Chapter 9
By the time they reached the door to the eastern garden, Aeliana’s arms ached from holding the blankets. Murmurs and sighs escaped from the courtyard where the winex had settled.
“Your mother’s already in there,” Iris said. “These next two days will feel long.”
“Saying goodbye to thirty winex will be much harder than just saying goodbye to Felk,” Aeliana agreed.
“I meant because they’re all whining about being in pain. Then tomorrow they’ll all be crying like newborns.” Iris used her elbow to push down the handle and balance it open, once more with her hip.
The sound of Emeris’ lullaby mixed with the whimpers, then replaced them as the winex all settled down.
When Iris and Aeliana peeked their heads over the blankets, most of the winex had their eyes closed with soft smiles on their lips.
The shimmery silver of their skin had dulled to a dry grey, and many of the creatures had labored breathing.
Still, Aeliana had learned not to fear for their early death.
Nothing that ailed them ever took them earlier than their lunar cycle.
They would all still be here tomorrow, when they returned to their infant state.
Aeliana’s gaze focused more on her mother, uncertain if the lullaby was familiar from a real memory of it being sung to her as a child or one her mother had shared.
The few memories she had from before she was kidnapped were fragments that couldn’t tell a complete story.
She’d received others to fill in the gaps, but they were from her mother’s perspective, and they felt fabricated because of it.
After tucking her blankets around the winex who didn’t have them, she settled next to Felk, whose eyes fluttered open.
“We set aside extra stores of food the last few days,” he murmured. “Iris knows where, so don’t let her fool you into thinking she’s working extra hard to provide it. It should last us until we’re strong enough to help again.”
“Is that what you would do out in the forest?”
He nodded. “We should probably head out and do that again the next cycle. There will be too many of us for the fortress.”
She frowned, then smoothed the wrinkled skin between his eyes.
“Any sign of your friend?” He took her free hand in his and let his eyes close once more.
“Not yet. I expect I’ll see Gullet arrive before any of the men.
” Even though the hawk could arrive first, she still watched for the sailors on the edge of the cliffs.
There was only one lookout where she could see the water.
If they came from the southeast, she imagined seeing the tip of a ship rising from the waves.
“He’ll come back soon,” Felk reassured her.
Aeliana’s face heated. “I’m just eager for him to give you your memories. By the time he’s here, you’ll be reborn again. My mother can only give you memories of the cycles you’ve had here. You’re missing so much.”
“It’s our way,” Felk said quietly. “I don’t mind it.”
Aeliana squeezed his hand. “I know. I just want you to remember all the history we have together.” She bit her lip, trying to explain the difference without hurting his feelings.
“Your kind is able to love deeply in a short period of time, but for us, love grows over time and adds layers. I want you to see those layers even if you don’t need them, because they’re important to me. ”
Felk shrugged, and Aeliana let it lie. Asking him to want something different too closely resembled the expectations of the Recreants around her.
Some, like Gaeren’s sailors, wanted a democracy, but most from the eastern province still wanted a leader.
They’d fought for Aeliana’s mother to have that role.
And with her mother’s decline and Aeliana’s role in removing Mayvus, many of them expected Aeliana to be next in line.
But what did she truly have to offer? She’d been shoved aside for fourteen years and bled for the magic deep in her marrow.
Her kidnappers had used her power for heinous crimes, things she still didn’t share details about.
Despite knowing she was innocent of what they’d done with her blood, she still felt tainted by it.
“Aeliana?” her mother whispered, startling her. “I think they’re all asleep now.”
Sure enough, Felk’s hand lay limp in her grasp. She set it back on his chest, and he turned on his side with a small sigh. Hopefully they’d sleep most of the day and night and wake as infants, hale and hearty.
She followed her mother from the courtyard, then let the door shut behind her with a soft click.
“I thought if I sent for you, you could blame me for not finishing your training. Now you’re free to do a bit more hunting or interrogating.
” Her mother hooked her arm through Aeliana’s and steered her back toward the main hall.
Those they passed stopped to give their customary signal and bow, some even with tears in their eyes.
Her mother had only begun saying prayers with people in the Sungazer a few days ago, and people were starved to receive blessings from their high priestess.
“I feel like we’ve found all the blood stores in the fortress,” Aeliana admitted. “I wonder if she kept key people’s blood, like yours and Durriken’s, somewhere else. Somewhere safer.”
“If she did, only a select few would know where. Maybe even just her,” Emeris mused, pulling a sheet of parchment from her pocket. It was filled with names, some crossed out, others with question marks.
“What’s that?” Aeliana asked, trying to read it without running into other people in the hall.
“It’s a list of the soldiers I remember from the hazy time I was branded.” She circled a few names, then passed the parchment to Aeliana. “If you haven’t questioned these men, start with them. They were among Mayvus’ trusted ten.”
Aeliana frowned. Her aunt had built an army on lies and brands. Several of the soldiers had woken up from their confusion with blood on their hands and weapons in their grip. They’d slain comrades and fought for a cause they didn’t believe in.
The only name she recognized was Brogdon, Jasperus’ son, whom she wasn’t ready to visit. Even so, her mother’s line of thinking brought up new questions and possibilities.
“Do you know how Mayvus’ brand worked? Did she… ask you questions? Or just go through your mind when she needed information?”
Her mother paled and her pace slowed, but she didn’t hesitate.
“When we were together, which wasn’t often, she would ask, knowing I’d be compelled to answer.
” Her voice trailed off and her eyes glazed over, a look Aeliana was coming to recognize as her mother getting lost in her memories of the past. It was a strategy she’d used to protect herself when branded, and it was a difficult habit to break.
It was also the reason for much of her confusion.
“Mother?” She gently tapped her mother’s arm, forcing her back to the present.
Emeris’ eyes widened and cleared. “Yes? Oh, um…” She placed a hand to her forehead and paused in the hall.
“You were telling me how your brand worked.”
“That’s right.” She resumed walking, her face pinched. “She’d ask me things knowing I’d be compelled to answer. But when she left me locked up, I’d sense her in my mind, finding out what she wanted to know.”
“Could she ever ask something across your connection? Could you answer?”
“She never asked; she commanded, and I had to answer, but she usually sensed it much faster. Especially after the brand had been in place for so long.” Her mother shivered, and her eyes clouded over, a sign that their conversation needed to pivot.
“I think it’s Velden’s day off from searching the grounds,” Aeliana said as they approached the door to the main hall.
Her mother’s eyes lit up. “I love his stories.”
“You remember you can’t believe half of them?”
Her mother chuckled. “That’s why I love them.”
Aeliana opened the door, and sure enough, Velden stood by the cold fireplace, juggling balls of water with his webbed hands before a small crowd of soldiers. “Looks like he might have more than just stories today.”
“Are you not coming?” her mother asked. “I thought we could spend some time together.”
The child-like plea left Aeliana waffling. “I thought you wanted me to question the soldiers.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Emeris’ hand returned to her forehead as she joined the crowd, where no fewer than half a dozen soldiers offered her their seats as they all gave their customary bow. She’d be well taken care of.
Aeliana slipped back into the hallway, quickening her pace as she headed for her chambers. She would question more of the soldiers eventually, but first she wanted to reach out to another one of Mayvus’ brands. One who might have a different perspective.
She lay down on her bed and closed her eyes, focusing inward for the tiny thread she’d found that connected her to Durriken.
Each time she looked, she seemed to find it more easily, though she wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
This time her grasp on it seemed more solid, and instead of landing in Durriken’s mind in a state of confusion, she sensed the transition as smoothly as if she’d jumped into a pool of water.
The heaviness of Durriken’s form left her anchored, the light mattress under her body back in the Myndren Mountains no longer palpable. The physical sensation was immediately followed by the irritated internal grunt of Durriken sensing her presence.
I’m sorry. She attempted the words, not knowing if they’d cross over but hoping they would.
Whether or not he was aware or cared, he took flight, drawing Aeliana’s attention to the forest growing smaller beneath him.
The remains of Islara shrank to their right before being replaced by trees as they flew south.
Just as Aeliana gained her bearings, the dragon angled down, circling as he lowered, as if hunting for the perfect clearing.
Durriken’s anticipation fluttered through Aeliana, crossing over the thread that connected them, but she couldn’t say what he looked forward to.
I have no wish to control you. She tried communicating again, suspecting Durriken could hear her but was unwilling to respond unless it benefitted him. But if you’re willing to share information, I could use your help.
Her stomach jolted as he dropped, apparently finding the exact spot he wished to land. The motion almost made her lose her hold, and for a heartbeat she felt the sheets against her skin, the coolness of her chambers back in Myndren.
Durriken let out a satisfied harrumph.
Did Mayvus have any stores of blood in the mountains? Anyplace she had you take her that only she knew of?
Durriken landed in the clearing, his paws touching down on the grass with a gentleness she hadn’t expected. His weight shifted as his front paw stepped more inline. His limp was no longer pronounced as he compensated for the missing fourth leg.
He lay down, resting his head over his stump, and let out a smoky breath.
It seemed no answer would come, and Aeliana’s confidence that he’d heard her, that he could understand, waned.
Perhaps the brand wasn’t like her mother’s because Durriken was a dragon.
And yet he’d spoken in her mind when she’d first branded him.
He’d heard her respond. She had to hope it was possible even across this distance.
Eventually Durriken’s ears perked at the flutter of leaves, the crack of snapping twigs. He held unnaturally still though his heart raced.
Aeliana internally winced, wondering if she would be forced to watch him catch his prey. Perhaps it was time for her to release her hold on their brand.
Yes.
She sensed his purr of agreement cut short as he realized his mistake. So… he could understand her in this strange state.
Please, Durriken.
He hesitated, shaking his withers as if he might shake off her hold.
She tried again. When Mayvus returns, I don’t want her to brand you again. You or anyone else.
He stilled, finally sensing her desperation enough to respond. Mayvus is dead.
The flicker of memories returned at double speed, blood and torn flesh, the cave in the mountain’s peak.
A ripple of disgust ran through him. Despite Mayvus’ status as the enemy, he took no pleasure in the taste of starblood, and when her body felt lifeless, he deposited it on the cave floor and flew away.
Before she could ask more questions, a small figure broke through the trees, interrupting the memories he’d shown her.
“You came back.” A young boy breathed out the words, his eyes lit up in wonder.
Panic engulfed Aeliana, but Durriken made no move to attack. Instead, he peered beyond the boy.
“I couldn’t bring Adella today. Grandpa wants her to sleep more.”
Durriken’s rumble of disappointment flooded through Aeliana, but the true shock came when the boy stepped closer and rubbed the dragon’s nose. His stance held trust instead of fear, and his lips lifted in a smile.
“You’re slimy,” he said with a laugh.
Durriken let a huff of air out through his nostrils, sending the boy to his backside in a gust of wind. But the boy giggled and leaped to his feet.
“Again!”
Everything inside Aeliana drooped with relief as the boy and dragon resumed their game.
She’d always wanted to believe the best of Durriken.
All the atrocities he’d done had been when he was under Mayvus’ brand and authority, but that alone wasn’t enough for her to be certain.
What if he wasn’t any better than the beast Mayvus had made him become?
What if he’d simply wanted freedom to do a different kind of evil?
But that fear had been unfounded.
Durriken circled the clearing, tucking in the sharp edges of his scales as he let the boy chase—and even catch—his tail.
Now that she’d seen him this way, she could never see him any other way. She couldn’t go back to remembering him the way Mayvus had made him, even if that was all the others could see.
She sensed a wetness on her cheeks. It pulled her from her hold on the thread binding them, and she let it go willingly.
She sucked in a breath, taking in the familiar stone ceiling above her before rolling to her side. She wiped at the tears still staining her cheeks. She hadn’t gotten the answer she needed. In many ways, her effort to reach Durriken had been a failure.
Even so, she smiled.