Jinaari’s body screamed with pain as the world spun around him. If this is death, then I accept it. Old wounds split open, and the cold air burned into the warm tissue. “Shit,” he breathed, trying to fight against the agony.
The spinning stopped, and his stomach heaved. His body hit the ground hard. Opening his eyes, he saw a wood floor. A fire burned in the hearth not far from him. Raising his head, he shook it in disbelief. Two packs, and his shield, rested on the bench at the foot of the bed. A heather gray dress hung from a hook. Next to it, a blue silk cloak. Thia’s room, in Cirrain? “Damn you, Samil,” he said. “I won’t keep playing this game!”
A key rattled in the lock. Jinaari struggled to his knees, his bound wrists making it difficult. The door swung open and Drakkus looked at him. “It worked,” he said, breaking into a grin. The man turned, gesturing to the doorway. “He’s here.” Three others, all wearing the medallion of Garret’s Paladins, came in. “Untie him first, get that godsforsaken collar and chain off, then heal him. You,” he stopped one of them, “what was your name again?”
“Donovan, milord Commander. Donovan Pearce. I’m stationed with the chapterhouse in Almair.”
“Go to the kitchen, get some food. Doesn’t matter what, but Althir needs it. And some ale.”
The younger man nodded and left.
The other two pulled Jinaari to his feet. He didn’t fight them, but he kept his gaze on Drakkus.
“You look like hell. Adam told me you might, but I didn’t expect this.” He stepped forward as Jinaari felt the iron collar pull away from his neck. “Once you’re free, I’m going to heal you. Don’t fight me. Her Majesty will have my hide if you look this bad when she returns.”
Her Majesty? Why would Mother care? “I don’t care how I look. Her Majesty,” he said, contempt in his voice, “can go inspect a latrine trench before I welcome a visit from her.”
Drakkus shook his head. “I don’t think we’re talking about the same person, Jinaari.”
The man working on his hands pulled the last of the rope away. Ignoring the sting as the raw skin was exposed to the air, Jinaari’s hand went to the hilt of his sword. “Get out,”
“I can’t do that,” Drakkus said, staring at him. Walking forward, he continued to speak. “A lot has happened since you were taken. Let me heal you and I’ll explain.”
“No.”
“Hold him,” Drakkus commanded.
The other two grabbed his arms and Jinaari tried to pull free. Pain seared through his body while he struggled, but they held him fast.
“Jinaari, you’re in Cirrain. Thia’s out there,” the man gestured toward the window as he walked toward him, “fighting Samil. Adam said they’d get you here somehow and that you’d probably be hurt. I’m going to heal you because I won’t let her find you like this. After that, we’ll leave you alone. Pearce will bring in some food, leave again. Once she’s done, she’ll come here and see you. This isn’t a trick.”
His arm reached out for Jinaari’s shoulder. Fighting against the others, he couldn’t move it far enough away. He braced himself, expecting more pain at the touch. Instead, a wave of warmth washed over him. Most of the agony left, but not all of it. His strength, though, returned.
Quickly, he pulled free of one of his captors and used the momentum to throw the other against a wall. The one claiming to be Drakkus stepped back as Jinaari drew his sword, leveling the point at his chest. “Get. Out. I know your tricks, Samil. I’m not falling for them again.”
The other man held up both hands, showing he wasn’t armed. “I’m not Samil. He’s out there, fighting Thia. I’m Drakkus Heath, your Commander.”
Jinaari shook his head. “Get out.” I need to be alone, get enough magic together so I can walk, find a way out of this illusion! She’s close, I know it!
Something screamed, and they all turned toward the window. It wasn’t human, or in pain, but it was loud enough to rattle the glass pane. Looking back at the others, Jinaari was surprised at the stunned look on the leader’s face.
Drakkus nodded. “Okay. When you’re ready, I’ll be outside.” He gestured to the others, waited for them to leave, before backing up to the door. Without a word, he closed it.
Jinaari didn’t lower his sword until he heard the tumblers move. Shoving it home, he collapsed into a chair.
It was her. I know it. No one else would’ve said that to me. If she’s nearby, so are the others. But how do I find them? And what made that sound?
Leaning forward, he rubbed his face with his hands. How long had it been since he’d slept? Eaten? Samil had manipulated everything he saw, interacted with, for over a week. He’d lost track of everything, including time.
The medallion!
Rising from the chair, he began to dig through the drawers. Thia told him she had left it here, on purpose. If he could find it, then he’d know this was real. If he couldn’t, then he knew it was another trick by Samil. Desperation filled his mind as he searched. Finally, he threw the contents of the last drawer on the floor and stormed back to the chair. Damn it!
The tumblers in the lock moved, and he stood again. Staring at the door, he waited for whatever form Samil chose to take this time.
Thia entered, the hood on her coat falling away from her pale blonde hair.
“Go away,” he growled.
Turning around, she locked the door behind her and placed the key on the small table. “Not until I know you’re okay.” She began to pull off her gloves but didn’t look away.
“Locking yourself in a room with me is a bad idea, Samil.”
“I’m not Samil, and I’m following rule number two. You taught them to me, so don’t be surprised when I use them.”
“No,” he said, shaking his head, “I don’t believe you. The real Thia is out there. She was ready to do what she had to do. This is another illusion to get me out of the way, manipulate her. It won’t work. She’s stronger than you, Samil. So am I.” Adrenaline surged through his body. I’m ending this! Charging forward, he slammed her into the wall, expecting the illusion to shatter.
She gasped as he forced the air from her lungs; her body shuddered under his. “It’s me,” she said. “I can prove it.”
He grasped her chin roughly; his fingers pushing into her jaw. “You’re lying, Samil. That’s what you do.”
“You hate walking around in wet socks,” she said, staring into his eyes. The pale lilac color didn’t falter. Pressing harder against her jaw, he saw pain, but they still didn’t change.
Blinking, he shifted his stance. “What did you say?”
“You hate walking in wet socks. You told me that, on the beach, after we got off Stone’s boat. When you told me to change mine while you put your armor on.”
He loosened his grip but didn’t let go.
She kept talking. “I thought you were treating me like a child, telling me what to do, and refused to change them unless you let me help you with your armor. You mocked me; said you were fine. We came to a compromise. I helped you, then I changed my socks. Later, when I finally admitted I needed a rest, you told me you were impressed because I’d kept up with you.”
He stared at her as the memory hit him. There wasn’t anyone else around them when that happened. There was no way Samil would even know about it. “We fought, again. Only that time you called me an arrogant prick.”
She nodded. “Because you were.” Raising a hand, she placed it over his. It was warm. Every other time Samil had posed as Thia, her touch had been cold. Small yellow sparks flew from the fingertips. “You still are.”
Leaning forward, he placed his forehead against hers. “And you’re a stubborn witch,” he said. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He brushed one thumb against her jawline; bruises were already discoloring her skin.
“You didn’t know who I was.” Her eyes were full of trust.
“I do now.” He kissed her gently.
One of her hands brushed against a wound on his arm, and he winced. She pushed him away, concern on her face. “Sit down. I’m healing you, so don’t try to argue.”
He staggered back and collapsed on the bench at the foot of her bed. Taking a better look at her face, he was surprised. “You look exhausted. What did you do out there? How’d I end up here?”
Pulling a chair over, she sat in front of him. “Samil’s not Marked anymore,” she said. He felt her spell settle over him, knitting his skin and muscles back to normal. “Nannan came, took Lolc Aon’s spirit away. I threatened your mother and brother, then came to check on you.”
“Wait,” he grabbed her hand, “Nannan came? The mother of the Gods?” he asked in disbelief. That would explain the scream he’d heard.
Thia nodded. Her body swayed slightly in the chair. “She did, told me to send her daughter to her. I’d already tapped most of my stores but found enough to do what she asked.”
He watched her closely as he felt his body recover. Whatever she did had pushed her past any limit he knew of. “You need to sleep.”
“There’s no time,” she said, her head drooping.
“We can’t save the world in a single day. You’ve dealt with Samil, yes?”
She nodded. “Lukas has him in custody.”
He rose, pulling her from her chair, and led her over to the side of the bed. “Anything else can wait until you’ve slept, recovered.” He pushed her down on the edge, concerned. Her face was drawn. “Where’s Adam and Caelynn?” he asked as he lifted her legs onto the bed.
“Outside, in the hall.” Her voice was barely a whisper, and her eyes were already closed. He watched her for a moment, making sure her breathing was steady. What price did you pay for my freedom?
Turning around, he grabbed the key and unlocked the door. As soon as he opened it, Adam and Caelynn stared at him. “Jinaari?”
“I’m good,” he said to Adam. Drakkus and Lukas stood nearby. “I’ll take that food now, enough for the four of us. I’m starving, and we’re going to be talking for a while.”
Lukas said, “I’ll get some.”
Drakkus glanced at him. “I already sent one of yours to the kitchen. Think his name was Pearce. You should be able to catch him on the way back.”
“Got it,” Lukas said. Looking back at Jinaari, he smiled. “You owe me a few rounds.” Without another word, he walked down the hallway.
“I’m staying here,” Drakkus said. “How’s her Majesty doing?”
Jinaari started, glancing back at the closed door. “Thia?”
“Yeah. She’s had a busy morning. A lot of people are worried about her.”
“She’s asleep.” Her Majesty?
“I think we have as many stories to tell you as you do us,” Adam said. “Can we come in? I promise we won’t wake her up.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea. I don’t want to leave her alone.” He moved aside enough to let the warlock and bard inside. “The food?”
“I’ll knock when it’s here,” Drakkus said, leaning against the wall opposite of the door.
Nodding, he closed the door and locked it, putting the key down on top of Thia’s gloves. Adam walked around, picking up some of the belongings Jinaari had thrown around the room. “You let her lay down with her shoes on?” Caelynn asked.
“She was barely awake.”
“Come on, you can help. Shoes and belt, maybe her jacket if we can get it off without waking her. Then we get her under the blankets. The room’s not that cold, but her stores are low. We need to make sure she stays warm.”
He walked over to the bed and began to loosen her belt while Caelynn pulled off her boots. The clasp came free, and he went to pull it out from under her when he saw the scepter hanging from it. “Caelynn? Is that what I think it is?” he asked, pointing to it.
“Like we said, a lot has happened,” she said, her voice quiet. “Can you lift her up? Then I can pull the belt out from under her. She won’t roll onto anything that’ll wake her up then.”
He worked his arms underneath Thia’s shoulders and knees, raising her enough that Caelynn could pull the belt out. “I’ve got her,” he said.
She tossed the belt onto the bench, then pulled the blankets back. Carefully, he laid her back down and brought the quilt closer to her chin. Her breathing was slow and even. Turning away, he walked around the bed and moved the packs onto the floor. Adam and Caelynn had pulled chairs close enough to talk without waking Thia up. “How did she get that?” he asked, pointing at the scepter. “And how’d you get me from out there and in here?”
“Which do you want us to answer first?” Caelynn asked. “I can fill you in on the first, but Adam’s better with the second.”
“Let’s start there, then.” Jinaari leaned back against the footboard of the bed.
The bard took a deep breath. “The delegation from Byd Cudd arrived the same night Adam brought Amara and Gnat back. We took her with us to court the next morning, surprised Tomil. He had Thia marry them right then. When the delegation came forward, they had a box with them. It wasn’t for Tomil, though. It was a gift for Thia. The scepter was inside, covered with so much filth you could barely see what it was. When she put her hand over it, the grime just crumbled away like dust. As soon as she picked it up to show Tomil what it was, he fell to his knee and proclaimed her Queen. Everyone else at court did the same. It chose her, Jinaari.” She paused, looking at him. “It’s not something she wanted.”
“I can’t imagine it would be. She’s okay with it, though?”
Caelynn shrugged. “Resolved is a better word, I think. She’s grown up a lot since you left. She’s not letting fear control her like she used to.”
“She’s thinking clearer, too. Seeing possibilities that I miss.”
Jinaari looked at Adam. “Like what?”
The blonde man leaned forward. “Like how to rescue you. She has the ability to create duplicates of herself. From what I can tell, they’re not the same as an illusion. She doesn’t need the real element that I do; just the ability to clearly and accurately envision someone else.”
“It’s damn good, too,” Caelynn said. “She made one back in Almair. It was solid enough that it could open doors, even talk back to people.” Giggling, she continued. “It was good enough to fool the paladins you asked to guard her.”
“Why would she need . . .” he shook his head. “I’ll ask her, later. Keep going, Adam.”
“Her idea was to create a duplicate of you, one she could place over the real you, once she knew it wasn’t an illusion to begin with. Once she did that and gave me the signal, I transported you here. She killed the duplicate, negating Samil’s bargaining chip.”
“Since when can you transport someone who isn’t touching you?”
Adam stared at him. “I’ve always been able to, but it’s hard. Not on me, but the person I do it for. Because I don’t have your consent. We tried it a few times with Caelynn, to make sure the timing was perfect. We couldn’t screw it up or Thia’d end up actually killing you. Even with her actively agreeing, it gave her nosebleeds and hurt. But not trying wasn’t an option.” He looked at Jinaari. “I know Drakkus healed you some, and so did Thia, but you still look like you need a month or longer doing nothing.”
“I’m good. I’ve felt worse.” He looked at Caelynn. “Go back to why she made one in Almair.”
“Lukas took your instructions a bit too seriously, and it was making her feel claustrophobic. Add to that just how much her life has changed, how many times it’s been turned upside down, in the last six months.” She stopped and looked down at her hands. “I saw it coming, but I kept hoping she’d open up with me, let me help her through it. Instead, she made a duplicate and ran off. I lost her again, like I did down in the conduits.”
“That wasn’t your fault,” Jinaari said.
“I know, but I still feel guilty. Soon as I realized she was missing, I talked with Lukas. He started organizing the search while I went to answer Adam’s call. I didn’t want to lie to you two about where she was, but it wasn’t going to do any good to tell you she was missing. It was only going to worry you, and you couldn’t get back here to help with the search. I was hopeful we’d find her before you came back.”
“Where’d she go?”
“Like I said, she was having trouble coping with, well, everything. She told me that she’d found some alcove near the docks that was sheltered, hidden. She went there and cried.” Caelynn held up a hand, stopping Jinaari’s question. “Don’t. It wasn’t her being weak or anything of the sort. Thia’s gone through a lot, we all know it, and she can’t just grab a sword and hit someone in a practice ring to let it out. When she came back, after we talked, I could tell it’d helped. I wasn’t thrilled that it was Kasmin,” she coughed, “er, Samil, that found her first. But that was before we knew who he was. I talked with Tomil last night. He didn’t even know someone by that name had come to Almair. Samil made sure his contact was limited to the two of us, Abigail, or Brennan. He didn’t come by the inn until the day Adam returned.”
Adam spoke up. “I told Thia what happened, and she got mad. Amara was getting cleaned up, and Gnat was sleeping, so Caelynn had me go down to talk with Kasmin. He’d shown up to listen to her play. I went down, realized who he really was, and tried hard to imply you were back with the rest of us. We exchanged threats, and he transported himself out. When I went back upstairs, we figured out that Gnat’s friend, Spoone, had a problem.”
I don’t need more problems! Jinaari said, “What kind of problem?”
“Someone had embedded a spell within the matrix of the crystal, causing those around it to feel emotions that were ramped up, heightened. Specifically, anger, fear, doubt, mistrust. That’s why you and I were snapping at each other after we got to Amara. It’s why Thia and Caelynn both got angry with me for leaving you behind, and not telling them about my mission. I can’t prove it, but it’s something Samil was capable of. I managed to break the enchantment, but Caelynn still wanted me to leave Thia alone. She’d already said I had to bring them back to where I’d last seen you, once court was over, so I went to bed. Woke up the next day to Wilim pounding at the entrance to our rooms with a note from Caelynn. It said to get Gnat and all the packs, including yours and your shield,” he gestured to Jinaari’s left, “and to come to Thia’s cloister as soon as possible. We met them at the entrance, and I transported them as soon as they were ready.”
Someone knocked at the door. Jinaari rose and walked over. Picking up the key, he turned it in the lock and opened the door.
Lukas stood there, with another paladin behind him. Both held a tray full of food and drink. “Can we come in? These are getting heavy.”
Jinaari moved aside and let them both in. As the younger man passed by, Jinaari noticed a tube strapped to his back. “What’s that?” he asked.
“It’s for Her Majesty,” he said. Putting the tray down, he raised the strap over his head. “I don’t know if you remember, but the commander,” he pointed at Lukas, “sent me to River Run when we first met you at the Green Frog.”
“I remember,” Jinaari said. “You were going to make sure her father was properly buried.”
Donovan nodded. “He was, but the marker was poorly done. I stayed, worked with a stone mason to get something more fitting carved and installed over his grave. Once that was done, I did the rubbing as required.” He handed the tube out to Jinaari. “I would be honored if you would give this to Her Majesty when she wakes up.”
He took it, nodding. “I’m sure she’ll be happy to see it.”
Donovan smiled and headed for the door. Lukas looked at the three of them, then at Thia’s body on the bed. “Everything okay?” he asked.
“She’s tired, that’s all,” Jinaari said.
“I’m not surprised. I’ve seen people work magic before, but to see what she can do . . . I was tired within a minute of watching and she never broke a sweat.” He looked at Jinaari. “You all look beat. Drakkus is setting up a guard rotation outside all of your rooms. The Baroness and Duke Tomil plan on holding court of some kind when Thia’s ready. Given the ultimatum she gave your mother earlier, it could be a long night. You might want to get some sleep yourself.”
“Ultimatum?” Jinaari asked, puzzled. He glanced at Caelynn and Adam, both of whom shook their heads.
“The last thing she did out there, after ordering me to take Samil into custody, was tell your mother to either surrender the crown or she’d bring war to her tomorrow morning,” Lukas said. He paused in the doorway. “I saw Agrana’s face. I don’t know what she’ll do, but that Thia has the scepter scared her. Agrana has the crown. Thia said the shield was here, in Cirrain. The big question is who has it and who they’ll side with.” He left, closing the door behind him.
Jinaari twisted the key. Lukas is right. We have to figure out where the shield is, who should wear it, and hope they’re sympathetic to Thia’s side.
“Who do you side with, Jinaari?” Thia’s voice was soft, but full of strength.
Turning around, he saw her looking at him. “I don’t have the shield,” he said as he put the key down.
She sat up, pushing the blankets aside. “It’s right there,” she said, pointing to the end of her bed.
“What?”
“Amara told us that she overheard your mother and grandfather arguing before you were fully vested as Lord Defender. He pushed for it to come from the vault based on you being heir to the crown. Better for you to have both symbols of power instead of just one since no one knew where the scepter was. So,” she continued, “I’ll ask again. Who do you side with?”
“You. I’m surprised you have to ask.”
Her head turned toward the others. “Mind giving us a few minutes?” she asked.
“Not at all,” Adam said. “We’ll grab a tray and go to my room, make sure Gnat’s been fed.”
Jinaari moved out of the way, letting them pass, before locking the door. He heard Thia chuckle. “Samil didn’t know about the rules,” she said. “That was one clue I had that it wasn’t you.”
“He impersonated me?” Jinaari asked as he grabbed a plate of food. Turning around, he saw her walk to a chair. She eased herself into it, slowly. She’s still exhausted.
She took the plate he offered, saying, “Twice. The first time was obvious. The second . . . he had us going for a short time.” She took a bite, and he felt her watching him as he sat down with some food. “So, Jinaari. How are things with you?”