A King's War

Chapter 14

VER

The man was tall and broad. He had eyes of brown and light hair streaked through with white. He looked to be an older gentleman but moved like someone as young as I was. There was power in his movements and ice in his gaze. This was no weak old man. He led us through the streets. We kept our hoods up the entire time and heads low. No one paid us any attention. At least, no one paid attention to us elves. But everyone seemed to pay attention to Raven.

She had her hood up and her head low the same as the rest of us and yet people still seemed to know that it was her. People were coming up to her to shake her hand, to thank her. They touched her shoulder as she passed by, but no one stopped her at all. They all just kept moving, never slowing. And Raven was just as discreet with her responses as they were when they approached her. It was like they were all outright trying not to draw attention to her. I couldn’t understand why they were all so thankful, so grateful to her.

As we passed through the streets, we passed by several posts. Almost every single post, as well as several doors on buildings around us, had posters up. Posters with portraits of Raven all over them. They were wanted posters. Telling the people of Valveronia that if they had any information on her to come forth, or just to bring her before him . . . dead. There was a hefty reward listed at the bottom of the poster and the word outlaw at the top.

“Well you’re clearly not the king’s favorite person,” Galen muttered as he studied the poster. Raven did not respond.

I did not have anything to say. I was afraid that if I opened my mouth to say anything, I’d end up saying the wrong thing. There was only one thought currently going through my mind and it was something I was having a hard time wrapping my head around.

Raven was Valveronian.

There was no other explanation. No other reason for her posters to be up all over the kingdom no matter which turn we took. No other reason that she would know how to get into the kingdom. No other reason that she would actually know people in this kingdom. Valveronia had long ago shut its doors to anyone entering the kingdom unless they were soldiers or King’s Blood. She would have had to have been born here for her to know these people, to know the kingdom.

The more I repeated that theory in my head, the more it began to make sense. She knew the Valveronian that had been waiting on the other side of the wall for us. She knew the language of Valveronia. And the man had said, “every time you come back.” Back. As in, she’d been here many times before.

I didn’t know what to make of that information, just like I did not know what to make of the man leading us through the kingdom streets to Gods only knew where. He was Valveronian as was obvious from his appearance, his accent, and the fact that he was living behind the walls of the kingdom. And everything in me was telling me to run the other way. My father had always told me just what kind of people the people of Valveronia were and I had believed him. But as I stared at Raven whilst she walked in front of me, I found myself questioning everything he’d ever said.

“Where exactly are we going?” I asked found myself asking the man.

He looked over his shoulder at me. “Somewhere safe,” He replied before he went back to scanning the streets in front of him.

“Which is where?” Aila asked. Her and Galen had not said anything to the man thus far and I had barely acknowledged Raven. They probably felt just as uncomfortable and confused as I did.

“Concerned?” Raven questioned, her tone mocking. “That the tyrannical Valveronians are planning on leading you right into the dungeons?”

The man raised his eyebrows and looked down at her. She didn’t look at him nor us, just kept her gaze ahead. He said something to her, something in the language of Valveronia and this got a response from her. In the same language. It was impossible to tell what either of them was saying as they spoke to each other and it was frustrating.

Galen pressed closer to my side as we passed down a more narrow street. “What are we going to do?” He asked me, though I knew what he really meant.

He wanted to know if we should be trusting either of them. If we should be turning and running back the way we came. He was leaving the decision up to me. The way I saw it, there were two problems with just turning and running back the way we came. One, we had no idea how to get out of the kingdom without Raven and two, we still did not have my brother. I looked to him, then Aila, and then to Raven who was still deep in conversation with the man we were following.

I blew out a sigh before turning back to Galen. “I trust her,” I told him. He looked a little skeptical but nodded anyway.

We came upon a house that was too close to the castle for my tastes and appeared to a part of the richer area of the kingdom. It was rather large and made from a beautiful white stone that had been inlaid with what appeared to be silver. The man walked right up the door and didn’t even bother with knocking, just pushed it open and then stepped aside, letting us all enter first whilst he kept watch, making sure no one was paying any attention.

The inside of the house was even more lavish than the outside. There were vases of gold and silver, jewels applied to almost every decoration, large tapestries, and curtains of silk. The entire inside of the house seemed to shine. The only place I had ever seen riches like this, was in the castle in Ralorn that I had once called home. Never in someone else’s home.

“They’re a noble family,” Raven said as a way of explanation. She walked further into the house and we followed after her silently. 

“The name’s Drey,” The man said as he brushed past us. “Raven’s informed me of the situation.” He crossed his arms over his chest a stared at us. “You do what you come here to do and you leave,” He continued. “I will not be helping you with your quest. I will not risk the lives of my family anymore they already are by having you here.” His tone was firm and final. He then turned and walked away, deeper into the house.

“Father?” A voice spoke up. “Are you back? Do you have Raven with you?”

“No,” Raven replied instead of Drey.

There was a squeal and a girl dressed in a very expensive-looking green dress came running around a corner. She threw her arms around Raven and pulled her close. She did not even seem to care that Raven was covered in dirt and some of it was ending up on her dress. She pulled back and looked at Raven with a wide smile and to my surprise, Raven was smiling back.

“Father said he saw you signaling from outside the wall,” The girl said. “And then cursed the ground you walk on because you were not supposed to come back this time.”

Raven just nodded. “Sounds like Drey.” She started to remove her cloak. “Is your brother home?”

“I can take your cloak,” The girl said and she took it off Raven’s shoulders before she could protest. “No, he’s not,” She replied with a sad look on her face. “And he won’t be for some time I’m afraid.”

“He can handle himself,” Raven told her.

The girl nodded. “Yes, I suppose that’s true.” She turned away from Raven and stopped in her tracks when she saw us. “Oh,” She said softly. She stared at us for a long time, barely blinking before she finally spoke. “You brought people with you,” She said as she turned back to Raven. “You never bring anyone with you.”

We just kind of glanced at each other wordlessly.

“Oh!” She suddenly exclaimed. “Where are my manners? I’m Kalani,” She said before holding out her hand. “I can take your cloaks.”

I didn’t really know how to respond to her and she was looking up at us expectantly so I pushed back my hood and began to remove my cloak to give it to her when she let out a soft gasp. I looked up at her and she was just staring at me.

She turned over her shoulder to Raven. “Elves,” She muttered like she couldn’t quite grasp that fact. “You brought elves here?”

Raven was removing her weapons and placing them in a chest near a window. “I brought the king of Ralorn here,” She told her.

Kalani’s already fair skin went even more pale and she dropped Raven’s cloak. She whirled on Raven. “What were you thinking?” Kalani hissed and her voice quivered with fear.

“They asked for my help,” Raven said simply before walking past Kalani.

Kalani, however, was not letting it go. “The Ruthless King,” She said and then stopped, appearing to be at a loss for words. “If he finds out. He’ll kill you.”

Raven shrugged. “At this point, he’ll do worse than that.”

Kalani stepped in front of her, keeping Raven from walking further away. “Do you have any idea what you’re risking?”

Raven crossed her arms over her chest. “As a matter of fact, I do, and I’ve already been lectured by your father on the way here about it. Now if you don’t mind,” Raven brushed past her again and headed for a grand staircase. “I’m exhausted and in need of a change of clothes.”

Kalani just watched her walk away. Her breathing was strained and she looked like she was about to cry. She turned back to us, her expression blank, and licked her lips. “My mother’s preparing food,” She said almost mindlessly. “I’ll tell her to prepare some for you.” She turned and began walking away only to turn back around to us again. “You can hang your cloaks by the door. Um . . . my father will be back to show you to a room where you can change and freshen up.” She spun around and disappeared further into the house.

I didn’t know where she went nor did I care. Mostly I was concerned as to why the fact that Raven had snuck us into Valveronia was so terrifying to Kalani.

And I was asking myself, what exactly had Raven risked bringing us here?