Skyfell – Earlywinter, Year 3081 After Doom
Dayne sat with his hands resting on his knees, his legs stretched out in front of him, the midday sun warm against his skin. He couldn't remember the last time he had simply sat on a shoreline and listened to the gentle breaking of the waves. It had been something he had done almost every day as a child. When he had first left home, one of the hardest things to do had been learning to sleep without the constant crashing of waves against the base of the Abaddian cliffs.
He drew in a lungful of ocean air and let it swell in his chest before he exhaled. He pushed his feet deeper into the wet sand, feeling the cool rush of water as the languid waves lapped at his skin. A little over two weeks had passed since they had retaken Skyfell. And in that time, Dayne had done nothing but sit and wait while his people bled for freedom. He didn't blame Alina for asking him to stand back until she could arrange a meeting of the council. He understood. It was a delicate situation. That didn't make it any easier.
"She's ready for you."
Dayne opened his eyes to see Mera standing at his side, gazing at the ocean, her long white dress drifting in the breeze. Even before he had left, all those years ago, it was rare he had seen her in a dress. It didn't matter. Dress, tunic, armour. She was his heart. "How is she?"
"Nervous." Mera didn't pull her gaze from the breaking waves.
Dayne nodded absently, drawing a deep breath then letting it out in a sigh. "She doesn't trust me."
"Not entirely," Mera said, sitting in the sand next to Dayne. "But she's trying. You've been gone a long time, and in that time, she has clawed and dragged her way to where she is. She brought us together. But she would be a fool to think there weren't those who would use your return to shatter everything she has built. The lost son of House Ateres. Eldest living heir of Arkin and Ilya Ateres. Your claim to lead the House is undeniable. It is yours by right."
"I don't want it. I don't deserve it."
"There are many people who don't deserve the things they want." Silence settled between them, punctuated by the waves. Mera let out a soft sigh. "I believe you. You are not the man who left Valtara twelve years ago. But you have the same heart. And I know you would do anything to protect Alina, as you always have."
"I would die for her."
"I know you would. And she knows it, too. But a lot has changed since you've been gone. There are those who look to Alina in the same way they once looked to your mother. She is strong and fierce – just like Ilya. Those who follow her would follow her to the void and back. But there are also those who seek power. Sharks waiting for the first sign of blood. That's what you are to Alina right now – blood in the water. Creating uncertainty within House Ateres could shift everything. It would leave room for another House to lead the way. Even within House Ateres itself, vipers slither, the Minor Houses seeking to gain power."
Dayne shifted, narrowing his eyes. "Who?" If he was to serve Alina, he would need to know her enemies.
"Reinan Sarr, Turik Baleer, and Hera Malik. Those three are probably the most notable. They each supported the rebellion, but that doesn't mean they support Alina."
"I know of Turik. He served my father. He was a good man."
"Good or bad, I have no doubt he would see you at the head of House Ateres over Alina. Turik has fallen on the wrong side of Alina's temper more than once, and he's not the kind of man who appreciates being led by one so young."
Dayne nodded, tapping the thumb of his right hand against each of his fingers in turn. "And Hera Malik was Veran Malik's daughter, was she not? Her mother was a thorn in my mother's side. I can only imagine Hera is the same."
Mera frowned, tilting her head sideways. "Hera would be a strong ally. She is a wyvern rider now. Many respect her. But she and Alina don't see eye to eye."
"And this Reinan Sarr? I've never heard of her House."
"House Sarr is a Minor House with a hold almost four days' ride from Skyfell. Reinan, her two sisters, and their father pledged themselves to House Ateres almost seven years ago. Her father named her as head of their House two years later, and she has garnered quite a few supporters within the vassals of House Ateres. She was fiercely loyal to Baren."
"Fuck."
"Agreed."
"All right." Dayne pulled his feet from the sand, mourning the loss of the ocean's touch as he did, then lifted himself to his feet, offering his hand to Mera, who took it without hesitation. "Let's go tell everyone I'm not dead."
The last time Dayne laid eyes on the council auditorium of Skyfell was the morning before his world fell apart. It had once been his dream to stand at the centre of the auditorium, addressing an audience of free Valtarans. A dream he had hoped his mother and father would have been able to witness.
The auditorium was a massive circular structure ringed by a colonnade-supported red stone porch. Above the colonnade, the auditorium rose into a domed roof, with an oculus at the very top.
Dayne drew in a deep breath, taking in the sight.
"They're already inside," Mera said with a gentle smile. It wasn't a suggestion to hurry, simply a statement.
Dayne wasn't nervous to face the men and women within that chamber. He had seen and done things that had burned those kind of nerves from his heart. What truly set fear in his bones was letting Alina down. He nodded. "Let's go."
Four guards stood watch at the auditorium's doors, three on either side, each clutching an ash wood valyna with an ordo shield strapped to their arm. Dayne couldn't help but notice that beneath their bronzed cuirasses, they wore the armoured skirts of a different House. Alina's doing, no doubt. The guards eyed Dayne askance at first but relaxed as they recognised Mera, waving them both through.
The main doors of the auditorium opened into a long corridor that functioned as a sort of antechamber to the central atrium. The centre of the corridor was framed by fluted columns of red stone that gave the impression that forward was the only direction to walk. But on the other side of the fluted columns, passageways and staircases branched off towards different sections of the auditorium, some leading to meeting chambers and storage rooms, others to the tiered balconies that overlooked the central atrium. Tall terracotta vases stood beside every second column, plants of vivid green dangling over their edges. At the end of the long corridor was a large set of wooden doors banded with iron.
Voices drifted down the corridor as Dayne and Mera approached the doors to the central atrium, lifted by the natural acoustics of the auditorium itself. Without reaching for the Spark, he couldn't pick out any of the words being spoken, but the number of voices let him know they wouldn't be short of an audience. He rested his palm on the rough wood of the door, the tips of his fingers meeting the cool touch of the iron bands. Mera's hand rested on his shoulder, a soft smile on her lips. She inclined her head, gesturing for him to enter.
A wall of sound poured through as Dayne pushed open the door, then in fractions of a second the cacophony faded to hushed whispers and knots twisted in Dayne's stomach. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that, despite Alina's best efforts, rumours of his return had spread.
The auditorium's central atrium was over a hundred feet in diameter. The floor was paved with large slabs of red stone, each flowing smoothly into the next. The majority of the main chamber lay within a ring of columns that supported the balconies above, with only a few feet between the outside of the columns and the atrium's wall. Above the balconies, the roof tapered into a dome decorated with tiered stone inlays. At the very centre of the dome sat the oculus, through which the light of the sun, with the aid of the candles that sat in sconces attached to the columns, illuminated the chamber.
While the balconies were empty, over a hundred people stood around the atrium, huddled in small groups, whispering, staring, the colours of various Major and Minor Houses on display.
Some Dayne recognised: Vhin, head of House Herak; and Senya, head of House Deringal. They had both been heads of their Houses when Dayne's parents were still alive. Here and there, he saw other faces that looked familiar: soldiers, politicians, nobles. The black of House Vakira, the yellow of House Thebal, and the pale blue of House Koraklon were all on display, though Dayne couldn't see the heads of House Vakira or Thebal – at least, not the ones he would recognise. But he would be surprised if the heads of each Major House – Koraklon excluded – did not show their faces now that it looked as though Alina might actually follow through on her promise of a free Valtara.
It was strange to have everything feel so familiar, and yet so different. The only thing that put him at ease was the recognition of a similar feeling in the eyes of those gathered. Some had never met him, yet others had known him since he was a child. He had changed since they last saw him, and he could see the uncertainty in their gazes.
"Come," Mera whispered as the noise in the room began to return to what it was prior to Dayne's entry. She gestured for Dayne to follow her as she made her way across the centre of the chamber to the right, where Alina stood.
Five men and four women stood by Alina's side. Of the men, his gaze immediately fell on the bright eyes and weathered face of Marlin Arkon – the steward of House Ateres. As soon as Marlin noticed Dayne, he smiled warmly and gave a slight nod. Dayne also recognised the man Mera had mentioned, Turik Baleer, standing to Marlin's right. By the lack of surprise and the broad smile on Turik's bronzed face when he met Dayne's gaze, the man had most certainly already heard of Dayne's return. For a man who must have seen more than sixty summers, Turik's white-grey hair was the only true indication of his age. Dayne didn't recognize the other three men.
Hera Malik stood to Alina's right. She had a powerful, lean frame, and the sides of her head were shaved, her raven hair twisted into a tight plait. Her fingers and hands were marked by the black ink tattoos of the wyvern riders. Dayne could understand why people looked to her. She had an aura about her – a certain confidence. He didn't recognise the other three women, but two bore the markings of wyvern riders, as well as others, which meant the third, with the blonde hair and flat nose, must have been Reinan Sarr – the woman Mera had said was fiercely loyal to Baren.
As Dayne crossed the centre of the Atrium, following behind Mera, his gaze met Alina's, and his heart stopped. He didn't think there would ever be a point when he could look upon his sister and not feel a swell of pride at the woman she had become. If Reinan Sarr had an aura of confidence, Alina was a blazing beacon. She stood in her dark leather battle armour, orange swirls enamelled along the breast plate, a sword strapped to her hip, armoured boots on her feet. The burnt orange of House Ateres was visible in her armoured skirts, and the black ink markings on her fingers, hands, and arms were on full display. She looked like she was ready for war. She looked like a Wyndarii.Dayne nodded to his sister as he moved past her, taking his place beside Mera, but all he got in return was a weak smile.
"We are all here," Alina announced, raising both her palms, gesturing for the murmuring to quieten. She took a moment, casting her gaze across the room before turning her head to look at a woman in a long black tunic embroidered with spirals of white. "I had hoped we might see Tula Vakira here today."
The woman shook her head. "Tula still refuses to take sides. But it doesn't matter. She may be head of House Vakira, but the people are with you." The woman brought a closed fist to her chest. "By blade and by blood, Wyndarii. The people of Lostwren stand by the side of House Ateres. For Valtara."
Alina nodded, betraying not a hint of emotion. She turned to a man in a yellow tunic and cuirass of polished steel. "And what of Miron Thebal? Has he yet decided to join our cause?"
The man drew in a deep breath through his nose before meeting Alina's gaze. "He says he will not make the same mistake as his father before him. He will not believe the false promises of another Ateres. He says this rebellion will be crushed, just as the last, and the one before that. All those who support it will burn in their homes. He has opened the docks at Myrefall to imperial ships and has provided shelter to Lorian survivors."
"He's a coward!" Senya, head of House Deringal, roared, her long golden plait resting over shoulder, striking against the bronzed cuirass that adorned her chest. Shouts of agreement rose around the atrium, echoing off the stone.
"We should storm Myrefall!" shouted a man in the pale blue of House Koraklon. Even seeing the blue of High Lord Loren's house sent streaks of white-hot rage through Dayne.
Dayne looked around the chamber at furious faces, each person arguing about what should be done. He looked back to Alina, who simply stood there, observing. After a few moments, Alina raised her hands once more, and the chamber quietened. She looked to the woman in the yellow tunic who had initially spoken. "Kirya, how many under House Thebal and their vassals are willing to stand by us in this fight?"
The woman shook her head. "No more than two or three thousand. Miron has poisoned them against rebellion and advised them to take no part so the empire might look upon them favourably. He tells the stories of Stormwatch. He holds the burned city as an example of what happens when you stand against the empire. He calls you a warmonger."
More shouts erupted around the chamber, and Dayne clenched his fist, his chest tightening as memories of the blazing flames burned through his mind, the screams of the dying echoing in the night. How dare this Miron use that massacre for his own gain. It was difficult for Dayne to hold his tongue. So difficult he needed to bite the side of his cheek just to snap himself back to his own mind. He could see Mera watching him out of the corner of her eye.
"Warmonger?" Alina called out, stepping into the centre of the atrium. Her gaze wasn't fixed on the woman who had spoken, but rather it moved about the gathered crowd. "Miron Thebal can call me what he wants. The words of a coward mean nothing!"
Murmurs of agreement rang about the chamber.
"For too long, the empire has stood on our necks." Dayne could see the muscles in Alina's jaws clenching. "They took my brother, Owain, when he had barely seen his first summer. Just as they did to yours, Senya. And yours, Hera. Just as they have done to every family in Valtara since the first rebellion, feeding them into their own armies. They strip us of our kin. Use them as a weapon to fuel our fear. When was the last time you saw a Valtaran who could wield the Spark? They harvest our people. Prune us like trees. They leave children to starve as they fill their ships with our grain and our fruit. So call me a warmonger because I want war!" The muscles in Alina's neck strained as she screamed, her fists clenched at her sides. "I want freedom for my people! I want a world where our children can be safe and our choices are our own. Who among you will stand with me? This is our time. This is where we make our choices. Who among you will fight, by blade and by blood, so that our children, and our children's children, will not endure what we have?"
The atrium erupted. Roars and shouts resounded off the wall, steel boots cracked against stone, fists banged against cuirasses.
"For Valtara!" Alina roared.
"For Valtara!" Dayne found himself shouting, his blood pumping in his veins.
As the chants and shouts died down, Reinan Sarr stepped forward. "What of the Dragonguard?"
The words brought the dying shouts crashing to a brittle silence.
Alina turned to face Reinan, glancing towards Dayne as she did.
"What of the Dragonguard, Alina Ateres?" Reinan repeated. "It was the Dragonguard who crushed the first rebellion. It was the Dragonguard who murdered your father and mother. And it was the Dragonguard who massacred the people at Stormwatch. How do you intend to stop them from doing the same again? Because only a fool would follow you to the void."
Alina took a step closer to Reinan, her gaze piercing the woman. For a moment, Dayne thought his sister might charge Reinan. Instead, she walked past her, eyes fixed on Dayne. Alina stopped a few feet from Dayne and Mera. "Only a fool would repeat the mistakes of the past." She turned back towards Reinan, who stood in the centre of the gathering, below the oculus. "The Dragonguard will not be a problem."
Reinan's stance shifted, her eyebrows raised as she studied to Alina. She had the look of a wolf that had caught a rabbit in a trap. "Are you a seer now, Alina Ateres? You kill off your brother and suddenly you know the future? You expect us to simply believe your word?"
Alina's right hand clenched into a fist, her eyes narrowing.
She's baiting you. Don't rise to it. Dayne let the Spark hover just out of reach. If it came to it, he would not hesitate.
Alina drew in a deep breath, then released it, her fingers unclenching. "You think you can twist me, Reinan? Your infatuation with Baren is well known. Even with him gone, you still follow him like a lost puppy. No, I am no seer. But I have called you here for a reason. As you all are very well aware, our war for freedom has already begun." Nods of agreement were accompanied by the echoes of soft claps. "We have driven the empire from Skyfell and Ironcreek, along with all the lands in between. Next we are to march on Lostwren, and Myrefall after that."
"We know this," Reinan sniped, shaking her head. "But we are still defenceless against the Dragonguard when they come for their retribution. And they will come."
Alina stared at Reinan, her eyes cold. "From Myrefall we take Achyron's keep. Where Consul Rinda and Loren Koraklon hide behind their walls, awaiting imperial reinforcements. Imperial reinforcements that should have arrived weeks ago. Do you know why they haven't arrived, Reinan?"
"How in the gods would I know that? What is your damned point?"
Alina smiled. Dayne couldn't help but stifle a laugh at his sister's display of arrogance. She had a penchant for the dramatic, just like their mother. "My friends, I have kept something from you." With those words, the hair on the back of Dayne's neck stood on end, his stomach twisting as Alina opened her arms, palms out. "I, unlike Reinan, do know why the imperial reinforcements are yet to arrive. But it is not my place to tell you."
Murmurs rose up around the chamber, faces twisting in confusion and irritation.
"What is the meaning of these theatrics?" a man in the black of House Vakira called out.
Alina ignored him. Instead, she turned to Dayne and reached out her hand. Every gaze in the chamber fixed on him. Whispers and mutterings spread through the gathering. His chest trembled, and his stomach turned, threatening to empty its contents. He had seen things over the last decade that would have broken other men. He had seen death, loss, torture, pain. But nothing could have prepared him for where he stood now. Drawing in a deep breath, he stepped forward, his heart beating against his ribs like a crashing wave.
He held Alina's gaze and took her hand, squeezing it. Within her eyes, he could see the fear, the worry; giving him back his name threatened to undermine everything she had built. Alina nodded to him. They had gone over this more times than Dayne could count, and yet he still felt unprepared.
He drew in a deep breath to settle himself, then exhaled through his nostrils. "War has broken out all across Epheria," Dayne said, his heart still thumping as he addressed the gathering. "Our fight for freedom is not the only one. In Illyanara, factions have risen all across the province. The keep of Arisfall was set ablaze in Drifaien. In Carvahon, imperial ships burn in the Bay of Light. In Arkalen, Yarrin has been taken by rebels calling themselves 'The Free Nation of Olmiron'. In the North itself, Uraks ravage Lorian lands. Tens of thousands flee the towns and villages at the foothills of Mar Dorul and Lodhar, seeking refuge in the cities. You want to know why the Dragonguard won't be a problem? It is because Valtara no longer fights alone. All Epheria has risen. The empire fights wars on every front, in every nation, on every scrap of land between here and Al'Nasla. The Dragonguard cannot be everywhere at once. We cannot predict everything, but if there will ever be a time to fight for a free Valtara, it is now."
"And who are you to tell us this?" a woman in a long linen dress in the colours of a Minor House he didn't recognise said. "Where do these reports come from?"
Dayne reached into the satchel at this side, producing a stack of broken-sealed envelopes. "These reports come from my contacts across the continent. This one," he said, handing it to the woman who had spoken, "is from Drifaien. It is written by Baird Kanar, right hand of the rebel prince Alleron Helmund. This one," he said, holding out an envelope with a multicoloured wax seal to Reinan Sarr, "Is written by Aurelian Animar of Arkalen. He leads the Free Nation of Olmiron." Dayne continued handing out the envelopes until he got to the last one. "This last letter comes from Aeson Virandr."
More shouts and murmurs rose around the atrium, but they quickly died down. It was clear that most were eager to know what was written in the letter. The theatrics had been Alina's idea. Dayne had argued against them, forcefully. But he had come very far from winning. But at that moment, he would have found it difficult to tell her she had not been right.
"What do we care for Aeson Virandr?"
"It is Aeson Virandr who has sparked these rebellions. Who has paved the way for Valtaran freedom. You have all heard the rumours of a new Draleid? They are true. There is a new Draleid. His name is Calen Bryer, and he stands against the empire."
"What good is one Draleid against nine? It matters not!" A man called out from the back of the gathering.
"Alone? None. But astride a dragon, with the wyvern riders of Valtara at his side and the free peoples of Epheria at his back, that is something different entirely. For the first time in four hundred years, there is a Draleid who stands against the empire. A Draleid who would fly wing-to-wing with our Wyndarii. This is our chance. This is when we stand and fight. By blade and by blood."
As mutterings of agreement spread through the chamber, Reinan Sarr turned to Dayne, shaking her head, holding up the letter he had given her. "These could have been written by anyone. Do you truly expect us to march to war on the words of a stranger? If we back down now, we may be given grace, but if we press and lose, they will crush us."
Dayne took a step closer to Reinan, keeping his gaze locked on hers. "I am no stranger."
"Then who are you? Because I've never seen your face here."
Dayne held Reinan's gaze for a moment before turning to Alina, who hesitated but eventually nodded, her mouth a thin line.
Dayne wrapped his fingers around the edge of his robes, the muscles in his hand clenching involuntarily. He had waited for this moment for so long. Drawing in one last deep breath, he pulled back the edge of his robes, exposing the sigil of House Ateres that had been inked over his left breast when he was just a boy. Gasps of shock spread through the chamber. Dayne saw the recognition on the faces of those who had once known him. "My name is Dayne Ateres. My father was Arkin Ateres. My mother was Ilya Ateres. With my hands bound, I watched from an imperial ship as the Dragonguard laid waste to Stormwatch. I heard the screams of dying children. I smelled the stench of burning flesh. I was there when they killed my father and my mother." Knots twisted in Dayne's chest as he relived that night. He clenched his fist around his robes, feeling tears burn at the corners of his eyes. Anger crept into his voice. "I was exiled from Valtara, told that if I ever returned, my brother and sister would be hung in the streets of Skyfell while I watched. Twelve years I have been gone. And for twelve years, I have hunted those who hurt our people. With the help of Aeson Virandr, their bodies now feed the earth. With the exception of one – Loren Koraklon. The man who is truly responsible for my parents' deaths and the deaths of all those who died that day and every day since. Twelve years I have been gone, but finally I am home." Dayne turned to Alina, bringing a closed fist across his chest. "And I am proud to stand by my sister's side as she leads our House, as she leads all Valtara to the freedom that we have yearned for. For Valtara!"
"For Valtara!"
After the initial shock of Dayne's reveal, the talk had turned to politics and the logistics of war. Things of which Dayne had little experience and even less interest. He knew death. He had taken seven hundred and forty-six souls from the world. But he had never led armies. He didn't know how much grain would be needed to feed fifty thousand or how many wagons would be required to do so. He had no notions of the logistics of transporting tents, keeping morale high, or how many farriers would be needed to maintain the horses. Those things were best left to men and women better than him.
By the time Dayne, Alina, and the others set foot outside the council auditorium, the sun had sunk past the horizon, painting the sky a vivid blend of blues and oranges. He stretched out his arms, tilting his head back, feeling his bones crack and muscles ache as they attempted to purge the stiffness that had set in.
"Dayne."
Dayne turned to see Senya Deringal standing before him. He was not sure how many summers she had seen, but Senya had been the head of House Deringal when Dayne's father still lived. Now that he saw her up close, he could see the markings of time in her bronzed skin and the white and grey that streaked the golden plait running along the centre of her head, the sides shaved. But even still, in her bronzed cuirass, the green and gold armoured skirts of Deringal, and the sword strapped to her hip, she looked as fierce as she had when Dayne had last laid eyes on her. Four black rings bisected by a solid black line marked her left arm. Blademaster. The markings of the blade were only some of the many tattoos that laced Senya's body.
Only two of the Major Houses called Skyfell their home. House Ateres was one, and House Deringal the other. But despite their close proximity, or perhaps because of it, Senya Deringal and her husband, Larand, had been Arkin and Ilya's closest allies. They had fought side by side many a time during the infighting between the Major Houses. Senya had even helped to deliver Alina when their mother had gone into labour.
"My lady." Dayne inclined his head, bending slightly at the waist. "It is good to see you we—"
The air was knocked from Dayne's lungs as Senya pulled him into an embrace so tight he feared he might crack a rib. Even as others poured out from the auditorium, she held on, her chin digging into his shoulder. When she pulled away, her eyes were glistening and red.
"You look just like your father." She shook her head, wiping away a budding tear. "You're alive. By the grace of Achyron."
"It is good to see you, Senya. Larand, is he well? Your sons, Markan and Varsil?"
Senya shook her head, her grief evident in the quiver of her lips and the renewed shimmer in her eyes. She sucked in the sides of her cheeks, then gave the most sorrowful smile Dayne had ever laid eyes on. "The night you left… they… Stormshold."
Dayne's heart twisted in his chest, his lungs suddenly struggling to grant him breath. "Senya… I…"
"Don't," the woman said, resting her hand on Dayne's cheek. "I have mourned so much I fear there must be no more sorrow left in the world." Senya's eyes, still wet with tears, glimmered in the light of the setting sun as she looked over Dayne's face. She let out a deep sigh through her nostrils, then turned to face both Alina and Dayne, Mera and the others of House Ateres standing behind them. "I am done mourning. By Achyron and Neron, by blade and by blood, House Deringal will follow you, Alina Ateres. Freedom or a funeral pyre, I won't stop until I have one of them."
Senya reached out her arm, which Alina grasped.
"For Valtara."
Senya inclined her head. "For Valtara." She leaned a little closer, her voice dropping close to a whisper. "My Queen."
With only a short bow, Senya walked away, her retinue and vassals following, leaving Alina staring after her.
"My lady." One of the wyvern riders who had stood at Alina's side in the auditorium rested her hand on Alina's shoulder. "It is best we return to Redstone. It will be full dark soon, and even though we have the city, it is not yet safe."
Alina nodded, her eyes still following Senya.
The walk from the auditorium to Redstone was one of the strangest of Dayne's life. While Reinan Sarr and her followers sulked and scowled, a dark cloud hanging over them, and Hera Malik marched silently, Turik Baleer barely gave himself a moment to draw breath. The man was full of questions. Where had Dayne been? What had he seen? What brought him back?
Dayne couldn't lie. There was a certain warmth to Turik's enthusiasm that was almost infectious. "I came back for my family," Dayne said, glancing towards Alina as he spoke. "I came back for Valtara."
"Very right, my lord." Turik nodded his head vigorously. "May I say, it is truly an honour to have you back. When your mother granted House Baleer a place under House Ateres, I swore to her I would never falter. I swore that my line would always stand by her. To see her eldest son return brings me such joy."
"My mother had great respect for you, Turik. She said so on many occasions. I have never doubted the loyalty of House Baleer. It is good to be home."
As they turned the corner, the walls of Redstone came into view, thick and high, statues nestled into alcoves along its breadth. Lanterns hung along the top of the wall, the last of the sun's light glistening off the bronze cuirasses of the Redstone guard who stood watch on the ramparts.
"What's that noise?" one of Alina's wyvern riders asked, tilting her head.
At first, Dayne wasn't sure what the woman was talking about, but then he heard it, a high-pitched melodic sound. Strings. "It sounds like music." Dayne opened himself to the Spark. With the imperial mages no longer in the city, he was reasonably confident there would be nobody around to sense him. He pulled on the tiniest sliver of Air, letting it carry the waves of sound to his ear, following them back to their source. "It's coming from the keep."
Alina turned to Mera, then to Marlin, who shook his head, shrugging.
"Come," Alina said, picking up her pace. "Let us see what this is about."
The sound of the music grew louder the closer they got to the gates of Redstone, becoming clearer. Dayne recognised the song. "The Homecoming of Ardur Valyn."
"I recognise the melody," Alina said. "But I can't place the song."
"It tells the tale of Ardur Valyn." A warm smile spread across Marlin's face as he spoke, looking between Dayne and Alina. "He was the founder of an ancient Valtaran House, now long gone. He was also the first Valtaran to bring the Houses together under one king. Your father used to hum it to you when you were tired."
The guards standing watch at the gates straightened, tapping the butts of their valynas against the ground as the group passed them.
"What in the gods…" Dayne's voice trailed off as he walked through the gateway, his mouth hanging open. Lanterns hung from poles all about the keep's garden, some even dangling from the branches of the orange trees. Standing oil burners framed the brownish-red flagstone path that led through the centre of the garden from the gates to the main house. Everywhere Dayne looked, people garbed in white and burnt orange tunics, wooden cups in their hands, danced and sang along to the music that he now saw was coming from two bards standing to the left of the pathway, on the grass beneath one of the orange trees.
Large casks of wine were stacked by the far wall, where servants were filling cups and carving slices from a suckling pig that burned over a spit. Even before he had been exiled, Dayne couldn't remember a celebration so lavish ever being held within the grounds of the keep. In truth, he couldn't remember a celebration so lavish being held anywhere.
"What is happening here? Marlin, explain yourself." Alina turned to the Steward of House Ateres, her irritation evident in her voice. "We don't have the time, nor the resources, for something like this. You should know better."
"It is not my doing, my lady."
"By your doing or not, it ends now."
"Please, please." Turik Baleer stepped in front of the group, turning his back to the celebrations, his arms spread wide. He gestured to a man who stood by the bards, and the music stopped. After a few moments, those who had been dancing and singing noticed the procession of people gathered at the gates and stopped to pay attention. "Dayne Ateres, please forgive me for playing coy. I heard a rumour some time past that you were in fact alive and had returned to us. Naturally, I was sceptical. But once it was confirmed, I thought it only right that we celebrate what could only be considered an act of the gods." The man who had stopped the music hurried over to Turik's side, handing him a cup of wine, and just as he did, more servants carried cups towards the main group, offering them to everyone gathered.
Dayne looked to Alina, taking in the scowl that had set itself upon her face. She now held a cup of wine in her left hand, but her right hand was twisted into a fist, her thumb tucked within. She was furious.
Turik lifted his cup in the air. "To Dayne Ateres, heir of House Ateres. Your father and mother will forever be remembered by those who stood beside them, and by those they looked over. It was your mother who welcomed House Baleer into the protection of House Ateres, and I have been, and will forever be, grateful. To Dayne Ateres. The lost son has returned. Glory be to House Ateres, by blade and by blood."
"By blade and by blood," Dayne repeated, tilting his cup to Turik – as was proper. Turik's mention of him as heir didn't go over his head. Alina would not be happy.
"By blade and by blood." The words echoed through the Garden as Turik and all those gathered lifted their cups to their lips and drank deep.
"Tonight," Baleer called out, "we celebrate the return of Dayne Ateres and the freedom of Valtara!"
Cheers and shouts rang out, the music resuming once again.
"Lord Baleer." Despite Alina's outward calm, Dayne could hear the cold fury that burned in her voice. "You had no right to arrange this without my knowledge. We don't have the—"
Baleer shook his head, raising his hand for Alina to stop, which Dayne knew would only stoke her fires even more. "My most humble apologies, Lady Ateres. I simply thought, with your responsibilities as our leader, you might wish for someone lesser to take the task upon themselves to arrange the celebration of your lost brother's return. The wine and the food were both procured from seized Lorian supplies, and the two bards are my brother's sons. My wife, Lira, arranged the decoration of the gardens. Not a single coin has left the coffers." The man bowed at the waist, gesturing for Alina to join the celebrations. "Please, my lady. Enjoy the night. There will not be many more like it in the days ahead of us. Dayne, please come with me. There are many heads of Minor Houses here, some who would love nothing more than to see your face again, and others who would cherish the honour of meeting you for the first time."
Dayne looked to Alina, then back to Turik. "I'm sorry Turik, I—"
"Go," Alina said, waving her hand while shaking her head at the same time.
"Alina, please. I don't have to—"
"Go," Alina repeated, this time through gritted teeth.
Dayne let out a frustrated sigh. There was no winning. If he left with Turik, Alina would be furious with him for going, but if he didn't, Alina would be furious with him for going against her word. He cast a glance over towards the large casks of wine and thought to himself, 'what would Belina do?' He could almost hear her voice in his head. 'If you're going to get in trouble either way, you may as well enjoy yourself.'Resigning himself for the wrath that was to come, Dayne nodded. "Lead the way, Turik."
"With pleasure, my lord."
Dayne glanced over his shoulder as he walked, seeing many of the others following in his wake. But Alina and the wyvern riders with her were like statues, their stares fixed on Dayne. Even Mera pressed her fingers into her cheek, shaking her head.
"Wine first, Turik."
Alina breathed in the fruity scents of the red wine. She exhaled, then touched the wooden cup to her lips, taking a sip of the wine, letting the flavours sit on her tongue for a moment before swallowing.
She stood at the stone window ledge at the back of the study that had once belonged to her father – hers now, she supposed. Though she found it near impossible to think of it that way.
From the ledge Alina could see out over the Antigan Ocean, the light of the moon reflecting off the water, creating a distorted image as though the gods had painted haphazard strokes of shimmering white across the waves. But it wasn't the beauty of the ocean that stole Alina's attention, it was the wyverns.
The moonlight glittered off the creatures' scales as they swooped and soared across the cliffs, free falling before spreading their wings and skimming the water's surface. It was like looking out over a sky full of sparkling gems.
When they had retaken Skyfell, the wyverns had finally reclaimed the Rests that had been built into the side of the Abaddian cliffs. Thousands of Rests had been carved into the cliffs a millennium ago, but the wyverns now only numbered in their hundreds. The day would come again when every single one of those Rests was full. Alina whispered, "I promise you."
The distant sound of music and drunken celebration drifted into the study, following the creaking of the door. Alina was relieved to hear Mera's voice. "I thought I might find you here. Where are Amari and Lukira?"
"I sent them off to drink and dance," Alina said, lifting herself to her full height, taking another sip from her wine cup, still transfixed by the near-ethereal beauty of the wyverns. "As much as I'm loath to admit it, Turik is right. There are not many days like this ahead of us."
"And yet here you stand." Mera stepped beside Alina, a cup of wine in her hand. Alina glanced at the three scars that ran from Mera's forehead down over her eyes and onto her jaw – a reminder that the loyalty of a wyvern is hard won. Many wyvern riders were marked by the wyverns during their first bonding. Many died. Alina had been there the day Mera had first bonded with Audin. The wyvern was young but as fierce as any she'd ever seen. One swipe of his claw had torn through Mera's flesh. The blood had covered her face and streamed down over her chest, but besides the initial gasp of pain, Mera had pushed forward, continuing to reach out to the wyvern. Alina was almost certain it was Mera's unwillingness to give up that had touched Audin's heart. From what Alina had learned through the years, that was how wyverns bonded, by recognising their counterpoint in another. They were not tamed or broken. They chose.
"It was difficult to watch Turik and his sycophants whispering in Dayne's ear. I should have known he would find out before I told him. The man has ears everywhere. I'll give him one thing: he has balls bigger than a horse's. To arrange this under my nose? He claims it's a celebration, but it is quite clearly an attempt to win Dayne's favour. 'To Dayne Ateres,'" she said, doing her best impression of Turik Baleer's nasally voice. She raised her cup in the air. "'Heir of House Ateres.' How fucking dare he, Mera? I have no idea what mother or father ever saw in the weaselly bastard."
"Bending Dayne's ear is harder than bending steel, Alina. Especially when it comes to you. There is nothing and nobody he loves more in this world."
Alina raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing and nobody."
Alina took another swig of wine, deeper this time. "I don't trust Turik as far as I can throw him."
"Neither do I."
"He's been opposed to me leading the council from the very start. But now that I lead the House too, he's gotten worse. I wouldn't mind it if he was up front, but he's a conniving shit. He plays his games in the background while we fight for something real. If Dayne had not come back, I have no doubt he would have played to have me removed and watched as House Ateres crumbled, House Baleer rising in its place."
"Most likely."
Alina turned to Mera, frowning. "You're a woman of few words, Mera. But even for you, you're not saying much."
Mera sipped her wine. "Alina, there will always be people who try to sink their claws into you when you climb higher than them. That is an eternal truth. But no matter how hard they try, they will never be you. You are Alina Ateres. You have fought and clawed your way to get here. The head of House Ateres belongs to you. Dayne might be the eldest, but it is yours by right. You need to trust him."
Alina leaned forwards, resting her arms on the stone ledge, cool against her skin. "We stood here that night. Do you remember?"
"We watched the wyverns, just as we do now."
The smile that touched Alina's lips was one born of both happiness and a deep sadness. "I convinced Dayne to let me stay up and watch the sunset – and the wyverns."
"You were pretty adamant. He never could say no to you."
"I trusted him then, Mera. And he left me. He left me and Baren alone."
"That's not fair, Alina. You know as well as I do he had no choice."
"Did he not?" Alina asked, turning her head to Mera. "He could have fought."
"And died."
"Some things are worth dying for." A few moments of silence passed, and Alina looked to Mera. "What?"
Mera shook her head, letting out a sigh that oozed of irritation. "I'm trying not to slap you."
"Excuse me?" Alina lifted herself to a standing position, stumbling slightly sideways as she did. The wine seemed to be affecting her more than she had realised.
Mera turned to her, and for the first time Alina saw true anger in the woman's eyes. She had seen Mera angry, more times than she could count, but she had never been on the receiving end. "Do you even care what he's been through? He watched them kill your parents. They made him watch as they burned the people of Stormwatch alive. He left to save your life. And he has spent twelve years dragging himself back here. Have you seen the way he looks at his hands when he thinks nobody is watching? Like they're covered in blood. Dying for someone is easy. Killing for someone is far harder. And Dayne would do both for you without a thought."
Mera stopped and took a breath. Her chest trembled, and her right fist was clenched at her side.
"I'm sorry, Mera… I didn't mean to…"
Mera shook her head. "Don't waste apologies on me. Dayne would die for you. And every soul under the gods knows he will carve rivers of blood through this world to keep you safe. He deserves more than this."
With that, Mera emptied the contents of her cup, slammed it on the table, and left.
As the door closed behind Mera, Alina launched her cup across the room, hearing an audible crack as it split against the wall.