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Stephen tried to determine what sort of answer would keep him in his sovereign’s good graces. “I suppose not, sir.”
He continued to twist the coarse orange curls in an idle spiral. “I’m sure much of the staff has their own hobbies. If you see Kai, ask him what he can procure for you. As long as it does not interfere with your responsibilities, you may do what you please in your free time.”
“Thank you, sir.”
He waved him away and picked up his utensils. Stephen retrieved the cart and rushed out of the room, into the hallway leading back to the kitchen. Once he was a safe distance away, he leaned his head against the wall and inhaled a deep breath in an effort to return his pulse to a healthier rate. He and Liora were safe for now, but he knew she was still scheming to escape from Thirvar’s control.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Despite her increased resolve to free herself, Liora remained unnerved by her recent revelations, a situation which did not go unnoticed by the sympathetic Tirani. “I’m so sorry, dear,” she said after hearing the tale of the evocative dream. “I really was just trying to protect you.”
“I know.” Liora curled up against the closed basement door, sitting on the floor with her knees pulled to her chest. “I keep thinking about how much more there must be that I can’t remember. Did I have a family? Parents? Children?” The remnants of Stephen’s touch were fresh upon her skin, an indelible imprint which incited more uncertainty. “Was I ever in love? How much did he take from me?”
Tirani sat next to her distraught friend. “You must have been loved, and very much so. I’m sure of it.”
She stared straight ahead. “What did I do?” she murmured. “What did he make me do? When I think of what he did to my home, I can only imagine I must have done the same with him.” A shiver rippled through her body, and she squeezed herself into a smaller ball. “How many other people were tortured, killed, eliminated when I was a member of his army? How much destruction came from my hands? I keep trying to remember, but maybe it’s for the best if I don’t…”
Her questions lingered in the firelit room. “I don’t know what to tell you,” Tirani said. “No one I’ve spoken to knows all the details of your life before he brought you here, or they’re unwilling to share. But I don’t need to know.” She crawled forward until she stood in front of Liora, who imagined her featureless companion must be looking at her head-on. “No matter what Thirvar did, or does now, or ever will do, he will never change who you truly are. He may have tried to erase parts of your mind, but he will never be able to destroy what makes you you. As long as hope lives inside you, you are stronger than him.”
Liora bit her bottom lip. “Does this mean you’re willing to help me now?”
“I’ll do what I can.”
“Thank you. For everything. Really.” She pulled herself to her feet. “I know there’s no use in worrying about things I can’t change. I need to focus more on the future. For me, and for Stephen.”
“Just promise me you won’t do anything dangerous.”
“I’ll try my best.” Her jaw tightened. “The first thing you can help me with is the barrier which prevents anyone from entering or leaving this area without his permission.”
“What about it?”
“How is it you’re able to get in and out every day?”
Tirani paused to think. “I’m not sure. He must have done something to either it or me to allow me access.”
Liora shook her head. “That’s not the important part. I don’t think I’ll ever get through myself. What I need to know is if you’re able to tell where it begins and ends.”
“Yes. I can sense the shift.”
“Then I have a favor to ask.” A wistful smile curved her lips. “I was thinking about the stories you told me about your home so many times, about the giant trees where you lived.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“I want to learn how high Thirvar’s barrier goes, as I think it’s more of a wall than a dome, since that would take less energy to maintain. It can’t possibly be as strong as the similar one around Marindal we created together, and we all know how weaknesses sometimes appear there. If there’s not a way through it, maybe there’s a way over it.” Liora crouched down to better appeal to her friend. “I don’t want to risk checking for myself unless I know there’s a chance. Could you please, please, please climb up there and take a look?”
She exhaled. “I suppose I could get up there quickly without being caught.”
A wide grin spread across her face. “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she said, her voice cracking due to her overwhelming gratitude. “Come on, let’s go!”
The majestic pines loomed overhead at the farthest edge of Liora’s land. She leaned against the same trunk she’d used for a similar purpose the day before and craned her neck to watch Tirani disappear into the upper branches. Several lengthy minutes passed before her copper form descended from the treetops to deliver the much-awaited report.
“What was it like up there?” Liora asked. “What did you see?”
“The shield does taper off as it gets higher. Whether or not he did that intentionally, we’ll never know.” Tirani plopped back onto solid ground. “I’m not going to bother asking you not to go up there, as I know your mind is made up. But I will remind you to be careful. I don’t want to come back here one day and find you’ve broken your neck, or worse.”
“You won’t. I promise.”
Liora thanked her again before her departure, and then studied the tree more intently. She was tempted to see how high she could climb right away, but a better idea surfaced before she grabbed the first limb. Abandoning the outer limits of her prison, she rushed back into her cottage and ran down the stairs.
