Shadows of Lela

by Tessonja Odette

  My knees began to shake as the blood left my face. “What?”

  “I don’t mind your barrenness, Coralaine. In fact, I prefer my queen to be as such. I don’t need any greedy little heirs being born, waiting in line for my throne. And I would be gentle with you. I would…”

  “How could you do this to me?” My voice came out with a ragged sob. “You’ve destroyed my body! My womanhood!”

  Morkai shook his head. “Now, now, don’t act so ungrateful. I could have killed you, like your parents. Instead, I gave you a slow poison of a different nature.”

  “Why?”

  “I had to end your family’s bloodline.” Morkai spread his hands out, a look of innocence on his face. “I knew I would someday rule Kero and then Lela, and your child would have been a plague to my rule. I’ve only killed those who would hinder me and my rightful legacy—your parents, Linette, and her unborn children—but I was kind enough to let you and your brother live.”

  “Dimetreus is still alive?” A flutter of hope glowed faintly through the darkness of my pain, making me forget everything else he’d said.

  Morkai smirked. “You expect me to kill the man who has been aiding my quest to his throne?”

  “Where is he? Take me to him! I want to see him now!”

  Morkai shook his head. “It is pointless, my dear. He will not know you. He will see nothing but a stranger. Don’t you know? You are dead.”

  “He’ll know it’s me when he sees me.”

  “He saw you poison his wife. He sentenced you to death. He saw your head fall from the executioner’s block.”

  “That’s not true. None of that happened, and you know it.”

  “What may or may not be true is irrelevant. It is what he remembers that matters, and he remembers you are long dead.”

  “And why is that, Morkai?” I stomped toward the sorcerer, fueled by fury. “My brother banished me from my home. I was exiled. I wasn’t a threat; I was a child with nowhere to go. Why would you turn my brother further against me? Poisoning his mind, twisting his memories? What was the benefit of making him think I’m dead? In making the people of Kero think I’m dead?”

  “You are an ungrateful girl, Coralaine,” Morkai hissed through his teeth. “I could have really killed you just as easily, but I let you live. You were a nuisance; I needed you gone. I needed to sever your claim to the throne. So, instead of killing you—as I probably should have done—I went through all the extra trouble to give you a new life. I even took the life of a kitchen maid to save yours.”

  “So, it was she you had beheaded in my stead.”

  “Yes. A simple spell over the crowd and they saw her as your spitting image. I sacrificed her life so you could live. I could easily have let it be you.”

  “You say this like I should be thanking you,” I said with a shaky laugh, “but I’m sure your motives were far from selfless. You need me for something. Otherwise, you would have killed me.”

  “Oh, don’t flatter yourself. I let you live out of the pure kindness in my heart.”

  “You have no heart. You love nothing but yourself. I can sense your hidden motives. You are keeping me and my brother alive for your own selfish reasons. Why?”

  Morkai sighed, rolling his eyes. “I let you live because I respected the magic growing within you. You were strong, and I could sense your potential. A sorcerer respects a sorceress. I thought, perhaps one day, you’d even become my pretty plaything. But it seems you are more of a hassle than anything, and if you fail to satisfy me, I will kill you. As for your brother, he has been more than accommodating, and I still find him useful in many ways, including good company. So, I do not need to kill him just yet.”

  “Why didn’t you kill him the way you killed my parents and claim rule of Lela at once?”

  “There are things you don’t understand about Lela.” Morkai pressed the tips of his fingers together. “There is magic in the land. He who rules over the entire land rules the magic, but it can’t be ruled by force. It must be inherited.”

  “If demanding the rulers of Lela surrender to your rule isn’t considered force, then what do you call it?”

  “I am not forcing my rule, I am claiming it as my right. If they refuse to follow, then it is by their own foolishness that they fall. There is a subtle difference, but the magic recognizes it.”

  “How do you intend to inherit the rule of Kero in the first place? It’s impossible!”

  Morkai’s lips twisted into a thin smile. “It’s not impossible. Dimetreus has made me his heir.”

  A chill ran down my spine. “How?”

  “He adopted me. He was growing sickly and realized he had no heir to take his place should he die. A king with no heir is a vulnerable king, and he knew it. As his most trusted councilman, he saw no one better to succeed him to the throne. And he has already abdicated to me. I am King of Kero.”

  My knees nearly caved beneath me. I closed my eyes, gritted my teeth, and forced my head to stop spinning. “That can’t be valid. For such an absurd appointment to be made, you would need the approval of—”

  “All of the council? They were more than eager to agree. I can be very convincing.”

  My heart sank. If he was already king, there was no hope. “Please,” I whispered. “Can I just see my brother?”

  “It will do neither of you any good, but if you wish.” Morkai clapped his hands twice. “Dimetreus. Come.”

  A shadowed figure strode forward from the castle wall. I recognized him as one of the hooded guards. I could barely make out the face beneath the hood, but I was certain it was not my brother. “I said I wanted to see my brother. Where is he?”

  Morkai ignored me. “Dimetreus, remove your hood.” The guard did as told, revealing a head of thin, gray-brown hair and a weathered, sullen face. His eyes were black and lifeless, lined with heavy shadows.

  I gasped. It was my brother. “What have you done to him?” He looked so old. Far too old to be my dear brother, even after the six years that had passed since I’d last seen him. But I could see the shadow of resemblance, could sense the flicker of life that was barely left in him.

  “I’ve done nothing. I told you, he grew ill. But he is happy to have me as his new king, aren’t you, Dimetreus?”

  Dimetreus gave a sharp nod, his black eyes staring blankly ahead.

  I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. “Dimetreus,” I whispered. “It’s me, Coralaine. Please look at me! Please remember me!”

  Dimetreus let out a slow grumble as his eyes slowly slid down to meet mine. His eyebrows lowered, and his lips pressed into an angry frown. I could see no evidence that he recognized me.

  “Don’t listen to anything this girl says, Dimetreus,” Morkai whispered into his ear. “She is a dangerous traitor. She refuses to accept my rule.”

  Before I could comprehend what had happened, I found myself sprawled on the ground with a pounding ache in my chest.

  “You dare stand against King Morkai?” Dimetreus shouted.

  I was frozen in shock as I looked at the man towering over me. No, this was not my brother. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I already knew my brother was lost to me the day I was exiled.

  “Take her to the dungeons,” Morkai ordered.

  “Yes, Master.” Dimetreus roughly hefted me to my feet. Sobs tore through me as he dragged me through the castle. Once back in the dungeons, Dimetreus pushed me into a cell.

  I turned around and looked into his dead eyes that revealed not even a hint of emotion. My whole body quivered from the rage that coursed through me. I took a step toward him. “How could you do this, Dimetreus? How could you let yourself become controlled by him? You have betrayed us all!”

  Dimetreus grumbled as he raised his hand up and swung it toward my face. I raised my arm, blocking his blow. “No, Dimetreus, I will not let you hit me again!”

  He took a hesitant step back, eyes wide as he frowned at his hand.

  “That’s right. You may not remember, but y
ou have hit me before. You are dead to me now, but you were once my brother. You were once a good man. You were a son, a brother, and a husband. Now you are nothing but Morkai’s slave.”

  “Morkai is a good master and strong ruler,” Dimetreus said.

  “Ha! Is that why he killed our parents? Is that why he killed Linette and your unborn children?”

  “You lie.”

  “Oh, this conversation sounds awfully familiar, does it not? And, no, Dimetreus, it is not a lie. It is the truth, my brother.”

  “I am not your brother,” Dimetreus said flatly, backing out of my cell. “My sister is dead.”

  “I am your sister, and somewhere deep down, you remember the truth.”

  “Enough!” Dimetreus slammed the cell door closed and locked it. “I don’t know you.”

  I clung to the bars of my cell door, watching Dimetreus as he walked away. An intense mix of emotions coursed through me. I wanted to break from my cell and kill that man who wore my brother’s face. At the same time, I wanted to run into his arms, feel his familiar embrace. I wanted him to remember me. I wanted my brother back. I wanted him dead. I hated him. I loved him.

  “Dimi.” The word slipped from my lips in a small, birdlike cry. I hadn’t spoken that name since I was very small. The name filled my heart with a sorrowful tenderness as I remembered the youth who’d once loved me. “Dimi, please come back to me,” I whispered. I almost thought I saw Dimetreus pause before he was out of sight.

  22

  Harbinger

  Larylis

  “Prince Larylis, there is an urgent matter you must attend to.”

  I closed the book at my desk and looked up to find a red-faced guard panting in the doorway of my study. “What’s the matter? What’s going on?”

  “We aren’t exactly sure. Some man claiming to be Prince Lexington of Tomas came stumbling up to the front gates a few moments ago. As soon as he reached us, he fell flat on his face. We had someone fetch him water, but he just keeps mumbling that he must see the king.”

  “Is he truly Prince Lexington? What does he want with the king?”

  “We don’t know. He won’t talk to us. He looks near death, and a horse was found dead just beyond the palace gates. It looked as if it had run itself into exhaustion. We have the man in the kitchens, trying to get him to eat something but he refuses food until he sees the king. Until your parents return from Verlot, you’re as close as he’s going to get.”

  He was right. My mother and father had taken a visit to Verlot—likely planning a hideous wedding in anticipation of my brother’s return—and weren’t expected back for another week. “You really think he’s serious?”

  “He could very well be a madman, but we must be certain before we dismiss him. He mentioned Prince Teryn and danger, but no one could understand what he was saying.”

  “Take me to him.” I followed the guard down to the kitchens. Once there, the commotion was obvious. Near one of the cook fires, gathered a congregation of guards and kitchen staff, all huddled around a man in a chair. I pushed my way through and found a pale, chubby man with disheveled hair and filthy clothes.

  I looked him over, raising an eyebrow. Was this man truly Prince Lexington? Considering I’d been banished from the Spring Festival, I had no frame of reference for what he was supposed to look like. He certainly didn’t have the composure or cleanliness of a prince. However, if he was Prince Lexington…what could have brought him to this wretched state seeking the king?

  “Prince Lexington?” I shook him by the shoulder. His eyes slowly fluttered open and he mumbled something inaudible. “Speak up. I can’t understand a word you say.”

  “Call. Me. Lex,” he finally gasped.

  “Fine. Lex,” I said, trying not to sound irritated. “What are you doing here? Why do you need to see the king?”

  “Message. For the king.”

  “The king is visiting Verlot. You will have to speak to me.”

  Lex bolted upright in his seat, eyes opening wide as some color began to rise in his cheeks. “Yes, let’s go there. I can tell him. King Verdian too…” Just as quickly as he’d risen, he sank back down, eyes rolling and eyelids fluttering.

  “Please, Lex. I am Prince Larylis, you can trust me. Tell me what you are here to say. If it is as important as you claim, I will take the news to Verlot myself.”

  Lex seemed to relax a bit. “Teryn. He’s in trouble.”

  I swallowed the sudden dryness in my throat and forced my voice to remain calm. “What happened to my brother?”

  “He’s…been captured. By a…sorcerer. By the next new moon…war.”

  “War? What do you mean by the next new moon, war?” My stomach churned as I repeated the words, my mind reeling to comprehend what he could possibly mean. And what did he mean about a sorcerer? Perhaps he truly was a madman. “Are you playing some game here? How do I know you truly are Prince Lexington? And if you are, how am I supposed to believe the words of a man competing against my brother in the Quest?”

  Again, Lex’s eyes shot open and he stood with more force than I thought he had in him. He fixed me with a glower. “You must listen to me! Teryn is going to die if you don’t help him. Morkai has taken rule over Kero. He’s going to kill Teryn unless King Arlous surrenders to him. We must do something! He’s my friend.”

  The ferocity in his eyes frightened me, but his words made no sense. “Since when are you friends with my brother? How can I believe you even know him?”

  Lex sat back down, his energy draining again. He slumped to his side, rubbing his brow as he struggled to maintain consciousness. “We made a secret alliance.” His voice was again quiet and strained. “With Helios. Things got out of hand. Helios is dead. I know it sounds crazy, but you must believe me. We need to tell the king. Teryn is in danger. Lela is in danger.”

  I nodded. I wasn’t sure how much I believed, but I couldn’t risk dismissing him if he was telling the truth. “Eat up and regain your strength. As soon as you are rested, we are going to Verlot, and you will tell my father everything you know.”

  Lex relaxed, and his eyes darted toward the nearest plate of food. It was barely in his hands before he began devouring its contents at a rate I never thought possible.

  I shuddered, his warning echoing in my mind. I hoped beyond hope that what he said was not true. But why else come all this way? Why else nearly starve himself? Lela, help us all if he isn’t simply a madman.

  23

  Dark Words

  Larylis

  I felt like I was going to retch. I shivered with an inner chill, yet my body was sweating buckets. I gripped the arms of my chair to keep myself still. Air. I need air. I need to get out of here.

  I could no longer hear Lex’s words as he stood at the center of the Verlot’s Royal Study, a small audience of shocked faces surrounding him while he relayed the grim details of his encounter with the sorcerer, Morkai. Lex had already told me everything on our way to Verlot Castle. There were many times during his story that I was close to turning back to Dermaine and dismissing him as a treacherous liar, but each time he assured me with a cold certainty that he was telling the truth.

  I thought I could handle hearing Lex’s message one more time with grace and calm, but I was wrong. This time I listened without apprehension, without the comfort of second-guessing his words as false. He repeated the same message he had said to me, word for word, and then went on to describe Morkai, his control over Ridine Castle and all of Kero, his dark magic, his terrible Beast, his Royal Force, and his ferocious wraiths.

  Morkai’s ultimatum echoed over and over in my head, Surrender or Teryn dies. There was no way to win. There was no way out. We were going to have to surrender Mena to the rule of a crazed and powerful sorcerer. Or I was going to lose my brother. Could we really make that choice? Would my father make that choice?

  My eyes flashed to my father, who sat still as stone with the most fearsome expression I had ever seen, matched only by the look King Ver
dian wore. The two kings urged Lex on, probing him for every detail that he could remember. I admired my father more than ever for his strength in the face of danger, and wished I could be half the man that he was.

  My mother squeezed my hand from her seat between me and my father. She was usually so composed; it was hard to see her in such a disheveled state. Her graying, sandy brown curls fell in stray tendrils around her anguished face and her brown eyes were rimmed with red. I tried to force a comforting smile, but she wouldn’t even meet my eyes as she sat quivering, sobbing silently into her handkerchief and flinching at every dark detail she heard. I wished she didn’t have to hear any of this, but it was her choice. She demanded to be present.

  When Lex and I arrived at Verlot the morning before, Lex immediately sought my father and quickly delivered his message. My father was as apprehensive to believe such an outrageous claim as I had been, but after convincing him that I thought there was at least some truth to Lex’s words, Arlous decided to give Lex a formal council meeting the next day to explain the details. My father’s councilmen had been summoned for their hasty attendance by way of the fastest messenger horses, and by the looks on their faces, they hadn’t had a moment to spare for sleep or rest.

  In fact, the only person who appeared to be unaffected by the news was Queen Helena. She maintained a perfect calm as she sat tall and proud, her face blank and emotionless. It was clear whom Mareleau had gotten her constant air of indifference from. Queen Helena must be even more callous than her wicked daughter. But, upon a further look, I saw a subtle light catch her cheeks where tears slowly streamed. I blinked my own eyes dry and rested them on an empty seat next to the queen, which I assumed had been reserved for Mareleau. Spoiled girl couldn’t even trouble herself with the affairs of her kingdom.

  I looked to the middle of the floor, realizing Lex had stopped speaking and was now seated. His message had been delivered, and the kings had run out of questions. A long and painful silence followed.