6. Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
Dynalya
“ C lear your mind,” Rawn said as he circled her in the courtyard. “Allow your instincts to guide you.”
Dyna readied her short swords and nodded. Klyde launched at her. She deflected his attack and spun around to parry Rawn’s sword. Their blades clashed as she met them hit for hit. A blast of purple magic for her. Dyna ducked and rolled out of the way, leaving it to hit a tree behind her. Her blades crossed to block Klyde’s next blow, and she kicked him back.
All three came at her at once.
But she had been anticipating that.
Dyna spun and delivered a kick to Lucenna’s stomach, throwing her back. Then she dodged Rawn’s next attack and fought Klyde at the same time. The sound of their blades clashing echoed through the courtyard as she advanced. She parried, knocking Rawn’s weapon out of his hand. Klyde’s blade came around her neck and they paused, breathing heavily.
His knife stopped a needle pin away from her pulse. “You need to watch your back, lass.”
“And you should watch yours,” she said, prompting him to glance down at her blade fixed against his groin.
Barking a laugh, the captain stepped away and she sheathed her weapons.
Zev came over clapping, a grin on his face. “You’re ready.”
The confirmation settled over them as they looked at each other. The courtyard was free of snow. Winter was over, and it was finally time to move on. They collectively decided to leave once they were ready to face the Horde waiting for them on the Bridge.
After three months of nonstop training, Dyna was confident they would make it out alive.
“When do we leave?” she asked them.
“As soon as the scouts confirm the snow has melted from the gorge,” Klyde said, wiping the sweat from his face with a towel. “Shouldn’t be long now.”
He took a drink from his waterskin and handed it to Lucenna, but she ignored him. Her anger hadn’t thawed yet, and Dyna was beginning to suspect it was due to more than lying about his identity.
“We’ll need to prepare provisions,” Zev said.
“Aye. Put together a list, and I will take care of it, mate.”
Eagon showed up with Tavin. Klyde went over to join them, and Zev followed as they discussed what would be needed for their departure.
“Were you trying to make me spew all over the courtyard?” Lucenna asked, rubbing her stomach. “That last kick winded me.”
“Next time be quicker with your shields,” Dyna shot back teasingly. “You really should learn your way around a weapon.”
“You’re probably right.” Lucenna frowned thoughtfully at the purple currents of Essence hovering at her fingertips. “Are you able to access any more of your magic?”
Dyna sighed. “No…”
A couple days after she woke with half of her soul, all traces of her magic were gone. This barrier was thicker and sturdier than Yoel’s was. No matter how hard Dyna tried, she hadn’t been able to make even a dent in it. Lucenna had confirmed she could sense faint traces of her Essence, but the barrier hid it so well, Dyna felt as if she had none at all.
“Do not be discouraged, my lady. You have been trained by all of us,” Rawn said as he approached. “You are well equipped now, regardless of magic.”
She offered him a polite smile. He meant well but their sympathy only reminded her of its absence. Spending all of winter without feeling the warmth of Essence in her veins had been like learning how to walk with only one leg.
Dyna glanced up at the many windows of the manor. Melting snow left rivulets on the windowpanes. With the feathers she found, it gave her the means to bring down the barrier, but only temporarily. Best to save them for when she truly needed it.
“Shall we go wash up?” Lucenna asked her. “It will be dinner soon.”
“Go ahead. I will meet you in a bit.”
While Lucenna headed inside, Dyna retrieved her quiver and bow and moved on to target practice. She felt Rawn watching her and she sighed.
“Lord Norrlen, I can feel you thinking again.” She aimed and let loose. The arrow zoomed away and hit the center of the target perfectly. “What is on your mind?”
“Pardon. I wanted to ask how you were feeling.”
“I’m fine.” She shot another arrow, and it plunked next to the first.
“My lady, your hands are bleeding.”
“That happens when training.”
This was nothing. After everything, she had to make herself strong. Strong enough not to be left behind again.
“It will do well to rest. You’ve torn the callouses on your fingers. It must sting.”
“The ability to endure pain is a warrior’s true weapon.” She nocked another arrow. “Master that, and nothing will ever hurt you.”
“Who told you that?”
Dyna paused and shot another arrow. “How about we discuss what you truly wanted to ask, Lord Norrlen.”
Rawn’s hand gently rested over her grasp on the bow, and she allowed him to take it from her. From a pocket at his belt, he drew out bandages and began wrapping her bloodied fingers. “The question is the same. How are you ?”
She watched him work, not wanting to look into those sympathetic eyes. “I am fine. I don’t think about him anymore if that is your worry. I have moved on.”
“Have you? Or have you found a way not to think about him anymore?” Rawn looked at her knowingly and it only made her more annoyed.
Throwing herself into training was the only thing keeping her standing now. She needed it. “Does it matter?”
He fastened the bandages in place. “The state of your heart matters, my lady. Ignoring it does not heal you.”
She pulled her hand away. “Why bring this up now?”
Rawn’s brow furrowed. “I know it is a difficult subject to speak of, but I am concerned about what will happen once we leave this place. Your life could still be in danger. While in Skelling Rise, we are hidden but only because Cassiel?—”
Dyna flinched.
Her entire body spasmed at the sound of his name. It had not been said aloud since he left. Hearing it now had wrenched the air out of her.
“Do not ever speak his name again,” she said tightly.
Rawn dipped his head. “Forgive me…”
The silence filled the space between them, and her eyes burned with anger and humiliation. With a mere group of letters, he had proven she wasn’t as well as she claimed. Her nightmares came sparingly now, but only because she worked herself to exhaustion and limited how many hours she slept.
She could only pretend here.
“No, I am sorry, Lord Norrlen.” Dyna rubbed her face and sighed. “When we leave…?”
Rawn cleared his throat. “When we leave, we will face many uncertainties. Tarn. The bounties. And most importantly, the Realms. He … declared your death to his people, however, if they find out you are still alive…”
She inhaled an exasperated breath. “Why would my existence be of any importance to them anymore?”
Rawn blinked at her. “My lady, you are the High Queen of Hilos and the Four Celestial Realms. We know now that Lord Raziel is the perpetrator behind your attempted assassination, but we know nothing of what happened to Lord Hallel and Lord Jophiel once the Celestials retreated. The Realms may very well be in chaos as they fight over the throne, which could still hold repercussions for you. Due to, well, for…”
“Because of whom my mate used to be?” Dyna scoffed and shook her head. “I’m not part of that world anymore. I am not his Queen . He left me, so he can deal with it himself. I don’t care about who sits on the throne. I was never supposed to have anything to do with their conflict in the first place.”
She gathered her arrows and slung the quiver’s strap over her shoulder. What became of the Realms had nothing to do with her now.
“I appreciate your concern, Lord Norrlen, but as far as the Celestials know, I’m dead. And I plan to keep it that way. The only thing I need to worry about is retrieving the Sol Medallion from Mount Ida and returning to North Star before the Shadow returns by the next winter. I have no time for anything else. I have lost too much of it already.”
Rawn bore her curt repones in stride. “I understand.”
It was wrong to allow her agitation against someone else fall on him. Anything that reminded her of the past, only seemed to fuel her deep resentment. Still, it wasn’t his fault.
“Thank you,” Dyna said in a softer tone. “For caring about me. You don’t need to worry though, I’ll be fine.” Rawn nodded, but she sensed she hadn’t eased his concern. “Well, I am all finished here. Shall I help you bring in the gear?”
“No, it’s all right. I will see to it, my lady,” Rawn said as Fair cantered over to them. He stroked Fair’s white mane, murmuring to him in soft Elvish.
The wind swept through the courtyard, rippling Rawn’s loose green tunic. It lifted the end and Dyna glimpsed something on the right side of his lower back. It was a marking of an open bloom that matched the sigil on the pommel of his sword.
A dynalya flower, the emblem of Greenwood.
She recalled Elon’s scar on the back of his hand.
“That tattoo…” Dyna said. “Do all elves have one?”
Rawn adjusted his tunic. “Yes, my lady. It serves to represent which kingdom we belong to as there is nothing else to truly distinguish us. Most red elves tend to have dark hair, but such a thing is easily disguised with magic. Therefore, the Vale came up with the means to … mark us.”
He looked uncomfortable speaking about it though, so she didn’t ask more.
As if sensing his restlessness, Fair bumped Rawn’s shoulder with his head, making him smile. “ Ot’norp asac’ne someratse, Osom’reh.”
Whatever he said seemed to make the Elvish stallion happy. She went on, listening to Fair’s cheerful neighs as she strolled for the manor.
“Good morrow!” Gale said, coming through the courtyard doors. She carried baby Gwendolyn on her hip.
“Good morrow,” Dyna replied, smiling at the wee thing.
Gwendolyn had grown healthy and strong. She had her father’s gray-blue eyes, and they lit up when she saw him.
“There’s my big girl.” Eagon took her from Gale’s arms, swinging her up in the air.
“Be gentle with her!” his wife chastised, going after him.
Dyna passed through the doors and made her way down the hall. The sound of soft sniffling caught her attention. She found Edyth in the grand hall. The older woman looked out the windows with tears on her lashes.
“Edyth?” Dyna called. “Everything all right?”
The woman jumped a little at the sound of her voice. Her cheeks grew rosy, and she chuckled, wiping her eyes. “Oh yes, I’m fine. I’ve been feeling a little sentimental as of late.”
Dyna hesitated to go to her. That room … it held too many memories as well. But she ignored the thought and went to stand by her.
Edyth gazed at her son as he sparred with Klyde in the courtyard. “As long as there is a sword in Tavin’s hand, he’s happy. He lives for it. My first son was also a knight, but he hated it. I thought him too soft, that perhaps I had spoiled him. But I see now his heart wasn’t in it. I sometimes wonder if our lives would have been different if we didn’t force him to serve. But Von died out there defending the town, alongside his father and sister.”
Dyna stilled at the name. She met Edyth’s sea-green eyes, and it all became clear. She wasn’t Tavin’s mother, but his grandmother . It shouldn’t have shocked her the way it did. She merely had not considered who the woman was to the boy.
“I’ve been told you know who Tavin’s father is.” Edyth faced her. “Can I ask a favor of you, Dyna? Please … please make sure he never finds out.”
The woman gently squeezed her hand without waiting for a response and went outside to join her family.
The request circled Dyna’s mind as she took the stairs to the third floor. It was a dire secret to keep. But it wasn’t only Tavin they wanted to keep it from.
But they didn’t need to worry.
She had other plans.
Entering her room, Dyna locked the door behind her. She leaned her bow and quiver against the chair’s backrest by the fire and went to her small round table by the windows. The sunlight spilling past the curtains gilded the water mirror in light. Dyna opened the small wooden container set beside it, revealing white grains of salt. After pouring in some water in the mirror, she sprinkled in a pinch of salt, and stirred with her finger. Rings spread across the surface as it clouded with color. Eventually, it cleared. She studied the image of a room with a view of the sea and a man sitting at a desk.
“I have no time for conversation right now, Maiden. I’m busy,” Tarn said as he flipped through a thick tome.
Dyna couldn’t see the pages from her position. It must be something important to hold his rapt attention. Perhaps he was researching another detail of his elusive plan.
She leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs. “Oh really? Has your search at last been fruitful?”
Tarn frowned as he straightened. “I don’t know why I told you about that.”
“Because let’s face it, you enjoy these conversations. They are the best part of your day.”
“I think you’re the one who looks forward to them,” he retorted. “Not much to do on Hermon Ridge while stuck in mountains of snow.”
That’s where he assumed she was. There was no need to correct him.
“You’re right, there isn’t.” Dyna propped her elbow on the table, leaning on her fist. “And there isn’t much for a wanted felon to do but stay out of sight while trying to search for this mysterious Druid.” Tarn may have had a little too much wine on the night he told her about that, but he had not been drunk enough to tell her more. And she knew better to tell him she knew exactly how to find Leoake. “If you share with me why you need him, I may be able to help.” Tarn looked up from his reading, and she shrugged. “The snow is melting.”
His pale eyes narrowed. “It is.”
“You have something I want, Tarn, and I have something you want.”
“Pray tell, what is that?”
Dyna arched a brow. “Mount Ida’s location,” she said pointedly. “Release Von and the others, and in exchange, I will tell you where it is. That’s the deal.”
Tarn returned to flipping pages. “Odd how adamant you were on never telling me where it is. Yet now you’re willing to trade that valuable knowledge for mere slaves.”
“My priorities have changed.”
“So have mine.”
The statement made her brow furrow. Did he not care about Mount Ida anymore?
Tarn canted his head as he observed her. “I think the one you really want is Von. Why is he so important to you?”
“I’ll buy out his life-servant contract. I have the gold,” Dyna said, ignoring the question.
Well, her fortune was stuck at the bottom of the cascades, but they would retrieve it soon enough.
“He is not for sale,” Tarn said nonchalantly, flipping another page.
“Not even for the map?”
“You think I would give up my commander for a piece of parchment?”
“I think you would give up anything to accomplish your goal. If it is the Druid you want, then I may be able to help with that, too.” Dyna felt instantly uneased by her statement. Her desperation was showing.
Tarn shut the book. He stood, eyeing her a moment, then moved on to rummage through a stack of scrolls in a chest, letting her statement hang in the air.
“Well?” she pressed. “Do we have a deal?”
“No.”
She stifled a groan. “Then let me speak to him.”
After going all winter without catching sight of Von left her with an odd restlessness. It was odd not to see him around Tarn and she couldn’t help but feel worried.
“We may be cordial, but you will not make demands of me.”
Dyna glowered. “Then I suppose you will continue to search aimlessly for the Druid. Goodbye now.”
“Maiden.”
She paused.
Tarn set down his papers. “Why don’t we end this little dance and tell me what you truly want?”
Dyna shifted in her seat. “What do you mean?”
“For what other reason are we having these conversations? You didn’t contact me at random merely to pass the time. You want something, yet you are too prideful to admit it.” His piercing eyes held hers and she felt the air thin. “Say it.”
Dyna grew serious as they stared at each other. He was right. There was something she wanted. It had been forming in the back of her mind since the day she spoke to him through the water mirror, festering like her own dirty secret.
“I want to join you.”