Reign (Land of the Elementals Book 4), page 11
“Will I get to keep my name?” Arbor asked.
He quite liked Emerald and didn’t want to give it up for something like Gregmar.
“Yes, you will get to retain your name, but you children will carry both, with the name Gregmar coming first and Emerald second.”
Arbor nodded, glad that even if he and his supposed bride-to-be hated one another, at least their children would be well-cared for.
“What happens to my sister in all of this?” Arbor asked. “What will become of her and her family?”
“They will do what all siblings of nobility do,” Prudence replied. “When she comes of age, she will likely marry into another noble family. If you are connected with the Duke, then there will be no shortage of suitors, especially when they find out how powerful a Mage she is.”
“That’s what I was worried about,” Arbor muttered.
He didn’t want his little sister being dragged into politics and forced to marry someone she didn’t love. Everything he’d done, he’d done to get her back. But now, it was looking like he was getting sucked further and further into the world of politics, something he had never particularly liked.
A knock came at the door then, making Arbor turn. His Perception Field flared outward, extending to its full range and passing through the door. He relaxed when he saw who it was.
“It’s Frunk. Let him in.”
Prudence went to open the door.
“Ramona is awake,” Frunk said without preamble.
“Kya?” Arbor asked, getting up from his chair.
“Here,” Kya’s voice said, drifting down the hall.
She’d been standing outside the range of his Field, so he hadn’t seen her.
“Good,” Arbor said. “Let’s go.”
He exited the room quickly, noting that the elf was wearing one of the four necklaces he’d gotten her, the one with the rose gold-shaped pendant of a swallow in flight. He’d gotten her a lot of jewelry, and for one simple reason. Adult Day was the day when women would receive the bulk of their jewelry, either as gifts or handed down from their mothers.
Since Kya had no one here and Arbor could well afford it, he’d gotten her several pieces of jewelry – probably more than was prudent. But Kya deserved to have nice things, and seeing as he was the only one around, he’d made sure she’d gotten them.
Men would also receive gifts on their Adult Day. Tools of their trade, things to assure they would be able to provide for their families. Arbor himself had gotten a fine set of carpenter’s tools from his father, a ladder and supply of stains, nails, and sandpaper from others, and a one-time service from the smith – he’d been a cheapskate, so that was generous on his part.
“You ready?” he asked her as she moved to walk beside him.
“Yes,” Kya said. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t try anything and warn you if she’s thinking about it.”
Arbor grunted in reply, pushing open the door at the end of the hall and exiting his own suite, coming out on the main area of the fourth floor. He turned, heading for the staircase that would lead straight to the outside, and Prudence ran past him to hold it open.
It didn’t take long for them to reach Ramona’s cell. Arbor really wasn’t sure what to expect but was surprised to see the woman sitting up in bed, her bright amber eyes staring right at the small window in the door.
“Is that her?” Arbor asked.
Even with his enhanced magic and the completion of the Origin, he still wasn’t confident he’d be able to see through her Misdirection magic. She was able to hide from his Mage Sight, and although he’d detected the elven assassins with his Perception Field, he wasn’t entirely sure if he could sense her.
“Yes, it’s her,” Kya said. “And she doesn’t want to fight you.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” Arbor muttered.
He turned to the guard then and nodded, giving the signal to open the door. Kya stood right at his back, prepared to act the moment she sensed so much as a hostile thought or emotion.
“Arbor?” Ramona asked as he entered the cell.
“Yes,” Arbor said, closing the door behind him. “Do you know where you are?”
Ramona shook her head, revealing the slight tapers on her ears which proved her elven ancestry.
“You’re in my manor, in Ryevine,” Arbor said. “You’ve been unconscious for over three months.”
Ramona winced.
“That long, huh?”
“What’s the last thing you remember?” Arbor asked, taking a seat as Prudence pulled up a chair.
“I remember coming to you for help,” Ramona said. “The whole city was celebrating, so it was easy to sneak in, although I’m sure I was followed.”
“And why did you come to me of all people?” Arbor asked. “Weren’t you afraid I would attack you after the way I’d been treated?”
“You’re a good man,” Ramona said. “Far better than I deserve. I should have realized something was wrong, but instead, I chose to blindly follow orders. There was a coup shortly after you left. Zir betrayed us. He led an army right into our midst and killed everyone. Men, women, children. No one was spared his wrath.
“A few managed to escape, and because of my magic, I made it away. But it was a very near thing.”
“How exactly was Zir able to defeat so many powerful Mages?” Arbor asked, knowing how strong Ramona herself was.
“He is no longer an elf,” she said, the bitterness clearly sounding in her voice. “He made a deal with creatures of the Lower Realms. In exchange for power, he became demonspawn.”
Ramona spat that last word out, the anger and hatred clear in her tone. Arbor was troubled by this, but before he could ask anything more, Ramona clutched her head and let out a low groan.
“She needs rest,” Kya said in a low voice.
“Can we trust her?” Arbor asked.
“She feels so much anger and hatred towards my uncle and nothing but regret and self-loathing for betraying you the way she did,” Kya replied. “She is as trustworthy as anyone here.”
“Get her a room on the third floor,” Arbor said, rising to his feet. “I’d like a guard stationed at her door. When you’re feeling up to it, I’d like to speak a bit more, if that’s alright with you,” he said, directing his words at Ramona.
The woman gave him a weak smile and nodded.
“Nothing would make me happier, and thank you for putting your trust in me, even after all I’ve done.”
“Zir will have his reconning soon enough,” Arbor said. “And when that day comes, I hope you’ll be there by my side to make sure he gets what he deserves.”
With that said, Arbor turned and left the cell, allowing the guards to carry out his orders.
15
A loud pounding on the door broke Arbor from an otherwise peaceful slumber. He was out of bed in an instant, his Perception Field flaring and heart racing as he prepared for an attack. A moment later, the door burst open and Prudence rushed in. She looked a bit disheveled, which was saying a lot, as she never had even so much as a single hair out of place.
“What is it? Are we under attack?” Arbor asked, flooding his brain with Perception magic to clear the fog of sleep.
It was always a risk to shock his brain with magic, but he’d need to be alert if they were.
“No,” Prudence said, chest heaving. “The patrol you sent out has returned, and they didn’t come alone.”
Arbor felt his heart skip a beat, wondering if Karria had returned.
“Which way?” he asked as Prudence ran to fetch him a pair of slippers and a robe.
Normally, she might insist he get dressed and presentable but now was not the time.
“They’ve been escorted into a private area on the first floor,” Prudence said, placing the slippers at his feet and moving to help him into his robe.
“Show me,” Arbor said as he tied the belt around his waist.
Prudence jogged off into the hallway, Arbor following close behind. He paused for a moment at Kya’s door, then knocked. The door opened just a few seconds later, and the elf girl, looking to be half-asleep, poked her head out.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, looking at him blearily.
“Are you decent?” Arbor asked.
Kya nodded, blinking owlishly up at him.
“Then come with us,” he said, holding his hand out to her. “The patrol we sent for Karria is back, and way ahead of schedule.”
This got Kya’s attention. She pulled the door wide, revealing herself to be dressed in a long nightgown. A pair of silk slippers covered her feet, but unlike his shoes, they would definitely slow her down when it came to running. Arbor was just about to offer to carry her when Prudence stepped in.
“Allow me, my lord,” she said, stepping in front of him. “A Viscount shouldn’t be seen carrying a foreign commoner. No offense meant, my lady,” she said, directing these words to Kya.
“None taken,” Kya said. “But I can—”
“You won’t be able to keep up,” Arbor said as Prudence stooped and scooped the girl into her arms.
“Shall we?” Prudence asked.
“Lead on,” Arbor replied.
If carrying Kya and running at the same time was difficult for Prudence, she didn’t show it. Prudence returned to her previous speed quickly enough, racing out of Arbor’s personal suites and running for the stairs. They met Frunk as they were heading to the staircase leading to the second floor, and the gremlin moved quickly to join them.
“Do you know anything yet?” Arbor asked.
“Nothing, I’m afraid. I was informed just a couple of minutes ago of Shukle’s return.”
“Grab?” Arbor asked.
“Out on night patrol. From what I understand, he was the first to spot him.”
Arbor nodded, now burning with curiosity as to what in the hell was going on. They reached the first floor, finding it to be well-lit. Soldiers milled about in the entryway, and Arbor finally spotted the lemon-yellow hair of his commander.
“Shukle, we’re here,” Arbor said, the crowd parting around him as he moved.
The gremlin turned and a relieved look replaced the worried one he was sporting.
“Follow me, sir,” he said. “And the rest of you, go get some food and sleep.”
The others, which Arbor only now realized looked haggard and muddied, gave him a salute before turning and tramping off to their barracks and sleeping quarters.
“We were just hitting the edge of the Endless Wood when we came across them,” Shukle said as they jogged, explaining as best he could. “After what they had to say, we figured we needed to turn around and come back.”
“Who?” Arbor asked.
“You’ll see in a second,” Shukle said, coming to a halt outside a closed door.
Arbor gave the gremlin a questioning look, but he just motioned Arbor inside. His Perception Field was active, but rooms in this manor could be quite large, so it was no surprise that he couldn’t sense anyone within.
He pushed the door open and entered, taking everything in at a glance. Sebastian was the first person he saw, directing several servants about. The next thing that hit him was the smell of food. Finally, his eyes landed on the small group sitting in comfortable chairs near the fire, all nursing mugs of steaming tea.
“Grak? Hord? Is that really you?” Arbor asked, feeling a tremendous weight lift off his shoulders.
They both looked quite bad, which was why he hadn’t been sure at first. They were thin and looked to have lost a good deal of fat and muscle – and not in a good way. However, when the dwarf and gremlin turned to meet his eyes, he knew the truth.
“Arbor? You’re back!” Grak exclaimed, all but tossing her mug aside as she lunged from her chair to embrace him.
She was awfully strong for someone who looked so weak, and he was careful not to squeeze back too tightly.
“Good to see you again, lad!” Hord said as Arbor released her.
Hord wasn’t much of a hugger, so Arbor clasped his forearm. The dwarf, unlike Grak, was noticeably weaker, but Arbor didn’t comment on that, grinning from ear to ear. A reunion with his two best friends was not at all what he’d been expecting, and to see them alive and well – if not a bit haggard and weakened – was one of the best things he could have asked for.
“Professor!”
Arbor turned as Kya practically squealed in excitement, running across the room and embracing an elderly elf seated closest to the fire.
He raised an eyebrow at Grak, but she motioned him to sit down.
“There’s a lot we need to talk about. There are some things you need to know, though you’re probably not going to want to hear them.”
Noting the serious tone in her voice, Arbor nodded, moving to take one of the empty chairs by the fire. Akkard, the king of the dwarves and Hord’s older brother, hadn’t moved from his spot. The two of them were on friendly terms but not exactly best friends.
“It’s good to see you alive and well,” Arbor said, shaking the dwarf’s hand.
“Glad to say the same,” Akkard said.
“Akkard! You’re alive!”
Having finished crushing the life from the elderly elf, Kya went to do the same to the burly dwarf.
“It’s good to see you alive and safe, lass,” Akkard said, patting the elf’s back.
Arbor was ablaze with questions and motioned everyone to sit so he could get an idea of what the hell was going on. He heard the door close behind him and looked to see Frunk, Shukle, and Grab now all inside the room.
Prudence walked over and handed him a small plate with a few sugar cookies and a mug of tea. Although he wasn’t usually all too fond of hot drinks, it was nearly three in the morning, according to the clock in the corner, and he found that he actually quite enjoyed it.
“Alright,” Arbor said, now that everyone had settled down. “I’d like to hear what happened, starting from when you set out with Karria for the Jagged Peaks.”
Grak nodded, taking up the role of storyteller and allowing everyone present to keep eating.
“We left as soon as I was recovered enough to walk…”
Arbor listened in silence, growing grimmer and grimmer as he heard of their exploits and what had happened to his sweet little sister.
“We had just reached the border of the Endless Wood when we ran into Shukle’s patrol. They decided to escort us back rather than continuing to go,” Grak finished.
Arbor tapped his fingers together, allowing the silence to stretch. He didn’t doubt his friend’s words and trusted her implicitly, especially when there were so many people who could corroborate her tale.
“Can she be saved?” he finally asked, addressing the room at large.
“I can save her,” Kya said, her voice surprisingly firm. “I’ve pulled her back from this before and I can do it again.”
Arbor wanted to immediately object, but he honestly had no idea how he would save Karria otherwise. After all, how could you save someone from themselves?
“This is all so messed up,” Arbor said. “How could she do something like this, and to you guys of all people?”
This was all his fault, no matter how he looked at it. Had he been just a bit more careful, he wouldn’t have ended up in Grimm and would’ve avoided placing the responsibility of bringing him back on his little sister’s shoulders. He was the big brother, so she was his responsibility, not the other way around.
“That isn’t Karria,” Grak said grimly. “The person in control of her body is a ruthless sociopath with no empathy whatsoever. She may as well be a dwarven construct as far as we’re concerned. I’m willing to go back with Kya and help free her from her own mind.”
“No,” Arbor said. “You’ve been through enough over the last few months. Besides, I need you here.”
Grak looked as though she wanted to protest, but Akkard cut in.
“He’s right, lass,” the deposed dwarven king said. “Besides, if anyone should be going, it’s me. I didn’t see my nephew’s betrayal until it was too late, and I wouldn’t be alive to tell about it if not for your little sister and the young lass here. Had I been vigilant, Jek would never have taken the throne, and there would have been no need to sneak into my kingdom. So, I will go. My people need me.”
Arbor nodded, agreeing with the dwarven king’s sentiment. It was a ruler’s right and obligation to assure the safety of their people. It was why he hadn’t gone running off to the Jagged Peaks as soon as he’d returned, and it was why he couldn’t do so now. No matter how badly he wanted to go tearing off to save his little sister, he was stuck.
He had important meetings coming up, people who were counting on him, and a war to wage.
“It’s late,” Arbor finally said. “You must all be exhausted after your ordeals. Grak, Hord, your rooms are waiting for you. Akkard and Palmine, Sebastian can have accommodations prepared for you. We can plan more in the morning.”
The others nodded in agreement, though to his surprise, Kya snagged his hand before he could go.
“Would you mind staying a bit?” she asked. “Palmine says she has some bad news. She’s good at shielding her mind, but I think I know what it is.”
Although her face betrayed nothing, Arbor could feel the tremors in the girl’s hand.
“Okay,” he said, sitting back down as everyone else began to file out.
He stopped Sebastian as he was about to leave and motioned him a bit closer.
“Fetch Ramona and bring her down here,” he said in a lowered tone. “I think I have an idea, but we’re going to need her to make it work.”
16
“Are you sure?” Kya asked. “Sylvester was the one who killed them?”
“Zir was the one who gave the order, but yes, Sylvester was the one who pulled the lever,” Palmine said.
The room had emptied out, and now the only ones who remained were Arbor, Kya, Palmine, and Prudence. Arbor had listened to the story, feeling his horror grow at the way Kya’s adoptive brother had so coldly murdered his own parents.
