Bloodleaf (Bloodleaf #1)(89)
“After that, your mother and father could not be parted from you. They saw the miracle of your life as a sign that you were meant for a greater purpose. They reached out to the king and queen of Achleva, who sent Simon to us as a liaison. The arrangements began for your wedding, though you were only a few weeks old. But what happened with you made me too confident. I wasted another petal on your father, after the fire—?as you well know, it did not work.”
“Why did it work on me, then?”
“I don’t know. But you’ve always had a healing touch, not to mention how quickly you heal yourself. I’ve often wondered if those anomalies were just you, or residual effects of being given the bloodleaf flower before you took a living breath.”
“All this time, why did no one ever tell me? I’ve gone my whole life thinking—?”
“We told you what we thought you needed to know. Don’t glower. And don’t slump—?you’ll look like a potato. Now listen to me, Aurelia. All of your adversities have shaped you into who you needed to be to get through all of this. Be thankful that you’re strong enough.”
“Am I?”
“Well, you’re not dead yet. So for now, let’s assume you are.”
* * *
It was dark again when I emerged from the tent in Renaltan uniform. All the guards were gathered on the grass, waiting for me to speak.
I positioned myself at the head of the gathering, and Kellan took his place behind me, just the same as always. I gave him a quick glance, still marveling that he was alive. That he was here. Catching my eyes, he gave me a slight, reassuring nod.
I wasn’t quite sure of my phrasing, but I began anyway. “Men and women of the guard. On behalf of my brother and myself, I thank you for your loyalty to our mother, Queen Genevieve, and to our monarchy.”
Some of their faces I recognized from past hurts; the group was populated with soldiers who had ignored me, or whispered about me as I passed. One or two of them I’d even seen in the crowd at executions, chanting and screaming. But I could not criticize them for prejudices I, too, once held against myself. The past was irrelevant; they were here now, on Achleva’s doorstep, ready to fight. For my mother, yes, but also for me.
I cleared my throat. “For centuries we’ve seen Achleva as our enemy. Hundreds and thousands of Renaltan lives were lost as we tried and failed to penetrate Achlev’s Wall, all on the word of one man: the Tribunal’s founder, Cael. Senseless, useless deaths,” I said, “pursuant of a single man’s agenda of revenge. The same man who created the organization that, for five hundred years, has kept Renaltans obedient and afraid. Obedient to his statutes, afraid of one another.” I remembered what Zan said, that the greatest threat this city has ever faced came from within, not from without. “But the truth is this: Achleva is not our enemy. It never has been. Our true oppressor is, and has always been, the man we call the Founder . . . his teachings, his Tribunal, and now his self-appointed successor: Toris de Lena.”
My voice grew stronger. “Toris is even now enacting a plan years in the making . . . an effort to destroy the sovereignties of two nations and bring them both under the Tribunal’s complete control. In mere weeks he has displaced our queen, kidnapped our future king, and begun a sequence of destruction within Achleva that has culminated in regicide: King Domhnall is dead at Toris’s hands.”
I heard several gasps.
I continued, “As upsetting as it is, Domhnall’s death was not Toris’s end game; rather, it was just another necessary step toward a larger goal. Toris is trying to bring down Achlev’s Wall. And when it falls, the lines of power Achlev used to construct it—?the ley lines—?will snap back to their original paths, bringing five centuries of suppressed calamity in their wake.” I lifted my chin. “Already there are signs of the coming danger: the water is bad, the plants are dead, the ground has been shaking, and Toris has barred the citizens from leaving. Without intervention, the wall won’t even have to fall before everyone inside it starves to death.”
I took a deep breath. “The wall’s protective magic is held in place by the three gates, each requiring three sacrifices to break its three seals. High Gate and Forest Gate have already fallen; King’s Gate is the last remaining, and King Domhnall’s death has already broken the first seal. Two more of the royal line must be sacrificed to finish the job. Zan—?Prince Valentin, I mean—?is the sole heir remaining. He now stands as the last obstacle between Toris and his totalitarian objectives.”
Fredrick spoke up. “But if there are three seals to be broken by Achlev’s bloodline, and there is only one descendant left, how can the wall possibly fail?”
“Marriage,” Simon spoke up. “The Achlevan marriage ritual is a blood-binding ceremony. It makes the two participants essentially of one blood. The only way for the prince to ensure that the wall will stand forever is for him to die without marrying or siring an heir.”
Cold fear stole over me. Oh merciful stars above. Lisette was still in the city. Lisette, who had been Toris’s choice for Zan’s bride from the very beginning.
“Our mission is threefold,” I managed to say steadily. “Evacuate the innocent citizens of Achlev, retrieve Prince Valentin and secure his safety, and apprehend Toris de Lena and bring him back to Renalt to face justice.” My voice dropped. “If we fail, there will be many thousands of innocent Achlevans who die as a result. And that’s just the immediate cost; imagine a future where the Tribunal rules and reigns with absolute power and impunity.” A weighty hush fell; it was a grim prospect, even to those who had never before questioned the Tribunal. “We simply cannot fail.”