Rifts E-Book

A.C. Donaubauer

• Herausgeber: via tolino media
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

Right after her arrival in Takhan Eryn has to face a shocking revelation. Then there is a rather tense relationship with Ram’an as well as the tedious preparations for the last healer exam with Sarol, who considers mediocre performance a personal insult. While Enric is getting to grips with his role as Head of House Aren and senator and Vern seems to have found in Takhan his ideal home, Eryn is still fighting to somehow cope with her anger.

Leseprobe

Contents

Imprint

Chapter 1 - An Unpleasant Arrival

Chapter 2 - Facing Valrad

Chapter 3 - Settling a Debt

Chapter 4 - The Announcement

Chapter 5 - The Welcome Dinner

Chapter 6 - Settling in

Chapter 7 - An Idea

Chapter 8 - The Supervisor

Chapter 9 - Health Check

Chapter 10 - Ram'an's Approach

Chapter 11 - The Game

Chapter 12 - Therapy

Chapter 13 - Vern's Frustration

Chapter 14 - Unexpected Consequences

Chapter 15 - Politics

Chapter 16 - Breakthrough

Chapter 17 - The New Academy

Chapter 18 - A First Approach

Chapter 19 - Drawing Lesson

Chapter 20 - Aiding House Arbil

Chapter 21 - The Fire

Chapter 22 - A New Arrival

Chapter 23 - Punishing Orrin

Chapter 24 - A Dance with Consequences

Chapter 25 - Forgiving

Chapter 26 - Cornering Ram'an

Chapter 27 - Vern's Affair

Chapter 28 - An Unexpected Guest

Chapter 29 - Tea's Potential

Chapter 30 - Bonding

Chapter 31 - Incrimination

Chapter 32 - News from up North

Chapter 33 - Lifting the Bond

Chapter 34 - Travelling

Chapter 35 - A Lead

Chapter 36 - A Peculiar Aren

Chapter 37 - The Stain

Chapter 38 - Charitable Outreaches

First published in March 2017

2nd edition

Copyright © 2019

Astrid Donaubauer-Grobner

Waltenhofengasse 3/3/3302

1100 Vienna, Austria

The author online:

www.ac-donaubauer.com

www.facebook.com/acdonaubauer

Cover: Biserka Design

Editing: Jürgen Donaubauer

Proofreading: Philip Scott

ISBN 978-3-9504425-2-6

* * *

For Heidi. Thanks for once again enriching my life.

Let’s not wait for 15 years next time…

CHAPTER 1

An Unpleasant Arrival

Enric stood on deck watching the sun set. He marvelled at the colourfully painted layers of red, orange and yellow, the effects of light and shadow among the clouds and the reflections on the calm surface of the sea. Sunsets at home just didn’t appear like this; he wondered why they were that much more spectacular here. Maybe he could find a book on that somewhere.

It had been a while since he had taken the time to watch a sunset. Sunrises, yes. He was an early riser and had for many years lived with bedroom windows angled in the right direction. But hardly ever sunsets. There was always work to do, though he had pretty much stopped working late since he had started living with Eryn. She was a good motivation for finishing on time, a reason to come home.

Right now she was asleep in their cabin. Pe'tala had observed her being physically sick several times and then sent her off to sleep with a little magic, cutting off her protests in mid-sentence. Eryn had been too surprised to raise any of her defences in time and had just sunk limply. At least he wouldn’t be the one to pay for that later.

He had been worried about taking two pregnant women along on the long journey to Takhan, but so far everything had gone well enough.

Which was a relief as the start had not been too promising. While Junar had been more than willing to take a seat in the coach they had arranged, Eryn had not been thrilled about being expected to travel in it as well. She had tried to argue that fresh air would be beneficial for herself and the child, but Pe'tala had explained that several hours of riding in unfamiliar surroundings with a horse she didn’t know was not a wise thing to undertake in her current condition. If she lost concentration and made a minor slip or if the horse was startled - which was quite a realistic chance with a mountain cat trotting nearby - she might fall and get hurt. He had listened to their discussion for a few minutes and then decided to intervene. He had offered Eryn two choices how to travel to Bonhet, neither of which contained the option of her being on the back of a horse: either awake or asleep.

She had flashed him an evil look and boarded the coach none too happily. Junar had been vexed about Eryn not wanting to ride in the coach with her and thus they had started the journey with three uneasy men, an unnerved healer and two grumpy, expectant women.

Vern had initially wanted to go in the coach as well as he had wanted to use the time for some reading, but had thought better of it when the two women started bickering. Enric hadn't blamed him. He wouldn’t have endured this voluntarily for two days, either.

Junar had at one point started crying, something she was prone to lately, and Orrin had asked to delay their departure for some minutes so as to comfort her, while giving angry looks at Eryn at the same time.

That Eryn had found it necessary to point out to the others that this was exactly the reason why she didn’t want to be stuck with the other woman in a small, enclosed space for two days had not exactly helped, either.

Vern had at one point given Enric a pleading look and asked whether sending Eryn to sleep was still open for discussion. Enric had told him that he was welcome to try that any time, as he himself was not willing to endure her wrath once she woke up again.

That had made Eryn angry at Vern. All of which led to a very disgruntled group departing the city.

They had stopped several times for Junar to get rid of parts of her breakfast again and had thereby needed around an hour longer than planned to reach their destination in the evening.

The second day had been easier as Junar had resorted to making do with a few slices of bread throughout the day to keep her stomach from rebelling too much. She had then devoured three helpings of the stew the publican in Bonhet had served in the evening to make up for her sparse fare during the day.

Eryn had been immensely surprised at how much Bonhet had changed since they last passed through during their first journey to Takhan about nine months ago. More people, more buildings and a general busyness that had not been there several months earlier.

Enric had taken a walk through the village with her, showing her the buildings he had constructed, giving her a tour through the shipyard and the tally house, strolling along the piers and jetties.

She had been pleased with how the workers had treated him: with respect but without the reflexive awe and admiration his rank inspired in most people back in the city of Anyueel. Not being constantly reminded of the importance and wealth of magicians had made country people act in a more down-to-earth manner when dealing with them. It probably also helped that their travelling clothes were not as elegant and showy as their usual attire. Wearing what they did, they looked functional and dusty after being on the road all day long instead of screaming rich magician to those who saw them.

They had boarded the ship after dinner as sleeping at the public house did not make sense since it would just cost them an entire night of travelling time. They could just as well employ the cabins on board to rest in.

Eryn had looked a little pale already before boarding the vessel. She obviously remembered well enough the last time she had been on a ship. Enric had explained to her that his was a larger vessel than last time, which meant that it was not as prone to the influence of lighter swell and would thus not rock as much.

It had taken Eryn less than an hour to vomit her dinner back up.

Amazingly enough, Junar did not seem to be suffering from any sea-sickness whatsoever - somewhat unexpected as her stomach had not been cooperative at all these last few months. Vern seemed to be immune to the rocking as well and spent most of his time drawing pictures of everything he saw, asking the crew members to show and explain things to him, as well as reading.

Orrin was another matter. His skin had taken on a slightly greenish tinge, but as neither Enric, Pe'tala, Vern nor Junar showed any sensitivity to the constant pitching of the ship, he was determined not the be the only one apart from Eryn showing weakness. When asked, he replied that everything was fine. Pe'tala and Vern had both offered to send him to sleep until they reached Takhan, but he had not wanted to hear any of that and kept insisting that all was well.

The wind was good, so they were expected to reach the city tomorrow in the late morning hours.

Enric turned when he saw Pe'tala climbing up from under deck. She nodded to him when she spotted him and stepped next to him, leaning against the railing.

“Eryn is still asleep. I will keep her that way until the morning when we have left the sea behind us and are on the river.”

He nodded. “Thank you. I admit I am glad that you are the one doing this as it would have fuelled her anger at me otherwise.”

She smiled. “This is one of the unpopular things healers are used to taking care of. Helping people does not always make them thank us.”

“Not even other healers?”

She snorted. “Especially not other healers. Healers are the worst patients you can imagine. They think they know everything much better and do not need any help. And if they are willing to admit that a little aid would be a good idea, they try to tell you how to do it properly.”

He chuckled. “Good thing healers don’t need each other’s help too often, then.”

She nodded. “That is fortunate, indeed. We would otherwise have to increase the price for their treatment as they are particularly burdensome.”

“Does this apply to you as well or are you more conscious of it all?”

Pe'tala grinned. “Of course it applies. I am worse than most. Can you imagine my having to admit to needing help in a field which I am known to be very proficient in? I pity any healer who has to deal with me.”

Enric regarded her thoughtfully. “It is good to see you smile, Tala,” he said softly. “I haven't seen that in a while. I can't help but get the impression that you are worried and restless. This is not your usual impatience with the world in general but something else. And you maintain your distance from Eryn, even though you keep watching her when you think nobody is noticing. What is the matter?”

She bit her lip and dropped her head. “It seems I need to be more careful around you. I am not used to people paying that much attention to their surroundings.”

“Talk to me,” he insisted. “It is something that has to do with Eryn, I am almost sure of it. Is everything alright with her and the child?” His voice had taken on a slightly concerned tone.

Shaking her head, she reached out for his hand and squeezed it when he took it. “No, Enric, I promise you that everything is alright with both of them. And let me tell you how very touched I am with the extent of both your and Lord Orrin’s concern for your companions’ wellbeing. It is not something I would have associated with warriors. It seems I fell prey to the common prejudice of fighters being no more than insensitive barbarians. I should have known better.”

He exhaled in relief. “Good. Then what is it that you are fretting about?”

Pe'tala slid her hand back and turned away from him to look out into the darkness. “There is something Eryn will learn after we arrive in Takhan. It will be a surprise, and not a pleasant one, I suspect. Be prepared for her to be very distressed about the news she is about to receive.”

“What news?” he insisted, frowning.

“It is not my place to tell you. I can see that you are worried now, but please do not push me. You will learn of it in less than one day. I promise.”

Enric nodded slowly. “Alright, I respect your wishes. Just one more question, then I will leave it alone: does it have anything to do with her father?”

She looked up at him sharply. “You are a perilously sharp man, Enric. It would really be reassuring if you were wrong every now and again, you know.”

He smiled without humour. “It is a burden at times. But I thank you for the warning. And thank you for taking care of her. I will try to catch some sleep now; it seems that I need to be well-rested and alert for tomorrow.”

“Good night, Enric. Sleep well.”

He climbed down the stairs and opened the first door to the right behind which Eryn slept peacefully, if not of her own free will. News about her father. And none she would appreciate. What a pity that her second arrival in Takhan might not be much more pleasant than her first.

* * *

Eryn slowly opened her eyes and stared up into two faces that looked down at her. Enric and Pe'tala. They took a step backwards when she slowly sat up. Memory returned to her and she shot Pe'tala an affronted look.

“You put me to sleep, just like that!”

Shrugging, the other woman leaned against the door. “I did so, yes. You were too proud to agree to it and I had no intention of letting your retching keep me awake all night. So I did us both a favour. No need to thank me.”

“Yes, exactly. Thanking you was just what I had in mind…” she muttered and carefully got up from the platform bed to stretch.

“You’d better get dressed and wash yourself, my love,” Enric put in. “We should arrive in Takhan in no more than two hours so you might want to eat something before that, too.”

“Two hours? That means we have left the sea behind us,” she said with relief.

He nodded. “That we have, yes. The last part of the journey should be fairly relaxed.”

“How are the others doing so far?”

“Well enough. Orrin still refuses to admit that he was sea-sick, Junar is not doing any worse than usual, and Vern has by now drawn pictures of pretty much everything he has found on board, I think.”

Eryn nodded and then looked at both of them in turn. “Look, why don’t you go up on deck? It is a bit tight in here to wash and dress with the two of you standing in my way. Out with you.”

They looked at each other, then Enric opened the door to let Pe'tala step out first.

When she was alone, Eryn took a seat on the bed again, breathing slowly. Only two more hours until she was back in Takhan again. Two more hours until she would encounter Malriel. The woman who had made sure Eryn got pregnant against her wishes. And the woman who had betrayed her companion twenty-nine years ago and had been careless enough to become pregnant by another man. A man Eryn didn’t even know whether she wanted to know more about. All that counted was that she had taken away something that had been immensely precious to Eryn: the family she had found in House Vel'kim. She was still a member of their House, legally speaking. But with Ved’al not being her father, she had no claim of lineage to being part of the family.

The notion of Malriel made her heart increase its pace and she made herself close her eyes and breathe evenly to calm herself down again. Stress was not good, neither for her nor for the child.

When she emerged on deck several minutes later clad in the thinner garments she had purchased here during her first visit, she found Vern sitting on the stairs, drawing something.

“According to Enric you have already drawn everything there is on the ship. Are you starting all over again?” she quipped.

He looked up and grinned at her. “I don’t have to, fortunately. Unlike at sea, there are landscapes around now, so I don’t have to limit myself to the things on board.”

“Have you had breakfast yet?”

He nodded. “Yes. Two hours ago. Not all of us like to sleep half the day away.”

“I was put to sleep by a magician! It was not my fault!” she protested.

“Oh, I see - because under normal circumstances you like to get up as early as you can,” he snorted and resumed his work.

“Why am I even talking to you?” she murmured and moved on to where Enric and Orrin were standing, looking out over the wide, rocky ridges. These were the foothills of mountains they had passed not long before. There was hardly any vegetation as the slow transition into desert had started already.

Orrin turned and nodded to her when she stepped next to them. He, too, had changed into lighter clothes. Junar had made them each a few sets to have something for their first few days in Takhan before they had a chance to see a local tailor. She had not adapted the style of their clothes, just the heaviness of the fabric, so he would still appear foreign in style, even if one did not look at the fair hair.

“Where is Junar?” she asked and looked around.

“Below deck,” the warrior replied. “She woke only a few minutes ago and is getting herself ready.” He studied her. “You look tense.”

She set her face in a scowl. “I am not too thrilled at the prospect of seeing the Queen of Darkness again so soon.”

Orrin frowned. “The what?”

“Queen of Darkness. Malriel,” she explained.

“Charming,” he murmured and shook his head at her.

“Why would I be? She isn't, either. I just hope she doesn’t turn up at the port,” she growled.

Enric thought that the chances for that were rather slim, but didn’t put words to it. She was probably aware of it anyway.

Vern stepped next to them. “Can we repeat the thing with the greetings once again? I keep mixing it up.”

Enric nodded and stretched out his hand to demonstrate. “Two men who greet each other formally link their fingers. The same goes for two women.”

Vern linked his fingers with Enric’s as instructed, then nodded. “Alright. And then there are the informal greetings. Men don’t have any particular informal greeting but express fondness through whatever gesture they feel like performing, like squeezing a shoulder, slapping a back or whatever. Though with mixed sexes it’s different, isn’t it?”

Enric confirmed it. “Yes. When men and women greet each other formally, the man kisses the woman’s hand like this.” He took Eryn’s left hand and pressed his lips against her knuckles. “Just make sure not to linger, or it might be taken as intrusive. Informal greetings between men and women consist in kissing both cheeks. The same goes for two women.”

Vern nodded. “Thank you, Lord Enric.”

He lifted both brows. “Pardon?”

The boy closed his eyes for a moment, then sighed. “Thank you… Enric.”

Eryn grinned. “Ah yes, it seems you used the time I spent more or less hibernating to adapt to the custom of not using titles.”

Enric sighed. “Yes, though it seems that this is quite a burden for our young friend here. He keeps flinching whenever I make him address me without it.”

She looked at the boy. “Just remember that he is no longer in the Order and does thus not merit being addressed by it, anyway. He isn't your superior anymore, just a magician you happen to know.”

He snorted. “Yes, sure. A magician in the case of which I have been taught to stay out of his way, not look him directly in the eye, address him without being asked and be very careful always to treat him with the respect he is due.”

Enric looked taken aback. “That is what you were told?” He turned towards Orrin and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Don’t look at me,” the warrior shrugged. “I don’t tell people not to look you in the eye or keep their mouth shut when they have something sensible to say, no matter how important you are. Must have been his teachers.”

“Children are being told to keep out of my way and avoid eye contact with me?” he asked with a bewildered expression. That really was an unpleasant revelation. He shook his head in confusion. “Why?”

Orrin thought for a moment, then ventured, “There are stories about you beating up your fellow students and playing rather cruel tricks on them.”

“I was younger than Vern back then!” he protested angrily. “The children that are being taught to cower in obedience before me were not even born at that time!”

“You were that kind of boy? Really?” Eryn frowned. “Why did I get a different impression from the stories I have been hearing until now? They painted a picture of a lazy, disrespectful, misunderstood boy with a tendency to express his frustration through poetry, not with fists. How is it possible that the destructive aspect of beating up other children got lost in there somewhere?”

He looked at her sheepishly. “It’s all a matter of presentation, my love. I already had to work hard enough to make you like and accept me without your knowing about my dark past.”

Orrin grinned. “Don’t worry, Eryn, that was just for the first one or two years after he was brought to the Order. Let’s call it acclimatisation problems, shall we?”

“Yes,” Enric snorted. “After you got your hands on me, I had hardly any energy left to waste on my peers since you made me do so many extra training hours after class that I more or less fell into bed at the end of the day.”

“That has worked well enough, hasn’t it? You turned into an exceptional fighter and have learned to express your frustration with words instead of violence,” the warrior smirked.

Enric looked at Vern. “Who told you to avert your eyes?”

The boy thought for a moment, then said, “My teacher in political strategy, Avlin.”

“Avlin…” Enric mulled the name over, wondering why it did sound familiar, then he grimaced. “Ah…”

Orrin nodded. “Yes, him. You locked him inside a chest for several hours when you were boys. Twice.”

Eryn shook her head at her companion. “So while I was training to be a healer at the age of… what? - thirteen, you were the scourge of your peers? And the most sensible thing they could think of was to teach you morefighting?” She sighed and looked at his former combat teacher. “Why not lock him up in a chest for a few hours as well to teach him a lesson?”

“I see we have very different approaches to raising children,” the warrior said reproachfully. “Repaying a child in kind doesn’t achieve much. Punishing him like that would only have made him angrier and wouldn’t have solved the problem of his excess energy. Fighting requires discipline, so increasing the time he had to spend learning it served more than one purpose. It left him hardly any time or energy for torturing others and forced him to learn control and restraint.”

Eryn nodded and smirked at Vern. “Well, you see it is safe enough to look him in the eye and address him without a title nowadays. It seems your father has tamed him for us.”

“I don’t really appreciate your phrasing it like that,” her companion sighed. “Let us say he aided me in finding less destructive outlets for my energy and frustration, shall we?”

She nodded. “If that wording makes you happier, who am I to deny you?”

“A pity this approach has not worked on you, though,” Orrin remarked. “Making you fight just increased your frustration.”

“Yes,” she growled. “And I had to have a child planted inside me finally to be permitted to halt this waste of time for at least a while.”

“We could always have another one afterwards. That would make them spare you for even longer,” Enric threw in casually.

“Hardly,” she snapped at him. “Buying myself a few months without combat training will earn me another few years of a different kind of strain. Imagine if we get stuck with a troublemaker like Vern who teaches magical fighting to prisoners and defaces ancient city maps with drawings of naked women!”

“I thought I was too harmless to be bad?” the said troublemaker chuckled.

“I’ve changed my mind about that. You are now officially bad influence material. Just don’t do anything I need to take responsibility for as the highest-ranking Order magician as long as we are in Takhan. And you had better get used to addressing Enric without a title. It will sound really strange otherwise,” she warned him.

Pe'tala stepped next to them and pointed towards the horizon. “Look, there is my home city,” she said with a touch of pride in her voice.

Vern cast a quick look at the view in front of him before he darted back to the stairs where he had left his drawing pad and pen. He started drawing frantically while the others just looked at the faraway silhouette of the grand city.

Enric noted Pe'tala’s tense posture. She was also clearly not looking forward to their impending arrival.

* * *

They stood next to each other at the railing, watching the jetties drift past. This time they had been assigned a different one due to the size of their vessel.

A slow smile spread on Eryn’s face when she spotted the small group of people that stood waiting on the landing stage. Valrad, Vran'el and Kilan. She was relieved to see Malriel was not among them and was pleased that there was no large party assembled that would have taken an eternity to greet, though she felt a small stab of disappointment at Ram'an not being there to welcome them.

She watched her travel companions and smiled at their wonder at seeing the foreign city for the first time, taking in the unusual sights around them.

When the ship had finally been secured by heavy ropes fore and aft, the gangplank was put in place to allow the passengers to disembark. She all but ran ahead and pulled both Vel'kim men at once into a stormy embrace, holding them pressed against her for several moments, before she stepped aside. She was not the only one who had to be eager to greet them.

Pe'tala approached them at a more moderate pace and smiled at her family. She first hugged her father, then her brother.

“Tala, my child,” Valrad said tenderly and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “It is good to have you here again, even if it is only for a short while.”

“It is good to be back,” she smiled and leaned into his touch. “You would not believe how cold it is over there.”

“I can when I look at how pale you have become,” her father nodded. “Clearly not enough sunshine there.”

“The Vel'kim girls back in the city,” Vran'el grinned and winked at Eryn. “People here better hide in dark places.”

Eryn then turned to Kilan and laughed when he pulled her close to kiss her cheeks. “Adapting to local customs, I see, Ambassador.”

“I should, I am supposed to show my respect for my host country that way,” he smirked.

Enric, Orrin, Junar and Vern had in the meantime reached them, and after Enric had greeted the three men affectionately, he introduced their travel companions.

“Orrin,” Valrad mused and looked the fighter up and down. “The man who has made Eryn fight despite her repulsion to it.”

The warrior nodded, the cool tone clearly not lost on him. “That would be me, yes,” he replied slowly. “But I hope you will not reduce me to that alone.”

Eryn swallowed and stepped next to Orrin, taking his arm to squeeze it reassuringly while looking at the man she had until recently considered her uncle.

“He has become a close friend since that time, Valrad. Somebody who has never failed me when I needed a place to go or a voice of reason to guide me.” She grinned and gave Orrin a friendly shove. “Pretty much the father I never wanted.”

She watched Valrad narrow his eyes at her last comment and wondered why this greeting was so uncharacteristically tense. She hurriedly turned from Orrin to his companion and introduced Junar, who was welcomed more warmly.

When Vern stepped forward, Valrad broke into a broad grin.

“And this must be Vern, the young man with not only the most incredible artistic talent but also an inclination to healing. I have seen the book you illustrated, and I cannot wait to introduce you to my colleagues. They were thrilled to hear that you would be among the party to come here.”

Vern was clearly overwhelmed at the warm greeting that was so very different from the one his father had just received. It took him several moments to find his voice.

“Thank you, I am very glad I had the chance to visit here. And I am happy to meet you. I have heard a lot about you,” he finally said and lifted his hand for the formal greeting.

Enric put a hand on his shoulder. “You usually wait for the other person to offer you his hand first if he or she is older or higher in status.”

The boy swallowed and smiled nervously at the older man before him. “I’m sorry, it seems there are a few things I need to learn still.”

Valrad laughed and linked their fingers. “No worries, my young friend. I will not take offence at minor things like that.”

Eryn frowned when she saw Vran'el gaze over her shoulder and stiffen at the sight. She turned slowly, hoping against hope that she would not find herself face to face with Malriel.

No such luck.

The Head of House Aren came closer. Her face appeared confident enough, and yet there was a hint of caution in her moves. She reached Enric first and pulled him close to greet him with a kiss on each cheek.

“Enric, my dear. I am so very glad you are here. I truly appreciate what you are doing,” she smiled.

He nodded at her once. “I am sure you do. Yet I want you to know that your methods do not meet with my approval,” he said mildly. “But this is a discussion for another time.”

Malriel’s expression became slightly strained and she moved on to greet Orrin, Junar and Vern. Finally, she turned towards Eryn, who had gone stiff.

“Theá,” the older woman said softly. “Welcome back to Takhan.”

Eryn felt the rage shoot through her like a hot spear. The smile, the name she didn’t want to be addressed with, this casualness despite the things she had done.

When Malriel stepped closer to kiss her cheeks, Eryn’s reaction to this attempt at closeness was an automatic one. Her fist shot out and connected with the older woman’s chin with a thud. Malriel’s head was twisted violently to one side by the force of the impact and she staggered back several steps, the shock clear on her face.

“You black-hearted, untrustworthy, maleficent creature!” she shouted.

It had become quiet around them. Everybody within sight seemed to have frozen in mid-action to stare at the incredible scene of the mighty Head of House Aren being hit by what looked like a slightly younger version of herself.

Eryn felt a surge of pleasure, relief and dizziness at seeing Malriel out of her element for once. She was not in control of this situation.

“Oh dear,” Vran'el sighed and looked up at Enric. “You ought to intervene, I would say.”

The blond magician slowly shook his head and murmured, “No. Malriel had that one coming. I have no intention of aiding her. She deserved it well enough.” And it was a nice way for Eryn to get rid of her anger instead of keeping it inside. That she could also apply her newly acquired skills in unarmed combat as a welcome side-benefit.

They watched Eryn approach her mother again. Malriel lifted her hands before her.

“Maltheá, this is not the right way to deal with our issues!”

“It works fine for me right now,” Eryn hissed and kicked her hard in the stomach, sending her over the edge of the jetty and into the river with a loud splash.

She watched the water close over Malriel’s head, then exhaled and turned to walk towards her rapt audience without looking back.

“I assume she can swim? Not that I intend to rescue her if she can't,” she commented dryly.

Valrad had closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. “Not a good start,” he murmured.

Vran'el nodded. “No, but not exactly unexpected, was it? Though I did not see that… physical aspect coming, I admit.” He then turned to Kilan. “Would you accompany Orrin, Junar and young Vern to your residence, Kilan?”

“What about Eryn and Enric?” Junar asked, putting a protective arm around her friend’s shoulders.

“They will come with us to our house. There is something we need to discuss,” Valrad answered in his son’s place. “I would very much like to invite all of you to spend your first evening in Takhan with us and have dinner with my family and me. I am sure I do not need to tell you that you are in capable hands with Kilan until then,” he finished with an awkward smile.

They watched Malriel pull herself out of the water, her wet clothes clinging to her slim body as she climbed an iron ladder downstream of the ship, her long dark hair plastered against her head. When she was back on land, she closed her eyes and a moment later steam started to rise when she dried herself with magic. A minute later there was no more trace of her tumble into the river, and she walked back to them casting a warning look at her daughter.

Orrin gripped Eryn’s upper arm and growled at her, “This is not responsible use of the things I taught you. Attacking somebody who has scruples about striking you back on account of your condition is not a very noble approach to the art of fighting.”

She bared her teeth when she hissed back, “All I have to tell you is that this is of no consequence to me right now. None at all.”

She saw Valrad frown at their exchange and freed her arm from Orrin’s grip.

“Why are we to come with you? I would rather take a cool bath and sit down and relax for a while,” she then asked, keeping Malriel in view in case another chance to give her a good kick presented itself.

“I will tell you when we are at home,” Valrad spoke calmly and reached out for her hand. “It is nothing I would like to discuss in public.”

“Is that vicious woman to come as well? If yes, you can count me out,” she growled.

He sighed. “Yes, Malriel will accompany us. And no, you may not refuse to come.” His tone contained an unmistakeable warning. “Enric, I would appreciate your help here.”

Enric nodded slowly. It seemed they had just got the harmless part behind them and were now to face what Pe'tala had been dreading.

* * *

Eryn waited until Malriel had taken a seat on one of the cushions at the Vel'kim main room and then sat down at the furthest possible spot, glaring daggers at her. Enric glided onto the seat next to her and Valrad sank onto the cushion on her other side. Vran'el set down a tray with glasses, water and juice on the low table before them, then sat between his father and Malriel. Pe'tala had opted against joining the group and instead leaned against a wall close to the exit.

Enric raised a questioning brow at her. To escape, if necessary? She gave him a tired smile.

Valrad took Eryn’s hand between his own two larger hands and waited until she had torn her glare away from Malriel to look at him instead before he addressed her.

“Eryn, my girl, Pe'tala has informed me that you are by now aware of the significance of your son’s inherited illness.”

“Yes,” she swallowed and sent the woman opposite her another hate-filled look. “It means that Malriel of House Aren was not much more considerate in her companionship than in her other dealings. She was not only unfaithful but also careless enough to get herself pregnant from her affair, drunken encounter or whatever else it was.”

Malriel opened her mouth to reply, but closed it again when Valrad gave her a look that made her reconsider.

Eryn frowned at that. “I don’t really see why you are the one to talk to me about her misconduct. Delegating this duty to the brother of the man she did this to is low, even for her. But then I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at anything she does any longer.”

“Eryn,” Valrad said urgently, “please listen to me for a moment, will you? This is important. You are right. It was wrong of her to do this behind Ved’al’s back, but she was not the only one to blame here.”

She tried to pull away her hand, but the older man held on to it. “If you are about to tell me her bed-partner’s name in order to make me spread my anger more evenly instead of making her alone be the one to bear it, I am very disappointed in you. I don’t care who she took to bed. He is of no consequence to me.”

Valrad closed his eyes and turned his head away for a moment.

The thought hit Enric like a fist in the stomach and he sucked in a sharp breath. His gaze shot to Pe'tala, who nodded at him once, guessing that he had figured it out.

Eryn turned to him when she felt shock and dread through the mind bond. “What?”

He just shook his head and quickly raised a mind shield to avoid distracting and worrying her.

“Eryn,” Valrad then said, his face serious, his jaw clenched. “This is of considerable consequence to you. To all of us. I was the man she took to bed at the time when you were conceived.”

She froze, staring at him uncomprehendingly. There were… words. She understood the meaning of every single one of them, but together they just made no sense at all.

“Pardon?” she enquired politely.

“The bone disease your son has inherited,” he explained with a troubled expression, “has been passed on through our family for many generations now. Not all males inherit it, though - only one in four. Ved’al did not. But I did. And so has your son.” He searched her face for a sign of comprehension, some emotion. “Eryn? Do you see what I am telling you? I am your father, and not only legally. You are of my blood, my daughter.”

Her head sunk until her chin rested on her chest, her breathing becoming faster. “No. You are not. I refuse to believe that you did a thing like that to your own brother. Not you. You are the decent kind. You wouldn’t.”

She watched the pain on his face at her words and only then fully understood that he had spoken the truth. As the ache at realising this almost choked her, for a moment she felt that she couldn’t breathe. Enric’s arm around her shoulders pressed her against him and she felt his lips on her temple. It took her several moments to decipher that his voice formed actual words.

“I am so sorry, my love.”

She sobbed quietly and buried her face in her hands.

After more than one minute she whispered, “Of all people! I see how she could have done this, but you?” Her voice rose in pitch. “He was your brother, damn you! How could you? And you played the role of the welcoming uncle so nicely when I first came here,” she exclaimed, a tear running down her cheek. “A pity for you Malriel slipped me that fertility potion, or I would never have found out!”

Valrad’s head snapped to Malriel and he stared at her. His voice boomed through the house, when he snarled, “You have done what?”

Malriel flinched as if he had hit her and just pressed her lips together, neither confirming nor denying it.

Enric looked at Pe'tala in surprise. “You didn’t tell him?”

She shook her head. “No. It is not something to send via bird. One never knows who intercepts and reads those messages.”

“I swear to you, Eryn, I had no idea of this. And neither did I suspect that I am your father. I only realised it when Pe'tala sent me the message about the results of her examination.”

Eryn shook her head and rose. “I need to get out of here,” she murmured and almost stumbled when she hastily climbed over the large cushions towards the stairs that lead to the exit. Valrad attempted to steady her, but she shied away from him. “Don’t you touch me!” she snarled and ran towards the stairs.

Enric jumped up and tried to follow her, but Pe'tala blocked his way, shaking her head.

“No. Let me.”

Conflicting emotions played across his face. When they heard the door downstairs being opened and thrown shut a moment later, Pe'tala grabbed his arms and added urgently, “Please?”

He finally nodded and forced himself to remain where he was.

“Vran'el?” she called out. “Bel’s teahouse in half an hour.”

When her brother nodded silently, she dashed off after Eryn.

* * *

She was blinded by the sudden bright sunlight and staggered for a moment before she shadowed her eyes with her hand and started running down the road that climbed from the street to the building.

When she reached the street that ran along one side of the Vel'kim land, she paused before she decided not to worry where she went as long as it would be away from here.

A hand on her shoulder made her cry out and whirl around, ready to throw a punch if it turned out to be Malriel or Valrad. But it was Pe'tala, her face grim and determined, who stood before her.

“Come,” she just ordered and grabbed Eryn’s upper arm to lead her in a direction that Eryn vaguely recalled leading towards the city centre.

“Let go of me,” she ordered and tried to free her arm, but the younger woman held on to it and pulled her along.

“No. You stop that right now and come with me. I can hardly let you go running around alone in the city without a single slip of gold in your pocket and no more than rudimentary knowledge of the city layout. Who knows where you might end up.”

Eryn laughed too loudly, her voice bitter when she said, “My concerned little sister, how very considerate of you to worry about me.”

Pe'tala stopped and turned towards her, staring into her eyes and stepping closer until their noses were almost touching.

“You are damned right, you idiot! A month was a long time to carry the burden of this knowledge alone. I do worry and have done so since the moment I detected that disorder in your child. Or did you think it was a coincidence that I was standing next to the exit right now when you heard about this?” she said sternly. “Now stop being difficult until I get you to a place where we can talk. As you are quite a bit stronger than me, I need you to cooperate with me. Do you hear me?”

“Talk to you?”

“Yes, talk to me. Honestly, I am the person you want to talk to right now. Knowing Vran'el, he is very probably happy about the recent development, so having him around would just make you want to throttle him. It is no matter that you generally like him better than me. Enric would just hold you and listen to your wailing and then tell you how to analyse the situation in a way that makes it appear advantageous.”

Eryn blinked and just stared at her.

“Are you coming now?”

Pe'tala waited for a moment, and when no reply came she resumed her brisk walk without letting go of the other woman’s arm.

Eryn had no idea how long they had marched on before Pe'tala stopped next to a teahouse with white tents that protected the cushions on the ground from the sun.

“Sit,” she commanded and lifted a hand to summon a server, instructing him to keep the tables around them empty to give them privacy and ordering a pot of tea, telling him to keep refilling it until ordered otherwise. Then she sank down next to Eryn, stretching out her legs and sighing wearily. “It seems coming to Takhan is never a very cheerful occasion for you, is it?”

Eryn exhaled and leaned back, closing her eyes. “No, I just want to hide somewhere dark…” Her voice trailed off. She opened her eyes again when she felt Pe'tala’s hand on hers.

“Your hand is cold and your heart is beating much faster than our short walk here would warrant. You are in shock. I am going to do something about that as it is dangerous for you and the child. Do you hear me?” Her voice sounded calm but there was determination.

“Why do you keep asking me that?”

“Because confusion is a shock symptom. Relax now. Do not raise a barrier or anything, or I will grab the next magician I see passing along and make him help me overpower you just so I can smack you on the head.”

Eryn slowly shook her head and felt pleasant warmth seeping into her skin as Pe'tala sent magic through her palm. “You do have a way with patients. No wonder they keep complaining about you.”

Pe'tala opened her eyes again and smiled tiredly. “Nonsense. They complain, but in truth they are secretly delighted. They exchange horror stories about being treated by me when they meet. I am practically providing an additional public service by making sure there are conversation topics.”

Eryn exhaled and noticed that she found thinking a lot easier. “What now? Do I pour out my grief and sorrow about the latest blow fate has dealt me, and you ease my pain with the balm of sisterly sympathy, or how does this work?”

“An interesting picture,” the younger woman smiled weakly, “but not exactly in accordance with our preferences, is it? Let us instead try being angry together.”

Eryn sighed and nodded. “Sure, why not? I can see why you would be angry.”

“No,” Pe'tala retorted sharply. “You cannot. Yet. But you might if you shut up for a minute and let me tell you bit about myself.” She paused when the server brought them a metal pot with steaming hot tea and two glasses. The handles looked so delicate as if they might fall off any moment simply by being looked at the wrong way. When he had retreated again, she leaned forward to pour the tea for both of them and then leaned back with her glass in one hand to continue. “I was very young when my mother ran off with a trader. Four years old, to be precise. I know that her and father’s companionship was not a particularly affectionate one, but I have never really forgiven her for leaving me behind like that. There are ways for a woman to separate from a man without giving up all contact with her children. In any event it seems we were no more than a burden to her - there was no space for us in her new life.” She paused and stared into her glass for a short while before going on. “In this past month I have started wondering. I would never have pegged my father as the type to have an affair with a woman who is joined to another man. Especially not his brother’s companion, and not while he himself was bound to a woman. But learning of this… It has made me wonder if my mother had learned about this, too, and decided to leave because of it.”

Eryn swallowed. So these were the thoughts that had plagued Pe'tala for the last month while she was stuck in a foreign country far away from her family and friends with nobody to talk to.

“I wish you had told me about this. That was a long time for you to be alone with it.”

She shook her head. “No. It was not my place to share this with you. And I was angry at father and wanted him to see with his own eyes what pain his actions of so many years back would cause you.” She looked up into Eryn’s eyes. “It was a punishment for him. And Malriel. Though I have to mention that he asked me not to tell you about it. He never expected me to do his dirty work for him, as it were.”

“Don’t say anything nice about him now,” Eryn grimaced.

Pe'tala smiled. “Alright, I will refrain from doing so for now. There are a few other reasons for me to be angry with him, so let us talk about those first. There was his choice of lover, for one thing. I mean, how could he ever be drawn to a woman like that?” She cast a disapproving face. “She is selfish, reckless and not exactly squeamish when it comes to the methods she employs. What kind of man would fall for those qualities? She is very pretty, I will admit. But I never thought that my father would find superficial qualities appealing enough to overlook what lies beneath. I would like to grant him the fact that he was young, but I find that very hard. Then I keep wondering how well I really knew my father. As you said before, doing this to his own brother is a cold, heartless thing. I never pictured him as that kind of person. And finally the absolutely ridiculous idea that a fully-trained healer cannot manage to avoid conceiving an unplanned child. Really now. How stupid can one be? This happens to teenagers who are either too caught up in the moment to think properly or have not understood how to prevent pregnancy, but not to a grown man. He had already made himself a name as a healer at that time, after all!”

Eryn waited for another reason she would have expected to be relevant here, but it had not been among those mentioned.

“And then there is me,” she ventured.

Pe'tala rubbed her face and shook her head. “No, Eryn, you will probably not believe it, but you were not one of my reasons for being angry. You have not caused this any more than I have. And you know, after getting to know you better and leaving the mess with Ram'an behind me, I have decided that you are not that much of a nuisance. I was surprised at the work you did in your Kingdom and how you keep fighting and pestering the Order instead of just complying with what they wanted, leaning back to enjoy a life without worries at the side of your powerful and rich companion. And I will admit that your troubles with Malriel have made it a lot easier for me to forgive you for looking like her.”

“How very generous of you,” Eryn murmured.

“What can I say? I am known for that quality,” she said, then became serious again. “I do not mind having you as my sister. I had fun in Anyueel, and you made it very easy for me to be accepted. Even though it took quite some determination from my side to stop Rolan from shying away from me due to my mighty and powerful family connections, namely you and Enric.” She chuckled as she recalled the memory. “I swear to you, he was sweating blood when we were first invited to have dinner at your place.”

Eryn smiled faintly at her recollection of the evening. “Yes, he did seem rather ill at ease.”

They both emptied their cups and Pe'tala refilled them again.

“The time you have spent with Ved’al, your memories of him, this is something no unpleasant revelation can take away from you, you know,” she then said. “He has been as much your father as… well, our father. He has raised you and made you the person you are today.”

“I know,” Eryn sighed. “Yet the thought that it has all been a lie… It may sound very cruel, but I am glad he never found out about this, that he did not live to see this day. How is a man to react when he learns that his only child is not his, but his brother’s?” She stared at her cup, blankly.

They looked up when a figure stopped next to their table. Eryn’s eyes narrowed when she recognised him after a few moments. Ram'an. He looked surprised to see them, but recovered quickly enough.

“Eryn. Pe'tala,” he said slowly. “That is… unexpected.”

Eryn didn’t reply, but stared at him. He looked somehow transformed. Thinner, with more lines around his mouth and on his forehead. It seemed that his position as Head of House was not exactly one that afforded him a lot of time for himself. Or for sleeping.

“Ram'an,” Pe'tala answered politely without rising. “At the risk of seeming unfriendly, would you mind leaving us for now? We are having a very personal conversation here and would appreciate our privacy. I am sure we will meet again soon. Either Malriel or my father will very likely host a welcome dinner.”

He blinked and then nodded. “Of course. And yes, the invitations have already been sent out. I will see you in two days, then.” Eryn noticed his quick glance at her belly before he turned away and walked towards a set of cushions at the other end of the teahouse. So he had obviously heard about her pregnancy. This was good.

“And there I was, thinking this day could not become any more unpleasant,” she murmured, trying to ignore that he was still close enough for her to see him if she turned her head.

Pe'tala pointedly looked at the bracelet around her wrist. “I was under the impression that you parted as friends?”

Eryn nodded and played with the piece of jewellery. “That was what I had thought, too. But our correspondence was chilly at the beginning and ceased completely after a while.” She shrugged. “Not a major concern of mine any longer after what I have heard so far today, though.”

“Girls,” Vran’el’s voice said from behind them.

Pe'tala sighed and turned. “That was not half an hour, Vran.”

He shrugged and squeezed between them. “No matter. I thought that annoying you by being early was preferable to my waiting at home, fretting.” He raised a finger to signal the server to bring another cup. Then he looked at each of them in turn. “So. Tala, my sweetheart, I know that you must have known about it for a while. And Eryn, my dear, I see why this was not the most comforting start to your stay here. Though I have to say that I am very pleased that you both seem to have managed to get along well enough to be there for each other when there is trouble.” He took Pe'tala’s glass and emptied it. “And while at the moment this may seem like bad news and quite a shock…”

“Vran?” Pe'tala asked and after he had stopped, added, “Just shut it, will you?”

Eryn rolled her eyes. “You were right. Too cheerful by far. Terrible.”

“What?” he asked in puzzlement.

“We are still in the throes of sharing with each other why we are angry at Valrad,” Eryn explained.

“Angry at him?” His confusion increased. “Why ever would you be angry at him? What would that change?”

“Oh dear,” Pe'tala sighed. “Can you just go off again? This conversation was a lot more meaningful before your arrival.”

Vran'el accepted a glass from the server and shook his head. “Surely not! It seems to me like you are in desperate need of some positive influence here.”

“Don’t try to be positive with me right now,” Eryn growled. “If you want to tell me something nice, say that nobody but us will ever get to hear of this latest family drama.” She watched Vran'el’s expression become studiously blank. “Vran'el? Why do I have the feeling that you are about to tell me something I will not appreciate hearing?”

He cleared his throat, then filled his glass with exaggerated care from the pot on the table, obviously to buy time.

“Vran’el!” she barked. “Stop playing around and talk to me! Who knows about this but us?”

“Nobody else so far,” he said slowly. “But you surely remember that men born to the House of Vel'kim tend to be rather well known for their devotion and commitment to their offspring, do you not?”

She nodded and motioned for him to keep talking.

“Father plans to officially acknowledge you as his natural child in addition to being your legal parent at the next Senate meeting.”

“What?” Eryn stared at him, her mouth agape. “You need to stop him! That won't look good for any of us!”

Vran'el looked at her with what she had come to know as his lawyer-expression: slightly indulgent with an air of solemn superiority. “I am afraid I cannot oblige you here. He would not take well to me interfering in this matter unbidden. And he is right, it is no more than correct and proper to take public responsibility for his actions.”

“You have both gone mad!” she exclaimed. “I object to this!”

“You see, he is the Head of your House, so if he is determined to do this, your objections are rather useless, I am afraid,” he shrugged.

“How about Malriel? I can't imagine her approving of a thing like that,” Eryn asked urgently. “She can and will stop him, can’t she?”

“No, sweetness, she will not even try,” he sighed. “Aren women are a belligerent bunch, but they are not stupid, and avoid fighting whenever they know they cannot win. So now sit back and have another glass of tea; you are not able to change what is about to happen in two days. You are welcome to watch the revelation, though. Senate meetings are public most of the time, as you can surely remember.”

“I don’t want everyone to know this! Why is he so eager to share his shame with the world? What kind of man does a thing like that?” she moaned.

“Someone who does not consider being gifted with having another daughter a shame but rather a privilege, I would think,” he said mildly. “A sentiment I share.” He took Pe'tala’s hand and squeezed it. “One sister has been a blessing so far, and having two is an even greater blessing.” He attempted to take her hand as well, but she moved out of the way.

“Don’t,” she hissed, “just don’t! You really don’t see how I can be upset about this, do you? For you we are just a big, happy family where nothing much has changed, as I was adopted into your House anyway?”

“Eryn,” he implored her, “we loved you before we knew about this, and we still do. You lost one father when you were still a child - why do you not see the miracle in unexpectedly finding another one and just accept it?”

“Because this situation is the result of infidelity, lying and betrayal! How would you react to finding out that Obal was not your daughter? Don’t tell me you would approve of it as you daughter would be blessed with gaining another father!”

He raised an eyebrow. “That is hardly a valid comparison. I am still alive, after all. Of course I would not be happy about it. But Ved’al has been dead for so long, and without him there nobody is left to be hurt.”

“It hurts me, damn you!” she hissed. “I just want some time to get used to this nightmare before it will be discussed by everyone.” She forced herself to breathe and lean back again. “I have been looking forward to seeing you and your father again, I really have. That prospect was more or less the only pleasant thing about being compelled to come here again so soon. And now I feel like strangling you because you are so obstinate in your views. I wish I could hide from Valrad for the next month! My stomach churns at the mere thought of his having invited us to have dinner with you tonight!”

“Eryn, please,” he tried again, “this is not supposed to be a burden to you. All he wants is the chance to be a father to you, too.”