Lingering Shadows-Chapter 36

Notes:

• Well, here we go…

• Yay! I wrote another Chapter! Sorry it took so long.

• Previous Chapter

Chapter 26-The Last Straw

Esben watched Nia leave with a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had been about to tell her. He had thought and thought over what he would say, how he would say it, and had finally found an opportunity when the group left them. For just one moment, they were alone. But then he hesitated, choking on his words, terrified of what she would say when she knew, the words he had prepared flying from his mind, and then she was gone.

He sighed, pressing his hand to his forehead. Why had he hesitated? He knew he had to tell her, and the longer he waited, the worse it was going to be.

The rest of the night crawled by, and after looking around the Keep and the grounds outside, Esben realized that Nia had left. He had lost his chance for that day. And he would have to go through the frustration and guilt of another night before he even saw her again. Leaning against the fence, he watched as laughing, happy people slowly left the Keep, the bright yellow of their lanterns flickering and casting warm shadows as they made their way home, and Esben realized that it must have been well past midnight for the celebrations inside to be over and for this many people to be leaving.

For a brief second, he considered asking Artham for help, but he immediately pushed that idea away. This was his problem. He wasn’t about to drag his older brother into it, for more reasons than one. First, he knew what Artham would say. Not exactly, of course. It was hard to ever tell exactly what Artham would say, just because… well because he was Artham.

But the message would be the same thing his conscience had been screaming at him to do for the last week.

Second, this was something that he had gotten himself into. He couldn’t count how many times Artham had gotten him out of trouble, from something as silly as accidentally locking himself into the castle cellar, to just a few days ago in the woods outside Oak Hill. He wanted to fix this himself, almost to prove to himself that he didn’t need his brother to get him out of everything.

He also didn’t want his brother to know what was going on. If at all possible, he was going to keep at least this one thing from Artham. There were already enough people mad at him, enough people going to be furious with him when he told them the truth, and way too many people that were presumably already angry enough at him that they were trying to kill him. He didn’t need Artham to be angry at him too, even though he knew that Artham didn’t really get mad at him very often, usually just very frustrated and disappointed.

The list of people that he had to tell was already way too long. He wanted as few people as possible to know this had ever happened.

Nia was the first person he had to apologize to. It kept coming back to her, over and over. Maybe it was because out of all her group, she was the one he most wanted as his friend. She was the one he had lied to most, and she was the one who spoke to him like she trusted him completely. He groaned in frustration.

It was going to be hardest to tell her the truth. But it had to start with her. He tried to push down the conflict inside him, knowing that she was going to find out. If he didn’t tell her, someone else would.

He banged a fist against the fence in frustration, then whirled around and stalked into the Keep and grabbed his things. For once in his life he wanted to get away from the crowds and be somewhere quiet and alone where he could think. He exited the Keep and went around the back way, heading home through the back streets of Ban Rona.

With the storm of frustration and fear and conflict and wishing things could have been different thundering around him, he didn’t notice that he was being followed.

*

Aro was watching Esben cross the narrow street that led away from the Keep, waiting for the moment when he could cross himself without Esben noticing him. He heard the footsteps before Esben did and immediately pushed himself against the wall, sliding down behind a rainwater barrel at the corner of the building. His heart pounded and he hoped his dark clothes and the shadows were enough to keep him hidden and wondering why in Aerwiar someone other than him was following Esben. Then he swallowed nervously, pressing his knuckles into his left palm when the thought came to him that he might be the one being followed.

He rested his forehead against the rough wood and cool metal of the barrel, trying to control his breathing. The footsteps came closer to Aro, and his thoughts ran wild. If Esben realized that he had been following him, everything was over.

But the steps passed his hiding place and went faster, ringing against the cobbles.

“Esben! Wait!” Someone called in a tense, cold voice that Aro didn’t recognize. He shifted slightly so he could see what was going on.

Esben turned around and took a few steps toward the man.

“Oh, hi Malik, where-” Then Esben stopped, and the color drained from his face. “What did you just call me?”

The anger in Malik’s voice intensified.

“I called you by your name, Esben Wingfeather,” he said, stepping forward. Different expressions flashed over Esben’s face, guilt, surprise, fear, frustration and confusion. Esben felt his face get hot and his heart start pounding, the full weight of his guilt smashing down on him when someone else spoke it.

“How did you know? Who told you?” Esben asked, a strange desperation in his tone. Malik’s eyes glittered with anger.

“It doesn’t matter who told me. Why did you lie?” He asked, the tight, controlled tone of his question making it more like a statement.

“I-I didn’t-” Esben tripped over his words, desperately searching for an explanation. Malik put up a hand, cutting him off.

“You know what, I don’t want to hear. For whatever reason you did it, you lied. Not just once, but too many times over the past couple months to count.” Malik looked up, taking a deep breath like he was trying to force away his anger. Esben tried to think of something to say to break the silence but too much was going on inside him.

“You have one day,” Malik finally said. Esben looked up to Malik, confused and more than a little scared.

“What are you talking about?” He asked, his own voice sounding strange to him.

“You lied to my cousin and made her believe you’re something you aren’t,” Malik answered, clearly losing control of his anger as it sparked in his eyes and made his tone harsh and judgemental and furious. Esben took a step back, his eyes wide.

“She thinks you’re her friend. When she talks about you,” Malik paused again. “No. Not about you. When she talks about Lander, she’s talking about someone she trusts. You are going to tell her the truth. She needs to hear it from you. You have tomorrow to tell her, or else I’m going to.”

Esben looked down, his fists clenched at his sides. This was far from the way he had wanted things to go.

“You are going to tell her tomorrow, understand, Esben?” Malik said when several agonizingly long seconds passed without Esben answering.

“Yes!” Esben finally shouted, overwhelmed with guilt and terrified to go tell Nia, because now he couldn’t back out or change his mind about anything. He couldn’t wait it out, and now he wasn’t going to her of his own choice. And he found out that he cared more about what Nia thought of him than he cared about the opinions of almost anyone else. They had had enough conversations over the past weeks that Esben had seen another side of her, decisive and fierce and strong. If she was anything like her cousin, she’d be furious with him.

“I’ll tell her tomorrow,” Esben said quietly, his voice tense.

“Good,” Malik said shortly. “She won’t be at the Keep though. You’ll have to tell her at Chimney Hill.”

Esben swallowed nervously.

“I can’t get away until late that evening. But I’ll tell her.”

“All I said was that you have until tomorrow. And come alone. This has to be between the two of you.” Malik said. Esben nodded.

Tomorrow evening. He’ll be going alone. Aro’s eyes widened. He had gotten the information he hadn’t even hoped for. He had been absolutely lost and extremely confused during the whole conversation, but this was something he understood perfectly.

“I never thought you’d do something like this, Esben!” Malik burst out.

“Don’t talk to the King that way.” Suddenly, Artham stepped into the road. He had been scouring the Keep for his brother and had started to panic, not finding him anywhere. He told himself that Esben had just gone home, and Malik’s angry voice had led him there.

Malik looked over at Artham, then leaned closer to Esben.

“When you lied, you lost the right to be called King by every person who knows you as Lander,” he said quietly so that Artham wouldn’t hear.

Esben took a step back, feeling Malik’s words like a blow.

“You’re right,” he said in a whisper, his voice barely audible. Artham’s steps echoed through the empty streets as he crossed, standing between his brother and Malik.

“What is going on, Malik,” Artham asked, gently pulling his brother towards him and much less gently putting a hand on Malik’s arm and pushing him away.

Malik didn’t break eye contact with Esben, even as he answered Artham.

“Nothing. Don’t worry, Throne Warden, I didn’t hurt your brother. We just had some business to settle.”

Artham nodded curtly, by now having gotten a grip on the situation. Esben’s expression was closed off, and Malik still looked angry.

“Good. Then leave.” He said.

“Goodbye, Esben. Sorry things had to be this way,” Malik said, then with a nod to Artham, he left.

Aro watched breathlessly as Artham walked in the other direction, talking in hushed tones and stood up slowly. His legs had fallen asleep from so long in the same crouched position, and he winced and put his hands on his knees when they began to prickle.

Tomorrow.

Artham and Esben would be expecting him to be somewhere at Oak Hill that night and to go with them to the Keep that morning. He would be at Oak Hill, just like they expected. But his mind started racing with excuses for not going with the brothers in the morning. It would take the early hours of the day to reach the meeting place and tell Ryith, then longer to plan and prepare.

Tomorrow we can finish this.