Chapter Eight

The sun had gone down by the time that Mhavrych finally made his way out of the palace and back out into the village. He had spent the entire day in the drawing room with Rey and Creia discussing what needed to be done. Throughout the day others had joined them, including Kyven and Lucian, and the longer that the meeting stretched, the more heated it seemed to become. Though he knew that they were all dedicated to the same goal, it was as though the confusion and chaos had made it so that they were struggling to all come together to make the decisions that needed to be made. It was well after Emerie had brought them a meal in the middle of the day and they paused only long enough to eat it that they started to understand what each other was saying and to make meaningful progress.

Despite the progress that they started making, it still took hours longer for them to come to full agreement about the next steps to take and the strategies that they would use. It felt overwhelming and oppressive, and Mhavrych briefly wondered if he had made the right decision by getting more involved in the conflict than he was ever intended to be. Even as he thought that, however, he knew that he hadn’t truly had a choice. Though he had come here with one particular goal, he couldn’t turn his back on those who needed his help. As soon as he saw Kyven and Emerie in the quarry, obviously terrified and in severe danger, he knew that he couldn’t just leave them behind. He had intended to help only Kyven and Nylek and then to continue on with the mission that had brought him there, but then he had encountered Ellora in the tunnels. He had what he’d come for. He could have simply left, returned home, and continued on with what was expected of him, but if he had done that, he would have made himself a fraud. Though his role of Protector was technically limited only to the purpose that brought him to Uoria, he knew that there was much more to it. It would be a betrayal of all that he was meant to stand for if he had turned a blind eye to any of them, though he truly had no interest in being involved with any of it any more than he already had.

Finding out that Kyven was the son of Aegeus had made the time he sacrificed from his own critical mission saving him seem more tolerable, and this was only furthered when he discovered Ellora. Now he knew that his decision to give himself over to the conflict was not just about those moments. As Protector, he held the safety and perseverance of the Universe in the palm of his hand, even though those around him didn’t realize it. That role, however, had been almost abstract to him when he first took it on. Being a part of this war, however, took away the abstract and made the impact of his responsibility sharp and focused. He knew that as much as he tried to deny it, he was already deeply and intricately involved. He had been for many years. Since doing what he had been asked and bringing Casimir into exile, he was an inextricable part of this war and how it would unfold. There was a part of him that believed when he found the object that was now tucked away, hidden, that he was no longer needed. He felt that he had done his job, that he had gone as far as was expected of him and that he was no longer needed. Whatever else happened would have to be under their control because his responsibility had been fulfilled and from there he had no other need to continue his involvement. There was more to be done and the longer that he stayed invested here, the longer it would take for him to continue on.

It was evident now, though, that those thoughts had been misguided. Yes, he had what he had come looking for, but it wasn’t simply what he found, but what it represented that truly mattered. If he only guarded that and not what it meant, he was doing no good. This was his true role, his destiny, and from the moment that he had returned to Penthos and saved Kyven, he had confirmed it.

They had finally all agreed that they could no longer afford to wait the several days longer that it would take to fully train the army or to bring the Eteri into their training. They would have to be satisfied with what the soldiers had learned already and with trusting the winged warriors to use the skills that they had used in all the conflicts that they had encountered before to help them in every way that they could. They would leave as soon as they had everything that they needed prepared, in the shuttle, and ready for travel. This meant that the women and men who were working in the meeting hall to prepare food, garments, and weapons would have only a matter of hours to finish all their work before they started loading it into the waiting shuttle. Creia would go to Rain and ask her to work with some of the human men from the Nyx 23 settlement as well as the humans found hiding on the ship when it was on Penthos to ensure that the shuttle was ready for the trip while Rey worked with the elders on his council to devise plans for how they would deal with the aftermath of the war and what they would do should the fighting return to Uoria.

Mhavrych had no official responsibilities known to Rey or Lucian, but just before he left the palace Creia had pulled him aside to discuss the situation with Malcolm and Icelyn. Mhavrych hadn’t known what to tell him. It was unnerving enough to hear Lucian talking about the origins of the conflict, skirting far too close to secrets that were meant to be closely held and unknown to any but those who were entrusted with them. Mhavrych didn’t want to risk telling Creia anything that might put him in a position of revealing more of these secrets until the time came when it was no longer an option not to. In the moment he had decided that he would stand his ground, assuring Creia that they were safe and that when the time was right he would go back to them and bring them where they needed to be. Though he could tell that the Denynso King wasn’t fully comfortable with his response, Mhavrych wouldn’t tell him any more. Just as he had supported Mhavrych in the confrontation with Rey in their first meeting, Creia had relented, agreeing to trust Mhavrych. He left the palace knowing that his unspoken responsibility as they prepared to return to Penthos was to ensure that Malcolm and Icelyn stayed safe and to stay vigilant about the movements of the Order in hopes that he would be able to identify who had betrayed them, or stop any further threats.

The exhaustion of spending the entire day locked in such intense planning was evident and all that Mhavrych could think about was going to Athan’s house and going to sleep. He knew that there was much that he needed to do, but he needed a short rest first. He was making his way across the village when he noticed a hint of pale green shimmer coming from around the side of the bakery. Reminded of the glow that came from the wings of the mysterious woman wearing the star stone around her neck, he followed the light. The smell of fresh-baked bread was lingering in the air around the bakery and he filled his lungs with it, suddenly realizing how hungry he was after not eating since the meal that Emerie brought them. He wanted to go inside and claim one of the fresh loaves, but before he could reach for the door, he saw the woman’s face peek around the corner at him, and then disappear.

Mhavrych rushed after her but found that she was no longer there. He looked around and noticed her running behind another of the buildings several yards away. He ran after her, wishing that he could call out to her. She peeked around the building at him again, a smile curving her full, pink lips. Forgetting about his exhaustion, Mhavrych chased after her again. They ran through the village, the woman pausing occasionally to ensure that he could see her and would be able to catch up with her. She guided him through the small buildings that held the various businesses of the kingdom and then through the houses, moving further and further away from the center of the village. They had left the village and were at the edge of the orchard when he lost sight of her. Mhavrych stopped and whipped around, looking for the green shimmer of her wings, straining through the stillness for the sound of her musical voice.

Finally, he saw her perched in the branches of one of the trees ahead of him. Her ankles were crossed and she gazed down at him calmly, as though they hadn’t just been running through the kingdom.

“What’s your name?” he called up to her, feeling slightly breathless.

She continued to look down at him silently for a few seconds and then rose up off the branch, her transparent wings carrying her into the air a few feet before she flew deeper into the orchard. Mhavrych ran after her, but he realized in seconds that he could no longer see her. This was getting infuriating. Who was this woman? How could she possibly know who he was and that he would be looking for the star stone she wore? Where did she find the star stone, and how did she know its significance? Even the Order, including those of the Panel, didn’t know who he was. Only Aegeus and Casimir knew of him and the role that he played. It was that way intentionally, and the fact that she would know anything about it was nothing short of disturbing. It made him question everything.

Mhavrych ran further into the orchard, then saw the trail of her wings leading back in the other direction. He turned again and caught sight of her flying several feet above. She zoomed ahead and then landed lightly on her toes before setting off running again. She ran around the edge of a storage building and he chased after her, only to find, yet again, that she wasn’t there. Mhavrych leaned against the side of the building and drew in a few breaths. Suddenly he felt someone standing behind him and warm breath touching his ear.

“Kendra,” the woman whispered.

When he whipped around to face her, though she was running again, giggling as he took off again to chase after her. As frustrated as he was getting with her, Mhavrych couldn’t deny the attraction that he felt toward this beautiful and mysterious woman. She ran into the open space at the end of the kingdom and twirled in the grass, the shimmer from her wings swirling through the air and the gauzy skirt of her dress rising up to cling to her thighs.

“Who are you?” Mhavrych demanded as he approached her. “How do you know who I am?”

Kendra giggled again and continued to spin for a few moments before she took a step toward him.

“Does anyone really know who you are, Mhavrych? Have they figured it out yet?”

“What do you mean?”

She gave a mock look of shock and fluttered up a few feet into the air and then lowered back down as if she was more accustomed to flying than walking. She tilted her head at him with a playful look in her eyes.

“I guess not,” she said. “That’s alright. They will. Soon enough.”

“Who are you?” Mhavrych asked again, the frustration in his words reducing his voice to a shallow growl.

Kendra didn’t seem at all intimidated by him and Mhavrych found that even more unnerving. He watched as she took a casual step toward him, one hand reaching up to slip the delicate chain out from beneath the neckline of her dress again. Mhavrych could see the moonlight glinting on bands of metal that were entwined around the stone to hold it to the chain. He wanted to reach out for it, to grab it from her, but her fingers were wrapped firmly around it though she seemed to be presenting it to him.

“Don’t you recognize me?” she asked as she stepped up so close that he could see the pink flecks in her eyes beneath long, fluttering eyelashes.

She looked at him unflinchingly, seeming completely comfortable as she drew closer to him. His breath caught in his throat as she rose up onto her toes and brushed her face against his. Mhavrych could feel the warmth of the star stone against his chest as her lips touched his cheek and then moved to his ear so that she could whisper to him.

“I’m your wife.”