Second Stone (3 page)

Torian’s shoulders tensed.

Before he could go any further, Emariya grabbed his arm. “Torian, let me. Please.” She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “He’s right. I’m not afraid of him. I want to hear what he has to say.”

For a moment, she thought he was going to argue with her, but then he relaxed and stepped back out of the way. Leaning against a wall of books, he made an open gesture with his palm encouraging her to continue.

All right then, time to get to it. “You must know at least part of the reason you’ve come. Surely you didn’t wake up this morning and accidentally find yourself here.” Emariya knew exactly what it was like to wake up somewhere unexpected thanks to him. That knowledge hung between them unsaid.

“Your Highness,” Leil glanced nervously at Torian, then back to Emariya, “I don’t want to make excuses for what I did. Taking you against your will was wrong, but you’ve got to understand.”

Torian started to clear his throat to speak, but Emariya held out a hand in warning. She didn’t dare look him in the eyes to see his reaction to her gesture.

“I was a bit misled.”

“Misled? You expect me to believe you didn’t know you were abducting me?” Emariya arched her brow.

“No, Mi—your Highness. If you please, let me finish. I was married once, not so long ago. My bride decided she didn’t like what little I had. She wanted to return to her father rather than stay with me. We didn’t have much, but what we had was ours. And she was mine. Or she was supposed to be.” Emotion made his voice thick and at times hard to understand.

Emariya had seen a tenderness in him unlike the harshness of her other captors. She’d known he was different. She could also relate to the tale of the bride who’d missed her home and family. Was that so much different than her own story? Just this very day, she’d promised to wed the prince of Thalmas while thoughts of chasing after her father weighed on her mind.
My situation is different,
she reminded herself.
My father is rotting in prison, not waiting at home lonely for a daughter grown and gone.

“My wife—she didn’t make it to her father’s, Your Highness. To this day I don’t know what got her; I guess I never will. But you see, that’s why when we were asked to make sure you made it to the castle, whether you wanted to go or not… Well, I would have done it even if we weren’t being paid.” As he finished his tale, he stood there, head bowed, not meeting her eyes.

“Leil,” Emariya spoke hesitantly. She still didn’t trust him. She’d been lied to and misled too often of late, but his words had the ring of truth, and the tear making its way down his cheek inclined her to believe him. “I’m sorry about your wife. And I’m sorry I poisoned you.”

“Nah, I deserved it. You are stronger than she was. You’ve the strength to go where you wish. I’m sorry I didn’t see that sooner.”

From his perch against the bookcase, Torian said, “I still don’t think I understand why you are here. If we are to believe your story, you had a good reason for agreeing to bring Emariya to me. But why come here now? What’s here for you?”

Leil straightened to his full height, which wasn’t very tall, and stood the proudest Emariya had seen him. “I didn’t know the answer to that before, but now I think I do. I heard you say you are going to Sheas. I’d like to offer you my sword, for what little it is worth. I’d like the chance to earn your forgiveness. Both of you, Your Highnesses. Maybe if I can help reunite you with your father, I can begin to make amends.”

Emariya didn’t know what to feel. Seeing Leil again reminded her of days spent bound to a stake in the ground. And yet, even then she’d known that he didn’t want to hurt her. But could she trust him now to guard her back?

She suspected if she left it up to Torian, he’d say no and throw Leil in the dungeon right next to Khane. Of course, he would deserve it and Torian would be well within his power. Emariya, on the other hand, was tempted to accept his offer. Either way she would be thinking about him. At least if he were to accompany them, he could be put to good use and they could keep an eye on him. She couldn’t deny that there was also part of her that relished making her own decisions.

“We leave tonight.” Emariya turned and, without meeting either man’s gaze, stepped out of the room in a swish of silver skirts.

Emariya gave a curt nod to the guards as she headed toward Dellas’s chamber, only half-noticing the rhythmic step of Torian’s boots behind her. One last thing to see to, then they could be on their way.

“Do you think that was wise?” Torian’s voice was flat, suspiciously devoid of inflection.

She wasn’t sure what made her snap. Spinning around to face him without thinking, she said, “I gather you don’t?” Emariya leaned towards him defiantly.

Torian held up his hands in mock surrender. “Emariya, what’s bothering you? And no, I am not sure that it was a good idea, but mostly because we didn’t discuss it first.”

Emariya wasn’t ready to back down. “You mean because I made the decision before you could.” The weight of it all was getting to her. Making empty promises to an entire kingdom to wed, knowing they might not. Being sent here by her brother for his own means—he’d not even confided in her about his true intent, he’d merely used her. But still, he was her brother, and she loved him. And hated him.

“No, Emariya, I mean because we didn’t discuss it. I don’t plan to make choices for us alone, but I can’t say that I’m thrilled with you making them without consulting me, either.”

“Truly?” Emariya narrowed her eyes, still not quite convinced.

“Truly.” He gave her a smile that would have melted ice, not to mention her defenses.

Sighing, she leaned against him. “I’m sorry. I just feel, well, like a pawn, I suppose. Mostly by my brother; he’s using me to play this game, and I don’t even really know what the game is, much less the objective. I only know he’s trying to use me to win.”

Emariya smiled as Torian smoothed her hair. “Then maybe we need to change the rules,” Torian said.

“Perhaps,” Emariya conceded. She was so close to Torian, she could hear his heart pounding beneath his velvet vest. “You really want to make decisions together, not simply have me stay in my place as a girl, with no say?”

“Have I ever treated you that way?” Torian asked, taking a step backward and looking her square in the eye.

“No, but in Eltar, ladies are disregarded. We might be asked for our opinion occasionally, but not often. Noble women are for decoration and child rearing. Lesser-born women are to tend to noble-born women and other useful tasks.”

“It’s a good thing you’re in Thalmas, then,” Torian teased. “Besides, can you picture my sister sitting around letting a man make decisions for her? I’m well accustomed to opinionated women.”

Emariya laughed. “Speaking of Terin, why did the man at the feast think she was your mother’s niece?”

After scanning the hallway around them, Torian spoke in a low whisper, “Just as your father hid the truth of Reeve’s and your existence for being Second Stones, we have hidden Terin. Until we knew of you, we believed she was the only female Cornerstone alive, other than Rees Hendel’s wife. It was too risky to let it be known who she really was. As far as all of Thalmas is concerned, she is a niece of the Queen. Some of those who live in the castle know the truth, but no one else.”

“Yes, of course.” Feeling silly for not realizing the reason sooner, Emariya changed the subject. “Are you coming with me to see your father?”

“No, I think he wanted to speak with you alone. I’ll take Leil with me to check on Garith and the horses and tell the commander to get the army ready.” Torian gestured to the two guards still outside of his study. “Escort Her Highness to my father’s chambers, and stay with her wherever she wishes to go.”

CHAPTER THREE

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Emariya set off toward King Dellas’s private quarters with a pair of guards close on her heels. She’d never come to see His Majesty alone before. Slight trepidation sought to slow her pace, but urgency to be on their way propelled her forward.

Only time would tell if she’d been right to accept Leil’s offer. Lately, she didn’t know how to decide who she could trust, aside from simply not trusting anyone. Her brother, who she’d always trusted, had betrayed her. Torian, who she’d initially mistrusted, was becoming her strongest ally. These were at best uncertain times.

Maybe Leil would turn out to be useful. If Khane could turn out to be a foe in friend’s clothing, perhaps Leil, too, could be more than he appeared. Thinking of Khane lured her thoughts to the dungeon deep within the castle. She was almost to the king’s chambers when she stopped abruptly, causing her escort to nearly run into her.

With an apologetic smile, she asked, “Do either of you know the way to the dungeon?”

The guards looked at each other, then back to her. The taller of the two answered, “Of course, Your Highness. But don’t you want to attend to His Majesty? We are almost there.” He pointed ahead.

“I do, but first I need to see another. Take me there, please?”

The second guard mumbled to the first, “His Highness was clear: we must take her where she wants to go.”

Dipping his head respectfully, the first guard said, “As you wish, Your Highness. This way.”

As they worked their way through the heavy stone corridors, going deeper and lower in the castle than Emariya had ever been before, she realized there would have been no chance of her finding the dungeon on her own. Emariya was grateful the guards had started to listen to her. Though it was hard to say for certain if it had anything to do with her, or if it was only the fury Torian unleashed the day of the fire after learning that the guards he’d left with her had dismissed her requests.

“Shall we go in with you, Your Highness?” one of the guards asked as they stopped in front of a heavy door and he pulled out a key. Made of the same iron as the ones to the throne room, this door boasted clearly what it was: not a grandly decorated masterpiece, but an impenetrable barricade, meant to separate the rest of the castle from the filth within. The guard swung it open before her.

Despite being tempted to say yes, Emariya shook her head. “No, thank you. You may wait here.”

Pausing in the open doorway, Emariya tried to make her face as impassive as possible. She couldn’t afford to forget that Khane could pass along anything he learned to her brother through the gift of the Roths. Her face must reveal nothing.

As she took the first tentative step into the dungeon, an unexpected image clouded through her mind. Her father, once so strong and in command, likely waited in a dungeon like this, believing he’d been forgotten. Emariya swallowed hard.
I haven’t forgotten, and I won’t. I’m coming for you, Father. Just hold on.
Emariya blinked several times, trying to focus on the dark cell before her.

“Come t’ gloat?” Khane’s voice was grittier than she remembered. Rougher, and raw.

She tried to speak, but it came out as a high-pitched whisper. “No.” She cleared her throat and tried again. “No.” She resisted the urge to avert her eyes from his haggard appearance. An untamed beard had taken over his face. His blond hair hung in clumps, reaching his ears. Dirt streaked his face, but the fire still burned in his blue eyes that mirrored the sapphire color of her own. Roth eyes.

He turned away from her. “Then what?”

“How can I use the gift of the Roths?”

Khane sort of chuckled followed by an arrogant snort of disbelief. “‘How can you not’ would be the better question.” The iron shackles at his wrist vibrated with his deep laugh.

“I don’t understand.”

“Your problem isn’t not knowing how t’ use them. It’s in how not t’ stop yourself from using them. Open yourself t’ them. Embrace them. See them for what they are.”

“I’m not closed to them.” This was a waste. Why had she thought he might actually tell her anything useful? She’d tried to use her gifts, eager to contact her mother. She ached for her mother’s advice through every depth of her heart. Every time she’d tried, it had been to no avail. The closest she’d gotten was hearing snatches of words.

“You are. And until you realize that, I can’t help you.”

“Can’t? Or won’t?”

“Can’t. Believe me, I’d like nothing more than t’ help you use them. Maybe your brother could talk some sense into you. You’ve got t’ bind the lines, Emariya! Don’t you want peace? Don’t you want t’ see your
family
, sitting at the head o’ all The Three Corners? You can finish what your mother started!”

Emariya involuntarily backed up a step, pressing herself against the dungeon wall behind her, as far away from Khane as she could get without leaving the room. “No, never. Of course I want peace, but not at a disastrous price. It is my brother who is in need of a good dose of sense. People aren’t pawns—though you don’t seem to mind being his.” She crossed her arms, hugging them to herself as she glared at the man before her. He wasn’t going to help her; she’d have to continue to try and figure it out on her own.

“You are only a pawn if you don’t know the game you are playing,” Khane said with a twisted smile as Emariya backed out of the dungeon.

––––––––

Unlike the new, unblemished door of Torian’s chambers, the door leading to the king’s private quarters was well used and smoothly worn. One of the two guards standing alert outside the king’s quarters gave her a crisp nod and opened the door before she could knock. She was expected.

A warm smile illuminated the king’s face as Emariya stepped inside. “Lady Warren, my dear. Done with your visit already?”

Nerves prickled between her shoulder blades and up the back of her neck. She wasn’t sure if it was leftover uneasiness from her visit—if you could call it that—with Khane, or something else entirely. Nothing seemed off about the king’s manner, so she tried to put her worries aside.

“Yes, Your Majesty. You wanted to see me?” She started to curtsy, but stopped when the king waved her aside, gesturing for her to take a seat across from him.

“I trust all is well with the gentleman who upset you and my son earlier? Torian handled it, I presume?” Sitting across from her, the king reached out a tentative hand to pat hers, offering an attempt at almost fatherly comfort.

Emariya was tempted to tell them that
they
had handled it, but kept it simple. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Good then.” The king nodded to himself as he looked around the room, everywhere but at her eyes. Finally, after a long pause while Emariya shifted uncomfortably, Dellas met and held her gaze. “My son has been left to handle much. He has not complained, but I know it has weighed on him. Hopefully, by the time you and he return, I will be able to see to more myself, instead of having to rely so much on him. Maybe then he can focus more on being a man learning to be a husband than a prince learning to be king. Still, without your help, it wouldn’t have even been a possibility. For that, I cannot thank you enough.”

“It was nothing, Your Majesty,” Emariya said softly, touched.

King Dellas smiled and leaned back in his seat, seemingly more comfortable now that he’d expressed what he wanted to say. Emariya imagined it must still be stressful for him to try and speak clearly, never being quite sure when his coherency might abandon him again.

Emariya chewed her lower lip, contemplating. “Your Majesty, might I ask you a question?”

“Of course, my dear, you may always speak freely with me.” The king fidgeted, then clasped his hands in his lap as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do with them.

“How did you learn to use your gifts?”

“Oh, child, I wish I knew. I don’t think I learned to use them as much as they perhaps learned to use me. Once they did, they never stopped. Even now, I can’t control them. They come as they will. Fortunately, thanks to your herbs, I can at least tell the difference between my visions and reality. I can tell you I am more apt to get them while my eyes are closed, resting or sleeping. Perhaps it is different than the voices of the Roths, though. If I am to understand it right, sometimes you simply hear someone, a voice?”

Emariya nodded.

“But you could be hearing whatever is going on around you simultaneously, as if it were another voice in the room?”

“Yes. Except the time when I was unconscious and I heard my mother. Then it was as if I was wherever she was… She held my hand.” Emariya gulped, trying to get a hold on herself. She was
not
going to cry in front of the king.

“I’m sorry I don’t have anything more helpful to tell you. Please know that if I could help you, I would.”

Emariya believed him; he looked so sincere it would be impossible not to. “Thank you, Your Majesty.” She rose to leave, but before turning to the door, she asked, “Will you be coming out to see us off?”

The king’s tired smile revealed just how much the day’s festivities had taken their toll on him. “Aye. Terin would never let me hear the end of it if I didn’t.”

At the mention of Torian’s rebellious sister, Emariya couldn’t hold back her grin. “Torian told me she wanted to go with us, but that neither of you would let her.”

“It’s a miracle she listened, but yes. That girl’s got a wild streak and a willful mind. Maybe The Three were trying to prepare Torian for you.” Dellas shared a mischievous smile, making Emariya reasonably sure she knew which parent had bestowed Torian and Terin with their spirited nature.

Laughing, Emariya headed to the door. The king’s voice from behind her turned her back. “Oh, and Emariya…”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Don’t fret. You won’t let the people of Thalmas down. You won’t have to take it back.”

Emariya gasped. He knew she had agreed to it only as a formality?

“Visions can be a peculiar thing, my dear. I rarely see what I want, but I usually see what I need. I don’t know what will prompt it, but you will marry my son. I knew that before your hand was even offered.”

“But the prophecies…” Try as she might, Emariya couldn’t find the words to express the fears tumbling through her head, or the hope that unexpectedly lifted her heart at the king’s words.

“The only thing one can be sure of when dealing with prophecy is that you can’t be sure of anything.”