As he waited for Neive to return with Hersten, Charles stood in the shadows and watched the two boys. They’d stopped kissing and were now standing, still pressed together, their foreheads touching, speaking in soft tones. Even at this distance, he could see that Astrin’s face was anxious and Rowan’s whole stance was fiercely protective. Even as Charles sighed, with a sinking heart, he couldn’t help but smile.
O
NCE
THEY
were all together, Neive led them through the back alleys, hiding in shadows, stopping before they ventured into streets or crossed roads. The heat was oppressive, and the sense of danger even more so. Rowan felt as if there were eyes constantly on them, all them hostile.
Be that as it may, they arrived at their destination without incident. It was a dingy factory unit at the edge of the city, on the border of the run-down areas Rowan had seen from the train.
Neive introduced them to a surly, dark-skinned man whose initial hostility and suspicions soon gave way to a dazzling white smile. He bowed to Hersten and Charles before disappearing into the unit.
Neive turned sad eyes on them.
“This is where I take my leave. I have things to do here that mean I cannot leave the city. The balance is too delicate. Strebo needs my foot in his backside, now more than ever.”
“There is no way we can ever repay you for what you have done,” Charles said warmly, drawing her to him in a heartfelt hug. “Know there is, and will always be, a place for you at Court should you ever wish to reclaim it.”
“My days at Court are over. I wouldn’t fit in there now; I’ve gone native. I wouldn’t be happy in all the pretentiousness and ceremony. I prefer a simpler life.”
“A life filled with danger, where you don’t know when the axe will fall, or even where your next meal is coming from?” Charles asked with a smile, knowing what the answer would be.
She grinned. “Damn right.”
One by one they hugged her, and she hugged them back with genuine affection. Rowan was last, and she whispered into his ear, “Take care of that boy. One day he will be a great man, possibly the greatest the world has ever known. But he can’t do it alone—he
won’t
do it alone. He needs you. Whatever it takes, whatever sacrifices need to be made, you cannot allow anyone to separate you. Not now; not ever.”
Rowan smiled and pulled back to look her in the eyes. “I didn’t need you to tell me that—any of it. But thank you.”
Neive treated him to a quick, bright smile before she turned and disappeared back the way they had come.
Astrin came up beside Rowan, and Rowan slipped his arm around his waist. Together they watched the small figure until it was completely gone. Then they remained, staring at the space where she had been.
U
NBEKNOWNST
TO
them, a tense conversation was taking place behind them. Charles and Hersten debated in quiet tones what Neive had told Charles and had quietly reminded him while taking her leave. Despite Neive’s reluctance to do so, he chose to share what she had said with Hersten.
“But it’s impossible for them to be together all of the time. They’re Crown Princes of two very different and distinct Houses. There’s no way—”
“There’s always a way.”
“Not this time, my friend. I don’t know how it works in the North, but my governing Council, although they are all good men, are traditionalists. They see the royal family as sacrosanct and bound absolutely by the traditions of our fathers. They would never sanction a union of our Houses, which is the only way forward I can see that would keep them together.”
“Maybe not. What would have happened if Astrin had died of the poison?”
Hersten frowned, not liking to be reminded of how close he’d come to losing his son.
“Suri would have become Crown Prince. He’s still a child, but I hope I have many years left in me yet, and he has been shadowing his brother and myself for many years. He’s not Astrin. He does not have his brother’s strength of character, but he’s a good boy, and he would have made a good king.”
“Is there any reason why he could not still fill the role?”
Hersten froze. “What are you suggesting?”
“If the boys are willing, I see no reason why either one or both could not stand down from their position as Crown Prince.”
“But it’s… it’s….”
“It’s radical, I’ll give you that, but it would put an end to this talk of war and show the world that House Gabriel and House Raphael are united—a force to be reckoned with.”
“True,” Hersten mused. “True…. What would happen in your House should Rowan step down?”
“That is a little harder, since there is only Melissa. While she would make a very good Queen and is far better equipped for rule than her brother, there are many years of tradition that dictate the country cannot be ruled by a woman. As with you, my Council is full of dyed-in-the-wool traditionalists.”
“You’ve given me much to think about.”
“Me too.” Charles looked up as the two boys turned and began to walk back their way. “Perhaps we can speak again when we arrive at Maratebo.”
“Indeed. I shall converse with Agnes and have her perspective. She’s better at this kind of thing than I am.”
The unit turned out to contain a very large but very old bus. The bus had been converted, replacing some of the seats with large tanks for water. There was room for sleeping between them. It would be a tight squeeze, but they would only sleep in it for one night.
Strapping themselves firmly into their seats, they exchanged nervous glances as the dark-skinned man, whose name was Neo, swung the bus out onto the dirt road and sped away, raising clouds of dust behind him.
They traveled for the remainder of the night and all the next day in the blazing sun. The bus had no interior temperature control, so it was very stuffy, hot, and uncomfortable. By midafternoon all of the men had removed their jackets and shirts and were sweating profusely. Astrin and Rowan were fast asleep, with their arms around each other, careless of how much it contributed to the heat that was making both of them sweat like pigs.
Hersten turned around in his seat and looked at them with worried eyes. Even in his sleep Astrin was frowning. Having come so close to losing him, his son was now more precious to the king than ever, and the dire warnings given by Neive had shaken him. The last thing he wanted for Astrin was a life of sorrow and decline. No one knew better how deadly that would be.
He’d spoken briefly to his wife, and she’d promised to work on the situation. However, she had sounded troubled, and he knew she wasn’t easy to convince. He wondered just how hard she would be working on the problem. She loved their son, there was no doubt about that, but she loved their House more, and she hadn’t been there when Astrin was fighting the poison. She hadn’t seen. Perhaps he shouldn’t have protected her so much when Astrin had been ill.
C
HARLES
GLANCED
at Hersten when he heard him sigh. Charles could understand the troubled expression on the other ruler’s face, for he wore one too. He wished he could contact Melissa in the way Hersten spoke to Agnes. Of all of them, he thought she was most capable of dealing with a situation like this. As well as having an uncanny knack of bringing people around to her way of thinking, she had a knowledge of tradition and law that rivaled, if not surpassed, many of the members of the Council. Besides which, the members of the Council seemed to like her—everyone liked her.
Charles smiled. The mere thought of Melissa was like a soothing ointment on a bad sunburn. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, rubbing his back against the rough leather, and tried to move his body away from the patch of sunlight, refracted through the window, that seemed to be attempting to burn a hole through his shoulder.
“I wish I could speak to Melissa,” he said.
“That shouldn’t be too difficult. At least you could speak to her through me. She is a seer, is she not? A strong one too, as far as I remember. She should have the mental ability to allow me to reach her. I shall enlist Agnes’s services. She knows Melissa well.”
For a while Hersten remained still, his eyes closed. Expressions chased themselves across his face so quickly that they were unreadable. Charles contented himself with watching the world go by outside. They had just passed the last of the shanty towns that marked the outer limits of the city. Here, people eked out an existence on the edge of one of the most unrelenting places on the planet: the Dakeba Desert. No one went into the desert if they could help it. There was no water, no life, nothing but mile after mile of sand and blistering sun.
After the last shacks and scrounging dogs had disappeared from sight, the scenery became much less varied. One sand dune gave way to the next as they followed a road that was no more than tracks in the sand.
At last Hersten spoke. “I’m in connection with Melissa and have explained what the situation is. She says she will research the position and come back to me, but I am to tell you that you must take good care of her brother and Astrin, because if you don’t reassure them that a way will be found, disaster will strike and tragedy will follow.”
“Brianna said very much the same thing.”
Hersten sobered and frowned.
“What?”
“Melissa fears that if we can’t make the boys believe they can stay together, right from the start, neither of them will ever set foot in the lands of their Houses again.”
“Melissa is a powerful seer, but even her predictions are not always correct.”
Hersten chuckled. “I will tell you word for word what I was told—even before you spoke your last words. She said, ‘And tell that old goat that although my predictions are not always clear, they are always true and nothing has come more clearly to me than this. If I am ever to see my brother again, it will have to be with Astrin at his side. Don’t mess this up.’”
“That girl is almost as disrespectful as her brother.”
Hersten smiled. “They are both strong characters. They give respect only where it is earned, which is as it should be. It seems
we
are the ones who are going to have to earn respect this time.”
“I think you’re right. I have to admit, though, my mind is deeply troubled. What harm would we do to them if we guaranteed they can be together, only to find it is impossible to achieve?”
“I never make promises I can’t keep, Charles, but I have found that nothing is impossible to achieve—not if you want it enough.”
“Do you want it enough? I seem to recall you were the one who doubted not so long ago.”
“I did, but in the light of what I have heard from the seers, I am no longer prepared to take the risk. I will not lose my son, Charles. I have come too close, been through too much.” Hersten sighed and looked back at the two boys with a deep frown on his face.
“Rowan believes he is completely well and as far as the poison is concerned that’s true. I have done my best to heal him from the trials that came before, but this venture has taken the last of his strength,” Hersten stated. “I can see clearly, with no need for a seer’s skill, that if things go wrong, his decline will be rapid and catastrophic. I cannot allow that to happen.
“Both our Houses owe those two young men a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. Without their courage and fortitude, House Michael would already be at our gates and our future would be clouded by war with the South.
“I don’t know about you, my friend, but right now I am prepared to promise them just about anything they ask and to mortgage my soul to ensure it comes to pass.”
Charles stared at his friend. He had never seen him speak with such passion, and it made something inside him stir into life. He turned in his seat to gaze at the two sleeping boys. They were both pale and looked worn out. They had been through so much—together.
As he watched, Astrin stirred and sighed in his sleep. Without even waking, Rowan drew him tighter into his embrace and nuzzled into the soft white hair spread across his shoulder. Instantly Astrin’s pensive expression softened into a gentle smile.
“You’re right, of course. I am an old man and too rooted in traditionalism myself. Between our Houses, we have some of the greatest minds on the planet. If we cannot find a way, then perhaps it is time to change the ways.”
Hersten gave him a strange look; then he laughed.
“What do you find so funny?”
“Us. We sit here worrying about finding a way around our traditions, finding a way our Councils will sanction, finding a way… finding a way…. Charles, we are absolute monarchs. Between us we control more than half the settled world. We should not be looking for a way in the dust of the past—we should be forging a new one out of the future!
“I suggest that when we return to Maratebo, we summon a conclave of both our Councils and the best minds available with knowledge of constitution, law, and tradition. With ourselves at its head, the conclave will be charged with making a new set of rules that will bind and regulate both Houses.”
Charles’s face brightened. “It’s perfect. I’ve thought many times of late that some of our most deep-rooted traditions are of value only to those who perform them, while doing nothing to benefit our society or people. Please, Hersten, speak to Melissa and explain what we propose. She can begin to make arrangements and compile a list of the most appropriate delegates from our House.”
“I shall indeed, and shall do the same with Agnes, although I suspect she will not be as open to the idea as either yourself or Melissa.”
H
ERSTEN
WAS
,
in fact, surprised by the reaction he received from his wife. It was joyful.
“I always had faith in you, Hersten. I knew you and Charles would find a way to help our boys.”
“You surprise me. I believed you were opposed to the union.”
“I was afraid, Hersten. Since you told me about Astrin, about how close we came to losing him again, I have been troubled with dark dreams. I have seen what will happen if Astrin is forced to stand alone, without Rowan at his side. He will fall into darkness. The feeling has been so strong in me that I would never see him again. I did not want to influence the decisions you made, as I was terrified of being responsible for the very thing I fear most coming to pass.”