“Open it, Arim. Our visitor needs you. And Ravyn, love, I need a moment more of your time.” Faustus smiled down at her then glanced back at me. “Good luck, brother. And the Light bless you on your journey.”
“And you.” I moved to the door. Opening it, I was surprised a second time. The guards who should have been protecting the queen stood frozen on either side of her door, locked in place by a hint of Shadow over their bodies. Lord Sava, King of the Aellei, stood there looking both annoyed and worried.
Sava, worried? His eyes widened as he stared over my shoulder, and I hurriedly pulled him inside before closing the door behind us.
“By Shadow’s vision.” Sava took two steps toward Ravyn and Faustus then stopped. “Faustus Storm. It’s been a long time.”
“And it’ll be longer still until I see you again. Have a care with what you do here, Sava. Don’t overstep.” Faustus seemed to brighten before he drew Ravyn aside and spoke to her in a low voice.
I studied Sava, curious at the flare of irritation in my friend’s face. “Something you want to tell me?”
Sava shook his head. “I need your help. What I don’t need is a dead Storm Lord telling me what to do.”
“Still upset Faustus snared Ravyn out from under you, hmm?”
He frowned. “Ancient history. What can I say? Love blinds us all at one time or another.” He shot me a look I didn’t understand. And didn’t like.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“If I have to explain it to you, you’re obviously not ready to hear the answer. Look, Arim, I’ve got problems that need immediate fixing. I’d do it myself, but I have a feeling your Storm Lords would take issue.”
Uh-oh. I knew that tone. Sava, in a serious mood, was no laughing matter. “Let’s go to my chamber.” I turned to my sister, still not sure how to feel about Faustus’s surprising presence. “Ravyn, I have matters to attend to. Faustus, good luck on your journey, my friend.”
“And on yours.” An unreadable expression passed over his pale face. “Don’t forget what I said. Bring Lexa back, or the future will be dire indeed.”
Curious that Faustus included Sava in that confidential bit of information, I teleported to my chambers. Sava appeared a moment later, trailing the energy I had purposefully left behind. We entered a scrupulously clean if cluttered room. Surrounded by stone, the room had surprising space when not crowded by wall-to-wall tables covered in spell castings.
Clay pots, earthen jars, and many herbs, roots, and books littered my workspace. An unused bed sat in the corner of the dimly lit area, clear of the dust that normally lingered in the musky chamber thanks to a spell I’d cast months ago.
“Looks the same as the last time I visited.”
I frowned. “You were here at least two hundred years ago.”
“Like I said, looks the same.” Sava glanced dubiously at the raw magic on the tables. “You need a wife. Or at the least, a hobby.”
I couldn’t help laughing. “A wife would just yell at me to clean up after myself. And who has time for hobbies? I have a kingdom to protect, enemies to demolish, and Dark Lords to find.” My laughter faded at thoughts of Lexa. I wondered just what she was up to right now, if she thought about me at all, and why it bothered me she might not.
“You were going to help me, were you not?” Sava asked, his voice light and full of innocence.
I wasn’t fooled. “What do you really want?”
Sava crossed his arms over his chest. “Really, Arim. I come to you, hoping for a peaceful way out of a hostile situation, and you insinuate I’m up to something? You Light Bringers have no sense of fair manner or —”
“Sava…”
“Oh, all right. Alandra’s been telling me what the Church of Illumination has been up to lately. Those bastards are trying to formulate spells to rid the land of Darkness and Shadow. All of it. To include Morn Mountain and other such fields in Tanselm that shy from the Light. That’s a major problem, wouldn’t you agree?”
“I just heard about this from Ravyn today. I’ve been busy trying to save Tanselm from destruction, so the petty politicking of the Church hasn’t been as much a priority.”
“That’s all well and good. I agree Sin Garu needs to be found and beheaded. But what about my people? The Aellei in the eastern territory deserve protection.” Sava’s eyes gleamed with menace. “I’m telling you now. They’re going to get it, one way or the other.”
I felt my headache returning. “Why isn’t Aerolus hearing this?” Aerolus, ruler of the eastern territory and husband to Sava’s troublesome niece, Alandra.
“Because the princes are too busy shoring their reserves for the next Netharat attack. Sin Garu is positively brilliant. He plagues the land, and the lot of you rush to its defense, leaving the day-to-day open to invasion. Wouldn’t surprise me if the Church is infected with a Dark Lord presence.”
“Who the hell knows at this point?” A sudden wave of weakness forced me to lock my knees so I wouldn’t fall over. Damn. I didn’t need this now, not in front of Sava.
“Arim?” Sava looked as shocked as I felt, but his brown eyes soon filled with concern I neither wanted nor needed.
