Kethril (45 page)

“Daughter?” the king asked in wonder. The
woman didn’t need to ask, but moved forward with outstretched arms
and teary eyes.

A sob shook Anilyia’s shoulders and she ran
to her mother. They embraced fiercely and were joined by the king
an instant later. The three of them stood there for minutes, just
holding each other and crying. Liselle wasn’t ashamed of the tears
flowing down her own cheeks, especially since everyone watching had
tears too, even Tathan.

The king wiped his eyes and parted from the
women. He scanned the crowd before settling his eyes on Sir Danth,
who looked out of place in the midst of all the silk robes and
togas. All the companions stood out, but none as much as the
knight. “And who is it that has returned my beloved daughter to
me?”

Sir Danth pointed at Liselle. “She did.”
Then he stepped aside.

Liselle froze. She hadn’t expected that.
Talking to a king was far more than she was prepared for. Luckily,
Anilyia broke the embrace with her mother so that she could
introduce them. “Mother, Father, the woman he introduced is
Liselle, Child of Flowers. She undertook the quest to save me. The
knight is Sir Danth Wazmordin of Morhain, the Lost Kingdom. The
purple haired individual holding arms with Liselle is Vevin. The
other man is Tathan. He is a specialist in matters of security.
Together they rescued me from . . .” Anilyia couldn’t finish
because she broke down again, covering her face in her hands as
sobs wracked her body. Her mother grabbed her into another embrace
while the king’s face darkened at whatever he imagined had happened
to his daughter.

“Let us adjourn to the royal chambers where
things can be explained,” the king said.

Things took a long time to explain. By the
time the sun had risen, Anilyia was asleep with her head in her
mother’s lap. The king, having heard the short version of the
story, let the companions rest. Tathan fell asleep in the luxurious
room provided and lay awake for a while, missing the presence of
Anilyia.

The next day, they sat around a table in a
meeting room. It had a balcony that looked out over lush gardens.
Tathan leaned against the railing, enjoying a piece of fruit while
Anilyia told of her treatment at the hands of the Rojuun.

He wanted to run over and comfort her,
especially when she cried. Had he sat at the table with others, his
reactions to her words and tears would have given away his
feelings.

“It’s a lovely view,” Vevin said, coming up
next to him.

Tathan looked at the thick trees surrounded
by marbled buildings. Statues and fountains dotted the paths that
cut through beautiful flowerbeds. “It is nice. Hard to believe we
were in snowy mountains just a few days ago.”

“Are you going to be alright?”

Tathan saw concern swirling in Vevin’s eyes.
He sighed. “I don’t know. I’m afraid of staying in one place. Any
other time, I’d explore the streets, get into trouble and run away
to the next kingdom.”

“I’m sure you’ll get into trouble and have
to leave. I give it a year, maybe two,” Vevin said with a straight
face.

Tathan stood straight. “Really?” Vevin’s
lips twisted in amusement. Tathan clouted him on the shoulder. “You
know me too well.” He leaned back against the railing and sighed.
“I want to be normal this time. I want to be happy.”

Vevin put a friendly arm around his
shoulder. “You’ll never be normal, but I hope you’re happy.”

“Gee thanks.”

“I hope you get to know the same kind of
happiness I feel. And I want to thank you.” Vevin leaned on the
rail like Tathan.

“What are you thanking me for?” Tathan
looked at his friend.

“For letting Liselle be my mate. I love her
and she’s why I’m happy.” He turned and sat on the rail. “You could
have said no, or interfered, but you supported us instead. You’re
my best friend, Tathan.”

Tathan looked back at Liselle. She was
holding Anilyia’s hand while the princess told her parents about
the nightmare she experienced with the Rojuun. The king and queen
had welcomed Liselle into their home quickly.

“I don’t know what my cousin is, Vevin.”
Tathan turned back to him. “But I do know that you’re good for her.
The two of you fit. I’m honored to call you friend.”

“Thank you, Tathan. I promise to keep her
safe.”

Tathan looked out at the garden. “I hope so,
because something is happening and she’s more important than we
know.”

“You feel that way too, then!” Vevin slapped
his thigh. “I don’t know what it is either.” He paused. “I love her
regardless of whether she’s filled with divine power or just a
pretty flower, Tathan. I love her.”

Tathan smiled. “I know. I didn’t mean to get
so serious.” He stood and stretched. His body still ached from all
the abuse he had put it through. It would be good to stay in a
comfortable palace and take it easy for a while. “I’ve met a lot of
important people recently, Vevin. Some of them are good and some
are bad. I don’t know what it means.”

“That sounds very ominous, Tathan. Do you
know what I think?”

Tathan wasn’t sure he wanted to know. “What
do you think?”

Vevin’s expression held a gravity Tathan
hadn’t seen in the dragon before. “I think you’re one of those
important people too. I think that you’re connected to all the
other important people somehow.”

“I don’t want to be important, Vevin. I want
to be happy and live a peaceful life.” Tathan looked at the garden.
He saw it burning and the buildings around it crumbling. Then he
shook his head and the vision was gone.

“You want to be happy, yes.” Vevin looked at
the garden too. “But you don’t want a peaceful life. I know you
better than that.”

“Just keep her safe, Vevin.” Tathan went
back to his seat at the table and began filling in details about
rescuing Anilyia from the Rojuun.

***

“You look almost dignified, Master Shadows.”
The servant assigned to Tathan adjusted folds on Tathan’s toga.

It was uncomfortable and loose. Tathan had
tried to talk his way out of wearing it, but to no avail. The royal
servants were pushy and there was an army of them assigned to each
of the companions. “I don’t
feel
dignified.”

“
Almost
dignified is what I said.”
The servant shook his head in disgust. “You and your friends are
heathen peasants. I’ve done the best I can. By the king’s command,
you are to report to the dining room for dinner.”

“Take me to my cousin’s room first.” Tathan
hadn’t had a chance to talk to her since they arrived.

“It is forbidden for a man to enter the
women’s quarters!” The servant made a nasty noise. “As I said,
heathens!”

“Whatever.” Tathan brushed by the man,
knocking him off balance. He had no respect for people who made a
living looking down their nose at others. The man sputtered and
cussed as Tathan left the room.

Sir Danth’s room was a distance down the
hall. Tathan ignored the suspicious looks all the guards gave him
as he walked down the marbled corridors to reach it.

The sight of a servant standing on Sir
Danth’s shoulders, trying to pull the knight’s helmet off, greeted
Tathan. “You
must
dress for dinner,” the servant insisted.
His face was red and veins bulged from his neck with the
effort.

“Hello, Tathan,” Vevin said. He was sitting
on a table nearby, watching the process with great amusement. “Sir
Danth is being stubborn and won’t let them put a toga on him.” He
looked Tathan up and down. “You look very nice in yours, and I
would never fib about such a thing.” Vevin gave Tathan his
toothiest grin ever.

Tathan narrowed his eyes. “Uh huh. Say, why
aren’t you wearing a toga?”

Vevin still wore his vest and swung his bare
feet back and forth. “They tried to put one on me, but I explained
that it wasn’t going to happen.”

“And they just let you go?” Tathan asked in
surprise. The servants were
very
persistant.

“I might have bitten one or five of them,
purely on accident of course.” Vevin studied the ceiling with a
look of innocence.

Tathan barked out a laugh. “And you’re not
in chains?”

Vevin rolled his eyes. “Like they could ever
get me in chains. Liselle is upset with me though. She had to heal
them. When she was done, she chased me out.”

“How is she doing?” Tathan asked.

“I think she’s enjoying the new clothes, but
it’s overwhelming. Hopefully we’ll be able to go soon.” Vevin
looked out the patio doors, which were open to the fresh air above
another garden.

“Court life is difficult to escape, Master
Vevin.” Sir Danth had two servants trying to pull apart his folded
arms. The man on his shoulders had hooked an elbow around his chin
for better leverage.

“You should let them take your helmet off,”
Vevin suggested. “Perhaps it would give them a better understanding
of why you won’t change.” He grinned mischievously.

“Perhaps that would be best,” Sir Danth
agreed. The helmet suddenly popped off his shoulders, sending the
servant flying backwards to tumble in a heap on the ground.

The other servants stared at the headless
knight in shock. The tallest one looked inside the empty suit of
armor. Then he ran out of the room screaming.

The servant with the helmet threw it at the
rest of the armor before joining his friend. Sir Danth caught it
and reattached it with a click. “Ahh, that’s better. One should
never lose their head while getting dressed.”

Tathan chuckled. “We should probably get to
dinner.” They made their way downstairs to the lavish dining
room.

***

Tathan picked at his food. He and Sir Danth
sat far away from the head of the table where Liselle sat next to
Anilyia. The only reason Vevin sat next to her was because he
threatened to eat the high-ranking noble the seat had been reserved
for. The king accepted Liselle, but seemed determined to treat the
rest of them with contempt in spite of the efforts they had gone
through to save his daughter.

“Let’s get out of here,” Tathan said to Sir
Danth.

“Excellent idea.” The knight stood and
nodded to the lady who had been chattering at him nonstop since
they arrived. “I’d like to find the library.”

They made their way through numerous halls
to a far section of the compound where the royal library was. They
were stared at everywhere they went. Tathan didn’t know why so many
people were necessary to take care of the royal family and
countless nobles served no purpose that Tathan could discern.

“You look miserable, my friend,” Sir Danth
said with concern.

“Staying here was a bad idea.” Tathan stuck
his tongue out at a guard that was glaring at him. “I wish we had
gone somewhere else and let the country work out its own problems.”
He didn’t think it was safe to say how much he wanted to be with
Anilyia. There were people listening. The palace security agents
were clumsy though and he had already spotted five.

“Things will calm down soon. Patience my
friend.” They reached the large doors to the library. “Until then,
you can help me do some research.” He gave Tathan a smack on the
back that sent the rogue stumbling.

They spent most of the night finding the
sections of the library that might have materials on Morhain.

***

It was two days later before Tathan was able
to join Vevin and Liselle for a lunch in the gardens. The cousins
held onto each other for a long while before sitting.

“I’m overwhelmed by the number of people
vying for my attention.” Liselle rubbed her temples. “I don’t know
how Anilyia does it. I would
have
to have some way to escape
and be at peace.”

“How is . . .” Tathan didn’t want to ask.
The security agents could be listening.

“No one can hear us,” Vevin said. “I’ve seen
to it.”

Tathan flashed him a smile of gratitude.
“How is Anilyia?”

“She misses you and is doing her best to
arrange a meeting, but it might be weeks. Her parents won’t let her
out of sight.” Liselle bit her lower lip.

The words stabbed Tathan through the heart.
“I hate being away from her. You’re not telling me something
though. I see it in your face.”

“She’s to be married in two weeks. Her
betrothed, Prince Albrato will be here in a few days.” Liselle put
a comforting hand on Tathan’s.

He stared at it wordlessly. Anilyia had made
it clear that it would happen, but his gut clenched and he wanted
to run away.

“Are you going to be alright, Cousin?”
Liselle asked. “She feels terrible and wishes she had run away with
you, if that helps any.”

Tathan let out a short laugh. “It does. I
feel the same way.” He took a deep breath and gave Liselle a weak
smile. “Thank you for letting me know.”

“You’re welcome. She’s also going to
convince her father to hire you for security, but she doesn’t know
how long it’ll take.” Liselle sat back.

“Considering how clumsy the current security
forces are, I hope it’s soon for their sake.” He glanced at one
leaning over a nearby roof. “Until then, I’ll continue helping Sir
Danth research.”

“How is that going?” Vevin asked.

“There’s not enough information here, so
he’s checking out the archives on the outskirts of the city today.”
Tathan took a drink of wine. “He’s hopeful though.”

A courier came to their table. “Pardon me. A
challenge to duel has been issued for the one called Vevin. He is
to meet Lord Purvasa Mugave at the Royal Dueling Arena
immediately.”

Liselle turned to Vevin with her mouth open
in alarm. “A duel?”

“That man who touched you yesterday was
named Mugave,” Vevin said. “I bit off his hand, so it’ll be very
difficult for him to duel.”