“Percifal, run,” Chel begged.
Sword in hand, he hesitated.
“You have no magic to fight this thing with. Go!” Zephyra’s words, or the desperation in them, had him bolting through the snow right as the shadow descended upon us. A shadow that didn’t just block out the light, a shadow that consumed it.
I whipped a thick, twisted vine at the shapeless figure only to watch it disintegrate and fall to the snow in a useless heap of ash.
The shadow screeched, a blood curdling sound, and dove for Chel. Snow melted to form a wall of water between her and the demon.
The water did nothing to hold the shadow demon back. Chel cried out in pain as darkness touched her arm, clawing at the shadowy tendril that wouldn’t let go.
With a roar, Zephyra produced a spear of flames. The shadow demon shrank back from the fire, releasing its hold on Chel. Though it didn’t seem to burn, it feared the fire.
The demon turned on Zephyra, breaking up to swirl around her. Chel and I watched helplessly as it engulfed her and her flames in darkness. The fire elemental screamed in agony. Chel and I could do nothing but watch in horror as the demon swept Zephyra upward, still covering her in darkness.
My heart sank. We had lost and it hadn’t even been to Vesirus himself.
“No!” Chel cried, fists clenched, tears streaming down her face.
I felt her pain as I watched the demon sweeping farther and farther away, taking Zephyra with it.
But then, a flash of light and an inhumane wail burst from the sky.
The shadow demon dispersed into a thousand pieces as fire erupted, shooting in a golden column from sky to earth.
Chel and I gaped at each other before bolting to the flames now smoldering around the charred space of forest.
Zephyra lay on her back with closed eyes. Percifal had beat us to her and kneeled on the blackened ground at her side. A few scratches peppered her arms and a long one crossed one of her cheeks, but she otherwise appeared untouched.
“Is she…” Chel began, afraid to ask.
“She’s alive,” Percifal confirmed, picking her up to carry her back to our camp.
Zephyra’s eyes fluttered open as he set her down on the furs. “Did I kill it?” she asked in a roughened voice.
Percifal brushed her hair off her cheek. “I believe so. Are you all right?”
“I—don’t know. When it touched me, I felt all the life being sucked from my body. But now…” She frowned. “I feel—empty.”
“Try and light a fire,” I suggested.
Zephyra sat up and reached for a stick. Percifal picked it up and handed it to her.
We waited, none of us moving, none of us breathing.
Zephyra’s face crumpled as she dropped the piece of wood. “My magic… it’s gone.”
“It can’t be gone,” Chel protested. “Surely you only need rest.”
“I don’t know,” Zephyra mumbled. “But right now, I can’t feel the spark that’s usually dwelling within me. I have no magic to help us with.”
Percifal wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. “We’ll figure this out.”
“How?” I demanded, kicking a log we’d cut earlier for the fire to keep us warm through the night. “How are we going to figure this out?”
Zephyra began to cry. Percifal glared at me.
“We still go to Ventosa,” Chel said. “Whatever happened to her power… maybe the air elemental can help.”
“For goddess sake!” I roared. I stalked off through the trees. Fury swept over me. I needed to be alone. I unsheathed my sword and hacked at branches. How could we win this war when we could barely defeat one demon? And now we were short an elemental. The Dark Lord would damn us all to Mnyama, and Celestia wasn’t going to save us. We fought in her war, and she wouldn’t lift a damn finger to help us.
I returned to the camp after my arms had tired from taking out my frustration on fallen logs and branches. Zephyra and Percifal already slept, utterly exhausted.
Chel opened her eyes and watched me as I pulled some of the furs over my body. The emptiness in her gaze… I saw as much hope there as I felt.
To make matters worse, Percifal informed me the next morning both of our horses had broken their ties and bolted during the attack. I didn’t blame them, but I still cursed as I trudged through the snow with a saddle pack strapped to my back.
Zephyra had tried to use her power again to no avail.
With exhausted bodies and dampened spirits, we arrived at Ventosa two days later as the sun gave up the sky to let the moon rule over the earth. I realized how the palace had gained its name when I spotted it across the long, narrow bridge. A layer of thick, silvery ice covered the Crystalline Palace. The moonlight reflected off the smooth walls, causing the whole palace to glow like something from Celestia’s realm.
The kingdom had no walls, but anyone travelling to the palace had to transverse the deadly bridge leading between two snow covered mountains… their defence mechanism.
I swallowed hard as I peered down at the bridge covered with ice and snow. I wasn’t usually afraid of heights, but this… this was daunting to say the least.
We stepped carefully onto the bridge and slowly began traversing our way across.
“This bridge may be a good idea for keeping enemies out,” Percifal commented. “But what about letting your own subjects escape danger? This could also end up being a trap for those who dwell here.”
“It’s something we’ll have to ask Queen Starella,” Zephyra said, keeping her gaze straight ahead. None looked down for fear of falling.
When we were close to the end, I held my breath. One wrong move and we could lose our life. It wasn’t worth the risk to rush.
Closer. Closer. Almost there.
I stepped off the bridge behind Chel and let a whoosh of air out of my mouth.
Once we were all on solid ground I looked at the giant palace before us. Of all the palaces of Sarantoa I’d seen so far, it was the most spectacular. The milky light of the moon glinted off the long, icy spires. Though ice covered the outside layer, white stone made up the building’s jagged structure beneath it. Diamond cut glass filled each window, and the doors appeared to be made from pure, polished silver. I understood now, why people called Ventosa the kingdom of ice. And we were about to find out if the hearts inside were just as frozen.
Chapter 28
We were met by a group of guards wearing dark violet and white uniforms with two leaves and a diamond embroidered in silver upon the chest, Ventosa’s official crest.
As the only legitimate royal, we let Zephyra do the talking. And she had the most polite manners. “Good day, sirs,” she said with diplomacy, not a trace of the despair she felt about her missing magic. “We have come to speak with your queen.”
“And who are you?” One of the fair-haired guards asked, peering down his sharp nose at her, sword in hand. I’d only seen such behaviour in courtiers before. Guards were usually humble. Dutiful… harsh when they needed to be, but humble.
“I am Lady Zephyra Caldura of Solis, and these are my allies. We are friends of Ventosa.”
The stiff guard took in her state and scoffed. “You don’t look like a Lady of Solis.”
“It was a long journey, and your land isn’t the easiest to trek,” Zephyra said through clenched teeth, while still attempting to keep her tone pleasant.
I’d fight these guards to the death if they didn’t let us into the palace after the nightmare we’d gone through to get there. I’d likely lose against so many, but I’d prefer death over leaving those wretched mountains empty handed.
After mumbling to his comrades, the guard turned back to us. “Fine. I’ll take you inside. It will be at the queen’s pleasure, whether she wishes to speak with you or not.”
“Thank you.” Zephyra’s shoulders loosened.
We followed the guard up the steep stairway and through the silver doors of the palace, which were so shiny they could’ve been mistak
en for mirrors.
Inside, the guard caught the arm of a maid scuttling by. “Find Hilda,” he ordered the young woman dressed in a plain white dress. “We have company.”
“Yes, of course, sir,” she conceded and then hurried away.
The guard had sheathed his sword but kept his hand on the pommel the whole time we waited, his attention never faltering from us. More guards eyed us from their posts around the open and spacious main floor of the palace, almost as cold as outside. Every white tile on the floor was perfectly clean. How hard the servants at Ventosa must work to ensure not a speck of dirt could be seen.
Footsteps clopped rapidly across those tiles. A tall woman with wheat-blond hair and a strong, square jaw placed her hands on her wide hips; Hilda, the head handmaid if I had to guess. “My queen is finished holding court for the day, and she’s not expecting any appointments. What is the meaning of this visit?” she demanded, as though she were reprimanding a child.
“Apologies we weren’t able to send word ahead of our arrival,” Zephyra said to the handmaid. “Our information is for the queen’s ears only. We come as allies of Her Majesty to offer her important information.”
Hilda tapped her foot on the polished floor. “Hmm, so you say. Well, you’re in no state to be in the presence of Her Majesty. I’ll have my maids attend you. After you’ve bathed and donned something more suitable, you may feast on tonight’s left overs in the servants’ quarters. After that, it’s up to Queen Starella whether or not she wishes to meet with you on this eve.” This woman had some nerve. I had to bite my tongue to keep from putting her in her place.
Zephyra pursed her lips in thought, and then she simply said, “All right, thank you, Hilda.”
The woman gave her a stony look before hollering the names of four maids over her shoulder. The four maids, dressed in the same white uniform dresses, came running over, ready to follow her orders. “Take care of our new guests. Prepare them for an audience with the queen.”
The maids curtsied in unison and mumbled, “Yes, Madam.”
We were whisked away into bathing rooms; Percifal and I in one and the ladies in a separate one. Once we were dunked, soaped and scrubbed, we were shoved into stiff, clean clothing and escorted downstairs to the servants’ quarters.
A few of the kitchen staff still lingered in the small dining room next to the kitchens, finishing their meal of left over food.
“Fetch these guests a plate. Hilda wants them fed,” one of the maids, a middle-aged woman with dark blond hair, said to the cook sitting nearest. He shoved the last of his food into his mouth and did as the maid had asked.
The maid gestured for us to sit at the rectangular table. “Eat. Hilda will return shortly and inform you of the queen’s decision.” She left us to go continue whatever other duties she had.
The cook placed plates with scraps of roasted hen, bread and glazed carrots on the table for us. The room temperature food was the best I’d had since the last inn we’d stayed at.
As promised, Hilda returned shortly after our plates were scraped clean and we’d drained our cups of ice cold water. “Queen Starella will see you in the Lunar Room,” she informed us. “Come with me.”
We trailed her up a set of stairs to the main floor, and then up another longer, wider set near the back of the glittering white palace accented with hues of cool purple.
We were taken to a room at the top and led through a silver gilded door with moons etched upon its surface. Inside, a silver throne, with diamonds encrusted in the arms, sat on a dais. A mosaic spread out in a circular pattern from beneath it in colours of blue, purple and white. The crescent moon outside illuminated the room through the glass ceiling. Four guards stood attentive on each side of the throne, and upon the seat lined with white fur sat Queen Starella Pavanas. A white gold and diamond crown rested on her head, its points reaching for the moon above. The young queen stroked the pale-blond hair running down one of her shoulders in a long twist. Her white and silver gown put our garments to shame.
A man who was in his fourth or fifth decade and shared her features leaned against one side of the throne, resting his elbow on its back. His dark indigo gaze studied us as though we were vermin in his palace.
The queen’s eyes, that same shade of indigo, held curiosity. “Tell me,” she began. “Who are you, and why have you come to my kingdom?”
Zephyra cleared her throat and stepped forward, introducing us each one by one. When she was finished, she asked, “Have you heard of King Zaeden’s plans to conquer all of Sarantoa?”
“Yes,” the queen breathed before craning her head to look at the man behind her. “We’ve received word he’s overthrown King Corbin in Terra.” I stiffened at the sound of my king’s name falling from her pale lips. She set her gaze back on us, placing her white-gloved hands on her thighs and leaning forward. “Is that why you’re all here? To warn us?”
“We are, but that’s not all,” Zephyra continued. She raised her chin and I admired her bravado. “We’ve come to seek your aid in this war. You see, each one of us, not including Percifal, is an elemental from each of the other kingdoms. We believe the air elemental to be here in Ventosa.” She didn’t bother to reveal her own magic had deserted her. We agreed to find the air elemental first. We’d face the problem of her missing powers after.
Queen Starella’s face turned an even paler shade of white, if that were possible. While Terra never saw winter, Ventosa never saw summer.
The man standing beside the throne dressed in white and blue finery stepped forward, placing a slender hand on her shoulder. “Magic is forbidden in our kingdom. We’re sorry to disappoint you, but there’s no elemental here.”
Queen Starella set her jaw but didn’t say anything.
“No one you know of,” Chelela chimed in, shifting on her feet. “But perhaps the air elemental dwells here in secret. Or perhaps they do not know yet they hold air magic in their veins.”
“No one in Ventosa has magic,” the stone-faced man repeated. “Now, you’ve wasted enough of my queen’s time. And you’ve confessed to having magic yourselves. We should have you all thrown in the dungeon.”
Zephyra shook her head and stepped back. She looked like she was about to get sick.
“No,” the winter queen stiffened. “No,” she repeated quieter. “They are our guests. I will allow them to use our guest chambers here for as long as they like.”
When the man beside her made to argue she raised her hand. “However, a guard will be posted at their doors. Should they try to use their magic here, they will be arrested.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Zephyra bowed her head.
“Surely, Your Majesty, you must be able to help us,” Chel pled. “King Zaeden is coming for Ventosa next, and he’s bringing Vesirus with him.”
The queen’s hand trembled as she brought it up to fiddle with her hair. “I’m sorry, but my father tells the truth. The elemental you seek is not here.”
A storm passed across Chel’s face before she bowed and bit out, “Thank you, Your Majesty. Good luck to you and your kingdom when Vesirus tears you all apart.” And then she stomped out of the Lunar Room.
I saw the fear shine in the queen’s eyes before I followed Chel out.
“Guards, escort them to a guest chamber,” I heard the queen’s father order.
I grabbed Chel’s elbow. “These people are nothing but condescending fools!” she snapped. “They aren’t going to help us. Vesirus is going to win. Soon our realm will become a new Mnyama, and we’ll all belong to the Dark Lord. I’d rather end my life now and join Celestia!”
I grabbed a hold of her hands. She tried to pull them away, but I held firm. “Chel… Chel! Don’t say that. We’ll figure this out.”
A guard had exited the Lunar Room and waited close by. I didn’t care if he heard. Let them all hear the fear in her heart. And damn them to Mnyama for not giving a shit.
“How? How are we to figure this out when we don’t even have the ai
r elemental, and Zephyra’s magic is gone? It’s gone, Sepheus!”
The guard shifted on his feet. I pressed my lips together, and then glanced at him. “Take us to our chamber.” While I didn’t care if others heard our conversation, it wasn’t fair to Chel to have others witness her break down.
Keeping his eyes averted, the stoic guard led us back downstairs to a wing of the palace lined with identical doors.
He opened one door and said, “I’ll be right out here. Should I feel suspicious about what’s going on inside, I will not hesitate to enter.”
We both ignored him, slamming the door in his face. Let him stand there all night, but if he tried to enter… I ran my palm over the hilt of my sword. I was in no mood to comply.
A hearth already burned at the back of the chamber. I used a flame to light a candle before continuing our conversation from where we’d left off. “We don’t know that Zephyra’s magic is truly gone.”
“If it is, we’re doomed.”
“There’s still you and I. We still have our magic.”
She laughed bitterly at that. “Our powers were useless against the shadow demon. I highly doubt the two of us could stop Vesirus on our own.”
I scrubbed my hands over my face. She was right. Of course she was right. My attempts to make her feel better weren’t working.
Chel lay back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. “We should enjoy what we have left of our lives. Soon, our spirits may be stuck in eternal torture.”
I stretched out on my side and faced her, admired her. She looked gorgeous in the pale blue gown she’d been lent. I breathed in her scent. She smelled of fresh daisies and honey. I ran a finger along her bare arm. “If darkness is to win, if there’s no hope… I’ll gladly die by your side so we may both return to Celestia.”
She twisted her head to peer at me and smiled, though there was no joy in her eyes, only sorrow. I couldn’t keep my eyes off those perfect lips, not until my own softly claimed them. If our days were numbered, I wouldn’t waste another moment. I closed my eyes and cupped her cheek, deepening our kiss.
The Elemental Diaries - Complete Series Page 71