Arrival (28 page)

On the Eve of the battle, Fern asked Jane to call a meeting of the Strangers.

“Yes, all right,” she agreed absently, trying to focus on the sword in her hand. Fern was giving her one last lesson and it was going well.

Right at that moment she was fighting a young soldier Fern had chosen. He said he’d chosen the boy because he was good, but Jane could tell it wasn’t true. Fern had obviously chosen him because he knew he could not hurt her, which at the moment, was very annoying. Fern meant well, but she needed a challenge, and so dismissed the disheartened boy.

“I don’t know what the others will have to say about it though,” she murmured. Then, turning to look at his expression, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

He took a few steps towards her. “What if this is the end?” he murmured helplessly. “What if we have no more time?”

“Fern!” she hissed, “Why are you saying that?”

The answers were in his eyes. “Fern,” she murmured, feeling her legs go weak. “We said we’d wait, remember? We promised each other. It’s not right!”

“I can’t stand it anymore,” he said roughly.

“You have to talk to her first!”

“What if there isn’t a chance?” He shook his head and took another step towards her.

“I’m serious, Jane,” he said softly. “What could possibly matter more, in this world, right now, than the fact that I haven’t even kissed you yet?”

She felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. “You kissed me before you attacked the Phaeries,” she murmured weakly, taking a step away from him.

“I’m talking about a real kiss.”

A shaky laugh escaped Jane’s lips. “What’s a real kiss?”

He moved closer and shook his head, a very slow smile on his lips. “A kiss that stops the world. A kiss that you could die for. A kiss that will change your life. Have you kissed anyone like that before, Jane?”

Her mouth was dry. “I’ve kissed plenty of people,” she said indignantly.

“Boy’s kisses,” he shook his head again. “Real kissing is for love, Jane.”

She stared at him, stepping backwards again. But something inside her was silently whispering for her to step forward, not backwards.

And then, at last, Fern smiled widely and took her into his strong grip and, before she could escape, he kissed her. A real kiss. Love’s kiss.

It was the slowest, longest, deepest thing she had ever experienced, and it shocked her right to her toes, filling her with thoughts of past, present and future all wrapped together. With too many thoughts to understand, and too many feelings to think about. With more pleasure than she had thought herself capable of feeling.

He leaned back the smile still on his lips.

Jane knew that she would never be able to come down from such heights. She felt too deeply, loved too strongly. It was going to hurt her one day, and she knew it.

“I don’t want to lose you again, Fern. I don’t think I could bear it if you died tomorrow,” she whispered.

He did not reply for a very long time. Finally, as Jane began to think he would not say a thing, he spoke, softly. “Whatever happens, Jane, you won’t lose me. I’ll always be here for you. There is more than this life. Remember that.”

Far away, in a far darker castle, Leostrial laughed. But he laughed with something he had never felt before, as he looked down at his new son, standing straight-backed and nervous before him.

This child was more powerful than he could ever have hoped for. Leostrial could tell just by looking at the boy that already he had abilities that surpassed many. It did not matter that he was not Altor’s blood father, because soon enough the boy would come to love him, and worship him.

“What is your name, boy?” he asked, though he knew it.

“Altor,” the child replied with a small bow. “Are you my father?”

“Yes,” Leostrial replied, and then, surprising himself, he crouched down to take the boy in an embrace. Altor clung fiercely to him and Leostrial felt something clench inside himself. Satine was looking at them both when he stood and released the boy.

Leostrial felt his heart quicken as he looked at her. There was something new in her eyes. She glowed.

He remembered when he had first met her and the shock of her arrogance and forwardness. There was something fiercer in his chest when he thought of her now.

Leostrial shrugged and let his face tighten into its usual dark, expressionless state. “Altor, I’ve heard you’re interested in combat. Perhaps later you can show me your skills.”

“Of course, my lord. Though I should warn you that my skills haven’t been developed properly due to the lack of training, so you may be disappointed,” Altor said seriously.

Leostrial smiled faintly and nodded to Satine before leaving the room. There was business to attend to. He walked briskly towards his conference chamber unaware of the shock that awaited him.

Odin stood in the corner of the room, his face masked in shadows, emanating a fierce power. Leostrial moved closer so that he might see the god in a clearer light, but the shadows seemed to move with him.

“Odin. I had not thought to see you again. Our plans were made, were they not?” he said pointedly. He had long ago stopped feeling afraid of the god. He had his own measure of power, and it was not small.

“There have been new revelations and I have need to speak with you.” The voice that came from the darkness was flat and dangerous.

“What is it?”

Odin stepped out of the shadows now and Leostrial caught his breath in awe. The war god was a fearsome sight—his hair alight with flames and his eyes dark pools of liquid blackness. He was taller than a man, and his body was sculpted as a warrior’s. He held a long whip of fire in his hand, but at that moment it hung limply at his side.

“Have you lost your manners, Leostrial?” he asked quietly. His black eyes peered intently, threateningly.

“Forgive me, Odin. I was hasty.”

“You underestimate us, Leostrial.”

Leostrial took a quick breath. “Have you gone back to them then?” he asked.

Odin was tiring of the conversation. He sighed and shook his head. Leostrial waited.

“I had thought you were a lot sharper,” Odin said now, a slight curve to the corner of his mouth. Humour was in his eyes, and flickers of fire, and Leostrial grew angry.

“That is your news?” he demanded.

“You have a traitor in your castle,” the god said, the amusement still on his face. Leostrial stilled, and the first thought that came to his mind was Satine.

“Not her,” Odin said quietly with considerable disdain, and Leostrial visibly relaxed. “Still, you shouldn’t trust her so easily. She is but a woman.”

Leostrial said nothing. He had heard such words from the god many times before.

Odin curled his lip in disgust, apparently having gleaned something from Leostrial’s silence. “Love is nothing! Nothing!” He almost spat this last and Leostrial wondered at the severity of his reaction. He was too bitter.

“I said nothing about love.”

“You did not have to. She clouds your mind.”

“Tell me who the traitor is.”

“I wonder, should I?” Odin asked thoughtfully.

“We are on the same side!” Leostrial said without thinking. The war god’s face closed over and his eyes became cold.

“An angel from Elendial descended into your castle some time ago, and has been making his way around unseen.”

“How?”

“Angels are more powerful than you might think,” he said with an impatient gesture. “Not as powerful as you or I, but they can easily make themselves invisible to human eyes. He has been collecting information.”

“Why did you not tell me sooner?”

“Because if you had found him straight away, they would have known something was amiss. You must destroy him.”

“Yes. Keep the plans the same?” Leostrial asked.

“Yes. But make sure you find him before he does any real damage, or you will pay for it with your life.”

And with that he disappeared into the darkness.

Satine showed Altor his room and helped him unpack his belongings. Then she took him for a walk through the palace, and showed him all her favourite places from her own childhood.

“There’s a cupboard under the stairs here where you can hide,” she said with a grin, opening the door. “Climb in there and look for the hole in the wall.”

Altor climbed excitedly into the cupboard and searched around for what his mother had told him.

“I can see into the armoury!” he gasped delightedly.

Satine laughed. “And if you’re quiet, no one will know you’re there.”

When they came to the armoury his eyes lit up at the sight of all the weapons.

“I will have the army captain give you lessons in swordplay,” she said, “unless of course you would prefer that I taught you myself?”

“You can fight?” he asked and Satine nodded. “That seems fitting then,” he murmured. “Can I have my own armour?”

“I think it is best if we wait until you’re a little older, you’ll just grow out of it.”

He nodded slowly.

“Altor ... do you think you could be happy here?” she asked after a moment. “With me?”

He looked at her. “More so than anywhere else,” he replied, which was not really the answer she had hoped for.

Leostrial suddenly burst into the room. “There is a spy among us.”

“What?” Satine asked.

Altor had stiffened.

“An angel. He’s in this castle, invisible to the human eye.”

“How do you know he is here?” she asked.

“Odin told me,” he replied quickly. “I’ll have to make the angel think it was his own fault he was found so Odin’s position isn’t compromised. That’s if I can catch him.”

Satine shivered as she thought of the war god. Leostrial had told her many times about Odin’s distrust of her and how he wanted her banished from the castle. She hated that Leostrial had anything to do with the god.

Leostrial turned on his heel and left the room. Satine stared at the door for a moment.

The Strangers had foreseen it. She led Altor quickly after Leostrial. They found him on the battlements giving orders to his archers. Satine glimpsed a figure disappearing into the clouds above before it was all over.

“We hit him three times, he will not return to them alive,” Leostrial said turning to her. “It’s a very long way.”

Satine blinked as she realised something. “Leostrial, I was wrong. The gods do not yet know of your attack. When I was in Uns Lapodis, the Strangers told us of a dream which described an angel flying away from pursuers, shot thrice in the back. He does manage to make it to the star and he tells the gods that someone is coming. They will not know yet, but when that angel reaches them ... It is my understanding that at this moment Accolon is trying to contact the gods, so soon they will know you are planning to attack them.”

Leostrial said nothing.

“What do you plan to do?” Satine asked carefully.

Leostrial shot her a look and said, “I shall attack the star of Elendial in a matter of weeks.”

“How?” she asked, perplexed.

The force of the military archangels was waiting there for anyone stupid enough to invade. And how to get there with an entire army?

He didn’t say anything. She followed his gaze out over the battlements and looked at the land before them. Wide expanses of rough dirt plains, and in the very far distance the beginning of the marshes that divided the capital city from the ocean. Years ago this whole country had been an enormous volcano. Now the only evidence of that were a few pits of molten lava.

“But how, Leostrial?” she pressed. “And why in a few weeks? Why not now, before the gods can act?”

Eventually he gave her a sideways look and murmured, “In a few weeks time Accolon will be here with his army.”

“Exactly!” Satine sighed exasperatedly.

He nodded. “Exactly.”

She stared at him. “What are you talking about? Why do you want to wait for them to get here?”

He gave her a measured look. Satine waited for an explanation. And then something in her brain clicked.

She gasped, her eyes widening. “You want them to come here! It’s been your plan all along!”

It might have been a smile at the corners of his lips, or it might have been a trick of the fading light. He turned back to the battlements. “How exactly did you think I was going to attack Elendial? They come, and the gods will follow. Accolon will be walking the gods straight into my lap.”

“How do you know?”

“The gods will never allow humans to fight alone for them. They are far too proud. And in joining the battle, I will have complete access to them.”

“You couldn’t get to them, so you had to lure them to you,” she said, everything falling into place. They had all walked right into his trap. Satine looked at him and shivered at the idea that he had used them all as puppets.

“It would do for you to curb your curiosity,” he warned. “You will not be joining me in any case, so there is no need for you to worry yourself with it.”

Satine turned to her son. “Altor, go and explore the armoury. I will come and find you in a few moments.” The boy nodded and did as he was told.

“A battle is no place for a woman,” he said firmly.

“I can fight better than most of your army!” Satine raged then stopped and took a deep breath, calming herself. “By leaving me behind, you leave one of your best fighters. You cannot afford to do that!”

Leostrial turned to face Satine. “You could die! In fact you would most likely die, and I don’t want that to happen.” Leostrial changed his tone, “Besides, it would seem strange if you came to war with me. My men already think there is something between us.”

“So let them guess!” she said forcefully.

“I have a wife, Satine.”

“I know, Leostrial,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Do not forget that she is my own mother.”

“I’m sorry. I underestimated how difficult this must be for you,” he said, taking her hands in his own. She was surprised at the sudden gentleness. “She is my wife only on paper,” he said. “Nothing has passed between us these years except a few harsh words.”

Satine closed her eyes for a moment. Her mother hated Leostrial, hated being married to him. She knew they never spoke and that it wasn’t a real marriage. But if Liessen should ever learn the truth of how her daughter felt...