between feyquin and humans he wanted to be and hope the others would listen to him.
Antorin would want that. But would the feyquin herds? If Selina cured him, the king could make the changes to bring peace, instead of the war Sorvin would cause. But she wouldn't live long after. Faldon would lose her.
Faldon cursed himself for being a fool. He had to be there.
He couldn't wait. Though Selina crossed half the distance in the time he took to contemplate the issue, he could reach the city before sunrise. He would reach her and tell her—He cared, about the future and deeply for her.
Through the night, he ran and walked, but Selina reached the city far ahead. A number of shapes—soldiers most likely—surrounded her at the outskirts. Among the guards, she made her way to the Ivory Palace.
He closed the gap, but a carriage appeared and rushed her away at a faster pace than he ran. Dewel and the others could easily have caught it, but they stayed with him. He needed them to hold back the guards. In his feyquin form, he would have caught up to her.
When they met soldiers, no one dared stop him with three feyquin. Nevertheless, they accompanied him to the palace gates.
After some trouble settled by a show of power by the feyquin, the guards let them enter. Faldon flew up grand staircases and through tall corridors past elaborate tapestries and sculptures, windows twice as tall as any guard standing alert, and ceilings of gold.
The others waited at the entrance, rather than climb the stairs. Faldon had done so once as a feyquin, before Antorin's illness, when he, Faldon—then the leader of the feyquin—declared his alliance to Kemmon as successor. Antorin had escorted him through the palace corridors as a guest, but climbing stairs was not easy as a feyquin.
Faldon rushed to the doors of Antorin's bedchamber, where two guards stood glaring at him. He tried to push his way past, but they seized him.
"Let me in." He reached for the door handles, but the doors opened before he touched them.
"Release him!"
Faldon caught his breath at the hoarse voice, and the guards stood back. He knew that voice anywhere. In deference to the man he respected, he bowed his head. "Antorin, my king."
The old man stood gaunt, his smile haunting.
Faldon looked up, praying in his heart that Antorin would help him. "Where is she? Where's Selina?"
"The woman is resting...old friend." Antorin stepped into the lamplight of the corridor, fully dressed in stately attire, including the purple sash across his chest and gold epaulets on his shoulders. "She will be honored for her services."
Faldon breathed a sigh of relief. "Then she lives."
"Yes."
Thank the gods!
Antorin paused and his smile vanished. "My son has wronged you. Can you ever forgive me?"
"He acted of his own jealousy. You did nothing."
The frail old man took a deep breath. "That's right. I did nothing to stop it. I should have expected it. I may not undo the curse, but I can punish him. He wronged us both."
Antorin stopped at the tall windows overlooking the city, his hands clasped behind his back. From down the corridor, a faint banging reached them in the silence.
"He's sealed in his room, where he hides at night. Ironic that he reinforced his door to keep others out. It's now his prison. He swore he found a way to break the curse on himself, by marrying another bearing a curse, one of the Na'Y'dom . He never intended to cure me."
So that was it! Faldon had the cure with him all along and didn't know it.
Antorin turned to the city sparkling with lights. "I longed to stand at this window, but while I could not move, he whispered his plans to me. Poison, he said. Poison administered as medicine that I should swallow. In that way, he kept me bedridden. The poor man he duped into giving it knew nothing, nor could I tell him."
He took a deep breath. "I woke to the woman at my bed. Before she fell asleep, she said Faldon was near. I hoped you would come, that I might ask your
Antorin would want that. But would the feyquin herds? If Selina cured him, the king could make the changes to bring peace, instead of the war Sorvin would cause. But she wouldn't live long after. Faldon would lose her.
Faldon cursed himself for being a fool. He had to be there.
He couldn't wait. Though Selina crossed half the distance in the time he took to contemplate the issue, he could reach the city before sunrise. He would reach her and tell her—He cared, about the future and deeply for her.
Through the night, he ran and walked, but Selina reached the city far ahead. A number of shapes—soldiers most likely—surrounded her at the outskirts. Among the guards, she made her way to the Ivory Palace.
He closed the gap, but a carriage appeared and rushed her away at a faster pace than he ran. Dewel and the others could easily have caught it, but they stayed with him. He needed them to hold back the guards. In his feyquin form, he would have caught up to her.
When they met soldiers, no one dared stop him with three feyquin. Nevertheless, they accompanied him to the palace gates.
After some trouble settled by a show of power by the feyquin, the guards let them enter. Faldon flew up grand staircases and through tall corridors past elaborate tapestries and sculptures, windows twice as tall as any guard standing alert, and ceilings of gold.
The others waited at the entrance, rather than climb the stairs. Faldon had done so once as a feyquin, before Antorin's illness, when he, Faldon—then the leader of the feyquin—declared his alliance to Kemmon as successor. Antorin had escorted him through the palace corridors as a guest, but climbing stairs was not easy as a feyquin.
Faldon rushed to the doors of Antorin's bedchamber, where two guards stood glaring at him. He tried to push his way past, but they seized him.
"Let me in." He reached for the door handles, but the doors opened before he touched them.
"Release him!"
Faldon caught his breath at the hoarse voice, and the guards stood back. He knew that voice anywhere. In deference to the man he respected, he bowed his head. "Antorin, my king."
The old man stood gaunt, his smile haunting.
Faldon looked up, praying in his heart that Antorin would help him. "Where is she? Where's Selina?"
"The woman is resting...old friend." Antorin stepped into the lamplight of the corridor, fully dressed in stately attire, including the purple sash across his chest and gold epaulets on his shoulders. "She will be honored for her services."
Faldon breathed a sigh of relief. "Then she lives."
"Yes."
Thank the gods!
Antorin paused and his smile vanished. "My son has wronged you. Can you ever forgive me?"
"He acted of his own jealousy. You did nothing."
The frail old man took a deep breath. "That's right. I did nothing to stop it. I should have expected it. I may not undo the curse, but I can punish him. He wronged us both."
Antorin stopped at the tall windows overlooking the city, his hands clasped behind his back. From down the corridor, a faint banging reached them in the silence.
"He's sealed in his room, where he hides at night. Ironic that he reinforced his door to keep others out. It's now his prison. He swore he found a way to break the curse on himself, by marrying another bearing a curse, one of the Na'Y'dom . He never intended to cure me."
So that was it! Faldon had the cure with him all along and didn't know it.
Antorin turned to the city sparkling with lights. "I longed to stand at this window, but while I could not move, he whispered his plans to me. Poison, he said. Poison administered as medicine that I should swallow. In that way, he kept me bedridden. The poor man he duped into giving it knew nothing, nor could I tell him."
He took a deep breath. "I woke to the woman at my bed. Before she fell asleep, she said Faldon was near. I hoped you would come, that I might ask your
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