Legacy (15 page)

I looked around and saw my sister pushing through the crowd of people, coming in my direction. I nodded my head toward the door to the corridor, and informed my parents that I had developed a headache and would be returning to my quarters. After meeting with me, Miranna would no doubt return to the ballroom, but I was beginning to feel as though I would drown in its heavy air.

As a guard opened one of the double doors for me, I stepped into the corridor, noticing for the first time how stifling the gala had become with so many people in attendance. Where I now stood, it was cool and open, and, more important, quiet. All I could hear was the faint hum of conversation through the thick ballroom doors.

Miranna joined me a few seconds later, the babble of the guests momentarily loud as she stepped out beside me.

“What happened?” she asked, her voice trembling with curiosity. She clasped my hand and led me onto the landing of the Grand Staircase. “All I saw was Steldor as he stormed off, and you taking Narian's arm, but judging from the muttering around me, the three of you created quite a stir.”

I relayed the story to her, beginning with my hasty escape to the balcony and my interlude with Narian, and finishing with our courteous good-byes once we had reached the front of the ballroom.

Miranna laughed, playfully tugging at her strawberry-blond hair.

“What?” I asked, unable to see the humor in the evening's events.

“Well, Sister, it appears that
you
are being fought over,” she said with a grin.

“Oh, nonsense.”

“It's true! Perhaps Narian could be the man of your dreams, standing up to your enemy to defend your honor.”

“You're infatuated with romance.”

“Perhaps, but all the same, I'm going to arrange an outing to Semari's country home for us. Perhaps we'll get another glimpse of your champion.”

I shook my head, believing it better to let Miranna poke fun than to waste my breath arguing.

“And how about
your
suitor?” I said, changing the subject.

“Who, Temerson?”

I flashed a mischievous grin of my own. “You two were quite a sight on the dance floor.”

Miranna's blue eyes shone. “I may have lost a few toes tonight, Alera, but nothing you say can put a damper on my mood.”

“Is there something you're not telling me?”

“No,” she replied with a shy smile. “But he blushed horribly when I kissed him on the cheek as we parted.”

“Mira!” I exclaimed in feigned disapproval as she giggled. “It seems you are having quite an enjoyable evening.”

“Yes, indeed, and I will continue to do so if I ever get back inside. I'll speak to Mother in the morning to make arrangements to visit Semari.”

Her face lit up in anticipation of rejoining the festivities. She did a graceful pirouette as she said good-night, then reentered the ballroom, brushing her fingertips through her hair as the doors closed behind her.

Just after Miranna's departure, Tadark tumbled through the doors to see if I desired an escort. He would be off duty after I retired, so I gave him leave to enjoy the rest of the celebration. Having dismissed him, I walked alone through the corridors,
savoring the quietude, my mind returning to Narian. I had formed several new impressions of the young man over the course of the evening, many of which were contradictory, and none of which shed light on his obscure past. While I did not live in Miranna's romantic fantasy world, the idea of seeing him again was more appealing than it should have been.

THE BUGGY JOSTLED US UNCOMFORTABLY AS WE made our way to the country home of the Baron Koranis and his family, for the road had become pitted from the rain the night before. Miranna sat beside me, surveying the passing landscape while the black Friesians trotted onward under the guidance of a Palace Guard, our bodyguards traveling with us on their own horses. I stared straight ahead, excitement stirring within me, mixed with a hint of annoyance at how closely Tadark clung to my side of the buggy. I supposed his zealousness was due to the fact that Koranis's estate lay along the eastern border of our kingdom in the direction of Cokyri.

Miranna had arranged everything so that our mother and father were under the impression that we were making this journey to visit Semari. If either of our parents had known our true purpose, we would not have been allowed to go. I felt guilty, not about permitting Miranna to mislead our parents, but about causing Alantonya the effort of preparing for and fussing over our arrival just so that we could get another look at her eldest son, whose privacy we would indisputably be invading.

In spite of Miranna's encouragement, it was impossible for me to think of Narian as a suitor. One year younger than me, he was not even an adult by Hytanican standards. Age was not, however, my only concern.

Narian was an enigma, a complete and total mystery to me, to my father, to his family and to Cannan. There was simply too little known about him for me to put faith in him. And after the incident at the celebration in his honor…though it had happened five days previously, it was as fresh in my mind as though it had occurred moments ago. I could see his youth plainly, but I could sense no youthful innocence within him, and that confused and disturbed me.

After another hour, our driver brought the horses to a halt in front of Koranis's home. Halias and Tadark dismounted and helped us to the ground as my eyes roamed over the property. I had only been to this country estate a few times in my life, for although I was friendly with all members of Koranis's family, I was not good friends with any of them, as Miranna was with Semari. My sister had come here often during our childhood, but I had rarely accompanied her.

The house itself was large and well crafted, standing two stories tall upon a stone foundation. It was wood framed, filled in with wattle and daub, and had costly glass windows in every room. The cream-colored exterior was partially covered with vines and topped with a dark brown tile roof, and the grass surrounding the multicolored stone path leading to the door was lush and green.

I barely had time to acclimate to my surroundings before Semari rushed through the front door and over to Miranna and me. She curtseyed to us, then discarded all formality as she began jabbering to my sister. A few moments later, Alantonya came more sedately out of the dwelling, followed by
Charisa and Adalan, who stood behind her while she awaited our approach.

“Your Highnesses,” she said in greeting, dropping into a low curtsey, her younger daughters imitating her movement.

She invited us into the house where we took up seats in a tastefully decorated parlor and began to engage in idle conversation. Less than an hour later, a servant entered to announce that tea was ready to be served, and Alantonya informed us that we would be taking our refreshment in the backyard. As she ushered us through her home, we passed several lavish rooms that shamelessly gave notice of Koranis's wealth. I looked over my shoulder for Narian one final time as we stepped out the rear door of the dwelling, but was again disappointed. As far as I could tell, he was not at home.

Before us on the soft, green grass was a small circular table set for six, obligingly shaded from the mid-afternoon sun by a large maple tree. Although the days were still hot, they were becoming less humid as the end of August approached, and the evenings now had a definite chill. As we seated ourselves around the table, I looked out across the Baron's property. To my right under the cloudless sky lay vast fields, while to my left and before me the land sloped toward the forest, and I marveled at the unsurpassed beauty of this property.

The small talk continued, although Charisa and Adalan said not a word, probably afraid they would make some glaring error in etiquette. I complimented Alantonya on the loveliness of her home, then inquired about the property itself.

“Does the Baron own all the land reaching from here to the forest?”

“Yes,” Alantonya replied, sipping her tea. “My lord owns in excess of a hundred acres, most of it cleared for farming. He inherited some of the land, received some as a gift from
the King and purchased the rest. He also claims part of the forest. When he first took over the property, he hired some villagers to cut trails through the woods for safer passage on horseback. That's where he is now—out riding with Kyenn and Zayle.”

I nodded, now understanding Narian's absence, though I could not help but be dismayed by it. We had primarily come, after all, to see
him.
We finished our tea, then Alantonya made a suggestion.

“Semari, perhaps you and the princesses would like to walk along the riverbank. It is a lovely afternoon, and a stroll will put a blush in your cheeks.”

“Yes!” Semari happily agreed, tugging at my sister's hand and pulling her to her feet. “It's not far into the trees, and it's so pretty there!”

Miranna and Semari skipped away from the house, Halias following, as I remained a moment longer to thank our hostess.

“It was my pleasure,” Alantonya responded, rising to give me a curtsey, then beckoning her younger daughters to accompany her into the house.

I hastened after the other girls, Tadark as always at my heels, and though I was not dressed for such an excursion, I soon caught up with them, for they were dillydallying. I was wearing two skirts over a white chemise and a matching panel bodice that laced up both sides, and I was already feeling the exertion.

The three of us, bodyguards trailing, ambled down the hill together and into the woods, taking care to follow the winding, leaf-strewn, tree-rooted path where water still puddled, for the sun could not easily reach the forest floor. The dampened foliage and earth emitted a musty fragrance, a smell I
always associated with the earthworms that rose to the surface in the palace garden after it rained.

A short while later, Semari led us to the right on a rockier trail that opened into a narrow clearing that bordered the Recorah River. Trees hung over the edges of the clearing, their trunks obeying the invisible boundary but their leaves and branches unable to be restrained. The open space between the woods and the river was only about twelve feet; although the closeness of the trees ensured refreshing shade, it also seemed to magnify the sound of the water.

I looked into the splashing and tumbling torrent and saw that it was deep here, even along the water's rocky edge, so deep that it would have risen above my head had I stumbled in. The sound of Semari's giggling drew me from my reverie, and I looked up to see the younger girls skipping away, following the Recorah downstream. Sighing, I once more followed.

The two friends stopped by a cluster of boulders that stood sentinel next to the river, the craggy tops of the stones rising above the rapids. Semari perched atop one of the boulders and Miranna joined her, but I chose to stand a few feet away, too wary of the roiling water to move closer.

The trees grew even nearer to the river here, giving the area an ominous feel. I gazed farther upstream and could see the remains of the old bridge that had once provided passage to the east. It had been burned during the war and had never been rebuilt. Across the Recorah from where we stood, the terrain became rocky and the foliage more intermittent as the land stretched into the foothills of the Niñeyre Mountain Range. This inhospitable area was sparsely populated, primarily by nomads, for it became windy and dry as one moved away from the water. This was the land the Cokyrians had to
cross to enter our kingdom, for they claimed the high desert area of the mountains as their own.

Miranna, growing restless atop the boulder, rose to her feet and took a step forward, peering down into the water.

“What are you doing, Mira?” Semari asked, shifting to get a better view of her friend.

“I'm seeing if I can spot any fish. Temerson told me they sparkle when the sun shines off their scales.”

“You won't see any fish in this part of the river.” Semari giggled. “The water is moving too fast.”

“You may as well come down,” I called apprehensively to them. The last thing I wanted was for my sister to plunge into the Recorah.

I glanced over at Halias and Tadark, who had moved along the tree line with us and were talking at the edge of the clearing. Tadark was sitting on his heels near a large willow tree, but Halias remained on his feet, eyes fixed on his charge.

“As you wish,” Miranna said, dropping her hands to the rough stone surface to make the short descent less arduous. Just as she did, I heard the
chink
of something metal as it ricocheted off the rock and splashed into the water.

“Oh no!” Miranna exclaimed, leaning forward. “My bracelet! It's fallen into the river!” She dropped to her knees, preparing to reach for it.

“Get down from there now!” I snapped, my overprotectiveness as her elder sibling kicking in full force.

Miranna looked at me petulantly, but then eased her way to the ground.

“But what about my bracelet? I can see it—it's right there, caught between two of the rocks.”

She and Semari approached, a pout upon my sister's face. I again glanced at Halias, whose stance had relaxed now that
Miranna's feet were securely on the ground. I deliberated calling him over to retrieve my sister's lost jewelry, then settled against it. While the younger girls deemed this important, I thought it rather trivial, and would have been embarrassed to make anyone attempt this retrieval task, especially a member of Hytanica's Elite Guard.

“I'll try to reach it,” I finally groaned.

I pulled myself, with a distinct lack of grace, up on top of the rock outcropping, crouching down on its jagged surface. I could see Miranna's bracelet directly below me, shimmering with sunlight between the last of the bleak gray rocks that tumbled into the water, and I cautiously advanced toward it. As I could not reach it from my current position, I sat and continued to move forward, using the uneven edges of the stones as footholds. When it looked to be within my grasp, I seized the best handhold I could find and stretched toward it, straightening my arms as I attempted to rescue the bracelet from the clutches of the Recorah.

I wasn't close enough. Grimacing with frustration, I released my handhold very slightly, trying to gain another inch.

Things happened quickly then. My fingers were grasping air and my arm was waving about as if independent from my body, groping for something to keep me in place, but there was nothing to which I could cling to prevent myself from plummeting into the frothing water. As the river consumed first my left shoulder and then my hips and legs, I vaguely heard the sound of a high-pitched shriek, either from Miranna or Semari, but the water splashing into my mouth prevented me from uttering any cry of distress.

The raw torrent swirled around me, threatening to drag me under, and I sputtered and flailed, certain I would drown. Just as the current was about to sweep me away from the
boulders, I was half dragged onto the rock by a pair of strong arms. My dress, which was now soaked and extraordinarily heavy, seemed reluctant to leave the river behind, but this did not hinder my rescuer. My first coherent thought, strangely, as I coughed and fought to draw air into my burning lungs, was that London had somehow appeared to save me. When my breathing eased, I looked into the face of the man upon whom I was leaning for support, and felt a shock as intense as the one the cold water had just dealt me.

Narian. Narian had pulled me from the river. I hadn't known he was there, yet somehow he had been near enough to reach me and agile enough to save me without falling into the water himself.

“Where did you…?” I muttered in bewilderment.

“I came down the path,” he said as he nimbly jumped off the rock pile. “I saw you falling.”

As he turned to offer me a hand, Halias brushed him aside and lifted me to the ground. The Elite Guard had evidently seen me plunge into the water but had not been close enough to help. Narian must have been very close indeed to have grabbed me before I had yielded to the river's strength—much closer than either of the bodyguards and definitely closer than the path.

“Are you all right, Princess?” Halias asked urgently. “Are you hurt?”

“I'm fine,” I assured him, although my heart continued to pound in recognition of the danger in which I had placed myself, and I shook from the chill of the water. Tadark, who hovered a few feet away, might have been shaking more, however—I was, after all, his responsibility.

Miranna and Semari, who had been hanging on to each other as though afraid they might fall into the river as well,
now rushed to me. Miranna hugged me, having concluded that I would live, and then she and Semari began to laugh in relief. Even I had to chuckle a little bit at what had been an ungainly entry into the water.

As Miranna began to wring the water out of my long hair, Halias removed the royal-blue doublet he wore as a member of the Elite Guard, so that he stood in his white shirt, and insisted that I put the garment on for warmth. As I did so, I stared down at my skirt. It was rumpled and dripping, and grime from the rocks had collected among its thick folds. I looked at Narian and saw that his dark shirt and breeches were also wet where he had held me against him.

Halias, too, was now gazing at Narian, although there was a much edgier look upon his face than on mine. I realized that this must be confounding for both him and Tadark. They had been trained to notice and react the moment a disloyal eye flickered in the direction of a royal, and yet they had been effortlessly skirted by a sixteen-year-old boy. And, on top of that, this boy had just saved the dignity, if not the life, of one of their charges.