Normally upon arriving, one caught the sounds of life: children playing, friends laughing, and elders lecturing. None of those things were present. It was eerily quiet.
“Would you like to go on foot from here?” Erik asked gently.
“Please,” I answered, eager to be free to move around.
A moment later, we were strolling down the path that cut down the heart of the capitol. Whispers rumbled from the edge of the street, but above that, the strange silence persisted. It broke my heart. How frightened everyone must have been when the city was overtaken by the Lysians and their Leader Superior ripped away from them. Even if Fraser was a terrible leader, he was someone they would have turned to at a time of need and they no longer could.
“Can you hear what they are saying?” I looked at Erik. Surely his Lysian ears could make out some of the distant whispers.
“They are confused and scared. They don’t know why you are with us. Some thought you died in the battle,” he answered with a slight frown, as if he may have heard more, but did not wish to share it.
“Where are the Bavadrin warriors kept?” I asked, not seeing any of them when normally there were many stationed around the walls of the city.
“They could stay in their homes as long as they didn’t cause trouble,” he answered while monitoring the surroundings. Even though the Lysians now controlled the city, he remained very much alert, watching for potential threats.
“And if they caused trouble?”
“Then they were gathered and put into cells.”
Cells? For how long and how many had that happened to?
“Ariana!” a familiar voice yelled out, drawing the attention of our entire Lysian party.
Breath left me in a whoosh of relief. I had not realized how frightened I had been for the safety of those I cared most for. It was as if I locked away those emotions while I was gone, only for them to be released now. Though I thought of them, I realized those worries were only a shallow scratch of the full force stirring deep within.
It was Edda. She was okay.
That realization nearly crippled me. I could have fallen to the ground and wept, but I didn’t. To fall apart and show such blatant weakness would not serve me well. The need to remain strong for my people and the Lysians who imprisoned my city kept me upright.
Edda stepped out into the open, heading straight for us. Lysians reacted in unison, shifting into a protective stance. They prepared to keep her at a distance, primed to use force if necessary.
“No, please let her pass.” I turned to Erik, who searched my face for something before finally nodding. Instantly, the Lysians around us relaxed, stepping away to allow for a path for Edda while keeping a wary eye on her. Old age and small stature did not mean she was harmless, and they knew that.
Edda and I moved towards each other, and I couldn’t help but throw my arms around her. She held me in an iron grip, and it felt as though the two of us exhaled in relief together. Tears lined my eyes as I released her.
“I am so glad you’re okay,” I said to her.
Edda huffed, waving a hand in the air as if trying to wave off my needless words. “I told you I would be fine, and that you would return.”
By the Spirit, why did she speak like that out loud in such a company? Did she want the Lysians to know she was a Seer? It was not a secret I wished for them to know, for I did not know what they would do with her then.
“You look well, considering,” she stated while fearlessly making a pointed glance at those surrounding us. “Have you returned for good?”
“Just visiting. We brought food.” I answered. Looping an arm through hers, I led her past the Lysians to Erik.
“Edda, this is Erik, King of the Lysians.” I then turned to him. “This is Edda. She often gave insight and advice to the LeaderSuperior.” I would try to play her off as simply an old, wise, and witty woman.
“Not that he ever listened,” she muttered to herself before smiling at Erik. “Well, you are handsome for your breed. You always had quite the powerful physique but now seeing you up close there is clearly more there.” She alluded to the last time he was in the city when Fraser had him strung up and whipped. My fingers gripped her arm, burrowing into her flesh as a plea to stop speaking. If she felt an ounce of discomfort, then she showed none of it.
A tight smile found its way to Erik’s lips.
“Egh, that is, unless you expose those barbaric teeth of yours,” Edda stated without care of potential reprimand.
Kole coughed to either suppress a laugh or pure shock at how someone was speaking to his King. Erik’s smile evaporated into a thin line. Edda was testing his patience, and we hadn’t even made it halfway into the city yet.
“Edda!” I looked at her in surprise.
She carried on as if nothing happened. Reaching into her pocket, she retrieved a small burlap bag, beads clinging against one another as she held it out to me. “I have collected these stones over the years for you. It brings me great joy to finally gift them to you.”
