Page 11 of Tortured

Chapter 6

I follow Aneirin and Caledu down a smooth, paved avenue lined with extravagant homes covered in shining white stone. The avenue opens up before a majestic edifice with golden doors.

“The High Emrys is in her grove beyond the palace.” Aneirin gestures for me to follow him. “We will go through.” He turns to Caledu. “Your presence is no longer required.”

Caledu squints as he gauges Aneirin. Although they both are in a human’s prime, Caledu holds a more mature air. Given that he is Niawen’s father, I wonder exactly how old this immortal is.

“Very well, Aneirin.” Caledu nods politely. “I shall await the High Emrys’s ruling before council starts.” Caledu turns with obnoxious elegance and strides away.

“Her ruling?” I ask.

“Relax.” Aneirin pulls the doors open and enters. I follow. “You’re not going to be imprisoned. Caledu is just an old fuddy-duddy who likes to have all the rules upheld.”

“Sounds as if the rules are up for debate.”

“Some.”

“Why’d the High Emrys let Niawen stay exiled, then?” I ask.

Aneirin pauses in the corridor and turns his head slowly toward me. “You have to understand my mother—”

“Your mother?”

Aneirin smirks and begins walking again, so I follow. “Yes, my mother. The High Emrys is bound by laws. Though she has great power, she can’t use it to break certain restrictions.”

“Such as?”

Glowing tiles light the great hall we pass through. I cannot discern the source of the light. It isn’t fire. Is this emrys magic? Can they imbue objects with light? The splendor and simplicity of the palace far exceeds that of my father’s.

I tear my gaze away from an ornamental raised dais as we slip out a side door.

“She cannot change a course once it has been set,” Aneirin says. “Once Niawen decided to leave Gorlassar, her future was altered.”

“But she wanted to come back.”

“She had to accept the consequences.”

“You sound as though you are fine with the consequences,” I say.

Aneirin rounds on me, the blood-red gem at his throat mirroring his ire. “Listen here, human. I’ll never be fine with the consequences. Got that?”

I stiffen away. “I get it.” Touchy much?

Aneirin leads me through many corridors until we emerge into a garden blossoming with flowers. “The grove is beyond the garden wall. I’ll leave you to it. She’ll want to speak with you alone.”

“Right. Thank you, Aneirin.” I take a step forward on a cobbled path and stop. “Will I see you again?”

“In council. Everyone wants to hear what you know about Lord Caedryn and about Niawen’s current condition. Since she gave you her dragon stone, I haven’t been able to monitor her.”

“You’ve been monitoring her?” Have I misjudged how Aneirin cares for Niawen?

“Seren was keeping me updated.”

I nod. “Gone but not forgotten.”

“We are all curious.”

“And Caledu?”

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