The Lady of Toryn Anthology (Lady of Toryn trilogy) (71 page)

It had been just over a month since that fateful
night when she’d left Endro and headed for Storim. Physically, she was
unchanged- well, except for a fresh batch of scars.

Inside though, she felt years older, more confident
and yet a little uncertain of where she should be going next. The misguided and
lonely girl who had walked out of Endro a month ago was nowhere to be found,
but in her place was a young woman who had given up her birthright, her dignity.

She wasn’t exiled from Toryn, but the way that her
people had treated her after learning the circumstances of her birth had
been…less than cordial. Restlyn, or rather Lady Li, had no qualms about putting
anyone in their place over ill treatment of the former Elder Heir, but after a
few days Ashlyn had started to feel burdensome. Restlyn had more important
things to do as Lady of Toryn than defend her kid sister from bullies.

So Ashlyn had hopped a ride to Industry with Aaron,
but of course even there, things were different. She was still highly
recognizable as a member of FLD, the rebel group who had saved the sun, and it
was also well-known now that Ashlyn’s heritage was questionable. People
whispered behind their hands about how, after damning evidence surfaced, the
young Toryn been forced to step aside and allow the true Elder Heir to ascend
the pagoda.

Cosmea could, perhaps, be a haven from the rumors
and gossip. Cosmeans were far too focused on the Landslide Festival right now
to pay much attention to a disgraced ex-princess.

A light breeze picked up, sending a chill up
Ashlyn’s spine, and she shivered, tucking her scarf more closely around her
neck. With the wind came the unexpected scent of cherry blossoms, and she
stilled in surprise, inhaling deeply.

She looked around- there were no trees for miles,
and cherry blossoms didn’t grow on this continent anyway. How odd.

Suki nickered and bobbed her head enthusiastically,
and Ashlyn smiled, rubbing the mare’s velvety nose.

“Are you watching me, Dad?” she said out loud, and
leaned her forehead up against Suki’s, closing her eyes. “It’s been really hard
without you. Trying to handle everything. Trying to…trying to let go.”

A tear slipped down her cheek.

“I’m so happy for Restlyn. She is in her element.
Our people love her,” Ashlyn admitted, almost wishing that weren’t the case.
“They never would have felt that way about me. I wouldn’t know the first thing
about running a nation. Heck, I don’t even know the first thing about running
my own life. Look at the mess I made out of everything with you.” She paused,
and pulled away from Suki, running a hand affectionately down the horse’s
muzzle. “I know I made the right decision. I hope you’re proud of me. I hope…”
She shook her head. “I hope that this was what you meant, about redeeming
myself. I hope that’s what this is, because otherwise it just kind of feels
like I’m doing a whole lot of hurting for no reason at all.”

She waited in vain for a reply, some kind of sign.
But there was only the breeze, and the unusual scent of cherry blossoms. Ashlyn
smiled through her tears, feeling disappointed but knowing that she couldn’t
have expected more.

“Ashlyn?”

She turned, and saw Aik at the base of the path,
accompanied by two young men. One was leading a horse with several dead goats
slung over its back. Ashlyn wrinkled her nose at the sight.

“Hi,” she said, desperately hoping that the wolf
hadn’t heard her talking to her dead father.

“We were hunting,” Aik said, coming closer. His paws
made no sound in the red dirt. “Are you just passing through?”

“I’m…um, I’m actually here for the Landslide
Festival,” she said, shrugging awkwardly. “I’ve never been to one before, and I
didn’t want to wait another ten years.”

“So you’re planning on staying? That’s wonderful!”
Aik exclaimed. “I’m so happy to see you. May I have Kieran take your horse to
the stable? He can put your things in your room at the inn.”

“Uh…sure,” Ashlyn said as one of the young men
stepped forward and held out his hands for the reins. She handed them over, a
bit reluctantly, and patted Suki on the shoulder as Kieran led her away.

“Slave labor?” she asked Aik wryly as the two young
men began to lead the horses up the steps to Cosmea.

“Aspiring naturalists,” the wolf said grumpily.
“They follow me everywhere. I’m quite relieved to be rid of them, actually.
This will be the only moment of peace I have today. I thought maybe if I went
out hunting, they would leave me alone, but they insisted on coming along.”

“I bet you’re super happy to be the mayor right
now,” Ashlyn teased.

Aik ignored her humor and started for the stairs.
“I’ve decided I’m not running for a second term.”

“What? Why?” She jogged to catch up with him. “I
thought you loved being mayor.”

“I do. I…did.” Aik stopped at the bottom of the
stairs, and sighed. “My term isn’t over for another six months, but during that
six months I’ve got to find a way to successfully re-trap the Spirit of the
Caverns. Someone may end up having to give their life to cast the spell- and
that’s only if we are able to find the Stane of Nine Thousand in time.”

“That’s another reason why I’m here,” Ashlyn lied,
because truthfully she had forgotten all about the Spirit of the Caverns.
Again. “I’m here to help. You’re not alone.”

“No, I’m certainly not alone,” Aik muttered, sitting
on the bottom step and wrapping his tail around his legs. “Jackson is here. The
Spartans are here.”

“The Spartans?”

“Some of them. Ellis is the only one you’d know.
Jackson has the rest out searching for the stane,” the wolf said sourly. “I
cannot abide having them here. This, this
leadership
role isn’t for me.”

“The Spartans could make anybody crazy,” Ashlyn
said, and sat next to him on the stairs. “Believe me, I know. But you’ve done
such a good job up until now. I don’t think you should let this one little
thing keep you from running for a second term.”

Aik turned to face her. “It’s not just that,
actually. I want to look for my own kind. I could very well be the last wolf in
Kresmir. There’s no way of knowing until I’ve searched everywhere.”

Ashlyn suddenly felt very glum. “Searching
everywhere could take an awfully long time.”

“Yes. Much too long for me to consider juggling the
responsibilities of being mayor of Cosmea in addition to searching.”

She propped her chin on the heel of one hand, eyes
scanning the horizon. “Gosh, Aik. I thought you’d be mayor forever. I thought
I’d always have a room at the inn for free.”

The wolf looked keenly at her. “The mayor always has
a place to live in Cosmea. You’ve seen my home.”

“Yes, it’s lovely. But you won’t be mayor anymore.”
Ashlyn started when she realized what he was suggesting. “What? Oh, you’ve got
to be kidding me, Aik.”

“What? I feel like it’s fate, Ashlyn. You’re ready
to be a leader. You just need a city to lead.”

“I don’t need to be leading
anyone
right now, Aik, much less a city. With my mood swings, I’d
probably end up leading them right off a cliff. Bad idea. Bad dog.
Bad.”

Normally being called a dog would have offended Aik
to the point of distraction, but this time he caught on to her ruse and chose
to ignore it. “I’m not blind, Ash. I’ve seen how you changed over the past
month. I know how much it hurt you to give up Toryn. But what that shows me is
that you were mature enough to put the good of your kingdom before your own
personal desires.”

“You don’t know anything about my personal desires,”
she muttered. “I didn’t do so swell in that regard either, so shut it.”

Aik was silent for a long moment. “But you said
you’re here to help with the Spirit of the Caverns?”

“Well…that and the Landslide Festival.” Although she
was beginning to rethink her decision to stay.

“In that case, I’ll have plenty of time to convince
you.”

Ashlyn groaned. “Seriously, Aik, you must really
hate the Cosmeans if you want to inflict
me
on them.”

“What’s so wrong with you? I’m inclined to think
you’re pretty amazing.”

“Well, thank you. I am a rather bad-ass ninja, if I
do say so myself. But I’m also a total nut job. My moods are all over the
place. I have impulsive ideas, and what’s worse, I usually follow through on
these impulsive ideas with equally impulsive actions. Need I remind you of the
three times that I ran off on my own and nearly got myself killed this past
month?”

“You judge yourself so harshly,” Aik said, and
grinned. “Although those certainly were not your shining moments.”

“See? Bad idea.”

“How
are
you
doing?” he asked. “I didn’t get a chance to speak with you at the coronation.”

Ashlyn jutted out her lower jaw and blew a breath
upwards, fanning her bangs. “I’m fine.”

“Really?” His tone was questioning.

“Yep. Fine.”

“Hmm.”

They sat in silence for a handful of heartbeats, and
then Ashlyn said, “I just feel a little lost, you know? People treat me
differently now. I feel different now. I kind of feel like…a mix-up, somehow. I
feel like…like I have the heart of a princess and the face of a bastard. It
just feels all wrong.”

“You’re still a princess, Ash.”

She snorted. “In what fantasy world? I’m a total
joke. Raised as a lady, and yet here I am, heir to nothing. Ashlyn of no
people. You know, if it wasn’t for Restlyn, I couldn’t even be acknowledged as
Toryn.”

“I guess it’s a good thing she’s Lady of Toryn,
then. Aren’t you happy that she’s your sister? I thought you would be.”

“I am, believe me. I just wish I didn’t have to be…”
Ashlyn kicked at a pebble. “I wish I didn’t have to be illegitimate, too. It
sucks. I know it’s not as big a deal out here in the Free Lands, but in Toryn
that’s a huge stain. And even in Industry, people were whispering. It was so
frustrating.”

“Industry? Was that where you were before you came
here?”

“Huh? Oh- yeah. I caught a ride from Toryn with
Aaron. I was going to stay there a bit longer, but…” She trailed off.

Aik shook his head. “I know it’s not easy right now,
Ashlyn, but give it time. People will eventually stop talking. All wounds heal
in time.” A cold wind blew a tiny dust devil across the ground in front of
them, and he shivered. “Let’s go. It’s chilly out here.”

They began to ascend the stairs, and Ashlyn asked,
“So you said Jackson and the Spartans are here. What about Skye? He took off
from Toryn even before I did.”

Aik looked surprised. “He hasn’t shown up yet. I
assumed he was still in Toryn, helping Restlyn.”

“Nope.” Ashlyn considered her words for a moment
before saying, “Um…anyone else from FLD?”

Aik let out a sharp bark of laughter. “You just came
from Industry, so you must know that Aaron and Sara are there.”

“Yeah, they said they’ll be out in a week or two.”

“That leaves just one person, then.” Aik sounded
amused. “Very subtle, Ash.”

She blushed, but didn’t mind the teasing too much.
It wasn’t like her feelings for Drake were any big secret at this point. “Is he
here?”

Aik stepped off the stairs and nodded in the
direction of the Eternal Flame. “See for yourself.”

For a heart-stopping moment, Ashlyn thought he was
saying that Drake was here, in Cosmea- but when she turned to look at the
Eternal Flame, she didn’t see him. There were several couples dancing around
the fire, and then off to the right was a tall man with short, dark hair.

Ashlyn’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not Drake.”

Aik padded towards the stairs that led up to his
house. “I’ll see you later, Ash.”

“But wait- that’s not Drake!” It couldn’t be.
Confused, Ashlyn walked towards the Flame, frowning as she drew closer. The man
was facing away from her, staring into the fire, but even from this distance
she could tell it wasn’t Drake. He wore a waist-length tan coat. There were no
silver boots, no long black coat, and no glove on his left hand. His dark hair
was cut short. Drake’s hair had hung to his shoulders.

She actually paused halfway to the fire, wondering
why she was even bothering to get up close when this man so clearly was not
Drake.

Then he turned around, and her breath caught in her
throat.

She’d recognize those red eyes anywhere.

But…the rest of him…

She was rooted in place as he caught sight of her
and began walking, drawing closer with an easy, ambling stride. As more details
of his appearance became apparent, Ashlyn went completely still. This version
of Drake looked nothing like the man she’d fallen in love with. What had
prompted such a drastic change?

He stopped a few paces away from her, his hands in
the pockets of his jacket, his ruby eyes questioning.

Ashlyn finally found her voice. “You…cut your hair.”

“So did you,” he answered quietly.