Gaia's Secret (43 page)

Stefan shook his head just as the Del Contes
joined us, Fleck trailing behind.

Heartfelt greetings were exchanged all
around, Stefan and Alex slapped each other hard on the back and
Stefan’s smirk reappeared. Alex just shook his head.

Stefan froze and his smile fell. “A Daloren
child?”

Fleck hid behind Alex’s legs.

I took a step forward. “He was being held
prisoner and he helped me escape.”

There was fear in Stefan’s eyes. “But he
needs to be taken to the Keep,” Stefan said.

Fleck began shaking again.

“But he doesn’t know anyone—he doesn’t even
know his real name. I promised him I’d help him figure it out.” I
grabbed Stefan’s sleeve. “Please.”

Stefan held my gaze. His fear faded and he
crouched low, speaking in a voice that was softer. “What is your
name, lad?”

Alex tried to comfort Fleck, but Fleck
wouldn’t budge. He was resolute in his position behind Alex’s
legs.

“Whoever you are,” Stefan continued, “seeing
as you saved my sister, I think you deserve a grand reward. I’m
thinking—” Stefan rubbed his chin, staring at the sky “—a table
filled with roasted meats, sweet breads, and all the callaberries
you could fill your mouth with.”

I could’ve kissed him. Fleck’s little flecked
eyes peered around Alex’s legs. And then his nose appeared,
followed by a mouth that was wide-open and grinning.

“Really?” his little voice whispered.

“All in celebration of your bravery.” Stefan
smiled. “But I must have a name to give the cooks so I know where
to deliver your food.”

“Fleck.” He all but shoved Alex over and
bounded toward Stefan.

“Fleck.” Stefan smiled, extending a hand. “It
is a pleasure.”

I mouthed the words “thank you” to Stefan,
who nodded and stood.

“Let’s proceed, shall we?”

We stood before the guardian to my fate—the
gate—and as my curiosity surged, the gate slid sideways into the
stone wall, just wide enough for us to pass through. A mountain of
a man blocked our passage. Master Durus.

Why was it, out of all the people in this
crazy world, my family had trusted this man? Maybe it was
punishment.

“Thank you, Master Durus.” Stefan nodded.

“Sire.” Master Durus bowed.

Stefan walked through.

The others said their hellos, but when it was
my turn to walk through, Master Durus held up a massive hand.

Of course he would do that.

His black eyes bore down upon me. “A caution,
princess,” sounded his familiar low rumble. “King Darius has no
tolerance for differing opinions. I might advise you not to
speak…unless absolutely necessary.”

Well.

I stalked past him after the others with
Master Durus on my heels. The gate closed silently behind us. Power
poured through my body as I walked through the thick stone wall and
ended the moment I was on the other side.

There must be other defenses in place.
Magical ones.

On the other side of the wall was a bustling
marketplace. Stone and wooden buildings lined the inner wall,
separated from others by narrow walkways. People gathered in the
streets, in the buildings: chatting, trading, and pushing through
the crowd. Some wore armor, others wore cloaks, and some wore
clothing like ours. It was like I was looking at a movie set for
King Arthur’s Camelot. Only this was real.

Spending days in a forest while coming across
the occasional guard was one thing. Looking at this…I wouldn’t have
believed it if I wasn’t standing there staring at it.

Green and black banners hung from every high
window, green and black flags crowned the tops of buildings. Fruits
and oddly shaped vegetables filled stands as their tattered owners
argued over price with others dressed in velvets. Other stands
boasted an assortment of weaponry, tools, strange looking books,
maps, objects I’d never seen before in my life strangely hovering
over their counter.

Master Durus led our small caravan down a
narrow alley; the Del Contes positioned themselves around me and
Fleck. Alex walked right at my side. This part of town was quiet
and eerie. The walls were too tall for the narrow lane, leaving
only a thread of blue sky visible up above. Eyes kept peaking
through high windows but I could never catch their faces. A curtain
would ruffle or a window would close and the person would
vanish.

“Where is he taking us?” I whispered to
Alex.

He tilted his head towards me. “To the
palace. We’re using back roads.”

“Back roads?” I motioned to the dark alley we
were walking through. “I keep feeling like a ghost’s going to jump
out and scare me. No, wait. Considering the circumstances, it’d
probably be a gypsy. You don’t have any gold, do you?” I
smirked.

Alex stepped closer to me. “I think they’d be
satisfied with you.”

I pretended to look offended. “You
wouldn’t.”

A grin twitched at his lips as he stepped
away and looked ahead.

A couple people rushed by us in the opposite
direction. They recognized Master Durus and ducked their heads to
hurry past. I didn’t blame them. The man was supposedly on my side
and I was afraid he’d strike at any moment—either with words or
something worse. Much worse.

But when they passed me, I felt a surge of
their curiosity. They paused to glance behind them—at me—and then
walked away even faster.

My stomach churned as we walked on, my heart
beating faster. What did it mean, being a princess? From all my
studies, being the daughter of a prince was anything but enviable.
It meant your person belonged to the state; your life would be
dictated by its decrees and those more powerful. Maybe it would be
different here. Maybe I would have freedom: freedom to train to use
magic, freedom to train to fight. And maybe—the freedom I desired
most—I’d be allowed to be with the person I cared about most.

Thinking down that line encouraged me
somewhat. I caught Alex’s eye and he reached out and took my hand
in his, giving it a light squeeze before letting go. It had to be
possible. This king couldn’t keep Alex from me.

We reached the end of our narrow walkway and
stepped onto a manicured lawn of deep green. The land was cast in
the shadows of thick clouds, but the sight before me was
transcendent, and I knew. It was the painting from the Del Contes
guest room. It was of a castle in Gaia—this very one.

A stone wall circumvented a single hill,
enclosed from behind by a monumental mountain range. Seated right
on top of the hill was that magnificent castle. The painting had
failed to capture its grandeur—not even the mountains could
compete. Turrets stood tall, spires brushing against the sky.
Arched stone bridges connected other, smaller turrets to the main
building that dwarfed the hill it sat upon. A single bridge
connected it to the rest of the world, extending over rushing
rapids—overflow from a nearby cascade that plummeted over a
cliff.

It was medieval in every sense of the word.
Medieval…and magical.

And it was going to be my home.

“
M
aster Durus,” Dad
said. “Would you take Fleck to Master Antoni? I think it best we
save this surprise for later.”

Master Durus nodded without the slightest
hesitation, face fixed in his trademark scowl. Maybe his facial
muscles were stuck that way.

Fleck’s eyes widened as they took in the
sheer height of the man, and his knees started shaking.

Alex crouched at Fleck’s side. “Master Durus
is one of the meanest, toughest, strongest men I’ve ever known.
And—“ Alex glanced back at me with a smile “—he is one of the best.
If there was anyone on this planet I would trust to keep you safe,
it would be him.”

My urge to punch Alex vanished at once.

Fleck glanced warily at me and Alex
continued, “Fleck, I promise you’ll be in good hands. He’ll take
you straight to Master Antoni, and Master Antoni isn’t like Master
Durus at all. In fact, Master Antoni is very kind, and gentle, and
understanding. You’ll like him. And here—“ Alex pulled a tiny
whittling knife from a pocket and held it before Fleck. “Hold on to
it till I come visit. I expect to see proof you’ve used it.”

Fleck took the knife from Alex’s hand and
beamed. If Master Durus was offended by Alex’s comment, I couldn’t
tell. His expression was the same as always—mad.

“You’ll come soon, won’t you?” Fleck
asked.

“I’ll try,” Alex said.

Fleck sighed. “I understand. You have to go
with the lady.”

Alex grinned, ruffling Fleck’s auburn hair.
“I promise I’ll come as soon as I can, and so will she.”

Alex’s warm eyes turned to me then.

“Of course I will,” I said to Fleck. “I just
hope my living situation is as nice as yours.”

Fleck looked past me at Alex, and a funny
smirk appeared on his face. Fleck understood way too much about
things. It must be the Daloren wisdom in him.

Without a word, Master Durus began walking
down a different street and glanced back for Fleck to follow.
Beaming, Fleck spun around and followed the mountain back towards
the bustling marketplace.

“Will he be all right?” I asked Alex as we
continued towards the castle.

Alex leaned close. “I wouldn’t trust him with
anyone else.”

Armed men on horseback rode past us, always
saluting my dad and Stefan and extending their salutations to the
Del Contes—Alex in particular. All they did to me was stare.

We reached the base of the drawbridge. From
here, the castle looked as though it propped up the sky and I felt
small. No one guarded the bridge, but again there was a surge of
power as we crossed. Rapids churned far below, racing back into the
mountains. This was the only way in and the only way out.

Maybe you should turn back. Do you really
want this?

I paused and looked over my shoulder. To be
like the people back there in the marketplace, doing whatever I
wanted, whenever I wanted, accountable to no one. Adventure and
freedom. What was I walking into?

But I couldn’t stop now. I couldn’t turn
around and run. No, that wasn’t an option, not after everything
we’d fought for. Today, I would meet my grandfather the king. It
was the least I could do after what I’d done.

I walked on, and I didn’t look back.

Armored guards eyed us as we passed, all
bowing their heads to Dad and Stefan, and we stopped at a pair of
colossal doors. Without knocking, the doors swung inward and we
stepped inside.

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the
dim lighting, and when they did, I froze in place. I’d felt small,
looking at this castle from a distance, but standing in this room
made me feel microscopic.

The atrium we stood in was built for giants.
God-like giants. White columns rose like trees from a foundation of
granite, their tops disappearing in a sea of arches that formed the
highest ceiling I’d ever seen. Heavy velvet green draperies
cascaded along the sides of tall and slender windows, landing in
puddles of green upon the floor. Rays of light streamed through the
windows, streaking across the ground like ribbons of gold. The only
other light was from an elaborate chandelier that floated overhead,
filled with rows and rows of fat and flickering candles. Which, I
assumed, were responsible for the smell of smoke lingering in the
air.

But for all the attempts to warm the room,
the space felt cold and empty.

“This is where we leave you, I think.” Cicero
smiled at me. “I’m sure you’ll want to experience this moment as a
family.”

Dad and Cicero hugged. “You know I consider
you family. But—“ Dad gripped Cicero’s shoulders “—thank you. For
understanding.”

Sonya hugged Dad, and then me. “Daria.” She
kissed my forehead and smiled as she touched my cheek. “Welcome
home, my dear.”

Sonya and Cicero said goodbyes to Stefan,
Sonya whispered something to her son, and she and Cicero walked out
of the atrium, disappearing through a corridor.

“Well, A.” Stefan grinned. “See you later
this evening?”

Alex smiled at Stefan—my brother.

I had a brother.

I would never get used to this.

“Probably not,” Alex said. “A few weeks with
your sister and I’m beat.”

Stefan chuckled as Alex turned towards me.
The green in his eyes looked greener somehow and I felt a rush of
his affection.

What now?

Alex wrapped his arms around me, holding me
tight as he whispered, “Don’t be afraid of them.” His lips brushed
my ear. “Let them feel the weight of who you are—who I know you to
be—because that woman was born a leader.”

For a moment we stood in silence; me encased
in his arms. I didn’t want him to let go. Ever.

“Alex?” I asked.

He tilted his head.

“Find me later,” I whispered. “I need to see
you.”

His gaze was soft as he brought my hand to
his mouth. His lips warmed the back of my hand and he let go.

Without another word, he turned on his heels
and began walking after his parents.

“Alexander,” my dad said.

Alex halted and looked back at my dad. Both
men stood tall and something passed between them.

“Thank you,” Dad said in a voice filled with
emotion. “Thank you for keeping her safe.”

Alex bowed his head slightly. “It wasn’t just
me—“

“No, it wasn’t,” Dad paused. “But I know you.
And I know she’s here, now, because of you.”

Alex held my dad’s gaze a long moment. His
eyes flitted to me before bowing his head and then he left.

I was about to start after him when a low
voice penetrated the room.

“Prince Alaric!”

A man approached us, dressed in rich cloth
and vibrant shades of blues, walking tall as if he owned the whole
world. His leather boots echoed as they scraped against the stone
floor and his deep blue cloak fluttered behind him. His black hair
was straight and fell to his shoulders, making his pale face paler
and his hard features harder. He held a semblance to someone I’d
met recently—someone that elicited very bad memories.