9. Chapter 9
“Istayed off the path and spotted only three scouts,” Sury said, slurping down a bowl of sweetened oats.
He was gone before the sun rose and had returned as everyone finished their breakfast that Fyom had graciously prepared.
I was too nervous to eat, and had been awake most of the night as my mind betrayed me, imagining the million various scenarios of what could possibly go wrong.
“Did you notice any bannermen?” Ora asked. Her thumbnail was practically gone from the amount she’d nibbled at it, deep in thought.
“They’ll be notified once a scout sees us.” Sury continued to eat like this was a normal day, and not one where we were on the verge of changing history.
“So, my queen, what is the plan?” Peiro said as he stood behind me where I sat in a chair across from the others.
I should have been mad that Peiro had slept through my own mental turmoil, but I was happy he had finally been able to get some resemblance of rest. A smile crested my face at the memory of watching him sleep while I gently stroked his hair, watching the years of hurt fade away on his face as he found peace.
Sleep seemed to come easier for him these days, despite the amount of travel we took on.
“We can show force…someone with a strong presence,” Ora quipped toward us.
Peiro and I stiffened at her insult until we noticed she was looking in the direction of the large man who sat there like he didn’t have a care in the world as he prepared a new collection of salves. He suddenly turned as he caught her meaning.
“Me?” Fyom looked at her with bewilderment. “What do you mean by presence?”
Ora giggled. “Well, they don’t know you, do they? All they would see is a strong mountain of a man, and they’d immediately run to tell Beralt.”
“Yeah, and send an army,” Sury mumbled into his bowl.
“I’m not that intimidating looking, am I?” Fyom looked at all of us.
We each answered “yes” unanimously.
“But we know you’re gentle, Fyom,” I added.
“I really don’t know how to process any of this,” Fyom said and shook his head in exasperation.
“Oh, don’t be such a spoilsport. I’m only teasing. I’ll go.” Ora beamed.
“You will not!” Sury spewed oats from his mouth.
Ora cut him a glance. “You can loosen your chains, you know. Eventually they will have to know that I’m alive and well…and maybe more menacing than before,” she finished with a saccharine smile.
“You mean more annoying?” I met her eyes as she stuck out her tongue at me.
“Fyom has more grace than the two of us combined. He can walk ahead as your official ambassador to gather whether we’ll be welcomed or not.
” The thought of the last surviving court member turning on us made my skin crawl.
“After he signals you, you and Fyom can go together while we stay a safe distance away in the trees. We’ll be close enough that if anything interesting happens, we can intervene. ”
Ora beamed at me with pride. “I knew you’d be a great advisor.”
I crossed my arms, hoping this was a sound plan. “Let’s just make sure we survive this.”
“I am unfamiliar with this man,” Fyom spoke. “Would his archives or personal study have any literature that might help us with the keys? Any Feodeon texts or the like to help us decipher the runes?”
Fyom worked tirelessly deciphering the runes, all to no avail.
I began to worry about his mental state with how relentlessly he worked to figure out the meaning of ancient texts, getting barely any further than where we had started.
One night, after we had gathered outside the tent to give Fyom space, we all jumped in fright when he stormed out while exclaiming loudly that he had translated more of the runes.
To our dismay, it gave us no inklings about the kind of keys we were searching for, and nothing had been transcribed since.
“If he’s how I remember him during Mother’s court, he’ll likely be a dead end, but we can test the waters and see what comes of it. Who knows? He might surprise us.”
“That’ll be the day,” Ora mumbled.
Peiro took my hand in his and gave it a light squeeze as I gave him a soft smile. I prayed to the giants that all would go according to plan.
***
It didn’t take long before the tent disappeared into Fyom’s pack and we were in our designated spots with the horses set safely into the trees.
I watched as Fyom walked down the path with Ora not too far behind him.
The plan would work. All they would see was a giant stranger before stopping him on the road.
It wasn’t unusual for a lord or lady to grant access to their township, despite our parents’ encouragement for them to be less daunting to the people they governed or visited.
Vovias and Beralt were the only ones who still held the old practice. It made sense, with their small-cock syndrome and all.
I crouched within the trees that lined the path leading into Ventus Bluff, ever grateful for the everlasting wind that weaved through the branches.
As expected, a man on horseback came barreling down the path carrying the banner of Gria with a smaller flag, one of his lord’s, beneath it.
I took in the silver and white flag with swirling symbols to represent the Wielding of Airus.
He rode fast, tearing down the beaten earth, emitting dust into the air right before he stopped a few paces in front of Fyom.
Ora slowed her walk to where she wasn’t too far behind Fyom, but not far enough ahead of us to be out of my reach. I knew she could handle herself, but the tensions were too high and I couldn’t lose her. Not again. Gria needed her now more than ever.
The wind dissipated just enough for me to hear the exchange between Fyom and the guard on horseback.
“You, sir. State your name and your business with Ventus Bluff.” The man stilled his horse and withdrew his sword to point it at Fyom.
Fyom bowed low. “I am but a humble servant, requesting an audience with Lord Ivan Beralt.”
“For what purpose?”
“Well, for me to—”
“You can tell him that Queen Aurora Endromeon needs to have a few words with him.”
I slapped my face with my palm as I witnessed Ora rush to Fyom’s side. This was not a part of the plan. So much for subtly. I would have words with her later, but for now, I’d watch from the trees.
“Endromeon? The traitorous bitch who let those disgusting creatures walk freely upon our lands? Destroy our villages? Kill our children?” The man spat on the ground next to Ora’s feet.
My heart sank upon hearing that more vile urthens still ran rampant.
We never collected a clear number of how many had crossed our borders, and we had no way of knowing.
We’d hoped it wasn’t many, but by the sound of it, there were far more than we’d theorized.
We had to make this right for our people.
If they would only give her a chance…
But a traitorous bitch? Anger swelled in me. How dare they speak to my sister like that. The fucking queen. Were they all so stupid that they would believe the lies of Vovias? If this asshat had a death wish, then surely Beralt was more idiotic than I’d originally given him credit for.
Ink slithered once again. I told you they would never believe you. They will not bow to her. Nor you. How the great Endromeon line has fallen.
A new wave of anger grew into cold rage. My breathing quicked as my heart beat wildly. I wanted to make this man bleed for the disrespect he showed Ora.
You see it. There. More ink slithered. It’s not so hard to spot now, is it?
I didn’t need a moment to understand what the ink meant. I had already begun to see it before it continued whispering inside my ear. The lifesource. The man continued to hold a sword in one hand while calling on his Wielding within the other—a funnel of air collecting inside his palm.
This idiot really did have a death wish.
I shifted, feeling my Wielding stirring wildly. I was so close to the man’s lifesource that I could taste it. Gray crept in my vision as I narrowed my sights on the faint yellow pulsing inside of his chest. Even at this distance, it was radiant. And I wanted it.
I shifted again, about to expose the spot where I hid right before I felt a strong grasp on my wrist. I hissed as I looked at my intruder and took in the silver eyes before me. Peiro’s eyebrows furrowed as he caught something in my expression.
His grip tightened the moment I tried to yank my arm away. “Get your hands off of me,” I said between gritted teeth. “He deserves to lose his head after what he said to her.”
Peiro slowly shook his head and put a finger to his lips, ordering me to remain silent.
I scoffed and wanted to spew venom for him stopping me.
His nostrils flared and he crouched lower, his grip on my wrist iron-tight.
“Breathe. They have it under control. You’re smart enough to see that—so see it.
Don’t throw this away over wounded pride.
She can handle herself.”My eyes flared with anger.
“My pride? How about the asshole who just insulted the fucking queen?”
“Yes, and that fucking queen is strong and capable…just like her sister. Give her a chance.”
I scanned his features and the harsh lines on his face as he inched closer, beckoning me to challenge him. I sat back on my heels and scrunched my face before turning back to watch the others.
“An ‘overly crowned woman’? That’s mighty precious—a new nickname to add to the books. Fyom? You best write that down. Anywho, yes, the Queen of Gria is here for the lord to discuss that those urthens running these lands are not my fault.”
“If I may,” Fyom cut in. “As our queen requested, we are here on diplomatic measures to ensure the safety of our lands once again. With Lord Beralt’s help, of course.
” Fyom bowed low to show that slug of a man respect.
It almost ignited anger in me once again before another squeeze on my wrist shook me from my train of thought.
“We’ll see about that,” the man said before producing a small pen and writing tablet.
What he scribbled, I could only assume, but he then scrunched it into a tiny ball and put it in the vortex of Wielding inside of his palm.
The little piece of paper quickly fluttered high into the sky and rode the waves of his Wielding back toward the town’s gates and to somewhere beyond.
Only a few moments passed before another ball of paper was produced from the sky, riding on another wave of wind. The man caught it and hastily read it before lifting his sword once again and reproducing his Wielding, only this time in a more threatening way.
“You are told to stay here until he fetches you.”
Stay until he fetches her? Surely I hadn’t heard that right.
Ora scoffed. “Excuse me? Until he fetches me?”
I did hear that right. Now my anger was palpable—not just from the disrespect shown by the peon in front of her, but because of the blatant disregard from the man within those gates.
“Tell Lord Ivan that I said—”
Fyom stepped in front of her once again, cutting off any hasty remark she was about to say. “Thank you, good sir. We shall wait here until we are called.”
Even from this distance, I could even see the look Ora cut Fyom, the latter ignoring it completely.
He turned to her, whispering something, instantly making her straighten her spine and find a vacant log to sit upon.
I would have to thank him for his diplomacy later, even if it didn’t feel merited at this moment.