The King's Scrolls

by Jaye L. Knight

  “Oh, Kyrin.” Her mother’s tears flowed freely as she reached out and embraced her. Still clutching the shirt, Kyrin wrapped her arms tightly around her mother. “Of course I do, but I’m the one who really needs forgiveness. I haven’t been the mother I should have been. Can you forgive me?”

  Kyrin nodded against her shoulder, her heart aching, yet lighter, freed from the burden she’d carried for so many years. “Yes . . . I forgive you.”

  Times of waiting were some of Kyrin’s greatest enemies. She couldn’t stand the thought of her little brothers in Tarvin Hall. How were they coping? The terror of her first days there, especially when they’d tried to keep her and Kaden apart, lurked among her thoughts. And then there were the bullies. Were her brothers being ridiculed, as she and Kaden had been? Poor little Ronny would be a prime target, and with their father’s death so recent, the tormenting could be agonizing. If only they could get them out, but fewer than twenty-four hours had passed since Trask’s messenger had left.

  To occupy her mind, Kyrin spent the morning helping her mother and Lenae rearrange the cabin. The men had already supplied an extra bed, which they placed in a corner opposite Lenae’s. They also hung up a couple of long curtains for privacy. It wouldn’t be what her mother was used to, but she seemed happy with the result.

  After lunch, Jace and Liam came to the cabin for their daily checkup with Lenae. Kyrin helped by gathering her medical supplies and standing by, ready to hand her things. Lenae carefully removed the light layer of bandages to reveal their wounds, which had begun to scab over. Only a couple of the deepest ones looked to be in any danger of festering. Jace’s bruising had yet to fade, however. If anything, the sickly purple and yellow bruises around his ribs looked even worse, but Lenae assured her they were mending.

  Jace stayed for a short time to share a cup of coffee with her before leaving again. Suddenly lacking things to do, Kyrin grabbed her coat and stepped outside for some fresh air. Voices came from the far edge of camp, where Marcus had busied himself with training the new militia, and Kyrin wandered over that way. She hadn’t been out long when Kaden joined her, obviously looking for something to occupy himself, as well.

  They stood in silence for a few moments until Kyrin asked, “Will you join the militia?”

  “Probably not.”

  Kyrin looked up at him. “You don’t want to be under Marcus’s command?”

  “It’s not that, exactly.” He shrugged. “You know me. I’m a fighter, but not a soldier. Besides, if it comes to it, I’d rather fight with Exsis and provide support for Marcus’s men from the air.”

  Kyrin smiled. “You really were born to fly, weren’t you?”

  A confirming grin reached his lips.

  She let out her breath in a slow, white puff. Quiet words followed. “Father always wanted to fly too.”

  “He did?”

  She nodded. “He told me right before we rescued Aaron.”

  Now Kaden released a heavy breath. It would be a long while before talking of their father didn’t hurt, but Kaden looked pleased to share this in common with him. At least parts of their father lived on through them.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Kyrin caught movement. Surprise skipped through her. Two riders had just entered camp—the messenger Trask had sent to Valcré, as well as Tane. Word of their arrival traveled swiftly. In moments, Trask and the others left their cabin to meet them. Kyrin and Kaden glanced at each other, and hurried to join the group. Obviously, their messenger must have met the talcrin on the road, since he’d not had time to reach Valcré.

  “Tane, what brings you here?” Trask asked as the two riders dismounted.

  “There have been some developments in Valcré.” Looking around at the group, Tane announced, “The Scrolls are still in Auréa.”

  Kyrin could almost feel the reaction that swept through them. Her own heart gave a longing flutter. They’d given so much to try to get the Scrolls. Could they possibly still have a chance?

  “Daican hasn’t destroyed them?” Trask asked incredulously.

  “Not yet, which we can only attribute to Elôm’s intervention.”

  “Is there any way we can get them?”

  It seemed to be the one question on everyone’s mind.

  “That’s the reason I’m here,” Tane replied. “Sam can get to them, but he wants your help. After this, the emperor will know where his loyalties truly lie. Valcré won’t be safe for either of us once he acts.”

  “What’s the plan and how can we help?”

  “As soon as Aric realized the Scrolls were still in the palace, he and Sam came up with a plan to get Daican to ask Sam to study the Scrolls for any weakness in our faith. They weren’t sure he would fall for such a scheme, but he has. So Sam has access to the Scrolls. The tricky part is getting them out. He’s not even sure if he can, but he’s willing to try. If he’s successful, he wants help protecting them and getting them out of the city.”

  It sounded like a dangerous and desperate plan. What if Sam was caught? Kyrin almost choked on the fear of losing someone else. But if Elôm had preserved the Scrolls, how could they not try to get them out of Daican’s hands?

  “How soon do we need to be there?” Trask wanted to know.

  “As soon as possible. Sam can only keep up this pretense for so long before the emperor grows suspicious.”

  Trask nodded and glanced over the group. “Looks like we’re headed back to Valcré.”

  “I never thought I’d enter this city as a fugitive.”

  Kyrin glanced at Marcus before setting her gaze on the surrounding wall of Valcré. She’d never expected to enter the city again at all. When she left the first time, she’d rather that it would have been for good, but their missions were too important to shy away from it. Even so, her heart beat heavily as every instinct cried to flee the center of the emperor’s sphere of influence.

  At the last trees before reaching the wall, they stopped. Everyone from their original group, minus Falcor, had come together again to see this mission through. Even Talas insisted on coming, despite Darq’s protests, but he assured them all he was perfectly fine and fully recovered. Kyrin wouldn’t have gone so far as to say that. Even for a crete, two weeks seemed a bit short for full recovery, but Leetra had grudgingly given him the go-ahead to join them. While the cretes and Timothy had stayed on the mountain, the remainder of the group prepared to enter the city. Trask turned to face them, his gaze touching each person. “This is it. We’d better split up here. Elôm willing, we’ll meet back up at camp tonight.”

  Kyrin tried to fight off the nausea churning in her stomach. If only they could stick together; however, their missions had to be tackled separately.

  “All right then, best not linger.”

  Trask took the lead toward the city, and everyone but Kyrin, her brothers, and Jace followed. Rayad paused to look back. He spoke to Jace, though he included the others as well. “Be careful.”

  “You too,” Jace told him.

  Rayad gave a quick nod and turned to catch up with the others.

  Jace released a sigh, and Kyrin shared the anxiety in his expression. If anything went wrong, this could be the last time they saw their friends. The prayer of protection Timothy had prayed for them just before leaving camp echoed in her mind. She latched onto the words, repeating them in her heart.

  Once Trask’s group disappeared through a distant gate, Kyrin gathered up her resolve and turned to Jace and her brothers. “Ready?”

  They each nodded. Rescuing Michael, Ronny, and Meredith might not be quite as important as retrieving the Scrolls, but it mattered to her and her brothers. Kyrin’s palms grew damp inside her gloves as she looked at the four of them. They’d always had someone like Trask or Rayad around to take charge, but this they had to do on their own, and Kyrin could only pray it would go as they had planned it. Tane had set up everything beforehand with Sam, but she was well aware that things didn’t always go according to plan.

  Some
of her uncertainty faded when Marcus stepped up and took the lead. After all, he was used to being in charge in tense situations. It bolstered her confidence.

  They turned east—the opposite direction of the others, so as not to use the same gate. Kyrin prayed that neither group would draw suspicion. Her group was the least likely to be noticed, since Marcus, Liam, and Kaden had all borrowed soldiers’ uniforms from the supply stash back at camp. People weren’t likely to question the emperor’s soldiers.

  She shivered against the wind. The bitter cold signaled the full onset of winter, extinguishing any hope of more warm days. She’d be glad if they made it back to their campsite by nightfall. Even with the sun shining, the icy breeze snatched away any warmth.

  When they reached one of the smaller gates and passed through, a tingle of both apprehension and interest crawled up Kyrin’s arms and along her back. She glanced toward the palace overlooking the city. If Daican only knew she’d returned . . . She shivered again.

  Marcus led them confidently through the busy streets that climbed gradually toward Tarvin Hall. Merchants, businessmen, and travelers crossed their path as they saw to their last errands of the day. Nothing had changed in the few months Kyrin had been away. She tried to keep her head down and avoid eye contact with anyone. In a city of over half a million inhabitants, it wasn’t likely someone would recognize her or Kaden, but she didn’t want to risk it.

  A few blocks from Tarvin Hall, she stumbled to a halt when she caught a glimpse of the central square. Her heart gave a sluggish beat. It was the last place her father had been alive. Memories of her own experiences there rushed in—of the crowd chanting for her death. Had the same crowd watched her father die? She remembered standing in the crowd at the base of the execution platform, but instead of a ryrik standing at the block, her imagination put her father there. Tears choked off her airway, like the suffocating press of bodies all around her. But then a very real hand touched her back.

  “Are you all right?”

  She jerked her eyes away and looked up at Jace, her heart now beating frantically. The disturbing combination of memories and imaginings faded. She worked her throat but, in the end, only nodded. Pulling in an icy breath, she moved forward, and they hurried to catch up with her brothers, who hadn’t noticed her distraction. But the heaviness of the moment still clung to her like a nightmare. She focused her eyes on the path ahead—the same path she, Kaden, Meredith, and Elise had taken that day shortly before everything in her life changed. Before she knew of Landale or the resistance. Before believers were publically executed for their faith.

  In another few minutes, the five of them reached a corner just down the street from Tarvin Hall. To see it dredged up a wide range of emotions. She and Kaden had spent most of their lives there. Yes, there were some good memories, but not enough to outweigh the bad. After their initial look at it, she and Kaden kept out of sight around the corner, letting Marcus keep watch.

  Kyrin looked up at the sky, but the sun had sunk too far to the west for her to see it. They shouldn’t have to wait long. According to Tane, Sam had instructed the boys and Meredith to leave one hour before the evening meal. Kyrin closed her eyes and murmured a prayer for them. No doubt they were scared, especially poor little Meredith. Kyrin had been terrified when she and Kaden first discussed escaping. Would they be able to act in spite of it? Michael will take care of them. She felt confident of this. He had Kaden’s fighting spirit. He would get them out.

  Behind her, Jace took a deep breath. She looked over her shoulder to catch him holding his ribs, and then met his eyes.

  “I’m all right,” he said without her needing to ask.

  As usual, she didn’t quite know if she believed him. It was insane for him to be out in this condition. Liam shouldn’t even be here. Oh, she and Rayad had tried every which way they could think of to get them to stay at camp, but Liam wouldn’t hear of it, and Jace was even more immovable in his determination. He would be here, even if he hadn’t had over a week to rest and recover. That was just Jace. She suspected part of it had to do with the promise he’d made to her father. There was no telling what he’d do to keep it. He’d already proven that at the crossroads. But if he ended up ripping open his wounds and getting an infection, she didn’t know what she would do.

  With another thing to pray about, she rested against the wall to speak to Elôm during the wait.

  The minutes crept by, as if each one were ten times longer than normal. It was hard to keep track, and her stomach churned again. Had it been too long? Would they even make it out of Tarvin Hall? What if Master Zocar grew suspicious? Nothing seemed to escape him.

  Finally, Marcus made the announcement they all waited for. “I see them.”

  Kyrin sucked in her breath. She wanted to see for herself, but waited for what more Marcus would say. Her heartbeats marked the seconds. She couldn’t hold her breath any longer. “Are they coming?”

  Marcus was slow to answer. “I’m not sure . . .”

  Kyrin exchanged a worried look with Kaden. His fingers flexed near the hilt of his sword, a readiness for action growing in his eyes.

  Though Kyrin couldn’t see Marcus’s face, tension wrung his voice. “I don’t think the guard will let them out.” He spun around. “Liam, come with me. The rest of you stay out of sight unless there’s trouble.”

  He didn’t leave an opening for discussion as he and Liam left the corner. Kaden made a move to follow them, but Kyrin reached out to stop him. Now was no time to question their brother’s leadership. She stepped to the corner to peek around it, with Kaden right behind her. Just as Marcus had said, the guard at the entrance to Tarvin Hall appeared to have detained their younger brothers and Meredith. Marcus strode toward them, as if he knew exactly what he was doing, but did he actually have a plan? Please let this work.

  When Marcus and Liam reached the guard, their voices drifted back to the corner, though they were indistinguishable. Kyrin prayed harder. A suspicious frown appeared on the guard’s face. Whatever Marcus was saying, the man wasn’t buying it.

  “It’s not going to work.”

  Her voice barely left her mouth before the guard reached for his sword. A warning jumped to her lips, but Marcus acted first with a solid punch that set the man staggering.

  “Run!”

  Michael, Ronny, and Meredith bolted into the street. With secrecy now blown, Kyrin jumped away from the corner. “Over here!”

  They raced toward her, Marcus and Liam just behind. Distant voices shouted. Kyrin took her eyes from her brothers long enough to see the one guard in pursuit, but it wouldn’t be long until every guard at Tarvin Hall was after them. And how much longer before word reached the emperor?

  The moment they reached them, Kaden scooped up Meredith, whose huge eyes held the same terror that was trying to gain a foothold inside Kyrin.

  “Go!” Marcus urged.

  They all turned and ran down the street. Their footsteps pounded against the cold cobblestone, echoing on the buildings rising up on either side. People stopped and stared at them, no doubt quick to point the guards in the right direction.

  At an intersection a couple of blocks from Tarvin Hall, Marcus called them to a halt. The guard who had followed was nowhere to be seen. They stood a moment to catch their breath, and Marcus nodded at Kyrin. “We need to get out of the city. You and Kaden know Valcré best. Lead the way.”

  Kyrin gave a quick nod, and they set off again. She didn’t dare hope the guards had simply given up on them, but she did pray so. They turned left toward the mountains, and Kyrin fought to quiet the thundering of her pulse in her head to work out the best route to take. All they had to do was get out. Once they reached the forest at the base of the mountains, they would have the advantage. Thanks to Jace, she and Kaden were far better in the woods than the emperor’s men, who were more used to city life.

  A flash of gold scattered her thoughts. They all skidded to a halt as a group of soldiers poured into their path fifty ya
rds ahead, shouting orders to catch them.

  Kyrin spun around. “Go back!”

  Racing back the way they had come, she led them into a narrow, winding alley with several offshoots. She took the second one to their right. The soldiers weren’t far behind, but at least they’d lost sight of them. Using this confusing section of the city to their advantage, Kyrin guided them around in a large circle, managing to lose the soldiers.

  Just when she thought she could breathe again, the sound of hooves rang out nearby. She froze. Jace grabbed her arm, and they all ducked behind two produce carts just before a mounted patrol clattered past. Tremors passed through Kyrin at the close call. They stayed down and looked at each other.

  “Those patrols will be everywhere before long.” Marcus’s eyes fell on Kyrin. “Any ideas?”

  She grimaced. “We can’t keep running like this, especially not against horses.” Her legs already burned. Even if they had a clear shot to the gate, they’d never make it all the way at a dead run with mounted soldiers behind them. She breathed a long breath, and the cold air stung her already-aching lungs. How did Jace even breathe? “What if we hide out somewhere until nightfall? We have a much better chance of sneaking out after dark.”

  Marcus agreed. “Do you know where we can hide?”

  Kyrin looked over at Kaden. “What about the bell tower?”

  He nodded. “We can keep a lookout there, and with all the other abandoned structures in the area, hopefully it wouldn’t be the first place they look.”

  “Where is it?” Marcus asked.

  Kaden gestured in the same direction the soldiers had gone. “Southwest of here, in the old section of the city.”

  “We’d better get moving before they cut us off.”

  Marcus peeked over the carts to make sure the way was clear, and then told Ronny to climb onto his back. With Kyrin and Kaden in the lead once more, they set out for the bell tower.

  With much prayer and careful navigation, they reached their destination without any more narrow escapes. Checking behind them, they walked into the dim, musty interior of the old bell tower and looked around. Memories swelled inside Kyrin. This was where she and Kaden had made their decision to escape Valcré. Of course, everything had gone wrong after that, but things had worked out in the end.