitted. “But I still have to go.”
Estella nodded understandingly and handed her the pack. “There are two dwarf rods inside, as well as an elf blanket. I know you said that Shinzan has erected a barrier that will strip you of magic once you cross the border, but perhaps the rods will still function. As for the blanket, it’s the finest ever produced. It will keep you warm and dry even in the cruelest of conditions.”
“And the flask?”
Estella smirked. “A strong sedative mixed in with good dwarf whiskey. Believe me when I say it can be very useful.”
Dragonvein Book Five Page 25
