Leoht (BloodRunes: Book 3) (28 page)

“We have no choice.” She had a look of
determination on her face that suddenly turned to contemplation.
“Unless…” she left the thought unfinished and strode to the corpse,
placing her hand on Leoht’s hilt and pulling it backwards and out
of the dragon’s chest. She was sprayed by a violent flow of bloody
gore which she ignored, and thrust her arm into the bloody
hollow.

Gryffon wrinkled his nose in disgust. What in
the world was she up to?

“Quick, pick her up and both of you get in
the circle,” she commanded as she withdrew her hand from the
wound.” In it, she clutched the Bloodstone. It had been pierced by
the tip of Leoht, and a spider web of cracks expanded outwards from
the tiny hole.

He cradled Layna gently in his arms, her eyes
rolling backwards into her head at the pain and he sent a tendril
of healing energy to her, despite the lack of power, draining his
own life-force to dull her pain. As he carried her to the circle,
he said skeptically, “Are you sure we should-” His reservations
were cut short as a loud blast sounded on the far wall, drawing all
of their attention, and he saw that a large section of the wall had
crumbled inwards, allowing the bubbling liquid to flow into the
cavern at an alarming rate. “Never mind,” he amended, “Let’s do
it!”

All three of them focused on the spell to
reverse the transport, thinking of the circle on the other side,
inside of the King’s chamber. The now-familiar gut-wrenching
clutched his insides and spit them back out again, depositing them
in a crumpled heap on the King’s floor. It had worked!

*

Layna bit her lip until she drew blood to
keep from crying out at the pain that all the moving was causing
her leg. The anguished expression on Gryffon’s face was too much to
bear. She blacked out for a second when they were dumped roughly on
the floor of the King’s chamber, the spell too weak to accommodate
for their new footing, jostling her broken leg to the point of
torment.

When she was able to see through the
pain-induced red haze blurring across her vision once more, she
took in their surroundings. And sighed in resignation. Four armed
guards stood surrounding them, their swords drawn. Their hopes that
the alarm would not have been sounded were apparently
unfounded.

They must be quite a sight, all of them
covered in dragon’s blood, her with her broken leg and Katya still
holding the bloodied stone, which resembled a heart way too much
for her liking.

“Don’t move,” growled one of the guards at
them. Another uniformed officer, this one obviously one of rank
came strolling into the room.

“Well, well, well. What have we here?”

“We were searching the suite after reports of
strange noises and signs of a struggle when these three suddenly
appeared in the middle of the room.”

“And the King?”

“We don’t know, sir, we haven’t been able to
locate him yet.”

The officer turned to the three of them.
“Where is the King?”

Gryffon cleared his throat, “About that…”

One of the soldiers suddenly interrupted,
“Hey, that’s Lord Gryffon! He was discovered to be a spy from
Treymayne. Was this an assassination attempt?”

The officer raised an eyebrow at the man’s
outburst, and he cowered away, blushing furiously. “Sorry, sir,” he
apologized and glued his eyes to the floor.

“Is this true?” the officer asked, aiming the
question at Gryffon.

“Yes.” Gryffon said shortly. There was
nothing else he could say. Lying would do him no good.
Unfortunately, there was nothing any of them could do. They were
all far too tired to use magic to get out of this situation, and
they had, after all, killed the King. Layna noticed that many of
the guards were looking fairly disoriented and she realized that it
was the after-effects of the spell bonds the King must have had on
them breaking upon his death. She doubted even this stroke of luck
would help get them out of the situation they were in, however.

Luckily, while they were spending the rest of
their days rotting in a prison cell, they could be happy knowing
that they saved the world from certain evil. The thought sunk in.
Layna hadn’t even had a chance to think about it, but it was true.
They had just accomplished their mission. The crazy whirlwind of
events that she had been caught up in was finally at an end. And
Nuko would no longer be able to rear his ugly head in the world
ever again. She reached inside her to share her joy with the Three,
only to find that they weren’t there.

Her heart sank, but Gryffon’s hand squeezed
her own and she was reminded of what she still had. She hoped that
Cliodhna’s daughter was alright, she could feel the suffering the
dragon had felt before they had disappeared. Layna also fervently
hoped that their absence was simply that the threat to this world
had been alleviated and they were no longer needed, and not that
something terrible had happened.

“Where is the King?”

“We killed him. He was abusing an ancient and
evil power and he had to be stopped.” Layna couldn’t read the faces
around her. No one looked particularly saddened at the King’s
death, and Layna supposed she couldn’t blame them if the stories
being spread around about him eating his staff held any merit. An
atmosphere of confusion surrounded them. They had assassinated the
King, which was a crime punishable by death, but the King appeared
to have lost a lot of support along the way. The hesitation
suggested that they were all wondering how the grappling for power
in the aftermath was going to go rather than being outraged at the
death. Hopefully that could work to their advantage.

Layna snuggled into Gryffon’s arms, and he
looked down at her tenderly. “Whatever happens, I love you,” she
whispered to him and he smiled.

“I love you too,” he whispered back.

*

Katya watched the two of them, the ache in
her heart growing stronger by the moment. Marak squeezed her arm
affectionately and she appreciated the gesture, but it didn’t make
the hurt go away. She had had to kill the man she loved. Whether or
not it was a result of the combination of the collar intensifying
her emotions and the mark, it didn’t matter. The feelings were real
to her.

It also suggested that the second part of the
Oracle’s prediction had been correct. Those closest to her were
destined to die. She was a tainted individual. She wasn’t even sure
that Layna and Gryffon would be safe being near her. Prophecies
were tricky to interpret; she could cause their deaths by her
interference. Not to mention that no matter the companionship she
felt towards them, their obvious shows of affection would only
remind her of her own loss.

And she had saved the world, but still had no
answers about her past, nor even a clue to work with. Had she not
upheld her end of the Oracle’s words?

Guilt, pain, and anger at the unfairness of
it all washed over her, and Katya turned her eyes from the sight of
the two of them. They would be better off without her in her life.
The guards were prodding them to their feet, preparing to move them
into a more secure location for interrogation when a woman marched
into the room.

“Wait just a second here,” she demanded, and
Katya was surprised at the deference that the soldiers all paid
her, immediately halting their actions. She walked straight over to
Layna, where she was clinging to Gryffon’s shoulders and the woman
reached towards her chest. Layna tried to pull away in surprised
confusion, but she couldn’t move very far while cradled in
Gryffon’s arms.

The woman took hold of the necklace around
her neck and peered at it. Katya watched her curiously.

“It is the necklace,” she breathed with
reverence, “I didn’t know whether to believe the man or not. But it
is, it really is.”

“What necklace?” the officer asked, obviously
piqued that she was putting a damper on his investigation.

“Before the King and Queen died, they rounded
up their most trusted servants and told us a secret. They told us
that Edward was not really their son.” Confused mutterings sprang
up among the soldiers and servants present. “Their child had been
switched at birth to protect it. There was a prophecy among a
secret organization which predicted that a child born of a union
between the houses of dragon and phoenix - the family crests of the
King and Queen - would be able to command great power, power that
is coveted by this secret organization.”

“What does this have to do with the
necklace?” The officer asked irritably, “And how can we believe
such a story anyway?”

“The necklace is the symbol of the royal
houses, it was handcrafted by the royal jeweler and the mold was
broken. Then an enchantment was placed upon it so that only the
true heir could wear it. There are many who can verify its
authenticity. They were simply all allowed to believe that Edward
wore it. But he never did, it was saved for the proper heir.” She
paused and looked at Layna with newfound appreciation. “This woman
is our true Queen.”

*

Layna raised her eyebrow at the woman and
burst out laughing. She caught herself quickly as the sound echoed
in the otherwise silent room and she cleared her throat. “I’m just
a maid,” she assured the woman, “My parents were Gerald and Evelyn
of Rockham, simple traders and farmers.” Another ripple of
muttering spread through the expanding crowd around them.

“Gerald and Evelyn?” Layna heard her parents’
named repeated around the room with a tone of wonderment and was
confused. Had they ever traveled to the palace? Why would the royal
staff say their names as though they were familiar to them?

The woman smiled. “Gerald and Evelyn were the
personal mages and protectors of the King and Queen. They
disappeared without a trace after the heir was born…you. The reason
is obvious now.”

Layna was dumbfounded. Could she really be a
queen?

*

The soldiers were all watching this new
development and were currently ignoring Katya. Katya’s own reaction
to this news was anything but laughter and she shook her head at
Layna’s querying look, hoping she recognized her unspoken plea to
not draw attention to her. Royals’ lives were picked apart by
public scrutiny, it was no place for her past. It seemed as though
this was her cue to leave.

Katya grasped the stone in her hand and it
warmed at her touch, there was still some power left in it. She
stole into the background as the others were caught up in the
commotion that the necklace had caused and whisked herself away.
Just as the room around her disappeared, she caught Layna’s eye
again.

Layna watched her go, her expression
unreadable.

*

Layna followed Katya’s movement as she
disappeared into the shadows noiselessly, drawing upon the stone
one more time to shimmer and disappear. Layna caught her eye as she
dematerialized, trying to convey to her that she understood, but
she didn’t know if Katya realized her intention. The girl needed to
write her own story.

“I can vouch for her as well,” said a new
voice, and Layna looked to see a regal looking man step into the
room. Several servants curtsied and bowed in respect and the woman
greeted him.

“Lord Telvani.”

“It
is
true,” he reiterated, “There
hasn’t been a monarch of true royal blood since the King and Queen
died, and this,” he gestured to Layna, “Is their heir. We will
finally have a true royal again.” The muttering grew louder around
them and Layna searched the faces around her for signs that they
were pulling some giant prank on her, but they all looked
awestruck. A chanting suddenly broke out among those gathered, and
many more joined in.

“Long live the Queen!”

EPILOGUE

Layna leaned against the balcony and looked
out over the landscape, waiting impatiently for the caravan to
arrive. Gryffon joined her and took her hand in his own,
interlacing their fingers. She smiled happily at him. They had been
married three months now and everyday waking up next to him was
bliss.

“A little excited are we?” he teased her and
she rewarded him with a mock glare.

“It will just be nice to have them here. It’s
been almost six months and they still haven’t said anything. I miss
them.”

“I know what you mean. I only hosted Adrastea
for a few moments, but during that time it felt like I knew her
forever. I wish that I knew she was okay.”

They had moved into a castle whose occupants
had been misplaced and killed by Nathair’s army, leaving the palace
in Naoham to house the council members. After officially being
named Queen, Layna had reinstated the council with a few
modifications. She had attempted to emulate Treymayne’s government
and with the help of Amelia, the servant who had been trusted by
her parents, had hand-picked a new council before restoring the
balance of power.

She had not been raised to rule, and was much
more comfortable being a monarch mostly in name. For important
matters, she held sway, a fact that still amazed her, but for
everyday matters she was content to leave it in the hands of
others.

The war had been immediately called off, all
of the bracers rounded up and destroyed, and the bloodbeasts either
freed if the enchantment was able to be lifted, or put down if it
was not. Layna felt incredibly guilty for those who were past
saving, but there was only so much she could do.

She and Gryffon were constantly busy,
traveling the countryside helping the land and the people to heal.
The marriage between her and Gryffon, a noble of Treymaynian blood,
had helped to mend the strained relations between the two countries
and they were slowly opening their doors to one another. Layna knew
that the process of recovering from all of the evil that the King
had spread would be a hard one, but it had at least begun.