The Swarm Trilogy (45 page)

I turned around, looking for Chase. He and Lightning were still far in the distance. Apparently he didn’t want to race me. That was okay. It was the first time I’d been outside since Bryden’s death. I stood still, taking in all of the scents I’d locked away during the rawest part of my mourning.

The wisteria was in full bloom, crawling up the side of the barn. Spring had come early. I hid myself away from the world during winter. It seemed appropriate at the time.

I still wasn’t sure what the future held for me. I needed to figure out a way to defeat the Malborn army and stop my own people, the Dalagans, from attacking anyone else. And then what? My future was a blank canvas.

A movement at the side of the barn caught my eye. A shock of blond hair and a tiny foot peeked around the corner. I dropped Aphotica’s reins and tiptoed closer.

“I can see you. It’s okay to come out.” I didn’t want to spook her by jumping around the corner. I could wait.

The hair shook side-to-side and the slippered toe pulled back behind the wall.

“Oh well, she’s gone,” I said out loud to myself, hoping to draw her out again. I stood still and the little black shoe poked out again, followed by the appearance of half a face and an inquisitive eye, peeking around the side of the barn.

“I’m Lianne.” I squatted down, my head now level with hers.

“I know who you are,” she whispered. “You’re the one who will destroy us all.”

Chapter Four

I reached my hands out, palms up. “Do I look like someone who’s out to destroy everyone?”

My hair fell over my shoulder, reminding me again that I’d changed. Of course I looked like a horrible nightmare to this sweet child. I withdrew my hands and stood up, brushing the dirt off my pants.

“Lianne!” Chase called. Lightning’s hooves beat on the ground, creating an echoing shake along the earth. I felt the vibration through my boots. Even Aphotica nickered and shook her nose from side-to-side.

I looked over my shoulder at him, then turned back to the little girl. She’d already run off.

As Chase reared up next to me, I asked, “Who was that little girl? Did you see her?”

Chase nodded and slid off of Lightning’s back. “She’s the stable master’s daughter, Wren. She’s about eight, I think. She was probably bringing him lunch. Did she talk to you?”

I shook my head. I didn’t want to tell him what she’d said to me. I knew I was frightening now, but I had no intentions of destroying everyone. I wanted to stop the fighting, not make everything worse. Total destruction was not my goal.

“I would have been shocked if your answer was yes.” Chase tied Lightning’s reins around a post. I glanced at Aphotica, who was standing still, untethered, and seemingly uninterested in running off. Chase reached out for her reins, but she took a nip at him. He pulled his hand back quickly, narrowly missing a painful warning from her. “You better tie her up before she takes off.”

I looked at Aphotica. If I thought it was possible, I would have sworn she rolled her eyes. I shrugged at her, then took the reins and tied them to the post like Chase had.

“Why would it be such a shock for Wren to talk to me? Am I that unapproachable?” I glanced down at my embroidered leather pants and red corset. Was it the clothes or my hair and eyes?

“She’s never spoken to anyone.” Chase reached into a barrel and pulled out two apples. He tossed one to me and I caught it in a shaky hand. He held his apple out to Lightning, so I did the same with Aphotica.

“Actually, she did say something to me,” I said.

Chase turned his back on Lightning, totally ignoring the horse as it tried to grab the apple from his hand. Lightning’s lips pulled back in a grimace and he blew a puff of air at Chase’s head. “What did she say?”

“She said that I’d destroy everyone or something like that. She seemed really scared of me and ran off while my back was turned. I don’t know what she was talking about.”

“I’m stunned she spoke at all. I wasn’t kidding when I said she’s never spoken to anyone. I meant it. Not once ever. We should tell someone.”

“Johna?” I asked, meeting his eyes. I still hadn’t met Chase’s mother yet, so I wasn’t sure if I could trust her, and hadn’t seen Chase’s father since the day he took Bryden’s body away. The burial had been private, with no one in attendance. I couldn’t bring myself to watch them lower him into the cold ground. I wanted it that way and everyone was respectful of me. Or of Chase. I wasn’t sure which.

“Yeah,” Chase said. He untied Lightning’s reins from the post. He nodded his head, indicating I should do the same for Aphotica. I fumbled with the leather straps, my fingers trembling, still unnerved by Wren. We led the horses to the stable.

I avoided the stable master’s eyes. I didn’t want to be the one to tell him I’d been the recipient of his daughter’s first words.

If she’d never spoken to anyone and she talked about destruction, then it had to mean something. Something bad.

Chapter Five

Chase and I knocked on Johna’s chamber door. I felt my breath catch in my chest. It wasn’t Johna I was afraid of seeing. It was my mother, Kiran. I’d overheard two maids talking about how she was Johna’s new apprentice.

After we defeated Kiran, Chase’s contact, Xaxier, took her away. I hadn’t seen her since. Chase assured me she’d been taken care of and couldn’t use her magic anymore. I wasn’t sure what that meant.

How could I face Bryden’s murderer? Not to mention, the woman who’d siphoned my twin sister’s magic into me, given me up for adoption, and then expected me to join her in conquering both societies once my magic had awakened?

I’d refused to see her because I knew if I did, I’d probably kill her. Whether it was by accident or because I couldn’t control myself, I knew that she didn’t deserve to live if Bryden was dead.

Chase slung his arm around my shoulder and he pushed the door open. We walked through the double doors into an enormous room filled with herbs of every size and shape. The scent of lavender wafted into my nose, immediately calming my nerves.

“Well, hello, child.” Johna stood at a table, grinding herbs with her mortar and pestle. “I’m pleased you’ve finally decided to join the land of the living again. I was worried I was going to have to barge into your room and force you out.”

“I’m glad you didn’t. I probably would have singed your hair with my magic or something.” I strode over and fell into Johna’s outstretched arms. She smelled of spearmint and thyme, an odd combination that fit her perfectly.

“I’m sure you didn’t come for a simple visit. Nothing’s ever easy with you. What’s happened?”

Johna knew me too well. If I ever had to hide something from her, I wasn’t sure how I would do it.

“Wren spoke to Lianne.” Chase didn’t take the time to give an explanation.

Johna’s eyes widened and her lips pursed together. Her tools clattered on the table, the heavy ivory leaving multiple dents in the soft wood.

“No.” It came out no louder than a whisper. I squeezed Johna’s empty hands. Her face lost its color as she slowly sank to her chair.

“What?” I didn’t let go of Johna’s hands, but I still managed to crane my neck toward Chase. “What?” I asked him, hoping he’d have an answer, but the vacant expression in his eyes told me he knew nothing. His only concern was for Johna.

He shook his head, then joined us at the table. Placing a hand under her elbow, he stroked Johna’s hair back from her sweaty face. “Are you okay?”

She didn’t move, but in the faintest voice I could hear her muttering under her breath.

“I can’t understand her, can you?” I asked Chase.

He leaned in closer, resting his ear near her rapidly moving lips. Moving back, he lifted his fingers in front of her face and snapped. She didn’t come back to us. Her lips continued to move in the same pattern over and over again, lost to us.

“I think I know what she’s saying,” Chase said.

“What?”

“Reychel. That’s my mother’s name.”

Chapter Six

Chase hadn’t spoken much about his mother in the time I’d known him. Their relationship was strained, but I wasn’t quite sure why. He’d never elaborated and I was too buried in my grief to push much further. I stuck my head out the door and begged one of the slaves to find his mother.

I closed the door. His eyes focused on mine. I couldn’t make out his thoughts. Was he nervous or angry? “I guess you’re about to meet my mother.” He rubbed Johna’s back lightly, stroking his palm in long swipes. She lay silent in his arms, unmoving. Her heart was still beating, though. She hadn’t left us.

“I hope the slaves are able to find your mother quickly.”

“They aren’t slaves. Those people choose to work here and my parents pay them for their work.”

My eyes grew wide. Slavery was a common way for any kingdom to run their day-to-day operations. I’d never heard of paying people to work in a castle.

“My mother was a slave here as a child.”

“Wait,” I held up my hand, “I thought your mother and father ruled Serenia.”

“They don’t. Not really. She was a slave and also happened to be the daughter of the previous Malborn ruler, Kandek.” He sighed. “Now she and my father act as figureheads for the queen. It’s a long story.”

“Apparently. Will you tell me someday?” Not because I felt the need to dig into their personal business. I just wanted to know Chase better. He knew everything about me. It was time I learned more about him.

A knock fell on the door. It slowly opened. A beautiful, dark haired woman stepped through the doorway. I immediately saw Chase in her features.

She swept past me, with only a fleeting glance, and sank to the floor in front of Johna. She took Johna’s hands in hers, kissing the tops of them.

“Johna, it’s Reychel. Come back, dear friend.” Reychel massaged Johna’s cheeks. She looked up at Chase, her eyes narrowed. “What caused this? Did you do something?”

Chase backed up, holding his hands in the air. “I didn’t do anything. We just told her something and then she reacted this way. I’ve never seen her do anything like this before, have you?”

“Yes, I have,” Reychel admitted. She put her ear up to Johna’s lips. “She hasn’t been well lately. Johna was an old lady when I met her twenty years ago. She’s never confessed her true age to me. None of us live forever.”

I kept off to the side, silent and worried. In the short time I’d known her, Johna had wormed her way into my heart. I hated seeing her age rear its ugly face in the form of seizures.

“She keeps whispering that the end of times is here,” Reychel said, pulling back from Johna. “What did you tell her?”

I put my hand on Chase’s chest. “I’ll handle this.” I faced Reychel. “We were outside the stables when Wren peeked at me around a corner. She said I was the one who would destroy everything. Wren is the stable master’s daughter.”

“I know who she is, Lianne.” Reychel stood up, leaving Johna still lying in Chase’s arms. She put her hands on my shoulders. I flinched under her strong gaze, but stood firm.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’m not gifted. I’m not going to reach into your mind.” I thought her eyes flicked momentarily toward Chase when she said she wasn’t gifted. Was she jealous of his magic? Is that why their relationship was strained? “Do you know why she said that to you? Did you do something to make Wren speak? Who spoke first?”

“I rode up on Aphotica, got off the horse, then she said those words to me.”

Reychel removed her hands, then stepped backward.

“Maybe Wren was just scared,” Chase offered.

Reychel’s head snapped toward him. “Do you really think a girl who hasn’t spoken her whole life is going to say something like that to a stranger as her first words? No, I think Johna’s right.”

“Right about what?” Chase and I asked in unison. I was relieved I wasn’t the only one who didn’t understand what was happening.

Reychel spoke, her voice heavy with sadness. “It has begun. You are the one who will tear our world asunder.”

Chapter Seven

Chase and I left, giving Johna time to recover. We walked back to our chambers. I wanted to reach out to Chase, to tell him I was sorry. I just didn’t know how to say it right. If he hadn’t met me, then maybe neither of our worlds would have been turned upside down. If his visions and drawings had just stayed locked up in their crate we’d be on different paths.

Chase stopped suddenly. I stumbled over my boots in an effort to stop too. Unfortunately I tripped over my toes and fell forward. Before my hands could hit the hard stone floor, I felt Chase’s arms wrap around my waist. He held me steady until I could straighten up.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“Sorry? I’m the one who stopped and caused you to stumble.”

“No, not that. I meant about whatever just happened back there with your mother and Johna. I guess I cause upset and destruction wherever I go.”

Chase surprised me. A big smile spread across his face, followed by a loud laugh. “I was stopping to apologize to you for my mother. She couldn’t even be bothered to introduce herself properly or treat you with respect. We don’t have a great relationship. I’m sorry that spilled over into your first meeting with her.”