The Love of the Wielder (The Wielders Book Two)
Chapter Twenty-Two

Maren was both shocked and alarmed. How had this woman known who she was?

“Who are you?” Maren demanded again.

“My name is Agatha,” she said and then tersely added, “And if you don’t put that away, I’ll have to show you mine, and you won’t like that.”

Maren was still reluctant to let go of her power. Donovan cleared his throat loudly behind her, as though to nudge her to obey Agatha.

Maren let it go, and then Agatha’s demeanor changed entirely. She smiled broadly. Maren supposed most people were more pleasant when they weren’t being threatened.

“You are Maren, aren’t you? Karlyn showed me what you looked like, but it was a long time ago, and you were younger, of course,” Agatha said.

Maren was stunned.

“You knew her?” she breathed.

Agatha’s smile became a bit sadder, “We grew up together. She was like my sister.”

“She had…she never told me… I had no idea…” Maren could barely get a thought out.

“Why don’t you tie up the horses and come inside for a drink,” she said and then, looking up at Donovan, added, “The both of you.”

Maren looked at him and nodded. He got down from his horse and tied all three of them to a post.

“Ah…this is my husband, Donovan.”

Agatha smiled, “Oh, you’re married! Karlyn would have loved that.”

Donovan just nodded to Agatha. Maren was too stunned to do anything besides follow Agatha into the cabin.

It was just the same inside, it felt rather like stepping into a memory. Agatha asked them to sit and said she’d fetch cider.

“Are you all right?” Donovan murmured to her.

“I am very surprised,” she breathed.

Agatha came back with three mugs of what turned out to be an excellent cider. She placed something on the table in front of her.

It was a folded letter, with her name on it.

“I think perhaps you should read this first, I haven't read it, but I’m sure it explains most everything,” Agatha said.

Maren touched the paper where her name was written with something like awe. She had known the letter was there, of course, and that she wanted to read it but had not expected to be presented with it so suddenly.

Trembling, Maren folded the letter and read.

My dearest Maren,

There are so many things I still want to tell you and teach you, but I am afraid I will be gone by the time you arrive. (Please don’t be sad, time comes for us all.)

The one thing I must tell you is where I’m from. I know this will sound impossible to you, dear, but I’m from the other side of the mountains, the north side. I come from a community of Wielders in The Republic of Graellia.

For hundreds of years, our community has stationed someone here, in these mountains. We call that person the Watcher, and that is my role now. I am here to guide any Wielders that come searching for sanctuary and to send warning should anything dangerous come from the south. There will be another Watcher after me, but I do not think I should live to see it.

I know this sounds mad to you, but your kingdom has erased much of its history. Should you choose to continue to the other side of the mountains, you will learn the truth.

I also know you will be upset with me for not telling you sooner, but I felt I could not. I know you, Maren, dear, and I know you would happily charge off to the other side of the mountains. But the thing is, once you cross to the other side, you can never go home again.

I know you are torn between the world you have been born into and the world you discovered as a Wielder, and I know you love your family very much. I did not want to tell you about my community until you were older and prepared to leave your world behind forever.

My dearest girl, you are the daughter I never had, and I love you very much. I am sorry to leave you so soon. I have no doubt that whatever you choose, you will live your life to the fullest. Remember that so long as you have the Light, I am with you.

All my love,

Karlyn

P.S. The maps in my desk will show you the way.

By the time she finished reading the letter, tears were pouring down her face. Trembling, she passed the letter to Donovan, so he could read it.

“Excuse me,” she breathed and rushed outside.

—

Donovan watched as Maren rushed out of the cabin. He knew she needed to be alone for a time. He felt compelled to demonstrate that he was not a neglectful husband, though.

“She needs a few minutes, I’ll check on her shortly if she doesn’t come back,” he told Agatha, who nodded.

He read Maren’s letter, eyes wide. He didn’t realize up until that moment that he had only half-believed the safe haven for Wielders existed on the other side of the mountains. Gods, he’d barely even considered that the other side of the mountains existed—it just wasn’t done.

When he finished, he showed the letter to Agatha.

“Is this true?” he asked.

She skimmed over it quickly and then nodded.

“Would you believe that’s why we came into the mountains at all? That’s where we’re trying to go,” he said.

She looked surprised. “Really? It’s been such a long time since anyone came from the south, I thought surely the knowledge was lost.”

He felt baffled, “Would you explain?”

“A few hundred years ago, our community sent a group of Wielders into your kingdom. Mostly they were trying to see what was going on there. We knew from history that the king had been hunting down Wielders, but that news was hundreds of years old. We don’t know exactly what they found, but they sent one messenger back to report that the rest would be staying. Apparently, there were no teachers. Not a single Wielder they found could do anything. So, the rest of the expedition decided to stay and pass on their knowledge, including the knowledge of our community. The messenger became the first Watcher, of course.”

“Of course,” he echoed numbly.

“We still keep the Watcher here, but it’s been more than thirty years since anyone crossed over,” she said.

Donovan was too stunned to respond. Was everything he ever knew about history a lie? Was his entire kingdom a lie? He had a thousand questions, but could not articulate any of them properly.

He was still trying to make sense of things when Maren came back inside. Her face was red, and she was still sniffling some, but she seemed more or less composed. Donovan was relieved. He had made sure to speak to Fred about the hyperventilating before they left, but he did not want to need to help her through that again.

“Apologies,” Maren said softly, “I miss her a great deal.”

Donovan squeezed her hand when she sat back down.

Agatha smiled and said, “I understand, so do I.”

He could see Maren wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how, so he put his hand on hers, a silent offer of support.

“I…ah… I did see her…just before. Only a few hours...but I got to say goodbye,” she said.

Donovan could see Agatha’s eyes were thick with tears when she said, “I’m so glad. I thought you were the one who took care of her, but I wasn’t sure when you got here. We never would have left her up here alone, but she didn’t tell us she was sick until it was too late.”

Maren just sniffed and nodded and wiped her eyes with her hand.

Donovan thought Maren did not want to talk about Karlyn anymore, so he moved on.

“I told Agatha that going there—“ he pointed to the letter “—is what we intended all along.”

Maren nodded. “I suppose it’s rather lucky, we were going to wander into the mountains and hope we found the way before winter,” she explained to Agatha.

Agatha shook her head. “I don’t know if you ever would have found it. If you know the way, it’s not a difficult journey, but if you don’t know what you’re looking for, you’d miss it altogether.”

“How long does it take to get there from here?” he asked. He knew they needed to rest for a time at the cabin, but he also wanted to make sure they arrived at the other side well before the baby came.

“On horseback? About seven to ten days.”

Donovan was relieved to hear that. He would rather not spend months trekking through the mountains.

He patted Maren’s hand on the table and, turning to her, said, “Plenty of time.”

Agatha looked at them appraisingly.

“How much trouble are you in, then?”

Donovan was not sure how to answer that question. He did not want to lie to Agatha, but he worried that she might think they’d endanger her community and not give them the maps to find their way.

Maren answered for them both though by issuing a very unhinged laugh.

She covered her mouth in embarrassment and said, “I’m so sorry, it’s just that trouble doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

Donovan suppressed his own chuckle. Too right she was about that.

Agatha nodded. “I expect you wouldn’t have come all this way just to try to find your way over if you had many other options.”

“That is correct,” Donovan said grimly.

“Not to worry,” Agatha said, much to Donovan’s relief. “Everyone’s welcome there. And you don’t owe me an explanation, but you must make sure you tell Michael—he’s our leader—everything. It’s one of the only rules.”

Donovan frowned, he was not sure anyone should know the truth about them.

Agatha looked at him sharply, “Everything.”

Maren and Donovan exchanged a look. He was grateful she spoke.

“It’s only that…knowing everything could put someone in a lot of danger,” Maren said.

Agatha waved her off. “Michael can fend for himself, not to worry. And it’s always the leader’s job to know everything so that they can make the decisions on what is needed to protect the community. Like if they need someone to guard the house for a time or to look out for a particular person.”

He and Maren exchanged another look. He was having a hard time believing this Michael character would accept them once he knew the truth.

“Agatha, we have to find somewhere to stay. And soon. And I know this will likely sound like I’m mad, but I swear it’s true, I’m pregnant,” Maren said.

Much to Donovan’s surprise, Agatha smiled. “Not to worry. You are not the first pregnant woman or Wielder to show up on Michael’s doorstep, I assure you.”

“I’m not?” Maren asked incredulously, at the same time Donovan said, “She’s not?”

Agatha laughed, “Well it’s not all the time, but it’s not that uncommon.”

Donovan was baffled again. “I must’ve misheard, are you saying there are as many men who wield the Darkness as women who wield the Light?”

Agatha looked confused. “Oh, no, probably more men wielding than women just because of how it’s passed on, but it’s not a great deal more.”

Donovan could tell Maren was just as stunned as he was. Everything he’d ever been told was that his family, his bloodline, was the only family with the Darkness. It was essentially the whole premise by which his family ruled the kingdom. Was it a lie?

“Ah… I take it perhaps it’s a bit different where you’re from,” Agatha said.

“A bit,” Maren said, sounding dazed.

“Hmmm, Karlyn never told me much about the south, but she did tell me it was a terrible place to be a Wielder,” Agatha said, shaking her head.

“I should think that’s rather an understatement,” Donovan said. He still felt numb and shocked.

“Karlyn also told me southerners don’t know much of anything,” Agatha said.

“Apparently not,” Maren agreed.

—

Maren helped Agatha make dinner while Donovan tended the horses.

Maren felt shocked about many things, and knew in some ways, Donovan’s shock was worse. She thought it was likely that he needed some time alone to do something useful and take his mind off it.

It had honestly never even occurred to her that Darkness Wielders might exist outside the royal family. And perhaps that was correct, inside the kingdom. Learning it was different outside the kingdom felt world-shattering.

Probably they should have known things were different in different places, but no one ever talked about it or went there. No visitors ever came. The Kingdom of Malen was completely isolated from the rest of the world, and the rest of the world was completely foreign to them.

And she and Donovan were about to leave the kingdom.

“How far along are you, then?” Agatha asked.

Maren had been peeling potatoes and not paying attention.

“Oh…ah…five or six weeks, I think,” Maren said.

“Oh, that’s wonderful, I’m sure your husband was so thrilled when you told him,” Agatha said.

“Ha… I think we were both rather shocked. I’d no idea it was even possible,” Maren said.

“Really? And Karlyn didn’t tell you to be cautious with Darkness Wielders?”

Maren frowned, she wasn’t sure how to explain that Karlyn would have felt no need to tell her that. Maren remembered telling her very early on that only the royal family had the Darkness.

“Ah…well… Darkness Wielders are extremely rare where I come from,” she said.

“Still though…she should have told you,” Agatha said.

“Agatha, there is quite literally only one family with the Darkness. Karlyn would have never thought I’d ever interact with them, much less become involved with one of them,” Maren explained.

“One family? Just one? No wonder the two of you reacted that way when I told you about it,” Agatha said.

Maren just nodded.

They heard a loud clattering sound from outside, and Donovan cursed loudly.

“Does he need your help, do you think?” Agatha asked delicately.

“Hmmm, I’m not sure if it’s something he needs to do on his own or not. I’m not entirely sure what he’s doing, actually,” Maren said.

Agatha looked out the window to the front of the house.

“Is he setting up a tent? There’s no need, you two can sleep in here,” she said.

“Ah…he’s trying to figure out how to do it. Neither of us has ever done it before. We said we’d handle it when we got here. We intended to rest here a few days before continuing on—would that be alright?” Maren had only just realized they should probably ask permission to stay with Agatha.

“Of course! Stay as long as you like,” Agatha said.

“Thank you,” Maren said.

“You two have been through quite a bit, haven’t you?” Agatha asked. Her voice was very kind and Maren appreciated it.

“It has been a very long few weeks,” Maren sighed.

Agatha nodded and said, “Do you want me to heal that wound for you under your collarbone?”

Maren was glad Donovan was not there to hear Agatha make that offer. She knew he did not at all approve of her decision to keep the brand, but she also knew she would never change her mind.

“No, thank you. I’ll admit I don’t have a good explanation, but I want to leave it alone,” Maren said.

She was relieved to see Agatha nod and not ask any more questions. Maren wanted to ask one of her own.

“Agatha…has Michael ever turned anyone away?

Agatha looked appalled. “Of course not! It’s in the town charter. Everyone is welcome, I told you that.”

Maren frowned. “It’s just that…we’re in a lot of trouble. By that, I mean, we can never ever go back anywhere inside the kingdom. Not only would we be in danger, but anyone we were with would be in tremendous danger as well. And the person who we’re in particular trouble with…he’s extremely powerful. And by that, I mean both powerful within the kingdom and with his magical powers. You can actually feel how powerful he is if you touch him.”

Agatha looked very surprised. “I’ve never even heard of such a thing. I take it he’s a relative of your man, then?”

Maren nodded.

“And does he know where you’ve gone?”

“We hope not. It’s difficult to explain how foreign a concept it is to us to leave the kingdom. We only considered it because a friend told us his sister had done it,” Maren said.

Suddenly, she was struck by a thought. “Didn’t you say someone crossed thirty years or so ago? Do you know her? Is she still there?”

“Oh, yes, everyone knows Margot, she’s the midwife, so I expect you’ll get to know her quite well too,” Agatha said. She spoke so nonchalantly about information that was so shocking to Maren, it was odd.

“That is our friend's sister! We have a letter for her!” Maren found this very exciting, and she knew Donovan would too.

“Oh, do you? That’s very nice,” Agatha said.

Maren did not think Agatha understood how significant it was that they had found Margot so easily. She seemed not to grasp how different the kingdom was from wherever she came from. Of course, Maren didn’t really blame her, she was having much the same issue.

Donovan burst into the cabin, “Maren, come see! I did it!”

Maren finished the potato she was peeling and went out to see what Donovan did.

He had set up the tent. It looked a bit crooked, but it was standing.

“You did!” she exclaimed. “I’m terribly impressed.” She knew he needed her to be impressed with him, and she was, not every king would take to such a challenge.

He kissed her. “It’s no palace, but it’ll do.”

“It’s perfect,” Maren assured him.

—

They stayed with Agatha for three nights. By the time they left, they were well-fed and well-rested. Agatha had told them to stay longer if they wanted, but both of them were eager to move on.

Before they left, Agatha shot an orb of light into the sky in the direction they would be traveling.

“Just a signal to town. This way they’ll know to expect you and if you don’t arrive in ten days or so, they’ll come look for you,” Agatha explained.

“You sent a signal that far?” Maren asked. “I had no idea you could do that!”

Agatha smiled. “You can too. I expect you’ll both learn plenty of things you didn’t know you could do.”

Donovan thought that was likely right.

He was glad to hear that Margot would be in the town when they arrived, and not just because she was a midwife. She was from where they were from and would have at least some idea of how to explain things to them, he hoped. Agatha really didn’t seem to. She seemed constantly surprised by things that they hadn’t known or understood. Not that they weren’t grateful to her, but she was perhaps not the best person to explain things to them.

They said goodbye to Agatha and set out on the trail she had shown them. She was likely right, and they never would have found it without her or some other instructions. It was tucked behind a boulder in such a way as to be nearly invisible until you were right on it. The horses were somewhat skeptical, but it worked out alright.

Agatha had told them they’d be at another spring by the end of the day, and they wouldn’t have to worry about finding water the rest of the trip because there were so many springs and such along the way. That came as a tremendous relief. One of the last things Alec told him was how important it was for Maren to drink plenty of water. He was glad to know it shouldn’t be an issue.

They passed the time on the journey by speculating what the town might be like or what they would do there. All of it seemed fantastical to Donovan.

“I wonder what sort of job I’ll get,” he said.

“Oh… I hadn’t thought about jobs…yes, you’ll need one of those,” Maren agreed.

They were not penniless. The Duke had quietly given Donovan a heavy purse full of gold coins before they parted. Donovan had tried to refuse him, but the Duke insisted.

“It isn’t mine. It’s your military’s coin, you might as well take it,” the Duke said.

Donovan supposed robbing what was now Kieran’s military was not a bad thing.

But in any case, he wanted to avoid spending all the money just on day-to-day living. He’d need a job.

“Perhaps something with horses?” Maren suggested. “Or maybe teaching? You are educated.”

Donovan laughed. “I'm educated by kingdom standards. Who knows if I’m educated by Graellian standards?”

“Well, surely there’s a school, perhaps we can sit in on the children's history lessons and catch up,” Maren said, laughing.

“A reasonable idea, but no, I don’t think teaching is the answer. Something with horses is more like it. Or something on a farm? I'm not very knowledgeable about farming, but I’m sure I can learn,” Donovan said.

Agatha had told them that the community at large would help them with somewhere to stay and otherwise settle in, so perhaps he could take on some sort of apprenticeship.

“I’m not sure what sort of jobs there are in a small town outside the kingdom,” Maren said. “Gods, we don’t know anything at all, do we.”

He laughed. “Not a thing, but it sounds like we’ll have help learning.”

“I’ll admit, I’m possibly most excited about learning more about my powers,” Maren said.

He was both looking forward to that and somewhat intimidated by it. It had been a long time since he had learned something new like that.

“Oh, speaking of learning new things, would you teach me to cook?” Donovan asked.

He could not see Maren’s face, but he could tell she found that amusing.

“You want to learn? That isn’t ‘women’s work?’”

“Well, I do expect you’ll do most of it, but I’d like to learn. I’ve never cooked anything in my life. That doesn’t seem right, does it?”

“I’ll teach you if you like, but I do expect most men haven’t cooked much of anything,” she said.

“Well, I’m not ‘most men,’” he said.

“You are not,” Maren said, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

—

Agatha had been right in that the journey was not too difficult. The trail they followed avoided any particularly steep climbs or hazardous drops. It didn’t seem to be a direct route, but it did wind around the peaks in a very manageable way.

They kept climbing higher and higher into the mountains for the first few days. It got quite cold at night, and Maren was glad Donovan had practiced with the tent. Of course, it also was a good thing that Maren could keep them warm with her powers.

She started heating almost everything: socks, bedrolls, gloves, even their saddles before they sat in them. None of it was necessary, but it was comforting, and Maren relished the casual use of her powers. She had not used them in day-to-day life since she had lived with Karlyn. Since then, using her powers had most usually been under stressful circumstances, desperately hoping no one saw. It was a relief.

Donovan started using his more too. He smothered their fires and even began unloading the horses with the Darkness. Maren was glad. It felt like the longer they traveled into the mountains, the freer they both were.

“Do you think we should ask someone about the lightning?” Donovan asked one day.

“Hmmm, I don’t know,” Maren said. “I have no idea if it's a completely everyday phenomenon or something that is bizarre or maybe even taboo. We’ll have to see, I think.”

“Did I ever tell you about the time I wanted to go to a ‘regular tavern?’”

Maren laughed, “You did not, but I hope very much that you do.”

He laughed too, “I was twenty or twenty-one, and I got it in my head that I should go to a ‘working man’s tavern’ so I could ‘get to know my people.’”

Maren chuckled at that. It sounded very much like something a younger Donovan would do.

“Obviously, I got Alec to join me, and we thought this would be a grand adventure. He managed to bribe one of the drivers to tell us about a tavern in the city.”

“The fact that you paid for this information is already suspicious,” Maren interjected.

“We were very fortunate he sent us to an actual tavern and not just to be mugged,” Donovan said, laughing.

“So, we knew we had to dress appropriately. We dressed in what, we thought, was the least casual attire possible.”

“Shirtsleeves and light grey trousers?” Maren guessed.

“Shirtsleeves and light grey trousers,” Donovan confirmed. “And in general, it was fine, except that everything was clean and pressed and made from expensive fabrics. Just walking in, we stood out. I think it was something like a place drivers and mechanics liked to go to, so you can probably imagine just how out of place we were.

“Everyone looked at us like we were idiots, but we went up to the bar and ordered what we liked to drink best—brandy.”

“Oh, gods.” Maren wasn't very knowledgeable about “working men taverns” but imagined they didn’t serve much in the way of brandy.

“Precisely, so then the bartender looked at us like we were idiots and then brought us two mugs of beer. Then he told us how much it cost, and I don’t remember what it was, but I put two gold coins on the counter, which now I know was probably about ten times more than it cost. So, the bartender looked at us like we were even bigger idiots than he thought and said, ‘Boys, I don’t know what you think you’re doing here, but you need your daddies to come pick you up.’”

They both laughed.

“It’s funny now, but we were pretty mortified at the time. I just can’t help but wonder if we’ll be just as out of place when we get to this town,” Donovan said.

Maren sighed. He probably wasn’t wrong.

“Likely so. But from what Agatha said, no one has come from the south since before we were born. I think we’d stick out even if we weren’t…” she trailed off, unsure how to describe what they were.

“Monarchs in exile?” he suggested.

“It does sound utterly ridiculous, even though I know it's true.” She had barely begun to accept being a princess when she became queen.

“Well, it hardly matters, we won’t make any friends if we tell everyone to address us as ‘Your Majesty.’”

Maren snorted. “Likely not…should we tell this Michael person, though, do you think?”

Donovan sighed. “Agatha said to tell him everything, but I’m not sure. Not everyone would want to harbor us. Maybe we can see Margot first and she can tell us.”

“Margot will know who you are—or at least that you’re royalty. I’m not sure that it’d be right for her to know and not Michael,” Maren said.

“Hmmm, a decent point. I suppose we’ll have to see,” Donovan said.

—

Donovan thought they were making good time, but with no way to mark how far they were traveling, there was no way to be sure.

They were nearing the end of the mountains, the peaks were gentler, and they seemed to be headed downward more often than not.

On the seventh day, they woke up earlier than they had been. Both of them were anxious to get back on the trail, hoping that would be the day they reached the town.

It wasn’t.

The sun was setting, and they were still in the mountains. They got off their horses and reluctantly began to make camp.

“I hate to stop here,” Maren said. “I feel like we’re so close.”

He sighed, “Me too.”

Maren was standing at her horse and stopped in the middle of unloading something.

“You know…we could keep going,” she said.

“You do make your own sunlight,” he said.

So, they got back on their horses and kept going, with a few orbs of Light hovering above them.

“Tell me when you’re tired, and we’ll stop,” Donovan said. He did not want her to push too hard in her condition.

“Darling, I’ve been tired since I left the palace,” she said.

He chuckled. So had he. The rest at Agatha’s cabin had helped a great deal, but that seemed a very long time in the past. And truly they needed more like a month of rest and not three days.

Donovan checked his watch. He decided that if they weren’t there in an hour, they’d make camp. He knew Maren would carry on until four in the morning if he didn’t stop her.

He needn’t have worried, though. They turned around a corner in the trail and saw lights in the distance. Not a great number of them, but enough to show there was a town there. They stopped for a few minutes and Donovan rode up alongside Maren. They just stared at it in wonder.

“Gods above,” Maren said. “I can’t believe we made it.”

He couldn’t either. He had believed Agatha about the town but seeing it was something else entirely. He was immediately overcome with hope and relief. They made it.

They had very few ideas of what they might find there, but they knew there would be help: someone to help them settle, someone to look after Maren during her pregnancy, and even someone to teach them their powers. And maybe, they would have some help to heal.

They both needed it. Maren had nightmares. He did too. He thought that was something they’d have to deal with for a long time. That was all right, though, they had a long time ahead of them for that.

For the first time since he’d met her, they had no deadlines, no looming threats, and no rules to govern them. They were free and he was glad of it.

“Without a doubt, those are the best lights I’ve ever seen,” he said.

“Actually, I think those are,” Maren said and pointed to the town in the distance where it appeared someone traveling with orbs of Light rode out, presumably to meet them.

“You are correct. Those are magnificent.”

He turned to her. He was struck by how much he loved her and how happy he was to have her by his side. Their path had gone in a completely unexpected direction, but they were together, and he thought that was the only thing that truly mattered.

“Shall we, my lady?”

She turned to him and smiled.

“As you wish, Your Highness.”

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