The Channel (The Gifted Book 2) (38 page)

Gaibel told her about the mark. The commander provided more detail regarding what he had witnessed since sending his first message. Taulin shared his experience with the Libraim.

Daen told her what happened in the other world and why he thought it to be true. "The Libraim gave Rhea this gift for a reason. She has a purpose."

The queen listened intently. When the stories were over, she sat back in her chair as if she needed distance to take Rhea in, to see all of her, like that would reveal the truth.

Rhea felt like a fish in a glass bowl but sat still and quiet, hoping the queen would believe what she'd been told.

"And why are you here? What is your purpose?"

"I believe I'm here to stop a war. If you believe that the warriors attacking the realms aren't Laundan warriors and agree not to retaliate, then I believe I have served at least one purpose."

"One?"

"I can only guess at the others. Although a war is not a small matter, there have been wars in the past, and the Libraim has not gifted anyone to stop them. I think there's more. I just have to keep looking and hope that it presents itself."

The queen leaned forward. "You are second in line for my throne. You will do as I say."

Rhea's heart raced with anger.
No one orders her around, but how does she tell that to a queen that is also her aunt?
Rhea recalled Huntr's advice. He'd said to be honest and that's what she did. "With all due respect Your Majesty, I will not use my gift for anyone's bidding. I haven't decided what I want to do next." In her thoughts, she said, "And when I decide, I'll let you know." That last part was likely too much. But, oh, how she wanted to say it!

Their eyes locked. Rhea wasn't going to back down. She wasn't going to be pushed around. That's not how she was raised, and that's not what her gift was about.

The queen shook her head. "Just like your father." Her thoughts drifted away. Her stare changed. She was back to looking through Rhea, as if she weren't there.

Rhea couldn't tell if the queen had just forgiven her resistance or if being like her father was a bad thing.

Jauline turned to Gaibel. "I understand why Argeon made the decision to hide her. A mother from Taulomi, a father from Sentran, and no connection with Laundan," she glanced at Taulin. "There certainly would have been issues as soon as she was discovered. I would have liked to have seen her raised here, but I would guess Argeon and Craen would have had their own concerns and desires regarding Terrwyn's teachings."

Rhea felt the tension escape her body. The queen seemed to be forgiving Gaibel's deception and her resistance. She hoped.

Jauline waved her hand over the items still on the table. "You may put these away before others see them. If there isn't anything else, I would like to call this evening to an end."

Rhea chewed her lip, nervous to bring up yet another subject. "Actually, Your Majesty, there is."

39
Kalaub

Queen Jauline sank back in her chair and waited for Rhea to add even more to an already full evening. "And this can't wait until tomorrow?"

"No, Your Majesty. May I see a painting of my father? I need to be sure of something before I share what I think I know."

Rhea had expected to be sent to view a large portrait hanging someplace in the palace, when the queen rang a bell, and an attendant entered the dining room.

"Bring me the small portrait of Prince Kalaub I keep in my private office."

Everyone waited quietly for the attendant to return. It was only moments before the attendant entered the room and handed the portrait to the queen.

Jauline gazed at her brother's likeness, the pain in her eyes evident. After a moment, she handed it to her niece.

Rhea studied the image, mentally comparing the face she saw in her vision to the face in the portrait. Although time and cruelty had taken its toll on his features, Rhea was certain the man in her vision was the same she looked at now.

Her hands started to tremble, as she realized the magnitude of what she was about to share with the two most important women in her father's life. A flash of emotions rushed through her: joy at finding him, anger that he'd been taken, and fear that he was hurt.

"Well?" Randell's voice brought Rhea back to the moment.

She couldn't lift her eyes from the painting. "It's him." Even though she didn't personally know the man in her vision, in the portrait, for some reason, she felt a connection to him, a bond.

When Rhea was able to lift her eyes, she was met with seven faces. Four knew what was happening, three did not. She turned and faced the queen and Gaibel. "It's one of the men from my visions."

"What visions?" The queen asked, her face appearing stern but her eyes carrying pain.

"The Libraim has given me several visions. This man has been in two, so far. In the most recent, shortly before we broke camp to ride into Cauhill, I asked the Libraim to show me where I could find the man who has been sending false warriors into the realms."

Rhea told the queen, Gaibel, and Lanne about seeing the room with the stone walls and how the man with the dark hair spoke of prisoners. "The Libraim showed me the prisoners." She couldn't help but touch the portrait and look at the man's face. "He was one of them."

Rhea looked up in time to see Gaibel swallow hard. She tried to appear calm as she casually brushed the table, but her trembling hand spoke the truth.

The queen repressed her desire to cry with joy. She wouldn't get her hopes up until she knew more. "Are your visions of the past, present, or future?"

"It's hard to tell. The visions from the Libraim have been … photos from the past, until now. The vision of the prisoners moved as if I were standing in the room myself, looking around.

"When I focused in on him, the man that looks like my father …" She shook her head as she tried to believe what she was about to say. "It seemed he looked right at me, as if I were there. I think he asked for help, but then the vision faded so I can't be sure."

A quiet gasp escaped the queen's lips. "Kalaub. You saw him, and he saw you."

"I didn't say he actually saw me. It was a coincidence that he looked in my direction. It just seemed like he saw me."

"No. You don't understand. When he was a child, he was always exploring, getting into trouble. One day he found a way out of the palace and decided to explore the forest on the far side of the palace lake. We searched for him, but it got late. We began to fear something had happened to him but he showed up the next day, dirty, hungry, but with a smile on his face. He said a ghost had appeared to him and showed him the way home."

"I don't understand," said Rhea. "Obviously, I'm not a ghost."

"The so-called ghost appeared at the palace gates a few days later," the queen continued. "He called himself a spirit walker. He said he can appear to those who need help, those open to seeing. Kalaub was a child. His mind was open to believing what we might not accept as adults. Maybe his mind never closed. You are a spirit walker."

Rhea shook her head. "You don't understand. The Libraim showed me the vision. I wasn't the one."

Daen cleared his throat. "You said the visions the Libraim sent you were always stills, but the last one, the one of the prisoners was different, live perhaps? What if the Libraim didn't give you the vision but, instead, helped you with your own vision? You have the ability to see beyond your reach. What if this is another part of the same ability?"

Rhea felt a hand on hers, holding it. She turned to find Lanne, nodding slowly. She squeezed Rhea's hand, and Rhea could feel her warmth, her confidence. "Don't discount the possibility."

The queen pulled Rhea's attention away from Lanne. "Do you know the location of the prison that holds my brother?"

"We know it's on an island, off the normal shipping lanes, someplace between Port Iris and Caumden Bay." Rhea hesitate, then added, "I have a painting of the island and building in my room."

Huntr explained how they came to have the painting and an approximation of the island location.

"We will mount a rescue." Jauline spoke with absolute certainty. "What do you need from me?"

Rhea shrugged, as if the answer was obvious. "We need to find the island and then devise a rescue plan."

The queen rang her bell and her attendant entered. "Find Captain Scauldry. Wake him if you have to and bring him to me, now. Oh, and ask him to bring his charts of the southern and eastern seas." Her tone, the way she gave the order, ensured that the attendant would be quick with his task.

"Captain Scauldry will be at your service. If he doesn't know the location of the island, he will know someone who does."

"Is he close by?" Rhea wondered if they would be waiting long.

"He has chambers next to the palace archives. He's responsible for maintaining and updating our maps and various other records. While we wait, retrieve your painting. Commander, please go with her again."

Rhea grabbed her saddlebag and, once again, went to her room.

~~~

The commander and Rhea had returned only a minute before a tall white-haired man with a beard carrying several rolled charts under his arm entered the dining room. "You called for me, Your Majesty?"

"Captain, please join us." The queen glanced between the attendant who was about to step from the room and the extra chairs situated along the wall. The attendant understood the silent communication and placed another chair at the table before disappearing.

"I would like to introduce my niece, Princess Terrwyn, Prince Kalaub's daughter." She went around the table and introduced everyone else. "We've been discussing islands." She motioned for Rhea to show the captain the painting.

Rhea slid the artwork across the table to the captain. "This is a painting of a stone building on an island someplace between Port Iris and Caumden Bay."

"We would like to know the island's location," the queen added.

The captain contemplated the painting and then consulted his charts, spreading them on the table. After a few minutes, he had an answer. "I can't tell much from the painting, but there is something about the rock wall behind the building that could narrow down our search." He placed the chart in front of the queen and pointed to a chain of islands that formed a crescent. "I would hazard a guess it is part of this chain of hot islands."

Hot?
Rhea wondered if that meant the air was hot or the land was actually hot, as in lava hot. No, not lava. That didn't make sense. There were people living there.

"Thank you, Captain. I need your services on an important rescue mission. You will be in charge of water transportation to and from the island. Commander Nauylor will be in charge of security. You and the commander will report to Princess Terrwyn, and she will report to me ... on this mission." Her gaze met Rhea's surprised look, and Rhea silently acknowledged what the queen was saying, on two fronts.

"Rescue who?" Captain Scauldry glanced around the table but saw now was not the time to ask.

The queen stood, and everyone else followed suit. "It's late. You have much to plan tomorrow. I want you on your way in the morning." She left them standing at the table as she gracefully walked from the room.

Rhea wondered if she serious.
Was she really putting her in charge of her father's rescue?
Talk about pressure. But, then Rhea remembered she'd spent several years studying leaders and exploring the roles and systems of governance. She could do this. She hoped.

All eyes were on Rhea, waiting for her to lead.
But who was she leading? Who at the table would want to be on this mission?
Obviously, the first order of business was to make sure everyone in the room was onboard.

Rhea looked to Gaibel and Taulin, silently inquiring as to their interest to be included on the mission and received confirmation. "Commander Nauylor, can you use a couple warriors: a Taulomi commander, a Laundan warrior prince, and his guard?"

He glanced at Gaibel and Taulin and nodded. "It would be an honor. Gaibel, I assume King Argeon will approve of you joining this mission."

Gaibel gave Huntr a quick nod.

He turned to Taulin. "King Craen will be comfortable with your participation?"

Taulin painted a sly smile on his face. "There won't be time for him to agree or disagree. I'll send a message to Daulr at the southern border explaining that I will be out of touch for a while."

Rhea bowed her head to him in thanks. "Randell, Daen, are you still in?"

"No way am I cutting out now." Randell's face gleamed with excitement.

Daen nodded his desire to be included.

"Lanne, you don't know my father. As far as I know, you don't owe Sentran anything." Rhea raised one brow and waited for her response.

"I would like to join you, but only if I can provide a valued service. I won't be a burden."

"Let's see what's needed in the morning. Captain, can you recommend a place we can meet? Someplace where we can't be overheard as we plan?"

"I have a workroom next to the archives that will accommodate us. May I ask who we are rescuing?"

"My father."

The captain gaped as he blinked, stunned by what he'd just heard.
Was it possible the prince was still alive all this time?
He swallowed his excitement. "I'll have breakfast waiting for you at first light."

Rhea nodded. "Thank you, Captain. Unless anyone has any questions or would like to offer me some advice, I propose we get some sleep."

With expressions showing a mix of determination and excitement, all agreed to meet the next morning.

~~~

Rhea was just about to crawl into bed when there was a knock on her bedroom door. She slipped from between the covers and opened the door to find Daen and Lanne.

"Can we talk to you?" Daen asked. "It'll only take a minute."

Rhea stepped back to let them in. "Sure, come in."

Daen closed the door. "The vision you had with the Libraim, have you tried to do it on your own?"

"No. The Libraim showed me the prisoners."