She stopped her picking and looked up at him. “What? Something more important than my son? Definitely not.”
Nathair stalked out of the room.
CHAPTER 8
Jezebel let out a sigh of relief as the city came into view. All this time outdoors was a bit too much for her, she was afraid she was going to catch something vile.
In short order they had arrived at the palace and she had been ushered inside to her waiting quarters, and then left to settle in while the Ieldran gathered in the audience hall to meet with the returning Triumvirate. She was pleased that despite her fatigue from the journey, she had given nothing away and they should have nothing to report to their countrymen other than that she had arrived. And, of course, the splendid manner in which she had done so.
King Nathair had specifically wanted her to maintain an aura of friendliness and peace with the people here, so as to give no indication of the war that had previously been planned on.
Gelendan’s resources were spread too thin at the moment because of the quakes to mount a full onslaught, according to Nathair. Jezebel was sure that they could muster up the forces that they needed if he was just motivated enough, and personally felt that he was being much too passive in the matter.
But, for the moment she would content herself with humoring his plan until such time as her healing memory fully returned and she could recall what alternative motive she had in all this. For she was sure that she had one, if only she could remember what it was. Devon had been quite useful in this respect, and Jezebel had been periodically grilling him on portions of her life as time permitted. He seemed to be quite knowledgeable about her which, while useful, was a bit unsettling. She was also still wary of him; she hadn’t yet decided if he was working with the King or not.
A maid was standing in front of her, holding out a suitcase in query and Jezebel waved a hand impatiently to indicate that she should bring it to the bedroom. As she had been unsure just how long she would be staying here, Jezebel had made sure to pack everything that might be needed and the unpacking process was sure to be arduous. She looked forward to the time when all of the servants would leave her in peace and she could contemplate her next course of action.
Tomorrow she would be addressing the entire council with King Nathair’s offer of peace and friendship. Though he was spreading tidings of unity with Treymayne back home, they needed to take smaller steps here. Unity to Treymayne might be taken as a hostile take-over, and they didn’t want them thinking that. At least not yet. Not until they were ready to make it a reality. So, she was to appear to be only interested in re-opening relations between the two countries while gaining as much information as she could. The biggest mystery right now was the fallen barrier, and finding out why they had decided to take it down.
She paced back and forth in her thoughts, pausing now and again to direct a servant to the appropriate area with her belongings. When the last of them had finally scurried out, Jezebel took a seat in front of the mirror. She took out a charmed stone and murmured the spell that King Nathair had taught her, triggering its magic. Her reflection shimmered and moments later the King’s face replaced her own, as clear as if he was sitting behind a pane of glass. Jezebel was impressed by his leaps ahead in the use of magic despite herself.
“Good evening, First Advisor,” he greeted her.
“Good evening, My Liege” she returned, “I have finally made it to the palace and begun to get settled in.” She put emphasis on the word ‘finally’ so that he would know she was annoyed by his insistence of traveling by foot.
“I’m glad to hear it,” he responded, apparently oblivious to her inflection, “Do you have any news to report on the barrier? Why they took it down? Do they seem to have sustained as much damage as we did by its fall?”
Jezebel smiled; it was nice to have the King so eager to hear what she had to say. “They’ve been very close-lipped about the whole issue of the barrier, and really about anything interesting thus far. However, I have no doubt that I can get them to open up to me quickly and anticipate that I’ll have more definitive answers for you upon our next meeting. I can report that they do not appear to have sustained much damage in the capital itself nor in the immediate countryside.”
He made a sound of acknowledgement. “Have they shown any signs of hostility towards you or Gelendan in general, or any clue that they may have known about previous plans to invade?”
“As I said,” she replied curtly, irritated at having to repeat herself, “they’ve been very close-lipped, keeping the conversation to more mundane matters. But no, I haven’t noticed any ill feelings towards me, they all seem quite rightfully awed by my presence here and have been doing their utmost to impress and entertain me. I did notice though that they seem to be awfully prepared for an attack, even just the outlay of their buildings is strictly defensive. They must be even more paranoid than we thought.”
He was silent a moment. “I shall expect another report in two days time. Please be sure to come up with some of the answers for me, and I’d also like you to see what you can find out about the talents.” He nodded to her and his image blurred, the mirror clearing again to show her scowling face. She didn’t miss his insolence in the least.
She was turning to get up when his voice sounded again. “Oh, and Jezebel, I’m afraid that I have some bad news for you: Your father is dead. It seems as though he was poisoned by a snake-bite. My condolences.”
Jezebel sat staring at the mirror for some time.
Her father was dead? How? I wonder how long it will take for the estate to be transferred to me. Perhaps I should return home to make sure my sister doesn’t try and cheat me out of any of it. She narrowed her eyes. If she had really kept Devon on as long as he said she had he must be a capable man - she would set him to the task of overseeing the transfer in the morning. A snake bite, hmm? One of his own perhaps. Knowing her father, he was bound to have snakes all over the place - metaphorical and not. She wondered if it had been an accident. It must have been. Who would dare murder my father? She nodded to herself. Pity.
*
Layna walked the halls of the palace nervously. Lady Jezebel was said to have arrived and be staying somewhere within its walls. Layna kept having visions of coming around corners and running into the woman’s rotting corpse. She had been replaying the episode with the hounds over and over in her mind, with as much detail as her stomach would allow, and she simply couldn’t fathom how the woman could have survived.
She rounded the corner and almost did run straight into someone, but luckily that someone turned out to be Gryffon.
“Whoa, hello there. I was just on my way to see you.”
She greeted him with a smile and an apology.
“Ready for your grand tour?” he asked.
“As long as it doesn’t involve seeing the Lady Jezebel, yes. I’ve been jittery all day, worried that I’ll run into her somewhere.”
“Unlikely,” Gryffon snorted, “That would require her coming out of her room and mingling with us commoners.”
“I hope so. Do you think that the Ieldran doesn’t believe us now because of her?”
“I don’t know. A lot of their latest meetings have been closed off to the public, given the delicate information that they are dealing with presently so I really have no idea. They’re also a little upset with me at the moment so they’re unlikely to be too forthcoming with their thoughts.” He winked at her. At least he didn’t seem to be taking their reprimands too harshly. “But enough about that, now that I have finally come through as your host here, what would you like to see?”
“Somewhere outside, please. I feel like I’ve been under a roof for too long.”
“Sounds good,” he acknowledged, taking her elbow gallantly, “Right this way, ma’am.”
He led her through the winding passageways and out into the gardens, where the smell of fresh flowers calmed Layna’s strained nerves. While they strolled through the delicate blossoms and amaz
ing arrangements of plants, Layna brought up the subject that had been itching at her - quite literally.
“My mark has been causing me a strange sensation lately,” she confessed to him in a soft voice, looking around carefully to make sure no one was within hearing range. “And it’s spreading.”
He paused and turned to her, brushing away the hair on her neck to get a closer look. Layna hoped he didn’t notice the goose-bumps his touch caused. “Whoa. It looks even darker too. Does it hurt?”
She squirmed uncomfortably, “I wouldn’t say it hurts,” she said lamely, not wanting to sound like a complainer, “but it’s definitely an uncomfortable feeling.”
“Maybe it’s time that we asked someone else about it. I think that Aileen or Echo might know something more, and I believe that either one of them is capable of being discrete about it.”
“I’ve been a little hesitant to tell Aileen,” Layna admitted, “she seems so sure that I’m going to give in to the evil that it represents…”
“That’s nonsense, and we’ll tell her so if she brings it up again, but there might be something more to it. If something about it is changing and they know what that is, don’t you think it’ll be worth talking about?”
“I guess so.”
Their wanderings took on more direction, and Gryffon led them to the fields where the palace horses were kept to graze. It was also where Echo spent much of her time when not conferring with the council.
As they approached, Layna could see that Aileen and Charles were both there as well, and they looked to be in deep conversation with the horse-woman.
“Good afternoon,” Gryffon greeted the group and they drew near enough to be heard, and all three heads turned to look at them.
Aileen smiled. “Good afternoon yourselves, young ones, how are you?”
“Tired of telling the same story over and over,” he joked and then grew serious. “We had something we wanted to ask you.”
They waited patiently while Gryffon turned expectantly towards Layna. She opened her mouth to speak, but her voice faltered. She cleared her throat. “The mark on my neck has started to burn, and recently it has started to…to spread. I’m a little worried that that’s not a good sign.”
Alarm was written plainly on Aileen’s face at this admission. Echo’s, as always, was unreadable. “When did this start?” Aileen demanded, giving Layna a rather stern look and she fidgeted.
“Um, well I felt it just after we took the border down, but I didn’t notice that it looked any different until just the last few days.”
Aileen closed her eyes.
-The awakening has begun.- Echo spoke obscurely into her mind, making it sound all the more eerie with her strange mode of speech.
“What does that mean?” Layna asked, a slight quiver to her voice.
“It means,” Aileen answered her this time, “that the Bloodstone has been found by one that can use it.” She shook her head and let out a short burst of air. “The Dark King made the mark so that his descendants would be able to identify one another for the purpose of propagating the Master Race as he called it. It also provides a link for the Sleeping God, Nuko, to try and influence those who bear the mark, and if it’s spreading that means the stone has become active. The Bloodstone becoming active will make his temptations even harder to resist.”
“What?” Layna squeaked.
“The Hyrdraeden has been studying this connection for some time and we can help block him from you, but ultimately it needs to be your willpower that will repel him. You have to stand firm against the evil enticements that he will throw at you in an attempt to have you serve him.”
Echo snorted. -And should you not be able to resist him,- She lowered her crystal horn so that it pointed at Layna. -know that we will stop at nothing to stop you. All he needs is you to be too weak to withstand him.-
Aileen moved between Layna and Echo. “We’ve been discussing it already and we’d like you to accept our help by training you further. I have no doubt that your intentions and heart are pure,” she turned to give Echo a pointed stare, “and it would be our own failing if we were not to give you every resource at our disposal to make sure that he can’t break through.”
“How many people are there with this mark?” Layna asked, her thoughts finally moving forward once more.
“More than you would think,” Aileen answered with a sigh, “Apparently the Dark King was quite prolific – a trait many of his descendants also inherited. And unfortunately, the Hyrdraeden aren’t the only ones who know what the mark means. There is a secret society run mainly out of Gelendan which calls itself the Order. We think that it was first formed by the Bloodguard, and its purpose is still to serve the Dark King’s wishes. It is also hopelessly entangled with the Priesthood. They’ve been tracking and breeding those with the mark, made easy by the priests’ control of talent.”
“They’ve been breeding people?” Layna asked with disgust.
Gryffon jumped in, “What exactly is the goal of the Order? We’ve been aware that there was some sort of organization, but haven’t been able to figure out much about what they’re doing. Other than find people with the mark. Seems like there’s more going on than making sure the Dark King’s bloodline stays alive.”
“Indeed there is. There are unique properties that come with the bloodline. Some of them are improvements to your body and your talent, and it is also true that you could access his memories.” Aileen’s eyes searched Layna’s face and she must have been satisfied with her look of horror at the thought. “We don’t know how you would do this, nor would any of us want you to. At first, this was what the Order was after. They were looking to breed a sort of super-human with all the god-like powers of the Dark King, but under their control.”
Aileen looked to Echo, as if determining how much to tell them, and the horse nodded her head once. “Echo has just heard from one of her informants that the culprits behind the Bloodstone’s disappearance were members of the Order. One of them was found and interrogated, and it seems that the Order has been branching out even farther than we had anticipated. They apparently discovered the power that the Bloodstone holds and are hoping to use it for their own purposes as well. But they have no idea the danger that it poses. It is not just a magestone to draw power off, nor even just a tool to awaken the greater evil. Your mark growing darker and larger indicates that the Bloodstone is active. And that is very, very bad.”
“So you think that the Order has control of it?”
“I almost hope that is the case,” Aileen answered, “if they are still in control over it, then it will take longer for the host to be subverted to the Bloodstone’s whims and there is the small hope that the Order will be wise enough not to allow it to fully awaken. If it chose the host itself…”
“If there are that many people with the mark, how is it possible that we’ve made it this far without this greater evil being awakened?” Gryffon’s voice held an edge of disbelief, “and why if this Bloodstone is something greater than the evil of the Dark King does it care about that particular bloodline?”
“There are many factors involved. Suffice to say that there are certain requirements necessary for Nuko to be fully awakened, one of which is fulfilled by all those bearing the mark. One other has only recently become available to it.” She didn’t seem inclined to give them any more information on that particular subject.
“Seems like there’s a lot more than even this going on,” Gryffon stated, obviously not convinced. “Not that this threat doesn’t sound pretty dire, but even before you say the Bloodstone went missing there was already bloodbeasts beginning to show up and King Nathair was already on the throne. Am I wrong?”
“No, you warn’t wrong there laddy. An’ there’s more abrewin’ by the minute. We don’t think it was just your beast-lady that had hellhounds either,” Charles jumped in, having obviously been privy to Echo’s and Aileen’s private conversations.
“We’ve had reports from all over abo
ut different creations running loose,” Aileen confirmed, “The darkness is spreading faster than we could have anticipated. It’s not just those marked who are being influenced anymore, it’s as if anyone who may have had any sort of predisposition towards evil is flinging themselves fully into blood-magic and the dark ways.”
“What does that mean?” Layna asked fretfully.
“I don’t know,” Aileen told her soberly, “but I do know that we have to do something about it, and quickly.”
“Except that ‘parently we hafta somehow make every single one of them numbskulls on that there council think it too before anythin’ll get done.” Charles snorted his contempt at the council’s apparent inability to decide on a course of action quickly.
“That’s true,” Gryffon answered before Layna had to ask. “For something as serious as possibly starting a war with Gelendan to get rid of King Nathair, they would need the approval of every single council member. If even one voted ‘no’, they would continue to hear reasons and debates from both sides until they could be swayed to agree.”
-I have been trying to make them see the evil that was reawakening, but some of them have been quite stubborn. They think that if they just hide behind their barrier and their walls and ignore the problem, that it will just go away.-
“How convenient that someone took down the barrier to disabuse them of this notion then,” Aileen put in rather smugly.
Echo gave her a sharp look, and swung her head around at her making the horn that still protruded from her forehead come dangerously close to Aileen’s face. -Indeed,- she said shortly. -Though perhaps more of a discussion before taking such a drastic move would have been more prudent.-
“Nonsense,” Aileen said cheerily, batting at the horn, “it worked perfectly. They need to have no choice but to prepare for a war.”
“Is a war really what we should be trying to push them towards?” Layna put in, “I’m from Gelendan after all, and I don’t really want to betray my country more than I already am.”
Those Who Fear the Darkness (BloodRunes: Book 2) Page 12
