Elemental Betrayal Read online

  “We should get back to the city, it will be safer there,” he said gently.

  Riker took off his coat and hung it over her shoulders. She had not realised she was shivering. He laid his arm across her shoulder again and led her down the path towards the horses. Evan and Rothea followed quietly. They mounted their horses and rode back to the city.

  The day of the feast dawned bright and warm. Lord Skylor Hazelwatch had warned her that the festivities would begin during the morning hours; the whole city would partake and various acts of entertainment had been planned for her. She selected the white dress, the one Jasmin had told her to take, and was surprised to find that she was excited as she stepped out of her room to start the day. Arahael had done up her hair for her. It looked pretty.

  Rothea greeted her by the door and then accompanied her down to the dining room. All but the ones that were on duty were already gathered there for their morning tea. She looked around the room, nodded to Baltor Owen, the Elder whom she would be sitting with today, greeted the nobles and Commander Ridgewell and then her eyes fell on Riker. He was looking at her from across the room, standing tall and straight next to the table laid out for them. He looked resplendent in his full Guard uniform; his buckles polished to a shine, the bits of overlapping metal on his body armour glinting in the light coming through the window and his full array of weapons hung about him.

  Rothea quietly cleared her throat behind her and Maia realised she had been staring. She blushed and hoped no-one but Rothea had noticed. Quickly she crossed the floor and let Riker pull the chair out for her. Rothea settled at the next table, seated so that she could see any request from Maia without turning.

  “You look beautiful this morning,” Riker said softly as he took his own chair.

  Maia smiled shyly at the compliment, then nodded to the Server who brought them their tea.

  Once the Server had left she looked at Riker with a mischievous smile on her face. He looked back at her questioningly.

  “You are also very handsome this morning, My Lord,” she said, putting special emphasis on the word Lord.

  Riker blinked a few times, trying to understand what she was saying. Maia smiled. She had never liked it when she was singled out as better than other people, and she was quite happy for everyone to call her by her name. Strangely, she had become accustomed to Riker calling her , and now that he had omitted it, she realised that she liked him calling her .

  “My Lady,” he said hastily. “I am sorry, please forgive me my negligence.”

  He reached across the table and took her hand in his. She considered pulling her hand away, but then let him hold it. She looked up into his eyes and although his words were spoken as an earnest plea, she could see the playfulness in his eyes. He had picked up on her mood perfectly and was playing along with her humour.

  “I have begged Lord Hazelwatch for a seat by your side for the festivities today,” he said without letting go of her hand. “Elder Owen will be seated to your right, as befits his rank. I am given the seat to your left, if it pleases My Lady.”

  He was now absentmindedly stroking his thumb across the back of her hand. His touch felt good, but she cast some inconspicuous glances around the room. No-one seemed to be paying them any attention. Tradition demanded that if a man wanted to court a young woman, he would have to ask permission first of the parents. This was especially true for those noble born, or in her case, of royalty.

  She decided not to let it bother her today; they had not done anything to break decorum and today was a day for the people of Thala Yll. She would be their princess and she would enjoy the day with them.

  After their morning tea, the delegation was led to the large plaza in front of the Grand Hall. Grandstands had been set up surrounding the square and a special stand had been erected on the steps of the Grand Hall. The upper tier of this stand was strictly reserved for Maia and her two attendants. The second tier from the top was for Lord Hazelwatch and his family and the bottom three tiers were allocated to the few Nobles of Shadow Hall, as well as the Nobility of Thala Yll.

  And so, the festivities began. They were served small portions of a variety of foods and drinks right through the day. Only during the evening hours did they bring out the wine; this time Maia abstained, afraid it might leave her unable to think clearly.

  The people of Thala Yll had chosen a vast variety of performances; stage plays, songs, poems and dances, various forms of art, from painting to weaving, games of chance and games of skill, jousting, archery, pigeon racing, horse racing and one event even featured a dragon.

  On numerous occasions did Maia rise to wave to a winner, and sometimes she even descended the steps to present a kiss or a kind word or to pat the winning animal. The people loved her engagement in the festivities and every time she rose from her chair or simply waved, the crowed erupted into cheers. She was having so much fun, enjoying the glowing Life-Forces of happiness around her that she hardly noticed that, more often than not, Riker was holding her hand.

  He could not stay, he knew that. Yet he could not leave without seeing her before he left. He had entered the city during the very early hours of the morning. Some people were already up, making final arrangements for the feast to be held. Sneaking into someone’s home unseen, he had borrowed some clothes. He had left his clothes in a small cave close to the border of Bron, where he had changed into his wolf form to begin the pursuit of the three Vampyres he had killed here in this city.

  He now mingled with the crowd, being pushed along with the flow towards the grandstands. He kept the hood of his jacket pulled deep over his head; he could not afford to be recognised. When the crowd eventually settled and everyone found their seats, he settled himself on a tier slightly higher than Maia’s and about a hundred strides away. He had a clear view of her and spent most of the day simply watching her. The festivities around him were of no interest to him. Maia, on the other hand, was commanding all his attention. She wore a plain white dress, adorned with tiny blue gems that sparkled in the sunlight. It must have been of an extraordinarily soft fabric, because he noticed it slide over her skin with every movement she made. Her hair, which usually hung loose down her back, was piled in a mess of soft curls on her head, fastened with silver clips fashioned in the shape of flowers and adorned with the same tiny blue gems as those of her dress. Watching her took his breath away. He wished he could let her know he was there, but revealing his Eläm so she would feel him, would alert the people around him to who he was. It would frighten them and might even cause a panic. He was who he was and there was no changing that. He had accepted his fate a long time ago and made peace with it.

  As the day wore on and he watched, he began to notice her behaviour towards the Guard who seemed to be her companion for the journey. There was an easy laughter between them now and the Guard initiated physical contact with her right throughout the day; small touches on the arm, helping her to her feet or guiding her down the stairs, holding her hand during tense moments of a game or race. The more he watched, the harder it was for him. Had she given up on him? They belonged together, surely she could see that. He knew, of course, what the histories said and what the law dictated, but he felt incomplete without her. Had she maybe been told to find a more suitable life partner? Was this journey they were on supposed to bring them together?

  He felt his mind cloud over with anger and disappointment. He struggled to control his Eläm and more than once did the people around him look about, searching for the one casting such dark thoughts.

  He struggled through the crowd; pushing his way down the tiers and onto the plaza. Running through the empty streets, he ripped off his clothes and dropped them carelessly to the floor. Once he had struggled out of his borrowed boots and pants, he changed and ran over the fields as fast as his four legs could carry him. He did not know where he was going; all he knew was that he had to get away.

  She sat at a desk in front of the window of her room. She had been staring at the blank piece
of paper for the better part of the day, but the words were eluding her. The memorial service for the fallen warriors was tomorrow and she still had not written, nor memorized, her speech. She loved the people, she felt their loss as her own, and she had no problem consoling someone if she was with them and in physical contact with them. To speak to and console an entire city seemed like a daunting task to her. She had never done this before. Back in Shadow Hall, she had asked Silas to accompany her, but he had said that she was old enough now for these responsibilities and that, as princess of Grildor, it was her duty to serve her people.

  She understood this, but it did not make it any easier. She had called Rothea to sit with her in her room. They had talked for a while, discussing the matter, but in the end her page remained blank.

  As the sun set that evening, Riker knocked on her door and Rothea got up to admit him. She poured him some tea, then tactfully retreated to her own quarters.

  “Will you not join me for supper, My Lady?” he asked as he settled on the bench beside her, sipping his tea.

  “I have no appetite for food, Riker. And obviously, no talent for words,” she sighed.

  Riker put his cup on the desk and took the paper she had been staring at all day and crumpled it up.

  “What are you doing?” she gasped.

  “You do not need this, Maia,” he said seriously, using her name. “What you have to say to these people does not come from your head, it comes from your heart, and such cannot be committed to parchment.

  The march to the Burial Grounds in the forest took them almost four hours to complete. One hundred and ninety-eight families lost loved ones during the war, but it was the entire city of Thala Yll that took part in the march and the sight of thousands of people, walking with their colourful lanterns of mourning, was breath-taking.

  Their voices, combined in their sorrow, made music of their mourning hymns, such as Maia had never heard before. It squeezed her heart and brought tears to her eyes long before they had reached the forest. She had her arm hooked through Riker’s, for which she was glad, as she could not see for the tears clouding her vision. Her Elemental senses tingled intensely, picking up on the sadness of the people and something changed within her that would define her for the rest of her life. She suddenly realised that, the attacks had not been her fault, but had been the malicious plans of evil folk. She could not have prevented it, even if she had heeded her initial dreams. Her part in this was simple; defeat the enemy when the time came and console and comfort her people when they needed her. By the time they reached the grave markers, she felt calm and strong, knowing wherein lay her strengths and what she needed to do.

  “People of Thala Yll.”

  She stood on a raised dais, overlooking the crowd. Lord Hazelwatch had led the people in a prayer to the Mother and now it was Maia’s turn to speak. She looked down at the expectant faces of the men, women, and children before her; saw their hope and admiration in their eyes; and she knew what she needed to say.

  “A challenge of unimaginable proportions has been set before us; a blight on our wonderful world that seeks to destroy us. Each one of us will be faced with difficulties that at times may seem too much to bear, but I say no, we will not be cowed and we will not be defeated. We will avenge our fallen so we can forever remember them with pride in our hearts. We will stand together; because together we are strong; and as I stand before you today, so will I stand beside you when we go into battle with the enemy. They shall tremble in fear as they behold the power of the Mother and remember forever the devastation Life can bestow on them. Today, we sing songs of farewell to our fallen, but tomorrow we will sing songs of victory!”

  Her voice had risen to an almost fever pitch at the end, and when she had spoken the last word there was a moment of absolute stillness and then the crowd erupted in cheers. Some yelled “, may thee be blessed” and one by one, the people repeated the phrase until almost three thousand voices were chanting it over and over.

  Maia stood on the dais; tears running down her cheeks, her body tense with emotion; and a sense of fulfillment overcame her that overshadowed all the Moons of self-doubt. She suddenly knew what her purpose was and she was determined to fulfill her destiny.

  They made camp on the slopes of Mt. Argon, the very last peak that made up the ridge that divided the Grildor-Bron Mountains from the plains beyond. They had left Tarron Heights five days ago, and by riding from sunup to sundown every day, they had made good time through the mountainous terrain. The weather had been fair; ideal travelling conditions; and once past the last peak, travelling conditions would improve. Yet this afternoon a wind swept down from the peak, sweeping icy temperatures off the snowfields. His men did not complain, but Jaik ordered them to make camp two hours before sundown. They hobbled their horses in the lee of a large boulder and covered them in blankets. Then the men gathered firewood and built two fires; one close to the horses to ward off predators, the other within the circle of their tents to keep them warm and to cook their food.

  Jaik’s party was made up of two Elders; Livarion Summerlot and Lamar Oakencrest; three of his own Guard, Commander Tylar Lavendar with five warriors of his Regiment, plus three Servers and four others, one of them a noble, who wanted to visit family in Rathaés. Two more had decided to stay behind in Tarron Heights.

  Their group was all male; something that had not been planned; but Jaik noticed that it seemed to make the men more relaxed around the fire in the evenings. This evening, however, no-one seemed to be able to relax. The wind gusted about them in icy blasts. A few stray snowflakes twirled around them and Jaik worried the dark clouds above would bring snowfall during the night. It was too late in the year for snowfall, but they were high up in the mountains and it was all too possible for a freak snowstorm to occur. Tomorrow they would begin their descent to the plains and he knew that the lower and further south they went, the warmer the weather would get. But first, they would have to survive the night.

  The anxious nickering of the horses woke him around midnight. He was sitting, fully dressed, and wrapped in a blanket, against a small boulder close to the fire. It was not his watch, but he had refused to seek his own tent, knowing that things could turn for the worse at any time. He looked up and Munnar, whose watch it was, looked back at him with worried eyes. Another horse neighed. They both rose, drawing their coats tightly about their bodies to shield them from the cold. The wind had gotten colder and fiercer; it was blasting down the mountain, bringing with it tiny shards of ice that stung the men on their faces.

  Jaik and Munnar stomped through the wind to the horses. One mare had lost a blanket and they quickly re-fastened it around her body. Jaik laid a hand on her neck, feeling her warmth and rapid heartbeat. He wished he knew exactly what the mare was feeling, but he was not blessed with his sister’s talents. So, he relied instead on his vast knowledge of horses and their body language and what he read in them frightened him.

  “The storm will be upon us soon,” he said to Munnar.

  The Guard nodded. “We should wake the others.”

  Quickly they hurried over to the tents and roused their companions. Jaik hurriedly issued his orders.

  “Pack your bags and tie them to the trees.” He indicated the sturdy pines along the slope. “There is one tent for every three of us. Sort yourselves into groups of three, get your horses to lie down and then lie down with them. Cover yourselves with your tent; tie the strings to you if you have to. Your horses are trained for this, but you must ensure that your tent is not blown away by the wind. If you are exposed, the storm will not just kill you, but also your horses. Hurry now, the storm will be upon us shortly.”

  His orders were executed with alacrity and not a moment too soon. The storm came crashing down on them like a tidal wave; gale-force winds ripped at their tent coverings, the temperature dropped to below freezing and the sound the sleet made as it hit their tents was like hail on an iron roof. They huddled, holding on fiercely to their ropes, waiting for
the worst to pass. As the night turned towards the morning, the storm increased in intensity and it took all of their will power to hold on to their coverings and convince their horses to remain on the ground. They were cold, weak, and tired. Jaik worried that fatigue would get to his companions, but there was no way to check on them. Jaik, Munnar and Aari, weary beyond compare, had tied the ropes of the tent around their bodies; their hands already chafed raw; and as the storm wore on, one after the other slipped away into darkness.

  “Fare thee well, Lady Maia,” Skylor said and bent over her hand to kiss it.

  Maia felt Riker shift beside her.

  “And you, My Lord. May the Mother smile on you,” Maia replied.

  They had spent seven days in Thala Yll and, although pleasant, it had not been what Maia had expected. If she was honest with herself, she did not really know what she had expected. She had been worried that the people might have come to the conclusion that, as their Life Elemental, she should have done more to prevent the war or prevent more people from dying. Yet the people of Thala Yll had welcomed her, idolised her and showered her in blessings. She did not think she deserved their admiration, but she was now determined to do everything in her power to earn this admiration. Her people needed her and this time she would be there for them from the start.

  Many things had been discussed while they had been in Thala Yll. As her delegation followed the Trade Route east during the course of that day, she discussed the various points with Riker. He was still an excellent Guard and, she discovered, a reliable advisor.

  “Lord Hazelwatch said they will investigate the bloody marks they found near the stables. I still cannot believe we were right there and I did not feel anything. Surely if someone was hurt, I would have known about it,” she sighed. “What do you think it could have been?”