Post 6

“My dear, please, you must calm down.” Jared watched Eithna pace their bedchamber restlessly. “I don’t understand what the problem is.”

She stopped and turned to him, hands on her hips. He was a handsome man, in his own dark way. Right now he was sprawled back on their bed, arms crossed behind his head, comfortable in a soft robe. Eithna sighed and crossed the room to perch on the edge of the bed beside him, arms crossed tightly. “It’s silly, it really is. Veyga is none of my concern anymore. I washed my hands of him when my father told me he would help him. I… I haven’t even seen him since then. And I know what the plan is, I know why my father brought… her here. She’s good at her what she does, even I can admit that. But I… I worry that she will use him up and then toss him away like a piece of rubbish.” She met Jared’s stoic stare with a wince. “I’m not obsessed with him anymore, Jared, I promise. You’re the man I love.”

He chuckled warmly. “I know that, my dear.” He reached up to cup her cheek gently, rubbing a rough thumb across the soft skin. “I have complete faith in you. I can also understand why you’re so concerned, but trust me, my dear, that one is a man grown, and can handle himself. It sounds to me like he made a decision and stood by it, quite literally. If you really feel like you need to step in, then pull aside the Lady Rayna and have a chat with her. But I assure you, it is quite unnecessary. Have a little faith in them both.”

Eithna sighed and nodded, leaning down to cuddle with her husband. “You are right as always. You are my rock in this stormy sea. I don’t even know why I am so worked up. Hmmm. Maybe because he was my patient, I always do seem to form some sort of attachment to those I’ve healed.”

He kissed the top of her head gently with a knowing smile. “That is probably all there is to it. Don’t fret, my dear. Your father is an intelligent man, after all where do you get it from? He knows what he is doing.” She grinned up at him and he winked at her. She sighed contentedly and laid her head on his chest.

“Again, my husband, you are correct. I’ll leave the matter be. But a small part of me can’t help but regret that I feel like he needed to be pushed into this. I just… sense that it’s right. No matter how unhappy it may make him to leave the relative safety of his little town, he needs to do this. I can’t explain it any other way.” She had to admit to herself that she was worried that he would run back to Ragged Valley and never show his face again. She know for certain that if he did, it mean sure disaster for everyone there. Rumor was already reaching them that the High Lord had already raised the bounty on his head. “He has to do this; I simply know that he will be unable to protect his precious home without doing this. I’ve… had dreams, Jared.” He tensed, and she met his gaze silently, and then nodded. Jared knew as well as she did that most of her dreams tended to come true in one fashion or another.

Ari was pacing as well, in his own chamber. The day was long gone, the entire household slept, except for him. Something… something was tugging at his consciousness, and his skin prickled with tension. He’d felt this way often of late, but usually only for a few moments. So far he had chalked it up to the stress of portraying someone he wasn’t. He was afraid to sleep, afraid to dream. The dreams he could never remember, and they came more often than ever.

Maybe there was something more to the dreams. Surely it wasn’t just his cowardice bringing them on. He continued to pace, trying to dredge up any information, any memory of what transpired in his darkened mind. It was almost as if faint traces remained, and if he just reached far enough into his psyche he would be able to touch them and reveal them to the light…

Finally, he gave up and stripped before dropping into bed. Exhaustion dragged him into its clutches and he was asleep almost instantly.

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Eithna sat up abruptly, gasping, images from the dream still hanging in her mind’s eye. Jared mumbled beside her, reaching out sleepily to touch her back. She shoved his hand away and scrambled from bed, dragging a nearby nightgown over her head as she ran from their sleeping chamber and through the sitting room beyond. She didn’t hesitate as she threw the door open and darted out into the hallway. Jared was only moments behind her, and he was certain he knew where she was headed.

The dim hallways were silent as Eithna raced through them, only a few lanterns lit here and there this late. She didn’t understand the urgency she felt, but she knew she had to reach Veyga immediately. Something… something was coming. She lifted the hem of her nightdress up above her knees so it didn’t tangle in her legs to slow her down and ran faster. Suddenly the floors of the manor were heaving, and she was thrown into the wall. Jared reached her just as she was regaining her footing, eyes wide as saucers. “What in the seven hells was that?”

Eithna shook her head and continued her mad dash to Veyga’s room. Hopefully most of the manor had slept through that, although she had her doubts anyone would have been able to. Earthquakes were unheard of this far south, and she was completely certain the cause slept on, mired in nightmares.

The floor heaved again and down the hall a lantern clattered to the floor, shattered, and was doused. She threw the door to Veyga’s room open, Jared right on her heels, and was at Veyga’s side in just another heartbeat.

He was twisted up in the blankets; his back was arched sharply and every muscle was clenched. A grimace twisted his handsome face beyond all recognition, and as she hesitated for just a moment a strange light seemed to flood across his body. The scar on his chest was flowing freely, and the bedclothes were drenched with blood. She barely took in his nudity before she was placing her hands on either side of his face to try to wake him. Jared hovered at her side, unsure how to help. He barely knew the young man, but clearly this Veyga was in terrible pain.

Eithna gasped as heat abruptly poured from Veyga’s skin. Her palms felt scorched. “Vey-.” She stopped, shaking her head. “Arius, wake up. Wake up!”

Suddenly she was flying across the room, to hit the wall and slide down, the breath knocked out of her. Jared rushed to help her to her feet, and she waved him off weakly, wheezing for air. He glanced from her to Veyga. The young man’s back was arched even further, and he was literally twisting up off of the bed. The strangest part was that he was utterly silent; even breath did not wheeze through his contorted lips. Only Eithna’s pants broke the silence as she struggled to catch her breath. The floor heaved a third time, and Jared barely kept his footing. He glanced around the room, and his gaze fell on the pitcher and wash bowl nearby. He rushed to check if there was water inside, and then he grabbed the pitcher and rushed to the bedside, taking a deep breath before tossing the contents into the young man’s face.

Everything went still all at once. Even Eithna seemed to be holding her breath. Veyga collapsed back onto the bed, completely limp. The young man was completely motionless, not even breathing. The floor settled down into its normal state, and the feeling in the room was as of a bubble just popped; all of the tension had gone just that suddenly. Jared moved to help Eithna to her feet as she caught her breath. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

Eithna shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I need to check on him.” Jared helped her limp to the bedside. She again placed her hands on Veyga’s cheeks, to feel his skin now clammy and cool. “Arius, wake up. You must wake up now.”

Breath suddenly flooded his lungs as his eyes snapped open. Eithna snatched her hands away as he gasped. That was when Eithna realized that he was without his patch, and she stared in dismay at his creamy-colored left orb as he stared up at nothing. The eye was a solid milky blue, with no iris or pupil. Otherwise it seemed uninjured, not even a scar touching the lid. She reached out hesitantly. “Arius?”

Awareness flooded his face, and he turned his face away from them, panting. “My patch…”

She shook her head stubbornly, but Jared was there at her side, offering the little scrap of leather. Eithna carefully slid it into place, lifting Veyga’s head to do so. He was trembling, shivers wracking his body. Jared gathered the robe thrown over a nearby chair and laid it over the younger man, and Eithna cast him a thankful glance. He touched her arm gently before stepping away to let her handle the matter. Jared turned and realized the door to the chamber was still wide open, and after looking out into the hallway to be sure no one was nearby, he gently closed the door, and then after a momentary pause, he locked it.

“What happened?” Veyga’s voice was broken, trembling as much as the rest of him. He remembered falling asleep…

“I don’t know. You were having a nightmare, I guess. But you… the whole manor…” He saw her swallow hard as he turned his head to look at her. “The whole manor rocked. What was your dream about?”

A frustrated growl tore from his throat as he lifted shaking hands to scrub across his face and then tried to push himself into a sitting position. “I don’t know. I can never remember.” Flashes of gray… dark cloaks…

“Never? You’ve had this same dream? Is this the same dream from before?”

He nodded, collapsing back into the bed, realizing suddenly exactly how weak he was. “I’ve been afraid to even sleep, knowing it’s been waiting there, ready to wrap me in its lethal arms.” Strange symbols seemed etched into the backs of his eyelids, swirls and a crescent moon…

Eithna reached out to touch his forehead. “And you have no clues whatsoever what is causing these dreams? Vey-.” She growled softly. “I’m sorry; I simply cannot call you that here. Arius, you shook the manor. That reeks of magic. I know we talked a little about this before, but are you certain you don’t know why this happens?”

“I… it’s happened before. The shaking. When I was a child, after I was taken in by druids, it happened. If it has happened since then, I don’t know about it.”

Jared cleared his throat and they both turned their nervous gazes to him. “Obviously there has been no alarm sounded, and so there is a strong chance that no one has connected the… quakes… with you.”

Eithna wiped sweaty palms on the skirt of her nightgown and nodded agreement. “Let’s keep it that way if possible. Shall I… shall I drug you for the rest of the night, Arius? To prevent any more dreams?”

He squeezed his eye shut for a long moment, then nodded, relief washing over him. “Please. I would simply avoid sleep but…”

“But you’re exhausted, I can plainly see that. I’ll go fetch you up a tea which will allow you a deep, dreamless sleep.” She motioned for Jared to follow her from Arius’ room. They spoke quietly as she led the way down hallways toward her little cottage in the front garden.

“What do you think about what happened?”

She shrugged uncomfortably. “I don’t know. It smacks of magic, but I can do nothing with magic. It is so rare in this day and age… I have read that it used to be common, but now… If I didn’t trust my own instincts so much, I would wonder if I were going a little mad.”

Jared grunted agreement. “But I saw the same thing, didn’t I? Should we go to your father with this?”

Eithna shook her head as she ducked across the courtyard and into her cottage. “I don’t think so; at least, not yet. There’s still much he doesn’t know, and I’d rather keep it that way for the time being.”

The guards at the front gate steadfastly ignored the sight of her in her nightdress; after all, she was inevitably up late into the night for one thing or another related to her healing. She lit the small cast iron stove in the corner of her cottage and set some water to heating while she carefully picked over her herbs, adding a little of this and a little of that until she was satisfied with the mixture. Jared watched silently as she poured hot water over the herbs in a thick pottery mug, then as she continued to mix additional amounts of herbs, all separated into little twisted-parchment packets. She motioned for him to lead the way back to Arius’ room once she had carefully placed the packets into a larger pouch, and balanced the mug and pouch cautiously.

Arius was on his feet when she entered the room, having pulled on a pair of trousers. He paced in wobbly steps, arms clasped tightly around his chest. He’d cleaned up the blood smeared across his chest, but his hair was still matted with sweat. He stopped and turned towards them as they entered quietly, and Eithna nearly staggered at the grief and stress she saw before a shutter seemed to close over his face. “Let me change your bedding, and then we’ll get you settled back down.”

He didn’t seem to hear her, and resumed his pacing. She set the mug down on the little table beside his bed and gave Jared a small thankful smile when he came to help her pull off the damp bedding. She dumped it into a pile and pulled new blankets from the chest at the foot of the bed. She glanced again at Arius, back and forth, back and forth. Jared helped her to make up the bed.

Once they were done, Eithna approached Arius carefully, taking his elbow to gently lead him back to the bed. “The tea will work quickly, so you should be in bed before you drink it. I’ve also made up more packets. I can provide you whatever doses you need each night while you are here, but should you go anywhere else, you’ll want to have them along with you. Each packet is one dose, just pour hot water over them and drink. I’ll be sure to have a mug sent here every night in the meantime. I’ll dump this bedding in the laundry- hopefully it won’t draw any attention.”

He nodded as he climbed into the bed and took the mug from her outstretched hand. In one swift toss, he threw back the brew and then grimaced. The taste was horrid, but if it worked then he’d drink pitchers of the stuff. Eithna helped him to settle back into the pillows, and before she and Jared had gathered the soiled bedding and reached the door to leave he was already well on his way to a dreamless sleep.

Eithna had Arius’ rooms changed the next morning to a full suite closer to her and Jared’s room. They sat in his new sitting room later that day, the three of them, uncomfortably quiet until Eithna frowned and put her hands on her hips. “Is there aught else about this whole situation that you have not told me about, Arius? You mentioned druids last night.”

In spite of her brew last night, Arius was exhausted. He sighed deeply, sinking back into the plush chair he was sitting in. Hesitantly, in bits and pieces, he told both Eithna and Jared about his past, glossing over details and just sketching out the basic timeline. Eithna’s expression grew more and more horrified as he went on, and when he finally tapered off at the end, she gave him a look of pity. “If I had known all of that when we met-“

He barked a humorless laugh. “What difference does it make? I am here, I am alive, and there is nothing I can do to change my past.” He couldn’t even bury it, especially not now, when it kept coming up to shove his face back into the dirt.

Eithna shook her head. A knock at the door to his sitting room made all three of them jump, and Eithna opened the door to find Lady Fairhaven on the other side. Upon setting eyes on Eithna, Lady Fairhaven hesitated, a little heat coming into her dark brown eyes. But when she was motioned into the room and her eyes settled on Jared, that suspicious spark faded away. Both he and Jared had stood upon her entry, and Arius was certain she noticed the slight wobble as he fell back into his chair once she had perched on another plush chair nearby.

Rayna glanced again at Eithna. “I was told that you had changed rooms, and I was concerned that something was wrong.” Arius tried to convince himself that her tone didn’t seethe with suspicion.

Eithna resumed her spot on the loveseat beside her husband, and narrowed her eyes at the other lady distrustfully. Arius glanced between the two women, wondering at the sudden tension. Surely the Lady Fairhaven wasn’t jealous. And what was Eithna’s problem? Did she dislike the other Lady?

Eithna’s chin lifted stubbornly. “Not at all. These rooms are larger, and here at least he has his own sitting room. Won’t that be convenient for your… lessons?”

Rayna shrugged. “We could have made do. May I have a word with you, Lady Eithna? In the hallway?”

Eithna seemed to steel herself, but nodded and they stepped out together. Jared chuckled and folded his hands across his abdomen. Arius cast him a questioning look. The other man shook his head. “Those are two very stubborn women, both of whom I believe have your own best interests at heart, and neither of whom is willing to trust the other. Makes for an interested morning, at least.”

“You mean… they are jealous of each other?” Arius stared at the closed exterior door, wondering. He would never understand women. What did either of them have to be jealous about?

“I don’t know if I would use the word jealous, exactly. Envious, maybe? Eithna would like to have you swaddled and wrapped in goose-down, to keep you safe from harm. I suspect that goes against everything you believe in, of course. Rayna… well then… we know what Rayna wants, don’t we?”

Arius met Jared’s calm and steady gaze. “Do we? I know that nobles often play at games with each other, my Lord Holt…” Rayna had made it clear that she wanted at least one thing from him, one thing he wasn’t prepared to give her. He wasn’t sure what intrigues she was playing, though.

“Just Jared, Arius. That one is definitely well-versed in the games, and can play four steps ahead of anyone else, but I suspect that she is not playing any of them with you.” Jared was a calm man, and Arius felt something inside of him relax a little as he spoke.

“I suspected that you and I would not get along, Jared, if nothing else because of what happened…” He looked away, feeling a little shamed at his assumption. After all, he had kissed this man’s wife.

“Because of what happened with you and Eithna? Not at all, that was summers before she and I even met, and after all it’s my ring she wears on her finger. I have complete faith in my wife, Arius. We have no secrets between us.” Jared gave Arius a pointed look. “None.”

His point was clear. Jared must know that Arius was also Veyga. He wanted to squirm, but instead sat straighter and faced Jared squarely. “So you know the truth about who I am, then?”

Jared shrugged. “I know that you are a man looking out for his people, like any good Lord. I know that you are trying very hard to do something that you do not really wish to do, on their behalf. I don’t really think anything else is important, and as long as Eithna trusts you, then I do as well.”

Arius took a deep breath and let it out slowly, surprised at the extreme sense of relief that washed over him. Perhaps he had a potential friend here after all. “All right then.” He was silent for a long moment, and Jared let the silence lay. “I’m glad she has you, Jared. You are a fine man, probably far better for her than I ever could have been. I thought I would never be over her, once. Now…” He glanced toward the door. “Now I find passion for another woman, and I wonder how I can be so fickle.”

Jared laughed, and Arius glared at him. “Oh no, don’t let your pride be pricked by me, Arius. What happened between you and Eithna was a long time ago, just as I said. I hardly call that fickle. May I offer you some advice?”

“Haven’t you already?” The glare lightened a little, but didn’t disappear altogether, especially when Jared laughed again.

“Maybe I have. Arius, the Lady Fairhaven is a fine woman, who will provide you with companionship and perchance even friendship, with no strings attached. You can walk away from her later, after having enjoyed your time with her, and she will not begrudge you anything. It’s not often that a woman offers that, and it is even rarer that a woman seeks that from a man. Take what Lady Fairhaven is offering you.”

The scowl was gone, and Arius’ gaze returned to the door, wondering what the ladies were talking about. Him, probably. He shrugged uncomfortably. Was Jared right? He’d never met a woman that he didn’t suspect was trying to manipulate him, including Kayli. “I don’t really know how to handle women, Jared. They confuse me more than any other creature alive. Men are mostly simple. Horses I get, even hounds I can understand. Women? Not so much.”

Jared laughed yet again. “Ah, Arius, don’t let any woman hear you comparing her to horses and hounds! No man can expect to understand a woman’s heart, or her mind. That’s what makes them so fun, don’t you know. Don’t even try to understand them- a smart woman will out-maneuver you at every turn. They play the game so well… There’s a reason that the queen is the most powerful player on a chess board.”

Arius smiled hesitantly in response to Jared’s good-natured grin.

Eithna was fuming when she entered the room, and Arius suspected that the Jared was sharing with him while they leapt to their feet didn’t improve her temper any. Jared took one look at her face and burst out laughing, and while Arius didn’t laugh, his eye warmed a little. “Do you see, Arius? Horses and hounds, you say? Now come, my wife, let us go for a walk.” He stood and tucked her fingers into the crook of his arm, and Eithna only protested mildly as he took her away.

Arius motioned for Rayna to sit near him, and she complied gracefully, a smug smile tilting her lips. Arius decided to not even try to figure her out, and to take her at her face value for the time being. Perhaps Jared was right, and Arius was over-complicating things.

Rayna began to explain her plan for the next fortnight, and he listened avidly, and although he didn’t understand exactly what the plan entailed, he resigned himself to take Jared’s advice and just go along with whatever it was she had decided on.

A candlemark later, while she was still talking, they were interrupted by a knock at the door and a servant brought in a heavy-looking wooden box to set it on a nearby table. The boy bowed and left the room, and Arius stood to pick up the brief note that was set on top of the box. “It’s from Jared.”

Rayna smiled. “A peace offering, perhaps?”

He lifted the lid of the box, and then laughed- the first real laugh he had allowed through his shell since he had come to Lord Wensellas’ Court. Inside, packed neatly among soft fabric, was an intricately-carved chess set.