Rise of the Phoenix (Return To Avalore #2) (25 page)

She shouldn’t have been surprised to see two men, both wearing Coalition gear, standing at the door instead of the petite woman she knew the queen to be, but she was. Did they really fear for her safety so much that they guarded her day and night?

“Please, come in.” She swept the door open wider.

“Before I can enter, these boys need to secure the room. Do you mind?”

The annoyance from the feminine voice coming from behind the two men had her fighting a grin.

“By all means, but I’m not sure I’m qualified to allow or disallow anything in your home, my queen.” Proper protocol would have her bowing to the woman, but she had yet to see her.

When the woman’s unladylike snort drifted to her ears, she couldn’t contain the grin. She had spunk.

“You more than qualify. Besides, this is Evan’s wing, not my domain.”

A small grunt had the corners of one of the men’s lips lifting mischievously. “Come on, one of you get a move on. I don’t want to stand in the hallway all day.”

The second man’s right shoulder moved forward a little just before a grin split his face. “Yes, Queen Rhiannon.”

“Don’t you start that again, Sebastian. I’ll send Chantelle after you.” Her soft laughter followed the chastisement.

The deep scarlet flush of his cheeks did nothing to hide his widening grin. “As you wish, my queen.”

After a moment of silence, Brienne opened the door a little wider. The one named Sebastian shuffled his feet, but neither stepped forward.

“Am I missing something?” Brienne looked from one to the other before sighing. “Do you want me to curtsy, do a little dance? Should I leave so you can check the suite?”

The second man cleared his throat, a deep blush rising from his neck. “No, my lady.” He crossed the threshold into the room, hand extended toward her. “My name is Michael. Please forgive our reticence. I find myself a little uncomfortable inspecting my commander’s suite.”

“Then don’t.” The soft voice piping up from behind almost growled.

Brienne snickered. She knew the frustration of overbearing males all too well.

“Perhaps a visit in the library would be more suitable, my queen?” She had the sinking suspicion that the woman would refuse, but she had to offer.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Let me through, Sebastian. You too, Michael.” She shoved at the men once more, this time separating them so that Brienne could see her. “If Evan gets his shorts in a knot, he can come talk to me.” The queen’s eyes shone bright, the lavender more striking than any color Brienne had ever seen.

For a moment, both women looked at one another without saying a word. Their queen’s attire of jeans and a T-shirt was casual, but Brienne wished her clothing were better suited for the occasion. Heart racing, Brienne bowed her head. She could just imagine what a sight she made bowing before her in her current state.

A soft groan had her gaze shooting back up. “I really wish people would stop doing that.”

Raising an eyebrow, Brienne stood tall again. “It’s been a long time, but if my memory serves well, it is the appropriate greeting for our queen.”

Shoving past the two men who once again barely contained their grins, Rhia came forward to stand before her. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ve heard it all before.” She smiled, brightening the room. “Listen, I know we’ve met under unusual circumstances, so allow me to properly introduce myself now that we’re both conscious. I’m Rhia.”

Brienne took the woman’s extended hand and smiled back. “Brienne, pleased to meet you.”

“Well, Brienne, you’ve had my brother tied up in knots ever since he saw you in the Dark Lands. His preoccupation has served me well on many occasions, so thank you.” Taking a few steps into the room, Rhia turned, a small frown marring her expression. “He hasn’t done much to the place, has he?”

Brienne shook her head. “No, I’d even entertained the idea that this might be a guest suite.”

Rhia’s laughter spilled out, filling the room. “He didn’t want anyone else near you while you were recuperating, much less have you so far from him. It was a battle just to allow Aiken in to check on you after the healing.”

A little burst of joy coursed through her. She shouldn’t have doubted that Evan would take her to his suite, but it was so stark, so bare, that she just hadn’t been sure. “Can I get you something?” Brienne’s cheeks burned even before she finished posing the question. What did she expect to be able to offer the queen, a glass of warm water?

“No, thanks, but I do have to speak with you. Privately if we could.” For the first time, the shine in her eyes dimmed just a bit.

“Yes, of course. That is if your guards will allow it.”

Rhia gave the silent sentinels by the door a pointed stare. With nothing but a nod, the men exited the room, closing the door behind them.

Silence stretched between them. Rhiannon started to speak, but then struggling to find the words, stopped again with a long sigh, sending more butterflies fluttering in Brienne’s chest.

Would she deny them the use of the scymin? Rhiannon was the most at risk if it fell into the hands of the enemy again after all. The Erritrols had used the same artifact to kill Rhia’s mother and hunt Rhia herself during her absence from Avalore. Rather than try to guess at the queen’s intention, she broke the silence. “Evan tells me you were the one to save me when we returned from the last battle. I’m forever in your debt, my queen.”

A little spark shone in Rhia’s eyes. “You’re practically my sister-in-law already. Let’s drop the queen stuff, okay? Everyone tries to put me up on this pedestal, and it’s getting on my nerves. I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m just me, you know?”

Brienne’s fondness for the woman leapt. “I think we’re all so happy to have you back that it’s easy to put you there.”

“Maybe.” Shrugging, Rhia took a seat on a large leather chair. Her fingers twisted in her lap, and her gaze found the colorful rug at her feet.

“Whatever’s on your mind, please say it. I can see it’s tormenting you.”

Rhia took a deep, steadying breath before starting. “I know you’ve been in the Dark Lands working with the Erritrols for the past couple of years. Evan and Drake have filled me in on what’s been going on.” She cleared her throat. “I need to know why this mission is so important. Please, make me understand.” She brought her hand up to tuck her hair behind her ear.

Had she not been watching so closely, Brienne would have missed the slight tremble in Rhia’s fingers. “When I left Avalore, I was taken in by the Erritrols. The ones you met in the Dark Lands, my pack, took care of me when I’d lost all hope. They’re part of the New Order. They, along with many other packs, have sought to break a centuries-old curse. We hope the scroll we seek will help us decipher and break it.”

Rhia swallowed once and blinked back the moisture gathering in her eyes. “I…” She took a shaky breath. “So much is at stake. Our people can’t survive another brutal attack.”

Everything in Brienne stilled. If Rhia refused to allow her the use of the scymin, there’d be no way to convince anyone else. “I understand the risk, but please know that I am and have always been loyal to our people. I would never seek to harm you or any Avalorian.”

“There is more at stake than you can imagine. The curse won’t be broken by anything you find on that scroll. At least, I don’t believe it will be.” Rhia brought her hands up to rub her arms.

“You’ve seen this?” Brienne’s heart thudded hard. Everything she’d been through, the pain, the endless battles, it couldn’t have been in vain. She refused to believe it.

“What I’ve seen is vague and unclear. I just don’t know if it’s worth the risk.” Rhia went to the tall window facing the gardens, turning her back on her.

Brienne could only stare after her. “Not worth the risk? With all due respect, the men who fought alongside me are men of honor.
Men
, not animals. They fight to keep their species alive just as we do.” She tried to tamp down her temper. Getting into an argument with the person who held the most power in all of Avalore wouldn’t help her cause.

“I can’t tell you what I’ve seen. Even if I could, it wouldn’t alter fate. I can tell you the changes within your pack are real. You’ve given them light and selflessness, and the impact has helped them tremendously, but it’s not enough.” Rhia leaned her head against the window frame.

“I spent over three years in the Dark Lands, away from our people, away from the light of Avalore... away from Evan. What more can I give?” She’d given up everything to help the Erritrols. This couldn’t be it. There had to be something she could do to help her pack. They’d worked so hard to break the blasted curse. The only thing she had left, the only thing she could give, was her very life.

“The curse is the result of centuries of greed, and bloodshed.” When Rhia turned to face her again, tears streamed down her cheeks. “More of the same will come to pass before it’s done.”

“There has to be another way.”

Rhia sniffed and blotted at her eyes with a tissue Brienne offered. Her shoulders squared, and determination shone in her eyes. “I won’t stop you. If you must find the scroll, then so be it. Just be absolutely certain that the price paid is worth it in the end.”

Even though the sun kissed her cheeks and birds sang their happy song, Brienne couldn’t shake the nervous energy coursing through her. Evan, strong and powerful, stayed close to her side as they made their way past the Northern Territories. She’d expected the tear-shaped crystal at the center of the scymin to point them in the direction of the Dark Lands, but each minute they travelled took them farther and farther from the dark borders and deeper into Avalorian territory.

It’d been a battle convincing the Elders to allow them to have the scymin after they’d secured it. Only once Rhiannon herself had come to the Council Chambers and declared Brienne her First Lady of Counsel did they acquiesce. Brienne could hardly believe it. There had been no talk about becoming First Lady of Counsel beforehand, no warning, yet Rhiannon hadn’t hesitated in making the declaration.

She couldn’t keep from repeating the words Rhiannon had spoken as each of the Elders’ gazes turned to her in shocked silence. “My First Lady has to be someone with heart and fire who can stand tall even in the face of adversity. She has to be someone who is willing to fight for what is right, and not what is most popular. Not only must she stand with me, but she must stand for Avalore.” She’d looked each Elder in the eye as she spoke. “Brienne is that person. As I understand it, this decision is mine alone to make, and it has been made.”

Did she even want to hold such an esteemed position in Avalore? Even now, just thinking back on the scene, Brienne’s heart thundered and her palms grew damp so that she had to rub them against her thighs to dry them.

“Stop worrying. You’ll make a wonderful First Lady. Rhia’s right, you’re the right person for the position.”
Evan’s voice slid into her mind, a calm presence to soothe her frazzled nerves.

“How can you be so sure? I’ve never even attended the Council Chambers until today.”

Evan looked at her, his mouth turning up in a boyish smile that made her heart do little flips.
“No other female has seen what you’ve seen. No one has lived through what you’ve lived through. It gives you a different perspective, one that will aid Rhiannon in her decision-making.”

“I hope you’re right.”
Far below them, Brienne saw the ruins of an old settlement. What had prompted its inhabitants to leave it?
“Where are we? I didn’t think there was anything but forested land beyond the Northern Territories.”

Evan’s gaze lowered and his brows furrowed.
“That was the city of Bronom. Many spell casters found their homes there before the attacks. I remember my mother taking me here once.”
He chuckled before correcting himself.
“Actually, I followed her here. I hid and watched as Mother met with a woman. After a very brief meeting, the woman handed her a small packet, then turned her eyes on me. I’d never been so frightened in all my life. When Mother saw me, her eyes went wide and she tucked the packet away in the folds of her dress.”

“Did you ever find out what was in it?”

“No. I was afraid I’d be in trouble for leaving the city without permission. I was just a boy at the time. When she smiled at me and told me it had to remain a secret, I was more than happy to comply.”
His smile faltered and he glanced down again.
“I’ve often wondered about that packet.”

“What happened here? Why did the people leave?”
The city wasn’t as big as the city of Avalore, but it wasn’t so small that everyone would move away for no reason.

“I don’t know. After the attacks, Father and I came out here in search of the woman, but we were too late. There was no sign as to where any of the spell casters had gone. By then, the darkness had begun to
spread
. We supposed they’d been affected by it more quickly because they’d been farther from Mother’s light.”

“Now you’re not so sure?”

“I haven’t been sure since the day we found out Rhiannon still lived. Even before, I had doubts.”
The scymin whirred, light shining through it as the crystal at its center began to move.
“Looks like we’ve reached our destination.”
The crystal pointed down into the heart of the city, defying gravity with its bulk resting at the top.