Light of Epertase 01: Legends Reborn (34 page)

“I need you to leave me while I make sense of everything that has happened.”

Please don’t say that. You’re all I have. I need to stay with you, to protect you.

“But you haven’t protected me, Rasi. All of these years you could have ended my nightmares by telling me about Scorne and my father.”

You loved him. You wouldn’t have believed me.

“I would have believed you ’til the end of time. Leave me, now.” She was cold with her words; or maybe it was strength – he couldn’t tell which.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Homer peeking through the partially opened bedroom door. He gritted his teeth.
Get out!
His straps crashed against the door, slamming it shut with such force the framework almost tore from the hinges.

“Do not be mad at him, Rasi, this isn’t about him …”

Alina, I am deeply sorry. I never meant for you to be harmed. I would have told you long ago if I ever thought your father could sink so low. I knew he was evil, but I never believed he would hurt you. I swear.

“Rasi, I have a kingdom to return to. My mother is sick. She needs help. You may not have heard, but an army approaches from the west and I must help her now that my father is gone. I need to get home as soon as I am strong enough to make the journey.” She turned away.

I will make things right, my love. I swear.

He stormed from the room, bumping Homer out of his way. His straps overturned the kitchen table as he passed.

Simcane called out, “Rasi, I will see that the Princess arrives home safely. You have my word.”

A day passed as Alina regained more of her strength. By dinnertime, Homer had finished fastening a new leg to the damaged kitchen table. He was righting it when Alina entered. He bowed and quickly assisted her to a seat. Irene and Simcane came from the kitchen with four plates of eggs and ham. Alina devoured her portion, a good sign of her improving health.

“Are you sure you’re ready to travel, my Queen?” Irene asked.

“Oh, I feel much better. Thank …” She paused and grinned. “Irene, you are mistaken. My mother is still Queen.”

The room grew silent.

Alina looked around. Their faces were solemn. “What is it?” she asked.

No one spoke.

Alina raised her voice. “Answer me. What happened to my mother?”

Irene made her way around the table and set her hand on Alina’s shoulder. Alina’s heart dropped into her stomach.

She looked to Simcane and he turned his head away.

She looked to Homer and saw pity.

She wasn’t going to accept their silence. She needed to hear it for herself. “What happened to my mother? Tell me, now.”

Irene’s voice was soft and soothing. “I am so sorry. I am afraid your mother has passed. The papers say she succumbed to the sickness in her chest.”

Alina’s eyes welled up. The quiet in the room made her uncomfortable. She turned away so they wouldn’t see her weakness. She sprang from her chair, causing it to crash and Homer to flinch. She shrugged away Irene’s touch.

“I must leave at once. Homer, Irene, thank you for your generosity. I will need a horse, which I will return. Simcane, if you are coming, prepare to leave.” She marched through the hall to her room, gathered her composure, and quickly returned to her hosts at the table.

“There will be no pity in this house on this day. I must accept what I cannot change. There is a kingdom in need of a queen and I will return to my people now.”

Irene approached Alina with extended arms but Alina ignored the gesture. Though she wanted Irene’s comfort, she needed to be strong.

She was a queen.

She was alone.

As she reached for the door handle, she hesitated. “I am sorry for my rudeness. Your hospitality and friendship have been immeasurable and will not be forgotten. You will always be welcome at the castle as personal guests of mine. Thank you.” With that she exited the house. Simcane and Homer followed.

Simcane mounted his well rested Eko as Homer brought another horse from the barn. “This is Caesar. He is a fine steed. I have no extra saddles. Are you able to ride bareback?”

“Quite,” she answered and thrust herself upon the stallion.

Simcane asked Homer how to get to Thasula and Homer pointed him in the right direction. Alina again thanked him before directing Caesar toward the road. As she passed the house, Irene stood in the doorway, her watery eyes and weary posture expressing her sorrow and sadness. Alina waved farewell.

The travel home was long and rough and her back was sore but she never complained. Simcane offered to stop for rest occasionally but short of water breaks for the horses and outhouse breaks for them, she rebuffed his offers.

By dusk, she saw Thasula in the distance and, for the first time that day, she smiled. Her view of the castle made the journey worth the soreness.

Simcane peered at her over his shoulder. “There she is, my Queen,” he said. “You are home.”

People poured from their homes, slowly at first but as word spread, they lined the streets. They applauded and bowed as she passed, shouting warm welcomes. She heard “Hail to the new Queen” and “May the gods be thanked for your safe return.”

She was home. This was where she belonged.

Masera and several of his guards met her at the castle wall, their faces bright with joy.

“Your Highness,” Masera said while looking her over. “Welcome home.”

“Thank you, Masera.”

“I am truly sorry about your father. He was an honorable and decent man.”

“Yes, he was.”

“We have good news concerning that matter.”

“Oh? And what would that be?”

“We have apprehended a chief suspect in your kidnapping and Elijah’s murder.”

Scorne?
Alina glanced at Simcane. “Who is this suspect?” she asked.

“The outlaw known as Rasi, of course.”

She gasped.

“He rode into town last moon carrying your father’s body.”

“And that makes him guilty?” her voice cracked.

“Your Highness, he killed Lorca. He was seen when you disappeared. He’s wanted for the murder of your grandparents and has been the most wanted criminal in Epertase since the day of your kidnapping. Siver and Tevin search for him as we speak.”

“And where is Tevin now?”

“He has not returned, your Highness. Some fear Rasi butchered him as well.”

“So if Rasi were guilty of the highest crime in the land, why would he simply ride into town?”

“He has been wanted for many years. Perhaps he cracked under the pressure. I don’t know why psychopaths do what they do.”

“Where is he now?”

“In the dungeons awaiting trial.”

Simcane interrupted. “May I ask how you got past those lethal tentacles on his back?”

Masera looked surprised. “What do you mean? They were harmless. They even sat motionless while the scoundrel was … uh … how should I say? Interrogated.”

Alina gasped again.
Monsters!
“He is to be released at once. Bring him to me, Masera, and make sure he is harmed no further.”

“Your Highness, is that safe?”

“Bring him to me now, Masera, or you will be relieved.”

“Yes, your Highness, at once.”

Masera motioned to his first-in-command and the soldier rode toward the castle. Alina continued with a calmer voice. “I am sorry to be so stern, my friend, but Rasi is not whom you seek. I will tell all at a later time, but I assure you he is innocent.” She paused. “I have another request for you.”

“Anything, my Queen.”

“Simcane will draw a map. I want you to have two bags of gold taken along with this fine steed and another strong, healthy workhorse back to the farm from which I came. Also find two of the strongest oxen in Thasula and take them as well. You must entrust this task only to someone in whom you have the greatest faith. Inform your men that a rebuff from the couple who live there will not be accepted, that this is a gift from Thasula, the royal family, and all Epertasians. The husband and wife there are to be treated with the highest respect. If they have any requests, your messengers should move mountains to complete whatever they may need. Is that understood?”

“Of course, your Highness.” Masera bowed his head and tugged his horse to the side, opening a path. “Your home awaits you.”

Rasi stood outside of Alina’s chamber door and took a deep breath. He swallowed a hard, dry gulp of nothing before he pushed the door open. He hadn’t seen his face or the damage his interrogators had caused, but judging by the horror on Alina’s face when he entered, it couldn’t have been good.

“What did the guards do to you?”

It is nothing. I’ll be fine.

“Why did you come back? You knew what they would do.”

Your father needed to return to his Kingdom.

“You could have been killed.”

I wasn’t.

“You are free now. You needn’t hide in the mountains anymore.”

I don’t want to hide in the mountains. I don’t want freedom. I only want you.

Alina turned away but he stared at her through the reflection in her mirror. She closed her eyes and he approached her, letting her feel the warmth of his breath through her hair and against her neck.

“Why do you make this so hard?” she asked. “I have work that is bigger than us. I cannot think about you right now. I haven’t the energy.”

Rasi struggled with what he had to say next. He’d promised himself that nothing would ever make him do what he was about to volunteer to do again. He pressed his palms to his temples and lowered his head. He waited for the right words to come. When they came to him, he peered up from his hands to see her beauty once again.

He sighed. Against every fiber of his being, he told her,
I have come back to lead your army to war.

Her eyes widened. She slowly shook her head, unsure of how to answer. Or maybe she knew exactly how she had to answer but didn’t want to.

He sensed her reserve.
I have a gift … always have. A gift for killing, for knowing how to kill and that is all I have known since I was young. When I met you I was reminded of the goodness I have inside and that’s what I want to have again. But if your kingdom is in danger, I will help even if I have to be the man that I fear … the man that I hate. I love you and that’s all that matters.

“I don’t even know you, Rasi.”

Yes, you do, Alina. Everything good you felt about me is true.

“I don’t know if I can ever believe you again.”

I know, but I can’t live without trying to earn back your trust.

She walked to her desk. The room was silent. Rasi couldn’t tell how she felt about his offer and held his breath while he waited. Then she turned back with a purpose. “What do you need to prepare?”

A thousand thoughts rushed through his mind at once. He felt anxious, excited, and afraid. His heart fluttered and his face went hot. Somewhere deep within his soul he expected her to say no and told himself that no would have been fine.

I will need intelligence, whatever your father has collected. I need our current troop deployments and war plans. Set up an immediate meeting with all available commanders.

“Most of them have left for the front lines.”

I will meet with whomever remains.

A tap on the open door and a man clearing his throat interrupted their conversation.

“Yes, James,” Alina said.

“Your Highness, Aidric has returned. He said he has critical information about the advancing army.”

“Send him up.”

“Your Highness, he is badly injured and in the infirmary.”

She ran toward the door.

Rasi and James followed her into the cot-filled infirmary at the rear of the castle’s first floor. Rasi was struck by the familiar lingering stench of dead animals that had been left sweltering in the sun for days and he gagged.

The cots were littered with grown men and boys alike who cried and whimpered in pools of their own coagulated blood. Images of atrocities from the Heathen Wars filled his mind with memories he had long since forgotten. For the first time in many years, Rasi felt the dread of an oncoming battle.