Chapter 58
Night had fallen, yet Father had not returned.
I exhaled and at last began to eat the meal laid out for me.
"Naevia," Uncle Helmer called from beyond the canvas. "May I enter?"
"Yes."
He stepped inside and moved about the tent, kindling the candles one by one. "Were you truly dining in the dark?"
"It is precisely as you observed."
When the final flame steadied, he dropped into the chair opposite mine. "It appears we shall depart from Dunverra's border tonight."
"Pardon? We have not yet found Alethea."
"Your father said he will see to it."
I set my spoon down into the bowl, dissatisfaction tightening my chest. "Where is he now?"
"Giving orders for the men to pack."
I rose, intent upon seeking him, but Uncle Helmer extended his arm across the table and pressed me gently back into my seat. "We have received word that the Duchess of Ivoryspire has allied herself with Queen Yseldra rather than our house. The queen reached her first. If we remain, Her Grace will deploy her forces in support of the crown, and her army is not small."
"How can this be?"
The Duchess of Ivoryspire, Her Grace Millicent Vaneeri, a woman famed for beauty and a mind sharper than any blade, one who places justice above all. How could such a woman align herself with Yseldra? Their temperaments stand opposed. Yseldra exacts vengeance with cruelty and Her Grace seeks justice.
Uncle folded his arms across his chest. "The queen must have struck a bargain too tempting to refuse."
"Then… Alethea…"
"We have no choice," he said. "The duke prepares to withdraw as well. As bloodthirsty as he may be, even he knows better than to court Her Grace's wrath. We are fortunate you arrived when you did."
Father entered then. "Finish your meal, darling. Your bath is being prepared. Once you are done, we depart."
My hands tightened. "Had I not come, would you still be retreating?"
He approached and laid a gentle hand upon my head. "When peace is restored between the two lands, I shall send men to investigate Alethea's whereabouts."
"I do not understand. If you can do so then, why not dispatch them now and begin at once?"
"We cannot enter. The queen commands that every soul who crosses her borders be questioned in detail. They inquire into lineage, purpose, destination, and they escort visitors to their final stop and then back. Were it simple to pass, I would have sent men to retrieve you long ago. Once peace is declared, such scrutiny will ease."
These were the truths I had demanded. At last he spoke plainly. Yet my heart resisted surrender.
"Is there truly no other way?"
Father drew a chair and seated himself beside us. "I truly do not wish for you to involve yourself in this matter-"
"One may certainly enter," I cut him off, drawing the royal seal from my pocket and placing it upon the table. "With this. It is authentic. The queen herself gave it to me."
Uncle Helmer took it, examining the crest. "Remarkable. This seal grants passage in and out of Dunverra without interrogation."
"Indeed," Father replied thoughtfully. "I shall assign my finest soldier to this task. He is skilled in inquiry."
I nodded swiftly, then hesitated. "Why only one?"
"The seal permits but a single bearer," Father answered.
---
We returned to Baymoon. My fervent hope of soon hearing that Alethea had been found diminished with each passing day. Days dissolved into weeks, and weeks into months. Months at last yielded to… years.
Six years passed in such waiting.
Yseldra wrote without cease. Letter after letter arrived, each pleading that we meet. In one she cursed the ring that had secured my freedom. She possessed a temperament most dramatic. A few months ago, her letters ceased. Just like how my heart had long since grown still.
"Have you packed all that you require?" Mother asked as she entered my chamber. Her blond hair was arranged in a neat bun, her light green gown suited to the summer warmth.
"Yes," I replied, fastening the final clasp upon the largest chest. Within lay gold coins, bars, and jewels. "I do not believe I require so much."
"You begin anew," she said with a gentle smile. "A new life demands proper means. Are you certain you shall be well?"
"Yes."
"And the residence you selected?"
"I need only register it in my name upon arrival."
Mother exhaled softly. "It troubles me that you refused an estate and chose instead a modest dwelling. What if thieves intrude? And the servants you selected, what if they prove incompetent?"
In truth, I desired no servants at all, and only a small house with two chambers. Mother would not permit it. She declared she would never allow me to depart unattended. I could have simply run away and remained in hiding, yet such an existence would have been exhausting.
"The residence I selected consists of two floors, a spacious cellar, and near ten chambers, including proper quarters for the staff. The grounds are expansive, and the stables accommodate four horses, Mother. It is not small. As for the servants, I interviewed each of them with care. They are competent. By now they should have arrived."
"Are you entirely certain that you wish to move to Ivoryspire?"
"I am certain. I shall manage well."
I had spoken those words countless times, yet it appears my parents shall forever regard me as incapable, as though I remain their little child.
"Sweetling," Mother murmured, lifting her hands to cup my face. "Will you grant me a smile?"
I shaped one, though it did not reach my eyes, and she drew me into her embrace. "You have not smiled since your return. It troubles me."
It was not unwillingness that restrained me. It was incapacity.
"Your father and I shall visit you and Aelunira in a few months."
"No," I answered softly. "Please allow me this measure of independence. I shall invite you both when I am prepared."
I took my leave of my parents and stepped into the carriage. Thus began my journey to the Duchy of Ivoryspire, the land Alethea and I once dreamed would cradle our final years in peace.
As the wheels rolled onward, I reached for the box delivered to me from the Temple of Lunovara. Within lay all that remained of her earthly possessions. The first thing I drew forth was her habit. I pressed it against my breast and held it there, as though warmth might still linger within its folds.
"Oh, Alethea… I miss you... Forgive me... I could not find you…."
I lingered thus, then gently set it aside and peered once more into the box. A thick bundle of envelopes lay bound together with cord. I loosened it and examined them. Each bore her name. None bore a sender.
I opened one at random.
'I have attempted to bribe as many palace maids as you instructed, yet their tongues remain sealed. To free Naevia, another design must be devised. The maids will not suffice.'
My hands trembled as I read letter after letter in swift succession. She had been working with another, plotting my escape. There were missives from the guild she engaged, though no names were written, their language betrayed them. They spoke of routes, disguises, the means by which we might be smuggled beyond the kingdom's grasp.
She had been fighting for me.
I returned the letters to the box, removed my shoes, and drew my knees to my chest. My face sank into my palms.
Oh how grievously I failed her. She labored in secret to free me, yet I was such a fool that I remained within those walls
"Forgive me," I whispered, my hands wet with tears. "Forgive me, Alethea."
---
The journey to Ivoryspire consumed nearly two months, for the duchy lay at the very rim of the world, where the sun descends to kiss the endless sea. Ivoryspire was vast, greater even than Dunverra itself. By the time we arrived, early autumn had begun its quiet reign, and the leaves had turned to gold and crimson.
Every town and city we passed thrived with vigor. What distinguished this land above all others was the presence of a teleportation portal in each settlement. In recent years, Her Grace had extended this marvel even to the smallest towns. I might have availed myself of such convenience, yet the portals convey only the person and what rests upon them. I possessed too many chests, and perhaps I desired the slowness of travel.
"Lady Naevia," Andrew called from the box seat. "We shall reach Valmoria within half an hour."
Valmoria, the capital of Ivoryspire. I had originally wished to settle in the countryside, as Alethea and I once planned, yet my parents would not grant their permission.
The half hour elapsed, and another passed before we arrived at my residence. In the distance loomed the grand Vaneeri estate. Even from afar, its authority was unmistakable.
Andrew descended and opened the gates. He was in his forties, once a soldier under my father's command. He had applied for the positions of gatekeeper and coachman when I announced them. He desired a life of quiet now, and I sought the same, thus I accepted his service. Moreover, he was skilled in combat, which offered reassurance should danger approach the residence.
The carriage rolled along the narrow path and halted before the entrance.
Neal hurried forward to open the door. "My lady," he said with a courteous smile, extending his hand.
I had appointed him as my butler. He was in his thirties and had trained under the Ashcroft household steward.
"Thank you, Neal," I replied, accepting his hand and stepping down into the crisp autumn air.
"My lady," Lyda called as she stepped out from the house.
Lyda was but seventeen, an orphan with a gift for tending children that surpassed her years. I had observed her for months at the orphanage before inviting her into my service. She accepted without hesitation.
Her left hand clasped that of a small child of five. A perfect likeness of Yseldra. Hair of blazing red. Eyes of unyielding gold.
The child regarded me with a cautious smile. I knew that expression well. It was the look of one who measures her steps in my presence.
"Greetings, Mother."
"Aelunira," I replied, forcing a smile.
The broth and potion I consumed had failed. I ought to have done more to prevent Aelunira from taking root within me, for I was already in fragments, too ruined to offer her the warmth a mother ought to possess.
There were moments when I contemplated ending my own life. Yet I could not. I could not stand before Alethea beyond this world and confess that I had borne the devil's child.