Page 30 of A Traitor Sister (Remnants of the Fallen Kingdom #2)

30

ASTRA

I f we’re up north, we’re close to the sanctuary where Marlak was captured, the sanctuary where we confessed our love for the first time. Why is it that thinking about Marlak squeezes my chest?

He just went south to rescue his sister, and his magic is powerful enough that he can deal with most threats. And yet I can’t wipe away the presentiment that something awful might be happening to him.

“Where are we?” I ask, perhaps trying to shut down those fearful thoughts.

“These lands are unclaimed,” Ferer says. “We’ll soon cross the Charmed River, and then…”

“Shadow Lands!” Nelsin waves his arms in a dramatic gesture.

“It’s not dangerous during the day, is it?”

Nelsin shakes his head. “Barring giants, not horrible, no.”

“Are giants dangerous? Didn’t they rescue Marlak?”

“Giants don’t like us,” Ferer says. “I suppose they blame us for the magic keeping them confined to the north. They have fought both against and beside the fae in the past. The thing is, they have their own goals, and they might not align with ours.” He looks me straight in the eye then, his expression serious. “The one thing you must never, ever do is fight them. Never. In principle, giants do not kill. They can kidnap you, but they won’t kill you—unless you fight them. Then they feel threatened and will certainly kill you. Even if you see one or two small giants, and if you’re sure you can defeat them, it’s not a good strategy. There are always more of them.”

I’m not sure why he’s giving me this lecture. “I wasn’t planning on fighting giants.”

He shrugs. “If something happens, don’t react, it’s all I’m saying.”

“What if they kidnap me?” I ask.

“They’ll want something. You’ll need to negotiate.”

Nelsin snorts. “The problem is that giants are terrible with words. They speak our language, but poorly. Their communication is different.”

I never learned much about giants, and was mostly told they weren’t intelligent, but Nelsin’s words change my mind. “So technically, we’re the ones who don’t speak their language, and they’re the ones putting in the effort.”

“Sounds right.” Nelsin points at me.

Ferer stops and looks at the ground. “This is it.”

I come closer and see a tiny brook. “What do you mean by it ?”

“The Charmed River.” Ferer’s voice is solemn, grave, contrasting with the minuscule body of water ahead of us.

“River?” I chuckle. “I can jump over it. This is keeping the giants in the north?”

“Magic, Astra.” Nelsin makes circles in the air with his hands.

“I’d pick something bigger to separate fae and Shadow Lands.”

“Further west, it’s the Shadow Hills,” Ferer says. “Anyway, it’s daytime, but we still need to be alert. We’ll go north through the plains between the forest and the desert. I know you said the castle is in the forest, but that area is a difficult, unexplored terrain, hard to move through. Once you find the location of the castle, we can go deeper under the trees.”

I nod. “Thank you both for being such great guides. I would have no idea what to do without you.”

Ferer takes a deep breath. “I’ve never been to the Shadow Lands. We’ll see what happens once we’re there.”

I jump over the tiny stream, expecting to feel something different, but there’s nothing. It’s still the same forest, even if there are fewer and fewer trees ahead of us. After a few steps, I feel it, some kind of raw, powerful magic, something dangerous and alluring at the same time. Strangely, the feeling that comes to me is comfort, almost… belonging.

I wonder if they also sense it, and say, “I can feel a difference now.”

Nelsin shudders. “Spooky, right?”

“Maybe.” I don’t dare tell them that I feel at ease here. Is this where Tiurians are from? Does part of me recognize an ancient home? Or is it the proximity of the Amethyst Palace? I don’t know.

“Any idea where the castle is?” Ferer asks.

“Deeper north, I think.” To be very honest, I have absolutely no idea where the castle is, and as much as I feel it calling me, it’s not giving me any direction. Still, my hunch is that it’s deeper into the Shadow Lands, and not near the border.

I can see what they mean by plains between the forest and the desert, as the vegetation slowly becomes sparser. To the right, there’s even less vegetation, while on our left, it gets thicker and thicker until it ends in what looks like black curtains rimmed in dark green on top. It makes sense that we should not be walking there.

All of a sudden, in my mind’s eye, I see Marlak in a flying carriage with Azur, Renel, and two pixies. Then I’m Marlak in the vision, astounded, awestruck, horrified at what I’m seeing. Azur is transcending a carriage.

To transcend a carriage with four people in it—that’s something out of legend .

Then I see Marlak stepping out of the carriage and standing in front of a kind of fortification in the desert. And the vision stops.

I turn to Ferer and Nelsin. “The keep where Marlak was taken. Is it near here?”

Ferer narrows his eyes. “Slightly north still, but further east, deeper in the desert. Why?”

“I… just had a vision of him coming here.”

Somehow, my heart speeds up, still in that horrifying awe at seeing what Azur was doing. I decide to ask about it.

“Is it unusual to transcend a carriage with people in it?”

“What do you mean?” Ferer asks.

“In the vision, Marlak was surprised that Azur transcended the entire carriage, and brought it straight into the desert.”

“You’d need two powerful circles,” Ferer says. “And someone with a lot of transcending power. So yes, it is unusual.”

“It means that Renel’s guardian is quite powerful.”

Nelsin chuckles. “Hard to believe.”

“He’s great with air magic too,” I say. “Better than Marlak, but Marlak’s air is quite weak.”

“Weak?” Ferer widens his eyes. “Marlak’s one of the fae with the best air wielding I’ve seen. He’s not great at floating, but he’s quite precise at using it against enemies.”

“Well, once he made me jump out of a super high window, and we almost hit the ground and died, so I don’t trust his air magic.”

Ferer shrugs. “Nobody’s great at their secondary or tertiary element.”

“Have you ever seen his fire?” I ask, wondering what it would look like, wondering how powerful he would have been.

“No,” Ferer says, his voice dry. “I met him before it all happened, but I didn’t see his magic at the time. Then after… he never used it again. I don’t blame him. Still, repressing his main element obviously stunts his power. Then again, his water magic is remarkable, so I suppose there’s no loss.”

“Stop,” Nelsin says, his top ears perked. “I hear steps.”

I hear nothing, but it’s true that I don’t have the advantage of four ears. Then I see them; some eight giants circling us, as if appearing from out of nowhere. They’re much taller and larger than I expected, like eight or ten times taller than me. I think they don’t even fit in the forest and wish we were under the protection of the trees. They look like humans, except that their bodies are broader, and they dress in simple brown tunics.

A giant woman with blond hair crouches in front of us.

“Girlie, girlie, why you here?”

“Taking a walk,” I say. I don’t want to mention any secret castle, at least not yet.

She points to the ground. “Stop. Something coming.” She points at me. “Stop it.”

“You want me to stop something that’s coming from down under?”

“Yes. Stop.”

“What is it?” I ask.

“Under,” the giantess says. “Shake, shake, shake. If it keeps shaking, it breaks.”

I look at Nelsin and Ferer, hoping they understood her words, but they don’t look any more enlightened than me.

The woman giant is terrifying, and I feel I need to give her an answer. “I’ll do my best to stop it. I’ll do my best.” I think about Marlak’s promise and how he kept it reasonable.

The giantess smiles. “Good. You stop. We take your friends. When you stop, you get your friends.”

Is she suggesting kidnapping my knights? As I’m trying to think how to get out of this, Nelsin steps forward and points at Ferer. “She needs his help to walk in the Shadow Lands. Alone, she will be lost, and won’t be able to stop anything. Take me .”

“No!” Ferer says.

The giantess gets up and grunts to her companions. I suppose they’re debating what to do.

“It’s the only way,” Nelsin whispers. “They’re scared and desperate. We need to give them hope, and they’ll feel safer if they get some kind of deal.”

I approach him and whisper, “I don’t know what they’re talking about.”

“You’ll figure it out. You will. Trust yourself. They wouldn’t be asking you if you had no power to stop anything.”

Ferer shakes his head. “ I should go.”

“No. You’re the responsible one, and you’ll take good care of Astra.”

“I…” Ferer looks at me, then at Nelsin. “Don’t trust her like you do.”

“Which is great!” Nelsin smiles. “A voice of reason.”

The giantess crouches again and points down. “Take him only. But stop. Don’t let it break. Stop. And you get your friend.”

One of her companions crouches and puts Nelsin on his shoulder. The fae knight smiles and waves, and yet I can see that his hand is shaking. Ferer watches the scene with his fists clenched.

They’re taking Nelsin. My friend, my knight. Ferer’s beloved. They’re taking him, and they’ll only give him back when I stop something from breaking, and I don’t have the slightest clue what that something is.

When they disappear in the distance, I turn to Ferer. “I’m sorry.”

His breath is ragged and he swallows. “Not your fault.”

I brought them here, so yes, it is my fault, but I’m sure that stating the obvious won’t help anything.

He then says, “The castle might be the key, so let’s keep moving.”

I try to think about something that will cheer him up, and remember his own words. “You said they don’t kill their hostages.”

“Usually no, but they’re uneasy, scared.”

Indeed. I try to think. “Perhaps it is connected to the Amethyst Palace. I also have this odd feeling that something bad is about to happen if I don’t find it. And they’re here. They must feel it. Would they know where it is?”

“If it’s Tiurian, I’d say no. If they could do something, they would have already done it, instead of coming and asking you to do it. It’s on you, Astra.”

On me.

Besides saving Marlak, now I have to save Nelsin and stop whatever it is from breaking free. I’m sure it’s something nasty, and still don’t know how I’m supposed to accomplish any of that.

RENEL

I ’m myself and not myself, as if a stranger had replaced me and I was looking at the scene through a foggy glass. My worst nightmare is about to come true, and instead of yelling or curling up in a ball, I need to stand strong and try to find a solution in an impossibly short time.

At least Silvan has agreed to see me and should be coming to the castle at any moment. Easily the most scheming and ambitious member of the council, I hope he will serve my purpose.

I stand by my usual seat in the council chamber, Azur beside me. He changed his clothes and has a long-sleeved black shirt on, but hasn’t removed his hat. I point at it.

“Perhaps you could—” I mimic removing my nonexistent hat.

He presses his lips together, then shoots me a glare. “I can’t.” He moves his hand through the hat. “It’s a glamour. She made it for me. If it’s a problem, I can leave.”

I shake my head. This was a minor request, and I need Azur here. I don’t even know what kind of magic Silvan has, but I’m not willing to take unnecessary risks, even with the Shadow Ring.

The door opens and the fae man walks in, staring at the empty chairs as if only now believing he’s alone.

“Your majesty.” Silvan bows. “What an honor.”

“Take your seat.” I wait for him to get to his usual chair, then continue, “You know, for a long time now, I’ve been thinking we could have a different leadership.”

The corner of Silvan’s mouth lifts, then he narrows his eyes. “Where’s Zorwal?”

“He’s not around, and I decided not to wait for him to return. If he returns, he’ll be just a member. We need a new leader.”

Silvan’s eyes sparkle. Of course he wants this.

Even though I’m breaking down inside, I speak with my best king’s voice. “I need someone with ambition and wit, who’ll consider the well-being of the kingdom, and especially someone who will act as a real leader in the matters of the council.”

“I’m assuming you have a candidate in mind?”

“Obviously. And it’s the reason I called you here. I’m trying to figure out who could be a good leader. You spend most of your time in the Jewel City, do you not?”

“Sometimes I travel.”

“Yes, but you have friends there, family.”

He narrows his eyes. “What is your majesty implying?”

I realize that my words might have sounded like a threat, and aim for a softer tone. “You care about that city, and that’s important. Now, you’ll hear it from me first. One of the best magic scholars in the kingdom has predicted the direction that the castle moves. As much as I try to steer it, it’s unfortunately on its own path. Old magic, let’s say. In as little as a day and as long as a week or maybe a month, it will reach the Fiery Gorge, and then it will create a crack. That crack will go all the way to the Jewel City, and it will destroy it.”

Silvan blinks. “What scholar?”

“That’s not something I can reveal, unfortunately.” It’s me, obviously, but I’ll never say it. “The thing is, The Jewel City needs to be evacuated immediately.”

The councilor frowns at first, then laughs. “That’s… madness. Nobody will agree with it. Where are they supposed to go? You can’t just transplant a city somewhere else, and the high fae aren’t going to step away from their houses based on what? A prophecy? Now, if you are certain that this fate will pass, the best we can do is inform the members of the council and a few select families who’ll inform their close ones. It needs to be a secret, or it will create panic.”

“A crack through the city will create even more panic, don’t you think?”

“Yes, but before that, nobody will believe it. They won’t budge, and they’ll hate us if we force them.”

It’s as if he can’t understand my point, so I try to explain it some more. “And then, a few days later, they’ll be thankful. You’ll be a hero who saved many lives, Silvan.”

“No. I’ll be the villain who didn’t stop the city from being destroyed. If it has to come to pass, let it be an accident, a completely unpredictable accident, one that has nothing to do with this castle or with Your Majesty. Warn them, and they’ll question you , point fingers at you . And then it will be your mess to clean.”

I’ll be dead by then, so that’s not exactly a problem, but I’m not going to tell him that.

“What I’m gathering is that you don’t want to be the council leader, is that it?”

“If the cost is to be the harbinger of doom, of course not. It’s suicide. If the city is never destroyed, they’ll hate me for causing unnecessary panic. If it is destroyed, they’ll blame me. I can’t, Your Majesty, and if that’s the direction your reign is going, I’m afraid you won’t be naming council leaders for long.”

I definitely won’t, so I suppose he is insightful. “What would you suggest, Silvan? Should we let everyone in the city die?”

“I’m sure your council leader will help you come up with a wise decision. I’m just a member, Your Majesty, and quite an insignificant one.” He gets up. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll take my leave.”

“The council will meet in half an hour.”

“My sincerest apologies. I have businesses to attend to.”

He simply walks out, his retreating steps echoing in the chamber. I could ask him to stay, even order him, but for what?

Once the door closes behind him, I turn to Azur. “Was I that bad? I thought my argument was good.”

“He might not believe you. I mean, you’re obviously saying the truth, but consider that a scholar predicted doesn’t really command trust.”

“Should I tell him I predicted it?”

“Do you think they’ll take your word for it?”

“No.” My shoulders sag. “For them, I’m a nobody, just a tavern maid’s son.”

“It’s intriguing, Renel. You spent what, twelve years doing everything they wanted, and they still don’t respect you.” Azur has a mocking, sardonic edge to his words.

“I pushed back as much as I could, and you know that. It’s not easy to keep the council happy.”

“It’s certainly easier than defying them.”

“It’s harder. Had I defied them, I would have been assassinated years ago, and then I would no longer be dealing with any of this crap. Being dead is easy.” I look at Azur. “What’s your suggestion? How do I evacuate the Jewel City?”

“If they don’t want to leave, it’s their problem, isn’t it?”

“If they don’t know the risks, how can they even make a decision? And there are enchanted fae there. How are they going to decide to leave?”

Azur chuckles. “Right. How are they going to do anything at all?”

“I don’t know why you’re laughing.”

“I’m not laughing because their lives are funny. Your sudden worry is the strange thing here. Renel, the enchanted fae’s lives are doomed regardless. Do you think they want to live any longer? Live through servitude? It makes no difference to them.”

“You don’t know that. And while they live, there’s hope. They could be set free one day. Who knows?”

“Set free by who? If even the acting king can’t do that, who’s going to set them free?”

“Things can change. Regardless, I don’t want to be responsible for their deaths.”

He shrugs. “You could try to talk to the other members.”

“I fear they would try to assassinate me rather than create what they think is unnecessary panic.”

“Didn’t you say you’re going to die anyway when the castle reaches the Fiery Gorge? Why are you suddenly worried about your life?”

I can’t believe he’s even asking that. “Azur, if I can’t evacuate the city while I’m living, do you think I can do anything when I’m dead?”

He takes a deep breath. “You said the Fiery Gorge will cause a crack, right?”

“Yes, it’s what’s been predicted.”

“That part could be wrong. While yes, you have successfully predicted the direction of the castle, you can’t know what will happen once it gets there. And a crack might take a while to reach the Jewel City. They will escape and look for shelter. Now, if evacuation was going to be your solution, lots of things could have been done previously, such as having easier escape routes. They could have been forewarned a long time ago about the possibility of a tremor, let’s say. They could have prepared, and yet they didn’t. Now you want to warn them one day or one week before disaster? It won’t work.”

“I thought I would be able to prevent it. I thought I had more time. Zorwal never let me even speak about any of that. He wouldn’t have let me prepare some escape plan. I…” No words come to me, and even if they did, they would be some stupid excuse. “I failed.”

“Sometimes you can’t change fate, Renel. Accept it.”

“Right. So let’s cross our arms and let it happen. Also, you look quite cheerful for someone about to die.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Should I be upset?”

“That would be a normal reaction, yes.”

“It won’t change my fate, so there’s no point.”

“No point. Too late.” I point at him. “I haven’t forgotten that you never gave me a single suggestion on how to deal with this. Maybe some flirting tips when I asked. Other than that, not a single suggestion. Instead, you kept saying that there was something I wasn’t seeing, that a castle wouldn’t self-destruct. Have you changed your mind yet?”

His face is placid as he looks at me. “First, I’m your guardian, not your advisor. That role, as far as I understand, you gave to your precious and dear Zorwal. Second, the castle has not yet reached the Fiery Gorge, and the kingdom has not yet been destroyed, so you can’t be sure of anything.”

“My precious Zorwal. You have to be kidding me. What would you have me do? Appoint you as the leader of the council?”

Azur rolls his eyes. “That would make no sense, considering you think I’m an overpowered idiot.”

“I don’t think that, and you’re my friend; I always seek your advice.”

“For small, personal matters. When it comes to the kingdom, it’s what the council and Zorwal want.”

I huff. “They’ll depose me otherwise.”

“You’ve told me that—quite a few times.”

“Then be more understanding. It’s hard to be the acting king.”

He runs his hand over his hair, crossing the glamour hat. “I’m not debating it. I’m just explaining why I cannot solve your problem.”

I exhale. “And I guess I’m explaining why I haven’t yet solved it. Or taken any measures.”

“I understand. Can I take my leave? I’d like to rest a little. Call me when you need me. The ring and the guards should protect you for now.”

“Go. Rest. I’ll be here scouring my mind for a solution. But I’ll need you for the council meeting.”

“I’ll be back.”

Azur leaves me in this huge, empty room—empty like me.

Every life is precious , and yet if I can’t convince the council to evacuate the Jewel City soon, thousands of them might be lost.

But how?

LIDIANE

M y body feels strange, painful, while I notice that the floor beneath me is moving. When I open my eyes, I realize that my wrists are handcuffed and I’m sitting in a large wooden cage transported by a cart. A thick canvas covers us, so that only some dim sunlight comes from the bottom of the cage and through the fabric. Tarlia is curled up, lying beside me, also handcuffed.

I want to wake her up, and yet the first thing I feel is a tug. Tug, tug, tug calling me. Azur is calling me, pulling me. If it goes both ways, he’ll sense I’m in danger. Depending on what he’s doing, worrying about me might distract or endanger him. And then there’s my brother. I don’t want either of them to worry about me, so I imagine myself safe in my house, eating a warm, delicious apple pie, feeling safe, then I project that feeling through the bond. No fear, no danger—just safety.

Will that work? I don’t know. What I know is that I have to find a way to escape.

I keep that feeling of contentment, joy, safety, and shake Tarlia.

“Tar,” I whisper. “Tar.”

She opens her eyes, looks around, and sits up. “Someone caught us. Did you see who?”

“No. They might have had some glamour for invisibility or not being noticed. Or else they were fast. I’m sorry.”

She frowns. “It’s not your fault.”

“I should have sensed it.”

Tarlia’s thoughtful. “Do you know who could be behind this? Do you have any enemies?”

“Marlak’s enemies,” I mouth, afraid of being overheard. “But almost nobody knows I’m his friend. Only Azur, but he wouldn’t…”

“Hurt you? He wouldn’t.”

The cart then stops.

“Lie down,” I whisper and pretend to sleep while keeping my eyes slightly open. Outside the cart, steps retreat. After a few minutes, I sit up again.

“I think they left.”

Tarlia checks the bars of the cage. “This is wood. We could break it.”

“Fae reinforced wood. You’d need a powerful axe and it would still take a long time. If we try using our daggers, we’ll blunt them and have no weapons.”

“We already have no weapons.” She checks her pockets. “They took them.”

“True. How do you expect to break it?”

She looks at the base of the cage. “Not sure. It’s not made of one piece, right? So it must have a weak link.”

I take a closer look. “The bars are bolted to the base. Hmmm. Maybe. And you, do you have any guess who’s behind this?”

She shakes her head. “I was attacked before, but they were after Ziven, and the attackers were all killed. I doubt humans would come this far, and I doubt anyone would bother coming after me. Renel’s enemies… How would they find us all the way north, almost in the Shadow Lands? How would they know where we’d come from? Unless women get kidnapped in fae lands. I’ve heard… stories. Not about fae, but about humans. Monsters, I suppose, but human monsters.”

“You can’t capture a fae against their will if there’s no deal. The exception is when there’s a ruling by a court. We could be taken by royal guards, but it would be different. Unless...” Can it be? “It’s Zorwal.”

She stares at me, a mix of shock and disbelief on her face. “You truly think he survived.”

“I’m positive. There was a strange energy, an odd magic, and it kept acting on Azur. It’s why he couldn’t transcend properly. I felt it.” My entire body shudders remembering that council leader.

“What kind of being survives a beheading?”

“Something evil, unnatural.”

“No kidding.” She huffs. “Now, we heard steps, so it’s more than one person. Either he has allies, or it’s not even him yet, just his thugs. We need to escape.”

It should be my turn to tell her no kidding , but instead, I take a deep breath. “Let’s think. And find a way out.”