Chapter Eleven

“What business is your father undertaking with the Emperor?” Rey’s voice was cold enough to freeze blood. “Don’t deny it – we heard every word you said.”

Leea jumped, sending the bird flying into the air with a twitter of alarm until it settled on one of the ceiling beams.

“I was – I – nothing.” Leea clenched her fists and turned to face us, seeming to remember that she was the leader of the family at present. She straightened and faced Rey calmly. “I wished to speak with my father. It is a family matter and none of your business, sirs.”

“If it includes the Emperor, then we need to know about it,” Rey replied. “We already know you hid the Tears of Giera from us. Are you in league with the Emperor? Did he tell you to hide the gem?”

“No!” Leea’s composure crumbled. “Father told me to keep it safe until his return.”

“It’s safe with me now.” Rey’s lip curled with contempt. He unfolded his fingers to display the gem.

Leea gasped. “But we enchanted… How could you—”

“Your magic is feeble against that of the kings and the guardian,” Rey snapped. His eyes flashed. He looked less like a king, and more an avenging god. “Now, we want to know what your father is planning with the Emperor.”

Leea began to weep, sobs bursting from her. It was a complete change from the busy young woman about her magic, and again from the girl who’d pulled herself together when the kings burst in. Her bent head and shaking shoulders tugged at my sympathy, but I also had a sneaking feeling that she was exaggerating her emotions to give herself time to create a story that might placate the furious kings.

A noise sounded behind me. I glanced aside to see Essa slip into the room. She stepped around the kings to reach my side, taking in the scene.

“You found the Tears of Giera?” she murmured.

I felt a pang of guilt. I hadn’t brought Essa up to date with the results of our search. “Yes, we found the gem,” I summed up. The details could come later.

Leea glanced at Essa and me, attracted by the low hum of our voices.

“I’m sorry, I’ve done wrong,” she said, gulping a deep breath to hold back her tears. “I didn’t mean to deceive you, not really. But I did it for the right reasons.” Her gaze darted to the kings, then back to me and Essa. I wasn’t surprised she wanted to focus on us. The kings, to a man, looked furious, and frankly terrifying. I hoped Leea had learned the lesson not to deceive them, and that she was now telling the truth.

“I was trying to discover what has happened to my father.”

I stepped forward. “You said your father was away on business.” I folded my arms in echo of the kings. I didn’t want Leea to think I was a softer alternative. I wanted an explanation, and she had better hope it was convincing. “And now we find he has gone to the Emperor. What are his intentions?”

“He went to the citadel to speak to the Emperor,” Leea told me, swallowing a gulp. Her eyes were shiny from all the tears, her nose pink from crying. “A week ago, now. I haven’t heard from him since. He promised he would keep in touch.” She began to cry in earnest again, her words swallowed. “I’m … afraid…”

“Why did he go to the Emperor?” Axxon demanded.

“There was an appeal. The Emperor asked for those with magic to go and serve him. My father thought he could help the Emperor and he would restore our fortunes.”

The same announcement that had prompted my desire to leave Myledene and had swung this whole adventure into motion.

“And you haven’t spoken to him since?” I demanded. The Emperor was searching for the four kings. The last thing we wanted was for Leea to tell her father about the family’s sudden visitors.

“No. I don’t know if they even arrived. They could be…” Her words trailed off to be replaced by more sobbing.

Essa pushed past me to put her arm around Leea’s shaking shoulders. I felt a twinge of guilt, but only a twinge. Essa was a healer, used to offering comfort. I still wasn’t convinced of Leea’s motives, nor her truthfulness.

“Why did you lie to us?” Rey said. His fury had ebbed. He sounded as puzzled as he was annoyed. “Why would you even try?”

“I was afraid,” Leea stuttered.

“Why didn’t you ask us for help?” Essa chided.

“Father left me in charge. He told me to tell no one what he was doing. He only expected to be gone a few days.” She looked up, her watery eyes wide. “I’m sixteen. If one of the other families discovered that I was here alone… Well, we didn’t trust them not to try and steal our lands.”

Leea was worrying for nothing. Only a fool would want to steal unproductive land and starving people. I swallowed, because the kings had now made the lands of the Baloa family far more enticing.

“Can we help her?” I asked the kings.

“I suppose it would do no harm to send the bird.” Vashri glanced up. The creature was clinging to one of the rafters overhead. “I can tempt it down.”

“Or I can try a spell,” Essa offered.

“Thank you. I’ve been so scared for them.” Her voice was quiet, head bowed.

Essa gathered Leea into a full hug. “You were worried for your father. We understand that.” She met my gaze over Leea’s head. “You understand, don’t you, Kyann? You thought rescuing me first was more important than going to the four kings and helping them defeat the Emperor.”

I nodded. I didn’t like Leea, but I did understand. I’d been able to go after Essa. She must have been going crazy forced to stay here while her father walked into danger.

“I wish you’d arrived a week ago,” Leea said, recovering her composure. “They wouldn’t have left if they had the four kings to help.” If I’d gone to the kings immediately, rather than rescuing Essa first. “But what could I do? They’d already gone…”

“I understand.” Essa looked as though her own heart was breaking. “Loyalty to your family isn’t wrong.” She looked at me as she said that.

“No, it’s not wrong.” Axxon spoke slowly.

“I’ll help you find your father now,” Essa promised. “Come along.” She righted the chair and sat Leea down on it. Leea blotted her cheeks against the sleeve of her dress.

“What is your father’s name?”

“My father is Gern. And my brother went with him. He is Geedan.”

Memories swooped around me as all the links suddenly connected in my head. For a moment, I was back in the Emperor’s audience chamber. “Wait – your father and brother both went to serve the Emperor?” I demanded, stepping forward to brace my hands against the table to face Leea. When she’d talked of ‘they’ I thought she’d meant the servants who would have accompanied the head of the family. Two noble people, father and son, offering their magic to the Emperor…

That was why Leea looked familiar – I’d seen her father and her brother standing before the Emperor and being robbed of their magic. Now I knew, it was obvious: her jawline and the shade of her hair was identical to that of her sire and her brother. “He stole their magic,” I blurted.

Leea’s attention shifted from Essa to me. “What?” Her face paled. Her hands linked, clenching nervously.

“I saw them.” I glanced at Essa. She nodded, remembering the moment from whatever her enchanted perspective had been. “They reached the citadel. The Emperor heard their offer.” I swallowed. I wished I didn’t have to say the next part. I didn’t like Leea, but I knew how it felt to lose your family. “And then he stole their magic.”

Leea gasped. “You’re mistaken. My father is Gern of Baloa. The Emperor wouldn’t…” But the fear in her eyes showed that while her mind might protest the ruthlessness of the Emperor, her heart knew what he was capable of.

“I’m sorry. I saw it happen.”

Leea rose, her legs pushing the chair back. It clattered to the floor again; the noise loud in the silence. I sensed the kings behind me, while Essa’s horrified face echoed Leea’s expression. I expected more tears, but as Leea faced me, it was fury that coloured her cheeks. “You saw it happen?” she asked slowly, biting off each word as it left her tongue. “You watched? And didn’t stop him? Aren’t you supposed to be the guardian?” I barely saw the flash of blue around her hands before Leea launched herself at me, muttering the words of a spell as her fingers grabbed for my throat, the violence of her attack taking me by surprise.

The moment she touched me, Leea collapsed like a cloth doll. She dropped to the floor, her head giving a loud crack as it met the oak boards. I staggered backwards. My head hit the wall and black clouded my vision. I felt myself sliding. Then nothing.