Wave-Touched, page 2
Jinau rode alongside her, behind Arhk and his guards. The Thaelian ahndhomen had seemed troubled by the massive black watchtowers along Vanris’s southern border. He appeared even more so now, gazing upon the looming black walls of a city designed using aggressive angles deliberately evocative of bladed weapons.
“Are all your cities like this one?”
Veyl welcomed the distraction of his question. “No. Etrion was just being built when war broke out with the southern kingdoms. The architect’s goal, once that happened, was to make it so intimidating that no one would dare to attack it. He took his design inspiration from Vareyl’s Warning, the black crag formation to the north of us.”
His eyes followed the line of her finger to the enormous spires of black rock jutting from the landscape on the horizon. “What began the war?”
Veyl cracked a smile. “Would you believe it started with a Charmer looking to impress a girl?”
He responded with a humorless chuckle. “I would.”
“Our southern neighbors decided they didn’t want us here once they discovered some of us had abilities that could manipulate minds.” She considered him for a moment; the harsh angles of his features made more severe by his ever-stern expression. A hint of danger, of threat, hung about him, reinforced by the way his eyes seemed to take in everything in a glance and the casual ease with which he carried himself. “You don’t strike me as a Charmer. Most of the Charmers I have known are more…”
“Engaging? Charismatic?” He offered. “Charmers are notorious for causing mischief, particularly the younger ones, but do not doubt that power. It can be as disturbing and dangerous in the right hands as your Frightener ability.”
Arhk slowed his mount to fall back alongside her, casting a look full of dark suspicion at Jinau. “What exactly do you do in Thaelis, Ahndhomen?”
Jinau met his eyes, his expression as guarded as the dhomvalen’s. “I solve problems.”
Arhk nodded, his mouth setting in a grim line.
“Not…” Veyl looked between them, then settled her gaze on Jinau. “Like an assassin?”
“It isn’t always about killing, but for simplicity’s sake, that’s close enough.”
A chill swept through her, that darkness he had spoken of on their journey over becoming more literal. “What problems have you solved?”
Arhk gave her a hard look. “I believe the horses have gotten enough rest if you are ready to bring this journey to an end.”
If his goal was to divert her from the subject, he had chosen the perfect way to go about it. She wanted nothing in the world more than to see the rest of her family and Jaysen. All the challenges that awaited her in the days to come would be worth it just for that. A reunion Lorek and his family would never have.
That thought subdued her excitement as they broke into a fast trot, and she focused her energy on managing her weight in the saddle to make it easier on her weary horse. When they reached the main entrance, the black gates with dark metal spikes on their fronts stood open. Two guards on the ground spotted Arhk and hailed him. They noticed her in the next moment, both individuals she had worked with around the city.
“Khesran Veyl!” one exclaimed, grinning excitedly as the other shouted, “You’re back!”
“I knew Dhomvalen Arhk would be the one to find you,” the first declared.
The smug look he gave his companion told her they probably had a wager going, and he had just won. She wasn’t sure whether she should be amused or offended by that.
“Open the side passage,” Arhk ordered before she could respond.
They continued through the gates and Jinau’s eyes widened a fraction as he got his first glimpse of the great city. Etrion boasted within its walls multiple barracks with training grounds, two vast academies, extensive neighborhoods, taverns, markets, beast habitats, and the grand palace with its highest spires towering over it all.
“Welcome to Etrion, the southern capital of Vanris.” Veyl struggled to hold her mount back beside him, the animal prancing in response to the flutter of excited energy coming from her.
Jinau’s brows rose a fraction. “You have more than one capital?”
“Yes. Our original capital, now the northern capital, is Doran, several days’ travel beyond Vareyl’s Warning. Etrion is home to the largest kanodrak and tethdrak populations in Vanris now. It was strictly a military city before the war ended.”
“The councilors are fools,” Jinau muttered.
She nudged her mount closer. “Why do you say that?”
He kept his voice low. “They arrogantly believed any new Vanrian civilization could not be greater than Thaelis, at least as we were before the Devastation. When our ancestors from the district of Thaelis left the original homeland, the larger population that remained was working to amass enough ships to bring more beasts and medicinal plants with them. The Thaelian leaders believed those who lingered would not have time to accomplish their goals before being forced to flee and that they would suffer much greater losses because of it. It appears they not only succeeded in what they set out to do but have since thrived here.”
“To be fair, they did lose hundreds of people because they stayed as long as they did, but on Pandrea, they recovered and came back stronger in time.”
Jinau nodded. “That I can see. I can also see that this land must be rich in resources. By its isolated nature as an island nation, Thaelis is less so.”
“Did you wish to return home or merely loiter at the city gates?” Arhk asked her, turning his shrewd gaze on them.
The doors to the large, enclosed passage that followed the inside of the city wall around to the palace stood open, waiting for them. The last stretch before she could finally step foot within the walls of the palace again. They urged their horses toward the entrance, stopping abruptly when a familiar voice shouted her name, drawing their attention back to the gate.
Veyl turned to see her father galloping up on Niskenya. The massive, vaguely feline predator, her silvery-gray scaled hide picking up a satiny sheen in the bright sunlight, skidded to a stop behind them. The lack of reaction from the horses that would normally be her prey made it clear he had used his Feral ability to assume control of them. Veyl leapt from her mount, hitting the ground a heartbeat before her father did, and rushed into his arms, knocking him back against the huge kanodrak, who grunted, but stood her ground, displaying an uncommon level of tolerance.
Joyful tears flowed as he hugged her so tightly she could barely breathe, and she loved it. Being smothered in his desperate embrace let her be a child again, if only for a moment, and she clung to him, burying her face in his shoulder.
“Never do that again,” he said in a voice choked with emotion.
She sobbed a laugh. “Get abducted?”
“Yes.”
“I have no plans to.”
He held onto her a moment longer, as if afraid she might disappear. When he eased them apart, she took one of his hands to maintain contact. Niskenya leaned in and nudged Veyl’s shoulder with the external bone armor on her head, knocking her a step to the side. It was a powerful show of affection considering the beast had little interest in anyone aside from her father most of the time. He looked her over, a slight furrow forming in his brow that she suspected she knew the cause of. Then he glanced at the rest of the group, his gaze lingering on Jinau a moment longer than the others before settling on Arhk.
“Did they send anyone else back?”
“We should discuss this in a less public setting,” Arhk evaded, glancing meaningfully toward the palace.
Her father nodded, releasing Veyl’s hand long enough to swing up on Niskenya. Then he removed his foot from the stirrup and reached down to her. Jinau was staring at the kanodrak with the look of a formerly blind man seeing the world for the first time as she swung up on its back behind her father. What was it like for him to encounter this beast, a creature his ancestors had revered, in the flesh for the first time?
Veyl wrapped her arms around her father and leaned against his back. Niskenya carried them through the city, too large and untamed to be comfortable in the enclosed side passage. The kanodrak was more of a partner to her father, with express opinions of her own about how to do things, than a companion like Irith. Speaking of whom…
A flicker of panic rose in Veyl. “Where’s Irith?”
Her father had one hand over her arm where it rested around his waist, maintaining the reassuring contact, and he gave it a small squeeze. “He’s with Jethan. Niskenya wanted to escape the habitat and I the city, so we went out for a run. Irith’s gotten a little old for such energetic adventures. I spotted your group approaching with the sandhawk I was scouting with.” His grip on her arm tightened along with his voice when he added, “I could hardly believe what I was seeing.”
Fresh tears stung her eyes as she hugged her arms more firmly around him. They had so many urgent matters to discuss, but those could wait a little longer. She simply wanted to appreciate being home.
“Did they send anyone else back?” he pressed, his low voice making the question for her alone this time.
Veyl heaved a sigh, but she couldn’t be angry with him for denying her the chance to bask in the moment given all that had happened. Her parents had a responsibility to Vanris and its people. “They let me bring the twins and their tehnaaks back with me, but Sarketi ships attacked us off the coast and… They killed Lorek.” Her voice cracked.
“Three Sarketi ships,” Arhk confirmed, having eased back beside them to listen. “Your daughter effectively disabled them with her Frightener ability. We had a simple task of taking them prisoner from there, but such a public incident could force a confrontation sooner than we would like.”
Her father nodded, saying nothing more, though Veyl could feel the fresh tension in his back. That he didn’t question the comment about her Frightener ability told her Jaysen must have shared what he knew of it with them. When they reached the palace, Arhk passed their horses to the stable hands, and Niskenya settled in the courtyard, an intimidating sentinel. Inside the entrance, her father beckoned over the first attendant he saw.
“Khemron Kasiel.” The woman’s eyes widened when they lit upon Veyl before she bowed. “How can I be of assistance?”
“Find Khevarin Velara and Khesran Tavin and send them to the…” He hesitated, looking at Jinau, then at Veyl, or rather at the uniform she wore, as if genuinely considering the implications of it all for the first time. His expression darkened. “Send them to the war room.”
“Yes, Khemron.” The attendant bowed again before hurrying off.
The moment the woman left, he turned to Jinau, who had been taking in the elegant interior of the palace with its marble floors and polished black stone walls. Lush floral arrangements sat on tables along those walls and in tastefully decorated alcoves, adding splashes of vibrant color. He was too observant not to notice that her father’s attention had settled on him, so he faced the khemron, inclining his head in a gesture of respect.
“I am Ahndhomen Charmer Jinau, Khemron.”
“Ahndhomen? You’re not part of the ahnkreth’s fleet, then?”
“He is not.” Veyl inserted herself into the conversation. She wasn’t ready to confront the zenyal issue with her parents, though with Arhk there, they likely wouldn’t avoid it for long. “Ahndhomen Jinau–”
“Veyl!”
She spun. “Uncle Jeth!”
Her father’s tehnaak caught her up in his arms and lifted her, spinning her around in a manner entirely inappropriate for greeting a visiting ahninveth and ambassador, but she didn’t much care. When he set her down, he drew her into a hug for an instant before releasing her. Irith, her father’s aging cliff cat, nudged in and came up on his hind legs, setting his paws on her shoulders. He licked her twice in the face with his abrasive tongue before she giggled and shoved her hands between them to shield herself from the onslaught.
At a fond, but stern, glance from her father, likely accompanied by some mental direction, the cat dropped to the floor and Veyl crouched with him, wrapping her arms around his neck long enough to press her cheek against his fuzzy head.
“I missed you, old beast,” she murmured.
As she straightened, she caught a candid look of unease that passed between her father and his tehnaak. She also noticed the shadows under her father’s eyes and the lines of worry that etched his brow. Guilt twisted in her chest, knowing she brought him the welcome news of her return, drizzled like a sauce over the top of a foul-tasting wagonload of complications.
“Let us continue to the war room,” Arhk prompted.
Veyl and her father answered with the same nod.
They were almost to the door when her mother and brother, along with their tehnaaks, Keyla and Ellaris, Jethan’s wife and daughter, came around the corner. Veyl rushed to them, losing herself in another series of warm, tearful embraces. Something about that overwhelming load of affection and emotion was exhausting. Not that she would trade it for anything else in the world. Being once again among the people who loved her was more than she had dared to hope for as little as a week ago, but her heart and mind were growing fatigued, and they hadn’t even gotten to the difficult parts yet. She yearned to curl up on a couch with her family and cry until her tears were spent, and she could laugh again.
Her mother wouldn’t let go of her hand when they turned to enter the war room, keeping hold of it so Veyl had no choice but to accompany her to the head of the table alongside her father, all the while using her free hand to dab at tears that trickled down her cheeks with a handkerchief. Her mother cast a venomous look at Jinau when he took a spot at the oval table to Veyl’s right. The Thaelian ahndhomen remained unnervingly calm as they gathered in the oval war room around a large oval table with a massive stoneglass and crystal candelabra of the same size and shape hanging overhead. Wherever Jinau got his composure, she wished he would share some of it. Although not if it came from the same place that made him able to kill without remorse. Arhk possessed a similar bearing. How much darkness did one have to accept in themselves to perfect that?
Just as Arhk opened his mouth to speak, the door flew open and Jaysen rushed in. Where there should have been only happiness at seeing him, there was a troubling mix of joy and uncertainty, the latter a cruel blade twisting in her chest. Extracting her hand from her mother’s, she stepped around the table and let him pull her into his arms, returning his embrace and clinging to memories from their childhood for a moment to quell her unease.
“I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” he whispered.
Veyl swallowed back more tears. By the Break, she was tired. She let him hold her a second longer, then eased away and gestured to the table as she returned to her mother’s side.
“Seh’hali,” Jinau murmured.
Veyl drew a deep breath and leapt into the storm before Arhk could do so ahead of her. “There are a great many matters we all need to discuss. Chief among them is the fact that the vessel we arrived on was set upon by Sarketi ships in Vanrian waters. An attack that cost Lorek his life.”
Ellaris gasped, and Tavin stepped closer to his tehnaak, though he didn’t seem aware that he had done so. Jaysen, who had taken a spot on Tavin’s other side, across from Veyl, lowered his gaze, anger in the set of his jaw that matched what she saw in her parents’ eyes when she looked at them.
“As much as I wish I could be here with you solely as your daughter and a khesran of Vanris, I’m afraid that is not the case, as I’m sure you suspected from my attire. I have accepted the role of Ahninveth na sek and Ambassador for Thaelis. For reasons I will explain as we move forward, the Thaelian council could not meet your demand to send the rest of the Vanrian abductees home at this time. To help resolve the situation, I volunteered to return to Vanris and negotiate on their behalf, along with Ahndhomen Jin–”
Jaysen slammed a hand down on the table. “Why would you help them?”
Arhk gave him a sharp look, the hint of black at the edges of his eyes warning him to silence.
Veyl met Jaysen’s eyes, anger stirring like poison in her blood. “Why didn’t you stand up for them? Ahnkreth Kyril brought you here to warn Vanris about Thrasser’s actions at my request. I asked you to work with him. Why didn’t you vouch for him and his fleet?”
“They attacked Deepwater! They killed people and tore us away from our lives!” Jaysen’s fist hit the table this time. “How could you expect me to offer them my protection?”
Veyl looked at her parents. “You must have interrogated the Thaelians. You know what I’m saying is true.”
Her mother’s hard gaze offered no support. “Ahnkreth Kyril did claim to have come here at your behest,” she admitted, “but the members of his crew that we have had time to question could not corroborate his story. His beast companion provides him with a remarkable level of protection from our Evokers, even with them separated. We could not verify his claim.”
“The creature denies all my efforts to take control of it,” her father added. “It has the mental fortitude of a kanodrak.”
Veyl found a spark of hope in the note of admiration in her father’s words, and a fond smile curved her lips. “And you would never harm it.”
He met her eyes. “The beast is innocent of its bonded companion’s crimes. To be honest, we also haven’t had the time we needed to deal with the Thaelian prisoners properly. Between investigating Sarket’s activities and handling the increasing unrest up north—”
“What unrest?” Veyl interrupted.
Her parents exchanged a look with Arhk.
“We would like to speak with our daughter alone,” her mother said then. “Dhomvalen Arhk, can you see to arranging guards and quarters for our guest?” She gestured to Jinau. “The rest of you may leave. We will summon the council when we are ready to engage in more formal discussions.”
Tavin and Ellaris walked out with Jethan and Keyla. Jaysen stared at Veyl, looking like he wanted to argue, but when she avoided his gaze, he allowed Arhk to usher him out.
Jinau turned to Veyl, leaning close and keeping his voice low. “Remember the people you risked your life twice to protect.”
