Echoes (10 page)

“I am glad that I told you. If only so you will be a support for Carly. She is a gentle soul, and I do not want to see her hurt in any way.”

“We’ll look after her Aesri,” Darius said.

Dearra thought Aesri’s face betrayed a moment of worry, but the expression was gone almost as soon as it came, and she let the moment pass without comment.

Enough was enough! Dearra was going to speak to King Jaymes if she had to lock him in his own privy to do it. Dearra stalked from her room, and she made her way through the corridors of the castle.

“Dearra?” Daniel asked as she breezed past the open door of his room.

“Not now, Daniel,” she said without slowing.

Daniel motioned to Darius, who was on his feet in an instant. The two men trailed behind her, keeping a cautious distance, not wanting to add to her obvious irritation.

The few people unlucky enough to be in her path scampered out of her way after only a glance at the exasperated Lord of Maj. Dearra arrived at the throne room, and the guard shifted to block her way. She glared at them, but they stood unmoving, refusing, even, to meet her livid gaze.

“Are you going to move, or do I have to move you?” she challenged.

They have orders, Fuzzy. No small, blonde lords permitted.

We’ll just see about that!”
Dearra was done waiting. She would
make
the king listen, one way or another.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Might I have a word?” Dearra shouted, and the entire court turned in her direction. The king, however, acted as though he hadn’t heard a thing.

“Your Majesty! We must talk about the Breken invasion! You can’t mean to do nothing! How much longer are you going to ignore me?”

Queen Marianne leaned forward to speak a quiet word to her husband, and Dearra could tell by his expression that he was less than pleased by whatever she had said. Good! Maybe a good kick in the royal pants was just what he needed!

The court was silent, completely consumed by the drama of the moment, and then the king stood to leave. Unbelievable! He was not even going to acknowledge her presence!

Dearra was beside herself. The man was insufferable! Of all the stupid, pig-headed—

“Damn it, Jaymes! Listen to me!” Dearra screamed in frustration.

Now you’ve done it,
Brin groaned.

There was a collective gasp from the assembly. The king froze, and then he turned slowly, deliberately, until he faced Dearra.

Dearra heard Daniel mutter behind her. It was a word she didn’t think she had ever heard him use before, but based on what she had just said to her sovereign and king, it seemed fitting to the situation. She swallowed her fear and stood unflinching, waiting for his reaction.

King Jaymes glanced at the guard who’d barred Dearra’s way and gave them the tiniest nod. They each took a hurried step back. He then crooked his finger at Dearra, as one might to a naughty child, commanding her forward.

Dearra hesitated only a moment before striding into the throne room. When she stood before the king, she bowed low before him.

“Your Majesty,” she whispered.

“A little late for that, isn’t it?”

Dearra did not respond. She held her deep bow and stared at the toes of her boots, waiting for the King to release her.

“Come.” King Jaymes turned to leave the hall, and Dearra rushed to follow.

Daniel and Darius followed closely behind her. The king motioned to three of his guard who immediately moved to intercept the pair before they could shadow Dearra into the antechamber. There was nothing left for them to do but watch. Queen Marianne shared a look of sympathy with them before joining her husband and Dearra.

King Jaymes was most assuredly
not
amused. He paced the small chamber, while Dearra stood stiff and straight.

“Now, Jaymes,” Marianne said, “you know what the healers say. It’s not good for you to get so upset. Sit down before you make yourself ill.” Marianne fluffed her wide skirts, and lowered herself to an especially beautiful chair.

“Dearra, child, you can breathe. The king isn’t going to bite you.” Marianne smiled.

“The hell I won’t! Who does she think she is, speaking to me like that?”

“Stop pacing, Jaymes, you’re making me dizzy. She didn’t mean anything by it, did you, Dearra? No, of course not,” Marianne said, not waiting for Dearra to reply.

“Absolutely unheard of. How am I supposed to let this go, Marianne? Such impudence can’t go unpunished.”

“Oh, tosh! Why not? You can do whatever you please. Are you the king or aren’t you?”

“Clearly not, since this one can speak to me in whatever way she chooses!”

“She’s young. She believes in what she is doing. Would you want less from the Lord of Maj?”

King Jaymes stopped pacing and threw himself down on the chair beside his wife. He hated it when she made sense like that. He was completely justified in his anger. Why did Marianne have to step in with her logic and ruin everything?

“There now, isn’t that better? You
have
been ignoring her, my darling. Maybe you should hear her out.”

The king stared at Dearra for a moment, but then waved his hand, indicating that she was allowed to speak.

Patience, Dearra! Think first, then speak,
Brin coached her. He, more than anyone, knew what she was thinking and feeling, but raging at the king wasn’t going to help her now. The situation called for tact and patience. Kings needed to be led, not dragged.

Dearra took a breath and then one more. “Your Majesty, I greatly regret my outburst and my disrespect. I was…desperate, and I acted badly.”

King Jaymes grumbled something unintelligible.

“Jaymes, she’s apologizing. Be the kind and forgiving king I know you to be,” Marianne said resting her hand on his.

King Jaymes used his free hand to cover hers, and his expression softened. “You always think the best of me, don’t you?”

“Of course!” she agreed.

He shook his head, but the smile remained. He turned to face Dearra again. “I will forgive your indiscretion. You may return to your rooms.”

Dearra stood rooted to the spot. It was now or never. “Sire, please, I
must
speak to you about the Breken.”

“Dearra, there is no danger from the Breken! You are like a terrier with a rat between its teeth. Why do you insist on going on and on about this? I have made arrangements for the slightest possibility of a Breken raid, and I have sent two hundred of my guard to reinforce Maj. It will all come to nothing, I tell you.”

“But Your Majesty!” Dearra was all out of ideas. The man was impossible!

“No! No more buts! I’m right, and that’s the end of it!”

“But what if you’re wrong, dearest?” Marianne’s voice was gentle but firm.

“Marianne?” he said, looking at her. She rarely involved herself in his decisions. If she was speaking out now, there was a reason.

The king turned to his wife. For just a moment, Dearra could see the young man he used to be before he was king and thought he knew everything there was to know.

“I said, what if you’re wrong? If we do as Dearra asks, and we prepare for war, and it, as you say, all comes to nothing, then Dearra will look like a fool, but you, dear husband, will continue to be what you have always been, a king who places the safety of his people above all else. But if Dearra
is
right, and the threat
is
real, and we do nothing…”

Wait,
Brin warned.
Don’t say anything, Dearra. Just hold on a moment.

It was a hard thing for her to stand there silent, but she managed it by biting the inside of her cheek. The wait seemed to last forever. She watched the king who looked at Marianne as she waited, serenely, for him to speak. Dearra could only stare in wonder at the silent drama that played out before her.

“Maybe…maybe we should prepare…just in case,” King Jaymes said warily. He rose from the chair and paced the room, stopping to look out the window.

“If you think that’s best, dearest,” Marianne responded.

“Do
you
think it’s for the best?” he asked the queen.

“Not
me
, husband. What do I know about these things? I rely on you in these matters. I am so glad you have made up your mind to act. I feel so much safer now that you have everything in hand. It
will
be all right, won’t it?”

“Of course, love!” Jaymes said, sitting next to her once more. “Don’t worry about a thing. I will see to it that you are safe, and the rest of my people as well.”

“I knew you would fix everything. Thank you. You truly are a wise ruler. What would I do without you?”

“You would be lost without me, as I would be without you.” Jaymes patted Marianne’s hand and then caressed her cheek.

The interplay between the two was amazing. The king was the king, but Marianne had managed to steer him in such a way that he came away thinking the whole thing had been his idea.

Dearra cleared her throat, sure that the king had forgotten all about her.

King Jaymes reluctantly turned from his adoring queen. “All right, Dearra. I have decided that, even though a Breken attack is unlikely, it makes no sense to take the risk.”

“Your Majesty is very wise,” Dearra said. What she would like to have said was ‘It’s about time!’
but she was smart enough to keep that impulse under control.

“I would like you to leave in the morning. The captain of my guard and a small contingent will go with you. Gather as many as possible in the villages and from the farms. The people of Mirin Tor have lived in peace a long time, but I believe they will respond to their king’s call.”

“We will do just as you say. I will let everyone know, and we will prepare at once.”

Dearra bowed before the king and was about to leave when—

“Not the Breken,” Jaymes said.

“Sire?” Not the Breken? What did that mean?

“The Breken, Darius. He is not to go. He will remain here, where we can watch him,” the king said, using his most commanding tone, indicating that, on this point, he did not wish to argue.

“Jaymes? The boy has been perfectly pleasant during his stay. You have no reason to distrust him,” Marianne said, trying to reason with him.

“I have
every
reason! Besides, he’s a Breken, and that is reason enough.”

The queen scowled, but she was unable to comment further when the king called out, “Shanks!”

The door opened. A grizzled veteran entered the room and bowed low.

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Bring me the Breken,” Jaymes said.

Shanks snapped another quick bow and left the room.

“Please, King Jaymes! Darius would never betray us! He…he and I wish to be joined, Sire.” Dearra wasn’t sure this was the best time to bring it up, but maybe if the king saw how serious her feelings were, he might be a bit more hesitant to harm the man she loved.

Queen Marianne leaned forward slightly in her chair and her eyes darted to King Jaymes. It looked like she was more interested in her husband’s reaction than surprised by Dearra’s news.

“Joined? Dearra, you are Lord of Maj, or you will be. You can’t honestly think to join with a Breken! Your father would never have allowed—”

“My father approved of the match. Not at first, it’s true, but he came to look upon Darius as a son. He would have wanted this. He—”

“I find that very hard to believe, Dearra. Your father was an intelligent man. He would never have sanctioned a union with a Breken.”

Shanks returned and bowed once more before the king. He was clearly not accompanied by the Breken.

“Well? Where is he?” King Jaymes demanded.

“Gone, Your Majesty,” Shanks answered almost casually.

The king, however, was not as indifferent, and he turned an alarming shade of red.

“Gone? Shanks! What do you mean gone?” The king shot a look at Dearra, but the expression of confusion on her face probably cleared her of any wrongdoing in his mind, and he immediately turned his attention back to Shanks.

“I mean, not there, Your Majesty.” Shanks seemed neither concerned nor upset. He reported the facts to the king with no outward show of emotion on the subject one way or another.

Dearra, keep that lost cow look right where it is. If the king sees a smile, he will be all over you like a bear on honey.
I
warned Darius. He’s hiding in the queen’s greenhouse. It was the only place I could think of that would be ignored in the search. Even the guards do not wish to incur the queen’s anger by going in there…at least for a while.

Brin! You’re brilliant!

Yes, I know, and try to look a little more worried, will you? The king isn’t stupid.

Dearra rearranged her features into a dark veil of concern. She wrung her hands and bit at her bottom lip.

Don’t overdo it, Dearra.

“Jaymes, stop scowling. The boy is clearly not here. I am sure he has gone back to his room. Ask some of the guards to find him and bring him to you. Standing there glowering isn’t going to accomplish anything.” Queen Marianne picked absently at some lint that was stuck to her skirts, but she looked up through her lashes as if trying to read Dearra’s expression.

The king motioned to Shanks who bowed and left on his mission.

“Lady, Dearra!” the king said, startling her. She thought it was the first time the king had ever addressed her by her title.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Go and find Daniel. Get the fairies too. They can accompany you. I have no reason to detain them. Also, I would just as soon they were out of the castle.” He hadn’t made it a secret that the Etrafarians made him nervous. He was courteous to them, but it was obvious he was uncomfortable with the two small foreigners.

Dearra bowed, and was about to leave when the queen stopped her.

“Child, before you go, I would have a word with you. Would you accompany me on a stroll?”

The king’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Marianne?”

“She is still a girl with no mother or father, Jaymes. I thought a little motherly advice on romance and making good choices might be beneficial.”

“Oh, well, that’s fine then. I’ll leave you to it.” He sounded relieved. If Marianne was going to handle that delicate subject, he was probably more than happy to have her go to it.

The king left them, and Dearra opened her mouth to speak, but she was halted when the queen held her finger to her lips.

“Come, Lady Dearra. I think a walk will do us good. This room is so stuffy; don’t you agree?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Dearra agreed readily.

The queen rose and smiled warmly. She linked her arm through Dearra’s, steered her out of the room, and down a corridor that Dearra had never been in before. The queen spoke not a word. Her step quickened the further they got from the throne room.

They came to a door and the queen pulled Dearra inside. The room was magnificent. It dripped with flowers wherever Dearra looked. There was a wonderful fireplace with a marble mantelpiece. Sumptuous furs covered the bed. Silken flowers had been embroidered into tapestries that covered the walls. Added to the live flowers in the room, the tapestries created the illusion of having stepped into a summer garden.

“Where is he?” the queen said without preamble.

“Your Majesty, I have no idea! I—”

“Dearra, it is wrong to lie to royalty, unless, of course, you’re married to him, then it’s completely acceptable. Now, let me ask again. Where is he?”

“In your greenhouse,” Dearra answered with a blush. She had no idea she was so easy to read, and she was glad the king wasn’t quite as observant has his lovely wife.

“
My
greenhouse? How very clever! The guards won’t look there until all other possibilities have been exhausted. Shanks might, but he’s
my
man through and through. He’s perfectly loyal to the king, of course, but he had quite the crush on me when I was a girl. I think he’s served all of these years so he would be available in case the king ever grew tired of my company.”

Dearra’s mouth gaped at the revelation, but then the queen laughed.

“I’m mostly joking, of course. Shanks is an excellent soldier, plus he does tend to take my view on most things. I trust him implicitly.”

A tap came from the window. They were several floors above the ground, and both women were startled to see Aesri knocking gently at the glass.

Marianne quickly recovered from her shock. She opened the window and extended a hand to help the fairy into the room.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Aesri said, brushing snow from her hair. “I have just come from Your Majesty’s greenhouse. It is truly lovely, but there seems to be one bloom that is a bit out of place. Perhaps we should transplant it to a location better suited to its needs.”

“Yes, Aesri, I believe that is a very good idea. I would like you to come with me. Your gifts might be quite helpful. Dearra, you go and pack. The king has given you instructions to leave, and you should make haste to do so.” The queen lowered her head to Aesri’s level, and the two women shared a few conspiratorial whispers, effectively dismissing Dearra.

Dearra’s heart slammed in her chest. She couldn’t leave without Darius. She wouldn’t! She felt numb as she turned to leave, and there was a loud buzzing in her ears. It went against the grain to leave Darius’s safety to someone else, even if it was Aesri and the queen.

“Dearra! Wait!” Marianne commanded before Dearra could step from the room. “I almost forgot. I told the king I would advise you how best to avoid making bad choices in your relationships. I, therefore, will tell you this—hold onto that man with everything you have. He adores you. When you are fortunate enough to find someone who completes your soul, makes you stronger than you are alone, shares your joy and your sorrow, making you feel as though there is nothing you can’t face as long as you face it with him, then you have discovered a treasure that is beyond any other. Believe me, I know.”

Dearra smiled at the queen. Maybe she really did understand. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“You are welcome, child. Go now. Aesri and I will ready the rest of your baggage and have it waiting for you outside the city. I promise.”

***

An hour before dawn, Dearra, two Etrafarians, Daniel, and a small contingent of the king’s guard led by none other than Shanks, rode out of the walled capital city and joined the road that would lead them onward to their destination. Despite its size, Mirin Tor was not a highly populated country. The capital was, by far and away, the hub of life, but that was not to discount the small hamlets and towns which dotted the rest of the country. Each area was valued for specializing in some craft or skill that could be useful when trading for their other needs.

Dearra was thoroughly miserable. She had been given one of the king’s large war horses to ride. He was not as big as Kahn, thank Cyrus, but he was still a brute of a horse, and Dearra was finding him difficult to manage. She’d told the king she adored horses. She said she would never be comfortable riding just any old mare, and would His Majesty be so kind as to loan her one of his destriers? She had almost choked on the words, hating horses as she did, but she would need to ride with Darius when and if he was able to join them, and he would never fit well on a smaller mount.

Daniel rode to the front of the group and spoke quietly with Shanks, probably planning the best route to take. It would be easiest if they stopped at one of the larger towns first and let word trickle to outlying farms. They couldn’t be everywhere, and winter was already half gone. There wasn’t time.

Aesri and Niada sat on the backs of their horses. They used neither saddle nor bit, but seemed to direct the animals by no more than their will.

The further they got from the castle, the more Dearra fidgeted in her saddle. She looked around herself, almost without ceasing. Suddenly, she heard Reo yip, and she saw him bolt ahead of the lead horses. She watched as he raced down the road to plant his paws on the chest of Darius, who had just stepped out from the shadowy woods.

“Oh, thank Cyrus!” Dearra said. She kicked wildly at her horse’s flanks to get him moving, but her actions earned her nothing more than a snort from the animal who hardly seemed to notice her existence. She tried to yank back on the reins to get the behemoth to at least stop. If he wasn’t willing to go faster she would climb down and run ahead herself, but even that was unsuccessful. Finally, out of frustration, she jumped off the steadily plodding horse, and ran wildly at Darius.

He was able to push the wolf aside just as Dearra collided with him. The two of them landed in a tangle of arms and legs on the snow covered road, and she kissed him passionately. He answered her with kisses of his own, twining his fingers in her hair.

Dearra! Darius! A little decorum if you please! We’re not alone, you know!
Brin scolded.

“I was so worried,” Dearra said between kisses. “I thought for sure the king’s men would find you and you would be taken.”

Darius held her head between his hands and looked into her eyes. “Nothing will keep me from you, Dearra. I would have found a way, somehow. The queen and Aesri were wonderful. There wasn’t much for me to do but get myself here and stay hidden.”

“Darius! Would you mind getting off of Dearra?” Daniel said. He held the reins of Dearra’s horse in his hand from atop his own horse and scowled.

Darius extricated himself from Dearra’s embrace and helped her to her feet.

Shanks rode forward, eyed Darius for a moment, and said, “Her Majesty is going to have a lot of explaining to do, I think.”

“You will not say anything, will you, Shanks?” Aesri asked.

“No, I suppose not. I suspected we might meet up with him when Lady Dearra didn’t squawk about leaving today. I didn’t believe she would leave him behind that easily.”

“What about the other men?” Dearra asked, indicating the rest of the guard who traveled with them.

Shanks shook his head. “They’ll do as they’re told. His Majesty said he wanted the Breken watched. We can do that just as well here as they could back at the capital.”

“Thank you, Shanks,” Darius said.

Shanks nodded and offered Darius what could have almost passed for a smile.

Darius pulled Dearra up onto the horse, secured her hands in one of his own, and nudged the stallion with his heels.

They were on their way, and they were together. For now, that was enough.