by K.N. Lee
Small gardens were situated around the streets, breaking through the chaos to provide a little space of beauty. Small children played in the streets with wooden or stone toys, and women congregated near the fountains. Their heads were covered in colorful silk scarves and jewels and their babies were strapped to their backs.
The smells of freshly baked sticky buns tantalized Lilae’s nostrils. She felt her stomach grumble. She and the other girls aboard ship had been served only stale biscuits and tree nuts. There was an occasional bowl of gruel or porridge with scarce traces of potatoes. Lilae longed for a real meal.
Lilae looked at the children that carried long sticks of grilled meat that were sold from carts along the street. She was mesmerized by the woman who carved lamb from a turning spit. She served generous portions of the sliced meat to paying passersby on flat-bread. Lilae looked away, tortured. She saw Dragnor watching her and looked out towards the city again.
Lilae leaned forward. “My god.” The palace stood in the far distance. Like a piece of art from the museums of Halwan, the palace sat grandly upon a raised plateau. Squat in the center of the city, its towers reached high towards the clouds. Composed of gold and white stone, there were five tiers with statues and gargoyles built into the golden siding that gleamed. The sun fell behind it, making it appear like an enchanted place.
Lilae was amazed that there was a balcony that wrapped around each floor with jeweled doors that caught the sun just right, making the entire palace shimmer as if magic surrounded it.
Could such a beautiful place be so bad? Lilae thought. She knew that looks could be deceiving. There was something about the people. They didn’t look oppressed. They looked oddly…happy.
“Do not speak when you meet the emperor, unless I tell you to.” Dragnor’s voice broke Lilae from her thoughts.
Lilae turned to him. She scrunched up her nose in annoyance. She forced a nod.
Dragnor sat across from her and observed her expression. She felt uncomfortable whenever he looked at her.
“You’re afraid,” he stated, his small eyes searched hers. “Rightfully so. You should fear me. I detest your very presence. It may have taken me eighteen years, but I've finally found you.” His lips turned into a grin that betrayed the coldness in his eyes.
Lilae would love nothing more than to claw at his face.
“I give you credit though,” Dragnor nodded to her. “You try so hard to hide it, but I can see right through you. You cannot fool or beguile me. I know all about you. I’ve studied you for a long time. Out of all of the Chosen, you are the one I will use. You have put me behind on my plans. And trust me…you will pay for that with blood.” He suddenly gave her a nod that resembled respect. “You’ve hidden quite well, but you cannot put off your punishment any longer.”
Lilae gave him a curious frown. “Why do you hate me so much? What did I do to you?” She spoke so timidly, she didn’t feel like herself. She was now uncertain of everything and felt fear all of the time.
Dragnor's grin faded. “You were born. That's why I hate you. You were born to ruin the uplifting of my people. Shadow Elves had to settle for the scraps of this beautiful world. While you worthless humans got to keep the cradle of civilization, my people had to migrate to Nostfar, the most desolate and unforgiving realm of this world.” He leaned in closer to her. “And, I didn’t tell you to speak.”
Lilae looked down at her hands. Her heart beat started to speed. Her cheeks burned with bottled up rage. She was so frustrated. No one ever limited her speaking her mind or opinions. Such domination over her would be difficult to accept.
“It seems that your death is not the will of my master, yet. However, if you give me an excuse, I will not hesitate. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to rid the world of your meddling. Whatever Elder hid you this long must have grown senile for leaving you unguarded. No matter. You are without power now and nothing more than a dirty human.”
Lilae felt her face heat. This is what the other races thought of humans. Why such disdain? The humans never harmed anyone.
“Now, let’s discuss your purpose here.” Dragnor lifted her chin so that she looked into his eyes again. “You are going to secure our claim over Eura.”
“I’m not stupid. Why would I ever help you?” She pursed her lips, expecting to be struck across the face. She gulped as she was forced to look into those dark pupils. She shivered at his touch. His cold, thin, fingers felt abnormal on her skin.
“That was your last outburst. Do you want to see what happens if you try that again?” He sneered and Lilae noticed that two of his teeth were pointed like fangs.
There was silence between them. Her chest rose and fell as her breath quickened. She looked away as his thumb gently brushed her cheek, and then glided over her lips. He pushed her to the other side of the small space. He moved away from her on his seat and looked out the window.
“I would like nothing more than to be rid of you. But it seems the alliance wants something from you. You will obey.” His eyes shot to hers.
She wanted to ask questions, but she had been warned. She assumed that the alliance was Wexcyn and Inora. She wondered why Dragnor would be taking her to Avia’Torena. She had already heard about the emperor throughout her travels and she had studied Avia’Torenan history. The tales all spoke of the emperor as a tyrant, who killed anyone who opposed his rule.
The anxiety continued to rise in her throat. They were getting closer and closer to what could quite possibly be the end of her life. She almost didn’t feel the rocking of the litter as the men carried them along. She didn’t want to meet him. He was responsible for all of the killing in Eura. No other king campaigned like the emperor.
“So this is what you will do. I have taken your power. Therefore, you will forget your role as the Flame.”
Lilae slumped into her seat. It was true then. Her power was gone. She had tried to deny the fact that she could no longer feel it circulating within her. She felt like an empty shell. She fought the tears that threatened to sprout from her eyes. She would never let Dragnor see her cry. It took everything in her to uphold that vow.
“As princess of the Black Throne, you are now a war prisoner. There is something we want from Auroria and hopefully they want you back enough to exchange with us. If not, you die and we’ll simply devise a way to take it from them. Clear?”
She nodded and yet her fingers clutched the cushion on the seat beneath her. She tried to keep a blank face, but she could feel her cheeks pale. Whatever they were trying to exchange for must be extremely important. They wanted to use her. She wouldn’t let them, no matter how much she was threatened. Wexcyn could not win this war.
“You follow my instructions…you live.” He pointed a finger at her. “You stray from any of my instructions…you die a long, painful, death. And believe me; I know how to make you suffer, and I will take great pleasure in doing so.” He looked off.
Lilae believed his every word. Still, she couldn’t help letting her mind wander to all of the ways she could kill him. It was a habit. Pirin had always taught her to always have at least three plans in mind.
“Good.” He didn’t speak another word the rest of the ride.
She feared what was next. Dragnor had literally revealed more to her than Delia ever did in a manner of minutes. She was a princess. She remembered Pirin revealing that her mother was queen of the Black Throne, and yet it didn’t click what that meant. Lilae finally understood what it meant. Still, she couldn’t see the king and queen still wanting her back after eighteen years. Why would they give away something of value for her life?
Lilae looked out the window, not really seeing anything. She was trapped in her thoughts. Delia had to know, and yet she steadily brought her closer and closer to enemy territory. She couldn’t believe Delia. She wanted to yell at her for leaving them when they needed her the most. She wanted to pour out all of her sorrows, but above all, she wanted to hug her and never let her go.
Hours went
by and yet the men never took a break as they carried the litter through the kingdom. They placed it on the ground in the palace’s pristine courtyard. The stone work was impressive. The stones sparkled under the sunlight and Lilae was overwhelmed with amazement, and she hadn’t even gotten inside the palace yet.
Then her thoughts returned to the emperor. Lilae imagined him being a dark, evil, man, with cold eyes and even colder fingers. She imagined him being like Dragnor. She didn’t know how she would do what Dragnor wanted. She had to find a way out of this. She was still too numb to devise a plan. She still didn’t really care.
Lilae had lost everything. What else was there to fight for?
The awaiting soldiers didn’t waste any time with pulling Lilae from the safety of the litter. Two men quickly dragged her to the palace. She barely had a chance to examine its immaculate beauty. Everything seemed to be jewel encrusted and adorned with gold.
She went through a golden door, walked along marble floors and everything seemed to glitter as if power pulsed within the very walls and floors. Lilae was surprised that such a wealthy place existed. She couldn’t imagine why they warred with Partha when it seemed that they already had enough riches.
They stopped before an open entry way and she heard talking inside. Lilae gulped. She was led directly to the enemy. The man who had conquered more than half of Eura waited inside that room and while Dragnor stopped before the door, she was quickly pulled the other way. She sighed with relief. It was not her time to meet him just yet.
Chapter 28
Kavien studied the map. There was so much space. Eura was vast, and soon, it would all be his. He traced the path he would take his army or millions to conquer the rest of the world. Only the Black Throne of Auroria stood in his way. Their alliance with the Northwest of Eura was annoyingly strong. For years it had seemed impenetrable to his people, but Kavien wasn’t just anyone. He would find a way.
Artero, a general in his army waited patiently. He offered advice when he saw fit and kept quiet when Kavien was in deep thought.
“How are the new recruits doing Artero?”
“Splendidly sir. They are faster learners then I expected. Of course, many are afraid, but we will break them of such a trivial emotion.”
Kavien nodded, still studying the map. “Good. Very good.” He knew it could be done. He wrote notes on a piece of parchment and sighed. “This is going to be a problem.” Kavien pointed to a wide ocean that sat between Kyril and Eura. “How will the Tryans get over here? Sure the fairies can fly, but they can’t exactly carry the Tryans over the Cair Ocean, and no one would dare take ships onto those waters with all of The Barrier beasts.”
Artero glanced at the map over Kavien’s shoulder. “Fairies have air ships. It can be done.”
A servant entered the room and whispered something to the general. Kavien heard footsteps as someone entered the room and closed his eyes in annoyance.
“Emperor.”
“Go away.”
“Kavien,” Dragnor began, clearing his throat. “This is important.”
“That’s Emperor Kavien to you. Do not forget your place, elf.” Dragnor’s voice only made Kavien more irritable. The Shadow Elf’s presence always put him in a foul mood. His hate for him ran deep. “Make it quick.” He didn’t even give him the courtesy of turning to face him.
“You might want to pay attention…Emperor Kavien.”
Kavien stood to his full height, taller than any man in the realm and an imposing figure by anyone’s standards. He was muscular, without an ounce of fat on his body. Grown men were too afraid to look directly into his face.
He turned around and Dragnor entered the room with Sister Eloni. His scowl quickly dissipated and he gave her a nod of respect. Most people would bow to her, but he was emperor, he bowed to no one.
Sister Eloni smiled and dipped slightly in returned respect. She glanced over his shoulder and her smile widened. “Always preparing. So detail oriented. I like that about you.”
“It is my job, Sister.”
She folded her arms before her, much like Dragnor was accustomed to doing. She eyed him for a moment. “Well, I have good news. I also have a request.” The long draping sleeves of her purple robes billowed as she pointed to the door.
Kavien raised an eyebrow. “What is it now? More funding for your ‘temples’? I thought you could turn sand into gold or something.”
Sister Eloni’s face turned serious. “Outside is Princess Lilae of Auroria. The Flame. Well, the former Flame that is. Dragnor has rid her of that title.”
Kavien’s eyes narrowed. “What?”
She nodded. “You heard me correctly. Dragnor has been a good servant and he has retrieved her for us.”
Dragnor didn’t flinch at being called a servant. His face never betrayed what he was really feeling. Perhaps it didn’t bother him. Kavien knew how powerful the Sisters were. He also knew about Dragnor’s past with the woman. How she had trained him, in the Underworld.
“It may have taken him eighteen years to do it,” Sister Eloni looked at Dragnor pointedly. Dragnor never met her eyes. “But he has been a success, nonetheless.”
“Perfect,” Kavien said nodding. He walked over to his chair and sat down. “I want to see if this plan will actually work.” He wrote orders on a sheet of scroll and sealed it with wax. “Take this to Haro. I will not negotiate with anyone but the new king of Auroria.”
Sister Eloni smiled. “King Torek was a hard man, who lived for far too long. Let’s hope his son has more sense than to deny us what we want.”
Kavien shrugged. “I don’t care if he does. Either way I will exterminate those Northerners.”
“Ah emperor, perhaps it is not wise to underestimate them. We must have faith in Wexcyn’s wisdom. He has had thousands of years to devise this plan. Even he knows that while the Northerners are the purest of the humans, they should not be trifled with lightly. They haven’t kept the North secure all of these years with just their wits, there is real power there.”
Kavien watched Artero leave with the message. He gave a nod after some thought. “If it fails, I march my men straight to the black gates. I want my realm and I am tired of waiting for it.”
Her smile widened. “Why of course. No one would dare deny you such a thing.”
Kavien tapped his fingertips on the tabletop as he thought. The princess was here. Just one of his many enemies, she was supposedly the most vicious of them all. “Where is the girl?”
“She is being taken away to be branded and cleaned as we speak. I wouldn’t think of presenting her to you as she is right now.”
“I want to see her immediately after she is cleaned.”
Sister Eloni nodded. “Of course.”
She looked down at him and he realized how even as a small woman, she carried herself with such confidence. She was the head of the Sisterhood. Not even he knew all of their secrets. Besides that, some would say that Sister Eloni was Wexcyn’s greatest supporter. Some say she was one of the few who were powerful enough to help him out of the abyss, the only prison where the supernatural could be secured. Kavien knew it to be true.
If only he had managed to get Sister Eloni and the other Sisters into the North, their plan would have been much easier to execute. Now, they would have to hope that the young king was either wise enough to realize when his opponent was stronger, or naïve enough to fall for what they were devising. Either way, Kavien would be ready.
Sister Eloni stepped closer. She wiped a hand across his desk and checked for dust. “You know the Aurorian king took four wives before he died. When will you take a wife, emperor?”
“I have no need for one.”
“I hear that the princess is quite mesmerizing, and pleasing to the eye.”
“Have I ever been taken in by a woman? I have more important things on my mind.”
Her friendly smile seemed to twist before his eyes. Her own green eyes darkened as she leaned forward. “Good. That’s exactly what I
wanted to hear. Now, I give you Eura dear emperor. When all is done, you give me the girl. Do not spoil her. She must be pure. She must be clean.”
Chapter 29
Lilae tried to wrench free as they tried to brand her left shoulder. “Wait! Wait! No!” They pushed her to her knees and she fought to stand. Why was her strength failing her?
She sucked in a ragged breath as two men had to hold her down. One even placed his booted foot on the back of her neck to keep her in place. She felt the steel and winced. It felt cold. To the surprise of the guards, the brand didn’t hold.
Lilae fell silent. She saw the shock in their eyes and couldn’t help but give them an evil grin. Perhaps she wasn’t completely without her abilities. “Don’t you know who I am?” They thought she sounded like a lunatic. Lilae wasn’t so sure she wasn’t going crazy. She laughed a small laugh that made them feel uneasy.
They tried again. She felt the rod press to her skin and the heat fizzled, absorbing into her body. “Ha!” Lilae laughed triumphantly.
Lilae braced herself as the guard lifted her up and slapped her. She bit her lip, tasting blood. She licked the blood and her lips curled into a smile. “As my dead sister liked to say, you hit like a girl.”
“Hold her down.”
They pushed her back to the ground and she cursed to herself when she saw the brander pull out a blade. “I’ll etch it into her skin. That’ll surely wipe that smirk off her face.”
Lilae sucked in a breath and closed her eyes. She would not give them the satisfaction of her screams as he dug the sharp end across her shoulder. She blinked away tears and the guard that had slapped her lifted her face up. “How’s that? Better?”
She didn’t say anything. She only imagined scrapping the skin off of his face with that knife.
“You men better hurry. The emperor will be waiting for her.”
She was taken down a long hallway and a steep staircase. Paneled walls gave way to stone and they finally reached the harem. All the while she was cursing the lot of them in her head. They handled her roughly. It was as if they hated her as much as Dragnor, for some crime that she hadn’t committed.