Divided (20 page)

They were complacent, well-trained to wait on their riders. 
Though, Aela could see that they were not used to pulling a wagon by the way
their weight shifted from time to time.  Aela let out a slow breath and watched
as a few more men got into the wagon.  Through the curtains of the wagon, she
heard her father’s voice.  “Try to be careful, Firenz.  Lavus is not known for
his mercy.”

“I will do my best,” Leif answered promptly.  There were no
more goodbyes, as the time for them had come and gone.  At last, Leif was the
only soldier who hadn’t gotten into the wagon, and Aela could hear the driver
of the wagon pull himself up onto the perch.  The man beside Aela, she
realized, was incredibly smelly.  She wanted to inform him that it wouldn’t
kill him to have taken a bath before they embarked, but then she realized that
might be the mannerism of a princess.

For, at this juncture, she was no longer a princess.  She
was a soldier that would fight beside these men and die with them if that was
what it took.  She was willing to accept that, and had gone through all of it
in her head.  In another moment, Leif climbed into the wagon and sat directly
across from Aela.  She could see that his eyes were relieved, as he hadn’t seen
her yet.

She blended in so well that he didn’t even bother to look at
her to see if she wasn’t a legitimate soldier.  Leif had obviously expected
there to have been a fuss if Aela had tried to get into the wagon.  With a few
more goodbyes, the wagon was off.  She could hear Veyron’s goodbye in her ear,
and she had a faint longing for the father she may never see again.

But then she ignored it, for if everything went well, she
would see him again—and he would probably be angry with her.  She had to
believe that the mission would be a success because if she didn’t then she
might well be the reason it failed.  Still, Telandus was a place that she had lay
awake in her bed many moons and feared.  Lavus Tsrali was a crazy man, and he
was known for destroying even his own men without thought.

No, she worked her mind away from him.  She wouldn’t be
seeing Lavus for a while yet, and when she did see him, she had to ensure that
she was ready.  If she panicked like a child, then they would have no chance. 
She had to prove that she was worthy of this mission, and that meant that she
had to be prepared to face whatever came their way.

None of the soldiers spoke for a little while, and for that,
she was glad.  She had not had to use her fake voice in front of anyone yet,
and she didn’t want to do so until they were safely out of the city.  The front
of the city would take a while to reach yet, and to be outside the city’s lands
would take even longer.  She swallowed as she tried to calculate just how long
before she had actually succeeded.

Still, though, she had gotten into the wagon without
detection, which meant that she had nearly made it.  All she had to do now was
find a way to keep the soldiers quiet if they found out who she was.  The wagon
moved over its rocky path and she felt the only possession that she’d brought
slam against her side.  The book that she’d gotten from Graan.  She knew that
she might be able to acquire plenty of them in Telandus, but for some reason,
the book had insisted upon coming with her.

She wasn’t sure why, but the idea of leaving the book seemed
foolish.  After all, she had yet to finish her last read of it.  Leif had
interrupted that rather fantastically, and her preparations for leaving had
made sure that she couldn’t read it at all.  She had been able to fit the book
easily into her cloak, and she had decided that if she were caught—it would be
the least of her worries.

Before they reached the city walls, though, one of the men
broke the silence.  “So, how many of you have ever been outside the city
before?” he asked.

Aela figured that if she said nothing, that would simply
look as though she hadn’t left before.  A few of the other soldiers remained
silent as well, which she assumed meant that the course of action was alright. 
“I have,” one of the other men responded.

Two more also responded, and then, of course Leif did.  Leif
had lived elsewhere for some time, and he was better traveled than most of the
army.  “There is little difference.  For all their differences, the lands are
actually very similar to one another—I doubt Telandus will be any different.” 
Leif was poised and relaxed.

“You think?” one of the other men asked.  “I’ve heard it’s a
monstrous place.  That there is all sorts of crime in the streets and that
commoners, and sometimes noblemen, have to fight for their lives on a daily
basis.”

Aela thought this man sounded more frightened than she might
have been the sun Taeru left, but she didn’t say as much.  If someone wanted to
make her look braver, then she wasn’t going to protest.  Leif laughed.  “I
don’t think it’s so bad,” he said coolly.

The conversation had dissolved into small talk.  A few of
the men asked Leif questions about his travels, and Leif answered easily. 
Still, no one looked to Aela, who hadn’t said a word.  She wasn’t the only one,
but as introductions progressed, she realized that the number of soldiers that
hadn’t spoken was dwindling.  Soon, she would have to speak or risk exposure.

The conversation managed to stay local just long enough for
her to see the city gates outside of the wagon’s cover.  She worked not to smile. 
She was nearly there, and the next step wouldn’t occur for another sun at
least.  Leif stepped up and spoke to the driver.  “You know we need to hurry to
get out of the city lands,” he said flatly.

The driver muttered something in the affirmative.  The more
people that saw them near Cathalar, the more likely that they would be found
out when they got closer to Telandus.  People talked, and there were always
people around to see them.  Aela could feel the moment the driver decided they
should begin their hurry, because the horses started running, and she was quite
convinced that the wagon was going to fall apart.

She had ridden in wagons before, though they were much
fancier than this one—and never had one of them been drawn by horses that were
actually galloping!  Panic surged through her as the wagon rocked her body.

“So how much food do we have?” one of the soldiers asked. 
Aela had heard that his name was Patea.  He was one of the few who had been
convinced that Telandus wasn’t so bad.  Aela didn’t know if she agreed or not.

Leif glanced at him thoughtfully.  Aela found herself
staring at the dark, blue eyes.  She had never seen Leif in any situation other
than at a dinner table, and then he had always seemed like such a boy—here, he
looked like a man, and her heart felt a little thrilled at the sight of him. 
She swallowed the thought.  She was supposed to be a man, after all! 

Even Aela Lassau had no feelings for Leif Firenz, and Aela
Lassau was not going to be present for quite some time.  She could work out
those feelings when she reclaimed her title as princess, she decided.  “Not
much.  We brought food for a few suns, but soon we’ll have to trade with the
people that we run into,”  Leif answered Patea.

The man seemed to think on this for a moment, and then he
nodded.  Perhaps he had hoped that they had brought more.  Aela certainly did. 
She wondered if her presence would mean that they had even less food.  She
didn’t dwell on it, ensuring herself that they would see plenty of traders so that
it wasn’t an issue.  “And we can always hunt,” one of the men beside her said. 
“You hunt?” the man asked her.  “You have a bow.”

Panic.  She felt her heart beat much faster at the idea of
being addressed.  They were not far from the city, and they could easily turn
around and deliver her back to the castle.  She worked to make sure that her
voice was precisely as she had practiced, though she didn’t know how convincing
her practiced voice sounded. 

She had to answer, though, and if she didn’t answer soon—everyone
would be looking at her and wondering why she had taken so long.  She would
just have to hope that they didn’t think much of a feminine voice.  “I…” she
spoke with her strange inflection.  “I have hunted before, yes,” she answered.

For a moment, she was sure that the entire wagon had turned
to stare at her as if she had just sprouted another head.  Then, she realized
that no one was the least bit interested, and the man she had spoken to nodded
amiably.  “Well, that’s good.  Not much with a bow, myself,” he answered.

That had worked!  She nearly leapt up in celebration, before
realizing that would probably negate all the hard work she’d done on her
voice.  So they didn’t know!  She smiled and felt a surge of bravery when she
spoke again.  “It isn’t a weapon for everyone, and it’s worthless if the enemy
gets close enough.”  When she listened, she thought her voice sounded better
the second time.

The man smiled again and nodded his head.  Aela felt a smug
look coming onto her face when she turned her head to meet the wide eyes of
Leif Firenz.  Seeing as he was the only one that she didn’t mind knowing, she
winked at him and did a little wave with her fingers.  He looked horrified. 
“What’s your name, lad?” the man beside her asked.  “You look a little young to
be on such a dangerous journey.”

“I look younger than I am,” she answered instantly.  “Name’s
Aelic Eirgold,” she said.  She’d researched that name plenty as well, and she
was contented that it wouldn’t be too easy to disprove.

“Good to meet you, Aelic,” he said, “my name is Frell
Alade.”  The man seemed much older than Leif or herself.  He had wrinkles along
his face, and when he smiled, more of them appeared from years of laughter. 
His hair was brown—what she could see of it, anyway, as he was wearing a cloak—and
he had a light beard around his chin.

“Aelic,” Leif echoed warily. 

She turned to smile at him in the sweetest way that she
could.  He was probably fighting with himself on whether to be impressed or
terrified.  She thought the conflicted look was a good one for him.  “Indeed,
goodsir,” she answered easily.

Confidence was renewed, and she felt as though she would be
able to be friendly with these men.  She had dealt with soldiers and commoners
before, and she knew what they expected—and how to be one of them.  Perhaps
this journey would be one where she could make friends, and may even find that
she enjoyed herself.

How bad could Telandus truly be?

“And without knowledge or understanding, the boy left
his home, and all that he had to fulfill his promise.”

-A Hero’s Peace v.ii

Calis sat in the courtyard of palace.  Court had left a bad
taste in his mouth, at best, and he had wanted nothing more than to escape it. 
He was fairly certain that within a few more meetings with her—he would be
expected to propose to Lady Avyon.  He did not want to, but if he didn’t, his
father wasn’t going to leave him alone.

Lady Avyon had become the only option, as apparently in
Calis’s excursion to Dokak, the Avyon family had become much wealthier.  They
had come into a fortune and that meant that Calis would be expected to find
some way to get them locked under Lavus’s wing.  Not only did Calis not like
the idea of marrying Lady Avyon, but he didn’t like the idea of helping his
father gain power.

The summer heat caused him to shift a little and he pulled
at the white shirt that he wore as his only protection from the sun.  He would
probably be scolded if his father saw him in such unrefined clothing, but he
didn’t care.  He was glad that the Avyons had returned to their home and he
wouldn’t have to deal with them anymore.

Calis had wanted to talk to Lee about the situation, but his
advisor was elsewhere—probably in Dark District.  Calis wouldn’t have minded
being there himself.  He ran his fingers through his blond hair. 

Eventually, his brother caught his eye, or rather, his eyes
found nothing more interesting than his brother as he surveyed the courtyard.  Tareth’s
long braid had never been a hairstyle that Calis had understood, nor did he
plan on it.  Calis had never understood any noblemen’s interest in longer
hair.  Perhaps in the winter he could see having it, but in this heat, Calis
couldn’t have imagined having hair any longer than his own.  After all,
Telandus had very little
winter
at all. 

He watched his brother talk with a few of the women who
hadn’t yet left to return to their homes after court.  Tareth tended to come
alive during court, like a need in him was awakened. Fortunately for Tareth,
they had held court for several of the suns over the past few cycles.  The
fortune did not apply to Calis, however, as he had been needed nearly every
second.  He hadn’t had a single opportunity to return to Dark District.

He had certainly thought of it, though.  His meeting with
Kilik had served to increase his interest in the boy tenfold.  The boy was as
diligent as he was stubborn, and Calis didn’t even try to deny that he enjoyed
the company.  The strange thing was that Calis rarely enjoyed the company of
another—in fact, Lee was the only person whose company he had ever truly enjoyed
before Kilik.

While he hadn’t minded the girls at Dark District festival,
he certainly hadn’t desired to be around them more.  He had been grateful for
their assistance in showing him how to conduct himself at a Dark District
affair—but that was all.  Kilik was different, and Calis found that his mind
had been refusing to think of much else recently.

In fact, all through court, Calis had thought about the
boy.  Somehow, that had made the experience even less enjoyable than it already
was.  The thought of Kilik did more to him than simply distract him—it bothered
him.  Calis wished fervently that he lived in Dark District and was free to
pursue the blue-eyed boy at his leisure.  Though, he was sure the people of Dark
District were plenty busy—at least he would have been being productive while he
couldn’t get to Kilik.  As it was, he felt like he was wasting away while the
only person he’d ever found—well, desirable—toiled away in Dark District.

Desirable?
Calis’s mind asked him. 
No, I don’t
desire Kilik.  I just want his company—that’s all.  There is nothing to this
aside from wanting a friend.  I haven’t been allowed many of those, and I know
that.  My feelings for Kilik are platonic, surely.  Not only is he a commoner,
but he is a male.  Father would have my head.

But was that his reason for not wanting Kilik in a way that
spoke of more than friendship?  Was he avoiding it because it was unacceptable,
or because he didn’t want it?  His heart skipped a little at the idea and he
forced it from his mind. 

“Brother,” Tareth said amiably.  Calis hadn’t noticed the
stocky boy come over to him, but now he was before him.

“What is it, Tareth?” Calis asked unhappily.  The last thing
he wanted to do was converse with his brother.  Tareth was no doubt feeling
smug about the way court had gone—considering court was the only time Tareth
seemed more at ease than Calis. 

Tareth looked annoyed at being regarded so dispassionately,
but he pressed forward anyway.  “You seem distracted.  Mother commissioned me
to ask of you what was wrong,” he said slowly.  “She said she didn’t think you
would talk to her.”

Distracted?  Calis supposed that was a fair assessment of
his state lately.  Lavus would never have noticed, but Claudia had never been
one to ignore her sons’ ailing.  This was not a matter that Calis would have
ever discussed with Tareth, though, or his mother.  “Nothing, Tareth,” he
answered, “may I ask you something, though?”

“Certainly,” Tareth answered.  The smugness seemed to drain
from the broader boy as he watched his brother.  There were moments when Calis
was certain that if things were different, Tareth would have been a trusted
friend of his.  Nevertheless, Lavus had made sure that they would never be
anything but rivals or enemies.

Calis stood off the stone wall on which he had been leaning. 
He made sure to lower his voice, as he didn’t want his brother feeling as though
he was trying to accuse.  “Why is it that you go to Dark District?  You do
often, do you not?”

There was a glint in Tareth’s eyes, and Calis was sure it
was of amusement.  “Honestly, brother—to remind myself how fortunate I am.  As
you are well aware, I’m sure, I feel inadequate here, and so I go there to show
myself how much worse off I could be.”  Though Calis didn’t inform him, he
considered most of the people he’d met in Dark District far superior to Tareth.

To say the least, Calis didn’t approve of his brother’s
response.  Rather than mentioning the issue, though, he phrased another
question.  “So why is it that you steal from them?” Calis asked.

“That is solely for amusement.  Though, it provided
significantly
more
amusement before that stupid boy masquerading about
decided to interfere every time I go down there,” Tareth said hatefully.  Their
eyes met and Calis was sure that Tareth still blamed him for squandering his
chance to catch the Phantom Blade.

Calis chuckled.  “He does seem to give the nobles quite a
rough time.”

“When I catch him, I will have him hanged.”  Calis’s jaw
tensed.  “
After
I beat him,” Tareth added with a low growl.  “I will
enjoy every moment of that.  I just can’t believe how difficult it has been to
find out who he is—he doesn’t even wear that much armor.  I have probably
beaten every dark-skinned, small-bodied male in that district, and none of them
want to admit who they are.”

Kilik flashed before Calis’s eyes and his body twitched in
an unexpected fury.  Calis contained his rage, though, and spoke calmly. 
“Perhaps he is a noble,” he said. 

“No noble would dirty himself to that level, brother.  I
assure you—no, the boy has the look of a peasant—and I enjoy seeking out the
commoners that could be him and making their lives miserable.”  Calis had never
wanted to hurt his brother as badly as he did then.  Kilik fit Tareth’s
description perfectly.

Oddly enough, Calis couldn’t control himself anymore.  “The
people of Dark District are not the reason father doesn’t like you,” he snapped,
and then he brushed by his brother without worrying with the man’s feelings
further.

As he walked away, he was sure that he’d made some massive
mistake—but he didn’t care.  The idea of his brother going into Dark District
and…

No, he wouldn’t think of that or he might turn around and
finish what he’d started with Tareth.  But as always, Tareth was far too much
of a coward to actually pursue.  He would just sulk about it—like he always
did.  If Calis had thought taking the issue to his father would do any good, he
would have.  He could have told Lavus that Tareth’s frequenting Dark District
was making him even more of an embarrassment, but then Lavus would just
question why Calis cared about Tareth or Dark District.

If Calis wanted to ensure that Tareth didn’t bother Kilik—or
Dark District—then he would have to do so himself.  But going there now would
not have been advisable, as his father would be expecting him at dinner.  Lavus
didn’t often force his children, or even wife, to eat dinner with him—but on
the rare occasions that he did, he expected them all promptly in attendance.

Not wanting to run into Tareth again, for fear that he may
run his brother through, Calis returned to his own room.  Tareth and Calis had
an unspoken agreement that they would never seek the other out, unless the
other was in plain view and clearly not doing anything relevant.  The agreement
had originated from the fact that when they did seek one another out—they ended
up fighting over something or another. 

Calis was certain that Tareth would return to their mother
and tell some elaborate lie about what was ailing Calis.  He didn’t care
though—Claudia had thought something was wrong with Calis for quite some time. 
Calis lacked the ambition that Claudia expected him to have, and while he
suspected that his mother and brother conspired against his father—he wanted
nothing to do with it.  He may not like Lavus, but causing a conspiracy and
letting people just as power-hungry as Lavus rule in his stead seemed like more
trouble than it was worth.

Lavus was just someone who should not have been in power,
though Calis doubted honestly that most of the nobles in Telandus could do a
better job.  Telandus was not Cathalar—and therefore not known for its merciful
and gentle rulers.  What had inevitably driven the nations apart rested in the
fact that Telandus didn’t know when to stop taking.  Lavus had been worse than
most, undoubtedly, but not by that much.

And Calis had a strong feeling that Claudia would rule in
much the same manner.  He felt as if every noble in the Shining District had
some long standing hatred for Cathalar.  None of them would have left well
enough alone, and eventually, all of them would have pushed Veyron into a war
that he probably didn’t want.  Calis didn’t understand it, either.  Telandus
would lose the war—and so for years these rulers had been pushing for a war
that would destroy their kingdom.

Yet there had been no plans to change the course of the
war.  The nations surrounding Telandus left it constantly isolated because of
the way the rulers handled things.  It made no sense, when he stopped to think
about it.  Why did his father want a war that he couldn’t win?  Lavus was not
suicidal, nor had any of the rulers before him been. 

Lying down on his bed, he stared blankly up at the ceiling
of his room.  The strangeness behind Telandus’s downward spiral that would lead
to its inevitable destruction made little sense.  And he thought it odd that he
was only realizing this now.  Calis had never paused to think about why there
would be a war—only that he knew there needed to be a war because Cathalar and
Telandus were at odds.

But now he wondered if there was really a need for the war
at all.  After all, why throw lives away?  Calis didn’t even see any point in
needlessly killing Cathalar citizens anymore.  There had been a time in his
youth when the idea of leading an army into Cathalar and destroying it had
enticed him, but that desire seemed entirely barbaric and unnatural when he
thought of it now.  Growing up seemed to contain much more change than he would
have ever expected. 

I wonder what life is like in Cathalar,
he thought
absently.  He had never really considered it.  He’d always seen them as pompous
nobles who thought all of Telandus was full of barbarians, but perhaps there
was more to it than that.  After all, Veyron was much more well-liked than
Lavus was, and the Cathalari were the ones who were withholding their
forces—despite being almost certain that they would win.  Calis supposed they
could think that Lavus had some reason for pushing for the war, but they would
be mistaken if they thought that.

There shouldn’t be a war,
his mind informed him in a
moment of clarity.  The war was entirely unnecessary, and the fact that his
father was pushing for one made no sense.  He knew there was no way he could
ever speak to Lavus on the issue—because his father was beyond reasoning, but
now he knew that when he became king—if Lavus ever stepped down—he would stop
this needless violence.

With that thought came a strange sense of dread, though, as
if he’d just crossed into territory that shouldn’t be treaded.  For a moment,
he felt the want for war dancing on the outskirts of his mind.  He frowned,
unsure why he would think that in the current situation, and then removed the
thought entirely.

The fact that he still considered it an option said much for
the way Lavus had reared him. 
That or something else is going on here, and
I haven’t the slightest idea what it could be.  I just have a feeling there
is.  My father is a selfish warmonger, but so too is he a coward—so why does he
push for a war that we all know he can’t win? 

Calis sighed.  Perhaps he’d just had too long of a sun and
so his mind determined that he should think of wild stories to entertain
himself.  No one else at the castle was going to do it, and since dinner would
be in less than a shift—he couldn’t go to Dark District to find some truly
interesting people.

After another little while of staring blankly at his ceiling
and working to quiet his mind, there was a knock at his door.  Panic surged
into him momentarily as he thought of who would be on the other side.  Maybe
Tareth had decided to break their pact and wanted to speak with him about what
he’d said earlier.  Calis hoped not.