Chapter Twenty-Five

The city of Zharen was laid out much differently from Karazhen, a fact which was very clear from overhead. Zharen lacked the mighty walls and battlements that made Karazhen such an effective base; it and many of the other Enclaves hadn't required such strong defenses, growing up as they had in the shadow of the protections that Diantha had built. As he sailed over the city, circling in a wide arc to give watchers below time to identify him— not that it would be difficult— he noted the scar in the earth to the south that marked the tin mines, as well as the miles upon miles of orchards that reached nearly to the city on its west side.

A ribbon of light with no apparent natural source flared from a wide central agora with the magistrate's palace below. Taking this as an invitation to land, Darius angled his wings and dove.

He landed with a screech of claw against stone, a shower of sparks raining from beneath his claws as he brought himself to a halt. He scanned his surroundings, much more out of habit than of any real thought that there might be a threat. The courtyard was large, full of beautiful plants and flowers, and there was a peaceful pool to one side full of lily pads and frogs that were beginning to resume their quiet chirruping after a brief pause brought on by his arrival. Apparently, Darius thought wryly, large creatures descending from the skies were not an altogether alarming or unusual occurrence here.

"Your Highness, welcome to Zharen" said a voice to his left. Still in dragon form, Darius turned his head to see the approach of Magister Alodion, leader of Zharen.

Alodion was a tall man, or at least had chosen to present himself as such, and though he wore wings as many demons did, his were batlike rather than feathered. He had olive skin with dark striations on his arms that seemed to flicker in the lamplight.

"I'm afraid you've caught me somewhat unprepared," Alodion continued, though there was no sign of stress in his tone or cadence. "I must have somehow missed the message of your intended visit."

Darius shifted to his usual form. "The fault is mine," he said, giving his ink-black wings a quick shake. "I didn't send word of my coming. I don't intend to stay long, though, so I hope you'll forgive the imposition."

"Of course," Alodion said smoothly. "Have you taken your evening meal yet? And as for accommodations—"

"Accommodations won't be necessary," Darius said, though he managed to avoid sounding curt when he said it. He had never cared much for Alodion; he was a shrewd man, and an intelligent administrator over Zharen, but he was the sort who always seemed to be angling for an advantage. Darius could only imagine how delighted Alodion must have been at Alethia's engagement. Which, he admitted to himself, might prove to be a bit of a problem soon.

Speaking of Alethia, Darius almost asked for her to be summoned, then reminded himself there was another issue to be addressed first.

"Did your sentries witness what occurred while I was still over the water?" he asked. A small flicker of anger showed in Alodion's gaze for an instant, but it didn't seem directed at Darius.

"I just received the report," he said with a single nod. "Sabrian ships, apparently attempting to encroach on our waters… I hoped you might be able to add more detail."

Despite his calm, level expression, there was a bare hint of agitation in his voice. As well there should be; although there hadn't been any real failure on Zharen's part, Darius wasn't at all certain that regular sentries would have spotted the incursion before it had crossed into demon-ruled waters. The ships had been very well hidden.

"Three galleys, cloaked with an air shield against sound and with mist against sight," he said. "They retreated quickly when they realized they'd been found out." He met Alodion's eyes. Technically, Zharen was under no obligation to report incursions to Karazhen, but most of the demon-ruled cities would communicate openly on such things for the sake of cooperation. "Have there been any other such events?" he asked.

"No, Highness," Alodion said with a single shake of his head. "I can speak on this with certainty; we increased our patrols after Alethia had put a stop to the increase in pirate activity. Again, I thank you for your assistance with that. And you have my even more fervent thanks for addressing tonight's matter so decisively."

Darius had been wondering since he withdrew from the ships if perhaps he oughtn't have been more decisive. He'd let them live, after all.

"In the interest of not sparking hostility, I refrained from bloodshed," he said. Alodion's eyebrows betrayed surprise before he schooled his expression. "So, while I believe that my displeasure was clear, they may try again, whatever their objective ultimately was. I'd recommend increasing your patrols further, for the time being."

"A recommendation I'll gladly follow," Alodion agreed. "We are fortunate you saw fit to visit us tonight. Though on that subject, may I ask what led to that decision?"

"I'm here to speak with Alethia," Darius said briskly. A faint hint of wariness shone in Alodion's dark eyes for just an instant, and Darius stifled a sigh, knowing that he deserved that, after how he'd unceremoniously broken off his last engagement. "Will you summon her for me?"

Alodion cleared his throat. "You… haven't been in contact with her recently, Your Highness?"

Darius tilted his head, some of Alodion's wariness transferring to him. "She's been sending regular letters regarding the training she has been undergoing," he said. "Beyond that, no." Alodion hesitated, and Darius said, "Is there something I should know about?"

Alodion glanced away for an instant, then sighed. "Alethia left Zharen two weeks ago," he said. "She didn't give word of where she was going, only that she wanted to test herself against challenges alone, as she would be required to do in the Trials. She said she intended to return to Karazhen before the Awakening, however."

Darius eyed him. "Are you telling me that you don't know where she is?" he asked. It seemed unlikely that would be the case.

Alodion pursed his lips. "Unfortunately, Highness… yes."

There was enough veiled irritation in his gaze to convince Darius of his sincerity. Alethia would obviously be a key player in any ambitions Alodion might hold to raise Zharen's prominence, so a disappearance and a refusal to allow him to monitor her movements would be extremely annoying from his perspective.

Darius, for his part, wasn't sure if he should be relieved or annoyed himself, albeit for very different reasons. On the one hand, if Alethia was behaving defiantly toward her city's magistrate, it was possible she was unenthused about the change that was about to occur in her life and was bucking against the restraints closing in around her. That would make it much easier to make his case to her. On the other… he wouldn't know what his options really were until he'd spoken to her. He couldn't very well recruit her to his cause if he didn't even know where she was.

He turned his attention back to Alodion. "The Awakening, you said?" he asked.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Darius stifled a rise of frustration; as badly as he needed to talk with Alethia, nothing was going to change in the two weeks leading up to that point. He could speak with her then.

"We would be honored to host you for a time, in the event she should return unexpectedly," Alodion said. "We have extremely secure quarters, suitable for honored guests to safely take their rest."

Darius considered only for a heartbeat. He'd told Tanitha that he might be away for a few days, but he didn't want to leave her for a moment more than he had to. And besides… he'd already decided it was long since time that he told her the truth. He would have preferred to already be certain of Alethia's feelings when he spoke to Tanitha, but ultimately…. Ultimately, he couldn't justify making Tanitha wait any longer.

"No," he said. "I'll speak with Alethia when she returns to Karazhen."

Darius found Tanitha sitting alone in one of the rooms adjacent to the dining hall, and he was both relieved and somewhat surprised to find her still awake. She was curled up on a low-slung divan, her back to him as she gazed steadily ahead. Her golden hair shone in the light of the magical orbs above. At the sight of her, something inside of him calmed, all of the fear of what might happen when he told her the full truth suddenly draining away. He didn't know what the future might hold. But he did know that he wanted to be with her, with no more secrets or darkness between them.

She straightened slightly, and he knew she'd sensed him. Normally he would have summoned darkness then, or warned her not to turn, but not today. Not after the decision he'd made.

"My lord?" she asked softly, keeping her gaze ahead. He frowned; she hadn't used a formal title like that in weeks. Besides that, there was something incredibly vulnerable in her voice, and he found himself crossing to her immediately.

"I'm here," he said as he approached. She was wearing one of the dresses that hung alluringly off the shoulder, and he laid a hand on the bare skin there. He felt an immediate urge to let his hand wander lower, but he stifled it; he had to speak with her, and he didn't want her to feel that he was resorting to clouding her thoughts with physical pleasure. Tempting as that might be, he wanted her to feel that her mind was clear and free from any undue influence when he told her who he was, when he asked her to stay with him through whatever came next.

He started to speak, then paused, noticing that she was holding herself unusually still under his hand. "Are you all right?" he asked her softly. He didn't know what could be disturbing her that hadn't been a matter of concern since the beginning, but he still had the sense that something was on her mind.

She made a quiet noise, almost a laugh. "I think so," she said. "But there's something I need to speak to you about."

The words sent more than a small ripple of concern through him. He almost asked her to wait, to let him speak first before he lost his resolve on his decision, but he stifled the urge. Whatever was bothering her, it was sure to be a small matter compared to that of his identity and the full scope of the difficulties facing them. He'd waited this long; he could set her mind at ease about whatever was troubling her before he gave her a thousand new things to wrestle with.

"What is it?" he asked.

She took a shivering breath, and his alarm rose higher. "I just… what are we to each other?" she asked softly. She lifted one hand to rest it atop his on her shoulder, her grip tight. "What am I to you?"

He laid his other hand atop hers, his mind suddenly running fast. Where was this coming from, this apparent need for reassurance? Was it possible he'd been distant or inattentive to her in the past few days, his thoughts too centered on the matter of abdication?

"Tanitha, you're…" He trailed off for a moment, unable to think of how he could possibly convey what he felt toward her, how he could possibly begin to describe what she meant to him. "Everything," he said finally, his voice low with emotion. "You're everything to me."

She bowed her head slightly, her grip on his hand still tight, and something suddenly struck him unpleasantly. He was everything to her as well, her entire world, but not at all in the same way. He might be willing to give up his entire life for her, but Tanitha? Her entire life had been taken from her. He was all she had right now.

He closed his eyes for several seconds, hurting. No wonder she needed reassurance. And he could do better than vague promises of some hazy future now. He'd made his choice, and he wasn't going to go back on it.

"What does that mean?" she asked him softly, before he could speak. "You said you thought we could be together, but what does that mean ?"

"It means that I want a life with you," he said quietly. "A real life. For both of us. Not just this," he said with a small motion of one hand meant to encapsulate the estate, the place he'd shared with her these past weeks. "I don't know exactly what that will look like," he said, again regretting that he hadn't been able to speak with Alethia. "But I'm close. There's something I have to do soon, someone I need to arrange things with. After that… after that I'm going to have much more freedom to act as I will." And so would she.

He cast about in his mind, wondering how he could possibly broach the matter he'd come here to discuss with her. He should have done it long ago, he knew. He should have simply told her who he was. But doing that would have required him to answer dangerous questions, questions he hadn't been ready to address.

"This isn't going to go on forever," he continued. "And we'll talk soon about where we can go, what we can do." He started to speak, then stopped. He knew what he needed to do. But despite his determination, he found himself faltering. What if things were different when there were no more shadows to hide behind?

He took a slow breath, centering himself. He'd asked her to trust him often enough. He could extend the same to her. He owed her that.

Just before he spoke, however, she said, "My lord, I… I need to ask something of you," she said.

"Of course," he said, a little frustrated with himself for the surge of relief he felt at the interruption. "What is it?"

"It's just… I need to see Lithra," she said. He blinked, surprised. Where had that come from? He started to answer but subsided as she continued, "I know you've been keeping watch over her, I know you've said she's well, but… she hasn't heard from me. She must be so worried. And… I miss her." She took a shivering breath, her hand tightening on his. "If we're going to leave together, it'll be some time before we're fully settled somewhere," she said. "And even then, it will still be dangerous for me to contact her, won't it?"

"Yes," he said reluctantly. That was all true.

She swallowed. "I just…I have to see her," she said. "I have to tell her that I'm all right, that I'm safe."

He hesitated. On the one hand, he knew how much this had to be distressing her, how close she was to her sister. On the other…

"I don't want to put you at risk," he said. "If anyone in the Sanctuary sees you, the priests could hear of it. And they know you're not meant to be alive right now."

"I'll be careful," she said, the plea still clear in her voice. It tore at him to hear it, even knowing that what she was asking was dangerous. He knew that she missed her sister badly, and he found himself struggling to remember why letting her do as she asked was unwise. "Moonrise will be very late tonight," she continued. "It would be easy to go in full dark, when everyone is asleep. I'll have to wake her, but it will be safe." Tears were beading on her upper lashes. "And… it's not as if I'd be alone," she said. "You could watch from a distance, couldn't you? Using one of your other forms?"

Darius felt the last of his resistance crumble. She was right; he could guard her, so there was little need to fear. He could keep her safe.

He took her hand. The other matter could wait, he decided. If he spoke now, there were a thousand things she'd want to know, and that could wait until he'd helped her with this. "I'll take you to see her," he said quietly.