Lichgates: Book One of the Grimoire Saga (an Epic Fantasy Adventure) (26 page)

A broad ray of green light cascaded across them. Kara shivered. The edges of the forest blurred. A new, greener avenue of pine trees and a cobblestone road appeared before them where decaying trunks had been before. An intricate metal gate with no visible door towered at the end of the path, its thick golden rods carved to look like vines of ivy. The vines untangled themselves in welcome, whistling and grating as the metal plants slid over each other. They unwound to create an opening just wide enough for the small party to walk through.

Braeden remounted behind Kara, and they hurried through the gate. The gold metal rewound itself behind them as the small group trotted through Hillside’s empty streets.

The colder air of the city sent chills racing down Braeden’s back before he could quash them. The flaer stepped along the vacant cobblestone road on the balls of its feet, its footsteps light and ready to bolt.

Braeden held his breath. Every door and window was closed and dark. The lamps had been extinguished, forcing him to maneuver the streets by memory and moonlight. Even the once lively, shifting cobblestones were still.

Kara reached absently for his hand as she examined the quiet houses. He swallowed hard at her touch, his stomach jumping at the warmth in her palm, and squeezed back.

“How did you know about this, Braeden?” she whispered.

“I know who it involves.”

“Tell me.”

“I—” He paused. “I want to be wrong.”

“Please tell me.”

He sighed. “The Queen. I think she’s dead.”

Kara shifted around to look at him. Her eyes were wide and her lips parted slightly, which, for some reason, made his stomach twist even more. He swallowed and pretended to appraise the rows of silent homes and shops, hoping she hadn’t noticed the way his hand tightened around hers without his meaning it to.

“But how is that even possible?” she asked. “I thought Bloods could heal.”

“They can, but everyone has a weakness. A Blood’s greatest weakness is a Sartori,” he explained. “Every kingdom has its own blade, which is coated in a poison that was specifically designed to keep Bloods from healing. It’s the only weapon from which a Blood can almost never recover.”

“So you think someone killed her?”

“I think Carden did.”

“Why do you think it was Carden?”

He shook his head. He couldn’t say it out loud, but only one walked away from a fight between two Bloods. No prisoners. Since he hadn’t become the Blood to the Stele, Carden was still alive.

“I’m so sorry, Braeden,” she said. “She must have been like a mother to you.”

“I think she tried in her own way, but we were never very close,” he said, hating himself for admitting it. “She was kind, and I will not deny that, but she always watched me from a distance, observing how I interacted with others, how I sparred. I’m closer to Richard, just as she was closer to Gavin, and I think that’s what she wanted.”

Kara squeezed his hand tighter in support and turned around again, letting go as she did. The skin on his knuckles grew suddenly cold, and he wished she hadn’t moved away. He said nothing.

Rowthe stopped when they reached Hillside’s castle. It loomed above them, no guards on the front steps and no lights in any of the castle’s thousand windows. Braeden rested his hand on his sword out of instinct and dismounted. He hated quiet.

“Thanks, buddy,” he heard Kara whisper to Rowthe as she dismounted. He turned back, but the flaer was gone.

Kara sighed and nodded toward the closed main doors.

“Shall we?”

The two of them took the stairs slowly, not wanting to know the truth, and pushed open the doors. Only a thin stream of light poured into the dark hall from behind them, so Braeden lit a gray flame in his hand. It cast long, broken shadows onto the closed throne room doors as they passed. He stopped abruptly to watch them, half-hoping the sconces in the room beyond would blaze to life so that he could believe for even a second that everything was fine.

“This can’t be real,” he whispered.

Kara set her hand on his back, but even her touch couldn’t chase away the numb disbelief. After all, the woman who had unknowingly given him a second chance had been killed by his own heartless father.

“If I’d been here, Kara, I could have helped.”

“We both know that’s not true.”

The flame in his hand cast gray light across her face, which froze her expression and made her look like a black and white sketch as she glanced up to him. Her frown said everything: if he’d been here, if he’d seen Carden at all, he would’ve been discovered.

“We should find Gavin,” he said, ignoring her so that he wouldn’t have to admit she was right. “When we do, let me speak to him alone first. I’m not sure if he’s safe to be around quite yet.”

Braeden knocked on the study door after he found Gavin’s bedroom empty, though the small silk robe left on the bed suggested Gavin hadn’t kept to himself in his grief. The study lock unlatched with a click, leaving the door just slightly ajar. Braeden pushed it open and walked inside.

Gavin paced by the mantle, where a fire fumed despite the warm summer night. The crimson glow highlighted the Blood’s sharp nose, deepening the brooding scowl that made him look ten years older.

“Shut the door,” he commanded.

Braeden turned to obey and caught Kara’s eye from where she leaned against the doorframe, waiting. He smiled humorlessly and left a thin crack in the door. He did this for several reasons, the most significant of which involved the fear that his adoptive brother had somehow connected him to the Stele. It was a very real possibility and depended solely on how many clues Gavin had, so he didn’t want to lock himself in the room with a new, hot-blooded king if his brother had somehow discovered the truth.

Braeden walked toward the desk, but Gavin didn’t look up from his pacing until he turned toward the fire with a sudden grunt and threw his hands in his pockets.

The fire crackled as they both stared into it. Braeden set his arms behind his back, his right hand free to grab his sword if needed, but Gavin didn’t move again until he draped his arms over the mantle and leaned against it for support.

“I watched her die, brother,” he finally said. “Blood Carden killed her. I missed him by seconds.”

He called me brother.
It was selfish, considering the rest of the news, but Braeden’s heart melted with relief. For now, he was safe.

“I’m sure there was nothing you could have done.”

Gavin stared into the fire without answering. They stood in silence like this for a few moments, long enough for Braeden to lose track of how long the crackle of the fire had been the only sound.

“I want revenge,” Gavin muttered.

“I don’t blame you.”

“I know how to get it.”

“How?”

“Peace.”

Braeden paused. “What?”

“We’re squabbling with the other kingdoms, fighting and warring with them in tiny battles that gain nothing while Carden grows ever-stronger because we ignore him unless his minions cross our paths. Think about it. Instead of fighting, we should unite against him. Tell them that Carden and his Heir are the real enemies. Pull everyone into a war in the name of unity and kill everything in the Stele.”

Braeden’s body tensed, and his muscles ached from the immobility. Gavin continued to stare into the fire and, thankfully, didn’t notice.

“That’s manipulation, Gavin.”

“It’s the truth,” the Blood snapped. “The Stele is a melting pot of vile scum, but it’s a large one. Alone, we have no chance at destroying them. But with the other kingdoms, we have a real army. We can extinguish every light in the Stele.”

“If you want revenge on Carden, take it, but don’t start a war.”

“He already started one.”

“Gavin, the Queen would not—”

“She wasn’t your mother! Don’t tell me what she would have wanted!”

Braeden’s mouth twitched with shock. He didn’t know how to respond.

“Carden could return here to finish what he started,” Gavin said after a short pause. “Even if he doesn’t, Losse and Kirelm are likely to be attacked next. The Stele is a threat. If we want to survive, we must take action. Am I wrong?”

He was not, but Braeden didn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing it. Gavin continued without waiting for an answer.

“Losse and Kirelm are stubborn. They will not care about what I have to say, but Kara can help us. I arranged for her to leave for the other kingdoms in the morning, starting with Kirelm. I simply hope that she will be willing to speak for us.”

Braeden quelled his annoyance with a sharp breath. Even after losing his mother and becoming a Blood, Gavin still couldn’t stop manipulating those around him. The warm memory of Kara reaching for his hand flashed across his mind.

“Kara isn’t a weapon, Gavin, nor a tool. We can’t control her.”

“Not a tool, no.” Gavin waved away the idea. “She trusts you, so just ask her.”

“I think it would be best if you did that.”

Gavin glared at him, his eyes narrowing. The fire played with the lines on his face and cast his shadow across Braeden’s feet until he stepped back from the fireplace and folded his arms. Then, as quickly as they had tensed, his shoulders relaxed. His breathing slowed.

“Very well. I will ask her myself.”

Braeden took a deep breath. The storm had passed. Gavin tried to continue, but his voice broke over several half-formed words.

“Did you know he came alone to kill Mother?” Gavin finally asked.

“I did not.”

“He lured her through a hidden lichgate, though we’re still not sure how. He ambushed her. He was alone. He didn’t even think Mother would be a challenge.”

Braeden’s jaw tightened, and he looked to the floor. Carden
was
crazy, then.

“I will kill off Carden’s bloodline,” Gavin said. “For all the suffering that kingdom has caused, none should survive. I just have to find the castle and that Heir of his.”

Braeden stopped breathing.

“Is Kara waiting in the hall?” Gavin asked, rubbing his face with his hands, apparently too tired to notice the panic flash across Braeden’s face.

“Yes.”

Gavin gestured to the door, which swung open to let Kara into the room and closed once she was through. Its latch clicked, sealing them inside. She stopped beside Braeden as Gavin nodded to her in welcome. He sat at his desk and hunched in his chair, leaning his weight on his elbows.

“Vagabond, I have arranged for you to leave for the other kingdoms in the morning, as long as you are still willing to go,” he said. “I would not normally have pressed you to leave Hillside, but times have changed.”

She nodded. He glanced quickly to Braeden and continued.

“I’m certain you’ve already heard the news of Mother’s death, so I must also ask—” His voice crackled with a suppressed sigh, but he recovered. “I must ask that you speak for us. Please tell them of our plight and use it as you will to unite us all once more. A war is brewing, my friend, and your voice must be a powerful one if we are to win it.”

“I will,” she said, nodding again. She was so calm, so relaxed. Had she even heard the conversation from before she was invited in?

“Thank you,” Gavin said. “Captain Demnug is a good friend of Braeden’s. I chose him as your guide because I knew that my brother would approve of the choice. The captain will take you to the Rose Cliffs and the Kirelm guard will later take you to the Villing Caves.

“Braeden, I need you in the Eastern villages as Mother requested, and you must leave as soon as you can. The isen there is out of control.”

Gavin leaned back in his chair and stared out the dark bay window. The door opened on its own behind them, their meeting apparently over. Braeden bowed and led Kara from the study, but took one final look over his shoulder. Gavin glared through the window, no doubt already imagining the look on Carden’s face when the Hillsidian got his revenge.