Heirs of War

by Mara Valderran

  Liam squatted in front of the small fire, using a stick to turn over the wood and allow the flames to spread. Isauria was sitting a short distance from them on a tree stump staring out into the woods. "That's something I can't answer because I don't know, not really. I could tell you the basics, which is as far as my knowledge extends."

  "You can't actually do what they did?" she clarified as he shook his head. "How are you supposed to protect us if they outmatch you?"

  “I’m not sure how to explain.” Liam stared at the fire as he thought this over. "Put simply? We have other abilities giving us the upper hand against anyone who might try to harm you."

  Rhaya used two fingers to point to her eyes. "Is the creepy black eyes thing part of your abilities?"

  "You know, I don't know why that happens. I like to think it looks cool though," he said with a wink. "We're naturally stronger and faster than most people, but when you're in trouble those abilities are heightened."

  She nodded her understanding, watching him with a critical eye. "Why won't you explain everything to us now? I mean, we're far enough away from the portal thingy, aren't we? It's because of Isauria, right?" she asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.

  Liam’s attention shifted over to where Isauria still sat. "Isauria has a...gift, I guess. She's connected to this world and always has been."

  "Her dreams?" Rhaya asked.

  He gave her a surprised look before answering. "Yes. Isauria is connected to certain people, can tap into what's happening with them without even knowing what she’s doing. Usually it happens in times where their emotions are strong." He hesitated. "She's seen some pretty horrible things over time. I'm not sure finding out about this world, and everything that comes with those truths, is best paired with finding out that the horrors she’s witnessed over the years were really happening to people she would care about."

  "I understand. She told me about the woman she saw murdered. She was pretty shaken up, and that’s just thinking the woman was some character and not a real person." Rhaya took in a deep breath, and asked one of the questions she was most scared of finding the answer to. “Who was the woman she saw? The one Kellen murdered?”

  Liam grew quiet, his shoulders tightening as he stared at the flames. “Nandalia. One of the Duillaine Banair. The leaders of the worlds.”

  She frowned, sensing he was skirting the truth. “Who is she to us?”

  “Family. Nandalia was your aunt. And Izzy’s mother,” he added with a sigh before turning back to the fire.

  Rhaya winced at the truth even though she had suspected it. She closed her eyes, shaking her head as she thought about how Isauria might react to this information. “She watched as her mother was tortured and then murdered. I think I understand why you don’t want to tell her yet.” Her round eyes turned sympathetic as she turned back to Isauria’s guardian. “But you have to, Liam. You can’t let her figure that sort of thing out on her own.”

  “I won’t,” he said through a set jaw. He snatched up a rock and began twisting it in his fingers. “She won’t figure it out on her own. We’ll get to Anscombe and her real father will be there to explain everything to her. It’ll be better coming from him.”

  And there it was. The real reason he hesitated to unlock the truth to Isauria. His own fatherly instincts—as well as his heartbreak over losing that relationship to another—were clouding his vision. She placed a hand over his, waiting until he finally turned to her before continuing. “You’re her father, Liam. The only one she knows. Trust me. I feel the same way about Raemann. And I know things are about to get pretty darn complicated when we get to…Anscombe?” she asked with some uncertainty, continuing at his affirmative nod. “But right now you’re all she has. And she’s a clever girl. She’s going to start piecing everything together. I mean, she’s been sitting over there just zoning out for a while now. How do you know that’s not what she’s already doing?"

  Liam cursed under his breath. “Because she’s having a vision now.” He quietly eased over to Isauria and knelt down in front of her. "Isauria? Are you all right?"

  Isauria gave a slight nod, her focus elsewhere.

  "What do you see?" Liam asked. He gestured for Raemann to back off as he started toward them. "Is it Terrena?"

  She nodded again. "They attacked her." She looked at him now and gripped his shirt with panic. "She's hurt. Really bad. I think Kenward is taking her to Anscombe." She seemed to shake herself and pulled in a deep breath. "Sorry, I think I'm just tired."

  Liam offered her his hand, and lead her over to the blanket he had spread out for her and Rhaya. "You girls get some rest. Raemann and I will take turns keeping watch. We'll get moving in a few hours."

  Rhaya rose from her seat by the campfire and walked over to their makeshift bed, pausing to let Isauria get situated before lying down on her back beside the girl. "I always wanted to have a sleepover," she offered for conversation. "Didn't think I'd be nineteen when I finally got one, but I'll take it."

  Isauria turned to the raven-haired girl, her chin wrinkling with worry equally reflected in her fearful eyes. "I really am going crazy, aren't I? That's the only way any of this makes sense." She could see Rhaya open her mouth to protest and quickly cut her off. “You don’t understand, Rhaya,” she pressed, her voice thick with the fear lining her every feature. “I don’t want to go to sleep. Every time I stop just to breathe, I keep seeing all these people. So many people…I can’t even make sense of them all. I don’t want to know what will happen to me if I fall asleep. I already feel like my mind is being ripped apart. I’m not even sure any of this is real,” she admitted with a choked sob.

  Rhaya reached over and took her hand, linking their fingers together once more to show the solidarity she felt with her. "I’m real, Izzy, and I am right here with you. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.” She opened her arms and Isauria rolled over onto her side, leaning her head against Rhaya’s shoulder as quiet tears fell from her eyes. “You’re like family now. And I don’t think you’re crazy. If you are, I'm right there with you. I don't think we are, though," she added quietly. "I think things are starting to make more sense now than they ever have. Something just feels right about this place, you know?"

  "Yes and no. I don't know. I'm just scared," Isauria said in a small voice.

  "I know," Rhaya answered as she gave her hand a squeeze of comfort. "I know," she repeated softly. "Part of me is, too. We just need to stick together. We had each other's backs in the alley, and it all worked out," she offered.

  She felt comforted by this thought as well. They had connected instantly, and now she could see why. Their paths had been intertwined from the beginning and in ways she still wasn't sure she understood, but she found herself relieved to have company on the strange journey she was embarking on.

  ***

  Isauria didn’t sleep. Almost the instant she closed her eyes, she was somewhere else. She had been experiencing little flashes as they traveled that day, but she’d only added them to the list of strange occurrences of the day. Magic, visions, portals…She must have really slipped over the edge.

  Her dreams automatically took her to Terrena, and her heart clenched at the sight of her. Kenward hugged her close, her blood covering her clothes and his as he raced through Anscombe. People gasped at the spectacle, but let him pass without question as he ran through the streets. He moved faster than anyone carrying such a load should be able to, finally making it to the city center and taking the stairs two at a time for several flights before he reached what looked like a hospital.

  A pretty blonde woman with a young, yet stern face met him at the door, her eyes full of worry. “What’s happened?”

  “This is Ainnir Terrena,” Kenward answered as he lowered Terrena onto one of the beds. “She was attacked. I mean, we were attacked. They made a tree explode before I could get to her.” His bloodied hands clutched the sides of his head, tears forming as he looked down at her. “Please, paion. Help her.” />
  “I will do everything I can—“

  Kenward grabbed the paion by the arms and pulled her close so that they were nose to nose. If he hadn’t been fighting sobs, the action might have come across as more threatening than pleading, though Isauria wasn’t sure which he meant for it to be. “You don’t understand. I can feel her slipping away. She’s barely there. Please.”

  The woman patted the hand gripping her. “I will do my best, Cyneward. But you must release me first.”

  Kenward released her and paced away. The distance from hi ward didn’t last, and in two short strides he was next to her again. He knelt beside Terrena’s head, clutching her hand in his. “Please, my Terra. You must fight.”

  “She is Duillaine,” the paion said as she began to strip away Terrena’s dress. “She is stronger than you give her credit for.”

  “She is weak, and heartbroken, and tired. We have been running for some time now. I worry…”

  “You worry what? Speak now, Cyneward, before the Duillaine Banair arrive and remind you of your role.”

  “I worry that she might not want to fight anymore.”

  The paion lifted a brow. “Then you must continue to speak to her. Remind her. Call her back.”

  Isauria watched in horror as the paion went to work on Terrena’s wound and Kenward continued to beg Terrena to be strong. He murmured his pleas into the back of her hand, clutching it to his mouth as he prayed for the Great Mother to save his daughter.

  Isauria wanted to turn away from the healer’s bloody work, but she found herself entranced by it. The woman could only be a few years older than her, but she moved with the ease and expertise as someone with twice the experience. She methodically pulled the debris from the tree from Terrena’s abdomen, using something that looked like a medieval turkey baster to suction the blood. Then she would place a hand over the wound and close her eyes in concentration before moving on to find another piece, however small.

  She paced the floor as the paion continued to treat Terrena. She knew it wasn’t rational to be so upset, but Terrena felt like an old friend to her. She’d been with her through so many adventures and so many trials, it was impossible to not feel a deep connection to her. She wondered if this is what other authors felt when their characters’ lives hung in the balance.

  She jumped as a woman burst through the door, a man on her heels. “What is the meaning of this?” she demanded.

  “Who is that?” the man pointed at Terrena with a shaky finger.

  The paion failed to stifle an impatient groan as she answered. “As I am certain my galena explained, this is Ainnir Terrena. She was attacked and gravely injured. Now I must—“

  The man marched over to Kenward, his face twisting into a scowl of rage. “You! Get your vile hands off my daughter. You were supposed to protect her. Where were you? I will see to it you are punished for this, Athrucrean. You will never come near my daughter again.”

  Kenward’s head snapped up at the threat, and he was on the man in an instant, gripping him by the throat and snarling into his face. “Just try to come between me and my ward right now, Leone. I’ve not snapped enough necks today. My fingers are itching to feel more.”

  The woman calmly lifted a hand, and a blast of air threw the men apart. “Leone, you will leave now. I will send you word of Terrena’s recovery.”

  “What? You expect me to leave? This is my daughter, Sylvanna. I am not leaving this room until I know she is safe and healthy.”

  “She has a Cyneward for that reason, as do all Duillaine.”

  Leone threw a hand out to gesture to his injured daughter. “Clearly, her Cyneward failed. Clearly, you were wrong to send them away. I will stay by her side as I should have done eighteen years—“

  “You will leave, or I will force you.” Sylvanna’s voice was quiet but rippling with power. “She will live, as Bianca would have been able to assure you had you not decided to accost her protector. You know how the Cynewards react when their wards are in danger.” She held up a hand as he started to protest. “I care not for your feelings on the Cynewards or for the manner in which you question your leaders. Your role on the council is an honor, but it is one that can be revoked if you do not treat your duties with the urgency they require.”

  “What could possibly be more important than ensuring the care of my daughter?” he asked with a sneer, and Isauria couldn’t help but agree with him. Even if he did treat Kenward terribly, he still had a point.

  “The return of your other daughter,” Sylvanna said calmly. “Solanna has seen it. They are coming. We must prepare.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Hours later, Zelene sat in the bathtub at the hotel, the hot spray from the shower doing nothing to ease the shivers continually running up and down her spine. The scene from her house kept replaying over and over again. Finding Nora dead. The man spewing his crazy talk as he threatened her life. And the glassy stare he held after she had pulled the trigger, an eerie glint of amusement somehow frozen on his face as though he knew a secret about her and was taking it to his grave on purpose.

  She wished her parents were here. Now, in all this confusion and horror, she missed them more than ever. Thinking of them usually brought about a wave of anger towards the drunk driver that had taken them from her, but she was too lost to even feel that. With one flex of her finger on the trigger, her whole life had changed. Any minute, the cops were going to come pounding down their hotel room door and take her away. She hugged her knees closer to her chest as she trembled with fear over her bleak future.

  So deep in her own troubled thoughts, she didn’t realize Kyle had been knocking on the bathroom door until he came in. She had heard it, but somehow his voice hadn’t registered. He pulled the shower curtain back and no protests escaped her trembling lip. It didn’t matter. Not anymore. Not when any moment the police were going to cart her off.

  He turned off the water, knelt down beside the bathtub, and wrapped a towel around her. "You're turning into a prune. And you're using up all the hot water."

  "Sorry," she mumbled as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "I just...I keep seeing that guy lying there. I killed him. When I’m not seeing him, I see Nora. I keep seeing them and all the blood...it felt like it wouldn't come off."

  He squeezed her shoulders through the towel. "I know. I know this isn't easy, but I need you to be strong, okay? Can you do that for me?"

  She nodded and wiped her tears away. "Do you know why this is happening? What did Varrick say again?"

  "I wish I did. But Varrick said he'll find us after he's, um, done with whatever he's taking care of."

  His answer was a lot more evasive than she expected, making her worry that Kyle might be keeping his own fair share of secrets from her. She couldn’t understand why he had run off with her to begin with. Anyone else would have left her to deal with the aftermath and bailed. With the way he’d been acting the last six months, she would have expected nothing short of Kyle running in the opposite direction of any trouble she found herself in. But here he was, still by her side and possibly making himself an accessory to murder. It left her with more questions than she could handle at the moment, so she focused on her appreciation instead.

  "I'm sorry you got stuck with me. But thank you. For saving me, I mean. And not leaving me."

  Kyle looked struck by her words, his face softening as he stared down at her in the same way that had always melted her heart before. He cleared his throat and ran a hand over the top of his head. "Yeah, well, you saved me too, so we can call it even. Just...do me a favor and get dressed, okay?"

  She smiled despite herself and her circumstances and nodded. He gave her back a pat before standing up, though she could see he was hesitant to leave. The way his eyes skimmed over her naked back was enough to warm her skin, giving her goose bumps of a different nature. She was glad he left, because she really wasn’t thinking straight right now.

  After a few minutes, she emerged from the bathroom in the
tank top and jeans from the Varrick’s emergency bag. She twisted the ends of her hair in the towel as she crossed the room. Kyle was flipping through the channels on the TV, his face pinched as if he had other concerns than what to watch. She walked to the window and pulled the curtain back just enough to look out. She squinted against the bright lights of the red and orange truck stop across the way, the effect made the gas station look like it had been happily set aflame. Her attention drifted to the grocery store nearby, and she fought a shiver at the large pig grinning stupidly at her from the sign, almost as if the cartoon symbol knew trouble was on the horizon, and was amused by it.

  “Feeling better?”

  She nodded and joined him on the bed. “A bit. You’re right. Now’s not the time to freak out.”

  A chill crept its way up her spine, her teeth chattering for a brief moment. Kyle reached to the end of the bed and pulled the folded blanket toward them. He wrapped it around her and tucked the edges underneath her legs. He glanced up after he was certain she was as snug as possible and met her smile with his own.

  "Thank you," she said softly. She turned her attention to the TV, watching without seeing the images blinking across the screen. "Can I ask you a question?"

  He leaned back against the pillow and gestured for her to do the same. "If you’re about to ask about dinner, I have no idea."

  "No," she said slowly as she lowered herself onto her side, folding her arms underneath her head as she stared at him with wonder. "I just...I don't understand why you're still here. I mean, that guy nearly killed you."

  "And if I hadn't been there, he would have killed you."

  "I know, and believe me—I'm glad you were there. But I don't understand why you would risk your life for me."