Glancing around the forest, I chided myself for not taking stock of my surroundings when I’d first gotten here. It was a blunder on my part. I knew better than to not pay attention to my environment. I could get lost. I could be attacked.
Straightening, I scanned the forest. The stream flowed swiftly over smooth stones. Tree roots peeked out from the bank where the water had washed away the soil. The trees’ long branches stretched over the water, and leaves floated on the surface.
Whatever was causing the forest to seem different wasn’t something I could easily identify. After several wary moments of listening and searching for threats, I returned to filling the water skins. Perhaps a unicorn had wandered by and I’d failed to notice.
As I filled the skins, my thoughts turned back to King Skullsplitter. How was it that Heidel still followed him? She must be doing it out of fear. If he’d treated her as badly as they’d said, she wouldn’t dare step out of line. It seemed he’d caused everyone to cower before him—even his sister.
Pompous, arrogant maniac. What had I ever seen in him?
Footsteps came from the direction of the camp, and Heidel stepped into the clearing. She gave me a brief nod and sat on a log nearby.
“Hello, Olive.”
I eyed her. “Heidel, what are you doing here? Weren’t you busy?”
“I thought my time would be better spent speaking to you.”
“Speaking to me about what?”
She crossed her arms, and her silver armguards turned a bronze color in the evening sunlight. “About my brother.”
“Your time would be better spent mending the door.”
“I don’t believe so. I understand he’s angered you, and so I shall wait for you to be ready to speak with me.”
“Really? Then you will be waiting a long time.”
In all honesty, I was a tad bit curious to know why Heidel still followed her brother, even after the apparent beatings. Although my anger and stubbornness won out, so I turned back to my task and tried to ignore her. Heidel remained sitting on the log. As I continued filling a third water skin, Heidel only stared at me, which made my agitation grow until I finally rounded on her.
“Heidel, no offense, but I don’t want to have this conversation now. I don’t want to have it ever. I’m sorry you have such a controlling brother. I can’t even begin to understand how hard that must be. But if you’re here for my pity, you won’t get it. If I were you, I would run away from him and never look back.”
“I’m not here for your pity.”
“Then what do you want?”
“I want to give you advice.”
I laughed. Advice? From her? From the woman who had not only betrayed me, but had done so twice? She’d told so many lies I had trouble keeping track of them. She’d allied herself with one of the most dangerous men on the planet, aided in the destruction of magic in Faythander, and now she wished to give me advice? Maybe I should let her… this might be interesting.
“Fine,” I said. “What’s your advice?”
“You must be patient with my brother. Since my father’s death, many have begun to fear him. Lies and rumors abound of my brother’s brutality, but that’s typical for Wults. It’s been said that the dungeons, which were empty during my father’s reign, are now at capacity. He’s said to beat and maim his servants for simple mistakes. It was even rumored that he beat and starved me, his own sister. There are few who see him as he really is, which only makes it harder for him to overcome our father’s death. He feels that he’s a failure in every way possible and has even contemplated appointing someone else king, as he feels unfit to rule. In truth, our kingdom is safe, and he has prevented much bloodshed because of his tactful negotiations with the elves.
“Don’t be too hard on him. That’s all I wish to say.”
I pondered her words. My anger still simmered, but her words weren’t what I’d expected.
“Did he mistreat you?” I asked.
“No. But he did visit me often. That was a dark time for me. My injuries were self-inflicted, and I chose not to eat, which may have been how the rumors started. Regardless, when he visited, I admit I was not in my right mind. I said horrible things to him, and I know that my injuries and self-starvation were hard for him to endure.”
She sighed and looked at the trees overhead. Her voice became distant. “Since I was a young teenager, I had been in contact with Geth. He told me many, many lies, and he damaged me in more ways than I understood. You may think my brother a harsh person, but he’s nothing compared to Geth. I followed him because I feared to leave him. I told no one what he did to me, including my brother.
“My father’s death was the moment I realized how far I had gone, but even then I wasn’t ready to admit my mistakes. I was imprisoned for assisting Geth, but at the time, I felt that I was made to suffer unjustly. When my brother visited, I spoke harsh, cruel words, for I hoped to make him angry. I told him of every wicked deed that Geth had ever done to me, and I blamed him for not protecting me.
“Kull found a small wooden bench and placed it outside my cell. Every day, he came and sat on that bench. He listened for hours but never spoke a word. One day, he moved the bench closer, and then a few days later, he moved it closer yet again. But still, he never spoke. He only listened.”
Her voice wavered, though she didn’t cry.
“I didn’t realize then how much anger I
