Chartile: Prophecy (11 page)

“
Please just say it.
Please get it over with,” she pleaded. Valar looked into the dark
green eyes that once belonged to Runa. She was like her in every
way from the flowing red hair to the long, thin fingers. How anyone
could have mistaken her all these years was a miracle.

“
You are the rightful heir
to the Elven throne, Piper Romilly. King Aramor is now dead by your
sister’s hand. Your given name by your mother is Eva Ruani, and
since Taraniz has committed acts of treason against the Crown, it
is now yours. If you will accept it.”

Piper was silent for a long time. She sat.
She stood. She paced. Nefiri looked only at the floor and listened.
Valar stared out the window.

“
What if I choose to walk
away from all this?” Piper finally asked, “What happens if I say
no?”

“
Certainly no one is
forcing you to do this, Piper,” Empress Nefiri said. “But, I can
assure you, you have every quality Chartile needs right now. Look
how you protected Outland Post, or what you have done for Jack, Leo
and Jayson.”

“
It all seems so
convenient,” Piper snapped, the anger returning to her voice.
“Quite convenient that there just happens to be another heir who
has been perfectly trained to take Taraniz’s place. Should I turn
out to be a poor ruler will a bastard son suddenly surface out of
nowhere?”

“
Of course not!” cried
Valar. His eyes softened even as his brow furrowed. “I know this is
difficult, Piper. You have no idea how hard it has been for me to
watch you struggle all this—”

Piper rushed at Valar, and stopped inches
from his nose. “Then why didn’t you do anything? You waited until
it was convenient for you, while I’m living off scrawny diten mice
and mushrooms!” She pushed him as hard as the venom would yet
allow. Valar stumbled back into the empty chair, and Nefiri covered
her mouth with her hands. He wasn’t hurt or angry, and he didn’t
move to stand again.

“
I’m sorry,” said Piper
taking a step back. “I guess I haven’t been trained quite as
perfectly as you thought.”

“
There are some rough
edges to polish,” Empress Nefiri said lowering her hand to reveal a
soft smile. “Still, it is part of who you are, and we’re not here
to change you. We want to give you the opportunity to have what is
rightfully yours, if you so wish it. No one ever said it would be
easy.”

“
You know that those on
the councils, Elven and Dwarvik, are going to take convincing. What
proof are you prepared to offer?” Piper asked, resuming her steady
pacing from the couch to the door. She bit at her cuticles as her
nails had long since been chewed away. Valar opened the leather
bound book he had carried with him. Carefully he laid three pieces
of parchment on a table, then sat without a word.

Piper looked from Nefiri and Valar to the
table. It was as though a treat she had never been allowed before
had been set before her for the taking. No stipulations, no tricks
or gimmicks. The hair on the back of her neck rose and tingled with
both fear and delight. Her legs wobbled as she approached the table
and picked up each piece of paper in turn. She studied them for
several minutes then turned to Valar and the Empress.

“
This is your evidence?
This proves nothing!” she said.

“
Runa may have passed
nearly two decades ago, but there are still some on both councils
who will remember her,” said Nefiri in her gentle, consoling
voice.

“
That’s not all,” said
Valar, rising from the chair, “These numbers in the corner? They
indicate the location of the genealogy record associated with each
person.”

“
Why didn’t you bring
that?” asked Piper and she realized she sounded exactly like
Jayson.

“
It is missing,” said
Valar, “I do not know if Taraniz took it or if it was removed when
you were born. Without that, this is the best evidence we
have.”

Piper paced the room again. “There is
someone who may know where the records are,” she said abruptly.

“
We have sent a scouting
party to find her,” said Nefiri.

Piper looked between Nefiri and Valar. Her
jaw had slacked and her eyes darted wildly.

“
I don’t understand,” said
Piper. She had attempted to keep her voice calm, but could
not.

“
Your grandmother has been
captured.” Valar said frankly. “The people in Outland Post say it
was the palace guards that took her. No doubt they followed me, and
captured her for the same reasons I went to her.”

“
We have to send someone
after her!” Piper cried desperately.

“
If Kaytah was taken to
the palace, she has allies there that will keep her safe. Have
faith, Piper. You have more friends than you know.”

“
And what of the
information she has? Surely they will kill her for it. If she
reveals its location, then Taraniz will destroy it. If not, then no
one will have it.” Piper could hardly cope with the imagery her
grandmother being tortured. The fact the room spun at times was the
only thing that kept her from rushing to save Gran that very
moment.

“
There will be other ways,
other things we can use if it comes to it. Piper, Kaytah will be
fine.” Valar smiled reassuringly, but it did little to sooth the
girl’s fears.

Piper’s eyes closed. Again, she willed away
the tears that formed in her eyes. Gran had been kidnapped because
of her. No, Gran had been kidnapped because of a secret about her.
This wasn’t her fault. But no matter how many times she repeated
the words to herself, her feelings of remorse, ebbed by those of
anger and betrayal still seemed to eat away at her insides.

How many people had known who she was all
these years, and had done nothing? She had been lied to, and hidden
away like something unwanted. She had been unwanted, she reminded
herself. She had been unwanted by the person who should have loved
and wanted her the most. No one had cared about her until it suited
their own interests. Now that the dwarves were in danger, she was
supposed to emerge from the shadows and save the day. If she
accepted her role as Queen, her days of roaming the mountains and
forests were over. She would spend most of her life repairing the
damage Taraniz – or rather, Duke Noraedin – had caused.

She saw Dimitri smiling and running his
fingers through his hair as she thought. As Queen, her marriage
would be agreed upon by a majority vote within the Conclave of
Nobles. They would never allow her to marry the
half-Dwarvik-half-human retainer of the Dwarvik Empress. She could
not so easily cast aside her friendship, her love for him. He had
been her only friend as a child, and she couldn’t imagine her life
without him. The very thought of it made her stomach turn.

She hadn’t realize she had been staring at
the parchment on the table the entire time her mind raced. Their
contents slowly faded into focus again. Piper sighed and turned to
face Valar and Nefiri.

Chapter Eight

Princess Gemari

Jack, Leo and Jayson were relieved they had
been given a guide while exploring Fortress Kelsii. After only a
few turns, they knew they would have been lost. Leo had droned on
for nearly ten minutes about the scientific process of dehydration
and starvation until Jayson threatened to shove a hunk orenite in a
rather uncomfortable location, and Jack had to pry the rock from
Jayson’s fist.

Sintori, Harasan of House Geofra escorted
them by pony down a magnificent tunnel toward one of the oldest
orenite mines in the mountain. Much to Jack’s disappointment,
Princess Gemari had other duties leading up to the meeting with the
Council that afternoon which required her attention.

“
It is said, from this
mine came the orenite used to create the circlet that was the
downfall of Duke Noraedin,” said Sintori. The boys were held
captive by the man’s tales. The architecture and craftsmanship of
the mountain added to the wonder his stories stirred within them.
The inlaid jewels that surrounded them at every turn dazzled in the
firelight of the torches and lamps. Even the stone itself was a
masterpiece in its own right. Bright white limestone had been
layered with dark obsidian in swirls and stripes all along the
tunnel. This was but one of many tours they had taken over the last
several days with the princess, but they never tired of the sights
and tales.

Princess Gemari was much like Nefiri in her
appearance. She was the Empress’s niece after all. But her demeanor
couldn’t have been more different. She was twenty-three in Dwarvik
years, but the boys thought she had been the same age as them. She
had explained the slower age progression of the dwarves was
believed to be in part due to their constant exposure to orenite,
but no one was really sure. Gemari was short, only a little over
five feet tall. Her amber eyes and brilliant white smile only added
to her bouncy and bubbly personality. Although she was very
knowledgeable, she giggled a lot. Especially at anything Jack said.
She seemed to find him mesmerizing. She stared at him with sappy,
doe eyes and batted her eye lashes.

Jack was unsure what to make of Gemari’s
attempts at flirting. At fourteen, his experiences in the field of
romance were quite slim. The more he talked with her, the more
comfortable he became. After only a few days, the two were giggling
together almost incessantly, much to the disgust of Jayson and
Leo.

The two boys had been glad of the break when
Sintori joined them. They had wondered if Gemari had been
instructed by Nefiri to purposely flirt with Jack in order to sway
their decision. They had not yet decided whether to help promote
Una to the Empresshood. The decision meant men would still be no
closer to having the rights they were accustomed to back in their
world, and Princess Gemari would never be allowed to have a
relationship. They secretly suspected that even if Queen Isla had
done things that defied her own people’s law, the changes she would
try to instill could be beneficial. But they never spoke it, even
amongst themselves.

They had been told Piper had finally woken
the day before last and was doing well. Dimitri had been to visit
her once, but she wanted to be alone. She kept to her room in The
Sapphire Quarter, which the boys learned was reserved for royalty.
Only the Empress, Queens and Princesses stayed there, and visiting
royalty from neighboring races. Jack, Leo and Jayson wondered even
more what secrets Piper held.

Life seemed to be rather peaceful at
Fortress Kelsii, despite what the boys thought they would find
after learning about The Black Diamonds. The members of the rogue
organization seemed to be few and far between, and certainly not
much of a threat, in spite of Nefiri’s rant and the increased
security to protect the visiting Elders. The men they talked to had
nothing but genuine, good things to say about their wives. For the
most part, they were happy. And the women loved their husbands
unconditionally in return. They showed their love by carrying out
their duties as wives. It was all very perfect. Almost too perfect,
in Jack’s opinion. He lived in a home that looked perfect to the
outside world. He knew better than to believe the façade these
people were promoting to their prophesized kings.

It was the last day of their visitor
excursions. The council meeting was to take place later that
afternoon. Jack, Leo and Jayson had been fitted with proper Dwarvik
attire, and would be attending as honored guests of the Empress
herself. As they returned from their tour of the orenite mines,
Princess Gemari greeted them at the entrance to the tunnel with a
deep bow. The boys still considered it odd as they had yet to see
any other women give this gesture to the men, save for the Empress,
Queen and Princess Gemari. Gemari had said it was a sign of
respect. The dwarves believed those appointed to political statuses
were to give thanks to those who put them there. They wore very few
treasures and their clothes were plain. They were there to serve
their people, not flaunt their power. Although they never wanted
for anything— the best food, the fanciest quarters, the most
expensive fabrics— everything they owned was almost entirely devoid
of the intricate carvings and gem work the dwarves were renowned
for. It made the boys uncomfortable when Gemari bowed to them since
they could not bow back.

“
Sintori, I thank you ever
so kindly for taking such great care with our guests. I shall
resume my post of them at this time,” she said kindly. She bounced
slightly on the balls of her feet and flashed her brilliantly white
smile.

“
Of course, my Princess,”
Sintori said and dismounted. The boys followed suit, their legs
feeling a bit like jelly from the long ride, and Sintori gathered
their reigns. “Please, let me know if I can be of any further
assistance to any of you.” The boys inclined their heads in a small
bow as The Princess had taught them was the appropriate gesture.
The Princess bowed low again, and the beads of her braided hair
brushed against her knees.

“
Did you enjoy your time
with Sintori?” she asked them. “He’s ever so fascinating, isn’t
he?” Gemari led the way back to the boy’s room, two guards bringing
up the rear.

“
Yes, my lady,” said Jack.
He had picked up on the tact and etiquette of the Dwarvik culture
better than his friends. It was the only advantage Jayson and Leo
could think of for Jack spending so much time with Gemari. The
constant giggling and fluttering eyes was worth their friend
learning what to say and do. Jack had begun taking lead when
speaking to the dwarves. Leo and Jayson were happy to remain silent
and not worry about offending someone. Jack seemed to have a handle
on it for them.