Book One, page 17
When he got back to the throne room, Keisi and Aa’rel were quietly changing the man’s bandages, Braahn was on his blanket repairing the handle of his knife with his face pulled into a fierce frown, and Jae’el was feeding the fire while completely lost in thought. My, what a cheerful group we make, he thought bitterly. Jae’el stood up at his approach, and after putting down the arrows, his cousin led him a short distance away to talk. Khael noticed that someone had torn down a tapestry and had draped it over the corpses of the royals.
“I know how to transport the pri’san without aggravating his injuries,” Jae’el said. “My men and I did this once on Verai when we refused to leave one of our injured comrades behind after a survival training exercise went wrong and we had to hike out of the mountains. We created braces for our bodies out of straps and branches to bear the load between us and it worked quite well. Fortunately, we have horses. We can make a stretcher with a sturdy frame and blankets and attach the front poles to Daffi as though we were hitching her to a cart and attach the back ends to Palo the same way. If the frame is sturdy enough, all we have to do is lead Daffi and Palo will follow with the pri’san secure between them.”
Jae’el waited patiently for Khael’s response, aware that his cousin needed to feel like he was part of all the decision-making. It was true that they had not officially decided who would be making the important decisions for the family, but Khael was the natural leader among them, never mind that he was also the first prince of Theras. That’s why Jae’el had stepped back right from the start of their journey. If they had been in the same situation on Verai then he would have been the leader. Perhaps this needed to be made clearer to the family to avoid dissension and unpleasantness in the future.
“I think it will work,” Khael said, impressed with the idea. He looked across the room at his sister. “At least it will make everyone happy.”
“It doesn’t matter if everyone is happy or not. What does matter is that we stay alive.”
“I know, k’resi, but it’s different with family. I can’t command them like soldiers.”
“Why not?” When Khael eyed him dubiously, he said, “This situation is like nothing we’ve ever been through. Someone has to make the tough decisions and that person is you, no matter what we may think about it.”
Khael smiled appreciatively. “You know, until now, I never truly understood how hard leadership can be.”
“Because until now, all your training as a pri’san and warrior has never been tested. We are in hostile territory surrounded by enemies, Khael. We don’t have the luxury of worrying about each other’s feelings. Shisa!”
Khael chuckled at Jae’el’s easy use of the Old Tongue curse word. “You’re sounding more and more like a native Therasin, k’resi.” Jae’el offered him grin and he managed to smile without too much effort. “I get your point, though.” His gaze went back to his sister and he sighed. “I just wish it didn’t have to be this way. I’ve alienated her so much already.”
Jae’el nodded in understanding. “She is dealing with much and is filled with a lot of hurt and anger, but with all due respect to your s’arir, you can’t allow that to affect your judgement and you cannot make decisions based on her feelings alone. If you want her to live through this and you want her to take the throne one day, you must do what you need to do to make that happen, even if that means not being her friend right now.”
Khael winced at Jae’el’s brutal honesty, but he was right, of course. Keisi had to survive for Theras’s sake and her own, and if that meant she never spoke to him again then he would have to find a way to live with it, no matter how much it broke his heart. However, as her Keeper, the urgency to train her was growing by the day, which meant he had to find a way before she hurt herself or them.
Bits of their conversation had drifted over to Braahn, and although deep down he knew Jae’el was right about everything, he felt a pang of sorrow for what it meant for Keisi and Khael’s relationship. It felt like their family was slowly fracturing and he was scared because he didn’t know what the consequences would be as time passed and things on Theras got worse. They needed to stay together and fight to survive as a family because without that they were doomed.
Keisi had just finished helping Aa’rel put fresh bandages around the prince’s wounds when she looked up and noticed Khael looking her way. She quickly lowered her eyes because just looking at him made her anger rise. Taking care of the prince kept her mind occupied and gave her fresh purpose. He’d opened his eyes that morning when she’d gone to check on him before Aa’rel had woken up and he’d attempted to speak. But she’d placed a finger on his lips and had signed for him to sleep, even though he didn’t know what she was saying. He seemed to get her meaning, though, because his eyes had closed again and his breathing had deepened. He was sweating profusely, a sign that his body was fighting to heal and remain free of infection, and that was very good news.
Before they’d cleaned and redressed his wounds, Keisi had helped Aa’rel clean him up a bit. His skin was light brown, like caramel, and he was as tall as Jae’el with a toned, athletic build. His straight, dark-brown hair was almost to his waist and parts of it were plaited together and decorated with leather ties and feathers of many different colours, two of which were bigger and a striking metallic gold. It was done in a way that spoke of tradition more than fashion, and she’d carefully untangled the thick strands and washed off as much of the white dust as she could without removing the decorations. His strong, handsome features, set in a square face with high cheek bones, showed pride born of station and responsibility, and she’d caught a glimpse of a curious intelligence in his half open brown eyes.
Aa’rel tied off the last bandage and studied her cousin’s intense expression, wondering again why she was so insistent this man survived. She then noticed something different about her, a softness in her face that spoke of compassion and deep empathy. Aa’rel had always judged Keisi as a girl who cared only about those she chose to love and deemed important enough to receive her friendship and attention—an unfair judgement, no doubt, yet it was based on the typical behaviour of an adolescent and her childish attitudes towards life and people. But over the last few months Keisi had been forced to grow up fast. Perhaps after experiencing her own fear, grief, and loss, and witnessing the terrible suffering of people fleeing the devastation, she had developed the ability to view others with deeper understanding and compassion. Aa’rel hoped it was the case.
For the rest of the morning, the men searched the palace for the right wood to make the frame for the stretcher and by midday they returned with remnants of flagpoles and a few flags still reasonably intact. Keisi was thrilled and hugely relieved that they had come up with a plan, and she insisted on making afternoon and evening meals while they built the stretcher and Aa’rel watched over the prince. It was her way of saying thank you. By dusk, the stretcher was complete and the men tested it by hitching it to the packhorses and then Braahn climbing in. Keisi heard them laughing and praising each other for succeeding and she smiled. At least this time she got what she wanted, although she wasn’t stupid enough to believe it would be a regular occurrence.
Evening meals were eaten accompanied by low conversation around the fire, and Keisi had just finished her meal when a low moan caught her attention. She went to check on the prince and saw him looking at her with the most incredible eyes. Golden-brown irises were embedded with flecks of yellow, reminding her of a wolf, and he was alert.
“Water,” he rasped.
Keisi reached for the waterskin then lifted his head and slowly dribbled water into his mouth. He drank greedily, but when he started spluttering, she withdrew the skin and waited for the fit to pass. She then repeated the process until he turned his head away.
“Where am I?” When the girl didn’t answer him, he attempted to sit up, but it was a bad idea. Fire wrapped around his stomach and it felt like hot pokers were stabbing his shoulder and thigh. She gently pushed him down and shook her head, and then another woman appeared. She was also quite beautiful and he wondered for a moment if he was in the afterlife.
“Ah, good. You’re awake,” Aa’rel said, relieved that there had been no signs of infection. “How do you feel?”
“Sore. Where am I?”
She asked Keisi to help him sit up because now that he was awake it was better for him to be more upright. She apologised when he grunted and grit his teeth, and after two blankets had been turned into pillows and he was resting against them comfortably, she answered him. “We’re in the throne room. We found you . . . Well, Keisi found you yesterday under the rubble and barely alive. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to regain consciousness so soon.”
He looked at the fascinating girl. “Keisi?” She nodded. “You’re so beautiful.”
Keisi flushed scarlet and lowered her eyes and Aa’rel’s eyebrows shot up. Her strong-willed, independent cousin was shy?
“Name,” Keisi signed when she’d recovered from the prince’s compliment. He’d surprised her with his directness.
“She wants to know your name,” she explained when he looked at her with a questioning frown.
A sudden stabbing pain shot through his side, taking his breath away. He waited until he could speak again, and whispered, “Rensin dei Pal’din.”
Aa’rel was pleased it was now confirmed that he was the prince. “Well, J’en Hah’nen, you’ve suffered severe injuries to your shoulder, side, and thigh, and I think you also have a few cracked ribs. There doesn’t appear to be any internal bleeding, which is good because we wouldn’t have been able to do anything for you. Now that you’re awake, I can give you medication orally to ensure you don’t regress.”
It took a moment for him to take in all the information. “I suppose that’s good news,” he said, smiling weakly. “Call me Ren.” When Keisi smiled he instantly felt a lot better.
“I’m Aa’rel and Keisi is my k’resi. You’ll meet the others soon enough.”
He looked over at the three men around the fire and two of them held up a hand by way of greeting. He reciprocated then noticed the third man just watching him with dark, hard eyes and tried not to feel intimidated. Ren then turned his gaze on the throne room and he struggled to remember it ever being this dark in what was considered the heart of the palace. Since he was a little boy, it had always been one of his favourite rooms, especially when his parents were conducting official business, and visiting dignitaries stood round eating and drinking at the food tables and chatting in low voices while they waited their turn to have an audience with the king and queen. There had always been light and life and energy in the throne room . . .
Ren’s heart felt like it was being ripped from his chest as he looked towards the thrones. They had been covered by one of the wall tapestries and of course he knew what lay beneath. He’d watched helplessly while his parents were tortured, and not being able to do anything about it was worse than being kicked and punched and cursed. The terror and agony on his mae’im’s face had nearly driven him mad and he’d begged and wailed for mercy with his fah’af, not caring if he looked weak and afraid. The alien invaders had mocked them with cruel laughter and filthy jests, and when he’d offered them his life in exchange for the lives of his parents, he was ignored and received a bolt in the leg for his efforts. Once he could talk again, he’d offered them everything in the royal coffers if they didn’t kill his mae’im. But then they killed her first.
Overcome with grief and rage, he’d watched them turn their attentions on his devastated fah’af. Sobbing wretchedly, he’d said everything he could to save his life, and that’s when they’d made an offer that thoroughly confused him: If he could tell them where the Sword Bearer was then they would spare him and his fah’. But of course he couldn’t do that because everyone knew that Ahloren Vindor’hien and her children were dead, so with his despair making it nearly impossible to speak, Ren delivered the only answer he could.
The rage on the leader’s ugly alien face was terrible to behold and his response had been a bolt through the king’s head. Then they’d turned on him, eager and hungry for more blood and pain. With a guttural scream, Ren had managed to break free from the two holding his arms, and as he’d tried to run, one of them had tripped him, sending him stumbling towards the wall. If not for a deafening blast that had struck the wall from the main passageway outside the throne room just after he’d received the third bolt in his side, they would have finished him off. Badly wounded and buried under the rubble, they must have thought he was dead so didn’t bother digging him out to check.
Ren would never forget the look on his fah’af’s once proud, handsome face before his death—such anguish, such helplessness and torment for not being able to protect his mate and son. He’d also never forget the face of his enemy. The day of vengeance was coming. He’d never be weak again, and this time he’d be the merciless, disdainful one who delivered the death blow.
Tears flowed unhindered down Ren’s cheeks and silent sobs racked his body. He covered his face with his hands and Keisi wept with him, and she asked Aa’rel to tell him how sorry they were. He appeared not to hear her and soon grew quiet and drifted off, too tired and weak to deal with his loss for now. Keisi wiped her face and eyes with her hands then dabbed his tears and sweat away with the damp cloth. He was the prince and heir of Abronis, a proud nation that had been destroyed by an enemy more violent and bereft of reason than they could ever be. Keisi suddenly felt a curious, intense pride fill her heart and realised it was for her planet and every Therasin on it. Although Abronis was a separate and powerful kingdom in its own right, like many other kingdoms across the planet, as their new High Seat and Cai’rin they were all her responsibility now. Many had died defending their kingdoms against the invaders, but in so doing they had fought for their home-world, too, and for the first time in her life Keisi imagined leading her people and doing everything in her power to protect and serve them. She quietly observed this curious change of heart then put it aside to think on later for deeper analysis.
Chapter Nine
A New Friendship
THEY’D PLANNED ON LEAVING at dawn, but while everyone was busy packing up their things, Ren called for Aa’rel when he couldn’t understand Keisi’s answers to what he was saying. He looked distraught.
“I need my parents to be buried,” he said, gripping her arm so tightly it hurt. “Please don’t leave them here to rot. They don’t deserve it. They’re my parents, Aa’rel.”
“Alright, Ren, be calm,” she said gently. “Jae!” She motioned her brother over and he knelt down beside her. “Ren has requested that we bury his parents and I think we should.”
Jae’el looked at Ren apologetically. “I’m sorry but that will take too much time. We wanted to be gone before the sun was up.”
“Jae, imagine if it was our mae’ and fah’. Would you want them left like that?”
Jae’el sighed and glanced at the thrones. “No,” he admitted, “I wouldn’t. But then we must work together, yei’? The longer we stay here, the greater chance we have of being seen.”
Aa’rel and Keisi smiled at a relieved and rather tearful Ren and Jae’el went to tell his cousins. Predictably, Khael wasn’t happy about it, but Keisi heard Braahn agree with Jae’el and smirked. Khael had been out-voted again. However, when she saw the admonishing look on Aa’rel’s face she quickly sobered. Ren reached for her hand and she surprised herself by allowing him to hold it and gave him an encouraging smile. When he smiled back he looked even more handsome.
On his wanderings around the palace, Khael had discovered a small garden in an open courtyard near the residences and he suggested they bury the royals there because there wasn’t time to travel to the royal burial grounds outside the city and dig deep graves. Ren agreed, and after the men had tightly wrapped the bodies in two separate tapestries and had carried them on horses to the garden to dig shallow graves, they returned to fetch the prince and take him there on the stretcher. He wept quietly as he watched his parents being placed in the ground. No words were spoken after the burial, but stone markers were placed at the head of the graves and Keisi placed flowers from the garden on both. She was the last to leave and shed tears for the deaths of a great king and queen and for the grief of a prince.
One day he will return to rebuild his kingdom and I will help him.
The large stretcher was re-hitched to Daffi and Palo with Ren still inside to avoid causing him more discomfort than he already had, and they’d just started leading the horses out the front entrance of the palace when Ren raised his hand. Keisi clapped her hands and everyone stopped. “There are jewels and gold coin in my parents’ chambers that will be of great benefit to you. I would be honoured if you took them. They’re hidden well, so I doubt the invaders found them.”
Jae’el looked at Khael, who looked at the sun’s position then back at him and nodded. “Where do we go?” he asked, and Ren explained how to get there and where to find the strongbox.
It didn’t take long for Jae’el and Khael to find the once luxurious rooms that had been completely ransacked by the Draks, but fortunately, the large, beautifully carved wooden kist Ren had described was still in the corner of the room, although it had been emptied of all its contents. Despite that, it still took quite a bit of effort to move and they found the strongbox untouched under two large flagstones. It seemed that all royals hid their most treasured possessions in the same fashion, Khael mused. There was too much for them to take everything, but it definitely boosted their supply of coin and loose jewels. They scooped it into six small leather bags lying beside the box, keeping the jewels and coin separate, then returned to the others, who were waiting in the shadows inside the entrance. The sky was clear of smoke, but the stench of decay was much worse. It was definitely time to leave Brongarin.
