Flight of the Five Swans
Fear Chapter 8

Cliodne

Cliodnenearly screamed in frustration when, instead of being shown to the throne room,she and her sisters were shoved through the door of her old bedchamber. While she didn’t relish facing Lord Soranagain, she also suspected that the next time she did, she’d get someanswers. It galled her that he woulddare make them—her—wait.

The bedchamber door slammed shutbehind them. Thaleia launched herself atthe heavy wood, yanking at the handle in an attempt to force it open oncemore. When that didn’t work, she triedramming the door with her shoulder, only to stop after three solid hits.

“Ow,” shemuttered, rubbing her now-aching limb.

“That won’t work, Thaleia.” Cliodnesaid heavily. Her sisters turned to lookat her, as though noticing for the first time that she was there. Their eyes widened as they took in everyaspect of her appearance. None of themhad been given an opportunity to change before being so unceremoniously dumpedinto the room, and Cliodne was certainly worse for the wear. Her dress—once sunset-orange—was coloredgreen from the pond algae through which she had waded. The bottom half of the fabric was stilldrenched with pond water, and the material was ripped and torn.

With a sob, Eurielle flew intoCliodne’s arms, followed closely by the other princesses. Cliodne’s five sisters all clambered toembrace her in their turn. They lookednearly as bad as she did. Their clothes,already dusty from the road, were now splattered with small specks of bloodfrom the battle. Eurielle was barefoot,having been forced to leave her boots behind in the courtyard. Her stockings were ripped and stained toabove the ankle.

Petra was the last to embraceCliodne. When she stepped back, Cliodnesaw a determined look in her younger sister’s eyes. “You said it wouldn’t work to force thedoor.” There was a hint of a question inher statement. Cliodne shook her head inresponse.

“I’ve forgotten how many times I’vetried, but it’s dead bolted from the outside.” She sighed, and then jerked herhead to the window. “And the windows arebarred as well.”

“They’ve been keeping you prisonerthis whole time?” Eurielle gasped, but Cliodne shook her head once more.

“No, not at all! It wasn’t until…” Her voice broke as memories—terrible memories—flew before hereyes. Her legs seemed to lose all theirstrength, and she sat down heavily on the four-poster bed.

For a moment, her sisters were at aloss as to what to do. Cliodne was oftenthe strong one, the sturdy one. Never beforehad they seen her look so haunted. Finally, Callia sat next to her on the bed and placed one hand gentlyover her sister’s.

“What…happened?”

Cliodne looked at her. She choked back a sob. “He…he killed him.”

The other sisters glanced at eachother, then Thaleia took a guess. “Lord Soran? He killed King Einor?”

Cliodne nodded. Petra knelt down in front of her. “But…why would he do that? He was heir, wasn’t he?”

Cliodne shuddered. “I don’t knowwhy he did it. He was Einor’s heir. He wouldhave been king, anyway! But...” shesaid, and looked up at her sisters, fear and confusion blatant in her eyes.“But I think it has something to do with us.”

Raia stepped back, one handclutching her throat. “Us? What could hewant with us?”

Cliodne shrugged her shouldershelplessly. “I don’t know!” shecried. “But it was right after…we’d onlyjust…“ and her voice broke off.

The grip on her hand tightenedslightly, but her sister’s voice was still calm when she spoke.

“Tell us everything.”

Cliodne clutched Callia’s handbetween both her own like a lifeline. She drew strength from the warmth it provided, and her voice held only aslight tremor.

“He’d been planning it for awhile,I think—it all happened so fast. We’djust gotten word that you were all coming, and Soran suggested making atoast. He left the room for—it was justa couple minutes! But I think that hesent a message or gave a sign of some sort, because all of a sudden there wasfighting in the corridor. The king…KingEinor…he drew his sword, too. And hestepped in front of me and faced the door, and then…”

She took a deep, shuddering breathto steel herself. “And then Soran’s blade…it was sticking out of him. I…the king wasn’t prepared at all. He’d been ready to defend against someonecoming into the room. But he didn’tknow…neither of us imagined the enemy was already in the room.”

“Coward.”Thaleia’s voice was a low growl. Thoughthe sound reverberated through Cliodne’s brain, she could barely comprehend itsmeaning. Her eyes stared distantly intoempty space, remembering the past horrors from the tale she was recounting.

“And thenguards were in the room and I thought that they’d arrest Soran, but theydidn’t! He just stood over the king’sbody…and then…he wiped his sword on him, to clean it!”

Her sistersall gave muffled sounds of outrage at that. Cliodne continued.

“And thenhe told the soldiers to take me to my room, to here…and he would call for me shortly.”

The otherprincesses drew in a quick breath. ThenPetra asked, “Did he…hurt you?”, hervoice far gentler than any of the sisters were wont to expect from her.

Cliodneshook her head and for the first time, relief colored her words. “No, nothinglike that. There was a time when I thought he might…when I thought he felt…but no. He just asked me questions, so manyquestions—about us.” She gestured aroundher at the six of them.

“Before, when he…when I…before that, he’d always seemed so eager when Itold him stories about us. I…I justthought that he was interested in hearing about my—our—childhood. But now, hewas obsessed. As though he was looking for something. Hewould send for me every evening for dinner, and all through the meal, he wouldinterrogate me. He’d ask me about theseven of us, what we were like, what our skills were…” She straightened hershoulders. “But I never answered him.After the first couple of days, I just…stopped talking to him altogether. And then a couple weeks ago, he lostpatience. He stormed from the table, andI thought he’d finally given up.

“But then he sent for me again,right before dawn. I wasn’t evenallowed to dress, I was just dragged straight out of bed to the throneroom. And Soran was there. He was holding a book, thicker than any I’dever seen, and red as blood. And he saidthat maybe he’d been making things too comfortable for me here. That perhaps I’d be more willing to answerhis questions if some things…changed.”

“And that’swhen he turned you into a swan?” Eurielle’s hands flew to her mouth.

Cliodnenodded, and her sisters moaned in unison. A kingslayer and asorcerer? Cliodne understood theirdismay better than any of them.

“As a swan,I was allowed to leave my room, and even leave the castle.” She nodded towards them all. “I even found your campsite a coupletimes. I was desperate to warn you all,but I couldn’t replace any way of telling you there was danger. I tried to spook your horses so they’d runaway and buy more time to figure something out. Nearly got trampled in the process, and eventhen, it was all for nothing.” Cliodne was not able to prevent the hint ofbitterness in her own voice.

“But whydidn’t you escape?” Raia asked, andCliodne’s entire body seemed to come alive with a searing anger. She looked furiously at her younger sister.

“You thinkI didn’t want to? I couldn’t. Every night Ibecome human again, but only if I’m on that damn lake!” As quickly as it had appeared, the anger wasgone. Cliodne’s shoulders drooped, andher voice became tired.

“Soran said that this would be theworst kind of torture, and the surest way to break me. I’d be free during the day, but every night Iwould have to return to captivity—willingly. And as a swan, there was no possible way ofasking anyone for help. I mean, whowould listen to a bird, anyway?”

“I do.” Eurielle said in a low tone. “I just can’t understand what they say.”

The soundthat escaped Cliodne’s throat was half-laugh, half-sob.

“Oh, howI’ve missed you all!” she exclaimed, pulling one hand free from Callia’s graspand wiping her eyes with the back of it. “But I’d give my right arm for you not to be here!”

“I’d give my right arm to stab my swordthrough that bastard Soran’s heart!” Thaleia said, pounding one fist on thewooden bedpost. She paused and seemed toreconsider. “Actually, I’d give my left arm. I’ll need my right arm to hold the sword.”

Cliodne manageda weary smile, and then jerked her head towards the corner of the room, where alarge trunk lay open. “I have a couplefew dresses left in there. They won’tfit perfectly, but they should fit you all the same. We’ll want to be ready for when Soran finallydecides to call for us.”