Wielder of Tiren (The Raven Chronicles Book 3)

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Michelle Crocker

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Publisher’s Note:

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and events are the work of the author’s imagination.

Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is coincidental.

Solstice Publishing - www.solsticepublishing.com

Copyright 2016 KateMarie Collins

Wielder of Tiren

Book 3 of The Raven Chronicles

By KateMarie Collins

For Senyan

With my love forever,

Arwenna

Chapter One

J
oss walked through the forest. He loved coming home far more than leaving. The slight change in the air, promising the cold of winter wasn’t far behind. The trees around him stayed green for the most part. Here and there, a splash of color on the forest floor from a fallen leaf mingled with the dirt and moss. The smell of the land around his home becoming dormant was as welcoming as one of Arwenna’s stews.

He could see her as she waited for him to come home for the winter. Sitting on the wooden table, her feet on the seat. Her green cloak open at the throat. It wasn’t that cold yet. A slight breeze moved her raven hair, framing her pale face. His heart ached. For sixteen long years, they’d had half a marriage, half of a life together. As much as it hurt when he left in the spring, the homecoming held him together.

             
What lies are you telling her this time?
Krilln’s voice echoed in his head.

              “You know why we do this
, Krilln. Why Lexi herself said it must be so. Arwenna’s borne too
many burdens in her life. If anyone’s earned some peace, it’s her.” Joss kept his voice low. “Besides, they’re not really lies. She isn’t asking the right questions.” Until the transfer was complete, until he was no longer the fey’s Summer King, Arwenna could not see or hear him.

             
It makes no sense to me. I don’t care if you are elfkind. You are the Son of Lexi. That makes you fey. You say it’s not lying, but omission. It is still deception. And the fey do not lie. It’s the reason we live apart from men, elves, and dwarves. They wouldn’t know honesty if it flew into their faces.
Joss could feel the contempt in his counterpart’s thoughts.
She’s the Daughter of Hauk, in every possible way! To remove her from the world, shelter her…you do her a great injustice.

              Joss turned, his gaze resting on the reptilian creature
crouching beside him. The blue war paint decorating the Aeshor’s face
enhanced
his
strange appearance. Two sets of eyelids blinked at him, each one covering the narrow golden eyes. “It’s called love, Krilln. We know what she can do, yes. That does not mean she must do it. Besides,” he cast a glance toward Arwenna, “she removed herself. She could’ve lived with the Clan, or in Almair. She chose this place, with me. And I’ll protect her choice until I no longer can. Or she chooses something different for herself.” He looked back at Krilln. “Until there is more than a threat, something concrete to go on, we will keep her in the dark. Or does the Winter King feel he can tell our Goddess she’s wrong?”

              Krilln looked away.
Let’s be done with this, then. So you can tell her your lies while I find something you’ll actually believe to prove to you what’s really going on. The fey live apart from your world for a reason. And we hear the earth when she tells us something is very wrong. I only hope we can show you how to hear the cries before it’s too late for even Arwenna to save us.

             
Joss reached out an arm, grasping his counterpart’s forearm. The shared power that Lexi granted them flowed in a shimmering light to Krilln, encompassing them both. The blue aura around his own body faded as it coalesced around the Aeshor. The power exchange left him disorientated for a moment. When the glow dissipated, Krilln gave Joss a small nod. He refused to speak, simply turned around and disappeared into the woods. It didn’t matter. He’d spoken his piece. The same warning he’d given Joss for the last three years. That he could feel something was wrong, evil was stirring. But he and Lexi both refused to involve Arwenna until there was
proof of
something more solid.

              Joss reached one hand out to the closest tree, leaning heavily against it. He allowed the emptiness to expand over his body. This was one of the secrets. The toll the transfer took on him. After six months wielding so much power, having it leave him within a matter of seconds was never easy. That his wife could yield more than he could, without so much as blinking, used to make him the tiniest bit jealous. Until he remembered what it cost to have that magic taken away. For her, it would be even harder to stomach. And he wouldn’t ever want her to feel this emptiness.

              Looking back at Arwenna, Joss’ heart sank slightly. He’d have to come up with something. The deception wasn’t something he enjoyed. More than anything, he wanted to be completely open with her. Let her draw her own conclusions. But Lexi forbade it. “Not without proof will I disturb my cousin’s peace,” was how she put it. But now, with both their children being in fosterage and out in the world, rumors would be reaching Arwenna’s ears. Even Lexi couldn’t prevent that. A single comment in a letter or a visit in the summer and the house of cards would come tumbling down. Taking a deep breath, he straightened. The feeling had passed at last. While he still would spend a day or two adjusting to the differences, he was more than ready to fold her into his arms again.

              Before he stepped forward, he took a moment to take in the vision as she sat on the table. She’d removed her cloak, revealing the simple green dress outlining her form, hugging her in all the right places. The silver worked bracelet on her wrist, the one he’d given her so long ago. Smiling, he stepped out of the forest. He was home. For tonight, there was more on his mind than simply talking with the woman he loved more than life itself.

              Something sharp flew across his neck. His attacker coming up on him from behind. Stunned, he felt something hot and moist flow from his body, sapping his strength. Instinctively, his hand went to his throat. He pulled it away, staring without understanding at the blood staining his fingers. He dropped to his knees, trying to call out to Arwenna. Her
face was twisted
in horror and he wasn’t sure why. A voice, one he’d worked hard to forget, called out through the fog that descended over him. His soul reeled from the sound. He’d spent so much time chasing Senyan. Why didn’t he anticipate he’d try to kill him?

              “Do I have your attention now, Arwenna? Or should I pay a visit to your children?”

              Death settled over Joss, one he knew he’d never come back out from beneath. Blackness enveloped him in a way it hadn’t before. The sounds of Arwenna’s screams, her beautiful features twisted in a grimace of horror and grief faded as his life left him.

Chapter Two

“
N
o!”

              The scream ripped from Arwenna’s throat as she watched Joss crumple at Senyan’s feet. She grasped at her magic, hurling the ball of green energy at Senyan’s mocking face. It exploded, blinding her for a moment. When her vision cleared, all that greeted her was the smoking foliage of where he’d stood. And Joss’ lifeless body.

              She ran to his side, sobs tearing out of her throat. Her legs gave way beneath her as she fell next to his head. She stretched forth a single finger, tracing the gaping wound that still poured blood, and sealed it shut. “Lexi!” Arwenna screamed at the sky, her grief pouring into each letter.

              Her cousin knelt on the other side of his body, the blue aura encasing Joss as well. Arwenna raised her head, tears streaming down her
cheeks. “Bring him back!” she demanded. “He’s your Son!”

              Lexi’s eyes shone with tears, her head slowly turning. “I can’t, Arwenna. This is his third death. Even I can’t bring him back from this.” The gentle tones did nothing to calm Arwenna.

              She bowed her head again, unable to speak. The pain engulfed every fiber of her being. She’d spent sixteen years with him at her side only half of that time. The only thing that sustained her during the months he was gone was knowing he’d come back. Nothing Bohrs did to her came close to the pain she now felt, knowing Joss was gone forever.

              “Now, will you tell her? I’ve lost my
brother
because of the lies!” Another voice, harsh and masculine, echoed in Arwenna’s ears.

              Raising her head, she saw Krilln as he crouched at Joss’ feet. His gaze leveled at Lexi. His kind rarely spoke aloud, preferring telepathic communication. To hear him speak now told Arwenna he was as much in shock as she was.

              “Krilln, none of us could’ve known he would’ve done this…” Lexi tried to mollify the Aeshor.

              “He wants her to kill him!” He waved a webbed hand toward Arwenna. “Every single thing he’s ever done was to provoke her! Do you really believe he’s changed enough to hold life sacred? Lexi, open your eyes! Senyan is going to lay waste to this world, and ours, forcing the Daughter of Hauk to do what he wants her to do!”

              Arwenna watched the exchange between the Goddess and Joss’ counterpart. Confused, she swiped at the tears on her face. Drawing a steadying breath, she tried to make sense of what she was hearing. “You knew Senyan was stirring up trouble? All three of you? And you didn’t tell me?” At the last, she looked down at Joss. His lifeless eyes stared back at her. Choking back a fresh wave of grief, she slid her hand over his eyelids to close them forever. His skin was already growing cold.

              “Explain it to her now, Lexi. Tell her why you both ignored the warnings. Why you both felt it necessary to lie to her for the last three years.” Krilln spoke low, his voice weary with sadness.

              Arwenna raised her head and looked the Goddess in the eye. “Tell me, cousin. I need to know everything. You’ve already cost me my husband. Senyan’s threatened my children. I need to know everything so I can kill the bastard.” Her voice was even, cold. She began to let the need for vengeance override her grief. A gust of wind blew across her, but she didn’t care. Something even colder took hold of her heart.

              Lexi drew back slightly from the intensity in Arwenna’s voice. “Let’s bury Joss first, Arwenna. Give him that bit of peace. And then I’ll answer your questions.” She reached out toward Arwenna.

              Arwenna looked at the outstretched hand like it was a viper, ready to strike. “I leave tonight, Lexi. I have to keep my children safe. If you don’t tell me everything and they die, their blood will be on your hands.”

              She rose, absently dusting off her bloodstained dress. Her heart sat like lead in her chest. Scanning the small clearing near their home, she searched for the perfect place to bury her husband.

              Krilln excavated the area she chose, underneath a massive oak tree. Arwenna knelt beside Joss, taking in his face one more time. Tears threatened to pour from her eyes again
as she gave him a final kiss, but she felt numb. Her hand shook as she placed the last bit of the linen that made up his burial shroud over his face.
Rising to her feet, she watched as Lexi lowered him into the cold ground. It took everything in her not to jump into the grave and lay next to him. Only the thought that her children, their children, were now in danger kept her from doing so. Her heart was being buried alongside him, even if her body wasn’t. A slab of marble, bathed in a blue aura, settled over the opening.

              “I’ll leave it blank, Arwenna. When you’re ready, you can put what you will on it.” Lexi’s voice, heavy with grief, penetrated the solitude of Arwenna’s mind.

              “Why the lies, Lexi?” she whispered. “If I was needed, if Bohrs or Corse…” she couldn’t finish. Knowing Joss had lied to her pained her nearly as much as his death.

              Lexi sighed, “We didn’t have anything concrete to go on, Cousin. Just rumor, conjecture. We’d hear whisperings of problems and investigate, but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was going on. We knew it wasn’t Corse or Bohrs. Both are beyond resurrection now, same as Joss. He did—” she nodded toward Joss’ grave, “—visit Senyan at the monastery once or twice. And he was always there, willing to see him. The Baelon of the Order spoke highly of Senyan, praised his willingness to help. Even told Joss of how Senyan expressed the hope that one day he’d be forgiven for all he’d done. To you, your companions, the world.”

              “And you believed the stories?” Arwenna tore her eyes away from Joss’ grave. “You couldn’t tell me and let me make up my own mind? I know Senyan better than anyone. I could’ve told you he was putting on a show.” Deliberately, she turned her back on Lexi and walked toward her house.

              “Arwenna!” Lexi grabbed her arm, turning her around. “We didn’t tell you because we knew you’d feel the need to chase him down. When we had something to go on besides wild stories, Joss was going to tell you. You sacrificed so much already, he just wanted to give you normalcy, some peace in your life. You earned that much.”

              Angrily, Arwenna pulled her arm free of Lexi’s grasp. “What I wanted was not to be lied to! To have a life, a
normal
one, with the man I loved! But you took that from me when you made him promise to act as one of your lackeys six months out of the year! What I wanted was for my children to live a life removed from being used as pawns by the Gods! For them to choose their own path, live and love as they wished to! And now your secrets may take them from me as well!” Her words tumbled out, edged with anger and frustration. “Did you hear him, Lexi? Did you hear what he said when he slit Joss’ throat? He’s going after my children now! All because you thought I was some little doll that needed to be sheltered! Did you ever consider that I needed to know so I could stop Senyan before he got out of control? His parentage is on par with mine. He doesn’t need Corse, or Mialee. All he has to do is make a deal with another creature like them and get his power fully back. And I’m the only one who can cut him off!”

              She stormed away, heading into their home. She burst into the bedroom, and stopped.

              Reality crashed over her at the sight of the bed. The one she’d shared with Joss. Where they’d loved, he’d comforted her when the nightmares became too frightening for words. Grief hit her hard. A future without him beside her threatened to engulf her in emptiness. The new cloak she’d made him a year earlier lay folded on a chair, waiting. She grabbed at it, clutching the cloth in her fingers. Pulling it up to her face, she inhaled his scent. A musky aroma full of life, of love. Not death. Sobbing, she slid down the wall and wept.

              Slowly, the idea that she wasn’t alone in the room crept in through the pain. She raised her head and saw Krilln sitting on the floor opposite of her. The warpaint was marred by the track of a single tear.

             
You do not grieve alone, Daughter. He was loved by many
. Sadness laced the words in her mind.

              “I’m going to hunt him down for this, Krilln.” She muttered the vow.

             
You will not go alone, Daughter. I will be with you, even if you do not see me.

              Arwenna nodded. Like most of the fey races, the Aeshor were often hunted out of fear by the human races of the world. “I’ll head to the Stronghold first. It’s closer. Liam is there, with the clan. Then we head for Almair. I’ll talk with my father, get him to keep them safe while I hunt down Senyan.” She rose, her mind grasping onto the things she would need to pack as a welcome distraction from the gaping hole in her soul.

              Less than an hour later, she was settling in her saddle. As she wheeled her horse around, she caught sight of the blue marble slab under the oak tree.
I’ll come home to you. I promise. You will not stay alone for long,
she vowed to Joss. Putting her heels to her mount, she galloped off without a glance back.

Chapter Three

T
he fading rays of sunlight made the armor of the guards shimmer. They stood atop the battlements of the clan’s front defensive wall. Arwenna could see them enough to recognize she’d been spotted. Channeling a little of her magic, she made sure her voice was heard.

              “I am Arwenna Shalian, Sister to Y’Dürkie Zinkey, and member of the Weasel Clan!”

              A small line appeared between the doors of the front gate as it began to open in anticipation of her approach. Spurring her horse to a faster gait, she whispered, “You can rest soon, I promise,” to the weary animal. She didn’t have time for formal greetings. She had to see Liam.

              She guided her mount skillfully
through the narrow
opening. Two warriors stepped forward, ready to assist her and tend to her horse. Arwenna swung her leg over the pommel of her saddle and dismounted. Her hands worked to untie the pack draped behind her saddle.

              “Arvenna! Vhat are you doing here?” Y’Dürkie’s familiar voice, edged with puzzlement, made her head turn. Her sister ran toward her. “Somethink is vrong. You do not look vell.” Her voice shifted to concern.

              She turned her attention back to the knots. “I need to see my son.” She knew she must look like hell. But keeping her hair braided wasn’t a priority. Seeing Liam was.

              That’s when it hit her. How could she tell him his father was gone? A fresh wave of grief washed over her. She lowered her head, resting her forehead against the leather saddlebags.

              “Arvenna? Sister…vhat has happened?” Y’Dürkie’s voice was low enough just for Arwenna to hear.

              Arwenna drew a deep breath as she raised her head. “I have to see Liam first. Where is he?” She handed the pack over to a waiting clansman while another led her horse away. She started to scan the multitude of people moving about the main courtyard.

              “He is in the smithy, vith Hugh.” Arwenna didn’t dare look at Y’Dürkie. She could hear the questions in her voice. She loved the woman, but the first one that should hear of Joss’ death should be their son. Nodding that she heard her, she took off at a brisk walk toward the far side of the inner ring of buildings.

              “Arvenna, I do not vish to think ve have not taken care of Liam.” Y’Dürkie kept pace with her as she dodged around anyone in her path. “He is very skilled at the forge. Indeed, there are thinks he can do that Hugh cannot. And Hugh does not know how he does these thinks.” Y’Dürkie’s voice tried to be upbeat. “However, I have noticed that there are several young ladies vho vill come vatch Liam vhen he is at vork. I have heard them mutter somethink more than once, but I do not know the meaning.”

              Walking around a building, Arwenna pulled her mind from what she had to say for a moment. “What are they saying?”

              Y’Dürkie coughed, “They say ‘yummy’. I do not know vhat it means.”

              Arwenna stopped in her tracks, her head lowered in an attempt to hide the smile that formed involuntarily on her face. Her sister was serious! Raising her head, she looked at her friend. “Y’Dürkie, do you remember the first time you met Hugh?”

              The auburn-maned woman nodded. “Of course. He vas recommended to me by the innkeeper in Tanisal. I needed to have my armor repaired.”

              “And what exactly did you think, in your mind, the first time you actually saw him at the forge?” A slight bit of amusement crept into Arwenna’s voice as she waited for her friend to connect the dots.

              Y’Dürkie’s brow furrowed in thought, “Vell, I saw him and I thought…OH!” Her face flushed slightly, then grew determined. “Vell, then. Ve vill need to find other thinks for these young ladies to do. They have too much free time.”

              The ring of the forge reached her ears long before they got to the building. As they approached, Arwenna could see what Y’Dürkie was talking about. Leaning against one of the safety rails that ringed the smithy, a small group of young women stood together. Judging from the giggles and nudges, they weren’t there just to get a pot repaired.