Through The Storm

f o u r t e e n

The warm yellow of the fires blazing in the brackets lining the walls hit me first. The merry music wafting through the empty corridors hit me next. And the tall, mesmerizing woman standing in front of the three of us hit me last.

Well, she hit Murphy if I am to speak literally. She pulled her arm back and struck his bicep with a heavily-jeweled fist, a glare on her face. I was alarmed. Murphy, apparently, wasn't. He just rubbed his arm through the black cloth -she must be strong if it actually hurt him through all that muscle, I thought- as he bowed his head. "My apologies, Your Highness."

I drew in a long breath. This was Queen Rhiannon. Garbed in flowing robes of deep blue velvet, her willowy figure embraced by the fabric, she had her silver hair piled upon her head in a graceful knot. A few strands fell on each side of her face, too neat to be anything but deliberate. The neck of her gown dipped enough to reveal her sharp collarbones, above which hung an intricate necklace of net-like gold. Her breathtaking face was not even loosely similar to Kaya's, not a wrinkle to be seen. But she had the same lilac eyes, possibly a shade warmer. Perhaps most striking of all was the glittering crown of lilac jewels on her head, her hair delicately woven to hold it in place.

"Why did you permit Wick to handle my daughter?" she hissed. She hadn't even registered Blake and I skulking behind Murphy yet.

"Trust me, your Highness, no harm will come to her. I've sent in Robert to escort her once she enters the Keep."

The Queen's glare softened, and her gaze finally flitted to us. To me.

"I'd bow if there were no risk of being seen," she murmured in tones of honey, her lavender eyes boring into mine.

I gulped. "Th- there's absolutely no need to," I said as firmly as I could. The Queen of Aerlyn, bowing to me... no. I would not, could not handle that. "The honour is mine."

She looked at me approvingly. "As humble as Rose said."

I couldn't stop the scowl that snapped into place. So she knew about Rose too, did she?

Murphy coughed awkwardly and said, "Ashryn's... not too keen on the idea of us using little girls in this risky business."

I would have launched into a heated explanation how I wasn't too keen on the idea of using any child in such a business, girl or boy, had the Queen's eyebrow not arched delicately, her expression guarded. "Ashryn?"

"That's the name she goes by in Bracken," he explained. I did not look away from the Queen's assessing gaze. "That's the name they gave her for her safety."

The Queen cocked her head to the side, still assessing me- and I saw Kaya in her all at once. "It is good to know they paid heed to our instructions... even if they forgot the most crucial one."

Curiosity bubbled in me, and I blurted, "Which was what, exactly?"

She just smiled, not offended by my lack of manners. She hadn't, after all, been talking to me. "Caedmon had demanded them to be good parents to you. I doubt they remembered that."

Quiet settled over me. I reached for Blake's hand again- my anchor to reality. The Queen's eyes followed my hand... and her eyes settled Blake. I stiffened as I saw her assess him at once with calculating scrutiny. Too much like I used to assess the deer I was to strike down with my arrow in a life long-lost. Blake just stared back- neutral, save for his curiosity.

"He is their child, is he not?" the Queen asked finally, presumably talking to Murphy. I could only guess; she didn't remove her gaze from Blake.

Without waiting to find out, I nodded and added resolutely, "And my brother." I felt Blake's hand squeeze mine tight, almost in gratitude. My heart swelled.