Ashes of Revival (The Abdicate Series Book 1)

by Alex Shobe

  My eyes catch the face of someone who stands out the most from us. Her wavy hair hangs low past her shoulders. The fire of a nearby lantern reflects its flicker in her eyes. She stands off to the side with a longbow cradled in her hand. I don’t recognize her. She didn’t travel here with us. Maybe she came with Apsyn? No, wait—

  “Are you all right?” Leona whispers. I glance at her and try to hide the bewilderment in my eyes. At some point during my survey, Aiden had begun speaking about his plan. He continues with the men’s eyes trained on him. They absorb every word. Heads nod in acknowledgment, even Kaleo’s.

  “Who’s that girl?” I ask, glancing in the direction of the stranger.

  Leona exhales sharply. “Long story.”

  “What’s the short one?” Maybe I should give the girl the benefit of the doubt, but there’s something about the way she was watching that stirs my cautious side. I step backward away from the leaders and Leona follows.

  Her eyes are grave. “She’s the daughter of my handmaiden.”

  “The one who died?”

  She nods, her eyes heavy. Then, she wraps her arms around her stomach and slowly brings her eyes up to meet mine. “She’s also my sister.”

  She says the words so softly that for a moment, I think I’ve heard her wrong.

  “What do you mean?” I search her face for the humor I’m certainly missing, but her face remains serious.

  She swallows and lifts her hands, one by one. “My handmaiden. My father. She doesn’t even know we’re related.”

  I can’t help the smile that glides across my face. Not that it’s funny, but that it’s unexpected. My smile must be contagious because Leona’s lips shift upward as well.

  “Pretty odd time for a reunion.”

  “Pretty odd girl,” Leona says, the humor on her face fading. “She claims she found us by pure luck.”

  My jaw tightens. There are no coincidences when it comes to war.

  Behind us, the hooting and clapping of the men startles Leona. I glance down and her hand is on my arm. It softens my heart to know that she once again reaches for me for security.

  She clears her throat and removes her hand, then flashes a quick grin before turning toward Aiden. I turn my attention back to the girl, but she’s no longer standing where I last saw her. My eyes dart around the cavern, over the tops of heads, until I spot her silhouette scurrying toward the main tunnel. No one else notices. They’re all still wrapped up in discussing Aiden’s airtight plan. I drift away from them, my steps light and quick, to keep up with the girl. I stay close to the wall as I trail her and keep out of sight. Occasionally, she glances over her shoulder, her hair whipping at the motion.

  The tunnel begins to fork, but I’m familiar with the one that leads out of the mountain. Lanterns are spaced infrequently along the walls. I hurry forward but stop in my tracks when I don’t see her ahead.

  “Stop following me,” a voice says behind me.

  I spin around and my jaw clenches again. The girl stands with an arrow drawn, its tip aimed at my chest. I narrow my eyes. “Who are you?”

  She smirks. “Not your concern.”

  “Well, if I’m going to die, I’d at least like to know the name of the person who kills me.” I really have no intention on dying tonight, but it’s worth a shot.

  She shifts her stance, but the arrow remains locked on its target. “I’m just a girl doing what I have to do to protect my family.”

  She releases the arrow but instead of it impaling my chest, she shifts so it takes out our only source of light in this section of the tunnel. The lantern ruptures at the contact of the arrowhead and crashes to the ground. In the darkness, she pushes past me. I stumble on a cluster of stalagmites and catch my balance on the wall.

  As much as I want to chase after her, I need to let Leona know of her alleged sister. I take off into a sprint back toward the cavern.

  “What happened?” Leona asks, her brow furrowed.

  “That girl—she’s not who she says she is.” My voice is loud enough that those around can hear me.

  Leona waves her hands. “What do you mean?”

  “She just drew an arrow on me.”

  Her face firms and she raises an eyebrow. “Where is she now?”

  I glance back toward the tunnels. “She took off.”

  Leona goes quiet while the leaders argue their theories. She and I pass a look that lets me know we’re thinking the same thing. That girl is bad news. And now she knows where we are and what we’re planning.

  Colton

  Tension is high overnight and into the next day as everyone moves uneasily around the cavern. The laughter has stopped. In its place are hushed murmurs of what is to come. I don’t know what that girl was up to, but it was seven different kinds of trouble.

  There are over three-hundred men here—far too many for us to uproot and seek safe haven elsewhere. So instead, sentries are posted at all the tunnels leading into Mt. Grae. They’re alert, focused on searching out the first sign of danger. It’s coming, and we all know it.

  The afternoon hours drag. Each minute that passes is another minute the men fight to contain their angst. We’re not due to leave for Demesne until the sun sets. With a group this large, the cover of night and the empty roads are key to getting us to the capital.

  Leona and I make the most of our downtime by training in a quiet corner of the cavern. She’s getting better, even managed to draw blood from me a few times. I put in enough effort to give her a challenge, but not so much that I’ll hurt her.

  Again.

  I refuse to let that happen again.

  My nerves go haywire whenever we practice close combat. The intoxication that comes with being in her air space is muddled with her persistence of keeping me as her sparring partner. I guess I shouldn’t complain. Each time we wrestle, and she pins me to the ground, her position lingers longer than necessary for a simple sparring match.

  She pulls herself to her feet and extends a hand to help me up. Her smile lights up my darkness. “You’re not letting me win, are you?”

  “No,” I say, grinning. “Of course not.”

  She wrinkles her nose.

  “Okay…” I confess, “Just a little—”

  The warning howl of a sentry cuts through the cavern. All heads jolt up and toward the offended tunnel—the main one. No one in our area makes a sound as the warnings from the tunnels feed off one another into a chorus. Then, the howling stops.

  “Arm yourselves!” one of the village leaders calls out.

  All the fighters grab their weapons of choice. I stoop down to pick up my sword, the hilt like a magnet in my hand. Leona’s eyes are locked on the tunnel. She’s without fear. Her fingers grip her dagger as though it’s an extension of her own arm.

  “Stay behind me, okay?”

  She opens her mouth like she’s going to argue, but then simply nods.

  Guards file into the cavern, one after the other, with swords drawn. Our men waste no time in meeting their challenge. The sound of metal clashing echoes within the space.

  I glance around. The cavern is steadily being filled with more guards. For every guard who is downed, two more enter and take his place.

  Kaleo rushes over to where I stand with Leona. The battle axe in his hand is already wet with blood. “We need to get you out of here, Your Majesty. We’re outnumbered.”

  She nods, her eyes darting around the cavern. “Where?”

  “This way,” Aiden calls from behind us. Blood drips from his sword as he stands near the glowing blue wall.

  Without hesitation, I take Leona’s hand and we run over to him. Kaleo follows. We race down the passageway, unsure of where we’re running to. We’ve never needed to leave the mountains by any other means than the tunnels. Loud footsteps come up behind us. I glance over my shoulder and find Rhyn and another man, Skylar, hot on our trail.

  We reach the pond, the pond where Leona and I—no, stop it. Not the time.

  Aiden’
s pace slows as his eyes glaze over the water. “Hold on, hold on.”

  “What?” Rhyn says.

  He points to the far side of the pool. “See that? The rest of the water is calm, but there’s a ripple there. The water must come in from somewhere. That’s our way out.”

  We all look at him with undeniable uncertainty. He rolls his eyes at our skepticism.

  “Look, we can either keep running through the tunnels and hope not to run into more guards, or you guys can trust me.”

  Rhyn shuffles backward away from the edge of the cliff. “I can’t go through there.” He clinches the strap of his bag, his bony knuckles turning white. The shimmer of the water reflects in his eyes as he stares into it.

  Skylar leans over the pond, then looks back at Rhyn. “Why not?”

  “I’m more of a…land mammal.”

  The yelling from the cavern gets louder, the battle sounds echoing along the tunnel that leads to us. The fight is making its way in our direction.

  “We’re running out of time.” Kaleo’s jaw flexes as he glares toward the screams.

  Leona steps over to Rhyn. She loosens his fingers from the bag and takes them into her own hands. A slow breath escapes her mouth. “We can’t stay here. So, we—all of us—are going to jump into the water and pray to the gods that Aiden isn’t wrong about what’s under there.”

  “Hey…” Aiden chimes in behind her.

  The corner of Rhyn’s mouth lifts and he juts his chin toward me. “You won’t let me drown like this one would, will you?”

  My mouth falls open. Rhyn dashes his eyes to me and grins.

  Leona chuckles as she pats his hand. “I won’t let you drown.”

  Rhyn reaches into his bag and pulls out his canteen. Shaky fingers unscrew the cap. He takes another swig before putting it away, then nods. “Ready.”

  We sheathe our weapons and dive head first into the water. It’s warm as though hot coals line the bottom. I open my eyes under the surface and search for Leona. I find her an arm’s length away. We follow Aiden as he follows the strange blue glow of the water. We swim deeper and deeper, my lungs burning with each passing second, until he leads us to a small passage under a rock wall.

  Luckily, the hole is big enough for us to pass through. Once on the other side, my feet paddle with urgency to reach the surface. My lungs are on fire, robbed of its much-needed air. We each explode out of the water with a splash. I wipe the water and wet hair from my eyes. My arms wade as I glance around to account for everyone. Rhyn—we’re missing Rhyn. Then, he breaks through the surface, coughing and spitting out water from his lungs. Ale and swimming don’t mix. I know this from experience.

  “Over there.” Skylar points to the wall of trees alongside the river bank.

  We swim until the water becomes shallow and we’re able to stand. There’s a chill that slaps against the mountain and bullies my drenched clothing. As we stand on the edge of the water and recover, the cries of dying men from inside the mountain drift in the air. I shudder, not because of the breeze hitting my wet skin, but because I don’t know if those cries are from the guards or our fighters.

  Leona

  The evening’s crisp air rolls in with the setting sun. Streaks of reds and purples coat the clouds. This should’ve been our moment to strike against the castle. Instead, our clothes cling to our bodies as we trek southbound from the mountains. My teeth chatter, more bumps raise on my arms than I can count, and my toes are numb. Still, I press on with only a minute fraction of my company with me.

  We blend into the shadows of the darkening forest. Evergreens shoot from the ground like large blades of grass, their tips wagging from the wind passing overhead. Down below, the forest buzzes with crickets playing their nightly song. The wall of trees breaks off into a small clearing.

  “It’ll be dark soon,” Skylar says. His voice is gruff and full of misguided anger. The tiny metal rod pierced through his eyebrow catches the emerging moonlight. “We should make camp, yeah?”

  “Yes,” I reply. I look to the others. Kaleo struggles to maintain an unfazed demeanor despite the slight limp in his walk and the hunch in his shoulders. With his husky size, getting through the pool’s passageway had been the toughest for him. He’d ignored Rhyn’s recommendations for the discomfort. Hopefully, some rest will do him some good.

  Skylar nods, then directs his attention to the ground, in search of firewood. Rhyn helps him.

  “Where are we?” Colton keeps his head on a swivel, never letting himself venture too far from my side.

  Kaleo peers in our direction of travel as far as his vision will allow. “I believe we’re near the outskirts of Atmoor.”

  Aiden squints in the direction as well. “Yeah. The city should be just past the edge of the forest.”

  My body involuntarily cowers. Most of Atmoor’s inhabitants are the same people who filled the stands in the arena. Though it is the smallest of the three marketplace cities, its moderate size doesn’t hinder the traffic it receives. People from all over the country still travel to it to purchase fine wares.

  A thought conjures in my mind. I stare toward the city. “We need supplies.”

  “You can’t expect to just waltz in there and buy provisions,” Rhyn says as he tosses kindling into a pile.

  I shrug. “No, not buy.”

  Skylar stops his pursuit of firewood and walks toward me, revealing a crooked smile. “My, my, my. Now, you’re speaking my language. Who would’ve thought our queen had a dark side.”

  Somehow, his words unnerve me. I tug at the damp fabric of my dress.

  “So, you want to steal?” Colton raises an eyebrow. He looks at me with eyes that aren’t quite judging but are considering my suggestion.

  I hook my hands around the back of my neck. “We lost what we had at the mountain and we need to regroup for what comes next. It’ll be hard to do that if we’re wasting time hunting down food.” I shift my eyes to Aiden’s, as though somehow, I am letting him down. He doesn’t look disappointed, however, and nods his agreement.

  Skylar laughs, causing the crickets to silence for a moment. “Guess it’s a good thing you’ve got a renowned thief with you. Haven’t met a lock I couldn’t pick.” He steps past us and leads the way to Atmoor.

  We creep toward a manor set just within the city limits. Red bricks line the path leading to the doors, twin arched slabs of cherry oak with iron knobs. The curtains are drawn back on the front windows, the rooms illuminated with lit chandeliers, revealing all the lavish items inside. I’d grown up with many of the same gaudy decorations, but after spending time in the humbleness of Colton’s home, the flashy components that tend to represent social standing now seem to be excessive.

  I sneak around to the rear of the manor and remove a cloak hanging on a clothesline. Guilt courses through my veins as I slip it on, but I will away the tightening in my chest. My theft will be for the greater good. Even though the sun is nearly set, the extra security of hiding myself while navigating the city is welcoming. We shouldn’t encounter any guards here, but if one of the nobles recognizes me—

  “Ready?” Colton whispers behind me.

  I nod, pulling the hood over my head. With a creak, a side door opens at the manor, a streak of light pouring out into the surrounding darkness. Colton jerks his head toward the door.

  A woman’s voice disrupts the muted dusk. “The next time I have to tell you about leaving my garments outdoors, I’ll send you back to that miserable village you came from.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” A younger woman’s tone quivers. “It won’t happen again.”

  I bite my lip. When the girl’s mistress discovers the absent cloak in the morning, she will pay the price for it. Judging by the tone the woman used with her, I doubt the household will allow for any exemptions.

  The servant’s boots click against the brick steps before falling onto the lush grass of the lawn. Colton brings a single finger to his mouth then nods toward the front of the property. We drift into the
shadows, my hand in his, and we dash to where the others are waiting.

  We venture further into the city and blend in with other passersby. No one casts a look in our direction, their attention fixed on the recent events of the kingdom. Malicious gossip spews from their mouths. My skin crawls as though a thousand fire ants have taken residence under my clothes.

  Skylar hurries ahead of us, looting from the various crowds of people still out spending their coin. So, this is how he’d found himself in the dungeons. I’d heard of him before, though in the whispers of the streets, he usually went by the name Coyote. He slinks into the grocer’s shop. Seconds later, he reemerges onto the stone-paved streets tucking a loaf of bread in his jacket with an apple hanging between his teeth.

  I make sure to keep my face hidden behind the hood of the cloak. Lanterns line the pathways, casting an ambiance that encourages people to resist retiring to their homes. The days run longer in the cities. Bells ring at the opening and closing of shop doors. Consumers in elaborate evening clothes display wide smiles as they nestle their purchases in their arms. The tang of roasted salmon mingles with the fruity scent of the honeysuckle swathed around the signposts. In different circumstances, I’d be able to appreciate the beauty of this city. In different circumstances, I wouldn’t be stealing from it.

  My eyes catch the loose curls of a woman nearby. The light from the lanterns plays off her golden strands. My nostrils flare. Although I only see the back of her head, it’s all I need to see to know who it likely is—a snake. She stares into the storefront window of a cobbler’s shop. Her body turns slightly, and her eyes find mine in the crowd. She walks away.

  I break off from the group. For once, Colton doesn’t notice. Keeping my distance, I trail her down a dark alley, away from the throng of the marketplace. She slows her pace. So, do I. The alley leads nowhere and everywhere at the same time. Endless possibilities for this encounter. Different options for her death. I hesitated once, but I won’t make that mistake again.