A Soul For Chaos (The Soulbearer Trilogy), Page 3

  “Close the door, Kell.” Heodis sank into his chair and stroked his grizzled beard. “For the second time in less than a year, the people of Trivinus have been shaken from their beds, and walls have fallen. And both times, she’s been at the center of it.”

  Kell remained standing, not fooled by his father’s less aggressive stance. The minute he conceded, his father might reverse his judgment of Arden. “I won’t argue that she used magic to cause the earthquake to defend the city from Sulaino, but this time, she is completely innocent of it. If she hadn’t used her magic to save me, I wouldn’t be standing here now.”

  The king’s expression softened. “Are you saying she’s a hero?”

  “She’s saved my life more times than I’m comfortable admitting.” He relaxed his posture, relieved to have found something that turned the tide for the moment. “Dev thinks this was an attack targeted for Arden.”

  The king snorted. “He’s a Tel’Brien. Be careful what you believe from an elf.”

  “But what if it’s the truth?” Kell took a step toward the desk, hoping he might be able to keep Arden here. All he needed to do was convince his father to order her to stay. “Dev plans on leaving for Boznac in the morning.”

  “Then good riddance to them both. I have more important matters to deal with. Thallus is threatening, and I need to make sure they stay on their side of the mountains. If she didn’t cause it, then I wouldn’t be surprised if one of their mages was behind this attack.”

  “All the more reason why we need to have a powerful mage on our side.” Now was the moment to take the lower stance. He sat in the chair, leaning forward as he pleaded, “If we were wise, we’d do everything to keep Arden here. She’s used her magic to defeat one threat to the kingdom—she’ll do it again.”

  His father’s expression hardened. “And you have no idea what impact your suggestion will have on the kingdom. There’s a reason why magic has been outlawed here for centuries. You think it will bring order, but history has told us it will only bring chaos, especially from the likes of her.”

  “Meaning?”

  Heodis opened his mouth to speak, then clamped it shut again. “I’ll speak of this to you when you are ready. Until then, I will not endanger my kingdom any more than I have to. She leaves in the morning, and that’s final.”

  “But you can’t fight magic without magic.” Kell jumped to his feet. “If Sulaino taught us anything, it’s that. Thallus has mages—powerful mages—and we’ll be slaughtered if they unleash that power against us. We need magical allies.”

  Heodis rose from his chair, the volume of his voice rising with it. “No, we need a strong army that will make Thallus think twice before invading our land. And I need an heir I can trust to lead my people if we come to war.”

  Kell’s response remained lodged in his throat. There’d been little talk of the succession since Gandor was imprisoned for his part in the plot to overthrow their father. Kell had always assumed the throne would go to Therrin, his older brother, even though Therrin had declared over and over again he didn’t want it. “What are you saying, Father?”

  His father remained tall and stern. “Don’t act so surprised. I’ve been grooming you for years to become king after me. You possess all the qualities needed to rule. You just need to stop your needless infatuation with that witch and take your place by my side. Together, we can gather our forces and be waiting in Cordello to defeat the Thallan troops when they cross our borders.”

  Kell swallowed hard, taking a moment to digest what his father had just told him. He would be king one day. He’d rule Ranello and be responsible for the safety of its people. But his vision of the future did not match his father’s. “And what if I wish to avoid war?”

  “It’s too late for that. They’ve made the first move by gathering along our borders. You saw them yourself. They’re preparing to invade as soon as the snow clears from the passes.”

  “I saw more soldiers in the garrisons along the border, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to invade. They may have heard about Arden’s powers and are taking a defensive stance of their own.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  Kell leaned on the desk, getting as close to his father as he dared in the hope he’d see reason. “Have you even considered diplomacy? Perhaps this is all a big misunderstanding that can be resolved by communication between our nations.”

  “Diplomacy is for the weak.” The king mirrored Kell’s posture. “I’ve tried it in the past and gotten nowhere. We need to show we will not bow down to anyone and not waste time talking in circles.”

  “Then perhaps you need a different person talking.” Kell pushed back from the table and turned to leave, his mind racing.

  “Don’t you dare leave my presence without my permission.” The king’s voice thundered off the walls, and the crystal chandelier above them tinkled in the silence that followed.

  Kell paused and slowly faced his father. The king’s neck was red from rage, the muscles in it stretched tight to reveal the fast pounding of the arteries beneath the skin. Any other man would have cowered before Heodis when he was like this, but Kell clung to his beliefs. “I’ve said my piece, Father.”

  “And I’m still King.”

  They stared at each other for several long seconds, testing Kell’s will. Just when he thought it best to give into his father, he was reminded of how crucial Arden’s power had been against Sulaino and his army of undead. Ranello needed her. He needed her. And he’d eventually show his father that.

  At last, Heodis lowered his eyes back to his papers. “I’m sending a regiment of the Royal Guard to Boznac with them, so don’t get any ideas of kidnapping her.” He dismissed Kell with a flick of his hand.

  Kell bowed and left the room. As he wandered the corridors of the palace, he formed a new plan. Perhaps it was time Ranello sent a diplomatic envoy to Empress Marist of Gravaria.

  Chapter 4

  Arden pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders and stared at the palace doors. Her breath billowed out in front of her, creating a cloud of white smoke in the icy air. Seconds ticked by, marked by the shaking of her horse’s head. But Kell still hadn’t appeared.

  Dev tugged on her reins. “Let’s go.”

  “Just a few more minutes, please.” What was taking him so long?

  “We’ve waiting long enough.” His voice softened. “He’s not coming.”

  Arden’s chin quivered, and her eyes stung. After all his declarations of affection, after all the time Kell spent wooing her, she couldn’t believe he wouldn’t at least say goodbye to her.

  “If you hadn’t been such a frost maiden to him, perhaps he wouldn’t be absent now.”

  “And what is that supposed to mean, Loku?”

  “You know exactly what I mean. A man wants a woman who returns his affections, not one who’s afraid to acknowledge her own desires.”

  Her throat tightened, though more from anger than grief now. Was Kell avoiding her because she refused his bed too many times?

  A sympathetic look from Dev confirmed her suspicions. “It’s time to go, Arden.”

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as though she could exhale her pain with it. Dev was right. It was time to go. Lingering here only prolonged her suffering. She nodded to Ortono, the new Captain of the Royal Guard, and kicked her horse forward.

  As they passed through each of Trivinus’s successive gates, she kept hoping she’d turn around and see Kell galloping toward them, begging her to stop. That hope died when they’d crossed the final portcullis and set out on the road toward Boznac, her horse flanked Dev’s and Ortono’s.

  It was midday before she found her voice again. “Do you think I’m frigid, Dev?”

  He made a noise that sounded like a cross between a cough and a laugh. “That’s not a word I would associate with you, Trouble.”

  Irritation prickled her spine. “When are you going to stop calling me that?”

  “When y
ou stop living up to that name.” He continued staring straight ahead, his face concealed by his hood. “Why did you ask me that? Did that little princeling insult you because he couldn’t get what he wanted?”

  “No, he didn’t.”

  He turned toward her, his brows drawn together. “Then why would you think you’re frigid?”

  “Because—” She noticed the members of the Royal Guard riding around her and caught herself. They didn’t need to know about Loku.

  Thankfully, Dev knew whom she was talking about. “Frigid usually means devoid of emotion. You, on the other hand, are hot-headed, stubborn, and defiant to the point where I question your common sense.”

  “Aw, isn’t he being romantic, my little Soulbearer.” Loku laughed.

  Arden snapped her shoulders back. “If anyone’s insulting me, it’s you.”

  “You asked for my opinion.” A hint of a smile played on his lips before he faced forward again, and her heart skipped a beat the way it always did when she got a glimpse of his lighter side.

  “Then I’ll remember that should I feel the urge to ask for it again.” And try to ignore how handsome he was when his serious façade cracked. His green eyes had taken her breath away the first time she saw them, and the sunlight made his dark auburn hair glow like embers under a blacksmith’s bellows. He rode with an easy grace, the lean muscles of his thighs rippling in time with his horse’s stride. Just watching him stirred up those complicated emotions she’d wanted to forget since the day he told her there could be nothing between them.

  The steady drip of melting snow serenaded them along the forest road. She shivered and frowned. “Ortono, don’t you think it’s a bit early to be heading toward Boznac? It’s still winter. I doubt we’ll find a ship that will take us to Gravaria when we arrive.”

  Ortono cast a cautious glance at Dev before replying, “It’s cold here, but the weather is better along the coast according to the reports we’ve been given. And King Heodis himself sent a messenger ahead to arrange transportation for you and Sir Devarius, milady.”

  Dev smirked. “We’re honored the king would make such an effort to be rid of us.”

  Ortono cleared his throat. “Do you mind if I ask you a question about last night’s, er, event?”

  She was glad he changed the subject before the other nine members of the Royal Guard taught Dev how rude it was to insult their king. “What’s your question?”

  Ortono pulled at the neck of his tunic. “There are rumors that it was caused by magic.”

  “It was,” Dev said before she had a chance to open her mouth.

  A new spark of anger flared inside her. Ortono was speaking to her, not him. “What makes you so certain?”

  “Didn’t you feel it? Or are you so inept at magic that you fail to recognize a powerful spell when you’re in the presence of one?”

  Loku snickered. “Or perhaps you were too distracted at the time to notice it.”

  Her cheeks burned at the memory of Kell’s kisses, but then she recalled the electric shock that shot up her spine right before the earthquake. “I felt it.”

  “Which is why I need to get you to the safety of Gravaria as soon as possible.”

  “And what makes you think I’ll be any safer there?”

  For once, Dev wasn’t so quick to answer. A muscle twitched along his jaw. “I don’t. But at least there, I’ll have others that will help protect you.”

  Ortono raised his head. “Do you think I’d be unwilling to protect Lady Arden if needed?”

  She couldn’t resist a chance to hurl a jab at Dev after his behavior all winter. “What he means is that if he’d actually been doing his job and protecting me rather than hiding out in the basement of the palace, then I wouldn’t have had to use my magic to protect myself and Prince Kell.”

  Dev kicked his horse forward and reeled to the side, blocking the road. Rage simmered in his dark green eyes, adding an air of danger to him that chilled her blood. “Don’t you ever call my duty into question. I have sworn my life to protect yours, and if that means I die in the process, then so be it. But I’ll be damned if I let you stay in harm’s way.”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” she snapped back, “because for a second last night, I feared I’d end up like Robb.”

  Dev’s nostrils flared. Even the forest grew silent as they glared at each other. Finally, he pulled the reins so hard, his horse reared in protest before it started moving again.

  “That was a bit below the belt, don’t you think?” Laughter laced Loku’s voice. “I bet it’s taking everything in him not to teach that smart little mouth of yours a lesson.”

  “I’m too old to be spanked.”

  “Nonsense. In fact, I bet you might enjoy his hand smacking your bottom, you naughty girl. And then afterwards, I’m sure he’d find a few other ways to keep that mouth of yours occupied.”

  Arden dug her fingers into her gloved palm and gritted her teeth before she released the growl of frustration welling inside her. Leave it to Loku to turn this into something perverted.

  “Point taken,” Dev said at last in the quiet voice that she feared more than when he shouted. “From now on, I won’t let you out of my sight, if that is what you want.”

  “If he’s true to his word, you’ll be sharing a bedroom with him tonight. Remember how nice that was?” Loku’s voice, no longer taunting, caressed her like a velvet cloak.

  A new wave of longing overwhelmed her. She remembered how it felt to sleep in his arms, warm and secure, inhaling the smell of smoke and spice that clung to his clothes. There was nothing sexual about it. He wanted to comfort her, to keep her warm and safe, not try to get her out of her dress.

  But now that he knew she’d developed feelings for him, would it ever be the same? Ever since she’d broached the subject, he’d barely even touched her.

  “He’s scared of his own feelings for you.”

  She watched him as they rode. The flare of anger she’d witnessed a few minutes ago dimmed with each clop of the horse’s hooves, but his shoulders remained rigid, his gaze focused on the road ahead of them. Was there some truth to what Loku said?

  “I feel sorry for you, my little Soulbearer,” the chaos god continued. “You want a man that will never return your feelings, and you closed yourself entirely to the one man who might have loved you.”

  “Kell didn’t love me. He didn’t even say goodbye.”

  “Maybe because he couldn’t bear to be rejected by you once again.”

  Her cheeks warmed. If the earthquake hadn’t stopped them, she probably would’ve allowed Kell to continue. And then where would she be? No, it was for the best. At least now she wouldn’t have to worry about conceiving a child after she’d been cast aside by her lover.

  “Has it ever occurred to you that I can prevent that?”

  The wind rippled her cloak, sneaking in through the crevices to chill her skin. It was one thing for the chaos god to play tricks on her mind and lure her toward insanity, but when he spoke of having control over her body, a new fear crawled through her stomach. “What are you talking about?”

  “You know very well what I’m saying. It’s crowded enough with both our souls in your body. I refuse to share this space with another.”

  “Are you saying you can prevent me from conceiving?”

  “I am still a god, so remember that next time a man gets your blood pumping. You might enjoy what happens between the sheets.”

  Even if Loku could alleviate that problem, it still didn’t change the fact that she could be abandoned by a lover as soon as he tired of her. She pressed the gold pendant into her chest, the cold metal a symbol of the nights her mother spent crying over a man who’d done that to her.

  ***

  Dev followed Arden into the dimly lit common room of a roadside inn. The minute she lowered her hood, the patrons stared at her. She reached to cover her hair, but he caught her hand.

  “Don’t ever be ashamed of who you are.”

  Her
lips parted, but no words came out. Even though he was ordering her around once again, his words ignited something other than anger this time. She stared at him as though no one had ever told her that before. After a few seconds, she lowered her arm and turned to the innkeeper. “I’d like to be shown to my room, please.”

  Dev stayed close behind her as they climbed the stairs. The innkeeper flattened himself against the wall when Cinder slipped into the tiny room with them, a dribble of sweat sliding along his temple. “Is there anything you need for the evening?”

  He fought a grin from the man’s reaction. These Ranellians feared anything that was unusual. “Please bring dinner up for the three of us.”

  “Three?” The man visually counted the occupants of the room as though he thought they were insane.

  “Yes, three—me, the girl, and the wolf.” Dev closed the space between them. “Unless you want the wolf to find food for himself.”

  Cinder licked his lips and stared intently at the innkeeper.

  The man nodded and made some incomprehensible gibberish before darting out the door.

  “You shouldn’t have scared him like that.” But even Arden couldn’t suppress the way the corners of her mouth rose. “You’d be surprised how quickly a town can form a mob.”

  “I do, but we’re also being escorted by the Royal Guard, and I have every faith that Ortono would step in before he let anything happen to you.” Dev removed his cloak and flung it on the bed.

  Arden’s gaze lingered on it as she fumbled with the clasp of hers. “You don’t have to stay in here if you don’t want. I know how to ward a room now.”

  Dev shared her unease. For months, he’d looked forward to getting her out of the palace and on the road to Boznac. From there, they’d catch a ship to Gravaria, away from Kell, away from these backwards Ranellians, away from those that either wanted to use her or kill her. But now that the time had arrived, he was faced with a whole new set of problems he didn’t count on, including the need to protect her more closely than ever.