A/N: Here is Chapter 10! Thanks to all my reviewers!Thenext chapter will probably be the last, andyou'll see why.Unfortunately, no one got Dagger's secret right, but all will be revealed in this chapter. I hope you enjoy, and please review!
Disclaimer: I own none of this, only my own creations.
Whispering Winds: Chapter 10
Kayla was once again in a white room, but this time, she wasn't dreaming. Curled comfortably in an armchair near a roaring fire, she stroked the sleeping cat in her lap while she gazed out at the chaos around her, amused.
She gazed out at the miles and miles of white fabric, lace and cloth that littered the room, covering furniture and the floor so that not one piece of stone showed through. Kayla shivered as a Midwinter wind blew through an open window, but she didn't bother to close it. From where she sat, the cool wind was counteracted by the warm flames, so she felt perfectly comfortable. Looking around the room, she grinned, unnoticed by the other occupants of the room.
Across the room, a squadron of maids, the two queens of Tyra, and the queen of Tortall all hovered around a single, white-clad figure: Kyia. With one week before the wedding, last minute dress adjustments were being made, much to Kayla's amusement and Kyia's displeasure. The maids seem to whirl around Kayla's cousin, but they parted enough to for Kayla to get a glimpse of her cousin.
Kyia was encased in a layer of white silk, which was layered by at least five different kinds of lace. Her black hair tumbled down around her drawn and anxious face, but her gray eyes sparkled happily. Kayla chuckled inwardly, thanking the gods she wasn't trapped over there; she would have killed them all out of frustration and impatience before they had even began to stuff her into a dress.
So she watched happily as her mother and aunt fussed over her cousin, content where she sat. Thayet fussed with Kyia's hair, arguing with the hairstylist over this and that, while Kyia gave the smallest of wriggles, the only sign that she was getting bored. Comforted by the fire and the cool wind, Kayla shifted deeper into her armchair, and let her eyes drift shut, knowing that she would be bored if she stayed awake. Events like these usually took hours…
Through the thick mist that surrounded her, Kayla saw a shadowy figure approaching her. Her heart leapt; in all her other dreams with the mist, the figure just stayed in one place, never coming close enough for her to see more than a faint outline. As the figure stepped out of the mist and into the mist-less circle surrounding her, Kayla gasped.
Dagger stared at her, hazel eyes glowing with a radiance that seemed to chase the thickest of the mist away. He stared at her wordlessly, hazel eyes glowing with the same love she had seen that day in the woods.
"Dagger, where did you go?" She asked, desperate to know. Dagger just shook his head, smiling gently as he reached out to brush the back of his hand softly against her cheek. Kayla leaned into the touch, closing her eyes, for even though she knew it was a dream, it felt so real. "Dagger, I love you," she whispered to his shadowy form, but he made no reply. He continued to smile at her, saying nothing. Then finally, like she had wanted him to do for so long, he spoke.
"Kayla…" the rest of his words were whipped away by the sudden wind that arose, tousling his messy brown hair and bringing the mist with it. The winds whisked Dagger away, and the mist rushed in to take his place. Kayla could only watch wordlessly as he disappeared into the mist with only his faint voice echoing to comfort her.
"Kayla…"
"Kayla! Kayla, wake up!" Her mother's strident voice carried through her scrambled thoughts, and Kayla jerked awake, sitting up quickly and looking around, blinking blearily.
"Are you okay?" Three curious and concerned faces stared down at her. Kyia frowned down at her as their mothers looked on. "Are you okay?" She repeated, sounding worried.
Kayla brushed away their concern with a small shake of her head. "I'm fine," she told them, meeting her mother's blue-gray gaze with her blue-green one to emphasize her point.
Kyia smirked, looking like a young girl again. "Are you sure?" she asked slyly. "You were tossing and turning in that chair, and you were mumbling under your breath."
Kayla looked at her strangely. "I'm fine," she repeated. "I just had a bad dream."
"Who's Dagger?" Kayla's gaze snapped to her mother's curious and grinning visage for a moment, then dropped her own gaze to the floor, cursing mentally.
"Who?" Kayla asked, trying to play dumb. Next to her, Kyia looked like she was about to burst out laughing, glancing between her aunt and cousin. Next to her daughter, Kaelyn looked on, amused.
Kayla's gaze darted around the room, looking for some sort of distraction. Unfortunately, during her nap, the maids and Thayet had cleared out, leaving nothing but a few scraps of fabric that littered the floor of Kyia's suite of rooms. Giving up on the distraction, Kayla turned to her mother.
"Why do you want to know?" She asked evenly, and her mother grinned, looking seventeen again.
"You were murmuring "Dagger!" under your breath," the queen replied, clearly enjoying this conversation. "I was just wondering who that was."
Kayla sighed. "He's one of my thieving friends," she confessed, and Keianna grinned. Before she could comment, Kyia cut in.
"Friend?" She snorted in disbelief. "More like sweetheart!" Kayla blushed, glaring at her cousin, wishing the ground could swallow her up.
"Sweetheart?" This was from Kaelyn, green eyes glimmering as she pushed her raven-black hair out of her face.
All Kayla could do was nod numbly, but before the conversation could continue, Kei intervened. "I think you have some explaining to do." She told her daughter sternly, but her twinkling blue-gray eyes gave away her amusement.
"Like I said," Kayla began, glaring at Kyia, daring her to interrupt, "Dagger is one of my thieving friends. I met him when I snuck out of the palace to explore Corus."
Keianna was grinning again. "I heard about that," she told Kayla, "Kyia contacted us in a panic when she found you missing."
Kayla hung her head in shame. "I'm sorry about that," she murmured.
Kei waved it away. "It doesn't matter now, just tell your tale."
Quickly Kayla told them her story, leaving nothing. The only time the others interrupted was when she told them (shamefacedly) about going after Brock. At that, Keianna had risen from the chair she had been sitting in, blue-gray eyes stormy. Next to her, Kaelyn looked alarmed as her twin faced down her niece.
"You did what?" Kei fairly spat, and Kayla flinched away from her mother's anger, feeling like she was two.
"I went after him," she mumbled, eyes downcast. "I had to keep him from going after you."
Kaelyn had also risen, placing a comforting hand on her sister's arm. "It's okay now," she soothed. When her twin didn't answer, she continued, "Kei, she did what you would have done. She protected her loved ones from danger. Can you blame her for that?"
Hearing her sister's wise words, Kei's blue-gray gaze softened and she sank back down into her chair. Kaelyn, reassured, nodded to Kayla to continue.
"Dagger came to save me," she told them, concluding her story with her fight with Brock. When she drew her gaze away from the fire, (where she had been staring after Kei's outburst,) she was surprised by the reactions she found.
Kyia was dreamy-eyed, her gray eyes staring off into the distance. Probably dreaming about Jasson, Kayla thought with an indulgent shake of her head. She glanced at her mother, and was once again surprised. Kei was grinning, blue-gray eyes shining. Kaelyn was giving her niece an indulgent smile. Beyond the crackle of the flames and the soft sigh of the wind, there was no sound.
Kaylashivered silently, glancing out the window in surprise. The sky was dark, and stars crowned the heavens. Her stomach rumbled, and she realized how much time had passed.
Keianna stood up with a sigh, walking to one of the doors. Leaning out, she conversed with someone for a moment, and then closed the door. Walking back to the others, she smiled.
"We'll be eating dinner inhere," she told them. At Kayla's surprised glance, she grinned. "I may not have been back here for twenty years," she said primly, smoothing out her skirts, "but the servants still remember me as Lady Keianna of Cavas Hill."
Kayla shook her head and said nothing, her thoughts drifting to Tyra. Her mother and aunt had arrived in Corus two weeks ago, after they had gotten word of Kyia's wedding. They had left the country in the capable hands of Jamal and Alec, as well as the two heirs. Suddenly, Kayla realized that she didn't miss Tyra as much as she used to. With all that had happened in Tortall, she now felt that it was home.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a servant bringing in their dinner. All four women ate hungrily, and when they finished, each retired to their rooms. Before retreating to her royal guestchamber, Kei stopped by her daughter's room. She watched her daughter get ready for bed for a moment, but Kayla sensed her mother's presence and turned.
"Mother," she greeted, sounding surprised. Keianna smiled lovingly at her daughter.
"You love this Dagger, don't you?" Her mother asked, and Kayla looked surprised.
"Yes," she murmured after a moment. She looked up, blue-green eyes anxious. "You approve, don't you?" She asked urgently, and Kei grinned.
"He's the son of one of my oldest friends," she replied. "How can I not approve?" Stepping into the room, she gathered Kayla into a hug, which Kayla hesitantly returned, surprised by this show of affection.
"Gods all bless," Kei whispered to her daughter, pulling away. "Shyam would be proud of you."
Kayla nodded, trying to ignore the tears that suddenly pricked her eyes. "So mote it be," she replied, and closed her eyes, comforted as her mother pressed a kiss to the raven-black hair that was so like her own.
Turning to leave, Kei smiled at her daughter one last time before closing the door behind her. Kayla blew out the candles and crawled into bed, Danika at her side. Her eyes closed instantly, but her thoughts were in a whirl as she dropped off to sleep.
"I pronounce you man and wife," the high priest of Mithros proclaimed, and Kayla stood up with the rest of the crowd to cheer as Jasson leaned forward to capture Kyia's lips in a passionate kiss. The couple was finally married, and the nobles around Kayla commented that they had never seen a happier couple. The two were going off to Carthak for two weeks, and Kayla, left behind in the palace, would miss her cousin.
Kyia turned to the crowd, blushing, and caught Kayla's eye. Kayla grinned at her cousin, her blue-green eyes shining with everything she could ever hope to saw. Gray eyes sparkling, Kyia and Jasson exited the temple to the roar of the crowd. Before they left for Carthak, King Jonathon had insisted on a grand ball to celebrate their marriage. For once, Kayla didn't mind that she had to go to another ball. Exiting the temple behind the newlyweds with her mother and aunt, Kayla turned as a flash of brown caught her eye.
She glanced around quickly, hoping that it was Dagger. Her heart fell as she caught the eye of just another nobleman's son. Brushing away the tears that had unexpectedly begun to fall, Kayla followed Keianna and Kaelyn into the carriage.
Okay, let's face it. Two hours into the ball, and Kayla was bored. She didn't mind this one so much, because it was Kyia's day, and she would be happy for her cousin, but there was only so much mind-numbing conversation Kayla could take.
The herald called for everyone's attention, a group of young court ladies near Kayla, Lady Catherine included, began whispering excitedly. Apparently, the knight that was about to be announced was Sir Derek of Wolf's Peak, and he was one of the court's most eligible bachelors. Adding to his mystique was the fact that he didn't come to court often, only at Midsummer and Midwinter. All of this Kayla picked up without even trying, but one piece of information stood out.
Kayla frowned. Once her mother had mentioned that Shyam's home rested on the fief called Wolf's Peak. Who could this knight be that had inherited Shyam's home without them knowing? Hearing the court ladies giggle again, Kayla lifted her gaze from the colorful nobles swirling around her to the grand staircase.
Catching sight of the person descending, Kayla gasped, the air rushing out of her lungs. She recognized this knight; he had haunted her dreams ever since he had disappeared. She pinched herself to make sure this wasn't a dream; the pain shooting up her arm confirmed the reality of it all. Ignoring the court ladies sighing over the knight, Kayla drank in the sight in front of her, afraid it would disappear.
She knew who Sir Derek of Wolf's Peak was.
It was Dagger.
A/N: I bet you didn't see that coming! Okay, I promise, this is the last cliffhanger! Please tell me what you think by reviewing!
