James Islington - The Shadow Of What Was Lost

All three of them knelt there for several minutes in silence, in shock, grieving for the loss of their friend.

Eventually Fessi looked up, and when her eyes met Asha’s, they were cold.

"You knew. You tried to stop him," she said. "You knew, and you let him come here."

"Fessi!" It was Erran. "This wasn’t Asha’s fault, and you know it." He took a deep breath. "I’d read his vision too, you know. There was no way of knowing this was…."

He trailed off, overcome with emotion. Fessi didn’t respond, just bent her head over Kol’s body again, not moving.

Asha finally sat back, her mind reeling. It had all happened so fast. And as little as she wanted to face the fact, there was still a battle going on - there was no time to grieve, no time to take stock. Especially not if what Scyner had told them was true.

"Erran," she said quietly. "What Scyner said…."

Erran took a deep breath, then straightened. "It’s possible, I suppose," he admitted. "I’ve considered it before - a few times - but the physical symptoms just don’t make sense. I tried to check a couple of times anyway, but…." He grimaced, giving a reluctant nod. "Being connected to Elocien all the time did make sensing kan harder. I might have missed something."

Asha bit her lip. "Then we need to speak to someone about this. Even if we do discover the king is being controlled, we can’t exactly march in there and tell people to stop listening to him. We need someone who will know how best to handle a situation like that." She looked at Erran. "Can Master Kardai be trusted?"

Erran inclined his head. "Yes."

"Then let’s find him." Asha gave Erran a doubtful glance as she registered just how unsteady he was on his feet. "Are you going to be able to do this?"

"Not much of a choice," observed Erran, his tone grim.

Asha nodded. She brushed a loose strand of hair from her face and looked across at Fessi, who was still on her knees beside Kol. The other girl hadn’t reacted to anything that had just been said.

Erran followed her gaze. He hesitated, then reached over to Fessi, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Fess," he said gently, voice catching. "I know this is hard, but we might need you. We will come back for Kol. I promise."

Fessi didn’t respond at first. Then she shook her head, her eyes lingering on Kol’s motionless features.

"If you need me, I’ll be here," she said.

After a few moments, Erran nodded. He got gingerly to his feet, accepting Asha’s arm in support. They paused in the doorway as they left, watching as Fessi stroked the hair back from Kol’s face.

"We need to go, Asha," said Erran quietly.

Asha nodded, swallowing a sudden lump in her throat.

She made sure Erran had a firm grip on her arm, and they began slowly limping towards the Great Hall.

The doors to the Great Hall were open, much to Asha’s surprise.

One of the guards outside recognised her and after a moment’s hesitation, waved her and Erran straight through. Asha frowned uneasily as she entered. The enormous room was near empty, its only occupants a small group of people talking in hushed tones off to one side. The throne up on the dais was, disconcertingly, vacant.

She exchanged worried glances with Erran, then headed towards the circle of people. The group looked to be mostly made up of men from the Great Houses, but she breathed a sigh of relief as she recognised Laiman in amongst them. The king’s advisor spotted her a moment later, smiling and murmuring a quick apology to his companions before walking over.

"Ashalia!" Laiman had dark circles beneath his eyes, but his demeanour seemed almost cheerful. "What can I do for you?"

Asha indicated the empty throne. "What’s happened? Where’s the king?" she asked, unable to keep the anxiety from her tone.

"Sleeping." Laiman lowered his voice. "Whatever was afflicting him seems to have just… stopped. It was only a few minutes ago. One moment he was ranting about the Gifted again, and the next…." He shook his head. "It was like something just snapped. He almost collapsed, didn’t know what was going on. But when I told him about the Blind, he immediately put Karaliene in charge until he was well enough to resume his duties."

Asha glanced at Erran, who gave a small, nonplussed shrug. She turned back to Laiman. "Do you know what changed?"

Laiman hesitated, then nodded. "The Tenets," he said softly. "We don’t know what the new ones are yet, but Dras felt it happen. It couldn’t have been more than a minute later that the king came to himself." He shook his head at her bemused expression. "I don’t know the significance of it either, but for now I’m just grateful. Karaliene knows what she’s doing, and if the Tenets are different, I’m hoping it means the Gifted can fight."

Asha shook her head, a little dazed, relieved to hear that Wirr had been successful but unsure how it could possibly have affected events here. "So what happens now?"

"Now? There’s little else left but to get everyone we can to the Shields," said Laiman grimly. He glanced back over towards the gathered lords. "Speaking of which…."

Asha nodded her understanding. "Thank-you, Master Kardai," she said. "Fates be with you out there."

"And with you, Ashalia. Erran." Laiman nodded to them both, then hurried back towards the gathered noblemen.

Asha and Erran left the Great Hall again and began heading back towards Fessi and the Lockroom, silent for a time as they walked.

"What do you think it means?" asked Asha eventually.

Erran shook his head. "I don’t know," he admitted. "The Tenets shouldn’t affect kan. I’m glad the king is free of whatever was wrong with him, but… it makes no sense."

Asha just gave a frustrated nod, having reached much the same conclusion.

They arrived at the Lockroom to find Fessi sitting on the couch, still staring listlessly at Kol’s prone form. She didn’t look up as they entered.

Asha gave Erran a hesitant glance, then crouched down in front of Fessi. "Fessi. The king has recovered," she said. "The Blind are still attacking, though. It’s time we went to the Shields to see how we can help."

Fessi looked up, but at Erran rather than Asha. There was a second of silence as the two gazed at each other, and then Fessi gave a small nod.

Erran coughed, suddenly awkward.

"We’ve… decided to leave, Asha," he said in an apologetic tone, looking uncomfortable as he said the words. "You’re certainly welcome to come with us, though."

"What?" Asha looked between the two of them, stunned. They must have been communicating using Erran’s ability; Asha felt a stab of anger at being so bluntly excluded. "You can’t leave now! And besides, there’s no way out."

"There are still some smaller ships in the harbour - the Houses left them there as a way to retreat, should the Shields fall," explained Erran. "They won’t be guarded now, and there are more than enough for us to take one without putting anyone in danger."

Asha gave him an incredulous stare. "Do either of you even know how to sail?"

"Elocien did." Erran looked her in the eye. "We can’t stay, Asha. Surely you must see that. With Scyner out there, knowing what he knows… he’s either going to try and use us, or turn us in. Until we can figure out a way to deal with him, it’s not safe for us here. Or you, for that matter." His tone was earnest. "Please. Come with us. "

Asha hesitated for the briefest of moments, then shook her head.

"I can’t. I suppose I understand, but… I just can’t." She paused, then laid a hand on Fessi’s shoulder. "I will take care of Kol’s burial, though. I promise."

Fessi looked up at her for the first time since Asha had entered the room.