by J.D. Rogers
Chapter 2
The sun was just beginning to rise when Vomeir, Zore, and I reached the Western Forest.
"We'll have to turn south," Vomeir said. "Reconnect with the road."
"You think it's safe to use the road?"
"I doubt if Bedonna has anybody stationed this far from the palace. The first place she'll search is the city, figuring friends have given you and your sisters refuge. I suspect that's where Salisha and Iderra have gone."
"Assuming they managed to slip past the guards Bedonna posted on the roads."
Vomeir nodded. "Assuming."
We turned south, skirting along the edge of the forest. Most of the trees were mountain ash and pine. We were at a high enough elevation where it was too cool for anything else to grow.
I held my breath as we neared the road. This would've been a perfect spot for Bedonna to post a second guard. Not that I thought she had. I agreed with Vomeir. The first and most logical place to look for us would be the city of Morcesha.
As the road came into view, I spotted three mounted guards waiting at the mouth of the forest. I wondered why I didn't have a vision, warning me about them, when Vomeir explained why. "Those are friends. All three of them served under me, and like me, came to the same conclusion, that you are the best choice for queen."
I wanted to believe that, but when you spend your life known as Lila the Insignificant, you tend to get a little cynical when people start tossing flattering statements your way.
"You make it sound as if they're waiting for us."
"They are waiting for us."
"How would they know to meet us here?"
"I told them last night that we'd rendezvous with them at the edge of the Western Forest."
Vomeir started down the hill, but I remained where I was, still skeptical. "I was the one that suggested we head west, Captain."
"If you hadn't suggested it, Your Highness, I would have."
"How do you know these men haven't taken an oath to support Bedonna?"
"I've fought with them and trust them with my life."
I followed Vomeir down the hill, but kept one hand on the hilt of my sword. He might trust them with his life, but I wasn't ready to trust them with mine. Not until they proved their loyalty.
"You convinced her to come this way," the biggest of the three said. "We weren't sure you would."
"Coming this way was her decision." I couldn't be sure, but I thought I detected a hint of pride in Vomeir's voice. "I told you she was smart."
"Bedonna posted guards at Cross Creek. How did you avoid them?"
"To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure." Vomeir glanced at me, then turned back to his friends. "What news have you?"
"Bedonna has posted guards on all the roads leading away from the palace. Yet her sisters still allude her."
My heart lightened. I wasn't sure if I was happy over the fact that Salisha and Iderra were still alive, or over the fact that as long as they were alive, Bedonna couldn't concentrate on me.
“And the bulk of the guards?" Vomeir said.
"Bedonna sent them into Morcesha. She believes her sisters have taken refuge in the city, hiding among friends."
"And have they?"
The big man shrugged his broad shoulders. "Your guess is as good as mine."
Vomeir looked at me, and noticed that I still had my hand on the hilt of my sword. "Princess Lila questions your motives for being here. Perhaps you should relieve her of her anxiety."
The big man moved his horse alongside of mine. "May I have your hand, Your Highness."
I held out my left hand. The big man took it in a callused hand that dwarfed mine and kissed it. His bushy mustache tickling the back of my hand.
"Queen Bella is dead," he said. "Long live Queen Lila."
"Your support is acknowledged and appreciated. We shall not forget you when we assume our place on the throne." I felt ridiculous using the plural we. It made it sound like I had lice.
The big man introduced himself as Sardis. He wasn't as tall as Vomeir but he was twice as broad. Like Vomeir and the other two, he wore the uniform of the palace guard, gray leather breeches tucked into black riding boots, a green tunic that hung to mid-thigh, topped by a silver breastplate with the royal seal of Adah on the chest. His silver helmet had a plume of green feathers on top and a nose guard that ran between the eyes. A crossbow and a quiver of arrows hung from his back. He carried a broadsword on his hip. His mustache and eyes were brown, but there was a hint of gray in both.
I was embarrassed that I hadn't known his name, couldn't even remember seeing him around the palace. I told myself that wasn't unusual, there were two hundred guards at the palace and every year some retired and others rotated in from the army. Still, I couldn't help but be embarrassed. The man was willing to die for me and I couldn't even remember meeting him.
The other two guards took the same oath. They were both younger than Vomeir's thirty years, or Sardis's forty some years. Both wore the uniform of the palace guard. The taller of the two went by the name Miletus. The shorter was Derbe.
Miletus was taller than Vomeir, but less muscular. His blond hair hung out the back of his helmet in a ponytail. His cheeks were scarred with pockmarks from a childhood disease. Derbe wasn't tall or husky, but he was hairy. His most distinguishing features were his bushy eyebrows, which ran together to form one big eyebrow.
"We'll go about a mile into the forest then stop for breakfast," Vomeir said. "There's another spot where the road intersects with Cross Creek."
"You don't need to stop on my account," I said. "I can ride as long as you can."
"Of that I have no doubt, Your Highness, but the horses need a rest."
We followed the road into the forest. It was just wide enough for two horses to ride side by side. Vomeir and Sardis did just that, riding in front of me. Zore followed right behind me. Derbe and Miletus brought up the rear.
We lost the morning sun as soon as we entered the forest. The road took a sharp turn to the right to avoid a rock outcropping, then continued west. By the time we reached Cross Creek, the canopy over our heads had grown thick enough to block out the sun.
Vomeir drew his horse to a halt and dismounted. "We'll rest here."
He looked around, checking to see if someone was hiding behind the trees. Satisfied that no one was waiting to ambush us, he led his stallion to the creek and let him drink.
The creek was narrower here, narrow enough that I could jump across it with a running start. It looked ankle deep. It moved quickly, running clear and cold. I could hear birds chirping in the tree tops, welcoming the morning sun.
After watering his horse, Vomeir led him to the other side of the creek. Sardis watered his horse, then led him to the other side. I dismounted and led my mare to the creek. While she drank, another vision swept over me.
In this vision I saw Salisha. She was hiding in a secret room. The room was really no more than a closet. She was trying to calm her labored breathing and her cornflower blue eyes were wide with fear. She could hear people rustling through the house. Men searching for something or someone.
Their voices drew closer, until nothing but a wall separated her from them. Salisha placed a hand over her mouth, stifling the fear trying to escape her throat.
A second later, a hidden door swung open and blinding light flooded the small room. Heavy hands grabbed Salisha and yanked her out of her hiding place.
Two members of the palace guard dragged her to the center of a large and ornate sitting room. Three more guards kept three handsome young men pinned against a wall, holding them there at sword point. I recognized the three men. They were Salisha's wealthiest and handsomest suitors.
Salisha demanded the guards release her, but they ignored her, focusing on their commander, who chose that moment to enter the room.
Bedonna provided a sharp contrast to Salisha. She was tall and muscular, bigger than most men. She wore a full military uniform, black riding boo
ts, a gray leather skirt that reached the knees, and a green tunic topped by a silver breastplate. Instead of her helmet, she wore the Battle Crown. There were no jewels on it. It was just a silver headband topped by seven miniature swords with each sword pointing up. Her brown hair was cut so short that it was stubble.
"A bit presumptuous, Bed," Salisha said, when she saw the crown. "You're not the Queen of Adah yet. And if that's the only crown you got, then you're not even the heir hopeful."
Salisha provided a sharp contrast to Bedonna. Whereas Bedonna was all strength and muscle and power, Salisha was grace and elegance and beauty. She wore a pale blue silk dress with bell sleeves and a scoop neckline that displayed her ample cleavage. Her long blond hair hung in a braid that reached to the small of her back. She had a heart-shaped face dominated by big blue eyes and full red lips.
By contrast, Bedonna had a square face with heavy black eyebrows and just a hint of a mustache. Rumors floated around the palace that she was really a boy. They weren't true of course. I had seen her naked and could attest to the fact that she was a girl. A big strong girl, but a girl none-the-less. None of us looked alike because we had different fathers. The Queen of Adah didn't marry, didn't take a king. She took consorts. Lots and lots of consorts.
"In a few minutes, I'll be one step closer to being queen." Bedonna drew her sword and nodded. The two men holding Salisha released her and stepped aside.
"Are you going to kill me in cold blood? Is that how you want to start your reign, as the queen that feared her sisters so much, she was afraid to fight them?"
"You think I'm afraid to fight you?" Bedonna turned to one of the guards. "Give her your sword."
The man drew his sword and offered it to Salisha, hilt first. Salisha hesitated, then snatched it out of the man's hand. It was heavier than what she was used to and she needed both hands to wield it. Once she had gotten used to the size and weight of the blade, she raised it above her head and widened her stance, taking up a defensive posture.
"So, you remember your lessons after all," a grinning Bedonna said. Her sword was bigger than the one Salisha held, but she needed just one hand to wield it, holding it in front of her like a butter knife.
Salisha looked at the guards in the room. "Is this who you want as your queen? A woman with more facial hair than all of you."
Bedonna's dark eyes flashed with anger. "That's the last time you'll make that crack."
She had always been sensitive about her looks, her too square jaw, her bushy eyebrows, the wisp of a mustache she plucked and plucked but which always grew back.
Bedonna looked just like her father, one of the biggest burliest guards in our mother's service. He helped mother become queen and she rewarded him by making him one of her consorts. Unfortunately for Bedonna, she inherited none of our mother's beauty.
Salisha on the other hand, looked nothing like her father and everything like our mother. Same blond hair, same blue eyes, same heart-shaped face. Because she looked so much like mother, she just assumed people would want her as queen, that when mother died, everyone would rally around her. Even as she prepared to square off against Bedonna, she was looking at the guards, thinking, expecting, hoping, that they would turn against Bedonna and rally around her.
"Do you know that when she becomes queen, she plans to make war against the Dark Wizards of Sorea. Is that the kind of person you want to serve under? The kind that would send you to your deaths in a foolish attempt to make herself a legend."
A couple of the guards looked at each other, surprised by the news, but did nothing else.
Bedonna sneered. "You are beyond the help of men, sister. You'll have to save yourself this time."
Bedonna rushed forward, attacking Salisha. Salisha fended her blows as best she could, but with each blow, Bedonna forced Salisha to retreat, quickly backing her into a corner.
When Salisha hit the wall, she took a deep breath then charged forward, still swinging her sword with both hands. Bedonna retreated, but still only needed one hand to wield her sword.
“Killing me will not make you queen. You still have Iderra and Lila to contend with, and you will not find them as easily as you found me."
Bedonna handled Salisha's attack with ease, toying with her. "Iderra is hiding here in the city, which is locked down. It's just a matter of time before I find her."
"And what about Mouse?" Salisha said, using the nickname they had given me. "You could never find her when we were kids playing hide and seek in the palace. How will you find her now that she has an entire world to hide in?"
Bedonna clenched her teeth. "I will find her."
I saw something in Bedonna's eyes right then that I had never noticed before, namely fear. She didn't fear me, no chance of that, but she did fear not being able to find me, not being able to kill me. She feared that if her campaign against Sorea went bad, and I was still alive, her supporters would turn against her, remove her from power, and place me on the throne.
Salisha saw it too, because she smiled. "Mouse has always been a step ahead of you. Personally, I think she has powers that you don't know about. Perhaps she is a reader and knows your mind. Or perhaps she is a seer and sees what you are going to do before you do it. If either is true, then you will never catch her."
An angry Bedonna grabbed her sword with both hands and went on the offensive, once again forcing Salisha to retreat. Beads of sweat appeared on Salisha's forehead. She was growing tired, and with each blow, it became harder for her to wield the heavy broadsword.
Bedonna made a two handed swing that knocked Salisha's sword out of her hands. The blade flew across the room and clattered to the floor at the feet of Salisha's suitors. The three men looked at the blade, but with three swords already pointed at them, made no move to pick it up.
Bedonna backed a defenseless Salisha against the wall, then did something I can only describe as cruel. She used the tip of her sword to make a deep gash across each of Salisha's cheeks. To her credit, Salisha didn't cry or scream.
"So much for your great beauty."
Before Salisha could respond, or even wipe off the blood running down her cheeks, Bedonna stepped back.
I realized that she was preparing to plunge her sword into Salisha's heart and shouted, "No!"
Even as she drove her sword into Salisha, Bedonna looked in my direction, almost as if she had heard me. Bedonna withdrew her sword and Salisha's body crumpled to the floor. Bedonna ran her index finger across her blade, collecting some of Salisha's blood.
"Looks like everybody else's blood." She paused to sniff the blood on her finger. "Smells like everybody else's blood."
Bedonna turned back to Salisha, bent over her, and used her sword to cut off Salisha's hair. She sheathed her sword and hung the blond braid from her scabbard belt like a trophy.
"Now, you're no better looking than me." She turned to her guards. "Dump that carcass in the Cemetery of Would Be Queens."
Bedonna then did something unexpected, she looked right at me. "I know you're watching, Mouse. I want you to know that I'm going to find you and do to you what I just did to her."
The vision faded and I found myself kneeling on the bank of Cross Creek. I could feel tears running down my cheeks and a hand on my shoulder.
"Are you all right, Your Highness?" Vomeir crouched beside me, so he could look me in the eyes.
"Salisha is dead," I said, unable to stop the tears. "Bedonna found her hiding in the home of one of her suitors. They fought and Bedonna won. I'm sorry, Captain. I know how much you cared for her."
Vomeir yanked his hand off my shoulder and stepped back, stumbling into the middle of the creek like I had just slapped him. "How can you possibly know that Salisha is dead?"
How did I explain what I knew other than to come right out and say it?
"I'm a seer, Captain, and I just saw Salisha die. If you'd like, I can describe the room in which she died. It was a second story sitting room with heavy oak furniture covered with blue silk
cushions. The same color blue as the dress Salisha was wearing. The same color blue as her eyes. Or I can give you a blow by blow account of her battle with Bedonna. I can tell you how Salisha had to borrow a guard's sword, and how it was too big for her to wield, and how after ten minutes of fighting, it became too heavy for her to lift. Or I can tell you that just before Bedonna killed her, she scarred Salisha's face, cutting both of her cheeks. Or I can tell you that after Bedonna killed her, she cut off Salisha's braid and hung it on her belt like a trophy."
I don't know if it was the tears on my cheeks, or the fact that I warned him about the guards on the bridge. Whatever the reason, Vomeir chose to believe me.
"It seems you've been keeping secrets, Your Highness." Vomeir tried to hide the sadness in his eyes, but I recognized it anyway. He never stopped loving Salisha, even after she accused him of being one of Bedonna's spies.
"Queen's prerogative," I said, wiping the tears from my eyes. I pulled myself to my feet. "The good news is Bedonna thinks I've taken refuge in the city."
"Sounds like this would be a good time to press on," Sardis said. "I'd rather not engage in a battle with that sister of yours until there are a few more of us."
"Agreed," Vomeir said. He pulled some apples out of a sack tied to his saddle and tossed a couple to each of us. "This will have to serve as breakfast."
We finished watering the horses, gave each of them an apple, then headed west on foot. Again, Sardis took the lead, with Miletus and Derbe bringing up the rear. Zore remained behind me. Vomeir walked beside me.
"How long have you been a seer, Your Highness?"
"About ten years."
"Your mother and sisters never mentioned this gift."
"That's because I never told them about it. The last thing I needed was to give Bedonna another reason to kill me."
"Do you have any control over these visions?"
I shook my head. "They come when they come. Until today, my visions were never about others."
"What were they about?"
"They were always about me, warning me of dangers that lay ahead."
"Like the guards Bedonna stationed on the bridge?"
"Exactly."
"It seems I chose wisely."
"Why do you say that?"
"Visions come from the gods." Vomeir forced a smile, but I could still see the grief in his eyes. "I would not want to go up against someone with such powerful allies."
"I know it's small comfort," I said. "But Salisha died valiantly. She fought hard and she did not beg for her life."
"If I had been there. . . ."
"You would have died with her."
"Perhaps. But I could have taken some of them with me."
"You may still get that chance, Captain. Once Bedonna finds Iderra, she'll begin her hunt for us. Sooner or later, she'll figure out where we're going."
"Then we must keep moving. Sleep on horseback. Walk when the horses need rest. Think you can handle it, Princess?"
"It's better than engaging in a sword fight with Bedonna."
"Did you see anything in your vision that we can use to our advantage?"
"Salisha told the guards in the room about Bedonna's plan to invade Sorea. They seemed surprised."
"Once this news spreads, Bedonna's support among the palace guard may weaken."
"It's certain to weaken her support among the army," I said.
Vomeir nodded in agreement. "Let us hope the rumor spreads far and fast."
Vomeir drifted ahead to talk to Sardis, although I suspect that he was thinking about Salisha. Her dream of becoming queen would never come true. His dream of becoming the queen's consort would never come true. Perhaps I should amend that. His dream of becoming Salisha's consort would never come true. There was still a chance--albeit a small one--that I might become queen. If that came to pass, I would have to take a consort. I could do a lot worse than Vomeir. He was tall, dark, muscular, and handsome. He had a square jaw, a closely trimmed beard, and intelligent brown eyes. Whether he would want to be my consort was a different matter.
"You seem lost in thought," Vomeir said. He had sent Sardis ahead, then dropped back alongside of me. "Thinking about your sister?"
I could feel my cheeks flush. I started out thinking about my sister, but had let my juvenile mind take a decidedly different turn. Dreaming about men and consorts had always been a weakness of mine, one I inherited from my randy mother. "Actually, I was thinking about you."
"I'm fine, Your Highness." Vomeir smiled, although it still seemed a bit forced to me. "After all, my queen is still alive."
"Yes, but your dream of becoming Salisha's consort is dead."
"That dream died a few weeks ago. I'm over her. Really."
I didn't believe him, but I didn't say anything, didn't have a chance to say anything because Sardis came galloping up to us.
"Small problem up ahead," he said. "A woodsman is heading this way with a cart full of firewood."
"Probably headed into the city to sell the wood," Vomeir said.
Sardis nodded. "Bedonna's men will question him when he reaches the bridge at Cross Creek. When they do, he'll tell them that he saw us."
Vomeir drew his sword. "So we kill him."
"No," I said. "I don't want any unnecessary killing."
"What would you have us do with him?"
"We'll take him with us. He knows these woods and mountains better than any of us."
"Makes sense," Miletus said. He, Derbe, and Zore had joined us, wondering what all the commotion was about.
"Looks like we're about to get ourselves a royal woodsman." Vomeir sheathed his sword. "Let's mount up and tell him about his new job."
We mounted our horses and headed off to confront the woodsman. I thought about my mother's final words to me. "Save your sisters."
She hadn't even been dead a day and I had already failed her.