Page 20 of Salt in the Seas
Felk shrugged, and Aeliana let it lie. Asking him to want something different too closely resembled the expectations of the Recreants around her. Some, like Gaeren’s sailors, wanted a democracy, but most from the eastern province still wanted a leader. They’d fought forAeliana’s mother to have that role. And with her mother’s decline and Aeliana’s role in removing Mayvus, many of them expected Aeliana to be next in line.
But what did she truly have to offer? She’d been shoved aside for fourteen years and bled for the magic deep in her marrow. Her kidnappers had used her power for heinous crimes, things she still didn’t share details about. Despite knowing she was innocent of what they’d done with her blood, she still felt tainted by it.
“Aeliana?” her mother whispered, startling her. “I think they’re all asleep now.”
Sure enough, Felk’s hand lay limp in her grasp. She set it back on his chest, and he turned on his side with a small sigh. Hopefully they’d sleep most of the day and night and wake as infants, hale and hearty.
She followed her mother from the courtyard, then let the door shut behind her with a soft click.
“I thought if I sent for you, you could blame me for not finishing your training. Now you’re free to do a bit more hunting or interrogating.” Her mother hooked her arm through Aeliana’s and steered her back toward the main hall. Those they passed stopped to give their customary signal and bow, some even with tears in their eyes. Her mother had only begun saying prayers with people in the Sungazer a few days ago, and people were starved to receive blessings from their high priestess.
“I feel like we’ve found all the blood stores in the fortress,” Aeliana admitted. “I wonder if she kept key people’s blood, like yours and Durriken’s, somewhere else. Somewhere safer.”
“If she did, only a select few would know where. Maybe even just her,” Emeris mused, pulling a sheet of parchment from her pocket. It was filled with names, some crossed out, others with question marks.
“What’s that?” Aeliana asked, trying to read it without running into other people in the hall.
“It’s a list of the soldiers I remember from the hazy time I was branded.” She circled a few names, then passed the parchment to Aeliana. “If you haven’t questioned these men, start with them. They were among Mayvus’ trusted ten.”
Aeliana frowned. Her aunt had built an army on lies and brands.Several of the soldiers had woken up from their confusion with blood on their hands and weapons in their grip. They’d slain comrades and fought for a cause they didn’t believe in.
The only name she recognized was Brogdon, Jasperus’ son, whom she wasn’t ready to visit. Even so, her mother’s line of thinking brought up new questions and possibilities.
“Do you know how Mayvus’ brand worked? Did she… ask you questions? Or just go through your mind when she needed information?”
Her mother paled and her pace slowed, but she didn’t hesitate. “When we were together, which wasn’t often, she would ask, knowing I’d be compelled to answer.” Her voice trailed off and her eyes glazed over, a look Aeliana was coming to recognize as her mother getting lost in her memories of the past. It was a strategy she’d used to protect herself when branded, and it was a difficult habit to break. It was also the reason for much of her confusion.
“Mother?” She gently tapped her mother’s arm, forcing her back to the present.
Emeris’ eyes widened and cleared. “Yes? Oh, um…” She placed a hand to her forehead and paused in the hall.
“You were telling me how your brand worked.”
“That’s right.” She resumed walking, her face pinched. “She’d ask me things knowing I’d be compelled to answer. But when she left me locked up, I’d sense her in my mind, finding out what she wanted to know.”
“Could she ever ask something across your connection? Could you answer?”
“She never asked; she commanded, and I had to answer, but she usually sensed it much faster. Especially after the brand had been in place for so long.” Her mother shivered, and her eyes clouded over, a sign that their conversation needed to pivot.
“I think it’s Velden’s day off from searching the grounds,” Aeliana said as they approached the door to the main hall.
Her mother’s eyes lit up. “I love his stories.”
“You remember you can’t believe half of them?”
Her mother chuckled. “That’s why I love them.”
Aeliana opened the door, and sure enough, Velden stood by the cold fireplace, juggling balls of water with his webbed hands before a small crowd of soldiers. “Looks like he might have more than just stories today.”
“Are you not coming?” her mother asked. “I thought we could spend some time together.”
The child-like plea left Aeliana waffling. “I thought you wanted me to question the soldiers.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Emeris’ hand returned to her forehead as she joined the crowd, where no fewer than half a dozen soldiers offered her their seats as they all gave their customary bow. She’d be well taken care of.
Aeliana slipped back into the hallway, quickening her pace as she headed for her chambers. She would question more of the soldiers eventually, but first she wanted to reach out to another one of Mayvus’ brands. One who might have a different perspective.
She lay down on her bed and closed her eyes, focusing inward for the tiny thread she’d found that connected her to Durriken. Each time she looked, she seemed to find it more easily, though she wasn’t sure how to feel about that. This time her grasp on it seemed more solid, and instead of landing in Durriken’s mind in a state of confusion, she sensed the transition as smoothly as if she’d jumped into a pool of water.
