a Pawn of Power
F.L Helleberg
J.sHelleberg
APawnofPower
Copyright© FiaHelleberg &Jonny Helleberg, 2023
Originallypublished:Sweden2023
TranslatedbyFia Helleberg
Copyrightcover ©Fia Helleberg, 2023
MapproducedbyFia Helleberg
Page divider:Designedbymacrovector/ Freepik
Publisher: BoD- BooksonDemand, Stockholm,Sweden
Printing: BoD- BooksonDemand,Norderstedt,Germany
ISBN: 978-91-8057-412-9
To ourdearStormare
Neverhas therebeen acheerleader likeyou
Thankyou forletting me breakyourheart with this book over andoveragain
aranth looked around theoncesolid castle in shock. Much of it wasdestroyed,walls andceilings hadcollapsed andhugeboulders layindriftsinthe corridor.Hetried to keep up thepacebut was still shaken by thesuddenexplosion.His movementswereslow, hisbodystill in shock. It wasa miraclethateveryonehad made it outofthe greathall, that no one hadbeen crushed when theroof collapsed.But theking hadbeenfaster than anyofthem, hadmanaged to protecteveryonepresent from theworst.ThenTaranth haddragged thedazedVirionout of thehall while thefloor, theground,had crumbled undertheir feet. Only now,several hours later,had theworst of thechaos subsided.The king's menhad already begunrepairing thedamagewithmagic,and everywhere in theenormous castle, soldiers andservantswererunning back andforth in ablur.
Taranthhad seen to hismen,makingsurenoone washurt, butnow Virion hadsentfor him. Taranthswallowed.Hehad no idea what hadhappened, buthewas bound to find out. Thesurge of power that haddestroyed thecastlewas unlike anything he hadeverexperienced.Hehad metpowerful conjurersbefore, butthis... If magicwas fire,thenthe explosionhad been an unstoppable, raging inferno.
He wasn't sure if it wasthe power surgeorthe chaosafterwardsthathad shaken himmost.
Pondering, he walked throughthe endlesscorridors towardsthe partsof thecastlethathad notbeenasaffected by thedisaster.Peopleswarmed
around thecorridors,everyonediscussing theincident, butTaranth continued, alone andbrooding, forward.
Whenhefinally arrivedatthe room he hadbeensummonedto, he took a deep,unsteady breath before placinghis hand on thedoorknob. Hisstomach felt heavy, andwhateverhad happened, whatever wascoming, it wasnot good.The king's insane monologue of warand humans andmagic hadbeen enough,Taranth wasn't sure he couldhandlemuchmoretoday.The door slid openwitha creakand themurmuring voices from inside theroom fell silent He steppedinside, closingthe door behind himand forcinghis bodytofall into oldpatterns.Hekepthis back straight,his chin up andlockedhis arms behind hisback.
"YourMajesty," he greeted militarily."Lord Virion."
"Report,"commanded Virion,who satwiththe king at asmall tableladen with cold cuts andfruit.
"Nocasualties,"Taranth replied. "Our menwerenot at theepicenterof theexplosion."
"And theothers?" thekingasked.
"I answer onlyfor Aero's men,"saidTaranth."Lord Kirin, Lord Taegan andLordLochlan have left with theirhouseholds, that's allI know."
Thekingsnorted andturnedtoVirionagain,who looked wild-eyed and disheveled in away Taranthhad neverseenbefore.
"LordVirion, themen need to know what happened,"Taranth said,readying himself. "Weneedtocalculate thejourney back,takeany newenemies into account."
"There is no newenemy," Virion spat,his face twisted with anger. "Weinvitedhim in ourselvesand nowhehas takenAriana, abducted her. Idonot know how or whyshe washere, butthe King's chamberlain, Oryn,confirmed that he received them."
Taranthlooked confused at hislord, whoseanger pulsated throughthe room likewaves of pure energy.
"I whohas takenher away?" he askedinconfusion.
"General Caelan Solas,"the king repliedcalmly. "Itwas he whocreated theexplosion in an attempttoget ridofhis rival, Lord Virion,onceand for all."
Taranthlooked at them both in disbelief. He knew Caelan wasmighty, powerful, butevenhecouldn'tsummonthatkindofenergy. Taranthwasn't
sureeventhe king coulddoit. Andfor Caelan to abduct Ariana Taranth knew Caelan,atleast to some extent,and he wasnot thekindofman to make irrationaldecisions that wouldjeopardizepeace andrelationships forsucha coup.And forwhatreason?
"Are yousure, Your Majesty?"heasked,and theKing'sfacedarkened.
"I have seen theway he looksather," Virion hissed, rising from hischair. "I wasa fool to orderhim to watchoverher,I walked rightintothe trap.I should have known. Consideringwhathas happenedinthe past."
Virion begantowalkbackand forth, andTaranth watchedhim with sympathybut said nothing. He also knew of Caelanspast, butthathad been hundredsofyears ago. ThemaleCaelanwas todaywas not thesamepersonhe hadbeenthen; therewerefar toomanyloose ends to this theory.Why would Caelan have draggedArianahereand then kidnappedher?Why hadhenot takenthe opportunitytodisappear quietly from AeroswhenTaranth andVirion weregone? Andassassinating someonewas not Caelan's style, especially not forthe simple reason that he wanted anothermale'swoman
"I want youtofindher!" Virion shoutedsosuddenlythatTaranth flinched."Find herbeforethatscummanages to take hertoEnnetèa. Allthe territorieshaveclosedtheir borders so he won'tbeabletoget therebyportal. Find her, andifCaelanbecomes aproblem,killhim."
"Asyou command, Lord Virion," Taranthsaidwitha nod. Therewas no point in arguing, notwhenragetorerelentlesslythrough Virion like adesert storm. Thekinglookedahead inscrutably, seeminglyunfazed by theoutburst.
"Whenyou find her, bringher here,toNiva,"the King said.
Everyone of Taranth'sinstincts wasinstantly on edge,but he made sure to look unconcerned.
"Not to Aerona,YourMajesty?" he asked, adding with some sourness: "It is,after all, herhome."
"Takeher to Niva," theKingrepeated. "Ifthe generalcomes after... we canhandlehim."
Taranthavoided saying that theday's events directly contradicted this statement, andinstead turned to Virion, whonodded.
"Understood,"Taranth said andbowed,beforeturning andleaving the room.The gnawingfeelinginhis stomachgrewworse with everystep. For yearshehad watchedthe king creepinguponVirion, filling thelord'shead with one bizarre idea after another. Butnow,this...openwar,extermination
of thehumans, making an enemyofEnnetèa.Taranth sighed.Virionwas his friend;hewasn'tgoing to abandonhim now.Hejusthoped therewas some waytoget himtolistenagain.
lliewalkedcasuallythrough thealley, withDominik andTristan at herheels.Nosoldiers, thankthe gods.Thattheyhad even managed to getout of Morana wasa bloody miracle; thesmall town had been swarmedbysoldiersbeforethe earthquake hadevenbegun to subside.And Caelan hadnot left asingletrace behind.Ithad takenthemover aweekbeforetheyreceivedwordfromhim,beforehewas closeenough to send amessage,mindtomind. Andnow they foundthemselvesinthe ramshacklevillage wherehehad apparently takenrefugewithAriana.
Therumorsabout what hadhappenedwereasnumerousastheywereunbelievable, andAllie hadstopped listening when atravelerhad startedtalking aboutdragons waking oncemore. It wasevident that shewould nothearthe truthabout it alluntil sheand theothersheard it from Caelan.But something hadhappened, somethingcatastrophic. So much so that Tristanhad already sent word to Aerona andordered theircompany to return to Ennetèa immediately.
"I'm freezingmyballs off,"Dominik muttered behind her. "I'm goingto
crackCaelan'sribstothank himfor making me wander throughNivabefore thesnowmelts."
"I thinkCaelanhas enough on hismindright now," Tristanreplied,and Dominikgrunted in response.
"Thisisit,"Alliesaid, stopping in front of theunassuming innbefore opening thedoorand stepping inside.The warmth flowed towardsthemand Dominikgavea sigh of relief. Asoftbuzzofthe talkingguestswas in theair, andshe noticedCaelaninhalfa second.Hewas sittingbyhimself at one of thetables, dirtyand worn.His gaze seemed farawayand he looked likehe hadbeenthrough hell sincetheylastsaw him. Allietook astep towardshim andheseemedtobreak free of histrance. He stretched when he sawthem andthe arrogant,unfeelingmaskslippedintoplace.
"You took your time," he said as she, Dominikand Tristansat down at thetable.
"Whatthe hell happened?"Dominik askedwithoutgreeting, anda hint of sadnessslidacrossCaelan'sface. He sighed heavilyand then he spoke.
It took awhile,and when he finished,she,Tristan andDominik satin stunnedsilence.
"Are youkidding me?" Alliefinally asked. "Her, Anar?"
"You must have noticed something,"Tristan said. "The wayshe felt.She's neverbeennormal."
"OfcourseI have," shesnapped."But Anar?Thisisgoing to putthe wholedamnworld outofwhack."
"I'm goingtocarve abloodeagleonthatfucking asshole,"Dominik growledand Allie rolledher eyes.Heglaredather."Virion hasalwaysbeen weak,"hecontinued."Buttosellout hersister?Her mother?Hedeservesto die."
Dominik, theeternally loyal, theunyieldingfriend. Warmth flooded her stomach, andshe nevercould stop appreciatinghim andhis senseofwhat wasimportant.For how he simply haddecidedthatArianawas now oneof them
"How is she?"Tristan asked, in aprobableefforttochangethe subject. "Not well,"Caelansighedand hisshouldersdropped."She'snot talking, barely eating.I don'tknow what I'msupposed to do.She's like aghost."
Allielooked at Caelan,atthe dark circlesunder hiseyes.The hopelessness that marked hisface.
"And what do we do now?" sheasked."Have youasked what Ariana wants? Whatshe thinks,whatshe feels?"
"I'vetried," Caelan replied. "But she... Idon'tknow. But I'mnot goingto take herbacktoAerona, or to Niva."
"Thank fuck forthat,"Dominik snorted, crossing hisarms. Allie looked at himwithreproach, butCaelancontinued.
"I don'tknow what thekingisplanning,but Iintendtokeepher faraway from him. Ariana needshelp, sheneeds to learntocontrol herpowers. That explosion, it's amiracle it didn't kill her. Andgiven how things areinCaladon rightnow... Theonlything Ican thinkofisthatweneedtoget to Ennetèa,if onlytohavea base.Tofigureout what to do next."
"Thatsoundslikea good plan," Dominikagreed. "I'm sick of themainland."
"It'sprobablythe wisest thingwecan do rightnow," Tristansaidwitha nod.
Caelan ranhis hand throughhis dirtyhairand he looked terribly haunted "I'llgoand ordersomefoodand drink,"hesaidand stood."Then we must leave. It's only amatteroftimebeforesoldierscomeheretoo, andI want to gettoEnnetèaassoonaspossible."
Allienodded, as didDominik andTristan,and Caelan went to theadjoiningroom to order. Shewatched himleave,and aftera moment's hesitation, shegot up andfollowed.
"Caelan."She came up to himjustbeforehestarted ordering andhegave heranimpatient look.
"Whatisit?"
"How areyou feeling?"she asked, lookingoverthe hunted face once more.The lifelesseyes.
"I'm just tired,"hemumbled."I'll catch up soon, nothing to worryabout."
Alliesnorted."YouknowI know youbetter than that."
Caelan glared at her, butshe didn't look away,and he sighed in resignation. "She's broken," he muttered,rubbing histemples in frustration. "It'slike there'snothing left,likeshe's just ashell.I don'tknowhow to gether outof it,she won'teventalktome. Ifeelsofucking useless."
"She's just hadher heartbroken,"Allie said calmly."Sheloved Virion and he betrayed her. Sold herout.How do youexpect hertofeel?"
"I'm not saying Idon't getit,"hesnapped."Ijust don'tknow how to help her, if Ican."
"You remember what it waslikeafter Ilea,right?Giveittime."
Caelan gave hera dark look butshe held hisstare.Henever talked about Ileabut Allie knew. HadseenCaelanbreak down to ashard of himselfand then how he gotbackupagain.Stepbystep.
He sighed againand Alliepattedhis arm. "Let’sjust take it daybyday," shesaid, trying to soundencouraging."We'lleat alittle, getgoing,and then we'll seewhathappens."
Caelan gruntedinagreement,but hiseyeswerestill void of hope as he steppeduptothe counterand quietlyordered.Theythenreturnedtothe table, whereTristan andDominik spokequietly as Allieand Caelan resumed theirseats.
"Soldiershavebeenspottedinthe neighboring village,"Tristan said,nodding towardsone of theother tables,where twoscruffy mensat drinking. "Peopleare talkingabout it.”
"NivaorAeros?" Caelan asked.
"Both,"Dominik muttered."We need toleave,quickly."
"Wehavetimetoeat," Allieinterjected, stomachgrowling.
"And Ariana?" Tristanasked
"I will keep herhidden,"Caelanreplied."If youwerethinkingaboutfood, we'll deal with that later.I askedbeforeyou arrivedifshe washungrybut she didn't answer."
"It'snot thelasttimewe'll eat,"Allie said,and fell silent as waiterscame andplacedsteamingbowls of stew in frontofthem, along with largetankards filled to thebrimwithbeer.
"I have some food packed when sheneedsit,"Tristan said as thestaff left, andDominik tucked into thefragrantstew.
Allietookonthe meal,and thewarmthspreadthrough herbody. It was rather bland, nothinglikethe food at herfavoriterestaurantinVianòr,but it wasnourishing. They allate quicklyand efficientlyinsilence as they haddone so many timesbefore, andsoonthe bowlswerescraped cleanand thetankards emptied.
"I'm goinguptoAriana,"Caelansaidafter amoment'spause,before standing up."I'll trytoget hertocometo. If not, Iguess I’ll have to carryher out."
"I'llgowithyou," Alliesaid, gettingupaswell. Caelan's eyes filledwith suspicionand sherolledher eyes."Youdon't have to mark your territory, Caelan.I just want to seehow sheis, perhapsa female perspectiveisneeded?"
Dominikgavea lowchuckle andCaelannodded, albeit reluctantly. They left thetaproom andwalkedupthe stairs together.Caelanstoppedinfront of one of thenarrowdoorsinthe crampedcorridor.
"I'llgoinfirst," he said before opening thedoorand entering theroom. He left thedoor slightly ajar andAllie peeked in,seeingArianasitting on the bed.
Shewas ashadowofher former sparklingself. Thefiery,moody young womanAllie hadtraveledwithseemed to be buta memory,and thehuman womansitting on thebed washollow-eyed andwithcolorless skin.She seemed to have sufferedall thepains of hell, butthenAllie knew very well what abrokenheart coulddo. Herbodyached with compassion,ached with thefactthatshe recognized that blankstare alltoo well.
"Ariana?"Caelansaidgently, hisvoice soft as velvet."Theothersare here now.Weneed to startthinkingaboutleaving,it'sonlya matteroftimebefore theking'smen search thevillage." Ariana didn't answer,barelyseemingtoreact. "Allie wanted to come in,isthatokay?"heasked,and Alliealmostheld herbreath. But then there wasa slight,almostimperceptiblenod.Caelan turned andcamebacktoAllie in thedoorway.
"Dowhatyou can,"hemurmured. "There areclothes on thedresser,but I haven'tbeen able to gether to change yet. Just... be careful."
"I won'thurther," Alliereplied,but that didlittletoerase theworry etched in Caelansface. So shenoddedand then passed him. Shewalkedover to Ariana,who satbrokenand pale on thebed,and didthe only thingshe couldthink of.Allie pulledher into atight embrace, stroking hermattedhair. Thescent hither,different yetthe same.Enhanced,somehow,morecharged. Ascentoffresh apples,oflily of thevalleyand freshair.AllieheldAriana close, remindingherself that abrokenheart couldactually heal,withtime. Andwithlove.
Theworld is upsidedown.
Ariana is shattered after Virion's betrayal,and she finds herself with powers she could never have dreamedof, powersshe never wanted. Nothingisasitwas,and in a world wherefriend have turned foe, she flees. However,the journey to Ennetèawill be dangerous, andtogether with her companions she willfacenot only daevas,but herown conflictedfeelings.
§
Howwill she ever be abletoforgive Virion, andisthat somethingshe even wants to? Andabove all; howwill she rise to the expectationsofbecomingAnar; the saviour of both humans andfae?
Because wariscoming, and Ariana is not ready.
