Souls of Aredyrah 2 - The Search for the Unnamed One (7 page)

Reiv’s eyes drifted closed. “I really need to
sleep now.” Then as quickly as the last word had escaped, he was
asleep.

Brina rose and crossed back to the others who
stood silently to the side. They looked at her with sympathetic
eyes, but no one dared speak. Finally Brina broke the silence. “If
what Reiv says is true, then I have placed too much confidence in
Whyn. But two can play this game.”

“What do you mean to do?” Dayn asked.

“Whyn thinks I believe him to be on Reiv’s
side, and I did until this moment. With that in mind, I will need
to listen to Whyn’s words more carefully. If I provide him with
false information, it may buy us more time, and keep Reiv safe a
while longer. Meanwhile, a meeting must be called. Torin, can you
arrange it? Since everyone is here for Market, tomorrow night would
be the perfect time.”

“Of course, Brina. I’m sure rumor will be
rampant by then.”

“Speaking of which, how can we assure Reiv’s
safety?” Nannaven asked. “Word is sure to have spread about his
presence at the tavern.”

“I’ll send men to watch your house,” Torin
offered. “If we were to take him back to Meirla now it would look
suspicious, and there are few men in the village to defend him if
it came to that. But the minute Market is over we’ll hustle him
back.”

“Very well,” Brina said. “He will be safer in
Meirla than here.”

She turned to Dayn and Alicine. “Children,
you will need to keep Reiv occupied tomorrow, though I doubt from
the state he is in tonight he will feel like doing much. And
Alicine, as much as he deserves it, you had best not do any
shouting in his vicinity tomorrow.”

Alicine nodded, while Dayn suppressed a
laugh.

“Dayn,” Brina added, “you must tell Reiv
about your part in all this. I see no way to avoid it.”

“I had intended to tell him, and I will,” he
said.

Brina crossed over and hugged them both. “I
must go. Please be safe.”

She waited for Jensa and Torin to say their
goodbyes and the three of them departed the house, leaving Nannaven
to tidy up while Dayn and Alicine checked on the still-sleeping
Reiv.

“What is this whole thing about a prophecy?”
Dayn asked Alicine, who was covering the curled-up figure on the
floor with a blanket.

“It’s a long story,” she replied. “Brina told
me about it while you and Jensa were out looking for Reiv. She
wanted to tell us all together, but didn’t get a chance.” She
glanced up at her brother’s exhausted face. “You’re tired. Why
don’t you take yourself to bed. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Dayn looked at her, then at Reiv. He nodded
and turned to make his way up the ladder. “Don’t be too long,” he
called back. “I want to know what’s going on and don’t know how
much longer I can keep my eyes open.”

“Only a minute,” Alicine said.

She knelt beside Reiv, watching his sleeping
face, then placed his hand in hers. “Reiv,” she said softly. “I
know you can’t hear me, but I need to say something and I won’t get
a moment’s sleep until I do. It’s cowardly, I know, to tell you
while you’re like this, but I’m sorry for what I said. I didn’t
mean it, honestly I didn’t. I was jealous and spiteful, and if you
hate me forever, I’ll deserve it. I miss you, but I know you’re
happy now. I’ll try to be a better person for you. I promise.”

Reiv’s hand squeezed hers, and Alicine’s
breath caught. But he made no other indication that he was awake or
that he had heard her words.

“Reiv?” she asked cautiously.

Reiv’s grip weakened, then his hand went
limp.

Alicine leaned down and kissed his cheek. “I
love you,” she whispered. “You’ll be in my heart forever.”

BACK TO ToC

Chapter 7: The Catalyst

M
ahon sat in the
darkness of Brina’s private bedchamber, waiting. He had exhausted
every avenue he knew of to find her and had met only dead ends. All
of her friends had been contacted, none claimed to have seen her,
and Mahon began to wonder if there was some sort of conspiracy
amongst them.

He kept his eyes on the crack beneath the
door, staring trance-like at the sliver of light stretched across
it. As he watched, he willed a shadow to darken it, willed Brina to
open the door and sweep into the room. But there was no shadow and
no movement, only a motionless string of light.

Mahon shifted in his chair, trying to ease
his aching back. How long had he been sitting there? he wondered.
The moon had been high for hours now. What if Brina wasn’t coming
back at all? Mahon shook his head. Of course she was coming back.
No matter how proud she was, no matter how noble, he knew she would
never give up the comfortable life she led. If Reiv hadn’t tempted
her away from Tearia by now, nobody would. Except perhaps Dayn.

Mahon rehearsed another speech in his mind,
but it just turned out like the dozen or so he had already
practiced. With each version, the subject of Dayn always seemed to
take precedence over that of Reiv. Now here he was, thinking of
Dayn again, fighting back the fear that the boy was his son,
clinging to the belief that Brina had killed Keefe with her own
hands as she’d claimed. Surely she would not have lied to him about
something as important as that. That would have been the coldest,
cruelest blow she could have dealt. But now, knowing what he did
about the planned Purge, Mahon had to get the truth from her once
and for all.

The door latch rattled and Mahon jerked with
a start. The door opened, and a swath of light swept the floor as
the silhouette of Brina entered the room. Then the door closed and
there was darkness again.

“Where have you been?” Mahon asked from the
shadows.

“Mahon!” Brina cried. “What—”

Mahon did not rise, but lit the lantern on
the table next to him. He turned his face to hers and watched as
her expression changed from surprise to annoyance. Raising a hand
to quiet the words he knew were coming, he said, “Save your temper,
wife. I have not come seeking comforts from you.”

“What have you come seeking then?” she
asked.

“Information. Now…I will ask you again. Where
have you been?”

Brina stepped over to her dressing table and
pulled the clips from her hair, tossing them onto a silver tray. “I
do not have to explain my whereabouts to you.”

Mahon rose and watched as her pale hair
cascaded down her shoulders, and for a moment he imagined taking
her into his arms. But he brushed the fantasy aside. He had to stay
focused on what was real, not on dreams that would never be.

“I am not here to argue,” he said, “but I
need to know where you have been.”

Brina laughed. “Why do you need to know?”

“Because the King ordered it.”

Brina spun to face him, her expression
hopeful. “The King?” she asked. “Sedric ordered you to find me? He
is better then?”

“No, not Sedric. Whyn.”

Brina studied his face, the realization of
his words taking form. “You mean…Sedric has passed? Oh gods.” She
raised her hand to cover her mouth, but it did not stop the sob
that escaped it.

“Hours ago; and you, the Queen’s own sister,
nowhere to be found. I am accustomed to being the last to know when
it comes to family matters. Imagine my discomfort when I was called
to the new King’s receiving room and informed of my wife’s
disappearance.”

“I—I am sorry, Mahon. I did not mean to put
you in that position.”

“You have put me in a position much worse
than that, Brina. Whyn has given me some directives, and one of
those was to find out if you have been in contact with Reiv.”

Brina turned her back to him. “Of course not.
Reiv is in Pobu. How could I possibly be in contact with him?”

“That is exactly what I would like to
know.”

She wheeled around. “I told you…I have not
seen him.”

“Then where were you?”

Brina did not answer.

Mahon walked toward her. She backed away, but
her legs rammed against the dressing table, stopping her short.

“Listen to me,” Mahon said firmly. “Do not
form lies in your mind as I speak. Do not plan your words rather
than listen to mine. I cannot tell you as much as I would like, but
I will tell you this. You cannot see Reiv any more. Nor can you
leave Tearia for any reason.”

“What are you saying?”

“Whyn issued more orders than my merely
finding you.”

“What sort of orders?”

“I cannot tell you. But there is something
you must answer me, and you must answer me true.” Mahon watched her
face carefully, prepared not to miss a single glimmer of expression
that might betray her words. He realized that what he learned from
her now would be the catalyst for his decision. Either he would
risk all for his king, or he would risk all for his son.

“Is Dayn our son?” he asked.

Brina’s eyes widened, then narrowed. “Do not
be ridiculous,” she scoffed.

“How do I know this is not another one of
your lies, Brina? And if it is, why? If he is my son, I have a
right to know.”

“You gave up your rights a long time ago in
that regard. But even if Dayn were your child, what would you do?
Bring him home to live with you? Proclaim him your heir for all to
see? You would sooner have him murdered in his sleep and tossed
into an unmarked grave.”

Mahon leaned toward her threateningly. “How
dare you tell me what I would or would not do? You do not know my
heart, Brina. You have not acquainted yourself with it for sixteen
years!”

“I know all of it I wish to know.”

Mahon thought to shake her, or maybe even to
throttle her, but he felt incapable of exerting the energy required
to do either. “Very well,” he said. He turned and walked to the
door.

“Mahon,” Brina called after him. “Why does
Whyn ask of Reiv?”

Mahon paused, his hand on the latch. Should
he offer her a chance to give her precious nephew warning? He
lifted his head and straightened his shoulders, then continued out
without a word.

BACK TO ToC

Chapter 8: Burden of Truth

I
t was late when
Reiv opened an eye to the stab of morning light. The moment he did,
he regretted it. He moaned and squeezed it shut. His head was
throbbing and his body felt as if it had been batted against a
wall. Something about drink and an earring stirred his memory. He
reached a hand to his ear, but felt nothing there other than a
tender spot covered by a blob of ointment. Footsteps could be heard
padding across the floor in his direction. He yanked the blanket
over his head, praying whoever it was would leave him be. He was
not ready to face the world just yet.

“Reiv? Are you awake?” Dayn asked softly.

There was no response.

“Reiv?”

“Must you shout?” Reiv mumbled beneath the
covers. “I am right here.”

“I’m not shouting,” Dayn said in an
exaggerated whisper. “Can I get you anything?”

“A coffin,” Reiv said.

“Some breakfast in your empty belly might be
better.”

Reiv groaned, his head still buried beneath
the blanket. “I do not think I will ever eat again.”

“Some tea, then?”

“And I will definitely never drink again.”
Reiv eased the blanket from his face and squinted up at his cousin.
“I feel as if I have been beaten by ruffians. Was I?”

“Nothing as exciting as that. The only
ruffian that assaulted you last night was yourself. Do you remember
anything?”

Reiv rotated his head in an effort to release
the pain radiating from the top of his skull to the base of his
neck. “Um…a tavern…something about arm wrestling for drinks I
think…an earring…you and Torin…that is about it.”

“Do you remember Brina?”

“Brina? She was here…um, yes…I think she was
here.” Reiv’s mouth was thick and his words slow. “Could you fetch
me some water?” he asked.

“I’ll get it,” Alicine chirped from across
the room.

“Oh, gods.” Reiv moaned and pulled the covers
back over his head. “I do not think I can take any more pain at the
moment.”

Alicine’s footsteps headed in his direction.
He could see her shape looming over him through the weave of the
blanket.

“I promise, no more pain,” Alicine said. “At
least not from me. Here.” She leaned down and held out the
drink.

For a moment Reiv did not move, but then he
pulled the blanket off and sat up. He reached for the mug with a
trembling hand.

“I’m sorry about yesterday,” she said. “I
didn’t mean it.”

Reiv nodded, but remained silent. He lifted
the mug to his lips. The first gulp hit his stomach like a stone,
but his mouth ached for it, so he forced it down, though in much
slower sips.

“I need to get up,” Reiv said, struggling to
push himself from the floor. He swayed for a moment, then frowned
at his tunic. It was spotted with wine and crusted with puke. “And
I need to clean myself up.” He glanced up to see Alicine eyeing his
untidy state. “Would you mind giving me some privacy?”

“Oh, of course,” she said. “I’ll fetch more
water and leave you to it.” With that she gathered up a bucket from
the corner and headed out the door.

After Reiv had relieved his bladder, stripped
off his filthy tunic, and pulled on one of Dayn’s clean ones, he
dragged himself to the bench by the table and sat. “I seem to
recall sitting in this spot last night.” He winced at the fuzzy
memory.

“I need to talk to you about something,” Dayn
said. “But if you’re not up to talking right now...” He watched
Reiv’s face, obviously hoping he would ask him to go ahead and tell
it. But Reiv just stared across the room with unfocused eyes.

“Well…later then,” Dayn said. He sliced up a
pear and put it on a plate with a bit of cheese and a piece of
crusty bread. Then he set the plate on the table next to Reiv and
eyed him with crossed arms and a motherly expression. “You really
should eat something.”