Zeli spread her hands, eyes wide. “It’s very possible, Your Majesty.” Perhaps she was nervous in the presence of the queen because her arms shook slightly though the room was as warm as summer.
Jas sighed. “All right then. Why not? Perhaps She’ll finally give me some advice I can use.” She began gathering up the newspapers and stacking them into a pile. “Where’s your other half anyway?” This to Varten.
“With his other half.” He tried to keep his voice light, but didn’t think he did a terribly good job. To sell his nonchalance, he pretended great interest in the contents of one of the other newspapers.
“I see.” Jasminda’s tone didn’t change, but he could tell she was unconvinced. He wracked his brain for something that would forestall a follow-up question. “I’m going to help Zeli with her Elsiran,” he blurted out. “Tutor her, you know.”
His sister’s gaze was shrewd. She peered at him, certainly unfooled by his subject change. But she let him get away with it and leaned around him to speak to Zeli. “Do me a favor, try and keep this one out of trouble.”
Zeli’s brows rose. “That might be a tall order.”
They shared a smile and Varten felt both put out and gratified. Smiling meant less misery—at least it should. He was convinced that if you smiled enough it must chip away at some of the pain.
When Jasminda rose and stretched, Zeli spoke up. “Um, Your Majesty, might I ask you a question before you go?”
“Certainly.”
“In Elsiran law, can you be… punished for following the orders of your superior? For instance, in the military, if a commander instructs his subordinate to do something… wrong, would that person face reprisal?”
Varten’s attention narrowed on Zeli. Jasminda hugged the papers to her chest and looked into the distance, thinking. “Military law differs from civilian law. As far as I can tell, there are very few circumstances in which a subordinate would get into trouble for following orders.”
Zeli’s gaze flicked back and forth between them. “But civilians could?”
“Well, yes, the law is the law and short of royal decree, if one doesn’t follow it, they are responsible for the consequences.”
Zeli seemed to fold in on herself in a way that poked at Varten’s innate protective instinct. But before he could ask her whatshe was so concerned about, a bell began to chime. All three of them looked up toward the ceiling of the Council Room—it sounded like the bell was directly above them, but of course, there was nothing there but the ornate decorative carvings filled with swirls and flowers.
A reflection glimmered in the corner of his eye. Varten turned to find something like a heat shimmer rippling the air in the center of the room. Everyone else’s gaze was locked overhead to the same location. The undulating air took on a golden gleam that brightened until it shone like a precious gem. The ringing continued as the mirror-like apparition solidified then shattered, revealing a dark hole.
A shadow slid through, separating itself from the pit of inky blackness to fly into the room. Fear dried Varten’s eyes out; he blinked a dozen times, not believing what he was seeing. This couldn’t be happening again. Not here.
Two more shadows wriggled out of the hole—a darkness that could only be a portal to the World After. Roshon, Darvyn, and Kyara had witnessed a similar attack back in Yaly by angry wraiths intent on seeking revenge and destruction.
Zeli’s screams unlocked his rigid muscles. He nudged her and they backed out of the room. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the shadow creatures and reached behind him for the doorknob, missing it twice before grabbing on and wrenching open the door. Jasminda was still motionless, staring at the nightmares flying around the high ceilings. Varten pushed Zeli out, then followed her into the hallway.
“Jasminda!” he yelled, and his sister darted out after them and slammed the door shut.
The two Guardsmen posted on either side of the door stood atattention, their pistols at the ready. Varten and Zeli backed down the hall, away from the Council Room, gazes glued to the door.
Just as he suspected, the shadows didn’t let something as simple as a wall stop them. All three shot through the plaster and wood as if it was air. Two of the creatures disappeared into the Guardsmen. The third veered toward Jasminda, but bounced off her as if she was covered in invisible armor.
The last shadow hovered for a split second before apparently seeking an easier target and darting in Varten’s direction. He braced himself for impact, knowing he couldn’t outrun a spirit who had escaped the World After. Shutting his eyes tight, he winced, waiting for the blow to come as the specter invaded his body. But it never came.
Instead, a prickling energy floated across his skin. When he opened his eyes, the Goddess Awoken stood in front of him, between him and the spirit. Her white dress billowed in an invisible breeze. The power coating Her was so thick even he could feel it. With Her back to him, She raised an arm above her head and tightened her fist.
The shadow spirit floating before Her appeared to shiver, convulsing and quaking in what might have been fear or pain had it been alive. A crackling light flashed from the Goddess’s closed fist, darting into the center of the shadow, illuminating the creature from within and causing it to fade.
Jasminda shouted, tearing Varten’s gaze away. She now faced off against her own Guardsmen, except they were no longer her Guardsmen. In the places of the two Elsirans pledged to protect her, two Yalyishmen stood on either side of the door. Both were of the Daro race, pale-skinned with icy blue eyes. Their heads were shaved and even their clothes were different: the gray shirt andtrousers of the servants of the Physicks. But it was obvious they weren’t in their right minds. Both growled like vicious dogs, and the one on the left was actually slavering.
Hearing about the attack from his brother and the others had been one thing, but seeing it happen in front of him was totally different. Even Jasminda looked shocked—it wasn’t that they hadn’t believed the reports, it was just that after the Physicks’ headquarters had been destroyed, no one expected this to happen again.
As one, the wraiths leapt forward, charging Jasminda, who knocked them back with a blast of her power. The sound of rushing wind gusted by, lifting the men off their feet and crashing them into the far wall. The Goddess rose into the air and landed at Jasminda’s side. The two women took defensive positions as the men righted themselves with superhuman speed and stood poised for another attack.
“Go!” Jasminda yelled. Varten didn’t need to be told twice. The two powerful Earthsingers had things well in hand; there was nothing a non-magical person could do here other than be harmed. He shot a glance at Zeli, whose eyes were wide with fear.
“This way,” he said, motioning down the hall. Zeli shook herself and they both took off, racing away to what Varten hoped was safety.
CHAPTER FIVE
