Malcolm and Icelyn's Story (Uoria Mates V Book 4)

by Ruth Anne Scott

  “You’re the one whose life is in danger? You think that you are the only one who is at any risk in this? What do you think that they would do to me if they found out that I took you in here and was harboring you?”

  Their voices had risen to shouts and Malcolm felt breathless. His head was pounding, and it felt like the exhaustion that had already settled into his muscles and bones after the long, stressful day of training had only increased since the argument with Icelyn had begun. They both took small steps back from one another, glancing away as if they were trying to put themselves back into their heads and slow the intensity of the conversation.

  “I think that both of us need to calm down and talk,” Malcolm said. “There are obviously things that we need to know about each other if this is going to work.”

  Icelyn nodded her agreement and walked reluctantly into the living room, grabbing a metal box and taking it from the counter as she went. She settled the box onto the table and curled up in her chair, watching as Malcolm took his place on the sofa again. He could feel the time slipping past, the night disappearing and the morning when he would need to report to the training field again getting closer, but he knew that he couldn’t stop. This was extremely important, and they needed to put as much time and energy into it as they could. They didn’t know exactly how long he would be in her home and it would be the strength of their alliance and the trust between them that would ensure the safety of both of them until he left for Penthos with the rest of the army.

  “I already told you that my grandfather as called Casimir,” Icelyn said.

  “Yes,” Malcolm said. “I know I’ve heard the name.”

  Icelyn took a breath.

  “He was a close friend and confidant of Aegeus.”

  Malcolm felt a sudden burst of realization.

  “That’s right,” he said. “I don’t remember him much because I was so young. He was executed for war crimes and heresy against the Order.”

  Malcolm had felt uncomfortable saying the words, but Icelyn didn’t seem unnerved by it. Instead, her eyes sparkled slightly, and her face brightened with a touch of color high on her cheeks.

  “No,” she said. “He wasn’t executed.”

  “What do you mean?” Malcolm asked. “It’s in the records. His trial was one of the most dramatic and emotional that was ever held in the Order. He wasn’t even executed in the kingdom so that his family – your family – could claim him. I don’t remember the official story that was used to cover his death, but he is still used as a warning against betrayal and misleading thoughts within the Order.”

  “The story was that he and several others ventured onto the lake near the Denynso compound and he was attacked by the creature that lives there. It was a convincing enough story because that was around the time that the water was just being explored.”

  “But your family knew better,” Malcolm said.

  “Yes,” Icelyn said. “I wasn’t born yet, but my parents knew what actually happened. I didn’t find out until I was older and found Casimir’s journals. He was charged with heresy and war crimes, but he didn’t die. According to the Order, he was killed. But he wasn’t.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Icelyn slid closer to the edge of the chair so that she drew nearer to Malcolm and leaned conspiratorially toward him.

  “My grandfather was charged with heinous crimes,” Icelyn said. “But he didn’t commit them. He didn’t actually do anything of the things that the Order said, and what he did do weren’t crimes. Not truly.”

  “I was a child when all of this happened,” Malcolm said. “I don’t remember many details, but I do remember my father talking about the sentencing of a man who was once high in the Order. It was considered such a travesty that he had gone against the Order and threatened the entire existence of the hierarchy. He never really said it, but I had the feeling that what they believed Casimir did was a threat to far more than just the Order. It was almost like they thought that he was aiming to bring down the entire Universe.”

  “That’s what they did believe,” Icelyn said. “But not in the way that you think. Do you remember anything else about his execution?”

  Malcolm thought back, sifting through the years of memories and knowledge that he had within him to remember those tense days that he now realized surrounded Casimir’s trial, conviction, and sentencing.

  “My father was angry that tradition wasn’t being followed when it came to carrying out his execution.”

  “What do you mean?” Icelyn asked.

  “Executions are generally carried out in the presence of other members of the Order. It is a spectacle, something that is intended to act as much as a deterrent and a warning as it is a punishment.”

  “Have you witnessed any executions?”

  “No,” Malcolm said, shaking his head as he felt a sense of relief come over him despite everything that he knew. “There haven’t been any in my time in the Order.”

  “So, you don’t know that there are two different types of executions.”

  It wasn’t a question, but a statement, as if Icelyn was leading him, trying to help him come to realization for himself.

  “There is only one type,” he argued.

  Icelyn shook her head.

  “No,” she said. “That might be what you know, but it’s not the way it has always been. In my grandfather’s journals he talked extensively about the rules and structure of the Order. Much of it was done in code so I don’t fully understand it, but one thing that he talked about exhaustively was execution. I already told you that killing members was something that the Order didn’t take lightly before the corruption took over. It was used only in extreme circumstances, only when they believed that someone within their hierarchy had committed a trespass against the rest that was too egregious to be properly punished and forgiven, or if one of the rank could not be controlled and had become too dangerous. Execution was a means of protecting the integrity, sanctity, and secrecy of the Order. Most of the executions that were performed were just like your father said. They were done in the presence of most, if not all, of the fellow members of the Order to ensure that all knew the details of what had happened and could bear witness to the final completion of that man’s service. The only requirement was that the executioner be at or above the station of the condemned.”

  “And the other type?” Malcolm asked.

  “When a member of the Order was either too high in the hierarchy for his execution to be witnessed or his crimes against the Order were too severe to call the attention of the rest, the sentence was carried out in private. It was dictated that the man would be destroyed in the presence only of the member who was chosen to carry it out. That person was then to be sworn to secrecy and was not to discuss the execution or what happened to the body.”

  “Aegeus,” Malcolm said, something that his father had muttered when he was just a child suddenly coming into his mind again. “Aegeus was supposed to carry out the execution.”

  “That’s right,” Icelyn said. “This all happened just shortly after Aegeus had started to uncover the corruption within the Order.”

  “Did your grandfather know the same things as Aegeus?” Malcolm asked.

  Icelyn nodded.

  “The journals said that the Order didn’t know that Aegeus was involved and didn’t suspect that he had any of the same leanings or beliefs. That’s why they didn’t hesitate when it was him who was chosen to be the one to carry out the execution. He left with Casimir and then came back to confirm that he was dead.”

  “But he wasn’t?”

  “No.”

  “What happened to him?”

  Chapter Eight

  Icelyn felt an unexpected surge of emotion in her chest. It had been so long since she had talked about any of this. It was something that she held close within her and rarely discussed with anyone. She hadn’t spoken of it since she was much younger, shortly after she had found her parents dead. That was an experience
that she knew she would never overcome, something that had scarred her well beyond anything that she felt she could experience again. It didn’t matter what kind of danger she might face from now forward; her fear would always be tempered with the knowledge that she had already stared into the face of such abounding evil that she felt both burned and reborn by it.

  It was only after she had been left alone in the world, completely isolated by the loss of all of her relatives, that she discovered the journals that outlined Casimir’s final months in the Order. Even after she had read all of her grandfather’s journals and learned the dark secrets that he carried with him in the last days that he spent in the kingdom, though, she had spoken only to Athan. After she learned as much as she felt that she could handle, she closed herself off, refusing to face the truth behind the execution that Casimir was meant to have faced but hadn’t. Now it was all being dragged out of her again and she was forced to delve deeper and further into what she had once thought would never arise again.

  “Athan told me that Aegeus and my grandfather were planning something, but no one else in the Order, except for their closest confidences, knew about it. He believes that there were other confidences that knew even more than he does, but he didn’t know who they might be or even all of Aegeus’s plans. Someone else in the Order found out about the suspicions that Casimir had about the hierarchy and the corruption that was happening within it and revealed it to the Panel. They called my grandfather up to face them and to question him about the rumors about him.”

  “What did they ask him? Did they know anything that he knew, or did they just have suspicions that he was starting to question them and the possibility for corruption?” Malcolm asked.

  “I don’t know,” Icelyn said. “His journals didn’t detail what they asked. Athan could only tell me that when he was brought up in front of the panel, he refused to confess anything and wouldn’t betray Aegeus. No matter what they did or how hard they tried to press him, he wouldn’t say anything. That was why he was sentenced to death.”

  “If Aegeus was at the head of the rebellion even then, how did they not know?” Malcolm asked. “How did they choose him to be the executioner?”

  “It was just the way that it was. They didn’t question Aegeus and because Casimir wouldn’t reveal his name or their plans, he stayed protected. It just so happened that Aegeus was in the position within the hierarchy that made him the choice for selection as the one who would carry out the sentence.”

  “Do you think that they knew that?” Malcolm asked.

  “What do you mean?” Icelyn asked.

  “Aegeus and Casimir, along with their confidences, whoever they were, were making plans. They were already preparing for something. Would they have known that if one of them was caught, that Aegeus would be the one who would be selected to execute them?”

  “You believe that they had a plan in place already,” Icelyn said.

  “I don’t know,” Malcolm said. “It’s just something to consider. What happened to Casimir?”

  “When he was sentenced to be executed, Aegeus and Athan planned for how they were going to save his life. Athan said that he isn’t sure of all of the details because Aegeus kept them strictly to himself, not wanting to spread the information too much and risk more danger. All that he knows is that Aegeus arranged for Casimir to be moved into a hidden place away from the kingdom with the understanding that when the time was right, Aegeus would return for him. He would get my grandfather out of exile, bring him back here, and together they would move forward with the plans that they had started to put into place.”

  “What happened?” Malcolm asked. “Did he go for him?”

  “He never had the opportunity to.”

  “When was he supposed to?”

  “We don’t know. Before he had a chance to go back for him, Aegeus died.”

  “Where was your grandfather hidden?”

  “I don’t know. That was something that Aegeus didn’t even share with Athan. Athan was his best friend, but he thought that giving him too much information would make things more dangerous. The only people who knew where they put Casimir into exile were Aegeus, whoever actually transferred him there, and my parents.”

  “Your parents are dead, too, aren’t they?” Malcolm asked.

  Icelyn swallowed hard, refusing to let the pain of the question distract her.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “What happened to them?”

  “The time was coming for Casimir to come out of exile. Changes were coming. The war was approaching. The Order was in Aegeus’s line of vision and he was primed to scourge the Order and the planet of the corruption that had built up within it. Then he died. There was suddenly little hope for those who believed in his rebellion. My parents didn’t know what to do. They were able to go visit Casimir, but he told them that they couldn’t be there, that they couldn’t try to get him out. The Order was starting to figure things out and he needed to stay where he was until the right time. He told them that they had to be strong. Soon the Order figured out that my parents knew something about the Order and Casimir’s plans. They had started to suspect Aegeus and believed that he might be preparing to overthrow the corrupt Order and reestablish the hierarchy. They confronted my parents and tried to get them to reveal what they might know. Just like my grandfather, however, they refused. They followed Casimir’s wishes and wouldn’t tell the Panel anything that they knew. Of course, that meant that they were of no use to the Order. They weren’t members, so there was no need for an execution. Instead, they just had them killed. I found them.”

  Icelyn could see Malcolm’s face darken as the realization of what she had been through because of the Order sank in even further. His hand was trembling where it rested on his thigh and she wished that she could see past the expression on his face to the emotions that he was holding within him. Finally, he spoke.

  “How could the people in the kingdom not know that this is happening?” he asked. His eyes dropped. “How could I not know?”

  “The Order exists in the shadows, Malcolm.” She said. “It’s impossible to really know what’s happening if someone wants to conceal it. This has been happening for so much longer than any of us can fathom. I think that it is so easy for us to think about the beginning of the Order being within our lifetime or with our parents or grandparents, but that’s not the case. We are only a brief moment in the existence of the hierarchy. They have had countless years to learn to protect what they are doing from anyone who they didn’t want to know about it. My grandfather’s journals hinted at the origins of the Order. They didn’t go into detail, but I got the feeling that the group started much smaller than it is now and with the purpose of protecting something or someone specific. That grew to guarding the rest of the Universe, but at its core is still that original intention.”

  “Could that intention have been lost, though?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We are operating under the assumption that all of this has to do with the corruption of the center of the Order. What if it doesn’t? The Panel itself is corrupt, we know that. But what if the Panel isn’t at the true core of the Order any longer? What if the origins of the hierarchy have been lost to them just as much as they were lost to the rest of us? I know that there are layers within the Order and that there are some who will rank higher than others and know more because of it, but it doesn’t make sense that there are no indications anywhere of what is really at the center of the organization. If the corruption is as pervasive as Athan, Aegeus, and your grandfather have suggested that it is, the rogue members wouldn’t stop at revealing the secret of the origins or compromising the true purpose if they thought that it would benefit them.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “The corruption is real, there is no denying that. But that is only a part of this. It’s not the same. The corrupt members of the Order aren’t still connected to the origins of the Order --- at least as far as they know.” H
e leaned closer to her and Icelyn saw his eyes widening as a thrill seemed to rise in him. “Aegeus knew something. He knew that there was more to the corruption than they originally thought. Even the rogue members of the Order didn’t know just how far their greed was and corruption was bringing them. He did. And so did your grandfather.”

  “What does that have to do with everything that’s happening now?”

  “We aren’t just contending against the corruption and the continued effects of it. We also need to protect the origins of the Order before the corruption can reach it.”

  “Which means that we need to understand what it is.”

  Icelyn looked away, struggling against the tears that she could feel stinging in her eyes.

  “Are you alright?” Malcolm asked.

  She felt his hand touch the back of her shoulder and the contact seemed to break through the emotional wall that she had tried to maintain, and she seemed to melt beneath his touch.

  “My grandfather has never been found,” she said. “Once my parents died, there was nothing that anyone could do. Athan doesn’t even know who brought him into exile, so there is no way to know who would know where he is and if that person is even alive.” She drew in a breath. “I don’t even know if Casimir has survived his exile. The corrupt Order and those that they have aided are increasing in power. I’ve tried my entire life to pretend that it wasn’t happening, that my grandfather’s sacrifice and Aegeus’s death ended it. But I know now that that is not true. I can’t deny it. I don’t know enough to change it, but I also know enough that I can’t just keep going on as if nothing is happening.”

  Chapter Nine

  Malcolm felt his chest tighten at the sight of Icelyn so intensely upset. He hated to see the pain in her eyes and the way that her body curled away from him as though she were trying to conceal what she was suffering. He stood up from the couch and knelt down in front of the chair so that he could drape his arm further around her back. He was feeling the same type of overwhelm of emotions that she was, feeling as though everything that he was learning about the Order and what the rogue members had done over the years was piling on top of him and pressing him down from all angles. This was not what he had intended when he thought of being a part of the Order when he was a child and watched the work his father did. The hierarchy was not what he thought it was, at least many of the people in it were not, and it was devastating to him to think that he had devoted his life to the organization thinking that he was protecting people and the truth of the Universe only to find out that he was also supporting such horror.