I spent the next half hour running her through basic Earth exercises. Her senses became tuned to the power and I taught her the basics of how to push the Elements through her body. She had much more to learn, but now she would not be driven insane from the overstimulation of her newly heightened senses.
"I'm going to get you some water. Then we can talk." I found the guard. Normally attendants came to check on us every few hours but I had lost track of time since I had awoken from my dream.
"I need an abundant amount of water and food," I told the guards at the door. One nodded and ran into the camp with urgency. I guessed they knew that Nadea had awoken. They probably heard us talking through the thin canvas.
"Do not let anyone else in but the food and water. Announce when it is here," I reminded the woman standing guard.
"Yes, sir." She saluted. "No one will enter."
"Kaiyer," Nadea's voice called me and I moved back to her side.
"Continue your breathing. When food and water get here we can talk."
"Okay." Her voice was a rasp. "Is my father here?"
"I need you to concentrate on this. No more talking until you drink and eat." I smiled at her question and thought about how happy she would be when I told her of Beltor.
I listened to Nadea's breathing continue for ten minutes. Then a sound of rattling utensils and plates pulled me to the entrance of the tent. I made my way there and grabbed the plates of food and water jugs from the guard without a word. Then I returned to my friend's side and helped her sit up in the bed.
"Drink," I commanded after I handed her a wooden cup filled with water. She did as I asked while I uncovered the rest of the food. It was eggs, venison, and steamed cabbage. Nadea took a plate from me and dug into the food without speaking. I sat back in my chair, took a few mouthfuls of the eggs, and then swallowed some water before I spoke again.
"What is the last moment you remember?" I started. Nadea didn't look Elven, but she definitely wasn't human. The most disturbing thing about changing her had not been this realization, it was that she had not seemed to experience any pain.
She put her fork down and looked at me. Her dark hair was a wonderful mess of sleepy tangles, but her eyes met mine and seemed to reflect what little light danced into the tent. The gray blanket had fallen around her waist when she sat up, but Gerald had changed her out of the servant's clothes I had originally found her wearing. Now she wore the simple brown garments of the soldiers in her camp.
She closed her eyes and took a long breath. "Nanos. He stabbed me with the knife I wanted to kill him with. Did I kill him?"
"He is still alive."
"You were there! I thought you had died. How did . . . how are you here? How am I here?"
"We can get into the details tomorrow after you rest."
"Last I saw you, we were in your bathroom." She smiled at me and then covered up her lips with the cup of water.
"We were in the hallways of the castle and I ran after an Elven into the city. It was foolish of me; I should have realized that it was a trap." Her eyes widened. "They ambushed me in the thick of the streets. I managed to get away and kill most of them. Just as I was about to return to the castle, I heard horses racing out of the west gate. I saw three Elvens on horseback. One of the Elvens was carrying Jessmei."
"Nanos betrayed us to the empress," she said as she set down her cup. Her mouth made a hard line.
"I didn't have time to come back, I just set off after them. Jessmei is safe. She is in Merrium, a small dairy village about a week's ride north of us."
"Jessmei is alive?"
"Yes." I couldn't help but smile. "Greykin and your father should be there, along with the queen. Runir sent a few dozen men north to get them."
"My father is alive?" Her face cracked and tears streamed from her eyes. I got up from my chair to touch her but she met me halfway, scattering our plates of food across the floor of the tent. My arms circled her shoulders and hers came around my chest. She buried her face in my tunic.
"At Merrium we learned of Nia being sacked. The news was grim, but I didn't want to believe it. I set off on my own and got back to the castle." I continued my story when her sobs seemed to ebb, "I found Greykin in a tavern on the south side of the city and we exchanged tales. He intended to travel through the sewers and make his way through the dungeon of the castle. He had a small group of men and planned on saving whomever he could from the royal family."
"I am glad he is alive. Last time I saw him he was defending Paug and I from half a dozen Losher soldiers." Nadea pulled her face away from my shoulder and looked into my eyes with a faint smile.
"We got separated under the dungeons and they ended up making it there before me. I put on servant's clothes and was going to get my feeling for the workings of the castle, but then I met your father. He had taken over as one of the managers." Nadea laughed and hugged me again.
"That is just like him. Genius." The sensation of her body laughing against mine made my head spin.
"Beltor's men found Greykin's and the three of us discussed what to do next. He had heard no news of your death, so he imagined that you were somewhere in the castle. He knew that Nanos was being kept as a prisoner, but he did not know that the prince had betrayed us."
"Fucking asshole. After this I am going to rip each of his rib bones out one at a time," Nadea seethed.
"We'll discuss that tomorrow." She was getting agitated and I wanted her to relax. I did not want to tell her that I was the reason Nanos was alive and well inside the castle. I had not wanted to waste time on him when she needed me to save her life.
"Your father left a note for Nanos and had it delivered with his food. There were instructions to meet in the West Wing’s garden about your whereabouts." Her eyes flashed dangerously and I smiled. "Nanos came to the meeting place but the leader of the Elvens found him and then questioned him about the note."
"The Elven leader threatened Nanos, I couldn't hear what he said. Then he left. We caught up with Nanos before he made it back to the castle and told him what we were planning. We had no idea he had betrayed the kingdom."
"He's done worse than that." Her voice tore like she wanted to scream.
"What did he do?" I asked. Runir said that Nadea had been imprisoned by Nanos and the Elvens. He told me that the prince gave us up to the empress, but had he done something worse to Nadea? I felt my blood begin to boil as I imagined the annoying blonde man raping her.
"Finish. Please." She gritted her teeth and let out a deep breath. I searched her eyes for some hidden message but all I saw was anger.
"Nanos explained that you were in the dungeons. He said he would create a distraction out in the city and then help us free you. Afterward, we planned to leave with the queen and him."
"Fucking cock sucking piece of shit bastard," she muttered under her breath.
"We met with him and you can probably guess what happened." Nadea nodded and frowned.
"I made a deal with the Elvens. They said they really didn't care about keeping your father, Greykin, or the queen, but they needed you and Nanos here. They wouldn't show you to me, but they said if I agreed to stay as their prisoner they would keep you alive." I smirked with Nadea's chuckle.
"Runir had already broken me out of the dungeon. They had no idea where I was. They played you." She shook her head in dismay.
"I didn't want you to get hurt. Their leader's name is Alatorict and I thought him more of a fool than he is."
"I understand." She gave me a faint smile and sniffed a little. "Sorry to interrupt this, but you really do smell amazing. Like wood smoke, lavender, and jasmine." She inhaled again.
"It is just the Earth playing with your senses." She frowned again and I could feel her try to reduce the amount of power she pulled.
"I don't know. Maybe. Please continue," she said.
"Alatorict threatened to kill you if I didn't remain locked up in my room. They had guards that left every half hour to report on my obedience. I should have--"
"Wait. You were in your old room?" Nadea interrupted me.
"Yes."
"Fuck. She was taking me to have dinner with you!" Nadea put her face in her hands and moaned in disappointment.
"Runir told me that Isslata came to get you. I had made a side deal with her and she agreed to let you go if I would make sure that she was in the meetings I would have with the empress."
"I despise that bitch," she said with vehemence that seemed more passionate than her loathing of Nanos and I guessed why. Runir hadn't wanted to give me the details but I pulled enough out of him to guess that Isslata tried to have some sort of twisted fun with Nadea before she was brought to me. I decided to change the subject quickly before my friend lost control of her new powers. Or asked about my relationship with Isslata.
"I've been remembering more," I said. Nadea's eyes instantly moved back to my face. "I've been keeping things from you, but if you want to know, I will tell you everything I remember."
"I want to know everything about you." Her hand reached up to my face and her fingertips traced my cheekbone.
"I don't understand everything yet. But I will tell you what I know. Most of it isn't pleasant.”
"I don't care." Nadea pulled herself to me again and sighed in comfort. Eventually I would have to tell her about Iolarathe, about Shlara, about Jessmei, and about Isslata. But not now. At this moment I just wanted to be close to her.
"I had a memory that was painful and I became angry. I think I destroyed the East Wing of the castle." The dream of making love to Iolarathe and then killing Shlara flashed through my mind. I had woken up in the ruins of my room and sat at the apex of the destruction. I did not remember it, but I knew I had caused the explosion that left part of the castle in ruins.
"That woman took me up the stairs to your floor," Nadea whispered against my chest. "Then I was lying on my back, there was dust everywhere, I couldn't hear and I felt like I was going to die."
"When I awoke, I knew that I had to find you. I heard your heart beating as you ran away."
“I knew Nanos would be in the Safe Room. I had to avenge the king and Paug before I died, and since I knew the combinations--“
"What?" I pulled her away from me and stared at her face. I realized my mouth was open and closed it with a hollow clank. “What did Nanos do to his father and Paug?" I demanded. Her eyes opened in shock.
"I thought Runir would have told you." She gauged my reaction and quickly continued. "Paug tripped while we were fleeing the Loshers, I tried to help him up, but Greykin threw himself at the men. When Paug and I got to the door of the Safe Room, Nanos was standing over his father's body with a bloody sword. Paug grabbed the king's blade and tried to defend me. I was too slow and the Losher men caught up to us. Nanos ran Paug through the stomach. He died on the ground next to the king."
The edges of my vision turned a dark red. I heard my heart thunder in my chest. I tasted blood in my mouth and I didn't care that I was biting my tongue.
"He'll pay for what he has done. I'm glad you left him alive. We can have a trial and execute him under the law." Nadea put her hand on my shoulder and ran her fingertips up to my jaw.
It didn't make me feel any better.
"Nanos isn't here," I sighed.
"What?" She almost screamed in surprise
"You were hurt and I used magic to change you. I didn't have time to deal with him and I hadn't realized he killed his father and Paug. I left him in the castle and I fled with you, Runir, your guards, and Greykin's men." My heart filled with sadness. Paug was just a boy, no swordsman or warrior. He had been butchered trying to avenge his king and save his friend.
"Shit!" Nadea gasped. "Fuck." Her hands moved away from me and covered her face, hiding her tears.
"I didn't know." There was a lump in my throat. Fuck me; I should have guessed what a snake Nanos was. He betrayed more than his kingdom. I should have killed him when I had the chance.
I'm sorry Paug.
"You couldn't have known, Kaiyer," Nadea said after she recovered from the news.
I heard several booted feet approach the tent in unison. Nadea and I looked at each other and she mouthed the name of her blonde friend.
"You cannot enter, sir. Kaiyer left instructions," the guard said with little authority in her voice. I gave her credit for speaking against him. She didn't report to me; she reported to Nadea or Runir.
"Move aside!" Runir commanded before he stepped into the tent. "You're awake!" Runir's smile filled his face. Four other men followed him into the tent. I knew they were Nadea's generals, but I not yet interacted with them.
"And you haven't washed the hair dye out yet?" Nadea said with a smirk before she opened her arms to hug the handsome man.
"When did you awake?" he asked after they parted.
"A few hours ago," I answered.
"You did not summon me?" He glared at me.
"We had to speak privately," Nadea answered for me.
Nadea looked to her generals and was about to greet them, but Runir interrupted her.