Promising Hope (8 page)

He sighed, standing up. “I just think you were
being…”

“Being what?” She glared at him.

He walked to the mirror and looked at his reflection.
He smoothed down his tunic, his hair, and for a moment, she thought
he’d let the question go unanswered, like many others. “Selfish,”
he finally said.

She stood up. “Everything I’ve done in the past month
was for you!”

“I didn’t ask you to do any of it!” Evan said,
turning on her.

“I think you’re the one being selfish,” Sierra said.
“You’re leaving me, even though we’ve been apart for two years
already—”

“Well, you had plenty of company while I was gone,
didn’t you?”

Sierra stared at him. “What are you talking
about?”

“The other day, when we were talking about
contraceptives, you said your old ones weren’t working anymore. And
I said I’d been thinking about being with you for two years, you
didn’t say anything, and I know you were with someone else.” Evan
turned away, staring out the window, his hands clenched into
fists.

“I didn’t sleep with him! It was a short
relationship, we hardly—” She cut herself off. She was going to say
they’d hardly kissed, but that wasn’t true. There was a lot of
kissing. “We didn’t sleep together, but even if we had… you were
dead.”

“I wasn’t dead!”

“Of course you weren’t, but I didn’t know that! It
had been a year or more—”

“What did you do with him?” He turned on her, meeting
her eyes.

She swallowed hard, fidgeting. He hardly made eye
contact, and now his gaze was fixed on her, the hurt and anger
clear on his face. In his voice.

“Did he touch you anywhere?”

Her face grew warm. “Evan, I’m sorry… why would you
hold that against me when I thought you were gone?”

Evan stalked around the room, tearing at his hair. It
was soon messy again, as though he’d never combed it. “To know what
another man was with you! I’d kill him if I knew who it was!”

Sierra looked at him in alarm; she didn’t know
whether it was an exaggeration or not. She forced herself to take
deep breaths, or breaths as deep as she could with this corset
constricting her. “I am sorry. If I would have known you were
alive, I never would have touched another man. I don’t want to
fight about this when you’re leaving soon.”

“Oh, so now you’re all right with me leaving.”

“No, I’m not all right with it,” Sierra said
fiercely, “but I’m not going to stop you. Like you said, you’re not
a child.”

Evan stopped pacing and stood panting as though he’d
just finished running. “Why don’t you come with me?”

Her mouth went dry, and she slowly shook her head.
“I’m sorry, Evan… I have to find Grace and Dar.”

“You’re choosing them over me.”

Sierra wanted to tell him that he was choosing
revenge over her, but she knew Evan still wasn’t himself. She
wondered if she’d have to get used to this moody individual, or if
he’d ever return to normal. God, just yesterday, they’d felt so
close
, almost normal. “I promised Grace. I promised her
before I ever knew you’d do this.”

Evan sighed. He closed the distance between them and
took her hands. “I wish we could stay together.”

“You could come with me to find Grace and Dar.”

Evan kissed her on the forehead. “This Thieran is
going to cause more death. I have to help stop him. He’s not going
to hurt us anymore.” He gently touched her face. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she whispered.

If only that were enough.

* * *

Sierra took steady, shallow breaths as she waited
outside of the dining hall. She’d spent most of her meals over the
last few days in the kitchens or in her room, away from the
scrutiny of some and the adoring eyes of others.

Evan stood next to her, still and stoic. She longed
to close the distance between them, but she felt the remnants of
their argument upstairs.

The doors in front of them opened as servants pulled
them open, and Sierra heard Jeshro’s voice. “Ladies and gentlemen,
the woman responsible for the broken curse, Sierra Avialie!
Escorted by her husband, Evan.”

Applause and cheers filled the air. Evan held his arm
out for Sierra, meeting her gaze for a moment. She hooked her arm
around his elbow, and they walked into the dining hall silently.
The sound of acclamation rose as they entered, and Sierra smiled at
the onlookers. She wasn’t happy for the attention, but to think of
all that the curse had done and how she and Grace had undone it,
preventing more pain and death… that made her happy. It made her
think that all the suffering was worth it.

The dining hall held four long, low tables. The first
three were positioned away from the door, the sides lined with
dozens of pillows, and the fourth was perpendicular to the other
tables, raised up on a platform higher than the others.

Numerous plates of food lay on the tables, filling
the air with the scent of spiced meats, warm bread, and rich soups.
Avialies from all over stood at their seats, dressed in their most
formal wear. For some, this meant gowns as extravagant as Sierra’s;
for others, an ironed dress or shirt was the extent of their
formality. Sierra recognized some of the guests, but there were
just as many she didn’t know.

Evan led her to the fourth table, where two decorated
pillows sat for them. The elders sat here, as well as Lee and
Matilda. They faced the three tables, where everyone could see
them. Evan helped her down to the ground as she maneuvered her
dress. Her skirts poofed up around her legs, which she sat on,
trying to look graceful. Sierra’s smile had faded by the time she’d
adjusted. She didn’t want to be the center of attention through an
entire meal of speeches and whatever else they had planned. Jade
had mentioned entertainers and dancing. Sierra hoped they’d only
been rumors.

The applause finally died down, and everyone sat on
the ground, shifting their pillows and mats around the tables.
Sierra looked over the room. If the Protectors knew about this
banquet, it would be a slaughter. She’d spoken with Jeshro before,
and he’d assured her there was a great extent of protective magic
over the manor, including guards patrolling the outside. He told
her to enjoy herself, as though this banquet were for her benefit
and not for the Avialies’ joy.

Jeshro remained standing, and he picked up his
goblet. “Please join me in a toast.”

“Need some wine?” Matilda asked. She was in the seat
next to Sierra, and she wore a soft gold dress with a brown bodice.
Her hands had similar designs as Sierra’s, but hers extended to
only her ring fingers while each of Sierra’s fingers were
decorated.

“Yes, I think I’m going to need a lot of it,” Sierra
said quietly.

Smirking, Matilda poured some wine into her own
goblet, then Sierra’s.

Jeshro cleared his throat, raising his cup. “Three
years ago, Lisbeth had a vision. She saw the curse being broken by
two young women who were marked to protect the Avialies, like
Kallis and Tamare. We began searching for these women, but two
years ago, Lisbeth and I made a grave mistake.” His gaze fell on
Evan and Sierra. “We tried to rush the prophecy along. The
Protectors took nine lives when they found out. We couldn’t be more
apologetic for the pain we caused. We also couldn’t be more
grateful for the way Sierra has helped us. Despite what we did, she
returned to us and offered her assistance.”

Sierra blinked a few times. Is that what she had
done?

“Through hardships and trials, she and Lady Grace
broke the curse that has kept our family down for so long. We’ll
always be grateful. To Sierra.”

“To Sierra,” the crowd echoed.

That was all he had to say about Grace? Sierra wasn’t
sure if she should drink, and she clutched to her goblet. Jeshro
spread his arms wide, but she cleared her throat. “Jeshro, I’d like
to say something.”

He stared at her for a moment before nodding to her,
pursing his lips.

She stood up, taking her cup of wine. “Well, thank
you. I’m…” She searched for a word. “Overjoyed the curse is broken.
The Avialies have an unsure future, but I know we’ll fight and do
as much as we can in the face of our adversaries.” She paused,
swallowing. “To be honest, I think most of the appreciation should
go to Grace. She and Evan were the ones that talked me into
helping. She’s with the prince right now, and we don’t even know
what her fate is. She sacrificed a lot for this family.”

Jeshro grunted from the other side of Evan. Sierra
ignored him as murmurs ran through the crowd. She raised her wine.
“To Grace. For her courage… and her love.”

“To Grace,” the others said.

Sierra took a long drink, the rich wine warming her
throat. She sat down, avoiding Jeshro’s gaze. Matilda gave her an
approving smile.

The next two hours went by in a blur: more toasts,
speeches, declarations of revenge. There was even a proposal. Jade
read from the scroll Sierra and Grace found about the marked ones
to protect the Avialies. She made Sierra read the words, and
Sierra’s voice became the only sound in the big dining hall.

They served the food after the scroll reading:
Jolenian delicacies such as seared tuna with lemon, apricot soup,
and iced cream. Sierra ate a good amount, but her stomach had
shrunk in her corset, and she was full halfway through. The
performances started when she’d had her last bite: singers,
dancers, fire throwers, jugglers.

Afterwards, the group went into the ballroom for
dancing and socializing. The windows were open, the salty breeze
blowing through as the band struck up lively tunes. The first stars
were shining in the twilit sky.

Sierra and Evan danced alone first, and halfway
through the song, the elders joined them, and soon the entire room
was full of motion and laughter. Sierra got caught up in it
herself, dancing with Evan like he was never leaving her, laughing
with Jade as they spun around. She ignored the fawning looks,
tolerated the women who grabbed her sobbing, and drank lots of
wine.

When she finally decided to approach Jeshro about
Grace and Dar, her cheeks were warm and the room spun just the
slightest as she walked over to him. He stood with Lisbeth, and
Sierra didn’t wait for a lull in conversation. “Jeshro, I need to
speak to you.”

He raised his eyebrows at her. “Yes, Sierra?”

“We need to get Grace and Dar from the castle,” she
said, and she felt like she was speaking loudly, but she wasn’t
sure.

“Of course. I agree.”

She peered at him. She’d been sure he’d put up more
of a fight than that. “I propose we have a meeting with the
Protectors. We need to re-reass… rethink our relations with
them.”

“Can’t this wait until the morning?” Jeshro asked
lightly. “Enjoy yourself.”

“No, no, I need to speak with you about it tonight.”
She raised her goblet to take a sip of her wine only to realize she
was out. She’d just had a full goblet. She shook her head and
looked up at Jeshro. “We don’t know what their plans are. We can
arrange a treaty or something. Or trade something for Grace and
Dar.”

“Sierra, no one wants to cooperate with them,” Jeshro
said, lowering his voice.

“Yes, I know, but they’re still more powerful than
you,” Sierra said. “Than us. They have arrest warrants out for Evan
and I. They have some of most powerful of the magical families. We
need to think about what’s going to help us in the long run.”

Jeshro rubbed a hand over his face. “This isn’t the
time nor the place, Sierra.”

“Yes, it is!” Sierra raised her voice. “I planned
this out. I had everything lined out.”

“Keep your voice down,” Lisbeth hissed.

“Listen, we have to have the meeting before you send
the men away,” Sierra said. “They can break out Grace and Dar while
we’re having the meeting.”

Jeshro’s mouth fell open, then his look of shock
turned into thoughtful consideration.

Sierra felt a surge of pride and she went to take a
drink before remembering, again, she’d run out of wine. “You see?”
she said. “It’s a distraction as well as a political move.”

Jeshro stroked his chin. “It’s risky.”

“If we sent out a spy beforehand, they could figure
out where Grace and Dar and Vin and Amina are.” She motioned around
the room. “These people would do anything for Grace. As they
should.”

“Yes, of course,” Jeshro said quietly. “Let’s talk
about it in the morning.”

“I want to talk about it now,” Sierra said.

Jeshro squeezed her shoulder. “Sierra, I want to do
it. Let’s talk about it tomorrow when we’re both more prepared for
tactical discussion.”

“Okay,” she said slowly, “but I won’t let it go.”

“Neither will I,” he promised.

She stumbled away, looking for more wine, and she had
a feeling the conversation had gone well.

* * *

Chapter Six

The morning came unwelcome. Sierra tried to pull the
blanket over her head to block out the sun, but Evan was sleeping
on the blankets, and he didn’t budge when she pulled at them. She
turned on her side, closing her eyes. Her head throbbed. She
couldn’t remember the last time she’d drank so much. Probably in
the circus.

She’d spent the night dancing and laughing with
people she’d just met. She vaguely recalled trying to teach herself
how to juggle. Lee had only just kept her away from the
torches.

She’d spoken to Jeshro, too. She cursed to herself.
Her carefully planned words had gone to hell once she’d had half a
dozen glasses of wine.

She dozed off again, but then had to wake up to pee.
She stumbled into their bathroom, shielding her eyes from the
sunlight. Once she emerged, Evan had taken all the blankets. She
tossed for another hour, but couldn’t get back to sleep. She
finally gave up and got dressed and couldn’t believe how high the
sun was already. It must have been midday.