Page 121 of A Blightress of Wrath
Inodded, having heard our similarities my whole life.
“It’sa terrible shame,” he continued, “thatIgot to know your father and you did not.”
“Hewas your friend, my father?”
Helaughed, deep and hearty. “IwishIcould say it was so.Ididn’t make it…easy to stay in the same room with me for more than a few minutes back then.Iwas a foolishPrinceofHyrithia, though hopefully, not a foolishKing.”
“Youdon’t seem so foolish to me,”Isaid.
“Thankyou,Saelyn.Ihave tried to make amends for the mistakesI’vemade.”
“Andthe second?”Iasked again, catching a glimpse ofLanna’sgolden hair, walking theBlightLineand pausing every so often to speak to the soldiers at their stations.
“Thesecond?”
“Thesecond person you know trapped in those trees.”
Hehefted a heavy sigh. “Mychael,” he said with rasp in his voice. “Myloyal guardsman andPompeii’slove.”
Igasped. “Pompeii’scompanion is trapped in a syphoner tree?”
Heshook his head, explaining, “Theywere not companions.Perhapsthey would have been if they’d been given more time.AllIknow is that they loved each other, andItore them apart.”
Iplaced my hand over his orange flames, cool to the touch. “TheBlightresstore them apart, not you.Ihave only just met you andIsee that you love your people.Pleasedo not hold the guilt of something you could not control.Pah-Pahis happy inFelgren, and if there is a way to returnMychael, you’ll find it.”
Hehummed, nodding. “I’mglad you came,Saelyn.Now, let’s keep exploring.There’sa hidden staircase near the throne room that leads to the guard tower.Careto see if it’s still intact?”
* * *
Wewalkedthe castle for a few hours.Icould ignore the ache in my feet for a few minutes at a time, but the stairs were killing me.Mymother joined us eventually, laughing with theKingabout their misadventures as children.Ididn’t complain even once about my shoes, loving the sound of my mother talking about her life.
“Wheredid my father grow up?”Iasked finally.Itwas a questionI’dbeen longing to know for years, but was too afraid to ask.
Mymother perked up in an unexpected happiness. “IntheHallowMarshes.”Shepointed to the stones on my shoes. “Hisfamily mined rhyzolm.Thepeople still do there.It’sthe only place on the isle where you can find it.”
Ijabbed my foot forward, pulling the length of my gown up to see.Fivegreen stones adorned the wrapping at my ankle. “Isthat why you send lapis conduits there?”Iasked, stepping back down on my foot and grimacing at the pain, wondering when it would be appropriate to take them off.
“You’resending lapis conduits to theHallowMarshes?” my uncle questioned.
Shelifted her chin, replying, “Yes.Wedon’t need them.Theydo.”
“Karus,” he scolded, “we needeveryconduit.”
“Thereare just a few,Philius.Withthe war,Revich’speople have had very few buyers to sell to.Thelapis conduits help find rhyzolm with less danger to themselves.Theamount of orphaned children has plummeted in the last decade.”
“Youdidn’t run this by theFour?—”
“Iwill not give up on his dream.”
“Hisdream was to allow us to win this war and without all of the?—”
“Don’t.”Thelash came with a black glare at her brother. “Don’ttell me about what he wanted for all of us.Don’ttell me what he would think or say.”Sheshook her head and turned around, headed toward the throne room where theWieldwrynsgathered. “Justdon’t,Philius.”
Wewatched her storm away in a flood of black skirts and white hair.
“Shedoesn’t like to talk about him much,”Ioffered. “She…struggles sometimes.Tokeep it all in.”
“Isee.Hertemper doesn’t help either.Itnever really has.”
