“No,” Kieran says grimly. “Ferelith’s forces were spreading out from Kestevayne, and we were losing the skirmishes. We moved south of the Rosethorns by about a hundred miles. She’s not ventured this far south yet, instead concentrating on the northern and eastern regions first. We’ve split up our army, though, moved them around, which makes cloaking easier and doesn’t strain the ley lines. It allows us to engage her soldiers in smaller battles, but we’re doing nothing more than making dents.”
“Makes sense to move here.” The land south of the Rosethorns is mostly uninhabited, and there’s nothing for Ferelith to conquer except our army. There are easier targets north and east of Kestevayne. “What can I expect when we get to camp?”
“I’ll get you settled in your quarters, then I’m sure the Conclave will want to meet with you. They have no clue we even went to get you.”
“I’m sure they’ll be shocked to see me,” I reply with a mirthless chuckle. “I’m assuming your father will be there?”
It’s funny how easy it is, slipping back into business mode. My parents may have sat on the thrones, but from an early age, I was trained and prepared to take over their duties.
Ruling Vyronas was done via a trifecta of wisdom and power: the monarchs, the Conclave, and the warrior caste. As commandant of the army, Kieran and Bastien’s father, Graeme, would be at any important meetings, and I suppose my return could be considered important.
Kieran doesn’t answer, so I glance over King’s neck at him as we walk along. His eyes darken and his mouth draws downward. He merely gives me a small shake of his head.
My heart sinks at the implication. Graeme is dead.
I stop walking, my hand on King’s bridle to hold him in place. “I’m so sorry, Kieran. What happened?”
“Two years ago, he was leading an attack against Ferelith’s forces at Ciarta. They’re equipped with magic far superior to ours, and well… it was bad.”
My mind races. Magic far superior? But how? House Clairmont and its own armies were the mightiest. It’s why we held the throne.
“And Bastien?” I immediately ache for him, even if he’s given me no reason to feel for him at all since my return.
“He’s now the commandant of our forces, so to answer your question… he’ll be there when you meet the Conclave.”
That thought doesn’t please me, but I push it aside, reaching out to Kieran. He’s my friend and always has been, and I hurt for him. “I’m truly sorry about your father. He was a great man.”
“Yes, he was,” he agrees fondly, giving me a quick squeeze. “And so is Bastien, no matter what you might think.”
“He’s changed,” I say flatly as I start King moving again. There’s nothing great about Bastien other than his size.
“It’s complicated, but I would urge you to keep an open mind. I’m sure the Conclave will explain things.”
I want to ask all the questions now and demand Kieran give me every bit of information so I know what happened to his brother. I should be worried about my country and the people suffering, but now I suspect there’s way more to Bastien’s complete personality change. And when I learn the truth of it, I fear it will hurt worse than what I feel now.
CHAPTER 7
Thalia
We emerge from a forest into a field of green grass with a few trees scattered about and hills rolling to the horizon. In the distance, I can see the sparkle of a blue river. Bastien keeps a brisk pace ahead of us.
Kieran had said we were in the south lands, but I don’t know them at all. They’d be akin to the states of Wyoming, Nebraska, and Montana in the First Dimension in that there is a lot of space and not a lot of people. In Wyoming, my nearest neighbor was fifteen minutes away, and Moose Gap, with its small grocery, was a thirty-minute drive.
Except here in the south lands, there aren’t any towns—just isolated farms and homesteaders who prefer peace and solitude. They grow their own vegetables and slaughter their own animals for food and will barter with traveling vendors.
I understand why my people chose to move here, knowing that Ferelith would not chase our forces so far from Kestevayne. She was more concerned with conquering the cities, which control commerce and the people. War is a nasty business, and it can last years.
More than a thousand years before I was born, Vyronas saw many wars in the battle for control of the throne. Then peace reigned, and perhaps we got lazy, never considering someone might try to overthrow us.
“It’s just up ahead,” Kieran says, jolting me out of my thoughts. I realize he’s talking about the cloaked stronghold.
I look toward Bastien, his long legs eating the distance but in the blink of an eye, he disappears. Had I not known about the cloaking spell, I might have thought he bent distance, which can make it seem like a person has vanished. But he’s merely passed through the magical shield that hides the stronghold. It not only renders it invisible to the naked eye but prevents anyone not invited under its protection from being able to get within a few miles of it. If that were to occur, the spell would befuddle travelers and compel them to find an alternate route around the concealed encampment.