Though Summer would arrive any day, a cold rain chilled the camp to their drenched bones. The suctioning plops of Kandumes feet on mud grated on Cefa. The whole base smelled like wet horse dung, and it was putting her off her oats, which the nuts hadn't made any better. It was as if, instead of adding flavor to the oats, the oats caused the nuts to become bland. She crunched on it morosely, under a makeshift shelter by the cauldron, while she watched the Pescelean prisoner ogle Eya.
Cefa didn't like him. She wasn't sure why, but there was something familiar about him that made her feel uneasy. He seemed much too comfortable in the camp and became almost friendly with the Duke of Rodovan. That last part was enough for her to dislike him instantly and mistrust.
Still, who was she to judge Eya’s taste? Cefa had been wrong many times about people. She thought back to when she’d first met Daijah. Her first impression was that he was a gigantic thug, intent on hurting her. He turned out to be a caring young man, who protected her from all harm.
Cefa wondered how such a sweet soul like Daijah came from a man like Duke Kojun. Right now, the only things that brought a smile to the Duke's face were high body counts and jokes about doing horrible things to Pesceleans. Cefa thought the Duke might be the kind of man who seemed sophisticated and charming in court, only to let his bigotry loose the moment he was alone with his peers. Out here, he had no limits, and the nastiness in his heart had free rein.
Thinking of Daijah, she turned to watch him. As always, he was working tirelessly. He practiced with his greatsword, swinging the giant blade faster than she'd ever thought possible. She felt more impressed than before because she knew he did this while distracted. Daijah had put distance between himself and the Princess, and that worm of a prisoner wheedled his way into the space between them. Now, Daijah wanted Eya back. As far as Cefa was concerned, Daijah had no one but himself to blame for this happening. If he had made love to the girl like she wanted, and like he wanted, Eya would still be panting after him like a puppy.
Cefa looked again at the prisoner. He certainly looked cocky right now. He looked at Eya's body like he knew it intimately. Perhaps, he did. That was none of her concern. It shouldn't bother her, but it did. Again, she was struck by how familiar he seemed to her. She saw Eya glancing back at the man and saw the pain on her face. The death of her brothers tore at her heart. Now, her grief drenched them all with rain. Hopefully, the prisoner would help Eya heal.
Cefa tossed her half-eaten bowl into the wash barrel, ignoring the disgruntled muttering of the dishwasher. She walked over to Eya and grabbed her arm, just as she was about to collect her bow and arrow for archery practice. The young woman looked startled at first, and then something in her melted. Looking at Cefa's concerned face, Eya wept. With a motherly shush, Cefa took Eya under her arm and led her back to their tent and away from the Kandumes' rude stares.
Once inside, Eya heaved and howled through her grief. Cefa knew that everyone outside could hear it over the rain and the clambering of boots. She hoped Daijah wouldn't behave like an impulsive idiot and burst through the tent. Just to be sure, she let go of Eya and tied the tent flaps closed, then returned to the young, grieving woman. For a while, she allowed Eya to sob incoherently onto her motherly bosom. Cefa understood that sometimes that was the best thing to give someone in this much pain.
Eya was on her own now. She would never see her parents or her brothers again. She had no more family left. Cefa remembered how Eya commented on her being like her mother now and felt a stab of guilt. She should have kept a careful eye on this girl instead of leaving her to her youthful whims. Eya's true mother certainly wouldn't trust her alone with all these handsome soldiers, as well as a lustful Pescelean prisoner. So, Cefa took it upon herself to be what Eya needed now.
"My dear girl," Cefa said, stroking the young woman's curly hair away from her wet and mucus-smeared face. "I think you need a little help. First, let's clean you up and get you a drink of water." Cefa took a rag and wiped Eya's face, careful not to rub her now-faint scars with too much pressure. She grabbed Eya's water bladder and offered it to the young woman, who took slow and deliberate breaths to calm herself. She watched Eya drink it down with cautious sips while she thought about how best to bring this up.
"Thank you, Cefa," Eya sniffed, closing her water bladder and setting it down next to her. "I needed that."
"I know," Cefa said, sighing. "You also need some advice, I think, but I need more information before I can help you."
"Oh?" Eya looked a little confused. "What do you need to know?"
"Well, my darling girl," Cefa became uncharacteristically awkward. "I need to know if you have lain with that Pescelean prisoner."
"Cefa!" Eya exclaimed but saw that older woman's unfazed expression. She wouldn't be lying her way out of this. "Yes…a number of times. How—how did you know?"
"It's not that hard to tell when you have eyes in your head," Cefa answered.
"I love him," Eya said, settling into a more comfortable position on her cot. "I don't want to love him, but I do, and something doesn't feel right."
This surprised Cefa. She had thought this was going to become a conversation about letting go of Daijah. This was taking a new turn. “It doesn’t?”
“He makes me feel beautiful, wanted,” Eya explained, “but he also makes me feel fuzzy and confused. It’s like I’m a little drunk, and I can’t see straight.”
Cefa nodded. That sounded like how she had felt for Pecu. So, real feelings were stirring between the two. “He makes you feel better about yourself, but you’re not sure you trust that.”
Eya's eyes drifted down her toes, and a shameful blush spread across her face. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth.
Cefa wasn’t sure what she had said to bring on that reaction. She wanted the young woman to feel better, not worse. "You needed to feel that way," Cefa said in a soothing tone. "I can't blame you, dear girl. This is no way for any woman to live, more or less a Princess. You need to feel beautiful and desired. You need to experience what others your age get to experience. All the world gave you is war, and that's not fair."
"It may not be fair," Eya said with defeated eyes, "but it's my duty."
"Let's forget your duty for a moment," Cefa said, tipping Eya's face up to meet hers. "Let's talk about what's good for a young woman like yourself. What drew you to this Pescelean prisoner, to begin with?"
“I—I wish I knew exactly…He began to appear in my dreams, on the astral plane, before we even met in Hicares. There's something about him that…pulls me in…"
Cefa nodded. “I see how that would be tempting."
"Cefa," Eya whispered, "I don't think I'm the one who is channeling the ability to travel the astral plane."
"What do you mean? Who else…?"
She drifted off then. The prisoner was the only person it could be, and he showed up in every single one of these "dreams" that Eya had. If it was within his power, that would mean Pecu gave it to him and probably with meeting Eya in mind.
"Yes, exactly," Eya said, nodding, as she saw realization fold the wrinkles upward on Cefa's ancient face.
"You have to keep away from that man," Cefa whispered to her young friend.
"How?" Eya asked with trembling lips. "I never invited him into my dreams to begin with, and, once he's there, he's so convincing, Cefa."
"He would be, that snake," Cefa practically hissed, understanding what seemed so familiar about him now. "He's oozing Pecu's powers. He's using you, child. You're his enemy."
"No, no!" Eya cried. "He says he loves me."
"Don't be a fool!" Cefa argued back, more harsh than she intended.
Quickly, she grabbed onto Eya and held her closely. Bitter tears leaked from Cefa's face. She had been here before, seduced by the charms of a narcissist, unable to see him for he was. Even now, Cefa kept hoping that Pecu could be the hero she loved.
"Eya, darling," Cefa said, "I know you want to believe he's a good person, but doesn't it seem like he might be lying to you?"
"Yes…" Eya muttered.
"I can use a little of my magic to give you dreamless sleep," Cefa responded.
"For how long? You can't kill yourself so that I don't have to talk to him."
"If he's under Pecu's power, it might be entirely necessary."
Eya pulled back onto her cot and shook her head. "No, I'll just end it with him."
"Do you really think ending your relationship will keep him from trying to use you?" Cefa asked.
"I don't know, but I have to try," Eya said, shrugging her shoulders. "He's leaving for Kandum soon anyway. He's petitioning Serenchea for help on behalf of King Retam."
"What?" Cefa said. "That's excellent news."
"Why?" Eya asked. “I don’t want Pecu having that much influence on this war.”
"It's so much harder to create this kind of link over that kind of distance," Cefa explained. "That distance requires both of you truly working towards seeing each other for it to work."
"That might be why it didn't happen until we were both in Hicares…" Eya muttered.
"Exactly!" Cefa exclaimed. "Listen, tonight, pretend everything is fine. He won't want to leave if he thinks he might lose you."
"I understand," Eya replied, nodding her head.
After planning out how Eya could keep Mal content without giving more of her heart away, they left the tent. The Kandumes pretended as though they hadn't wondered what the two women were up to in there. She couldn’t see Daijah anywhere, which could only mean that his father was keeping him busy since there were no injured to tend to right now. The rain let up. The sun peeked through the clouds, giving them all some hope that by nightfall, their clothes would be dry once again.
Eya caught sight of Rhin out of his tent, stretching his back and tilting his face up to the sun. Sorrow bloomed in her heart for him at that moment. She never understood his place in this war. He wasn't a soldier, and his role as the go-between between the Hicaron brothers and the Duke was no longer necessary. Now, he spent all day in his tent reading through his books over and over, looking for clues. It struck her then that she should discuss what she had learned in the cavern with him. As she approached, she saw his tired face turn toward her with a warm, concerned expression.
"Eya, how are you feeling?" Rhin asked and then shook his head. "Why would I ask such a stupid question?"
"It's all right, Rhin," Eya said, taking his hands in hers. "I know your heart was in the right place. I had some things I wanted to share with you if you have a moment."
"I always have a moment for you, dear," Rhin said. "Though a dry spot may be hard to come by."
"There are some places in the forest…" Eya began.
"No offense, but these woods spook me a little," Rhin interrupted.
"I think after you hear what I have to say, you'll feel much safer in them," Eya suggested.
Rhin looked apprehensive but nodded his head, at last, following Eya into the cluster of trees to the East. Eya found a little rock cropping with an overhang she had noticed coming down the mountain before. It was dry enough and gave them both room to sit comfortably. Rhin still seemed uneasy until Eya took his hands in hers.
"Rhin," she said, "those mages that disappeared. Nakta's daughters took them. It was to protect us. This whole forest wants to protect us."
"Wait, have you talked with them?" Rhin asked, flipping from frightened to intrigued in a flash.
Eya chuckled at his eagerness. "Just one of them. The mountain itself—herself is one of her daughters."
Rhin jumped a little in his seated position, noticing his surroundings in a new way. He wondered if he imagined that the ground swelled like it was inhaling and exhaling ever so slightly. Not for the first time, he pondered what happened to those Pescelean mages. Shuddering, he felt glad that Nakta's daughters were on their side.
"Is that what you wanted to discuss?" Rhin asked.
"It's part of it." Eya nodded. "I wanted to share with you what Meraz explained to me and…there's more…"
"Meraz?" Rhin asked. "Is that the mountain's name?"
"Yes," Eya answered. "She told me that the seat of Pecu's power isn't Pescel itself. It would be in something smaller, perhaps even as small as a gemstone."
"We may be on the wrong track entirely?" Rhin asked and sighed when Eya nodded her head. "The whole point of this war is to fulfill your destiny."
"I think we both know that this war has nothing to do with my destiny.” Eya scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"It was to me. How are we supposed to find it?"
"You spoke to me before about an antagonist," Eya replied. "Did you find out anymore?"
"Not much more," Rhin answered, shaking his head. "It did say they would be Pecu's chosen."
"Meraz spoke of an enemy," Eya said and looked away. "I think…I think I know who it is…"
"Who?" Rhin leaned in expectantly.
Eya swallowed. “Promise not to judge me.”
“I promise,” Rhin said, taking her hand and squeezing her fingertips. His sad smile was somehow the very thing she needed to see at that moment. She dropped her head onto his shoulder and sighed.
"There's a Pescelean mage that has been working with the Duke. I did things with him," Eya said.
Rhin took a careful, measured breath, wanting to show patience and understanding. "I see. What kind of things?"
"He—we had sex," Eya answered. "I feel so awful."
"Did you want to?" Rhin asked.
"Yes," Eya said, a blush illuminating her face. "Daijah wouldn't…"
"I understand," Rhin said, turning to look at her. "Do you have feelings for this mage?"
"I think I love him," Eya said, "but I don't think he is who he said he is. I think that he's the enemy."
"Why do you think that?" Rhin asked.
"He's been visiting me in the astral plane,” Eya answered, her heart racing fearfully. "That's only something Pecu can help him do."
"Oh, Eya…" Rhin whispered and grabbed her for a hug. "This is not good at all."
Eya leaned into his comforting embrace. “No, it's not."
Rhin turned her face with a gentle hand to look at him. He wanted his message to get through. "The Duke is making all of his decisions based on that man's advice," Rhin explained. "It was his advice that convinced the Duke to send your brothers to the Harbor."
"What?" Eya pushed herself away from Rhin, looking in his face and finding the truth there. She felt her body fill up with a white-hot, searing rage.
Rhin distanced himself instinctively as he watched her eyes take on a fierce silver and her hair bristle with static energy. "Eya, be careful," he placated. "If you go charging down there, it won't help anything. Besides, it's not like anyone knew an ambush would happen."
"A Pescelean mage might, Rhin," Eya growled, bolting upright and turning in the direction of their camp.
"Yes, but we don't know that for sure," Rhin said, getting up to stand by her. "The soldiers are already afraid of you. Imagine what will happen if you march down there and kill someone who has been helping us?"
Eya relaxed a little as she considered what he had to say. She didn't know any reason why Mal would want her brothers dead. She was entirely reliant on the kindness of the Kandumes at this point and couldn't afford to make herself their enemy. More than that, how would she explain any of this to Daijah?
"He's going to come to me tonight,” Eya said. "Just like every night."
"Be careful, Eya,” Rhin advised. “Don’t lose your head. You can do this.”
The evening came quickly to camp. Eya sat with Cefa beside a fire. An icy wind rushed through the camp that night, causing the two women to huddle together for warmth while eating their bowls of boiled vegetables. It was flavorless and already chilled by the breeze, but it filled their stomachs nonetheless. Eya knew her cot would be warmer, and a day of training left her exhausted. However, when she looked up, she saw Mal staring at her. She asked the wrathful beast pacing inside her to settle down, but it did no good. Without Cefa's presence there, she knew she would rush at this man right then, shortsword ready to plunge into his traitorous heart.
"If you take too long to go to bed, you'll make him suspicious," Cefa whispered. "You've been eager to get to bed until now."
"I could murder him, Cefa," Eya replied. "I don't know how to pretend to be the wide-eyed dope I was anymore."
"You have to try," Cefa encouraged with a kiss on the top of Eya's curly head. "I know you. You're stronger than your anger. You've conquered it before, and you will again."
Begrudgingly, Eya trusted her friend and walked with her into their tent. Sitting on the edge of her cot, she went rigid. This was the loneliest she had ever felt in her life. Breathing into the hands covering her face to steel herself for the worst, she felt Cefa's kind hands glide over her upper back to comfort her.
"How about we share a cot tonight?" Cefa asked. "I can't follow you in the dream, but maybe waking up to a friend will help."
Eya nodded numbly, and they laid together like mother and child in Eya's cot. It was crowded and uncomfortable, but Eya felt glad she wasn't alone. Falling asleep was difficult. Her mind raced with a thousand terrifying thoughts. Cefa sensed the anxiety and whispered a quick sleeping spell for Eya.
"There you are!" Farek said when Eya came into view. "I missed you!"
Malphesent stood in one of their favorite spots. There was a clear view of the constellations above. Clesta and Pecu were writhing in ecstasy. Only, this time, Clesta looked so much like Eya it astonished the Princess.
"I had trouble falling asleep," Eya said, trying not to look at him.
"Why?" he asked and saw her angry eyes. "Right, your brothers… I'm sorry." Farek tipped her chin upward to look into her eyes. He noted they were a shining silver and not the luminous green they turned when she felt amorous. He stroked her scars with a sigh and remembered how ordinary people reacted to the death of loved ones. Esamne had been distraught when her parents died. He needed to take a step back to give her time to grieve. Looking back, he realized he distanced himself too much. She had enough room to convince herself that she didn't love him anymore. He couldn't let that happen with Eya.
"Sometimes, it's easy for me to forget there's anyone besides you and me," he said, caressing her stern face. "I've lost family, too. I don't know if I was ever as close to mine as you are with yours. I'm so sorry, Eya."
"I heard a rumor," Eya said, cursing herself for not keeping quiet, but she had to know.
"Rumor?" Farek asked.
"Did you convince the Duke to send my brothers to the Harbor?" Eya asked him without hesitation. She looked into his crystal eyes, which seemed so pure and beautiful in the past. Now, they were cold, analyzing her as she spoke. She could sense his heart beating frantically through the hand he placed on her scarred cheek. Her question scared him. He was taking too long to answer.
"Yes," he whispered, at last. Farek knew that the best way to lie was to incorporate the truth.
"Did you know about the ambush?" she continued interrogating.
"How could I know that?" he responded, looking at Eya as if she had said the most nonsensical thing he'd ever heard. "I would have to be a general or something to have that kind of knowledge."
"Are you?" Eya asked with an eyebrow raised, not letting him make her feel crazy.
"Am I what?" Farek asked back.
"A general," Eya answered and then added slowly, "Or…something…"
"This is ridiculous, Eya," Malphesent said, a pleading look on his face. "I love you. You love me. Stop this and let me comfort you."
"You're not answering my questions," Eya said, taking a step back.
"Who has been putting such awful thoughts into your head?" Farek asked, closing the gap she just created.
"Why does it matter? I have questions, and you're not answering them. I thought you wanted to comfort me."
"I do," he said and tried to kiss her cheek, but she turned from him.
"Who are you?" she asked for the thousandth time since they met.
"I'm Mal—“ he began.
"A Pescelean mage,” she finished for him. "Yes, I've heard that before. Does it look like I've begun to believe it?"
Farek sat on a nearby rock and ran his fingers through his hair in a frustrated manner. He huffed out a bitter chuckle and looked up at the starry sky to take a calming breath. Eya stood with her arms crossed. Anger rolled off her in waves of static energy. He could almost see flames kissing the corners of her frame. Upon closer observation, he saw that the fire was real and dancing with her sparks of lightning. Eya seemed unaware. Farek had worked so hard to seduce her, and now she looked ready to murder him.
"You want the truth?" he asked at last, through gritted teeth.
"Yes," Eya said, exasperated.
"I am fated to be your enemy," he answered, "but when I met you, I wanted to defy my fate. I loved you instantly."
"So, you are the one Nakta's daughters warned me about," Eya said, tears flashing at the corners of her eyes.
"I'm just a man!" he cried out. "Your destiny is just as grim. The gods want us apart, but they also want us miserable. Let's change this! Run away with me. Become my bride. We could take down any prophecy together. We could live quiet lives far away together.”
Malphesent ran to her, grabbing her hands and kissing them over and over. His desperate need for her was evident. She looked at his moonlit hair, cleaner and longer than when they met. He was such a beautiful man. No wonder that he had so enthralled her. Yet, she didn't feel the lure to him now, as he pawed at her and promised the world. His fingers danced nervously. His eyes would either focus too long on her own or look up, as if he was trying to remember a line.
"I might consider this," she whispered, brushing her lips against his ear the way she knew he liked, "but I can tell you're still lying."
"Eya, I love you," he sobbed, kissing her inside wrist. "I promise you. I will do anything for you. Please."
"Who are you?" Eya asked again, touching his perfect features with her delicate hands.
Eya enchanted him again, this small but powerful woman he had made love to so often. Farek hadn't lied about loving her. The only kind of love that Malpesent knew was how he felt for Eya, stronger than he'd even felt for Esamne. He also hadn’t been lying about running off with her. At this point, he would even consider throwing away his beloved staff and all his ambitions to have her forever.
Looking at her face, he knew he risked everything, whether he spoke or not. Yet, if he was honest now, maybe he could convince her he was also just an innocent pawn in all of this. After all, she chose him over the soldier.
"I'm scared," he said at last. "You're going to hate me. I didn't know any better, Eya. I promise you."
"Just tell me, please," Eya pleaded with him, her eyes shifting to green a little, just enough to give him hope.
Eya's heart thrummed inside her. Whatever he had to say, she wanted to believe it. As angry as she was, she still didn't want this man she loved to hurt.
"I'm so sorry, Eya," Farek said, stroking her scarred cheek. After a short, sweet kiss and a sigh, he continued, "Mal is what my friends called me when I was young. A common enough name, but for me it was a nickname. It's short for Malphesent."
“Mal. Malphesent…" Eya murmured in shock and took a step back. “I’m such an idiot. You're Farek Malphesent.”
"I am," he said, nodding and hanging his head low.
Eya chuckled bitterly. "Of course, you are. Who else could my enemy be?"
"I refuse to be your enemy," he said, looking up. "I love you!"
"You killed my father!" she cried out, her inner beast straining its cage, flames and sparks igniting at her fingertips again.
"It was war—“
"A war you started!" she screamed, now pacing back and forth.
"I told you. I didn't know any better," Farek implored on his knees.
"What did Pecu offer you? Power? Wealth?" Eya shrieked through her free falling tears. "I would give up anything to have my family back!"
"If I could, I would give them back to you!" he cried out, wanting to grab her and kiss the pain away but finding himself too frightened of her rage even to move from his cowering position.
"My brothers…" she whispered to herself, stopping in her tracks. "You had to know about the ambush. You're Farek Malphesent. You control everything!"
"Well, actually, that's not true any longer," he said. "I left Pescel. I don't control anything they do. I didn't know about the ambush at all."
Farek was lying again, but he knew she would be lost to him forever if Eya knew he sent them to their deaths. She looked at him with narrowed eyes and circled him like a tiger about to pounce.
"Why did you leave Pescel?" she asked. "Don't lie. I'll know."
"I know," he said, lying already. "I was running away from my destiny. I'm still running. I don't want to hurt any more people, Eya."
Eya looked at the pain so perfectly drawn on his face. Farek looked so hopelessly in love right now, like a young, star-crossed hero, not the villainous Regent of Pescel. His soft words and gentle touch were convincing. She was his lover, after all, and her body ached to make love with him regardless of his sins. How many times had he lain with her? She lost count. He wasn't tender then. He was in control, demanding, and confident. She had liked it, loved it. The man he was in bed was the man he truly was. That's who Farek Malphesent was. He was showing her Mal now.
"Eya, I love you," he said, kissing her face all over. "Run away with me. Let's leave the gods behind. Let's be together."
"That will never be enough for you," Eya replied.
"No, it will be," he promised, believing his own lie. "I love you. How could you think that's not enough for me?"
Eya gave him a sad smile. Her flames and sparks subsided. She tasted his lips with a long, deep kiss that caused every inch of his body to vibrate with pleasure. Farek wrapped her tight to him and breathed a sigh of relief. Her small, curvy body pressed so enticingly against his that he thought he might be able to make love to her tonight after all. Eya ended the kiss and pushed away from him then.
"I know it's not enough for you because it's not enough for me," Eya said, taking another step backward.
"But, Eya, I love you," Farek sobbed.
"I know," she said. "I love Mal. I can't love Farek Malphesent."
Malphesent stumbled back from her as if she had landed a blow with her shortsword. He had never felt such a raw mixture of emotions in his life. She didn't love him. The silver glint of her eyes now made that clear. Despite his charms and his skills as a lover, she didn't love him. He was truly alone now. She was indeed his enemy. She would not be at his side, helping him conquer Telverin.
"Wake up…" Farek's staff whispered through to him. "Leave now…"
Farek's eyes flew open. The sky still looked dark, but the sun would rise soon. Quickly, he reached under his pillow to grab the letter from King Retam. It gave the order to join the court in Kandum. He could have left the night before, but he wanted one last chance to make love to Eya. He didn't know if their connection would hold from such a distance.
Now, he prayed to Pecu that the distance would grant him safety from her wrath. He stuffed the letter into his bag and threw on his pants. Slinging the bag over his shoulder and grabbing his staff, he crawled out the back of his tent. Though he had permission and an order to travel to Kandum, he wanted to do so without Kandumes escorts. He found a horse and quietly rode away from the camp with remarkable stealth, only coming to a full gallop when he was past the mountains, and he could feel the sun rising behind him to the East.
The sun splashed into Eya's tent when a gust of freezing wind threw open the flaps on her tent. Her eyes opened with a flash, her heart beating fast, as her competing emotions flooded her all at once. Cefa grumbled about the cold, not wanting to wake up. Eya sat upright and bolted out of bed, causing the old woman to teeter on the edge of the cot and wake up.
Eya sparked. Her hair waved in the air unnaturally, carried by her own electricity. More than that, blue flames illuminated her hands and wrists. Her feet merely brushed the ground as she glided out of the tent. Her anger menaced, like a predator seeking prey. Cefa could only scramble away as the silver aura overtook Eya now.
"Farek Malphesent!" Eya screamed out when entering the center of camp.
Kandumes stared in confusion and then terror from their bowls of tasteless oats.
"Come out, you dog!" she yelled out. "Come out or die! You murdering, loathsome monster!"
Daijah exited his tent to see what the commotion was. As soon as he saw her glowing silver eyes, he knew something horrible had happened. He rushed to grab her hands. He couldn't let her lose control. She would never forgive herself. He snapped his hands away from hers with a wince.
He looked at his fingers, blistering from her heat.
"Eya, what's wrong?" he asked. "What can I do to help you?"
"Bring me that Pescelean mage that's become your father's pet," she answered, turning her cold silver eyes to his face. "I want to free his head from his body."
"The prisoner?" he asked. "Why?"
"That man is no prisoner!" she yelled. "He's a snake! He came here to destroy us from within! He killed my father! He killed my brothers! He must pay!"
"What are you talking about?" Daijah whispered, mostly to himself.
The Duke burst out of his tent. An incensed scowl accompanied his thunderous steps. The Duke hated nothing more than disruptions to his morning calm. It was when he did his best thinking.
"What is this caterwauling?" he growled.
"She wants the Pescelean mage you've been working with," Daijah said, shrugging his shoulders, attempting to grab her burning hands again.
"He's Farek Malphesent! The mage is Malphesent!" she cried out and pulled herself from Daijah's grasp.
Eya fled to Farek's tent and tore it open. It was empty, save for a cot. She turned around, angrier than before. The gusts of icy wind became difficult for the Kandumes to manage. Tents pulled at their pegs, threatening to fly away. The cauldron of oats fell onto the fire, causing quite a panic in the breakfast line. Thunder cracked above, and lightning split the distant sky. Blue flames spread up from her wrists up to her shoulders. Eya flew to the Duke.
"Where is he?" she asked the Duke, once they were nose to nose.
"He left for Kandum," the Duke replied, a disgusted sneer on his face.
"No!" she screamed. "He has to pay for what he's done!"
"He's our ally," the Duke said. "He will come to no harm."
"He's a snake!" Eya growled.
Daijah tried to pull her away, but once again, his hands recoiled back from the fire. Eya's rage seemed boundless, and she wouldn't know satisfaction until someone got hurt. Right now, she thought she could settle for clobbering the Duke. The Duke looked above and behind her at a soldier, ready to take orders.
"Knock her out," he commanded with a nod.
Before she could turn, the world went black. No Farek, no dreams. Just darkness, peace, and rest.