The Twisted Way (Champions of the Crystal Book 3)

Chapter 17: Aftermath

It was dawn, Sabrina realized when she finished her message to Haaron. She thought about going to bed, but even as tired as she was, she did not want to sleep. A hot bath and clean clothes would set her to rights...well, as much to rights as possible, she amended. It would be a long time before she felt well again. She felt old, weary, a veteran in grief.

She hadn't thought it could hurt so much. Losing her parents had been devastating, but they were her parents; she'd known them all her life. She hadn't expected losing Rayland, whom she'd known so short a time, to be as painful. But somehow it was. She kept expecting to hear his footsteps as he came to check on her. How was she going to go on without his strong, steady presence? Could she push the peace process through without his support? Would the Ministers even allow the regency to continue? What would happen to Mara and Tirqwin if they didn't?

She ran a hot bath, carefully folding her bloodstained shirt into a drawer. It was all she tangibly had left of him right now, however macabre a memento. She didn't want her overly enthusiastic staff washing it. Not yet. She bathed quickly, relishing the feeling of being able to do for herself. It had been too long, she realized; she had grown used to being waited on.

Wrapping a robe around her, she went into her closet. Full mourning again, for a long, long time, she thought. She welcomed it; it suited her feelings. She pulled out the deepest, darkest purple she could find, the dress she'd worn to King Baldaran's funeral. She took the matching silk veil too. When she was dressed, she simply brushed her hair and draped the veil over it. Then she went back to her comconsole and accessed the casualty lists that were being compiled. There had been heavy casualties in the fighting in and around the Residence during the Reissian landing, she saw. Brusasch Jorvst of the Citizens Council was among them.

Suddenly panicked, Sabrina scrolled rapidly through the lists of dead and wounded, searching for Tassan's name. It was not there, and she wondered in agony whether he was lying dead or hurt somewhere and hadn't been found yet.

One of the evacuation flyers, the last one out, had been shot down and lost in the ocean off Dansestari. Sabrina's fingers froze over the comconsole as she spotted an all-too-familiar name. Izana was dead. She closed her eyes, remembering Izana's anxious face as she'd left for the ball. Sabrina would never see her again, never wake to her cheerful chatter.

Quickly, before the sorrow overwhelmed her, Sabrina turned back to the lists. Androvar nar Ptelkar, the Minister of Justice, had been on the lander too. Another empty seat at the Council of Ministers, she thought. She'd never really liked him, but he had been fair. I wonder if Therenden wants the job? Then she was off on another frantic search for Therenden's name. It appeared among the wounded; he had been at the Ministries offices during the Reissian landing.

She spent an hour among the lists, which were being updated constantly, before Darice brought her some cocoa and fruit and tried to make her eat. "They've dug out Giandrah, my lady," she said.

Sabrina sipped the cocoa, rejected the fruit vehemently, and said, "The Reissians broke through almost to the Crystal Chamber. Deniranié Andiji is dead. Prince Zav's hurt. Oh...oh, Darice. Captain Mireth is dead. She died at the Residence. Look."

Darice's expression became mask-like. Sabrina said, "I never even knew her first name...."

"Alsa," Darice said.

There was a sound at the outer door, and Darice vanished swiftly. She returned a moment later with Selémahs, Leran, Justek, and Rndara. Sabrina gave a cry of welcome and hugged Selémahs, then Rndara. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you all!"

"How is the Guardian?" Selémahs asked.

"Asleep," Sabrina said. "You can see her if you like. Rndara, how's Zav?"