Rise (13 page)

EIRA’S IMPATIENCE WITH
her sister was unbearable. When Cian had asked to meet alone in their former quarters, Eira had known this fight was inevitable. It seemed that anytime Bosque or Alistair was absent, Cian was determined to question everything that Eira had worked for. At least today Eira had questions of her own.

“You’ve learned nothing?” Eira asked her sister.

Cian let her head drop back against the top of the chair. Eira noticed the new lines of strain and exhaustion on her sister’s face.

“Not for lack of trying,” Cian said.

Unwilling to show softness, Eira answered, “Try harder.”

Cian sat up. “Is it your wish for me to hand over our entire kitchen staff to your pet monsters? Perhaps they’ll at last confess the secret blend of herbs for the savory stew you crave.”

A wave of fury rose in Eira’s chest, but she forced it back. “Sister, the creatures are the means to an end. That is all.”

“And Lord Mar?” Cian asked. “What is he?”

“An ally.” Eira turned away, angry and unsettled by Cian’s question.

Rising from her chair, Cian came to Eira’s side and took her hand. “I fear this course you’ve plotted, Eira.”

Eira clasped Cian’s fingers. “Why must you question everything I do? Can’t you see how much good has come of this?”

“Tell me what’s good,” Cian said. “You have power, yes. More come to you each day from all corners of the world to swear their allegiance. But it isn’t for love of you.”

“I have never needed love,” Eira snapped, shaking her hand free of Cian’s.

Cian sighed. “You still have mine.”

“I know.” Eira relented. “And you have mine. But I swear your reluctance to embrace this new path is pointless. This constant bickering wearies both of us.”

“I only wish to fully understand the nature of an alliance with Lord Mar,” Cian said. “You quickly forget that he is lord of all that we have sworn to destroy. That is the mission of Conatus.”

“You don’t understand because you keep me and Lord Mar at a distance,” Eira told her. “If you’d join us—as Alistair, Thomas, and Claudio have—you’d know the wonder that it is to command the nether beasts.”

Cian shook her head, but Eira pressed on. “You refuse to see all that’s changed. Lord Mar’s aid transforms our purpose. He is no longer forced to scavenge our world for what he needs. We are no longer beholden to the Church or to kings. We rule all, including Bosque’s minions. His servants bow to us, serve us.”

“But he still has need of this world,” Cian said. “His creatures still find nourishment here, do they not?”

“Yes.” Eira’s shoulders ached from tension. They’d had this argument so many times. “But we decide—”

“You decide.” Cian cut her off. “You and this Bosque. How can you trust him so?”

“Because I know him as you do not.” Eira’s mind flashed to the forest outside Dorusduain. She remembered cradling Cian in her arms, her sister’s body broken beyond repair. If not for Bosque.

A polite knock was followed by the sound of Alistair’s voice. “Lady Eira?”

“Come in, Lord Hart,” Eira answered. She ignored Cian’s low sound of disgust.

Alistair entered the room, offering a short bow to the sisters.

“The clerics who wish to make the oath have assembled in the great hall,” Alistair told them. “Lord Mar awaits you there as well.”

Eira cut her eyes at Cian. “I’m so pleased that our scholarly peers have come forward, embracing the path of visionaries.”

“How many?” Cian asked quietly.

“Seven,” Alistair answered. “Though in speaking to Hamish, who brought their request, I believe more will partake in the ritual soon. They’re waiting to see how the first fare.”

“So many sheep.” Eira laughed coldly.

“That’s hardly fair,” Cian said. “Caution does not bespeak cowardice.”

Eira turned hard eyes on her sister. “So speaks the queen of caution.” With a smile, she continued, “I think I have a fitting task for you.”

Cian didn’t respond, but her lips thinned as she watched Eira.

“We’ve been waiting for the sheep to come to us,” Eira said. “But are we not the shepherds?”

“My lady?” Alistair asked.

“Lord Mar offers an incredible gift to those who swear fealty,” Eira told him. “Why share it with only a few when all could benefit?”

She turned to face Cian. “I have a new task for you, sister. Since your attempts to find Mercer’s assassin have been fruitless.”

Cian wore a stony expression. “What would you have me do?”

“Take Lord Hart and Claudio,” Eira said. “The three of you shall be emissaries of the Circle to all of Tearmunn. Let the clerics, craftsmen, and Guard know that at sunset on the morrow, they are invited to join our new order. To become part of the future.”

Cian nodded slowly.

With a smile, Eira said to Alistair, “Lord Hart, you will take note of all who refuse this gift.”

“You’re forcing loyalty.” Cian’s face had gone pale. “There is no honor in that, sister.”

Eira approached her sister and, without warning, slapped her hard across the cheek. “You will not speak to me that way again.”

Alistair’s eyes were wide, but he stayed silent.

“We’re awaited in the great hall,” Eira said, passing him as she went to the door.

He nodded and followed while Cian stood silent in the room, her hand pressed to the red welt on her face.

As Eira and Alistair descended the staircase, Alistair said, “Forgive me, Lady Eira, but was it necessary to shame your sister so?”

Eira glanced at him. “My sister behaves as a child, and until that changes, I will treat her so. Her doubts are like a sickness that will spread dissent through Tearmunn. It forces me to deal harshly with her.”

“Yes, my lady,” Alistair said.

“What do you think of your new task?” Eira asked him. Her fury at Cian had inspired the idea of forcing the whole of Tearmunn to swear fealty, but as her anger waned, she recalled the plan with a measure of uncertainty.

“It’s wise.” Alistair’s unwavering tone reassured her. “Lord Mar spoke to me of forming a new command within the Guard. And that will require more of our number who can summon nether creatures.”

“Lord Mar has already spoken to you of this?” Eira asked in surprise. She knew Bosque favored Alistair, but she was taken aback that he would have approached Alistair about new plans for the order without speaking to her first.

“Only in passing,” Alistair responded quickly. “He wondered if I would aspire to lead the Guard.”

“And would you?” Eira smiled at him, wondering how far the young knight’s ambitions stretched.

Alistair ducked his head, suddenly shy. “If it would serve your greater purpose, my lady.”

“It may,” Eira replied thoughtfully. “See who among the Guard are eager to join us. Report to me what you make of them and how you would proceed as their commander.”

“It would be an honor.” Alistair’s boyish grin made Eira laugh. He was young, but so hungry for acknowledgment. It was no wonder, given that he was the third son of a nobleman, left with only a name and not even the scraps of an estate to inherit.

When they reached the great hall, Eira paused. “Alistair, have you written to your family since Lady Morrow came to us?”

A blush colored Alistair’s cheeks. “I have not, my lady.”

“Send them a letter,” Eira told him.

Alistair’s eyes widened. “What would you have me say?”

Eira touched his cheek. It was an odd gesture for her, almost motherly. “Our task is to secure loyalty within Conatus, but also to ensure subservience without. Starting with Abbot Crichton, we’ve demonstrated that we shall not be ruled by the Church. Who else might contend with us?”

“The nobles,” Alistair answered. “You would begin with my family?”

“They should know how far their son will rise in our ranks,” she told him.

Alistair nodded, his face alight with sudden pride.

Eira continued. “You should write to your brother Henry as well.”

When Alistair’s delight became a scowl, Eira said, “Listen to me, Alistair, and you will have joy in your brother’s folly.”

“How?” Alistair asked her.

“Lord Mar already showed us the way,” Eira told him. “We care for Agnes as a hostage. It seems to me that Ember isn’t the only one who would be concerned for her sister.”

Alistair shook his head. “You place too much faith in my brother’s character. He will call Agnes a whore before he acknowledges the child.”

“Do you not think we have the means to persuade him otherwise?” Eira said. “If Henry behaves with dishonor, I believe a visit from Lord Mar would be in order.”

“That would be interesting.” Alistair laughed.

“Your family will bring us noble houses in Scotland and England,” Eira told him. “They will be the first to align with us, but not the last.”

When Alistair dropped to one knee, Eira was surprised and delighted. He took her hand, kissing it.

“Wherever you lead, my lady,” Alistair murmured, “I shall follow, for the world is yours to take.”

“Yes.” Eira helped him rise. “It is.”

EMBER WOKE TO
comforting warmth. The bonfire, a ramshackle pile of driftwood, spit and crackled as it burned. She sat up, turning when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“How are you feeling?” Barrow asked.

With a cry of relief, Ember threw herself on him. Barrow grunted and flinched.

Ember pulled away. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he answered. “The day when these bruises are healed can’t come soon enough.”

“Good to see you awake and less blue in the face, Lady Morrow.” Kael sat on the other side of the bonfire.

“Thank you,” Ember said with a rueful smile.

“That’s twice Ember’s saved your life, Barrow,” Kael told him. “I thought you were the one teaching her to be a warrior.”

Barrow grimaced. “The last few days haven’t been my best as an instructor.”

“You do have a tendency to get knocked out at inopportune times,” Ember teased.

“A terrible habit”—Barrow returned her smile—“that I promise to break.”

“Glad to hear it.” She laughed, searching the beach near the campfire for her other companions. “Where is the commander?”

“Guarding the horses,” Kael told her. “They’re the most precious cargo to survive the shipwreck. We can’t risk them being stolen.”

“How did you save the horses?” If she closed her eyes, Ember could still see the heaving deck, spikes of timber jutting toward the sky as the ship was halved.

“A stroke of luck,” Kael said. “We were belowdecks when the roof of the berth was ripped away, leaving only sky above our heads. Lukasz went to find the two of you. I went to the horses. I reached them just as the ship broke up, and fortune smiled on us. The beast opened a hole to the sea that let me swim out with the horses. If that hadn’t happened, we’d have drowned.”

“And Sawyer?” Ember asked, looking for any signs of him elsewhere on the beach.

“He wasn’t with us at the time of the attack.” Kael bowed his head. “We found his body washed ashore. At least we were able to bury him.”

Ember nodded, but her chest was tight with grief.

“He was a good man, but troubled by the evil he’d seen,” Barrow said quietly. “I would hope that he’s at peace now.”

“What was that thing?” Ember asked, forcing her sorrow aside.

“Some would call it Leviathan,” Kael told her. “Others a kraken, Lothan, Scylla, or Tethys. It has many names, though I wouldn’t claim to know the true one.”

A part of Ember wanted to ask plaintively if the myths of sea monsters were true, but she’d seen enough of myth come to life since her arrival at Conatus to quell that impulse.

Instead she asked, “Have you fought this creature before?”

Barrow said, “You cannot fight Leviathan.”

“Especially not when you’re unconscious.” Kael grinned at him.

“True enough.” Barrow laughed darkly. “Even bearing the greatest of weapons, however, the kraken has the advantage.”

Kael shifted forward. The bonfire cast a strange mask of light and shadow on his face. “We haven’t encountered a sea monster ourselves before now. The records we have of their attacks are rare. From what we know, the kraken keep to the open sea, taking ships infrequently and more infrequently leaving survivors to tell the tale.”