Mairwen pulled the orange-tinted glasses from her dress. She had been talking with her mother about them when they were getting ready, and she had slipped them in her pocket on a whim. It seemed the Fates were with her. She put the glasses on her face and used the knife to reflect the images of the ballroom. It was distorted, but she could make out four figures on the dais. A bright light was beaming from one of their hands. Feeling braver, the girl moved around Junayd and looked into the room. Unlike the others, she did not instantly become a statue. This was a relief, because she had no back up plan.
By the thrones, three men stood gloating and discussing their next move. Mairwen recognized Alaron and the strange general, but the third figure was completely unfamiliar. Now that she had a fuller view of the room, a few people were moving through the crowd, stealing odds and ends off the wealthy mannequins.
The man with the shining ball was defending the thieves' actio
"You fool!" Xander snapped as those in the ballroom awoke from their slumber. "No one should touch the pearl but me!" A murmur of confusion rose in the room. Pirates were blocking the exits, and the guests did not have a way to defend themselves.Regaining consciousness, Aurora grabbed her arm and cried out in pain. She tried to move from the platform, but Xander had already caught her by the waist and held a knife at her neck. Nurlan, who had been mid-lunge when he froze, sprawled out on the platform as he fell. "Do not move," Xander warned those around him. Zan and Gandr also had to stop charging the stage when they saw the predicament.On the balcony, the sudden release of tension in Brinn's body threw her forward. She barely missed falling over the balustrade. "Brinn, watch out!" Since the Princess's feet were melded with the floor, the pirate decided that the elf was the bigger threat. He attempted to push her over the edge. Rolling to one side, Brinn avoided him,
Outside the palace, three figures emerged from the ground. Alaron was leaning on his mentor, panting heavily. His face was pale as he limped toward the outskirts of town. "How could she stop us?" he wheezed."Her Majesty has a proclivity for lucky breaks," Xander answered. "You should have let me kill her when I had the chance."The prince did not disagree. He was too weak. "Save your energy, my boy. We have to get out of Valiant before we are captured," Cafer said gently.Xander put his shoulder under the boy's other arm. "What is wrong with him?"The gnome shook his head sadly. "The explosion he used to free me from the cage was very powerful. It took all his energy to perform the feat. Magic can be a costly venture." The gnome almost felt bad for what he had done to the boy. But self-preservation made him glad Alaron knew magic."I am fine," the prince said as he nearly dropped to the ground even with the two others supporting him. "I am strong
Devrim was conscious when the princess reached him. "Mairwen! Are you ok? Where are Aurora and Alaron? No one will tell me anything." The servants inside the room had precious little information, and the soldiers were busy securing the palace from intrusion. Mairwen limped to her father and sat next to him on the bed. She still had no shoes, having lost one to throwing it across the ballroom and the other to a stone prison. A servant noticed the need and quietly left to fetch her some soft slippers. Lying on his bed, Devrim was pale but seemed to be gaining strength quickly. His eyes were growing clearer by the minute. "Calm down, Father. You are still recovering." Mairwen said gently. "You wanted me, and I am here. For the moment, I am afraid I will have to be enough." She pulled her feet up on the bed and winced. "You are hurt!" Devrim struggled to sit up and inspect her feet. The princess gave a sad smile. "It is nothing. Cafer just cemented my fee
Aurora felt like she was floating in a sea of darkness. She tried to collect her thoughts, but every time she caught hold of a memory it would dissolve and float away in the watery void around her. It was as if her mind was trying to protect her from some horrible reality, but she could not remember what.Occasionally Aurora would hear voices from the darkness that she could not make sense of. The sounds were both familiar and foreign. Once she even heard a lovely story about a princess which made her cry, but she could not say why. Aurora lay adrift. An eternity passed. All was darkness.Then the darkness lightened and faces around her began to take shape. Aurora knew their names: Devrim, Brinn, Nanny, Zan, Mairwen…They all caused the lady to smile. With them she was safe, wanted and home. But another face formed and the dark-haired woman cried out. The blue eyes staring at her were both forbidding and pleading. As she recalled all that had happened, his name e
Devrim was up early planning and preparing to leave. He had stopped by the Empress's room and found the doctor attending his wife's bedside. "I sent the princess to bed," the physician said.Devrim nodded. He realized that he had been selfish to go to bed and leave his daughter shouldering the responsibility. "Thank you for taking care of her…of all of us.""It is my duty and my privilege. I can think of no higher honor." Because the doctor had been present right after Zephyra gave birth, the news of the twins' parentage came as no shock to him. He knew of Aurora's love and sacrifice. Nothing could sway the doctor from his noble mission to help all of them."Please make sure that you, Spymaster Brinn, Anna, Mairwen or Cheif Zan is by her side at all times until she is fully recovered. I do not ever want her to feel alone." Devrim stroked his wife's cheek and she leaned toward it, but her eyes did not open. "I will come by again before I leave."Now
Into Valiant the trio rode. Devrim took the lead with Junayd second and Gandr third. They traveled by the main road out of town, which allowed them to ride their horses, albeit only single-file. They were dressed as soldiers because then they and the horses would be generally ignored. It worked. No one paid them attention. But even from his height, Devrim could hear the gossip in the street."Do you think the rumors are true? Is Prince Alaron really Empress Aurora's brother?""The Prince seems to think so. He left in a hurry after he realized he would not get her throne.""But the Princess stayed. She must truly love the Emperor and Empress.""And the Empress must love her too. Why else would she keep her siblings alive when they threatened her rule?""The Empress has been a good ruler, but can we trust someone who lied to their own family?""I think...." On and on the conversations went as the three passed through the streets. Devrim held t
"Mairwen!" Devrim shouted in spite of himself. The few night sounds around them suddenly ceased at the intrusion of noise. The girl looked sheepishly up at him with her big blue eyes. The Emperor's heart melted a little, but he tried to keep a stern face. "What are you doing here? You should be at home!"Junayd uncovered the buried embers from their evening fire and placed some dry brush on top. As it caught fire, the sudden light caused all of them to shield their faces.Mairwen tried to back up slowly, but the forbidding gaze of her father stopped her in her tracks. "I am waiting for an answer, young lady." Uh oh. The princess knew she was in trouble. Her father only called her 'young lady' when she was very good or very naughty. Mairwen doubted that her actions qualified her for the first.Her eyes grew watery. "I…I had hoped we would be further along when we finally met. Then you could not send me home."There was movement in the edge of the fi
After a peaceful night with no more visitors, the camp was up bright and early. To make up for her deficiencies the day before, Eira made breakfast as Brinn and Devrim had a quiet discussion away from the others."You were supposed to protect the Empress," Devrim struggled to understand.Brinn nodded, "Part of protecting her means protecting the ones she loves. It was my fault that the princess was able to follow you. I should never have agreed to give you that letter. She managed to sneak out of the palace and wait for you as you entered Valiant. I had no idea what she was planning." The elf was angry at herself. Something important slipped by her. It was unacceptable. She continued, "I did not realize what had happened until mid-afternoon because I was attending Her Majesty. When I knew what happened, I told Aurora."Devrim blew out his cheeks. "I am guessing she did not take the news well.""About as well as a cat being forced into water. It took a sed