A Soul For Chaos (The Soulbearer Trilogy) (3 page)

Cinder’s whining pulled Dev’s attention from the stack of scrolls in front of him. The fire wolf sniffed the air and whined again.

Dev reached down and patted him on the head, noticing how Cinder’s hackles remained raised. “What’s wrong?”

The fire wolf jumped to his feet and scratched at the closed door.

“I’ll let you out after I’m finished.” Dev resumed reading the transcript from the last Gravarian diplomatic envoy to Ranello. Knowing some of the players involved—including his own father—he doubted the pleasantries recorded were said as civilly as they were written. But it mattered little to him what was said—only who said it.

As far as he could tell, only two members of the Milorian family were part of the envoy.

And one of them had to be Arden’s father.

Unfortunately, neither one of them seemed like the sort that would be enamored enough to call a palace maid “the brightest star in the sky.” Caz was far too conceited and ambitious to even consider a dalliance with Arden’s mother. Varrik was far too studious and aloof to even notice a woman. If it wasn’t for the Milorian rose on the pendant, Dev would’ve been able to name ten other more likely Gravarians as the man who sired Arden. But as it was, he needed to determine which man was her father before she was thrown into the mess of Gravarian politics.

Cinder’s whining rose an octave higher, followed by a yip. His claws tore into the door, leaving scars behind in the wood.

Dev banged his fist against the table and stood, grumbling about what a pest Cinder was being. His mood changed as sweat prickled his skin. The air crackled with magic, and the ground rolled under his feet. A scream rang through his mind.

Arden!

He flung the door open and raced Cinder up the stairs. Fragments of plaster showered down on him, stinging his eyes from their dust. His heart pounded, and he offered a quick prayer to Lady Luck that he’d find Arden safe.

Cinder led him through the main hallways of the palace. The earthquake had stopped by now, and the residents were left pale-faced from the force of nature they’d just witnessed. Dev made a note to ask Arden if this region was prone to such tremors once he found her. Everything in his being, though, told him this was the work of powerful magic. The question was, why?

A growl from Cinder parted the crowd of guards clustered around the entrance to the orangery. The tower next to it had collapsed on the delicate glass ceiling. Dev halted when he saw the rubble piled up inside, his heart in his throat. Images of Arden crushed under the massive stones flashed in front of him. But as the guards stepped aside, he caught a glimpse of her golden hair.

He pushed his way through the guards to her. “Are you hurt?” 

Dust caked her face, and her dress was torn at the sleeves, but she shook her head. Like the others he’d passed, her expression was wide-eyed, and her face was ashen.

He wrapped his arm around her, leading her to a boulder where she could sit while he looked for any hidden injuries. “What happened?”

“Kell and I were watching the eclipse when the ground starting shaking.”

Dev’s gaze lingered on her hastily tied bodice, and an unwelcome emotion seethed inside him. “Watching the eclipse, huh?”

Arden’s cheeks flooded with color, and she yanked her hand back. “Yes, or did you fail to notice it because you were too busy assuming I was doing something else.”

Above, the moon was beginning to peek out from behind the shadow, signaling the end of the eclipse. That still didn’t mean Kell had kept his hands—or his lips—off of her. He took a step back and crossed his arms. “How did you escape injury?”

“I managed to raise a shield around us.” Her eyelids hung heavy. “I never realized how draining it could be.”

Dev finally managed to push his unwanted emotions aside. As much as he hated the idea of her being in Kell’s arms, he couldn’t let jealousy guide his actions, especially after what just happened. “Did you feel the blow?”

She nodded. “Even though I didn’t physically feel it, my head is still swimming like I’d knocked it against the wall.”

“It takes strong magic to maintain a shield under such forces.” He placed his hands on either side of her head and let a stream of healing magic flow into her. “Better?”

“Yes.” She stood, her color back to normal now, and tagged along as he surveyed the damage. “Do you know what happened?”

“I take it earthquakes are not normal here.”

“No, they’re not.” Kell came alongside them, his normally immaculate clothes wrinkled and dirty. But like Arden, he appeared unharmed. “I’ve never felt such a force in my life.”

“And hopefully, you never will again.” Dev continued to walk around the ruined orangery, stepping around the remnants of the guard tower strewn across the floor. The stark scent of magic still hung in the air. “You didn’t have anything to do with this, did you?”

He asked more to Loku rather than Arden, and based on the way the green ring in her eyes brightened, the chaos god answered. “You should know the answer to that,” she replied, her tone flat.

In the center of the room sat the largest piece of the tower. A blanket peeked out from underneath it. “You were sitting there?”

Arden nodded, and the hairs on the back of his neck rose. He glanced back to where the tower once stood, trying to calculate the trajectory of the falling rock. Had this been a normal earthquake, the tower should have imploded on itself. Only a precise wave of the earth could have thrown the chunk directly onto the blanket.

He knelt on the ground, but the magic had faded. There was no way to tell where it came from now.

“What are you thinking?” Arden crouched next to him, the press of her lips telling him she was coming to the same conclusions he was.

He turned to her so he could gauge her reaction. “I think you’ve made some powerful enemies, Trouble.”

Her eyes widened, but she said nothing. Another flash of green in her eyes told him Loku was sharing his opinion with her. He’d have to ask her more about it when they were alone. “Let’s get out of the cold,” he said, ushering her back into the palace. “You’re going to need some sleep before we leave for Boznac tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” She jerked to a stop. “What do you mean, tomorrow?”

Kell came to her side and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Are you planning on leaving so soon?”

Dev bit back the urge to pull her away from Kell. “Yes. She needs to get to Gravaria as quickly as possible.”

Kell took a step toward him, his eyes narrowed. “Why? So you can turn her into some weapon for your Empress? Or because you know she’ll want to stay here if you let her.”

Dev’s fingers curled into a fist. What he wouldn’t give to beat the Third Prince of Ranello into a bloody pulp. Instead, he focused on keeping his voice quiet and level. “In case you failed to notice, what happened tonight was not natural. And if she hadn’t raised a shield in time, you would both be dead.”

The challenge melted from Kell’s stance, allowing Dev the opportunity to whisk Arden away. As they came closer to her room, she stopped and asked, “Do you really think someone was trying to kill me?”

“Either you or Kell.”

“Then perhaps we need to stay here and figure out which one of us they’re after.”

Dev grabbed her wrist and pulled her the rest of the way to her room with Cinder tight on their heels. “I’m your protector, not his, and I’m not going to hang around here and wait for the next assassination attempt to sort this out. I need to get you safely inside the walls of the Mage’s Conclave.”

“And what if I don’t want to go?” Her chin rose to a stubborn angle when he turned around. The last time he saw this look, she ran out to take on an army of undead.

Dev closed his eyes and forced himself to count to ten. She was his fifth Soulbearer, and none of them had vexed him like she did. She was stubborn to a fault, but her courage and loyalty earned his admiration. The way she awakened his long-suppressed desires with a mere glance was an entirely different matter. “I’m not ready to lose another Soulbearer, and I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe, even if it means taking you to Gravaria against your will.”

He waited long enough for Cinder to slip past them before shoving Arden into her room with the fire wolf and sealing the door shut.

***

“His Majesty wishes to speak to you.”

Kell watched Arden disappear with Dev around the corner. They’d both been shaken by the earthquake, but at least they were unharmed thanks to her magic. He turned to the guard that delivered the summons. “I’m coming.”

He was pretty sure his father wanted a damage report, almost certain he’d try to point a finger at Arden for causing it, and knew without a doubt he’d rejoice in knowing she’d be leaving for Gravaria in the morning. If Kell hadn’t seen the increased number of Thallan troops along the border, he might have believed there was some truth in Arden’s accusation that his father was trying to keep them apart.

The door to his father’s study was open, allowing the messengers to flow freely back and forth with their reports. King Heodis stood behind his desk, bent over a map. He didn’t even look up when Kell entered. “Tell me what happened.”

“Don’t tell me your spies haven’t already told you every detail of what happened, Father.” He stopped a few feet in front of the desk and crossed his arms. “What more can I add?”

“You can start with your account of the events.” Heodis finally met his gaze. “I understand you were with the witch when this happened.”

Kell rolled his eyes. “Father, you’ve made Arden a member of our titled nobility—why do you continue to call her a witch?”

“Because she is what she is.” Heodis banged his hand against the table to drive the point home. “Did she cause this?”

“No. What makes you think she did?”

“I’m still repairing the city walls she destroyed months ago. She’s done this kind of magic before.”

A messenger slipped into the room, interrupting the conversation. “Your Majesty, there are no signs of any other damage to the palace or city walls.” He bowed and ran out as quickly as he’d entered.

“Close the door, Kell.” Heodis sank into his chair and stroked his grizzled beard. “For the second time in less than a year, the people of Trivinus have been shaken from their beds, and walls have fallen. And both times, she’s been at the center of it.”

Kell remained standing, not fooled by his father’s less aggressive stance. The minute he conceded, his father might reverse his judgment of Arden. “I won’t argue that she used magic to cause the earthquake to defend the city from Sulaino, but this time, she is completely innocent of it. If she hadn’t used her magic to save me, I wouldn’t be standing here now.”

The king’s expression softened. “Are you saying she’s a hero?”

“She’s saved my life more times than I’m comfortable admitting.” He relaxed his posture, relieved to have found something that turned the tide for the moment. “Dev thinks this was an attack targeted for Arden.”

The king snorted. “He’s a Tel’Brien. Be careful what you believe from an elf.”

“But what if it’s the truth?” Kell took a step toward the desk, hoping he might be able to keep Arden here. All he needed to do was convince his father to order her to stay. “Dev plans on leaving for Boznac in the morning.”

“Then good riddance to them both. I have more important matters to deal with. Thallus is threatening, and I need to make sure they stay on their side of the mountains. If she didn’t cause it, then I wouldn’t be surprised if one of their mages was behind this attack.”

“All the more reason why we need to have a powerful mage on our side.” Now was the moment to take the lower stance. He sat in the chair, leaning forward as he pleaded, “If we were wise, we’d do everything to keep Arden here. She’s used her magic to defeat one threat to the kingdom—she’ll do it again.”

His father’s expression hardened. “And you have no idea what impact your suggestion will have on the kingdom. There’s a reason why magic has been outlawed here for centuries. You think it will bring order, but history has told us it will only bring chaos, especially from the likes of her.”

“Meaning?”

Heodis opened his mouth to speak, then clamped it shut again. “I’ll speak of this to you when you are ready. Until then, I will not endanger my kingdom any more than I have to. She leaves in the morning, and that’s final.”

“But you can’t fight magic without magic.” Kell jumped to his feet. “If Sulaino taught us anything, it’s that. Thallus has mages—powerful mages—and we’ll be slaughtered if they unleash that power against us. We need magical allies.”

Heodis rose from his chair, the volume of his voice rising with it. “No, we need a strong army that will make Thallus think twice before invading our land. And I need an heir I can trust to lead my people if we come to war.”

Kell’s response remained lodged in his throat. There’d been little talk of the succession since Gandor was imprisoned for his part in the plot to overthrow their father. Kell had always assumed the throne would go to Therrin, his older brother, even though Therrin had declared over and over again he didn’t want it. “What are you saying, Father?”

His father remained tall and stern. “Don’t act so surprised. I’ve been grooming you for years to become king after me. You possess all the qualities needed to rule. You just need to stop your needless infatuation with that witch and take your place by my side. Together, we can gather our forces and be waiting in Cordello to defeat the Thallan troops when they cross our borders.”

Kell swallowed hard, taking a moment to digest what his father had just told him. He would be king one day. He’d rule Ranello and be responsible for the safety of its people. But his vision of the future did not match his father’s. “And what if I wish to avoid war?”

“It’s too late for that. They’ve made the first move by gathering along our borders. You saw them yourself. They’re preparing to invade as soon as the snow clears from the passes.”

“I saw more soldiers in the garrisons along the border, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to invade. They may have heard about Arden’s powers and are taking a defensive stance of their own.”