After hours traveling an area devoid of anything but fine red sand, Maya heaved a relieved sigh at the sight of Tembar peeking over the horizon. The temperature was rising, and her travels left her tired, hungry, and thirsty. She’d skipped her morning meal and left with just a flask of water in the interest of speed. She slipped her hand into her pocket, reaching for the container before remembering it was now empty.

  Tembar Castle was smaller than Reiont by half, only rising three stories with short turrets. The stones were time-darkened, and hardy mosses grew wherever they could find a foothold. Its foreboding and mysterious appearance left little doubt as to why this castle fascinated storytellers.

  To the east of the castle, a village of fragile-looking huts stood by an orchard in full bloom. Maya watched young men mending the weathered roofs. Green and ripening in the sun, fields spread out from the fortress in stark contrast against the castle walls. The life and activity in the village seemed out of place beside the still, decaying exterior of Tembar Castle.

  Maya stumbled as she stepped onto firm ground and sighed happily once again, relieved to not sink with every move. What she wouldn’t give to sit down for a moment or to have a glass of cold water.

  A faint sound caught her attention. Maya stopped, trying to place the bass rumbling as it grew louder. The pitch climbed into a piercing whine that shook the castle walls. She covered her ears, trying to block out the sound and ease the pain in her ears before the whine surpassed the human hearing range. Lowering her hands, Maya swallowed as hard as her dry mouth would allow. She worked her jaw to ease the pressure in her ears as she considered the noise. It seemed so familiar up until the pain, almost mundane, yet she couldn’t think of what it could be.

  A huge hand caught Maya’s arm, and her heart felt like ice when her captor jerked her around. She thought he must be wearing some kind of horrid mask. Then she noticed the light in the compound eyes and the thing’s mandibles were moving. The traders’ stories were true! Monsters were roaming Tembar Flats, and she was about to be one’s dinner!

  Maya twisted and jerked backward, trying to free herself from its grasp in a panic. Her thoughts were swirling as fast as her heart pounded, and her breath came in ragged pants. How could something like this exist?

  “Stop,” the creature grunted.

  The fact it could talk shocked Maya into stillness. She looked down and noticed the beast was not only clothed, it wore the uniform of a Tembar soldier. She tried to read the creature’s emotions. The reading was muted and caused a nagging ache behind her eyes.

  “Who you?” it said.

  “I… I’m a messenger,” she stuttered. It came out as a timid squeak.

  “Speak,” barked the creature.

  “It’s for Count Ralic’s ears only,” Maya answered.

  Now that she knew she wasn’t breakfast, Maya felt sorry for the beast. It seemed unable to process her request and lumbered toward the castle’s northern gate for help.

  It led her into the courtyard. Maya heard the whine again as it returned to a low rumble. It seemed to come from the Yekaran apartments, but it was reverberating off of a thousand surfaces. It could be originating from anywhere on the grounds. Besides, Ralic’s dragon died long ago. Tembar hadn’t been home to a Yekaran for years.

  Maya rebuked herself for letting her attention wander. How would she accomplish anything if she couldn’t control her own mind? She scanned the area for the arachnid. She’d lost track of his movements in her distraction. She found the grayish, fur-covered mass of the beast’s head bent over something about ten meters to her left. She eased closer, trying to remain unnoticed.

  The spider creature spoke to the steward. He was a small man, yet he seemed unperturbed by the creature waving gruesome mandibles close to his face.

  While the two spoke, Maya looked about the courtyard. She saw no other creatures, but she felt this was a normal sight for the citizens of Tembar. Those about seemed healthy enough though weather-hardened and distrustful. Perhaps the creature was born in or near the castle. It must be a fluke of nature. There couldn’t be others. Could there?

  The creature left and stalked back toward the gate, so she looked at the man. He regarded her with an expression of distaste and boredom. Maya felt uneasy, sensing nothing from him. She pushed and found neither emotion nor obvious shields.

  The young man bowed and turned on his heels. He set off toward the main doors at an astonishing pace, making it difficult for Maya to keep pace without running. He pushed both doors open and entered without stopping or holding the doors open. She managed to rush through and winced when they slammed shut.

  The steward led Maya up a stairwell not far from the doors and out onto the second floor. They both continued down the corridor. The steward stopped between a huge gap in the support columns and two enormous doors. They were outside Ralic’s council room. Each castle had such a room on the second floor. The enlarged breezeway opening and doors served as a dais for meeting with a Yekaran resident or ambassador.

  “Wait here a moment,” the steward said. He pulled one door open, disappeared through it without waiting for an answer, and took care to close it behind. Maya listened, trying to block out the whinny of a spooked retesh rising from the courtyard. She heard an exasperated tenor voice followed by the sound of breaking glass. A girl Maya hadn’t noticed before flinched at the sound before trying to blend into the wall as she swept.

  The steward returned. A ragged gash now marred the skin above his right eye. His expression and voice were indifferent as he told her the Count would see her. He released the heavy door and stomped back down the hall toward the stairwell. She walked through the opening. The girl yelped and the steward barked an indistinguishable order before the door closed with a bang.

  The room was furnished more as a study than Maya expected. Thick curtains of a dark color she couldn’t make out in the dim light of half-spent candles covered the windows. A glittering at her feet caught her attention. It was the remains of a glass bottle below the dripping fringe of a stained tapestry.

  Count Ralic sat behind a large desk piled high with scattered papers, ancient books, and scrolls. He seemed to be pouring over a report. The man matched the castle. He was a pale man with ebony hair and well-built. She’d assumed Ralic would be as lanky and frail as his brother, Brannon, had been.

  Maya stifled a cough in the smoky room, forcing her shoulders back as she tried to hide her unease and make a show of confidence. The count looked up from the papers and rose from his seat.

  “Who have we here?” he asked.

  “Greetings, Count Ralic,” Maya answered, pushing her hood back to reveal her face. His eyes grew wide as he recognized the gold circlet pinned into her hair.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Grand Lady Maya!” he exclaimed in surprise and motioned her toward a chair across from his desk. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked as he returned to his seat.

  “I’ve come to bring a message from your father,” she answered. “It’s strange I’ve never met you before during the sixteen years I’ve lived at Reiont,” she added as she sat.

  “I’ve always kept to myself,” he said with a shrug.

  Maya cleared her throat. “If you’ll pardon my asking,” she began. “What happened to the creature outside?”

  “Creature?” Ralic asked, looking stunned, though Maya could sense no surprise. She wondered if the steward had told him of her encounter. “Oh, you must mean Brance. No one knows. You know the effects of utronumite on Terran systems, do you not?”

  “I should say!” she answered. “After all, I’m to marry your nephew before the week is out.”

  “Yes, Lanre does have a rather strong talent, doesn’t he? Telepathy, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Poor thing,” Ralic answered. “He must take after his father. My brother always was the sickly type, and I’ve never seen a healthy-looking telepath. They’re all skin and bones and sunken eyes.”

  “On the contrary, most say he’s the image of Aligh as a young man, though he has his mother’s coloration,” Maya answered. “He’s trained all his life to cope with the emotional barrages of castle life, and he manages well.”

  “I can see Aligh made a good match with you,” Ralic answered. “You speak with more than respect for my nephew.” He cleared his throat.

  “You asked about Brance.” Ralic leaned back in his chair, scratching at the stubble on his jawline. “He wasn’t born the way he is today. The midwife or his father would have killed him if he had been. Most believe he found a spider under the castle and ate it.”

  Maya felt her eyebrows rise at the explanation before she immediately smoothed her features. It was a wasted effort, however. Ralic made a dismissive gesture.

  “He was one of those children who’d put anything in their mouths. The springs that irrigate Tembar Flats have some of the highest concentrations of utronumite in all Tekar. It still doesn’t seem possible, but his DNA fused with a spider’s when he was a toddler.”

  “A transformation in a fully developed boy!” Maya exclaimed. “Why wasn’t it reported? It’s unheard of!”

  “And have the boy live the rest of his life in a lab?” Ralic answered, raising his eyebrows in a show of concern Maya couldn’t sense. “In any case, I’ve been researching the cause and any possible means of reversing the effects.”

  “I seem to remember hearing stories of your skill in the sciences,” Maya answered. “I wasn’t aware you were still experimenting.”

  Ralic shifted; unease radiated from him. “Nothing like I did in my youth,” he answered. “I played with equations in the evenings to keep my skills sharp until this with Brance happened.”

  “You’ve not returned to your former studies in your quest for a cure?” Maya asked.

  “Even if I wanted to, there are no books on those subjects in our library,” Ralic answered. “I’ve been working with what I can remember, but I must confess I don’t remember much.”

  “Still, something like this should have been reported,” Maya continued. “What if it happens again?”

  “What good would warning people do?” Ralic asked. “Has warning a child not to put things in their mouth ever stopped them? The necessary utronumite concentrations only exist here and in the Water Watcher’s Hall. Water Watchers aren’t trained until their tenth birthday, and I had the catacombs closed off.”

  Maya started to protest, but Ralic raised his hand to forestall anything she had to say. “To our understanding, there’s no longer any danger of another incident.”

  Maya knew Ralic was lying about something, but she wasn’t sure what it was. Had he pushed into the forbidden sciences again, or was he hiding information? As much as she wanted to know, she didn’t push further. It wouldn’t serve her purpose for Ralic to discover her real reason for being here, and she knew he wasn’t a fool. She decided to fake belief and concentrate her efforts on the information she’d come to obtain.

  “I will give the king your assurances when I report the incident,” she said. “I’m sure he will allow Brance to remain in your care, given your scientific background. Though, he may wish to send a few scientists to aid you.”

  “Any help would be welcome,” Ralic answered. “You said you had a message from my father?”

  “Yes,” Maya answered. “Your father believes Princess Kalie was attacked two months ago, but he also believes she wasn’t the target.”

  “Who then?” Ralic asked.

  “Prince Lanre, King Aligh,” Maya paused, trying to push deeper into his emotions, “you. He believes someone wants to overthrow the Virchow line.”

  “Why?” Ralic asked, radiating more unease than the controlled fear or concern Maya expected. “The house of Virchow has reigned since the crash with only the odd bid for power from time to time.”

  “That’s likely the case again,” Maya said. “Chances are it’s some dissatisfied regent or other. Still, these things can become bloody if left unchecked.” Maya paused, trying to feed Ralic a feeling of unconcerned trust in her. “Regardless, it happened on your land. Have you heard anything that could help us in the investigation?”

  “I wish I could help,” Ralic said, leaning forward. “I do, but I know nothing of my sister-in-law’s disappearance.”

  The rush of emotion from the count was overwhelming and set Maya’s head spinning. She gulped. Had she pushed too hard? Could he have noticed the emotion graft? Maya feigned belief. There was no report of Ralic having telepathic abilities, and she prayed he had not somehow developed them.

  Maya could sense something wasn’t quite right. She knew he was hiding something, but there was no way to discover what it was without giving herself away. For the first time in her life, Maya wished she’d been born a telepath.

  A chill overtook her as realization struck. She’d picked up on Lanre’s desire to speak with Ralic! He could push beyond the surface emotions; she couldn’t. Maya berated herself for her foolishness. She’d trained to resist such influences, and she hadn’t recognized this one until it was too late.

  “What makes Father sure it was an attack?” Ralic asked, startling Maya out of her reverie. “Yekarans have lashed out at their closest friends in the throes of madness when it comes upon them suddenly.”

  “Borcon? Mad?” Maya asked, shocked by the accusation. “He was always in perfect health.”

  “I meant no insult,” Ralic said. “Yekarans can be driven to madness by a traumatic event. Something could have happened to Kalie in the blizzard. I know the bond between dragon and companion. Losing such a friend is enough to break anyone.”

  “We would have found something.”

  “Was there nothing left?”

  “Unfortunately not,” Maya answered. “The Yekarans had to be chemically roused from hibernation. By the time they arrived, they only found fresh powder.”

  “I’d heard as much from the men who came to inquire, but it is hard to believe such a large party could disappear without a trace,” Ralic answered. “It seems we may never know what happened to poor Kalie.”

  A sense of smug pleasure caught Maya’s attention. Her heart fluttered, knowing only one reason Ralic would be happy they could never find the truth.

  “Thank you for your time,” she said. “Your father sends his reassurances he will bring Kalie’s attackers to justice.” She looked down at her hands, blushing with disgust at what she was about to say. Yet, she understood Aligh’s reasoning, and he hadn’t planned on her delivering the news. “However, there can be no guarantees of anyone’s safety in the best of times. Therefore, I’ve come to inform you Aligh reinstated you as his secondary successor several weeks ago. He would have sent word sooner if not for the transition storms.”

  “I wish no offense to you, my lady,” Ralic said. “But, I hope the day never comes. You deserve better than to be saddled with a man old enough to be your father.”

  As Ralic met her eyes, Maya fought the urge to recoil. His manner revolted her despite his handsome face. How could he be the son of Aligh Virchow? Only his thick head of dark hair and light green eyes spoke of the kinship. There was a strange feel to his manner as he rose from his seat. It was foreign to her, and she could not place it.

  “I regret I will not be able to attend your wedding due to failing health,” he said. “My lungs cannot take the rough summer winds. Tell Lanre I wish you both all happiness.” He offered her his hand. She took it, and he kissed her knuckles. Her stomach lurched at his touch.

  “I must wish you farewell,” he said. “I’ve several projects to oversee.”

  “Farewell, Count Ralic,” Maya managed as they rose.

  “May I show you out?” he asked, offering her his arm.

  “Thank you,” Maya said as she accepted. She prayed she could maintain an unconcerned facade until she was away from Tembar.