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They did not have to venture as far as he had expected. Once they helped Lachtori wrap her sister’s body in a shroud and lay it safely on a small wagon, she bid them a silent farewell. In just a short ride, they had come to the narrow entrance of a cave. It appeared so suddenly that Sorin thought maybe it was another mirage like the one he had seen in Lachtori’s mind. Mavka put a hand to her heart before entering. A sign of respect for what they were about to do.
The others looked nervously at the cave, unsure of what they were about to find in there. After their meeting with Lachtori, they described what they had seen in the vision, and Mavka had assured them that she knew exactly where the relic was hidden. There were only two caves near the Fate’s cottage, and only one of those was rumored to have an entire cavern made of crystals.
Sorin could not stop thinking about the warning from Lachtori. The Stave would not be so easy to obtain, and he hated not knowing exactly what lay ahead of them. Especially with an enemy who knew they were coming. Protect one another. It had been her final warning to them.
“Sorin, I have a bad feeling about this.” Shaye hadn’t left his side since they departed from the cottage. She had removed her jacket when she noticed some of the Fate’s blood on it. Her white blouse was belted and accented her waist, reminding him once again that she was not the little girl he had saved in the palace anymore.
She was looking at him expectantly. They were all on edge now. “You and me both. Just be on guard. Oh, and here.” He handed her a small, jeweled dagger with the king’s crest on it. “Just in case.” He smirked, noting the blush on Shaye’s cheeks as he did so.
The cave was vacant and damp. He could hear water dripping in one of the nearby caverns. It was hard to imagine his father here, in this dark cave, hiding away the relic that was key in his plans for change. I guess we’re not so different after all, father. Sorin was here for change too. He needed to set things right and then he needed to fix this shattered kingdom. Needed to do right by all its people.
Mavka led them through the cave, sure of herself and of where Lachtori claimed they would find the Stave. He could feel the tension of his companions, ready for a fight. They would not be ambushed again like they had been with the Naga and the fog. Shaye walked beside him. He had felt a shift between them since that moment in the library, but he tried to focus on the task at hand.
They continued deeper into the cavern until they entered a room filled with awe-inspiring crystals. There was a shallow pool below, and just beyond stood the Stave of Leto. Just as Lachtori had shown them. It was like it had been waiting for them, positioned proudly, leaning on a flat, silken rock. It was slightly longer than a broadsword, and thin with a twisted knot of wood at the top. Sorin’s breath caught in his throat when he saw that it was split, revealing splintered wood where its other half had been removed. Anywhere else and he would have overlooked it as fire kindling. But here, under the fluorescent light of the crystals, it called to him. One half of the Stave.
“What happened to it?” Bron wrinkled his brow beside Sorin.
“It’s been broken in half.” Mavka whispered in disbelief. “Where is the other piece?”
Sorin removed his weapons and jacket. “It doesn’t matter right now. We retrieve this half first, then worry about the rest.”
He moved to get into the pool of water, but a small hand stopped him. “Careful, Your Majesty,” Mavka’s voice echoed softly. “It will not allow you to take it without a fight.”
“Allow me to go, Sir.” Anik volunteered, already removing his boots.
“No, I’ve brought us this far, it is my risk to take.” He kicked off his boots. “I’ve always been a better swimmer than you anyways,” he added jokingly, though no one laughed.
Shaye put a hand on his arm. “Sorin, Mavka is right. This feels too easy.”
He smiled, brushing off her concern as he inched closer to the water. Shaye walked at his side, dagger in hand. Bron stood with Anik, surveying the dark corners of the arched walls. This was it, there was no time to waste, they needed the Stave and they needed it now. He felt a tug as if it were calling to him.
He neared the water’s edge, but the moment his foot hit the water, the cavern quaked. Shaye shouted to him, grabbing at his sleeve, but it was too late. He felt her fingers slip away from him as a strong hand grabbed his leg and pulled him under. Ice cold water filled his nose and he thrashed in a panic. He could hear distant shouting, but there was nothing he could do except allow himself to be pulled deeper into the glistening pool.
Reaching for his knife, he attempted to slash at whatever monster was drowning him. He had spent years at the docks with the fishermen and time as a boy swimming in the ponds around Asterion. He had always considered himself a strong swimmer, but nothing could match whatever it was pulling him to a watery grave.
He shut his eyes and thought of Shaye. This cannot be how it ends. When he opened his eyes, he saw the creature that was fighting hard to drown him. What he had not expected to see was a beautiful, dark-skinned woman coated in golden scales. Her black hair swirled around them both and he could have sworn he saw her smile.
Her voice echoed in his head, though her mouth never moved. Come with me, Sorin of Asterion. Let go of it all and you will find peace in the deep.
NO. He kicked at her and tried to roll away from her sharp grasp. There seemed to be no escaping her. She smiled again, flashing white, pointed teeth at him. She reminded him of the sirens he had seen in the paintings at the Winter Palace.
Her voice rang in his mind. Close, young King. Too bad you have failed before you have even begun. My master wants you dead, and I must obey.
Realization hit him then. Not a siren. A Ceasg. A mermaid who, if legends were right, would grant wishes to whomever captured her. Before she could react, he undid the baldrick strapped around his chest and swung it around her neck. She let out a piercing cry as he pulled them both to the surface.
When they emerged from the water, they were on the other side of the pool; the Stave laid within his reach. The Ceasg wailed and thrashed under his hold, but he refused to release her. Holding tight, he dragged her onto the smooth, cold stones, “Three wishes, if I am correct.”
She stilled. Her scales glistened in the light of the crystals; her onyx-colored hair was tangled and wet. He heard the others gasp from across the pool at the sight of him and the Ceasg. He heard Shaye sob with relief. When he looked back at his friends, she was on her knees with Bron’s arms wrapped around her, holding her back from the water.
“I will make you a deal.” Sorin began to release her from his hold. “You grant me one wish and I will release you to live your life as you please.”
Her ebony eyes went wide in surprise. “A trick. Like the dark ones before you played on me.”
Sorin had a faint idea of who she might be referring to... The Nefari. “No tricks here. We simply need to take that relic with us.”
The Ceasg thought for a moment. Part of him worried she would plunge him back into that water, until golden dust erupted from her hands, and in the blink of an eye he was holding the Stave. Or what was left of it...
“It is done,” she said scornfully. “Now release me.” Her accent was thick. It was clear she was not from Asterion.
“I wish that you would be free as long as you live.”
Sparks went ablaze in the cavern, and he heard his friends on the other side of the pool gasp. When the light subsided, a woman was standing tall before him. The Ceasg had shed her scaled tail and stood now on two legs in an elaborate golden dress embroidered with the finest silk. On her head she wore a golden headpiece, detailed with crystals from the cave.
“Are we free to go?” he asked, unsure of what to do next.
She nodded, staring at him in awe. As he turned back toward the water, ready to escape this horrible cave, she called out to him, “Why would you do that? Why set me free when you could have bid me to do whatever you pleased?”
“No one in this world, or the next, deserves to live a life in servitude to another.”
He prepared himself to get back into the cold water, but she spoke again, “The ones who trapped me here, they will hunt you down, you know.”
“Trust me, we know, but we’ll be ready.” Sorin adjusted his baldrick, strapping the Stave into place with it.
“You will need help,” she offered, wading into the water where he stood. She held out her hand to him, still glittering with shimmering dust, a sign of her magic.
“If you are offering, we will take all of the help we can get. But please, know that you owe me nothing. And the big one there,” he pointed to Bron, “he snores like a bear.”
The Ceasg chuckled. It sounded like waves crashing into the shore, “Bears don’t scare me and neither do the men who put me here. I will help you of my own free will. It is my decision, and it is final.”
Sorin took her hand in his, shaking it in acceptance of her offer to help. She held her head high, “I am Ingemar.”
“It is nice to meet you, Ingemar.”
They crossed the pool, back to his companions. Shaye was pale and wet. She had jumped in after him to rescue him from a murky death before Bron had pulled her back to shore. No matter how unfruitful her efforts had been, Sorin could not help but feel gratitude toward her. Bron had done what he had instructed; he had kept her safe.
When they reached the shore, Shaye threw her arms around him. “Don’t you ever go in alone like that again, do you understand?” When she pulled back, she hit him in the chest.
Pulling her back into his arms, he smiled. “I understand.”
Once they made their way back into the mouth of the cavern, Ingemar told them her story. She explained how she had been captured by a group of men with hands as black as coal. They had only one wish, for her to guard the relic no matter who came looking for it, no matter how long it took. She hadn’t understood it at the time, for they had split it in two before taking their leave. But she had been bound, as is the nature of her kind. She had not known who they were, only that they needed the Stave to remain here.
They made camp in the mouth of the cave, Sorin and Bron questioning her well into the night. They needed to know every little detail about the men who had taken her, no matter how small and insignificant it seemed. She was happy to share what she knew, but there were no clues as to where the Nefari were making their camp or who was leading them. She did not know how many of them there were or what they were planning next. Sorin shook his head in frustration; the Nefari were proving themselves to be a formidable opponent.
It was Mavka who caught their attention when she asked, “Why do you think the Nefari left the broken piece behind? Why not keep the pieces together or turn it to ash? It seems careless of them to leave it for us to find.”
Bron agreed, “She’s right, and careless hasn’t been their style up to this point.” He kicked at the dirt. “Even with the Fates; they deliberately left the carnage for us to find, like they were taunting us.”
It was a question Sorin had asked himself since the moment they had laid eyes on the broken Stave. But he did not have an answer.
Ingemar poked at the ground with a stick. Her hands still shimmered like faint scales, lingering through the magic that had transformed her. She was thoughtful for a moment before she spoke, “There was a tale our elders used to tell. Of a siren king in the Eastern Isles. His kingdom had been vast and the envy of many. They had prospered in the safety of their kingdom under the sea. Until a powerful Sea-Witch amassed enough power to try to steal the trident from him.”
Sorin leaned forward with his arms resting on his legs, lost in the tale as she continued, “Though she failed in the attack, the King had worried that his people could not hold up against the Witch’s army. The King broke the trident. He did this to prevent it from being used by his enemies. Even if it meant never again holding its power for himself. He did not fear the loss of it because he believed that one day, his daughter, who had been hidden away, would become strong enough to piece it back together.
Destroying the trident and its power had only been a temporary sacrifice. By breaking it into shards they were able to keep it from the Sea-Witch’s grasp. Perhaps we are seeing something similar here. The Nefari have broken the Stave to release their dark power beyond the forest and into the rest of Asterion. Until they become powerful enough to put it back together and use it against their enemies.”
It made sense, Sorin thought. If they could not use it yet, then it would have been safer to split it in two, keeping one piece with them while putting the other one in a guarded location. Which only meant that they were not done with this piece of the relic. He touched their half of the Stave and power vibrated from it, even in its current state.
It was strange to think that such an ordinary-looking piece of wood could have such magic within it. He kicked at the dirt in front of him. The ease that had surrounded them earlier was gone now, replaced with tension.
Mavka whispered to her moths, “Okay, okay, I’ll ask her.” She looked to Ingemar, who was eyeing the small girl with curiosity and good humor. “Ingemar, we were wondering, what is it like where you’re from?”
Ingemar thought for a moment before replying, “It feels strange to answer your question. My people have been in hiding for so long... But I can tell you that it is the most beautiful place in this world. The waters are always clear and sparkling. Much like your Asterion, magic lives within it. We are a peaceful people. Too much danger awaits us on the shore, so we must protect one another. Fierce fighters, truly fierce.” Wild beauty danced in her eyes.
Mavka sighed and leaned against Bron. “I wish I could see it. I should very much like to see everything.”
Sorin cut in, “Then you will. We will take you to Aramoor first, so you can shop in the trade district and-”
Shaye interrupted excitedly, “And taste Rolland’s cooking! Oh, and I’ll introduce you to Brina; the two of you would really like each other.” They all laughed.
Bron took a turn, “And I will take you to a ball.”
They were all stunned, staring wide-eyed as they tried to picture Bron, of all people, at a ball, with the forest girl on his arm.
“What?” He threw his hands up in defense. “I like a good ball as much as the next guy.”
Everyone laughed hysterically, but Mavka whispered, “I would love that. All of that.”
Bron took a long swig from the flask and Mavka yawned. Storytime was over.
Sometime later in the night, Sorin awoke to a familiar voice. It was calling out to him to help, but when he looked around, his companions were sleeping peacefully. He tried to shake the feeling and laid back down on his bedroll, but as soon as he shut his eyes, he heard it again. This time the call was more urgent, pleading for him to help. It was Elijah. He would have known that voice anywhere. In an instant, Sorin was up, sword in hand. He did not bother with his boots as he walked slowly toward the mouth of the cave. Elijah’s voice called out from the forest, pleading for Sorin to help him.
Please, Sorin, I’m hurt real bad. Sorin...
The hair on Sorin’s arms stood and his heart raced. I must go to him. “Elijah! Wait there, I’m coming for you.” Before Sorin could step foot outside of the cave, a hand pulled him back. It was Shaye. She was standing wide-eyed, her fingers held fast to his shirtsleeve.
“Shaye, what are you doing? He needs me, let go.” He pushed her hand away and moved to help his friend. Instead of a hand, this time he was met with a force that knocked him back into the cave. He spun on his heel, anger seething from him. What were they doing? Elijah was out there alone, and he needed help.
Ingemar stood, hands extended as gold dust flurried in the air. “Your Majesty, no one is out there.”
“He’s there! I can hear him. Can’t you hear him Bron? Anik?” He looked to his friends for assistance, but they just stared back at him bleary-eyed.
Mavka let out a yawn. “She’s right your Majesty, it is only a trick. A very mean trick.”
Sorin, brother, please, I’m cold, I want to go home, Elijah called to him again; Sorin turned on Ingemar. “Release the wall, now, that is an order from your King.”
“With all due respect, King Sorin, you are not my King. And I will not allow you, or anyone else, to be harmed by whatever dark magic lurks beyond these rocky walls.” She held her magic, Sorin was no match.
Shaye touched his cheek tenderly. “Sorin, look, really look. What do you see?”
He wiped the sweat from his brow and gazed out of the cave, in the direction of Elijah’s call. Despair filled him when he saw a dense, black fog weaving in and out of the trees. Elijah wasn’t there. He was gone, taken by the fog, and now it was here, taunting him. He sank to his knees, leaning into Shaye as she stood by his side, stroking his hair.
He turned to her, burying his head against her legs and sobbed, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” They stayed like that for a while, him crying for the loss of his friend, Shaye running her hands along his hair.
Once everyone had settled back down, he was able to drift back to sleep. Shaye had moved her bedroll closer to his. He imagined she was afraid to leave him alone after what had almost happened. If he had left the cave, the man-eating fog would have taken him, just as it had taken Elijah, just as it had tried to take Shaye on the cliff. Ingemar assured them that her magic would hold through the night, preventing anything from entering the cave while they slept. He was suddenly incredibly grateful for Ingemar, who had tried to drown him just hours earlier.
When they awoke in the morning there was desperation in the air. They knew a few things for sure: The dark Magi were extremely powerful, and they were enemies of the crown, ready to cross any line to get what they wanted. He spent the morning apologizing to his friends for the night before. He had put them and the entire country in danger by being so naive. And he had insulted Ingemar in the process. They were all very gracious, promising that there were no hard feelings, nothing he needed to apologize for.
“You know I would have done the same, brother.” Bron patted Sorin on the back before mounting Altivo.
Sorin pulled Shaye aside once they had finished packing. They were headed back to the Palace to decide what their next steps would be.
“If you want to leave, then I understand. We are dealing with something much bigger here than I thought. If you left now, no one would blame you.”
“None of us had any idea what we were walking into. But I am here, so I plan to see this through.” She grabbed his hand and he relaxed at her touch.
“When we get back to the Palace we need to talk.”
Shaye bit her lip and nodded, “Of course.”
The ride back to the Winter Palace went much faster than the journey to the cave. The horses were glad to be in the stables again and Shaye took the time to give each of them an apple in reward for the journey. Sorin loved the way she doted on Finn and how he would catch her in private conversation with the gelding.
Back in the palace everyone was quiet; it seemed to be a pattern of theirs after each challenge they faced, each lost in thought. Ingemar had kept her word and insisted on coming back with them. Against Sorin’s protests she claimed that she would not be swayed.
Bron offered to fetch them dinner and bounded off with Mavka glued to his side. She was infatuated with Bron and his human-like mannerisms. Sorin could hear her pleading with him to explain to her what a tavern was as they ventured to the kitchen.
“Shaye, could we talk?” Sorin needed to talk to her while they finally had a moment alone.
“Of course.” She smiled sweetly at him. Even with dirty clothes and dirt on her face from the long journey, she was a wonder. It was becoming increasingly impossible to deny his attraction to her, especially with the memory of her lips on his lingering in his mind.
He pulled her into the parlor and shut the door, keeping her hands in his. Taking a deep breath, he prepared to tell her about the night of the uprising. He wanted her to know that he was not like his father... That even as a boy, he had believed in a peaceful transition. Sorin had had every intention of sounding the alarm that night and giving the courtiers a chance at escaping or, at the very least, the opportunity to defend themselves. But before he could find the words, there was an urgent banging at the palace door.