

Terra Discordia

Livian Grey © 2010

30/3 Productions Ltd.

ISBN: 9781310426711

Smashwords Edition

The book contained herein constitutes a copyrighted work and may not be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, or stored in or introduced into an information storage and retrieval system in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the copyright owner, except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organisations is entirely coincidental.

The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 29:29

Chapter 1

Shelm slowly pulled the blade of his sword from the Menarcan's belly. The dark, sticky blood dripped onto the crude leather armour, which was studded with fragments of bone and animal teeth. There was nothing salvageable on the corpse. The Menarcans only carried spears made with the flimsy wood of their swamp homelands, and more often than not the spearheads were made from stolen metal weapons that were gleaned from their few victories over the Selebrians.

The raiding party the Emperor had sent had been small but tough. The battle had lasted longer than Shelm had originally anticipated, but he thought them all the more pitiful for even trying. There would be little to report to the High Priest on their return.

Quann was hauling another body to the pile to be torched. Chalky dust from the ground stained his knees. Shelm wiped his blade clean and took note the red sky was starting to darken.

'We best be heading back,' Shelm advised. 'How many more are there to gather?'

'This is the last of them.'

Quann let the corpse in his arms fall limply upon the stack of Menarcan meat. Shelm dragged over the body of the man he'd killed and laid it at the bottom of the pile as one of his men brought a torch to him.

'They're too cowardly to come for their dead,' Shelm said nonchalantly as the torch kissed one of the heads. The mass of matted hair caught light. The flame was slow to catch, as the bodies were moist with sweat, but it eventually found favour with the flesh and began to smoke. His small band of men watched the pyre for some time until Shelm calmly ordered them to head back.

When the sky was too dark for them to continue on to Akelia, they made camp for the night beside a narrow river. Watches were set and Shelm was happy to take first post, knowing sleep would elude him for some time. The bareness of the land meant they had no cover, still he couldn't imagine the Emperor had sent more of his men that evening. He thought over the fight, remembering each parry and slash of his blade. The rage the Menarcans always had in their eyes had terrified him in his younger years as a soldier of the High Priest. Now knowing how weak and putrid they were, the fire was his way of mocking them. Every time they stabbed at him with their pathetic weapons, he could only laugh, knowing this agitated them further and made them attack with more gusto. Shelm occasionally allowed them a blow but was quick to quash any unfounded confidence they gave him. Their savage approach to fighting meant there was no finesse to their movements. If they'd ceased their pointless raids and joined the Akelinite army, he'd spend the time to teach them to fight properly.

Quann sat beside Shelm and offered him his waterskin.

'You would think they'd have amassed the numbers to be of some threat to us by now,' Quann laughed.

The stale water bathed Shelm's tongue. 'Well, the Emperor seems keen enough to keep us alert. Would you rather keep watch at the battlements?'

'It'd be a waste of my talents.'

Shelm took another mouthful of water and handed the waterskin back to Quann.

'We won't be fighting forever, Quann.'

'I try not to think on my future often,' Quann replied. 'Adelia senses there are worse things waiting for us. I've learnt to trust her visions.'

Quann's wife was a well-known matriarch in the main city of the Highlands. Adelia sensed changes in the air around them, for good or ill. She was an Akelinite priestess, and her communions in the fusion ceremonies with Akelin brought her visions Shelm had been right to trust.

'She's seen a death,' Quann went on. 'She was fearful to even speak of it, she told me you'll be headed to the Heartlands soon.'

'I've not been there for years,' Shelm replied absently. 'I'll speak to her once I've seen the High Priest.'

'I doubt there will be a need,' Quann smiled. 'The High Priest may very well be the one to tell you why you're going.'

Quann returned to his bed and Shelm inspected the sky. It was at its darkest colour. The white Wastelands to the south carried on for some miles before there was any hint of the forests that skirted the Heartlands. Its people were ill-aware of the conflicts that edged its borders. He expected he'd be meeting with Xelle, the solitary queen of the Heartlands, but didn't want to contemplate what that meeting would be about lest he filled his own head with needless concern.

Instead, he wondered idly how much Xelle's daughter, Lelette, had grown, and if she'd lost any of her childish pluckiness. Her reluctance to be an heir and a lady had been amusing to him when he'd last seen her, and he looked forward to meeting her again.

The umbilicus slid its sting from her navel as Lelette awakened. She'd drifted down to the floor of her chamber and was now lying still as the umbilicus retracted into the soft pink wall beside her. She gazed up at the high domed ceiling over her, sighing as the walls billowed then sagged. The pain she had felt through her back and shoulders had not abated. She groaned as she pushed herself from the floor. Stretching as much as her limbs would allow, she breathed out slowly and tried to make her body go as limp as possible. Still in her nightgown, she ambled lazily out of her chamber and through the halls of the palace.

Morning was never kind to her, so she felt no inclination to greet it with a smile. Her courtiers were fussing in the halls, distressed and making a chorus of sharp whispers. She couldn't remember a time she had hated their presence more. She knew the cause of their disharmony and was fighting to ignore their words. Expectations were already developing. Eyes fixed on her as she passed. She tried to move with an air of nonchalance, but only felt the need to run grow stronger. Irritated, she moved quickly from the halls and ducked down another passageway, hoping to make it outside before any of her mother's councillors caught her.

Her nightgown billowed slightly in the breeze outside. She moved through the garden outside the palace gates. There was no need for a moat or barricades. No disruptions had entered the kingdom for some time, thanks to the clever thinking of her mother. The soft white blades of grass swayed back and forth in the breeze. She tread towards the garden bed and watched the small, jagged-stemmed flowers tilt in time with the grass. Iridescent petals of jade green and azure blue topped the stems. She was loath to pick the plants since their colour vanished once she brought them inside her chamber. Only once as a small girl had she brought a garland inside, becoming disappointed by the instantaneous loss of its sheen.

The birthmarks that dotted her skin in strange shapes changed with the colour of the sky. The morning meant the marks would be a bright red. By midday, she looked as though she was bleeding, and by night, they turned purple as an old bruise. She watched the red pulse on the back of her arms then brushed her spotted hands through the flowers.

'Your Highness,' a meek voice said behind her. 'Your mother needs to see you at once.'

Lelette raised herself from the garden bed and faced the messenger, Demese. She was one of Lelette's ladies-in-waiting, though Lelette barely stood for having people constantly around her to tend to her whims.

'What's wrong?' Lelette murmured.

'Come quickly, my lady. I can hardly move for the people in the halls. Your mother is fading.'

Lelette hurried after Demese back inside. They ascended the soft stairs and dashed through the corridors, the crowds parting in alarm. Demese let Lelette into her mother's bedchamber and closed the walls behind them. Faces peered past the gap a moment and Lelette was glad to see them disappear.

Her mother was still attached to her umbilicus and was floating in the round room like a wayward balloon tethered to a fence. She flinched and turned, then drifted down closer to Lelette. Demese respectfully left them alone. Lelette took her mother's hand and her heart fell to see Xelle's pain.

'What's happening, mother?' she whispered.

'I am sorry, Lelette,' Xelle croaked. 'I should have spent more time telling you all you needed to know. I'm so terrified of what will happen now.'

'But you're not leaving me,' Lelette murmured. 'Not now. Your doctors haven't done enough to save you.'

'It will be for nothing, Lelette. I know that. The treaty... I tried... I tried everything I possibly could. I meant no harm...'

Her mother's pale skin was becoming almost translucent. Lelette could see her veins pumping hard; blue strands swelled and strained all over her body. Her tresses of long, snowy hair brushed the floor. Lelette took her mother in her arms and cradled her. She was painfully light and Lelette could barely see her eyes past the fluttering lids.

'What will I do without you?' Lelette cried.

'What you know to be right.' The strain in her voice cut Lelette's heart. 'You needn't do what I have done, but you still must listen. Discount nothing that is said.' She coughed and dropped her head to one side. For a moment, her pale blue eyes sparkled. 'The Menarcans... the Empress... listen to them. Do not let the High Priest decide...'

'Akelin and the High Priest mean nothing to me. Please don't give up, I need you.'

Xelle took a breath, her ribs expanding in Lelette's arms.

'I'm so sorry, my love. Pain is all I know now and I cannot endure it. I'm sorry.'

Her eyelids fluttered once more as Lelette dropped to her knees. Her mother's body began to sag as the umbilicus lowered her to the floor. The threaded, fleshy cord suddenly grew black and fetid. Her mother's back arched and she cried out at last, causing the palace to shake violently. Lelette whimpered helplessly. The umbilicus finally slipped free of her mother's belly. The black had spread to the wall and it broke at that point before dropping uselessly to the floor. Lelette stared at the cord, silent and horrified. The chamber opened to doctors and courtiers, who at once started fussing around the body. She was pulled away from her mother, unable to cry out in protest. The noise around her was muted and distant, as if she had been thrown into the lake and the water was filling her ears. She let the intruders push her aside. Passive and dumbstruck, she slipped out through the break in the wall, moving against the tide of on-comers, then listlessly returned to her garden.

The silence outside was usually welcoming to her, but now it roared around her. She picked up her pace, bereft and angry, and ran through the grass to the lake by the palace. Tributaries stretched from the centre, some heading north or south into the distance, others stopping dead only several metres away. She fell at the bank and gasped for air, her chest compacting in on her. The water reflected the sky and the marks on her skin. She couldn't weep. Her eyes refused to form tears. Furious, she pounded the surface of the water with her fist, the ripples quickly spreading outwards after the splash. The ground around her suddenly started quaking. Shaken by the movement, she sat still, waiting for her heart to slow. It refused and instead became a rock within her ribcage that she wanted to tear from her chest and throw into the lake. She stood up and ran into the water, submerging herself fully then screaming as loud as she could.

Deep within the swamps, much further south of the Heartlands, the water churned and boiled. Tesna stepped away from the water's edge up the muddy bank. She thought it could have been a beast, one of the many reptiles that lurked and twirled in the water. Her two older brothers had often threatened to toss her into the swamps as food for the beasts. Growing up, she'd lived in terror they'd find her playing alone and snatch her up then throw her, flailing and helpless, into the muck.

She could hear the bubbling behind her and the ground was still shaking under her bare feet. The trembling only pinched at her soles and made her run faster. She clambered up the mud hill, slipping in the grey sludge while using the slippery roots of the trees to pull herself up to the summit. When she was on flatter ground, she sprinted to her hut and called out to her brother, Jeske.

'The beasts!' she yelled. 'The beasts are coming!'

Jeske scoffed at her. 'I told you not to go near the water.'

Tesna collapsed onto her knees, breathless as she cried out, 'I didn't even put my toes in! I was only making castles.'

'Doesn't matter. They smell you. They smell your stinky bits and get hungry.' Jeske stalked on her and she couldn't get to her feet in time. He grabbed her around her middle, making her wail.

'What's the matter with her?' her father asked.

'She thinks the beasts in the swamp are after her.'

'Put her down. Didn't you feel the tremors?'

Jeske dropped Tesna in the dirt and followed their father, Vanyel.

'We'll need to secure the walls,' Vanyel said. 'Last time, twenty houses in the village collapsed.'

'That was years ago,' Jeske said. 'We'll be alright up here. We're nowhere near the village.'

Tesna scurried around the back of the hut and saw her father pick up his stone axe.

'That's no call to be complacent. You and your sister can bring me as much wood as you can find, I'll start cutting what we have. If you see your mother, tell her to come home.'

Jeske helped Tesna down the nearest embankment. Spindly paperbark trees grew out of the sides of the massive mound where they lived. The bark could be torn off easily and was commonly used to put together flimsy clothes that only lasted the wearer two days at most. Tesna had known no other home. Her father owned the mound of mud and most of the land around it. He was of a privileged few to have secured somewhere on high ground, so he refused to take their good fortune for granted. He was in good stead with the Emperor, and her mother tended to the Empress. Tesna's own fate as a servant of the Empress had already been bedded down at the hour of her birth, the bargaining chip for her father's good fortune.

Her eldest brother Gohran now served in one of the raiding parties. They had been gone for days, making the long journey around the Heartlands to the mountains where the Selebrians lived. She didn't know when he'd return and her mother was worried for him.

Tesna pulled at a root pushing up from the ground.

'Stop messing around and look for some loose branches,' Jeske chided. 'You won't be able to carry much.'

Tesna stopped and tried to lift a rotted log from the ground.

'I can carry this,' she told him, barely raising one end to her shoulder.

'Don't be stupid.' Jeske navigated the roots and stepped in the middle of the log, snapping it in two. He'd brought his smaller axe and reduced the log to a couple of manageable chunks. Strapping what he could to his back, he then made sure Tesna's smaller bundle was secured firmly to her shoulders. As they trudged up the hill, another tremor knocked Tesna backwards. She cried out as she stumbled and flipped all the way to the base of the mound. Jeske had to traverse the mound carefully to the bottom again, pick her up by the arm and pull her up with him as she sniffled and whined.

She was sodden with mud by the time they came home again. Her mother usually brought a pail of clean water for them to bathe in every night. Jeske told her she'd need ten buckets to get clean. Tesna let her tears track clear paths down her muddy cheeks. Her father told her to stop snivelling and help with the walls. She patted fistfuls of dirt into the breaks in the damp wood, knowing the air would dry the mud to clay eventually. She stayed quiet while she worked, daydreaming about the beasts in the water and wondering if their bellies were big enough to fit her whole, or if they'd have to chew her for hours before they swallowed.

Her mother Fiesa arrived, immediately infuriated to see Tesna so filthy.

'It's not my fault,' Tesna whined. 'There were shakes in the ground and I fell.'

'The Empress won't care for those excuses, Tesna. I'll have to take you to the river to get clean. Jeske, you wash up now with the clean water. No sense wasting it on your sister.'

Jeske obeyed and Fiesa took Tesna down to the water. She clung to her mother at the water's edge, trying not to wail. Fiesa stripped off Tesna's dress and then dunked Tesna under, letting her up a moment for air then shoving her down again.

Tesna spluttered and whimpered, but didn't complain. Most of the mud slid off her and out of her hair, still the dirty water meant she'd be going to bed filthy. Tesna was too tired to cry in the end.

As her mother dried her with bushels of leaves from the grey trees, Tesna asked, 'When will the Empress take me?'

'When she next decides she needs servants, she may pick you. She's restless at the moment.'

'Why?'

'The tremors. She said they heralded something much worse than a few broken walls and roofs.'

'What's worse than that?'

'Hush child. The affairs of the Empress aren't for children to know.' Her mother was distracted and dark, and she was clearly tired of questions. Tesna saw the little pieces of sky grow redder through the canopy of twisted tree branches above them. She hated nightfall. The swamp was almost completely blacked out, so she always made sure she was safe in her bed by then. Fiesa crouched and Tesna jumped on her back to be carried up the mound to the hut.

She lay in bed and listened to her mother and father speak softly by the fire. Their conversation kept her awake, preventing her sleeping tether from connecting with her tailbone.

'The Empress cannot leave here to go to the Heartlands,' Fiesa told her father. 'She may have to seek audience with the princess by other means.'

'Queen Xelle would never have allowed her daughter to come here,' Vanyel replied.

'Things are different now. Who knows what this will bring.'

'I can't start to hope for a better life, Fiesa. Not again.'

Tesna heard her mother shift. 'I can't either. I'll need Tesna to come with me to court in the morning. I'll send her home alone if she's not required.'

'She's been summoned already?'

'The Empress is considering new handmaidens now some of her closest servants have fallen ill. I'll have to clean her properly on the way.' Fiesa sighed. 'I don't want to let her go, Vanyel.'

Her father responded in a deep murmur that Tesna couldn't decipher just as the resting tendril stuck itself into the bottom of her spine.

Chapter 2

Shelm returned with his party to the city gates mid-morning. While Quann had seemed content within his sleep, Shelm remained awake and continued his watch through the night, refusing to be relieved. He was stuck going over all the possible things the High Priest Olnar would tell him. Externally he seemed a calm, almost unshakable man. Within him was a different disposition entirely. In times of uncertainty and unrest, he'd agonise over every possible scenario that could eventuate, even if it seemed ridiculous and impossible. He couldn't cease his worrying until the events unfolded completely. He lived alone purely to have moments of quiet and clarity. The only time he knew peace inside himself was when the blade met his opponent's flesh with the final blow and he saw their eyes were well and truly lifeless.

The guards at the gates gave them entry. Once inside the walls, the city's children greeted them, ceasing their playing by the gates. Shelm could see their drive to become knights and soldiers of Akelin, but not all of them were going to have the strength required.

The city of Akelia was built around the temple of Akelin. Each house had been carved into the mountainside. From a distance, the city was almost camouflaged against the blanched colour of the mountain itself. The temple didn't sit above the city. There was no intended grandeur. It lay nestled within the mountain, with natural caverns creating numerous entrances to the main hall within. The High Priest of Akelin made his home within the caverns. His residing priests and priestesses tended the halls and gave counsel to the townspeople.

Beyond the walls to the south, there were well-guarded settlements that lined the rivers and lakes. Some were still small villages; others were growing into citadels slowly over time. They hadn't settled any further than where water was abundant. There was no life between the Wastelands and the forests of the Heartlands. If Shelm were to travel that far to visit Xelle, he'd need a heavy waterskin and at least one night's rest. The journey was taken once a year by the High Priest and a select few within his clergy. Shelm was assigned each time to choose several members of his army to go with them as protection against possible raiders. The people of the Heartlands presented no threat to them, but they were not to pass through the Heartlands should they want to attack the Menarcans. Xelle ensured that whatever conflict existed between the Selebrians and the Menarcans had no consequence to her own people, the Amoreans.

Adelia and her children, Elore and Mapha, greeted Quann as they always did when he returned. Adelia always included Shelm in this welcome, as she fretted he was lonely. Shelm indulged her even though the gesture wasn't necessary. The children considered Shelm family, and when they had finished kissing their father's cheeks, they ran to Shelm and offered him the same affection.

Mapha was growing quickly and he'd been playing with the wooden swords that had been fashioned for the children. He already had definition in his arms and legs from climbing the houses and chasing the other boys across the rooftops. He and his sister both had mops of golden hair like their mother. Elore was quiet and often sought solitude away from the other children. Adelia supposed she was in deep contemplation about her path; she'd been blessed by Akelin at their last communion. Shelm sensed the gift also created a burden in Elore that was causing her to retreat within herself. She stayed by her mother's side most days.

'The High Priest is waiting,' Adelia told them. 'The tremors were awful. We're lucky little damage was done.'

Shelm had also felt the tremors that morning. The first had rattled him, while the others had only enhanced his worry. He didn't want to wait any longer to speak to the High Priest. He granted Quann and his men the day to spend with their families. They were to report at the barracks at nightfall.

The knights and soldiers of Akelin were granted access to the temple by their own secure tunnels. Chassine met him at the door to the tunnel, as she was wont to do. Adelia had suggested Chassine would be a favourable wife for him, but his affections extended no further than gratitude for her assistance. Chassine betrayed no feeling for him as far as he could see. Her days of piety and prayer meant her indulgences were scarce and usually fraught with remorse. He said little to her as she guided him to the High Priest, answering her few questions when they arose.

What had been found as indentations or shallow caves in the mountainside had developed into tunnels through years of labour. The rocks that had been carved out were cut into stone blocks for the walls of the city. The High Priest's chamber was at the end of a labyrinth of narrow, crude tunnels that were lit by occasional torches that sat in sconces carved out of the rock.

Chassine allowed him into the High Priest's chamber. Shelm didn't notice her disappear afterwards and their presence hadn't shifted Olnar from his prayers.

The room was lined with what little Olnar owned. His altar was made of stone and styled with thick veins running up and around the rounded edges. Shelm knew Olnar took private communion with Akelin here, as Akelin's tendrils reached through the temple into the chambers of the worthy priests. Akelin's symbol was upon the wall to the left — a strange symmetrical pattern of convolutions that formed a circle. The tendril protruded from the centre whenever Olnar knelt with his back to the sigil. Only a few candles provided light for him. Shelm preferred to see Olnar outside, where the daylight made his gaunt face only slightly less unnerving.

Shelm wasn't witness to the praying, as Olnar was slowly pushing himself up from the floor when they had arrived. Offering the man assistance to stand, Shelm then stood away quickly. It wasn't proper to put one's hands upon the High Priest, and Shelm knew the act, while considerate, was actually insubordinate. He received no thanks from Olnar.

'You were waiting for me, Olnar?'

'I was. We needn't discuss your patrol. I assume you and your men felt the quakes on your way here.'

'We did.'

'Civil unrest has developed in the Heartlands. Queen Xelle has died.'

Shelm masked his shock well. 'We weren't aware she was even ill.'

'It was a secret she offered only to me. She was in great distress, and I saw her once a year to offer counsel and Akelin's words. Her daughter is set to rule now. Xelle was burdened with monstrous guilt over many things, including her consort with the Emperor of the Menarcans. Her distress led to her slow demise, Shelm. I did what I could to bring her into Akelin's heart and to have her live as we do.'

'I have no doubt of that, Your Worship.'

'Now that she has passed,' Olnar said, 'I fear Lelette will not be able to uphold her mother's diligent protection of her lands and her people. If this is the case...'

'Then the Menarcans could easily take the Heartlands...' Shelm knew the conquest would leave the Highlands in a much more perilous position.

'Lelette's coronation cannot go ahead until one last ritual is conducted. I need you to go with her to protect her on this journey, and then bring her to me. Akelin's way will be the only way to save her people.'

'I'll go at once. Should I assemble my men now?'

'No, you're to go alone, Shelm. Lelette will only take a band of your soldiers encroaching on her palace as a threat.'

'Understood, Your Worship.'

'Don't waste too much time preparing, Shelm. With all due respect to her people's customs, I still want Lelette here as soon as possible.'

Shelm nodded and left. Another priestess guided him out and they walked briskly through the tunnels to the outside. Quann met him near the city square.

'You look more troubled than before, Shelm.'

'I have to leave for the Heartlands. The queen is dead.'

Quann stopped his following, and Shelm imagined he'd turned about to tell Adelia the news. Knowing the importance of his mission, Shelm could go without rest for the duration, as his mind would be too focused to consider stopping for even a moment. He found his waterskin and filled it quickly, and he'd not had time to remove his armour. He felt he lived his life at the ready for any trouble.

He'd not taken his mount on their last mission, so she was shod and ready to leave. Too impatient to wait for the stablehand, he saddled the horse himself and then took off, astounding the boy and the other children who were watching nearby.

The guards gave him quick passage out of the city, and he rode ardently towards the Heartlands.

Tesna awoke with her cord still embedded in her tailbone. Some mornings, her mother or brother had to help her remove it. The cord then retracted into the mud with the same sickening noise. Tesna's earliest memory of the cord reaching out to her tailbone still gave her nightmares. Her mother explained, again and again, the same thing had been happening to her each night since the day she was born. She still watched as the cord slithered up from the mud floor of their hut while her tailbone stuck out of her skin to meet it. The cord would produce its small spike and then shoot into the tip of the bone. It moved through the bone, the most painful moment, and then sleep would overcome her. She'd once run from the cord as well, her parents spending hours looking for her. The cord carried out its duty when they'd finally dragged her home. Jeske told her long before the Menarcans took the cords into their mouths, but this only made everyone sick since the ground was diseased.

Jeske had already disappeared with Vanyel to go cut more wood for the hut. Fiesa rushed Tesna into her only good dress and they skidded down the mound, then walked briskly to the cleaner pools near the centre of the swamp, not far from where the Empress lived. Her servants dredged and filtered the water every day, but the muck and slime eventually seeped in again. The pool was full of people when they arrived, scooping up the surface filth and pouring it onto the banks.

One of the other duties had been to build bridges and walkways across the deepest of the pools so the Emperor and Empress didn't have to wade through them. Several trees had been felled and shaped into crude bridges tall enough for Tesna to crouch under.

Her mother found a small spot that had just been dredged and made Tesna strip bare with everyone watching. Once more she didn't complain, and she quickly tried to get under the water before anyone saw her.

Tesna bathed as best she could as Fiesa's close friend Heranye approached them. She was weary from dredging.

'Why are you here?' Fiesa asked. 'What did you do?'

'I'm not sure,' Heranye replied. 'The Empress is more sullen than usual. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, I'm guessing.'

Tesna scrubbed harder at her skin, terrified the Empress was going to make her tip mud on the banks all day if she saw how grubby she was. The two women wandered away from the bank, but not without her mother calling to tell her to clean her hair properly. Several girls of varying ages, who were already washed clean as was possible in such rank conditions, were heading towards the Empress's caverns. Tesna scrubbed and pulled at her hair, wiped off as much muck as she could, then clambered up the slippery bank to her mother. Fiesa only shook her head and sighed.

'That will have to do.'

'I have a nicer dress my daughter can no longer wear,' Heranye told them. 'Come to my house and I'll get it for her.'

'To be honest, I'm hoping she won't be chosen today. I considered taking her as messy as she was last night, but I didn't want to upset the Empress.' Fiesa took Tesna's hand and they headed to Heranye's house. Tesna wanted to dawdle, but her mother tugged at her arm and told her to hurry up.

Most of the huts in the swamp were just a single room with sleeping mats on the floor. Jeske once told her when Gohran went to the Heartlands a long time ago, he'd seen the people there sleeping with cords going into their bellies, and they floated above the floor. She wished she could sleep and float at the same time. She asked her mother many times if they could go to the Heartlands and see the princess, and her mother told her each time the Menarcans weren't welcome in their cities.

Heranye brought out a pretty dress from a small, crudely made chest in the corner. Light flickered over it and Tesna beamed. She was happy to get out of her ruined smock and she put up her arms to let her new dress fall over her body, inspecting it while her mother combed out her damp hair with her fingers. Heranye wiped Tesna's face and hands with a cloth and the two women led her out of the hut towards the Emperor Ilafran's cavern.

There were many people heading to the cavern, most of them young girls. Only a handful looked older than Tesna. Up on the mound, Tesna found herself alone most days, but occasionally children from the village tracked onto her father's land. They'd tried to persuade her to play with them, but their games didn't appeal to Tesna at all, so she'd run away.

Now she kept her head down, watching her feet as they stepped forward towards the cavern entrance. The legs of passersby knocked her arms and shoulders, but she refused to even glance up. If other children frightened her, other grownups mortified her. The crowd stopped at the cavern gates, which were made from thicker trunks. The cavern itself stood in the heart of the swamp, but there was nothing regal about it. All Tesna knew was the Emperor was being punished by someone and forced to live in the swamps for his transgressions.

A woman emerged from the gates as they parted. Tesna knew she wasn't the Empress since she hardly came out to greet the people. What little she knew of the Emperor, she knew even less of his wife. Tesna could only recall having once seen the Empress outside her quarters when she had first been to the caverns. Tesna remembered her being more beautiful than anyone she'd seen before, even her own mother, yet in the middle of this beauty was a sadness no one could fully explain. Jeske mentioned she'd lost something precious to her. Tesna felt sorry for her enough to wish she could help her find it.

The woman made her way to the middle of the courtyard outside the caverns. Two guards stood either side of her, their spears pointing at the sky. Everyone around Tesna was still, so she allowed herself to look around. The woman ordered all the girls to stand in a line before her. Tesna's mother pushed her forward gently.

'Go on,' she murmured harshly. 'And don't fidget.'

'I don't want to,' Tesna whispered.

Fiesa wasn't angry with this, still she motioned Tesna to go on. 'It'll be alright. It may be too soon for you.'

This didn't comfort Tesna at all, but she obeyed, knowing making a scene would cause things to turn much worse than they already were.

Tesna moved to the end of the row of girls, hoping enough girls would be chosen before the woman got to her. She kept her eyes on her dress, distracted by the dance of light across it when the woman was suddenly in front of her. She tilted Tesna's chin and glowered. Tesna stared back at her black eyes, then at the plaited rope of coarse black hair that fell over her right shoulder.

'How old are you, child?'

'She's almost ten,' Fiesa answered.

The woman acknowledged Fiesa. 'I recall your husband gained favourable land from the offering of this child. Is that right, Fiesa?'

Tesna didn't hear her mother answer. She was trembling and wishing she could slap the woman's hand away and run home.

'Is she obedient?' the woman went on.

'Most days,' her mother answered.

The black eyes fell onto Tesna again and made her rigid.

'I suppose some discipline may be required, but you seem strong enough. Go stand in line with the others.'

The only sound Tesna heard then was a gasp from her mother. Tesna didn't move and the woman was infuriated.

'Go!' she barked, causing Tesna to run to the other girls. An older girl discretely took her hand.

'I don't know what you're so upset about, Fiesa,' the woman laughed. 'It's not like you won't see her every day.' She addressed the crowd in a booming voice. 'You may all return to your work.'

The crowd covered all sight of Fiesa and Tesna could only whimper as the girls were ushered inside the cavern by the soldiers. The black-eyed woman walked ahead of them. Water dripped from the jagged roof, and what little light they'd been given outside disappeared as they went deeper within the cave. A lone torch held by one of the soldiers lit their way. Tesna felt as though they had walked for ages and only a few moments had passed.

The girl who was still holding her hand whispered, 'Don't cry anymore. When we see the Empress, she'll get mad if you have tears. You don't want that.'

Tesna did her best to stop her snivelling, but her nose was running thick with snot now and she couldn't help it. The sound echoed off the walls, making her too frightened to breathe. She was giddy by the time they reached the Emperor.

Inside the throne room, Tesna noticed the walls were thick with a strange red substance. Torches were fixed all around the room. Behind the mud throne, hung like a smile, was the skin of a huge lizard, its long, pointed mouth lined with sharp teeth. The guards wore leather pelts and tunics dotted with white spots that Tesna soon realised were broken teeth and bone. On their heads were wooden, bell-shaped helmets that almost covered their eyes. Some of the spearheads were made of bone while others appeared to be metal.

The Emperor Ilafran sat on his throne and two men spoke with him quietly. He wore a cloak made from strips of dried snakeskin, the heads lining the top of the cloak in a ring around the Emperor's neck and the faces pointing outwards with their mouths open, still full of teeth. Two of the snakes kissed at his throat. He wore nothing beneath it save for a loincloth, much like what her father wore. His feet were bare, and his skin was taut and dark. She could tell by the length of his legs he was tall and she hoped not to fall into his shadow. His eyes were black and stern.

'What do you want, Rordelle?'

'I've selected the new handmaidens from the village girls. I wish to present them to the Empress.'

'She's in her garden,' Ilafran said dismissively. 'Keep them out of my sight, at least.'

Rordelle nodded and directed the girls through a doorway to the left. Tesna trailed behind and stared at the Emperor. He cast an eye back at her and sneered a little, so she snapped her gaze away and trotted out.

'This is what you must do before the coronation, Lelette. It's an important rite of passage, not to be avoided...'

Words fell out of Celquin's mouth only to be scrambled into meaningless noise in Lelette's head. She knew the rites. Her mother had done the same. She didn't care. She couldn't. When they'd dragged her from the lake at last, they'd dragged a dead weight, a useless monarch. She didn't want the kingdom. She didn't want their devotion. She wasn't sure what she did want, except to be left alone.

'I am sorry, Lelette. It is how it is.'

Celquin had been Xelle's faithful chancellor for many years, and he'd been at Lelette's side since she was a child. She'd known no other father but him, and he held more history in the Heartlands than anyone she knew. He'd castigated her when she'd disobeyed orders to stay inside the palace and not play with the others in the nearby village. He'd bathed her as an infant and tended to her when her mother had been absorbed in affairs of state. He'd covered her eyes from so much and, in the end, had taught her little but what was expected of her as a princess. There were places outside the Heartlands she'd never journeyed to, and now he was expecting her to go through the forests alone to carry out a task no daughter should ever have to do.

'Will you speak? I need some assurance you've understood what I've said.'

Lelette sighed. 'You want me to go to the desert beyond the woods and bury my mother, alone.'

'By rights, it should be alone, but the High Priest is sending his most loyal of knights to escort you. At this precarious stage, we don't trust the Menarcans not to take advantage of your vulnerability.'

It would've been a blessing to her if they had. She'd take anything offered that would alleviate her of her newfound responsibilities, including death. She moved away from the window overlooking her garden and drifted across the room.

'I wish to rest. I've done nothing but take condolences from all concerned and listen to you tell me things I'd rather not discuss. If you have any respect for me now, Celquin, you'll leave me be a while.'

'For a short while then,' he conceded. 'You'll have to return within an hour. Your escort will be arriving soon. He's on his way now.'

'Then have Demese come find me.'

'Lelette, your insolence will not serve you well at this time.'

'If I'm to be queen, your disobedience will not serve you well at all. Consider that, dear Celquin, before you speak that way to me again.' She stormed out of the council room and ignored the whispers from the servants as she passed.

Instead of going to her chamber, she visited the lake again. It was the first time since the morning the queen had died she'd been able to return. Normally she'd find solace enough in her garden, but now it felt crowded even though she was alone. She knew courtiers and servants alike had been spying from the windows. There were days she loved them, and days she'd wish they'd vanish. Her mother had been kind and patient with all of them. Lelette had no idea from what part of her she was supposed to summon the same equanimity.

Listless and weary, she pulled off her dress and walked naked into the lake. For a while she lay on her back and floated, wondering if it were possible to simply sink into the water. The rivers that flowed outwards were too narrow to carry her all the way to the swamp where the Menarcans lived. She wasn't sure if they would send their own envoy to interfere. She imagined Celquin would turn their request for an audience down with the same disrespect of which he spoke of them often. She knew her mother kept a yearly appointment with both the High Priest and the Emperor, both at different times to keep the peace. Lelette was always spirited away to another part of the palace when the Emperor arrived, and servants were punished if they'd dared to garner what took place.

The High Priest's visits were less secret but still seemed more sinister to Lelette. Remembering his condescending manner with her whenever he spoke to her, Lelette was glad he hadn't offered himself as her escort.

Neither men had seemed honourable in their intentions concerning the queen, but Lelette knew not to pry. When they were gone, her mother took days to settle and speak to anyone again, so Lelette grew to believe nothing good ever came of their visits. Celquin boasted to her they knew the most peace in the Heartlands in the reign of Queen Xelle. Lelette hadn't seen the same peace in her mother's heart once.

These thoughts stabbed her with such a horrible guilt at that moment. Her neck suddenly became tight and her eyes prickled. Blinking, she felt the tears finally drip from the corners of her eyes to meet the water circling her face. She sank beneath the water as her sobbing started again and let her torrent of sorrow seep into the lake.

Another tremor came, and then another. Each one was as hard as her weeping. The water around her muted the rumbling. She couldn't go without air for long and surfaced quickly to see a man standing on the bank with her dress in his hands, and she could tell at her distance he was taller than most Amoreans. He seemed astonished by her. He wore a suit of light armour and had dark hair that was long enough to be caught by the breeze. A sword hung by his side, and his horse stood some distance behind him, nuzzling the white grass. She swam nonchalantly to towards him until her feet hit the bottom of the lake, then she emerged from the water and approached him, casually taking the dress from his hands.

'I assume you're my escort?' she quizzed him.

'You don't remember me, Your Highness?' he replied, now remarkably unperturbed by her nakedness.

'Should I?'

'My name is Shelm. I visited your lands several times when you were a young girl. I'm the first knight of the High Priest of Akelin.'

She pulled her dress over her head and straightened the fabric, letting it stick to her body. Now she saw Shelm seemed taken by this action and too distracted to continue speaking.

'Are your intentions to force upon me the words of a deity in whom I have no interest?' she continued without faltering.

'I've been instructed only to protect you on your journey, then take you to the Highlands to meet with the High Priest.'

'Forgive my impertinence, Shelm, but your High Priest has no cause to order me to his lands. He should have made a request from my chancellor first.'

'I believe he already has.'

'And this wasn't to be discussed with me?' Her frustration clearly made him uncomfortable, and he quickened his pace as she started towards the palace.

'Perhaps I can take you home to discuss this with your chancellor, my lady.'

She stopped and inspected the horse.

'If you insist.'

He helped her onto the saddle then mounted behind her and took the reins. She let him cradle her in one arm while they trotted, sensing his tension but refusing to speak to him. She was too incensed with the barrage of orders Celquin had assigned to her. Having someone else she barely remembered directing her now only compounded the insult.

Demese was flustered as she told them to return to the council chamber.

'Celquin is displeased, Your Highness,' she advised as they walked.

'That's not a matter for you to be concerned with, Demese. Perhaps you could arrange lodgings for our guest instead of fretting yourself with Celquin's disposition.'

'Yes, my lady.'

She requested his horse be tended to in the stable. Demese faltered.

'Do you require dry garments, my lady?'

Lelette smiled. 'No, I'm fine.' She was amused by Demese's consternation at her appearance and only hoped Celquin would be just as alarmed. Demese vanished to tend to her orders.

'You have my condolences regarding your mother, Your Highness,' Shelm said.

'Please do not say such things. If I hear one more hollow word of pity today, I fear I might scream.'

'My words are far from hollow, my lady.'

'I'm sure you believe that to be true.' Stopping, she turned to him and pointed. He paused, confused by her action. 'I remember you now. You were only a boy in training when you came here.'

His mood was lighter for hearing this. 'Yes, I was.'

'I remember my mother telling me you'd be a knight one day and go on to fight the Menarcan armies.'

'And it has come to pass, as she said it would.'

'I've always wondered, why would your god...What was his name again...?'

'Arkarah.'

'What does he want with Menarcan blood?'

'I see your mother never explained the feud to you,' Shelm responded.

'She explained as little she possibly could, and what she did made little sense to me.'

'I'll do what I can to explain it to you on our journey.'

'You'll have to do something to entertain me, I suppose.' She carried on and he followed suit in silence. Over the years, Lelette had convinced herself the particulars of the senseless war that raged on between the Selebrians and Menarcans were not to be dwelt upon. To her, it was a simple case: they were both in the wrong. The Heartlands would be a useful prize for both of them, but neither side had invaded her territory since Xelle had come to power.

Celquin was pacing when they arrived in the council room and was close to chiding Lelette when he noticed Shelm. He approached the knight with sickening reverence. Lelette was mute during their greetings.

'I trust your journey was not fraught with any danger,' Celquin said.

'Only the onset of tremors as I was arriving,' Shelm answered simply.

Celquin cast a glance at Lelette which she caught out of the corner of her eye. She was already at the window again, gazing out, annoyed.

'I hear you've already arranged for my visit to the Highlands,' she said coolly. 'Why did you not discuss this with me?'

'Lelette, my child, you're suffering a terrible loss. I've done what I could to tend to matters concerning your mother's burial as well as your own affairs. I thought it best to not trouble you.'

'So I have no say in this?' she continued, not moving.

'The High Priest is unable to leave his lands at this time, Lelette. He feels you will be safer within his walls, lest...'

'Lest the Menarcans attack now my mother is dead?'

'Our armies are well equipped for any sudden invasion, Lelette. Your absence won't result in the fall of the palace.'

'Our armies have not seen battle for nearly forty years, Celquin. I sincerely doubt they'd be as prepared as you so boldly suggest.'

'Please, Your Highness, the matter...'

Lelette faced him. 'Am I right in thinking my decisions won't be my own until after the coronation? And does this mean that you have assumed power in the meantime?'

There was nothing frail about Celquin despite his age, but Lelette still easily unsettled him. His brow remained furrowed. 'Your Highness, in times of disruption like this, the chancellor will assume command until a new monarch is appointed. You cannot be crowned until your mother is buried.'

'And when she is, will I then be able to dictate my every action? Or will you still be deciding my fate without my consultation?' She started on him and he stepped away, astonished.

'Now is not...'

'When will it be?' she cried. 'What else has been decided for me? Where is my mother? Why can I not see her? Why are you betraying me now, when I need you more than I ever have? What is this... this... dishonour supposed to achieve?'

In her burgeoning rage, she'd not seen Shelm approach. He took her gently by the arms and she softened in spite of herself.

'My lady, your only task is to carry out your mother's burial. Do you not think your people are acting in your best interest?'

She breathed in, speechless. His face was soft and concerned, and his grey eyes exuded a calm that caught her heart and made it slow.

'Why can't I see my mother?' she asked, not taking her own eyes off him.

'It is custom, Lelette,' Celquin told her carefully. 'She's being prepared for your journey. You will spend as much time with her as you need then.'

'She never told me,' Lelette murmured.

Celquin's voice was softer. 'She didn't want to frighten you, child. She bade me not to tell you, either.'

Lelette pushed Shelm aside. 'Neither you or she have done me any favours. I'm so weary, Celquin. Please let me rest. I will go on this journey, I will go to the High Priest, but I must sleep first.'

'You're to leave tomorrow morning, Lelette. Demese will wake you and help you prepare.'

She nodded exhaustedly and left him with Shelm. When she was alone in her chamber, she felt some relief from the pain, yet her thoughts wouldn't stop their chase around her mind. She lay upon the floor for longer than she could bear, and the umbilicus remained in the wall so she couldn't rest. Squeezing her eyes shut, she let herself weep. The palace was still this time. At first, all she felt was blackness. The thoughts disintegrated into mindless sobs until she felt the prod of the umbilicus at last, and she lifted her dress and let it enter her abdomen as she closed her eyes and drifted off the floor.

Celquin spoke with Shelm for some time that night, going over the particulars of Lelette's journey. Shelm was not to interfere in the burial, no matter how painful it was for the princess.

'But won't she need assistance in digging the grave? Should I not help then?' Shelm asked, hating that his practical nature made his words sound callous.

'It's not your duty to help her. You will stand guard to protect her, and that's all. What you must understand is, I was at a great reluctance to accept the High Priest's offer of an escort. I am a man of tradition, Shelm, as well you're aware, but he made it plain he wants her safe, and I could not argue. If I could go myself, I would, but my years will only make the journey much slower than it needs to be. That, and I'm hardly a worthy opponent to a Menarcan assassin.'

'Well, I'd imagine you're inundated enough with concerns of the palace.'

'Uncertainty shakes this land, Shelm. The people feel it. When its queen is in peril, the land itself knows. Without its queen, without hope, it leaves itself open to pain and destruction. I'm willing to delay the coronation for only as long as the High Priest needs Lelette. She'll need to return within the week.'

'What if the palace is faced with an attack from the Menarcans?'

'I'm hoping our armies will fend them off for long enough. Once Lelette has assumed power she will speak to the Emperor about a new treaty. He has advised he's unwilling to discuss matters with me while the princess grieves, and he'll eventually want to see her himself.'

Shelm stiffened. 'I'd not suggest a bargain with the Emperor to her.'

'Our lands must remain out of this feud your people have with the Emperor. It's not our concern. It never was.'

Silencing himself before he made any offensive remarks, Shelm bowed to Celquin respectfully.

'I trust the matter is yours alone to consider, so I'll not speak on it further.'

'Of course. Thank you, Shelm. Goodnight.'

Celquin left Shelm alone in the council room. A moment later, he was distracted by Lelette's servant, Demese.

'Your chamber is ready, sir,' she said politely. 'If you'll follow me.'

Demese led him quietly to his chamber and put her hand into the wall. It opened in a circle that was large enough for him to step through.

'All you need to do is lie down. The umbilicus will sense when it is time for you to sleep.'

He nodded his thanks and she let go of the edge of the circle. It retracted quickly and vanished intractably. The lack of a clear exit made him apprehensive until he saw a small portal on the other side of the round chamber. The walls around him swelled out almost imperceptibly. At the portal, he peered out to see the shadowy woods in the distance. He knew their colours by day were brilliant, but without light, the canopies were dull and foreboding. He was to take Lelette and her mother through the woods to the desert on the other side. Shelm knew the way beyond the desert back to Akelia; they would pass through some of the villages if they followed the river north. Returning her to the Heartlands for the coronation was the easier part of his mission. He knew by horseback, he'd have them at the city in less than two days. His greater concern was for her welfare, not against the threat of death, but through facing her mother's passing at last. She was still so young. Having to be responsible for burying her own mother alone was a burden he could hardly envy. His own parents had reached eternal fusion with Arkarah when he was younger, and his enlisting in the army was his own means dealing with this loss. If he had any comfort to offer her, it was that her pain would not last forever.

The one thing that always marvelled Shelm about the Heartlands was the palace itself, which stood not far from the northern border. Its only barricade was a massive structure of rods that were curved upwards from a central column at the back, and they wrapped around the inverted droplet-shaped structure of the palace. The palace stood floating within this cage without any means to support it. The central column was rooted firm into the ground, and the rods would part without the aid of guards to allow entry to those it knew trustworthy. Staircases would fold out to allow access from the ground. He'd been told the queen and the chancellor of the Heartlands were the only two in the palace who could command the gates by thought alone, so an audience was always sought with the chancellor before anyone arrived. The High Priest was able to communicate with the queen without the aid of a messenger, though Shelm was never given privy to that means of contact. He was aware the Emperor had the same privilege.

Windows dotted the outside the palace at strangely random intervals. Inside the structure were hundreds of chambers, some larger than others, that had access points in the corridor walls that were obvious only to the inhabitants. When Shelm first visited, he'd been wary of getting lost. Lelette, in all her sweetness, had guided him proudly through the maze, thinking nothing of her station above the maids as she chatted to him, plainly.

Shelm knew when he stayed he'd be encouraged to rest and rejuvenate in the fashion of their people and not his own. Outsiders were able to access the umbilicus in the same manner as the Amoreans, but the custom always felt peculiar and unnerving to him. They still drank the same crystal water. Their mouths were smaller and kinder than those of his people; they were slightly shorter in stature, in some cases more round as well, and this added to their softness and amiability. Their features tended to be less defined than those of the faces he was used to. He had a fondness for the Amoreans that always gave him a greater sense of protection of them, especially against the cruel and hideous Menarcans.

Lelette's uniqueness came in the guise of her birthmarks, one of which lay like a broken mask over her left eye and cheek. The redness spread from the hairline down, then in elongated patches over her body. Seeing her naked by the lake that day was a shock due to this discovery. When he first met her, he'd assumed the patches were only on her face and arms. To him, they weren't a deformity, but some kind of odd kiss of beauty and individuality. The curve of her body was leaner than that of her people, and she was relatively tall and straight, the top of her head just reaching the base of his nose. Her neck was longer too, and whitish-pink hair fell in tresses down from the middle of her scalp to the small of her back. The rest of her body was hairless and the skin around her navel was marked with a circle from her umbilicus. Women in Akelia never bared their bodies to their husbands. Seeing Lelette naked with her complete lack of concern and shame left him nervous. He was amazed he'd been capable of forming a single word. Her dress was of the thinnest cotton and when she'd put it back on, she'd seemed all the more naked for it.

Shelm then wondered if her mother's death had caused a madness in her that had stripped her of a social conscience.

He'd also noticed as she was leaving for bed that the blotches on her skin were the colour of the evening sky. Beside the lake, they were a brilliant red and the marks almost made her appear fragmented against the colour of the water. As he lay awake waiting for the umbilicus to meet him, he examined his memory of her further, paying attention now to her dark, narrow eyes and her small, austere mouth.

From then on his thoughts swam in circles, and he remained as still as he could on the soft chamber floor. His armour was already discarded beside him, and his sword was at his side, a habit he was unable to break even in the most secure places. He'd left his clothes draped over his armour. Distracted from mentally playing out his duties, he didn't notice the umbilicus sneaking over the top of him. Its mouth was menacing at first, and instinct almost ordered him to grab his sword and slice off the head. Clenching his fists, he allowed the umbilicus to touch his stomach then penetrate his flesh. The proboscis worked into his gut as he closed his eyes, and the sensation of rising caused his legs to twitch. Falling suddenly, he was jolted awake, but sleep quickly found him along with dreams of his home.

Chapter 3

Rordelle directed the girls to a crooked natural pagoda in the outskirts of the Empress's garden. Somehow, the ugly trees had been twisted and shaped into beautiful archways and alcoves ahead of them. The air was still damp, but now it was humid as well. Tesna's skin had never felt the same stickiness, and her hands wanted to wipe the film of sweat off her arms. The others huddled together around her. Some of them were friends already, and they were still clutching hands and whispering together.

'I'm Luda,' the older girl told her. 'What's your name?'

'Tesna,' she squeaked.

Rordelle shot a glance behind herself at the girls, spied them a moment, then turned away again. Tesna's nose was dripping now since she'd stopped sniffing. When she could, she wiped her lip on her arm, but she was still too terrified to do anything but follow the group. She wanted to run, but she hadn't been watching her path so she knew she'd only get lost in seconds, and she wouldn't dare go past the Emperor again.

A breeze snuck into the garden and Tesna shivered. Bells tinkled somewhere in the trees around them, and Tesna traced the sound to a cluster of small chimes hanging amongst the branches above. The clicking noise that followed was faint in the beginning, but the wind picked it up and brought it to them much louder and more disturbing. Tesna peered ahead into the dimness as the scuttling sound approached. She thought it was a swarm of mosquitos, but she could soon see a blanket of little black bugs spreading out across the ground. The blanket suddenly billowed as more bugs with hideous pincers poured towards them.

The girls nudged each other as they stepped away, and Tesna dared to stop watching her feet a moment to see the mound of bugs carried with it on its tide a slender, naked woman. She was draped unconscious over the pile, and the beetles writhed and over her arms and legs, and even between her thighs. They crawled over her belly and through her waxy black hair, and Tesna saw them pinch a little at the woman's breasts. Luda grabbed Tesna's hand again, horrified as the beetles spread out around the girls' feet. Some of them cried out and stomped on the beetles, cracking their shells, only to moan in disgust at the slime that was left on their skin.

The bulk of the pile remained intact and made a strange living throne for the woman. She stirred awake, and Rordelle produced a robe made of hundreds of rats' pelts, complete with heads and tails, that she put about the woman's bony shoulders.

'Kneel,' Rordelle ordered the girls.

Reluctantly, they rested their knees on the carcasses of the beetles they had stomped. A few of them whimpered. The woman on the throne was confused.

'What is this?' she murmured. Tesna saw the cold eyes of the woman widen a little. Her lips parted again to speak, but she said nothing. Then Tesna remembered her.

'You're the Empress!' she gasped.

Rordelle turned to Tesna and slapped her hard. 'You dare speak out of turn.'

Touching her cheek tentatively, Tesna's jaw jutted. The only sound then was that of the bugs, still clicking and writhing beneath the Empress.

'What have you woken me for?' the Empress complained.

'These are your new handmaidens. I wished to present them to you.'

The Empress sighed and dropped her head to her shoulder.

'I am too tired now. Have them clean the halls. I'll look at them later.'

'As you wish.'

Rordelle demanded the girls stand and leave. Tesna hesitated and watched while the Empress drifted back to sleep.

Her jaw finally decided to allow her to speak. 'What's the matter, Empress?'

Rordelle's hand would have been at Tesna's cheek again had the Empress not commanded her to stop. She stirred and stood, descending the small mounds of bugs that now fell away from her, destroying the throne structure. As the Empress approached, the bugs scattered every which way they could.

'Child, why do you ask?'

Tesna stammered, 'You seem sad, my lady.' She knew this to be an appropriate address for royalty from Jeske.

'Sadness is mine, child,' the Empress smiled, wanly. 'It is my burden and my comfort. What made you come here?'

'I was summoned by you,' Tesna answered.

'I didn't ask for handmaidens. People come and go from this court purporting to be my servants, but they don't care for me.'

Rordelle stepped forward. 'You are tired, Velarese. You don't remember asking me to bring you more help.'

'It seems I don't remember much of anything,' Velarese laughed. 'Witless. Stupid. Useless. What else is it he calls me?' She shook her head then walked away.

Rordelle was flustered and furious. She grabbed Tesna's arm and marched her after the other girls out of the garden.

'If you dare address the Empress again in such an insolent manner, I shall have you before the Emperor. Understood?'

Tesna nodded. Rordelle directed the girls in a flurry to a large room deep within the cavern. Sleeping mats lined the walls, and there was a pool of clean water dug into the ground.

'You'll be expected to haul clean water to the Empress, and tend to the guards' requirements as requested. If the Empress wants anything, and I mean anything, you're to fetch it immediately and bring it to her.'

Rordelle pulled the wooden door closed and the lock clicked without. Each of the girls gazed about themselves. One small girl finally allowed her sobs to come out, and her friend cradled her. There were niches carved into the cavern walls around the room, each with brushes and clothes for the handmaidens to use. Tesna refused to get out of her dress and only took a brush to her hair. Her arms ached as she tugged at the tangles; a chore she seldom did at home since there seemed no good reason. She sat on the edge of the pool with Luda.

'It was silly of you to speak to the Empress,' Luda explained. 'Didn't your mother tell you how to behave?'

'No, she only brought me here this morning. I've learnt some things from my brother. Very little, though.'

'Follow my lead. My sisters were once handmaidens. They taught me the rules. You mustn't speak to anyone unless they address you first.' Luda wiped the smears of beetle blood and goo from her knees and shins. Tesna copied her actions.

'I want to go home!' moaned the weeping girl. 'It's horrible here. I didn't do anything. My sister stole the water from the pool, not me!'

Tesna dropped her head. Had they really expected so little of her that her father chose better land over keeping her? She sniffed once more and let her hair cover her face while her tears burned her cheeks.

The tension from Lelette's fears and nightmares often left her battered and sore when she woke. She couldn't move from the floor at all at first. Her body screamed as she stayed silent and her eyes moved within her burning eyelids. There were no more tears now, just a hollowness so vast and crippling she wanted to die.

They expected her to take her mother to the desert; to walk with her for miles then put her body in the ground. But the expectations wouldn't end there. She knew what else they wanted, and even if she produced these miracles, more would be asked of her. Rage gnawed at her gut, making it tight and painful. There was no will in her to rise now, no strength to summon to push herself forward.

Demese entered her chamber tentatively. Lelette would only accept Demese above the other girls since she was gentle and patient.

'My lady? What's the matter?'

'I cannot do this,' she murmured.

Demese knelt beside her. 'I am sorry, truly. I miss Xelle so much.'

Lelette could only nod, though she wanted to put her arms around Demese. No one had held her through this, and they wouldn't have if she were a small child, either.

'Celquin wishes to see you now. Shelm has already prepared for your journey.' Demese said this with such hesitance, Lelette suspected she'd been practising the words all morning.

'I understand. I still can't.'

'Let me help you.' Putting Lelette's arms around her neck, Demese slipped her own arms around Lelette and lifted her to sit. Lelette managed to kneel enough to stand, but her legs turned to water and she buckled, falling to the floor. Demese said nothing as they made another slow attempt. She walked Lelette from the chamber to her bathing suite.

Her other ladies-in-waiting stood about while she soaked in her bath. There were a gown and a long robe waiting for her; customary garments for her mother's burial ceremony. They were neither pretty or ugly to Lelette, nor were they practical. Red stitching held together the white fabric and lined the bodice of the dress. The robe was a deeper crimson and marked with an ornate pattern of thin light blue threads that ran all the way to the hem. She also had shoes made from black leather, more practical for the long walk and not unlike those the soldiers in her army wore. She was to wear a belt with a small dagger, what would have been her only protection had Shelm not been accompanying her. She stared blankly at all of this finery while Demese washed her hair.

She was lifted from the bath, then dried and dressed by the few women in the room. Her usual morning dressings always irritated her, and she often chased off her ladies so she could dress alone. Too weak to argue now, she indulged their practice. They braided her hair with silk ribbons and tied the belt around her waist. When her shoes were fitted and laced and the robe was fastened around her neck, Demese walked with her to Celquin.

He was waiting for them in the queen's chamber. Two days had been spent tending to her corpse. She was now drained of fluid and encased in a translucent capsule made of thin glass that hovered in the air. She was dressed in her burial gown; a soft pink dress of lace and silk. Her face was peaceful. Lelette stared at it through the glass. She knew the capsule wouldn't release her mother's body until the burial, and she'd been furious she wasn't permitted to stay with Xelle before they trapped her.

Celquin carefully touched Lelette's shoulder. 'It's time. Shelm is waiting for you outside. The capsule will guide you to the desert and you must follow behind. Do not attempt to stop it, it will stop where it needs to. Then you must begin the ceremony.'

Lelette was too hollow now to care for these instructions.

'You'll never know how much sorrow I have for you and your mother,' Celquin told her quietly.

She chose not to placate him, she was done listening to him. If she could have felt anything, it would have been contempt, not just for him, but also for his precious rituals. Traditions always ended up steeped in meaninglessness. The motions were important only to those afraid of change. Having a constant in their lives brought comfort from the terrifying flux of time, and Lelette was already thinking of ways to abolish this lunacy.

Shelm was on his horse as they left the gates, already following the capsule. It didn't wait for them to say goodbye to anyone, not that Lelette cared. She was only dismayed she couldn't embrace Demese, who was quietly weeping and trying to hide her tears. Lelette walked stoically onwards. Shelm's horse tread the stony ground and the hard, chilly wind seemed to echo off the mountains as the capsule drifted east towards the forest.

Following diligently and silently, Shelm felt otherwise useless now. Lelette didn't speak to him at all as they made their way across the plains to the forest. The wind was swirling loudly around his head, so he doubted he'd have heard her anyway. He was to keep a reasonable distance. Celquin made sure Shelm understood this time was meant for Lelette's contemplations, so she could put to rest her past with her mother and become queen without the hindrance of grief.

Shelm felt this clause was completely unfair on Lelette. It shouldn't have been for them to dictate how much time she had to mourn. Taking her to Akelia was going to be his gift, his condolence. Akelin would give her solace and guidance.

The horrible wind left them alone once they were inside the forest. The capsule refused to stop, but his horse was far from becoming lame. The arms of spindly yellow trees reached over the top of them. From their branches hung tiny crystalline leaves of green and blue. Smaller, tangled shrubs lined a narrow path he assumed had been formed by the steps of former heirs to the Heartland throne. There were carpets of dark green leaves spread everywhere, covering the forest floor. The forest itself was dense and dark, and the sky was blocked out almost completely, yet the flowers on the bushes around them still glistened red and pink. The succulent plants were a sickly shade of greyish white, and they wrapped their tendrils around the thin yellow trunks. The ground was still hard, almost bony like the Wastelands, and he didn't understand how anything could possibly grow in abundance here.

What was more disconcerting was the denseness of the undergrowth; it made a perfect covering for hiding Menarcans. Luckily, his eyes adjusted quickly to the dimness, and his ears were keen enough to hear the slightest movement. Meanwhile, Lelette appeared unperturbed. He was thankful for that, and for the dagger they'd permitted her to take. Whether she was able to defend herself, he hadn't been prepared to ask.

Lelette stopped suddenly and the capsule kept going. She turned around to look at him with a heavy nonchalance.

'Would you please speak to me? I'm becoming maddened by this silence now.'

Shelm kicked his mare lightly and she trotted up beside Lelette. The path barely fit both of them side by side. He was told she had to walk, he couldn't even offer his saddle and walk beside his horse if she grew tired. The capsule was still in view ahead of them, something he was just as concerned about now.

'Tell me what your lands are like now.'

'Peaceful, for the most part,' he said. 'The Menarcans take some time to reach us with their raiding parties. But now Xelle has passed...' He stopped himself.

'Speak your mind. I'll not have you censor yourself for my sake.'

'Of course, my lady. I meant to say now the queen has passed, your lands are in greater danger.'

'And yours as well, if they have quicker passage to you,' she said. 'I'm not ignorant to the tactical value the Menarcans have put on my domain, Shelm. I don't want my people to come to fall for the sake of your arguments any more than you do.'

'I'm not asking you to consider matters of state now, my lady,' he said. 'You've no expectations from me to resolve this.'

She smiled. 'Thank you. You've no idea how much relief that gives me.'

'Your burden is ahead of you, my...'

'Lelette will suffice, Shelm.'

He cleared his throat. 'Lelette.'

'Keep talking,' she said then. 'Tell me everything you know.'

'I know little that would probably comfort you.'

'That doesn't bother me,' she laughed. 'I'm past my misgivings toward this journey now.'

'Celquin told me this was a time of reflection for you.'

'I'm carrying out his ridiculous traditions, how I do it isn't his concern. I loved my mother. And I'll miss her for the rest of my life. But now I don't wish to dwell on her, or what I have to do. Please, continue.'

Speaking about Akelia was strange to him. He told her of the mountains, how the houses were small but comfortable, and the rock walls gave them warmth during the cold nights. He went on about Quann and his family, and the others he knew. He said little of his men, who he had grown fond of on their days patrolling the Wastelands. But it seemed crude to tell her of his joy of slaying Menarcans, so he didn't say a thing about it.

'What of your god, Arkarah?' she asked. 'I've heard stories of how he made your mountains and this whole country. Is this true?'

'It was aeons ago, Lelette, but I believe it to be true.'

'How do you know?'

He couldn't answer her for a while, then he said, 'I was told as a boy. My mother and father took me to the temple to commune with Akelin, the Conduit. I learned through this communion that Arkarah formed the sky and the ground. He brought the water to fill the lakes and rivers all the way down to the marshlands, and he made these forests form.'

'How could he make something from nothing?'

Shelm was flummoxed a moment. 'It was in his power.'

'Well, then why?' she went on. 'What made him decide to do it?'

Now he was truly at a loss for an answer. 'I don't think I know. His only child, Akelin, he's our link to him now.'

'Does Akelin know?'

'Not that I've been told.' Shelm suddenly felt embarrassed he'd not asked more questions of his parents. Then he realised he'd never thought these questions before himself. Lelette seemed almost bemused by his responses.

'Why do you go to communion with Akelin?'

'To meet with Arkarah for guidance and understanding. If you're unsure of what to do, or how to reach peace with something, you go to communion.'

'And does Arkarah give you answers?' she asked.

'If you're pure of nature, all will be resolved.'

'What has he resolved for you?'

Shelm went silent. He was reaching a point of exhaustion trying to pull these answers for her from his mind.

'I'm sorry,' she said. 'My mother used to speak with the High Priest, but she'd never tell me what was discussed. I asked Celquin once, and he said he knew little of the Selebrians that would be of use to me, only that they were our allies and would defend us should the Menarcans decide to attack. I must admit, I ceased trying to gain any knowledge of your race some time ago.'

'No, I must apologise. I've followed the way of Akelin since I was a child without question. I'm afraid that's led me to have fewer answers for you.' Shelm wasn't humbled by this admission.

'Well, I'll ask the High Priest, then. Surely, he must know.'

No one asked Olnar why Arkarah had made the mountains. No one questioned why they had to go to communion. Shelm was distracted as they went. The capsule carried on ahead of them. Lelette's rituals were as bizarre to him as his were to her.

'We'll be walking for more than a day,' Lelette sighed. 'I'm sorry, I'm not supposed to stop and rest.'

Given she wasn't following instructions now, he saw no point in doing the same. 'If you're tired, Lelette, ride with me.' He stopped his horse and helped her up onto the saddle. 'It hardly seems very fair for a princess to walk in the shoes of a soldier for more than a minute, much less a day.'

'I suppose there are many unfair things that await me, Shelm,' she replied, and they headed onwards in silence.

Luda went through with Tesna all the duties they'd be asked to do. Her sisters said any refusal to bow to the whims of the guards would result in a belting from Rordelle. The girls also had to prepare for any celebrations ordered by the Emperor. Usually, the death of a Selebrian or a small victory over the Akelinite army was cause enough for revelry.

'Why doesn't the Emperor like the Selebrians?' Tesna asked her as they finished getting ready.

'The self-appointed High Priest of Akelia betrayed him and the Empress.'

Rordelle's arrival meant Tesna had to cease her questioning. They were led through the corridors, once again with no idea where they were headed. Tesna was irritated by the many questions she still had for Luda, and others were forming from their lack of information. The group was split up then. A couple of girls were told to tend to the weapons of the returning guards while the others were sent prepare the guest chambers. Tesna and Luda were given the privilege of returning to the Empress.

'I'd have thought you'd fallen out of favour with the Empress,' Rordelle told Tesna sternly, 'but she insisted I bring you. Don't speak out of turn this time, child. Your life here depends on you keeping your mouth shut and doing as you're told.'

The Empress was in her personal chamber that was tucked away at the back of the caverns. The room had an entrance to her garden and, while crude and off-putting, was still more comfortable than the handmaidens' quarters. The same red substance seeped through the walls and trickled down the dark rocks. Tesna tried to ignore her curiosity regarding its texture. The rocks and floors glistened with the aid of a small fire in the centre of the room. The Empress was lying asleep on a bed of moss, still attached to her feeding tether. Rordelle didn't announce their presence. She whispered to the girls to stand still and wait for the Empress to awaken. Then they were to bathe her from the pails of water by the door. Rordelle left the room and Tesna wondered why the Empress needed to be locked inside with them. In her arrogance, Rordelle had made enough noise departing to wake the Empress. Her tether detached from the bottom of her spine and lay limp on the floor.

Velarese moaned. 'Who are you?'

Luda curtsied and Tesna awkwardly followed suit. 'Your Highness, we're here to tend to your needs.'

Velarese's weak laughter puzzled Tesna. 'Your friend has clearly never had an audience with royalty before, has she?'

Tesna straightened. 'I'm sorry...'

Gingerly pushing herself up off the floor, Velarese wrapped her robe of rats around her shoulders and approached the girls.

'It's alright, Tesna,' she said. 'I don't want you to bow for me. And don't listen to Rordelle. No harm will come to you, or the others.' She sat upon a chair made of twisted, leafy branches and stared at the fire, listlessly.

'I've no real need for handmaidens,' she confessed.

Luda and Tesna stayed awkwardly by the door and listened.

'In truth, it saddens me how you've both ended up here. I know your father, Tesna. He's a good man, but part of you must blame him for this. And Luda, your sisters were fine girls, and so kind to me. That's the reason I let them go. But I have no power in this place. I won't ask much of you, it's just I'm so tired. Bring the water here.'

Tesna felt so awful for the Empress in her sadness and instantly brought the water to her. The two girls wet their cloths then wrung them out as the Empress removed her robe. She remained in the chair as they wiped her arms and legs. Tesna was no longer affected by her nakedness since her sorrow was so much more confronting. She found she liked washing Velarese's hair the most, massaging her scalp with her tiny hands then pouring the water from the little wooden cups over her forehead. It made Velarese smile, and Tesna contented in kind.

Luda was good at braiding, so she plaited Velarese's hair then wrapped the braid around the crown of her head. A dress made of the wings of bats had been laid out for the Empress to wear. She was able to dress, and Luda adorned her with rings and bracelets made from dried worms and lizards. Seeing the Empress by the firelight, Tesna had a sharp pang of envy over her beauty.

'Things were not always like this,' Velarese said. 'You must understand that.'

Thinking she was about to finally hear some answers, Tesna leaned forward to listen intently. She was enraptured by Velarese, especially the way the fire twinkled in her eyes and illuminated her sharp features.

'I've known much better places than this. This is a place of greed and disease. I'm here because I gave something of myself, something akin to love, to someone I shouldn't have. I'll be punished in this place until I die.'

The door flung open.

'The Emperor has summoned you, Velarese,' Rordelle announced. 'Your guests have arrived.'

Tesna wasn't able to make a single bit of sense from Velarese's words, so her curiosity piqued once more. She and Luda were allowed to follow the Empress and Rordelle to the Emperor's throne room where many more people were gathered, laughing and greeting one another. The Emperor was in much higher spirits now, but that did nothing to lessen Tesna's fear of him.

'This is great news,' The Emperor declared. 'Our time is ending in this place. Come to the garden. We have much to celebrate.'

The other people cheered and laughed as they exited the throne room. Velarese was shaken by their numbers, quickly stepping out of their way. Tesna and Luda were also pressed against the wall as the crowd passed by. Some were dressed in soldiers' cloaks and leather armour while others were of statelier dress. There was a savagery there in the masses, regardless of station.

'Now Xelle is dead,' The Empress explained stoically, 'my people may have a chance to return home to the Highlands.'

Luda's eyes became round with her shock. 'You were from the Highlands?' she gasped. 'That would mean...'

'That we were once Selebrians too.'

Rordelle was alarmed by their conversation, insisting the Empress follow to the gathering. She stopped Luda and Tesna and told them to go to bed. Neither of them obeyed, hesitating in the corridors until they knew they were safe to sneak into the garden and watch the party.

Shelm and Lelette had ridden for the better part of the day. She'd fallen asleep in his arms, yet Shelm remained wide awake, waiting for the capsule to stop. They'd departed the forest in the darkest part of the night.

The forest instantly and inconceivably gave way to the desert. The mountains around the Heartlands were still miles away, and for another quick moment, he longed for home. The harsh whiteness of the desert kept it glowing in the darkness. His horse was growing weak and he had to stop now and give it water. Just as he was about to halt his horse and wake Lelette, the capsule ceased moving up ahead.

'Lelette,' Shelm murmured as he pointed ahead. 'It's stopped.'

She shook awake. There was nothing remarkable about this place. He'd been expecting some sort of shrine or monument. Something befitting a monarch. Lelette sighed.

'You best stay here with your horse. At least when this is over we can stop for the night.'

'I'm sorry, Lelette. I'm not able to help you bury her.'

'I know. It's enough to me you want to.'

The ground was split and cracked into a jagged, tessellated pattern, and Shelm had no idea how someone so small was supposed to break the rock to bury a body. Lelette went ahead wearily, finally putting her hand on the capsule. It was some distance away, so he couldn't hear if Lelette spoke to it at all. The wind was picking up again and he stayed beside his horse, feeling impotent and afraid.

Finally, the capsule broke apart in pieces, like a violently smashed egg, and Xelle's body drifted to the ground. Lelette knelt over the body with her back to Shelm. Now the wind was stronger, and his horse reared up in fear. He quickly grabbed her reins, trying to quiet her lest she disturbed Lelette's ceremony. The sky suddenly became darker still as Lelette put her hands on her mother. The ground trembled slightly, at first, then it shuddered awake with a bang. His horse broke free of his grasp and darted back into the forest. He went forward to Lelette, only to have his feet betray him.

The cracks ahead were filling with a dark fluid. Feeling ill, he realised the fluid was seeping from Xelle. Lelette was sobbing as she pushed on her mother's abdomen, not stopping for the tremors. Each attempt he made to stand on the shaking ground resulted in him falling down again, until he was crawling towards Lelette, desperately hoping the earth wouldn't open and swallow her and her mother at once.

Lelette tipped her head up to the sky and let out the most horrific scream he'd ever heard. It overrode the wind and the sky, and he was certain all of them were going to cave into the ground. He couldn't bear to feel a pain that immense. Now he understood why she had had to do this alone.

The dark fluid rose over the cracks, smothering the tiles. Xelle was sinking into the stone as Lelette pushed and screamed. The queen's corpse was disintegrating, decaying rapidly under her daughter's hands. Lelette's weeping was now guttural, almost inhuman. At last, the sky was lightening and the tremors were becoming weaker as the Xelle's remains were finally absorbed completely, leaving the burial gown, now soaked in black.

When the earth was still, he shot to his feet and ran to Lelette. Falling over her the crouching ball of a girl, he clasped her tightly as she continued to scream into the stillness. Her hands clutched the dress to her chest.

Lifting her up was simple once she'd ceased her trembling. Lelette all but fainted in his arms then. Hiding his panic, Shelm walked with her towards the safety of the forest, hoping he'd be able to track down his horse quickly enough so they could leave this horrible place.

Tesna watched the guests at the Emperor's gathering flounder as the swamp shook and rumbled. She and Luda clasped each other in the shadows as the garden seemed to vibrate before them. They were grateful the roof of the cavern hadn't come down. Tesna brushed the dust and pebbles from her hair and Luda was crying softly. The mud beneath them had gone soft enough to envelop their feet and she was pulling her ankles out with her hands.

Instead of consternation and cries of relief when the trembling stopped, the crowd erupted in a chorus of cheers and howls. Yawping emanated from some of the men as they lifted their spears in salute. It gave cause for Tesna to whimper, confused and terrified now.

'Xelle is finally buried,' the Emperor announced. 'Now nothing stands between us and the Highlands.'

Tesna saw the Empress weeping into her hands in the shadows. Unable to stop herself, she snuck forward through the throng. Velarese pulled her deeper into the trees.

'You cannot be here, child. You'll be killed.'

'What's happening? Why are you crying?'

'I won't be able to stop him now. Xelle's treaty has died with her now the princess has put her to rest. Lelette has no power to stop our armies invading her lands. They will kill everyone there to get to the mountains and the High Priest.' A sudden shameful look took over her features. 'The blood of the Selebrians is all they truly want. They won't stop until each one of them is dead, including my son.'

Tesna put her arm around Velarese's shoulder.

'Can't you stop them? You're the Empress.'

'When I said I have no power here, child, that's exactly what I meant. My words can do nothing.'

'Perhaps we can warn the princess instead,' Tesna said.

Velarese became tense. 'I know of only one way. Come with me. We cannot be seen.'

'Luda is waiting for me.'

'We'll take her, too. Quickly.'

They took the darkest path past the roaring soldiers. Fires were crackling all around as the men cavorted with the older servant girls and laughed at their misfortune. The younger ones who had come with Tesna and Luda were cowering in the bushes, solid with fear.

They found Luda and the Empress led them through a secret passage, lighting the way with a torch she had plucked from a wall outside.

The girls were on Velarese's heels as they descended the slippery steps. For once, Tesna's innate clumsiness didn't betray her.

Velarese arrived at an alcove dripping with water and infested with rats and snakes. The floor almost breathed with creatures. Tesna and Luda faltered, just about tumbling into the pile. Velarese's feet parted the sea of fur and scale to reach a small pool of red liquid in the middle of the alcove. Dropping to her knees, she lifted her arm over the pool then plunged her hand deep into the slimy fluid. She whispered into the water as her arm made clockwise circles around the pool, and Tesna saw a small whirlpool forming. The red liquid suddenly pulsed and bubbled then settled.

Velarese stood up and took Tesna's hand, her forearm now gloved by the red liquid. It was hot to touch, but Tesna wasn't afraid of it now. It suddenly suffused her with an odd feeling of strength.

'We can only hope the princess will agree to take communion with Akelin,' Velarese told them.

'Why?' Luda asked.

'That's the only way she'll get my message.'

Chapter 4

Something soft and furry nuzzled Lelette into wakefulness. Disorientation took over, and she breathed hard, trying not to move. A hard ground was beneath her, not the usual soft floor of her chamber. Her hand moved to her belly to feel her umbilicus was gone. In a panic now, she sat up, her eyes as confused as her racing heart. Thin yellow branches were surrounding her, blurred and perturbing. She wasn't able to slow her breathing and she shook and moaned, covering her head.

'It's alright, Lelette,' a voice whispered. A large animal was breathing on her face. It was pushed aside gently by another familiar face.

'Shelm...'

'I carried you here after my horse bolted from the quake. I didn't know where else to take you.'

She shot forward and jumped into his arms.

'She's gone,' she cried pitifully. 'What did I do to her?'

He stroked her hair as he held her. 'What you had to do. I'm sorry, I had no clue this was what they meant.'

'They never told me,' she sobbed. 'Never said a word. I didn't even want to, but my hands did it all the same. I should have stayed with her longer. I thought I'd have more time.'

She vaguely noticed he'd removed his armour and her face was pressed against his the cloth of his shirt. The warmth and slow movement of his chest as he breathed helped to lull her.

'Celquin only wanted to protect you.'

'Why must you defend him?' she murmured.

'He seems honourable. He cares for you, Lelette.'

'He cares more for protocol than my feelings.' She lifted her face and gazed up at him. 'I'm not sure I want to go home now.'

Shelm's features slackened with his worry. 'I don't think you have a choice, Lelette.'

'I haven't a choice about anything now. Even when I return and become queen, others will be dictating my decisions. I'll have to consider every soul in my kingdom. What if I fail them? What if I bring war to my cities? I can't take this burden now, Shelm. I'm not ready.'

'You will be. In time.'

'Can we rest a while here?'

'Of course.'

He leaned against one of the thicker trees and let her put her head in his lap. With little to warm her, he took off his shirt and draped it over her shoulders. He then tentatively stroked her hair as she closed her eyes. Each stroke felt as though he was wiping the pain from her body and she felt her chest soften as she all but dissolved into his embrace.

There was a moment much later she honestly thought she was dreaming. Something gently pushed itself into her tailbone and slipped up her spine to the bottom of her skull. She was slowly lifted from the forest floor and she drifted up into the branches around her. When she opened her eyes, she saw Shelm ahead of her, held up in the same way by the branches of the trees, alarmed. She reached over and swam through the air to him, smiling. She told him not to be afraid as she embraced him, but she couldn't explain what was happening.

Now she could cradle him in the same way. They were melded together as they drifted through the forest. More branches slipped into their skin, and she felt a beautiful heat all through her core. They let their arms and legs wrap around each other as they pulsed together in the air for hours. He smiled at her, and buried his face into the crook of her neck, kissing her skin as he floated over her. The forest swelled around them as if drawing in its own breath, and in a moment of inexplicable bliss, her mind and heart were no longer blind with sorrow, and the world shook harder than ever it had before. The branches passed them further into the centre of the forest and lay them gently in a clearing before hundreds of leaves fell down upon them.

The dream fog lifted and Lelette found herself in Shelm arms, still bare. The forest had sprinkled leaves onto their bodies to keep them warm. His horse had vanished again, but she didn't want to wake him. She watched his sleeping face as long as time permitted her, and her body finally felt peaceful from skin to bone.

His eyes opened, yet he wasn't in the same shock she had been before. He sat up on his elbows and gazed above himself.

'I only fell asleep a moment,' he said. 'What was that?'

'Does it matter?' she smiled.

Leaves fell from his body as he stood. 'Where's my horse?' His was too concerned to realise his nakedness, something she felt no threat or strangeness about. She saw across the clearing a pile of clothes and pieces of armour lying in the white grass. She took up her dress and handed him his shirt.

'We should stay here,' she said as he dressed quickly.

'I wish we could,' he told her. 'I don't feel frightened here, but I still don't understand what happened.'

'Maybe it's not for us to understand, Shelm. Just something to accept.'

He didn't put his armour back on. Instead he looked at it disgustedly then dropped it to the grass. 'There was no threat to us here. No Menarcans were after us, I'm sure of it. This forest would have kept you completely safe.' He glanced up at the trees. 'I felt as though it was trying to tell me this and I'd refused all along to listen.'

'I heard it, too. But there weren't any words.' She pulled on her dress then went to one of the trees and touched it with her palms. 'It was putting the knowledge into my whole being.' Leaving the robe by the tree, she decided to keep the knife and belted it to her waist again.

A plaintive whinny echoed through the trees and Shelm's horse wandered aimlessly into the clearing. He tended to her, perplexed as he gently patted her neck. Lelette put her forehead to the horse's nose and giggled.

'It's alright,' she muttered to the beast. 'We're all safe here.'

'We still have some light to travel by.' He mounted his horse and held out his hand to Lelette to help her up. 'If we can find the river, we can follow it north.'

'What about your armour and sword?'

'I won't be needing them. If we travel for a day we'll reach one of the villages on the outskirts of the Highlands, and we'll be safe enough there. Then it's less than a day to Akelia.'

Finding the river took little time. It was more of a narrow brook when they first discovered it. Shelm kept his horse at a slow pace as they travelled the length of the bank, occasionally treading her into the water to navigate the rockier parts of the forest. The gushing of a large waterfall sounded ahead, and Shelm let his horse gallop through the water until they had to ascend the rugged slope to the top. Once they'd reached higher ground, Shelm turned his horse to look back.

'I doubt I'll ever find a moment to return here now.' Lelette had been thinking this as they were travelling and saying it aloud hurt her.

'These lands are yours now,' he said. 'A queen should be able to go where she pleases.'

'I'm not queen yet. And I'm taking comfort in that while I can.'

He prodded his horse with his foot and they ventured further north. As soon as the forest was behind them, she desperately wanted to jump down and run back, but she held on as Shelm kicked his horse into a gallop. While his arms were firm around her, she still feared she might fall off anyway. They sped on unhindered for hours, and she suspected the forest had healed his mount as much as it had her. Without the beautiful distractions of the trees, thoughts of her mother broke their way in. Lelette breathed out her remorse for having already forgotten her.

The soft white slopes of the Heartlands spread out ahead of them and they passed the red lakes. The mountains seemed to be walking slowly towards them as they sped onwards. She felt a snap within her like a tether had been severed when they moved out of the grassy fields into the blanched Wastelands.

The rivers were much narrower here. The thud of the horse's rapid gallop was a rhythm she was struggling to get used to. She noticed the smell of the wind in this place was stale, and it brought an intolerable dryness to her mouth and nose. Shelm's arms relaxed a little around her torso. She sensed through the slowing of his heart he was glad to be coming home, and she regretted him having to leave for her sake.

The river led them to a small village of limestone, guarded by the wide wall around the perimeter. Shelm brought them to the gate but didn't dismount. A young boy with sandy hair pushed open the gate, a task that seemed to take more exertion than he was capable of mustering. They approached the boy and Shelm called out to him.

'My name is Shelm, I'm a knight of Akelin. We're only looking for lodgings for the night.'

'Where's your armour?' the boy asked plainly. 'A knight never travels without his armour.'

'We were attacked by marauders,' Lelette told him. 'They stole his armour and his sword. Luckily his horse was grazing and they didn't find her.'

The boy stared at her with a gaping mouth. 'What happened to your skin? Were you burned?'

'The sky kissed me all over when I was born,' Lelette said simply. 'That's what my mother said.'

Shelm chuckled gently as the boy motioned them to follow inside the gates. More curious children emerged from the stone houses. The little round windows were without glass and lined with cloths, and the stone was tinged red by the light of the sky. She could see the end of the village up ahead, guessing there were maybe thirty houses between them and the furthest gate.

The boy directed them to the only stable in the village and Shelm left his horse to be cared for by the older stablehand. When Lelette was closer to the children, they marvelled at the marks on her arms. These marks had brought her ridicule as a child until her mother had told them the story of the sky. Lelette believed this for as long as her imagination allowed her, but later it was clear to her they were nothing but birthmarks. By then the taunts no longer hurt.

An older man emerged from a house behind them.

'I was told a knight of Akelin had come to greet us,' he said.

Shelm dropped down from his horse and held out his hand for the man to shake. 'I'm Shelm, the first knight of Akelin.'

'The High Priest hasn't requested a knight or any soldiers be sent to our village.'

'He comes of his own accord. He's my escort,' Lelette said.

The man faltered and bowed his head. 'My apologies, Your Highness. We were not advised the daughter of Queen Xelle would be coming.'

'Any apologies belong to me, I'm afraid. There was no announcement of this made to you.'

'My name is Pelavey. I'm the owner and keeper of the village. Since the tremors yesterday, I've been fearful of another attack from the Menarcans.'

'We've not been followed here, Pelavey. I can promise you this. I'm headed to Akelia to speak with the High Priest. We're only looking for a place to rest, then we'll be gone in the morning.'

Pelavey's small eyes blinked and he smiled amiably. 'I'd have hoped the honour of having you here would not be so short-lived, Your Highness. Please, I have room enough in my house for you and your escort.'

Lelette was already drawn to his kindly and wizened face. Shelm stood almost superfluously beside her. Her boldness was something that served her well when greeting others; she knew her new station would require her to be amicable and gregarious despite her preference for solitude.

A stout woman hurried up to them.

'I've not finished tending to the house, Pelavey!' she cried. 'And you offer royalty my dirty floor to sleep on!'

'Hush, Ghelle,' Pelavey smiled. 'There is time enough for you to prepare.'

Guiltily, Lelette approached the woman and extended her hand. 'I've not come to make a nuisance.'

Ghelle curtsied. 'Of course not, Your Highness. I would have been cleaning for days had I'd known you were coming.'

'I'd hope you wouldn't,' Lelette smiled with benevolence. 'I don't expect any special treatment. I think my chancellor may have claimed once I require more than I actually do. And my mother was more like to accept whatever kindness people could offer, no matter how small.'

'I've heard you've put her to rest,' Ghelle said gravely. 'My heart is in mourning for her.'

Her sorrow was almost palpable to Lelette, and it stung her as much as it comforted her. Shelm's people had a sincerity she was coming to appreciate, and allowing herself to accept their compassion meant her own heart was able to settle. She knew a shield had been forged within her that kept her from truly realising her mother was gone. Shelm touched her shoulder tentatively.

'You're weary, Lelette,' he murmured. 'You'd best get as much sleep as you can while we're here.'

Ghelle hurried into her house and spread several blankets out onto the floor. Lelette missed her bedchamber and the umbilicus, yet kept this to herself out of gratitude for Ghelle's kindness. Her mother said she'd spent nights awake as a girl in the Highlands, unable to allow the tether to enter her. Xelle hadn't told Lelette how they rested, no matter how much she asked.

Shelm helped her lay down on the blanket by the wall.

'It may hurt you more this first time, but the pain won't last long.' His hands still possessed some traces of the magic that had soothed her to sleep in the forest. She let his fingertips kiss her goodnight, seeing Ghelle and Pelavey surprised by him touching her. A sharp pain irradiated out of the back of her skull and she panicked.

'What is this?' she murmured.

'Keep still.'

The bones from her spine suddenly slipped from the base of her skull and arched backwards. She was unable to protest against this. She felt only for a moment a thin needle slip into the cord that ran up her back. The pain dissipated, and she waited to be lifted from the floor, but her shoulder remained fused to the blanket. Shelm's fingertips stayed on her skin until the blackness came.

Velarese kept Luda and Tesna with her during the night. They were all kept awake by the gathering outside. The ruckus of the soldiers didn't abate, even by morning. They were hungry for an attack and would have brought the light kicking and screaming to them if they could. Tesna had tried to comfort the Empress in her fretting, but each roar for battle forced her body into another bout of trembling.

Rordelle found them huddled in Velarese's quarters and was close to castigating the girls when Velarese silenced her.

'They were terrified by the noise,' she snapped. 'It disgusts me you insist on bringing children here to tend to me, then allow them to be molested by the soldiers.'

'The pleasures of the evening were yours to share as well, Your Majesty. There were many soldiers waiting for you to entertain them last night.'

'Get out,' Velarese said. 'You sickening wretch of a woman. Get out, now!'

'As you insist, Your Highness.' Rordelle smiled and the door was closed once more.

'Her vileness surpasses any wrong they said I did,' Velarese murmured. 'If she wanted my crown so badly...'

'Why don't you give it to her?' Tesna asked.

'She is the sister of the Emperor and held in good stead as one of his advisors. I'm sure the itch to run her spear through an Akelinite soldier is too hot for her not to scratch. I thought my husband to be a man of more honour than he is now. He was too proud to ask for forgiveness for his misdeeds.' Velarese regained her fragile tone. 'I am an exile, as is he, but I would have pleaded on my knees to the High Priest to remain in the Highlands. I thought Arkarah's love would protect me, but I knew my own transgressions had poisoned my blood against his benevolence. The tether that bound us during communion was destroyed. The High Priest cast us out, and all who followed my husband's words.'

'Could the High Priest possibly forgive you now?' Luda asked.

'Once you're impure of thought and deed, Arkarah will not have you in his temple.' Velarese swooned and fell against the stone behind her.

Tesna got up and went to her. 'We must talk to the Emperor,' she insisted with an unfamiliar boldness.

'No, child. The Selebrians and the Amoreans are not my enemy, they're his. We must bide our time here. I've sent my message, and it travels through the earth as we speak. If my husband goes to battle, there may be some chance of us leaving here...'

Luda got to her own feet. 'He'll reach the Heartlands quickly too, won't he?'

'His path is a harder one to walk with the swamps and the Mire between there and the palace. His boats must pass through the marshes before they reach solid ground. He'll have other foot soldiers wading through the water as well, and he'll call for his soldiers in the further reaches to assemble. But once they all have a surer foot in the Heartlands, it won't take them long to reach the most southern villages. I know blood will hit soil quickly, but the greater threat to their land and the Selebrians may still be avoidable.'

'Do you think the princess will be warned in time?' Tesna fretted.

'Rordelle said after the burial, Lelette is to go straight to the Highlands. Hopefully, my message will reach her if the High Priest persuades her to go into communion with Akelin. I know her armies will fend off our soldiers for at least a few days, but they may have become complacent from their time under the treaty's protection. They could fall quicker than I'm anticipating.'

Tesna brightened. 'What if I asked my mother for help? We could hide you in my father's lands while we find a way to the Mire?'

Velarese's eyes shone a little. 'See if you can find her. But be as discreet as you can, Tesna, and take Luda with you. If anyone asks, tell them I've sent you out for clean water.'

Tesna carefully pulled the door towards her as Luda stepped out. They went quickly through the halls past the scattering groups of soldiers who were congregating throughout the palace. Before long, they reached the cleaning pools where her mother was scooping up buckets of muck to throw on the banks. She was careful not to run and call out to Fiesa as she toiled, knowing it would cause suspicion.

'Tesna!' Her mother was stopping herself from breaking the palace rule that no parent could touch their child if they were a handmaiden of the Empress. 'Why are you out here?'

'The Empress needs our help,' she whispered. 'You must come with us. She has to stop the Emperor.'

'If I'm caught working against Ilafran, you know they'll take my hands as punishment.'

Heranye waded through the water and slime towards them.

'Fiesa, the girls can't be seen out here.'

'We're fetching water,' Luda explained. 'For the Empress.'

Heranye laughed, 'Well, then where are your buckets, child.'

Luda and Tesna turned to one another, mortified by their error. Heranye took her own bucket and filled it with clean water then handed it to Luda.

'We need your help carrying more water in,' Tesna said suddenly. 'We can get you both a pardon from the Empress if you come. She'll not let anyone hurt you, I know she won't.'

Fiesa's brow distorted in disbelief, making Tesna furious.

'It's important. Please, mother.'

'Alright,' she sighed. 'I'll fetch more buckets.'

The two women found more pails and quickly filled them. They were hooked to their carrying poles and hoisted up onto their shoulders before they trudged inside the palace. The girls found smaller buckets to fill and carried them awkwardly through the caverns to the Empress.

Velarese let them inside her quarters and allowed them to leave the buckets by the door as she locked them in for safety. Fiesa and Heranye went to bow only to have Velarese excuse them.

'I need more than water from the both of you,' she told them.

Watching Lelette fall asleep as the tether injected itself into her spinal column, Shelm had been astonished she'd accepted this more easily than he had the umbilicus. There was a moment of discernible discomfort that she weathered better than he had as a child, and he concluded it was because the greatest pain of her life came from the act of giving her mother to the ground. She was far more impervious now.

He was more concerned she was refusing to settle all her wounds and traumas and was pushing onward as a distraction from her own grief. He refused to make his thoughts clear to her, knowing she'd see him as another person in her life trying to control her actions.

His responsibility as first knight to the Akelinite army was all he had. But he was protected still from the onus of deciding what was best for his people. That was the High Priest's role. Even as a boy, Shelm was known amongst his peers as someone dependable and smart. His word and deed were trusted. He was incapable of doing wrong by them. They remained unaware of his anguish and the hours he spent awake planning battles, hoping that he'd prepared for even the most unlikely of eventualities. The torment of the unknown rotted his resolve and his compassion. All this was in his being, locked within his chest then further protected by his armour.

Leaving all he owned in the forest had been so freeing at the time, but without it now he felt foolish and vulnerable. He still couldn't fathom what exactly had occurred, except he knew a union had taken place. He was not entirely ignorant of the act they'd performed, yet he was not to take of another body without the express permission of Arkarah through communion with Akelin. A child could not be born without this concession, and coupling was only carried out with his blessing. Shelm hadn't granted his body to be taken, at the same time, he'd not done anything to stop it. He hadn't wanted to. In his sleep, he felt unencumbered by his endless worry, and Lelette was floating there, astonishing and irresistible. No shame had visited him in the forest, but once they were out in the fields, bounding closer to his home, his conscience found him again and a great sense of guilt clutched his heart. Forcing his horse to run faster hadn't helped him escape it.

It wasn't Lelette herself who brought on this shame. Nothing of her was repugnant. His soul felt stitched to hers now despite what little he knew of her. He only felt they'd been coerced by something more sinister, something Arkarah would have surely considered malignant and unholy. Shelm was vexed and restless now.

He wandered about the sleeping village and considered leaving the gates to walk along the river. The main gate was easy enough to open slightly, and the guards didn't notice his departure. Their barricades were less necessary due to the village's colourings that helped it seep into the whiteness of the Wastelands.

The river was a thin strip that carried on to the northwest. The lakes were further north still, but there was sufficient water for the people nearby. He knew by the lack of adornments few people in the village were of the Akelinite faith. Those who were not devout followers had spread to the further reaches, where the word of Akelin had less influence. The High Priest spent most of his time attempting to bring these lost ones back to the temple, sending out priests to pour the sacred water into the ground where it would permeate their sleeping tethers and bring them hope of making union with Arkarah. Olnar expected his knights to carry the water too, but Shelm was reluctant to use it. He wanted these people to come of their own accord as he had done; to discover it freely, not by what he considered trickery. He wouldn't dare argue with Olnar, but he often poured his water into the rivers or drank it himself, finding it tasting it no different from the water he filled his waterskin with every time he went out to battle.

He took off his boots and walked through the shallow creek, stirring the water with his ankles as he thought of Lelette. He wanted her to come to Akelin willingly. Shelm knew Akelin's words would allow her grief to surface then settle. He was desperate to ask her if she felt the same concern over their coupling as he did, since he knew nothing of her customs. So many questions were poised on his lips when he'd been riding with her. Was she already spoken for? Had her mother given her enough knowledge of the act that she was aware of any repercussions? He feared she was regretful of what had happened, but it seemed so selfish and callous to broach such subject at a time she was so fragile. When she was in his arms on his horse, he'd wanted to coax the truth from her gently, but his own terrors dissuaded him.

His walking did nothing to exhaust him. While the water bathed his feet, his heart remained without comfort. The dark red sky draped itself over the shadowy mountaintops. If he were alone, he'd have taken his horse and headed to them. He could access the temple whenever he pleased, and he wanted Akelin's guidance more than anything. He wanted to know what was in Lelette's mind now, but more he wanted some assurance their impermissible coupling had not tarnished him forever in the heart of Arkarah.

Morning meant he had to return to the village, and he wanted to be inside the gates before his disappearance could be registered. The darkness washed away, the sky gradually becoming bright again. Lelette was already awake inside Pelavey's house, sipping water from a wooden cup. She smiled to see him in the doorway.

'Sit down, Shelm,' Ghelle chirped. 'Did you rise early to see your horse?'

He shook his head and Lelette kept a curious eye on him as he sat down beside her.

'Lelette's been listening to me go on and on about Anasene and Mortenja. I'm sure she's heard enough.'

'Who are they?' Shelm muttered to Lelette.

'They're a young couple in the village looking for permission to have a child from Akelin,' Lelette explained.

'I was thinking they could journey with you both to the temple,' Ghelle went on. 'They'd be very grateful for safe passage with a knight of Akelin.'

'My lady would have to grant her permission,' Shelm advised, thinking the couple was only going to slow their journey.

'I've no concern with it. My coronation is still some days away. We've time enough.'

Shelm leaned closer. 'We best not be adding any hindrances to the rest of our journey, Lelette.'

'I'd be glad of it. I'm in no rush to return home.'

He acquiesced in spite of his misgivings, warming to see her so cheerful at the thought of quashing Celquin's hopes of their quick return.

'I can take you to see them, Lelette,' Ghelle said. 'They weren't planning to leave until the day had waned a little, but I think if they knew the importance of your journey they'd be happy to go now.'

Shelm helped her up. 'We should go on, Lelette.'

'Of course,' she replied. 'As much as I'd love to stay longer, I know you're eager to go home.'

Shelm hadn't once said this to Lelette. He was grateful she knew of his needs without him having to voice them.

Mortenja was a man of much higher stature than Pelavey, and his hair and eyebrows were as pale as the earth he walked on. Anasene was a small, almost pinched woman with auburn hair, who spoke softly and twisted her hands relentlessly. Mortenja looked as though he'd be able to defend himself adequately, however Shelm knew Anasene would need more protection. Thankfully for him, they had their own horse, which was already packed with a few of their belongings. Ghelle fussed over Anasene, making the young woman more agitated.

'Don't be ashamed if Akelin doesn't bless you,' Ghelle told her. 'I know you've carried out fusion with him many times, but only he knows when the time is right for your child to be born.'

Anasene nodded while Mortenja finished preparing their horse. Shelm's own mount was well rested and much calmer, and he wondered how much of the forest had affected his mare now. He didn't think they'd return to the trees anytime soon, but the thought she was likely to suffer another spook of any kind made him apprehensive.

There was little left in the village armoury for Shelm to take. He managed to find a battered breastplate and a sword, but he had no time to sharpen it. Lelette's choice to hold on to her dagger made him embarrassed about his own rash decision.

Lelette was speaking to Pelavey when Shelm approached them.

'It's time to go,' he said as gently as his waning patience would allow.

After saying her goodbyes to her hosts, Lelette mounted his horse. Mortenja led the way out of the northern gates and they followed behind him along the river until they were out onto the plains proper.

Shelm rode beside them and asked, 'This isn't your first trip to the temple, then?'

'No, it's not,' Anasene responded gloomily. 'I've asked for Akelin's blessing for a child three times before. I fear if he doesn't grant me my wish this time, I'll lose my way to Arkarah through my bitterness with him.'

'Why can you not just have your child?' Lelette asked. Her ignorance wasn't intended to be offensive, this Shelm was sure of, however Anasene seemed shocked by it.

'It's Akelinite law that no couple join without his consent, and they cannot make a child without his express blessing.'

Shelm whispered to her, 'I don't think they'll have the same patience I did for your questions, Lelette.'

Mortenja spoke then. 'We've lived by Akelin's guidance for many years. He has been kind to us, that you know well, Anasene.'

His wife grew pensive, lowering her head so her wispy hair covered her face. Mortenja's arms were wrapped around her tight, and even on his horse, his height made Anasene all the smaller.

Some way up the river north, they stopped to allow the horses to drink. Lelette spoke to Anasene quietly as the two men watched on.

'She speaks little to anyone,' Mortenja told him. 'The princess seems to be drawing her out.'

'Do you know why Akelin refuses to bless her with permission to have a child?'

'We've remained true to the path to Arkarah all our lives,' Mortenja explained. 'I fear that if her anger and disappointment swell any further, he'll only reject us again. Each day I tell her not to give up hope, but she holds a bitterness now and this will not help her, this much I know.'

Shelm saw Lelette take Anasene's hands to help her stand. She brought her forward to Shelm and Mortenja. 'Anasene would like to continue for as long as we can before night sets in,' Lelette told them. 'Do you think we can reach the temple by tomorrow?'

'If we go quickly enough we just may.' Shelm peered ahead of them, tracing the base of the mountain for a perceptible sign of Akelia. 'We'll continue to follow the tributaries to the northeast. I'd say that's the quickest route.'

Mortenja hoisted Anasene up onto their horse and then mounted, asking Shelm, 'Do you think any Menarcans may try to cut us off?'

'It's doubtful. Despite the unrest in the Heartlands, they seem to be considering their next attack at a much slower pace.' Shelm chose not to mention he sensed the Emperor wasn't going to rely on a small raiding party this time. If he'd not been gathering his men before Xelle's death, he surely would be now.

Lelette was already on his horse waiting for him. Shelm hooked his foot into the stirrup, leapt up, and kicked the mare into a gallop.

Chapter 5

'It wasn't always like this,' Velarese told Tesna and Luda, who were sitting close by Heranye and Fiesa. 'Older generations recall the story. They know of the shame brought down on me from the High Priest, but Ilafran has told them not to speak ill of me. I was once a servant of Arkarah, born into the keep of the High Priest. My parents were loyal to Arkarah and promised me as an offering. I lived my days in the city that became Akelia while the temple was being constructed.

'In the beginning, my duty was to bring water to the men digging the tunnels. Ilafran was already working there as a boy. He was quiet then, and worked ardently, but there was a hardness about him — an anger and a mistrust of something he never spoke about. When I brought him water, he thanked me, always adding this did not have to be our lot in life. I told him I was happy bringing water to the men because it meant the city and Arkarah's temple would be built faster. He asked me if I had ever seen Arkarah and when I said no, he laughed spitefully.

'Foolishly, I asked the High Priest one day if I could see Arkarah in the flesh. His eyes narrowed and he cursed me for even questioning Arkarah's validity and presence. I was to offer my apologies each day for a month as punishment, and if I spoke any doubts of him again, I'd have to carry the rocks to the quarry.

'Despite my dislike for Ilafran at first, growing older brought us closer. Ilafran told me we should know each other's bodies and make them into one form. I said Arkarah had yet to tell me whom I was to spend my life with, so I was not to touch any man until then. Ilafran grew angry with this and didn't speak to me for a long time.

'Some people in the new city were spending time in the quarry at night. There were dances and talking, and one man was speaking of a new path we could follow, one of freedom of the flesh and mind. No man would be made to dig a tunnel in honour of a faceless deity who did not suffer turmoil. These people were joining their flesh, their arms embracing one another. My mistake was not to look on that night but to turn from the gathering to tell the High Priest. I wasn't concealed enough, and Ilafran discovered me. He took of me that night, an act that left bloody marks on my palms and knees.

'For many months after, I spoke nothing of what he had done or the people I'd seen in the quarry. The High Priest didn't know of my attack, and I did not know of its repercussions until one woman brought me to him with concern over how my belly had grown. Enraged, the High Priest told me I had coupled and was going to give birth to an unwanted child. I wept for days, apologising endlessly to Arkarah until I almost fainted.

'My child was born in secret in the newly built temple. Ilafran discovered this news and demanded he be able to take the child. The High Priest told him their reign of flesh and of dishonouring Arkarah was at an end. A new order was coming. He demanded Ilafran take me from the temple, as a fetid child like me would have no place within Arkarah's heart. Still bleeding from the birth, I fell ill and didn't wake for days. When I asked for my son, I was refused. He was to be raised in confinement with the High Priest, and I was not to see him or speak to him again.'

Tesna refused to look away from Velarese while she spoke.

'We were cast out by the High Priest and taken to these swamps as our punishment for turning our backs on Arkarah. Several Selebrians took us by boats down the rivers and made sure we had no means of leaving the swamps. Trapped, we went on to try and prosper here, as futile as it was. A few died from infections, including the man who had first spoken of freedom. I didn't mourn his death. The tethers here were already diseased, and many children born in the early days were sickly and did not last.

'Ilafran was furious of this exile and appointed himself Emperor. He shunned the name of our race and decreed that we would be the known as the Menarcans from then on. I spent many nights by his side as his queen while he lorded over the swamps, demanding that couplings be frequent. He took of me again and let others do the same. I had no will to fight back. The orgies and gatherings went on in the caverns for years, and many children came of these unions. They grew to be his soldiers and his followers. He told them our time to regain the Highlands would come.'

'Why didn't he just invade the Heartlands early on?' Heranye broached. Tesna saw she was instantly struck by guilt for speaking out of turn. Velarese wasn't offended.

'Xelle was in consort with him. She offered him something in exchange for the Menarcan soldiers remaining out of the Heartlands. Xelle agreed to allow him out of the swamps and to her palace each year. She sent her soldiers to bring him to her, and he would return to me within a matter of days.'

Velarese's focus was on the flames of her fire.

'Whatever he felt for Xelle, it doesn't matter now she's dead. Ilafran will invade her land, then go to the Highlands and kill anyone who defends the High Priest. With the Heartlands between us and the temple, and Xelle demanding my husband remain out of her territory, I had hoped my son would be safe. If the Heartlands fall to Ilafran...'

'Your message will get to the princess,' Tesna told her, not entirely believing herself.

'What do you need of us?' Fiesa asked.

'A place to hide. I need to leave the swamps and go to the Heartlands myself. Tesna has told me I can stay in your husband's lands while I look for safe passage out to the Mire.'

Fiesa's eyes dropped, ashamedly. 'Your Highness, this will bring my family into dire peril.'

Tesna went to her and took her hand. 'Please, mother. This is important. Velarese doesn't want any more blood to be spilt.'

'Good sense tells you I am a victim in this,' Velarese continued, 'but part of me feels responsible for this war all the same. If I could somehow be a party to ending it... perhaps I would know peace in my heart.'

Heranye appeared dismayed for her. 'I've wanted to leave this place for so long, and I've not once said I wanted blood to pave my road out of here.'

Fiesa was surprised. 'This is your home, Heranye.'

'I grew up here, but I have no love for these swamps. Do any of us, really? And while the Emperor's decree is binding and not to be questioned, it doesn't still the worry in my own heart that any attack on the Selebrians would be wrong.'

'My son was taken by one of the Akelinite soldiers!' cried Fiesa.

Tesna's mouth was open then and her breath ran out of it as she uttered, 'Gohran?'

Witnessing Tesna's consternation, Fiesa held her and squeezed her gently. 'I wasn't going to tell you. He's not returned from the last raid.'

Tesna pushed her away. 'You don't want to help the Empress, do you?'

'You have to understand, Tesna, the Selebrians are not to be forgiven for all they've done to our people.'

'But they're us! We're Selebrians too.'

Fiesa shook her head. 'I don't share the name of their race. They're not our people. Whether they were once, they aren't now.'

'Please,' Velarese said. 'Fiesa, your youngest son will be a soldier soon. Do you want him to go to a war that could be prevented with your help?'

Fiesa sighed. 'We cannot stop the Emperor. Have you not heard the shouts outside your palace? Already the trees are falling and the army is pushing through the deadliest parts of the swamps to reach the Mire. What hope have we of stopping them now?'

'I must try.' Velarese said. 'I have no dominion over this place, only over the snakes and rats and bugs, and they just pity me. They carry me and move for me at the slightest touch. They used to disgust me. Now their touch, however vile, is a comfort. I think Arkarah would think it fitting for me to wallow in filth and vermin. But I won't stand for the shedding of blood. Please, Fiesa.'

Tesna tried to make her eyes as imploring as possible. Fiesa's shoulders sagged.

'There is a path out to our land, and beyond that, I believe there may be solid ground that will lead to the Mire. It may take you too far out though, and it could take some time for you to reach the Heartlands this way.'

'But it is a way.' Velarese pushed herself out of her chair and took up her robe. She was still wearing her gown from the other night. 'When the last of the soldiers have left, we can make our way there. I believe they are at the ready to leave. Thank you, Fiesa. I'll find some way to repay you.'

Together they remained in silence, heads bowed and fingers knotted, waiting for the roar of the soldiers to die.

***

Lelette was disappointed Shelm's grip on her had to end when they arrived at the gates of Akelia. She was grateful for the banality of Ghelle's conversations, they'd kept her mind from dark thoughts of her mother, but Shelm and their time in the forest were also a keen and unrelenting distraction. Hearing of Anasene's pain was a balm to Lelette's mind, and she kept her own thoughts to herself, letting the act of listening be her comfort.

When Shelm was following ahead of Mortenja and Anasene, he'd asked Lelette what they had spoken about.

'She longs for a child but feels such an animosity towards Akelin. She is too afraid to tell Mortenja that if Akelin rejects them again, she won't return to the temple.'

'Perhaps a child is not part of their path to Arkarah,' Shelm said.

'I thought the same, but it seemed so wicked of me to say.'

After a moment, he'd said to her, 'You must give an heir to your lands soon, Lelette.'

Another thought she'd been desperate to escape. Sullen, she'd replied, 'The cruellest thing I could do to a child right now would be to give it life.'

She took Shelm's silence to be the end of the matter. Walking with her mother in the forest, she'd been plagued with thoughts of having her own child, and the idea her daughter would have to make the same journey dismayed her. Watching the capsule open alone had been heartbreaking enough. She saw her mother drift like a snowflake to the dirt, and as she knelt, Lelette assumed she'd sit with her and say her goodbyes. When her hands started pushing against Xelle's chest and stomach, she was horrified and desperate to stop herself. The terror and the lack of control had forced the scream out of her. The sight of the sticky black ooze seeping out of the bones and mouth caused a sensation not unlike a fist being pushed into her gut. Her tongue went dry at the memory of it.

Her courtiers didn't have to march their own to consecrated ground then force them into the cracks of the earth. Her core was solid stone now, and even sleeping in Shelm's land, with her spine disconnected from her own skull, the memories and dreams of the ritual painted her veins with sorrow and anger. She ached now more than she'd ever done from the exertion.

How could she grow a child in her body at that moment with all that misery to feed it, then to let it go on to bury her in the same macabre and brutal manner?

Her time with Shelm in the forest had been her other remedy, at least until they'd reached the plains. The forest had seemed to react in a strange way to their weariness and hurt, and had decided to mend them together at once; stripping back their clothes and fusing them, then letting them sleep in peace beneath the leaves. She'd hoped it had also swallowed her mother's blackened gown since she didn't want to touch it ever again. No solid memento of the burial would ease her suffering now. She was willing to go back with Shelm, to spend days there joined with him and escape whatever waited for her at home. That he had not spoken to her about it was somewhat alarming to her, yet she made no moves to press him for his feelings, taking his silence to mean it wasn't up for discussion.

Akelia was a curious city to Lelette. Roads passed up the mountainside leading to small houses cut into the stone, and little square windows and doors were dotted halfway up to the summit. The children were play-fighting with wooden swords. The games in her own country were a lot less aggressive. There were men in suits of armour and women in hooded cloaks with odd symmetrical insignias.

Finding differences in the Selebrians from her own people was difficult, save that the skin of the Selebrians was perhaps a little darker. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been surprised to say they were the same race entirely. She'd imagined them much sterner, like the creepy High Priest.

One of the hooded women approached. Beside her stood a knight with an amiable face and a bald scalp. Lifting back her hood to reveal a cascade of luminescent golden hair, the woman put out her hands and smiled at Lelette as she helped her down from Shelm's horse.

'I felt you coming, Lelette. My name is Adelia. It's wonderful to meet you at last.' Adelia bowed her head. 'Though your loss pains me greatly.'

'Thank you,' Lelette muttered, blushing from Adelia's kindness. Shelm held her shoulder gently.

'This is Quann, my second in command.' Shelm made a gesture towards the bald man in the white armour. Quann removed his gauntlet and lightly took Lelette's hand, bowing also.

'My lady.' His smile suggested he was incapable of cruelty, and Lelette warmed to him as quickly as she had Adelia.

Adelia was suddenly distracted. 'Anasene! You've returned.'

The two of them embraced once Anasene was down from her horse. Mortenja greeted Adelia with a wan smile.

'Have you seen any sign Akelin will finally grant my wish?' Anasene's hope was deadened by the gentle shake of Adelia's head.

'There are many things clouding my sight now, I'm sorry. But you must all rest first.'

Anasene made her impatience apparent. 'When are you next planning to go to the temple?'

'This evening, but surely you'd want to lie down first.'

Giving up, Anasene followed Adelia. Lelette saw Shelm walk away with the horses to a set of stables by the city wall and went after him.

'Go with Adelia. I have to stop at my own house first, but I'll be by soon.'

'You'll show me your home, won't you?'

'There's hardly anything to see,' he laughed.

'Are you going to the temple as well?' she asked.

'We have to see the High Priest as soon as possible. Once we've spoken to him, we can go.' He lightly squeezed her arm and she planted a quick kiss on his cheek that made him visibly anxious.

Adelia was lost in the crowd now, and Lelette was too fearful to ask anyone for directions to her home. Faces that had appeared amicable before now seemed suspicious of her. A small hand took hers and a fair-haired child with inquisitive eyes peered up at her.

'You're the girl with the kisses from the sky,' she said. 'I'm Elore.'

'How did you know about the kisses?' Lelette said, baffled.

'I had a dream about you last night, and you told someone that's why your skin is marked.'

'Do you know Adelia? I'm meant to be going with her to her home.'

'She's my mother. I'll take you there.'

Elore led her up the mountain pass to one of the larger houses. Adelia and Anasene were already inside.

'You left Lelette behind,' Elore said as they entered.

'It's alright,' Lelette insisted. She carefully spied the shadowy room. Four wide tiers were dug out into the rock in a shallow staircase in front of her. Most of the family's possessions were sitting in niches all around the room, leaving the floor bare. Adelia picked up a stone jug of water and offered Lelette a cup.

'Elore was very happy to hear of your arrival,' Adelia told her. 'When any dreams of hers are confirmed, we have proof she's closer to becoming an Akelinite priestess.'

Lelette remained awkwardly in the doorway with the cup in her hand, wishing Shelm would hurry back. Elore gently pulled her forward to sit on the dusty floor with Adelia and Anasene. Mortenja remained standing in the corner of the room, intimidating Lelette and adding to her discomfort of her unfamiliar surrounds.

'What must she do to become a priestess?' Lelette finally asked.

'She's been on her path since birth,' Adelia explained. 'She was blessed early on, something I'm very proud of. Elore now senses the smallest changes and happenings in the land, almost as often as I do.'

Lelette felt strangely sorry for the girl's circumstances; they seemed too much like her own. Completely preordained. 'Are you a priestess, Adelia?'

'I have been since I was young. It's brought me so much comfort. Will you join us at the temple this evening, Your Highness? Your loss would mean you're in need of guidance. I can think of no better source for you than Akelin.'

'I must speak to the High Priest soon when Shelm comes by. I would love to see the temple. Only a few of my people have ever been there.'

'Oh, but you must join us in fusion as well,' Anasene beamed. 'It would be of great benefit.'

Dismayed and somewhat agitated that strangers were already directing her, she was close to declining when Shelm arrived. He excused her from the others, stating they'd see them that night, and she was overjoyed to be taken from the expectant eyes of her new acquaintances.

Shelm walked with Lelette through the city, taking a number of winding paths that led onto a downward slope. She didn't ask any further on their destination, guessing she was about to see the High Priest. There were fewer inhabitants in this part of the city. A lone hooded woman was stationed near an inconspicuous entrance.

The woman beamed at the sight of him. 'Shelm, you've returned.' Upon noticing Lelette, her features dropped.

'Chassine, it's good to see you,' Shelm said kindly. 'Is the High Priest within? I've brought the princess to see him as he requested.'

'Oh, of course.' Chassine gently pushed on the wooden door.

Lelette couldn't be sure what it was about her that was so unappealing to Chassine, and again more questions were welling on her tongue and causing her teeth to clench. The narrowness of the corridor they were walking added to her tension, and she was wishing for Shelm to take her hand. He kept ahead of her, walking a small distance behind Chassine.

The High Priest's chamber remained unoccupied when they entered. Lelette was desperate to leave now and frustrated they'd come through the tunnels only for the man not to be there.

'I thought he'd be praying,' Chassine said, surprised. 'He's been anxious in his wait for the princess to arrive.'

'Perhaps you could go find him,' Shelm suggested. Chassine nodded and left.

Lelette grabbed Shelm's hands. 'I don't like it here. It's too dark.'

'Be still, it's perfectly safe.'

'I wish he'd just come to see me in my own palace. If I'd known this place would be so...'

Shelm put his thumb to her lips and brushed them lightly. 'I'm here,' he murmured with a smile. 'There's nothing in these caverns that can hurt you.'

She slipped into his arms and he hesitantly returned her embrace. She wanted to kiss him then, but the High Priest appeared and Shelm stepped away from her, guiltily. Olnar's tiny grey eyes narrowed until Lelette wasn't sure they were even open anymore.

'At last.' He smiled latently and took Lelette's hand, his coarse skin shocking and almost scraping Lelette's delicate fingers. She thought of him as little as possible as she'd grown up, and seeing him now left her nearly quaking. 'Your mother's death has been a huge concern to me, Lelette. I hope we can discuss your future candidly.'

'How is my future your concern?' she said, feeling threatened already.

'This whole country is under the threat of the Menarcans, including your lands, Your Highness. Without your mother's treaty in place, your kingdom is in peril. I'm urging you to come to Akelin's feet for guidance. I tried to counsel your mother as much as I could, and she offered thanks for my words, but her alliance with the Emperor tainted her path to Arkarah. I cannot stand to see your same road tarnished.'

'My mother's treaty was not explained to me in depth,' Lelette responded, taking her hand away from his at last. 'I don't know what the exact bargain was for our safety.'

'I could not persuade her to cease her collusions with the Emperor. She confessed to me she gave her body yearly to him for the sake of her kingdom, and while she was loath to do it, she saw no other means of keeping him and his soldiers out of her country. She wanted nothing of our feud.'

Lelette retreated. 'And neither do I. I don't want your knights marching through my lands any more than I want Menarcan soldiers attacking my people. You can continue to circumvent my kingdom and carry out your pointless war with the Emperor.'

'Lelette, you don't understand, it's no longer that simple. Your mother's treaty is void now she is dead. Your country is forfeit at last to the Emperor.'

Shelm moved closer. 'Lelette, you know full well another bargain with the Emperor would not be right by your people.'

'And if I don't side with the Selebrians?'

'I cannot offer you my assistance in any attack that may ensue,' Olnar stated. 'I cannot encroach upon your land without the blessing of the queen herself.'

Lelette turned away, her form feeling weak, almost compliant. She thought there had been fight enough in her to face the High Priest, but her pride was going to put the safety of the Amoreans at risk.

'My people cannot suffer in this war.'

'Then you'd be willing to solidify our alliance? I can offer you the protection of my knights, and your soldiers will benefit from their training fighting the Menarcans. It has been many years since your armies have seen battle.' Olnar's eyes grew expectantly.

'I think you should come to the temple,' Shelm offered. 'Akelin will surely tell you what we are suggesting is right.'

'I don't understand the cause of this war. Why should my people, my lands, have anything to do with this at all?'

'The Menarcans have wanted the Highlands for many years. Their swamps are fetid and diseased and these lands are richer and healthier. It is simple greed that keeps these mountains and your forests under threat.'

The thought of her forest ending up in Menarcan hands unsettled her, but she couldn't believe this cause was as uncomplicated as Olnar was suggesting.

'What good is Menarcan blood on your hands?' she asked. 'Or on the hands of your deity?'

'We have tried to allow the Menarcans the word of Akelin, but they shun it in favour of their own selfish desires and ideals. We've extended assistance, yet they continue to invade and attack our lands. I have no doubt they will seize your kingdom as a foothold before heading into the Highlands. If we can strengthen our bond, Lelette, your people will be safe. I promise you.'

She took in as much musty air as she could. 'I need time to consider these things.'

'That is why you must come to the temple,' Olnar insisted. 'The decision will become so much clearer if you do.'

Shelm seemed almost as eager and Lelette felt cornered now. Tormented by her own guilt and fear, she acceded to their wish. Shelm guided her behind Olnar down another series of corridors. Without his lead, she knew she'd never find her way out alone. She thought of her mother's bargain with the Emperor and was thinking it preferable to being trapped in these endless tunnels. Without Shelm with her, Lelette might have been quick to follow in her mother's footsteps, however repugnant she believed the Emperor to be.

A whisper echoed in her mind: Do not let the High Priest decide.

The shock of the memory was almost enough for her to run out the temple door, but there was no chance of it once it was closed behind her. Many people were already in the round room. In the centre was a pillar that appeared almost sinewy in texture. It ran from floor to ceiling, branching out across the roof and floor like a tree. Various fires flickered around the pillar, and shadows were scattered over a humanoid form in the centre of the pillar. The head was bowed as if in reverence, and the arms hung limply by its sides. The sinews were wrapped over and through the form. Closer still, she could see the face of the figure. His eyes were closed yet he appeared tormented.

'Akelin?' she murmured.

Shelm moved in behind her, speaking softly. 'This will only be as if you were sleeping. Once Akelin's tendrils are within your form, don't try to fight them. He'll give you what you need, I promise.'

'How do you know?'

'My heart tells me to trust him. That's all.'

Lelette followed his lead, kneeling with her back to Akelin as the other people around the room had done. There was a profound silence then. Even the High Priest was kneeling. She closed her eyes, shuddering with the anticipation of her spine breaking free of her body again. A slithering noise, like the sound of a knife cleaving flesh, made her open her eyes. Shelm was not alerted to this and was calmly waiting, as everyone else was. There was a chorus of whipping sounds around her, and the top of her spine once more left the base of her skull, poking through her skin and making her wince and moan softly. Ahead of her, she saw a thick, lumpy tendril shoot down into the waiting spine of a man who was tall enough to be Mortenja. Once attached, it lifted him from the floor and left him dangling as if he'd been hung by the neck.

Any ability she had to run was stolen now her spine was open for attack, and she felt her knees being lifted from the stone floor. Her eyes remained open and she hovered, her guts swimming loose inside her belly from the sudden jerk upwards. She was injected with warmth then and suffused with calm, so she let her eyes close and tried to trust as Shelm had said.

Her visions were not of her people or war. They were confusing flashes of a woman falling to her knees on the mountainside while another man grabbed her from behind and parted her legs. She writhed under him, helpless and screaming, clawing at the rock to get away from him. Others were nearby, and they weren't helping her.

Lelette opened her eyes, baffled. She turned to Shelm, who was suddenly thrown by the tendril away from her. Her own body was flailing then, her calm stolen as she was flung across the room against the wall of the temple. Screaming out, she saw Shelm slump to the floor in a lifeless heap. She tumbled next to him, breathless. The others were dropped carefully to the floor on their knees as the tentacles retracted into the pillar.

Olnar was appalled, and he marched towards the unconscious Shelm. 'What is this travesty? How could you forsake Arkarah?'

Lelette crawled over to Shelm and clutched him. Her head was throbbing.

'This is your conduit, your guide!' she yelled. 'What have you done to Shelm?'

'I have done nothing!' Olnar roared. 'It's Shelm who has taken of the flesh, your flesh, without Akelin's blessing.'

'Wait!' Adelia hurried to them from around the other side of the pillar. 'Shelm would never stray that far from Arkarah's path. Akelin must be wrong.'

'His wrong is within his body, and Akelin will find all our secrets. You know this, Adelia.' Olnar held out his arm, preventing her from coming closer.

Shelm lifted his head, opening his eyes to the shocked congregation, and Lelette sluggishly brought him to his feet as the temple doors swung open.

'I must cast you out, Shelm,' Olnar declared as he nodded at two Akelinite soldiers. 'Take him and the princess from Akelin's sight at once.'

Adelia was weeping as one of the soldiers grabbed Shelm by his arms. Lelette's protestations were ignored as she was seized by the other soldier. They were marched through the corridors, Shelm's body still limp as she tried to wake him with her cries.

Lelette and Shelm were forced out one of the exits halfway up the mountain, and they stumbled down, sliding on the loose rocks to the bottom of the slope. Out under the reddish black sky, peculiar trees swung over their heads. Lying still, Lelette focused on the forms. They were bodies hanging from solid tentacles by the tops of their spines. Almost crippled with pain, she shook Shelm harshly, begging him to wake.

His eyes opened. 'Why are we here?'

'We were cast out!' she cried. 'Akelin has shunned us for what happened in the forest.'

Shelm groaned as he rose. 'I was an idiot to think I could hide this from him. I'm sorry, Lelette, I should have told you. I was so desperate for you to have an answer...'

'You knew he would reject me?'

'No, only me. Your misdeeds... I thought perhaps you were innocent enough for him to at least forgive you.'

'I hate this place!' she shouted at him. 'Why are those bodies stuck up there?'

His sorrow was immense and her heart broke for him. 'This is where my people go to die. Our dead fuse for eternity with Arkarah, but only if they stay true to their path to him. They've sent me out here to mock me with the death I'm no longer allowed to have.'

Moving through the tunnels was the simple part of their mission, still Tesna knew she wasn't going to feel safe until they were clear of the caverns. Velarese told them not to move until she was sure the soldiers had gone. The palace was deserted, but Velarese knew to leave by the front gates would be a foolish decision. She took them instead through her garden and through the trees to where the marshlands were devoid of surer footing.

They traversed the twisted logs, using them as bridges. There were vines to grab hold for support, but Tesna was shaking on one slender log that led over the black water. She couldn't guess how deep the pool went, and keeping her eyes on Luda ahead of her was all she was able to do to get across. Her fear abated only when she put her feet on firmer ground.

Fiesa took Velarese's hand and helped her down from the narrow log, and she was thankful for the assistance. The five of them trekked in silence until the edges of Vanyel's land were in sight. They weren't able to reach them without a lone voice halting them.

'Fiesa, what is this?' Vanyel passed under a low hanging branch and stalked towards her.

Fiesa went forward as if preparing herself to guard Velarese. 'Please, Vanyel, we have to make it home before I can explain anything.'

The Empress spoke. 'Vanyel, I need your help. We need to reach the Heartlands.'

'The armies have gone, even my youngest son Jeske is on his way there now. Imprudent as it is for me to ask, Your Highness, why should you need to join them?'

'She doesn't want to join them!' cried Tesna. 'She wants to stop them.'

Fiesa flinched at her daughter's retort.

Vanyel was surprised. 'This is our first chance in years to reclaim the Highlands and put an end to the High Priest. Empress, why would you subvert this war? It makes no sense.'

'Perhaps if you heard my tale, you'd see differently. I have little time to tell you, and as I'm your ruler, you will indulge my request.'

Now Vanyel appeared dumbstruck, and Fiesa's nerves appeared pinched. Tesna watched the exchange with an unbearable anxiety. She went to her father with the same imploring expression she'd shown her mother.

'There doesn't have to be any more killing, father. It's the Emperor's fault we're all stuck here. He has put us all to work dredging the swamps for years so he could find a passage back to the Highlands. We are descendants of the Selebrians. We have the same blood. The same right to survive. But we don't need to shed this blood to prove it.'

'I have been wronged, and so much has been stolen from me,' Velarese told him. 'But I won't kill to have it back.'

Wood cracked in the distance, and Tesna froze into a statue. Velarese was fretful and Heranye took her hand to lead her away.

Fiesa turned to Vanyel. 'I will not lose another son to this war, Vanyel. I'd rather live here with him than have him die for the sake of the Emperor's wishes.'

Tesna saw her father's resolve slip at last and she was able to breathe again, but only for a second. Luda, Velarese and Heranye were ahead of them already. Grabbing Fiesa's hand, Tesna quickly glanced back, relieved her father was following them. The cracking was growing closer and the soldiers would soon be tearing their way relentlessly over the firmer ground of her father's territory.

Vanyel ran ahead of Velarese to help her up the difficult slope. This time, Tesna's nerves gave her strength enough to make the climb unaided. The height of the mound gave sufficient covering from where the soldiers were standing, this much she was sure of, and once Velarese was inside her hut, Tesna's panic lessened.

'Thank you, Vanyel,' Velarese said humbly. 'Whatever reward I can give...'

'See to it my son comes home safely, that's all I ask.'

Tesna hugged her father's arm and looked up at his stoic features. Velarese sat down, trying to catch her breath. The cracking outside grew distant, and the light was almost extinguished. Tesna knew they'd have to wait out the night before they made a break for the Mire, another thing she was more than grateful for.

The bodies of his parents hung deeper in the Plains, and Shelm and Lelette walked through them solemnly in the night. Lelette was attached to his arm, trembling as the legs dangled over her in the air, waving back and forth like flags at half-mast in the dying breeze. She stared at them, horrified. Shelm instead was finding his peace after the turmoil he'd endured in the temple.

When Akelin's tendril had forced itself into his spine, the fusion had been relieving and sweet for only a moment. Solace and clarity would be his, he felt sure. But as the spire dug deeper, slipping lower into his body, the tightness and the shame returned. It niggled further still, drawing out the truth of his mistake in the forest. Instantly he'd pleaded with Akelin, not with words but with his essence. His heart tried to explain, making excuses that he didn't know and was certain the forest was to blame. The tendril went rigid with Akelin's disbelief, and when Shelm's knees parted from the floor, his stomach had sagged into his groin and his heart fell with it. His mind was all shock when his body was finally slammed against the wall. Lelette's shouting was the only thing he'd heard, and he wasn't fully awake until he was rolling down the mountain passes to the Plain of Eternal Sleep.

These recent memories blended with the ones of his parents' fusion ceremony in the Plains. He couldn't remember who'd he'd been standing with at the time. His father was a knight of Akelin, responsible for patrolling the Mire after the Emperor's exile and rise to power. As the men had had to use the diseased tethers in the area to sleep and heal, his father contracted a strange malaise that never left him when he returned to Akelia. Not long after, his mother was afflicted with the same illness. Shelm was reaching an age where their loss meant he could survive alone, but he barely coped as it was, and by the end of the ceremony, he'd felt lost and abandoned.

Training eliminated the pain. The parry of his practice sword and the clack upon the opponent's wooden shield were just noises to replace the ones in his mind. When he graduated to steel, he was keen to cut flesh. A fight with a young Menarcan boy resulted in Shelm's first blood, but not his first kill. The boy had whimpered while he held the gaping wound, and Shelm's pity allowed him to stand and run from the battle. The distraction left him open to an attack from behind, and he'd dropped to his knees, dazed. The defeat spurred him on to finally end a life, but this was after some time had passed and his anger had become so succinct there was no chance of him failing. He'd thrust his blade forward into the gut of his enemy, and the moment of transcendence came at last.

The forest had offered him a new kind of contentment. Now sharing flesh with another was something to be treasured. Part of him was disappointed Akelin favoured killing over love. He dwelled on that disappointment until it birthed in him a different anger; all his old pains and torments were diminished by it.

The darkness didn't conceal the place where his parents were hanging. His instinct was brighter than the daylight.

'Why have we stopped?' Lelette murmured.

He pointed up to the twin figures. 'These are my parents. I was to join them here when I passed. Anyone who has died for Akelin comes to the Plain of Eternal Sleep to be one with Arkarah.'

'And now you cannot. Because of me.' Lelette's shame upset him.

'No, you aren't to blame, Lelette. Akelin has forsaken me.'

'I'm sorry,' she murmured. 'You didn't deserve this. You've protected me and your kingdom for nothing.'

'I have to leave this place.' Shelm walked on with her, and for hours they passed through the Plains, the desperation to be far from there so insurmountable he wondered how he was even walking. Light kissed them good morning on the other side, and the sound of hooves hitting dirt rattled up from behind them.

Anasene was on Mortenja's mount and behind her ran Shelm's horse, pulled by the reins in Anasene's other hand.

'Shelm, wait!' She brought the horses to them and stopped them deftly, a skill he hadn't thought she possessed. His underestimating her seemed almost cruel now in the light of her kindness.

'You mustn't do me a favour, Anasene,' Shelm said quickly. 'You'll fall out of favour with the High Priest.'

'I don't care,' she declared. 'Akelin has again denied me a child for no good reason, and he has cast you out of his kingdom so unfairly. So I'm denouncing him. Your horse is ready and you have as much water as I could gather. Take Lelette to her home. Perhaps you'll find some forgiveness there.'

Lelette sighed in her gratitude. 'Anasene, thank you.'

'I am doing the right thing. In my heart, I know this. That's all I need.'

Shelm took Anasene's hand and bowed his head a moment, a sign of his own appreciation. Once he and Lelette were on his horse, they waved Anasene goodbye and she headed back to the gates of Akelia.

'Do you think she'll ever have her wish?' Lelette asked.

'I hope so.'

Shelm feared his wish to return to Akelia would arise when his anger had dissipated, so instead he raced from the want towards the Heartlands before it could find him.

Holding on to Lelette offered some comfort. Returning to her palace was supposed to be the end of their journey together, and now he was hoping she could allow him into her life. But what part he'd go on to play was a mystery.

She was about to be queen, and her laws could easily place him in the role of outcast, or permanent bodyguard, something he'd never be satisfied with. Plagued by the uncertainty now, he stopped his horse by one of the larger lakes. The waterline had receded severely and his horse had to go further out to drink.

Lelette crept up on him. 'I've felt your pain all through me since we left the Plains. You must tell me what you're thinking, Shelm.'

He gazed out behind her towards Akelia, seeing only the mountains now. 'All I've ever known, all that's ever made sense to me, lay in that city. I knew my end would be there if I acted in accordance with Akelin's will. I hoped that if I should ever go astray that I'd find my way back through forgiveness.'

'Surely Akelin must have known the woods played a part in this.'

'If he did, it didn't matter to him, Lelette.'

'But what if you'd had a chance to explain to Olnar what happened?'

'It'd have meant nothing to him. I'd still have been exiled.'

Lelette was indignant then. 'It can't be fair. Has this happened to others? Where did they go? Did they wander the Wastelands for the rest of their lives, tormented and lost?'

'I only knew of a few, and we weren't allowed to ask what became of them. Perhaps they went to your cities. Perhaps they travelled to the Mire and found their way into the swamps. You must understand, Anasene risked so much just to bring us my horse. There's every chance her fate will be the same as ours should she be caught.'

'And if she hadn't we'd still be stranded in that forest of bodies!' cried Lelette. 'How can you stand by a god who cannot forgive even one mistake?'

His patience had almost vanished. 'Lelette, I've known no other way. It always made sense.'

'I cannot forgive Akelin for this.' She turned a shoulder to him. 'That the High Priest begged me to commune with him...' Lelette waded through the water and took his horse's reins, leading the petulant and thirsty animal towards him with an obvious strain. Her impatience got the better of her, and he approached them cautiously before patting the mare's nose and coaxing her to the lake's edge.

'This journey must end soon, Shelm. I want to return to the palace. If I cannot change the laws and rites of Akelia, I can at the least bring some sense and order to my own country.'

'What laws do you want to change?' he asked, feeling foolish.

'The burial rites, for one. And I won't keep as many servants, I'll send them home to their families. I'll arrange an audience with the Emperor, and it will be on my terms only. I'm even prepared to go to the swamps myself. I'll put him in his place. His armies will not touch my land, and your contemptible High Priest can carry on his pointless war with them in the same manner he's accustomed to.'

As flustered as she was, it took no effort for him to help her up onto the saddle again. He jumped on behind her and they carried on.

'Perhaps,' she continued, 'I'll appoint Demese as the new queen. I'll tell her she may govern as she sees fit. If she wants to give the people an heir, she may, but it will be entirely up to her.'

'I'm sorry, Lelette, but I doubt you'll be able to abolish any traditions. These things are older than you, older than your mother.'

'But if I'm to be queen...'

'You said it yourself, you have to think of your people.'

'They should learn to think for themselves,' she huffed. 'Do they even need me telling them what to do? They're so accustomed to direction, to tradition, that the slightest deviation causes widespread panic. I've grown up with their rules and expectations, always wondering if there was ever supposed to be another way.'

Shelm ignored her capriciousness. 'Do you think Xelle would have changed anything?'

Lelette's voice dropped its aggression immediately. 'I think now she wanted to. She was prepared to give her own body to the Emperor in exchange for our people's continued safety.'

'Would you have done the same?'

'Yes, I believe I would.'

Her lack of hesitation shook his heart violently. 'But he's a fiend.'

'He's a man who can be bargained with. From what I've gathered, he's nothing like the High Priest.'

'Lelette, he's a manipulative tyrant. He sacrifices his own soldiers to raid our villages. He doesn't care for his people or their salvation and he stole them from their path to Arkarah — he swayed them for his own selfish needs.'

'But he doesn't depend on an invisible deity to dictate the actions of his own body or his mind. I wish to meet him to have a chance to discuss this situation. I want to know for myself his story and I refuse to be left in the dark.'

Shelm sighed, furious. 'Why are you being so insistent on speaking with him?'

'Because my mother told me to listen Menarcans and not let the High Priest decide the fate of the Heartlands. If she knew a greater truth, she was obviously made to hide it from me. So I will find it and I will come to my own conclusions. If you don't wish to accompany me, I'll still give you allowance to remain in my kingdom.'

'I'm fearful for you, Lelette. If he's hostile towards your realm, he will want to overthrow you as well. He won't simply pass through without causing your people harm.'

'Then I ask you to protect me. And I ask you to consider for one moment there may be more to this war than what Olnar has told you. I have agreed to the terms laid out for me since we met, have I not?'

'Of course. But you can't change my mind about the Emperor.'

'That's not what I'm asking you to do.'

As they wandered into the outer fields of the Heartlands, a distant view of the forest was offered to them, and Lelette's body slackened a little in his arms.

'What I really want is to go back there.'

'I'm more than a little apprehensive of those trees now,' he murmured.

'I don't want to believe the trees meant any malice. There were a divinity and a kindness more comforting there than what I felt in Akelin's temple. If I were to give worship anywhere, it would be there. Perhaps if my people didn't fear them quite so much, they'd come to know the same kindness I have.'

'What reason have they to be afraid if they've never gone there?'

'I never knew. I was to go through them once and once alone in my own lifetime. No one said when that would be until I left for the burial ceremony. If the forest was spoken of by anyone in the villages nearby, it was always in hushed tones. My mother wanted to tell me, but never had the time.'

Shelm gathered his nerves and asked, 'Are you already spoken for, Lelette?'

'Not that I'm aware.' He caught the hint of a smile in her voice.

'Are there laws to govern whom you're to marry? Surely you had a father?'

'I was told he left early on and appointed Xelle to rule. He went looking for lands beyond this country, heading west since he knew already what lay to the north and south. He took a small party and never returned. Since then, no one has been brave enough to leave this place, and the threat of the Emperor kept everyone compliant. I imagine what's behind those mountains is the end of our world. Maybe if ever have the chance, I'll go and find out for myself.'

The river they were following south passed through a small, unguarded city. The sky was losing its bright scarlet hue and taking on more of a ruby tone, as were the patches on Lelette's skin.

'We should rest here,' she suggested, 'and move on to the palace tomorrow.'

Two roads gave passage to the houses and buildings, some of which were perhaps three storeys tall and stacked like crates that lined the river. Curved staircases ran up the sides of the buildings to their doorways. The city sprawled out for perhaps half a mile at best. The citizens were moving inside, little by little, giving them hardly any time to speak to someone about a place to sleep.

A young girl no older than Lelette was emptying a pot of dirty water into the river when Shelm stopped her.

'We're looking for a place to sleep,' he announced. 'I have the princess with me.'

The girl put down the pot in a flutter of nerves and curtsied.

'Your Majesty,' she breathed. 'You have returned for the coronation.'

Lelette was confident enough now to leap down from the horse by herself. She took the girl's hands in hers as she asked, 'What's your name?'

'Talise,' she muttered. 'I'm sorry, I've always been told by my parents I must address a princess correctly.'

'Hopefully that won't be necessary after my coronation. Is it possible for us to stay in your house for one night?'

'Of course, Your Highness. But we don't have a stable for your escort's mare. She'll have to be tied in the alley.'

'Provided she's safe, that will be fine.' Shelm dropped off the saddle and followed Lelette and Talise towards a shadowy house. Talise tethered his mare to a hitching post that ran along the alley and then led them up a winding staircase to her house. Shelm faltered at the top step, hearing a scuffling in the passage below them. He touched Lelette's wrist and leaned in.

'I should go and see what that was,' he whispered.

'No need,' she murmured. 'There have been no insurgents here for so long, and the watchmen are on the lookout. I wouldn't worry.'

'All the same,' he responded. 'Go inside, I won't be long.' And he trotted back down the stairs.

Inching along the passageway and quieting his troubled mare as he went, Shelm spotted a figure in a white robe moving around the windows of another house. Shelm moved as stealthily as he could, unable to ascertain if the robes were of a Menarcan assassin. Closer still, he saw the figure was far too short to be a Menarcan. He identified the clothing was more common in his own land.

The figure was stooped beneath the window, sprinkling water from a small vial onto the dirt beside the house.

Chapter 6

Talise led Lelette to a small wooden table. She slumped a little in the chair and sighed.

'Why are you so weary, Your Highness?' Talise asked.

'I had to bury my mother,' Lelette said, not caring if her candour shocked Talise.

'That's awful. Why couldn't someone from the palace bury her?'

'It's part of the coronation rites. I had to do it to become queen.'

'They said you went on a journey to the woods. I didn't know you had to take the queen.'

'That's part of the tradition. But I won't let it happen again. Some things will change here once I'm crowned queen.'

Talise frowned. 'Everyone is restless, Your Highness. There are whispers our land is in trouble, and some men from Akelia have been here talking to everyone about Arkarah.'

Lelette's weak composure broke apart. 'How long have these men been here?'

'For the last few days. They've been wandering around the city, scratching under the windowsills with small vials. They said they were blessing the houses. I told them my house didn't need a blessing, and they said they hoped I'd change my mind, and were happy to return any time to speak with me. I thought it most odd... and somewhat rude as well.'

In another fit of anger, Lelette nearly knocked the little chair over as she stood. She didn't have to find Shelm, he was already standing in the door, mirroring her consternation.

'Why are they here?' she demanded.

Shelm shook his head. 'I've only seen one and I haven't approached him yet, but I think your voice will carry more clout than mine.'

The three of them went to the alley, Lelette furious enough she was almost trembling.

'What business do you have here?' she demanded of the stout man in the robe.

He stood straight and his eyes squinted at her.

'The family of this house asked me to consecrate their home so they would know the voice of Akelin.'

'You know who I am. I demand you leave this instant. This is the eve of my coronation, and I will not have the voice of an unforgiving saint infecting my people!'

The man's bemusement infuriated her all the more. 'I was merely offering solace to a family in fear for their home. The Menarcans are threatening your land right this minute, princess. Surely you don't want your people to live in fear.'

'We have not suffered without Akelin, why would we suffer now?'

'Then you have not paid much attention to the needs of your countrymen, dear princess. We've been welcomed here in your absence. Many people feel you're not fit to be queen. Your resolve doesn't match that of your mother's.'

'I've not said that,' Talise said.

Shelm stepped forward. 'You know it's not your right to force Akelin's word on others.'

The man smiled. 'Shelm, dear boy, I'd have thought you were here to do just that. Why else would you have come here and not stayed in Akelia?'

'He was cast out by Akelin!' Lelette cried. 'He's in exile.'

'Then if Akelin and the High Priest have made that decree, his misdeed must surely have been great. And I cannot offer him hope of returning.' The priest uncovered his head at last and bowed to show a crown of thin whitish hair. 'I have several houses to attend to, Your Highness. I suggest you return to the palace and speak with your chancellor about your misgivings.'

He casually wandered past them as Lelette clenched her fists.

'We have to go the palace now.' She went to Shelm's horse and untied the reins.

'But it's dark, Your Highness,' Talise warned. 'It's hardly safe at this hour. What if there are Menarcan assassins waiting for you to return?'

'The Menarcans are hardly my concern at the moment. And Shelm's sword will make quick work of them should they cause any trouble.'

She was deft now at mounting herself on the saddle, and almost wanted to take off without Shelm, but she needed him and his brawn since her wit was not as sharp as his sword. Once he was behind her, she held on to the reins and was about to kick when Shelm took her hands.

'Lelette, you're holding the reins too high,' he warned. 'We don't need to break into a sprint in the middle of the city.'

She let him guide the horse calmly through the streets, desperate for them to reach the other end of the river so they could pick up speed. Outside the eastern gates, Shelm kicked the mare into a bolt, and Lelette's insides billowed and fell. She wasn't sure if she could find the path to the palace in this light, and the possibility her impetuousness was going to put them in danger heightened her guilt. Shutting her eyes, she drew on her will to direct them.

'Keep following the river. If we hurry, we can be there before dawn.'

'I'll watch for trouble, just tell me if we go astray.'

Looking ahead, she gripped the saddle and took in a breath. 'I will.'

Sleeping was the last thing Tesna wanted to do. She wanted morning more than she'd ever wanted anything now. Velarese was able to find peace outside her cavern and had drifted off effortlessly. Fiesa, Heranye and Luda were also at rest. She watched her father sneak out, waiting a few breaths before she went after him.

He was surveying the swamps ahead of him. The trees were once so dense they camouflaged their home completely. Now there were hardly any trees standing at all, and many of the deeper pools were filled with sand. The clearing had been gradual in the beginning; just a few trees here and there for homes and tools. Then the more Tesna ventured out, the fewer trees she saw until she was able to travel far and still see the mound from a distance. Her father allowed the men to take the trees as long as he had the higher ground. Not one of them in all that time questioned or protested this destruction. The Emperor's word was final, his decisions were not suspect to anyone for a long time. Clearing the swamps meant safe passage back to the Mire, and only now Tesna saw the extent of her ignorance growing up.

She'd been upset for the trees but never said anything. She missed the cubbyholes and patches of moss where she'd played. There were places dear to her that were empty now, and just standing in them made her feel forlorn.

Vanyel caught her behind him. 'Why are you awake, Tesna? Go back to sleep.'

'I can't, father. The tether won't find me. Can we go soon?'

'As soon as it's light. Your impatience will do you no good right now. We've fallen into a grave situation with the Empress that could mean our hands, if not our heads.'

'She won't let that happen.'

'You may trust her, but I still have doubts. I don't think I can go with her to the Mire. I've done as much as I'm willing. You'll stay behind as well. So will your mother. Heranye and Luda can go with her.'

Tesna's face hardened into a scowl. 'No, I'm not staying here. She needs me.'

'Then where are her palace guards? Why aren't they escorting her?'

'They do nothing but lie to her. She's a prisoner here. It's not even her fault we're here.'

Velarese moved out of the hut towards her. 'Tesna, the words of your father have more power over you now than mine. It's not right of me to ask you to come. You've been brave enough for me already.'

'You're still young,' her father said, 'and there is too much danger between here and the Mire. You'll only slow the Empress down and I'm not about to lose you and your mother now as well, not with Jeske gone and Gohran dead.'

'I'll come back.'

Her father knelt down and took her shoulders. 'No, Tesna. You're staying here.'

Velarese touched her hair tenderly. 'Please, don't be angry anymore. I will find a way to make this up to you. And I will see you again.'

Tesna impulsively flung herself at Velarese, pressing her head against her chest before she started weeping. Velarese squeezed her back as Fiesa and Heranye emerged. Tesna saw her mother's face fall, but she didn't let go of Velarese.

'I must go now,' Velarese told Tesna, smoothing away some of the tears on her cheeks then stepping away.

'Do we need anything?' Fiesa asked, already distressed.

'You're not going with her, and neither is Tesna,' Vanyel announced. 'Heranye can take her.'

Tesna ran from them, furious. For once she'd been able to make herself useful, and now she was being cast out of something so much grander than herself. She believed they'd all go together with the Empress, and finally, she'd get to see the Heartlands and meet the princess. So much of her strength and spirit had been poured into that hope, and now with her father denying it her, she couldn't run fast enough from her disappointment. Her mother was calling after her, but she didn't heed. She was storming through the cloud of tears in her eyes, only coming to rest when she found one of her old haunts. There, she nestled under a fallen tree and sobbed.

Raising her head a moment later, she realised she could still see the mound from her nest. She watched Velarese slip a little in the mud while Vanyel helped her down. Tesna got up carefully and crept in the same direction Velarese took, tracing the path of discarded logs and using them to traverse the puddles. At the same time, she was sure to keep an eye on Velarese, and soon she was inching out of her father's territory.

Hope they were heading in the right direction faded after the first hour of travelling, but Lelette kept her focus, trying not to resent her mother for not allowing her far from the palace. As she saw the marks on her hands lose their darker hue, the palace poked its apex over the horizon, and she let go of her angst.

'I suppose you can always find your way home without fail,' Shelm murmured in her ear, tickling her skin and making her smile. The larger the palace loomed, the smaller her smile became.

Her lack of understanding concerning her neighbouring countries was now vexing her, and she was stockpiling more intrusive questions to pose to Celquin once they had cleared the air on the presence of the Akelinite priests. She was mostly bitter about the condescension the last priest had resorted to in order to explain his appearance. His wily face cultivated a sickening mistrust in her. That he was a disciple of the same man who had thrown Shelm from Akelia with no pause for explanations made him all the more contemptuous.

Not being privy to her mother's conversations with Olnar was another misdeed Celquin would have to account for. Would she not have benefited from some kind of grooming as well? Or had the treaty taken so much of her mother's concentration that Lelette's ascension to queen no longer mattered? Betrayal and bewilderment brought her anger to a peak, and she steeled herself for a confrontation with Celquin that was long overdue.

'You're afraid of going back,' Shelm said as their pace slowed.

'I'm too angry to be afraid. Stand by me, but don't stop me or my words. You may have an understanding with Celquin, but I have to get to the bottom of this.'

'I understand, Lelette. I've no intention of stopping you.'

'How did that priest make you feel?' she asked him carefully.

'Ashamed for the most part.'

'So you feel you've done something wrong.'

'By Akelin's word I have. Be it the forest's doing or my own.'

Insulted, she waited for him to halt and dismount, staying on the horse to look down at him. 'You regret everything that happened, then?'

'Part of me does, but I don't know why when the most of me only wants it to happen again. I can't decide anymore what's good for me, especially since what we shared together gave me more joy than anything.' He faltered. 'But what of you, Lelette? All I've heard from you are declarations of disdain for Akelin, you've said nothing of what your heart feels now for it, or me.'

Lelette dismounted. 'I feel a sadness that I can't live in that kind of peace for all my days. That I had to leave and remember my mother, then have a heartless man decide I should be ashamed. I'm tired and want this confusion over with now. But I know one fear that stands above all else.'

'Which is?'

'Being separated from you. The very idea puts me in a panic I cannot subdue. I want what my heart wants, and I'm afraid this coronation will put us and what we've found at an end.'

Reaching out to her, Shelm drew her into his arms at last. Her grip on him was just as firm and he pressed his cheek against her hair and sighed. 'I fear the same, Lelette. But if I'm to stay here, I'll have to abide by your laws and customs.'

'We'll see about that,' she smiled.

Determined to ruffle feathers, Lelette took his hand and led him to the gates. The marble cage opened slowly and the palace lowered to allow them access. The guards stationed at either side were more rigid than usual, and her greeting to them went unreciprocated.

The courtiers she had been so angry with were still milling about the halls, uselessly. Lelette decided she'd banish them from the palace for their sneering and sycophantic ways. She wasn't set to indulge them, but she was still curious about their presence. Celquin stated they were nobles from the larger cities she'd never visited. Her role was to greet them when requested and listen to their concerns. Now she was walking sedately through the whispers with Shelm's hand in hers, making sure they were all unsettled by the possibility their importance there would be severely diminished.

Shelm managed to match her stride. 'Do they always stare so relentlessly?'

'They've nothing better to do, clearly.'

Celquin's unending predictability made him easy enough for her to find. He was in the council rooms, but he wasn't alone. Seeing the robe of another Akelinite priest set about a tempest in her that she refused to quell.

'I demand to know why Akelin's priests are in my cities,' she shouted as she burst in, letting go of Shelm's hand. The priest was quite calm in the face of the intrusion, but Celquin's reaction was that of a child who'd been caught in the act.

'Please Lelette,' he begged. 'I will discuss everything. There has been terrible turmoil across the lands since you left. Menarcan troops have been spotted in the Mire already.'

'I refuse to speak of their arrival until you explain the presence of these priests, Celquin.'

'My lady, my name is Eukran.' The priest bowed after his interruption. 'The High Priest requested we be sent to your lands to offer solace and guidance. Your people...'

'My people are not to be swayed by your god's words and I'll have no practice of your rituals in my country. Your precious Akelin has wounded me, and had the nerve to cast out his most faithful servant.'

Eukran's smile was just as condescending. 'I've heard word of Shelm's exile. It has caused the greatest upset to the High Priest. He's most distraught that a man so stalwart could be led astray so readily by the guile of a young lady.'

Lelette gasped at the malign. She was almost blind with fury now. Shelm carefully stepped forward as she moved to speak.

'You'll not cast aspersions upon the princess, Eukran. Her guile, as you so curtly put it, had nothing to do with my exile. And I hardly think this matters in light of the present danger to the palace.'

Celquin stood, tentatively approaching Lelette with a solemnity that did nothing to shift her rage.

'You must understand, Lelette, your people are afraid. We cannot go ahead with the coronation now with things as they are. This is a time of war.'

'And in a time of war, people need assurance that a ruler is in place to take control,' Shelm protested. 'You can't delay-'

Lelette held up her hand, laughing ruefully. 'No, I understand. You've made yourself more than transparent, Celquin.' She stepped away. 'Take the crown and the palace. It's yours.' Her ardent stride was set to exhaust her, and the only power she had left was her anger. Shelm came after her.

'Why are you leaving now, Lelette?' he asked, exasperated. 'What about your answers?'

'They were all in that disgusting priest's eyes. My weakness, my misdeed, has placed me in doubt.'

The courtiers were harried now, staring and stirring. Without sense to stop her tongue, she turned on them.

'If you did not wish me to take the crown, you should have banished me yourselves. Xelle would never forgive your betrayal here, and neither will I. Turn to a falsehood for clarity if you must, but do not expect me to return to this palace.'

Past the gates, she picked up her skirt and ran to Shelm's horse.

'Lelette, stop! Where are you going?'

'To the Mire. I'll speak to the Emperor.'

'He'll kill you if you face him.'

'You're sure of this? What if I can bargain with him? What if my body is enough to stop him attacking?'

Shelm grabbed her roughly. 'You'll not make a sacrifice that foolish while I'm in love with you.'

'Then you'll help me stop him. Those fools in there think Akelin can protect them now. He can do nothing. I can still protect this country on my own, queen or not. My mother's sacrifices will not amount to nothing, Shelm. I promise you that.'

'I'll go with you and I'll help you. Just promise me you'll not offer the Emperor one piece of you.'

'For my love of you, I promise. But we have to hurry.'

The others were too far ahead of her by the time Tesna reached the deepest and blackest part of the swamp. She wasn't able to make a course as true as theirs, and now a body of sludgy water lay in front of her, mocking her. The water bubbled again and she envisioned the creatures waiting for her. Desperately searching for a bridge or vines to swing across, she saw a thick roof of branches that she hoped she could use. Running over, she clambered up one of the distorted trees to reach one of the vines so she could climb up. She clasped onto one branch with both fists and swung herself forward to grab the next branch along.

Ignoring the creaking overhead, she swung too quickly and missed her next target branch. Her sweaty hands betrayed her second shot at a grip, and the thick tangle of vines nearby decided it wasn't going to help either. The loss of her grip was as shocking as her descent, and the water ate her scream before it met the air.

The blackness suspended her and the horrible chill of the water sparked her hurried ascent for air. Her face touched the surface, but her ankle was already shackled to something beneath her. Flailing and spluttering only exhausted her. Now unable to feel her tears for all the water stinging her eyes, Tesna whimpered and finally slipped under.

Something slimy kissed the sole of her foot, and the water crept up inside her between her legs. It washed under her arms and filled her mouth until it was enveloping her. The slimy thing tickled her skin and her ears were beaten with fluid, muffling them. The particles of soil separated and the turbidity around her lessened. A school of strange creatures swam about her eyes, nibbling her cheek, and she smiled, calmed by their focus on her. Whatever was around her feet was eating the cord around her ankle, and once its meal was finished it pushed her up from under her bottom until she was riding on its back above the swamp.

Her laughter almost awakened everything around her and she glanced down to get a grip on the shell under her. A small round head stuck up and snorted loudly, and four fat, stout legs paddled along to the shore. She giggled incessantly as she drifted along and the stubby creature crawled onto the muddy waterline, lumbering along as if her weight was a minor inconvenience on a path to something much more important than saving her life. She was close to kissing the creature in her gratitude, but when she hopped off to face the beast, it snapped at her and she skipped away, nearly tumbling over an embedded root. The creature languished in the mud for a moment, then wandered off.

The trees ahead were more naturally dispersed, but she had completely lost Velarese. Tesna stopped to check the other side of the lagoon looked familiar. The tree she'd climbed, which seemed to have decided growing back into the soil was easier than growing taller, was there on the other side.

She turned and ran through the branches, letting them scrape and scratch her, and her feet started to touch dryer ground. She was tracing and leaping over crooked brooks and streams, catching her dress on the twigs and leaving pieces behind. It helped she was small enough to crawl under the briers and bushes that a soldier would have had to demolish with their spear to get through.

Tesna was still crawling when an expanse of soft yellow-green grass swelled out in front of her. She rose up in awe. The creeks were moving out and snaking through the grass, disappearing and reappearing as they headed north. Some patches of ground were still a little soft, and she squelched through them, picking her feet up and skipping over the taller grass towards a series of hills. Her leaping and jumping picked up a pace now the jumble of trees were behind her, and her running enlivened her heart. She was almost cheering and screaming as she tore through the grass, loving the sound of the squishing under her toes. She hoped at the top of the hill that she'd see Velarese and the others so she could finally bridge the gap between them.

The bluff was steeper than she'd thought now she was at the bottom. Tesna pretended it was the mound at home and crawled up, her arms moving as deftly as her legs. The strands of grass were much easier to grasp, and she loved the softness of them on her calloused hands. She was almost tempted to roll back down again to the bottom, even if it meant slipping into the sodden soil. But the haul was only now exhausting her; her little heart wouldn't be able to get her all the way back up again.

At the top, she saw how clear and vast the red sky was. It shocked the breath out of her completely. There were patches all over the land ahead, small clusters of buildings interlaced with gatherings of trees and spots of bare land. Red lakes dotted the beautiful blanket, and she saw the rivers running in and out of them, following them with her eyes down to the edges of the bluffs where they trickled into the Mire behind her.

All of this distracted her for one perfect moment until she was alerted to another sight: a huge mob of Menarcan soldiers marching north.

Tesna's vantage point wasn't revealing Velarese like she had hoped, and in a panic, she searched the land for her and the others. At the bottom of the hills, three small figures huddled behind some tall bushes. Her exhaustion was forgotten and she ran towards them.

Lelette told him she didn't want to go through another village to reach the Menarcans, so Shelm kept his mare heading directly south towards the Mire. The path had very few hindrances, and knowing this gave him no comfort. If the Menarcans could take this route straight through the Heartlands, they'd be at Akelia in a matter of days instead of weeks.

Xelle's treaty had forced the Menarcans and the Selebrians to either track paths through perilous ranges in the west, or the stark, unending desert in the east, in order to reach one another. This had ensured the Menarcans could only send their small raiding parties. For the Akelinite soldiers, it was relatively simple to send boats down some of the rivers to the west, but often the patrols would spend weeks or months in the Mire battling the raiders as they tried to sneak through, and they'd only be able to return home once a new force had been dispatched to relieve them. Many of the Menarcans who could reach the Wastelands were already too exhausted to fight, so victory was always certain for Shelm and his men.

Provided neither race placed one foot in Xelle's land, the Amoreans remained safe. He was glad not to see any of them now since he knew he wasn't able to promise they'd remain safe for much longer. Following Lelette was a stupid move on his part, but he clung to her as hard as any hope he could gather that she knew what she was doing.

Hearing her suggest she offer herself for the sake of her own land had almost landed Shelm like a blow to the sternum. Sickened by the idea, and enraged at the fact her hand had been forced by traitors in her own country, he spurred his horse onwards south with a foolish thought the Emperor would be reasonable.

Did Akelin want this? Was this his true path to Arkarah? A test, perhaps? It all felt so cruel and contrived to Shelm now, and his nerve was weakened by his confusion and mistrust. His hold on Lelette and his love for her was all he had left to be sure of.

The near-maniacal fury she'd released in the palace had actually terrified him more than any threat to his life. It was something he couldn't cease or quell with the simple and satisfying rush of his blade. It had no resolution that could be granted by him alone. Riding was clearly a better plan than entertaining any thoughts of disempowerment. Having no answer to end this nightmare troubled him now. Raising his sword no longer felt like the best thing to do, though if he had to destroy the Emperor, he hoped his blade would be surer than his heart.

Outside of the southern plains of the Heartlands lay the almost unending Mire. The bluffs that rose to hide the swamps were only just in view, as was a horde of Menarcan soldiers. Their journey had wasted the rest of the day, and he touched Lelette's arm as her skin was discolouring again. The darkness slowly tinted the red sky above them.

'We'll go to them now,' she told Shelm. 'I'll face him in the dark. There's no cause for him to go much further with the sky becoming black as it is.'

Kicking his mare, Shelm raced across the shadowy plains, keeping his direction focused on the vanguard. There were only footmen, since whatever mounts they were able to steal from the Akelinite soldiers barely lasted a week in their diseased swamps. The shadows weren't permitting him to make a clear headcount, so he guessed there were perhaps two hundred men in all, walking in formation. Their flimsy standard was still visible in the breeze. Their insignia — a black spearhead lying on a circle of crimson — remained a joke to the Akelinite soldiers; a poor symbol of misguided injustice. Shelm wasn't going to laugh at them now. Their numbers were formidable despite their armour being so pitiful.

The sight of his horse coming towards them gave the marching pause, and one man stood with his hand raised. Shelm knew who he was by the crude cloak of reptiles he wore.

'Let him speak first,' Shelm said to Lelette. 'Don't get down from my horse, you're safer up here.'

'I have more patience than you give me credit for, Shelm.'

The Emperor Ilafran stepped forward from his men, his stride exuding a sickening cockiness that made Shelm's knuckles itch. His laugh was slow and measured, and Shelm knew this man had bided his time for so many years that their intrusion could be tolerated with methodical patience.

'The princess Lelette graces me with her presence at last,' he smiled. 'This is simply too perfect not to savour. Come to bargain for your country, then?'

'Any offering I make will not be the same as my mother's if that's what you're implying.'

The smile grew bigger. 'Won't it, dear child? She told me you were headstrong and impetuous.'

Shelm's arm tightened around her. 'You will address her in the manner appropriate, Ilafran.'

'As should you address me, fallen knight. Don't think I've not already received word of your deviation from Arkarah's path. The mighty, stalwart Shelm...' He leered at Lelette. 'It didn't take much, did it?'

'I'm not here to discuss deviations, Ilafran,' Lelette said, preventing Shelm from speaking. 'I'm only going to discuss with you the protection of my lands if you'll allow me time to state my offer.'

'Well then, perhaps you should join us tonight at my camp, and we can speak about the fate of your kingdom. I've been looking forward to this, Lelette.'

Even in the dimness, Shelm saw Ilafran's eyes snake their way over Lelette's body. His hand instinctively went to his hilt.

'Be wary, Lelette,' he murmured to her. 'We can't let our guard down this far.'

'As long as his hands stay in his lap, Shelm, I think we should be able to speak freely.' She then turned to Ilafran. 'I'll sit with your men this evening. It would be my pleasure.'

A chuckle scattered across the horde. Shelm got off the saddle first, then lifted Lelette down by her waist, hoping that if he kept close to her, it would be clear to Ilafran she wasn't going to be won over. Lelette moved out of Shelm's grasp instantly. To have to refrain from drawing her back to him was painful.

Neither of them moved to help while the soldiers set up camp. Ilafran's lack of possessions didn't seem to faze him, and when his tent was erected — a heavy canvas of bat wings stitched together and translucent as dried skin — he lazed on a pelt of some indeterminable beast. Lelette and Shelm were offered similar smaller pelts to sit upon, and she masked her disgust well with a demure smile. Shelm adopted a stony expression instead.

Ilafran offered them water, stating it was clean. Shelm declined and Lelette followed his lead. His soldiers were setting up their own meagre tents outside, and once they were alone, Ilafran held out his hand to Lelette with another smile.

'State your proposition, child. I am very curious to see what the daughter of the lovely Xelle will do to protect her people.'

'I will do in my heart what I know is right, just as my mother did.'

Ilafran's smile had barely left him. He was clearly revelling in Lelette's infamous wit. Shelm tried to imagine her by herself in this obvious snare and his skin prickled.

'I don't doubt that. But I think you're severely underestimating my resolve in this matter. I will put an end to the time of the High Priest and Akelin. If I'm to understand correctly, you're not particularly fond of them, either. Not after their gross mistreatment of you and your escort.'

'I've made it plain to the members of my court and my chancellor I'll not have Akelin's insidiousness polluting my land. But by the same account, I'll not have your men storming through my cities to reach your own ends.'

'Well, I've barely reached them. How do you know I wasn't going to peacefully make my way through?'

'Because my mother would have let you without argument. Instead, she offered you herself in exchange for our safety, because you're a liar and a marauder.'

Ilafran sighed like a man in love. 'I have many fond memories of your mother, Lelette.'

Lelette's composure didn't change, and Shelm was astonished at her stoicism when he was barely able to keep from shuddering in contempt.

'If you were expecting the same favours from me, sire,' Lelette said, 'you'll not have them.'

'Then what will you offer? What else do you own that would be of any temptation to me?'

'I've not decided, if you must know. I was hoping I'd only have to ask you not to come near the Heartlands, and you, out of respect, would agree. I don't see why a trade or treaty is necessary when common decency will suffice.'

Ilafran's eyes widened mischievously. 'You were counting on my good graces? How very foolish of you.'

'Well, I don't believe you to be a man of aggression primarily, and I've never cared about your reasons for wanting to destroy the Selebrians. By all means tell me, it won't change my mind on the matter in any way.'

'Oh, I can tell you a great deal of reasons why I want the Selebrians dead. Do you want to know my side? I've all the time now to tell you.'

'Please do,' Lelette nodded. 'You've my attention as long as your men are not crossing my borders.'

Ilafran rested his head on his palm and stared at his feet. His free hand that had been resting on his hip went flat out to her again. Shelm saw the callouses by the small fire.

'These hands, Lelette, toiled for many years building that temple. I took the rocks from the tunnels every day and brought them to the wall that protects Akelia. My own father and mother told me each day we were paving our path to Arkarah, and in death, our labour would be rewarded. But it was hard to believe this when every day I woke only to lift rocks. Once I was strong enough to lift a pickaxe, I broke the rocks and watched the smaller children carry them as I had done. There was no satisfaction in this. How could there be? My mind only wandered in the heat and sweat around me to ideas of what I'd much rather be doing. Does that make sense? I don't suppose it would to you since you were born into such privilege.'

'I can't imagine I'd be happy doing that my whole life,' she replied.

'Then how could I? How could anyone? Much later, I met a man named Darnus, who seemed to share my thoughts. I spent my nights speaking with him, and he was slowly coming to the conclusion there was much more for us than the breaking of rocks. I had a constant feeling in my whole being of being trapped, and no amount of toil in the name of an invisible being could rid me of this feeling.

'I went to the quarry one evening to continue our conversation, and Darnus was gathered with several others by a small fire. He invited me into this circle amicably, and more voices were echoing the thoughts I'd conveyed to Darnus. I was more than astounded, and driven even to anger, that we were suffering for something intangible. Many more nights were spent only speaking, until one evening, we allowed ourselves to examine our own thoughts through touch. Then, and only then, did I feel a release. I knew the mouths and hands of these men and women all at once, and through this union, I finally discovered the peace I was hungry for. We ventured far from the city some nights, and spoke of starting our own village away from the temple, so we could live as we wished. Had we done this sooner, things may have been different for us.

'I met my dearest Velarese when she offered me water as a child. I grew up with her, and wanted so much to bring her into my circle of flesh and pleasure, but she was loyal to Arkarah from birth. Perhaps I was angry and embittered by the denial she shackled herself to, and I only wanted her to know this pleasure as well.'

Lelette covered her gasp with her hand. 'That woman... It was you!'

'You know of this?'

'Akelin showed me. He gave me the image of you raping her on a mountainside. It was... vile! Reprehensible!'

Ilafran only smiled some more at this. 'She followed me once we were thrown out of the city. They took the child we had made through our union and told us this coupling was against Arkarah's wishes. The High Priest's soldiers brought us to the middle of the swamps, leaving us there as punishment, with no means to make our way back out... Honestly, you're as jittery as your mother, Lelette. She was appreciative of what I learned in my time in the quarry. It did her much more good than even she was willing to admit.'

'I've heard enough,' Lelette snapped. 'I am clearly wasting my time, so I will demand you to stay out of my lands. I have no pity for your strife with the High Priest. You've brought this travesty upon yourself.' She got to her feet and Shelm stood up beside her. As they were leaving, Ilafran kept speaking.

'Perhaps if you'd seen Darnus die, as I did, in the throes of a sickness there was no cure for. Perhaps if you'd seen him vomit the blackness he'd consumed from the withered tethers in the swamps, you'd understand my grievance. We no longer took the tethers through our mouths or spines for this filth. We put them in our tailbones instead, so the sickness had less chance of reach our cores.'

Shelm was repulsed. 'That's why my parents were so sick. They died from the same disgusting consumption.'

'We must leave here,' Lelette announced. 'Dare to set foot anywhere in my country, I will order my men to destroy you and your kind one by one.'

Several spearheads halted them both just outside the tent. Shelm listened as the Emperor stood and chuckled at them.

'Really, the two of you have done nothing but heighten my amusement. You're not going anywhere now.'

Shelm's hand wasn't quick enough this time, and the Emperor himself had them flanked between him and his soldiers. Ilafran's arm caught Shelm's neck in a lock while the soldier closest to Lelette snatched her as she screamed. Shelm thrust his elbow into the Emperor's stomach, but the muscle was as impervious as Shelm's armour, and he knew his sword held more chance of stopping him. The blade had already been removed in his distraction, and the soldier ahead of him was putting it to his chin, cackling. He and Lelette were dragged across the soft undergrowth out into the field, then he was beaten and stripped of his breastplate. His arms flailed uselessly at the fists and feet that pummelled him. Lelette's screams were rattling his mind and he felt as though he was in a cage of confusion and terror. He felt his blood in his mouth and beneath his nose and he spat the foul taste of it from his tongue at the maniacal faces around him.

Slapped again by an open hand, Shelm slumped to his knees and watched Lelette being held with her arms out by the Emperor, her body contorting wildly to twist herself free. A tendril erupted from the soil at her feet and another soldier cruelly forced her legs apart by her ankles. A third man ripped her dress from her, and her birthmarks were inflamed with her panic, illuminating her suddenly. The tendril between her feet shot directly up inside her, and she screamed as more tendrils snuck from the rushes and grass to wrap around her wrists and ankles. The Emperor's laughter was now guttural and cruel, and it rotted Shelm's insides.

Lelette screamed, suddenly letting out a moan as her eyes rolled back. Shelm remembered hearing her make the same noise in the forest. Her stomach clenched suddenly, and she was breathing hard, weeping as the tendril continuously pushed itself further into her. 'Please,' she begged, moaning again as her head tipped back. 'Please make it stop.'

'Our lands are joined, child,' the Emperor purred in her ear. 'I've learned so much through these coils in the land and the fluid in their veins. The High Priest knows the same divinity beneath our feet, and don't think he hasn't harnessed this power for his own nefarious ends.'

Shelm all but choked on the phlegm in his throat as he shouted, 'Let her go! She has nothing to do with your hatred of the High Priest.'

Ilafran was moving closer to her. 'She has everything to do with what's happening to her now, Shelm. You know the face she makes now, you've seen it before. She's in rapture and pain. Exquisite, isn't it? Why do you think the world tremors when she's in this state? She is the pulse of this land, this whole world, just as her mother was, and the queens before them were. This world will die if the heart of it dies, too.'

Her birthmarks were practically glowing now, and Lelette's head rocked from side to side as she let out a cacophony of screams and groans. She dropped her face and grunted, her arms twisting against the tendrils. Ilafran was holding her from behind, pushing himself against her back and breathing into her neck. His palms snaked all over her bare breasts and stomach as he breathed deeply. His mouth bit down on her shoulder and she flinched.

'To love the heart of this world, Shelm... it's a pleasure and a pain rarely shared by any man. You should feel privileged you tasted something so pure as this. Your shame disgusts me.'

'Your deception disgusts me much more, Ilafran,' said a voice out of the darkness. 'Let her go. Now.'

Ilafran looked off into the murky air. The fires around the camp were not sufficient to see the owner of the voice until they were almost standing beside Ilafran. The Emperor moved away from Lelette, but the tendrils continued their enslavement. Shelm dropped his face as he slumped, trying to keep the sickness in him from escaping.

'Velarese, my love. How perfect you've managed to join us.'

Shelm allowed his head to raise enough to see a svelte woman wearing a robe of fur that still seemed alive for all the heads and tales that hung from it. Ilafran stepped away from Lelette and embraced the woman, who coldly turned her cheek from his kisses. This was of no matter to Ilafran, and he continued to grope her with no regard for her or her witnesses.

A small child was standing by the woman's side, the light glittering off her tattered dress. By the fire, the dress shimmered, and Shelm realised it was made of the translucent wings and shells and scales of thousands of snakes and insects. Her hair was matted and wild like the hanging grasses he'd once seen in the swamps years ago. Another older girl and a second woman entered the light, gawping at the sight of Lelette writhing. Lelette lifted her head once more and stared back, her mouth jutting in an attempt to speak. Her eyes were fused closed and she only released another long, deep moan before flinching and flailing again.

The woman named Velarese pushed Ilafran aside.

'How dare you,' she glowered. Ilafran did nothing to stop her walking to the soldier who was still carrying Shelm's sword. She took the sword without request and lifted it over Lelette's head, blocking Shelm's view of her.

He roared in horror as the blade came down once, and one tendril was severed, freeing Lelette's wrist. Velarese hacked at the other tendrils holding Lelette's ankles and let the princess fall into her arms. She dragged Lelette forward then took one last swipe at the tendril still forcing its way up inside her. Velarese then yanked the tendril out of Lelette, the disgusting sound making Shelm vomit on the grass. He lifted his head to see Velarese untie the last tendril from Lelette's wrist before kneeling with the girl onto the ground. She held Lelette in her lap and lovingly stroked the white hair from her sweat-sodden face.

Velarese finally regarded the Emperor. 'Touch her again, and I will kill you.'
Chapter 7

Confusion raced in and out of Tesna's mind watching the red girl swaying in front of them. Clear fluid came out of another man's mouth, and her belly clenched as she gagged at the sight of it. She had snuck behind Heranye's arm when Velarese raised the silver sword over her head, and Tesna eyes were squeezed tight as it fell.

Now the girl lay in Velarese's arms, her skin smothered and glistening with sweat. There was blood smeared down the inside of her naked thighs. This made Tesna whimper and snivel. She wiped her nose and went to Velarese, unafraid now of the horrible Emperor, and knelt next to Velarese to touch the girl's shin.

'Who is she?' she whispered.

Velarese was weeping softly again. 'She's the princess of the Heartlands, Tesna. The one we were coming to see.'

Tesna turned to the Emperor and scowled. He had his arms folded while he stared nonchalantly at Lelette. Tesna shot to her feet and pounded on his stomach, screaming until he snatched her up by her arms and held her to his face. She spat on his nose.

'No more blood!' she yelled. The Emperor tossed her aside onto the pile of tendrils and she yelped and skidded off them. Luda ran to her and Heranye gathered Tesna into her arms.

The Emperor stood over Velarese. 'I won't stand for any more of your stupidity, Vela. I thought you'd know better by now not to upset my plans.'

Velarese lifted her head. 'This will end now.'

'And what can you possibly do to stop it all?'

Tesna blubbered as she wiped the slime off her legs. Velarese gritted her teeth.

'I can destroy Akelin. If you walk through the Heartlands and don't shed a single drop of Amorean blood, I will take you to the temple.'

The Emperor smirked. 'How is that in your power, you ridiculous woman? You can barely put an end to a bug with your foot.'

'Why should it matter how I do it? The fact is I can do it. You can have your precious Highlands at last, and I will kill the High Priest and anyone who tries to protect him. Don't you think I am not furious enough to want to annihilate him? You think I haven't suffered in any of this? Your ignorance, your disgusting spirit, has kept the truth from you all this time. Now I'm free of the prison your deeds put me in, how could I not want that man's blood all over my hands?'

The Emperor was smiling then. Tesna refused to hold her words.

'Velarese, no! You said...'

She turned calmly to Tesna, her eyes displaying a serenity that Tesna couldn't even begin to understand.

'Hush, child. I was wrong. This cannot end without sacrifice. You must understand that.'

Tesna's lips went thin in her umbrage. She looked over at the slumped man, whose cheeks were covered in a film of tears. His mouth and nose were spattered with red and he was staring at the princess, his eyes directly on her lifeless face.

Velarese lowered her lips to the princess's forehead and kissed it. She then planted small kisses down the bridge of her nose to her lips, breathing gently on her mouth. The princess stirred and lifted her head slightly, but it quickly dropped once more.

'We will take her through her lands in peace, Ilafran,' Velarese said. 'And you will receive your redemption when we return to the Highlands. I promise.'

The Emperor tilted Velarese's chin. 'I've waited for this moment for so many years, Vela.'

Tesna wept into Heranye's shoulder as the Emperor kissed Velarese deeply.

The soldiers were ordered to immediately take down the camp. Heranye took Luda and Tesna out of the way.

'Why did she lie to us?' Luda murmured in bewilderment.

Heranye hugged both of the girls close, flinching as one of the soldiers passed and saying, 'There's nothing we can do now that won't bring trouble upon us, Luda.'

Tesna refused to look a Velarese. The princess was now lying in the grass, covered by Velarese's robe of rats, and Tesna was disgusted to see a princess so beautiful covered with something so hideous.

Velarese knelt in front of Tesna and took her arms.

'You'll never know how much you've done for me, Tesna. I would never have had the courage to leave the swamps had I not met you.'

Tesna yanked her arms away and folded them, now petulant. She peered over Velarese's shoulder at the man on his knees, who was still being held by his forearms by two Menarcan soldiers. She watched as he was bound by vines before he was dumped beside the princess, his head hanging as if he were asleep. Velarese glanced back at him and dropped her eyes.

'I hope you'll forgive me one day, child. There are many more things I cannot explain to you here.'

'You've said enough,' Luda replied. Tesna didn't speak.

'I'm sorry you'll all have to return to the swamps in the morning. I can leave blankets for you...'

'I came after you to help you,' Tesna suddenly cried. 'I ran all this way only to have you lie to me.'

Velarese frowned. 'Soon, all of this suffering and misery will be over. Then I'll come and find you.'

'No, I don't want to see you again.'

Tesna turned her face away, but she didn't avoid Velarese's solemn kiss.

'I'll always love you as if you were my own.'

Furious then, Tesna tucked herself further behind Heranye's leg.

'I'll take the girls home with me,' Heranye said quietly. 'Now you'll be invading the Highlands, it won't be safe for them. You have far to travel, Your Highness.'

'Thank you for understanding, Heranye.'

'I don't understand at all, I can only obey you as our ruler.'

'Tell Vanyel and Fiesa I'm sorry I caused them trouble.'

'I will.'

Velarese asked the men to leave one smaller tent standing. The last thing Tesna wanted now was any favours. She was staring out at the blackened bluffs, and could barely make out their height against the sky. She was so relieved they had somewhere to protect them from the night and all its hidden horrors, but she didn't offer Velarese any thanks.

The captured man had to give up his horse for the princess and Velarese. He was to walk with the soldiers, his wrists bound in front of him and tied to a leash made of vines so he couldn't run. The princess, still limp and unconscious, was hauled up onto the horse's saddle and held by Velarese. Tesna heard a moan from her lips, wondering if she was still bleeding and if anyone was going to tend to her wounds.

Ilafran commanded his men to continue marching then, and the captured man was shoved forwards. Velarese glanced back at Tesna.

'Go home as soon as it's light,' she told them, 'and stay clear of any palace guards until you hear I've returned. Thank you all again. I will miss you.'

They stayed by the tent and watched her ride after the others over the hill to the north.

Dragging his feet out of spite was the only thing Shelm could do to retain his last modicum of sanity. The night pressed down on him and his relentless forward shuffle meant he wasn't able to free his mind of the image of Lelette being tortured and groped by Ilafran. His hands had not been free for him to wipe his eyes and the blood on his upper lip was drying into a disgusting crust.

Velarese still had his sword and she'd slipped it in the saddle. He wanted to speak to her to ask her intentions with Lelette, but she was too far behind him, and he wasn't prepared yet to make demands of his captors.

All the shame Shelm had piled upon himself now seemed diminished by the shame of failing to save Lelette. A litany of "if onlys" played out over and over, tormenting him as much as the sound of his steps did. Letting his guard down, playing into an obvious trap... all his promises of defending her, dashed. Akelin's disfavour now meant nothing to him because he had failed her so immensely. He refused to placate himself with thoughts of his time with her in the forest, and any attempt was quashed by the memory of Ilafran's snide remarks.

To love the heart of this world... He remembered the quakes she'd inflicted upon the earth and the moment their union had coalesced into a shockwave through their bodies, leaving him sated and vulnerable on the forest floor. To see her make the same motions and expressions of pleasure while she was being molested by the tentacles around her had disgusted him, but he knew the actions were completely compulsive; she'd wanted to be free of her bonds and the pain they were inflicting. The earth had not shaken with her delight this time. Pity and despair ran rampant through him then.

The sky lightened once more above them, and by this time Velarese had caught up with him and the soldiers. Lelette was swaying slightly with the motion of his mare's slow walk. Velarese clutched Lelette's torso, just as he had done so many times; once with apprehension, then at last with unending devotion.

'I will protect her,' Velarese said to him. 'I promise you Ilafran won't touch her again.'

Shelm hadn't had the chance to speak directly with the Empress. All he ever learned of her was she remained in seclusion in her own palace while her husband ordered his men on countless raids and recognisance missions. Her voice was more lilting and sad than he'd imagined it would be.

'What is your name, knight?'

'Shelm,' he croaked, his throat dryer than a desert wind.

'You were the first knight of Akelin, I've been told, but your banishment has stripped you of this illustrious title.'

He appreciated she'd not reminded him of this in the same snide manner Ilafran had. She was clearly not receiving any pleasure from this voyage.

'This is true.'

'Your love for this young girl must be almost insurmountable now. I am truly sorry you had to witness such a grave travesty inflicted upon her.'

'Will she die?' he asked.

'Her injuries won't kill her if I can reach Akelin in time. He can help her.'

'But you want to destroy him.'

'I can have her healed before that happens.'

'He won't listen to you, and you're well aware your impurities have tainted your body against him. I doubt the soldiers will ever let you past the city gates.'

'Forgive me if I sound callous, Shelm, but if you want your lover to survive, you'll have to allow me access to Akelin. Surely you can go in by the knight's entrance.'

'How do you know of it?' he sneered.

'I brought water to the men who built it. I was once going to be an Akelinite priestess.'

The incredulity Shelm had was enough then for him to lift his head in astonishment, though his words were not forthcoming.

'I loved Arkarah with my entire soul, Shelm. I woke each day and breathed and toiled for him, and I was content in this life. The High Priest would have told you I left of my own volition, but Ilafran dragged me along with him. I've wanted nothing more than to go home, and be free of those putrid waters.'

'Akelin will never allow you back into Arkarah's graces.'

'That's not what I seek. Why do you defend the Conduit so readily, when he was so quick to cast you out?'

Shelm refused to answer, for in the deepest part of him he still felt lost without Akelin. He knew then all his misfortune could be traced from his one transgression; this outcome was his punishment. Betraying Akelin had brought misery not just to him, but to anyone he loved. Adelia and Quann, Mapha and Elore... Returning to Akelia was a terrifying prospect. Quann may have understood in the past, but Shelm's betrayal had surely put him beyond reproach as far as his closest friend was concerned. He still heard sweet Adelia's voice begging for understanding from the High Priest, but time could have easily sullied her trust and love for him, too.

'Your anger over your exile may have served you better against your enemies. That you deny your hatred of Akelin now surprises me.'

'I will keep my shame and torment,' he told Velarese, 'I have little else, save for Lelette. I don't want her to die.'

'Then you will help me enter the temple unharmed. You will escort me to the knight's entrance, and we will make safe passage to Akelin. You won't stop me from destroying him once he has healed Lelette. Agreed?'

Shelm shuffled a few more paces and stopped to consider this offer. He turned to stare at Lelette's sleeping face and was so desperate for her eyes to open that he'd give the Empress absolutely anything to make that happen. If Akelin's forgiveness was forfeit now, and the way to Arkarah forever closed, then he refused to lose Lelette as well.

'Agreed,' he murmured.

The night air and the flimsy tent deprived them of any warmth, so by dawn, Tesna, Luda and Heranye were huddled together in a bundle. Their tethers had taken hours to find them, and Tesna was the last to get any sleep. Now she was weary and not ready to walk the many miles she'd come for nothing.

Unable to carry anything of use now, Heranye decided they would leave everything at the campsite. They left hastily, and this gladdened Tesna. Her brief journey outside the swamp had left her longing for home and the arms of her mother. All Fiesa's scolding and harsh words didn't matter to her now that Velarese had disappointed her. Even her father's reproach for her running away was more welcoming than ever seeing Velarese again.

Tesna had truly believed Velarese's plight was worth her causing trouble. She could help her family leave the swamp at last. But as they were returning to the convoluted branches at the edge of the Mire, she realised she didn't want another home, and her spirit gave her strength to go on. The swamp and all its secret places; all the bizarre creatures, even the strange beasts — she would have only come to miss them terribly. Returning to the marshes and seeing the devastation still didn't convince her anywhere else would have been more inviting. She wanted to be in the waters again with the strange little scurrying creatures. She wanted to find the shell beast and try and ride it through the water. She was eager to clamber relentlessly over the fallen logs and swing from the vines and make little mud piles with finger-width holes for windows. Pushing her toes into the mud felt glorious now.

Luda and Heranye were exhausted and were struggling to keep up their pace with Tesna. She was running again with all the fury and excitement she'd had when she burst free into the Mire. If the world beyond hers was only full of horrors and betrayal, what good reason did she have to see more of it?

The path the soldiers had made meant their return was much easier than their departure. The villages were still far, and she didn't know if Luda would be able to make it all the way home. She didn't want to heed the warning from Velarese about avoiding any of the palace guards. Heranye was warier and was desperately trying to get Tesna to slow down and stop making so much noise.

'There could still be guards patrolling, Tesna. They'll know the Empress has left with us by now.'

'But the Emperor wanted her to go with him. It makes sense a tyrant would want his lying wife by his side.'

Luda gasped. 'Hush, Tesna. You mustn't be so brash.'

'We should take over the palace,' Tesna laughed. 'I can be the new Empress.' She found a small piece of vine and tied it around her scalp, then started walking regally through the mud. Luda laughed and Heranye glowered.

'Silly girl. Your mother wouldn't be pleased to see you acting like this.'

Tesna continued her stroll with her head held higher and didn't see the patch of broken roots ahead of her. Her foot was spiked and she fell on her bottom, whimpering. Heranye picked her up.

'Honestly, Tesna, you must behave now.'

Luda called them over to a tree up ahead. She was pulling a piece of leather from the end of one of the branches. Red painted her fingertips and Tesna peered closer.

'It's probably from one of the soldiers,' Heranye said. 'Keep moving, we'll be at Tesna's hut soon.'

Tesna took the piece of leather from Luda and put it to her nose instinctively. It smelled of her father. There were other pieces of leather ahead strewn about, some redder than others, and they followed the trail all the way to the bottom of the mound. Tesna's short-lived mischief was replaced with worry.

At the top of the mound, Jeske sat by the doorway to their hut. He was curled up in a ball, hugging his knees and crying into the crook of his arm. Heranye ran to him and cradled him.

'Jeske, you've come home! What happened?'

He raised his head slightly, still snivelling as he spoke.

'I ran from the other soldiers and hid in the trees. I didn't want to go to war in the Highlands and die like my brother did. So I ran back home. But on the way, I found some hair, all bloody at the end, and some teeth... then I found an eye all squished into the dirt. When I got to the swamp near here, I found his head...' Jeske's face instantly lost its colour then.

'Whose head, child?' Heranye murmured, now as pale as Jeske and just as disturbed.

His elbow muffled his words again. Tesna's guts turned to liquid inside her as she crept into the hut. She heard more weeping and sighing coming from the back wall. She went in to see the head of her father, his eye sockets filled with blood, flies and maggots, sitting on the floor opposite her mother. Fiesa was staring at two bloody stumps on the end of her wrists, the sinews still hanging from the pulpy mess of flesh and bone where her hands used to be.

'Rordelle did it!' Jeske wailed. 'She came here and killed our father! And she made me watch as she hacked off our mother's hands with a huge, dull knife.'

Luda and Heranye were crying almost as softly as Fiesa was. Jeske got up and violently shoved Tesna to the ground.

'This is all your fault!' he declared, splattering her face with a fist full of mud.

***
Lelette's eyes opened to a world that was swaying side to side, making her instantly ill and disorientated. She was leaning against something warm and soft, but it wasn't her chamber floor. The horizon ahead of her looked familiar enough — the white, wispy grass she knew, as well as the torrid red sky above her that was brighter now than when she last remembered her eyes being open. How much time had passed since then was not her privilege to know, still she recognised the mane of the beast in front of her. The coarse chestnut hair fell to one side of its huge head. The head bobbed hypnotically, almost transfixing her back into sleep, but she moaned instead and forced herself awake.

'Be still, Lelette,' a feminine voice whispered in her ear. 'Nothing will happen to you now.'

The pain was latent but shocking, and she let out a baleful moan.

'Vela!' shouted a voice in the near distance.

Lelette felt the grip on her tighten. As her vision further rectified itself, the image of a furious, gaunt and dark-skinned man filled her view, and her whole being froze as her memory finally returned to her. A scream erupted from her, and the beast she was riding suddenly reared upwards. Whoever was holding her had to now focus on calming the horse, and the panic of the beast was soon her panic too.

Another voice barked, 'Elayden, stop!'

The horse lowered its front hooves and the owner of the second voice came to pet the beast's nose with both his hands, that were bound in vines. 'She'll only settle if I handle her,' he said roughly. As the beast calmed down, Lelette stopped her trembling and panted for air. The man's face conjured a serenity in her body that brought with it some clarity as well.

'Shelm... what's happening?'

He was dishevelled, his face still bloody, and his armour was gone. His despair almost leaked into her heart.

'It's alright, Lelette.'

'I suggest you find some way of keeping her quiet from now on,' the first man said.

Another flash hit her mind and heart like a slap. 'You nightmare of a creature, let us go!'

A hand stroked her hair lovingly and she turned her head to see a woman's face, her teeth making a sibilant hush.

'Ilafran is not to harm you or your people, Lelette. He will keep his word to me.'

She wasn't able to speak another word for all her confusion.

'I'll give you answers in time. Just know I am your protector now, and I'll speak for you in your domain. You need to regain your strength if you're to help me stop Akelin.'

Hearing the name again made her groan and hold her head. Her belly was aching, almost pounding, as if something was pelting its fists from the inside, trying to get out. The space between her legs throbbed and the flesh felt as if a million tiny cuts had been made inside her. She saw bruises on her wrists, and as much as she didn't want any more pieces of her memory finding her, they still did. They added to the pain until all she wanted to do was lie down and die. She smothered her face with her palms and sobbed.

'Why must you all torment me like this?' she moaned. 'I didn't want any of this! Why can you not leave me be?'

The woman kept stroking her hair. Ilafran roared at them, 'Enough! I'll not have her wasting any more time. Let's go!'

Feet trampled around her. Through her fingers she saw scores of men marching forward, staring north. The border of her home was reaching out to them and the edge of one of the villages was visible in the distance.

She wanted all her pain to come out of her mouth in a torrent of rage and bile. More of her wanted to climb down from the saddle and embrace Shelm, who was slumped as he walked beside them near his mare's nose, his wrists firmly bound. He glanced back ashamedly at Lelette as if he had been the one to inflict all her pain. She wished her touch could absolve him of the clear weight of his guilt. Off to the west of them, the outcrops of her precious forest were now apparent, and she desperately searched around herself for something to release them so they could return at once and start to forget this awful moment. She managed to tilt her eyes to see Shelm's sword lodged into the braces of the saddle. Her hand started to reach for it, but the woman took it and held it tightly.

'No, Lelette,' she murmured. 'Don't try to be brave now. Be still, and I swear to you, your pain will be avenged.'

'Jeske, enough!' Fiesa shouted, still sobbing. 'Don't make another sound, I beg you.' The bloody stumps instinctively went to her ears, blocking nothing. Tesna was almost blinded by her own horror. She lay still on the ground, her mouth resting in the dirt and tasting the soil. Her tears eluded her. Luda went to her side, trying to get her to stand, but she stayed limp.

'Where is Rordelle?' Heranye demanded of Jeske. 'We have to get away from here, she'll kill us for helping the Empress.'

Tesna suddenly unleashed her misery. 'The Empress lied to us! This isn't my fault. I never wanted to go to the palace!' She was echoing the wailing of the girl who'd been wrongly accused of stealing water and sentenced to slavery. Her voice finally dropped. 'She said no more blood.'

Heranye gathered her up in her strong arms that had been toned by years of dredging sludge.

'Luda, go and find some vines and bark to cover Fiesa's wounds.'

Luda slipped down the embankment and returned a moment later with the bark and vines. Heranye did her best to cover the stumps completely. The blood still soaked through.

'Jeske, help your mother. We'll head west. Hopefully, Rordelle won't think to head that way.'

Jeske quietly helped Fiesa to her feet, cradling her as they shuffled out of the hut. Luda had to help him carry her down the mound. Heranye was able to carefully negotiate slippery tracks with Tesna still in her arms. Once at the bottom, she lowered Tesna then grabbed her hand to tug her behind the others.

Traipsing through the sand and broken trees, Tesna's feet and shins started to ache. She wanted to just fall on her knees, her body was too heavy to push forward. No one spoke, so the all she could hear was her mother's snivelling and moaning along with a harmony of relentless cicadas. The land they were entering was untouched by the soldiers, and great bushes formed natural archways and small tunnels into the undergrowth, their shadows so inviting to Tesna, she almost scurried into them.

There wasn't a single thing outside the swamp she wanted to know about now, but her life and her homelands had been destroyed so callously. Now her mother's hands had been planted into the soil beside her father's head, not to grow life but to bleed misery into the dirt. She daydreamed she was lying still and calm under the arching bushes, waiting for the sludge and slime to devour her and hoping the offering would undo Rordelle's attack. The sound of Velarese's pleading in Tesna's head made her skin prickle. Underneath all of it, she cursed herself for having bargained with the Empress and for making sacrifices for her. Velarese could never make up for that.

Recalling the moment she and her father had stood staring out on the swamps brought with it a sickening regret above all else. Tesna was moving steadily away from that place, hoping a return would be out of the question now Rordelle was most likely hunting them. She almost let out a rueful laugh thinking they'd have really been safer going on with the soldiers to the Highlands to see the final battle played out than coming home to a headhunting, conniving woman. Rordelle had been left in the swamps, but Tesna was sure Ilafran would reward her more than generously for her services to his empire of filth and decay with a seat beside him at last. She'd have equal footing with Velarese. Then they'd be a trio of nasty intentions that was going bring in a reign of endless torment upon everyone in the land.

There would be no place for Tesna and her family in the swamps now. Heading west to unknown lands was their only choice.

A nearly imperceptible crack sounded behind them, and Tesna glanced back. Heranye gripped her hand.

'We have to keep moving. It was probably just a snake.'

As they turned a deep, sly voice said, 'You'll wish it was just a snake, Heranye.'

Fiesa's resultant wail echoed through the trees and seemed to go on forever in Tesna's ears. Jeske dropped their mother to her knees, covering her while Luda and Heranye huddled together. Tesna let go of Heranye's hand and walked towards Rordelle.

'You've discredited me as a mere servant of Ilafran when I am in fact his second in command,' Rordelle said proudly. 'I'm also very deft at following a trail.'

'What good are we to you now?' cried Heranye. 'Your leader's gone and the Empress joined him in his attack on the Highlands. This family should mean nothing to you! Leave them be. You've had your revenge.'

'A child may have been handed to the Empress,' Rordelle calmly replied, 'but a traitor to the crown has departed the palace. I am ruler here now Ilafran has gone to the Highlands. Anyone attempting to disrupt his ascension is a traitor and should be treated as such.'

'The Empress betrayed us!' Tesna shouted indignantly. 'She lied to us to reach the Emperor.'

'Her intentions mean little to me. That you were set to even try and thwart the Emperor makes you as guilty as the Selebrians. You will all be imprisoned in the swamps with them as your final punishment.'

'What else can you take from me, you fiendish woman?' Fiesa moaned. 'You've killed my husband, taken my daughter into slavery...'

Rordelle smirked. 'You sold her to the Emperor for land, and you call me a fiend?' She spoke to Tesna then with a sickening righteousness to her tone. 'Tell me, Tesna, wouldn't you have betrayed your parents as they did you? Aren't your mother's hands and father's head payment enough for their duplicity? Tell me now not one piece of you hates them for sacrificing you for their prosperity.'

'No,' she answered without hesitation. 'Nothing they've done to me would make me wish this upon them. If you were so afraid we'd stop the Emperor, why didn't you try harder to prevent us from leaving?'

'Oh child, you really believe I let you go that easily? I told the guards not to follow. The pleasure of the chase always heightens the ecstasy of the catch, and I always knew I'd catch you, Tesna.'

Tesna went forward again.

'Then you've caught me.' She held out her arms. 'Let them go, and I'll go with you.'

Fiesa gasped behind her. 'Tesna, please. You don't need to do this.'

Tesna didn't flinch, knowing looking back and heeding her mother's voice would cause her resolve to vanish.

Rordelle grinned. 'If you come with me, you'll be where I need you to be, at any hour. Any word of protest will mean your death.'

Tesna nodded and Rordelle addressed Fiesa and the others.

'Leave, and don't return. And I'd forget about seeking favour in the Heartlands. The Emperor will soon be supreme leader of all three kingdoms, and he'll not leave your treachery unpunished.'

Rordelle snatched Tesna's forearm, nearly lifting her off the ground. As she was dragged away, Tesna watched the others head west towards unknown lands. She wanted to cover her ears to her mother's crying and she swallowed and swallowed, trying to get the lump in her throat to disappear.

Shelm guessed the marching stopped about half a mile from the most southern city in the Heartlands. They were tracking through the white grass now, crossing one of the crystal streams. The tributary led to another shallow lake. The Empress appeared almost in tears, and she kissed Lelette's head.

'What's the matter?' Shelm asked her. Most of his anger had dissipated now out of weakness from walking without fluid or rest for nearly a day. His only reason for standing was to keep watch over Lelette.

'When Ilafran said she was the pulse of this world, Shelm, he wasn't lying. The rivers will dry up soon if she doesn't get help. Her death is the end of our lives, too.'

This didn't make sense to him. 'She'll still die one day. What becomes of us then?'

'She has to give this world an heir, it's her mother's legacy. She has no choice.'

'Lelette barely wanted the crown in the first place.'

'Do you think Xelle truly wanted it either? Each queen has been burdened in some way through the years, and each has had to make choices for the sake of this nation. Lelette's struggle is only beginning. She needs to be loved, not tormented.'

'You think I don't love her?'

'The thought hasn't entered my mind since I met you, good knight. It's not your love I'm concerned about. It's theirs.'

Velarese glanced over at the city gates, perturbed for a moment then steely with resolve. She pushed his horse onwards through the soldiers.

'Do not approach with your spears raised, even if their guards are poised to attack. And let me speak first.'

Ilafran stopped her before she went on. 'You best not be playing games, Vela,' he warned. 'If you don't take me to Akelin, you and the princess will suffer far worse than what's already happened to her.'

'Shut your mouth, Ilafran,' she sneered. 'You'll get your wish.'

Ilafran appeared completely emasculated for a moment, and Shelm saw his astonishment lapse into badly contained aggression. He knew if Velarese hadn't been on his mare, Ilafran would have surely slapped her.

Several Akelinite soldiers were stationed at the city gates, and Shelm instantly recognised the captain, an older man named Tarven. He slinked behind his mare to conceal himself as the Menarcans moved forward, sedately. The soldiers at the gate instinctively raised their swords and shields, and the Menarcans continued not to react. Shelm sweated as they drew closer, and the captain ordered his men to hold as he approached the Empress.

'This city is not under threat from my army,' Velarese declared. 'We're looking for safe and fast passage through these lands.'

The captain's incredulous laugh resonated with an old memory of Shelm's. The same laugh had come from Tarven with each of Shelm's meagre parries, knowing the ridicule would make his attacks more aggressive. Years later, Shelm had understood Tarven's methods were with merit, but now the laughter induced the old horrid feeling of mockery that he simply couldn't tolerate. If Shelm still had any clout, he knew he'd have been able to order them out of the way.

'The Empress of the Swamps, traitor to Arkarah, expects us to believe she's here just "passing through"?'

Tarven's men all laughed, and Ilafran seethed. The Empress was unmoved.

'I do, dear sir. Because if you don't, the princess will die.'

Tarven faltered.

'I'm not prepared to wait for you to consult Chancellor Celquin. She doesn't have the luxury of time.'

Lelette had been in a daze until now, and when she lifted her head, Tarven grew concerned.

'I order you to stand down,' she said meekly. 'I may not be queen as yet, but you will obey me all the same.'

Lelette slumped in Velarese's arms as if the act of speaking had rid her of any energy she'd managed to regain. Tarven immediately ordered his men to stand down and open the gates.

'Pass through, Empress,' Tarven said, 'but should any of your men even try to attack...'

The Empress nodded gently, and Shelm was well aware that would be the extent of her expression of gratitude. The soldiers fell to either side of the slowly opening gate, and the army continued through.

The central street of the city was slowly becoming lined with curious Amorean faces. Children hid behind their elders, staring in wonderment at the soldiers as the parade moved through the city. In turn, the soldiers only glanced stoically at the Amoreans. Shelm remained beside the Empress, and Tarven's eyes widened to see him at last as he approached carefully.

'What by Arkarah has happened, Shelm? You walked into the Menarcans' hands because of Akelin's exile?'

'Stand aside, Tarven. If you have any sense you'll not interfere.'

'I can't give you any aid, Shelm.'

'I don't need your help. The least you can do now is go ahead to the palace and tell Celquin that Lelette is on her way to announce her passage to the Highlands.'

Shelm refused to apologise for his disrespectful tone. He held no presumptions Tarven was going to follow through with warning Celquin, and it gave him absolutely no satisfaction to say what he'd said. He kept his eyes forward, and they continued through the city, which was filling with more inquisitive and passive people. There were heads in the windows over them. Their scrutiny infuriated Shelm. Lelette stirred again and gazed about, mimicking the expressions of the children. Hardly a suitable coronation parade, Shelm thought bleakly. But the Amoreans no longer deserved a suitable queen, as far as he was concerned. They'd taken Xelle's gifts for granted.

He was close to fainting by the time they made it to the northern gates, and the night was drawing in again. He dropped to his knees and his mare's hooves instantly stopped beside him.

Velarese walked his mare around him and glanced back at the people they had passed.

'I'm sorry, Shelm,' Lelette groaned. 'I have to go to the palace. My umbilicus...'

'We may not have much more time to stay, Lelette. Ilafran won't be patient enough to let you rest anywhere.'

'Just bring me some water,' Shelm croaked. 'I can keep going.'

A small boy tentatively stepped out of the rows of onlookers.

'I can go get some water,' he said. 'There's a well in my yard. You can have as much as you like.'

Velarese smiled graciously. 'Thank you, dear child. I'll not forget your kindness quickly.'

The boy eagerly raced off while the soldiers stayed at the gates, and in a moment, he was desperately dragging a bucket that was far too big for him to carry. Another woman helped him lift it, and another went away and brought cups. Soon each of the soldiers, as well as Ilafran and Velarese, were holding their own cups full of clean water from around the city. Shelm guzzled desperately, almost choking. The soldiers gruffly thanked the Amoreans, though Ilafran was somewhat reluctant in his own appreciation. Once they were rested enough, and Shelm was able to stand, Velarese decided they could go. There were no goodbyes, no grand farewells.

Leaving the gates, Shelm remembered the solemnity outside the palace when he and Lelette had gone to bury her mother, and wondered if this moment would have brought Xelle any peace had she been there.

Chapter 8

Being back in the caverns with Rordelle was adequate punishment as far as Tesna was concerned. Rordelle had gone through her duties on the way back. Tesna was to clean the walls, tend to Rordelle's weaponry, bring water to the soldiers and guards, and generally be at Rordelle's beck and call.

As a consequence of all this, she didn't rest for the better part of a day. Rordelle decided Tesna could sleep only when she'd finished all her tasks.

A scattering of handmaidens had been forced to stay behind, more for Rordelle and the other guards' amusement. Tesna noticed the ones who had been chosen were much prettier and older than the ones who'd been let go. Among them stood the weeping girl. Tesna did her best to try and speak to her, but Rordelle was constantly making impromptu demands and stealing her away. She finally got a chance in the handmaidens' quarters when she was allowed to rest.

'My name is Kalrose,' the girl said. 'I've tried to leave here, but I can't get out, the guards keep catching me... Then they...' She trailed off but didn't cry. She seemed beyond that now. 'Why did you come back?'

'Rordelle killed my father and took my mother's hands. She'd have destroyed my whole family had I not given myself up.'

'Where did you go? When you left with the Empress, we were all so confused. I thought she wasn't supposed to go to battle.'

'She decided she should,' Tesna responded guardedly, aware speaking of it was only going to make her angry again. She was weary from her rage now, and just about resigned to her new life of slavery.

'There's something strange going on outside,' Kalrose told her later. 'My parents have been put to work making these huge cages out of trees off to the east. No one understands why.'

Tesna sighed. 'Rordelle told me the Emperor will take over the Highlands and send all the Selebrians to the swamps for what the High Priest did to him.'

'Even the children? Why?'

'Because he's horrible. He hurt the princess of the Heartlands. Made these things come out of the ground...' Even thinking of the tendrils made Tesna quiet with disgust.

'Will he come back?' Kalrose murmured.

'I don't think so. I think he'll take the Highlands over completely, and anyone here who hasn't tried to stop him will get to go there too. Whoever's left will probably guard and torture the Selebrians.'

Guards were milling outside the door of the handmaidens' quarters, and the girls were accustomed to dropping their voices to a whisper when in range of any prying ears.

'Didn't you escape through the Empress's chamber?' Kalrose said. 'One of the girls told me you did.'

'We can't go out that way now. Rordelle sleeps there.'

'Then through the gardens maybe?'

Tesna felt herself becoming annoyed by Kalrose's relentless hope. All she could see in any possible escape plan was them getting caught. If Rordelle were patient enough to track Tesna for days on end in the swamps, it would be nothing for her to do it all over again.

Rordelle stormed in then.

'All of you, hurry up. I want you out preparing the prisons with the others. Everything has to be ready for when the Selebrians arrive.'

They were marched out of the caverns to a clearing outside, and the cages Tesna saw were just as Kalrose had described. The papery logs were now tall bars, all planted at narrow intervals through the clearing as far as Tesna could see. A crosshatch of more logs stretched across the top of the cages, bound to the vertical logs with thick strands of vines. They had to wander through the cages to get to the southern fences that were still being constructed. Tesna recognised many of the people from the village. Those who had once dredged the swamps and thrown sand into the water were now cutting and lifting countless trees and tearing vines to bind them. Part of her wanted to scream at them for their stupidity in believing their mindless toil would deliver them from this place; that the Emperor would end their suffering here by leading them to the Highlands if they kept felling trees and wiping sweat from their brows.

Instead, Tesna hopelessly picked up a bundle of vines and joined the chain of workers.

Lelette was struggling to wake at the palace. Her head had slumped as if her neck were broken. Shelm wanted desperately to stop the parade and carry her himself, but he knew his lethargy would only lead to him dropping her. When they were far from the last city, Ilafran remained as the vanguard of the troops.

Shelm was too weak now to protest the march to the palace. Most of his hatred lay with Celquin for how big a traitor he had been to Lelette. The man had all but raised her himself, yet it was clear to Shelm the role of father was now annulled. Shelm's sole intention was to protect Lelette — as it had been since her mother had died — then when this horrific ordeal was over, he could spirit her away to somewhere safer. If the horrid and uncivil Menarcans didn't take over her beloved forest, he'd have happily granted her wish to live there the rest of their lives. He was even willing to build a home for her there in the trees. Ilafran and Velarese were in the way of this desire. Stealing Lelette away from Velarese was another plan he'd been devising during their haul through the Heartlands. Meanwhile, Velarese said nothing of how Lelette would even be healed. This meant all his faith, which by now amounted to the weight of a single grain of sand, lay on Velarese's insistence taking her to Akelin would save her life.

There were two more villages to pass through on the way to the palace. Those towns had little protection and acceded to their demands for passage swiftly. Lelette's frailty had Shelm regretting he'd not spoken of any quicker paths to the palace. Ilafran surprisingly kept his word that the Amoreans were not to be harmed, much to his own seething reluctance. By that point, Velarese had appointed herself captain of his invasion army, for all intents and purposes. Her relationship with Ilafran was clearly one born of a sickening lack of regard for each other. If there had ever been any love between them, it had died years ago. The troop followed onwards towards the palace by that day's end, and the gates spread open slowly on their arrival.

Lelette stirred at the sound of the guards assembling, their shields clanking together to form a shell of protection around the gate. Their glares of mistrust caused Shelm to drop his face once more.

Velarese held up her hand. 'We bring no means for quarrel here. My men have not harmed a single person in our journey through the Heartlands. I want an audience with your chancellor immediately.'

The leader of the main squadron approached them.

'You will hand the princess over at once. There will be no audience with the chancellor. We refuse to make a single bargain with the Empress of Serpents.'

Velarese went on without a hint of offence to the title the guard had given her. Shelm had spoken of her in the same manner many times before.

'There will be an audience, or else the princess dies and our existence will be done for. Your arrogance won't assist you now. Either you bring Celquin out here, or I will order my men to drag him out.'

The guard lowered his sword and his men fell aside. Velarese dismounted after Lelette was gently lifted down into one of the soldier's arms. Shelm tried to get close enough to see her blue lips.

Inside the palace, the courtiers either quickly scattered or pressed themselves to the walls. Celquin was waiting, clearly rattled by the commotion in his halls. Lelette's state caused him to put a hand to his open mouth.

'What happened to her?' he demanded. 'I never wanted her to leave the palace. I only felt matters would have been better dealt with by someone with more wisdom.'

'So you considered her mother as big a simpleton as well?' Velarese responded.

'Of course not!' Celquin protested.

'None of that matters now,' Velarese answered. 'The palace and the fate of all the people in this country are under strife already. Your haste in assuming my husband and I will obliterate your lands is both arrogant and disrespectful. I won't tolerate this stance anymore. We're taking Lelette to the Highlands now and no words of protestation from you will prevent this. Your armies are to stand down immediately.'

'Xelle placed an enormous amount trust in me to protect Lelette, Velarese. How can I be sure by any means you'll only take her somewhere to be killed? Why should I leave her in your hands?'

'Because, chancellor, her fate affects the Menarcans and the Selebrians as much as it does your people. You must know the Heartlands cannot go without a ruler, and Lelette's legacy is to become queen, whether this happens tomorrow or a year from now. Her life means this world will breathe as well. Have you not seen your rivers grow dryer? You couldn't be blind to all this, could you?' The ice in Velarese's voice chilled Shelm's blood. He glanced at Celquin.

'I wasn't able to stop what happened,' he confessed quietly.

'She has already suffered the worst of burdens, and that lies upon burying her own mother and being persecuted by the High Priest. Only Akelin's touch can help her now. I will take her to the Highlands and the Akelinite soldiers in your cities will make no attempt to stop us. Is this understood?'

Celquin sagged.

'Her death will be on your head,' he stated flatly. 'And what makes you think you can simply walk into the Highlands with your men?'

'The High Priest has as much interest in ensuring the survival of the princess as you do, Celquin. My only advice to you would be to cease any communications with Olnar if you know what's best for you.'

'Your words have no jurisdiction over me, Velarese. And with Xelle now gone...'

Ilafran laughed, crossing his arms. 'She obviously mentioned her death meant our treaty would no longer be in effect. Or did she not trust you at all with these matters? Besides, given the princess's current state, I severely doubt Lelette will be fit to rule after her coronation.'

Lelette managed an incomprehensible mumble with her weak lips and pale pink spittle dribbled from the corner of her mouth.

'I need to rest.'

Shelm desperately wanted to wipe her face clean to restore even a modicum of her dignity. He'd only had a brief chance to clean his face and hands when they'd stopped by one of the rivers.

Velarese sighed. 'No, child. Your wounds are too vast and deep for your umbilicus to heal you now. We must go north. I fear we've wasted too much time as it is.'

They exited the chamber, leaving Celquin with his obvious guilt. All of Lelette's courtiers bowed solemnly, some even turning away in pity at the sight of her near-lifeless face. The Empress only kept her eyes ahead, not paying attention to a single nasty glare or whisper. Shelm did his best not to appear as reprehensible, but his shame always managed to win out, and he kept his gaze on the floor. His wrists were still bound and his resolve was gone.

Ilafran made a small snort as they left. He'd done well not to let his own insurmountable contempt get the better of him.

Leaving the palace, they were stopped by Demese. Shelm saw she was risking harm from Ilafran for her act, but Velarese indulged her anyway.

'Please, just let me say goodbye to her this time,' she begged. Her eyes looked as though she'd been crying for days. She used her apron to clean Lelette's mouth and eyes then kissed her forehead.

'I will see her again, won't I? Do any of you know how much we love her?' It was obvious to Shelm Demese's desperation had been plaguing her ever since the princess left.

Shelm nodded carefully. 'I'll be by her side, I promise you that.'

'But your hands are bound, sir.'

'That shouldn't matter.' Shelm was watching Ilafran and Velarese out of the corner of his eye.

'Enough!' Ilafran demanded of Demese. 'We're wasting daylight with this sentimental nonsense.'

The Menarcan troops were still in formation outside the palace gates. Shelm glanced back at Demese as they departed, sick with the fear he would fail to keep his promise.

Tesna's labour resulted in severe cuts and blisters to her palms. Kalrose was at her side nearly every minute, snivelling and wiping her nose on her wrist. Rordelle's whip met Tesna's shoulder more than once. They tended to the wounds at night, using the stagnant water in the maids' chamber, so they were slow to heal and eventually became infected.

Kalrose gingerly dressed, still sniffling as quietly as she could. Tesna, meanwhile, washed her face and hands in the pool and realised she'd not seen her own reflection in some time. Her pretty dress of bugs' wings had been buried in a pile of dirt for Rordelle's amusement, and Tesna had been handed a tunic made of strips of vines and wet bark.

'I hate this place!' Kalrose whined again. 'Only today I was carrying clean water to the people outside when one of the soldiers grabbed me and tried to put his hands up my skirt. We have to find some way out.'

Tesna knew she was a viable target for the soldiers as well, but had since done her best not to end up in any particular corners that would make her easy prey.

'We can't go any further south,' Tesna told her. 'We may be stuck here until the Emperor returns.'

'Do you think he'll take us to the Highlands too?'

'I doubt it,' she snorted.

'How can you be so cold and uncaring?' Kalrose snapped. 'And how can you give up so easily?'

'How can you keep your faith in anything, considering what's befallen you? Wrongly accused, taken from your parents, who are now forced to build giant cages. How can you have any hope?' Tesna lay on her sleeping mat, but she knew sleep wouldn't find her and she desperately wanted to sneak into Rordelle's quarters. She spent most of her hours now dreaming of escaping. And if she were caught dawdling, she'd almost always receive a lash from Rordelle's whip. The cuts meant she couldn't lie on her back anymore.

Eventually, Tesna's hands became too sore and calloused to lift anything. One of Rordelle's men grabbed her by the arm, making her drop one of her logs, and hauled her to the throne room where Rordelle had made herself comfortable on the Emperor's throne.

'I'm not happy to see you in this circumstance. You must be aware of this. Besides all this, you've not done a single chore I've asked of you today.'

'How could I!' Tesna protested. 'You've had me working all day outside.'

'I've already told you you're not to assist the constructions until all of my tasks have been seen to.'

'You never said that!' Tesna shouted. Rordelle nodded and the soldier belted Tesna across the back of the head.

'Go do your duties now, Tesna. I really don't see why you insist on this level of disobedience when you're fully aware of the consequences.'

'Would it be better if you split me in two?' Tesna quipped, not caring about the second sharp blow the back of her skull then felt. Rordelle got up, the very act of doing so clearly fuelling her anger, and grabbed Tesna by the hair, hauling her to the nearest puddle outside the throne room and tossing her in, face first. Tesna coughed out a mouthful of sludge.

'Clean yourself up. I'm tired of looking at your disgusting face. You give me nothing but headaches now. I should've disposed of you and the rest of your family while I had the chance.' Rordelle walked away, calling out, 'When you're clean, meet me in the garden. We're hoping for some festivities tonight once word gets back that the troops have reached the Highlands.'

Tesna received one more blow then went to gather up some clean water. She thought about crying, but her eyes remained dry.

Chapter 9

The troop's entrance into the Highlands was as sombre as Xelle's funeral march. Shelm continued to fantasise about hundreds of possible schemes and battle plans the Menarcans would have concocted to gain entry. For each plan, he masterminded the appropriate defence.

This new tactic resembled none of the imagined invasions, and Shelm's internal list of manoeuvres was long. The Empress riding his own horse, the one he had chosen as a boy and had spent nearly a decade forming a bond with, that was the most alarming part. Quann and the others were going to be mortified by the sight of him powerless beside the Empress.

Velarese kept her troops at the gates of Akelia and the barricades were already firmly in place. The battlements were lined with archers. When she halted his mare, the Akelinite soldiers shuffled into position. The men at the gates clanged their shields together and poised their spears over them to create an impenetrable fence. The captain of the archers had his arm raised ready for them to fire. The Menarcans did nothing but glare back, unimpressed. Shelm felt ashamed when Quann emerged in the uniform of the first knight, the very one he would've been wearing now had he not let his guard down so easily. Quann's immediate reaction to Shelm was just as tormenting. Velarese was fully aware of the wordless exchange and interrupted then.

'I come here to negotiate peacefully with the High Priest. The princess of the Heartlands is on the verge of death, and our entire world depends on her survival. If you do not allow him here to speak with me, I will encroach upon your temple all the same. I will not be denied access to Akelin.'

Quann moved in on her, perplexed.

'If this is so, why has the Emperor brought his own armies this far?'

'He had every intention of raiding your city, knight, but I have arranged that no Selebrian blood is to be spilt. And in return, I will have the princess restored to full health. I am asking for clemency.'

Quann turned to Shelm once more, now using his eyes to search for guidance. Ilafran demanded Shelm step forward.

'If you were once their captain, you can at least try to be of some use to me.'

Shelm nodded once. 'You must summon Olnar, Quann. I've not taken sides, I'm a mere hostage, as is Lelette, and I implore you to summon him for the sake of the princess.'

'I hope when this is over, Shelm, you'll grant me an explanation for this travesty.'

'Time is not our friend,' Velarese advised. 'You must summon the High Priest now.'

Quann quickly went inside the gates. The Akelinite soldiers stood aside only for him, then regained their original positions and maintained their ardent staring. Shelm longed to simply walk past them with Lelette in his arms and sleep in his own house.

Olnar arrived, flustered as he put on his robes. The foot soldiers flanked him on all sides but his front. Ilafran watched on, clearly amused. Velarese moved Shelm's horse to a distance that couldn't be construed as offensive and made her speech.

'I've little time to tell you my plans. My men are prepared for battle now, but given the princess's condition, it would be unwise to begin any fray here.'

Olnar put his hands together and gazed at Lelette, who now slumped against the Empress's shoulder. One of Olnar's eyebrows was cocked, and both eyes were narrowed. His fixed glare, a sign Shelm always knew to obey and respect, said this peaceful request was going to be denied.

'What do you want, if not to attack Akelia? Why have you dragged an army here all this way if retaliation is not in the cards?'

'All I ask for is access to Akelin's temple, not for my sake but for the sake of Lelette.'

Some of the bowmen above lost their composure a moment to laugh at Velarese. Olnar acknowledged their humour with his own smirk. Shelm's hands suddenly wanted to be firmly clasped around Olnar's throat.

'Velarese, you're well aware I cannot grant this access to you now, or ever. Your exile is permanent and cannot be bartered for.'

'The life of the princess is what I'm bartering. If she's not permitted in this temple, she will die by your hands. Denying the birth of an heir to the Heartland throne is not something any man in this country wants, least of all you, Olnar.'

The High Priest glowered.

'I hoped you'd have come here to discuss peace and forgiveness. None of your people are permitted within the temple, and even Shelm's access is now forfeit. Give me the princess instead. I will see to it she is cured.'

Shelm's entire body shuddered at the suggestion. Olnar's eyes rolled over to meet Shelm's narrow gaze.

'With my grace and forgiveness,' Olnar declared, 'I can arrange to have the princess healed. All you must do is hand her over to me, and then leave. What sense would there be in having her die in this ludicrous tug of war?'

'On the contrary, Olnar.' Ilafran went forward. 'I am here to take my rightful place within the temple of Akelia that I helped to build. The blood from the hands of the people you've cast out of here still paint the tunnels. I want my kith and kin allowed back in this city, and in all the cities and towns in the Highlands. They belong to us.'

The High Priest scoffed. 'There are no traces of this blood on these walls. You and your kind had no interest in serving Arkarah or his word. You've made no sacrifices that would ever justify my or Akelin's granting you access to his temple. I had no other choice but to send you all away from here. If you were to ask for forgiveness from Akelin himself, I can assure you he and Arkarah won't have simply forgotten your transgressions.'

Ilafran stormed forward. 'Arkarah's words have meant nothing to me! You're the culprit and the liar, Olnar. I have enough men here to destroy your city in less than an hour. Do you still wish to deny the Empress access, knowing the princess with undoubtedly perish?'

'Then hand her to me. What else would I do with her but give her to Akelin to heal?'

Velarese took a turn to smirk incredulously. 'I need to know if he's grateful to see his mother after all these years.'

Several of the arrows above them wavered. Their captain demanded they keep their aim on Ilafran and Velarese. Her eyes didn't flutter.

Olnar now laughed. 'Your son will never speak to you again, Velarese. You are a hedonistic liar. He has no love for you, and he never has. Give me the princess, and leave these lands at once. This quarrel is over now.'

Ilafran's arrogance at that moment was vile to Shelm. He drew his spear and planted it in the ground.

'You will grant the Empress's wish,' Ilafran warned. 'And I will have these lands. Every grain of sand to the north and every blade of grass to the south.'

The commander of the flank of bowmen let out a roar and a thousand arrows rained down on the Menarcan army. The short swords of the soldiers on the ground clanked against the Akelinites' shields that still meshed into a strong, spiked wall. The call of the bows to fire was Shelm's personal signal to dash over to his horse, hoping the sudden shove wouldn't topple her riders.

The Menarcans cried out in bloody determination, with Ilafran heading the charge towards the city gates. Spears and swords met with flesh quickly, but Shelm refused to pay any attention to the battle. He grabbed the loose reins and Velarese called out to him.

'Tell me where to go!'

Lelette swayed and screamed out to him.

'Head along the wall to the east,' Shelm shouted. 'The Eternal Plains are there. I'll try and find you soon. Go!'

Velarese reached into a leather belt and produced Lelette's dagger. Fortune decided to favour him and not a single Menarcan soldier noticed his escape. Velarese leant down and Shelm bit the knife between his teeth. He ducked and weaved through the sparring fighters, wishing he had time to sever his bonds and feeling naked without his armour. Even if his wrists were free, without his gauntlet and sword he'd have surely lost his arms. He dodged a number of spears and blades until he was clear of the perimeter of the melee. In the meantime, Velarese had stormed towards the Eternal Plains. His own legs were already too exhausted and the only thing keeping him upright now was his love for Lelette.

The soles of hundreds of dangling feet swayed over Lelette as she opened her eyes. In the daylight, the bodies seemed more macabre, and returning to the Plain of Eternal Sleep only seemed like another piece of the endless nightmare she was living. Her body had been swaying erratically for what felt like days, but it finally stopped somewhere deep within the plains, near a rocky mountain path. Her mind also managed to catch up to her eyes, and the rock face seemed horribly familiar.

'My family should be somewhere around here,' the Empress said with a strange vagueness Lelette was too weak to question. 'I missed my mother's ceremony.'

'Perhaps we could find them,' Lelette suggested with an equally peculiar lucidity.

'No, there's no time for that either. Where the hell is your lover?'

The scuffling of feet sounded behind them and Velarese turned the horse so Lelette could see Shelm darting up to them. Lelette's throat only bleated, the lack of moisture in her mouth meant she couldn't cry out to him. He had her dagger between his teeth that he spat out onto the ground. He dropped awkwardly to his knees, picked up the dagger then knelt on the chalky ground and severed his bonds, pointing the blade towards his stomach. When his hands were free, he handed the blade back to Velarese.

'Keep it,' she told him. 'You may still need a weapon.'

'It won't do much against a spear or a sword.'

'How do we get to the temple now?' Velarese asked, disregarding Shelm's comment about the knife.

'It's more designed as a way out, hence the steep slope. I don't see how we could get Lelette up there safely.'

'We'll both have to carry her.' Velarese jumped down from the mare and Lelette slumped forward on the horse, her face nuzzling the thick brown mane.

'Perhaps I could stay here a while.' Lelette was finding the horse's mane to be a luxurious pillow at that point. Shelm hauled her down and hugged her.

'I'm sorry, Lelette. We can't stop here. Can you walk at least?'

She pushed one foot forward, but when the other followed suit, she slipped and fell to her knees. Shelm helped her up.

'If we walk side by side...' Velarese took Lelette's other arm.

As they gingerly guided her up the mountainside, a distant voice stopped them. Lelette knew it was Chassine, she didn't have to turn to see this.

'Shelm! I saw you with the Menarcans. What's happening? I've had to hide my family in the mountain.'

'We need access to the temple,' Shelm explained.

Chassine glared at Velarese. 'I'll not take her. I'll only take you, Shelm.'

'I have to take the princess to Akelin or she will die,' Velarese said calmly. 'There isn't any other way. I know what the High Priest has said of me. I know your hatred of me comes from his words alone, but I bear no ill will towards your people. I see you're a priestess of Akelin.'

'I am. My name is Chassine.'

'Arkarah is more forgiving than you believe. Lelette's death will bring drought and ceaseless suffering to this land. Surely you've seen the rivers drying and your children becoming weaker, at least in the last few days.'

Chassine noticed Lelette hanging forward in Velarese and Shelm's arms.

'Chassine.' Shelm kept his voice level in spite of his obvious frustration. 'I'm afraid all you've learned now has to be discarded. We won't be able to carry her up the mountain, so you must lead us to the temple. I only implore you as a friend. Please don't allow my exile to sway your decision.'

Chassine turned back to see the Menarcans forcing their way into the gates. In a flurry, she led the three of them to the knight's entrance through a secret door in the outer wall. Her fumbling with the flimsy wooden door made Shelm nearly furious. When they were inside, he went behind Chassine. Velarese gently pushed Lelette forward. She was too weak until now to be affected, but seeing she was about to be forced into the darkened corridors to the temple, her fear flooded back into her heart.

'Don't take me back to him,' she whimpered. 'He'll kill me.'

'I won't let him, Lelette,' Velarese told her.

'Akelin won't be happy with any of you being in his temple,' Chassine warned. 'I think you'd spare a better chance outside in the battle'

'Chassine, lead us to the temple then go to your family,' Shelm told her. 'Olnar could've avoided this fray by just letting us through the gates. The battle out there is his doing. Your family should be your only concern now.'

Chassine nodded and opened the doors to the endless tunnels. Lelette slowed their pace by intermittently wrestling against Velarese, and finally Shelm had to pick her up in his arms to stop her protests. They stopped at last by the doors to the temple and Velarese held Lelette's face, kissing her skin tenderly.

'Please have faith in me, Lelette. Please trust me now. Akelin won't hurt you again. I swear it.'

'He nearly killed me and Shelm! I was in no state to argue before. Why are you punishing me like this? What have I done?'

Shelm took his moment to comfort her, setting her down gently and looking into her eyes to calm her. 'Lelette, you haven't done a thing to warrant this pain, but we've no one left to trust now but Velarese. And I'll be here. I promise I will be.'

'But where is your sword, your armour? What defences do you have against Akelin's wrath?'

'I have none. But I'm hoping a fragment of my faith in Arkarah has survived and will see us through this.'

Lelette remained in Shelm's arms and he carefully led her to the pillar. The dead face of Akelin made her trembling turn into to convulsive sobs.

'You cannot go into fusion with us, Shelm,' Velarese told him. 'You must keep watch for any Akelinite soldiers. No one can enter the temple before our union is finished. Can you assure me you'll not intervene?'

'Only if she remains unhurt.'

Velarese gently made Lelette kneel before the pillar, leaving her back exposed. She saw Shelm tense as his fists tightened.

Velarese held Lelette's shoulders. 'Don't turn around, and don't try to run. What happened to you in the woods means nothing to Akelin or Arkarah. Your pain is close to ending. Hold my hand and I will kneel with you. We will be together through all of this, you have my word, just as I promised Xelle.'

'You spoke to my mother?' Lelette muttered with astonishment.

'Many times. Ilafran was not the only one conspired with her. Though we never met, we sent many messages to one another through the red waters. Her dealings with my husband were only to protect your people.' Velarese presented her hand, and Lelette looked over at Shelm for guidance.

'Take it, Lelette. What have we to lose now, but each other?'

She carefully slipped her hand into Velarese's and bowed her head. For a harrowing moment, nothing happened. The sounds of battle were faint beyond the temple walls, and she glanced back to see Shelm keeping his gaze down the empty corridor.

'Close your eyes, Lelette,' Velarese instructed. 'Akelin knows your resistance, so you must release yourself from it. I know your trust in him has been fragmented beyond repair, but you have to piece it back together for your sake, and his.'

'Does he hate me?'

'He cannot hate. And any scorn he has bestowed upon you was not his. This will be explained in time, just close your eyes for now.'

Lelette obeyed begrudgingly. The base of her skull ached a moment, then the disgusting sound of her spine becoming dislodged from her skull followed. She squeezed her eyelids shut and once more her knees lost contact with the dusty floor.

Keeping watch on the empty corridors was secondary to Shelm making sure the Empress hadn't lured him and Lelette into a fatal trap. He snuck a look back inside to see both of them rising from the floor, their hands still clasped. They hovered in the air, lifeless, and the walls around them rumbled. A fissure split from just above Akelin's head to the ceiling as Velarese and Lelette swayed like the bodies in the Plains. Shelm panicked that they were already dead, and his promise to not stop the communion was about to be completely discarded. He drew the dagger when the stone around Akelin's face cracked and crumbled off.

A human face was suddenly gasping for air. The temple trembled once more, and the fissure split straight down his whole body, the stone falling away and revealing a naked man, his arms still bound in the rock. Velarese released Lelette's hand and drifted closer as she twisted about and pushed herself towards the pillar, eventually resting her head against Akelin's. The temple groaned awake.

'Set him free,' Velarese demanded.

She laid a kiss on his lips and the pillar split in half. The fissure quickly slipped and more cracks shot across the ceiling. The tendrils slipped free of Lelette and Velarese and they both fell to the ground, Lelette once again unconscious. Akelin then dropped to the floor and Velarese held on to him and Lelette protectively.

She raised her head to call out to Shelm. 'Run, now! Take anyone hiding in the tunnels out through the city gates!'

Rocks started raining from the ceiling.

'Give me Lelette at least!' he shouted back. 'I'll carry her.'

'No, Shelm. She must stay with us. Just go! Please.' Her face was more desperate than he'd ever seen it before. He finally obeyed, running through the tunnels and grabbing on to anything that was remaining stable. The floor was breaking under him, and he had to leap over several narrow, bottomless pits. The walls shrank ahead of him. He made it into one of the priest's chambers, where at least twenty women and children were huddled.

'None of you are safe in here,' he breathed. 'The temple is about to collapse and the whole mountainside will go with it. Follow me out.'

The proof their peril was imminent came when a flurry of pebbles hit one child in the head. There were three priestesses who seemed to be in charge of this group.

'Will you lead us out?' one asked him. 'The High Priest told us we'd all be safer in here.'

'I will. How many other people are hiding in the mountain?'

'Most of the city folk. Only the soldiers are outside protecting the wall.'

A crack suddenly burst open under one child's legs, and she scrambled under the hem of one of the priestess's robes. Shelm held open the door and waited for them all to leave. They scrambled through the hallways, banging on the chamber doors and forcing everyone out. The rumbling soon swayed those who refused to believe at first. Soon he had a band of at least a hundred Selebrians desperately running out of the tunnels into the streets.

'The Menarcans will overrun us,' another priestess shouted at him. 'Why would you send us to into that peril? You must be on their side.'

'I'm on no one's side but yours,' Shelm said to her angrily. 'The tunnels back to the Eternal Plains are probably buried now.'

Shelm ordered they run as far across the mountainside as they could. The temple seemed to be drawing breath now, expanding out.

He stumbled when the distant side of the mountain exploded, and an amorphous form, shrouded by a cluster of dancing spheres of light, shot up above the rocks. He barely noticed the battle ceasing in the city below. When the lights were less dazzling and the form had definition, Shelm saw Akelin hovering in the sky as he held on to Velarese and Lelette, who was resting unconsciously against him.

Shelm's terror now was not for the imminent destruction of Akelia but for the possibility Lelette was actually dead. Akelin floated downwards, and the Menarcans dropped their spears as the Akelinite soldiers lowered their swords. All of them stood agape at Akelin's naked body. He let go of Velarese once he was closer to the mountainside, and he walked on the air towards the onlookers, still holding Lelette in his left arm.

The boulders collapsed straight into the crevice where the temple had been.

'I'm taking the princess as far from you all as possible,' Akelin said at last. 'Greed has brought her to this disposition. There will be floods for as long as it takes for me to heal her. Your precious cities will be destroyed. There are no vessels to help you now.'

Shelm ran ahead, not caring for Akelin's warnings.

'Can you give her to me before you go?' he called.

Akelin shook his head. 'You won't see her again until she is healed.'

The crowd parted as Akelin walked towards the main gates of Akelia. Now disgraced, Olnar stumbled in front of him.

'Why are you making a fool of me, Akelin? You have a responsibility to Selebrians. These people need your words.'

'They aren't my words,' Akelin said calmly. 'They never were. If you decide to own up to your subterfuge or not, I no longer care, Olnar. Now get out of my way.'

Velarese walked beside him, humble now and without a single consideration for Olnar. Ilafran stormed up to her, enraged.

'This was not what you promised! You've destroyed Akelia! My throne — my whole nation — is about to be ruined.'

Akelin stepped in his way.

'Father, you'll return to your realm of filth and stay away from all of us. You don't deserve a single stone of this land, a single leaf on any tree. Your swamps will be under my mother's command from this day on. And the princess will take her place as queen at the palace. You are lord of nothing but your own hubris now.'

Shelm ran to Velarese's side. 'Please let me come with you and Akelin.'

'I'm not going with my son to heal the princess. I'm returning to the swamps to end the tyrannic rule of my husband's sister. I'd say by now she has the entire populace under her command. If you wish to come with me as my companion then you're more than welcome. But my advice would be for you to stay here and help the people to the higher ground before the flood waters come.'

'But what of the High Priest?'

'He may try to sway his flock, but you must be vigilant and watch over these people.' Velarese stopped a moment to look back at the crater in the mountainside. 'Their faith and their temple have been destroyed. They are vulnerable now, and any promise of salvation from any mouth will be appealing.'

'What if they refuse to go with me?'

'Then they will perish. Lead whoever will follow, and I give you my word you will see Lelette again when she is healed.'

'Can you tell me where Akelin is taking her, at the very least?'

'To the forest where you consummated your love for one another. Akelin will mend her with the branches.' She held Shelm's hand in hers. 'The new way of this world, the new path, you're to be an important part of that, Shelm. You will lead the Selebrians into a new life, free of unnecessary persecution and compromise. I'll see you again in a matter of days. Don't give up hope now. This is only the beginning.'

She let go of his hand and turned back to the sight of hundreds of men tearing desperately through the rubble where their homes had once stood. The women were weeping with their children and dirt clogged their moistened eyes. Calls to Arkarah were made; wailing mothers shot their screams skyward only to go unanswered. Those who tried to cling to Akelin's arms were ignored.

'Why are you leaving us, Akelin?' one man begged. 'We've given you all our love.'

Akelin said nothing as he walked out of the gates towards the forests of the Heartlands, Lelette now limp over both his arms like a sodden dress.

Tesna told herself not to count the hours she was working for Rordelle. She had to wake before the sky grew light, and couldn't sleep until it was at its darkest. She dragged clean water to Rordelle and the other guards, some of whom took to touching her and pulling at her hair in ridicule to make her spill enough water so she'd have to go back for more. She was still sanctioned to help with the cages as well.

As evening was falling, a lone figure moved gracefully across the soil. She didn't sink or falter for the branches in her way, and gently pushed aside some of the fronds with her elegant hands.

Tesna cringed and dropped her log. Rordelle noticed her and screamed, 'Pick that back up! Now!'

'Say another word, Rordelle, and I'll strangle you with that whip.'

The figure came out of the shadows and everyone save Rordelle and Tesna dropped to one knee.

'Where is my brother?' Rordelle demanded. 'Where are the hostages?'

Velarese smiled. 'Picking up the pieces of their city. I've come to tell you to head as far south as possible. These waters will be flooded soon and you will all die if you remain here. As for Ilafran, he is no longer your ruler. After the flood, you are free to go where you wish.'

'You seem terribly sure for someone who was once so meek,' Rordelle grinned.

'My son is now free of the High Priest's construct. Everything that was taken from me is now mine again and I'm not a prisoner of yours or Ilafran's.' Velarese turned to the other Menarcans. 'Please rise and begin your journey. There is higher ground to the south of here where you will all be safe. When the waters come and the land has settled, we will begin again. There will be no more hatred, no more divisions. All you need to do is leave.'

At first, those on their knees were hesitant to rise, but one man finally did and he turned to head south. Tesna and Rordelle remained fixed.

'Her word means nothing now!' Rordelle shouted at them. 'Her lies will send you further from the Highlands.'

The man stopped and glanced at her.

'Your promises have not come true, so why should I continue to listen to you or the Emperor?' He walked on, and perhaps another thirty people followed. Rordelle threw her whip to one side as Velarese went to Tesna.

'I'll go with you, Tesna. We'll find your family.'

'It's too late. They headed west days ago. Will the waters drown them now?'

'I'm not sure. But we can go and find them.'

'I don't want to go with you.'

'I only did what I knew was right to protect the princess. She's being healed by Akelin. I am so sorry for what has happened to you and your family.'

'My father is dead and my mother has no hands! One of my brothers blames me for all of it and the other I'll never see again. You've done nothing but lie to me. How do I know anything of your story was true now?'

Velarese swiped a piece of Tesna's matted hair from her grubby face.

'I will help you find your mother, and see if Akelin cannot heal her just a little. But I won't ask for your forgiveness. I will earn it. You won't suffer any more for anyone's greed or selfishness.'

Tesna watched the scores of villagers march southward as Rordelle started on Velarese.

'I could've had all of this,' she bemoaned. 'Ilafran said it would be all mine.'

'You can have it all,' Velarese laughed. 'Even after the flood, you can have the caverns, the rats, the bugs and the snakes. Make them your loyal subjects. But be warned, they may not be as hospitable to you as they have been to me.'

Velarese took Tesna's hand and led her to the west, leaving Rordelle with her rage.

Leaves were gently tickling her cheeks when Lelette finally managed to rouse herself. For a moment, her eyes were filled with colour. Form eluded her, but she wasn't frightened. She thought wistfully that she was back in her garden at the palace, lying amongst the flowers. More leaves stroked her and she ran her fingertips across her stomach until she clutched a jagged stick.

Sitting up slowly, she focused on the stick to see was protruding from her navel and travelling all the way up to the branches of a tree that seemed to be patiently watching over her. Beside the tree was a young man with a kindly face.

'Lie still,' he told her. 'Your wounds aren't quite healed.'

'Akelin?' she whispered.

'Yes. Lie down, please. It won't be for much longer now.'

She did as she was told. Water rushed nearby and the warm air brushed over her bare skin. Pensive then, she uttered Shelm's name.

'He couldn't be here,' Akelin explained. 'He has far too much to tend to in Akelia. Their city was ruined by my ascension, and more still may die in the floods if they don't get to higher ground.' His dismay was palpable and Lelette's own heart broke a little for him.

'How long were you trapped in the temple?'

'Since I was quite young. The High Priest took me in as a small child, telling me my mother had gone to the swamps with the other exiles because she believed knowing the flesh of others was more important than eternity with Arkarah. I was by his side for many years, never questioning him or his words until he decided his people needed something solid within the temple to communicate with Arkarah; a more tangible link to their god. He spent many months laying his hands on the stones, speaking to the tendrils and coaxing them out.

'I was with him the day the tendrils suddenly grabbed me and smothered me. I screamed and screamed but the High Priest did nothing to stop it. He only kept touching the walls and whispering. One of the tendrils shot out and I saw it pierce the very top his spine and lift him from the floor. He was smiling when he saw my face enveloped by the stone. I was blind after that, but Olnar spoke his words into the tendrils, then each time one of his disciples came to the temple, they were judged by these manipulated tendrils, not by me. I didn't have any resentment toward you or Shelm.'

'Then it was solely Olnar who punished us? He was just hiding behind you?'

'This is how it was. I'm sorry you were punished so harshly. If you need to sleep, it's alright. I'll be here beside you.'

'I miss Shelm.'

'I won't keep you from him forever, but you'll be safer here when the water comes. The forest is on higher ground, and the streams are already becoming rivers again. We'll only be here for a few more days.'

'Then what?'

'You will become queen. And soon after you will have your child, and these lands will be anew.'

Her other hand went to her lower belly as she began to weep.

'No, I cannot have this child, Akelin. I know of no way to love it, and when my death comes...'

'Hush, Lelette. You can do all this and more, but only once you've rested.'

She shut her eyes and uttered, 'How can you know all this?'

'Does it matter?' Akelin said softly. He rested beside her against her tree and they were silent from then on.

***
Chapter 10

The worst of the casualties were the ones who had remained in the enclaves during the explosion. Thankfully, the pockets within the mountain took only hours to get to with intense labour, and whoever was buried had only scratches and dirt marks to account for their ordeal.

The High Priest refused to lift a finger to help and only held up his arms to decree that the infidel Shelm had brought this wrath upon Akelia. No one listened to him, and when nightfall came and desperate families had been reunited, Shelm finally faced Olnar.

'Either you come up the mountain with us,' Shelm said, 'or you stay here and drown.'

'I pity you, Shelm. You're a fool who thinks he can turn his back on his god without consequence.'

Shelm was close to spitting on Olnar, but he turned away and directed the gathered masses up the mountainside as Velarese had instructed. Olnar was the only one to pass through the city gates and head out to the Wastelands.

Adelia caught up with Shelm while Quann remained some distance behind, baffled.

'I never dreamed of this, Shelm,' she told him with acute alarm. 'If I had known Akelin would rise and my own children would be in danger...'

'You would never have known,' Shelm told her. 'The visions you have, I don't believe they're from Akelin or Arkarah.'

'So how do we reach fusion with Arkarah now, Shelm?' Her hysteria grated on him.

'I don't know this!' he shouted at her. 'What if we're not meant to? What if there is no Arkarah? Have you ever considered that?'

Adelia gasped. 'I wouldn't dare.'

'Then call upon him again for help,' Shelm suggested curtly. 'See if your path becomes clearer then.'

He moved ahead of her quickly, but Quann was just as quick. He stopped Shelm, clasping his arm and pulling him around.

'How dare you, Shelm,' he admonished. 'What's wrong with you?'

Shelm stopped and collapsed on a nearby stone.

'I have nothing to fight for, no enemy now, and I've been ordered to guide you all up here to safety, but there's been not a hint of rain for almost three days. I feel like I'm running a fool's errand and we've been sent up here to die as punishment.'

The red sky turned darker and they were closer to the summit.

'I've always wondered what was behind those mountain tops, Shelm,' Quann confessed. 'But I felt my duty was to stay and protect Akelia. If I'd known it would all go to ruin in a matter of moments, I would've made this journey much sooner. When they made me captain of the Akelinite army, I'd never felt so petrified of failing in all my life. I wondered how I was supposed to cope without you at my side.'

'You did the right thing when the Menarcans came.'

'Did I? I don't know how many men were injured. The Empress gained access to the temple. Did we have a victory?'

Shelm glanced down the mountain to the rubble that was once his home. 'The fact we're alive is victory enough, Quann. Can you not take solace in that? Your children were saved, your wife is alive, albeit in a state of panic.'

The people behind them stopped climbing and looked up at Shelm. He stared back, infuriated.

'If you don't believe I'm leading you to safety, then turn about and go back the way you came. But if you believe me, we'll keep going; all night if necessary. I don't know will happen tomorrow or any day after that.' His mouth became dry and he let out a long, defeated sigh before he started traipsing again, not bothering to check if the group was following.

A drop of water fell on his face. Putting his fingertips to the bridge of his nose, he rubbed the moisture between his fingers. More droplets were dotting the sand near his boots, and more still fell upon his head. The people behind him held out their hands, laughing in their bemusement. The droplets quickly became a torrent, and Shelm closed his eyes to let the water wash over him.

He felt Lelette in the rain, and his heart broke with every drop that hit him.

The first droplets caught Tesna by surprise. She tilted her head back and gazed at the canopy above, then turned about herself. Velarese was ahead of her.

'I felt them as well,' she warned. 'We best keep moving. The ground won't stay solid for long once the rain comes.'

'When was the last time it rained?' Tesna asked.

'In Xelle's time, when she was full of joy at the birth of her child. Lelette has always kept the rivers flowing.'

'How?'

'Her life is important, it keeps our world alive. Akelin is healing her and bringing the rain again. This is why we must keep moving.'

'It's growing darker, though,' Tesna pointed out. 'I'd rather stop.'

'I'm sorry, Tesna, we simply can't.'

Tesna's feet were aching again, and her resentment towards the Empress was yet to fully wane. Velarese crouched down then.

'Climb on my back,' she said. 'I can carry you. There are some slopes up ahead where we'll be safer.'

Tesna took the invitation and clambered on Velarese's back, wrapping her arms around the Empress's slender neck. Her weight didn't hinder Velarese's speed, and they crossed the driest lands towards the slopes. There was an embankment that stretched for some distance before the land fell away again. There were no trees on the slope, so they couldn't find any shelter when the rain finally became a deluge.

Tesna's face was smacked by the wind and her skin tightened from the cold. She buried her face into Velarese's side and felt her shivering, thinking it wouldn't be enough to warm them both. Tesna watched puddles at the bottom of the slope get bigger and conjoin. A moat was developing around them, and Tesna was soon convinced they'd be trapped forever on the mound.

The sky was swirling as the water fell. Tesna let her dry tongue drink, tasting how much cleaner and sweeter the water was now. She wanted to sleep. Velarese kept her eyes closed under the shower and smiled listlessly.

'I thought I'd never feel the rain on my skin again in my lifetime. I felt so sure they weakened me to the point I'd never be able to fight for Lelette.'

Tesna scratched her damp scalp. 'How did you know you had to fight for her?'

'Her mother knew Ilafran would attack the Highlands as soon as she was buried. The secrets and dalliances she shared with him were infecting her, and she knew this would bring her death about quicker. She couldn't give Lelette the whole story in time, so she hoped that one day I'd come to her aid. I almost failed her. Now Akelin is free, this world can begin again. Factions will dissipate and we'll all know each other as friends and not enemies.'

A cry came from behind them and Tesna pushed herself away from Velarese. There were people wading through the water on the other side of the slope, slipping up the embankment.

'Tesna! Help us up!'

Velarese rushed to the edge of the embankment and took Jeske's arm, then dragged him up by his belly. Fiesa was holding out one wrist that Tesna couldn't get a decent grip on, but Luda and Heranye were behind her, pushing her upwards, and eventually, they were all on the embankment, breathing deep from the exhaustion.

'What if this isn't high enough?' Jeske wailed. Tesna saw he was beside himself with fury. 'Who's going to help us off of here? Look at the water. It could be crawling with beasts now.'

'The rain will stop when the princess is healed. Once the water seeps back into the ground and the rivers are easier to cross, then we'll be able to go on. Akelin will see to your wounds, Fiesa. I cannot promise he'll restore your hands.' Velarese took Fiesa's wrists. She was delirious now and she wept in Velarese's arms. Luda and Tesna huddled together in the rain while Heranye sat and watched the water rise. Jeske meanwhile paced, maddening Tesna with his grumblings.

'Can you not just sit still!' she cried.

Jeske glared at her. 'Do you even care what happened to our father, or our brother? What is wrong you? You make me sick.'

'I didn't cut off father's head!' Tesna screamed at him.

'Enough!' Velarese chided. 'We have to wait for the rain to end, and we won't wait in a quarrel.'

Jeske dropped onto his backside and Tesna folded her arms, ignoring him. She gazed out on the trees, their trunks being swallowed by the water until their tops were like steppingstones across a turbid lake. She was sick of being wet and cold, and she let the rain cover up her tears.

All of Akelia's citizens had followed Shelm, and now they were sitting near the mountaintop watching their city turn to mud. Some wept, some sat still and silent. Quann and Adelia clutched on to their children, kissing their heads and cuddling them close. The greatest concern now was keeping hold of the ground beneath them, which was turning to sludge and threatening to let them slip.

Shelm watched his own house crumble with an indifference that was matched by no one around him. His thoughts were on Lelette constantly; how she was and if Akelin was taking advantage of her. He was enraged he couldn't leave the pitiful people around him and find her. He owed them nothing. He could have walked away with Olnar, but he knew his guilt would have caught up with him like it always did.

The rain wasn't heavy, but it was steady. Those who'd been quick enough to gather blankets and sleeping mats and were using them as covers for their children.

'When will this rain end!' someone bellowed from further down the mountain. 'It's been days now.'

'I can't tell you that,' Shelm shouted down. 'I'm waiting for Akelin.'

He rubbed his eyes, pressing his fingers deep into the sockets as he moaned quietly. He didn't care he was soaked to the bone now. Quann and Adelia said nothing to him, and he avoided their expectant stares as much as possible, wondering how Akelin would return to them. Would he float down to them like a feather, or traverse the muddy slopes below them? Sitting there pondering all of this made Shelm fidget, so he stood and trudged further up the summit.

Now he could see far beyond Akelia, where the villages to the south beyond were being sunk by the deluge. The people wouldn't have known of the flood, and he couldn't bear to contemplate their suffering and confusion now.

Elore came to him, and he was about to ask her to leave him alone when she said, 'I had another vision. I haven't slept, but Akelin still spoke to me.'

He gave all his attention to the girl then.

'What did he tell you, Elore?'

'That the princess is almost well, and he will return tomorrow, as long as we stay here. Please don't leave us. We need you, Shelm. I missed you terribly.'

Shelm took no hesitation in clutching the sodden child to his chest and kissing her wet hair.

'You are special, Elore. Maybe not in the way your mother believes, but you are. I think Akelin still has wonderful plans for you in your future.'

'Do you think so? I thought we all made him mad.'

'He couldn't be mad at you, my dear. If he's granted you these gifts, it's clear he could never be cross with you.'

'I'm still afraid of disappointing him.'

'Don't be. I'm beginning to realise Akelin is far more forgiving than the High Priest made him out to be.'

'Why did Olnar lie to us, then?'

Shelm let Elore go to sit beside him.

'To keep us in fear, I think, so we would always comply with his wishes.'

'He always frightened me,' Elore confessed. 'I was too afraid to tell mother since she thought he was so wonderful.'

'It's alright, Elore. Now you know you were right to fear him. Akelin will help us fix everything. He won't leave us like this forever. We need patience.'

'You haven't been patient. You're angry he took the princess away, but he'll bring her back, then you can be with her always. Is that not what you want?'

Shelm let his breath out in one heavy sigh. 'My wants may not outweigh my responsibilities to the people here. That's all I'm afraid of.'

'What if the princess came here?'

'Elore, she has to stay in the Heartlands and become their new queen. Her wants mean as little as mine now.'

'But you love one another.'

'I have to help rebuild our lives here in the mountains. My heart is smaller and less significant than hers.'

'No, it's not. Your heart is the biggest and most loving I've ever known, Shelm. Akelin knows that. Don't give up on her, or us. Please.'

Shelm kissed Elore's brow and told her to go back to her family. Adelia smothered her daughter and looked over at Shelm, and he managed a wan smile in return.

When Lelette finally woke, there wasn't a single part of her body that was in pain. She felt overcome with a calm that felt constant as she sat up slowly. Akelin was near her, dressed in a robe made of leaves. She wanted to tell him he was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen, but her words remained stuck fast in her mouth. His brown hair was thick and fell softly around his ears. His eyes were violet and he had a childlike face. He smiled at Lelette and held out his hand.

As she stood, the branches that had been nourishing and protecting her slid off her skin, and her body was pristine again. One branch slid out gently from between her legs. Staring at her belly, she realised it had swollen a little since she'd last seen it.

'I am to have a child,' she said with more surprise than fear. 'I thought I only dreamt what you said.'

'I can protect you in this time, Lelette,' Akelin said kindly. 'I will live in the palace with you, and keep all expectations of your people at bay. This child is as important as you are.'

'What of Shelm? Why can't I have him as my love?'

'He has many things to do in the Highlands first.'

'When will I see him again?' she asked desperately. 'He'll want to see his child. He doesn't even know.'

'And he will, in time. Because that's all we have now, you and I. Time to make things right.'

'What of the High Priest? Surely he'll interfere. He'll want to bless my child in the same manner I was blessed.'

'He will have no say in the raising of this child. I will keep the High Priest and his nefarious words as far from your baby's ears as possible.'

Lelette stroked her new bump and asked, 'Why did you not run away from the High Priest before he imprisoned you?'

'He all but trapped me in the tunnels. I was his secret ward. He wouldn't even let me out into the city. His priests and priestesses tended to me and spoke to me when they were able, but they knew they couldn't sneak me out of the chambers. I've not even seen your red sky. I've watched you while you've slept and healed, and I had no idea your birthmarks changed with the passing of the day.'

Akelin put out his hand and Lelette took it without worry. She didn't sense any pain or struggle as she moved. Water was roaring behind her, and she recognised the glen they were standing inside.

'This is where the forest left Shelm and me, when...' She flushed from the memory and Akelin smiled gently.

'What occurred here between you and Shelm was none of my concern, but it was important. This forest is in tune with your desires and needs, Lelette. It's in your realm. Others may visit, but only you can come here and be touched by it. It saw within you a love so important and precious, it had to bring you and Shelm together. It's not out of trickery or malice. These trees only want you happy and well.'

All of her desires to share her life with Shelm in these woods made her heavy with dismay. Akelin put his arm carefully around her shoulder and walked with her along the river to the base of the waterfall.

'Go under the water now,' Akelin told her.

It was only then she realised her own nakedness, and the absence of her shame puzzled her. She felt she was betraying Shelm now, even though when she'd first seen him she'd brazenly exposed herself out of spite for proper conduct. She covered herself with her hands and Akelin laughed.

'You're not offending me, Lelette. The rain has to end now. Stand beneath the water a while. Drink as much as your belly will allow, and the rain will stop.'

He held her hand to steady her steps over the wet stones until she could reach the cliff-face to guide her under the waterfall. She let the torrent hit her, sticking out her tongue and guzzling the water before spitting it out. She dipped her head forward so the water washed out all the grime from her sweat-ridden scalp. There was a moment she wanted to stay under the water forever. The coolness eased her head and the stones massaged her feet. She cupped her hands above her and let the water trickle over her face. When she was sated, Akelin held out another robe of soft yellow leaves and wrapped it around her.

'What happens now?' she asked, partially dazed.

'We go back to the palace. And you become queen at last.'

Chapter 11

Adelia and Quann all but slid into the waterlogged streets of Akelia. Most of the homes were flooded completely, and the water was soaking into the soil.

Shelm's house was more like moist clay now, and he couldn't even make himself care. Akelia's outer walls had also crumbled. Shelm went to the Plains to see the tendrils had collapsed and the bodies were floating in a shallow sea of water. Disgusted and dismayed, he asked several men to bury the bodies beneath the mud and mark the graves with the dryer stones. His decision incensed a good deal of people, but by then his callousness was well known.

That night, he stood awake at the palace gates, and a lone man traversed the sodden plains ahead of him. A moment passed before Shelm realised who it was.

'I've sent the princess back to the palace,' Akelin announced. 'She is completely healed. Her coronation is in the morning.'

Shelm walked up to Akelin without reverence. 'Am I to remain here as their leader now?' he asked sardonically. 'They hate me, and they hate they've lost their homes and their god. You return to this place as if your leaving it meant no more than falling asleep.'

'Shelm, Akelia has been my prison for too many years now. And you've all been my wardens, for better or worse. I don't think there is a god looking over all of you, but I don't resent a single one of you for wanting to believe there is. The irony must smart, I'm sure of this, but things will be better for you now. No more wars, no more superiority. Selebrians and Menarcans alike will now be at peace as one race.'

'Without a war, my life is pointless. And I want nothing to do with helping those people.'

'Then come with me,' Akelin suggested. 'Find a horse for each of us and ride with me to the Heartlands for the coronation. Maybe after you'll feel you can lead these people into a new world. Their shock will give way to their acceptance soon enough.'

'Why are you so calm about this?'

'I've spent years imprisoned in rock with nothing to think about but my freedom. I cannot worry for the future now the princess has been healed and I am free. Find us horses now and we'll be at the palace by morning.'

He found himself incapable of doing anything contrary to what Akelin asked. His cordial tone was enticing and had Shelm backing down despite his anger.

Some men had stayed to board up the stable before the flood since the horses couldn't climb up the mountainside, and it was now partially flooded, the horses wading in the water. The dampness hadn't rusted the newest shoes that had been made, so it was short work for Shelm to prepare two horses. He advised Quann to take charge at least for one full day, as he was to witness the coronation.

'Send our love to her,' Adelia called.

'I will,' Shelm answered, too distracted to even say a goodbye.

The chalky Wastelands were slippery but their horses wandered casually across the land. Shelm chose a river to follow, instantly noticing it was full once more. The lakes they passed glistened red, and they both stopped for their horses to drink. He didn't know what state the Heartlands were in now.

Akelin spoke of his time in the temple. Before Velarese had come to Akelia, he had received visions from one source that he knew in time to be his mother. She had no way of knowing if these messages were received.

'When I came across the princess, I knew to give her one of those images. I had pushed past so much hatred the High Priest had concentrated into the walls, and I couldn't stop the damage the tentacles inflicted. This whole country is teeming with these tendrils, they can be easily influenced by anyone.'

'They seem to be more in control of us than we are of them.' Shelm examined the landscape looking for a sign of them beneath the soil. When the palace was in sight, he stopped his horse.

'Has she changed?'

'In what way, Shelm?'

'Has what happened to her made her think differently of me?'

'Not at all. She'll be gladdened to see you. Do you think what you've seen has changed any of your love for her?'

'That's the part I'm not sure of, and I won't be until I see her.'

'These expectations you hold are without value, Shelm. She has been eager enough to be with you in her time of rest. And she has some news for you that might give you some hope.'

Feeling sheepish and somewhat remorseful, Shelm urged his horse onwards. His own mare had wounds from her long travels and was resting back in the city. This horse was slower to respond to his demands and seemed resistant to even the slightest jerk of the reins. Akelin was having a much easier time with his own horse. Shelm felt such an envy of him, and of his humble tone. He was all the things Shelm longed to be but couldn't, and in the days he'd had Lelette to himself, Shelm was sure she would have fallen for Akelin simply through his one act of kindness.

What Shelm didn't mention were Akelin's strange powers. He had godlike qualities but didn't claim to be anything but a simple man. What had given him the ability to float? Why was he able to heal Lelette when no one else could? Did the Empress possess any powers of her own, and did Ilafran have a greater divinity that had granted Akelin his abilities? Shelm didn't know where to start with his questions and wasn't entirely sure Akelin even knew the answers.

He pushed on to the palace regardless, desperate to see Lelette and to hear her say she still loved him. He suspected he knew what her news was, he'd sensed something in her that was drastically different before she'd gone away. He wasn't entirely certain he was ready to discover what it was, or if it would give him hope as Akelin had suggested.

Fiesa stopped her moaning as soon as the rain stopped. Jeske pulled off his shirt and wrung it dry. Luda sat up and shook the water loose from her hair and clothes while Tesna went to Velarese, whose dress was clinging to every inch of her.

'Is it over now?' Tesna asked, trying to keep the whine from her voice.

'It is, but we may have to wade out some distance to dryer land. If you want to leave now, that is...'

'You mean our other option is to wait for the water to subside?' Heranye asked. 'I can't wait any longer. I have no idea what's happened to my family. I have to find them now.'

Luda turned to Tesna. 'I'll go with her. I miss my family too much. I'm sorry, Tesna.'

'What for? You didn't have to help us.'

Heranye said a very solemn goodbye, then took Luda's hand and led her down the slope to wade south through the water. Tesna watched them awkwardly scramble over the submerged terrain then regarded her own mother, who was in no state to even move. Tesna tilted Fiesa's head from her arms.

'Mother, we have to find Akelin now and see if he can mend you. Can you walk with me and forgive me? Please?'

Fiesa's eyes were hollow. 'Tesna,' she murmured. 'Where's your father?'

Jeske clasped his head. 'She's gone mad,' he lamented.

Velarese crouched and held Fiesa's face.

'I am sorry for this. Just how much, you'll never know. But you need to come with us now. I'm sorry you've gone so far from your home for nothing. I'm sorry your husband is gone and your family has been hurt. Please let me do what I can to mend this horror. I cannot do it here, you have to come with us.'

Fiesa was confused a moment. 'But you're the Empress... why would you help me?'

Velarese managed to lift Fiesa and lead her to the edge of the embankment.

'It's just a title, Fiesa. It doesn't undo or excuse my mistakes.'

Tesna and Velarese helped Fiesa down the wet slope. Jeske marched ahead, defiant and terse.

'Which way do we go now?' he demanded.

'We'll head for the palace,' Velarese told them. 'The coronation will begin within a day, and if we keep a decent pace, we may see it.'

'Why should it matter to us?' Jeske went on.

'It's the end of the war, Jeske. The terrible feud that's divided this world is finally over.'

Jeske looked appalled. 'I don't want to waste my time at the coronation of a princess I have no care for, just on the chance my mother might get her hands back. I'm going home. I want nothing to do with any of this.'

Fiesa moaned. 'Please, Jeske. Don't go.'

'There's nothing to go home to,' Tesna shouted. 'I still need your help.'

He stopped abruptly to consider his options. 'Fine, I'll come with you. But after this, I'm on my own,' he decided snidely. 'I'm tired of putting my faith in fools.'

Jeske kept ahead of them at all times, sloshing through the deeper parts of the water. Tesna panicked whenever he sunk to his forearms, but for the most part, they kept footing with the ground. Fiesa tripped on what Tesna guessed was a stray root, and she took a moment to stop screaming that something had her by the ankle. She still whimpered until the large, steep slopes of the Mire came into view.

'How will Akelin heal my mother?' Tesna asked.

'I'm not sure. But he has a kinship with this land, a way of influencing it for good and not for ill. Ilafran wanted all this land under his power. Now Akelin is free, Ilafran will have nothing.'

'But the Emperor would surely kill Akelin if he wanted to take control.'

'Not if I don't kill him first. But I don't want to. No more blood. I can actually make that promise to you now, I shouldn't have tried before.'

Tesna stated plainly, 'I just want my mother to find peace now. I want a home that isn't under threat of being washed away. I want good things to happen and for my wounds to heal. Can you give me any of that?'

'I can only try. And if I can't, perhaps the new Queen of the Heartlands can.'

Lelette returned in her robe of leaves to a crowd of confused palace guards. She and Akelin had crossed the Heartlands from the forest, and she saw that the floods had receded. The grass of the plains was richer and more vibrant. Some villages had suffered badly, and the people were tending to the repairs now with more confusion than animosity. Her lands hadn't seen rain since her birth, and even then, there'd not been flooding of this magnitude.

The rivers and lakes were full again. The land seemed peaceful and Lelette felt closer to it now she'd finally accepted their connection. She'd not realised her existence kept the rivers flowing and made her world prosper. She'd never considered herself that important at all, but Akelin had patiently explained why she needed to survive and provide an heir. Now her hesitations were lessened, but still present in the face of all that was to come.

Celquin came out to greet her, looking beyond relieved by her return.

'My lady, you look well at last.'

She nodded her thanks to Celquin, opting not to resort to any petty remarks. Her time in the woods had placated her and she was more than keen to get to her room.

Her coronation gown awaited her in her chamber, and Demese was holding it up to look it over for marks and creases. Lelette hugged her friend at once, crushing the dress between them.

'My lady, please!' Demese laughed. 'I've spent days getting this gown perfect for you!'

Lelette smiled and shed her robe of leaves.

'Well, help me into it, then.' She lifted her arms as the other girls came in and flounced about her, pulling down her underdress, tugging at her bodice and braiding her hair. She let them joyfully go about their duties, giggling with each other all the while. She wanted to laugh with them, but her heart missed Shelm too much. Finally, the girls were summoned to tend to other chores, leaving her with Demese.

'I'm not ready for this,' Lelette sighed.

'If you'll forgive me saying, the dress now seems too small for you. Your bodice was hard to lace, my lady.'

There was no mirth in her words. 'It's because I'm with child, Demese. I'm terrified of what lays ahead.'

Demese hugged her. 'I'm with you,' she murmured. 'You will have many hands working to help you and you'll never be alone.'

'I feel like I've been away for years.'

'We cannot waste any more time. This land needs her queen now.'

The bodice made it nearly impossible for Lelette to breathe, and when she was presented to the happy crowd waiting for her in the throne room, she was gulping for air. The fanfare astonished her, and she walked the path to the throne as slowly as possible. She was supposed to have rehearsed this walk the day before the ceremony, so now she was depending on slight nods from Celquin as proof she was treading correctly. She moved up the steps to the throne and looked out on the crowd gathered at last, just able to see Shelm. When she moved to go to him, Celquin gently shook his head. Shelm was unhappy and she desperately wanted to know why. Frustrated then, she hurried back down the stairs and ran to him.

'I'll not be queen until I know what troubles you, my love,' she said breathlessly, putting her hands to his face. The crowd fell hushed and listened in, and she had to refrain from telling them all to leave.

Shelm took her wrists and kissed the heels of her hands. 'Not now,' he muttered. 'The ceremony is more important. We'll speak later.'

Beyond him, Akelin was calmly watching on. She saw he wasn't much taller than Shelm, and had been given clothes not unlike Celquin's to wear.

'Your crown first, then conversation.' Akelin led her back to the throne and took the crown from the cushion that was being held by one of the girls from the city, a duty she would have rehearsed again and again once she knew she'd been appointed.

Lelette sat upon her uncomfortable throne, and Akelin lay the delicate silver crown on her bowed head. The joy from the people before her did nothing to make her feel better about being separated from Shelm.

In all the commotion and celebration, she wasn't able to speak to him at all and was kept from him for hours. Opportunities to get closer to him were squandered continuously by officials or courtiers wanting to congratulate her and discuss affairs she hardly cared about. By evening, she found Shelm in her garden, a stubborn-looking white stallion standing nearby him instead of his chestnut mare. She went to him and embraced him, not caring his own grasp was making her completely breathless again.

'Where have you been?' she asked.

'Tending to Akelia... At least, what remains of it. I'll have to go back and put things in order.'

'Can't you stay here with me? They cast you out. Why would you want to help them now?'

'They've lost their link to Arkarah, Lelette. There's no proof of an eternal life with him, if he exists at all. They're useless without Akelin to guide them.'

'But they are alive, are they not? The floods and landslides, were they not spared? Isn't that more important?'

'Astonishingly, to some, it's not. If anything, this has given them more to be miserable over. They've been forsaken. I'm hoping more you'll not do the same to me if I'm absent for the time being.'

'Can't you put someone else in charge?' She took his hand and placed it on her belly. 'If not for anything but the sake of this child?'

His eyes clouded with worry. 'So it is true... This must make you very unhappy.'

'No, it doesn't. Not now I understand who I am and what this child means. What makes me unhappy is the thought of you leaving me.'

'I'll do what I can to return, but for now, Akelin believes I'm needed more back home. Olnar has vanished, no one knows his fate, and if he's alive, he could return and spread more lies. He may have been taken in by the itinerant priests that still roam amongst the cities.'

'You're just a soldier of a faith that has met its demise, Shelm. Your delegation to command an entire city that turned its back on you is hardly fair.'

'Is it any fairer than your delegation as queen? Or your requirement to provide an heir? All of these expectations have to be met now, Lelette. We cannot avoid them.'

She looked down at his hand. 'All I can picture is what my child will have to do when I die. I have to find some way to change this.'

'Maybe it has to happen. Perhaps they'll have no choice.'

'Don't say that... There has to be...'

He kissed her then to stop her words distressing them both.

'I'll do what I can to put Akelia in some kind of order,' he said at last. 'And I'll appoint soldiers to the other cities to prevent any quarrels, but I've no idea how long that will take.'

'It will take as long as it needs to.' Velarese arrived then with a small child as her escort. Forcing the memory of her attack into focus, Lelette recognised the girl by her face, but her body was now covered in a dripping bark sack of a dress and her hair was a tangled mess.

'Xelle never wanted her daughter to be alone in her ruling, as she was,' Velarese went on. 'I'm here to help as well. And Akelin will be beside you, tending to things as he sees fit, including the priests and their dead religion.'

The girl tugged on the woman's arm.

'Can I see my mother now?'

'Not yet. Akelin will need to stay with her for some time.'

The girl approached Lelette and made an awkward curtsy. 'My name is Tesna, Your Highness. Is there anything I can do to help?'

Lelette was bemused. 'I have plenty of people here to help me already.'

'Do you need one more?'

'If you'd like, you could be another of my ladies-in-waiting.'

'What do they do?'

Lelette smiled. 'They wait until I need something. I'll take you to Demese, and you can clean up and get a new gown.'

Tesna seemed to brighten a little then, but for the most part, she still appeared dejected. She drifted away and inspected the flowers, oddly mimicking Lelette's movements when she was the same age. Lelette and Shelm watched the child then glanced at one another.

'She shouldn't be a servant alone,' Lelette said. 'She should also be allowed to be a child. There's room for her and her family here at the palace.'

'Her brother has gone back to the swamps now. Whether her mother wishes to stay remains to be seen.' Velarese came close to Lelette and embraced her. 'You're the very essence of Xelle, as I've always known you were. Call upon me at any time, and I will come.'

'Why don't you stay here?' Lelette asked her.

'Akelin and I have a great deal to mend in this country, as do you and Shelm. Time and patience are all we have now, Lelette. I would treat them as precious gifts rather than hindrances.'

Once released from Velarese's arms, Lelette moved back to Shelm and held him once more.

'Come back to me as soon as all is well in Akelia,' she whispered. 'Will you do that?'

'I promise.'

They shared one last kiss before Shelm wearily pulled himself onto his saddle and prompted the stallion to gallop north. Velarese kissed Lelette's cheek, then waved goodbye to Tesna. Lelette saw a bond had been broken between the girl and Velarese that time was only capable of healing. Velarese graciously took one of the palace horses and a waterskin and made her way south to the swamps.

Tesna then surprised Lelette by taking her hand.

'I feel certain they'll keep their promises,' the girl said earnestly. 'Velarese isn't the liar I mistook her for. I hope you can believe in them.'

'I will try, Tesna. But for now, I have to sleep.'

She led Tesna to Demese, who set about finding new dresses while Tesna bathed.

When Lelette's gown was finally off, and the crown set away in its chest in the throne room, she bid her ladies leave and lay down on her chamber floor.

Dismayed at first that the umbilicus didn't reach her, she tossed a little and thought of Shelm and her baby. The maelstrom that had been her coronation had made her wearier that she thought she was. At last, the cord reached her navel, and she hovered up off the floor, hoping for at least one dream of Shelm to find her.

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