Chapter Twelve #2
It took five days to reach Fila, which was about four and a half days too long as far as Ada was concerned.
Her entire body ached, but she’d been the one to insist they move as quickly as possible.
They changed horses regularly, stayed in modest inns, and didn’t waste any time.
Everyone was on high alert, including Ada, much good as it did her, meaning that it was with great relief that they arrived at King Nostex’s castle.
The building was practically ringed with guards, but they were clearly expecting Ada, Thurnil, and the contingent of guards, because they were allowed in immediately. Ada refused to get cleaned up and just demanded to be taken to her family.
She left most of the guards to get settled in the new location and get some sleep, but two of them trailed after them as she and Thurnil were escorted to a sitting room where Fernila was reading a book while Cala slept beside her.
Ada’s sister-in-law looked not quite as put-together as she usually did. Her red hair was done up, but the braids coiled around her head weren’t very elaborate, and wisps had escaped around her face.
The Lotaran guards went first and made sure the room was safe, though Ada couldn’t imagine what they were looking for. What had King Stronex told them?
Thurnil looked faintly annoyed and told them to wait outside—and then wouldn’t take no for an answer.
His tone was acid. “We are in King Nostex’s castle now. Unless you’re worried that the High Queen or I pose a danger to Princess Adexa? Or perhaps the baby?” He glared. “I didn’t think so. Now, let’s not start a diplomatic incident.”
“But, Your Highness, we were ordered—”
Thurnil escorted them out himself.
Ada cast Fernila an apologetic look. “We’ve all been a bit on edge.”
The redheaded woman jumped to her feet and came over to give Ada a hug.
“Oh, Adexa, I’m so glad you’re here!” She began to cry. “You don’t know how terrible it’s been.”
“Where’s Var?” Ada asked, pulling back as alarm filled her. Up close, Ada could see that her sister-in-law looked pale and worried. “Is everything all right?”
Fernila appeared to be trying to get herself under control. “Var’s looking through the collection with Father. He’s fine. I’ll send word that you’re here. I’m sure Var will want to know right away. He’s been so worried!”
She went to the door and asked one of the guards to relay the message, as well as bring some refreshments for Ada and Thurnil.
Since Ada’s stomach took that moment to grumble, it was useless to argue that she wasn’t hungry. She’d been too anxious to eat well on most of the journey, and apparently, her stomach was now rebelling.
“What’s going on?” she demanded.
“We don’t know!” Fernila exclaimed. “But someone tried to kill the baby!”
Ada’s gaze flew to Cala, and she demanded, “What?”
Fernila was crying again. “I know! It’s so awful! And they, they—”
But she dissolved into tears, and Ada wrapped her arms around her and helped her sit down again beside the baby, who peacefully slept through this torrent of emotion.
Rubbing her sister-in-law’s back, Ada hoped that Var would be back soon. He was the best placed to reassure his wife.
By the time the door opened again to admit Thurnil, a servant with a tray piled with food, and another one of King Nostex’s guards, Fernila was mostly back in control, just dabbing at her eyes with a very damp handkerchief.
Ada jumped to her feet and smiled at the young woman with the tray.
“Goodness, that looks like enough food to feed all the guards in the castle! Let’s set it down here.”
There was a table with a wrought iron frame and wooden top which had just a few items on it. Ada plucked up the basket of mending and stack of discarded books so that there was room for the tray, and set them down on a chair.
The servant smiled shyly at her as she returned to the table.
“Is there anything else you need, Your Highness?”
“No, this looks wonderful. Thank you.”
The young woman bowed and withdrew, and Ada reached for the teapot.
“You need a cup of tea,” Ada told her sister-in-law. “When Var gets here, we’ll talk everything—”
Ada wasn’t sure what alerted her. Perhaps the worry and alarm that had carried her through the last five days hadn’t completely dissipated.
Whatever it was, it meant that her shield was already forming even as she whirled towards what proved to be the guard stabbing at her with a dagger that would undoubtedly have found its target if it weren’t for the shield between them.
As it was, it pushed Ada back a few steps, the shield snapping up around her even as Fernila let out a shriek and Thurnil yanked his sword out of his scabbard.
Ada threw up another shield around Fernila and the baby even as Thurnil rushed after the guard, who bolted.
And then Ada, Fernila, and the baby were left alone, staring at one another in shock. Well, Fernila and Ada were staring. Cala had just been rudely woken from her nap and was not happy about it.
Fernila scooped the wailing Cala into her arms and set about to soothe her.
Ada was still buzzing with shock. She could feel the unpleasant zing of her magic filling her. Using it always made the discomfort worse.
“What was that?” she demanded.
Fernila looked like she was terrified but trying to hide it behind a more soothing expression for her daughter.
Her smile was shaky. “You’re all right, Cala, honey.
I’m so sorry I startled you awake. It’s all going to be fine.
Don’t you worry about anything.” Slowly, Cala’s cries tapered off under her mother’s gentle care.
Then she cast wide, scared eyes at Ada. “It might mean it’s spread here!
Oh, Adexa, I don’t know what we’re going to do! ”
“What do you mean?” Ada asked. Then she was distracted. “Where are the guards?”
There’d been yelling, a screaming baby, and a guard running off with a prince in rapid pursuit. Surely, that wasn’t normal behavior.
Only then Thurnil returned, looking slightly out of breath. He looked angry.
“He got away! The guards have gone in pursuit.” He eyed Ada. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” Ada assured him, trying not to allow any of her surprise to color her voice.
It had been a long time since she’d believed that Thurnil cared about her, but he seemed genuinely concerned, cheeks dark with color and anger flashing in his eyes.
“But there’s no sign of other attackers?” Ada questioned. “Do we have reason to believe that we’re under attack?”
Thurnil shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.” He hesitated for a moment. “It seems like it must have been an isolated incident, though I can’t imagine what the goal was. What did he think would happen if he’d succeeded?”
It was a troubling thought. Ada could only imagine how Var would have reacted, and it could never be a good thing to have a furious High King.
Ada shook out her aching hands, released her shield, and then went about pouring the tea for Fernila.
She brought it over and released the second shield so that she could hand over the cup.
Fernila’s hands shook a little, but she managed to grasp the tea in one hand while she cradled Cala with the other.
“Thank you.”
“Shall I hold the baby for you?” Ada offered.
Fernila shook her head. “No, I’m fine.”
She looked like she was going to spill her tea as soon as Cala decided to investigate, but Ada was well aware that people weren’t always rational around children.
It wasn’t her job to keep Hena and Par safe, after all, and yet Ada would do everything in her power to ensure nothing bad ever happened to them. She could only imagine what it must have been like to be attacked in the castle.
She frowned a little. She had just been attacked in a castle, hadn’t she?
“What happened in Nexa?” she demanded. “Was it anything like this?”
Fernila turned startled eyes to Ada. “No, it was much worse!” Her cheeks went pink and she said a bit shrilly, “Oh, that makes it sound like this wasn’t bad! I didn’t mean that.”
“It’s all right,” Ada assured her soothingly.
Fernila’s emotions were clearly running high right now. She sniffed, the cup of tea trembling visibly.
“It’s really not. Oh, Ada, it’s not all right at all.”
She began to cry, and Ada felt a prickle of alarm down her spine. She glanced at Thurnil, who was surveying the food on the table like it held all the answers in the world. He did not, as a rule, like to deal with other people’s emotions.
“What happened?” she demanded a bit too forcefully, because this just made her sister-in-law cry harder.
Ada felt the fleeting urge to shake the woman, but that obviously wouldn’t help anything. Clearly, something had happened, and Ada couldn’t be sure right now if it was as tragic as Fernila was acting.
Perhaps Ada could get her more tea? Or some food? Or insist on taking Cala so that Fernila could have a few minutes to get herself under control?
She moved towards the table again. A distraction seemed like a good idea.
“Maybe—” Ada started.
Without any warning, a magical shield appeared around her, and she could see that another had formed around Fernila and the baby.
Fernila’s eyes darted to Thurnil and then the door, and then she looked back to Ada.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
Slowly, Ada shook her head. “This isn’t me.” She reached out and carefully pressed a hand to the magic forming the barrier around her. It was faintly warm and almost pulsed with life.
In theory, it wasn’t actually possible to know whose magic was whose when it was an Extraordinary who manifested it. Given how rare they were, it was usually common sense that dictated who the magic belonged to.
But Ada had grown up with Extraordinary parents and siblings, and while she didn’t have the instinctive knowledge that Var and Tor had, able to know one another’s magic as if it were their own, there was still… something, like a little tingle of recognition when she touched their magic.
She couldn’t actually tell them apart, but she could make a logical deduction.
“I think this is Var’s magic,” Ada said. “I mean, it could be Tor’s, but—”