Echoes (14 page)

Dearra took hold of Phillip’s hand, pulling him from his trance.

They moved through the forest like silent spirits, fearing to breathe, lest they be heard. They emerged at the beach and saw the last of the boats waiting for them. Jacob had been bound and gagged, and tied to the oarlock of the boat. Darius stood over him, scanning the woods anxiously.

When Darius saw them, he ran to help them into the boats.

“Royce?” he asked, though he looked as though he’d already known the answer.

Dearra could only shake her head.

They pushed away from Maj, unsure if they would ever see her again. The sun sank on the horizon, and the darkness descended.

They made camp almost immediately after reaching shore. The Breken would not be coming this night. There was enough for them to destroy or plunder on Maj to keep them busy for a while, and they would probably want to rest and revel in the ease with which they took the island, before moving to the mainland. It had been a long trip, and they had time.

Darius had Jacob securely bound and gagged. They needed to question him, but now was not the time. He was hobbled with his wrists tethered securely to his ankles. He looked extremely uncomfortable, but Darius didn’t give a damn how painful the position was. No that wasn’t true. He did care. He wanted it to be painful. He wanted Jacob to suffer.

“Hush, child,” Catherine crooned to Zusia. 

Zuzu had wrapped her arms tightly around herself, and she was rocking forward and backward, making a strangled wailing noise.

Catherine tried to comfort the girl by putting an arm around her, but Zusia shrugged her violently away, and continued to rock.

William was next to try. She didn’t pull away from him, but she didn’t stop the eerie noise she was making either. In fact, her volume increased.

“William,” Darius said, taking the man by the arm. “She’s showing her respect. In Breken society, when a commoner dies, there is little or no acknowledgment, but when a lord dies, all of his household is expected to show appropriate grief. She’s mourning the only way she knows how.”

William lowered himself down to his knees and encircled her waist with his arms. “Zusia, you are Maj now. It isn’t necessary for you to howl like this.”

If anything, Zuzu’s volume increased even more. She stared straight into William’s eyes, almost as if she were begging him to understand. Tears flowed freely down her face, and her nose was running. Her eyes were red, and her cheeks were flushed. The long, drawn out keening noise was almost like a high pitched wolf howl. It was a single note sustained until she ran out of breath, whereupon she hastily sucked in a great gulp of air to begin anew.

Catherine knelt beside her husband, and her arms also went around the child. “I don’t think she
can
stop, William.”

Zusia drew another ragged breath, and emitted, not a howl, but a full-throated scream. It went on and on. No one knew what to do. Even Darius seemed perplexed by the all-out scream.

William and Catherine were stroking her hair, rubbing her back and arms. Finally, William threw his head back, and his scream of pain joined with hers. Catherine looked startled for but a moment, and then she too began to scream. Darius joined them on the ground, tentatively resting his hands on his brother’s shoulders, and his roar of pain joined theirs. Dearra wrapped her arms around Darius, and Phillip put his hands on Zusia’s shoulders, and they too began to scream, and then Reo joined in with wolf-song. Even Brin’s voice echoed in Dearra and Darius’s minds.

It went on like that for several minutes, each of them expressing their loss and pain in frenzied wails and screams, until one by one, they each went silent. They continued to hold one another there in the forest glade. Eventually, they sagged to the ground in a huddled mass. Reo rested his muzzle on Zusia’s leg. The light of the fire cast shadows around them. The only sounds were the crackle of the fire and steady chirping of crickets. Occasionally Reo would whine, and then he was still again.

They slept there, wrapped in each other’s arms, drawing strength and comfort from those around them. All except for Darius, who had crept away from the group soon after the others had passed into an exhausted sleep. He braced his back against a sturdy oak and watched Jacob. He would not take the chance the man would escape and do more harm to the people he loved. If, by some miracle, Jacob had freed himself, Reo would probably be able to track him, but Darius was not willing to risk it.

They rose when dawn broke, and silently shouldered their burdens before passing like wraiths into the woods. Their trip to the capital was a somber one. Each of them was lost in their own thoughts, but none of them were able to put their pain into words. There really was no need for them to do so, besides. William and Catherine took turns holding Zusia’s hand, and sometimes, where the path was wide enough, they each took a hand. She was as much their child now as if she had been born to them. Royce was gone. He had been violently torn from them, but this little girl still remained, and they would go on. They would live, and fight, and if necessary, die for her, and for each other.

***

Carly came running through the city gates with Holly cradled snuggly in her arms. Daniel was right behind her. Both of their smiles faltered and then vanished. Royce’s absence did not go unnoticed, nor did the way Catherine and William clung to Zusia’s hands and she to theirs. And there, walking in front of Dearra, leashed like the dog that he was, strode Jacob. He looked unharmed for the most part, though he walked with a noticeable limp.

Daniel didn’t think he had ever seen Darius look so tired. It was almost as though he had aged five years in the weeks since they had last seen one another. He let the others pass by, but he stopped Darius from passing through the city gate.

“Darius?” Daniel asked. To his great surprise, he saw a tear well in the corner of Darius’s eye.

“I couldn’t save him,” Darius’s voice was harsh, angry, Breken. He drew his sleeve roughly across his face to wipe away the offending tear. “I was too late. William gave him to me. I should have never put him down.”

Daniel didn’t know what had happened, but it was obvious that Darius blamed himself for Royce’s death.

“Did you do everything that you could?”

“It wasn’t enough!” Darius growled.

“No, it wasn’t,” Daniel said, “but was it all that could be done?”

Darius was quiet as he replayed the events in his mind. Daniel waited, watching his friend struggle through the memories that washed over him.

“Yes,” Darius conceded at length.

“Then that’s all there is to say about it,” Daniel said, his voice confident.

Darius nodded, gave one more swipe across his face, and began to walk again. Whatever the future held, Darius vowed he would avenge Royce’s death a hundred times over. The Breken would pay.

***

The throne room was packed. The remaining people had come out of Maj, and the Breken had arrived. Up until then, there had been at least a fragile hope that the rumor of war was nothing more than the ravings of a Breken traitor. Now, even that tender hope had been crushed.

Dearra stood before the king with Darius beside her. The king looked tired, as though he hadn’t slept, and his clothes appeared to hang a bit more loosely from his frame. She stared straight into his eyes. If he would have only listened to her sooner, believed her, or trusted Darius just a bit, maybe Royce would still be alive. Troops should have been sent to guard Maj. Dearra would have remained, and Darius with her, and if Darius had stayed, then William would have felt honor-bound to remain at his brother’s side, and Catherine with her husband. If, if, if. It served no purpose to chase ifs around in her mind.

Dearra broke eye contact with the king and sank into a grudging curtsy. Darius bowed beside her, but only enough for appearance’s sake.

“It seems I owe you an apology, Dearra,” King Jaymes said.

“You think?” Dearra’s harsh reply was out of her mouth before she could stop it.

Easy, Dearra,
Brin cautioned.

King Jaymes seemed to ignore her statement and her tone, and continued, unhindered. “The Breken have come. My watchers say the numbers may even surpass what you warned of. I’ve given orders for the city to be sealed. We have had laborers working day and night to fortify the walls.”

If the king was waiting for Dearra to praise him for his efforts, he would be sorely disappointed. She was seething. He should have been keeping the city strong all along, not throwing men and materials at the crumbling walls when the enemy was poised to strike.

“We will do what we can here, for as long as we can. If the time comes when we can no longer hold the city, we will make for the mountains.”

Dearra nodded, mostly to herself. As far as plans went, it was fairly pitiful, but at this point, there wasn’t much else to be done. Most of the children, and many of the women, had already gone to the mountains. They had taken different routes to get there, as that many feet passing over the same terrain would have been an easy path for the Breken to follow. Spread out, their journey would leave little trace.

“Now, I appreciate that you were right about the Breken, as I appreciate the sacrifice you and all the people of Maj have made so that we might remain safe, but, that said, I feel as if I need to address the issue that remains before me.”

Stay calm. Don’t react, just breathe in and out and remember who you are.

It wasn’t clear to which of them Brin was speaking, Darius glanced down at Dearra, but all she could do was shrug slightly and wait for the king’s next words.

“Darius was the one to warn of the Breken attack, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he can be trusted. He is Breken, and I have no assurances this isn’t all part of a larger plot to place a spy in our midst. The girl, Zusia, likewise, could be a piece of a larger scheme to destroy us from within.”

Dearra couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Surely, after all they had done, Darius had earned a small piece of the king’s faith.

“Jaymes,” Marianne spoke softly.

The king would not even turn to look at her. He knew how she felt about it, she’d been telling him for months.

Shanks stepped forward and bowed to the king who nodded, granting him permission to speak.

“Majesty, Darius is no more a spy than I am. I worked side by side with him when we were locating and testing recruits. I haven’t known him long, but it’s long enough to know I would trust him with my life.”

“That’s strong praise coming from you, Shanks,” Jaymes said. “I respect your opinion, but I have the greater good to think of. Therefore, I order that the Breken Darius and the Breken child Zusia be removed to the cells below. They will receive fair treatment and care, but they will be held until this is over.”

Guards moved to do as the king ordered. Zusia’s eyes grew wide in alarm, and Catherine and William gripped her tightly. Dearra removed Brin from his scabbard and stood in front of Darius in a protective stance.

“Guards!” The king commanded. “Disarm her! Take the sword!”

Pandemonium erupted. Gales of wind swept the room, and nearly fifty Etrafarians levitated high above the assembly. Some seemed to be holding orbs of fire between their hands. Others poised with fingers splayed in the general direction of the guards. Then the winds settled, and the room was completely quiet.

“What is the meaning of this?” Jaymes yelled, jumping up from his throne and striding forward.

Aesri floated forward and then lowered herself until her dainty feet touched down a few paces from the king. Niada hovered protectively behind her. The king’s guard surged forward to offer assistance, but he waved them back.

“King Jaymes,” Aesri spoke with the same calm, wind chime voice she always used. “We Etrafarians have come to offer our help to you in this war. We can be very useful, something with which I am sure you agree, considering you have allowed us to stay, though it goes against your better judgment to do so. However, our main purpose in being here is not to do battle. We are trying to make right a mistake from years past.”

“Yes, yes, Dearra told me of the dragon, Brin and your connection to him.”

“Then you understand that we cannot allow Brin to be taken from Dearra, nor will we allow Darius to be harmed. You see, we believe that all of the events of today are merely reflections—no, more like…echoes—of yesterday. Like a pebble thrown into a pond, the ripples have traveled far, and they have changed a bit on that journey, but they are still the same waves made by the original stone that was thrown. Each of us has a part to play, even you. Rah has given us this moment, this opportunity.”

“I will not be threatened in my own home.”

“Then we will go, and we will take Dearra, Darius, and Brin, and any others who would follow. We do not seek to challenge you, Your Majesty. Kingdoms mean nothing to us, as our Rah probably means nothing to you. Guard him if you must. I would actually prefer that he have a guard. Guard the Breken child as well, but do not separate them from those who love them.”

Marianne glided to her husband’s side and took his hand in hers. “Jaymes, we need them. We need all of them, if there is to be a chance. Aesri is right. Put a guard on Darius, and leave well enough alone.” Then she whispered so that only he, and possibly Aesri would hear. “There is a difference between a strong king and an inflexible one.”

“Shanks,” the king called out.

Shanks rushed to the king and awaited his command.

“You’re so sure of Darius’s trustworthiness, I will leave it to you to watch over him. Choose some men to help you, but choose men of Mirin Tor. Set a guard on the girl as well, but choose men who will be tolerant of a little girl’s ways. I am not completely unfeeling,” King Jaymes said, sounding exasperated. They had him up against a wall and he didn’t like it, but Marianne was right, he needed them all.