by R Cavanaugh
“Yes, sir.”
“Well then, tell him I will be right down,” he said and watched the man start to run in the other direction. “Oh, and tell him if the info isn’t really important, I’m going to personally torture him.”
“Yes, sir,” came the response, and Igneous slammed his door.
It’s not even daybreak, and he was up pulling on his boots and throwing on a shirt, but he was not bothering to button it. He then entered the hallway, and he was just starting down the stairs when he was met with the less-than-pleased form of his half-awake brother.
“Why are you up!” Igneous roared, more disgusted than he had been a moment ago and now walking down the stairs to the throne room.
“Because,” Jonathan said through gritted teeth, “a guard came and woke me, saying that Exotius had important information.”
“So we were both awoken and are now going to meet him.” This was a growling voice that had to come from Constance, whose fur looked unkempt.
“Really?” Igneous said coolly.
“Yah, really,” Jonathan said huffily, “Why are you up?”
“Same reason.”
“Oh, wonderful,” Constance said, yawning, “someone’s going to die, and the sun’s not even up yet.”
This statement alerted them to the realization of being at the throne room.
“Well,” Igneous said, not skipping a beat and pushing the door open, “let’s see if I have to kill someone before the sun is up.”
“Your Majesty,” Exotius said with a low bow, and he watched as Igneous, Jonathan, and Constance entered the room.
Constance bared her teeth ever so slightly at the sight of him and muttered something about it being a good thing she wasn’t hungry.
“Exotius,” Igneous said in a soft but dangerous voice and sitting down on his throne, “you best have a very good reason for waking me up this early in the morning.”
“Sire,” he said without breaking a sweat; he was clearly unworried about the king’s warning. “I came to tell you that the other army is camped right across from mine.”
“So?” Igneous said, feeling his temper reach its boiling point very quickly.
“Sire.” Exotius was exasperated. “They are practically on our doorstep, and—”
“What is your point!” Igneous shouted, now standing and ready to grab the man before him and send him flying out of a five-story window.
“I’m trying to get to th—”
“Well then get to it, because I am this close to making you into my next empty suit of armor!” Igneous knew he wasn’t being very pleasant, but he also knew he could be have been sleeping right now.
“Sire,” Exotius said quietly and looking right at the king, “the girl is with them.”
“And…”
“And I think she has it.” Exotius stopped speaking with one look at the enraged man before him.
“What makes you think that?” Jonathan asked, looking at Exotius while leaning against a pillar. He had, up until this point, let his brother do all the talking.
“Because I saw her wearing it on her head,” Exotius said in a mocking sort of way while he looked at Jonathan but then redirected his attention to the king.
“Igneous,” Jonathan said, looking at his brother, who now seemed to be lost in thought, “Do you think that they had it all this time and were just waiting for her?”
“No.”
“Then how—”
“She must have found it there.” Igneous thought out loud and stared off into the distance. Yes, he thought, that could be the only place it could have been that Traymeda wouldn’t have been able to find it. He slowly sat back down on his throne and leaned back, rubbing his chin in thought. That would explain why I hadn’t found it immediately as well, he thought.
“There?” Jonathan asked, looking from Igneous to an equally perplexed Exotius.
“That island that is supposed to only appear for members of the royal family,” Igneous said just as distantly, continuing rubbing his chin.
Now he had a problem. The world would know he wasn’t the rightful ruler of this planet. But there is a way, he thought to himself. Yes, if he were to do that, he would be the ruler by right. She would protest, of course; she was in love with that Tungston boy, but no matter, there were ways to force her to do it.
“Igneous.” Jonathan was somewhere distant and interrupting his thought process. How he hated it when people wouldn’t leave him alone when he was thinking.
“Sire.” Exotius was clearer than Jonathan, and now he became focused again.
“What!?” he said sharply, standing up once more.
“How do you wish me to proceed, sire?” Exotius asked. He stood very still, waiting for the right moment to ask again, if he must.
Typical Exotius, he thought, he always needs a plan and to know that what he is going to do isn’t going to cost him his skin.
“Continue as planned.”
“Yes, sire.”
And with that Exotius left the room, knowing he was still to bring the girl to Igneous.
“You don’t want him to kill her?” Jonathan asked in a shocked voice; he clearly had misjudged his brother, it seemed. Constance even looked very confused.
“No,” Igneous replied shortly and started back toward the door, with Jonathan trailing him and Constance right behind him.
“But why?”
“Because now all of Aquamarine will know she has a right to that throne,” Igneous said simply and continued to walk until they reached the entrance hall.
“All the more reason I would think that you would want to destroy her,” Jonathan said, now climbing the stairs up to Igneous’s part of the castle.
“To destroy her at this point would be foolish,” Igneous said, now opening his door and, deciding it wouldn’t hurt, he allowed Constance and Jonathan in.
“How so…so…sooo?” Constance yawned, showing all of her very sharp teeth.
“Because in order to hold this throne, now I will need an heir of royal blood.” Igneous stopped and looked at Jonathan.
“Are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting?” Jonathan’s eyes had gotten very wide, and Constance, who was lying near the fire, warming herself, was pretending not to hear a word of it.
“But of course, brother.” Igneous smiled evilly. “It’s the only way, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.”
He laughed at Jonathan’s face and decided to finish dressing. He walked over to a door and opened it and walked in. Once in he started to put on his own armor, which was sleek and light. It was a dark ash gray, with streaks of ember red.
“She won’t, I’m sure,” Jonathan said, sitting down and running his hand through his hair. “She won’t even want to. Won’t it be harder that way?”
“I like a challenge,” Igneous said, returning from the other room completely dressed and putting his sword belt on and placing the blade in the sheath. “Besides, nothing good came of something that was easy, did it?”
“But Igneous,” Jonathan said, making sure Constance was asleep, for he knew she hated this subject, “she will not let you if she can help it. She most likely will die first.”
“I’ve already thought of that,” he whispered, his eyes dancing. “What if a certain young man happened to come into my possession, and she could only save him by doing what I want?”
Jonathan’s eyes widened again, and then he smiled, as if all his problems had suddenly been lifted.
“That,” he said, still smiling, “would change everything, I think.”
“Yes, I think you’re right,” Igneous said, patting Jonathan on the shoulder and walking onto the balcony. He placed his hands behind his back and gazed out at the lake and the ancient Aquamarinian runes. He breathed in that cool morning air, and he smiled. He could hear his brother getting Cons
tance up and leading her out of the room.
That’s right brother, he thought, don’t you worry about me.
And as for Rose Heartington, she would be the mother of his child, even if she didn’t want to be: because James Tungston’s life would depend on it.
Chapter 31
The Woes of James
In Front of the City Decorus Regnum Corset
James was angry. No, he thought, I’m not angry. I’m furious and frustrated, not only at Rose, but the others too. Why had they let her do it? Sure, she was ready, in his opinion, but it was like walking into the mouth of a dragon and letting him eat you.
“Stupid.”
He said it aloud, and while a few men were nearby, they weren’t awake enough to care about what he said. He kicked the ground, but that did nothing to make him feel better or to calm his temper.
“That’s not very appropriate.” It was Rachel. She had willingly agreed to be Rose’s double for their cause. “And what’s stupid?”
“Nothing,” he said hatefully, throwing a pebble to the ground. He knew that this probably wasn’t an answer that would satisfy her.
“No, it’s not ‘nothing,’ James,” she said and came to stand beside him, taking his arm and looking at him. “So since it is not nothing, tell me.”
While it was all an act that was used to throw off their evil neighbors, he still felt strange and uncomfortable being this close to Liam’s girl. It just didn’t feel right.
“Well,” he said in an unsure way, looking down at her and into those warm brown eyes. Sure, he wanted to vent, but not to just anyone.
“Well?” she said, seeming to push him closer to the edge of the discussion that she knew he didn’t want to enter.
“Well,” he said finally, “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“What do you mean by ‘this,’ James Tungston?” she asked politely, making him walk a little as she spoke to him.
“I mean you pretending to be Rose, and Rose trying to save the world on her own.” He found himself looking down at the dusty path and then looking at her.
“Out of the two of us,” she said, her eyes bright, and she leaned on him a little as they continued, “who do you think isn’t up to the challenge?”
“Huh?”
“Well,” she said softly, “you wouldn’t not like it if you thought we were up to the challenge. So then the question becomes, who do you think isn’t up to their end of the plan?”
“Well I think you are both capable, but…”
“There you are, then,” she said, patting his arm and walking toward her tent, or rather, Rose’s tent.
He hadn’t even realized that they were back in the camp. Her statement was still puzzling him, and then he realized he was about to lose his chance to ask what she meant.
“I, uh,” he stuttered and looked at her, “I don’t understand.”
He stood there now with a look of complete confusion.
“James,” she said, just about to go inside to keep Damien company, “if you truly believe that we are capable of pulling this off, then she and I will be just fine.”
With that she gently kissed him on the cheek.
“You needn’t worry about us.” And with that she turned around and went into the tent without a backward glance.
“Well,” Valor said, almost sniggering and looking up at James, “she really told you.”
“Oh, shut up,” James grumped and walked deeper into the alley of tents. What did he care what Rachel and he had discussed?
Valor still seemed to be intent on speaking with James and was now following him through the tents.
“James,” he whispered.
“Not now, Valor,” James moaned, still wishing he was with Rose and the others.
“James.”
“Valor, I just don’t want to talk about it anymore, all right?” Here he paused to choose his next direction, not that it really mattered. The sun was up now and casting plenty of light on the scene before them. People and creatures alike were starting to stir now.
“James,” Valor said quietly and sounding nervous, “it isn’t about Rose.”
James stopped and closed his eyes.
“It isn’t?”
“No,” Valor replied and began to walk over to him. “It’s about the battle plan and what happens if they try to grab Rachel.”
Oh, so it’s about the pretend Rose, he thought.
“They won’t get close enough to grab her,” James said, now striding in step with Valor and heading to the front line, where men were waiting for the impending attack. They just seemed to be ready, but they were so anxious.
“They will undoubtably try, though, because they, at the moment, believe that she is Rose Heartington.”
“Why would they want to capture her, though?” James said quickly as they strode behind the men sitting and waiting. He couldn’t believe how calm they all were, for the most part.
“Wouldn’t they just want to dispose of her, along with all of us?” James asked and looked over at Valor.
“Now that she has openly accepted her family history, and ultimately the throne, they will want her to be on their side,” Valor whispered. He chanced giving James a quick glance before looking forward again.
“Igneous must know that she wouldn’t join him willingly.”
“Perhaps that won’t matter to him,” Valor replied and continued, “After all, very little does, except complete and absolute power.”
“Yah.” James nodded, sighing and looking at Valor with knowing eyes.
After this conversation James found he didn’t want to speak to too many more individuals, animal and human alike. He spent most of the rest of the day walking around and continuously checking their precautionary defenses.
He skipped breakfast but decided eating something at the midday meal would be beneficiary. After making the decision, he swallowed a few mouthfuls of food and remembered why he had skipped the meal that came previous to this. His stomach was so tight and squirming with worry that the food made him feel as though being sick would be inevitable.
The afternoon passed in a similar form as the morning, with tensions high and many people starting to shift uncomfortably.
He walked by the front line again with a few nods to the men, women, and creatures that looked up at him. Nods of reassurance that the battle was coming, for those who felt that the battle wouldn’t start soon enough. Nods of comfort to those who feared the battle itself.
Deciding that sitting would be a good idea, he found a patch of grass near Valor and leaned against him.
He sighed as he watched the sun begin to set. He knew that Rose and her party would be getting ready for their assault soon. He also knew that they were about to attempt to infiltrate the kingdom’s most well-guarded building, Heartington Castle.
“Do you think they forgot we were out here?” Valor asked, half amused.
“No,” James replied, “I think they want us to be off guard before…”
But his train of thought was interrupted by a high-pitched whistling sound: cannon fire.
“Everyone to your stations!” Evan ordered as several cannonballs struck tents, sending their occupants screaming.
“Come on, Valor!” he said with a loud groan and reached for his sword as the men and women in front mounted their horses, hippogriffs, griffins, or winged horses. If without a rideable, four-legged animal, they were on foot, with bows and arrows or swords and shields.
“Get up, James!” Valor whinnied loudly over the multitude of voices and sounds.
James pulled himself up and saw Topaz standing with Thomas on her shoulder just to his right. A little ways past her, Evan was on a normal horse, with Allegiance standing in a crouch just to his left. Liam too was just a few yards to his left; Enigma was poised to take down the l
ot of them.
“James!”
It was Pricilla and Marina Griffen, and with them their spaniels, Comis and Aurora, the latter of which was a huge contrast to Comis’s crimson by being black and gold.
“Yes!” he hollered over the noise.
“Rachel is safe way back, as if we were protecting Rose!” Marina said.
“I will be returning to her, but Marina wishes to fight with all of you!” Pricilla said, choking on her own words, which were filled with emotion.
A roar came from across the way, and winged creatures of all sorts took flight as others charged.
“Very well, but hurry,” he said and pulled on Valor’s reigns very slightly and began to move.
“Charge!” Evan bellowed over the explosive sounds of stampeding men.
Battle cries could be heard on both ends of the line, and winged creatures took flight to meet those of the other side that were in the air.
“Argh!” James cringed as an arrow grazed his left arm just as he was about to reach the middle of the field.
“OK up there?” Valor said, almost inaudible in the clashes of weapons and people that were happening all around them.
“Fine!” he said, “Keep going!”
They finally reached the army before them. James drew his sword and began to fight for his life, his beliefs, and to reach the castle before Rose reached Igneous.
Chapter 32
The Door
Outside of the Door to the Trasicore Breeding Center
“Deep breaths, Rose,” she told herself as the end of the day drew near.
They had sat here for a whole twenty-four hours, or whatever it was here, she thought, waiting for the sounds of battle to erupt on the front side of the castle. The suspense was killing her, and the longer she had to wait, the harder it was to keep her nerve.
“They are whispering behind us,” Nightsky said softly to Rose from her right. She was lying down with her head curled around to face Rose, her wings folded and armor on.
“That’s OK,” Rose said and picked at a plant that was in front of her on the ground.