Circle of Reign (7 page)

“Stay here,” he whispered to Reign. “I’ll return as soon as I can. Do not make a sound.” His sister did not respond but he knew she understood.

And then he was gone, and the living nightmare eventually shifted again, as all dreams. Daylight broke and with it came the sounds of life around her, a jarring juxtaposition to the previous night’s episode. The joy of it should have mocked her loss, angering her, but Reign was emotionally immovable, placid as the Glaciers of Gonfrey.

Hedron was there eventually again, in her waking nightmare, calling her name, but she did not respond. He looked helpless and lost by her unresponsive state. When he reached forth and touched her hand, Reign recoiled as if she had just been bitten. Hedron fell back and she saw the surprise on his face, almost hurt. A satchel was placed inside the tree next to Reign’s feet and then
her brother was gone again. She did not remember when he had actually left.

When night was again falling, Reign’s need for nourishment finally took hold of her and roused her from her fugue-like state. For the first time in more than a day, she took in what her eyes saw through the opening. It was like a portal to a different world. Nothing but the forest before her. Trees, soil, rocks, a hollow roughly a stone’s cast from her. The body of her father was gone, just as he was. Why then did she still
feel
him? She shuddered from the sensation, revolted by it.

It’s only in my mind
, she convinced herself and shook her head as if to dislodge the feeling.

Her stomach growled and twisted inside her. A ravenous feeling took over as the pain lanced through her abdomen. It was almost like lightning.

Hedron
, she recalled.
The satchel
.

She tore open the leather pouch and found a quarter loaf of honey acorn bread wrapped in a small cloth. Three strips of dried meat and an apricot were also present and a short blade. She recognized the knife as belonging to one of the hold servants.

Reign ripped free a piece of meat and shoved it into her mouth. Its savory, salty taste made her salivate greedily and she sucked the flavor from the parcel before chewing and swallowing it. More meat and then a fist of bread followed. She saved the apricot for last. Its sweet and tender flesh eked juices as she bit into it. In less than three bites, nothing but the pit remained. This she also put into her mouth to suck all the remaining fruit from, working it from side to side in her mouth with her tongue.

With her hunger sated, she gradually allowed herself to fall asleep, cradling into a ball. As consciousness fled, she prayed the Ancient Heavens would keep all dreams from her and let her forget. Everything, if possible, but at least her father and the monster.

She slept.

When she awoke the next day, a new satchel was at her side with a small piece of parchment. Her brother’s handwriting was scrawled on it.

I’ll be back tonight and sneak you in
.

The thought of returning to the hold was foreign to Reign. Strange that it seemed so, she knew, but things were completely different now. This tree she sheltered within had protected her. Somehow the hooded man was not able to find her here after killing—
no, don’t think of him
. Though Aiden had approached the scene at speed, there had been plenty of time for the monster to easily drag her from this wooden cave and finish her; but he could not find her though she sat merely paces from him—completely vulnerable and helpless. How the man could sightlessly track her as two nights past still sent ice through her limbs. But, sequestered in this Triarch tree, the beastly figure somehow missed her.

This is my hold now
, she told herself.

She opened the satchel and again consumed the food her brother had supplied. Her actions seemed contrived as she went through the motions, her mind and heart numb. She had not shed a tear for her father, but how could she?

He left me!
she screamed in her mind and suddenly became nauseous at the thought of her father. Every memory that came to her of him caused her stomach to contract. She spit out the bolus of food she had been chewing without trying to swallow it for fear of retching as it went down.

There was a pressure building around her that felt suffocating. Her chest became heavy. She struggled to breathe, closing her eyes and grimacing.

I don’t understand! What is this?

She forced her mind to other things, away from her father. Mundane, everyday occurrences became her focus and the feeling began to fade. If a thought of her father resurfaced, the suffocating feeling returned.

Do not think of him
, she chided herself as she strived to purge herself of any thought of her dead father.

Late in the day, Hedron did return. She felt his approach through the vibrations and knew it was him instantly. Her twin’s gait was discernible to her just as was his voice.

When he climbed up the Triarch’s trunk and peered through the opening, Reign this time met his eyes. She noticed the relief in them as he saw her recognize him.

“Reign, let’s go,” he said and stretched forth his arm.

Reign shook her head.

“We don’t have much time. The servants are attending mother in her quarters. She has just now fallen asleep after they buried—”

Reign saw her brother’s lip quiver and eyes become moist, but he stifled his emotions. He was trying to be brave for her, she realized.

“Don’t mention him,” she said. “I don’t want to hear his name.”

Hedron was stunned but then looked relieved to hear her voice no matter what the words were. Her voice was a little raspy having not been used for a couple days.

“They are probably distracted enough to let us sneak in,” Hedron said.

“No,” Reign replied. “I can’t go back.”

“Don’t be daft. You can’t stay here.”

“I cannot go back.”

“Mother believes you to be taken or dead! She needs to see you, to know—”

A faraway expression came upon Hedron’s countenance, as if he were hearing something for a few moments. He looked as if he had just remembered something he did not wish to. “I know,” he admitted. “You can’t come back. Not yet, at least.”

“Not yet,” Reign agreed.

“It’s just so hard! You don’t see mother, what she’s going through! What I’m going through!” As soon as he said the words, he looked apologetic. “I’m sorry.”

Again, she realized Hedron was gone without actually recalling when he departed.

When five days had passed in total, a half-span, she eventually emerged from the Triarch. She did her best not to take in the sight of her surroundings, not to see where her father had struggled against her attacker and fallen.

Reign slid down the tree deftly, the numbness in her extremities finally relenting. The Triarch’s bark was smoother than most, closest to ash and a far cry from the rough bark of oak. Her eyes were averted down toward the forest floor until she had walked a good distance from that area. When she finally looked up and took in the forest, the sight was magnificent to her, as if she were seeing it for the first time. Dusk was approaching and she could see the veins in the leaves of the Triarchs start to illuminate far above like a forest of fireflies, though the wrong color. It was a bluish-green radiance, not bright enough for one to read by but enough to help an unfamiliar traveler find a path in the forest at night. She saw oak, birch, elm, ash, Ayzish, and a myriad of other species intertwined through the forest though none of them produced the nightly glow of the Triarch. As the gentle breeze blew and the branches far above rustled together, the canopy appeared to sparkle as the glowing Triarch leaves were obscured by other trees’ branches momentarily before reappearing as they swayed in the zephyrean evening. Actual stars in the sky made brief appearances in the shuffling, like playing a game as they peeked through. The effect caused the sky to appear to shift and morph in place.

“Beautiful,” Reign spoke aloud as she stared upward.

“It is,” answered a voice.

Reign whirled around with a start and found an elderly man standing a few paces from her.

“How did you? Where … ” She stepped back. The man opened his arms, palms up, in a placating gesture. A Triarch leafling was in one hand. His clothing was simple, undistinguished.

“I am not here to harm you, young one. Quite the opposite, I assure you.”

His voice was rich and deep, the sound of ages within it. Though he appeared elderly, his eyes were energetic and piercing.
He bore no provisions upon his shoulders, not a traveler, if appearances were to be trusted. The man had a discoloration on his left cheek, a slightly darker patch of skin that resembled a wave of the sea.
Perhaps a birthmark of some create
, Reign wondered.

“You are a wood-dweller,” Reign stated.

“I was born an Arlethian like you, true, but that was long ago. These things are not important now. I am here for you, young Reign Kerr.”

Reign’s anxiety was not alleviated by this man’s words. “I don’t understand.”

“Not yet, of course not. There was never a need before.”

“Before?”

“Well,” he continued, his voice kindly, “events have taken an unexpected turn.”

She remained confused but was no longer alarmed by this man’s presence. She could tell he bore her no ill will, but she remained cautious. “Who are you? What forest are you from?”

“A better question, Reign Kerr, is who am I a part
of
,” he replied.

She did not answer for a moment. Then, “What events? What do you mean?”

“We always thought it would be Thannuel. Your father had greater capacity than any of us, though he was still early in his growth. We had waited for someone of his capacity—but that matters little now.” He stopped and wore a thoughtful expression. He grazed his palm against a Triarch tree for a few moments and then smiled.

“I thought so,” he said, as if to the tree. “But she is not ready. The pain has calloused her greatly. I sense she has changed inside and cannot yet accept—”

“What do you know of it?” Reign spat, interrupting the man’s aside. “Nothing!”

The elderly man took his hand from the Triarch, apology on his face. “My dear, I’m sorry for your loss. But it is not what you think—”

“No! Don’t speak of him!” She began to cry. “Leave! Please leave me alone!” Reign sank to her knees and heaved with sobs, her arms folded across her midsection.

“Just go away!” she pleaded, not only speaking to the old man. The pain she had guarded against bubbled up to the surface of her heart and began to overflow. It was the pain of loss, of guilt, of shame, of loneliness, of abandonment.

“Why?” she cried, but it came out only as a pained whisper. “Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?” She sounded pitiful in her agony, like a dying animal. “Why did you leave! Come back! Come back! Why won’t you come back?”

A gentle hand found her brow. The man knelt beside her and brought her head close to his.

“There is one in the north that you must seek,” he whispered. “There you will be safe from those that seek you. And there are those that seek you, young one. But I promise you in the name of the Living Light they shall not find you until you are prepared; but the day will come when they find you. For now, be comforted in your callousness. Keep your anger and grief close. Kindle it. Let it flourish into hate. He will not fault you for it.”

“What did I do wrong?” she wailed. “I don’t know what I did wrong! I’m sorry! Please, I’m sorry! Come back!” Her tears were the size of small streams as they flowed onto the ground.

“It was not you, but your father. He is the one that was too weak!” The old man’s tone turned slightly hostile. “He left you, betrayed you. Can’t you see it?”

Reign shook her head violently back and forth as she cried, refusing to let her feelings turn to blame. “It is Thannuel’s fault, Reign, not yours. He should have been strong enough, should have protected you. But he did not! He promised to be there for you, did he not? To protect you, provide for you? He was Lord Kerr, the hero of the Orsarian War, and yet so easily overcome?”

Reign’s mouth was open so wide as if to scream with grief but no sound came. She trembled with her eyes shut tight, squeezing every tear out until none were left. His words were seeping into her mind and heart, changing her.

“There,” he said, his voice more kind and soothing now. “There it is. The anger and hate will change you, shield you. You must
keep it close for now. Do this, and you will survive. Your emotional scent will alter enough. Believe me, child, it is what your father would have you do.”

Reign’s body rocked with soundless, dry sobs as she lay balled up on her knees and elbows.

“Remember, north. Sleep now, young Reign.”

As he spoke the words, weariness found her. Before she slipped into sleep, she heard, “We will meet again when you have taken his last breath.”

FOUR

General Antious Roan

Day 21 of 4
^th
Dimming 406 A.U.

GENERAL ANTIOUS ROAN WAS UNSETTLED.
He had calmed himself enough from his grief, regaining enough composure to think rationally. He ran his hand over his short hair for about the hundredth time as he racked his brain, trying to put the disparate ends together. All aides and subordinate officers had been dismissed from his tent, not wishing to shame himself in front of his men. The message had come to his camp by a raven last night. His best friend, one whom he had served with back to back against the Orsarians in the Runic Islands, was dead. Worse, Thannuel’s young daughter was still missing and likely had met a similar fate.