Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

REBEL PRIDE

I stayed by that creek a great while, far past dark, until the moon rose high enough to cast silver echoes on the water. The truth in Jana’s story was undeniable after my memories came back. Much of my life remained missing, but I remembered enough. I remembered the Fae—the point of their ears. I remembered the magic of the Witch. I remembered living in a grand house adorned with servants, blazing fireplaces, and countless rooms. I remembered my father, a stern disciplinarian who laughed seldom but, when he did, lit up a room. The glossy memories Fayzien had provided me of an early childhood dissolved, replaced with flashes of the Fae world.

I rose after my long meditation and followed the distant sounds of a bustling camp. My pace was unhurried, and I used the time to collect my thoughts. I had more questions for Jana. Though I knew the truth in her words, and I appreciated no one tailing me after I left, I couldn’t shake the uneasiness that coiled in my gut—as if she withheld something from me. Remembering my father’s words, a lump formed in my throat.

Listen to the little voice.

The words rang out in my head, as if he’d spoken them aloud. I pressed my lids together, warm liquid leaking past the barrier.

I’ll try, papa.

By the time I reached the camp, the noises I’d followed were just above whispers. Fires had burnt down to embers, light snoring sang through several of the tents. I entered the meeting room, a familiar tension of tiredness weighing on my eyes. My gaze snagged on a note left on the long table, with “for Terra” inscribed on the front. It read:

If ye are reading this note, ye’ve decided to return to camp and will need a rest spot. Ye can bunk en me room while I’m out on watch tonight. Ets number nine, four down from the right of the big tent.

-Leiya

I breathed relief, fatigue overcoming my instinct to confront Jana. I found Leiya’s tent, empty as promised—the size of the interior matching the exterior this time. I didn’t bother taking off my boots—I just fell face-first onto the firm cot and pulled a thick woolen blanket over my head.

I woke to broad daylight shining through the cracks in the tent. At first disoriented, I squinted and saw Leiya had left me another chunk of bread with two heaping slabs of butter and a steaming cup of something. I relaxed into the hardness of the cot, unflinching to the torture of remembering. I supposed I’d become numb to it—my new normal. This normal where I woke, and my mother, father, and brothers didn’t. The scent of the blanket calmed me. It was pinon and the forest after a summer rain. It smelled familiar, of home.

I ate the generously laid breakfast, tidied my bloodied face with the washbowl next to the cot, and set out to find Jana.

She perched where I’d seen her last, at the middle of the long table in the main tent. Ezren sat next to her, wisps of dark auburn-hinted hair falling in swirls on his forehead, over strong eyebrows, his face turned down to a map. His elbows rested on the table, forcing the curving, hard lines in his well-muscled arms to bulge. The male that had appeared with Ezren out of thin air the day before sat on Jana’s other side. He looked small-bodied with deep brown skin, cropped hair, and ink markings climbing up his neck. Leiya stood behind them, predictably sharpening one of her long knives, of the curved variety this time.

“So you came back,” Jana said, without looking up from the map. “At least thank Ezren for unknowingly lending you his bed last night. Though I know not why you chose his tent over the one I provided you. Did you find your accommodations inadequate?” she asked, lifting her gaze to me with raised brows.

My mouth fell ajar, and my eyes shot to Leiya, not missing the reddening on Ezren’s pointed ears. His face remained turned down, steadfast on the map. Leiya, of course, shook almost uncontrollably in silent laughter, fueled by my aghast reaction. She must have replaced whatever instructions Jana had left me with her own.

“I, uh, well, I didn’t know that was his tent,” I ground out, feeling a distinct heat crawl up my neck and into my cheeks. “It was empty when I went in, and I was exhausted…” I trailed off, my eyes trained on the table. “Apologies, Ezren. I hope I didn’t put you out too much last night.”

When I looked up again, he was staring at me, and it was all I could do to keep the flush from my face. Those eyes , they were a live flame and seemed to burn straight through me.

“You can sleep in my bed whenever you want,” he replied, to which my chest constricted and my eyes widened, and he realized the error in his speech. “No, not whenever you… meaning, not in that way. I just meant, I didn’t mind…” Ezren didn’t finish, because Leiya and the male that looked like her had burst out laughing. This got a few other members of the room giggling, too, until Jana rolled her eyes and said, “Enough. We have work to do.”

Mortified, I took my seat, resolved to remain silent until the reddening in my face subsided. Ezren rolled his shoulders back and tilted his head to each side, cracking his neck as if to shake off the exchange.

“We should send scouts more frequently now,” Jana said. “Given Fayzien will be looking for us. I’ll need reports daily, rather than bi-weekly. I know that will be hard, and we will have to coordinate a rolling schedule of some kind. Everyone will have to do their part.”

“I volunteer to scout,” Ezren cut in. “I could do two routes weekly, with Dane, which should help the fliers a lot. I’ll leave and return always under the cover of night, or heavy cloud-cover.”

“Absolutely not. That is much too risky. I shouldn’t need to remind you. Besides, I require you here. Someone must continue Terra’s training,” Jana responded.

“Is not Leiya fit for the job?” he asked. I noticed a stiffening in his neck.

“Leiya is better suited to scout, as I just said. But please, do let me know if Terra’s training will be too much for you to handle,” Jana bit out.

Ezren cleared his throat, and his eyes flickered to mine for a moment. “It will not.”

“Good. Dane will handle the magic side of training; coordinate with him. Leiya, assemble your top choices for a scouting crew and report back to me at half past. Dismissed.” Everyone got up in response to her commands. I did the same.

However, I made no move to exit. I only stood, silent. She waited until the last of them exited the tent. “I continue to scent distrust on you, Terra,” Jana said. “You are not yet schooled in controlling your emotions. What can I say to alleviate your doubts?”

“Who are you? What is all this?” I asked, gesturing to our surroundings.

Jana smiled, prepared for the question. “We are a coalition of representatives from all three kingdoms: Viribrum, Nebbiolo, and the Witch Kingdom Drakkar. Everyone here desires peace amongst our three nations, regardless of species. More than just Fae and Witch live in our lands—Elvens, Gobles, Sprites, Weezins, and other lesser Fae live amongst us. We promote tolerance of all.”

The unfamiliar names of new creatures washed over me. Questions for later. “And why are you all here—together—for me?” I was a famous warrior’s daughter, so that gave me some importance. At least enough to warrant a small team for my rescue. But an entire camp? That seemed odd.

“Tensions between Viribrum and Drakkar have been invigorated, I will say, ever since your abduction. Though we now know Fayzien kidnapped you, the Viri King and Nebbiolon Queen publicly blamed Drakkarian operatives for your presumed death. The king has been using your disappearance to stoke the public’s desire for war. Many of us have banded together in opposition of this and have searched for a way to cool the tensions for years, unsuccessfully so. But when we discovered you were alive, we… we finally had hope. If the Viri King and his subjects find out you live, it may just be enough to hold off the looming war.”

Coalition. Banded together. Opposition.

My eyes narrowed. “You’re rebels.”

Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “The Viri King might call us that, yes. Not quite how we see it, though. We do not use violence to further our cause—only in self-defense.”

Her words scratched something in my mind.

“When Fayzien tried to take me, he said his queen commanded him. Who is his queen, and what does she want with me?”

Jana flexed her jaw. “He was referring to Rexi Neferti, Queen of the Witch Queendom Nebbiolo. She commands Fayzien. He is her Manibu—the closest advisor to the Rexi. He acts on her behalf in ways she cannot. But he is delusional, Terra. He believes all his actions, even the most unspeakable, are sanctioned by his queen.”

“Why not kill me, all those years ago, when he murdered my father? Why go through so much trouble to keep me alive and place me in Argention?” It was almost as if he hid me there. As if he wanted to keep me safe.

She shook her head. “I do not pretend to know the mind of a sociopath. Perhaps he was protecting the option to use you to his advantage in the future.”

“And you think by simply showing everyone in Viribrum and Drakkar that I am alive, it will stop a war? Why would they care about me, especially if I’ve been gone for seven years?”

“Your father, Viturius, though not expressly warm or affectionate, commanded love from his fellow Viri. He became famous, you know, a celebrated war hero. There are stories sung of his quests. He fought in many great wars over his lifetime, ensuring the safety and rise of the Fae people. And you were considered a daughter of Viribrum, Terra. Daughters are rare, and so precious to the Fae. Your return to Viribrum would right a grave wrong,” Jana said, her eyes alight.

Her unexpected soft tone struck a chord. “Did you know him, my father?”

“Yes, I did. In my youth we met on our travels. He’d already been blooded—a distinguished soldier by then. We didn’t always see eye to eye, but he was good. Dying to protect you, there is no cause he would have deemed more noble.” Her face shone with something like pride and sadness.

The little voice nudged me. I chewed my lip. It didn’t appear I had many other options than trusting Jana.

I exhaled. “What do I need to do?”

“Come to Viribrum with us,” she said, relieved by my question. “No one can deny you are the seed of Viturius. You have his bright eyes, curved nose, and heart-shaped mouth. You are proof that Drakkar did not sanction your death. It may be enough to ease tensions and prevent war. And besides, it is your home. You will be safe there, from Fayzien and anyone else that might want to hurt you. You have relations in Viribrum, too, a few cousins, aunts, and uncles. And your father’s estate, which is rightfully yours. You can have a home again.”

Whether she knew it or not, the word home gave me a tendril of hope. I wanted to cling to it like a lifeline; I wanted to imagine days filled with purpose and evenings filled with laughter. But I couldn’t, not really. The ones I’d loved were gone. My birth-sire was gone. I couldn’t return to Argention, not without alerting Fayzien and endangering Gia or Mav. Gia would wonder about me, I knew. She’d never get the truth of what happened or where I went, and that would hurt. But she had her brother and her family. She would be cared for and safe.

I, however, was utterly alone—save for the fire that burned inside me, driving the cold emptiness from my chest.

Revenge. That was my lifeline.

I blew out a breath. “I will accompany you to Viribrum. But I need your word. I need your word that you have not lied to me, and never will. And I need your word that no matter what happens, you will ensure the just punishment of Fayzien of Nebbiolo for the murder of my family. Human and… not.” I expected to hear my voice shake, but the words came out smooth and cold.

Jana only nodded, her face solemn, but her eyes shining with something that almost resembled pride. “You have it.”