Souls of Aredyrah 2 - The Search for the Unnamed One (5 page)

Alicine jerked her head, surprised by Brina’s
perilous tone. “But he’s a Shell Seeker now,” she said. “Nannaven
said few Jecta would dare challenge a Shell Seeker.”

“It is not the Jecta I am concerned with. It
is the Tearians.”

“The Tearians? But they banished him. Why
would they…?”

“Much has happened in Tearia these past
several weeks,” Brina said. “And it concerns Reiv. I meant to tell
you all together, but…” She looked toward the door, then rose and
poured two mugs of tea. She offered one to Alicine. “There is much
to tell. We might as well make ourselves comfortable.”

Alicine took the mug, but found it trembling
in her grasp. She set it on the table, and clasped her hands in
front of her. “What’s happened, Brina? What’s wrong?”

Brina took a deep breath and paused to
collect her thoughts. “As you probably know, Reiv was once destined
to be the King of Tearia. When he lost his right to the throne,
some people were most unhappy that he had been taken from them.
Those were the ones who believed with all their hearts that he was
to be the Red King. All Tearians expected him to be a king who
would make Tearia greater, although everybody’s idea of ‘greater’
was not necessarily the same. You see, not everyone believes in the
ways of the Priestess, but the belief system is firmly entrenched.
To speak against her would only serve to bring down the wrath of
those in power, namely the Throne and the Temple. The Throne is
tightly bound to the Priestess. She is powerful and very dangerous.
Those who oppose her have always kept their views to themselves.
For a while the quiet ones turned their hopes to the future Red
King, but those hopes were dashed when Reiv was disowned.”

“Didn’t anyone speak up for Reiv? Anyone at
all?” Alicine asked.

“That is not the way of things in Tearia. It
is the will of the Priestess, and no one questions her. But then a
most unexpected thing happened, for when Reiv became disowned he
became unnamed. As you know, he was once called Ruairi, but that
name was stripped from him and he was forced to take the name of
Reiv. Although the quiet ones at first feared they had lost the
leader they believed in, they soon came to realize that hope itself
was not lost. It seems there is an ancient prophecy that speaks of
one who will come and change Tearia forever, one who will reveal
new truths as well as old lies. And that person is called the
Unnamed One.

“Most people had forgotten about the
Prophecy. It was written in an ancient language, and no known
record of it remains. Of those who did remember, few actually
believed in it. The Prophecy did not come from any priestess, but
from an outsider, a Jecta sorceress it is said. Because of that, it
has not been taken seriously.

“But there are some who do believe, and
though most of the words of the Prophecy have vanished from memory,
bits of it remain alive in people’s minds. After the unnaming of
their prince, talk of it sprouted and began to grow. Needless to
say, there has been much uneasiness on the part of the Priestess
and the royal family, but they have put on a great show of
indifference. They believe that to acknowledge the Prophecy will
only serve to give it power.”

“I remember when we were arrested,” Alicine
said, “people in the streets laughed at Reiv. But there were some
who seemed angry that Crymm was treating him like that.”

“Yes. When Reiv was marched through the
streets with you and Dayn, the quiet ones became a little less
quiet. They were most unhappy to see their prince mistreated like
that, and began to talk more and more of the Prophecy and the part
they believe he plays in it. Since then, many have taken it into
their hearts that Reiv is indeed the Unnamed One. Of course, the
Prophecy has not for a moment been forgotten by the royal family or
the Priestess. During the hearing that was to decide what was to be
done with the three of you, a great deal of consideration was made
of it. Reiv’s life was on the line that day.”

“His life? You mean he could have been—?”
Alicine shook her head as though saying the word would make it
true. “But he didn’t do anything, Brina. He didn’t steal those
things.”

Brina placed her hand over Alicine’s. “I
know, but it would not have mattered. It was Crymm’s word against
his.”

“What made the Priestess spare him?”

“From what I understand, the Priestess
communed with the Goddess who told her that to execute the Unnamed
One would give him power through martyrdom, and to imprison him
would give his supporters cause to fight for him. Instead, it was
felt his influence would be weakened by simply having him fade
away. And so it was decided the best place for him to fade was
Pobu. The Priestess undoubtedly expected a disgruntled Jecta to
solve the problem for her. As you know, there are many Jecta who
bear a grudge against the royal family and would be happy to see
him dead. If that happened, talk of the Prophecy would be put to
rest. But now a month has gone by, and by the grace of the gods
Reiv is still with us. I fear the Priestess has grown tired of
waiting for chance to do her dirty work. It is only a matter of
time before she orders someone to do it.”

“So this Prophecy…do you believe in it,
Brina? Do you think Reiv is the Unnamed One?”

“I do not believe anyone can predict the
future, Alicine, but I do believe in the power of prophecy. I say
this not as a contradiction. While I do not believe a prophecy is
the truth in its initial telling, I do believe it contains the
possibility of the truth. If enough people believe in a prophecy,
then chances are it will become true. It is the belief in it that
makes it so. Reiv may not be the one this prophecy speaks of, but
it will not matter. If people believe him to be so, then he will
be. The power of the Unnamed One will be his only because others
give it to him, not because the gods will it, or because he chooses
to have it. He will have no say in it at all, really. Once again,
Reiv will be what everyone expects him to be, not what he wants to
be.”

Tears pricked Alicine’s eyes. “It’s all my
fault he’s out there now. I’ll never forgive myself if something
happens to him.”

“Tell me, child. What happened between you
and Reiv? Surely it is not so terrible as that.”

Alicine bit her lip. For a long moment she
remained silent. Then she said, “One night, before Reiv went to
Meirla, I was helping him treat his hands and…things got out of
control.”

“Out of control?”

“We kissed and…” Alicine tensed as she
awaited Brina’s condemnation, but Brina seemed neither surprised
nor disappointed.

“Go on…”

“Well, I let him kiss me, and I kissed him
back, I don’t deny it. But I wasn’t ready for it, Brina. I was
scared, but I didn’t know how to stop it. Then Reiv said ‘sin’ and
I realized what we were doing was a sin. So I pushed him away
and—”

“He said what?”

“Sin…he said ‘sin.’ He said he was sorry,
that he was thinking of someone else and knew it wasn’t right. I’m
sure he was thinking of Jensa.”

“No, I do not think it was Jensa. Do you not
know of Cinnia?”

“Who?”

“I feel fairly certain that when Reiv said
‘Cin’, he meant Cinnia. That was what he called her. This is
something Reiv should have told you himself, but it is a very
difficult subject for him. Considering what happened between you,
it is probably best that I tell you.

“Reiv was once very much in love with a girl
named Cinnia. He had known her his entire life and they were
inseparable. When he was fifteen and she fourteen they were engaged
to be married, but the marriage was not to take place for a year
yet, after she came of age. This was to have been that year. In
fact, the very day he met you was the day of the wedding.”

“Whose wedding? His and
Cinnia’s
?”
Alicine asked.

“No, Cinnia’s and his brother’s.”

“His brother? But why—” Alicine’s confusion
morphed to understanding. “You mean because he was disowned he
could not marry Cinnia, and his own brother married her in his
place? I can’t believe it.”

“It is difficult, but yes, it is true.”

“No wonder Reiv hates his brother so
much.”

“Whyn had little say in any of it. He and
Reiv were always close, and Whyn has tried to make amends. But Reiv
rebukes him. It was Whyn who intervened on your and Dayn’s behalf.
He told me so himself. He knew Reiv was friends with you, and he
could not bear to see anything else taken from his brother. I think
if it were not for Whyn, you and Dayn might not be here today. The
Priestess has little patience for Jecta. To her you are nothing.
But Whyn talked her out of harming you that day. She seems to have
taken a liking to him. For that we should be grateful.”

“If only Reiv had told me.”

Brina placed her hand on Alicine’s arm. “Reiv
is very proud and has lost a great deal in his short life. Please,
be patient with him. I know he cares about you very much. If he
made you feel uncomfortable with his attentions…well, I am sure the
emotion of Cinnia is what moved him to it. I know that does not
give you comfort, but please know he has the utmost respect for
you. The days surrounding the wedding were particularly difficult
for him. With that, and everything that happened with the arrest,
the banishment, and you…well, surely you can see the state he was
in. I do not mean to justify inappropriate behavior on his part,
but please try to understand.”

Alicine nodded. “Thank you for telling me. He
deserves an apology; more than that really.”

“Just do not make Reiv think you pity him.
That would make things far worse,” Brina warned.

BACK TO ToC

Chapter 6: Game of Chance

D
ayn and Jensa made
their way along the narrow streets and alleyways of Pobu, but they
saw no sign of Reiv. The sun had long since disappeared behind the
hills, and the city was drifting into the shadowy hues of night.
The only light left to guide them was that which seeped through the
shuttered windows they passed. Muffled voices mixed with occasional
laughter would waft through the air, and Dayn and Jensa would pause
to listen for Reiv’s voice. But they always moved on,
disappointed.

As they turned yet another corner, they heard
the droning talk of men punctuated by spurts of rowdy laughter.
Jensa grabbed Dayn’s arm. “The tavern,” she said, eyeing a nearby
structure. “Maybe he went to the tavern.” From the look on her
face, this was not a good thing.

The tavern was yet another mud-brick
building, distinguishable from the others only by the smoky glow
that beamed through its open door and the noisy energy that
radiated from within. From where they stood, Dayn could see that
the drinking establishment was packed full with patrons. And from
the sounds of the voices inside, the men were well on their way to
drunkenness.

“I can’t go in there,” Jensa said. “Women
aren’t allowed. You’ll have to go in alone.”

Dayn nodded, but considered the task with
dread. He had never been in a tavern and couldn’t imagine what
awaited him. He stepped hesitantly toward the entrance, then after
a nerve-tingling pause at the threshold, took himself inside.

The place was hot and smoky, and the smell of
sour wine and rank sweat permeated the air. Dayn moved his hand to
cover his nose, then decided against it; no need looking like an
inexperienced boy unaccustomed to the stench of a tavern. He
scanned the room, seeking the red head that would surely stand out
against the rest. There were battered tables surrounded by men
playing games of dice and runes and cards. Mugs of ale and wine
passed from server hands to patron mouths in a never-ending flow.
Pipes of unknown weed also made the rounds, filling minds with more
artificial revelry. But there was no sign of Reiv.

Dayn edged between a wall of customers,
apologizing politely as he weaved his way through. His apologies
only served to irritate some of the men, however, so he scowled
back at them and did his best to blend in. A large group of patrons
circled a table in the far corner, and Dayn turned his attention to
it. He saw no sign of Reiv, but then he heard, “You can do better
than that, prince! Have you no mettle at all?”

Dayn headed in that direction, terrified at
the thought of what they might be doing to his cousin. But when he
reached the table, he was relieved to see Reiv laughing and
arm-wrestling with a man nearly twice his size. Reiv lost the arm
battle, though he didn’t seem to care, and ordered himself and the
victor a round of drinks.

Dayn planted his feet next to the table and
folded his arms. “Reiv, we’ve been looking for you everywhere,” he
said crossly.

Reiv turned his eyes up to him and a great
smile stretched across his face. “Why, it is my little cousin
Dayn!” He stood and swayed a bit, then draped an arm around Dayn’s
shoulders, leaning into him and grinning like a fool. “Look
everyone! It is little Dayn. My little, little cousin.” Reiv
laughed and all the men laughed with him.

“Here, little cousin,” one of the men said.
He thrust a mug toward Dayn. “Have yourself a drink. You’ve some
catching up to do!”

“No, thank you,” Dayn replied coolly. “Reiv,
you need to be coming home with me now.”

“Home? Nooooo…I cannot go home. I have not
yet finished the contest!” He leaned into Dayn and whispered, “You
see, I have challenged everyone here and have promised a drink to
each and every man who beats me. But if I win, they must buy
me
a drink. Thing is, it does not much matter to me if they
win, for even when they do, I buy myself a drink anyway!” He
laughed boisterously, losing his balance. Dayn caught him in his
arms and lifted him upright.

“Oh dear,” Reiv said. “The room seems to be
moving. Did you feel that, Dayn? You usually are so sensitive to
those things.” He did not wait for a reply, however, and plopped
back onto the bench, pulling Dayn down beside him. He then called
the next man to the challenge.