Wave-Touched, page 36
“There is something else we must address first.” Setera’s tentative words caught everyone’s attention. She gave Veyl an apologetic grimace. “We need to decide how to handle Khesran Veyl’s uncontrolled ability before someone else gets hurt. She has the potential power within her to break this entire city.”
Veyl’s chest constricted, the room crushing in around her, making it hard to breathe. Could she really do that much damage?
Arhk took Setera’s hand in a rare public display of affection, his expression free of the distress that showed on the faces of the others. “We do not need to discuss this. Veyl is no longer a Frightener.” He stated it with a certainty that defied argument.
“But…” Veyl stared at him, confused. “How is that possible?”
He met her eyes. “I do not understand it, but I can feel that you and I no longer share that bond. My guess is that the wave dancer, when she saved you from breaking yourself out in the desert, may have somehow broken your ability in the process. You are neither a Frightener nor a Breaker anymore.”
Veyl stared at him, her emotions oscillating wildly between relief and distress. Despite those extreme fluctuations, not the faintest crackle of power rose within her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“I need to rest.” Veyl stood abruptly, wincing at the pain the sudden movement caused. “Excuse me.”
More than one person got to their feet and called after her, asking if she was all right as she hurried from the room. Seyn conveniently interrupted her parents’ efforts to reach out to her when she got up to follow. Every rushed step pulled on the stitches in her side, but she had no intention of slowing. The lack of crackling energy in response to the tempest of her emotions made her want to laugh and weep at once. She heard the door behind her open, a little surprised when it was Tavin with Loth who came jogging up beside her.
“Veyl, hold on.”
She quickened her stride, despite the fatigue dragging at her limbs and the soaring agony. A wild sense of panic made her breath come in strained gasps by the time they turned the corner to the hall her rooms were in.
“I would have thought you’d be happy to be rid of it after all of this.”
She stopped and faced him so abruptly that Loth’s hackles rose, and he growled. Seyn stepped between her and the hound, her membranous black ears folded back and her teeth bared. In a precisely mirrored motion, Veyl and Tavin each placed a calming hand on their respective beasts’ shoulders.
“I would be happy, except that I wouldn’t have escaped Jaysen when I did if not for my ability, and I couldn’t have stopped them from killing the others in the Break. Not to mention that I could not have fought the Unclean in Thaelis or halted the Sarketi naval attack that killed Lorek before they claimed any more lives. I’m helpless to protect the people I care about now.” She wiped roughly at a tear that crept down one cheek.
An earnest, gentle smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “That’s not true at all. You weren’t helpless before your ability awakened. Why would you be now? I always admired your skill in combat and your courage growing up. I still do. Everything you’ve gone through this year… I can’t imagine facing all that and still being so brave and so willing to put yourself at risk to protect those around you. You are my hero, Veyl. You always have been, and that certainly hasn’t changed. The only thing that’s different is that you’re no longer a danger to the people you care so much about.” He smirked down at Seyn. “And I can’t even make you jealous of my companion anymore.”
Fondness swelled in her chest. “Look at you, being the sensible, supportive one.” She gently nudged Seyn out of the way and Loth backed down, likely at an unspoken command from Tavin, allowing her to pull him into a hug. When had her little brother grown so tall?
He chuckled as he returned the embrace. “I was always the sensible one.”
A tentative smile curved her lips, and she squeezed him tighter, ignoring her pain. “Thank you, Tav,” she murmured.
They stayed that way for several seconds. When they parted, he patted Loth’s head. “I’ll tell everyone that you went to rest if you need time alone. Loth and I can fend them off for a while.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Her intent, when she lay gingerly back on her bed a few minutes later, not bothering to change, was to come up with a plan for going forward from here. Seyn hopped up on the bed, moving with surprising care across the covers, and stretched out beside her, warm and reassuring. In seconds, Veyl was sound asleep.
In that darkness, she returned to the room in Kronach’s castle with Jaysen there, mocking her for her inability to break him. Kyril stood in a corner, watching in neutral silence as her former tehnaak drugged her as he had on the ship, then threatened to take advantage of her that way until she bore him a proper heir to his kingdom. No matter how she tried to fight, she could do nothing to stop it when he brought in an Evoker to destroy every wonderful memory she had of being loved by the Feral ahnkreth who now stood passively observing it all.
Then the nightmare changed, and Jaysen came to her in her room in Etrion, his smile vacant, the dagger he had given her in his hand. She lay in her bed, unable to move or speak, as he sauntered over and threw off the covers. He set the blade against her throat with one hand, gathering up her nightdress with the other. Leaning down, he kissed her, then drew away slightly. Her stomach turned as his fingers slid up the inside of her thigh.
“I am sorry, Veyl, but after you ran, I realized you would never remember that I’m the one you love. I can’t leave it like that. If you no longer love me, I won’t let you love anyone. I’m going to make you mine, and if you still don’t love me when I’m through…” He trailed off and dug the edge of the blade into her neck.
Veyl woke with a cry. A hand touched her right arm, and she jerked away, bumping up against someone lying on her left. For an instant, panic threatened to consume her. Then she focused on Gannon, getting up from the chair next to her bed, and Seyn pressed closer to her, leaning over to lick her on the cheek.
“Sorry. I didn’t intend to startle you.”
Veyl put a hand to her chest, feeling the pounding of her heart as she struggled to catch her breath. The nightmares stuck vividly in her head. “No, it’s all right.” She forced a few slower breaths, trying to calm herself. “But… what are you doing in here?”
“Tavin told us what happened, and that you were upset. We came to see if you needed anything or anyone. When you didn’t answer the door, we were going to leave, but you cried out, so we rushed inside. You must have been having a bad dream. You quieted when Seyn nuzzled closer to you, so we decided not to wake you. After a bit of discussion, we agreed someone should stay close in case you needed anything.”
“I assume we includes Ahrin and Iyvy?” She reached out, and he took her hand, helping her sit up. Seyn hopped off the bed and came around to stand next to them.
He nodded. “They’re in the sitting room.”
It was odd that he was the one they selected to watch over her. Was that because of what they had recently gone through together? Or had he perhaps insisted on it?
“You were having nightmares?”
Veyl nodded.
He stared out the window for a few seconds, and his jaw clenched as if he were fighting some internal battle before he finally looked at her again. “You said Jaysen’s name in your sleep, and not in a good way.”
To think that less than a year ago, she longed desperately for the chance to be reunited with her tehnaak and childhood friend. Now she still wanted to see Jaysen again, but with a far different purpose in mind. It hurt to think of how dear he had been to her. Of how much she had loved him. Not in the way she loved Kyril, but as someone she trusted implicitly and believed she could rely upon no matter what happened. How wrong she had been. Was it acceptable to mourn him as she had known him, while wanting to destroy the person he had become?
“Do you want to talk about it?”
The concern in his eyes told her he would listen to whatever she had to say. She took his hand. “Thank you truly, but I’m not quite ready to.”
“When you are ready, I know I’ve been a calloch in the past, but I promise you I can be better, and I want to support you.”
“I know, and I appreciate it.” She found a smile for him, helped along by Seyn’s head coming to rest against her thigh, the wave dancer gazing fondly up at her. A latent sorrow lingered in those sea-foam eyes, though, perhaps because of what she had done to her former bonded to help Veyl. “I have something I would like to talk to you all about.”
Gannon nodded, keeping hold of her hand long enough to help her up. When they entered the adjacent room, Iyvalin and Ahrin hurried over to give her hugs as Gannon stood by protectively, warning them to be gentle.
When they were through the tearful greetings, the other three sat, but Veyl didn’t join them. She clasped her hands and considered them seriously. “I have something to ask you all, and please know I won’t be upset if you don’t want to do this.”
***
A short time later, the four of them stood outside the war room where her parents were holding a small council meeting. Veyl tried not to wonder if they still would have excluded her if she had not been recovering from her injuries. Down that path lay potential for the development of doubts and bitterness.
One guard outside held up a hand to stop them. “This is a restricted meeting.”
Veyl stood tall and met his eyes. “And I am your khesran. Open the door.”
The other guard, a taller woman who had been working in the palace most of Veyl’s life, nodded and knocked. Upon receiving a response from within, she stepped inside, blocking Veyl’s view of the proceedings with her broad shoulders.
“Your majesties, Khesran Veyl and her companions have requested permission to enter.”
After a moment’s pause, she heard her mother’s voice. “Let them in.”
The guard opened the door the rest of the way and stepped aside to allow them entrance. Her parents, their tehnaaks, and Arhk were at the table, along with Merrin, Avris, Darro, and Kince. Kyril was there as well, and a surge of resentment rose in her. Yet, he had a legitimate place there as the highest-ranking officer from Thaelis present and because of the suffering he had faced at the hands of their current enemies. Besides, her reaction was likely more a product of directionless anger over what Jaysen had taken from them than anything to do with his inclusion here.
“We are pleased to see you feeling well enough to join us,” her mother said, gesturing to the table in invitation.
A warm flush infused Veyl’s cheeks as her mother’s comment confirmed that they only excluded her because of her injuries and need for rest.
Darro arched a brow at his sons when the two of them and Iyvalin followed Veyl into the room, but he said nothing.
Her father waited until they reached the table to speak. “It’s good that you arrived now. We just finished sending a messenger off to journey to Thaelis with an update for our people there on recent developments. The next order of business is to open a discussion of options for dealing with Sarket before we retire for the evening meal.”
Veyl nodded, appreciating his willingness to include not only her, but the three with her, in the current conversation. “There is something I would like to propose before we proceed, if I may.”
Her mother nodded. “Please. The floor is yours, Khesran.”
Seyn pressed against Veyl’s leg, and a cool, soothing sensation moved through her, bolstering her confidence. “We all know that we face a significant possibility of military engagement with Sarket. As we are preparing our forces for that likely outcome, the four of us,” she paused, gesturing to Gannon alongside Seyn on her left and Ahrin and Iyvalin on her right, “would like your leave to join a unit.”
Arhk’s faint, approving smirk gave her a glimmer of hope.
Her father, however, sat back and shook his head. “The other three aren’t a problem, but you are the khesran of Vanris. Heir to the throne. Your country needs you here. Not on the front lines.”
Veyl forced herself to stand straighter. “I am one of two khesrans, and I wish to fight alongside my people.”
“We’ve nearly lost you twice already,” he countered.
“Yes. Considering such, I imagine you have a plan in place now for dealing with the eventuality of my demise, if there wasn’t one before.”
Her parents frowned at that.
“Is this an act of solidarity with your people or a quest for revenge?” her mother asked.
“Can’t it be both? This is my fight. With everything I’ve survived in this last year, I think I have more than earned my place on the front lines.” She caught the hint of admiration in Kyril’s smile, and her pulse quickened in response. Whatever she had done to win that tiny rekindling of connection, she hoped she could stumble upon it again.
Her parents moved away from the end of the table and fell into a hushed conversation. After a few seconds, Arhk stepped back to join them.
Kyril cleared his throat loudly enough to draw their attention. “Your majesties, before Khesran Veyl and her companions joined us, you asked if I would consider leading a Feral unit in service to Vanris. My answer is yes, but as you pointed out, to form a full unit I will need nine soldiers in addition to the beasts I work with. If you allowed these four to join me, along with my sister Kitria, I imagine that would be enough for us to begin training while the remaining soldiers are being selected.”
Her mother gave him a shrewd look. “Why would you want these four?”
Kyril answered without hesitation. “I already know the khesran possesses extraordinary courage and is an excellent fighter with experience around beasts. If the others have half her skill, they will form the foundation of a unit any officer would be proud to lead.”
They considered him in silence for a moment, then resumed their quiet discussion away from the table. Darro and Merrin joined them this time. Veyl struggled not to fidget, settling one hand on Seyn’s shoulders to keep it still. The hardest part was not looking at Kyril. Was there more to his offering them a place in his unit than simply needing to fill the ranks? Could she work with him without their past and her emotions becoming an obstacle?
After a couple of minutes, the group at the back returned to the table.
As dhomvalen, Arhk was the official head of Vanris’s military, so he was the one who addressed them. “We cannot overlook that the four of you were victims of Ahnkreth Kyril’s attack on Deepwater. Would you be amenable to serving under him now, despite that?”
Veyl looked to Gannon first, aware that he had lost more than most because of that experience.
He narrowed his eyes at Kyril, then turned to her. “If you are willing, I am, but he’d best not step out of line.”
Veyl looked at the other two.
Ahrin nodded.
“We’ll follow your lead,” Iyvalin added.
Veyl faced her grandfather. “Yes, Dhomvalen.”
“Very well, Ahnkreth Kyril. For now, I am assigning these four, and your sister—assuming she will pledge herself to serving Vanris in this capacity—to train with you. At the very least, it will provide you with practice commanding a non-naval force and give them experience working in a unit. Once we have determined our course of action and have a plan in place, we will assess how the unit is performing and make final decisions on who we will send out together.”
Kyril inclined his head in a gesture of deference. “Thank you, Dhomvalen. Your Majesties.”
“We had planned to adjourn for the evening soon to give everyone time to enjoy their meals. Why don’t we do so now and resume discussions when we are fresh tomorrow afternoon?” her mother proposed. “If you are well enough, Ahnkreth, you and the new members of your fledgling unit may join Khemron Kasiel in the morning to learn how Feral units work in Vanris. We shall give allowances to those with recent injuries to observe until they have recovered enough to participate.”
“Thank you, Khevarin Velara.”
The moment she dismissed them, Iyvalin hurried to Kyril. Veyl glanced at Ahrin in question, but he merely shrugged.
“Pardon me, Ahnkreth,” Iyvalin began, “since we will be working together, would you and your sister consider dining with us this evening?”
“I don’t…” Kyril started to shake his head, then his eyes met Veyl’s. “Perhaps we will join you. Thank you.”
After taking time to freshen up and apply numbing salve to her wounds, Veyl met the others in the dining room off the palace gardens where she had dined before with Kyril, Jinau, and Nalika. She and Kyril had kissed in this room. Did he remember that at all? If he did, it didn’t show, but she recalled it vividly enough for both of them, the sensation of his lips, his touch, the fire he lit within her. She couldn’t look at him without thoughts of it making her cheeks grow warm, so she kept her eyes on anyone else to avoid those heated recollections.
Kyril and Kitria sat on one side of the table, with Ahrin and Iyvalin on the other. Gannon took the seat near the corner, putting himself between Veyl and Kyril. Neither of them remarked upon the placement. Perhaps a little distance would allow them to each find their equilibrium on their own.
Veyl gestured to the food. “Please help yourselves.”
Gannon moved some roasted vegetables onto his plate before pinning Kyril with his intense gaze. “Our agreement to serve under you doesn’t mean any of us have forgiven you. We just have a common enemy in Sarket now.”
“Gannon,” Iyvalin snapped.
Kyril waved her off. “It’s all right. I earned your hatred.”
Gannon shook his head. “I can’t speak for the others, but I no longer hate you. Our journey together from Taro helped with that, but you have a long way to go before I’ll say I like or trust you.”
Kitria’s features pinched with anger. “You don’t know—”
Kyril placed a hand on her arm, ending her outburst before it fully started. “I earned this, Kit. If I want to change that, I need to work for it. What I must know is, will you all follow my orders when it matters?”
