Alton D'Yer leaned against the wall, pressing his ear to it. Sometimes when he did so, he could hear a faint humming, but on the current day, he heard nothing. He sighed and pulled away. It felt like he should be able to do more than he was doing, but even his legacy as a D'Yer gave him no further insight into how to fix the crack.
He did feel a bit better that the two Kmaern who had joined to help them did not seem to have an idea of how to fix the wall either. Alton had been extremely surprised when the king and Karigan returned from Blackveil with the news that they had found the Kmaern, and he had not been the only one. The shock had merely increased when the king explained that they would be returning to Sacordia as citizens. Alton knew many had not believed the story, but undeniable proof had followed three weeks behind the king—a small group of people had emerged from the fog that seemed to perpetually surround Blackveil, people that no one had ever seen enter the forest.
Alton glanced to the side to see the two Kmaern deep in discussion. They had tried to pull him into their discussions when they first arrived, but Alton had bristled at what felt to him like an intrusion. He knew he was being irrational, but he could not help but feel that the king's invitation to let the Kmaern help was a criticism of his own abilities.
If Alton were being honest with himself, it was not the king's invitation to the Kmaern that truly frustrated him. No, he was much more frustrated by the fact that the king and Karigan seemed different when they came out of the forest, closer. Alton supposed it was only natural—after all, they had needed to rely on each other for their lives in Blackveil. But it was more than that. Most had probably not seen anything, but Alton had been interested in Karigan for quite some time and thus paid closer attention to her than perhaps he should. He could tell that she seemed happier, and the glances she shot toward the king when she assumed no one was looking told him why.
Alton simply could not understand what the king could offer that he could not. Sure, he ran a kingdom while Alton would only run a province, but Alton knew Karigan would honestly prefer the province over the kingdom. She was not the type of woman who would be happy stuck behind the castle walls. Not to mention the fact that the governors would never accept the marriage of their king to a commoner. No, all King Zachary could bring Karigan was a hostile council and a kingdom at war.
Alton sighed as the dark thoughts floated through his mind. He pressed a hand to the wall again, and he felt something, a tingling in his fingers. Excited now, Alton pressed his second hand to the wall as well, right beneath one of the larger cracks. The tingling feeling grew, now encompassing his arms as well as his hands. He shut his eyes, trying to hear the voices he had before. He did not expect much, so when a deep voice suddenly spoke his name, he dropped his hands in shock. Deyer, the voice said. Builders with stone. Alton glanced to the side, but the Kmaern were still facing away from him. Slowly, he placed his fingers back against the wall. This time, he felt no tingling but something seemed to settle over his body like a heavy cloak.
Not a dark mind, but there is a darkness in you, the voice remarked, and it seemed almost amused to Alton. No matter. That will do just fine. Before Alton could wonder what it meant, he felt something prodding at his mind. He tried to push the invader away, closing off his thoughts, but he was not strong enough. Memories flashed through his mind—memories of a picnic years before, of Karigan and the king emerging from the forest in strange animal skin clothing, of the two of them bent over a map in the command tent, their heads much too close. The memories seemed to please whatever presence called them, particularly any with the king.
Hillander. A strong clan. Not surprising that they are on the throne. Alton was beginning to realize that something was horribly wrong. He had thought the voice was coming from the wall, but whatever controlled him now was not of the wall. It was something else, something more sinister. He fought harder, trying to wrestle his mind back from whatever had taken hold. He sensed amusement at his actions. I sense a fire about him as well. Yes, this is certainly interesting.
Without warning, the presence suddenly disappeared. Alton was breathing heavily, as if he had just run hard for many leagues. He backed away from the wall, unwilling to risk the possibility that the presence might return. He pressed a hand to his chest, taking deep breaths until his heart rate slowed. Once it did, he turned and started back toward his tent. He needed to return to Sacor City immediately, to report what had happened to the king. Alton was not sure exactly what the events indicated, but he sensed they were important, a piece to a larger puzzle that the king desperately needed.