kingdom. She was so lost in the
flowers, staring at their vivid colors
and thinking of how bleak her life
appeared, that she didn’t hear or see
anyone walk up to her. In fact, it
wasn’t until the person spoke that she
shifted, clutching her belly and
preparing to stand.
“You have no reason to fear me,
Majesty,” the elderly man said in a
soft, scratch voice. He sat beside her
before surveying her with wizened
eyes. “I am Anhur, one of the Morden
Seers.”
Jaisyn
continued
to
stare
suspiciously at him, and he laughed
softly. “I assure you, Majesty, that if I
meant any harm, I would have been
cut down before I reached you.”
She relaxed and took in the frail
man next to her. It seemed as if every
hair on his body was grey, and every
patch of skin wrinkled.
“I wish I could have met you earlier
but I was called to the mountains by
the Gods,” he told her apologetically,
giving her a friendly smile as if they
were old acquaintances.
Nodding, Jaisyn returned her stare
to the flowers, tugging her thick shawl
closer around her shoulders.
“You are troubled,” Anhur suddenly
said and when she turned to look at
him, he was staring out at the flowers.
“I am fine,” Jaisyn insisted, thinking
it time she should head back to the
castle. She had been out in the
gardens for hours.
“You are torn and confused, unsure
of where your life will lead from
here.”
Her mouth opened but he only
smiled before saying calmly, “I am a
Seer. Your people refer to them as
High Priestesses. I know how you
feel, why you feel it, and other things
that are beyond logical explanation.”
So, he could read her emotions.
Could he answer questions about the
past? She asked him.
Anhur turned back to the flowers.
“You are free to ask your questions,
but know the answers you receive
may not be to your liking.”
His answer puzzled her but she
continued on.
“If you know why I feel as I feel,
can you tell me why it is that I cannot
remember?”
He shrugged his thin shoulders
through the robes he wore. “You must
be specific, Jaisyn of Lytheria and
Morden,
if
you
wish
specific
answers.”
Clearing her throat and feeling an
embarrassed blush creep into her
cheeks, Jaisyn looked around to make
sure that no one else was in the
vicinity. “Why can I not remember
being with Bael?”
The Seer’s eyes closed briefly.
“You cannot remember because you
were not in your right mind when it
happened.”
Jaisyn sighed and felt tears sting at
her eyes. He was confirming her fears
about Bael. “Did I share a bed with
Bael?”
Anhur drew in a deep breath and
clicked his tongue lightly before
offering his quiet response. “There are
two answers to that question, Majesty.
I can give you both or you can ask
what is truly plaguing you.”
“What?” Jaisyn breathed, staring at
the little old man and wondering why
he wasn’t answering the question that
had plagued her mind for almost two
weeks. “I do not understand. Please
—”
“You must be more specific,”
Anhur repeated, this time turning to
stare at her long and hard.
“Have I lain with Bael intimately?”
A blush stained her cheeks at asking a
stranger so intimate a question, but
Jaisyn was desperate for answers.
Anhur stared at her for long
moments before he shook his head.
“No, you have not.”
Jaisyn was so relieved that she
forgot the rest of questions she had
lined up in her brain. Anhur stood,
offering her his wrinkled hand. She
placed her hand in his and allowed
him to pull her up. Something
transferred from his hand to hers and
he closed her fingers over it, smiling at
her all the while.
“It is a brewed concoction for a
mother’s health. Use one drop daily in
the tea you take. It will see that you
keep your strength for the birthing of
your son.” He paused and released
her hand, staring curiously at her face.
“You have her spirit, and you will
need it. If ever you wish to find me, I
can be found in the Sanctuary. Good
day, Majesty.”
He bowed and Jaisyn stared after
him in amazement as blue robes
billowed around him as he moved
slowly from the garden.
A son
.
Her baby—a boy. A child with
black, silken hair like his father, and
her golden eyes? Or golden curls like
his mother and grey eyes like his
father? She would give Vulcan a son,
an heir to carry on his legacy.
Her smile fell as she remembered
her husband’s current feelings to her.
He was on his way to Montak
because she’d given him reason to
distrust her. Only Lyria knew what
Vulcan would do to Bael once he
found him.
But Anhur said that she had not
slept with Bael. She clutched her
belly, and her eyes searched for
Anhur. If she had not slept with Bael,
then why had she awoken in his bed?
The questions she’d planned on
asking all returned and Jaisyn felt a
surge of fear pass through her belly.
She had believed Anhur because he’d
told her what she wanted to hear. The
big problem was that his answer and
her circumstances did not move well
together. If she had not been intimate
with Bael, why else would she have
awoken with his naked body draped
alongside hers? And what had he
meant by ‘her spirit’?
Anhur had disappeared. She began a
quick walk back to the courtyard,
hoping to locate him among the
numerous heads that she spotted. She
never once saw a grey head. She
heard the ringing of a bell and looked
to the skies. The sun was setting. It
was time for supper. As she headed
into the castle and up to her
chambers, she prayed that Varian
kept Vulcan rational when he dealt
with Bael. She could not live with de
Renald’s death on her hands.
***
The Northlands
Castle de Renald, Montak
“No, Bael! No! I don’t want to go.
You promised you wouldn’t send me
away again!”
The outraged shriek of the young
girl had servants stopping in their
tracks to look on as their little mistress
demanded of her brother what he was
unwilling to give. The top of her
mousy brown hair barely reached the
middle of the towering king’s chest
but she still faced him angrily. Tears
were gathering in her green eyes and
her small mouth trembled.
Bael sent them a withering glare,
demanding, “Do you not have enough
tasks to attend?”
They immediately scurried along
and Bael sighed, kneeling down
before his little sister. He had
promised her years ago, when she’d
been ten and Vulcan’s armies had
swarmed their lands, that he would
never send her away again if she left
that time. She’d bawled but had gone
willingly with his most trusted
warriors.
Avery was now thirteen and
although of a young age, accustomed
to having everything go according to
her wishes because he over-indulged
her. He’d been ten when his mother
had given birth to her, and although
he’d been excited to have a new
sister, he’d been saddened at his
mother’s passing. She grew up with a
drunkard of a father, numerous
governesses, and a brother who took
pleasure in making her laugh. She
loved him with the innocence of a
child, and if it was the last thing that
Bael did before he met the Gods, he
would see to it that she was taken
care of.
“One more time, elf?” he smiled,
hoping to quell the fear he saw, in
eyes that were very similar to his. One
of the translations for Avery’s name
was elf, and as soon as Bael had
found that out, he’d used it to address
her. She grumbled about it, but had
always been secretly pleased by the
name.
“For how long?” Her lips pursed in
a pout and she crossed her arms about
her chest.
“A week,” he lied immediately.
Avery’s eyes narrowed and she
sighed.
“One week,” she restated, before
nodding. “Where will I go?”
Bael pulled her to his body for a hug
and she wrapped her little arms about
him.
“Kadar. Vanna will go with you so
you won’t feel alone,” he assured her,
hoping the knowledge that her slightly
older companion was accompanying
her would take away some of her
reluctance to leave. His eyes looked
about the hall for the two warriors
who stood just inside the door. Kadar
was a few hours away from Montak,
and if Bael had to trust anyone with
his sister, he would trust the king who
ruled there. Kadar was one of the few
kingdoms in the North not under
Vulcan’s control. They had an
allegiance with the High King but did
not bow to him. That coupled with the
fact that Zarek Olgisson of Kadar was
a cousin and a fair man made Bael
willing to trust his most precious
possession into the king’s hands.
Bael stood, pulling Avery up with
him, until she squealed and demanded
to be let down. He walked her over to
the warriors at the entrance way and
placed her on her feet. She glared up
at him, but he only smiled, leaned
down to kiss the top of her head, and
rumpled her hair. That only earned
him a huff and another glare.
“Avery, Vanna is waiting for you in
the courtyard.”
With a sigh, she forced a smile and
stepped past the warriors to enter the
courtyard.
“Guard her with your lives,” Bael
said solemnly, staring the four men
directly in their eyes. They nodded
once and Bael removed the parchment
that he’d had in his tunic and handed
it the warrior closest to him. “Give this
to the king. He will understand.”
“
Liege.
” The warrior bowed and
nodded.
“Leave while it is still morning. That
way you will arrive in Kadar before
night falls.”
They bowed and turned and Bael
followed them out into the courtyard,
where Avery and Vanna were giggling
before the large carriage containing
expensive jewels and gold coins that
would see to it that his sister and her
companion lived comfortable lives in
Kadar. Her companion was two years
older, and had been orphaned when
her mother, his former castle-keeper,
died of the cough. Because Avery had
been so close to Vanna, Bael made
her Avery’s companion. A room had
been cleared for her, and usually
whatever he gave to his sister, he gave
to Vanna as well.
He was sending fifty of his best
warriors to escort Avery and Vanna to
Kadar, and most of them were
already mounted. Bael looked on as
the remaining four mounted and the
governess inside the carriage stuck her
head out and called to the girls.
Vanna, more docile than Avery,
immediately went into the carriage but
Avery turned and looked to the
entranceway, where he stood.
For a moment, Bael feared she
would run to him and refuse to go, but
she waved her hand and yelled, “One
week” before turning and hopping up
into the carriage. The carriage rolled
over the drawbridge, surrounded
heavily by armed, alert and dangerous
warriors.
Bael sighed in relief as he felt that
weight lift from his shoulders. Avery