The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Two: Beyond the Veil (85 page)

“Do not speak to me that way, boy.”

“Does it matter how I speak to you,
General
?” Callum snapped. “You have clearly judged me already for some deed I have not had an opportunity to defend myself against. I see no reason for me to stand here politely and pretend that isn’t the case. An hour ago the Princess was believed dead. She now lies before you, very much alive, and you show me no respect, only condescension and misplaced allegations.”

“Cadell, go with Edric to see what is taking Gadiel so long with the food,” Thade cut in loudly. “I wish to speak with the Captain.”

From his seat at the door Edric looked ready to run. The tension in the room was almost palpable between Callum and his father, their heated glares held firm, staring one another down. At Thade’s request Cadell gave a proud shake of his head, drawing in a harsh breath. “If that is what you command of me, then I will go. I must counsel against it, however.”

“Your counsel is noted and declined, General. Please. If you and Edric will step out. I require privacy.” Thade stood up, his presence alone an intimidating sight. At Aiva’s side she felt Callum tremble slightly. She was afraid for him. Her only comfort was in that she would be there with him. In her condition, she wouldn’t be expected to leave the room.

Doing as he was told, Cadell bowed deeply to Thade with barely a glance in his son’s direction. Edric let his eyes linger on Aiva and Callum while following Cadell out of the room, uncertainty visible in his silvery-blue gaze. Thade waited until they were out the door to speak, covering the distance between him and the lock in a few long strides, twisting the mechanism into place to prevent any more interruptions. Callum watched him, respectful, somewhat fearful of what he would do. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” he swallowed hard. “It was out of line for me to speak that way.”

Thade waved his hand, dismissive of the apology. “No, that is not necessary,” he sighed. “We will accomplish more with the two of you separated and there is much I need to ask of you in order to better assist my daughter. Tell me. I want to know about the poison she encountered on Tunir. Was this something given to her by General Uttae’s daughter, or was she exposed in some other way?”

“I believe she was bit. Possibly stung,” Callum frowned. “I did not see it with my own eyes. Uttae called it an agarul. It attacked her shortly after we washed up on the shore. I was unconscious from the fight with the divastru and she was trying to find help. We had no way of knowing where we were at the time. She was exhausted and frozen half to death from the water. When the creature came after her, it injected her with some kind of poison that left her unconscious. Enokih was too proud to admit she wasn’t skilled enough to handle the procedure necessary to cleanse a Vor’shai body of the venom.”

“And you were not well enough to assist?”

“I barely had the strength when I regained consciousness to help prevent Aiva’s energy from fighting Enokih’s attempts to clear her system. To be honest, I have little memory of what happened that night beyond applying the sutures to the wounds Enokih cut to draw out the poison. Had I not sewn them closed, Enokih would have left them untended. It was foolish of me to believe that the poison had actually been cleansed. Perhaps I was being too generous in giving the Tuniron practices so much credit.”

“Traces of it may have been left behind, too miniscule for this Enokih to sense. In small doses the body does not always show signs of a toxic presence and would essentially go dormant.” Thade pressed his fingers firmly against the lacerations on Aiva’s right arm. She grimaced, a pained gasp escaping her at the sensation. An uncomfortable warmth gathered around his fingers, the energy in his hand centralized where their skin touched. “You tended the only serious wounds she suffered at the time. When the new wounds were inflicted, the infection would settle in her system and create an adverse reaction with the dormant poison which must have sparked it back into circulation.”

Aiva’s veins burned. Not since she awoke on Enokih’s table had she felt anything so excruciating. Thade’s energy pushed through her system with significant strength in comparison to that of the Tuniron rituals. A heat like fire coursed over her from head-to-toe, drawn to Thade’s fingers where they remained pressed against the open wound at her arm. In her weakened condition she possessed no tolerance for the discomfort. Screams cut through the air, reverberated off the walls in their shrillness. Outside the door someone rattled the handle in attempts to get inside. Thade ignored them, his focus on nothing but the location of the wound.

At her cries, Callum reached for her, reflexive in his actions, fingers clasped around hers. She squeezed his hand tightly. “I’m here, Aiva,” he whispered, tenderly brushing a strand of hair away from her face. “It will be alright. You’re doing great.”

All at once the pain ceased. Thade removed his fingers from Aiva’s arm to wipe the handkerchief across the skin, staring down at something he saw there. Callum watched him, anxious to hear the result of the procedure. “Well, she certainly did have something in her system, that is for sure,” Thade mumbled. He was far away in his head, forehead creased in thoughtful concentration of his findings. “It is not a poison I am familiar with. We will want to keep a close eye on her over the next day or so to make sure it has been properly expelled. Infection is easier to treat without something like this adding to its potency.”

“You are incredibly skilled at flushing poison, Your Majesty.”

“It is not the first time I have had need to do so, nor will it be the last, I’m sure,” Thade chuckled distractedly. “Honestly, this was a rather mild treatment. The poison itself was strong to have lingered so long and with enough potency to affect her body in such a way.”

“How long will we have to monitor her improvement before we continue to North Pointe? Or…” Callum straightened his shoulders, “am I not to accompany the rest of the unit?”

Thade let his eyes remain on Callum for a long while. Silent. Taking in what was being asked. Aiva knew he was aware of Callum’s implications. Enough had been made obvious between his arguments with Cadell for Thade to realize Callum was no stranger to the charges against him. Calmly, he moved around the bed to stand in front of Callum, perfectly composed. “My son reached this country only on account of your bravery. I have feared my daughter to have perished in the waters of the Vai’ld Sea and you have brought her back to me. When the time comes, I will address the issues which must be put to trial, but do not think your actions haven’t been noted. Even in these brief moments since your return I have witnessed the care you take in my daughter’s comfort and safety. Whether or not you continue on with the rest of us is in your hands now. I am eager to hear your defense, however, this is not the time. Scouts were sent ahead to North Pointe at sunrise. We expect to have at least two days in Targas before they return with information that will allow us to plan a method of attack. All will be settled in that time.”

“Your Majesty, my father has already decided my guilt – ”

“Your father is in a very uncomfortable position, Callum.” Thade brought his hand to rest on Callum’s shoulder. “He is confused and unfamiliar with expressing the emotions he has been forced to endure since our arrival to Luquarr and the news of your supposed death. There is a certain image he must uphold while in front of the troops. You know this well enough. Inside he has been torn apart at the thought of losing you. He is no doubt filled with relief to see you here now, though other circumstances prevent him from regarding you openly the way he would like. The charges against you are severe. With you being his son, he cannot give an impression that an investigation of the evidence and claims will be biased due to the close relation between you both. I fear he overcompensates in his attempts to appear… appropriately suspicious. Does this make sense?”

Callum nodded in agreement. His expression softened, a glint of understanding visible in the glow of his eyes. “I suppose I did not consider that,” he sighed. “Thank you, Your Majesty. It… eases my mind more than you know.”

Aiva smiled to see her father pull Callum to him in a warm embrace. Callum’s eyes opened wide in surprise at the gesture, hesitant at how to respond. Awkwardly, he brought his hands up, returning the pressure with a tentative pat on the back. “Callum, you have been like a son to me since you were born. Always underfoot with the rest of my children,” Thade chuckled. “Some things never change. They simply require more politics to muddle through. Keep your chin up. Confidence suits you better.”

Stepping away from Callum, Thade moved toward the door, his fingers sliding the lock to allow Cadell and the others inside. Edric was the first to stumble through, pressed up against the surface of the door. Thade squinted at the sight of him there, a quizzical expression on his face. “Sorry, Father. I was… worried something was wrong.”

“Does that translate into something about eavesdropping on a private conversation?” Thade questioned, stepping out of the way to grant entrance to the room. Edric cleared his throat, embarrassed at being called out by his father.

“I suppose it might,” he stated, uneasy. “I heard nothing, however. Other than my sister screaming, but that does not count if it is overheard while not intentionally listening.”

“What happened, Your Majesty?” Cadell asked. “We all heard the Princess scream. Is everything alright?”

Thade smiled, the lines on his face dissipating. In that moment Aiva was reminded of how young he was. Not yet having reached his one-hundredth year. A remarkably young age for a Vor’shai King. He spoke with the grace and intelligence of a man more than twice his elder. It was easy for her to forget that he wasn’t much more than a child himself next to those who held the crown before him. “She will be fine,” he assured the others, closing the door behind them to secure the lock in place. “The Captain was able to help pinpoint a toxin within Aiva’s system. If we monitor her health closely, she should be back to her old self in a couple of days.”

Relieved at the news Edric hurried over to Callum, taking up a position next to the bed. “Well, that is a good sign,” he smiled down at her happily. She returned the joyful expression, content in that moment to have Callum and Edric there at her side again. The three of them were together. Ireni wouldn’t stand a chance against them. “We should enjoy the silence while we can,” Edric grinned, waving Gadiel to place the food and water on the table. “Once she is better, we may forget what it sounds like.”

“At least we will know where she is,” Thade laughed. He returned to Aiva’s side, settling himself in a chair opposite the others.

Knowing her family was together brought with it a sense of peace. She relaxed into the comfort of the bed, exhaustion setting in from the two days they spent on the road, deprived of sleep. Although the food smelled delicious she had no desire to eat. It required more energy than she was capable of. Edric and Callum helped to tuck her under the blankets. Her mind was beginning to drift before her head could even touch the pillow again, taking in a final image of the faces around her. For the first time in months she could close her eyes and know that everything would be alright when she woke in the morning. They were one step closer to finding the pirates and rescuing Shaelyn. Then they would be able to go home, and Tanispa would celebrate another victory over their enemies.

“This may hurt a little. I should have taken these out a long time ago,” Callum mumbled, a short, sharpened knife clutched steadily in his hand. Edric sat at Aiva’s side, gently holding her head to reveal the sutures on her neck, the soft brush of Callum’s hand sending a nervous chill through her spine as he lifted her hair over the pillow and out of his way. “Try not to move. Or talk. Any tension in your neck could cause an accident while I cut the sutures.”

“You are asking my sister not to talk? Do you realize how futile that request is?” Edric chuckled. Callum gave a crooked grin, a lighthearted glimmer in his eyes.

“She is surprisingly good at not speaking when she wants,” he stated, leaned forward to get a better view of his work. “There are some matters I have been trying to get her to speak on which she adamantly refuses. Then again, I am – me. Perhaps you would have better luck in acquiring her confidence.”

Aiva stared into the distance, unable to see their faces. Why did they have to talk as if she wasn’t lying in the room with them? Did they think her deaf? “It does little good for you to make such a request while I’m present. Now if my brother attempts to speak with me, I will know he does so at your request. Your plan is foiled before it has a chance to blossom.”

“I believe I told you not to talk,” Callum frowned. A sharp, pinprick of pain at her neck sent her into an uncomfortable silence, inhaling through gritted teeth to refrain from crying out.

The boys said nothing while Callum worked the knife along the sutures with expert care and precision. Edric appeared afraid to say or do anything which might distract Callum’s focus. Aiva couldn’t blame him for his hesitance. She would feel the same if their roles were reversed.