Chapter 24
“Soren!” Enara’s worried voice carried into the shop from the square. “Soren, where are you?” Her throat bobbed as she choked down a sob. Her mind was racing at all the terrible things that could have befallen her friend in her short absence.
She was covered in black from head to toe, and it took two vials of healing water from her pack to stop the spread of the new creature’s venom.
“We should start doing building checks on the ones that are still standing,” Ikei said.
“Yes, maybe she had to run for safety,” his brother finished.
She shook their head, not bothering to look in their direction as she scanned the blood-soaked ground for any signs of Soren. “She wouldn’t run from a fight.”
“You got that right,” Soren said, bursting out of the door of a tailor shop.
Relief washed over Enara like the cool water of the Boreal River, healing her slowly breaking heart. Before she knew it, she was running and lifting Soren into the air, nearly squeezing the life out of her. Tears pricked at her vision, and she blinked them back, giving her best friend a once-over. Her eyes widened when she registered just how much blood covered her body. She looked like a scene out of a horror play they had once seen back in Vreburn.
“What happened?” she asked, rounding on Rook. “And where the fuck were you?” She jabbed his chest with her index finger, her disdain for him circling her like a dark cloud.
Soren stepped between them, gently removing her friend’s finger from his chest. She could feel the heat of his body seep into her back as she tried to stop Enara’s rampage. She knew that look, and if the sparring dummies were any indication of what was to happen next, Rook didn’t stand a chance, healing powers or not.
“The blood’s not mine,” she said. “Well, most of it, anyway. He saved me.”
“He ditched us as soon as the attack began! How can we even begin to trust him?” Enara was practically foaming at the mouth.
Soren debated wiping the spittle from her lip but thought better of it. When she was angry, she was like a rabid dog, and she did, in fact, bite.
“You don’t need to trust him,” Soren said simply, catching Enara’s hazel eyes with her own. “You just need to trust me.”
Enara stared at her for a long moment, and an unspoken conversation seemed to pass between them before she flicked her eyes back to Rook.
“Fine. But I’ll be watching you.” If glares could kill, Rook would be nothing but a pile of ash.
Soren turned to notice him fighting the urge to smile. Luckily, Enara had not seen it, already walking in the direction of the mausoleum.
Soren’s brows pinched together, and she shoved his shoulder. “You are not helping,” she whispered angrily.
“Would it be any consolation if I said I liked her?” he asked.
“No,” Soren said but suppressed a smile of her own.
* * *
They trudged after Enara,jumping and sidestepping over and around chunks of stone and other fallen debris on their way back to the agreed meeting point. The cemetery gate, along with the first couple rows of tombstones, had been blown to bits. Fortunately, the caskets remained mercifully underground.
The group deflated when they reached the doorway, only to find it as devoid of life as the rest of the burial grounds.
“Ugh!” Enara yelled, clenching her fists in frustration. She had been hoping Baz and Jai would have found their way back by now. And where were Callan, Saoirse, and Adaryn?
Before anyone else could offer a suggestion, she stormed past Soren, the twins, and Rook, taking special care to knock him in the shoulder on her way out of the cemetery.
“Where are you going?” Soren called, running after her.
“To find them.”
Soren grabbed her arm, whipping her around to face her. “Don’t be stupid.”
“I came back for you, didn’t I? Don’t ask me not to go after him,” she said, clearly frustrated.
“I’m not saying don’t look for him,” Soren reassured her. “I’m just saying, it’s going to be dark soon and splitting up is a terrible idea.”
Enara knew her friend was right and swung her fist into the nearest wall in frustration. The skin of her knuckles turned red and angry, and shock waves of pain reverberated up her wrist. A moment later, the pain was gone, and the scratches had healed over, thanks to the remnants of healing water in her system.
“He could be bleeding out somewhere, or worse …” she verbalized, not wanting to finish the thought.
“You know we need to give him more credit.” Soren placed a hand on her friend’s back. “He’s strong and resourceful, not to mention Jai’s fighting skills aren’t anything to scoff at, either.”
Enara wiped the stray tears from her cheeks and straightened her back. “At first light, we go search,” she said with finality.
“Agreed,” Soren said, pulling her in for a hug.
“Thanks for talking me off the ledge, lady,” Enara whispered against her cheek.
“Anytime.”
“Those tears aren’t for me, are they?”
From down the path, Baz’s voice lifted their spirits.
“Baz!” both girls yelled excitedly.
He sauntered toward them with a huge grin plastered on his face. “Don’t tell me you were planning my funeral already,” he joked as Enara ran into his arms.
“Hey,” she whispered into his ear.
“Hey back,” he replied, pulling away just enough to kiss her forehead.
“Don’t mind me,” Soren said, scooting Enara out of the way to give Baz a hug of her own before ruffling his hair.
“Hi to you too, Soren,” Baz said, punching her shoulder playfully. “Now, what did I miss?”
* * *
After the twinspulled Baz off of Rook, they attempted a more civilized means of conversation. Apparently, he had also noticed Rook’s lack of attendance at Jai’s almost-hanging and had wanted to say a few words … with his fists. To his credit, Rook had allowed him three good hits before he had started dodging blows.
“Will you two stop it?” Soren screeched as Ori and Ikei pulled them off of each other. Soren was ready to tear her hair out.
“Hasn’t there been enough bloodshed today?” Ikei asked as Soren wiped a crimson streak off the side of Rook’s face. His eyebrow had been split, and though it was already healing, it had bled a lot.
Rook licked the last of the blood from the corner of his lip as he stared into Soren’s eyes.
She gave him an incredulous look back that said, “Now is not the time for flirting,”before facing her friends.
“Look, you don’t have to like one another, but if you hurt each other, you hurt me. So, can you at least attempt to get along?”
“Fine,” Enara repeated her sentiment from earlier.
“All right, Sor,” Baz said, seemingly calmer now that he had at least punched the smirk off of Rook’s pretty face.
“As you wish, little bird,” Rook replied.
Ori’s laugh broke through the awkward exchange. “And we thought we had a weird family dynamic.”
“You and me both, brother,” Ikei replied.
“Yeah, yeah, we’re all a little fucked up,” Soren said, brushing off the comments. “Moving on …” She looked to Enara. “You first, what happened with the kestrel wannabe? Did you kill it? I saw it chase you out of the square.”
“I ran for as long as I could, but it caught me at a dead end where one of the buildings had collapsed. If it weren’t for these two”—Enara gestured toward the twins—“I wouldn’t be standing here. You should have seen them.”
“Aw … you give us too much credit,” Ikei said.
“She already had him halfway dead when we arrived,” Ori finished.
“Yeah, but if you guys hadn’t torched that thing …” Enara tried to continue, but they held up two sets of hands to stop her.
“The life taken is not what matters,” Ori said.
“What matters is the life saved,” Ikei finished, pointing one of his tonfa blades toward her. “When we were assigned to you, you became our new family. You may not be the sister we once had, but we will protect you as if you were, all the same.”
“Thank you,” Baz said, holding Enara a little tighter, “for being there for her when I couldn’t.”
“No problem, brother. We are all in this together,” Ori said.
“This fight is for all of Entheas. Our home provinces no longer matter. We are all family now,” Ikei added firmly.
“So, does that make me the reclusive uncle?” Rook asked.
Soren raised a brow at him. “We seriously need to work on your humor.”
“Ahem,” Baz coughed out. “I believe the role of handsome jokester is already filled, but you could try out for family asshole.”
Soren cringed at the comment, waiting for the next round of insults to start. To her surprise, Rook just laughed. His real laugh that she had yet to hear. It was the most beautiful thing. She wished she could bottle it up and put it on a shelf to listen to when times were dark.
She took in the bright smile that crested his cheeks and felt her breath hitch. Brooding Rook was handsome as hell, but smiling Rook was the stuff of stories, a beauty unmatched by those living in the mundane world. She guessed she should thank Adriel for that, but then she realized, apart from his eyes, they didn’t look much alike. She assumed he took after his mother, and then she suddenly felt a pang of sadness that he had never been able to meet her.
“All right, your turn,” Enara said, looking to Soren then glowering at Rook. His laughter, it seemed, had yet to win her over.
Soren explained how the battle had gone with the sergeant, and Rook filled in the details about patching up Soren’s leg and Luscinia showing up to offer her healing skills. Soren was thankful he did not tell them about the dream or how close she had been to dying. She was fine now, and there was no need to worry Enara for nothing.
“So, before she left, she gave us this,” Soren said, pulling the Oculus out from a satchel she had stolen from the tailor shop.
“Oh shit!” Baz exclaimed, and Enara gasped, “How?”
“She stole it from Adriel to return to us. She said we are the last hope of defeating him,” Soren answered, her voice shaky.
“So what?” Enara asked. “You guys have to magically fall in love or something for it to work?”
“Maker, Enara, no!” Soren replied, cheeks flaming.
“The mating bond is much more complex than that,” Rook replied matter-of-factly.
“This is more of a backup plan, anyway,” Soren said, wanting to move on from this topic. “The biggest thing is Adriel can’t make anymore creatures without it. To secure a mating bond, we would need more time, and that is something we no longer have.”
“What do you mean?” Enara asked.
“Luscinia stated that my father plans to attack the rest of Entheas in one month’s time,” Rook answered, fiddling with his rapier. “They plan on hitting Braexmirth and Stelonbriar last. Xian-Dao has pledged themselves to Adriel’s cause and has already helped them devastate the Isles. Dhamtra is all but leveled, and Draestel, Estelar, and Thorncrest have already been demolished.”
“Did she say if anything was left of the Esinian Isles?” Ikei asked, worried for him and his twin’s homeland. They might not have lived there since they were children, but they had hoped to visit one day.
“Did Queen Lilianna survive?” Ori added.
“I am sorry,” Rook replied, shaking his head. “She did not specify; she only said they had used a set of targeted attacks to create earthquakes, which in turn caused tidal waves and volcanoes to ravage the islands. Bao-Ren’s forces were already in Estelar when the attacks happened. His men were willing to die for the cause. I guess they figured being blown up was better than bleeding out on a battlefield.”
The twins bowed their heads, unsure of how to respond to the news that their homeland was all but buried under flame and water.
“So, we have one month?” Baz asked, trying to wrap his head around all the new information.
“Yes,” Rook said, “we have one month to save Entheas.”
* * *
They pickedtheir way back to the tavern after Baz had explained what had all happened with Jai and the king’s guard providing his proof of lineage. Jai had sent Baz to meet with them at the monastery while he dealt with the townspeople.
The tavern owner welcomed them with open arms, and they joined the rest of their crew for a meager meal of vegetable soup with day-old bread.
Mrs. Ferndale was running around, clearing tables and assisting the tavern owner as best she could, not being able to sit idle. Jai gave the woman a kiss on the cheek when she brought him a wooden stein of water, and she patted his head before scolding some kids who were getting a little too rambunctious.
The few king’s guards left stood against the wall, eyes shifting back and forth, searching for any potential attackers to their new king-to-be. Jai had told them the worst was over and that they should take a break, but the one who knew him since birth had simply said, “Your enemies are not resting, and neither will we.”
Jai did not want to push, but he did see Mrs. Ferndale force him to eat a piece of dried meat, so he called that a win.
“Glad to see you all made it out with your skins intact,” Jai said. Then his eyes heated when he saw Rook. “And I see the deserter has returned.”
Soren held up a hand in protest. “Don’t. We have been through this twice now. Yes, he left his post. He did it to save a mother and her kids. He came back and helped save my life. Can we move on? I have news.”
Jai gave her a big smile that showed a little too much affection for Rook’s liking. “All right, let me have it.”
Soren took the lead, reiterating everything that Luscinia had told them about the attacks and Adriel’s timeline to finish off the rest of Entheas.
Once Soren had concluded, Jai scratched his beard in thought. It had grown a little unruly over the last few weeks and seemed to age him. He was silent for a moment then startled them all by calling out, “Who here is the fastest rider?” He scanned the crowd. The tavern was full of people who had no homes to go back to.
A young boy with wild brown hair stepped forward.
“What is your name?” Jai asked.
“It’s William. I won the dune races this past summer.” The dune races were held once a year. The competitors started on the eastern tip, riding the whole way around Patrivah, and finishing in Edras Mora. The winner was gifted a large bottle of healing waters and a place in the king’s court. The race was grueling on both rider and animal, and Jai couldn’t have asked for a better young man.
“I need you to take a message to Braexmirth. Timing is of great importance.”
“Of course,” the boy said, bowing. “Anything you need, Your Majesty.”
Jai chuckled softly. “You don’t need to bow, young one, nor call me that just yet. I was not so different from yourself once.” Jai reached forward and squeezed the boy’s shoulder. He couldn’t have been more than sixteen. “Ride hard and return to us as soon as you are able. Mrs. Ferndale will ready a pack for you, and Everett here will ready one of Patrivah’s finest steeds.”
The boy nodded, seemingly grateful for the opportunity, and allowed himself to be dragged off with Mrs. Ferndale.
“Malcolm,” Jai called out to the barkeep. “I am in need of a quill and parchment.”
“Not a problem,” he replied. “I have some in my back quarters.” The townsman shuffled away, quickly returning with the items.
“Thank you,” Jai said, and then he began to write to the King of Braexmirth.
King Elias,
I am Jaideep Ashwood. You do not know me, nor do you have reason to trust me, but I am hoping these words find you well. I am sending this correspondence to inform you of the most recent attack on the capital of Patrivah. The king’s brother perished in the onslaught, leaving me to lead in his stead. I cannot say I am sad for his passing, as it was discovered he had been slowly poisoning my father. Please know that I have been proven innocent and only want what is best for my people. Edras Mora has faced great evil this past day, and the worst is yet to come.
We have been given information on good authority that the being in charge of these smaller attacks plans on coming for Braexmirth and Stelonbriar next. The Duke of Stelonbriar left this afternoon to warn his people and gather his troops. I suggest you amass your forces, as well.
My companions have relayed to me that your people have been working on weapons and armor for the cause. For this, I thank you. I have heard of the master forges of Olecastor and humbly request that you meet us on the fields of Stelonbriar in one week’s time with as many weapons and plated armor sets as you can.
I know our people have not always seen eye-to-eye, but for the good of all of Entheas, we must put our differences aside to face an even greater threat. Please be aware that Bao-Ren has joined with the enemy.
I will be sending riders to rally other fighters from across Thorncrest, Estelar, Draestel, the Esinian Isles, and Dhamtra, but I have doubts there will be many left to fight. Our source shared the details of the other provinces’ devastation, and I fear we may be all that is left.
I ask that we, along with the people of Stelonbriar, join forces to save our people and this world that we all hold most dear. Every able-bodied son and daughter in Entheas will be requested to fight, apart from those who are with child or are responsible for a child. Duke Erick will have his people set up camps all over the fields of Irefeld, where we will begin training our forces.
War is coming, and I am hoping to meet you on the front lines as friends and equals to fight for us all.
Jaideep Ashwood of the House of Drekar, Prince Regent of Patrivah
Without his father’s signet ring, Jai decided to use his turquoise ring to seal the folded piece of parchment. Using the ivory wax from a nearby candle, he pressed the smooth stone into it until the engravings around the stone embossed the seal. Before the wax fully dried, he proceeded to borrow Adaryn’s smaller signet ring and pressed it into the center. Then he looked upon the parchment, pleased with himself. If they survived, he would have a proper seal made. For now, he would settle for the melding of their two rings to match the melding of their hearts.
With the letter complete, he walked over to Everett and handed it to him. “Make sure the boy has the fastest mount,” he said sternly.
“Are you sure?” Everett asked, knowing well that King Otis’s steed was the fastest of the royal horses.
“Yes, I’m sure. Amadeus will ride true. We are running out of time.”
“Can do, Your Majesty,” Everett said, bowing with a flourish that had the rest of the group stifling a laugh.
“Yeah, yeah,” Jai said, giving his shoulder a shove. “Get out of here.”
They watched him go, sending a silent prayer to the Maker that the boy would relay the message in time.