Heirs of War

by Mara Valderran

  This time, it was the familiar face of the dark-haired girl that had haunted her dreams for years. “Terrena,” she breathed as if greeting an old friend before walking over to her. Without hesitation, she reached out and touched the girl’s hand, and the room around her shifted once more.

  ***

  Terrena found herself trapped with her own thoughts as she rested in her bed in the leigheas, wishing her abilities weren't so weakened by her current state. She had proven herself to be quite the healer over the years, though she had mainly tested these skills on animals she had come across. Experience had taught her that she had the ability to bring animals back from near death with her touch, so she should have been able to heal a wound to the stomach in a day, maybe less. Unfortunately, since she was the one who had been injured, she didn’t have the energy necessary to heal herself.

  Bianca was a skilled enough healer and had managed to help her greatly since Terrena had arrived. She had already worked her magic over Terrena twice since her bloody arrival, so the wound wasn't as deep or as painful as before. But Terrena was trapped in this bed until her injury healed more.

  She knew better than to complain. The paion had her hands full since Isauria had collapsed, and Zelene’s male friend still hadn’t awoken. Terrena couldn't help the loneliness stirring in her chest as she stared at the ceiling, letting the quiet of the room surround her like a blanket.

  She wasn’t certain where Zelene had gone to, or Rhaya for that matter. When Bianca had ushered her into a private room, she had passed along the news that the Duillaine were discussing how to deal with their sudden return. Terrena could only assume the absence of her mother was explained by this meeting. Nothing was ever simple with the Duillaine. She had learned that as a child, and relished in the absence of exhausting politics during her wanderings around Estridia. Truthfully, she was not looking forward to becoming reacquainted with the complicated life she had left behind, but those were selfish thoughts. Now was not the time for that.

  As the curtain in front of her parted, and her Cyneward stepped through with a saddened look on his usually stern face, Terrena realized now would be the time for goodbyes. Her eyes teared up as she watched him come forward and kneel at her bedside. She reached a hand out, smiling as he enveloped it in both of his and laid a gentle kiss across her knuckles.

  "My Terra," he whispered, his voice cracking.

  "Father," she returned, the tears spilling down her cheeks.

  “They teach us as Cynewards to shut ourselves off from emotions.” His own eyes began to glisten as he continued. “But the first time you wrapped your little arms around my neck, I knew no amount of training would have been able to help me. I was done for.” He reached out and wiped away her tears with his thumb and cupped his hand to her face. "I am so sorry, my Terra."

  "For what?" she asked with a sniffle, nuzzling her face into his hand and relishing the sense of safety his fatherly affections always brought her.

  "Everything," he croaked as he struggled not to let his own tears spill from his eyes. He shifted his attention to her wounded abdomen. "For not protecting you better. For leaving Garrett."

  "Shh...it isn’t your fault. We had no choice. We know now he's safe. They didn't find him," she offered as a comfort.

  "I could send for him," he suggested weakly.

  Terrena lowered her hand, letting her palm rest on her chest. "That would be unfair to Garrett. He'll be better off moving on than following me around for the rest of his life when he has no place here. The Duillaine aren't like us. They don't understand the people like we do. We walked among them." She frowned as she looked at his attire, which now matched his role in her life. It was firm, dark, and cold, just as he was forced to be from now on. "You changed. Your other clothes suited you better," she said, pressing her lips together as their tear-soaked gazes met. She knew he understood her meaning.

  He took her hand and placed it on his heart. "It always will, my Terra." He released her hand and stood up, straightening his back with resolve. "We have to do what we must, what is expected of us."

  "I know," she nodded as her fingers knotted around the empty space she felt around her hand. "I love you, Kenward."

  "And I you," he said as looked at her tenderly once more. He placed his fist over his heart and bowed his head. "Ainnir Terrena."

  She bowed her head in return. "Cyneward." She waited until he had left her sight before she turned onto her side and buried her face in her pillow. When she was certain he had gone, she wept bitterly, mourning the loss of the father she had loved most of her life as he was replaced with the cold and brutal warrior he must be now.

  ***

  Zelene sat on the bench, picking at her fingertips. She looked wearily down at them, noticing her purple nail polish was chipping off and huffing a laugh at the thought of having decent-looking nails again. Little things like the idea of nail polish in a medieval place like this were what kept her biting them, wondering what else was different. Her whole world had been turned upside down in the span of two days and now she had found out there was more than one in existence.

  She still wasn't sure how that worked. Was she on a different planet? A different plane of existence? No one understood what she was talking about when she asked. Varrick had answered with a gruff, "How in the hell am I supposed to know? I'm a warrior, not an astrophysicist," which served to further her frustration and make her regret turning him onto science fiction television.

  She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. She was in the leigheas again, though she was supposed to be locked in her room for her own “safety” or whatever. She wished Kyle would wake up so she could talk to him about all this. More than anything, she wanted him to wake up so she would know he was okay. She glanced up when a young man with dark blond hair hanging just over his eyes entered the room, flowers in hand.

  "Is he a friend of yours?" He asked the question in a casual enough manner, but his British accent made him sound more formal.

  "Sort of. I guess," she answered and watched him change out the flowers in the room. "Do you work here?"

  "In a manner of speaking,” he answered cryptically. “My name is Cedwen."

  "I'm Zelene."

  Cedwen quickly dropped his head in a bow. "Forgive me, I did not recognize you, Ainnir Zelene."

  Zelene held up a tired hand. "Don't do that. Please."

  "What?" he asked, daring to look up.

  "Don't kiss my ass because of who I supposedly am. Just...treat me like you were before."

  Cedwen straightened, a crooked smile on his lips. "As you wish." An awkward beat passed before he steered their conversation back to its origin. "I believe you were telling me about your friend. Why are you so unsure of your status with him?"

  She shrugged. "I don't know. He can be a jerk sometimes. But then other times he does something really amazing."

  "Like what?"

  "Like save my life," she said, looking at his sleeping form. "I just wish he would wake up. So I could talk to him."

  Cedwen took a step forward. "I know this might sound odd, but perhaps you should try talking to him now. Give him a reason to fight."

  Zelene looked up at him appreciatively. "Thank you. I'll try that."

  "Then I will give you your privacy," he said and turned to leave.

  "Hey, Cedwen, right?" When he nodded she hesitated, twisting her hands. "Think I might see you around sometime?"

  His dark eyes sparkled and he bowed his head. "I would be honored. It was nice to meet you, Zelene.”

  Zelene grinned and watched her new friend leave, but it faded quickly when her attention returned to Kyle, not quite sure what she was supposed to do. She sighed and walked to his bedside. Looking at him, so peaceful and innocent, it was hard to remember why she hated him so much. Muttering about what a sympathetic idiot she could be, Zelene sneered at Kyle and poked his arm.

  "Wake up, you jerk," she ordered. "If you really think I am gonna sit here and pour my
heart out to you so you can wake up and rub it in my face later, you've got another thing coming."

  She waited for any kind of response, but there was nothing. His face remained perfectly still, his breathing steady. She sighed again and pulled herself up next to him on the bed.

  "You know what's sad? Apparently, you are still my best friend, even after everything you put me through. There's so much going on, and the one person in the world—or any of the worlds I guess—I want to talk to is you." She found herself toying with his hand, lifting each individual digit and letting them drop down one by one before linking her fingers with his. "You would think seeing as how this is a magical world and all, they'd be able to wave some wand or say a chant and make you all better. Varrick told me that's not how the magic works, but they've yet to really explain anything else to me. Oh, except for the fact I have an actual family here. Not my mother. She's dead, which I guess I should be sad about. I guess part of me is...but...well, I never even met her. I don't know any of these people. My father, my brother, my sisters..."

  She trailed off, realizing she was rambling. She sat there and stared at him for a few minutes, overwhelmed with grief at the idea of his never waking up. "You risked your life for me. Might have even lost your life because of me," she added, fighting back tears. "I guess I wanted to tell you I will never forget that. And if you wake up, I promise to never stop thanking you. Just...wake up. Please."

  She wiped at the stray tears that had fallen with her last plea and scowled at the wall as if it was to blame for her show of weakness. "Just so you don't get the wrong impression, though, I still hate you. Only…a little less since you're lying here like this because of me."

  "Only a little less?" Kyle whispered hoarsely.

  She jerked her head up to see the small smile that had crept into his cheeks. "How long have you been awake?"

  "Better question," he asked weakly. "How long have I been out?"

  She winced. "Two days. Maybe more, I don't know," she admitted with embarrassment. "I'm having trouble keeping up with the days myself."

  His eyes rounded at this. "Dean did a number on me, then, huh?" He looked around at the unfamiliar settings. "Here's another question: Where on earth am I?"

  Zelene laughed sardonically at his question. "Funny you say that because I'm not even sure we're on Earth anymore." She sucked in a deep breath. "The short of it? Other worlds exist, and we are apparently on one where magic also exists."

  Kyle blinked at her. "I'd blame the craziness on my head injury, but after everything that happened at the hotel, it sort of makes sense."

  "What?" she asked. "You're just gonna take the whole magic-is-real thing in stride?"

  He tried to sit up, but stopped himself mid-movement, a puzzled look on his face. "I kind of figured out magic exists when my cousin threw me across the hotel room with a flick of his wrist, Zee."

  She hunched over with guilt. "He wasn't your cousin. Varrick said he was basically an enemy assassin of some kind. Like a sleeper. I'm sorry."

  "Are you seriously apologizing to me right now? God, I must be dying."

  She rolled her eyes and gave his leg a light punch. "You aren't dying, but I should probably go get someone to check you out."

  He still stared at the leg she had punched, his brows furrowed. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea."

  Zelene jumped up from the bed, a bounce in her step as she entered the hallway and motioned for Bianca. "He's awake. He wants to talk to you."

  Bianca stepped into the room, folding her hands in front of her as she looked at her disgruntled patient. "I'm glad you're awake. It was touch and go for a while."

  "Really?" he asked, paling slightly.

  "Yes," the paion responded assuredly. "If you hadn't woken up within two days, you would have left this world."

  He cleared his throat as if he wasn’t sure how to take his brush with death. "Right. Speaking of leaving this world, when can I get back to mine?"

  Zelene felt like a ton of bricks had hit her. "What do you mean?"

  He shifted his attention back to her, his face cold and unreadable. "Well, I did what Varrick asked me to do. Now I want to go back. See a real doctor. No offense," he said to Bianca.

  Zelene forced a nod of agreement. "Right. I just wanted to make sure you were okay before you left. And tell you thanks." She turned to Bianca. "I'll give you space to work. I need to go find my father anyway. Ya know, the whole saving the world thing is still looming and all."

  Bianca gave her a sympathetic pat on the arm. "Come back later after I've had time to examine him."

  "Yeah, I'm expecting a hero's send off when I leave this place, Zee," Kyle joked from his bed, though the laughter didn't quite reach his eyes, which were still full of worry and panic she didn’t understand. "See you later?"

  Zelene answered with a weak nod. "Sure." Leaving, she did her best to bite back the tears threatening to return. She had taken for granted that he would want to stay with her, which was ridiculous when she thought about it. When they hadn't been fighting for their lives, they had still been at each other's throats. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly, feeling more alone than she had ever felt before.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Ariana blinked in disbelief. She sat cross-legged in front of Alec, who had been spending the better part of the afternoon explaining things to her. They had discussed his plan—which she thought was a horrible one—two days ago, but Alec said it wouldn't work until they were moved to their room. So she decided the best use of her time was to insist Alec answer as many of her questions as he could while he regained his strength.

  "So," she said, dragging out the word, trying to wrap her mind around what he had just told her, "basically, you're telling me I'm some sort of magical princess destined to save the world from blah, blah, blah. Well, if that's not a cliché storyline, I'm not sure what is."

  He shrugged, popping a piece of bread in his mouth. "It's the truth. Which is why your family sent you away so long ago. I suppose they got word of the Cahirans' plans and felt you would be safer in Dhara. I don't pretend to understand their motives, but I do know that's who you are. You are the prophesized fifth, and most people assume you to be the most powerful of the five as well."

  The corner of her mouth lifted as she thought about the idea of being the most powerful person in the worlds. "Cool," she said, clearly impressed. "But all this still doesn't help if I don't know how to use my magic. Just tell me," she pleaded again.

  He scoffed at this, same as he had before. "I don't think so, princess. If you manage to figure out how to use your power even with the little I tell you, then what's to stop you from doing something stupid on your own? We follow through with my plan. Once we're on the road to Anscombe, I will tell you everything I know."

  Ariana let out a cry of frustration. She stood up and paced the floor. "You are awfully bossy for a prisoner."

  He smirked, watching as she walked out her anger. "I wasn't always a prisoner," he said as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Once upon a time, I wasn't too far off from a prince myself."

  She stopped, suddenly intrigued. "Really? Are you, like, related to me or something?"

  "No," he said, laughing and standing up to match her height. "My family oversees a small city on the Eastern coast of Estridia. My father planned on passing the mantle of power to me once I came of age, but the fates had other plans for me."

  "You were kidnapped by Kellen," she said knowingly.

  He leaned back against the wall, sighing. "No...I ran away first."

  "Why? You didn't want to become the ruler of the city?"

  "No, I would have loved that. I was chosen for a different vocation. One I had no desire to take up." His eyes, full of guilt and self-loathing, snapped up to hers. "I'm no hero, Ariana. Not in your story or anyone else's. In truth, I'm probably the most selfish person you will ever meet."

  "You're helping me,” she offered in a soft voice. “That's not entirely self
ish."

  He dropped his chin to his chest shamefully. "Even in helping you, I have my own selfish motivations."

  She took a few steps forward. "What are they? Your motivations, I mean?"

  "Well, I certainly don't go offering my own neck to every pretty girl to get dragged down here," he joked. "I don't know. Maybe I'm looking to be redeemed through saving you from this place. Maybe in saving one of the Duillaine Ainnir, I think I can save myself. Who knows?"

  She reached out tentatively and put her hand on his arm. "You were trying to help me before Kellen told you who I was. I don't think you're selfish. I think you have a good heart."

  He gave her a weak but appreciative smile. "Thank you. I wish that were the case." He stepped away from her touch, walking over to the chains he was usually wearing and flicking at them. They were attached to two metal slabs, connected in such a way they formed an 'X'.

  Ariana watched him, seeing how heavy the years in this dungeon weighed on him. She could see now Kellen wasn't the only one torturing him, though. He was doing plenty enough of that on his own, without the aid of her chains.

  "You aren't responsible, you know," she said.

  He gave her a questioning look, her statement taking him by surprise. "For what?"

  She walked over to him, taking the cuff of the chain he was toying with from his hand. "For these. It isn't your fault."

  "Tell me, princess. Do you know what I am?" She shook her head, and he continued. "I'm supposed to be stronger than just about anyone you would come across. But more than that. The path I was chosen to take would have led to these wonderful gifts awakening in me. If I had remained to learn how to use those gifts, escaping wouldn't be a question. Instead, they lay dormant, and I remain chained to walls I should be able to pull down with my bare hands."

  She touched his arm once more, giving his bicep a gentle squeeze as she stepped closer. "If you hadn't run away, then you might not have ended up here."