“It is quite alright,” he smiled. Calmly he wiped his thumb along her cheek, brushing away a stray tear which had escaped through her lashes. “You are far more important. I would dampen hundreds of shirts with your tears if you required a shoulder to cry on.”
“Lucky for you, I do not require such,” she sighed, her hand lifting up to wipe her eyes. “You merely caught me off guard. I am not sure if I should be angry or grateful that you followed me. How did you know where I went? Or that I was even gone?”
Helping Leyna to her feet, Thade brushed the dust from her skirt, seemingly unfazed by her questions. “You have been behaving oddly since I spoke with you on the ship this morning. After I had some time to think it over, I realized a few details which were not entirely adding up. I suppose my curiosity was piqued and I decided to keep an eye out for you, in case you tried to sneak away.”
“But I thought you said you do not venture outside the palace courtyard when you visit.”
“I do not,” he said flatly. “This place is extremely dangerous for both of us. I am ashamed to say I cannot guarantee my ability to protect you if anything happens. Though I assure you I would try.”
“You were the Captain of the Siscalian military. I suspect these common thugs would have no chance against you,” Leyna chortled.
It felt strange to be standing there with him. Inside those walls, still broken and spattered with blood from the battle that had taken place. It was a gruesome sight. In her head, she could still picture the armored corpses lying scattered around the rooms, their bodies twisted at awkward angles, blood pooling on the floor beneath them. Even throughout the war, nothing had felt quite so grotesque to Leyna as the memory of that night. Walking through the halls with her childlike innocence. Surrounded by death.
“You think very highly of my skills,” Thade mused, his eyes observing the room around them somberly. “I would inquire about why you were drawn to this house. Considering the melancholy which remains in your eyes, however, I cannot blame you for not speaking of it.”
Her curiosity at Thade’s words compelled her to speak. She didn’t want to give life to the horrible details that floated through her own mind, but Thade’s reasons for following her sparked something inside. What details had he pieced together which didn’t quite fit? He’d spoken many times of the lack of cohesion in the details of her past. So why now, after all this time, did he start to question the facts? “What things did not add up?”
Thade glanced over to her in surprise, his eyes blinking quizzically at her. “I beg your pardon?”
“You said you followed me because you realized some details about me were not adding up. Frankly, things have not added up for me in quite some time.”
Folding his arms over his chest, Leyna could see Thade’s discomfort. He hesitated to speak. Something about the room appeared to draw his attention, his voice distant when he finally managed to form words. “You know I have always told you that I trusted you. Even when Prince Enaes was presenting me with so many reasons why I should not. Because of that, I have been seeking connections between things you have spoken of in the past and the facts which Enaes laid out. I discovered one. I am not sure why it never hit me before.”
“I do not recall having told you anything –” Leyna started, her protests cut short by the grimace that passed over Thade’s face.
“Since the day you accompanied me to meet with Prince Enaes during the war, I have suspected there to be some link between you and Iden Evantine,” he continued. “Enaes spoke the name of Iden’s daughter, Sarayi. Your reaction to the name has always played at the corners of my mind. It was possible your sudden fit of coughing was mere coincidence, but you are not exactly prone to things like that.”
Leyna laughed quietly in embarrassment at the memory. Not exactly the best first impression to make when meeting the Crown Prince of her people. “I can’t believe you remember that…”
“Ah, but that is not even the largest part of the puzzle,” he nodded. “Your birthday. At Malic’s. Perhaps it was due to the alcohol that you consumed, but you spoke of a girl you had left in an orphanage in Carpaen. You admitted to being an orphan yourself. Someone had murdered your mother. Tried to kill you. Had I been thinking more clearly at the time, I would have questioned you further on that rather than your age. But then Enaes shared with me the truth of Iden’s daughter. She had been murdered. In Mialan. So I thought, perhaps, that I had uncovered the connection. You told me this morning you have been to Mialan. However, I am constantly reminded of the fact that Iden denied Sarayi having any children in Tanispa. He said if she had any children, they would have been fathered by the Mialan man she lived with here.”
“So you followed me to see if you could uncover me as a half breed?” Leyna scoffed. How could she have let so many details slip out over the years? Beyond that, how did he remember them all?
“You do not deny the association with Sarayi?”
It was too much for her to endure. While it seemed a waste of her breath to speak of her past without documentation to back her words, she had to get it out. She needed someone to hear her side of the story before she was written off completely under the false assumptions that she was nothing more than a well-hidden Esai. “Do you want to know what really happened to Iden’s daughter?” she snapped. “He used her to increase his own power amongst Queen Vorsila’s court. If I knew the details, I would tell you, I really would, but I was no more than five when his plans came to fruition. He forced her to marry a man he suspected to be a practitioner of forbidden sorceries just so his daughter could find proof of his illegal practices and expose him as a traitor. That traitor saw to it that Sarayi paid for ruining him.” Stomping her foot down on the floor over the bloodstains, she failed to fight back a new wave of tears which flooded her eyes. “Damir had her murdered because of Iden! And Iden, I am certain, never lost a wink of sleep over any of it.”
“Leyna,” Thade’s voice was quiet, reaching his arm out toward her comfortingly. She pulled away, caught up in the anguish of her story.
“Iden would never admit that I was any relation to him. He knew Sarayi had been involved with another man before she was forced to marry Damir.”
She could feel his hands grasping at her shoulders, tugging her toward him again. “Hush, Leyna. You do not have to talk about it if you do not wish to.” He hugged her tightly, struggling to maintain his hold while she thrashed about wildly in his arms to get away.
The hatred she felt toward Iden was overwhelming. She wanted to strike out at something, anything, just to feel it break. She wished it could be Iden. But that wouldn’t be possible. He was safely in the comfort of his house in Tanispa, enjoying the riches of the court that had been bestowed upon him for the service of his family. Taking the credit for deeds which had caused pain and suffering to Leyna and the death of her mother. And all for his own greed!
Breaking away from Thade, she pushed past him down the hallway, pain showing in his eyes at his inability to calm her. She remembered Kyros chasing after her. Leading him into Rohan’s study. There had to be something there. Some document with her name. They paid their taxes like everyone else in the city. He must have recorded her mother’s presence there, along with her own. The government required accurate counts of members within the household.
There was more blood in the study than she remembered. A large circle had formed in front of the table beside Rohan’s desk. Kyros’s. His body had fallen there initially after Nasha found him chasing Leyna. Streaks of the dark stain showed where he’d been dragged away, allowing for Leyna to escape from underneath the table. Adrenaline coursed through her limbs, making it easier to shift the heavy table out of the way, sliding it along the wall to reveal the hiding place she’d sought from Kyros’s blade.
Thade followed, standing quietly in the doorway. Watching. Waiting to see if she would choose to disclose any further information. He knew better than to try to stop her.
The only thing that gave
her pause was the sight of her own blood staining the floor where the table had been. Kyros’s sword had torn through her flesh with every swipe, leaving a larger mark than she expected. She had been so small! Reflexively, she reached behind her back, placing the flat of her palm over the scars she knew were there, raised skin noticeable to her touch from under the thin fabric.
Grimacing, she turned away. She couldn’t look at the sight of the blood. The marks on her body meant nothing next to the sacrifices that had kept her alive. Many others shed far more blood than her.
She rummaged through the drawers of the desk in a daze, shuffling through the papers that were there, surprisingly still intact. Something cut into Leyna’s finger as she dug through the papers, her arm snapping back painfully. Laughing to herself, she couldn’t help but find the humor in the trivial pain.
Curious, she snatched up a slip of parchment from under a heavy metal fragment which looked to be a paperweight of some sort. The parchment was folded over, the crease crisp and defined. A broken wax seal covered the edge along the front. She’d seen it once before, the memory vivid in her mind despite the years that passed. At the time, she’d paid very little attention to it, though now it came back in perfect detail. The same seal had been on the letter announcing Prince Enaes’s arrival in Siscal during the war.
“That is the royal seal,” Thade’s voice came quietly from over her shoulder. She jumped slightly, startled by his approach.
Turning away from him, Leyna opened the parchment, her eyes scanning through the dim light of the room. The sun had sunk below the city walls, no longer casting enough light in the room to make the words on it visible. She needed to think quickly. Sliding her cloak off her shoulders, she laid it down on the floor in front of the desk, piling the loose papers up in the center of it. Eagerly, she moved from drawer to drawer. Having collected every piece she could find, she folded up the corners of her cloak to act as a makeshift bag.
“It is getting dark. If what you say about this place is true, then we should not dawdle.”
Thade gave no protest as he followed her through the door of the study. There was no time to waste in getting back to the palace. She wanted to know what was inside that parchment. Something important enough to bear the seal of Queen Vorsila herself.
Reaching down to her waist, Leyna felt the empty sheath on her hip. She couldn’t leave without her sword. It belonged to the Mialan palace, but above even that, she didn’t dare venture out into those streets without a weapon. The inhabitants had shown their less-than-welcoming nature toward her when she arrived. Under the cover of the darkening sky, there was no telling what they might do. Night was the perfect time for the most ruthless of thugs to show their ugly faces.
She remembered having seen it last in the front room. When she had discovered Thade there with her, she’d let it fall to the ground. How perfectly foolish of her. What would she have done if they’d come across someone else inside the home? Their safety would have been left solely in Thade’s hands. And while she was certain he was capable of defending them, it still didn’t justify putting that kind of burden on Thade. He was the Consul, after all. Once he stepped down from the position of Captain, he was no longer required to participate in battle. It was her job to defend him.
She moved back to the front of the house, searching the floor for the outline of her sword in the darkness. Her heart raced nervously at the realization that it wasn’t there. The floor was devoid of anything other than the broken pieces of furniture and plaster along the corners. She cursed under her breath, focusing her energy into the palm of her right hand. A soft blue glow illuminated the room. There was still no sign of the blade.
“Something does not feel right,” Thade said calmly, wrapping his arm around Leyna to guide her back toward the hall. “We can come back when the sun returns in the morning if there is more you wish to see, but at this moment, we need to get back to the horses.”
Just as Thade finished his sentence, the creaking of floorboards came from the dining area nearby. A hulking outline appeared in the doorway, the light from Leyna’s hand glinting off the polished metal of her sword, securely gripped in the figure’s right hand. “You classy folks look a little lost,” a man’s voice stated casually from the shadows. “If you give me all your coins and worthwhile belongings, I might be convinced to give you directions back where you belong.”
Leyna was impressed by the lack of fear she felt. At first she’d been concerned, but seeing him, there was nothing menacing about his appearance. Not in the way she had experienced from others in the past. He was nothing more than a neighborhood thug, his greasy brown hair matted down on his head, curling up around his slightly pointed ears. Mialan. Her relief came in that instant. When she realized he was not Ven’shal. No other race could carry quite the same intimidating aura as they could.
“If you let us pass, I might be convinced to let it slide that you are attempting to rob us,” she replied calmly, tightening her grip on the bundled cloak in her hands. Whatever happened, she couldn’t lose it. She needed more time to go through the papers.
From behind her, Leyna could hear Thade drawing his own sword, stepping up beside her protectively. Laughter rang through the tattered walls. The man was finding them entertaining. “You talk tough for a lady,” he chortled.
Ignoring Thade’s shouts for her to stop, Leyna moved in swiftly, calculating the openings in the man’s defenses. She had more important things to worry about right now than this man’s attempts at bolstering his own ego. She spoke tough for a lady? What exactly was that supposed to imply anyway?
The light she’d been creating blinked out of existence, leaving them in darkness once again. With a few well-aimed strikes, Leyna easily wrested the sword from the man’s grip, bones twisting and cracking. Painful cries filled the room, but she didn’t hear them. All she cared about was that she had her sword back. He would be too distracted to try and press the issue with them any further.
“Come along, sir. Let us get back to our horses before he gets it in his mind to try again.”
Extending her palm, the soft light reappeared over Leyna’s hand to guide them. She could tell by the expression on Thade’s face that he was impressed. Had they not been in such dangerous territory, he might have spoken praise for her actions, but now was not the time. He fell into step beside her, hurrying down the hallway toward the hole where the back door once hung.
Rushing out into the night, Leyna ran her free hand through her hair in frustration, eyes rolling heavenward at the sight of the empty post where she’d left her horse. “This cannot be happening!” she gasped, kicking at the post angrily with her slippered foot. An excruciating pain shot through her leg, reminding her that she wasn’t wearing the thick boots she’d worn during the war. Women’s shoes were not designed for striking anything with any amount of force.
“Either he untied it, or the nail in the post was too rusted to maintain the hold. If the horse was spooked, it might have pulled free,” Thade suggested, never ceasing his brisk walk around the side of the house. He returned a few seconds later atop his own horse, leading it over to where Leyna was standing. “It is gone, and we have no time to search it out.”
“I cannot just leave it!” she exclaimed. “That horse belongs to the King.”
Inside the house, she could make out the sound of cursing coming toward the door. She glanced back hesitantly, her eyes opening wide at the feeling of Thade’s hands lifting her up onto the horse in front of him. “I will buy him a new one,” Thade whispered into her ear, snapping the reins to push the horse into a steady gallop.
Her position felt awkward. Never before had she ridden double with anyone on a horse fully saddled. The design was too bulky, steep in the back to disallow for a passenger. In the front, it bore only a slightly raised portion to create the shape of the saddle, giving ample room for a smaller person to ride, while still causing her hips to roll back uncomfortably with the incline.
Thade’
s arms held her upright on either side where he gripped the reins. It took all her strength to keep from sliding with every pounding step the horse made, her arms clutching the bundled cloak tightly to her chest. Its contents mattered more to her than anything.
They made their way through the dirty streets faster than Leyna anticipated. When they reached the city gates, the guards moved to stop them, their long spears pointed threateningly, preventing them from continuing forward.
“State your name.” The command came from a burly guard standing off to the side, his thick mustache curling up in a thin point from under his nose. Leyna recognized him from when she passed through earlier. He had eyed her curiously, but said nothing, letting her go by without question.
“Thade Imri of Queen Vorsila’s court,” Thade announced, his voice ringing with an air of authority. “I am a guest with King Osias and Queen Adalyn. If you question me, I have my documents.”
In a clang of metal, the guards removed their spears from the horse’s path, bustling out of the way. “No need, Your Grace,” the larger man motioned for them to continue, bowing his head respectfully. “For your own safety, I suggest you not cross through this gate at such an hour in the future. It is not a place for guests of our King.”
“Noted.” With a hard press of his heels into the horse’s sides, Thade signaled it forward once again, keeping a steady walk through the gates, his breath escaping in relief when they reached the other side.
She could sense Thade was feeling the same awkwardness that had come over her immediately upon situating herself on the horse with him. His body was tense. Keenly aware of her presence, the way she was of his. It was the only thing which pulled her from her thoughts of the parchment concealed in her cloak. The scent of his cologne wafted on the breeze over to her nostrils, pleasantly, relaxing her with its gentleness until she was reminded of Thade pressed so closely against her. If only her horse hadn’t run away! Most of her discomfort would have been avoidable.
The Myatheira Chronicles: The Vor'shai: From the Ashes (Volume 1) Page 64
