The General and the Princess

Chapter 47 || Kiva

Before Kiva left the hospital for the night, she stopped by Tal's bedside. He was a strange man, a quiet loner with darkness inside of him. Kiva worried that he had no one to care for him, that he would suffer through his injury alone. For whatever reason, he had targeted her as a partner in his espionage work on behalf of the Resistance, and for whatever reason of her own, she had agreed to join him. Kiva found his cot on the edge of the tent where he lay with one hand clutching the knife wound in between his ribs and the other clutching the sacred book that held his genius. He appeared to be sleeping, but when Kiva sat down on the edge of the cot, his eyes opened.

Tal coughed a little, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth. "Kiva."

"How do...you must feel horrible."

He grinned grimly, his dark eyes dull. "I do. There's so much to be done, but..." He broke into another fit of coughing, clutching at his ribs and curling painfully on his side.

Kiva gently touched his shoulder, helping him to lean back onto the cot. "You need to rest or it will take even longer to heal. Whatever you need to do can wait for tomorrow."

Tal's eyes suddenly opened as broad as the moon, and he leaned forward and grabbed her arm, his fingernails sinking into her flesh. "It can't wait! Do you hear me, it can't wait! It can't wait."

Taking advantage of his weakness, Kiva wrested her arm from his grasp and held him to the cot by his shoulders. He struggled for a moment, pitching to and fro, but finally stopped fighting. However, his eyes remained centered solely on her. His eyes were dark and strong but not chaotic. They were not the eyes of a man driven to lunacy by pain.

His voice cracked as he whispered, "Kiva, I'm serious. It can't...it can't wait."

Tal fell into another coughing fit, but Kiva's curiosity was piqued. What was so important that it could not wait a day or two until he recovered?

"What are you talking about, Tal?" Her voice was sharp as she kept firm pressure on his shoulder.

Tal sagged into the cot, relaxing his limbs. "Tonight...tonight at dusk. I need to be there. I need to go..."

His confused message was again interrupted by a fit of coughing, and Kiva released his shoulders and helped him to sit up a little. When he was able to breathe again, he struggled to continue.

"You remember what I do, what I offered to you...you agreed. That hasn't changed? You're still committed to ending Sari as we know it?"

Tal's dark eyes seemed to rip through her, and Kiva answered before she could even think, "Yes, of course. My word is as good as my actions."

"Good. You know of Avlyn?"

Kiva thought back to the maps in Inver's tent and recalled the small section of Brenlyn that was in the northwest and had long been considered wild, empty, and untamed.

"Yes, in Brenlyn. It's said to be inhabited by only a few wild men."

"Fortunately, that's is no longer true. In the past, it was uninhabited, but men and whole families have been gathering there quietly. They are angry, rebellious, desperate for change. Vinrys is moving into Brenlyn, and they hate it. They've been growing in numbers, dissenters from Savyl and other parts of Brenlyn, refugees and rebels. From what little I know, they're vicious. Now that I am against Vinrys rather than for him, we would be wise to enlist their help. A few days ago, I sent a missive to Avlyn through a Resistance guard requesting a meeting. They could be the forces we need to not only survive but to conquer Vinrys. Kiva, the meeting is scheduled for tonight at dusk, in less than a half day's time. I need to be there."

Tal's eyes were afire with urgency as he stared at her, and Kiva knew what was to be done.

"I'll go."

"I should-"

"We both know you can't; you wouldn't last a mile with a wound like that. I'll go. I can fight my way out if need be, and I know the Resistance better than almost anyone. What do I need to know?"

Tal hesitated. "I...I should be there."

Kiva snapped, "Well, that's not an option. Sorry. I'm going to go, and you're going to tell me what to do. You recruited me to be a part of this, and unfortunately, that starts now."

He sighed. "There's not much to tell. That's why I wish I were going, but I obviously can't. They may be dangerous; I know little about them. I know they are angry and wish for death more than peace. They make the Resistance seem generous, charitable, and peaceful. I think we need their partnership to ultimately best Vinrys, but I'm nervous. Tonight, you will meet with them at the Port of Hiktid along the coast at dusk. Learn what you can about them, but don't tell them how many we are. Tell them of our victories, but not our defeats. We must present a strong front in case they ever were to turn on us. Be firm. We seek their alliance, but we need some assurance of their solidarity. As this is the first meeting, there should be no need for you to decide what that should be. Just...be careful."

Tal leaned back into the cot after his description of the coming Avlynians. The wind grew vociferous and drowned out any more of their words, and for a moment, Kiva attempted to understand the task before her.

"This could turn the tide of our war."

He agreed with a cough. "This may not be just our war."

Kiva rose to her feet, leaving the shriveled, injured man alone on his cot. "Alright. I'm going. I think I can still make it on time if I leave right away."

As she started to stride towards the stables, she stopped abruptly. Riyel. She could not just leave without telling him like Justyn had done. This may only be for a night, but he needed to know. However, with the sun beginning its downward trek and a long ride ahead of her, she did not have the time to seek him out. Desperate to leave him with some missive of her absence, she rushed back to Tal's side. His eyes were closed, but Kiva spoke regardless.

"Tal, I need you to do something for me."

His eyes wavered open. "Yes...what?"

"Tell Riyel. He needs to know that I'm gone. Swear to me that you'll tell him? I'll be back by tomorrow morning at the latest if all goes well, but he needs to know. Swear it to me."
Tal nodded. "I'll send a warrior to tell him. Now go, daylight is fading."

Kiva hesitated for only a moment then took off at a quick jog to the stable. In only a few moments, she was off, riding again, but this time she was alone. Her heart pounded in her chest with every beat of the horse's hooves as she anticipated the task before her. A great weight rested on her shoulders, but only Tal knew of it. Even Inver, she was sure, did not know the task laid upon her. Kiva forced herself to think through everything she knew of Avlyn from her own scarce knowledge and Tal's brief description. She thought of what she should and should not say. She tried to consider every possible scenario, considering her weapons as the last resort for the encounter.

The sun had barely set by the time she skidded into the port, her horse frothing and foaming and her face heated. Tying the horse to a nearby tree, she brushed her hair behind her ears inside of her hood and walked to the coast, searching out the dark ship that was supposedly awaiting her arrival. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness and the sound of the rippling water and the cool coastal wind coming from the sea, she barely saw the armed men before they threw a bag over her head, hit her with something hard in the head, and dragged her limp body onto their ship.

~~~~~

And there it is, folks! The last chapter from Kiva's perspective! On Thursday I'll post Alleyni's chapter and then this book will be complete. Thanks so much for your support!

~ Hannah