The Song of Eloh Saga (41 page)

Krissin stomped her foot on the floor. “No! This is my palace. It’s my war I’m about to start. I will not hide away like a cowardly little woman. Reychel can stay behind.”

“Hey!” I shouted. I walked into the center of the room and stood next to Mark and Jada’s errant slipper. “Don’t count me out. After what I went through today, you can bet I’m going to do anything I can to fix this mess. It’s all my fault anyway.”

Mark looked at me, one eyebrow raised. “How is any of this your fault?”

I opened my mouth, but before I could explain Krissin interrupted. “Zelor lied. Reychel’s not going to have a prophecy to save our people. Sure, she’s a prophet, but the gift isn’t controllable and is of no use to anyone.”

“What?” Mark asked. “She’s lying, right?”

“No.” I placed a hand on his arm. “She’s not. It’s all true. I am a prophet, Zelor knew I’d exist, but he made up the prophecy that all Serenians have depended on for hundreds of years. I can’t force a prophecy to save our people. I can’t do anything useful,” I said, throwing my arms up in the air. As they fell back down, I felt something tickle my fingertip.

Raising my hands back in the air, fingers spread, I closed my eyes and felt the air.

“What are you doing?” Krissin demanded. Mark shushed her. I heard him step away from me. Instead of worrying about what the other three thought, I focused inward. My fingers danced through the air, looking for the portal string I’d felt only a moment ago.

If someone had taken Jada through a portal, it stood to reason she would leave a string behind, something for us to trace her. Even if I couldn’t open a portal, I could pull on a leftover string. My arms shook as the excitement coursed through my body. Maybe I couldn’t make a speech to lead our people into a war, but I could do this.

Trying to remember exactly where my fingers had been when I’d dropped my arms, I moved a little higher and to the left. A tiny wisp brushed my index finger and I knew I’d found it. I pinched my fingers together and tugged. A portal blossomed in front of me, shimmering in the moonlight.

“Jada’s through here,” I said, confident I’d finally done something useful since arriving two weeks ago. It could be an older portal, but what were the chances? I’d helped for once; I knew it.

Mark grabbed me around the waist and lifted me. “You did it!” He swung me in a circle and my feet flew through the air. Happiness surrounded me like a warm towel after a cold bath. Blood pumped through my veins and I finally felt like maybe we’d have a chance to make all of this work.

Krissin pushed my legs out of the way as she stepped in front of the portal. Mark dropped me to the floor, but left his arm around my waist. “You two make me sick. And congratulations for doing something right. Finally.”

Ace joined her and winked at me. Ace and Mark bumped fists. Their smiles couldn’t have been any bigger without jumping off their faces. For once we were all on the same page. Even Krissin gave me a half smile before her face fell back into its normal scowl.

Zelor hadn’t seen this. He hadn’t seen me helping my friends. Despite his predictions of failure, I wondered if I could do something to help them today. Maybe if I stopped telling everyone what I couldn’t do, I could focus instead on ways to help them.

Krissin and Ace joined hands. “We’ll go through first. You two bring up the rear. Be prepared for anything. Hopefully we’ll find Jada alone and escape with her.”

“It won’t be that easy,” Ace said, squeezing Krissin’s hand. Her knuckles turned white as she grasped his harder.

“I never said it would be. I was only trying on Reychel’s optimistic attitude.” Krissin’s nose wrinkled as she tossed a glance my way.

“It doesn’t suit you,” Ace said. “I like your attitude the way it was before.” He tugged on her hand and they jumped through the portal, leaving us behind in the ransacked room.

“Ready?” I asked Mark. He nodded and we jumped through together.

My feet slipped on the ground as we landed outside a cottage. Alia’s parents’ cottage, or at least the place she told us they lived. If Mark and Ace were right, this wasn’t a mere family home. My eyes scanned the surrounding forest, but I didn’t see Ace or Krissin.

Mark put his fingers to his lips and pointed to the side of the house. The tip of Ace’s shoe peeked out from the corner. We tiptoed across the damp grass, spongy from the dew and smelling sweeter than the orange I’d eaten for breakfast.

Ace’s hand shot out from behind the corner of the cottage, grabbed my arm and yanked me into him. Mark jumped behind me, landing close to my toes. Ace clamped his hand over my mouth before I could ask what was going on. I nodded and he lowered his hand.

“No one will find her here.” Alia’s voice floated out to us as the front door opened.

“You haven’t brought anyone here, have you?” Reese asked. Krissin nodded at me. Thank Eloh I’d found the portal string or we’d be back at the palace searching the deserted hallways all night for Jada.

“Of course not,” Alia said. Mark’s eyebrows shot up as Ace rolled his eyes. Interesting. She lied to Reese. Mark, Ace, and I had all been there at her invitation a couple days ago. “No one will find her here. She’ll stay quiet and we can continue on with our plans. No one can stop us now. Krissin will get what she deserves.”

“And the Prophet?” Reese asked. I sucked in a breath. My stomach muscles clenched as I held my breath captive. I wouldn’t let even a tiny exhale give us away.

“I will personally see to her demise,” Alia said. “Serving her was the lowest moment of my life. She forced me to shave her head, you know. She’s an absolute fool and will never have the power to deliver a prophecy convincing enough. I don’t care how many people believe in the old tales. It won’t be enough to make them give up their quiet lives here in the Southern Kingdom.”

I heard the familiar swoosh as one of them created a portal. Moments later we heard nothing other than the birds chirping their evening song. Ace looked around the corner of the cottage, then stepped back from the wall.

“They’re gone,” he said. “Let’s get in there and rescue your friend. Maybe she heard something else that can help us.

One by one we crept along the wall towards the cottage door. We had no idea when, or even if, they would come back, but none of us let our guards down. Freeing Jada was more important now.

Ace grabbed the doorknob and twisted it to the left. The door opened a crack, but before he could open it all the way Krissin maneuvered around him, pushed it open with flat palms, and ran inside.

“You?” she yelled. “What are you doing here?”

Chapter Twenty-Two

I pushed Ace out of the way and ran through the doorway. Jada wasn’t the one tied to a chair.

“Hanne!” I ran to her side and helped Krissin untie the ropes around her ankles. The rough rope burned at my fingers as I struggled to pull the knots out. Ace ran behind the chair and worked on the bindings around her wrists. Her arms pulled taut behind her back and tears streamed out of her eyes, flowing down her cheeks and over the cloth gagging her mouth.

Mark grasped a knife in his nimble fingers. He dragged it across the silk, not cutting it, for fear of tearing at Hanne’s face, but scoring the silk, making it easier to tear. He ripped the silk gag in two and pulled the fabric out of Hanne’s mouth. She coughed, then licked her lips.

“Water.” Her voice, sounding like her throat had been scratched dry, pleaded with us.

“How long have you been like this?” Krissin asked, still fumbling with her knot. Mine fell loose and Hanne stretched her leg out towards me, flexing her calf muscle. Her face contorted in pain. “Your own husband did this to you? And where’s Jada?”

Mark handed Hanne a cup filled with water from the jug on the counter. “It’s a little warm,” he apologized.

“I don’t care,” Hanne said. Ace dropped her wrist bindings to the floor and Hanne reached out with one shaky hand, taking the cup and drinking greedily. I tried not to look as the water dripped out the side of her mouth. She wiped it with her sleeve, set the cup down on the table next to her, and eyed us all wearily. Her head drooped to the side and tears flooded her eyes again.

“What happened?” I asked, placing a hand on her arm. I crouched down in front of her and looked up into Hanne’s drenched eyes. We’d heard Reese leave. He’d been here. He’d known his wife was tied up and he’d left her. My heart broke for her.

“This morning...” Hanne cleared her throat and took another sip of water, “I woke and found Reese gone. I didn’t know when he’d slipped out of bed, but I knew how much work he had to do before Krissin announced our plans to the town.” She glanced over at Krissin, her eyes filled with sorrow. “I know you wanted everything to transition smoothly. That’s what I thought Reese was doing so late every night.”

Krissin’s face softened as she listened to Hanne’s story. Hanne had been like a mother to Krissin since the queen died. Their bond ran deeper than Krissin’s bond with Nemison. Krissin knelt down on the floor next to me. I scooted over, giving her full access to Hanne. She laid her head on Hanne’s lap. “What did he do to you?” Krissin whispered.

“I went to Jada’s room, hoping maybe she knew where Reese was working.” Hanne paused and a defeated cackle escaped her lips. “Oh, I found them both. They were ... together.” She spat the last word out and my hand flew to my mouth. Jada and Reese?

“No,” Krissin said, raising her head up off of Hanne’s lap. “Not Jada and Reese. I’ll kill them both!”

Hanne grabbed Krissin’s shoulders and shook them. “Don’t say that. I won’t have you unleashing your gift on them because of their infidelity.”

“I don’t understand,” Ace interjected. “If you found Jada and Reese together, why was her room trashed? And why was Alia here with Reese? None of it makes sense.”

“When I found them in her bed,” Hanne said, “I may have reacted badly. In fact, I’m the one who trashed Jada’s room.” Hanne wore only one slipper and her dress was torn along the bottom. So it wasn’t Jada who’d struggled, it was Hanne. “When I refused to calm down, Reese grabbed me and Jada ported us here. They didn’t want either of you to know.” She glanced at Krissin and me. “In fact, they said if you found out about them it would ruin everything.”

“Everything?” Krissin asked. “What everything? Do you know anything about their plans?”

Hanne shook her head. “I don’t have any idea what they were referring to.”

“Hanne, they’re planning something with Alia, something that goes against everything Krissin and Nemison are trying to accomplish. But we don’t know what that is yet. You didn’t hear anything that can help us?” I grabbed her hand in mine.

“No, nothing. Alia was here most of the day, but she was back in that room.” Hanne pointed to the door we’d thought lead to her parents’ bedroom, back when Mark, Ace, and I came here with Alia. “She didn’t say a word to me all day. Reese arrived not long ago. He avoided me and since I was gagged I couldn’t say anything to him. Then they left together. I suppose they assumed I couldn’t go anywhere tied up like that.”

The tears tumbled down her cheeks again. I could kill Reese for doing this to her. He was almost old enough to be Jada’s father; it was disgusting.

“So where has Jada been in all this?” Mark stuck his head in the room Alia had hid in all day.

“I don’t know,” Hanne admitted. “After they brought me here, she helped to tie me up. They left me here, alone, and went outside. Neither of them came back, just Alia.”

Mark motioned for me to join him in the other room. I patted Hanne’s knee and stood up. Krissin nodded at me, and she stood up too. “Can you stand, Hanne?” She asked as I walked away. After being tied up all day, Hanne would need some time to get used to using her legs again. Her muscles were probably sore and stiff, not to mention dehydrated. She would need more water and food before she felt good enough to go back to the palace.

“What’s in there?” I asked Mark, angling my head towards the doorway. I’d believed Alia last time we were here and hadn’t seen the tables and maps Mark had seen.

“Looks like the same stuff as before,” he said, “but I think we should take a look at the maps more closely. If they’re planning something it might help us know how to fight back, or at least defend ourselves. I wouldn’t put anything past them after seeing what they did to Hanne.” Mark kicked the door open with his foot. “How could he do that to his own wife?”

“I wish I knew,” I said. “Reese had been kind to me when I arrived. I never would have suspected him of this before we overheard him talking to Alia.”

Mark turned, putting his arms around my waist. He pulled me close. “You know I’d never do anything like that to you, don’t you? I could never hurt you.”

I leaned in and kissed him. I didn’t think I needed to answer with words.

“Okay, break it up you two,” Ace called from across the room. Krissin helped Hanne walk around the room and regain her footing. “I know everyone’s excited we found Hanne, but they could come back at any moment. How long do you think they were planning on leaving her alone here? Not long, I’d bet.”

Mark grabbed my hand and pulled me into the back room. “Carry as many of these as you can.” He bent over the table cluttered with maps and rolled them up. I grabbed a nearby box and we tossed as many maps as we could into it. Within minutes we’d cleared the table. Mark hefted the box into his arms and I held the door open for him as we joined the others.

A portal shimmered in the cottage.

“It’s linked to Reychel’s room,” Krissin said. “I want Ace to go in first and make sure everything is clear for the rest of us to come through.”

Ace unsheathed a knife from his boot and twirled it in his fingers, a grin spreading across his face. “See you on the other side,” he said and jumped through the portal. A moment later, an orange tumbled through the portal.

“That’s the signal,” Krissin said. “We’re clear.”

She held tight to Hanne’s hand and stepped through. I smiled at Mark and we followed them through. As I got into my room, I realized Jada’s room wasn’t the only one that had been torn apart.

“What were they looking for?” I asked, stepping through the clutter on the floor. Books strewn across the room, clothes pulled out of the wardrobe, I had no idea what they’d wanted from me. Everyone here had seen me as a prophet and it wasn’t something I could have hidden in my room.