A War for Truth

by M. Lynn

  “This way,” he heard Ramsey yell as realization finally set in. The castle wall that had been a solid barrier earlier was now just a gaping hole, Lonara Stone standing on the other side.

  “Don’t let Lorelai escape!” He heard Davi’s order, but it only added fuel to the fire under their feet.

  Magic crackled through the air and Lorelai screamed as black, gnarled roots exploded out of the soil, twisting about her legs. They dragged her down to her knees, pulling at her the more she struggled.

  Trystan slowed, glancing back at her, indecision blocking his escape. Two guards grabbed hold of the magic-stricken Lorelai, keeping her from being sucked down further. She lifted her head, meeting Trystan’s eyes and mouthed the word, “Go.”

  Guilt gnawed at him. His head swiveled, searching for Ramsey or Rissa, someone that could help the seer, but they were already on the other side of the wall. The roots began crawling with precision his way and Avery yanked him out of his stupor, making his decision to leave Lorelai behind with her scream, “Go, Sire! The other’s need you. She can look after herself.” So he ran, straight through perfectly formed hole, heat still wafting from the red-hot cinder blocks of stone where Lonara’s magic had burnt its way through.

  “Your Majesty,” Lonara ran to Trystan, relief evident on her face. “I’m so glad to see you made it.”

  “You as well, Lonara, but I suggest we move our asses.”

  She nodded in agreement. “This way. My magic should block them long enough for us to escape. Help them onto the horses,” she called out, and Trystan’s men obeyed the command. Trystan ignored the helping hands of the soldier at his side. Instead, he leaped nimbly into his saddle, making sure everyone was accounted for before yelling, “Move out!”

  As they rode into the darkness of the woods, he couldn’t help but look back at the castle that had been his prison for the past week. A heavy sadness filled his heart at the thought of leaving his brother behind. Even though Davi no longer remembered that bond, it still crushed Trystan. Lorelai hadn’t made it out with them either, and he didn’t know what that would mean for her.

  As the castle faded into the gloom of the night Trystan couldn’t help but wonder if he would ever see either of them again.

  “Sir, we’ve captured Lorelai but the rest of them got away. Should we go after them?”

  The captain of the guards refused to make eye contact with Davi even though the question was meant for him to answer. He’d had too many run-ins with Calis to know failure was not an option.

  Davi sheathed his sword and ran a hand through his wild hair. “No. Let them go. They won’t get far.”

  The captain nodded in relief and rubbed at his neck, happy that it was still attached to his shoulders. If it were the king he had said those words to, he might not have been so lucky.

  “Take Lorelai back to the palace.”

  The captain ducked his head and strode away, leaving Davi to stare at the smoldering hole left in the wall by Lonara Stone. She was powerful, he’d give her that. He could feel her power lingering still. But no matter. She would be no match for his father. None of them would be.

  “It is done, father, as you requested,” he whispered into the night air. “And now it begins.”

  Chapter 25

  The palace of Dreach-Dhoun sat close enough to the border that it would only take a day to reach the relative safety of Dreach-Sciene.

  Silence stretched between the weary group with the exception of Lonara and Ramsey who rode ahead of them.

  Trystan strained his ears to catch their words.

  “I have us hidden,” Lonara said. “My crystal has been cloaking our movements since I found you, but I haven’t sensed pursuit.”

  Ramsey didn’t respond.

  “Ramsey,” Lonara said sharply. “Are you listening to me?” She sighed. “You’re still thinking about that girl.”

  “Calis is going to ruin her.”

  Trystan knew instantly who he was speaking of. Lorelai.

  “That’s no longer our concern.” Lonara smiled in sympathy. “I’m glad they were able to get you out of there.”

  “Because of her.” His hand flew to the crystal in his pocket. “I’d never have been able to get my crystal without her and we’d still be trapped without my magic.”

  Trystan pulled his horse alongside the two sorcerers. “How did she get it?”

  Ramsey narrowed his eyes. “I don’t like what you’re inferring, boy.”

  Trystan put his hands up in defense. “I only mean that it all seems too easy. Maybe Lorelai really was on our side or maybe something else is at work.” He glanced behind him as if to look for enemy soldiers lurking in the trees.

  Ramsey stopped and turned to his grandson. “Lorelai betrayed her family for me, for you, for your kingdom. And now she’s probably going to pay for her crimes with her life. I will not have you question her motives. I have known that girl since she was knee high. I have watched her leave on mission after mission for her uncle. Each time she returned, there was a little less life in her eyes. She has done some bad things, but would you want your character decided by the worst you had to offer?”

  Trystan’s response didn’t have the anger behind it anymore. “She killed my father.”

  “Never pretend you have the world figured out, King. Because you’ll be wrong. Every time.” He turned back to Lonara. “You’re right. I don’t sense any kind of pursuit. Calis should be hunting us down.”

  “I don’t like it.” She drew one of her long, thin swords. “We must be prepared and make haste to the border. Briggs is waiting there, but we may yet run into border guards before we reach him.”

  Ramsey pinned her with a look Trystan didn’t understand. Understanding flashed in her eyes and she nodded. “I know.”

  “Know what?” Alixa asked as she, Rissa, and Avery joined them.

  Ramsey grunted and resumed riding.

  Lonara sighed. “Just something Ramsey and I will need to take care of once we’ve returned magic to the earth.”

  “Do you really think you can do it?” Rissa’s question surprised Trystan because she’d been so quiet since getting out of the palace.

  Lonara glanced at each of them in turn, taking in the doubt in their expressions. “Yes.”

  Darkness covered the world by the time they reached the border and left the beautiful fields of Dreach-Dhoun for the barren mountains of Dreach-Sciene.

  “It stopped,” Rissa whispered. “Do you feel it?”

  As if they’d crossed some invisible line, the energy that’d been buzzing along Trystan’s skin snapped back, fading as if it’d never been there at all. He shivered and pulled his cloak across his body to protect against the chill in the night air he hadn’t noticed before.

  His limbs grew heavy, finally succumbing to exhaustion after their long trek to the border. Without magic, his body barely had the strength to keep going.

  “Can we stop for the night?” Alixa asked. “I don’t know how much farther I can walk.”

  Ramsey slowed. “In Dreach-Dhoun, the magic was bolstering your energy. What you’re feeling is the sudden loss of it.”

  Lonara’s eyes were sympathetic. “We’re almost there. We need to perform the ceremony before anyone from Dreach-Dhoun can catch up in case they decide to pursue us after all.”

  “Ceremony?” Trystan asked.

  Ramsey, seemingly over his aggression from moments before, winked. “How else do you expect us to return every bit of power to the earth?” His thumb rubbed over his crystal.

  Avery gestured for Trystan to pull back and ride with her so they weren’t overheard. “Your Majesty, are we really sure we can trust the Tri-Gard?”

  Trystan considered her question. It was warranted. He wasn’t sure he liked his grandfather. Ramsey Kane had spent too much time in Dreach-Dhoun. Trystan also wasn’t fond of Briggs, but the old man had stuck with them.

  But Lonara? His gut told him that of them all, she was the one he could put hi
s faith in, just as his mother once had.

  “We need them,” he said. “Everything up to this point has been about uniting the magic keepers. We don’t really get to decide whether or not they deserve our trust.”

  “Do you think they’ll stay true to their word and return the magic?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced towards Ramsey and Lonara. “I guess we’ll find out tonight.”

  Lonara led them on a path that wound down into the forest rather than farther up into the mountains. The last time they’d been in Isenore, the air chilled them to the bone. Not much had changed in the short time they’d been away.

  “Stick close together,” Lonara warned. “Don’t ride off the paths. There are some areas that drop off and we don’t need anyone injuring themselves in the dark.”

  Rissa pulled her horse up beside Trystan. Re-entering a land without magic affected her most of all.

  Leaving Davi behind had as well.

  Trees rose up on either side of the trail, casting shadows in the dark. They came to a small clearing with a cave at one end.

  Rustling sounded up ahead and Lonara flicked her hand, creating a ball of soft light to illuminate their surroundings.

  Trystan released a breath as Briggs appeared at the mouth of the cave. A grin spread slowly across his face and he looked to the sky. “See, I told you they’d make it.”

  “No time to waste,” Ramsey snapped at the old man as he slid down from his horse.

  Briggs continued to smile, but there was something behind his smile that made the hair on Trystan’s arms stand on end.

  “It’s good to see you, old friend.” Briggs’s voice sounded more sane than Trystan had ever heard it. “And so… intact.”

  “Intact?” Ramsey growled. “Until the last few months, Calis kept me in his dungeons. Do you know what happens to people there, Villard?”

  Trystan flicked his eyes between the two men. One seemed older than the earth and the other was young, but he knew appearances were deceiving. They were close in age.

  Ramsey’s words stuck in Trystan’s mind. He’d heard stories of the Dreach-Dhoun dungeons. The living conditions. The torture.

  He sucked in a breath. “That’s why you’re so worried about Lorelai. You truly do know what will happen to her.”

  Ramsey met his eyes, sadness sparking in their depths. For one moment, Trystan got a glimpse into the man his grandfather truly was. The rest of them dismounted slowly.

  Lonara pushed herself between the other two Tri-Gard members and threw her sword to the ground. “Now is not the time. We must perform the ceremony. Tonight. Avery, Alixa, go stand watch. We cannot be interrupted. The prince and princess must stay close.”

  The two women nodded and disappeared into the shadows at Lonara’s request.

  She walked by Trystan and Rissa, ignoring their eyes on her as she rolled up her right sleeve to reveal the sigil etched into her skin. “Briggs, you’re first.”

  Trystan busied himself with tying up the horses as the old man lumbered toward the far side of the clearing and revealed his own sigil. He reached into his pocket and pulled his crystal free. Closing his eyes, he held it above the ground and mumbled something under his breath. His voice grew louder. “Chaos. Disorder. Darkness. Your magic is here.” Light shot from his crystal, striking the ground. A cloud of dust encompassed Briggs. When it drifted away, he was left standing on top of his sigil that had been carved into the ground.

  Lonara nodded and stepped forward, performing the same movements as Briggs. “Light. Fate. Harmony. Your magic is here.”

  Instead of moving forward to complete the triangle, Ramsey jerked his head up. “Someone’s here.” Light broke free of his crystal and he directed it toward the trees behind them.

  Trystan spun.

  Standing in the light with his sword at the ready was Davi.

  “Ramsey,” Lonara yelled. “Hurry. Trystan, deal with him. We must complete the ceremony.”

  Trystan’s eyes met Davi’s across the span.

  “Looking for this?” Davi asked, extending the hilt of his sword in front of his chest. Even at the distance, Trystan knew he was holding the Toha sword, the one belonging to the king of Dreach-Sciene. The very weapon with Ramsey Kane’s sigil carved into the hilt. The first clue of his mother’s true identity. Calis’ guards had taken it when Trystan was captured.

  “Trystan,” Rissa yelled.

  His eyes found her with Lonara’s discarded sword in her hand. Her hard eyes bore into him as she ran forward.

  “I can’t fight him, Ri,” he whispered.

  “You have to.” She glanced back at the Tri-Gard, their only hope. “It isn’t Davi anymore. Not our Davi. He died months ago.”

  Trystan shook his head to rid it of Lorelai’s words that crept in every time he thought of Davi’s death.

  Someone you love will sacrifice their life for yours. Davi had done that without even blinking.

  Someone you love will forsake your name. Had that meant Davi as well?

  Someone you love will die by your hand. Trystan stumbled back. A part of him hadn’t wanted to believe her words when she first said them. But she’d seen all of this. Davi’s transformation. The fight that was to come.

  “No,” he said to himself. “I won’t kill him.”

  “Then don’t.” Her eyes pleaded with him. “You were always the better swordsman. Injure him. Knock him unconscious. Something, anything, to keep him away from them.” She flicked her eyes to the ongoing ceremony as she pressed the sword into Trystan’s hands.

  “No.” He dropped the sword. “I won’t do it. I won’t kill him.” He pulled at his hair. “It won’t come true. I refuse to be controlled.”

  “What are you talking about?” Rissa picked up the sword and forced him to close his fingers around the hilt.

  Davi advanced, grim determination on his face. He didn’t once look toward the Tri-Gard, instead focusing solely on Trystan.

  “You can’t stop them,” Trystan said.

  “I didn’t come for them.” Davi raised his sword. “I came for you.”

  “I won’t fight you, Brathair.”

  “Then you will die.” Davi’s words were as cold as the night air, but his face didn’t hold the same harshness. Did he truly want them to die?

  Davi covered the span between them at a run, yelling at the top of his lungs. His scream echoed in Trystan’s ears as his sword slashed down in a clean sweep, aiming to sever Trystan’s head from his body. Trystan blocked the blade with his own, grimacing as the tip scored his temple, blood mingling with sweat. Trystan retracted his blade allowing the other to slide off, causing Davi to stumble with the change in momentum. Trystan moved fast to the right to a better fighting position, but Davi recovered from his stumble quicker than anticipated and unleashed a barrage of attacks and strikes that forced Trystan to back up on the defensive. Sweat poured from his brow and down his face and he could taste it along with blood. Davi would not give up until Trystan was dead. He realized that now with crushing clarity.

  “Davi, stop fighting me.” He grunted as he parried another volley of blows, each more powerful than the one before.

  “Not until you die under my blade.” Eyes that were once filled with laughter now stared into Trystan’s with pure madness.

  Davi was always a good fighter, but Trystan could feel the power mixed with hatred radiating off him as he swung with relentless fury. Trystan struggled to absorb the impact of the attacks while desperately searching for a way to end the battle with both of them still very much alive.

  In an attempt to best his attacker, he swerved his body, feigning a low attack, but his effort proved ineffective as Davi uppercut Trystan’s sword with his own and sent Trystan stumbling backward. He lost his balance and tried to catch himself from falling, even as he saw Davi approaching out of the corner of his eye, sword raised to strike.

  “Davi, no!” Rissa screamed as she jumped in front of her brother, ready to take the b
low meant for him. Davi paused for a split second before a roar of anger bellowed from him and he swung the blade Rissa’s way. Trystan leapt without thought, pushing Rissa out of the way and barreling into Davi’s side. A grunt fell from Davi’s lips at the impact as his sword flew out of his hand. They fell backwards, Trystan landing on Davi’s chest, nose to nose with his old friend. Both of them gasping for breath, Trystan tried to quell the sudden nausea rising from the pit of his stomach. Davi had tried to kill Rissa. Would have run her clean through if he hadn’t stopped him. Their Davi would never have tried something so horrendous. Their Davi no longer existed.

  “You tried to kill my sister, you bastard,” Trystan hissed as he held his sword to the vulnerable hollow of his opponent’s throat. “I ought to kill you right now for that.”

  “Trystan, stop.”

  His sister’s voice cut through his fury.

  “Trystan, please,” Rissa sobbed.

  Trystan strained against the impulse to bring his sword down, cutting off the other man’s life. Davi’s face was hauntingly familiar.

  Someone you love will die by your hand.

  “I can’t.” A single tear collected in the corner of Trystan’s eye and he blinked it away. “I can’t.” His eyes ran down the sword he’d taken from Davi. His sword. Davi had been there when he’d been given it. He was supposed to have served as Trystan’s second in command.

  Davi’s chest rose and fell rapidly, but he pushed Trystan off.

  “Do it,” he croaked. “Come on, King. End my life like you’ve wanted to since I was a prisoner in your palace.”

  “You were never a prisoner, you idiot.” Trystan kept one hand braced him against Davi’s chest as the other continued to hold his sword against the Dreach-Dhoun prince’s throat.

  Davi swallowed and his skin grazed the blade. “Your lies won’t work on me.”