Chapter Twenty-Two
Queen Marigold lowered her book and shot her husband another glare as he sat in bed beside her.
“Don’t look at me like that, Mari,” King Terrin grumbled. “Angelina deserved it.”
“She is your daughter, Terrin.”
“And she refuses to listen to me. What am I supposed to do?”
“I don’t know. Maybe trust the young woman you raised, perhaps?”
“You and I both know that story was hogwash. She fell in love—or heaven forbid, lust—with this Sebastian and made that story up to convince us to allow them to marry. It’s not something far-fetched for a pair of younglings.”
“They’re both adults. Just because you refuse to treat her as one, doesn’t mean she isn’t.”
“I treat her as she deserves to be treated. She acts like a child, and I will treat her as one.”
“How are you acting right now? Letting her stew in her chambers for days on end?”
“She chose to start an argument with me. She knew what she was getting out of it.”
Marigold turned in the bed and laid her book down. “Just how sure are you that Crusis is behind all of this? Honestly?”
“I am certain.”
“Without even a stitch of proof? You’ve sent dozens of spies to Nivea and the few who have returned all say the same thing. Esmerelda isn’t there.”
“How do you know this?” he asked, scowling. “You’ve been listening in on my meetings again?”
“You won’t tell me anything otherwise.”
“Dammit, Mari,” he growled, standing. “I am doing the best I can here. I didn’t want to agree to this betrothal between Esmerelda and the Orious prince in the first place. You were the one who suggested I consider it.”
“Neither of us could have known what would transpire, Terrin.”
“You mean this nonsense about gnomes taking our daughters and teleporting them to the opposite sides of the realm?”
“You didn’t see it and neither did I. Someone or something did take them. Lina didn’t fly to a forest in the middle of nowhere. Zaria didn’t teleport herself to an island in the south that she’s never even visited. Those things happened, whether you choose to believe them or not.”
“I believe what I can see, Mari. What I can prove. What is real. This dragon business is not real. You know as much about the history of the realm as I do. Athorna doesn’t exist.”
“Athera,” she corrected, but it only made his grimace deepen.
“You’ve been speaking to Lina about this, haven’t you? Listening to the lies and you’re actually believing them?”
“I know my daughter, Terrin. You may choose to distrust her, but I won’t dismiss their story as easily.”
Marigold stood and pulled on her robe.
“Where are you going?” Terrin asked.
“To sleep somewhere else. I can hardly look at you right now.”
“Mari,” he groaned, rubbing a hand across his face. “I will go speak to her. Apologize. Will that make you feel better?”
“Perhaps,” she replied, sitting on the bed but not looking at him.
She listened as he left the room and then she picked her book back up again. She knew what would happen. He would pretend to apologize, and Lina would pretend to forgive him. The two of them were honestly far too much alike, in so many ways.
After a few moments, Terrin ran back into the room, grabbing his sword from beside the bed.
“What?” she cried, knowing something was wrong. “What is it?”
“She’s gone. Her chambers are empty. Summon Walther.”
Marigold jumped up and quickly put on her slippers, rushing from the room and up to the wizard’s tower in the center of the castle. She knocked on the door, calling out to him. A few moments later, a sleepy-eyed mage opened the door.
“Angelina is gone. Have you felt anything in the wards around the castle? Another sign of the gnomes?”
“No, My Queen.” Walther pulled on his wizard robes and followed her down the tower. He stopped in front of Zaria’s door and lifted his hand to knock but stopped.
“What is it?” Marigold asked.
“She isn’t in there. I can’t feel her magic.” He opened the door and sure enough, the sorceress was nowhere to be found.
“Lina and Zaria are both gone? Again?”
“It appears so, My Queen.”
She followed Walther down to the hall, where her husband was barking orders to guards who ran in and out from all directions.
“I have the knights scouring the castle and I’m sending guards into the town,” Terrin said.
“Zaria is gone too,” Marigold said. “Do you think they left together?”
“Walther?” Terrin turned to the wizard. “Would your daughter steal her princess away? Would she break her vow to me?”
“I…” Walther’s lip wobbled a bit. “I really can’t say, Your Majesty. Things have been different between us since she returned. And when her mate left, Zaria has been… lost, in more ways than one.”
“This seems like they left of their own free will,” Marigold interjected. “Lina is probably on her way to Orious right now, to her prince. Zaria likely went to keep her safe.”
“We can’t know that, Mari. Why wouldn’t she have left us a note, if that were the case?”
“Honestly, Terrin!” Mari shouted, lifting her hands in frustration. “You wouldn’t listen to her words when she spoke them, so why in the realm would she think you would listen to them written down?”
A knight ran into the hall, skidding to a stop in front of them and announcing, “Two horses are missing from the stables. One belongs to the sorceress.”
“See?” Mari pleaded. “They left together. You can send a party west toward Orious. You might be able to catch them before they arrive.”
“No,” Terrin said, firmly. “If Lina left to run off to her prince, I am done with her antics. She will arrive in Orious and once I put out word to the realm that her union is not approved, no mysta will marry them. She will come crawling back to ask for my forgiveness soon enough.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am serious. In fact, I’m done waiting on Crusis to see reason. One of my daughters has run away but the other was taken and I want her back. Now!” Terrin turned to the knight. “Prepare to march on Nivea the moment our troops are assembled. No more delays. No more waiting.”
Marigold opened her mouth to argue but Terrin’s glare silenced her.
“No more argument,” he said, spinning around and leaving the hall.
“No,” Marigold whispered to herself. She turned to Walther. “Please, warn them. You can do that, can’t you? Warn Lina and Zaria that war is about to begin. Plead with them to return.”
“I can dreamwalk with Zaria right away, My Queen. I will let you know if I am able to reach her.”
The mage left the hall and Marigold collapsed onto a nearby bench. How had everything gone so wrong in such a short amount of time?
“Mother? What’s happening?”
She looked up to see Orion walking toward her, rubbing his sleepy eyes. How did she explain to her son that his sister who had just returned was gone again? And that his father had declared war against another kingdom over an abduction that might have never happened?
~*~
Lina was shaken awake and she gasped, shooting up from her spot on the ground. It was morning, but why had Zaria woken her so suddenly?
“What?” she asked.
“My father,” Zaria said, quickly. “He dreamwalked with me.”
“We knew that was a possibility, he might try to use it to find us—”
“No, listen. They know we’re gone but that’s not why he came to me.”
“Then why?”
“Your father, he’s declared war on Nivea. He’s gathering troops right now and will start marching immediately. Within the day, if my father’s estimation is right.”
“But why? He can’t think Nivea took us.”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t ask any questions because by the time he told me what was happening, I started to wake.”
“My father hasn’t been able to see reason ever since we were taken. He isn’t in his right mind. Declaring war against Nivea even though Baz and I told him they didn’t take Elda… he won’t stop until he kills King Crusis or is killed by him.”
“What do we do, Lina? People will die in this war. My father will be in the very front. Your father also.”
“We have to get to Elda, Zaria. She is the only one who can stop this. She has to come back to prove to my father she’s alive and well. He won’t accept anything less.”
Zaria nodded. “We will reach Wythfield today and I can try to dreamwalk with Elda tonight. I can’t be sure it will work but if we wait until we reach the Blackfoot Mountains, it might be too late.”
Lina jumped up and they began to collect their things, tossing them onto their horses before they led them back to the trail and soon they were on their way, to hopefully prevent a war before it could even begin.