The Defender Page 5

  “Zezilia?” Hadrian’s rich flavor distracted me.

  I wrenched my concentration back to the growing feeling of invasion. It was stronger than Selwyn’s first trial attack all those months ago, more subtle too. Whoever it was, he didn’t want me to notice his existence until it was too late for me do anything about it. By the grace of the Almighty, I had sensed it early enough.

  I slid the last of my defenses into place just as someone touched my arm. I paused to raise my eyes. My gaze traced the path from the hand on my arm to Renato’s concerned face. The invader touched the first of my defenses. When nothing happened, fear spread through my chest. Renato must have seen it in my eyes. The invader resumed his advance as Renato’s musky taste filled my mouth.

  “Are you alright?”

  The attacker bypassed another trap. I knew what I had to do. Shoving away Renato’s connection, I ConPropped. My Talent senses went blind, but I didn’t need them to hear the deafening crash from the far end of the room. All eyes went to the man sprawled among the remains of a table at King Sabine’s feet. Well, all but Hadrian’s. His gaze immediately found my face. His concern quickly turned to something more serious as he realized what might have happened. I didn’t dare risk touching my amoveo just yet. If I awakened my Talent, I would again become vulnerable, and this time, the enemy would be angry.

  “What is the meaning of this?” the high king demanded as he rose. Two of his honor guard stepped out to place themselves between him and the man. Another pair advanced on the man as he shakily gained his feet. Hadrian must have sent a mental order to his own men because a pair of defenders immediately stepped forward to restrain the stranger.

  Over their shoulders, I caught a glimpse of the man’s face. He was surprisingly young with light brown hair, fairer than Renato’s golden mane. He met my gaze for a heartbeat. It was long enough for me to read the emotion in his light-colored eyes. They proposed a challenge, laced with something that made my skin crawl.

  “Are you alright?” Renato asked from above my right shoulder.

  I nodded, but I couldn’t drag my eyes from the scuffle going on in the center of the council hall. The defenders reached the man a moment before the high king’s men. Each defender grabbed an arm, and I saw the man flinch. Most likely, one of them was pumping him full of stracken, hopefully rendering him harmless.

  “They are going to incapacitate him, but Hadrian doesn’t want you accessing your Talent yet. It isn’t safe.”

  I nodded my understanding. I wasn’t certain that I was ever going to access my Talent again. A shiver slithered down my spine. His invasion had left me feeling raw and vulnerable in ways I had never imagined.

  “My Lord High King.” Hadrian’s bass voice echoed heavily down the hall. “This man falls under my jurisdiction. He is a Talent user and has abused his privileges. I ask that you relinquish him to my care for evaluation and judgment.”

  “I object.” King Sabine cried immediately. “He is my servant and a member of my household. It is my decision what is to be done with him.”

  High King Marcellus frowned and met Hadrian’s gaze for a moment. Frustrated with my new blindness, I watched as he weighed the matter.

  “In this matter, King Sabine, I am afraid the sept son has a stronger claim. As overseer of the Talent-trained, his demand to judge a man who has abused his Talent privileges is greater than your claim to a judge your own servant. You may take him away, Sept Son, but I wish to have a full report as to what has just come to pass.”

  “Of course, my lord,” Hadrian responded, bowing slightly. “Thank you for relinquishing your claim, my Lord Sabine.”

  “May it be recorded that I did no such thing,” Sabine snapped.

  The high king returned to his throne, signaling the return to the proper procedure of the council. Estes Adrasteia was recognized, and the council continued.

  I spent the remaining three hours of the meeting concentrating on not touching my amoveo in order not to be noticed by other Talented. It astounded me how natural the impulse to do it was. Every time I noticed emotion flicker across someone’s face, I instinctively reached for it. Each question that blossomed across my thoughts made me want to ask Hadrian or Renato. Asking them out loud would be socially uncouth. In that time, I realized how much Talent-training had changed my life, and I silently thanked the Almighty for the gift I had taken for granted.

  Then, finally, the meeting reached its close. All the kings had presented their reports on the health and wealth of their personal domain. The high king closed the session by announcing that the next council, the coming day, would bring the high king’s report, the sept son’s report, and the discussion of “serious matters affecting the realm.” I knew without asking that the Elitist issue would be the first item on that list.

  All the kings rose, the sept son’s entourage also, as the high king paraded down the hall, passed us, and out the doors. The moment the heavy thud of the oak doors echoed back from the vaulted ceiling, the front of formality dropped away. Kings, aides, princes, and servants instantly went about their various tasks. Many of the Kings converged around Sabine. I wasn’t able to tell if they were supporting or chastising him because Renato tugged on my sleeve, signaling that we were leaving.

  I stepped into the procession where I had walked before, but we had only gone three paces when the defenders reformed around me, separating me from Hadrian and Renato by a distance of three men, and moved me to the back of the group.

  “It is for the sept son’s protection,” Plantonio explained kindly as he walked in-step with me. “We don’t know what kind of directive the man could have laid upon you in the moments he was in your mind, so we are trying to protect the sept son until we can assess the damage.”

  “Can you remove the directive?” I asked. I was certain that the invader hadn’t reached far enough into my mind to lay a subconscious command, but I was no more willing to stake Hadrian’s life on it than they.

  “A few months ago, I would have had to tell you that we couldn’t, but we have learned a new method lately. Unfortunately, only the sept son is qualified to do it since it requires a deep probe, which, if performed incorrectly, can damage the mind of the probed Talent.”

  I shivered at the thought, but I trusted Hadrian, and I didn’t want there to be any chance that I would hurt him. “I am willing,” I told Plantonio.

  “I don’t think you will get much of a choice, but it is easier when you are willing.” He smiled down at me. Then, a distracted look flickered across his features. “I am needed,” he explained and then moved off into the crowd of defenders.

  I was watching his head disappear among the sea of men before me when suddenly I was grabbed from behind. A hand covered my mouth before I could scream. All I could do was fight powerlessly as help calmly marched away, leaving me in the clutches of my keepers.

  * * *

  Hadrian

  Pain raged behind my eyes. I walked all the way back to my quarters with my eyes half closed and using my energy-sight to keep me from bumping into walls. Renato must have guessed at my condition because he kept giving me small promptings. Thanks to his help, I arrived safely back in my room, and in moments, Giles was at my elbow, offering a cool cloth and a change of clothes.

  I left Renato with orders to have Zez brought to me in a half hour and then willingly followed Giles into my bedroom. He helped me out of my uniform with little comment. Perhaps he also sensed my fatigue and pain, or he was happy that I was finally availing myself of this aspect of his services. Up until this point, I always dressed myself, and only after I had arrayed myself with the basics did I allow him to fuss over the particulars. This habit continually rose as a sore point between us, so I wouldn’t be surprised that my acquiescence alone was the reason for his kinder than normal service.

  Just as I was lying down and closing my eyes beneath a delightfully cool, damp cloth, Renato appeared and shattered my hopes of quiet.

  “Zez is missing.”

>   I sat up, and the cloth landed in my lap. A piercing throb began in my temples as I frowned at my aide.

  “The Master needs his rest right now. Can’t someone else take care of this,” Giles announced, stepping forward in an attempt to usher Renato out the door.

  “No, Giles, let him speak.” I scanned Renato’s ashen face. “When was she last seen?”

  “Plantonio was the last to speak to her as we were passing through the main corridor to the stairs. He said he left her with Credic, that new defender trainer in the north, to be escorted here before he went to take up his next duty. After that, she wasn’t seen again.”

  I pressed a hand to my eyes savoring the slight decrease in throbbing, I dare not open them or risk an escalation in pain again. “Have they sought out Credic? Have you scanned for her using energy-sight?”

  “Credic has disappeared. The defenders are scanning for Zez now, but I don’t know how successful it will be. You ordered her to stay blind, and she isn’t detectable when she’s like that.”

  “Well, let us hope that she disobeys my order. Meanwhile, have the defenders search the traditional way. Start in the places where your father or Sabine frequent.”

  Renato might have nodded before he left, but I didn’t see him. With my eyes still closed, I lay back on my bed as the door shut with a sharp bang. I winced at the sound. Despite my exhaustion, I couldn’t find sleep. After a few minutes of trying, I found my thoughts dwelling on the nagging burr that I was the reason she was here in the first place. Guilt and frustration, my old companions, settled on my shoulders.

  Finally, after trying to shake the emotions off with my own strength, I crawled out of bed and enlisted the Almighty’s help. I could feel the noose tightening around my neck, and I needed reassurance that this still was the path He wanted me to walk, even if it meant at the cost of Zezilia. I was certain that I could not face that, but somehow, I felt that I might need to.

  * * *

  Zezilia

  I fought them the whole way. At least one of the young men limped away with a nasty bruise on his shin, and two had teeth marks on their hands. After the second yelped and withdrew his hand, a sweaty-smelling scrap of wool was stuffed in my mouth instead. They dragged me backwards into a dark room, and the door closed behind us with a final thump. Before I could catch my balance, they released me and let me fall to my knees blind and bewildered. I didn’t dare touch my amoveo now that I was obviously being targeted. The men might be in league with the strange man in the Council Hall. Now that I was unhindered, I spat out the rag and peered into the darkness.

  “You always were such a pest, Zez.” Vander, one of my elder brothers, lit a lamp, bathing the small storeroom in a meager glow. “Why couldn’t you have come quietly?”

  “If I had known I was coming to speak to you, I wouldn’t have protested,” I replied. “The method of my invitation was a bit hostile.”

  I scanned the room as I slowly rose to my feet. The lack of windows was hardly surprising. Pressing in on my right and left were towering shelves full of towels, bedding, and pillows. In the shadow of Vander’s solid form, a second door beckoned invitingly. If I could just get past him, I had a hope of getting free.

  He grunted. “We had to get you away from the stick-in-the-mud of a sept son without him knowing. Father wants to speak with you, and his exaltedness has made it clear that he will not make you available. So, we had to use other means.”

  “You could have at least told me where you were taking me,” I pointed out. Even if Vander had asked, I wouldn’t have come, but it was point worth making just the same.

  “I did tell you.” He laughed jeeringly then. “For all that hype about your abilities, you missed my sending from only inches away. Tsk, tsk. Not all that you are supposed to be, are you?”

  I almost opened my mouth to explain that I had ConPropped, and my Talent was blind, but I stopped in time.

  “What?” He leaned forward and studied me from beneath lowered brows. “You have an excuse? Your attention diverted at the time? You can only do one thing at a time? What is the reason that you couldn’t even catch a simple sending?”

  I met his gaze. He had changed in the three years I had been away. I could see it in his face. The insolent sneering set to his mouth, the way his eyes taunted, and the cocky tilt of his head all spoke clearly of his opinion of life and the people around him.

  “What does Father want?” I asked.

  “You, of course.” Straightening to his full height, Vander crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. “Some of Father’s friends want to meet with you, and Father promised them that he would bring you to them.”

  “Father’s friends?”

  “Yeah, some really powerful people who have promised him a great deal of honor.”

  “And what do you get out of it?” I asked. Vander, since he turned twelve, did nothing without there being something in it for him.

  He smiled a slow, wicked smiled that made my skin crawl. I wondered that this man was my brother, the same boy that joined in our childish romps only a decade before.

  “I get a wife: beautiful, Talented, complacent, and fertile.” He laughed. “By this time next year, I will have her pregnant, and we will be settled down in luxury.”

  I frowned. But, before I could ask Vander to expound upon his reward, the door opened behind him, and three men slipped into the already crowded storeroom. One of them told my escort to leave, and we waited in silence as they filed out the door behind me.

  “You have brought her.” My father stepped into the light and surveyed me as though he were taking inventory. I could see him checking things off a list in his mind, but I couldn’t guess at what was on the list. “Is she trained?” he asked my brother without turning his way.

  “How would I know?” Vander replied. “I haven’t been trained myself. You didn’t think Talent-training a worthy endeavor for an upstanding young prince, remember.”

  My father didn’t flinch at the jab. Vander had wanted to be trained, but when the time came, Father denied it.

  “She is wearing defender’s blue,” the stranger to my father’s left commented. I didn’t recognize his voice, and his face was in the shadows beyond the lamp’s weak light. All I could see of him or the other man were bottoms of their plain, but well-made, tunics. The one that had just spoken wore red and other black. “They don’t award that honor lightly.”

  “Then why can’t I sense her?” the man in black asked.

  “Shielding of some sort,” the other replied.

  Finally, I had reached the limit of my patience. “Why am I here?” I asked.

  The men fell silent while my father glared at me. “I see that the training has done nothing for your insolence, girl. The sept son hasn’t kept his promise of not ruining your womanliness.”

  “That can be regained,” the man in red said.

  “Indeed,” the second agreed.

  “We brought you here because you are in danger,” my father said. His voice softened and became almost cajoling.

  Only three short years ago, I would have melted at the sound of that tone, back when I still treasured the thought of my father’s praise and love as something to be won. Now, as he leaned forward and arranged his face into a mask of false affection, my stomach turned, and I suddenly wanted to cry. His warmth had never been real.

  “The sept son is poised to lose everything, and I don’t want you getting caught in his fall. It is time for him to step down and let another take his place. Since he hasn’t taken the hint and done it of his own accord, we are going to force his hand. Come, child, he has served his purpose in your life; he trained you, and now it is time to cast him aside. He is no longer useful to you or the country.”

  “How long does he have?” I asked.

  “Until tomorrow afternoon.”

  I widened my eyes, trying to appear innocent. “So soon? But how can that be? He is so powerful and strong.”

  “He gets all of his power f
rom his title,” my father explained, “but that can be taken away. Tomorrow at the King’s council, he will be legally voted out of office and being the honorable fool that he is, he will comply with the law and surrender.”

  I bit my tongue against my protest. I couldn’t see Hadrian willingly giving up his title and responsibilities despite their weight on his spirit.

  “Ostin, isn’t this a bit foolish?” The red tunic man protested. “All she has to do now is warn the sept son.”

  “And he will do what?” my father asked. “Throw a fit?”

  “Besides,” Vander added, “I doubt she will be heard. Even the sept son isn’t fool enough to listen to the whining of a hysterical woman.”

  “True enough,” the man in black agreed. “Now tell her what to do and then we must be going. We have a meeting with the high king in a few minutes.”

  “Now listen carefully.” My father leaned forward, he face again portrayed a mixture of false love and concern. “We want you to return to your quarters. If anyone notes your absence, tell them that you lost your way and got turned around. Then pack your things and go to Vander’s rooms. He will not be sleeping there tonight. Stay there until tomorrow afternoon when someone will come for you and take you home.”

  Even as he spoke, outlining the plan, I could see that something quite different would be happening when I showed up at Vander’s room. Silently, I thanked the Almighty for opening my eyes.

  “Do you understand?” he asked.

  I nodded dutifully.

  “I think I should escort her,” Vander said.

  “Nonsense, I need you with me. Let Zez out. She will be a good girl and obey her father.” He reached across the table to pat me on the head as though I were a child of eight rather than a woman of eighteen. “Now, let us go. We must not be late for the meeting with the high king.”

  Vander leaned over and blew out the candle, drowning the room in darkness. The door opened, and all the men shuffled out. Vander left last, closing the door with a vicious slam. Suddenly, I was alone. I slowly realized that I was shaking.