Chapter 35 #2
I grabbed her arm. “We need a plan first.” Considering her state, I stumbled over my next words. “And there’s something else I need to tell you.” The news of Madoc would devastate her. Maybe Mother or Father should be the ones to tell her, but I couldn’t do that to Tara. She deserved to know.
Tara’s wild gaze snapped to mine, filled with fury and pain. “What is it?”
“It’s …” I struggled for the right words.
Madoc and Tara were more than just twins—they were best friends.
They could sit in perfect silence and still understand each other, reading every shift in body language.
“Madoc had to flee to Lirien. Haldron’s forces were hunting him and Father helped him escape. He’s not coming back, Tara.”
She didn’t meet my eyes. Didn’t blink, her gaze growing distant.
“I just—”
“Don’t.” She set a hand on my forearm, her voice raw, rough. “Don’t say anything.”
We all knew the consequences for going to Lirien without permission—and this time we had no one to turn to for mercy. Madoc would never be coming back. If I knew Tara, the news wasn’t just painful—it was like a death to mourn.
I could barely think of Madoc without feeling sick. I wanted to be proud of him for what he’d done … my brother was the most honorable of men and I understood, now, why Father hadn’t let me be a part of Esme’s rescue mission.
But none of it changed the fact Haldron had orchestrated a plan that had destroyed my family. Nearly destroyed me. I’d spent weeks drowning in guilt … only to learn that I’d been played like a puppet.
“We don’t know what the future holds, Tara,” I offered as optimistically as I could. “If we succeed in getting rid of Haldron, maybe we can get him back.”
“Fine.” Determination showed in her face—a fierce, protective light in her eyes. But she was done talking. “Then tell me what the hell we’re going to do, Seren, because if you’re expecting me to sit here and do nothing while Esme suffers, you can go straight to Nyxva.”
“Get our people out of Emberstone. Get Mother out. If I fail to kill Haldron, who knows what the retribution will be.”
“That’s a job for Seth and Darya. Not a job for someone who stands to lose just as much as you do,” Tara snapped.
“Thank you,” Amahle said.
Of course they would be on the same side of this. “Do you really think we can trust Seth?”
“Seth was weeping after the skinwraith attack,” Tara said. “He may be foul in other ways, but he loves our people as much as we do. And don’t forget … he stood for you and Rykr in the encampment. He’s not a complete villain.”
Thoughts crowded my head.
Could they be right?
Despite Amahle, Ciaran, and Tara’s assurances, I wasn’t so sure. And I’d sensed Rykr’s hesitation, too. He’d left the decision up to me, but I couldn’t help but worry. My prejudices made it hard to see clearly.
And then there was Tara’s resistance to leaving. Gods knew that she could hold her own among the Vangar and her bravery surpassed mine. But my mother …
“Mother needs your help, Tara. You’re the only one of us that can help her right now. Father and Madoc are being hunted and I’m walking into the Skorn. One of us has to protect her.”
“You’re underestimating our mother, Seren. She’s an Ibarran priestess—your spells and tricks are children’s games compared to what she can do. And she’s not leaving here without Esme, either.”
I drew a slow, deep breath. “If I can’t convince my own family and friends to listen to me—”
Amahle leveled a determined look my way. “We are listening. And we’re all telling you the same thing. We’re not going anywhere. Now, why don’t we do what we can do and get Seth to help?”
Maybe I should have expected this, but frustration bloomed inside me at their stubbornness. But I was out of time and options and every moment I spent here arguing with them was a moment lost.
“Fine,” I said, at last. “Let’s go.”
Seth paced in the room, Darya watching him closely. Worry was written on her face, though neither of them had spoken yet.
“And why is it that you think we need to leave Emberstone again?” Seth asked, his emotions guarded. The old Seth—the one I’d known—never revealed too much. He’d risen to his position by being cautious and smart. Of course, I couldn’t say he’d followed that pattern the last few weeks.
“Haldron has Esme, Seth.” I chose my words carefully. “My father managed to get a message to me through secure channels, but Haldron is using her to manipulate him. What Haldron did to coerce my father is evil. It violates all our principles as Viori.”
“If your father did as Haldron wished and killed the king and his sons, why hasn’t Esme been released?” Seth asked.
“I don’t know. Only that Haldron won’t release her. Maybe he wants to conceal what he’s done. Esme may know that it wasn’t Liriens who took her.” The lie was necessary. At least, that’s what I told myself. We couldn’t risk telling Seth and Darya about the prince my father had allowed to live.
“And you think he’ll retaliate against the tribe if you attempt to rescue Esme.
” Darya bit her lip, then nodded slowly.
“That makes sense. He won’t want a whole tribe that knows of his treachery this close to Emberstone.
He’d see us as a threat. He’s not a king, after all, and he can be deposed if the public turns against him. ”
“How are we supposed to move our people out of Emberstone without him noticing?” Seth shook his head. “We can’t just declare that we no longer need refuge. The skinwraiths may still be out there and most of our tribe needs time to resupply. We have wounded.”
“Tonight, during the Skorn. The trial is held outside the city in the Havamal, right? The amphitheater holds thousands, so take one large group there while another group of Vangar remains and leads the wounded and the weaker members of the tribe out of Emberstone. Then, when the trial is over, the group that went to the Havamal can join them, rather than return here.”
Seth exhaled sharply, pacing again. “That’s assuming Haldron doesn’t have men watching the exits. You’re talking about moving hundreds of people without arousing suspicion.”
“That’s exactly why we have to do it in stages,” I countered. “The Skorn will be a distraction.”
Seth stopped pacing. His frown deepened, but he nodded once. “It’s risky.” Seth glanced at Tara and Amahle. “And you’ll help Seren find Esme after the trial?”
“Probably during the trial.” Tara studied the backs of her fingernails with a disaffected air that I’d come to admire in Rykr as well. I envied their poise.
Hopefully, between them, Thorne, and Father, they’d be able to locate Esme and rescue her, but Rykr and I would still need to kill Haldron.
Another thing we couldn’t afford to reveal to Seth and Darya.
They might be furious with us later for keeping it from them, but that would be a problem for later.
Darya stood and moved to a trunk by the wall in their room.
Kneeling, she retrieved a wooden scroll case.
“This holds a map of all the known secret passageways of Emberstone,” Darya said, holding the scroll out to Tara.
“It won’t help you find Esme, but it may give you a way out of the city without being seen. ”
I fought to keep my jaw from dropping. She was just giving it to us?
“Thank you,” Tara said, grasping her by the forearm. “I won’t forget this. You have my gratitude and my debt.”
Darya’s eyes were wide and solemn. “I know that’s not a small thing. The Ragnalls keep their oaths.”
“Will you lead the tribe out of Emberstone?” I asked Seth. He’d been watching quietly, his handsome face more relaxed now. Darya’s influence seemed to be softening his resistance.
“I’m not certain if this is the best decision for the tribe.
” Seth’s brow creased with worry. “But if Haldron has overreached in this manner, something needs to be done about it. I’ll try to summon the council—see if there’s a precedent for this.
I worry about leading us out at night with nowhere to go. ”
Darya nodded then set her hand on his arm.
“There may be a way to get some of the people out of Emberstone before the Skorn—the frailest and most wounded—but we’ll need Lucia Ragnall.
She’s one of the best healers we have. We might find shelter in nearby villages for the night, then begin searching for a new encampment. ”
Amahle stepped toward Seth. “You know how the tribes work. They respect strength. The strongest tribes get the best encampments, the best outfitted Vangar, more power in trade deals. We chose you as our waldren because you can lead us to greatness. Haldron’s actions didn’t just endanger and threaten the Ragnalls, it was an attack on our whole tribe.
He violated our borders in a way that could have been deadly for any of us. ”
Maybe it should have been me pleading and trying to get Seth to see reason, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Yet, as I saw the doubt flicker on Seth’s face, I remembered the man I’d once loved.
The way he’d dreamed of what he might accomplish for our tribe.
I’d been young and naive but listening to him had made me hopeful.
He’d told me not so long ago that he’d even sacrificed us for the love of our tribe.
“Please, Seth,” I said at last, cutting through the tense silence. “I know you love our tribe fiercely. Don’t let the sacrifices you’ve made for it be in vain.”
He flinched and met my gaze.
I’d never forgiven him, and he hadn’t asked for it.
But maybe it was what we needed to move forward. Maybe not as friends—that would never be possible—but as allies for the same cause.
“I don’t fault you for your choices,” I added in a soft voice. Maybe Darya would think I meant the flogging and sentencing to the Skorn, but it didn’t matter.
If Seth hadn’t chosen Darya, I wouldn’t have fallen in love with Rykr—my soulmate.
Even if he might not be mine forever.
I knew now that I had loved. Truly. Deeply. Everything I’d had with Seth had paled in comparison.
Seth exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t like this.”
He met my gaze, his expression unreadable. For a long moment, I thought he would refuse. That he’d walk away, leaving us to handle this alone.
Then, finally, he sighed. “All right. We’ll do what we can.”
“You have our word,” Darya added with a taut smile. “Solric protect you during your trial, Seren.”
I thanked her. “Where will you be taking the sick and wounded before the trial? I’d like to say goodbye to my mother before I present myself.”
“Go past the west gate and look for a tavern called the Ruby Rose. I’ll have her wait in the alley behind it for you,” Darya said. “About an hour before sunset. That should leave you time to get to the keep and present yourself for the Skorn.”
I nodded, then left with Tara and Amahle, exiting back into the corridors.
As we reached the main chamber again, I caught sight of my destitute tribe and desperation gripped my chest. Despite Seth and Darya’s assurances, I couldn’t help worrying that my actions tonight might cost them even more than I already had.
Please gods, just let this work.
But as I looked at their weary faces, a terrible thought clawed its way into my mind.
What if it doesn’t?