City in Ruins (18 page)

My hands clutched the prison bars. “We need a
way out,” I ordered. “We need keys, and …” I swallowed hard, “If
the guards interfere, we need them taken out.” The mice and insects
began scurrying away, but I called to them, stopping them. “Kill
only when you have to,” I added.

I was having a déjà vu moment, memories of my
time with Kye in the Medeisian dungeons slamming into me. I’d
learned a lot about myself and what I was willing to ask of others
since then.

Two mice ran toward us, a ring of
keys dragging the floor behind them. They dropped the ring with
a
clang
just inside
my cell, and I gripped them. Standing, I tried each key in the
lock, trying my best to remain calm despite the risk of being
captured.

It was the sixth key that worked, and I opened
the door just enough to squeeze through, the door’s hinges
creaking. Pausing beyond the door, I inhaled, listening for
approaching guards, but there was nothing except rising laughter
from a chamber at the back of the dungeon.

I gripped Brahn’s cell, getting my first look
at the man who’d held my hand the past few days. He was skinnier
than I thought he’d be, his ribs pressing against the rags he wore
on his body, but his face and eyes were strong, a determined
expression plastered across his features.

“You are younger than I expected,” the king
whispered.

I inserted the first three keys, my fingers
fumbling with the lock.

“You are, too,” I said with a wink.

A long, white beard covered the king’s face,
but it didn’t hide his smile, didn’t hide the way his slanted eyes
crinkled in the corners.

“You’re good for an old man’s spirit,” he told
me.

It was the fifth key that opened the king’s
cell, and I pulled it open carefully, wincing when it
groaned.

“You’re going to need that spirit tonight, Your
Majesty.”

Slinking past the door, he took my hand firmly
in his. “Brahn, my dear. Come! There’s a hidden passage just up the
corridor.”

Together, we skulked through the shadowed
prison, mice and insects surrounding us, guarding us. Occasionally,
King Brahn threw them an uneasy glance, but he never
faltered.

We’d just climbed a short flight of stone
steps, when we heard the guards cry out.

“Go!” I ordered the creatures below
us.

King Brahn placed his hand against a large
stone, and the wall fell inward. We stumbled into the passage, the
darkness a hindrance. While I was more cautious, the king was not,
his hand pulling on mine as we sped through the black
tunnel.

“I built this,” he told me. “It comes out just
beyond the palace gates.”

Screams rose up behind us, human screams, and I
winced, my stomach churning. There was no time to waste, no time to
feel guilty for the lives I knew would be lost that night. This was
my only chance to fix what had become of Medeisia, Sadeemia, and
the people I loved.

The tunnel thinned, forcing me to walk behind
Brahn as we ducked to avoid the low ceiling.

“It’s here,” the king exclaimed,
pausing so that he could feel along the wall, his fingers
searching. There was a
click
, and the tunnel suddenly opened
to the night.

New Hope, like Sadeemia, was a country who made
it’s living from the sea, but it was also lined on one side by rich
forests. The forests were our goal.

“We have prisoners on the run!” a man
yelled.

Boots pounded the castle walls, and horses
neighed in the distance.

“Now,” I hissed. “We have to go
now!”

Together, we ran out into the night, the king’s
bare feet and my worn boots tearing over grass, stone, and dirt. A
moon just days away from being full hung above us, throwing too
much light on the ground below. My heart pounded, my breath coming
fast and harsh. The king wasn’t faring as well.

I tugged on him. “We can do this!” I assured
him. “For my people and for yours.”

Pulling his arm over my shoulder, we ran
together, our fear propelling us forward, our adrenaline keeping us
from feeling any pain.

The dark treeline that marked the entry into
the forest rose before us, and I called on the woodland.

The wind picked up around us, whipping the
trees and the grass into a frenzy. Horses reared behind us,
throwing off their riders. Men yelled.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

The forest closed in around us, tree limbs
lowering to help propel us forward.

“We have you, child,”
the trees soothed.
“Come,
we shall protect you.”

My heart bled, the love I felt for the woodland
spilling into my touch as I stroked the trees and foliage around
us.

We’d run several miles, mostly carried by the
trees, when the forest deposited us in a clearing, the grass bathed
in moonlight. Releasing the king, I laughed, my face full of joy,
my hands rising above my head.

My gaze found Brahn’s. “Welcome to my kingdom,
Your Majesty.”

Around us, the trees bent, bowing.

Chapter 25

For the first time in weeks, I felt like I was
home. That was the thing about the forest. You didn’t have to be in
a particular kingdom to belong. The forest belonged to everyone.
The forest nurtured and bettered its people.

In the forest, I knew how to live.

Upon our escape, the trees helped us find food
and water before showing us to a place of rest. The king slept
soundly in what was probably the first time in years, but I sat up,
my gaze on the leaves hanging over our heads, on the stars and moon
staring down at me. Here, I was home.

Inhaling deeply, I touched the forest floor,
letting my fingers dig into the rich soil, the land calling to
me.

“Ari,” I whispered.

The falcon had not followed us across the sea
from Medeisia, but I knew the trees and oceans would deliver her
name and she would come.

“You’re troubled, child,”
the trees said.

I laughed softly. “You’ve always been good at
that, at the way you determine my mood.” I sighed, my shoulders
rising and falling. “I’m going to need help. I’m going to need
information about incoming ships, and I’m going to need a way to
get the king a change of clothes and a way to shave. We need soap
and time.”

A vine climbed over my foot,
wrapping itself around my ankle before releasing me.
“Do you think cleaning the man up will make him a
king?”
the trees asked.

I glanced at Brahn, at the way his
lined face smoothed out when he was sleeping. “No,” I answered,
“but I do think it will go a long way toward making him feel like
one. It’s only been four years. His people will not have forgotten
his face. His grandson
will not
have forgotten his appearance.”

My brows furrowed.

“There’s something else?”
the trees asked.

I stroked the grass. “There is,” I said,
standing suddenly.

For the first time, I did something tremendous
without help. I became a queen.

My head held high, I ordered, “Have the winds,
the trees, and the animals send a message to Medeisia and to Feras.
Tell the dragon rex that we need an army to back King Brahn in New
Hope. Even if the ships won’t make it in time for us to stand up
against Blayne, it’s knowing we have the troops en route that could
make all the difference. Also, send a message to Lochlen and
Cadeyrn, wherever they are. Tell them that I’m okay, and that I
need them in New Hope. Tell them to bring warriors, but don’t tell
them why. We need the element of surprise with King Brahn.” Giving
the trees a fierce look, I added. “I’m serious, no telling Lochlen.
For once, it may be better if I know something before
him.”

The trees chuckled.
“As you wish, Queen.”

Even as odd as the word felt, I did not correct
them. Cadeyrn was right. If they wanted a queen, I needed to give
them one.

My gaze found the sleeping king, my heart
clenching at the pain I knew Cadeyrn was going to have to face.
There’d been so much betrayal in his life.

Lochlen’s and Cadeyrn’s words rang true. How
much did a woman have to go through before she went mad? How much
did a man have to lose before he became ruthless?

I was determined to keep my sanity, and I was
banking on Cadeyrn’s ability to retain his humanity.

My hand found the trunk of a tree, my palm
pressing against the bark. Trees were like people in many ways. Cut
them down and inside you would find their memories, the rings that
told you about their life. They carried so much time and spirit
within them. They carried so many stories. They were like living,
breathing Archives.

“You’ve grown so much over the past
two years, little one,”
the trees
said.

I exhaled, a multitude of emotions swirling
within me. My stomach hurt, and I pressed my palm against it, the
nausea that rose up within me causing me to lean against the
tree.

It was too soon to tell, but I knew without a
doubt that I was carrying Cadeyrn’s child. How I knew was beyond
me. I think the knowledge came from the forest and from the gods,
but I knew the child was there. The nausea was only the
beginning.

“Did I make the right decision?” I asked the
trees.

Even queens had doubts.

A limb came down, tapping my
shoulder.
“The question isn’t if you made
the right decision. The question is did you make the right decision
for you?”

I clutched my stomach, my heart pounding.
Without a doubt, I knew the decision I’d made hadn’t just been for
Medeisia. I’d wanted a part of Cadeyrn to keep with me forever. I’d
wanted a part of him to raise and to love.

The love I felt for the prince was like a tree
root, digging itself deep into the soil and spreading out until it
was impossible to tell where one tree began and the other
ended.

“Know this,”
the trees said suddenly.
“The child
you and the prince have created will be incredibly powerful, born
to the forests and to the people. He will bring worlds together,
will bridge countries and races. His rule when it comes will unite
us all, and we will do anything to protect that.”

The trees’ vow lifted me, lightened my heart,
and surrounded me with a sense of security. If the trees were
right, I wasn’t just carrying Cadeyrn’s son, I was carrying a
future king.

Part III

New Beginnings

Chapter 26

We’d been in the forest for four days, foraging
and healing, when Ari landed among the branches.

The falcon called down to me, and I shouted in
greeting, my heart filling with joy. A pack dangled from her
talons, and with no warning, she released it.

Diving, I caught the bundle.

“Good catch, little one,” Ari
commended.

I threw her a look before glancing at King
Brahn. He’d flourished in the forest, the wild onions, roots,
berries, and mushrooms we’d been eating more filling than what he’d
ever received in prison. We’d even managed fish from a nearby
stream.

Gesturing at the falcon, I said, “This is
Ari.”

The king nodded at the bird. That was something
else I was learning about Brahn. As much as he hated himself, his
heart wasn’t as bad as he believed. Like Cadeyrn, he didn’t just
listen to the forest, he looked the creatures in the eye. There’s a
lot you can tell about a person when they’re willing to listen to
all races, not just their own. Even if they were a different
species.

Sitting on a nearby log, I opened the pack, my
heart jumping when I caught side of the contents.

“We’re going to turn you into a king yet,” I
said excitedly.

Brahn glanced at me, his eyes gleaming with
amusement. “I think I rather prefer being a wood nymph.”

“Ha! Wood nymph!”
the trees scoffed.
“Fairytales created to make people fear the forest
less.”

I chuckled. “Because you’re so
scary.”

If King Brahn thought the sentence was strange,
he didn’t mention it. He’d gotten used to me talking to the grass,
the stream, the trees, and the animals.

Lifting a bar of soap, I offered it to him.
“You first,” I said, nodding at the stream. “There’s fresh clothes
and a shaving kit.” Tilting the bag, I grinned widely.

The king whistled. “The forest certainly knows
how to help a man clean up.”

Accepting the soap and the clean pair of
clothes, he climbed down to the stream.

Ari landed at my feet. “You’ve been missed,
little one.” Her wings fluttered as she settled, her sharp gaze
passing over the forest. “Feras has convinced the council to send
men and two ships. They left today to walk across the bottom of the
Ardus to the sea.” She glanced at me. “He’s also sending two
dragons.”