8. Downfall #2
“Only one phrase, my lady. Before he…” Corbyn hesitated, eyes brimming with pain as he shook away the memory. “He said: ‘ Ir hon, andask í tví er hon.’ ” He stumbled over the words.
A small gasp escaped my mouth and the Jarlum murmured quietly to one another. I looked up at Lenn where his fist clenched the top of my chair. “We must speak with the High Priestess.”
“Aye,” he muttered back.
“What does it mean?” Lightwing asked, tilting her head curiously. The other dragons, too, seemed lost.
I swallowed the painful lump in my throat and looked back at Corbyn. He’d been here long enough that he would recognize the language from every formal ceremony he’d attended, even if he didn’t know what the words meant. No one did, really. None but the High Priestess and her acolytes.
“It’s the language of the gods,” I answered soberly. “Forgive my rudeness, but I must cut this meeting short.”
Lightwing took a step back from the table. “Just as well,” she muttered, a disconcerted look on her youthful face.
“Are you satisfied, my lady?” Corbyn asked, his voice tight.
My heart clenched with shame at how I’d acted toward him.
“I am.” My gaze lingered on him only a moment before I turned my attention back to Lightwing. “That is all I wish to ask.”
“We are glad to have been of service, Your Majesty,” she said, her voice once again a higher timbre. “We hope you have been assured of our mutual desire for the truth, and our hope for continued peace between our peoples.”
I wasn’t entirely convinced of that, but I had to say something. “Volmere accepts the Council's offering.” I stole a furtive glance at the dragon beside her. “We welcome Prince Bentein into service.”
He stood, bowing his head. “It is my pleasure.”
That remains to be seen, I thought bitterly.
The Shadow buzzed. We need to leave soon, Asvoria, if we wish to reach the Temple before nightfall.
I sent her a feeling of understanding.
Lightwing looked at Corbyn and inclined her head, her three voices once again speaking in unison. “Unfurl your wings, Corbyn Arlbright. You are released by the Council.”
I watched with interest as he visibly relaxed, releasing a long breath and flexing his ruby wings. Had they really had some physical hold on him during that ordeal?
Turning back to the prince, I said, “It’s not my intent to throw you straight into the fray, but there is a matter that requires my immediate attention. I will need my Talons to accompany me.” I looked to Corbyn, my chest tightening. He nodded slowly.
“Of course,” the prince replied, his tone congenial.
“Lenn will get you settled in. We depart in an hour.” I gave each of them a sharp nod and turned back to Lightwing. “You have honored us with your presence, Lady Lightwing. I appreciate your consideration in coming this far.”
She smiled, the act sending a chill through my bones. “We could not sit idly by. May the Nighteater reveal the truth with his radiant splendor.”
I held my tongue, opting for a gracious smile instead.
The damn Nighteater had nothing to do with this.
I would be the one to discover why my mother was dead, and who this assassin that spoke the language of the gods truly was.
The High Priestess had been one of the last people to speak with my mother before her death.
If anyone might be able to offer an explanation, it would be her.
“Will you be staying with us?” I asked, returning to the niceties.
She stood, stretching her golden wings. “Only for the night,” she replied.
“I must return to Ilfa Esari and look into this matter myself. A creature with the ability to control a dragon is a disturbing prospect.” Of course it would be to her.
Whatever this monster was, it threatened her and the Council’s power.
“But Skymaster Vendreth wishes to convene with the northern garrison on our way back, if that is agreeable to Your Majesty?”
I looked at the red-headed dragoness, noting the disturbed look still plastered on her face. “Of course. I’m sure Lendr Gerold will be grateful for any help you can give him. The myrkva have been especially active lately.”
“Aye,” Vendreth muttered, her soil-brown eyes going cold, “we’ve seen much the same along our border with the Scrap.”
It did not escape my notice when Corbyn flinched at this piece of news.
The Scrap was a small section of land in the southeast corner of the continent, a sort of no-man's-land where rogue Shifters that did not abide by the treaty dwelled, along with bands of myrkva .
It was a desolate wasteland, fit only for nomads and scavengers.
Strange, that he would seem concerned about it.
“I wish you luck,” I said, standing up. The dragons all stood as well. “I hope you will excuse me, but I must prepare.”
Lightwing cleared her throat pointedly. “The Council will send word, whatever we find. We certainly hope Your Majesty will do the same. This creature presents a threat to us all.”
We stared at each other a moment. I got the feeling the revelation about this assassin’s power worried her even more than she let on, but her face remained surprisingly placid, as though she were already far from this place.
The Shadow seemed to crouch like an angry cat.
Slowly, I nodded. “I will send word.”
The truth of that statement depended entirely upon what I found out from the High Priestess.
As I made my way around the table, Lenn following close behind, I stole one last glance at Lightwing. A sense of dread crept over me as her unsettling orange eyes flashed a beastly red.
It was not far to the Temple in the Sacred Forest, but we had to plan for an overnight stay all the same. I would not risk being caught out in the open after dark again.
As soon as I’d returned to my room, I’d shed the formal gown and freed my hair from its web of braids.
I pulled my unbound hair out of the collar of my shirt, then tightened the laces of my black leather vest. Riding pants and boots completed the outfit.
I felt lighter than I had all morning, probably more from the information I’d finally received rather than my simpler attire.
Lukas was behind me where I stood in front of the mirror. He had come to my room and I explained what was happening. Although there was still tension between us, he deserved to know I was leaving.
“I’d feel better if you let me accompany you.” He placed his hands on my shoulders and leaned his face next to mine.
I shot him a furtive look, hoping this wasn’t about to turn into another argument.
He’d asked much the same the morning of Mother’s funeral.
To stand at my side before the pyre, as was the honor granted to a queen’s Consort.
But I hadn’t allowed it, wanting to be alone in my grief.
No matter how I’d try to assure Lukas it wasn’t about him , he’d taken it personally.
We’d been fighting like that more lately—the bitter taste of it was beginning to become familiar.
“I know,” I said, “but I need for you to keep an eye on things here. Lenn is coming with me, I’ve given the Jarlum several tasks to complete, and the other dragons won’t be leaving until tomorrow morning. If anything were to happen?—”
“Vor,” he cut me off, spinning me around to face him, “nothing is going to happen, I’ll make sure of it.” His voice was earnest, but my anxiety remained.
“Thank you,” I whispered. Though we’d had our disagreements, I still trusted him to take care of things in my absence.
He leaned into me further, exhaling slowly. “Of course. I’ll hold things down while you’re away. And perhaps when you return, we can discuss… that other matter?”
I pulled back to gaze up at him, willing my face to appear agreeable. “Perhaps,” I offered. A trap I didn’t have the time or strength to fall into. We’d discussed this too many times already. And after the morning I’d had, there was no way I could dedicate my energies to it right now.
Lukas eyed me carefully. “Vor,” he said, running a hand over my hair and cupping my cheek, “I’m beginning to worry you don’t actually want to marry me.” He laughed, but the question was buried deep in his eyes.
How could I even think of preparing for what would be the happiest day of my life when my mother’s killer remained free?
“That’s not it at all,” I said, holding back a sigh.
“The timing is all wrong, Lukas. I need to focus on finding this assassin and settling into my role as Queen. Surely you can understand that?” That wasn’t the only reason I was putting him off.
In truth, his constant pushing of the issue was causing me to have doubts.
But that wasn’t something we could get into right now.
“Of course, my love. It’s not my intent to rush you. Far from it.” His tone seemed genuine, but I still read the doubt in his expression. “I only wish to be in a better position to help you, however I can.”
I stepped away, letting his hand fall limply to his side.
Of course I understood his desire to help.
Lukas had always been helpful, even as a boy.
It’s what endeared him to me. I thought of my own father and the suffering he’d brought upon my mother—all the pain and the scandals.
How could I not love Lukas? Always the first to volunteer for whatever needed doing.
A shoulder for me to cry on and consistently willing to listen.
I offered him a sad smile. The answer he wanted was not one I could give. Not yet.
“I have to do this first. Everyone knows the trust I’ve placed in you. If they don’t respect you, they’ll answer to me.” I placed a hand on his shoulder. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
A coldness formed between us. I turned to leave, hefting my cloak off the bed and onto my shoulders. The weight of it was comforting in some small measure. But I couldn’t ignore the nagging sensation at the back of my mind. This wasn’t right. I shouldn’t be feeling this way—not about Lukas.
Perhaps it was all the stress and change I’d endured, but I felt off-center. A knot formed in my chest, and the darkthread shuddered.
Asvoria?
The Shadow… I’d forgotten about her for a moment. Here in my rooms with Lukas, I’d forgotten who I was now. But there was no going back to how things were before. Maybe that was what had me feeling so strange, about myself and about Lukas.
I’m alright, I told her.
I strode forward. Lukas followed me, but before we got to the door I stopped and looked back at him. “There is something you can do for me while I’m gone.”
“Anything.”
I drew in a deep breath, glancing around the room. “Have the servants move my things into the queen’s suites.” He nodded, giving me an appreciative, if not strained, smile.
The thud of the door closing behind me held more finality than I would have liked. But it was time to move into my new role as High Queen. With my mother’s death, the carefully constructed plan for my life had been stolen from me. Now it was time to catch the thief.