Farek chuckled at Eya's shock. She probably wondered what he could have to share that none of the other prisoners provided yet. He offered her a little rope to tie his hands together behind his back. He prepared for this exact moment, and he enjoyed watching that realization on her face. He wished he hadn't lost track of her in the mountains, but he wasn't afraid she would get hurt. She was amazing. Killing came effortlessly to her. She didn't stop to cry or shake in fear. She simply saw a job to do and got it done.
He hoped he did a good job planting a seed of doubt in her mind about that soldier she mooned over. He couldn't believe the idiot she was in love with hadn't explored every inch of that body. If she loved him, he would leave her unable to walk right for a week.
"It's still not too late to run," she whispered to him one last time, and he noted something like fear in her eyes.
"You seem worried about me," he replied, his heart warming. How long had it been since anyone had cared if he lived or died? "You don't need to be. I promise you. The Duke will be interested in what I have to share."
"The Duke is in a bad enough mood to murder you before you speak a word," she told him, a grim frown on her face.
"I will have to take that chance," he responded, playing the role of the brave hero and then added for good measure, "if it means stopping the Pesceleans from advancing."
"You're crazy," she said with a sigh and finished binding his hands.
"There's only one thing you could do to keep me from talking to the Duke of Rodovan."
"What?" Eya asked, with eyes lighting up in hope.
"Make love to me," he answered with a crooked smile.
"Off to the Duke, it is," she said, rolling her eyes and pulling him forward.
They arrived at a tent, with banners and flags signaling its importance, just in time for Farek to see some familiar princes walk around. He lowered his head so the young men he once held captive wouldn't recognize him. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked on at Novem. He heard rumors that Esamne had an affair with him. He wasn't that good looking. Then he looked at Eya and noticed the resemblance. Who was he kidding? If Eya was this breathtaking, obviously Novem was capable of turning heads. The princess opened the tent to reveal a furious general inside.
"What are you doing back?" the Duke grumbled. "I thought you wanted some sleep."
"I was on my way to do that," Eya replied. "When this soldier approached me, stating that he had information you would want."
Eya pushed him down on his knees. Farek felt almost a little aroused at her display of power in front of her General. He looked up at the Duke of Rodovan and noticed the hate coiling off of him for Eya. He obviously resented Eya's presence. Farek could use that. Likely, her brothers also were not in a friendly position with the Duke. The Duke turned his angry eyes onto Farek now, and it immediately became apparent why Eya warned him several times that this wasn't a good idea.
"I'm not just a soldier!" Farek blurted out. “I—I worked at The Palace. I have inside information."
"So, you're a traitor then," the Duke growled. "Why should I trust anything you say?"
"Because," he said, frantically searching his mind for some persuasive argument, "they're forcing us to fight now. I didn't even want this war. I was going to escape, but I saw this woman here in danger. So, I stuck around to help."
"It's true," Eya said, nodding on a sigh. "Without his help, I never would have gotten to all those mages."
The Duke walked around Farek now, checking the ties on his wrists by pulling on them. He made a grunt of approval. Then, the Duke pulled out a large scimitar. Farek knew beyond a doubt that this bear of a man was about to chop off his head, and he wished he had run like Eya suggested. However, the Duke sat down on a nearby chair, holding the weapon in his lap.
"Thank you, Princess Eyanisade," the Duke said, nodding at her. "You can get your rest now. I will talk to this prisoner."
"Should I get a guard to assist?" she asked, worrying the bottom of her lip. Farek wondered who she was afraid for here.
"No, that won't be necessary." The Duke chuckled. "I can take on a tied up Pescelean weakling if he decides to do something stupid."
Eya nodded and walked out. Farek looked at the Duke and remembered that he had held power over men just like this all his life. He might not be the skilled fighter the man before him was, but Farek had the superior mind.
"So, soldier or whatever you are," the Duke said. "What can you tell me?"
"I can tell you that I am not a soldier," Farek answered. "I came here to end this war. I can tell you everything you need to know about Pescel's weaknesses, of which there are many. I can also help you with your problem."
"I don't have a problem." The Duke scoffed. "I've done nothing but win."
"With great casualty. At least during this battle, and probably because those Hicaron princes think they know battle better than you."
"What do you mean?" the Duke asked. He tried to look impassive, but Farek saw a brief flinch and knew he had his hooks in.
"This camp knew you were coming days ahead of time," Farek answered. "I'm assuming it was the princes that slowed you down."
The Duke remained silent, and Farek knew he had chosen the right thing to say. He sat up with a little more confidence now, looking the General in his eyes. He tried to keep a smile from crossing his face.
"What if you didn't have to worry about them ever again?" Farek asked.
It took some convincing, but he finally reached an agreement with the General. He would help him draft the perfect letter convincing King Retam to send the princes on a separate mission. At the same time, Farek found a way to make sure they stayed away, using his understanding of the current state of things with the Pescelean troops in Hicares. Unlike the other captive Pesceleans at the camp, Farek got his own tent. Soldiers guarded it, but that meant very little to Farek, who had escaped from The Palace with every guard imaginable running after him.
As soon as he was in his tent, he slipped out the back, underneath the tarp. He had to move very slowly to avoid moving the tent too much, but after a while, he got out. Then, he set about finding his staff, which he hid near Eya's tent. He thought about looking in on her sleeping but decided against it. It was too risky for too little reward. Besides, perhaps they would dream of each other again. Dream Eya was much easier to talk into giving him kisses.
When he slithered through the shadows back to his tent, he pushed his staff under first and then crawled under the tarp himself. Once safely inside, he hid his staff under his cot. Then, Farek closed his eyes and allowed himself to dream.
Eya was there again, and she looked annoyed to see him. This made him smile. He was afraid it would be just another dream where he watched her from afar. She sat in a cotton nightgown by a beautiful spring. Bright stars filled the sky above, and it seemed she had been watching them until he showed up.
"This is an interesting dream, Eya," Farek said, sitting next to her and making himself comfortable. "So peaceful, so unlike our reality."
“It was peaceful," Eya grumbled, “until you showed up.”
"Why are you upset with me?" Farek asked her, tucking a curl behind her ear. "Didn't I help you today?"
"Yes, but you also asked me to sleep with you," Eya replied, raising an eyebrow back at him.
"All I did was ask. Can you blame me for taking a shot? That was the only way you were going to keep me from doing what I had to do."
"I suppose the Duke murdered you, and I'm talking to your ghost right now," Eya said, and Farek laughed.
"He understood that I could do a lot to help," Farek answered and then looked up at the sky. "These stars are amazing."
"Yes. I've never seen anything like them before. They're more than constellations, they…"
"They actually look like pictures made of stars." Farek finished for her. "Like that one of the serpent and the maiden. My, they look friendly with each other."
"Clesta and Pecu…" Eya whispered. "Love and betrayal."
"Are you familiar with betrayal, Eya?" Farek asked her.
"No," she answered, shaking her head, "but I know many who are."
"I hope you never have to know for yourself," Farek said, meaning it.
He thought of Esamne, the look of disgust on her face when she saw him in that window.
"Why can we see each other in our dreams?" Eya asked the question they both had been pondering for a long time.
"I don't know," Farek answered with a shrug. "It probably has something to do with how you can channel storms like you do. Another power from the Goddess Winds.”
"How do you know that?" Eya asked, her eyes wide. "You're not just some soldier, are you?"
"Of course, I'm not," he said and chuckled, readying a new lie. "I'm a mage. They sent me here to study the Statue."
"So, you were here when my parents…" Eya grew quiet and looked away.
"I'm sorry," Farek whispered after some time.
"Do you think he buried them?" Eya asked, tears shining in her silver eyes.
"What?" Farek looked at her in confusion.
"My parents. My father died in battle, I heard. My mother was very ill when I left, close to death's door. Do you think Farek Malphesent buried them?"
"Why wouldn't he?" Farek asked, feeling odd talking about himself as if he were a stranger.
"He's a monster, right?" Eya replied. "That's what they say. Would a monster let my parents rest? Would he even care?"
In truth, Farek left it up to his generals to dispose of the King's body. He was sure it made it back to the castle, and likely they buried him. The queen hadn't died of illness, however. She took a dagger to her wrists, leaving a blood-soaked bed to clean up. They buried her quickly to get rid of the odor. Perhaps it was a good thing that Eya didn't know this.
"The Regent did terrible things because of the war," Farek said hesitantly, not wanting to praise himself too much since he was supposed to be a Pescelean defector for moral reasons. "I may disagree with what he did here, but he's no more a monster than King Retam is. Pescelean custom is to bury your fallen enemy, especially ones as honorable as the Hicaron nobility."
"Thanks," Eya said. "That makes me feel a little better."
"What's really bothering you?"
"My fate," she answered, a sad smile on her lips. "I want to think that I can avoid it, but I just killed dozens of men today, and I don't even feel it anymore. It used to hurt. It used to weigh on me when I had to kill. Who am I becoming?"
"A warrior," Farek answered and put his arm around her shoulder as she cried into her hands.
He held her like that until the stars disappeared into the brightness of morning, and Farek opened his eyes. He smiled. It was the longest he ever spent with her. Though she spent it crying over things that could only bring them closer together, he used that moment to his advantage. She hadn't told her soldier these fears. She told Mal.
Over the next few days, Farek visited Eya in their dreams. He came to realize that if they were both asleep at the same time, they could communicate. Otherwise, his dreams were simple visions of what she was doing in the real world. He watched her attempts to flirt with her soldier during the day. The soldier was too busy tending to the injured to return her advances. He almost seemed to be ignoring her—what a fool. He watched her practicing magic with the old woman, Cefa, who, most of the time, wasn’t too far away. That made it next to impossible for Farek to see Eya during his waking time.
Usually, during his dreams with Eya, they talked about the Statue and its history. She had an interesting take on the tale, one from the standpoint of Clesta. He only ever heard it from Pecu's point of view before. A god so in love with his goddess that he couldn't bear for anyone else to share her attention, betrayed by her when she left his side forever. However, Eya seemed to believe that Pecu left Clesta when she became upset that he froze her sisters. Farek would forgive her for this ignorance. She wasn't a religious scholar like he was, after all.
He continued to impress upon her that she was desirable. The busier the soldier seemed during the day, the more Farek described how much he longed for her. He saw it working, too. He saw the blush that formed on her perfect cheeks when he complimented her. He heard the quiet instead of argument as he stated over and over that a woman like her deserved for a man to love her fully.
Then, one day, while he discussed what he knew about the number of recruited mages with the Duke, he saw Eya looking at him, even though her soldier was nearby. He smiled at her, and she smiled back, turning away to continue her target practice. The soldier looked at him with a confused expression, but continued guiding Eya in her practice.
Farek felt relieved when the messengers to Kandum finally returned. It had been difficult hiding his face from the Hicaron brothers. They tended to avoid being around the Duke due to their mutual animosity. However, it wasn't impossible to avoid them entirely. So, Farek put on a show, playing up his shame as a Pescelean captive. He kept his head low, and his hair sandy.
With the messengers came a letter from the Kandum king. Guards escorted Farek back to his tent while the Duke went into his tent, followed by his son and the Hicaron royalty. Soon enough, Farek slipped out the back of his tent and hid near the Duke's to listen in.
"We have some guidance from King Retam here," he heard the Duke say. "We also have the promise of more troops, which is some good news."
"It is," Parvon agreed. "What guidance does the King send?"
"His spies say that Pescel is sending more troops," the Duke answered. "They'll be coming by ship to the harbor just South of your castle. They have not prepared at all for battle yet. Not one mage will be with them."
"That's pretty far away," Simrin interjected. "It also would require us to pass by one of the most heavily guarded camps in Hicares."
"They'll be there within two weeks," the Duke continued. "If we send some troops down now, they can avoid the areas already occupied by Pescelean troops and prevent them from bolstering existing camps."
"Which troops are you suggesting we send?" Parvon asked.
"It will have to be yours," the Duke replied. "I have to be here to receive the reinforcements from Kandum. Besides, you three know that area of Hicares much better than I do."
"It still seems like a risk," Parvon replied after a pause. "Our troops are so depleted, but I don't want to go against the King's intelligence."
Little did they know that this was Farek's intelligence, given as a suggestion to King Retam from the Duke. The King was giving the Duke permission to send the disposable Hicaron brothers on a suicide mission. As long as they had Eya, they had all the cause they needed, without half the hassle of a landless Hicaron king and his brothers. Farek slipped back into his tent unnoticed and drifted off to sleep, ready for more alone time with Eya.
"Something doesn't feel right," Eya whispered, picking flowers in a dream field.
"What do you mean?" Farek asked, walking beside her, enjoying how much this scenery reminded him of his happier days in Pescel.
"The rush to send troops to the harbor," Eya answered as she turned her head to the sea in the distance.
The sunlight gave her a golden glow and caused her scars to redden.
"If we are in a dream," Farek said, changing the topic, "why do you still have scars? Wouldn't you dream them away?"
"My scars?" Eya touched her left cheek. "I guess I feel like they're part of me now, a reminder of who I have become."
"Who have you become?" Farek asked.
"A survivor," she answered in a quiet, distant voice.
"You are," Farek said, brushing the scar with a gentle thumb. "Trust in that."
He wanted to tell her that her brothers would be fine and that nothing was amiss. The lie would soothe her and cover his tracks. He couldn't do it, though. It was enough that he was going to take them away from her forever, just like her parents.
"Mal?" she called the name he had given her. "Is something on your mind?"
"I was just wondering if you would give me another kiss."
Eya tossed her flowers at him and laughed.
Farek's mouth fell open in mock insult.
She laughed at him, and he growled at her, causing her to run through the flowers as he chased. The stride of his long legs caught up to her short ones, and he pulled her close to him.
"I caught you!" he exclaimed with a laugh.
"It's not fair!" she squealed through ragged, giggling breaths but grew quiet when she realized how close they were. "Do you miss her?"
"All the time," Farek answered honestly. "I love her."
"So, why do you want to kiss me?"
"Because I love you, too," he answered.
"You can't love two people," she said but didn't pull away.
"Who made that rule?" He scoffed. "Some people can."
"I'm not one of those people," Eya said, shaking herself out of his trance and pulling away.
"Are you sure about that?"
But it was too late. The dream was already fading.
When the Hicaron brothers departed with their depleted troops, Farek watched from the shadows, careful to keep his face hidden.
Eya stood next to Daijah, waving them off. She didn't notice him there, but the Duke did. He motioned for Farek to follow him. Farek obediently joined the Duke in his tent.
It was the first time in a long time since he'd been alone with the Duke. For some reason, that made Farek nervous. However, he kept his head calm, and his face confident.
"You've kept your part of the bargain so far," the Duke said. "King Retam has requested that we move on to our next camp once the recruits arrive. If all goes as planned with the Hicaron brothers, then I will be sending you to Kandum with my messengers."
"You won't regret it," Farek replied, bowing a little. "I will do everything in my power to help crush Pescel."
"I don't know why," the Duke grumbled, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Isn't it your home?"
"It is. It will be better under Kandum rule."
"Anything would be better than some wisp of a girl calling herself the Queen," the Duke said.
Farek bristled. He didn't let it show, however, and put on a smile.
The Duke dismissed Farek, who was more than relieved to leave. He'd rather lay in his cot all day than be alone with the Duke a moment longer. He seethed over how the man described Esamne. Farek knew better than anyone that she was an intelligent and skilled monarch. She would have been fantastic at his side.
Coming out of the tent, he spotted Eya. She wore that form-fitting leather armor and practiced with the short sword. She had an angry, almost desperate swing. Perhaps she was working out how she felt about her brothers leaving. Thoughts of the ruler he could have been with Esamne drifted away, replaced with visions of ruling Telverin with Eya. He watched her longingly for a moment too long. The soldier approached him, and Farek didn't notice until they were almost nose to nose. Farek was tall, but he felt like a child next to this man.
"Why do I keep finding you looking at the Princess?" the soldier asked with a cold anger that was nearly as frightening as the Duke's power.
When Farek didn't speak, the soldier pulled him by the collar, bringing their faces even closer together, and said, "Answer me."
"Who wouldn't look at a goddess?" Farek whispered.
"Learn not to," the soldier said, letting go of him to walk into the Duke's tent.
Farek rubbed his neck where the collar dug into it, took a quick look at the still sparring Eya, and retreated to his tent. If the soldier was that upset over a glance, imagine how he would feel over shared dreams. Farek smiled, thinking of the way he got under the soldier's skin. He would have to fit in more opportunities for the soldier to question their relationship.
"Daughters are near…" Farek's staff whispered.
"Daughters? What daughters?" Farek asked, pulling his staff out from under his cot. "That doesn't make sense."
"Nakta's…" it whispered again. "They hold answers…"
Farek pondered over that. His immediate reaction was excitement. Perhaps, they would have information on opening the Statue of the Goddess Winds. Yet, he already knew that Eya was the key. He also couldn't risk leaving the camp to hunt them using such a vague clue. Instead, he put the thought away to use it in the future, perhaps when he had more information.
That night, he discovered Eya waiting for him. There was no scenery this time, nothing but blackness and her silvery aura. She looked alone and sad. She was so silent that he thought she might not see him. When he stepped closer, however, she tilted her head up toward his. Then, he saw the shining tear fall in silence down her scarred cheek.
"I just got them back, and now they're gone again," she sobbed, her eyes locked with his.
"I know," Farek said, wiping the tear away, though he thought it made her look even more lovely. "I'm sorry."
"Can you really love more than one person?" she asked, their bodies coming closer together.
He nodded, leaning in close. He could feel her sweet breath on his cheek. They were so close now that her breasts brushed against him as she inhaled. He saw her mind at work, the way she weighed her guilt against her desires. He saw her decision. She lifted herself on her tiptoes to place her lips against his. Farek knew then that he didn't even care if he ever saw Esamne again.