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9
SILAS
"I have to go after her,"I said, rising to go.
"You will not," Ember said abruptly, stopping me in my tracks. "I am under strict orders to keep you here until you are well."
"Fine. Tell me what to do, then. I can't just sit here all day. I'll go crazy."
She gave me a smile full of mock pity and pushed me back down into bed, pulling the covers all the way up to my chin again.
"You can do whatever you want, as long as it involves laying still and resting. Perhaps you could pray for Kiango to come home and relieve us both of this situation."
I rolled my eyes, already exasperated with being under her care. "Fine."
Satisfied, Ember wiped her hands down the front of her dress, smoothing it as she stepped into her shoes. "Good. I'm going to get breakfast. Don't get any ideas while I'm gone."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
She snorted at my sarcasm and hurried out of the room, leaving me all alone. In the quiet of my private room, I closed my eyes and sighed with frustration. After our practice run the day before, I had been so exhausted I slept through the whole day and the night, waking only after the sun was well up this morning. I had hardly any memory of making my way upstairs to the room, and only a faint inkling of a conversation with Anya that was now so fuzzy as to be meaningless. And yet, I was aware of a dim sense of danger pervading every inch of my body.
As soon as she left the room, I threw the blankets back and dropped my feet to the ground, uplifted by the fact that my body did not protest nearly so much as I expected. In fact, other than the vague tiredness that remained behind, I felt no worse for having completed the ritual the day before.
I went to the mirror and looked myself over. Despite the haggard appearance of my face and the stubble along my jaw line, I was more or less presentable.
I knew Ember would be back shortly with food, but I couldn't miss the opportunity to stretch my legs and pace the room in her absence. It felt good to be up and moving again.
Out in Kiango's main chamber, I went to the window and looked over the courtyard. There was no sign of any storm, no more than any other day, at least. All was quiet and everything within the palace seemed to be proceeding as normal.
That impression was quickly shattered when several servants burst out of the kitchen and started running across the courtyard, calling to one another frantically.
I leaned further out, trying to catch their distant words before they were carried away on the winds, but it was no use. They were gone almost as quickly as they had appeared, and I was left to wonder what had sent them running so suddenly. My mind automatically went to Anya, wondering where she was and if she knew what was happening. The dull alarm bells that had been buzzing in my head all morning had elevated to a more persistent drone.
I was just about to defy Ember's orders to stay put and go out looking for answers when the door swung open and I found Anya and Kiango standing in the doorframe. I could see that Kiango was not well, but he did not hesitate to step forward and sweep the room in search of his woman.
"Where's Ember?" he demanded, his eyes dark and stormy.
"She went to get food. What happened?"
He narrowed his eyes at me, and I felt a knot forming in my stomach. Whatever happened, it was bad.
"I'll go find her," Anya said, melting back into the hallway before I could even make sure she was okay.
"We do not have time to waste. You must step into Re'Utu's waters tonight and claim the Guardianship."
Before he could explain any further, Ember appeared in the doorway, tray of food in hand. But as soon as she spotted Kiango, she hurried across the room and dropped it on the table before throwing herself bodily at him.
He wrapped his arms around her and there were several long moments as they held each other speechlessly. Then, he bowed his head and placed a single kiss upon her brow before setting her back on her heels.
"Take Silas downstairs. Lock the door and wait for me. Understand?"
She nodded, and I wondered if she might begin crying right then, but Kiango was speaking to me now.
"Go with her. There are matters we must discuss and training to be finished. I can only hope that you are ready. I must gather a few things before we begin."
With that, he turned and left the two of us standing alone, more concerned than even before. However, Ember was already moving. She grabbed the tray of food off the table and bundled it up, tying it closed neatly. Then she grabbed a pair of candles off the bedside table and gestured for me to come along.
I followed Ember down several flights of stairs, moving deeper and deeper into the palace until I no longer recognized anything around me. At the very end of a dark hall, there was a door, and Ember pushed it open with some effort, letting us both in. I was immediately affronted by the wet moldy smell that filled the air, and then I stumbled over something large in the dark.
