Chapter 16
Illian knew that the Contest of Champions would be in progress at the moment. He thought it likely Ren was already dead, and probably Valen as well. Illian didn’t really mind losing Valen; while the man seemed loyal enough, he was far too conscientious, and that would soon get in the way of Illian’s plans. If Valen had failed to kill Ren, there was always Xian. Illian was quite confident in Xian’s abilities, plus he knew that Ren had suffered several serious injuries over the past few months. Then there was Hal to clean things up if everything got too messy.
The problem was Chance. Illian gnawed on his lip in frustration as he thought of the cheerful blond fool. Chance was unpredictable and untrustworthy, just like everyone else he had serving him. Even though Illian had saved the man’s sister from slavery, Chance’s short notes told him that his spy’s loyalty was weakening as he got closer to Kathryn and Ren. It was so stupid. Why did everyone fall for Kathryn?
Illian spent his days in conference with his generals and the Navinorians. Trade agreements had been drawn up, but many traders were boycotting it. They hated trading to the Navinorians that had burned their homes and killed their families. Illian had to make appearances and speeches to calm the tension. Then there were the miners. The miners hated the Navinorians even more, since they’d stolen large stores of opals and slaughtered hundreds of them during the war. Considering that the miners had a history of rising up in the past, their dissension wasn’t to be taken lightly.
All of these problems were compounded by Illian’s near-constant headaches. His doctors told him these were an effect of whatever malady possessed him late at night and left him waking up after terrifying, realistic nightmares, drenched in sweat and trembling in fear.
Illian needed real allies, so perhaps it was only natural that he felt himself growing closer to Trista. Young as she was, she was no weakling. She had proved that by taking on her aunt and maintaining her household against all odds. He wished she would take her own safety a bit more seriously and train to protect herself, but in the end, it wasn’t really necessary. She was with him nearly all the time now; he even had her join some of his meetings and give him advice afterwards. Some of her advice was lacking or naive, but she was quickly learning matters of state.
As he thought of her, his thoughts inevitably turned to her handmaid, and his face would change again to one of frustration. Carrie would not soften towards him, no matter how much kindness he showed her. He could only hope her nonsense wouldn’t sway Trista. But there was an even greater concern. There were still people alive who knew of his past. Should Trista become aware, it could mean the end of his only real alliance.
A part of him expected that to happen, and as a result, he felt distant from her even when they sat beside each other. But who else could he trust? His younger sister Lenore was a spoiled child who didn’t understand anything. Worse than that, she could even prove to be a danger to him. He heard often about what a stellar student and mage she had turned out to be. Dorian was untrustworthy as well. Try as he might to appear loyal, Illian knew that he was a snake underneath; a snake who had willingly betrayed his own brother.
In short, Illian was agonizingly alone, and in spite of himself, he was drawn to the thought of closeness with another human being. He told himself it was all a sham, yet he began to look at Trista with new eyes.
Today, for example, as they rode together, he realized that she was beautiful. The thought had occured to him before, but only in passing. Now, he was having trouble ignoring it. Her glowing brown braid nearly reached her waist, and her brown eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked out over the beautiful brooks and forests that made up the majority of Iridalys. Her face was alight, and as her hands gripped the reins, he could see her slight frame thrill with happiness.
“It’s a beautiful day,” she said. Summers in Iridalys were mild. Not like in Tephraya, he thought idly, then cursed himself for bringing up the thought of that place.
She glanced at him and saw that he looked unhappy about something. She seemed to want to turn his mind to better things. “I hear Lenore is doing quite well in school,” she said. Illian wished she would have picked a different subject.
“She’s also gotten quite close to that peasant, Parrel or whatever his name is,” he said quietly.
“I’m sure she doesn’t see him as anything but a friend,” Trista began.
“He’s not her friend. He was sponsored by a noble family that’s generally antagonistic towards me and has only become more so in recent months.” Illian pushed his horse on a little faster as he spoke, and hers had to canter to keep up. “His loyalties lie with them. I’m considering having him removed from the academy.”
“Oh no,” Trista protested hastily. “Lenore would be very upset. I’m sure he doesn’t mean her any harm.”
Illian gave her a slightly sardonic smile. “It’s very nice that you think so well of him without even knowing him. But I do know the family. They would gladly find any weakness against me to exploit. Lenore could prove to be that weakness.”
Illian had no idea how true his words were. Young Parrel had been called into conference with Lord Hauser, a pompous gentleman who had originally approved his sponsorship. They met in the library, which was full of books and scrolls of ancient magics and techniques. The lighting was poor and dim, which added to the rather ominous atmosphere of the meeting. The academy took no notice, as it was quite common for sponsors to ask for a private audience to check up on the students in their care.
Parr felt less at ease. There was something in the plump, cruel face that was very disquieting.
Hauser’s small blue eyes glittered as he said, “How are you enjoying your time here, young Alden?” Alden was Parr’s family name.
“Quite well, sir,” Parr replied, wondering why Hauser had come in person. Normally, he would send a servant to report on Parr’s progress.
“Very good. And I hear you’ve had an opportunity to become quite close to Princess Lenore.”
Parr reddened, embarrassed and worried that his closeness to her would be misconstrued. “Not especially,” he stammered.
“No need to lie, boy. I’m quite pleased, actually,” Hauser told him.
Parr hesitated, confused. “You are?”
“Of course. That was the real purpose in you coming here, after all.”
Parr started violently. “The…real purpose?”
“Naturally. You didn’t think the house of Lord Hauser would sponsor a mere peasant out of goodwill?” Hauser sneered.
He grasped Parr’s shoulder, pulling him closer. Parr winced as he caught the smell of Hauser’s body. Evidently, the man didn’t bathe all that often. Hauser whispered in his ear, “I imagine you’ve heard plenty of interesting things from her.”
“I don’t understand you, sir. Princess Lenore and I…why would she share anything with a peasant like me?” Parr felt it best to pretend ignorance.
It seemed to be the wrong choice, however. Hauser growled with annoyance and tightened his grip painfully.
“You’re hurting me, sir.”
“I know you’re lying to me. I don’t take well to lies. Do you want to be kicked out of the academy? Would you like to go back to that broken-down hovel I found you in?” Hauser snarled.
Parr paled and tried to step away from him, but Hauser’s claw-like hand only held tighter. “Princess Lenore is your friend. If she hasn’t shared anything, you would do well to listen better and pay a little closer attention. For example, what really happened the day Princess Kathryn ‘escaped’ the castle?”
Parr wished Lenore was a little better at holding her tongue. Of course, she’d had to tell him about her incredible power and how she’d helped in the escape. Which meant he now had to lie convincingly or risk showing her to be a traitor to Illian. “I don’t know, my lord. She never spoke of it,” he said, the lie sounding weak even to him.
“Then find out, boy! Find out and report back. Find out anything else you can as well.”
“With what purpose?” Parr began.
He yelped in pain as Hauser tightened his grip, twisting his shoulder and leaving deep bruises under his iron fingers. “Do you need to know the purpose if I command it?” he sneered. “I am your better. You belong to me. Never forget who saved you from obscurity. You have the chance to be something great if you cooperate. Why are you so concerned? Do you think that spoiled brat of a princess would spare one thought for you were you to be expelled? She is above you and, unlike you apparently, she knows it. You owe her nothing.”
He released Parr, who stood there uncertainly, nursing his shoulder and wishing he was anywhere else on earth.
“Now, do as you’re told and don’t make a fuss. I’d hate to see any harm come to your family.”
Parr’s eyes widened fearfully and he nodded, unable to speak. Hauser jerked his head at the door, which Parr took to be a dismissal. He retreated, still rubbing his shoulder and trying to consider what he’d just been told.
Parr was in an impossible position. He’d dearly loved his mother, his father, and his five siblings. He certainly couldn’t allow any harm to come to them because of his own foolhardiness. Why had he gotten so close to Lenore? He deeply regretted it now. What an idiot he was.
Even as he had the thought, he ran into her in the wide, marble hallway. She said cheerfully, “I heard you were meeting with Lord Hauser today! I’m sure he was quite pleased with your scores.”
Then she frowned as her sharp eyes caught the look of fear in his face. “What is it?” she demanded.
“N-nothing.” Parr hastened away from her, averting his face, and she watched him go with a displeased expression. Then she glanced back at the door to the library.
“Well, Lord Hauser had better watch himself around me from now on,” she muttered.
Lenore supposed Hauser had warned Parr away from her. He certainly seemed frightened of something; for the rest of the day, he jumped whenever anyone spoke to him and ran away as soon as he saw her coming. She said a most unladylike word when he rushed out of class ahead of her to avoid her. What had gotten into him? Usually, they were the best of friends, and it had never mattered before that the professors didn’t exactly approve.
Her worries grew when she saw him hanging around near the girls’ quarters. He left as soon as he saw her, but why had he been there in the first place? To her shock, she saw that her bag of letter-writing materials had been left open on her bed. She rushed to it and checked inside. Nothing was missing, but she was now quite sure that Parr had been examining it. What on earth was going on? He had never violated her privacy before, and she was quite angry, yet she didn’t want to report him. There had to be something more to it, and she was going to find out what that was.
The next day, Lord Hauser called for Parr again. Parr stumbled into the room with a pale face, stammering, “Sir, I haven’t had any time yet to-”
Lord Hauser waved to silence him. “Of course, of course. That’s not why I wanted to see you. I will be heading home shortly, but first I wanted to ask you a question. Has the princess ever spoken about the king’s part in the first war with Navinor?”
That was not a question Parr could have expected, and he was caught off-guard. “What? No,” he started to say. Then he stopped. He remembered Lenore saying something about how Illian hated talking about the first war and had nightmares about it all the time, especially about David’s death.
Hauser said eagerly, “Yes? You remembered something.”
“N-no,” Parr tried to protest.
“You seem to have forgotten something else, though. You know, I went to see your parents last week. They were so proud of you.” Hauser’s voice had turned ice-cold. “You can’t afford to be stubborn, Alden.”
“It…it was just that the king doesn’t like talking about the war. But who would?”
Hauser grimaced in annoyance and gripped his arm. “Something happened during that war, Alden. Something scandalous; something that the king doesn’t want anyone to know. He went missing on the front. He and Sir Droy became estranged as a result, and David Amana died. What have you heard about that?”
His head spinning, Parr replied, “I don’t know anything about that, sir.”
“I heard Droy has been getting chummy with Princess Lenore recently, and I saw myself that she was there when they last spoke. Ask questions. Make use of yourself.”
“Sir, I…you aren’t asking me to…commit treason, are you?” Parr’s voice shook.
Hauser recoiled with a shocked expression. “Treason? Goodness, no! I would never ask something like that of you. Just see what you can find out.”
Parr wasn’t stupid. He knew that whatever Hauser was looking for had to be something he could use against the King, perhaps to leverage a stronger position among the nobility, and whatever his exact purpose was, it couldn’t be good. His stomach churned as Hauser went on, “Now, I’m going back home. I’ll be sure to say hello to your family again for you. I hope you’ll have something to report to me when I visit again.”
When Parr emerged from the room, his blood ran cold when he saw Lenore loitering nearby. Had she overheard anything? Was she suspicious? He passed by her quickly, hoping to avoid a conversation, but she hurried after him, calling, “Parr!”
He turned, thrusting his hands into his pockets to keep them from fidgeting as he said, “What do you want, Lenore?”
Lenore glared at him. “Excuse me? What do I want? Since when are you so curt?”
“I…it’s just a bad time. Lord Hauser is here,” Parr began.
“Exactly, and you’ve been acting weird ever since he came. What did he say to you? Tell me. I can help. I am a princess, you know.”
Parr’s mind raced. If he told her, there was a chance she’d believe him. But then what? Hauser could have his family killed in an “accident” long before Illian or Lenore could act to help. Even if he was imprisoned, his family members and allies could track Parr down. The boy felt the impossibility of his situation pressing down on him like a log.
“I can’t,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
Lenore rolled her eyes. “You’re being so dramatic. Just tell me what’s going on!”
“Lenore, please don’t meddle. I have to handle this on my own.” He brushed past her, and he could feel her eyes boring into his back. Why did she have to be so stubborn? He had a feeling she wasn’t going to let this go.
Lenore was getting more and more frustrated over the next few days as Parr continued to avoid her. He was very skittish as well, and when anyone asked him what was wrong, he would insist he was fine and hurry away as quickly as he could. His magic was off too, and his grades began to drop.
As Lenore was preoccupied with this problem, she failed to notice that she was increasingly attracting the attention of Sir Leonard Droy. He frequented the academy and would sit in the back of many of the classes, simply listening and observing. He always sat forward a little more in his chair when it was Lenore’s turn to answer a question or show her abilities.
Of course, so did everyone else. Lenore was well known to be the prodigy of the academy. Today they were practicing blinding magic, which was Lenore’s specialty. Her instructor told her to try to make a hallucination visible to the entire class, a feat which would put her leagues ahead of any warden her age.
Without realizing this, Lenore excitedly reached for the large, black blinding opal on the desk at the center of the classroom. The instructor said, “Don’t worry about conserving it this time, Lenore. Simply focus on picturing in your mind what you want to show us.”
“Can I use incantation?” Lenore questioned. Technically, incantation was a beginner technique. Advanced wardens didn’t need to speak to bring their magic to bear as intended, but it often helped beginners focus better.
The instructor started to reply, “I don’t-”
“Let her,” Droy said from the back of the classroom. All eyes turned to the disheveled mage. He rested both hands on his cane and fixed his half-blind gaze on Lenore. “I want to see this.”
“Well, all right. Lenore, if your vision starts to go black, you don’t need to continue. Just see if you can create the hallucination; don’t bother to try to maintain it,” the instructor told her.
Of course, as soon as he said that Lenore had an unreasonable desire to see how long she could keep it up. But she said nothing and placed her hand on the stone. She tried to think of what she wanted to show them, and a smile flickered across her lips as she decided.
She said, “Show them.” Then her eyes turned black as they murmured expectantly. Dark tendrils spread across her face, but they still didn’t see anything.
The instructor remarked, “I suppose this challenge was a bit too difficult, Lenore. Maybe just focus on one-”
Then one of the students shrieked. Looking down, the rest of them saw black, squirming snakes at their feet and yelped. A couple of students who were more scared of snakes than the rest jumped atop chairs and desks to escape. Even the instructor paled.
Lenore was trembling now, and her legs buckled. Parr rushed to catch her, pulling her hand quickly away from the stone. The blackness faded from her eyes almost immediately, but the tendrils remained, and her chest felt tight as she struggled to breathe.
The instructor hastened to her side. “Lenore, are you all right?” he asked quickly, regretting his choice. Of course she would want to show off, and of course that would result in her overusing her magic.
But Lenore recovered fairly quickly and smiled up at him. “I’m fine,” she said. She didn’t think it was necessary to mention that her sight was so blurry she was almost completely blind.
Relieved he said, “Then you may sit down. Parrel, help her to her seat.”
Parrel whispered, “Are you really okay?”
“What do you care?” she muttered resentfully in return, and he reddened.
As the blurriness gradually began to clear, Lenore could see that Droy was staring at her intently from the back of the room. She wished he would stare somewhere else.
Oddly enough, Parrel kept glancing over at Droy. As the students were getting ready to leave the classroom, Parr walked over to the man and said, just loud enough for Lenore to hear, “Sir, I was wondering if I might have a word with you in private?”
Droy looked irritated. “About what?” he demanded.
Lenore wasn’t sure what Parr said yes, but she thought it might have been her name. Droy hesitated, then nodded. “Very well,” he said. The two of them left, and after a moment of hesitation, Lenore followed as discreetly as she could.
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