Ethon (The Other Worlds Series Book 2) (11 page)

Archrin rubbed at his eyes with one hand. It never seemed to end with Tiara. Just when he was certain that they would settle down into her new kingdom, she decided to run off on another quest. What had happened to the Drivian that wished for nothing more than a simple life in her world? He pulled a face. “Did your brother tell you why?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“Of course not.” Archrin groaned inwardly. “So, let me make sure I understand you. First, we pick up Olinia and Legann from Ethon, a world that may or may not actually exist, and then we search for a woman to teach you to see the future because a group of mythical Fraers want you to.”

“The Fraers are not mythical,” she retorted. “I’m sick of that Kendren outlook you have about them. As for Ethon, I was just there, and it does in fact exist.”

“Alright, fine,” he sighed. “Do you intend on using the shimmer stone to get the princess?”

She nodded. “I don’t know of any other option.”

“Nor do I,” he said. “After we get them, I suppose you’ll want to search for your woman tutor next. Why must it be a woman? I feel like that detail limits our already limited options.”

Tiara rolled her eyes. “If you don’t want to come with me you don’t have to.”

“No, with your luck you’ll end up getting yourself killed,” Archrin shot back. “I’ll go with you.”

She grinned sheepishly. “When have I ever been in a life-threatening situation? I think you’re overreacting.”

He decided to ignore that comment. “We can get Olinia first, but what do you plan on telling the Tlaidians? They happen to share my same Kendren belief that Fraers are just a myth. You can’t say that your duty to the Fraers outweighs your duty to them.”

“Good point.” She grimaced.

Archrin moved into the sitting area near the room’s large stained glass window. Nearly every chamber in Desnbi Castle had stained glass. It was one of the castle’s better features. Archrin sank into the chair, suddenly tired.

The negotiations and alterations within the former Kendren kingdom were going smoothly. The transition from the brothers to Tiara was almost complete. His life was not supposed to be getting any more complicated. Archrin was beginning to believe that Tiara secretly enjoyed chaos.

“Do you have any ideas?” Tiara crossed the space between them and sat on the floor, looking up at him. “What if we just say we’re visiting one of the worlds under my new rule?”

He shook his head. “It won’t work. If you suggest visiting other worlds, then a guard of at least a devatte must accompany you. As future queen, it could be even more. In Tlaid, protocol is everything.”

“It would be difficult to slip away unnoticed,” Tiara concluded.

He nodded, glancing around the room. Tiara’s wardrobe stood open at the opposite side of the chamber. It was a reminder that she still needed to dress for a meal that they both were required to attend.

“What if I were to be called to Evedon by Olinia? Would I still need a devatte?” Tiara offered.

A devatte was fifty men – forty-nine soldiers and one officer. It was actually a low amount of soldiers for a world's future sovereign. The Kendren brothers would usually travel with a vatte – five hundred men.

“Wherever you go, a devatte would be the minimum,” Archrin replied.

Tiara sighed, her frustration evident on her face. Her emotions were always so obvious to him. In Drivian she had fooled everyone but him. Archrin liked that he could read her while others could not.

“There’s got to be some excuse,” Tiara moaned. “What about a dying family member?”

“Who do you plan on killing off?” Archrin raised an eyebrow. 

“Maybe I could just use someone who is already dead?”

“It won’t work.”

“I know.” Tiara groaned. 

“We still need to go to dinner tonight,” Archrin reminded her. “We can come up with a reason for leaving later.”

Tiara straightened and turned to her open wardrobe, but then stopped, facing him again. “Did you know that I’ve always dreamed of getting married in Drivian, just outside of Ildatch forest? I still want that.”

He blinked. “Once everything is settled, I’m sure we can arrange it.”

“Well, if we were to get married there, we would eventually need to survey the location.”

Now he saw where this was going. “We would still need a devatte for your escort.”

“Did you have any friends as a Kendren?”

Archrin stared at her, confused by the sudden change of topic. “What?”

“Wherever we go we’re going to need soldiers,” she answered. “When you were a Kendren, didn’t you have friends you would use to cover for you?”

“Cover for me? It wasn’t school. We were soldiers.”

Tiara rolled her eyes again. “Fine, did you have friends you could rely on? If so, would those same friends be willing to say they were with us the whole time in Drivian even though they were not?”

Archrin let out a short laugh. Leave it to Tiara to come up with as desperate a proposal as that. “I don’t know a devatte worth of men who would help us.”

“We wouldn’t need a devatte, just a few key men in leadership positions who could pretend that we were with them.”

He frowned. “We would need a decoy for you.”

“And a new lady-in-waiting,” she added. “My current one wouldn’t let me out of her sight.”

Archrin sighed, resigned to the idea. “Alright, I’ll see what I can do.”

“How long do you think it’ll take?” 

“A week at least for me to find the right people,” he told her. “Then another week to go through all the preparations demanded by protocol.”

“Two weeks.” Tiara pulled a face. “I hope Olinia can wait that long.”

:  :  :  :  :

Alone again. Olinia released her breath in a rush and ran a hand through her loose, straightened hair. She would have to thank Legann later for taking the two men she was having mixed feelings about away from her. Having some time to herself to think without any interruptions from the minds of Sazx and Legann was much appreciated.

Now that the opportunity to leave Ethon was upon her, she wasn’t so sure that she was ready to go back to the Other Worlds. What little drive she’d possessed to return had been based on seeing her twin again. But Will had informed them that Zedgry was with Trenton and would be joining them shortly. With both of her brothers now in Ethon, was there really a need to leave? She didn’t care to fill her destined throne anymore. Even though she had to hide her gifts, Ethon had grown to be a pleasant residence for her. It might not feel like home, but Olinia couldn’t really remember ever calling a place home. Her home was stolen from her as a child. She had been able to make do in Ethon.

Her Globing in Ethon from that afternoon was also bothering her. She hadn’t been entirely honest with Will and her brother earlier. When explaining the event, she’d only mentioned that she and Tiara ended up in Will’s house and that they weren’t there for long. She told them that she saw a younger Will studying. She didn’t bring up that he had been with his sister, even though she probably should have. Instead, she acted as if nothing had really happened, and that the main purpose for the travel was talking to Tiara. It was a horrible lie, but Legann had been so anxious for updates on the Other Worlds that he stole Will away to other topics, much to Olinia’s relief.

Now that she was alone though and had time to think, she was utterly confused over her Globing. There had to have been a reason why she and Tiara were shown that particular conversation between Will and Ariel. She knew it had to do with DS Academy.

Remembering the unfinished search on her laptop, Olinia left the kitchen where she had been cleaning up the remnants of dinner for her bedroom. Her laptop was still on her bed. With the wave of her hand, she moved the laptop through the air to her desk as she entered her room. She hit the space bar with her finger to wake it up before turning to her stereo. She had an iPod already plugged into it, meant just to play music in her room. Olinia felt like singing. It had been a few days since the last time she had.

When it was just her and Legann, Olinia would sing everyday, practicing. Legann didn’t mind. In truth, he enjoyed hearing her voice throughout the house. He found her voice pleasant and soothing. But ever since Sazx had joined them, Olinia only sang when she was alone. She didn’t want any more of an audience than she had with Legann.

Back in the Other Worlds,
during her slave days,
she
had been
forced to sing at banquets. For a while after she was freed, she refused to sing in public, only singing when she was by herself. When she entered Ethon
,
though, she turned to her singing for comfort. Now, she had entire playlists of just accompaniment on her iPod that she would use to sing along to.

Olinia stepped to the stereo and flipped through her playlists to her favorite song. It was an old Italian aria. Olinia loved it. She pressed play on her stereo and went back to her desk just as the first notes began. She shut her eyes, letting the music seep through her. There were no mysteries in this song. Olinia knew where each note rose and fell.
She felt
like
the song belonged to her as much as it did the actual composer.

When it came time for the words, Olinia opened her mouth and the lyrics flowed out of her. As she slid through the familiar stanzas, she felt the passion behind the words. When the song finished a few minutes later, Olinia sank into her desk chair, now ready to continue her search. The singing had once again calmed her. A moment later the song switched on her iPod, and she hummed along with the first few bars.

“I had no idea you sang.”

Olinia whirled, nearly toppling out of her chair. Will jumped to her side, steadying her with one hand. She regained her balance and yanked her arm free, glaring at him. “What are you doing here?”

“I decided not to go,” he answered simply.

There would be no thanking Legann after all. As he exited her hundred-yard radius, he’d led her to believe that both Sazx
and
Will were in the car with him.
That little liar!
Olinia fumed inwardly. She was supposed to be by herself!

“I want to talk to you,” Will said.

“
Well, I
wanted to be alone.” Olinia quickly shut off her stereo mid-song, and headed out of her room, around Will.

He followed after her, through the hallway. “Princess, wait.”

She didn’t answer him. Instead, she kept walking – down the stairs, into the kitchen, out the back door. Even once outside she didn’t stop. She continued into the thick trees surrounding her house. Behind her, she could hear Will trailing her, his steps heavy over the fallen leaves. He was catching up fairly quickly. A warm wind pulled at her t-shirt.

“Olinia, stop.” He grasped her shoulder, pulling her around to face him. “What’s wrong with you?”

The wind continued to pester her. Thick gray clouds hung low like a blanket across the sky. It would start to rain again soon. Olinia glanced up at Will’s eyes. They matched the approaching storm. She loved his eyes. Without thinking, she blurted, “I stopped waiting for you to come back a long time ago.”

“I didn’t know that time was so different here,” he replied. “If I did, I never would have left you.”

Olinia raised her voice slightly, the wind a low roar in her ears. She used one hand to pull her hair out of her eyes. “I’ve changed, Will. I don’t even know you anymore.”

“No.” He shook his head. “It’s only been two days since I last saw you. I’m the same person you knew. I mean, look at me! I still have the bruise from my duel with Dagon.” He pointed to his right eyebrow.

The distant roll of thunder from somewhere above their heads broke at the end of his words. Raindrops pelted her face. The storm was closer than Olinia had thought. From past experience, she knew the drops would quickly switch to a steady downpour.

Will grabbed her wrist. “Let’s go back inside.”

As she predicted, the rain continued to grow heavier. The wind sprayed it into their faces. Will dragged her back the way they had come by her wrist. Olinia struggled to free herself, while trying to keep up with him at the same time. “Let go!”

He stopped and turned. “We’re going to get drenched if we stay out here.”

She knew he was right but didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of agreeing with him. Her shirt was already starting to stick to her skin – the gray material turning darker from the rain. “I can walk inside by myself.”

Will dropped her wrist and took a step closer, placing his face inches from hers. “I haven’t changed, princess. I know you remember the last time we saw each other.”

His gaze was intoxicating. Olinia couldn’t look away as she felt her cheeks warm. She
did
remember the last time. It was something she had thought about countless times during her months in Ethon. Right before Will left her in Trenton’s care, he’d kissed her and told her he loved her. His love had been what she’d hoped for most. But now, almost two years later, could he expect her to still love him?

Yes. She knew he did. And he was right. Even after all this time, she still loved him. She still wore his Silver Heart around her neck. Whether he knew it or not, his kiss bound their lifeforces together. For as long as she lived, so did he. He now owned her heart.