Heirs of War (29 page)

That was not the conclusion she needed him to come to. Happy she had done so well with improvisation in her drama class, she decided to give him a nudge in the right direction. She scoffed with disbelief. "He escaped! I ca
n't believe it. Ugh, that
jerk!
He was supposed to take me with him."

The man's face fell. "He said he was going to escape?" When she nodded, he waded into the water urgently, grabbing the shirt and looking for any sign of Alec swimming downstream. "He couldn't have gone far. We'll send out a search party immediately."

As he turned back around to face them, Alec, who was still submerged under the water, made his move. He gripped the sword at the guard's belt as he rose up, water splashing everywhere as he deftly rammed the sword into the man's gut, giving the blade a twist before letting him fall back.

Ariana wasted no time. The female guard was already turning to attack Alec. Ariana knew she was supposed to kill her, but she hesitated. She had never killed anyone before. She wondered if the woman had a family, had children. In her moment of hesitation, the guard blew Alec backwards into the water with a splash. Ariana lifted her hand and felt the air come to her, felt the power tingling at her fingertips. She released it and watched as the unsuspecting guard went flying into the rocks at the river bed with a 'whoosh'. After she was sure she wasn't going to get up and attack again, she waded into the water to offer Alec a hand up.

"Thanks," he said breathily as he stood up. "You know, for a second there I thought you weren't going to be able to do it." He placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her down the river. "We need to keep to the water. It'll be harder to track us, and they'll be expecting us to run to the nearest city."

***

Zelene started awake. She could swear she heard someone saying her name. She eased herself into a sitting position, peering into the darkness. She couldn't see anyone, but she still cautiously made her way to the doors, flinging them open to allow in the little bit of candlelight Ellowyn used to read by in the anterior chamber.

Ellowyn jumped to her feet. "Is everything all right?"

Zelene felt her face flush red and hoped the candlelight wasn't enough to let her new friend see her embarrassment. Ellowyn had pretty much stayed by her side since she tried to run away, and she didn't want her to worry she was fleeing again. "Yeah, I just thought I heard something. Were you talking?"

The young girl
looked around the room. Her long dark hair cascaded down her back and over her shoulders, and she impatiently brushed the locks behind her, as if still getting used to the feel of her tresses being loose. "No. I didn't hear anything. Maybe you were dreaming?"

Zelene was about to agree when she heard the noise again. Someone had whispered her name from inside her bedchamber with a sadness bordering on a whimper. She grabbed the candle from the table her maidservant had been sitting at and gingerly went back into her bedroom. Ellowyn was right behind her, guardedly looking around for any signs of an intruder.

"I don't see anyone," the young maidservant said tentatively, her voice less than a whisper in case she was wrong.

"Someone's here," Zelene said with certainty. "I'm sure of it." Her own voice held doubt even as she said the words. She turned around to face Ellowyn and let out an audible gasp as she made out someone familiar standing behind the girl. "Jeez, Isauria! Don't you know how to knock or something?"

Ellowyn looked around in confusion. "Who are you talking to?"

Zelene had her hand clamped over her chest as she struggled to calm her pounding heart. She gestured to where her older sister stood, looking sad and confused. "Isauria. She's right there." She straightened as her friend continued to look around. "You...you can't see her?"

"No,” Ellowyn responded with worry. “Zelene, there's no one here."

"No," Zelene said shaking her head frantically as she continued to stare at Isauria, "no, she's right here. If you can't see her...." She paled as realization hit her. "We have to get to the leigheas. Now!"

They both took off running immediately. They passed Solanna and Sylvanna, who cried out their questions as the girls raced past them, but were ignored. The two wore mirrored masks of worry before rushing to follow. The group slowed as they reached Isauria's private room next to the leigheas. Zelene didn’t try to fight the tears as she walked inside, watching Bianca whispered choked apologies to Isauria’s pallid form. She looked up in confusion at the four women standing on the other side of her patient's bed.

"What are you doing here?" Bianca asked, struggling to regain her composure.

"She's dead, isn't she?" Zelene’s words came out as more of a statement than a question as she already knew the answer. She heard the Duillaine Banair both gasp and protest their denials, but she knew she was right. Isauria was dead.

Bianca nodded through her confusion as she stared up at the young Duillaine Ainnir. "How did you know?"

Zelene opened her mouth to say she had seen her, but her own shock and grief stole the words from her throat. She lowered herself onto the edge of the bed, taking her older sister's hand into her own. Isauria’s skin wasn't cold yet. Zelene had always heard that dead people were cold. She squeezed her eyes shut, once again experiencing the familiar tinges of loss weighing on her chest.

She'd had the chance to know her, to finally have a sister like she had always craved, and the opportunity had slipped through her fingers like vapor. She struggled as the pain threatened to overwhelm her, tears burning as she realized in the worst possible way there was more she cared about in Anscombe than just Ellowyn. She had cared about Isauria. Isauria, who had been so brave and so strong, risking everything she had and ultimately giving up her life in the hopes she might help their missing sister.

"You saw her, Zelene," Ellowyn answered with worry and confusion, flushing as all their attentions turned to her.

Sylvanna started to press the issue, but her voice was overpowered by Isauria's loud intake of air as she shot up into sitting position on her bed. Zelene and Bianca stood up abruptly, taking involuntary steps back as they stared at the disheveled redhead in wonder.

"They escaped," Isauria announced, ignoring the dumbfounded looks aimed in her direction.

Bianca eased herself back down beside her patient, turning her face toward her own and inspecting her closely. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine," Isauria answered dismissively though her cream colored skin was much paler than normal and dark circles surrounded her light blue eyes. "Did you hear me?"

The paion breathed in an annoyed breath. "Yes, but my main concern right now is you."

Isauria frowned with confusion as if she didn’t understand Bianca’s meaning. A pregnant pause opened the silence around them as they all struggled to understand what had just transpired.

"Isauria,” Bianca said slowly, “you were dead."

"I know," Isauria responded, waving her off. She exchanged a wearied glance with her younger sister. "But now I'm not, and we have bigger things to deal with."

Solanna stepped forward, resting her hands on the foot of the bed frame. "You said they escaped. You mean Ariana?"

Isauria nodded emphatically, her ginger hair spilling into her face before she brushed it away. "Yes! Which means we finally have our chance to find them."

"Great," Zelene agreed. "Where do we start?"

"I think not," Sylvanna stated brusquely before her disapproving gaze flickered to the maid. "Zelene, you will take your...
maid
—"

"My friend," Zelene corrected her defiantly, crossing her arms over her chest. "And I'm not going anywhere until we talk about how we are going to rescue my sister."

"As I said before,
you
will not be doing anything," Sylvanna pressed as she matched the younger's pose. "You know nothing of your power—"

"I would if you stopped the history and etiquette lessons and actually
taught me something worthwhile." Zelene knew it was an unfair argument since Adelphi had been trying to assist her privately, but she couldn't help but think the Duillaine could be doing more to help them.

"Using your power is n
ot something that can be taught," Sylvanna argued, her temper flaring. "It is within you, and you must find a way to awaken it. This is no longer for discussion, Zelene. These matters are for us to handle, not a child."

"I am NOT a child,
" Zelene yelled, stepping forward. "And you people don't handle anything. You did nothing but sat on your asses when Kyle was taken right out from under your noses! If you think I am going to sit by and do the same thing—"

"ENOUGH,
" Sylvanna screamed the word. "I will not be defied this way. Take your maid and leave, or I will make you."

Solanna stepped closer to Zelene before she could argue further. "Come, Zelene. I'll take you back to your room. You have had a trying week and could use the rest."

Zelene glowered at Sylvanna once more and allowed herself to be led away. "I want to go to my father. He'll handle this even if you won't," she said once they had reached the walkway.

"Your father is away on an errand for Anscombe," Solanna said with a resigned sigh as she led them up the stairs. "Now, your maid said you had seen Isauria. What did she mean by that?"

"What she meant is a problem for another day," Zelene retorted snidely. She stopped, brushing the arm Solanna had around her shoulders off. "Look, you better do something about Ariana, and you better do something fast. Before she ends up like your first kid." She knew the words were like a slap in the face to her aunt, but she didn't care. Action needed to be taken and one of them needed to see that. She spun on her heel and marched off with Ellowyn, leaving a stunned Solanna standing at the top of the stairs.

***

"You said they escaped," Sylvanna repeated from inside the door of Isauria's room in the leigheas. "They who?"

"Ariana and the boy who’s been helping her," Isauria explained impatiently. "He was a prisoner too. Kellen calls him her pet. Look, we have to do something and fast. Kellen will be looking for them if she isn't already." She
wished she could give them more information to go on. "There was a river near them, and they were going to follow it. I know they're in Cahira somewhere, I just don't know where yet. But I can keep looking, and I'm sure they'll come across more clues to help us find them."

"Absolutely not,
" Bianca snapped. "I will not allow you to go rushing back like this. You
died
, Isauria. I will not allow that to happen again." She said this as if telling her patient not to die was an order to be followed if she willed it hard enough.

"I agree with the paion," Sylvanna said simply as if putting the matter to rest. "You are too valuable to be risking yourself in such a way. Solanna will take over from here."

"She can't watch them all the time," Isauria argued. "We can't risk taking our eyes off them for one minute. They have someone like me who can see them. They'll be watching, too, and if they find out where they are before us—"

"What do you mean they have someone like you?"

"Someone with the gift of seeing," Isauria answered with a impatience. She didn't understand why this was such an issue. She felt like they should have seen this coming and briefly wondered how Terrena had evaded capture for so long with someone like Sheridan on the Cahiran side. "That's how they found us."

Sylvanna waved her off dismissively. "That is impossible. Only those born into our bloodline have the gift of seeing."

"Well, maybe she's a distant cousin or something," Isauria pressed with impatience, feeling like this was so far beyond her original point. "She's there. I've seen her, and I've seen what she can do, and it's exactly like me."

Sylvanna took her time mulling this thought over as she paced the floor in front of Isauria's bed. "Very well. You will share duties with Solanna."

Bianca stood up, completely outraged by this. "I cannot believe you are agreeing to this. Does no one understand Isauria was dead? I am not mistaken in this. She cannot go back. The risk is too great."

Isauria held out her hand, which Bianca took, and she linked her fingers with hers. "Then help me. I promise to be more careful this time, but I can't do this without you. Please."

The paion's lips pressed together in a straight, stern line. "You will not stay there for days on end anymore. You will wake when I tell you and allow Solanna to take watch when I feel you need the rest. Do you understand me?"

Isauria nodded, her paled face softening with the appreciation of Bianca’s support. She knew she was under Bianca's care, but she had grown to depend on her as a friend with her visits and felt compelled to get her to understand. "I need to go back now to make sure they're okay." She
let out a relieved breath when the paion gave her permission with a stiff nod, and she closed her eyes, slipping back into her dream like state and seeking out the thread connecting her to her youngest sister.

She found them climbing rocks toward a cave overlooking the river they had come from. They were both hardly dressed and shivering. Alec offered Ariana a hand up, helping her to the mouth of the cave. They sat just inside, sheltered from the wind by the walls, but able to see the river flowing below them.