Blue Sun

Chapter 3 - Part 2

It was well past midnight by the time Tesni slunk home from the gaol, Gareth her reluctant escort. But despite the late hour, the Kendrick household was still wide awake. All the windows were lit, and as they approached the estate, they could see an elegant coach and four — not her father's coach — parked in the gravel driveway. A coterie of guards surrounded the vehicle, two at the hind wheels, two by the doors, and another two at the front.

The Kendricks, it would appear, had a late-night visitor.

Smoothing her hair behind her ears, Tesni thrust back her shoulders and plastered on her trademark smile. Never mind that she'd just spent hours in a dirty old cell talking in circles with a war criminal. She had a role to play, and she played it well.

You don't need to make people think you're perfect, her father once told her. You just need to make them like you.

A tired-looking maid answered the front door, ushering Tesni and Gareth inside. "The General's been waiting up for you in the dining room," she told them, rubbing her eyelids. She lowered her voice. "He's waiting with the king."

"I see," said Tesni, fighting to control her nerves. King Neirin had waited up until this ungodly hour to see her? Every previous encounter with His Majesty had been a social interaction and he had likened her to a flower—pretty to look at, but ornamental at best. It was safest for her that way.

"And me?" asked Gareth. "Did the General ask for me as well?"

The maid blinked. "Not specifically, no, sir."

Gareth muttered under his breath. "I'll escort Miss Kendrick to the dining room. If your duties are finished, you're excused for the night."

The maid gave him a quick, grateful smile. "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." She bobbed a short curtsy and headed for the servants' quarters.

Gareth held out his arm to her. "Take it," he said, "and try to look like you don't hate me in front of the king, will you?"

Tesni turned toward him in surprise. Their mutual dislike was obvious but never before had either spoken of it aloud. "I'll do my best," she said dryly, laying her hand across his elbow.

Two soldiers were posted outside the dining room, dressed in their military grays, pistols hanging from their belts. They saluted Gareth, who nodded his approval, and then let them in through the double doors.

"Tessie, my girl," the General boomed as soon as she stepped into the room. "Say your greetings to the king."

Tesni immediately dropped into a low curtsy, bowing her head. "I am humbled by your presence, Your Majesty." Gareth knelt beside her.

Black, thick-heeled boots moved into her vision, clicking against the wooden floor. Gloved hands wrapped around her wrist, and warm lips pressed to the tips of her fingers. Slowly, she was pulled to her feet. "You grow ever-prettier, Miss Kendrick," said the king, smiling into her eyes.

Tesni felt heat flare in her face. With his red-gold hair and high cheekbones, King Neirin was the sort of handsome that bled into pretty. And he was young. Too young to rule, many thought. He was lucky to have her father as his first General. No one would dare cross a king with Andras Kendrick at his back.

"Th-thank you, Your Majesty," she stuttered, allowing herself to blush.

"Rise, Lieutenant," the king said to Gareth. He turned his attention back to Tesni. "You must be wondering why I'm here."

"You're here to see me?" she squeaked.

"This isn't a social visit," her father warned. He gestured at the long table in the center of the room. "Sit."

Tesni sat.

Gareth glanced back and forth between the king and the General. "Should I stay or—?"

"Stay," the General commanded. "This concerns you, too."

King Neirin shot the General an irritated look. "Miss Kendrick," he said, almost apologetically, "we need to know what the Wilde prisoner has told you."

Tesni swallowed down a nervous lump. "Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I've only just gotten him to speak with me. He doesn't trust me. Perhaps in time—"

Her father slammed his fist on the table. "There is no time. We need answers now!"

 She lifted her chin. "How am I supposed to get answers if I don't even know the right questions? He's just a boy. A Wilde boy, but a boy just the same. What do you want from him?"

"We're going to war, Miss Kendrick," the king said quietly. "Not just Oldfall, but all of the North."

"I don't understand," said Tesni, furrowing her brow. "Aren't we already at war?"

The General shook his head, his expression softened. "Not a true war, my girl. We fight along the border and defend what's ours. That's not war. That's keeping order."

"And now?"

His eyes glinted with something akin to excitement. "Now we fight to conquer."

"But...why?" Tesni asked, wincing as her father's face fell into stern lines. "Thousands will die—good, strong Northern men. Too many of them die on the battle field already."

The king smiled at her. "You have a soft heart. An admirable trait in a woman." His smile faded. "We need the land, Miss Kendrick. The Northern plains are drying up, and if we don't move south, we'll dry up with it."

"I hadn't—"

"Hadn't noticed?" King Neirin finished. "You're the General's daughter. Your father would never let you starve." The king ran his fingers through his hair, looking impossibly young and troubled. "The droughts haven't affected Oldfall yet. But they will, in time."

"So we go to war," she said numbly. Her mind raced, processing the magnitude of this declaration. The North and South had warred with each other for millennia, but neither had ever managed to gain an edge over the other for very long, and eventually they retreated to their own sides. "What makes you think we can win?"

Gareth let out a loud snort from his post against the wall. "We're not some backwater hicks bringing swords to a magic fight, like our forefathers before us. We've got guns. Tanks. Bombs. Those magicked apes haven't got a prayer."

The General gave Gareth a small nod of approval. "He's right," her father said. "And on top of that, we have the boy. He's our key to the Wilde."

Tesni folded her arms over her chest. "What, you think he'll tell me how to defeat them? No one's that dumb."

Her father's face grew red, and he opened his mouth to speak, but King Neirin interceded. "Of course not, Miss Kendrick. But I bet he'll tell you what the Wildelight looks like. He'll tell you his favorite places, what he liked to do with his friends, what foods he liked to eat. That he'll tell you."

Guilt twisted in her gut. "Why do you care about any of that?"

"We know so little of the Wilde, Miss Kendrick. Who knows what tidbit will turn the tide of the coming war." King Neirin pushed back his chair and rose from his seat. "Find out what you can, Miss Kendrick. The North is counting on you."

A/N: Sorry for the long delays in between updates! For those of you who haven't seen, the official publishing release date for Paladin is May 14 aka ONE MONTH FROM TODAY, so I've been scrambling on getting everything ready. Will try to continue updating this as I can!