by SJ West
“Queen Emma,” Isabelle Granger said, coming to stand in front of me and curtsying deeply. “We are glad to see you made it here safely.” Isabelle’s golden eyes turned to Dracen. “It’s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance Sorcerer Dracen. I never thought I would have a chance to actually stand in your presence within my lifetime.”
Dracen looked noticeably uncomfortable with the Royal Sage’s salutation, but nodded his head to Isabelle in greeting, keeping his arms crossed in front of him almost protectively.
“Have you heard any news about my daughter?” I asked Isabelle, desperately needing to hear Dena was safe.
Isabelle’s eyes faltered to the cold stone floor at my feet, unable or unwilling to meet my pleading gaze. When she did look back up at me, her eyes were filled with a well of tears. Even before she inhaled a deep breath to say her next words, I knew what they would be.
“I am sorry to be the bearer of this news, my queen, but Princess Dena is dead.”
CHAPTER TWO
I heard her words, but my mind simply refused to absorb them, rejecting the idea my daughter could be dead. It was an unfathomable notion. One I couldn’t allow myself to believe. If I did, my heart would break into a million little pieces, never to be whole again.
“How can you possibly know that?” Inara asked, arms crossed over her chest in a defensive stance unwilling to accept the Royal Sage’s words.
“At the birth of each Vankar heir a soul stone is created by the Royal Sage. As you know,” Isabelle said to me, “when Dena was born, I made hers personally. When a Vankar royal dies, the energy used to light the stone extinguishes. Dena’s light has gone out.”
I looked to Gabriel and saw his eyes fill with tears, making the nightmare I had just walked into all too real. I felt a scream of grief lodge at the base of my throat practically choking me. The dragonling on my shoulder rubbed her silky head against my neck to give me comfort. I knew she felt my despair.
“Have hope…” she encouraged me.
“No,” I said to Isabelle, feeling lightheaded like I was about to faint from the unimaginable grief awaiting me if I let myself believe what the Royal Sage was saying. “No, she isn’t dead. She can’t be dead. I refuse to believe it.”
“I’m sorry, your majesty, but the proof is irrefutable. Her soul stone darkened as I was sitting in my office and the first wave of the attacks began.”
I took in a deep breath to make sure everyone around me heard my next words.
“Now you listen to me, all of you,” I said. “Magic is corruptible. I believe we just found that truth out for ourselves. The Fae probably did something in hopes of making us believe Dena is dead. What better way to render me an ineffective leader than to make me believe my only child has been killed? Dena is not dead until I see her body with my own two eyes. Does everyone here understand that?”
No one said a word. I knew they all believed I was grasping at a tenuous straw in a desperate attempt to keep hope alive. Perhaps I was, but if I believed in the alternative, it would certainly drive me mad. If Dena had indeed been killed at the hands of the Fae, not even God Himself could hide them from my wrath.
“Damn straight she’s still alive,” Fallon said. “The queen’s right. I wouldn’t put it past that woman to try to trick us into believing Dena’s dead. It’s probably part of her twisted strategy.”
“But…” the Royal Sage began before Fallon quickly cut her off with a look of warning.
“There are no buts about it,” Fallon looked at me, making sure I heard his next words. “She’s alive until we see evidence otherwise.”
I nodded my head in agreement with him, finding strength in our silent pact with one another.
“Now, we need to evaluate exactly what has happened and determine where to go from there.” I looked at the Royal Sage. “Exactly how long have the Fae been here, and how did so many of them breech the Iron Wall?”
“It happened not long after you left the city to consult with sorcerer Dracen about the plagues. The first wave of the invasion started with the Dragon Corp, to scare us mostly I think,” Isabelle told us. “The dragons started fires, and the people who attempted to run away from them were quickly snatched up and eaten alive. A day or so later the ground troops began their assault. They ferried hundreds of men in on large wooden platforms carried by the dragons over the wall. I was able to construct a shield to protect the college, but I wasn’t strong enough to extend it to the whole city.”
The haunted look in Isabelle’s eyes made me realize she felt like she had failed me in some way.
Through Karis’ connection with his twin sister, I already knew about the platforms carrying Nuala and some of her troops over. I assumed more of the Fae breeched the Iron Wall after parts of it were transmuted into gold, no longer poisonous to them.
“You did what you had to do to protect your students,” I said, hoping my words would be a reassurance to her. “And you’ve provided a safe haven for us. You did your job well, Isabelle. I couldn’t have asked you to do anything more.”
Isabelle bowed her head in my direction and softly said, “Thank you, your majesty.”
“How long will the shield hold?” Gabriel asked.
“Until I decide to take it down,” Isabelle answered confidently.
“And you’re sure the Fae mages won’t be able to break through your spell?” Aleksander questioned.
Isabelle’s chin lifted a notch higher. “Absolutely positive.”
“Ok, now what?” Inara asked. “We can’t just sit underneath this bubble until the war is over. We have to figure out a way to look for Dena and get the Fae the hell out of our city.”
“I should go to the palace,” I said, causing everyone to look at me as if I had just lost my mind. I decided an explanation of my plan was in order. “The palace should still have the spell on it which protects me within its walls. Isn’t that correct, Isabelle?”
“Yes, the spell should still be in effect, but it’s still a risk, your majesty.”
“One I’m willing to take.”
“I’ll go with you,” Fallon volunteered.
“No, I have to go alone.”
Everyone erupted with a variety of reasons why I shouldn’t go alone. I held up my hands to quiet their arguments.
“I have to go,” I said. “And I have to go alone because I'm the only one of Vankar blood here. The spell will only protect me, not anyone who comes with me. I can’t take the chance of Nuala taking any of you prisoner and using your welfare against me. It’s bad enough she might have my daughter.” My heart began to race with newfound hope. “Dena should have been completely safe in the palace even when the Fae took it over. That has to mean she’s still alive.”
“Yes, the spell should have protected her from a direct attack,” Isabelle said. “But the spell doesn’t protect her from natural accidents, only from being injured by another person who means to do her harm.”
“Like she could have tripped on a stair and broke her neck or something?” Inara said, not helping me keep faith that my daughter was still alive.
“Yes, a myriad of things can happen in a chaotic situation like that,” Isabelle warned.
“I won’t know what’s happened until I get inside the palace. The only other question we have is how do I get there unnoticed, and how do I get Dena and I back here safely?”
“I can arrange both,” Isabelle answered, a slight hesitation in her promise. “Please, if you would all follow me to my office.”
Without any more of an explanation, the Royal Sage led us back out of the room and down a corridor to the left of the great room we were in. She didn’t stop until we reached the end of the hallway where a large, ornate iron door stood. She opened the door and motioned for us all to follow her inside.
The Royal Sage walked behind her desk and said a few quiet words as if she were speaking to it. A hidden panel in the middle of the lacquered top popped open. Isabelle reached a hand inside it and pulled out a
large ruby pendant on a long gold chain. Her eyes met mine briefly as she held the necklace in her hand.
“This necklace,” she said with measured words, “will transport you directly into your father’s quarters.”
A stunned silence settled over the room as the Royal Sage walked over to me and carefully placed the gold chain around my neck. I felt sure we were all thinking the same thing: the Royal Sage and King Leopold had been lovers. Why else would she have been allowed to appear in the king’s quarters any time she wished? From Isabelle’s initial hesitancy, I had to assume Queen Emma had not been aware of the relationship.
“Do I need to say anything to activate the spell?” I asked, remembering the coin the Royal Sage made for me when I met with Adam Bellas.
“Yes, you’ll need to say amatus while holding the ruby.”
“And what does that mean?” I asked in a soft whisper.
Isabelle raised her eyes from the pendant and met mine.
“It means ‘beloved’.”
Not wanting to embarrass Isabelle any further, I asked, “And how will I return here after I’ve found Dena?”
“Simply say asylum and you will be brought back to my office.”
“But where will you start looking for Dena?” Inara asked. “They could be hiding her anywhere in the palace.”
“I don’t think I’ll need to look for her,” I replied. “Once I let the Fae know I’m there, they’ll take me directly to Nuala. If she tells me Dena is dead, I’ll demand to see proof. If she can’t provide it, then I’ll know she’s lying and begin to search for Dena on my own.”
“Emma,” Aleksander walked in front of me and took my hands into his own. “Be careful. Don’t do anything fool hardy that could put your life in jeopardy.”
The worry I saw in Aleksander’s eyes was genuine, but also tainted by the ultimatum he was trying to force on me for his country’s help in our war against the Fae. Gabriel and Fallon had always viewed the King of Chromis’ actions with wary eyes and now I did too. Was he actually concerned over my welfare, or was he playing the devoted suitor to make me believe he truly loved me?
Without wanting to give my thoughts away completely, I slowly slipped my hands out of Aleksander’s and clutched the ruby pendant at my chest.
“Amatus,” I whispered, relishing the immediate escape the spell offered.
I instantly found myself standing in front of a stone fireplace with a roaring blaze warming what was once King Leopold’s bedroom chamber.
“Well,” a familiar, mocking voice said behind me, “aren’t you full of surprises.”
I turned from the warmth of the fire to face the cold, hard stare of Queen Nuala.
CHAPTER THREE
Nuala stood in front of a large paned glass window. The only light in the room came from the flickering flames of the fire at my back. She was dressed in a royal blue velvet robe with a diamond broach clasping it together at the waist. Her long brown hair was let down to fall around her shoulders in a mass of loose curls. She crossed her arms over her chest as she stared, waiting for me to say something.
In truth, I wanted to rush Nuala and strangle her with my bare hands for the atrocities she had committed against the people of Vankara.
“Don’t…” the little dragonling on my shoulder warned, “she will only see it as weakness. You must show strength…”
Using a will power I didn’t know I possessed and could only assume it was another gift from my predecessor, I stood before the queen of the Fae never flinching as I said, “You will not win the war you have started. I’m coming to you now before more lives are lost, both Vankaran and Fae. You have to know we will not let you win.”
“Well, your people haven’t fought very well so far, or haven’t you seen what’s become of your beloved city? I would say we’ve already won.”
The door to the room opened and the dragon rider, named Kian, who Fallon and I met when we first entered the Fae capital city, came strolling in wearing only a pair of loose fitting white cotton pants. When he saw me, he immediately charged me, only to have the spell of the palace, which protects all Vankars from being physically harmed by another person, lift him into the air and hurl him against the wall at his back. He stood up quickly, seemingly bent on trying his foolhardy attempt at attacking me a second time.
“Stop!” Nuala yelled, but Kian had already propelled his body towards me only to have the spell slam him even harder against the wall as if it were trying to tell him he was being a fool.
“Kian, it’s the same spell her daughter had on her you idiot!” Nuala yelled. The queen of the Fae looked a bit frazzled as she met my gaze. “How many spells do you have protecting you and your daughter? Is there one that makes you invisible? Is that how you just suddenly appeared in my quarters, and why we couldn’t find your daughter after she disappeared?”
Nuala didn’t have Dena. My heart leapt with newfound hope that she was indeed still alive.
“If you let a two-year-old outsmart you, how exactly do you intend to win a war?” I taunted, trying to glean information about Dena’s whereabouts without tipping my hand that I had no idea where she actually was.
Nuala’s eyes narrowed on me with murderous intent. “Is that what she told you? Did she also tell you we killed her nanny in front of her eyes before she vanished into thin air?”
I didn’t say a word. I had learned what I needed to know, and saw no need to give Nuala any additional information.
“Leave Vankaran land or you and your people will pay dearly.”
Nuala’s head lifted in defiance. “We’ve taken back what was rightfully ours. If you want your city back, you’ll have to fight us for it.”
“You will lose,” I warned.
“We’ll see.”
I clutched the pendant and whispered, “Asylum.”
As promised, I was immediately transported back to the Royal Sage’s office.
Once appearing, I was bombarded by a multitude of questions from all directions.
“Quiet!” I yelled, not able to even hear myself think. Once everyone was silent I said, “She doesn’t know where Dena is.”
I went on to tell them what Nuala told me about Dena disappearing as though she suddenly became invisible. I looked to Gabriel, hoping he knew what happened to my daughter.
Gabriel was quick to answer my unasked plea.
“As far as I know,” he said, “that shouldn’t have been possible.” He turned to the Royal Sage. “Is there a spell in the palace we don’t know about which would have caused such a thing to happen?”
Isabelle shook her head. “No, there are only two spells that have ever been cast on the castle. The one to prevent it from rusting and the one protecting the Vankar family.”
“Then where is Dena?” Fallon asked.
No one had an answer, but at least we still had hope Dena might still be alive somewhere. It was better than the alternative.
“What do we do now?” Inara asked, looking to me for direction.
I turned to her and said, “We find Dena and win this war.”
Fallon left soon after to consult with the heads of our Army and Navy. Apparently, there was already a plan set into place in case Iron City was ever taken over by a hostile force. An underground safe house had been set up just outside the city for the heads of the military to gather and regroup. Remaining troops, which were left after the assault, would be sent to hidden military bases scattered around the perimeter of the city until the leaders came up with a plan of attack.
Isabelle took the rest of us back into the great room where we joined her students who were just being served breakfast. The chatter of so many children was welcome to my ears. They were all intrigued by the little dragonling who gulped down chunks of sausage from my plate. I tried to eat but couldn’t find an appetite. After the dragonling had her fill of breakfast, she promptly laid on my shoulder and went to sleep.
I slipped out of the great room, hoping to go unnoticed and find a quiet spot to
be alone with my thoughts. There simply wasn’t anything else to be done until Fallon returned that evening with news on how the war was actually going.
When I stepped into the courtyard where the airship was still moored, I looked up into the sky to see two dragons flying in a circular pattern above the college, keeping a watch on us. Their reflective scales shined in the predawn light making them look as though they were made out of metal.
“Beautiful creatures,” Dracen commented coming to stand beside me, looking up into the sky at the dragons.
“Beautiful and deadly,” I replied, turning my attention to Dracen.
I was somewhat amazed he sought me out to speak with me. During the short time we had spent together, it appeared as though the further away he was from me the more comfortable he seemed, for whatever reason.
“Only deadly because of their masters,” Dracen looked over at me. “We’re only as good as those who raise us.”
I sighed, knowing he was right. “So why do you think the Fae are attacking us after all the years of peace we’ve had since the treaty was signed?”
“Nuala is a different leader than the ones before her. I guess I should have seen what was coming, but I was just too blinded by my love for the Fae to notice the change. I can understand her wanting to reclaim the land she believes was stolen from her people, but I cannot condone the means by which she is fighting to win it back.”
“You mean the plagues?”
Dracen nodded. “I never thought she had that much evil inside her. And Karis….” Dracen’s head lowered, his eyes became unfocused as he remembered the boy he thought he knew. “I never would have thought him to be so deceptively cruel.”
“He was like a son to you, wasn’t he?”
“Yes. Even though he was ten when he first came to me, I thought we had built a lasting trust between us. I can’t believe I misjudged his character by so much.”
“You shouldn’t blame yourself for what he did. You had no way of knowing how he was using you.”
Dracen’s mouth stretched into a sad smile. “You’re kind for saying that, but it doesn’t change the fact I have the blood of the world staining my hands.”