She pressed her palms against her eyelids as her head throbbed. Why was this so much harder than discovering he was a traitor to the crown? Because it meant he’d still been lying to her even after she’d thought he’d confessed everything. It clarified his change in demeanor after the imprisonment, why he always looked so guilty, why he’d wished to be imprisoned again, and then why he’d been so stunned by the Entity’s offer of forgiveness.
She lifted her head, letting her hands drop beside them. The Great Entity had known all and had chosen to impart his mercy. If he could, so could she. She opened her mouth, ready to welcome him on the voyage, but stopped short. “You cannot come. Armond needs you.”
“Why do you care so much what Armond needs?”
“Because Kierelia will fall apart without him… and he’s an idiot. But he trusts you, listens to you. You can help him prepare to defend Castlehaven should the need arise. In fact, I think that would go much further in making up for all our parents tried to make you do. Show them your loyalty is to the very thing they wished to destroy.”
She knew she’d hit on something when fire burned in his eyes. “I’ll do everything I can then, but more for you than to show them.”
Despite herself, her eyes welled. Not long ago, she’d had no one to care for her. Now, she had two people who did their duty for her sake rather than obligation. Who cared about Armond and his betrayal? He was so tiny compared to these grand friends, though flawed they may be.
She stood, realizing she would have to work doubly hard now to make it to the harbor before Fredrick’s ship departed. “I must go, Dorian. But listen… see if you can get Armond to wed Dianna.”
“What? Why?” He raised a mirthful brow. “Revenge?”
“Because she’s clever. And I think, after all she’s been through, if she could just have something going for her, she could do much more for the kingdom than Armond. Not to mention, I believe she may truly love him. Just… see what can be done. I don’t trust Armond to choose wisely on his own.”
“All right…” he said, looking to her as if she was mad. “But your little-girl-self would kill me for listening to you now.”
She actually found herself laughing. “Isn’t it a fine thing we’ve grown up then?”
For a moment, she thought about embracing her brother. But it was too soon, so she merely nodded and vacated the room. It was a peculiar tale—one she would need to learn more about at a later date. For now, she must shove it to the back of her mind. Even so, she realized how right it felt that he should be a true blood brother. After all, did not siblings support and fail one another all the time? They had certainly seen their share of both.
She had just reached the gates when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Dorian,” she murmured. “Is something the matter?”
“No,” he said, throwing his arms about her. He pulled back with, “I just want you to know you were the first and only friend I ever had. You mean more to me than anything… and I’m really proud of all you’ve accomplished. Bashtii is lucky to have you.”
* * *
It had not been in her plans to find herself locked into a ship cabin with orders not to be released until Fredrick could return for her. She’d been standing at the hull, hiding beneath her cloak, and hadn’t counted on his recognizing her unconscious humming.
“Hazel, what on Kaern are you doing standing upon this voyager?” he’d said from behind her.
She turned to face him. “You didn’t actually think I’d let you go without me, did you?”
“Actually, yes. Yes, I did. Who told you?”
“You wouldn’t know her.”
“Hazel, I found you passed out on the ground when I returned to the castle. And you did not awaken the whole evening. If it weren’t for the Kierelian healer assuring me you would be all right, I’d have never left your side. As it was, I was unable to rest all the night long for worrying.”
She blinked back at him. She had wondered how she’d ended up in bed. “Well, as you see, I am perfectly fine.”
“I see you are more stubborn than I gave you credit for.” Clasping hold of her wrist, he tugged her along behind him. Before long, he had her in a fine cabin. She’d not thought to fight him until she heard the door lock and his orders to the captain to be certain she was not released.
She slammed her fists upon the door. “Fredrick, don’t you dare do this!”
No answer.
“I will never forgive you!”
Still nothing. She peered out the small window in the door. There was no one.
Falling into the nearest chair, she sat huffing. She’d not thought him capable of such… she couldn’t think of a strong enough word. He had no right. How dare he think he could toss her into a prison, lavish as it was, and she would let him get away with it? Or did he simply not care? Or… did he simply care more that she did not join in the battle when she was so weary from the previous one?
She sighed.
It was sweet in a way.
Her hand gripped the pile of parchment on the desk and tossed it against the wall. Then, she stood and began to pace. This would not do. She’d not scrambled aboard to be trapped inside while the fate of Bashtii hung in the balance outside her window. The ship would arrive in the harbor soon and she would go mad with anxiety over the outcome.
At last, she dropped into the chair again, for the first time admitting how utterly weary she was. Fredrick was accustomed to warfare. He’d grown up a soldier. All she had was her inexperienced gift and she didn’t even know what would happen if she attempted to use it again. Her voice was hoarse as it was. Did she have anything left for singing?
Her brow rose. She licked her lips. Her eyes went to the lock. Hoarsely, she sang at it, but it was no use. Singing was not in the cards for her. With a huff, she folded her arms and sat back. Fredrick was right. Still… she didn’t like the idea of being imprisoned on this ship, unable to know anything of what occurred.
Her eyes fell to the pot of steaming tea on the desk. Eagerly, she drank it, hoping it was enough. Then, she focused once more on the lock and hummed.
Click.
Hazel grinned. She’d done it. But she didn’t dare free herself until Fredrick had vacated the vessel.
33
Hazel watched Fredrick’s shoulders droop as he gazed out an upper window of Illuminas Palace. That wasn’t a good sign. After sneaking out of the ship cabin, she’d followed him and his men through an underground tunnel system and into the palace. A servant or two saw her as she tailed them, but none knew she was not meant to be there. Moreover, they were all rather more concerned with what was happening outside the palace. Leaving Fredrick and his men behind, she made her way into a vacant bedchamber and crept over to the window.
Her hand went to her throat. The scene was much like it had been at Castlehaven, though the enemy militia was not quite so large. They’d known it would be unnecessary. Not only were most of Bashtii’s infantry missing… this half of King Rakutan’s army had dragons.
The beasts had not been unleashed as yet, but she spotted them in chains within the city streets, held in check by their trainers. But even without their aid, the spectacle in the courtyard was disheartening. Bashtiian soldiers fought with every bit of heart, soul and ability they possessed, but numbered among them (and the only hope Bashtii had up to this point) were the people. These included the nobility who lived in Bashtii as well as visiting knights and dignitaries, but most of them were commoners. They fought just as hard if not fiercer than the soldiers… but they were far less equipped and it showed. Yet, by some miracle, the enemy soldiers had not taken the palace. But they had gotten within the gates. The people within the courtyard were the palace’s final defense.
Hearing Fredrick shouting orders to his men in the corridor, Hazel peeked through the crack of the door to watch them start in various directions. She must decide what her move would be. As she could scarcely sing, what help could she offer?
“Your view pleasant in there, Lady Fortune?”
The door opened and she fell back a step.
“How did you know?”
“I always have a scout track from behind,” Fredrick explained, “to be certain we are not attacked by surprise. He spotted you just before the tunnel system.”
“Ah…” she replied with a sheepish smirk. “Well, I am at your service, your majesty.”
He chuckled softly, shaking his head. “I have half a mind to have you locked into this room…” He folded his arms and searched her, as if genuinely considering it. Unhappily, he ended with, “Yet, I am fairly certain you would throw yourself from that window before being kept from something you feel strongly about.”
She folded her own arms.
With a sigh, he rubbed at the back of his neck. “Then you are to remain with me and my circle. I want my best eyes on you. Can you even sing?”
She lifted her chin. “Of course.” She simply could not do so above a whisper.
Following him and a few of his men through the castle, they emerged from a side entrance. Silently, they made their way around the palace wall until they were surprised by an enemy troupe clearly meaning to steal into the stronghold unawares.
Immediately, Fredrick and his soldiers entered into the frenzy. When they had taken out the group before them, another troupe arrived from around the corner. Hazel merely stood back. She tried to sing, but though the power was there, she could not give it enough volume to reach the soldiers.
She cried out in surprise as a Deep Southerner leaped before her, took hold of her hair and twisted her about. Wrapping an arm around her neck, he held his sword to her chin.
“Oy!” he roared.
The fighters turned to view the spectacle.
“Surrender now or she dies!” he cried.
Oh, why had she insisted on “fighting” beside Fredrick? For the first time in her life, she was useless. She stared back into Fredrick’s eyes that burned with the decision before him. Her mind raced for how to save him from it. Of course. She had her sword beneath her cloak. Surely, she did not know how to use it, but these men didn’t know that. Not to mention, if she could just draw it before he realized what she was about, she might just shove its blade into his foot.
Slowly, her hand slivered toward the hilt and yanked.
Bright light cut the atmosphere as she drew it, causing all in the vicinity to gasp and fall back, shielding their eyes. Hazel herself could not look directly into the blade’s light as it sang in her hand. It felt alive and extremely communicative—urgent. It pulsated under her touch, urging her on.
“But I don’t know how to use you!” she whispered.
The light only grew stronger until she was forced to shield her eyes beneath the hood of her cloak. It hummed at her with the persistence of a dog sniffing out a trail. It wanted something from her, but all she could do was—
Sing. Opening her mouth, she released a pitiful sound, but it was intensified by the blade, just as it had been when she’d faced Maera. Five bolts struck the ground around her, three meeting their targets. It was a miracle neither she nor the Bashtiians with her had been harmed. Without another thought, she raced forward, ignoring Fredrick’s pleas to wait for him.
Diving into the crowd in the courtyard, she pressed her way through the fighting and raced up the stairs of the palace. Reaching the top, she pointed her sword to where the densest of the enemy soldiers were assembled as they worked to press their way further onto castle grounds. With her meager song, the sword glowed and lightning struck in several places at once.
With a mischievous smirk, she called to Fredrick as he rounded the corner, “Get your people back!”
With a confused grin, he did as told while the enemy looked to her with a blend of fear and malice. At last, she released a hideous note, deafening thanks to the sword. Her song proved to reach over the whole of the enemy throng as they flew back, piling onto one another. She sang out again and they flew further. Again, and she had the army wrestling to vacate the courtyard. At last, they went running. She only stopped singing when her legs gave out, but she leaped to her feet before Fredrick could see.
Glancing to where he was, she found him staring stricken into the horizon. Stomach toiling for what it could be, her presumption proved correct. The dragons were approaching. In moments, they reached the courtyard where those fighting for Bashtii remained. Any moment now, they would release flame. She wasted no time in singing at them, but they merely swerved out of the way of her bolts. Somehow, the beasts could sense when and where the lightning would strike. Her mind raced for what to do when the flames descended. Bashtiians screamed and ran every which way, working to avoid the onslaught. She tried to sing at the dragons again, this time in an effort to push them about. But with their great strength, they only righted themselves and returned.
“Oh, Entity, what do I do?” she murmured.
A warm, salty gust gusted through the expanse. The leaves of the trees shuffled noisily. It would have been a beautiful sight if they were not all about to die by dragon fire. Even so, H.S., the very spirit of the Great Entity, was in that wind.
“What is it? What do I do?”
Another blast rushed through, this time swaying the trees back and forth so they looked as if they would topple over.
Hazel raised a brow, recalling the last day of training in her Kierelian forest. She had made her beloved trees grow. If she could make them grow… could she make them fight? She planted her feet and pointed her sword to the nearest crop, but her voice was spent. Shaking her head, she recalled how Blythe had choked her with a mere hum under his breath. With the sword to magnify her sound, would a hum do?
Her eerie drone flooded the courtyard, reaching the trees. She smiled with satisfaction as they sprouted new branches. She heard the gasps of those around her as they witnessed the phenomenon, but she could not worry about them. She concentrated on the trees, manipulating their branches until they were long snakes slinking after their prey. In a whipping motion, one of them caught the foot of a beast and slapped it down into the city, wrapping its way around the monster’s muzzle to avoid further flame.
It was at that moment that King Rakutan appeared at the palace gates, his large army racing in around him. Somehow, he had sneaked aboard a ship and arrived to bolster his army to complete the task at hand. He had lost Kierelia. But given the winning of Bashtii and a little time, he might just gain it eventually. Either way, Bashtii was the real prize with its caverns full of rubies and various other riches. By the way he grinned at her, he had no intention of losing this time.
Furthermore, he had every intention of capturing her and making her his bride as arranged.
Her skin crawled and she fell back a step, continuing her mission. Despite the remaining dragons, Bashtiian soldiers, dignitaries and commoners re-entered the battle. Swiftly, she sent several more branches whipping through the air until she’d caught two more beasts. When they smashed upon portions of the southern army out in the city, she actually heard cheers from some of the Bashtiians. With three of the dragons out of the way, Bashtii began to stand something of a chance again. She was just reaching for the final dragon when fearful gasps alerted her to the first, who had freed itself from its bonds. Charred bits of wood fell from its muzzle and she recalled how very hot the giant dragon’s body had been. Somehow, the mere touch of its skin had burned it free.
Unexpectedly, a pair of arms were around her and she was drug into the castle. With a scream, she wrenched herself free, but it was needless.
“Fredrick, you frightened me!”
He ignored her, going to the window to survey the chaos. He looked on as his people were burned by dragon flames and slaughtered by enemy swords. The color drained from his face and she understood what had happened. He had lost his mettle. He no longer knew what to do. After all, he had no lively castle to defend them. And nothing Hazel had tried thus far helped for long. She wondered why H.S. had led her to
use the trees if they had proved only a momentary remedy. Yet, she supposed it proved that Bashtii was not so defenseless as they’d formerly seemed.
“Hazel, I don’t know what we're going to do,” Fredrick said. “It won’t be long before those dragons have desolated my people. Meanwhile, the rest of my military won't arrive until tomorrow. I think… we must surrender now and hope my men can come up with a way to save us when they arrive. Our fate is in the hands of my generals.”
“Wait...” she said abruptly, holding a hand up as her mind raced. “I think… I have an idea.”
He raised a curious brow.
“These dragons can sense lightning and burn through trees,” she said thoughtfully, “but they’d be useless if turned to gold…”
He hesitated, then shook his head. “It is a fine notion, but I have to be touching them in order to do it and even if you could force them to the ground, I’d likely be killed before I reached them. Not to mention, my people are not aware of my curse.”
“They would merely love you all the more as their golden king if they knew, Fredrick. And it’ll be rather a moot point if they’re taken by Rakutan, anyway. As for getting near the beasts, I'm not sure that's necessary... How do we get to the roof?”
34
From the rooftop, it was much clearer that the scene below was a losing fight for Bashtii. But Hazel believed, if they could actually manage to pull off what she had in mind, they would be in a far greater position.
She held her sword outward. “Take hold of this hilt with me,” she directed Fredrick.
“It is like Bashtiian ruby...” he said with astonishment, only seeing it up close for the first time. “No wonder it is so irregular. Its abilities must be similar to the rubies in the Cave of Nielsas.”
“Wonderful. Now, place your hand on it.”
He shook his head. “I cannot. I will transform it and then where will we be?”
Singer's Sword Page 29
