by Zora Marie
“So you also believe her to be the heir to the throne?” Lord Airin asked.
Gea let out a long sigh. “Yes. Rina’s grandmother was Nexi’s last living cousin at the time. Nexi expected the next heir to show up in her line. Now, would you please swear an oath to her so I can keep my oath to Queen Nexi?”
“I can’t just do that, Gea,” Lord Engar said. “Andi, at least give me a breakdown of what you think of her first.”
“She’s loyal to those loyal to her and she’s willing to die trying to protect them. That was the basis of her entire childhood. She has a lot to learn, but I believe that with help she could be a great ruler.”
Their attention turned to Fen and he sighed. “Get it over with, Andi.” Next thing Fen knew, Andi’s fingers were on his temples. Snippets of gardening, training, reading, lessons from Father, and helping city folk flew by. Then the memories caught on Lord Trazar slamming Arlen into a tree and his heart caught in his throat as Rina shifted and practically flew at Lord Trazar. She broke through his shields like they were nothing … Andi stepped away as Rina collapsed in his arms that first time, and Fen gave Rina’s hand a light squeeze, cherishing that she was still here at his side.
“Fen has the training, knowledge, and heart to be a good leader beside Rina… Even if he doesn’t realize how powerful he is.” Andi gave him an amused smile. “Someone did a good job raising him.”
Farin shrugged. “I had help.”
“Great, oaths now? I’ve been keeping mine for centuries and now that they’re beginning to unravel…” Gea fidgeted. “Oh, and this one has to be a blood oath, so if you’re a little squeamish…” Gea glanced at Rina.
“I’m not. I’ve sewn my own fingers back together. I think I can handle a little blood.”
“Oh…” The light in Gea’s bright eyes dimmed.
Fen ran his thumb over the back of Rina’s hand. I didn’t know that. Of course, I suppose I don’t know a lot of things about you. I will in time though—if they help give us that time.
“Fine,” Lord Engar said. “I assume you still have a ceremonial dagger here?”
“I do. Rengard?”
The warrior stepped forward and handed Farin the jewel encrusted dagger. Staring at it, Fen wondered if his father had retrieved it from its hiding place beforehand or if he’d told Rengard where it was. The dagger was something they didn’t just leave lying around, it was something his father buried with his powers below the castle. Fen didn’t even know where exactly his father kept it, and wouldn’t until he officially came of age.
Hope swelled in him at the sight of that blade, at the peace and future that blade and these oaths would make way for. He hadn’t even realized how the prospect of the future had nagged at him until this chance had been laid before him. Not just a chance for him and Rina, but a chance for them to make the lives of countless others better too.
Their oaths wouldn’t fix everything and it would seal their fate in more ways than one, but it would at least give them a fighting chance. They’d have the support they’d need to face Trazar, to rebuke his claim on her. To keep her where she was always meant to be—with him and their family.
54
Arlen
Arlen couldn’t believe Lord Engar and Lord Airin were actually going to swear blood oaths to Rina. They hadn’t even been so bold as to think to ask, but Lady Gea had all but demanded it. Arlen had to admit that Gea had guts. He wasn’t sure that even his mother would have demanded so much from the lords. Of course, he also couldn’t believe his mother had failed to inform him and Rye that they were distant cousins of Queen Nexi. It seemed like a semi important detail to have just forgotten.
“Fire, please, Ash,” Farin said.
A small blue flame floated in front of Rina, and Ash stalked from the edge of the room. “As the fire bearer, I must go first,” Ash said, looking at Rina, “but I do not swear an oath of fealty, rather one of sisterhood as Amber and I have. I, Ashantha Yarndara, declare you, Radelia Varoris, blood of my blood and give with it my protection.” Ash took the dagger from Farin, cut a shallow slit across her forearm, and let the blood drip into the fire.
Lord Engar and Lord Airin went next, their oath similar to their first ones. The flame flared with each drop of the lords’ blood. For such a binding act, Arlen always felt it was sort of melodramatic.
Stepping forward, Farin took the dagger from Lord Airin, but Rina shook her head. “I don’t need an oath from you. Not all trust should be sworn in blood,” Rina said.
“Still, I cannot speak until he does,” Lady Gea said.
“Besides, even if you trust me, the blood oath of a lord binds those he presides over as well to some extent,” Farin said. Holding the knife to his forearm, he proceeded with his oath.
“Finally.” Lady Gea let out a relieved sigh. “Anything I say here today is only to be spoken of to those who have made the same oath to Rina. Is that clear?” When they all nodded, she continued, “Good. Queen Nexi left you a journal. I can bring it to you tomorrow. Will you be here or are you all still staying in that manor of yours?”
“The manor. I’ll open portal access for you when we get home. Will anyone be joining you?” Farin asked.
“No, it will just be me.” Gea glared at Engar before he could protest. “I also have a letter for Fen as well.”
“Is that all you had to say?” Engar’s voice grated with his frustration, and Arlen suppressed the urge to smile.
“For the moment. I believe we need to deal with Lord Trazar before he makes an utter mess of things. Besides, Rina appears downright exhausted.”
Glancing at Rina, Arlen noticed the way she ever so slightly leaned against Fen and how the shadows under her eyes had deepened. There was a haunted look about her that made his instinct to protect rise to the surface. A jerk on the invisible tether between him and Farin made him suck in a breath and stifle the roaring in his head.
“I’m fine,” Rina murmured.
Fen smirked and leaned closer to her. “But there’s a book and a mountain view calling our names.”
The corners of Arlen’s lips twitched up then. The fact Fen was his niece’s mate, that she’d always be loved and cared for, soothed his primal need to protect her. She was his niece, but she had her mate, too.
“Go on. If we need you for anything, we’ll send someone to get you,” Farin said. “And remember, you’re not allowed to shift again right now, Rina.”
“Well, you’re just no fun.” Rina gave Farin a tired smirk and left with Fen.
“Is there somewhere we can sit? With a map perhaps?” Lord Airin asked.
“Not getting old now, are you?” Farin grinned. Airin waved off Farin’s jab. He and Engar had been lords since before Arlen and Farin were born. While the lords weren’t showing their ages like a human, time and old injuries certainly weighed on them. They didn’t walk with the ease they had even just a few centuries ago.
Allies. Gea had done this without truly even knowing Rina. The crushing weight of worry on Arlen’s shoulders shifted to gratitude. We’ll have to find a way to repay her someday. He was lost in thought enough that he didn’t notice the others were moving until Dorn nudged him toward the hall.
“So Rina can shift like Lyra?” Gea asked as they caught up.
“It seems so. She shifted into a panther the other day and if she were confined to just three forms, she should have shifted into a wolf instead,” Dorn said. “We’ll find out for sure once Wafren clears her for training.”
“Wafren?” Engar asked. “Oh, Lord Sealar’s niece, the healer.”
“Yes. Sealar sent her to tend to Rina after Lord Trazar attacked her,” Farin said.
Dorn slid into step beside Gea. “If you would like, we could take a walk in the garden and I could answer your questions about Rina.”
“That would be lovely, thank you.” Gea patted her mate’s arm and turned away with Dorn.
Arlen watched his mate go before following the others into the palace study.
A chance, that’s what this meeting and Gea have given us. Still, something didn’t sit right with Arlen. His brother’s presence brushed against him, like a phantom limb, warning him of something, but he couldn’t place what.
“Do you know what moves Lord Trazar is making?” Farin asked as he gestured for them to enter his office. It was an older, stuffier version of his home office. “I assume he’s been trying to sway you into helping him.”
“He has,” Airin answered as he sat beside Engar at the round table. “He claims that you are holding his heir here against her will, but it is clear that is not the case.”
“He’s also arguing that leaving her with you will threaten the traditional way of doing things, that she must be taught how to be a proper lady,” Lord Engar added. “While I agree that she needs to be taught, I do not agree with the fact that Trazar wants to turn her into a puppet.”
“And you?” Farin asked Airin.
“I am not necessarily for all the changes you have made here, but Trazar is too stuck in his ways. Females deserve more rights than he would have them believe they do, especially someone who is the heir to the throne.”
“Do you think he will put up a fight even if you stand with us?”
“Unfortunately, I do,” Airin said. “He’s been trying to get his heir on the throne for ages. First it was with Lyra and then Riker. Rina is his first true shot at it because of her powers, but he won’t be satisfied with her being on the throne unless he can manipulate her and her mate.” Airin pursed his lips.
“When he finds out that Fen is her mate…” Engar tilted his head. “I understand why you may have had reservations about telling us.”
“They certainly fit the prophecies, and that explains why Fen never participated in any of the competitions. I always figured it was because he wasn’t that powerful or skilled,” Airin said.
Farin shrugged. “I wanted him to have a relatively normal childhood, something I wish Rina would have been able to have.”
“We all share some responsibility for that,” Engar admitted. “Does she know?”
Arlen nodded. “To some extent. I never explained that we went to the other courts to ask for help though.”
“Either way,” Farin waved off the topic, “Sealar and Sadoren have agreed that making a stand here would be the best choice. Do you agree with this?”
Both lords studied the map before nodding to one another. “We do. This fortress has always been the easiest to hold, in part because of its position,” Airin said.
“What is the plan for if we win? How long do we have until Rina is of age to rule and what exactly is the deal with the seizures?” Engar asked.
“We are not sure what is causing the seizures or how the aging process translates from human to fae. In any case, Rina will not be ready to rule for some time. She has several decades of education to catch up on,” Farin said.
“We do not have that much time, but I’m not saying she and Fen should rule alone. If you can at least teach her to show her power in a controlled manner, she can act as a figure head until she’s ready to rule on her own with Fen,” Airin said.
“I can tell you all care deeply for her, but once everything unravels, she’ll be who draws the courts back together. Not you or I or even Fen,” Engar said.
“I believe she understands that on some level,” Farin said. “She already has the most important part of being a good ruler down—that what the ruler wants is not necessarily what needs to be done.”
Engar frowned and his gaze shifted to a spot on the map south of the wall. Arlen followed the lord’s gaze to the area Rina grew up in. It had no marker, just a vast space of land with no name. “I suppose that’s a lesson she learned the hard way. We’ll do what we can to delay Lord Trazar.”
“We won’t formally declare what side we have decided to take until we are forced to. It may give us an edge and we can justify gathering some of our forces so that we are prepared either way,” Airin said.
“If we are going to play it that way, we should return home sooner rather than later. He’ll likely know that we came and will want us to confirm that she’s Lyra’s daughter, but we can do that and still uphold that this is not our fight.” Engar’s eyes narrowed slightly. “We will need to discuss policies at some point, but for now let’s worry about keeping the girl safe. Politics are not much use if Trazar gets his claws in her.”
“It’s settled then. Send Amber to one of us if you need anything, and don’t play, I know she spies for you. She’s good, but she’s been at this too long for me not to know,” Airin said.
“I’ll have to let her know she’s lost her touch.” Farin glanced to Arlen.
To anyone but him, it was a gesture of worry, but Arlen saw that slight gleam of amusement in Farin’s eyes. Amber hadn’t actually spied for them in ages. In fact, she had been coordinating spies for the last few decades. Her ability to memorize different contact protocols for each spy was how she had carved out the position for herself. Occasionally, though, she let herself get noticed. It was her way of giving people a false sense of security even when they knew she was nearby.
Standing, Farin clasped forearms with Lord Airin, then Lord Engar. “Thank you both for trusting us enough to come. Should you need anything, please do not hesitate to reach out.”
55
Rina
It was a struggle to put one foot in front of the other as they left the throne room. While Rina had wanted to stay with the others to hear their plans, she was glad Farin had insisted they go. Gea was right, she was exhausted. Her body shook with the effort to stand and move. Between the mental strain, the seizure, and the burst of power, she was ready to call it a day. She hated it, the feeling of uselessness. She wanted—needed to help, and yet she couldn’t.
Wings flapped and Kender appeared beside them in a flash of light. “Ash wanted me to let you know that she dropped some regular clothes off for you in Fen’s room so you can change if you like.”
“Thank you Ash. If I could go without ever having to wear a dress again, I’d be happy.”
“I think you look lovely either way,” Fen said.
“You’re just a suck up,” Rina teased, causing Fen to smile.
“I’m not just sucking up, it’s true. You may have Rye’s eyes and heart, but you have Lyra’s beauty and mind.”
“Either way,” Kender drawled, “I’ll leave you two love birds to it.” He shifted and flew off down the hall.
“Hm. To fly off like that, do you think he has to jump and flap his arms while shifting?”
Fen laughed. “You’ll have to ask him that next time you see him.”
Rina smirked. “Maybe I’ll say that you were wondering.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“I would. Both of your expressions would be priceless.” She leaned into him, letting his steadiness and the banter distract her from what Andi had made her see. She’d attacked Jake, tried to kill him, but she’d been too late and too weak. She’d spilled his blood, but not enough to kill him. The trail of blood she’d found upon awakening had been nowhere near as much as when she killed a deer.
“Just remember, what you dish out is fair game for me to return.”
She pried herself from memories, from waking draped over her brother’s cold corpse, from the shallow grave she’d left him in. “Hm, that sounds like a challenge.”
“Careful, I have a bit of practice thanks to Ash and Amber.”
“Great, I know just who to take notes from.”
Fen paused, his smile disappearing. “You’re going to make me regret the oath Ash just made, aren’t you?”
“Nah, you’ll love her all the more for it. So where is your room? I would like to change out of this thing.” Knives or not, she hated it. The fact that she had to hike the skirt up to go up and down stairs was more than a bit annoying, and there were a lot of stairs in this castle. And none of them were easy to go up and down given they were all worn and slanted this way and that.
> Chuckling, Fen led her up a spiraling staircase. “While you’re changing, I’ll go retrieve a book. Unless you want to go up and down the stairs with me?”
“Nope, that sounds great. So,” she searched her mind for another topic, “how often do you stay here?”
“Not very. I haven’t stayed here since Arlen cleared Rye’s name. Things were a little tense then.” Fen held her hand as they went up the uneven stairs, his grip a little tighter as she fought to keep her skirts out of the way. “And if you’re wondering, the stairs are supposed to be uneven.”
“Really? Why? It seems like a bit of a safety hazard.”
“Because people unfamiliar with the steps would be more likely to fall down them in a fight. Of course that doesn’t really help us much since we don’t stay here all the time, but historically, it would have.”
“Interesting. You think there is no avoiding a fight, don’t you?” He evaded her gaze as they reached the top of the stairs and she squeezed his hand. “Don’t lie to me, Fen.”
“No, I wouldn’t or at least…” He sighed. “Yes, I don’t think we can avoid a war. I just wish we weren’t caught in the middle of it.”
Rina studied Fen, the slump in his shoulders and feeling his worry. “I understand, but we can’t change the fate we’re handed. We just have to choose what to do with it, and I’m done cowering. I didn’t fight hard enough for Tomilin and I won’t make that mistake again.” She walked backwards a few steps as she tugged him down the hall. “Come on, I need to be able to read this journal Gea is supposed to bring me.”
Fen straightened and met her gaze again. “All right. What type of book would you like me to get? Another story or—”
“Something on strategy or some other useful topic. I feel like I need to cram a lifetime’s worth of learning into a week.”
“Now that would scramble your brain.” Fen’s shoulder brushed hers. “And you don’t need to cram, that’s what all of us are for. Even Father says he’s always still learning—”
