A War for Truth

by M. Lynn

  His father’s eyes widened in terror as if the thought of a hug was his worst nightmare. The corner of Davi’s mouth twitched up. He patted his father’s arm. “The only people who are at fault are across the border.”

  A grim expression settled over the king’s features. “Soon, son. Soon, you will have your revenge. When I deem you to be ready, you’re going back to Dreach-Sciene.”

  Fire. Blood. Death. It was all going to come true. Lorelai rubbed her eyes, cursing the day she learned she was a seer. It had been a joyous day with her uncle celebrating as if it was the greatest news. As if he hadn’t seen what the sight had done to her mother.

  But she was stronger than that crazy old woman. No matter how many images of burning villages and rotting corpses she saw, she would not stop fighting.

  More than fifteen years had passed since the night she first met Marcus Renauld. The rain should’ve been an omen. Nothing she said had been false, but she hadn’t told him everything she knew.

  Her prophecy told of a man would rise to save them all. But save who? That was still a mystery, even to her. He’d been so sure it was his own son, but she’d seen Davi in the vision along with Trystan. Both princes—although one of them hadn’t known it at the time.

  But Trystan was cursed. Death. Sacrifice. Betrayal. Davi was the sacrifice, giving his life for Trystan’s. He could also serve as the betrayer once he came face to face with his old friend once again.

  But death.

  Someone you love will die by your hand.

  If the first two were Davi, did that mean the third would be as well?

  Lorelai had little experience seeing curses or prophecies come to pass. She didn’t know if they could be broken or overcome. One thing was for certain, she’d do anything to keep Davi safe.

  She walked aimlessly through the halls, desperate for a distraction to keep her from having to return to her rooms before her maids scrubbed every trace of Thom away. It didn’t matter. Not when he’d just return again at night.

  It shouldn’t bother her. Her body had never been hers. It had always belonged to her uncle to give to whoever he deemed worthy or in need of a lesson. She’d used it to lure men in before slitting their throats. It helped her get information for the crown. It rewarded those loyal.

  And this life was all she knew.

  So, why did it bother her to use the skills she had for her own means? To keep her own secrets?

  Because it wouldn’t go on forever. Her uncle would learn the truth.

  She stilled her shaking hands by running them through the pale hair hanging over her shoulder.

  The click of nails on stone had her twisting around until she found Deor running toward her. Planting her hands on her hips, she looked down at him, one eyebrow raised. “Are you looking to get a beating?” She waved for him to follow her. “You’re lucky it was me who found you.”

  He stayed where he was and let out a sharp yip as he jerked his head in the other direction.

  “What is it, dog?”

  He barked again. She gave in and followed him. They rounded the corner and Deor took off running. Lorelai lifted her skirts and did the same. She couldn’t remember the last time she ran and joy filled her chest as they passed servants who looked on quizzically. Every ounce of happiness crashed inside of her when she followed Deor into an abandoned corridor and found Davi.

  He sat with his back against the wall and his head rocking from side to side in his hands. A groan escaped his lips.

  “Dav.” She crouched down in front of him, pushing Deor out of the way. “What happened?”

  “It hurts,” he whispered. “Everything is so muddled.” His voice dipped, but she was sure she heard a strangled, “Rissa.”

  Her mouth fell open in shock. Were his true memories returning and overcoming the false ones? Part of her hoped they were. Then she could stop lying to him. No, she couldn’t let him become an enemy of her uncle’s. Even though Davi was the king’s son, that wouldn’t save him if he remembered the life he’d led and the people he’d left behind.

  “Davi,” she whispered.

  He raised tortured eyes to hers. “I can’t tell what’s real.”

  Cupping his cheek, she brushed away a tear with her thumb. “I’m going to help you. I promise. First, I need you to stand.”

  She helped him to his feet, but he stumbled against the wall when he tried to take a step. “My head. I can’t… Too dizzy.”

  She didn’t have to think before slinging one of his arms across her shoulders and wrapping her arm around his waist to keep him steady. “Come on, big guy.”

  He tried to say something, but it came out too garbled to understand. He leaned all his weight on her, but she had a bit of magic stored up to bolster her strength.

  Luckily, the man she needed to see wasn’t far. Ramsey Kane was being kept under guard in a locked room. The guard eyed them suspiciously, but unlocked the door and let them enter.

  Davi fell through the door, almost dragging her with him. She was forced to let go, and he slumped to the ground.

  Ramsey jumped up from where he was seated at a small desk. The Tri-Gard member didn’t hesitate in running forward. “Shut the door,” he ordered Lorelai.

  He easily lifted Davi off the ground and put him on the bed. It was easy to forget that the Tri-Gard members didn’t need to draw power from the earth. It was a part of them, just as her sight was part of her. But without his crystal, his power was no more than anyone else’s.

  Calis had taken his crystal many years before. The Tri-Gard’s crystals came from deep in the earth. They’d appeared the moment the magic from Dreach-Sciene was taken. Some said the Tri-Gard held that kingdom’s magic within those stones, but the ancient triad held their secrets tightly.

  “What happened?” Ramsey asked, raising dull gray eyes to hers. She stopped, locked in his gaze for a moment. She remembered a time when everything about him had been bright and cheerful. Just like his daughter.

  But then he’d been kept prisoner for twenty years.

  “Lorelai.” His harsh tone snapped her back to the present.

  “I think his true memories are returning.”

  His eyes darkened at the news, but she couldn’t help noticing the slight quirking of his lips. Ramsey Kane might have taken and reshaped Davi’s memories but he didn’t do it of his own free will.

  “What did he say to you?” Ramsey cocked his head.

  “He called out for Rissa.”

  “Is that so?” He tried and failed to hide his smile. “She’s her mother’s daughter, that one. Changing his memories of Rissa was the hardest magic I’ve ever attempted. Much more difficult than just erasing his memories in the first place. It was like everything inside him fought against any ill feelings toward her.”

  Davi mumbled something, his eyes still closed.

  Ramsey’s smile dropped, and he blew out a long breath, looking as if he wanted to say more. But he didn’t trust Lorelai.

  The next words out of Lorelai’s mouth felt like poison to her soul. “If he’s fighting the changed memories, maybe you need to remove her altogether. Like when he first came here. Make him forget.”

  Ramsey rubbed a hand across his face. “I can’t do that without my crystal and your uncle…”

  “Will question his loyalty if he knows,” she finished for him.

  Davi groaned, his eyes shifting beneath closed lids. “Just make it stop, Ri.” His voice was strangled and tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. “Please.”

  His hands shot up to tear at the sides of his head as he shook it back and forth. Lorelai met Ramsey’s alarmed gaze.

  “We may not have a choice, Ramsey. Look at him. We can’t let this continue.”

  It was the first time she’d seen such indecision in the Tri-Gard member. Even after decades of torture at the hands of her uncle, he’d remained strong. He never spoke of it before, but she remembered. He’d forced his counterparts to carry out Calis’ wishes and strip magic from t
he land. It was unnatural and cruel, but they’d done it anyway because they trusted Ramsey and he’d convinced them it was the only way to prevent both kingdoms from destroying each other.

  But she’d seen the armies Calis was building once again. The war hadn’t ended all those years ago, only postponed. This time, Dreach-Sciene wouldn’t stand a chance.

  Ramsey moved to the bed and sat near Davi’s head, whispering soothing words. He couldn’t use much magic in the palace without his crystal, but he was still an ancient being. A steward of the earth. And that meant something.

  But the cracks in Ramsey’s armor had begun to show. He was just as helpless in this palace as Lorelai. Magical being or not.

  Three years after the war ended, they received news that the queen of Dreach-Sciene had died. Calis found Lorelai crying over Marissa’s fate and thought a lesson was in order. Her new task had been to inform Ramsey that his daughter was dead.

  She’d never seen a man break before.

  After that, he’d stopped fighting. The strength was still in him, in his refusal to give Calis any aid, but it was as if he no longer cared.

  Until them. Until Calis showed him his grandchildren. The girl with Marissa’s flaming hair and the boy with her fierce determination. Calis could send people to kill or capture them easily and Ramsey knew it.

  Davi was just collateral damage in his quest to protect them, in his obedience to Calis. But each time Ramsey was forced to touch more of Davi’s memories, he wandered further down a dark path.

  One day, he’d be too far gone to come back.

  “Ramsey.” Lorelai gripped his arm, to shake him out of his quiet trance. “You don’t have a choice.”

  “Choice?” Ramsey lowered his eyes to Davi’s shaking body. “Have any of us ever had a choice?” At the sound of his own words, he snapped his eyes up, his mouth dropping in fear. “Forget I said that.”

  She gave him a reassuring smile. “I won’t tell my uncle. But we have to go to him now.”

  She was preparing to call the guards to help lift Davi when the door to the room burst open and Calis marched in.

  “Uncle,” she breathed, half in relief and half in fear. “We were just coming to find you.”

  A scowl darkened his face. “I thought my guards must have been mistaken when they told me you and Davi were here.”

  Of course, he had eyes everywhere.

  He continued. “You do not have access to Ramsey Kane without my permission. I expect better from you, Lorelai.”

  Her cheeks reddened, and she shifted her eyes away. “Davi needed my help.”

  He shook his head. “You two are becoming too close. He does not need your influence.”

  She opened her mouth to protest. She was a grown woman, for earth’s sake. Not a child. But Ramsey jumped in.

  “Do you have the crystal, sire? Davi just needs one of our sessions to get his mind in order.”

  “What’s wrong with him?” As if noticing his son’s state for the first time, Calis gazed down as Davi.

  “His mind has gone through a lot of changes. It’s perfectly understandable that it would rebel a bit.”

  “Rebel?” Calis’ eyes narrowed in suspicion.

  Lorelai sent Ramsey a pleading look.

  Ramsey scratched his nose. “What’s real will always be more powerful than what’s false and Davion is a strong young man.”

  “If he were strong, he wouldn’t be having this problem.” Calis pulled the necklace from around his neck, the clear crystal attached to it. Light from the candles flickered in the stone and as Ramsey took it, a peace settled over his face. The Tri-Gard members were not supposed to be separated from their magic.

  He shifted, turning toward Davi and placed a hand on each side of his head. Closing his eyes, he let the magic flow out of him. It encompassed the room in a tranquil quiet. None of them spoke.

  Davi’s body stopped shaking and his breath evened into a slow and steady rhythm. A few more moments passed and his eyes opened slowly, a dreamy look clouding his face.

  Ramsey eased off the bed and Davi stared at the ceiling while they all held their breath.

  He lifted his head first and then slowly scooted his body up into a sitting position.

  “Where am I?” he asked.

  Lorelai wanted to run to him in relief but she restrained herself in the king’s presence.

  “Welcome to my lair,” Ramsey said jovially.

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing, son.” Calis stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder as he held his out to Ramsey who dropped the crystal into it. “From here on out, I’m going to take over your magic training. You and Lorelai are not to spend time together. The kinds of things she’s done are not the sort I want corrupting you.”

  He spoke as if she wasn’t there and she reeled back. He may as well have slapped her.

  “What?” Davi dropped his legs over the side of the bed. “I can’t…” His eyes glassed over and he fell back.

  “Son, you will do as I say.”

  “My head feels weird,” Davi said, seemingly unable to argue any longer.

  “That’s to be expected.” Ramsey helped him to his feet as Calis pulled open the door and strode into the hall, expecting him to do the same.

  “Ramsey was just recovering more of your memories from Dreach-Sciene.” Lorelai hated herself for the lie.

  “Oh… good.”

  Her eyes met Ramsey’s. “There’s a lot in there about Trystan Renauld.”

  Davi grunted in disgust and Lorelai pushed on.

  “And also his sister, Rissa.”

  Davi lifted his eyes to hers. “Is this a test? He doesn’t have a sister. Dreach-Sciene has no princess and I’ve never heard of this Rissa.”

  Chapter 9

  The stew bubbled, entrancing Alixa as she stared into the murky sea of mutton and carrots. Her mind blanked, giving her one blissful moment outside her own head—aware from the pain that’d become like a second skin.

  The pop of the fire jerked her back to the task at hand and she stirred the dinner, thankful for the mindlessness of the motion.

  Her heavy eyelids drooped but never closed. If she let them close, she’d see it all over again. Her father. Ella.

  There’d been a time when she loved her father. When she wanted to make him proud. Children fail to see the greatest faults of their parents until the damage is already done, and it’s too late.

  Edric sat nearby with his shoulders hunched forward. He’d barely looked at her since they left the high walls of Cullenspire behind two days prior. She didn’t fault him for blaming her. His sister was dead because she’d helped Alixa. Because Alixa dared to care about someone, anyone.

  No, her father wouldn’t have that. People who cared were dangerous. They acted on emotion. He’d worked hard to drive the emotion from his children.

  All he’d done was turn any love she had into pure, unadulterated rage. It didn’t matter who he was. Not anymore.

  “I’m going to kill him.”

  It wasn’t until she noticed the group around the fire go completely still she realized she’d said the words out loud.

  She waited for them to speak. Trystan and Rissa at least never held back their many opinions. It was like some family trait—thinking people wanted to hear everything that was in their heads.

  But neither said a word.

  “I mean it,” she said. “He’s a dead man.”

  Trystan grunted.

  “Good,” Rissa finally said, pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders. “Just… good.”

  Were these the same people she’d set out on this journey with? The ones with oh-so-noble sticks up their royal asses?

  “Did you hear me?” she asked. “I said I’m going to murder my own father.”

  “What do you want us to say, Alixa?” Trystan’s steely gaze met hers.

  “You’re supposed to tell me I can’t spill the blood of my own family or some honorable bull like that.”r />
  His jaw clenched. “I’m going to have to kill my own uncle.”

  “Oh.” She leaned forward to stir the pot again, bathing her face in the warmth of the flames. It’d grown warmer since leaving Cullenspire, but a chill continued to linger in the air. “Stew’s ready.”

  She filled the wooden bowls Lady Yaro had provided, and they dug into their food silently. Alixa had never enjoyed mutton, but she’d found she could eat anything after a long day of travel.

  Nearby, a horse neighed from where they’d been tied for the night. It had taken a lot of effort to find some place dry to stop. The melting snow pooled along the ground, making for a miserably wet trip.

  Once the stew was finished, Alixa put away the supplies and retired to her bedroll, a blanket pulled to her neck.

  Stars winked between the overhanging trees, beckoning her with their brilliance. For the first time since their fight at Cullenspire, she found herself drifting off.

  Ella appeared in her dreams, too good to be pulled into her father’s schemes. The night of the fight replayed in her mind. She’d thought Ella was dead already and hadn’t recovered from losing her the first time. As the knife slid across Ella’s throat, a scream ripped through the dream and Alixa was torn from the scene by two strong hands shaking her.

  She thrashed against his pull and bit off another scream.

  “Alixa.” The voice was familiar. “Wake up. It’s me. It’s Trystan.”

  She opened her eyes in a daze, her breath coming in gasps. His face swam before her. Light hair. Strong jaw. Warm eyes. Trystan. It was Trystan. Her breath evened out. “Someone was screaming.”

  “That was you.”

  She looked down at his hands continuing to hold on to her and then back to his face. “You uh… you can let go of me now.”

  It was as if a spell was broken and he was shocked to realize he was still touching her. He snapped his hands back to his sides and sat back on his heels. “Sorry.” He scratched the back of his neck and looked away.