A/N sorry guys, but I have an excuse! I was sick! And I kinda sorta now have a boyfriend. We've been talking for about almost a month now, almost every night, but we haven't really said anything offical. lol. So... yeah. Thanks too...
Cheeryfaerie: If you read the prologue of Avenger you'll see the name again.
Mage Light: You caught me. lol.
Sammey: Yeah... enough days for her to get back to them. And you'll find out later why they didn't recognize her.
demented-dreamer: Yes... much more. We are now entering the last leg of the journey.
warrior of Tortall: No... that's not what it is. It's something else. All will be clear by the end.
cloverluck11: Yay! Good!
Chapter Seventeen:
"Magic? I see no magic. Where did it come from?" Ciem stared at her, startled yet somehow he had expected the answer. He continued to study her face. He knew it was familiar. It was almost as if he had seen it before. But where?
"It's not magic that you could understand, your highness. I barely understand myself. I hadn't known what it was until just last night. I guess you could call it the power of spoken words," she whispered, her eyes slightly dazed, as if she hadn't realized this until the words left her mouth.
"That still doesn't explain how you got me here. And where is here?" he asked. A face was forming in his mind, slowly, as if the fog that covered it was being slowly burned from the image by the light that was knowledge.
"Here is a cave near New Hope, your highness. I do hope I'm able to find the slash marks that lead us out of here," she frowned and looked towards the bag of food. It had been very heavy on the way in and she didn't look forward to dragging it all the way back out. But it wasn't like she could ask the royal prince to carry it for her. She sighed, shrugged her shoulders and walked over to the bag.
"You don't even know how to get out of this place?" he demanded and she could read the outrage in his voice and eyes. She wanted to laugh but she wasn't certain that she was allowed to laugh at royalty. She thought back on her appalling behavior that she had displayed with the royal family earlier and nearly swooned with shame. They must think her a heathen.
"Of course I know the way out, your highness. Or I did. And I should be able to find it again by the slash marks at the base of each turn. Trust me," she gave him a slight smile, the tugged lip corner smile, and heaved the heavy pack onto her shoulders.
With a puzzled frown she strode over to the entrance to their little cave within a much bigger cave and felt along the wall for the notch to tell her which direction she needed to head. Ciem followed behind her.
"Trust you? I don't even know your name! Or anything about you! You could be that evil witch that that man claimed you were! Now, tell me how we got here!" Ciem nearly shouted. The image in his head was almost perfectly clear now and he didn't like the face that he knew he was going to see.
"My name is Torianna. And I am not at all a witch. I simply inherited very useful blood. This way, your highness," she gestured him to follow, but before they left, she grabbed a few torches and put them into the bag on her back.
"That still doesn't answer how we got here," he voice snapped into the silence of the tunnel walls, bouncing off them and sending the sound echoing back. He also grabbed a torch and followed her out of the little cave.
"I told you, your highness. I brought you here with my magic," she hadn't turned to face him, to busy concentrating on where she was stepping. She remembered from the first time she had been here that the ground of the tunnel was often times wet and slippery.
"But how?" he shouted, so loud she spun around to face him, the torch light making her face harsh. She turned so fast to face him, her feet slipped on the wet ground and she lost her balance, her feet flying out from under her.
The last she saw was the top of the tunnel before she blacked out.
Ciem sucked in breath as she turned and face him, the same instant that the face in his mind became crystal clear. They were one and the same face, only her face was younger and more feminine. His eyes sprang wide as he stared at the perfect likeness to his father.
Then he was moving to her because she had slipped and the crack of her head hitting the ground hadn't sounded at all good. He rushed to her side and knelt down next to her, checking her for a pulse. She was alive. He checked the back of her head and felt a huge bump forming. When he brought his hand back out from under her head he saw blood.
Cursing, he lifted her up into his arms and quickly saw to the wound, using his Gift to seal the wound and reducing the bump slightly. Then he flipped her back over and looked at her face in the torchlight.
He didn't know how he hadn't seen it before. The resemblance struck him so hard now. He laughed at his own choice of words. It wasn't a resemblance that he saw. It was a mirror image.
She had the high cheekbones, strong jaw, and that rounded chin with the stubborn tilt. She had the lashes that Ciem had often heard his mother say she wished she had. She even had the same lips as his father. Her hair was shades lighter but her eyes were the same as his, if slightly more vivid.
How had this come about? His father's parents were long dead so she couldn't have been Burdock's sister. She couldn't be a cousin either, not by how closely they were matched. No, they were mirror images. There was only on relation that they could share.
She was his father's daughter. Likely his half sister. But the thought of his father cheating on his mother was near impossible to comprehend. His parents had been so in love for so long. And as long as Ciem could remember, his father hadn't so much as looked at another woman. How could he have gotten a child from one?
It was impossible. She was from Tortall! And though it was highly possible that she had a Tortallan mother, Ciem doubted that very much. They were never here for very long, and when they were, his father and mother were inseparable. All of it was impossible.
The girl shuddered in her sleep and mumbled something. He bent his head closer to hear what she said. He jerked back in shock. She had spoken in Seridian. But she lived in Tortall and she had absolutely no accent at all. And the voice that she had used to speak was deeper, harder, and far colder then the innocent little voice she usually spoke with.
Puzzled, hurt, and feeling betrayed by his own father, he slung the girl along with the food pack over his shoulder and started to walk. She had said something about notches in the walls. It shouldn't be too hard to get out, and frankly, he needed the distractions from his disordered thoughts.
"Marry you?" Lee sputtered, her face showing her clear shock at the proposal. Never had an official in the war taken an approach like this. Quite frankly she was stunned.
"Yes. Soon. It would be a perfect alliance. And it would add greatly to my country. To think, Tortall being on both sides of the ocean. What could be better?" the prince sighed and looked to the left of her, his thoughts already on the coming enlargement of his country, no doubt.
"My country will not be ruled by any one but me. If we marry you will denounce all power over this country. Do you understand," the sudden coldness in her tone brought the prince back to reality. He gave her a lecherous look and smirked.
"Well… I suppose just your body will have to suffice then. After all, who would want this run down country? After the war is over, your country will be plagued with the effects of it. Famine, sickness, and a great many deaths. It will take a lot of money to bring it back to its peak. I for one don't want to have to pay for it. All I really want is you. You are one of the prettiest little things I've seen in years. Nothing like the swooning Tortallan ladies. No, you have spirit," his eyes wracked over her body clad in men's dress once more and once more the lecherous smile crossed his face.
Lee felt as if her entire body had been washed in ice. She couldn't seem to swallow past the lump of cold fury in her throat. She wanted very much to shove all those words down his throat and hope he choked on them. But she had to think of her country. She had to do what was best for it. Had to free it from the bonds of this slavery that was so well hidden for so long.
And if it meant marrying this disgusting bastard, she would do it. "I'll marry you, but only if you swear to denounce all power or claim to the throne. Is that clear?" he nodded and licked his lips even as his eyes filled with undisguised lust.
"Yes. I will. When we marry in two days," he paused to raise and inquiring eye at her startled gasp, but she forced herself to nod that he continue. "When we marry in two days I will denounce all power and claim over this country."
She held out her hand and they shook, the bargain sealed. When he let go of her hand, she curled it into a fist and slammed it into his stomach, hard. And as he doubled over with the pain, she flicked her hair over her shoulder and continued down the hall until she was out of sight.
Tori's stomach ached so badly it woke her from her dreams. She could feel her ribs digging into her internal organs and nearly groaned even as she bobbed more on… what was she on?
She looked around her, but all she saw was a broad back and the cave floor. She started to struggle, frightened. She had no idea where the heck she was or who the heck was holding her. A growl reached her ears and a hand slapped her legs to make her stop, but that only scared her more.
"Let me go you bully!" she shouted and pounded her fists into the man's back. She knew it hurt, she had built muscles. But she had the feeling it was more annoying then painful.
"Will you stop? We're nearly out of this blasted cave then I'll put you down," the man growled.
Cave… she gasped and became rigid, horrified. She had just hit the royal prince. Several times. There had to be a law against it. Not to mention it was downright rude and highly embarrassing.
"Yes your highness," she whispered and brought her hands up to cover her mortified face. How could she have struck the royal prince? She would surely get it now. She groaned and finally relaxed and allowed him to carry her, even though her stomach still ached from the pressure of his shoulder jutting up at her.
Finally after what seemed like hours, they made it out of the cave and he placed her on her feet. She curtsied to him and said fervently, "I'm most sorry, your highness. I had forgotten myself for a moment and didn't realize it was you that I struck."
She looked up at his face and saw his eyes flash with what looked remarkably like pain. She frowned at him, her brow creasing and he sucked in a breath and looked away from her. "Have I done something wrong, your highness?"
She looked so much like Burdock, Ciem thought as he swallowed heavily. There was no doubting it now that they were in the light of day. She had to be Burdock's daughter. She was just like him. Her face, her voice, her expressions, even the way she frowned was just like his father. She was exactly like him, even the way she walked reminded him of his father. It made his heart hurt to know that somewhere was a woman that his father had cheated with.
But there was no sense blaming this innocent girl for that. He had always wanted a sister, and now that he had one, even if it was just a half-sister, he would enjoy her. He would become her friend and he would help her. And he would find out why she spoke Seridian and why her face was wracked with grief after killing that man.
"Come, call me Ciem. After all, we will be spending several days' company together. Now, where are we?" he turned to her and gave her a smile. She returned it in a way, but he could still read the weariness in her eyes. She didn't trust him, and he couldn't blame her.
"Several miles outside of New Hope. The road towards the capital is just a few miles north. If we travel fast we should be able to make it to an inn by tomorrow, late tonight at the earliest," she started to move off in the direction of the woods.
But suddenly she turned and hurried over to the entrance to the cave. She knelt on the ground and dug for a few moments before pulling a bag from the ground. "Coins," she told him over her shoulder as she filled the hole back up and returned to his side.
"Shall we go?" she motioned and he nodded. She took the lead and he walked behind her, chatting amiably. She made the proper responses to what he was saying, but he got the feeling that she wasn't listening to him. With a sigh, he quieted and simply let her lead him through the forest.
He was sure of one thing though. He had a lot of questions for his father when they made it to Corus.
The gentle bumping of the boat against the dock woke the Prophet from his stupor. He clutched harder the book to his chest and stared, confused at the man who was gently helping him into a chair with wheels.
The boat to Tortall had taken most all of his strength and now he barely had enough left to walk. And it was becoming harder and harder for him to tell the difference between reality and the prophecies that were yet to happen. The only thing that remained clear to him now was the girl. She had done so much, so fast. He barely had time to watch to make certain that she crossed the right paths.
And now she was at the point in the prophecy where she needed him. Finally he would have a chance to meet the woman who had been a part of his life for longer then she had been alive.
"We're almost to shore, brother," a voice whispered into his ear. He knew that voice. It was Nathaniel's. His older brother. They had matching gray eyes, the only physical evidence that they were related. Their sharp minds, though, were very much alike. Long before the Prophet had allowed Nathaniel to read the prophecy. Nathaniel knew as much about it as the Prophet did and often time he used Nathaniel's input to help him. And because the Prophet was too frail he had sent his brother out to help Torianna through. But now… now it was his turn.
He had known for many years that this prophecy would be the most important one he would ever see and now he knew that he was right. And he was a part of it. Before things could end Tori had to meet him. Which was why he was here in Tortall.
"To… Corus," he rasped, his voice as frail and weak as his body had become. The prophecies had stolen his youth and his strength, but they wouldn't defeat him. Not yet. He would do this one last thing before he succumbed completely to the life he had been cursed with since birth.
"Yes, brother. To Corus. But you must rest now. I will get you there, don't fret," the soothing voice of his brother lulled him to sleep.
Tori sighed as they entered the inn several hours later. She was exhausted from all the walking and talking that Prince Ciem had forced on her. Really, did he need to talk so much? After giving her a few moments of solitude, which she had used to think about how to find the Zahib character, the prince had started back in again.
Finally, she had been forced to participate or listen to another boring story. Now, they were finally at the inn. She had explained to him that while in town he was not a prince, he was just a regular person. And she was his associate, traveling with him to the capital.
She knew the amount of money she had in the coin purse and realized if they wanted to make the money last as long as possible, she would have to share a room with the prince. Not that she minded, but she wasn't so certain how the prince would feel about it. But sense it was her money, he would just have to deal with it.
"One room please… two beds," her face was blank as she stared at the man who owned the inn. He looked from her to the prince then back at her and grinned.
"Sure you wouldn't like one bed?" he gave Ciem a vile wink and Tori's eyes flashed. Really she was in no mood for this. Not at all. She was tired from walking and listening to the prince jabber on and she was hungry and her head was pounding like the dickens.
"If I had wanted one bed I would have asked for one, wouldn't I? Now… do as I say!" the words were hurled from her mouth, ugly and mean. She was shocked herself at what she was able to say, she felt her mouth gape slightly as did the managers. But if she wanted what she asked for she had better keep it up. So she slammed her mouth shut and glared.
"Right away my lady," the man whispered and scurried to grab the key and lead them up to the room. He hardly whispered a word as he saw them into the room and gave Ciem the key and left, closing the door behind him.
Tori hardly noticed.
She had known that voice that had slithered from her throat. It hadn't been her own, and it hadn't really been her conscious thought to say those things to the man. No, it had been someone else. It had been Lee.
With a muttered grumble she rose to her feet and paced to the window, staring out. How had that happened? Somehow, she had been Lee and yet herself at the same time. She had been both without really realizing that she was someone else. So easily Lee had slipped into her, had been in control of some part of her body.
And she hadn't even known. She hadn't even felt her be there, she simply was. Tori frowned and rubbed at her forehead, her eyes unfocused as she stared out the window into the trees, her thoughts worried.
How many other times had Lee been there without her knowing? Subtly directing her thoughts, her words, her actions? Had she truly ever been in control? How much control did she have?
She made a distressed sound in her throat, a keening moan almost, and savagely attacked her lip with her teeth. Her frown deepened until a dark line appeared between her brows and she folded her arms across her stomach. What would she do?
She turned and began to pace, her thoughts scattered and half-formed, only one thing standing clear. How could she fight against someone she didn't even realize was there?
"Torianna!" the near shout brought her out of her distressed state. She stopped her frantic pacing and turned to blink at Ciem. She had forgotten he was there completely.
"Yes, your highness?" she asked, dropping her worried stance and made herself act normal, though she struggled to keep her hands from fidgeting with her skirt. It had been so long since she had last worn a dress, she thought, drifting from the conversation despite her effort to stay. She hadn't worn a dress since before entering the Own, since before getting her visions of Lee. The woman that could be inside her right this very moment.
Her eyes widened in horror at the thought and she nearly trembled before Ciem snapped his fingers in front of her face. She blinked up at him and frowned. "I'm sorry, your highness. What were you saying?"
"I was asking of you would like to go to dinner with me," he gave her an encouraging grin, but she shook her head.
"No. If you don't mind, your highness, I think I'd rather sleep. But I shall join you for dinner," she curtsied and waved him towards the door. He gave her a last, long look before leaving.
Truthfully, she didn't think she could mange to get to sleep. Lee was in her dreams. What was to stop her from getting into her again when she was sleeping? Taking complete control with out her even knowing? It was one of the scariest thoughts she had ever had. It made her shake and drained her completely of energy.
She sagged onto the bed and laid back, her eyes wide and open upon the ceiling even as her body completely relaxed. She didn't want to sleep, but against her will she found her eyes dropping and her thoughts drifting away even as the fog of sleep settled upon her.
She sighed out a breath even as her sleeping body turned onto its side into a slightly curved position, knees drawn slightly into the chest. Her hand fisted near her cheek on the pillow, her face turned to the door. And she dreamed.
Lee slammed the door to her room closed with a loud bang and stormed across the large expanse of her bedchamber to the terrace doors. She flung them wide and walked to the guarded railing. She slammed her fists against it and leaned hard against them.
She couldn't believe herself. Or that man… her fiancée. What had changed? Seconds before he had asked that damn proposal he had seemed… nice. He had seemed… like someone she could almost be a friend with.
He had seemed so curious… a kindred spirit. And then, he had seen or at least understood that she was in pain and he had relieved her of the headache. But it had been an absent gesture. As if he was used to caring for people around him.
So what had changed? Why had he acted that way with her? Had the first part been an act to get her thinking, having some of the doors hiding her emotions that she had locked close creeping open again.
She should have known it wasn't real. And now she closed those doors with even more force and kept them closed with the ice that was her rage. She would be damned if she let that…that… that man make her feel anything. She'd show him.
She'd make him so miserable that he wished he had never agreed to marry her. She'd swear on that.
A/N well there you have. Enjoy. Review me!
Nubia