Sydli
Who?
The question rang in Sydli’s thoughts and
brought a gush of fear. Sydli. She answered before she decided whether
the voice belonged to a friend or enemy. To muffle her mind, she quickly
slammed the barrier her mother had taught her to erect.
She sank on a chair and covered her face
with her hands. Though she had given her name to a stranger, she had kept her
location secret. Cautiously, she opened the bond to her twin. Emli. Be
careful at dinner tonight. We don’t want Lodar to know which of us can hear his
thoughts.
Emli grinned. He is fun to confuse but I
don’t like or trust him. He makes me feel itchy.
You’re right to feel that way. I have
listened to him when he sits at Father’s side. Mandir constantly speaks of
Wesren and how wealthy that princedom has become. He hints the reason is
because no female or halfling can be the ruler. He also argues that as Father’s
oldest child, though his mother was never a spouse, he should be named as heir.
Emli frowned. Father was pleased when
Lodar returned. What will we do if he is named heir?
Sydli grasped her twin’s hands. We will
pray spouses are found for us in other princedoms.
If Father does that, we will be
separated.
Sydli caught a hint of eagerness in her
twin’s thoughts. Did Emli want to have a life apart? The possibility troubled
Sydli. Before their mother’s death, she had asked Sydli to protect her twin. The
promise had been sworn. We could have twin spouses.
Emli laughed. How many high-ranking sets
of twins are there? I know of no others. She rose. “Let me be the friendly
one tonight. Do you think Lodar knows which of us is the true heir?”
Sydli shook her head. “Doubtful. Prepare to
be charming. I will be nasty.” She finished braiding her hair. They had
inherited their pale hair and green eyes from their mother. Their copper-hued
skin was like their father’s. Being halflings had held them apart from the people
of Nortren.
The summoning bell chimed. Emli walked to
the door. “We should hurry.”
They sped along the corridor toward the
throne room. Sydli paused at the door to catch her breath and to read who was
inside. Emli reached for the handle. Sydli’s forehead wrinkled. “Lodar is here.
Father’s thoughts show he is pleased. What has Lodar told him?”
Emli made a face. “Who knows?”
“I could learn.” Sydli felt a brush across
her thoughts. Beware. Shield. There’s a stranger in there who can read
thoughts.
My blocks are tight. Could this stranger
be one of our half-brother’s friends or one of our relatives?
I don’t know.
Emli opened the door. “Father, we are
here.”
When Sydli saw the tall man whose fair hair
hung in a braid down his back, her skin prickled. She pulled her barriers too
tight she could barely hear spoken words.
The stranger rose. His black leather
clothes made his skin appear as pale as newly fallen snow. His coloring and
manner meant he was from the highlands. Who was he? A miasma of evil surrounded
him. Sydli knew he was no friend.
The man turned to her father. “Pedron, your
daughters are as lovely as any I’ve seen.”
His intense glare made Sydli’s shoulder
muscles tense. She clasped Emli’s hand. They crossed the room and curtseyed to
their father.
Prince Pedron smiled. “You may rise. Dom
Senet, my twin daughters, Emli and Sydli.”
My Places
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