The Wicked House of Caroline

“Gerard, now!” Beks clamped her hands on Gerard’s shoulders as he repeated his earlier motion. Wind was kicked up all around them and she felt someone press his hand against her back to keep her from moving.

“Keep transferring! I’ll make sure the kid doesn’t get swept back!” her brother said.

Beks grit her teeth and dug her feet into the ground. “How is the evacuation line?”

“We need more time!”

“Gerard, can you hold?”

“As long as I need to, my lady!”

“Lord Deo!” Someone shouted behind them. “There are attackers coming up the rear!”

“Brother, go!” Beks said without looking over her shoulder. “Keep them back! I can do this much here!”

She could almost sense her brother hesitate. “I’m going to make the call to crowd them into the canyon. We can seal it once everyone is in!”

“Understood!” Her brother’s hand left her back and she called back. “Efran, hold on to my shoulders to keep steady. You’re not used to this much biha!”

“Yes, Miss!” Efran’s nervous voice shouted.

“Tell me how the line looks!”

She heard the young man’s nervous breaths as he grasped on to her shoulder and turned around. “I can see the end of the trail. The bypass space is being used now. They can only go in as fast as their fastest person.”

Beks frowned. “How is the order?”

“No one has broken the line, and the sentries are keeping everyone calm, my lady.”

Her heart slammed against her chest. If she was like this, she doubted anyone was really calm.

“Efran, get ready. Aim for the same spot across the canyon; directly across from us and down. If we can loosen the rocks below, the weight of the rocks above won’t hold, and it’ll all come down!”

“Yes, Miss!”

“Gerard, on the count of ten!” She began to yell numbers, removing one hand from Gerard’s shoulder and placing it on Efran, half using it to pull him forward and into position. “Nine...Ten!”

Efran’s arms shot up and Beks felt a slight tingling from him. She didn’t stop to think about it.

“My lady, how do I know when a crack appears? I can’t see from this distance!”

“Just keep releasing concentrated energy into a singular location,” Beks shouted. “Your biha will force its way into the earth and it will need to expand in order to make room. When it expands, it will crack!”

She’d told them that before, during her initial explanation on earth biha fundamentals, but she wanted to remind him. Even with a full biha well, the strength depended on the size of the well. Efran was the best of the earth biha users they had and his biha well was average at best.

They had to make up for the strength of biha with quantity in a never-ending onslaught.

“Efran, how are you holding up?” Gerard asked, still manipulating typhoon strength winds in front of them.

“I’m fine, Sir! I am using Miss’ biha.”

“But you still need to concentrate,” Beks said. “On the count of ten, stop and rest. You don’t have the mental stamina to keep this up consistently.”

Efran frowned a bit, but nodded. “Yes, Miss!”

He pulled back when ordered, and Gerard adjusted his focus and began to sweep the wind across the side of the cliffs in an effort to knock some people over. Beks squinted and tried to make out the targets through the rising smoke. She gasped.

“Blow smoke in their eyes!”

Gerard seemed to tense for a moment, but did as he was told. She watched the smoke that had been rising steadily move over the cliff. It was difficult to see anything when your eyes were burning with forest fire smoke.

She called for Efran again and in the same process as earlier, launched another attack on the cliff side. Beks was counting to a hundred in her head when she heard the low rumble of rocks and then the cries of surprise and terror coming from across the canyon.

Efran gasped. “Do I keep going?”

“Rest first!” Beks said. “Gerard, keep up the wind barrier. Efran only took out a portion of the cliffside.”

“Yes, my lady!”

“My lady, the evacuees are almost inside the canyon!” One of the sentries ran to report to them.

“Where is my brother?”

“He is fighting further back, at the rear, but has instructed the sentries to follow the evacuees inside. He wants you to pull back, as well!”

Beks grit her teeth. She looked over her shoulder. The last two dozen or so people were shuffling into the mouth of the canyon pass. With them, a handful of guards were bringing up the rear in defensive stances.

“Let’s slowly step back! Gerard, keep up the attack! I will guide you back!” Beks shouted. She saw him nod. “Efran, let’s go!”

With the young man walking beside her, Beks took careful steps back, making sure her feet were securely planted on the ground before each step. She swept her foot back every so often to look for anything she could trip on.

In front of her, Gerard took small steps back, keeping the majority of his focus on his air biha. This slow, backwards process made the time walking back longer, but Beks didn’t want to risk turning her back on archers.

“Efran, tell the sentries to get the evacuees as far into the canyon as possible! We need a good deal of space to seal the canyon!” she said. “And get the other earth biha users in place!”

Efran nodded and ran towards the mouth of the canyon.

Fire dancing in the night caught the corner of her eye and she couldn’t help but look to the side. Sentry guards were running towards the mouth of the cave, shouting at each other to clear the area. Beks couldn’t see her brother amongst them.

She took a deep breath to calm her rapid heart. Even partially suppressed, her brother could hold his own. If he had sent the sentries back, it must’ve meant he was handling the remaining attackers himself.

“My lady, do we wait for Lord Deo?”

“We wait for him!” Beks said as they neared the entrance.

“Miss, please come inside!” Someone shouted.

“Not until I see my brother!” Beks shouted back. She had come this far to find him. She wasn’t going to leave without him.

“Miss, Lord Deo has told us to bring you inside.”

“I’ll go inside when he gets here!” Beks said behind gritted teeth. “Is everyone else inside?”

“Yes, Miss!”

“All the sentry guards, too?”

“Yes!”

Beks let out a low grumble and glanced back down the path. The fire flashing in the dark had disappeared. Her heart almost stopped. “Brother?”

“Get in the canyon!” An urgent voice shouted from the darkness and Beks squinted.

“Brother Deo?”

“What are you doing? Get inside!” The faint shape of her brother could be seen running towards them.

“Gerard, let’s go!” Beks stopped transferring biha and pulled him back. Gerard lowered his arms and quickened his step, but didn’t turn around. He kept his eyes on the cliffs across from them and the hazy glow of fire beneath.

Deo shouted for the lingering sentries to get inside. “Brekram is coming from of the forest below, up the hillside to where the village is. I toppled some trees and set them on fire to barricade the road, but that’s not going to hold them.”

“We need to seal the canyon entrance,” Beks said as she swept past him. Her eyes were fixed on the small group of earth biha users waiting around a lantern. She looked at her brother. “Can you give us some light on either side of the walls?”

“Yes, how much do you need?”

“Enough to take aim,” Beks said. She squinted, trying to assess how far back they needed to go to avoid any falling rock. “Gerard! Same procedure as when we were widening the canyon. Use your air biha to keep dust and light debris away when the walls come down.”

Gerard hit his fist to his chest to confirm that he understood.

“Earth biha users, line up!” Beks said. She counted her steps, a good seventy steps away from the entrance of the canyon. She turned around and looked up, pointing her hands up to the sheer cliffs on either side of the entrance. “Brother. There and there!”

Deo created two identical fireballs in each hand and then threw them in the direction Beks pointed. Before they went out, they seemed to float in place and then expand into long, fiery pillars that cast light on the walls.

Gerard let out a low whistle. “And this is what he can do suppressed....”

Beks filled the earth biha users’ wells. “Just like what we did the last few days. Aim for the top corners and let the rock come down to barricade the opening. We won’t push it out, just let it pile up.”

They nodded and split into threes. The practice the last few days widening the pass paid off. They were exact in their targets and the combined biha of three people was enough to crack the walls and send chunks of it tumbling down.

Gerard’s air biha pushed the dust back so it didn’t bother them.

“Is that good enough, Miss?” Efran asked.

Beks narrowed her eyes. The wall of tumbled rocks wasn't nearly as high as she’d like. It could be climbed over. It was time consuming, but it was an easy thing to do.

“No,” she said. She turned to face them. “We’ll go in further and repeat, pushing the fallen rock back as high as they’ll go. When we’re a third of the way through, my brother will heat this portion of the canyon as a precaution to buy us time.”

Several heads bobbed up and down in acceptance.

“At the halfway point, I suggest piling another wall,” Deo said. “After that, we should be fine. Brekram and Salgul want the pass. They can have it when we’re gone.”

“Understood.” Beks looked at the biha users with her and gave them hopeful smiles. “Let’s continue. We have a long night ahead of us.”

╔═════════════════ ∘◦ ♔ ◦∘ ═════════════════╗

After refilling the tapped biha wells of the earth biha users, she personally sent them each back to their family, praising them for their hard work and hoping that they will continue to practice when they could and improve. She then told them to take a well-deserved rest while they could.

She herself didn’t take her own instruction. She wandered away from her brother clutching some papers.

Beks reviewed the list of groups, walking along the rows of evacuees waiting to leave once more with Efran and Amir. With each group, she had the leader confirm that all members of their party were present.

For the family groups that had elderly or heavily injured individuals who wished to be left behind for fear of holding back their families were in tears, thanking her for forcing those relatives to come. Beks pushed their gratitude on to Elder Arash.

The check alone took until the afternoon. Even after the chaos of that night’s evacuation and attempted ambush, Beks kept going. Elder Arash didn’t want to give her another life energy transfer, as lack of actual rest was harmful to the body, but Beks insisted that it was the last time.

“If the Inheritor wishes, I can only comply,” Elder Arash told her with a small smile in her eyes.

“I’m not...all right, for now, I’ll accept it,” Beks said. She could deal with it after she reunited her family. There was a chance that Elder Arash, their council, and the rest of the Dranga people would change their mind by the time she saw them next, after all.

Once she finished her round of confirmation, she returned to the base of the pass exit, where the elders and her brother had remained with Gerard to discuss the evacuation route.

When Beks returned, hesitation and displeasure was still written all over Gerard’s face, making it clear that though he had agreed to lead the Dranga to the coastal drop off point and then to the island, he still wanted to stay with Beks as the guard assigned to her by his superior.

He could do nothing against Deo’s orders or Beks’ insistence.

“The light pearl only tells them that it’s time to return, but not how to get there. Aside from the rokhs and a boat, the only other way is through the Forbidden Valley and it’s too dangerous for a healthy and able individual,” Beks said as she took a seat on the rock her brother vacated for her. “What more all the small children, the elderly, and the sick and injured?”

“A boat is the best way to bring across large groups at a time,” Gerard agreed. “But what about the currents?”

“Currents?” Deo asked, looking at Beks.

“There are stele buried in the waters surrounding the island,” Beks said. “They change the currents, diverting entire ships around the island despite the ship’s sails and initial direction. We assumed this was a defensive measure. Since I drifted to the island by accident, I suspect that there is a specific break in the current barrier that acts as an entry point. Unfortunately, I have no idea where that is or how I even managed to get caught in it.”

“Are you sure it’s a break in the barrier, my lady?” Elder Arash said.

Beks furrowed her brows. “I can’t think of any other reason. I hadn’t done anything. I couldn’t steer the overturned carriage.”

Elder Arash had a thoughtful look, but nodded.

Deo looked around the group. “Beks and I have to continue into the High Desert to find our father. Gerard will be your guide going forward.”

The Elders nodded and Gerard took a deep breath, but bowed his head.

“Gerard, my brother will need the horse you were riding,” Beks said. “Sandra has some of my gold. Buy another two horses for you two for the journey.”

“Yes, my lady.” He bowed his head and turned around. The elders began to disperse to return to their families and spread the plan.

As they were left alone, watching them leave, Deo lowered his voice as he kept gazing out at the encampment of people before them. “I told them that our identities must not spread. I’m a local lord and you’re a distant relation.”

“Yes, we’re the Snowies.”

“That’s a good alias.”

“I know.”

From the crowds, a blond man in a stained and wrinkled royal guard uniform merged and walked towards them. Deo let out a heavy breath.

“Lloyd’s been with me and fought beside me since the assassination attempt past the border,” he said with some helplessness in his voice. “He’s depended on me for survival until now and stayed by my side. I don’t think he’ll be convinced to follow the Dranga so easily.”

“My lord, are you really going?” Lloyd appeared disappointed as he approached the siblings.

Deo gave him a small nod of his head. “I must. We need to find my father.”

Lloyd looked down and furrowed his brows. “I’ve been with you since the border.”

“I know, Lloyd. From the start, you’ve proven yourself a good, dutiful guard. It isn’t a mistake that you became a royal guard,” Deo told him. Lloyd looked up with red eyes.

“Thank you, my lord. That means very much to me.”

Deo nodded. “I know you don’t want to part, but-”

“I will miss traveling and fighting by your side, my lord. I hope your journey with Lady Rebecca is smooth and successful.”

The words were like ice water thrown in Deo’s face. Beks turned her head to the side and shot her hand to her mouth to try to muffle her chortle, only to hear her brother’s sharp “Don’t laugh.”

She bit her lips. “Sorry.”

Deo took a deep breath and squinted his eyes at Lloyd. “Are you going to follow the Dranga?”

“Yes, my lord. At this point, I can’t go back to my post in Kadmium,” Lloyd said in a humbled voice. He knit his brows together. “As you said, they have likely noticed that I’m missing and if I’m seen, then I could put you, and Lady Rebecca, in trouble. The best choice is to follow Lt. Commander Gerard and the Dranga to the island.”

That was Deo’s plan, but Beks could see some irritation in her brother’s face when he was the one who was being left behind instead.

Deo kept his composure otherwise and gave Lloyd a regal nod of his head. “Then, you should listen to Lt. Commander Gerard. Make sure to stay as anonymous as possible. Limit any attention you get.”

Lloyd nodded. “I will change my clothes and join one of the elder’s families as an evacuee.”

“It goes without saying that you are not to speak of our involvement,” Beks said as she remained seated. Lloyd bowed his head to her.

“Yes, my lady.”

She gave him a nod. Deo crossed his arms over his chest. “Then, save travels. Help the Dranga out well, as they’ve sheltered us since our arrival.”

“Yes, my lord.” Lloyd knelt down and bowed his head, pressing his fist against his chest. “I will take my leave.”

He looked up, saluted them once more, and turned to leave.

Beks drew her lips into a tight smile. “Convincing him was difficult.”

“Don’t.” Deo shot her an annoyed look.

Gerard arrived shortly after with two horses in tow. They’d been caught by the Dranga warriors and then put in the care of a family familiar with livestock while the evacuation happened. Gerard had a satchel usually attached to the saddle slung across his shoulder.

“My lady, my lord.” He presented the reins to them.

“Gerard, thank you for your protection, support, and guidance,” Beks said as she rose to her feet. “I wouldn’t have made it here safely, and found my brother, without you.”

Gerard bowed his head. “It is what I came to do, my lady.”

“I know you will do well in leading these people back. I will see you and Sandra when I return to the island. Tell her not to be upset that I didn’t follow,” Beks told him.

Gerard gave her a wry smile, as if knowing what he’d face when he returned, and his wife found that he didn’t bring Beks with him. “Is there anything you wish me to tell the Battalion Commander, or Prince Lucian, when we return?”

“Just to ensure the settlement of these people and see if they notice any more groups arriving,” Beks said as she narrowed her eyes. “The Dranga weren’t the only group who fled.”

Gerard nodded and paused. His eyes crinkled up. “But...is there anything else?”

Beks furrowed her brows. “That I hope they are eating well and safe?”

Gerard pursed his lips. “Do you perhaps miss anyone?”

Beks perked up. “Of course! I can’t believe I forgot.” She moved her hand over her chest. “Tell Snowflake I miss him.”

Deo’s lips twitched as he tried to contain his laugh. Defeat filled Gerard’s face as he bowed his head and let out a heavy sigh. “Yes, my lady.”

Beks took the reins from his hand. “And tell Laz and Lucian, I miss them, too. It was strange the first few nights in an inn without them.”

Gerard’s face lit up and he nodded. “I will relay the message well, my lady!”

Deo took the remaining reins from Gerard with a frown. “You make take your leave, Gerard.”

He bowed his head and pressed his first over his chest. “May the road bring you only peace.”

“And may we bring peace back to you,” Deo and Beks chorused.

Gerard turned around. He was to lead the way and thus had to walk to the front of the group.

Deo looked at his sister. “Are you ready?”

She walked to the side of her horse and grabbed the saddle, one foot in the stirrup, before pulling herself up and easily getting on. “Let’s go. Daddy’s waiting.”

╔═════════════════ ∘◦ ♔ ◦∘ ═════════════════╗

“So, because the script on the exile marking is tied to the barrier stele around Kadmus, changing it like they did the suppression marking could cause a backlash?” Beks asked.

Deo nodded. “It could trigger effects similar to crossing the barrier, so we didn’t want to risk it. Besides, we can always go around the territory.”

Beks nodded as she and her brother rode their horses in the dark, with only one of their two lanterns lit to guide the way. When the sun rose, the temperatures could cause heat stroke, so they would need to find a place to rest during the peak hours. “How did they know that changing the suppression marking would allow you to use biha.”

“Their oral history recalls it. They knew I could use some fire biha, even with the marking, so it was clear that the suppression marking didn’t completely seal my biha,” Deo replied. “Since the marking isn’t tied to anything, there was little chance of a backlash. Some of the elders recognized the script and thought that by skewing some of the markings, it would negate, or at least make the marking as effective.”

“It’s strange that they have so many biha users born into their group, but they’re not very strong.”

“They don’t have the foundation building we have in Sagittate. It may have been lost during their migration and settlement of Giant’s Ridge,” Deo said. He looked at her arm. “Tell me again how you got rid of your marking.”

“During my biha explosion, I was in a bihar-rich pool. Lucian believes that coupled with the explosion, my marking was removed,” Beks said. “I didn’t notice at first.”

“That’s why you were able to travel through Kadmus to arrive faster,” Deo told her. She nodded.

“The meeting point should be outside of Kadmus territory,” Beks said. “As long as we find Daddy within the month, we can return.”

“I’m eager to find the rest of the family, too, but why are we aiming for a month?”

“Lucian’s light biha disguise on my to change my eye and hair color may fade within two months of application,” she said. “We actually don’t know how long it will last, but two to three months is considered safe.”

Deo studied her hair. “This is the first time I’ve heard, let alone seen, such a thing.”

“He figured it out with a senior student while at the Great Temple,” Beks replied. “When the other student told their instructors, she disappeared.”

“Disappeared?”

“Lucian said they came in and took her. He never saw her again. No one came after him, so he thinks that his senior never told them that he had been experimenting with it, too. Since then, he hasn’t shown or told anyone else.”

Deo frowned. “Anything that goes against the teachings or can undermine the power of the Temple is stopped as soon as it’s identified, or worse, taken away to be studied and exploited. It’s good that the Third Prince wasn’t caught.”

Beks nodded. “I don’t know how the Queen could send them away after Uncle Timur died.”

Deo was quiet for a moment. They rode in silence for a while before Deo spoke up again. “What did you mean by missing the Second and Third Prince?”

Beks slowly turned her head towards him with crinkled eyes. “We’ve been traveling for two days already and you’re just bringing that up?”

“I didn’t want to bring it up immediately.”

“Was it lingering in your mind?”

“Do you miss them as your childhood playmates?”

“I’ve always missed them as childhood friends. You know there weren’t others, except Luther, my age, at the palace. They were my only friends and suddenly, they were gone. Uncle Timur died, the twins left, and I was left with Luther, whose father almost prohibited us from playing together,” Beks said with a hint of irritation. She felt that she’d never done anything to deserve such treatment. It wasn’t as if she put Luther in dangerous situations or was a negative influence.

With her diligence and studiousness, the Third Consort should’ve encouraged friendship so that his son would study.

“What about now, as adults?”

Beks let out a heavy breath. “Before Brother Laurence lost consciousness, that night we got back from the Inundation Blessing, Lady Eleanor told me that Laurence wanted to not only break the engagement between me and Luther, but engaged me to the Second or Third Prince instead.”

Deo rolled his eyes. “Can he not govern without your guidance? Does he need to keep you at the palace, even after the engagement is broken?”

“I’m sure he can, but he wanted to keep me in an advisor role. Marrying me to the Second or Third Prince would solidify my position,” Beks replied.

“What do you think about it? Marriage to one of the twins?” Deo seemed to study her face carefully, as if to see if she would tell the truth.

“I’m fine with it,” Beks said. “Not only will I not have wasted twenty years of my life preparing for the role, but I am closer to Laz and Lucian than I am to Luther. And they’re very good to me, Brother. I told you that as soon as they found out I was also on the island, they came to find me. Lucian pulled me out of the pool after my biha explosion and Laz has been feeding me.”

Laz had been feeding all of them.

Deo clenched his jaw. “It’s not that I don’t want you to marry them. I have nothing against the Second or the Third Prince. In fact, I’ve heard good things about them. Our parents and I have even considered it better to marry one of them instead of the Fourth Prince before, as you were closer to them when you were a child.”

Beks raised a brow. “Then why do you sound against an engagement to a different prince?”

He gave her a helpless look. “Because I thought you would come home.”

Her shoulders slumped down as the disappointment in her brother’s voice reached her. She was so focused on herself and the kingdom, that she forgot that her family likely wanted her to return to Sagittate so they could be together.

Aside from the few weeks they lived at the Old Tower before exile, Beks had never lived with the four of them.

Her father had been excited to plan a tour around Kadmus as a family. After Laurence was back on the throne, he likely hoped that they could proceed with the tour.

Beks lowered her eyes, her hands tightening around the reins. “With Brother Laurence as king, I won’t be prohibited from leaving the capital any more. I can visit Sagittate.”

Her brother gave her a wry smile. “Visit. Not returning home. It’s not the same.”

“Even if I returned after this, would it really be permanent?” Beks said. It surprised her a bit that even knowing that she was leaving the palace and everything she’d spent a lifetime preparing for, Sagittate wasn’t where she saw herself spending the rest of her life.

Deo furrowed his brows and cocked his head to the side. “Were you considering returning to Kadmium?”

She looked ahead of her and was quiet. When she considered other places to go, there were plenty, but she found herself thinking about the capital. Not only had it been her home for two decades, but outside of the palace, she had things to do there.

“The late Queen had set up multiple charities and programs unaffiliated with the royal family. She used to take me out of the palace to check on them. After she passed, responsibility fell into my hands. Before Luther’s coronation, I tried to prepare for the worst possible situation knowing I was going to end the engagement. The charities are still running and are waiting for me to return.”

Deo gave her a curious look. “I didn’t know she took you out of the palace.”

“Not many people knew,” Beks said. “Even Laurence, the twins, and Luther didn’t know.”

“Can’t you run the charities and programs from Sagittate?”

“I think the better question to consider is what can I do in Sagittate that will make a significant impact?” Beks asked, looking over at him. “You are the heir. Our extended family is capable. The duchy is run very well with little to no major crisis.” She let out a tired breath. “I’m not needed there, but I am needed in Kadmium.”

“What about us?” Deo asked with a slight frown. “Your family. Do we not deserve your time?”

Beks gave him a weak smile. “More than anyone else. But it’s too late for me, Brother. For years, I put the kingdom first and I will continue to do so. I swore to the late Queen I would and I can’t just abandon it. Not to Luther and his father. Not to my neglect.”

Deo’s lips tightened into a line. “The best place for you to be is Kadmium, then.”

“I’m no longer trapped there,” Beks said with a smile. “I can go back to the duchy at any time.”

“You’re going to have to tell our parents. Daddy is the one who was looking most forward to you coming home. He’ll be disappointed to find out it’s only temporary.”

“Do you think he and Mommy will be against an engagement with one of the twins?” Beks asked.

“Not against, but once more, disappointed. If they had to choose between your marrying into Kadmium and returning to the duchy, they would obviously want you to return. They wouldn’t force you to marry, either. Allowing to be politically engaged once was enough.”

Beks smiled. “I appreciate their leniency.”

“Sagittate doesn’t have a tradition of arranging marriages.”

“Is that why you’re not yet married?”

Deo scowled and shot her an annoyed look. “If you must know, I haven’t had time. Most of the people I spend a lot of time with, outside the castle that is, are people I work with in the military. That is not to say that I’m unknown outside of it. I’m popular.”

“People who say they are popular usually are not as popular as they think,” Beks said. Deo squinted his eyes at her. “I heard the maids saying that before.”

Deo let out an indignant snort. “I can look into finding a wife after we get Laurence back on the throne.”

“He’s awake and now moving and speaking, by the way,” Beks said.

Deo furrowed his brow and looked at her. “How did you know?”

“I smuggled an urapearl with me when we left. When I got back on the mainland, I was able to contact the people that took him out of the city and brought him to Sagittate. They reported that he’d woken up, but the period of time where he was unconscious and wasting away did have negative effects on his body.”

Deo frowned. “They’re not long lasting, are they?”

“No, it doesn’t seem like he has serious injuries. He just needs more time to recover and get his strength back,” Beks replied. “By the time we see him, he may still be a bit weak, but he should be well enough to travel.”

“Good. Who else have you been able to contact?”

She’d only been in contact with Nexus, but she didn’t need to give her brother the details. “The charities. I can’t access my money in the Kadmium Central Bank, but as my beneficiary, the charities should be able to get it.”

“Have you tried to contact Sagittate?”

“I only have your and Daddy’s urapearls. Who is going to answer them if you two are both exiled?” She had tried, but no one answered, as expected.

“Daddy’s urapearl is in his study, and Uncle Erik or Uncle Harald will go in to do work on occasion. I’m sure they’ll go in more often while our father is out. Keep trying.”

Beks nodded. “When we stop for the day, we’ll try again.”

Deo looked out ahead of them. “We should start looking for a place to pass the day. I don’t want to wait until dawn and get caught out during the peak heat period.”

“We don’t have much water left, as is,” Beks said, reaching to her side at the water skin strapped across her body.

“There should be a caravan stop soon,” Deo told her. “We’ll take the chance to ask around to see if anyone has seen our father.”

“You ask around. I’ll read,”

Knowing what she meant by that, Deo nodded and glanced over. “Have you found anything about the Inheritors the elder was talking about?”

“I have, but it’s all been in terms of governing, such as what they do on the island. There isn’t much about their biha or spirit core usage. I haven’t found anything confirming that an Inheritor has both, either.”

“She wouldn’t have mentioned it if she didn’t think it was important or relevant,” Deo told her. “Perhaps having both wasn’t as important as their role in Gurani.”

“She said having both was a defining feature of an Inheritor, so it must have some importance.”

“Do you think you’re an Inheritor?”

“I haven’t found any records that can verify such a claim.” It was asking a lot for her to believe such a far-fetched thing. “If they’re asking for geopolitical assistance in order to give the island legal status and protect it from territorial dispute, I can arrange that with Brother Laurence, but to govern the island? What qualification would I have?”

Deo turned to look at her with a dumbfounded look on his face. “Twenty years of training and you’re saying you can’t govern a small territory?”

“My noble title is an honorary one as the daughter of a Duke,” Beks replied.

“Then have the king give you a title and territory.” Deo sounded as if it were as simple as asking a small favor.

Beks let out a scoff and gave him a sidelong glance. “Do you think the king can just give me a title and territory because I asked?”

“No, but he’ll give it to you because you rediscovered the island and directed a group of people to repopulate it, as well as decided to use it as a launching point to retake Kadmus from your idiot former fiancé,” Deo replied. “And that’s not taking into consideration Dranga’s belief that you’re an Inheritor; a class of biha well and spirit core welding individuals who have historically governed Gurani.”

“In accordance with their oral history. Again, I haven’t found anything relating to it verifying their claims.”

Deo tilted his head back and groaned. “Why are you so against it? Do you know how many people who give up everything for such an opportunity?”

“Plenty,” she said with a dull look. “But running a territory while in an advisor role....”

“All right, perhaps this is something that you should think about seriously. The role carries a great deal of responsibility, and considering what Laurence needs of you, it may be too much work. Or at least a needless addition to what you’d have to do.” Her brother at least understood that much. “However, don’t completely push it aside and refuse to consider it. There may be a reason why you ended up on that island despite the diverting currents around it.”

Beks gave him a deadpan look. “Are you going to tell me it’s my destiny?”

Deo snorted and shook his head. He looked ahead of them. “Destiny is a heavy word. I won’t throw something else at you considering that you are the daughter with dawn in her hair, which had already placed a burden on you as a child that no child should have had to carry.”

“Also keep in mind that if I am given a title and territory, I cannot return to Sagittate as often.”

Deo went quiet. His lips tugged down into a frown. “On second thought, it’s just too much for one person.”

Beks let out a laugh and shook her head. “We will deal with it when the time comes. Right now, let’s just focus at the task at hand.”

“Yes, and that’s to find that caravan stop....” Deo frowned. “We may need to wait until dawn....”

“Should we stop now and wait?”

Deo pursed his lips and nodded. “Yes, let’s do that. Caravan stops precisely one night’s travel from each other, but that’s based on the average speed of a caravan with people on foot and heavy wagons. We’re faster on horses. It’ll be trouble if we passed one in the dark.”

“Shouldn’t we see lights if we got close enough? That’s how we saw the last one.”

“They may be too far from the main road or hidden against rocky outcroppings to further shield them from the sun. We can’t always depend on a lantern light,” Deo replied. “The same thing happens with the outposts on the way to the Northern Pass. It’s better to stop and wait for light instead of passing it.”

He led Beks off the main road and they rested for a bit. As soon as the first signs of light illuminated the horizon, Deo was able to spot the caravan stop. Beks was relieved; they could get water.

It took until midmorning to reach the caravan stop. A few other groups were arriving to spend the day in its shelter, but there was plenty of room for everyone, including room in the stables for their horses. Deo and Beks paid for a private family room. Once they brought their personal items into the room, Deo clapped his hands together.

“First thing first,” he said. He looked at his sister and Beks looked at him. The two nodded at the same time as they spoke. “Let’s eat.”

Caravan stops were like modest fortresses and there were separate buildings for people to sleep and rest, and a canteen of sorts for people to eat. Food was a separate cost and more expensive than in a village, but that was mainly because supplies had to be brought in from elsewhere.

There wasn’t a line when they reached the building. They each picked up a wooden tray and a round plate by the door. They then went down a counter with different pots and pans with a simple selection of food they could scoop on to their tray. When they were done, their trays were weighed along with two jugs of water. The total came out as the same cost of a modest meal in the edges of Kadmium, which wasn’t expensive, but Beks did have cost in mind when she scooped up food.

She only had so much money left with her, and they had yet to find her father.

She followed Deo to sit at a table with long wooden benches on either side. The seating was shared, so the siblings sat across from each other at the very edge. As they began to eat, Deo chatted up the people around them.

A casual greeting, asking what wares they sold under the assumption that their well-dressed, but travel worn neighbors were merchants, and then shared the ‘news he heard’ about the east pass to the Giant’s Ridge having had a landslide that sealed the pass.

Her brother talked to make others comfortable and coax out information as news.

As she took a sip from the water jug, she heard her brother ask a more direct question.

“We’re looking for a man with graying reddish hair, not too short and a bit wavy, and gray eyes. He’s rather pale in complexion, but as he’s been out for so long his skin may have reddened. He’s been out wandering for some time now and we’re trying to bring him news from the family.” Deo let out a heavy sigh, as if finding that man was a thankless task they’ve been given.

“I haven’t seen such a man. Is he a trader?” the middle-aged merchant asked from her brother’s left.

Deo let out a scoff. “I don’t believe he has an actual occupation. He’s simply been wandering around; claiming that he wants to see where life takes him.”

Several older people around the table let out sympathetic sighs and began rambling about members of their own family who were seemingly unwilling to settle down.

“If he’s wandering in the High Desert, there isn’t much for him to do. I can only think of being a sword for hire and escorting caravans or guarding posts,” one man told Deo. “Can the man fight?”

Beks almost wanted to scoff. Could her father fight? Did the sun rise in the east?

“Yes, he’s a very good fighter,” Deo replied.

Suddenly, a man at the far end of the table sat up straight. He leaned forward and looked as if he had a good idea. “Have you checked the stadium on the border canyon? Many people fight in their daily tournaments for money. If he’s trying to get by and needs some quick coin, as long as he’s a good fighter, he can make a decent amount.”

Beks raised her head. She looked across from her brother, who tilted his head to the side and seemed to consider this. “We haven’t reached the border canyon yet....How far is it from here?”

“If you continue down the path, it’s another three nights,” one man said.

“And you will need to pay an entry fee into the stadium outside of placing any bets,” another told them.

“Even if we just want to watch?”

“Viewing fee,” the man who told them about it said with a helpless shrug. “You can’t blame them. It’s difficult enough to make a living in the desert.”

Deo glanced at his sister, who gave him a subtle nod. Deo turned back to the men and gave them a winning smile. “We’ll go and take a look. Maybe with any luck, we’ll find him!”

The men wished them both good luck and once they were finished, she and Deo returned to their room. It was sized for a family, so there were multiple beds and bunk beds. Deo paid extra to ensure they had a room to themselves for Beks’ privacy.

“Do you think Daddy could be at the stadium?” Beks asked as she sat on the edge of one of the lower bunk beds and furrowed her brows.

“The stadium must have a town around it or nearby for its workers and guests,” Deo said as he paced the narrow room. “And it’s a sedentary place where he can wait for us, and get a job so he can eat, drink, and have shelter.”

Beks frowned a bit. “But do you think that Daddy’s fighting in the stadium?”

Deo let out a chortle and shook his head before giving her a sarcastic smile. “He is in his fifties. He’s old enough to know his limits.”

“He’s not that old.”

“But he should know better than to enter a ring at his age,” Deo told her. “If anything, he may be working as a guard at the stadium. If there is betting involved, chances are there must be security to have order and to protect the property.”

Beks nodded. “That’s true.”

“All right, get some rest,” Deo said. “We’ll leave at dusk.”

She let out a tired breath and nodded. They’d only been traveling at night for three nights now and she still wasn’t in the habit of sleeping when it was light out. The sleeping quarters in the caravan stop didn’t have large windows, only narrow strips to let in air.

She lay in bed with a strip of cloth covering her eyes as she read through the tablets. She didn’t know when she fell asleep, but Deo had to wake her before dusk to leave.

The frustrating part was when they got to the stadium, the heat wasn’t so terrible that they couldn’t travel during the day, just during a few peak hours of heat.

That didn’t stop Deo from covering her with a thin sheet he bought at the last caravan stop so they could make it to the stadium at the border within two nights and a half day. The closer they got, the more people were on the road, as the border canyon was at the crux of multiple roads.

“It’s surprisingly cooler here than I expected when it’s still daylight,” Beks said from between a part in the sheet. Her veil was also down as an added layer against the sun.

“That’s because we’re in the shadow of the canyon walls now,” Deo said. He squinted as he looked at the massive stone building that was partially nestled against the canyon wall. “I didn’t expect it to be so big.”

“I’m sure the people traveling through need a source of entertainment.”

Deo looked over at her and grinned. “Shall we place a bet?”

“We’re here to look for Daddy,” she replied in a droll voice.

“It wouldn’t hurt to look. Besides, if we win, we’ll have some more money for the journey,” he told her.

Beks rolled her eyes under the veil. “And if we lose?”

“All right, all right. No betting,” Deo said. “But I do want to see who the fighters are.”

She could allow him that much. Besides, if they were near the area where bets were placed, then there was bound to be security. It would give them a chance to look for their father. Perhaps someone had seen him.

They placed their horses in a corral with a large canopy over it to give the animals shade. It cost a few coins and Beks carefully separated some money to pay.

“And how much is it to enter the stadium?” she asked the person tending to the horses.

“Five copper coins a person.”

“That’s not bad,” Beks said.

“Per entry.”

“Per entry?” Beks looked up. She made a face. “Then if we leave, if we want to enter again, we need to pay again?”

“Yes. And you are only paying for entry. If you want a seat, it’s extra.”

Beks stared at him for a moment. It was clear where this was going. “Then, the better the seat, the more it costs?”

“Yes. Pay and they will give you a ticket to get into a reserved section.”

“What about the non-reserved section?” Deo asked.

“At the very top...and I don’t advise you to go there,” the man said with a small shake of his head. “Gamblers who don’t do too well tend to stay there and it can get rowdy.”

Deo pursed his lips. He grasped the man’s hand and pressed another two coins in his palm. “Thank you for the tip.” He looked at Beks and motioned for her to follow him. “Stay close.”

She nodded and followed him to what was a ticket booth. There was a map burned into a piece of hide showing the various seating sections of the stadium. Deo wanted to sit in the most expensive seats, which were closest to the fighting ring. Beks refused to spend that much money.

In the end, they agreed to pay for a midtier area. Once they paid, they went to the betting hall. As expected, there were many large men standing stiffly at posts around the area, their eyes scanning the crowd of boisterous people for any trouble makers. None of those men were her father.

Beks couldn’t help but be disappointed. She hooked her arm on to her brothers in order not to be separated as they walked through. There were plenty of people placing bets, men and women, and young adults to the elderly. The hall was filled with noise from people who won, people who lost, and people who were just shouting to be heard over the cacophony.

Deo looked around. “We should ask a guard if they’d seen our father.”

Beks nodded, prepared to be pulled along to the nearest guard who wasn’t too close to the crowd, when her eyes caught what appeared to be a wooden leaderboard. Names, or rather fighter aliases, were on wooden planks and hung on hooks along with their wins, losses, ties, and the related odds. It also included their affiliation.

There were different fighting clubs and the person at the top belonged to the stadium’s fighting club. Did that mean they were employees?

She sucked in a sharp breath and stopped in her spot. She tugged her brother’s arm to make him stop. He looked over his shoulder and gave her a confused look. Before he could open his mouth and ask what was wrong, she narrowed her eyes.

“Look at the board.”

“What?” Deo followed her gaze and repeated her sharp breath. The name on the wooden top most plank with twenty consecutive wins, zero losses, and a single tie was Duke of the North.

“It could be a coincidence, right?” Beks asked, more to try to get an affirmative answer than a real one.

“There are other dukes...in other places...of the north....” Deo didn’t sound convinced himself. He shook his head out of his stupor and pulled her to an attendant. “Excuse me, when is the Duke of the North’s next fight?”

The uniformed attendant checked a booklet in his hand and his eyes widened. “His is the next fight. You’re in luck. He only has one fight today. You better get to your seats now before it starts.”

The two exchanged looks and followed the signs to the stadium floor.

“We should’ve asked him how the Duke of the North looked,” Beks said as they quickened their speed through a tunnel. They could see the light at the end up ahead, and beyond it, the large gravel fighting ring.

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Deo said as they emerged. They looked around and Deo showed an attendant their seat tickets. The two were directed to a roped off section where they had to show their tickets again before being seated. They sat as close to the ring as they could within their section.

Heavy drums filled the stadium as the current match below ended. All around them, people were yelling, either exclaiming that they won or lamenting their loss. Beks craned her neck. The two men fighting, or rather the one knocked out on the ground and the man struggling to remain standing after the fight, weren’t her father.

Stadium attendants rushed into the fighting ring to retrieve the unconscious man and escort the winner out. The gravel was then combed over with large rakes by six men to make the ground even.

Deo looked around and frowned. “Looks like a lot of people are interested in the next fight. The upper level is practically full.”

Beks looked up. “The leader board did have the Duke of the North at the top. Everyone wants to see the top fighter.”

“Who is he fighting against?”

“The Scorching Snake,” Beks said. She cringed. “That’s a strange name for a fighter.”

The drums were hit and then trumpets seemed to blare from all around them. A man in a uniform stepped out to the center of the ring. He took a deep breath, faced their side of the stadium, and announced the next fighters.

“The challenger, from the Dunes Fight Club, with thirty stadium wins, veteran fighter, Scorching Snake!” Beks raised her hands to clap, if only to be polite, when she heard booing coming from the stadium.

Deo’s brows rose. “It looks like he’s not a favorite.” He cupped his hands together around his mouth and also let out a ‘boo’ as a towering man with long dark hair in loose pants and stained shirt walked into the ring from one side of the stadium. He raised his arms in the air, yelling something at the crowd to rile them up further.

As the crowds settled down, the announcer took another deep breath.

“And coming in today for what may be his twenty-first consecutive win, the Stadium Fight Club favorite, the Duke of the North!” The crowds erupted with cheers, making Beks jump in her seat. She looked around, calmly clapping.

She held her breath as the doors to the opposite side of the stadium opened and a tall man stepped out, beaming a brilliant smile at the audience as he raised an arm and waved. His clothes looked simple, but were clean, and appeared to be pressed. His thick dark red hair had some gray.

“Thank you! Thank you!” The man’s booming, jovial, and painfully familiar voice greeted the crowd. “It’s good to see you all again!” He laughed as the crowds only screamed louder for him.

Beks and Deo sat in their seats with their jaws open and no noises coming out.

“Brother.”

“Yes?”

“How old did you say Daddy is again?” Beks said as her voice tightened.

Deo swallowed hard. “Fifty-eight.”

Beks drew her trembling lips inward and bit them. She took a deep breath. “Then explain to me. Why is our fifty-eight-year-old father in a fight club?”