Souls of Aredyrah 2 - The Search for the Unnamed One (24 page)

The boy eased his eyes from the floor, then
said, “The prince was playing a game with us.”

“What sort of game?” Brina asked.

“A pretend game,” Farris said.

“How was it played?”

“He said it was like one he used to play at
the palace.”

“Reiv played many games as a child,” Brina
said. “Could you tell me more about this one?”

“The prince said he had to pretend to be
somebody, so we got him Mum’s cloak and he put it on and swished
around.” Farris risked a smile. “It was funny. He looked like a
girl.”

“Then what?”

“He said he was going to hide so we could
find him.”

“And?” Brina coaxed.

“Me and Nely and Gem were to get under the
covers so we wouldn’t see him hide. That was the rule. Then he told
us to count, but I was the only one who knew how. He said he would
tell me when to stop, but he never did and it got really hot under
there.”

“So you got out from under the covers?”

“Yes, and he was gone.” Farris looked
embarrassed. “I shouldn’t have let him trick me.”

Brina smiled. “Well, Farris, you have nothing
to be sorry for. It sounds to me like you followed the rules
perfectly.” Brina nodded toward the table. “How about you and your
sisters have a seat at the table while the grown-ups talk. Alicine
made some berry tea.” Brina winked at him. “Perhaps your mum will
put a little extra honey in it for you.”

Farris grinned and nodded enthusiastically.
Mya ushered him and the other children to the table while the rest
of the adults moved to the corner. Once the children were settled
with tea and buttered bread, Mya joined the group and the
discussion began.

“He was in no condition to travel,” Dayn
said. “He could barely raise himself out of the bed.”

“Maybe he’s coming here,” Alicine
suggested.

“I didn’t see him,” Mya said, “but I came the
shortest route.”

“I think I know where he is headed,” Brina
said grimly. “He is going to Tearia.”

“What?” Dayn said. “Why would he…” His voice
trailed off as he recalled the last conversation they had had. “He
didn’t want
you
to go.”

“Yes, he did not want me to go,” Brina
said.

“We have to stop him,” Dayn said, making a
dash for the door.

“Dayn, wait!” Brina called out.

Dayn spun to face her. “There’s no time,
Brina! Once he gets outside of Pobu he could take any number of
routes through the hills to get there. There’ll be guards
patrolling and—”

“We cannot make a spectacle of ourselves,”
Brina said. “Word cannot reach untrustworthy ears that Reiv may be
making his way to Tearia.”

Dayn took a calming breath. “You’re right.
Let’s fan out and try not to draw attention to ourselves. If we go
different directions, maybe one of us will find him and turn his
stubborn backside around.”

They all left to look, except for Mya who
gathered her children and hustled them home. The group followed the
impromptu plan as best they could, but none of them saw any sign of
Reiv. By the time the sun had settled behind the hills, they knew
it was too late. If he had indeed headed for Tearia, he would
surely be there by now.

“We have to call a meeting,” Dayn said when
they had all returned to Nannaven’s.

“A meeting?” Brina asked.

“If we’re going to fetch Reiv back, we’ll
need a show of arms. The clans need to be called, weapons
gathered—”

“Dayn, think what you’re saying,” Jensa
said.

“I know exactly what I’m saying. Reiv is in
Tearia and there’s no telling what they’ll do to him. Torin,
where’s his sword?”

“Hidden on the roof,” Torin said.

“Good. If it’s the sword Whyn wants, then
it’s the sword he gets. But only in exchange for Reiv.”

BACK TO ToC

Chapter 22: Facing the Demon

I
t was dark when the
Guard accosted Reiv outside the city walls. He had long since
discarded Mya’s cloak, having only worn it to hide his identity
from the Jecta, not the Tearians. He was arrested without incident
and taken to the palace, bypassing Guard Headquarters entirely. The
guards marched him into the royal receiving room, the clank of
their armor vibrating against the pit of his stomach. With a shove,
they deposited him before Whyn, who was seated upon his throne.

“Have you come to beg my forgiveness?” Whyn
asked.

Reiv remained silent as he lifted his eyes to
his brother, surprised by what he saw there. Whyn’s once gentle
features had become hard and drawn, and though his eyes were still
pale, Reiv could detect a hint of darkness in them. As Reiv studied
his brother’s face, he wondered if this was what he himself would
have become. Would he have been corrupted by the Priestess just as
easily? A part of him wanted to deny the possibility of it. The
other part knew the probable answer.

“From the gash on your side it appears you
are a part of the rebel movement,” Whyn said. “I must honor the
guard who put it there.”

“Crymm will be most grateful,” Reiv said.

“Crymm has ever had his uses. I wonder why he
did not finish the job, though.”

“When you see him, you may ask him that
question.”

“Oh? So he was not amongst the dead then,”
Whyn said.

“No, he is with us now. He has been a good
source of information.” Reiv raised his brow as though he knew
something when, in fact, he did not.

Whyn rose, gathering his stature. “The guards
tell me you walked into their midst without so much as a protest.
What is it that brings you here? Surely it is no favor to me.”

“I have come to present a list of demands
from the Jecta.”

Whyn stared at Reiv as though he were looking
at an idiot. He burst into laughter. “Demands? From the Jecta? You
must be joking.”

“It is no joke, Whyn.”

A shadow crossed Whyn’s face. “You will no
longer address me by that name. From now on, you will refer to me
by the title I am due.”

“Oh? And what title would that be? Surely you
do not expect me to call you King. A king would never—”

“I tire of your disrespect!” Whyn shouted. He
gestured to a guard who marched over and grabbed Reiv by the back
of the neck, forcing his knees to the ground and his head to the
tile. Whyn motioned the guard to let loose his hold, and Reiv
yanked his head up and glowered at his brother. But a movement to
the right redirected Reiv’s attention.

Reiv’s breath nearly stalled as Cinnia
strolled toward the dais. Her flowing nightgown was pinned at her
shoulders and draped down her body, her alluring shape evident
through the nearly transparent material.

“Husband,” she said, “I heard we had a
guest.” She glanced at Reiv with a warm smile, but her eyes were as
cold as stone.

“Cinnia,” Reiv managed. As his gaze followed
her, she seemed different somehow, and yet her beauty still had the
power to enslave him. That much had not changed.

Whyn’s eyes darted between them. His face
went stiff, an old uneasiness resurfacing. “You should not be here,
wife,” he said. “This is official business, not a social call.”

Cinnia’s lips formed into a pout. “Oh,
please, it has been so long since we have seen your brother. Surely
you would not deny me a moment.” She did not wait for a response
and walked toward Reiv who was still kneeling. She looked him up
and down, then circled him slowly, examining him as if he were a
horse at auction.

Humiliation swept through him as her critical
stares scraped over his body. But his feeling of degradation
quickly flared to anger. “Would you care to inspect my teeth?” he
snapped. “Or would you prefer I perform a trick for your
entertainment.”

Cinnia seemed taken aback, but then her
temper rose to match his. She glared at his hands and said, “No, I
can see you are of inferior stock.”

“Oh, and you are welcome, by the way,” Reiv
said. He hoped his comment would remind her that his hands were as
they were because of his love for her. But she did not seem to
notice, nor did she seem to care. She tossed her head and marched
back up the dais. “I am going to bed, husband. You will join me
there soon, will you not?” She threw a knowing glance at Reiv, then
raised herself on tiptoes and kissed Whyn on the lips. As she
strolled from the room, she displayed exaggerated grace, no doubt
done at Reiv’s expense.

Whyn stared after her as she left. He sighed
longingly. “You know, I really am tired…and the bed sounds
particularly good right now. We will continue this discussion in
the morning.” He motioned the guard with a nod of his head, and
Reiv was yanked up and pushed toward the corridor leading out.

“Yes, there is still much to discuss, I can
assure you!” Reiv called over his shoulder. But a swift punch to
the wound under his ribs stopped any further comment on his
part.

As Reiv was shoved against the wall of the
holding cell, he felt anger well within him. It was not at his
brother who had betrayed him, nor at Cinnia who no longer loved
him. It was not even at the once faithful guard who had just shoved
him into the cell. No, this anger was at himself. He had mishandled
the whole thing; he knew that. Once again he had allowed his
emotions to get in the way. He should have kissed Whyn’s feet,
groveled, whatever it took. But he had not. Now here he was, back
in a cell, and he had accomplished nothing.

His eyes gradually adjusted to the dimness,
and he realized he was not alone in the holding area. He had been
ushered into a private cell, recently vacated by the stench of it,
but the cell across the way was filled with at least a dozen
prisoners. Some he recognized, others he did not; but they all
seemed to know him. They stared at him in depressing silence.

A man pushed his face between the bars, his
eyes slanted in Reiv’s direction. “How’d ye end up in this place,
prince?” he asked.

Reiv walked to the bars of his own cell and
surveyed the grim faces across the way. “I came to present your
demands,” he said.

The faces seemed to cheer for a moment, then
fell with realization. “Must’ve gone bad if you’re stuck here with
the likes of us,” someone said.

“Be encouraged, friends,” Reiv said. “I am to
meet with the King again in the morning to discuss the issue
further.”

He forced a confident expression, but his
insides felt decidedly less assured.

Reiv moved away from the bars and curled up
on the straw.
You will have to grovel
, he told himself.
Just do it
.

The next morning Reiv was awakened by the
rattle of keys and a loud voice barking orders for him to get up.
When he didn’t do it fast enough, he was forced to his feet by a
swift kick. He was marched from his cell and led in the direction
of the temple, a detour he hadn’t expected. As he nervously
surveyed his surroundings, he realized the sun was up, but the sky
was a blanket of grayish yellow haze that had settled upon the
landscape. Pulling in a deep breath, he noticed the air was
strangely thick. It was as though he had to concentrate to
breathe.

When they reached the last step of the
temple, the guard ordered Reiv to halt. He waited in silence until
eventually he was led through the double doors and down the
corridor to the Room of Transcension. There the Priestess sat on
her throne directly in front of the statue of Agneis. Reiv stood
before her, moving his eyes up the towering marble deity at her
back. The icon looked nothing like the Agneis he knew.

The Priestess held Reiv in her icy stare,
while Whyn, who stood beside her, watched him with an expression of
mockery. Reiv’s mind raced for a plan of escape. As though
anticipating his move, the guards pressed closer to his side, then
forced him to his knees.

“I understand you have come bearing demands
from the Jecta,” the Priestess said. “Brave, but foolish.” She rose
and glided down the steps of the platform, then stopped and stood
before him. “You have angered the Goddess with your traitorous
ways. She is not pleased.”

“You do not speak for Agneis,” Reiv said,
surprised at his own boldness.

The Priestess’s fair features grew hard, and
for an instant her eyes glowed. “Blasphemous words. You will suffer
greatly for them.”

“Perhaps, but not by the will of Agneis.”

The Priestess laughed. “You have no knowledge
of what the Goddess wills. Only I have the power to determine
that.”

“You determine nothing in her regard.”

“And how would someone like you know
this?”

“The Goddess told me.”

An unreadable expression crossed the
Priestess’s face, and her features seemed to morph into those of
another. But her likeness quickly resumed its pale beauty as her
golden lips stretched into a cutting smile. “Only one who travels
to the After Realm can speak with a goddess. Perhaps I will send
you there.”

“Thank you, but I have already been. That is
where Agneis told me the truth about you. I know who you really
are.”

Reiv struggled to his feet. The guards moved
to shove him back down, but the Priestess waved them away. “I heard
rumors of your transcension,” she said, “but I took them for
nothing more than that. I will not make that mistake again.”

“That is only one of the many mistakes you
have made,” Reiv said. “But I will keep that information to myself,
I think.”

“It will be easy enough to learn your
thoughts,” she hissed. The Priestess splayed her fingers before
Reiv’s face, sending a host of terrors scurrying through his mind
as she slithered into his thoughts. Reiv attempted to retreat, but
his brain could not seem to get the message to his feet. His limbs,
his voice, his will, all were frozen in place. Cold coursed through
his veins, freezing his heart, trapping his breath.