by Eboni Dunbar
advance praise for
STONE AND STEEL
“Stone and Steel is a sharp and sexy story of love, loyalty and magic. Eboni has given us a world where Black Queerness reigns supreme, and our world is better for it.”
—Danny Lore, co-author of Queen of Bad Dreams
“An intimate story of cruelty, love, and duty bound up in an immensely lush and complicated magical world, one far bigger than the story can even hint at. You won’t forget Odessa and Aaliyah, and you won’t forget their people.”
—Premee Mohamed, author of Beneath the Rising
“Stone and Steel is an ambitious, sexy, gloriously fucked- up, genius epic fantasy (somehow) packed into a novella. Aaliyah’s story enchanted me, and I’m waiting with bated breath to see what Eboni Dunbar does next.”
—Lina Rather, author of Sisters of the Vast Black
“The plot is riveting, and readers will cheer for the cast of well-rounded Black characters, led by underdog Aaliyah, as they fights for her people. This will be an easy pick for anyone looking for queer, Black speculative fiction—and for fantasy fans more broadly.”
—Publishers Weekly
Neon Hemlock Press
www.neonhemlock.com
@neonhemlock
© 2020 Eboni Dunbar
Stone and Steel
Eboni Dunbar
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.
This novella is entirely a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover Illustration by Odera Igbokwe / www.odera.net
Cover Design by dave ring
ISBN-13: 978-1-952086-09-0
Eboni Dunbar
STONE AND STEEL
Neon Hemlock Press
the 2020 neon hemlock novella series
Stone
and Steel
by EBONI DUnBAr
To Roshni Scott.
You love me like none other and that love allows me to create worlds.
I’m lucky to have you in my life.
A aliyah’s army stood on the precipice of home. Soldiers and mages in nearly equal numbers, all of them trained to bring glory to the kingdom of Titus. To Odessa. They were tired, they were hungry, and many of them were injured. They had gathered just around the mountain bend, before they could glimpse the capital city. While they awaited, the river captivated them, the bright blue of the blessed waters amid the green trees, like thousands of emerald clad warriors themselves, as they waited for their general to tell them they could finally go home. When the ground shifted beneath their feet, making some of the horses jump nervously, General Aaliyah knew that her runner had reached the city. Aaliyah closed her eyes, imagining the way the wall of rock would disappear into the ground, the power it would take to do it. It took great magical strength, tens of her stone mages, but still they made it look so easy. And it was the sign that General Aaliyah had been waiting for.
“Let’s get this shit over with,” Aaliyah muttered to herself, stretching. Her body still ached from the final battle in the southern isles, and three weeks of riding hadn’t helped. She shouldered her spear and prayed for a moment of peace so she could rest her weary body. “Let’s get moving, people.”
The air mage at her side nodded, lifting her hands and sending the message down the line. The golden symbol for air, three straight lines across her chest, glistened in the evening light as the white arms of her tunic ruffled in the wind.
Aaliyah could hear the crowd even before they passed the sheared stone mountain that led into the capital. With the walls down, all of Titus waited for them, thousands of people, hundreds of thousands if she was honest with herself. Cheering. For her. Her stomach roiled even as she sat up straighter on Hassim, her beautiful horse. She pulled her spear tight to her chest and wished that they had taken more time on the road, enjoyed the slow journey back.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be home. She wanted her warm bed and her warmer woman. She wanted her people, and the people of the army she led, to have whatever or whoever they wanted as well. But she hated the fanfare her sister insisted upon—Odessa was all drama.
They took the curve and the smiling, yelling faces of the capital came into view. Despite the masses, she was grateful to finally glimpse the domes and obsidian spires of the palace Lockheart. As children, she and Odessa had always thought of it as their temple and now she called it home. She still couldn’t stop the butterflies from dancing in her chest at the sight of it.
To Aaliyah’s left, Sherrod, her third, was already smiling. He loved this part, and she was grateful that he did because someone should. Sherrod had spent much of their last down time re-pressing his hair, trying to tame his naturally soft curls to something even softer. He’d let one of his lovers dye it red a few days earlier, and Aaliyah had to admit the color suited his light brown skin. He ran a hand through his hair once more and Aaliyah rolled her eyes.
She looked to her right and caught Helima’s eye. The other woman rolled her eyes but the rest of her face remained blank. Aaliyah could count on her second to agree that all this parading around was stupid. Helima’s locs needed some attention but it would never have occurred to her to make sure they were done for this parade. Aaliyah cleared her throat and mimed a smile. The younger woman let her face relax into something just passable enough to be a smile.
Aaliyah sighed and returned her gaze to the people. She might not be happy to be on display but she was certainly happy to see them. The black and brown faces of the people of Titus blurred together for her as she did her best to smile and wave at them. The sound of her name on their lips was deafening. She tried to make eye contact with a few people as they went but found that nearly everyone lowered their gaze. It hadn’t been that way two years ago, when she’d left to conquer the last of the southern realms for Odessa. She had seen their confidence in her, in the pledge that Odessa had made , and which Aaliyah had carried out. It troubled her, but maybe she wasn’t the only one who didn’t like the fanfare.
“Mistress Aaliyah! Mistress Aaliyah!” A chorus of tiny voices made Aaliyah stop her horse in front of four children along the edge of the crowd. Hassim went still as she balanced her spear and climbed down.
“General,” Helima called out, but Aaliyah waved her away. “Don’t come talking to me when your sister has you by the balls for being late.”
The children’s awed expressions made her smile. They stared at her black ceremonial armor, made of finely woven leather and coated in obsidian for strength and beauty. It shone in the afternoon light. Aaliyah could remember being their age and seeing the old king’s guard wearing it, thinking how beautiful it was. How wonderful it would be to wear it.
Odessa had always been more interested in the crown. “Wassup?” Aaliyah said, dropping down to her knees. “You got food?” The littlest one asked, a boy no one more than four. His nappy curls looked uncombed and unwashed enough that Aaliyah surveyed the other three. Too thin. Their clothes threadbare.
She remembered that too. Aaliyah stood up and turned back to Hassim. She gathered what remained of her rations from her case, then went to Sherrod and took his. Helima ha
d already climbed down and carried hers over to the children. Together, they handed off the food, the kids’ faces lit up like fire in the night. The littlest one hugged Aaliyah round the knees. She closed her eyes but she couldn’t stop the tears from welling. She’d been a child who was this hungry, praying for someone to be kind.
Odessa had promised to be kind to the people of Titus when she became Queen.
Aaliyah mounted Hassim and waited patiently for Helima to climb back on her own mount. It took all of her strength to remain calm while she was seething. Odessa had better have answers for why there were hungry children on their streets.
Like the walls of the city, the gate of the palace dissolved into the ground, the stone rumbling and shifting, revealing the glory of Lockheart. The building gleamed in the waning light, fully revealing the domes of the great palace. The spires stood hundreds of men tall, each one twisted to catch the wind. Once each of the great elements had been visible in each tower’s design: Air, Fire, Stone, Iron, Bone, and Water. The Queen had removed the sigils of iron and bone, the two mage orders that had stood with the old king. Though she understood Odessa’s desire to show her strength and to warn others from rising against her, it still hurt Aaliyah’s heart to not to see the carved bone statues in the first small courtyard, the pale white tile on the ground that was made from bone chips and the steel pikes and sculptures that had caught the light in the second. Ever since they’d been replaced with more stone and polished obsidian, the magical balance of the palace had always felt off.
Aaliyah climbed off Hassim and handed him over to the groom with a little kiss to his head. Sherrod and Helima left their mounts and the army behind in the third courtyard, the one dedicated to water. Lush greens filled the courtyard and two large ponds flanked the blue tiled walkway. Constant chimes showed the arrival of the wind as they walked through the air yard, the lightest of the rooms, the tile translucent. Beyond that, in the fire courtyard, flames danced across the dirt floors as they walked the red tiles. Sherrod made the flames part for them as they moved through. The last elemental courtyard was stone, untiled, where one long slab of stone moved gently beneath their feet. The final courtyard, the true entrance to the palace, was traditionally decorated in the style of the current ruler. When Aaliyah had last seen it, it had held stone statues and a few small pieces of finery here and there.
Now the trees and statues dripped with gold, not mere gold paint but gold necklaces, chains, and even some jewels. The receiving group at the palace glittered just as much as the decor. They wore Odessa’s signature gold, but they too were more opulent than simply color. Gold chains dripped from the necks of the assemblage, gold bracelets and rings adorned their arms and hands. Aaliyah could see from the curves of their bodies that they were well-fed.
Aaliyah gritted her teeth at the finery: here was gold for the people, here was food for their empty bellies. She returned her attention to the palace doors which, as if on cue, opened.
The sight of Odessa tamped some of Aaliyah’s anger down. Her Queen glimmered in the sunlight, the gown she wore showing off every curve in her figure and drawing Aaliyah’s thoughts to the soft unexposed skin. Her full mouth was painted red and her high cheekbones glittered, as though they had been dusted in gold. Odessa’s hair had been worked into tiny braids and pulled up off her long neck. It had been two years since Aaliyah’s tongue had traversed the path of that neck. Aaliyah guarded her features, not wanting anyone to see the desire there. There must have been some who knew but it was important, Odessa always said, to keep their relationship quiet. Not everyone would understand. Not everyone would care that they did not share blood; after all, they had been raised as sisters.
Kings married cousins but this was different. Odessa descended into the courtyard slowly and deliberately. Everyone dropped to one knee as the Queen made her way past them. Her courtiers had changed so much from their early days.
Once, Odessa had kept warriors at her side. Aaliyah had known those people well. Now though, only the most beautiful and the richest kneeled around them. Yes, she recognized a few faces, but those were merchants, people who could move money and product.
Aaliyah was transfixed by her sister’s beauty. She held Odessa’s dark eyed stare. Odessa stopped a few feet from Aaliyah and waited, her perfectly manicured eyebrow going up. Aaliyah dropped to one knee.
Odessa’s hand lifted and stone gates rose from beneath the ground, sealing them inside the inner walls. Aaliyah took a deep breath. Aaliyah didn’t have even a hint of magical power in her. Spiritless, they called it, the formal term. Magli, the kids on the street had always called her.
“My champion.” Odessa held out her hand, her voice husky and quiet.
“My Queen.” Aaliyah took the offered hand and kissed it. Odessa pressed her hand to Aaliyah’s cheek. Aaliyah turned into the touch. Odessa’s magic coursed through Aaliyah’s stone armor, lapping at her skin, invisibly caressing her. The armor flexed and released, cupping her as tightly as her sister’s hands. Aliyah fought the moan that threatened to burst forth. She might not have her sister’s magic, but she did have her eye.
Odessa lifted Aaliyah’s chin so that they could look at each other, the smile on her full lips smug. “You have returned home to me. Let us feast in your honor.”
Aaliyah ‘s anger returned in a surge of heat. Odessa cocked her head, studying her sister’s face. “Speak warrior, if you have something to say.”
“You honor me, my Queen. Will you honor me further and give my feast to the people of the capital?”
Aaliyah noted the slight flare in her sister’s nostrils, the long intake of breath as she considered her next words. Aaliyah’s skin again flared hot with magic, but this time it pricked and twisted over her skin, like Odessa’s nails had done when she was angry as a child. The obsidian in Aaliyah’s uniform tightened, forcing her to take a quick out breath.
She wondered if anyone who looked at them would still see two sisters, happy to be reunited.
Odessa released Aaliyah’s chin slowly. Her hands came to rest at her sides and Aaliyah watched her clench her fingers to keep from lashing out.
“If that is your wish,” Odessa said. “Will you and your people not eat?”
“My people will eat with your people.”
“Good. Then you and I will go without.” Odessa snapped her fingers and a few of her attendants rushed back inside the Palace. Aaliyah turned to Helima, but her second was already nodding. She would make sure their people were fed.
“Will you provide me with an update on the campaign, General?” Odessa said. She didn’t wait for an answer, she turned on her heels and strode into the palace.
Aaliyah stood and she could feel every eye in the courtyard on her. She turned to Sherrod and Helima. “You’ll take care of everything?”
“I got you, General,” Helima said. “Take care of yourself.” Aaliyah tried to stand a little straighter. She was a warrior, a champion for the people. She was not still afraid of her big sister. Aaliyah took a deep breath and strode into the palace.
When they’d been children, Odessa’s temper tantrums had always scared her. Rocks would often fly across the yard in front of the brothel, and once the future Queen had even managed to pull down a piece of the wall. But when she’d been frightened, Odessa had always soothed her, always promised she would keep her safe. Aaliyah’s mother had never believed it. Had always tried to remind her of the fear.
Perhaps her inability to shake Aaliyah’s faith had spurred her mother’s leaving as much as any fear she might have felt.
Aaliyah stalked into her chamber trying to be as confident as her younger self. She was the Champion of the realm. Odessa would never hurt her, not really.
The room had been aired, the bedding changed, and a large copper tub had been placed in the center of the room. Candles had been placed around the room, unlit, and it looked like Odessa had planned a romantic even
ing. There were no fallen stones now, no rocks to fly at Aaliyah’s face. Guilt welled in her stomach like oil, thick and heavy.
Odessa stared out the window, unmoving. Aaliyah gently closed the door behind her, locking it, and made her way to the copper tub. The tub yet held a little bit of water, no doubt the plan had been to fill it while they enjoyed the evening meal.
Aaliyah tapped the rim of the tub. “I feel like an ain’t shit magli right now.”
“That’s because you ain’t shit.”
“I should have handled that differently.” Odessa turned to look at her, her make up streaked with tears. Aaliyah closed the distance between them and pulled Odessa into her arms. The Queen sobbed and Aaliyah held her tighter.
“How could you do that in front of everyone? As though I’d done something wrong? I’m here trying to make this kingdom work and you’re off playing with your spear—”
“There is nothing fun about watching people die,” Aaliyah said. Odessa pulled away.
“You have no idea what this is like. You know how to be a warrior, but I’m learning to be a Queen. And here you come criticizing me like I’m a child, in front of all my friends. All our allies. All those people whose influence I need to keep this kingdom running. If I’d done that to you—”
“I’m sorry!” Aaliyah closed her eyes, trying to suppress some of her anger.
Odessa wasn’t wrong. Neither of them had been trained to rule. They’d believed that they could run it better than the man they’d merc’d, but they didn’t know how to do it. They’d been nineteen and twenty when Odessa was crowned and five years was hardly long enough to learn the ins and outs of ruling. Aaliyah had been training to fight since she was five. Odessa had always used her mind and her magic, but problems that relied on blood were Aaliyah’s. But ruling was a different beast.