Prophecy Bound: The Lightbringer Chronicles

Firestones and unions

“What is it?” His mental voice whispers.

“A very large and inappropriate ring. What should I do, should I send it back?” I hide my laugh as the footman standing in front of me gulps, his poor hands shaking even more from my silence as I converse with my father.

Poor guy.

“No, you can’t send it back. It will be seen as an insult. You'll have to accept it, graciously.”

I paste a smile on my face and try to sound as pleasant as possible. “Please give your Liege my thanks and appreciation for a gift that is far above the honour they bestowed on me with their company. I’m most grateful for the speed and eloquence in your delivery.”

He looks up in shock at receiving praise, then hastily away. His cheeks turn bright red, his chest puffs out with pride, and he turns to give my guards a knowing look before departing.

My guards roll their eyes in response before returning to their posts. I giggle and give them a rueful smirk.

Closing the door, I take the ring to the fire to examine it in a better light. The color of the stone continually changes in the light, changing from red to orange and then back to red again. It’s beautiful, I have never seen anything like it. Surprisingly, when I slip it onto the middle finger of my right hand, it’s a perfect fit. I hold it out for my father to view.

“Incredible,” He says with a tone of astonishment. “I haven’t seen one of these in years.”

“What is it?” He lets go of my hand and shakes his head, to dislodge whatever thoughts he's having.

“It’s a firestone. They are incredibly rare. I have never seen one that big before. It seems strange that they would bestow a gift of such high worth on you for a simple walk through the maze.” His curiosity is now piqued and so is mine.

I’m compelled to wear it and thank them personally at dinner. At the back of my mind, is the soft niggle of suspicion. What does it mean?

“They are definitely up to something Saoirse. Are you sure you didn’t pick up on anything from them this afternoon?” Father asks and breaks the spell the ring has me under, and I almost tell him about my encounter with Lycur but catch myself in time and shake my head.

It’s odd, the feeling that I need to keep that moment to myself. I have never kept anything from him before. My eyes catch on the ring again; I’ll need to give them a gift in return.

An idea springs to my mind and I call Pryderi to go to the royal tailor for me. I give her strict instructions on what I want created. Father says nothing, he merely waits for me to finish, a deeper frown on his face.

“I will approach the King tonight; it'll be a good test to see what influence Malvina has, if any at all. Lupinels are normally ruled by their male heirs. I doubt the King would be influenced by his Queen.” I go to my dressing chamber, opening my wardrobe, trying to decide what to wear. My mind is already diverted. It needs to be impressive.

Father stands by the fire, abnormally quiet. My Avarian senses make me aware that he is keeping something from me. I send a tendril of sense to him and attempt to breach his thoughts. He turns quickly to look at me and shakes his head, telling me to stop, I've never been able to use my senses on him undetected. I sigh; I have always been stronger with my fire than my Avarian gifts.

Flames are more fun.

“What do you think they will want from us to seal the treaty?” I ask the one question that has been on the edge of my thoughts since the Lupinels arrived.

“I have my suspicions, but until I know for sure, I won’t put them to words. To do so might cause them to come true.” It's cryptic of him. That is all I will get in response for a while. Once he makes a decision, there’s very little that will change it. He’s stubborn that way, it’s where I get it from.

Shaking my head, I go back to the task of finding an appropriate outfit for the evening. Not my strongest skill.

After changing my mind several times, I settle on an orange overdress of fine linen and gold trim. I brush my multi-toned hair until it crackles like the fire within and then check my reflection. I look like a flame come to life. I wonder if it is too much and at the last minute, wrap a black waistband tightly around my middle to tone it down — I'm not sure if it has worked.

I’m early for dinner and take my seat on the dais. After a quick sip of water to clear my throat, I practice keeping my mind calm so Lycur and his smug comments and smirking face can’t goad me. Mother enters first, walking over to me, she holds out her hand and I lift my hand so she can look at the ring. Her eyes take in the stone silently, and a frown appears between her brows for a fraction of a second.

Father has clearly filled her in on the day’s events, and she smiles as she takes her seat, but it's forced, her mind is elsewhere. It’s not the reaction that I expected from her; Father maybe, but not her. An uneasy feeling settles in my stomach and shatters the thin vein of calm I thought I had created.

King Lyall enters the room ahead of his wife and children; he is in a different mood this evening, there's purpose in his steps as he heads to his seat beside my mother. Malvina follows in his wake; a self-satisfied smile on her face that I don’t trust. She glances sideways at the blond Lupinel from this morning, Halvden, and they subtly nod at each other. When her eyes meet mine, there is a challenge in them.

She’s up to something.

My unease gets stronger. We all stand and bow respectfully, waiting for King Lyall to seat himself. Lycur stands beside me, he notices the silent stare of Malvina and I see his jaw tighten in response, and I swear I hear a low growl, but can't be sure.

He holds my seat out and pushes it in for me as we sit, before taking his own beside me again. His eyes rest on my hand with the ring he gave me, and his eyes light up as he smiles. A low heat stirs in me.

“The firestone suits you well. Like it was meant for your hand.” He comments softly, taking a sip of wine and showing Lyva that I am wearing it. She smiles brilliantly at me, the joy on her face is palpable.

“Thank you both for the gift. It’s way too generous, but I appreciate it all the same.” Smiling back at Lyva, I try to express how impressed and humbled they have made me feel, rather than the unease of my first reaction. Neither of them comments, just incline their heads, in unison, as all turn to watch King Lyall stand up to address the court.

The room is instantly silent.

“For many years, our two great clans have had a tumultuous relationship. Several times we have made an alliance and found that when we work together we can achieve great results. I believe it is time to make a more lasting alliance and heal the hurts of generations past. I thank Queen Evadne, Lord Lothair, and Princess Saoirse for their gracious hospitality, and their shared belief in equality and unity between the Lupinel and Elemental nations.” He raises his cup to each of us in turn, the flash of his canine teeth visible again with his broad smile. “I drink to the prospect of reconciliation and to the new union between our clans.”

We all raise our glasses and drink to his toast. Returning to his seat, all attention turns to Mother. She stands with her glass raised and ready to reply with her own toast. “I raise my glass to King Lyall and his family for making the long journey here and agree that it is well past time that we make lasting peace. I also believe that we work better in unity of spirit and thought, and I drink to the success of our treaty negotiations.”

With that said and another drink taken by all, the food is laid out. It is a lavish affair of roasted game and various marinated vegetables. Lycur helps himself to a healthy portion of meat, adding a few vegetables, and then makes a plate for Lyva. I watch his hands as I wait patiently for him to finish, his long strong fingers move quickly and deftly as he fills Lyva's plate. He takes his time, and before I can move, he starts to deposit food onto my plate.

What is he doing?