"I am here." Kepsalon crouched beside her. "This has been a costly victory for you and for others, but you have done well."
Amelia shook her head. "Where's the orb? The Salvation of the Third Nalenth."
Kepsalon placed his hand on the satchel at his side. After lifting the flap, he rummaged inside and removed a small wooden box. "Here."
Amelia reached for it, but he pulled away. "Give it back to me, Kepsalon." She crossed her arms to hide the trembling in her hands, struggling to steady her voice. "I need it."
Matthu looked up abruptly. "What?"
Sadness intensified in Kepsalon's eyes. "I know why you want this, Amelia. But listen, please, before you act. My son gave his life to make sure you had this. He wanted you to have at least one. I cannot say more than this, but if you do what you want, you condemn yourself to death. There is a time in your future when one of these is the only thing that will save you. No others can be made. It takes seventy to a hundred and thirty years to make them, and there are no masters who yet retain the skill."
"I don't care. Shon didn't deserve to die." Amelia kept her head down.
Concern and disappointment washed over Kepsalon's face. Amelia pressed her palms against her chest, not wanting to sense any more. "Many people died today who did not deserve to die. Shon is no different—"
"He is completely different!" Amelia screamed. She lunged at Kepsalon, struggling for the orb. Two Machat caught her and pulled her back. "Give it to me!"
"Release her." Kepsalon waved them aside. He crouched down in front of her and held the box out as if it was a delicate prize. "This is yours. But before you use it on Shon, I want you to walk through the infirmary and the morgue they have set up here. Shon has not been moved because you have been with him. But walk through—"
"No." Amelia gritted her teeth. "No! No more mind games. No more tests. No more tasks. I don't care. Just give it to me, or I will break your face!" She grabbed hold of the box, her fingernails digging into the wood.
"I just need to know that you understand what you're doing." Kepsalon wrapped his hands over hers. "If you use this to bring Shon back, the swelling will return. You will suffer. And Naatos will not be satisfied. He will kill him again. And—"
Amelia jerked the box free. "I understand."
Matthu shook his head, eyes red. "That's…Amelia…" His mouth contorted as if to hold back tears. "I want him back, but I don't want you to die too. This is wrong. All of it."
Amelia placed her hand over Matthu's. "Matthu, after this, Shon and I cannot be together. Not in any shape or form. I will never put him in danger again. If he doesn't want to understand this, you've got to make him understand."
Amelia opened the box. The small orb glinted inside. This was her one hope of living. The only chance she had left. She would succeed without it. But she would not live absent a miracle.
Matthu nodded his head fiercely as he watched her. He wouldn't ask her to save Shon. He didn't have to. The desperation in his eyes mirrored what was in her heart. Amelia swallowed the knot in her throat. She then crushed the orb onto Shon's exposed chest.
The liquid burst out and poured over his wounds. It mixed with the blood and seeped into the fabric. The pungent lemon scent cut through everything else. She gripped Matthu's hand and bowed her head. It was a longshot for this to work on someone already dead, but she prayed Elonumato had mercy. If He would only have mercy on her just this once.
The liquid fizzed and bubbled. Its colors changed, and the scent intensified.
Several long minutes passed. Amelia's whole body ached.
But then the faintest hint of a breath stirred from Shon's mouth. His eyelids fluttered.
Amelia cried out with relief. Matthu gasped.
Kepsalon knelt beside them and placed his hands on both their shoulders. "I've sent for the physicians to come get him. He will be taken to the infirmary. It will take time for him to heal completely."
The numbness within her remained, but the relief lightened the weight. Amelia waited, watching each breath. Each time Shon stirred, her heart beat faster.
He was alive! He would live. The rest of his days had been returned to him. He could now fill them out.
Two Ayamin with a stretcher between them came to help him away. As they set it down, Amelia pulled away. The dried blood and trails of tears on her hands cracked and flecked.
"Are you coming?" Matthu asked. He wiped his face with his sleeve.
Amelia shook her head. "No. Just go. I'll be fine. Take care of him for me, all right? I'll see you in a bit."
Matthu grabbed her in a bear hug, squeezing her tight. "Thank you," he whispered thickly. "Thank you so much!" He gasped against her. His entire body shook with emotion.
"Take care of him." Amelia hugged him back. "And take care of yourself." She forced a smile as she stepped back. Her contact with Shon had to be limited to non-existent now, but at least he would live. He would have a future. He would have a life. Somehow that eased the pain.
Kepsalon came alongside her.
Amelia hinged a glance at him, suddenly uneasy. The room was empty now.
Kepsalon cut away at the incense sticks, revealing soft white wood beneath the dyed exteriors. "I do understand why you did what you did," he said. "I really do…If I were you, I might even have done the same." He lifted his gaze back to hers, that weight and grief still present. "I just wish it could have been different…for you."
"It might still be. The future isn't written," Amelia said.
"Not all of it, no." Kepsalon flicked off another bit of fragrant bark. "But I'm afraid your death is now."
59
Belonging
Amelia remained standing beneath the archway, staring at nothing. Shon was alive, Naatos was captured, and her fate was sealed. Kepsalon soaked the stone in oil and relit the incense.
"I'll find a way," Amelia said as Kepsalon passed to the hall. "Cohsaw didn't die in vain, and I am grateful for what he did."
Kepsalon turned, a sorrowful tinge in his eyes. "He was very brave. And stubborn. Much like you. When I first told him the story of the Neyeb who would face such a horrible fate, he wanted to fix it. He wanted you to live. And when the former Paras stole the Salvation of the Third Nalenth, he would have run off single-handed to get them back. I know that this, as it is, is not what he would have wanted. But I would have explained to him that in the end, he was fighting was for you to be able to make a choice."
"I'd tell Cohsaw he did save me though." Amelia hugged herself. The still-damp blood moistened her arms. "If Shon…" Though she swallowed, she could not alleviate the tightness in her throat. "I think I would have gone mad. I know that others may die for me, and that thought horrifies me. But this one time…I fixed it."
"There's a long path ahead of you, I'm afraid," Kepsalon said. He pointed outwards. "Be cautious, Amelia. You do not have many friends, and you will have even fewer as the days progress."
Amelia bit her lip, tears pricking at her eyes once again. "Are you one of them?"
Kepsalon laughed. Turning, he pressed his hands to his heart. "Dearest child." He smiled. "I was the one who advised against what was done to you when you were Kilona. I watched over you when you were Inale. And I aid and guard you now that you are Amelia. No disagreement or argument will drive me from you. I am the friend who may not say what you want, but I am also the friend whom you cannot be rid of."
Amelia laughed a little too as she reached up to wipe her eyes. "I'm thankful for you. You're a better friend than I ever deserved."
Kepsalon ducked his head. "I know of none who deserve bad friends." He sighed. "Now then, dear Neyeb. I have tasks I must see to. If you have need of me, you will find me. Until then…" He tapped his fingers to his forehead.
Amelia watched him go. A deep weariness clung to her. The marble floor was still stained with blood. Slowly she moved forward, unsure where she should go.
Her wanderings through the temple revealed the fury of the battle. Large sections were in r
uins, marble and stone battered and crumpled. Many of the statues and tapestries were shattered and shredded. But worse was the loss of life. How many had died? How many more would perish?
Blood stained the walls, and all the incense and all the fragrant herbs the Machat had set out could not purge the stench.
A hollowness ate Amelia's heart and soul. The shadow woman's words haunted her. She would burn in fire.
No one stopped her as she passed through the halls, an ant within a castle. And soon she was alone at the opening of a staircase that led into the lowest heart of the mountains.
She did not hesitate. Once more she was drawn.
Torches hung at intervals on the walls. The scent here was damper but cleaner, tinged with fungus and stone. As she descended the third staircase, her elmis pricked, the urging all the stronger now.
It did not surprise her when she reached the end of the hall to see who was in the large chamber at the end. It was a well-constructed cell with three benches and bars as thick as her arm.
Naatos, AaQar, and WroOth lay on their backs on the cold stone, thick and elaborate stone shackles around their hands. Chains bound them to the bars. Amelia paused at the entrance.
Five large torches hung on the walls outside of the cell's reach. The light here was dim, muted. All three of them looked as if they were simply sleeping. Naatos had healed from the gunshot wounds, though the holes remained in the fabric. Roaches ran across their bodies.
Amelia shook her head. Kneeling, she reached through the bars and brushed the roaches away with quick strokes. It only took a few minutes.
She then sat near Naatos's head but out of his reach. Folding her arms, she leaned back against the bars. "This isn't the end of anything," she whispered. "You're caught for now, but for how long?"
Putting her hand to her mouth, she stifled another unwelcome sob. "I know it's going to be horrible. Do you know what the Libyshans are going to do to you? And frankly you deserve it, but I…" She closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the stone. "It's such a horrible cycle, isn't it? And of course we can't use the Tue-Rah for anything else because if we open it again, there's a horde of angry Vawtrians on the other side. And QueQoa is going to be so angry with me. You are too, probably. All of you." She ground her fist against her temples. "But why did you have to be so horrible? If you hadn't attacked us, if you hadn't killed people, this would have been so different."
Her stomach twisted. Leaning forward, she knocked another roach off AaQar's hair. "I wish I did hate you all. That'd be easier. But I don't, and I'm going to have to figure out what to do. If I could cut out my heart without the backlash, I would because all three of you make a heart almost not worth having. But I have it."
She let her head fall back against the cold stone. The dried blood on her gown made the fabric crinkle beneath her fingertips. "I grew up preparing to destroy you three. I was supposed to ride in, defeat the evil overlord, slay the dragon and the serpent, and secure the future of the world. Instead, I rode in, found out I was married to the evil overlord, discovered the dragon and the serpent were my brothers-in-law, and apparently having said evil overlord's children is how I'll secure the future of the worlds. Whose ridiculous idea was this anyway? There is a solution to this. There has to be, and if I don't find it soon…"
Groaning, Amelia drew her knees up to her chest. "If I don't find it soon," she said softly. "I'm going to be in serious trouble."
Naatos opened his eyes. "Oh, viskaro, you've been in trouble since the day you pretended to be a Machat."
60
Teaser: Troublesome Conversations
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I look forward to seeing you around and sharing even more stories and surprise. In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy this sample chapter from Princess Reviled.
***
Amelia stared down at Naatos through the bars of the large cell. It felt as if they had been in conversation all along. The fact that he had been conscious and listening this whole time did not startle her any more than his voice. So much that should not have been natural now was.
The air hung damp within the deep temple dungeon. The scents of blood and death leaked down the long staircase and through the shafts and halls. Yet all was so quiet here. Amelia had already cried all her tears, but even if she hadn't, the stillness of this place would have held them at bay.
She angled forward, her dark hair falling over her shoulders, no longer bound with the combs. "How long have you been awake?" she asked softly.
Naatos, AaQar, and WroOth lay on their backs, chained securely on the grey flagstones. No sign of battle marred their skin. The natural healing of the Vawtrians had already worked through their bodies and knit their bones and wounds back together despite the powerful drug known as huanna that temporarily incapacitated their shifting and limited their other powers. Only the drying mud and blackening blood stained them. Naatos himself, still wearing the ceremonial garb from the celebration of their union, appeared utterly at ease. His most chaotic aspect was his coarse black hair tangled about his shoulders. Already a faint almost taunting smile played at the corners of his mouth.
"Long enough." Naatos lifted his arms. The heavy manacles that enclosed his wrists clanked. They looked to be made of stone yet sounded like metal. "Things will be far worse for you now, I'm afraid."
Amelia pulled away. "That's the way of my life." She sat with her feet at his head, her knees drawn up to her chest. As she breathed in the calm air, she wished it would calm the fever in her mind. She glanced at him once more. How could he appear so calm when he was the prisoner? "Why aren't you angry?"
"Why would I be angry?" Naatos craned his head back against the stone, his tone almost playful. Because she sat behind his head and he didn't yet have the strength to sit up and turn around, Amelia wondered if he could actually see her.
"Well if you don't remember, I'm not going to tell you." Amelia hugged her knees tighter to her chest, the rich green material rustling with the pressure. "You're a little too cheerful. Especially for you."
"It's essentially my wedding day."
"I thought we were already married and this was just a formality."
"Formality. Gift. Celebration of our union." Naatos shrugged, the chains clattering with the movement. "The day has not been easy, but in the end, all will be as it should be."
"It will." Amelia nodded. "But not the way you think it will be."
"Come around so I can see you better if you want to bare your teeth."
"You just want to look at me." Amelia rested her head against the stone wall.
"That is true." Naatos smiled. He relaxed against the smooth floor. "It would not be a good sign for our marriage if I didn't."
Amelia shook her head. "I think we're way beyond bad signs for our marriage. But right now, you've got bigger things to think about."
"You do realize that this is nothing more than an inconvenience that will last a few weeks at most. I still have my armies on Ecekom, and no prison has held us for more than three weeks."
"Not counting your imprisonment after the fall of the Tue-Rah," Amelia said. She paused, thinking for a moment she caught shouts from the floors above. Much of the frenzy since the battle had passed. They would return to Telhetum soon if the king had his way. Not that she agreed with this course. Transporting Naatos and his brothers was dangerous, but the king refused to let them remain here until they determined a better solution. She tightened her grip around herself. Hopefully the huanna worked again when they refreshed the dosage.
"We were unconscious f
or that period. And these Libyshans, even with the wonders of the Machat, do not have the necessary supplies to create such an effect again. Trust in this, viskaro. We will be free soon, and then…well, we'll just pick up where we left off." Naatos craned his head back farther, arching against the stone so he could see her. An impish light played in his light-blue eyes. "Until then, you are welcome to ravish me as you choose."
"Hmmm…" Amelia pressed her foot against his head, pushing him flat. "I don't care for the precedent that would set. Besides, it really wouldn't be appropriate."
"Shooting your husband through the heart generally isn't appropriate either, but that didn't stop you."
Amelia narrowed her eyes at him. "And what about you? What about everything you've done? Do you really want to go down that road?"
"Having lived it, I don't require a summary." Naatos arched a brow, but the smile remained. "You do need to be cautious, Amelia."
Amelia slipped forward and swiped a cockroach away before it climbed his ear. She then flicked one off AaQar's shoulder. "I'm always cautious."
"Your people are going to turn on you," Naatos said. "And while I am pleased my viskaro has teeth, I do not know that they are sharp enough to contend with all your new foes."
Amelia remained silent. He didn't know about the Libyshan mob in New Istador. They had hated her as much as they hated Naatos and his brothers, the former Paras. A dull knot of ache and fear spread within her.
"You aren't their princess anymore, Amelia. You barely were at the beginning. And while I may be indisposed for a few days, you are at risk now. Political pressures are distinct from combat. And within the week, viskaro, you will be disowned and banished or imprisoned with us. It would be better for you if you released us."
"I am a Libyshan, Naatos. They are my people, and I'm not going to betray them." Whether they would betray her, Amelia wasn't entirely certain. Her head and heart were both muddled and hazy. She pressed her hands to her head. "You are going to remain imprisoned, and you will pay for your crimes, and I'm going to figure out a way to make all of this work."
Enemy Known Page 55
