Chapter Thirty-Three

 

 

“How are you feeling?” Rewel asked. “Danya has been down here nearly every day, says that you need extensive healing. Is that what it really is? Healing?”

“Danya has spent a great deal of her life alone,” Aren said.

She sat with her back against the chamber wall, one leg out and one up. A book was in her hand, one which explained what it was to be queen, to a commoner. The books on rank that Danya brought Aren were very good, and they helped her understand things. Not everything, of course, there were nuances that changed with each generation, but they did explain a great deal.

Like why she was drawn to water. The book said to watch for such women, who drifted while in thought to the wells and springs of a village. It said to protect them because a woman like this was a queen of a special sort, would bring good to the village no matter her behaviour to others.

It also explained, in a way, how a queen might channel her magic into one person, one item, or one link. It explained it to a commoner so that a commoner might explain it to a queen who had difficulties because such knowledge would draw a queen to one and gain her favour.

Aren had turned her magic towards the manacle, driving her magic into the metal itself. Moments later, Rewel had come into the chamber, likely wondering what the change was that he had felt in the land above.

She wasn't through the book yet, so much more knowledge waited at her fingertips. After this book Danya had promised to bring her the one on warriors. Perhaps that would help Aren understand the rank better, maybe even well enough that she could pick out a warrior when she looked one in the eyes.

Aren met Rewel's gaze, feeling unconcerned by the man. He was nothing to her, nothing to her magic and little more than a speck of dust in the eyes of the throne. The man needed to be brushed off and all Aren had to do was give a little flick of her magic.

She lost focus and the flow drove its way into the secondary link again. Aren sighed out, still making eye contact with Rewel.

“What?” Aren asked him with every ounce of arrogance she could manage.

“I said, she's spent her life with me,” Rewel said, stepping closer to Aren.

Her eyes wandered down his too-thin form, to his feet, then to the distance between herself and Rewel. Slowly, she did the same motion, but in reverse, meeting Rewel's eyes once more. She was rewarded when Rewel took a step back, moving away from the dangerous rank.

She didn't have to access her magic to create change in the environment around her. Everyone else was used to queens looking a certain way right before they started stabbing people, or melting them, or whatever else it was that queens were said to do. Her task was simply to give the impression that she was like everyone else.

“What good would a man like you be to a rank like her?” Aren asked.

“Excuse me?” Rewel asked in response.

Aren stood, setting the book to the side. She didn't want Rewel thinking that the book was all important to her, that she cared what was in it, or that it was for anything besides a way to idle away the time. As she approached Rewel, her body shifted between him and the book, but also between Rewel and her bed.

“A man like you will never breed a woman like that,” Aren said.

She stopped short, the manacle pulling at her wrist. She felt the pressure of the manacle on her wrist, but it was less than it had been before.

Each time Danya visited they talked about something from their pasts. Aren shared, then Danya shared. They got to know one another, but afterwards Danya would talk, tell stories about how others had handled being in their situation. Somehow it comforted Aren to know that she wasn't the only one. There were others like her throughout history who had led full, healthy lives.

“Why would I breed her, when I can breed you instead?” Rewel asked.

For a moment, Aren's strength faltered. Then she gathered up her fear and turned it into anger instead. She wrapped that anger, not into her magic, but around her thoughts. She straightened her back, put her nose in the air and tried as hard as she could to be seen as a queen.

“Try it,” Aren said.

They stared at one another. Rewel did not back down, didn't flinch. Aren tugged at the manacle, wanting to take that last step, wanting to tear the bastard's throat out and feel his hot blood splatter over her face.

How dare he threaten her.

“Not a good idea to try to get you with child at this time of year. The chill, especially down here, would strip you of the child before it took hold. Though, you might not even be capable of holding one.”

“What does that mean?” Aren asked.

“Your precious friend didn't tell you?” Rewel countered. The man smiled and stepped away from Aren. “You were pregnant. Lost the child by the time you came into my care.”

“I'm young, I'll have another.”

One night. One night she slept with Av. Or a couple of nights, all right, it had been a couple of nights. And more than once. Each night, it had been more than once each night, but how had she ended up pregnant so quickly? Had she shown any signs? How far along had she been?

What had the archivist said? Aren thought back to her time before him, with Url at her side. When she had asked about Av, about what the archivist had called him. Av was a true warrior, he would only breed more ranks, or his woman would appear barren.

Av had shared his bed with many women. None of them had ever had a child, none of them had ever had a mistake.

Yet after knowing Av intimately for only a little while, Aren had ended up pregnant.

Only to lose the child on this wild goose chase the throne had sent her on. Was that part of the chase? Had the throne sent her out there knowing what was happening within her body, and what would happen to that body once she arrived?

Why? So that she wouldn't be pregnant?

Did she want to have a child?

“Have I disturbed you?” Rewel asked with a chuckle.

“You're disturbing me now; I'm trying to think,” Aren said.

“I can practically see smoke coming from your ears,” Rewel said. Again he chuckled.

Aren waved her hand to dismiss the man and turned away from him. Rewel could be lying to her, which meant that only one person could confirm or deny what he was saying. There had been no reason for Danya to bring up a failed pregnancy unless it had changed Aren in some way.

“Send Danya in,” Aren said to Rewel.

“In?” Rewel asked. “As if I'm some sort of servant?”

“As if this is a court,” Aren said to Rewel, spinning on the man. “I am a queen, you wanted a link like the throne. There are only two people around. You and her, which means you serve me, or you don't. One way or another, I rule.”

“You don't rule, you're chained up,” Rewel said, motioning to the manacle.

Aren drew in a breath and focused her mind, centred her mind. The magic drained out of her, leaving a frightening cold in its wake. Like all things, magic could not simply disappear. It filtered into the manacle, the only place it knew to go that Aren would agree to. As the magic trickled away, Rewel skittered away from her.

“What are you doing? Stop that! You'll destroy yourself!” Rewel shouted, coming back towards her.

“Send me Danya,” Aren said, breathing out and releasing her magic back to its natural places. “If you do not, I will do that, except I will drain this land of every drop of magic I have inadvertently given it and then I will drain it of everything.”

“Everything?” Rewel asked.

“You think that what happened to this village was done by someone strong?” Aren asked. “She had nothing compared to me. I will drag you into the other side with me and I will feed you to the darkest spirits I can find. Bring me Danya!”

The man fled.

In his absence, Aren relaxed. She felt different somehow. Not only had she questioned a man, but the man who had control over her and she had won. Maybe.

She waited as time slid past, counting the moments of quiet.

Danya finally appeared, coming down the steps slowly. In the chamber, Danya moved more quickly, within reach of Aren before she moved back, out of reach. The healer breathed in, then out slowly. She went down on her knees, looking up at Aren.

“How have I angered you?” Danya asked.

“You haven't,” Aren said, sinking to the floor herself. A trembling came over her limbs as she watched Danya. Tears sprang to her eyes as it set in on her. “He threatened to rape me and... and I don't know. I just wanted to see you so I told him to get you and when he refused, I threatened to destroy everything. It worked, I don't understand.”

Aren broke down in tears, unable to grasp what she had done.

“He did say that he told you,” Danya said. That was all the healer said, simply watching Aren.

“About the babe I lost?” Aren asked.

“Women lose children often. If it had affected your ability to carry another, I would have told you that before. Long before, like when you awoke the first day. Do you believe that?”

“I do,” Aren said, sniffing as she tried to calm herself down.

“Good, that's very good,” Danya said soothingly. “Now I want you to tell me in as much detail as possible what happened between you and Rewel. It sounds like something has changed in your behaviour. It sounded like you were behaving as any other queen would, except something you did frightened him enough to believe you. That tactic might not work again but if you can tell me what you did, I might be able to help you protect yourself from him.”

“He won't try anything until spring. It's too damp for a child to take, he claimed.”

“How would he know that?” Danya asked.

Aren coughed as the thought occurred to her. “You never spoke with the others?”

“No, they were nasty women, most of them,” Danya said. “Certainly not the sort of queen you'd want to serve. Most of them had a belief that they were better than us because he was a commoner and, myself, a healer. I felt nothing for them.”

“They were innocents,” Aren said.

“Once,” Danya said. “Rewel was also an innocent once. I am an innocent. You are an innocent. I could no more stop Rewel than you could.”

“Why?” Aren demanded.

Danya was quiet for a time, then the healer said, “You told me about your time at court, about the events that led to your fleeing.”

“Yes, and?” Aren asked.

“You made great changes and stood for yourself until your parents arrived at court. Then suddenly you were stuck in place, just running in circles while they dictated your life.”

“What's your point, Danya?”

“Why couldn't you stop your parents?”

“That's not fair,” Aren said. “I asked you a question, but you countered it with a question.”

“Does it not put things into perspective for you?” Danya asked. “I can no more stop Rewel, than you could stop your parents. They are your dark spirits. He is mine.”