The Jewel of Kamara (The Delthenon Chronicles) (22 page)

“What
news?” Colbert and Zadi asked in unison.

“Princess
Naleeni
has arrived in Fenella,” Darby explained. “It
won’t be long before the king makes an announcement.”

“She’s
going back, isn’t she?” Colbert exploded and rounded on Darby. He had often
felt that Darby’s heart was not entirely in their plight. His ties to the
nobility were sure to get in the way, and Colbert had said as much when he
found out Darby would be their leader. “You can’t let her leave, Darby. She’s
the one we’ve been waiting for. There is no other opportunity for this.”

“Hold
your tongue, Colbert,” Zadi scolded. “This is not Lord Darby’s fault. We just
need to remind Tempani of what is important.”

“No,
we don’t. We need to give her space and let her broken heart heal. If we let
this consume our lives, we will lose our plight. We all need to slow down and
take a break every now and then or we won’t see this through,” Darby said.

“But
we need to act before we’re discovered. It won’t be long before they’re on our
tail,” Colbert reminded them. “She has not progressed far enough to start
defending herself.”

“I
agree,” Mother Chennai whispered and patted Colbert’s shoulder. “She has come a
long way since you all arrived here, but she is not ready yet and time is
short.”

“Chennai,
we discussed her need to slow down. She will run herself into the ground.”

“I
have accepted my destiny, Darby,” Tempani whispered and smiled weakly at her
old friend as she limped out of her room. “I have accepted that I will be
working hard to convince the kingdom that we should be united and that women
with magic are not evil. And to convince people that I am worth following.”

“People
believe you are,” Zadi reassured her.

She
shook her head and sighed. “I’m a young, half-blood female who was being
courted by the heir to the throne. I will have my doubters.”

“They
will come to follow you,” Colbert said.

“Colbert,
you need to understand that I am not going to shy away from my path. Taking a
break from my studies will not distract me from what is important. I need you
to trust my commitment.”

He
ducked his head, clearly embarrassed that she had learned of his doubt in her.

“Darby,
I need you to stop treating me as a fragile woman. Yes, my heart is broken, but
I will overcome that in time. I will face many obstacles on my path, and it is
time I start to deal with those myself. I appreciate that you worry for me, but
I don’t need a father. I need you to be my friend and confidant and understand
that I need to stand on my own two feet. It is time I begin to guide myself.”

The
two men stared at her in wonder, and for the first time since she had
discovered who she was, they saw not an uncertain noble, but a woman on the
verge of becoming the first sorceress since Serenite.

Tempani
had her first peaceful sleep since hearing of Princess
Naleeni’s
arrival. She had been expecting it, but it still hurt to hear. A little part of
her had hoped that he would stand strong against his father and wait for her to
return home. But then Darby relayed the message, and she truly knew it was
over.

As
angry as she had been at him, she still missed him. Missed talking to him. She
knew he would understand the burden she felt now as he would have similar
burdens when he became king. Tempani had tried writing to him, but whenever she
went to jot something down, her eyes filled with tears and she remembered the
last time they spoke and how horrible he had been.

Tempani
couldn’t bring herself to talk of her fears and doubts to those at the convent
with her. They were too excited about what was happening, and she couldn’t bear
to burst their bubble. She had given her speech and tried to be brave, but on
the inside she was a mess. She longed to have Chae or Teddy or Dahlia with her.
Or to even be able to tell Madoc of her secret. She knew he was getting
suspicious, and it wouldn’t be long before they would need to tell him the
truth. And then he would need to choose.

—

 “Do
you still practice with your sword?” Mother Chennai sat beside Tempani in the
chapel. She looked up in surprise from her silent prayer and stared at the
abbess. “Don’t be so shocked, my daughter. Did you think I was so blind?”

Tempani
blushed and hung her head in shame. She hadn’t enjoyed sneaking around behind
Mother Chennai’s back. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I should not have risked my
safety like that.”

“Your
remorse is appreciated but unnecessary. We made sure you were always safe.”

“One
might think I was of some importance,” Tempani chuckled.

“It
is nice to see you smile,” Chennai said. “You are not finding this easy are you?”

Tempani
shook her head and glanced at Mother Chennai, tears swimming in her eyes. “Do
you think poorly of me?”

“It
is some responsibility you are carrying around with you. Any other person would
have run at the sight of it. Colbert and Darby included. It takes a special
person to take on what you have. I would be concerned if you did not find it
hard.”

“I
hardly have a choice do I?”

“We
always have a choice, my daughter. You can choose to walk away at any time.”

“Walk
away and disappoint everyone? I can put a stop to all the suffering.”

“Decisions
are hard to make, but we must all make them. But do not fool yourself into
thinking that no one will die because you accept this path. Each decision will
have consequences. But it is what you make of those consequences that will
decide if you have made the right choice.”

“And
I thought my speech yesterday was convincing,” she said. “You saw right through
me.”

“You
have the hand of the Goddess Allarah on one shoulder, but do not forget that on
the other you will feel my hand resting.”

Tempani
smiled gratefully and reached out and grabbed Chennai’s hand. “I choose to
continue.”

“Colbert
and Darby may like to argue over who is in charge of this mission, but between
us there is no denying that you are the only one to lead this assault. And you
must remember that.” Tempani nodded. “Now back to this sword of yours.”

“I
practiced when I could. It was hard to find the time and privacy.”

“You
are not in Fenella anymore. You cannot rely on men to always be around to protect
you, and your magic will not help in every situation. Women must know how to
protect themselves. Many who have been unable to protect themselves will come
to follow you. Take Bhatia,” she said. “Have you ever wondered why she is so
keen to follow you now?”

Tempani
shrugged. She had wondered but did not dare broach the subject with the
headstrong girl.

“Your
path requires you to master your physical strength as well as your Power.”

Tempani
rose at dawn the next morning and trudged outside, cursing the rain of the
night before as her feet sunk into the ground with each step. Rando hid a smile
when she stood beside him in formation.

She
watched him out of the corner of her eye as they ran through their swings. She
was a bit rusty, but once she got into the rhythm of it she found she could do
the steps without thinking.

The
men stopped their drills, turning to watch her. They exchanged glances. What
was she doing? She was trying to stand with them. Was this just child’s play to
her, something that wasn’t taken seriously? Surely she didn’t think she could
fight with them. But as they watched her, they saw a determination that
surprised them. Impressed them.

The
men bit back smiles as the sword whirled around her in flashes of silver. She
was breathtaking. Any doubts they’d had about her abilities were squashed with
that sword in her hand. She was not just some noble lady who would stand back
while people died for her. She would fight alongside them.

The
only man who didn’t join them in the mornings was Madoc. He hung back,
watching, a curious expression on his face. After each session, Tempani would
walk past him and flinch as she waited for the question to come, but each time
he would remain silent. She knew though, that it was only a matter of time
before he started asking questions.

—

He came last night. Met with R.
Teddy balled the note in his fist and threw
it onto the hearth.

“It’s
from her isn’t it? Nic barged in. He had seen the footman hand Teddy something
and had followed his brother back to his room, believing it to be a note from
Tempani.

The
younger man sighed and shook his head.

“What
did she say? Are they coming back?”

“It’s
not her,” he said.

“Then
why leave dinner so quickly if not to hide it from me?”

“Give
it a rest Nic.” Teddy closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He was tired.
This was draining him. “I haven’t heard from her since she left.”

“I
don’t believe you,” he snapped. “I know you’re keeping something from me.”

He
ignored him and tried to push past, but Nic grabbed him by the arm. “If I find
out you’re keeping something from me….”

Teddy
wrenched his arm from his grip. “You’ll what?” He cried. “You’ll run to father
and have me stripped of my title? By all means you’d be doing me a
favor
.”

Nic’s
face softened as he took in Teddy’s tired eyes. “Talk to me,” he said. “Tell me
what’s going on. Maybe I can help.”

Teddy
laughed sadly. “You don’t want to know. Believe me.”

“If
you’re in some sort of trouble….”

Teddy
waved him away. “I’m fine,” he said. “Nothing to worry about.”

Nic
sighed, knowing that something was wrong, but until Teddy told him what it was
there was nothing he could do. “If you’re sure,” he said before grimacing. “I
probably should get back to Princess
Naleeni
.”

Once
he’d closed the door behind him, Teddy sunk into his chair and buried his head
in his hands. He had no idea what to do. And no one to turn to.

—

Tempani’s
brows knitted together as she stared intently at the fresh soil before her. She
was trying to force a flower to grow but was having trouble keeping her
concentration.

“Focus,”
Mother Chennai whispered from where she stood nearby.

Tempani
clenched her fists and tried to focus all of her energy on the task at hand.
She was imagining the stem pushing up from the dirt below. It was almost at the
surface when a dog barked, and she lost it.

“I
can’t do it!” She screamed.

“Yes,
you can,” Mother Chennai said. “You just need to believe you can.”

Tempani
rolled her eyes. “And that’s all it takes is it?” She instantly regretted her
sarcastic tone.

“You
are frustrated.”

Tempani
pushed her hair off her face. “Why am I learning how to make plants grow?” She
asked. “I should be learning how to fight with my magic.”

“You
must learn everything. Not just the elements you think you’ll need,” she
explained. “I have been told of the harm you’ve inflicted on yourself.”

Tempani
bristled. Anger washed over her. “Zadi had no right,” she snapped. Her
confidence had been betrayed.

Mother
Chennai pointed at the darkening clouds in the distance. “You’re angry,” she
said. “Those clouds are
your
doing.”

Tempani
looked and the surprise she felt overshadowed her anger. The clouds dispersed.
“How?” She stammered. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You
are extremely powerful, my daughter. When you feel a strong emotion, the
elements around you react,” she explained. “And with no magical outlet, that
can be dangerous.”

“But
nothing bad has happened,” she said. “So I must have had some control.”

“Not
quite,” she said. “Your way of coping with the
build up
of magic in your body was to release it through an open wound. Now that you are
using your Power you must learn to harness it or you will be a danger not only
to yourself but those around you. The more you learn, the greater chance you
have of controlling it.”

Tempani
chewed on her bottom lip as she walked off and mulled it over. Had it really
been for that reason that she had inflicted pain upon herself? She guessed it
made sense when she thought about the sense of calm that washed over her as the
blood oozed down her skin. And she hadn’t done it when she was at the convent
for those years because she was using small parts of her Power to heal. She
thought of all the little scars that covered her body and winced. Would they be
a constant reminder of the pain she’d endured or could she use her Power and
rid herself of them?

When
Nic had been courting her, it had always been there, at the back of her mind.
She knew that if they wed he would see them, and she would have to explain what
they were and why they were there. At the time it had seemed like the only
solution, but afterwards there was always that niggle of regret. Of shame. But
now she knew why.