Chapter 4
4
KAEL
As thick forests gave way to open meadows, the chill that had begun to wear off in Gyoria returned more each day as I rode north. Stormbreaker navigated the trails easily, my horse having been trained in the mountains of Aetheria. Though the magic that coursed through every fiber of our world ran through its creatures too, making their lifespan longer than in the human realm, Elydor’s animals were not immortal. So it was that Stormbreaker was nearly thirty years old and stronger than ever.
Ahead were the towering trees of Limina, their leaves shimmering with an ethereal glow as dusk settled. The border village was unique in many ways, the most striking being that its people welcomed me despite the fact that I was the son of their enemy. Though this route would add two days onto my journey to Aethralis for another useless peacekeeping summit, a hot meal and a bed would be a welcome respite from sleeping under the stars.
Slowing to a stop, I dismounted and knelt to the ground. Laying a hand over the grass, still green despite a harsh winter, I felt the tell-tale vibrations and waited. Sure enough, a few moments later, two riders burst through the tall trees, only stopping when they were so close I could see their faces.
“Prince Kael,” Caius, along with his partner beside him, greeted me as all Aetherian did, despite station, with a slight bow of his head.
“Caius. Laina.” I greeted the pair in the Gyorian way, with a fist to my heart.
“You are on your way to the Summit?” Laina asked.
“I am.”
I rode beside them, and we wove our way through the trees, deeper into Limina. Soon enough, cobblestone streets and ivory-covered cottages came into view.
“I trust you’ve been untouched by the recent skirmishes?” I asked.
“Skirmishes.” Caius made a sound of clear displeasure. “An attack, as we were told.”
“Nay,” Laina added quickly, giving her partner a sharp look. “We were not touched.”
Despite its position so close to the Gyoria/Aetheria border, Limina remained out of the fighting. Since I saved the life of the elder’s daughter ten years ago, Limina declared they would no longer fight Gyorians which, of course, did not endear them to their fellow Aetherians. As the years passed, their neutrality became a beacon for travelers from both clans, and the animosity they received from Aetherians lessened. Now, it was simply accepted, Limina remaining one of the few places in Elydor that was a safe haven for all.
“Good,” I said as we rode toward the sacred grove at the heart of Limina. All travelers were required to visit the spot, to give thanks for a safe arrival from wherever they originated, before seeking out their final destination. “I worried. The fighting was too close to your borders for my taste.”
“That any Gyorian,” Laina said, “would care for our safety, especially its prince, still surprises me, even after so many years.”
“Kael is not any Gyorian,” Caius argued. “He wishes for peace.”
I raised my brows. “You do not believe most Gyorians wish for peace?”
His cleared throat was no answer. I looked at Laina who shrugged, apparently not wishing to jump into the conversation she herself had started.
“Caius?” I prompted as we arrived at the grove. The same shimmering leaves on the trees around us were found on the smaller ones at the center of the grove. No matter how many times I came here, the sight was one to behold. Some believed the lighted grove of Limina was one of the most beautiful sights in Elydor. That accolade I reserved for another place, but I could admit its beauty was mostly unparalleled.
“I would not disparage your father or those who think as he does,” Caius said, dismounting.
“Yet you just did,” I pointed out.
“Unintentionally.”
“Mmmm.” I let the matter drop. Arguing with him would serve no one. Besides, he was not entirely wrong. Though my father claimed he wished for peace as well as anyone, insisting on my representation of Gyoria at the Summit, his actions had certainly not endeared him or Gyoria to the Aetherians or the humans. Only a fool would argue otherwise.
Laina dismounted beside me. “I will tell my mother of your arrival.”
“Thank you,” I said, walking up to the grove and giving my silent thanks. When I turned back, though Laina was gone, Caius remained. I’d known the man for many years and could sense something was on his mind.
“What is it?” I asked, leading Stormbreaker toward the stream that ran through the center of the village.
“These attacks… skirmishes… call them what you will, are becoming more and more frequent. And deadly.”
“Indeed.” I could not argue with him on that point, though my head had cooled significantly in the past few days. “We lost a good man, needlessly.”
“Will you seek retribution?”
I watched as Stormbreaker leaned into the stream, the water level too low for him. With a wave of my hand, I moved a rock into place so that he could get closer. Even so, it was still a stretch for him. In response, Caius blew a wave of wind that propelled the water downstream, raising its level just enough for Stormbreaker to comfortably drink.
“Thank you,” I said. “I am tempted to, aye. But know it will do little to temper the ever-increasing tensions at the border.”
“Perhaps this Summit will prove to be more fruitful than the others.”
“Doubtful.”
Caius sighed. “If Gyoria and Aetheria can come to terms, the others will fall into place. We are proof such a thing is possible.”
“We’ve had this discussion many times. You know as well as I, King Galfrid will never forgive my father, nor would he even accept such an offering. If they refuse to come to any peaceful terms, what chance does either clan have of doing the same?”
“You do not think peace possible?”
“No,” I said, my answer immediate and final. “I do not.”
Caius stared into the water as it rushed by. When Stormbreaker finished drinking, he waved his hand once more to stop the rush of wind he’d created. The stream’s water level lowered once again.
“Why even attend, then?”
That Caius was frustrated, angry even, could not be helped. I’d not lie to a man who had shown me nothing but kindness throughout the years. “My father wills it. The one”—I could not resist a smile—“who does not wish for peace.”
Caius didn’t share my smile, but he did roll his eyes. I had no desire to fight him, or any in Limina. In a few days’ time, I would be doing my share of fighting in the heart of our enemy’s kingdom.
“I suppose you’ll be wanting a hot meal and a bed?”
“In that order,” I responded. “If it pleases you.”
“It might please them even more.” He waved a hand toward the gathering crowd, consisting mostly of women. Unpartnered women. Aetherian women who didn’t seem to care that I was Gyorian. Or a Gyorian prince, for that matter.
One, in particular, caught my eye.
“If you can make that bed big enough for two, I would be grateful.”
At that, Caius laughed, his good humor, it seemed, restored. For now.