“I would never be like him.”
“You can say that now because you were ripped free from his hold. I know you think your years in the Ivory Cape was a punishment, but I think it was a blessing. You were able to grow into the man you should be. You were given Clint, and you were able to live without the pressures of Gerrod’s expectations. The only reason you’re going to make a great king now is because you left.”
“You’re not trying to soften me, are you?” His smirk was the one he held as a child.
“No,” she chuckled. “I’m just being honest. It’s about time I try it out, don’t you think?”
“It suits you.”
And with those words another piece of her burden was lifted. She crawled back into the blankets next to Sora, and closed her eyes. She still dreamed of Cam’s face, but it was different. They were together, standing on one of the Ashen Forest’s hills, overlooking the distant shore. The princess was smiling and laughing. Their hands held each other, warm with their love. They were happy, and that was all Rya could hope for.
Forty
Journeying through the Obsidian Isles was far easier than it should have been. Kasen knew they were coming, and they’d expected to be met with guards at every settlement they saw, but they came across no one. The roads were deserted except for them, and not a single soul passed them by from their first camp to the next. The second day they skirted a village seeing only a handful of people milling around the narrow streets, all of them women and children. In fact, they hadn’t seen a single man during the three-day journey.
“This is insane,” Gavin complained. They were lying on their stomachs, crawling to the cliff edge to get a better look. The sea crashed below them, spraying a mist into the air, making the entire area smell of salt. “Why are we hiding like a snake in the grass? Why can’t we just stroll up there and tell them who I am?”
“That’s why,” Rya said, pointing down the hill to the castle’s outer wall. The perimeter of the keep was guarded on all sides by a vast army. It was larger than she’d left it, and for a moment she her hope deflated.
“I thought the army was fighting in the Ashen Forest.”
“They were,” she confirmed. “But Kasen called them all back when he realized we were heading north to find you.”
They were silent as they watched the men below. A few sat sharpening swords, or cleaning armor, but most were huddled around the fire pits, looking tired and sad.
“Look closer.” She nudged him. “It’s all the men from the villages.”
Gavin’s eyes scanned the group. “You’re right. He’s pulled them all to help guard the castle. These aren’t fighters, they are fishermen. He’s got children armed and standing guard, and old men who have no place in battle.”
“It should make for an easy fight. Half of them don’t know what they’re doing.”
“No,” Gavin argued. “You won’t charge through the crowd attacking anyone who moves. Those are innocent villagers. I doubt Father Kasen gave them a choice in whether they fight or not.”
“What do you propose we do, then?” Rya asked, annoyed. “They have every entrance to the castle surrounded. Even if we ignore the innocent victims, he still has real guards down there, with real swords.”
“We do the only thing we can do. We walk in peacefully and try to talk to them.”
“You’re not serious, are you?”
“It’s the best option we have. They have to know Kasen is using them. Why else would he force them to live outside the walls while he stays hidden inside? We just need to convince them it’s better for them and their families to turn on him. By the time we reach the gates we’ll have the full force of his army standing behind us.”
“You’re insane,” she scoffed. “We can try it your way, but the second it goes wrong I’m blasting someone.”
“Deal.”
She followed Gavin down the road that led to from the cliff side to the shore, both of them preferring his face be the first the people saw. Sora was behind her. He’d refused to stay at the top like she knew he would. She could have made him by trapping him with magic, but with their time together coming to a close, she couldn’t steal any of it from him.
When he’d insisted on coming with them, she’d armed him with the set of daggers Nix had abandoned in death. The weight of the blades in his hands gave him pause, and he shook his head.
“I don’t want them. Nix used them to hurt you, I can’t take them.”
“They were made for killing,” she explained. “But in your hands, they will only harm those who try to harm you. They won’t be used for evil any longer.”
“I don’t know,” he winced. His hands tightened around the hilts.
Rya smiled. “If anything, my blood has strengthened them.”
The slope of the ground evened out, and the trio marched towards the horde of men. From up high the camp looked shabby and the men unhappy, but now that they were closer Rya could see how horrible the conditions actually were. The tents were patched together and placed nearly on top of each other. The tight spaces didn’t allow the air to flow between them and the scent of sea water, sweat, and bodily fluids hung like a fog over the entire area. Rya held her nose as they zigzagged their way through the first few rows.
“Someone’s here,” a voice shouted.
“Is it Father Kasen?” another asked.
All around them chatter bounced from tent to tent, and the men started to come out from their shelters. They converged on the small group, circling them with questioning eyes. Some had swords at the ready, but most were worn and weak, unwilling or unable to start a fight.
Gavin pushed forward, searching for an open space in the cluster of mess. Rya grabbed Sora by the sleeve and followed. The last thing she wanted was to get lost in a sea of dirty men. Gavin stopped in a small cleared circle. Remnants of a fire pit sat in the center, but the embers were long dead.
The group was growing more confused and restless with their arrival, and Rya was getting nervous. Gavin kicked over a crate and stepped up onto it with his arms stretched out.
“People of the Obsidian Isles,” he shouted. “I ask you to come forward and hear my words.”
Others added to the mob, and the circle started to close in on them. Someone pushed Rya from behind, and instinctively she summoned a ball of fire from her hand. It hovered above her flesh, poised for defense.
“It’s the Black Queen,” one of the men yelled, and suddenly everyone was backing away, giving her a wide berth.
“I am Queen Rya,” she replied, speaking as loudly as she could. “I know Father Kasen has been feeding you lies. I did not murder King Gerrod, and while I know many of you won’t believe me, I’ve brought someone you may listen to.” She gestured to the young man standing on the crate in front of her. “I give to you Prince Gavin, son of Gerrod, and rightful heir to the Obsidian Isles.”
A collective gasp filled the air, and all the faces scanned Gavin with curiosity and mistrust. He’d been gone for years, growing into a man, and it had only just occurred to her that they may not recognize him. Her heart pounded in her chest as she waited for their reaction.
“The prince is dead,” someone called out. “He was killed after he was kidnapped.”
“That’s what Kasen wanted you to think,” Gavin answered. “He told many lies to many people, including myself. He is the one who stole me from my castle in the dead of night. He made me believe that my life was in danger here. He sent me to the Ivory Cape to hide until it was safe. After I was out of reach, he convinced my father I’d been kidnapped, and eventually that I’d been murdered. These are only a few of the lies we know about. Who knows how many other deceitful schemes he’s been a part of. What about you all? What has he told you about the reason you’re out stationed outside these walls?”
A murmur carried through the crowd.
“There’s a great threat against our kingdom,” a man shouted in reply. “The Father told us that he needs our help
to keep the Isles safe. He’s promised to pay us each in gold once the task is complete.”
“Let me ask you this,” Gavin continued. “If a war is coming to the Isles, how will Kasen pay you after you’ve given your life to protect him? Has he promised to send money to your families once you’re dead? If he cared about you at all, why would he have you camped out in your own filth and feces? Why would he have you getting sick out here in the cold while he’s inside feasting next to a fire?”
The noise from the group grew louder, and Gavin kept going.
“What about his challenge to the Ashen Forest? He sent the men to fight our neighbors when there’s been no cause to bring violence against them. A true leader would be fighting alongside you. Instead he’s hiding behind you all, waiting for everyone else to win his battles for him.”
The mutterings had turned into a roar. Rya shrank into the background, allowing Gavin the spotlight. They were looking at him with glowing faces, their eyes sparkling with the desire to stand by his side. This was his army, his people, and they would fight for him.
“I say,” Gavin shouted, “we put an end to Kasen’s lies. Allow me to enter the castle to confront him. Follow me into the outer ward, and I’ll stand him before you to answer for his cowardice. Let’s take back the Isles!”
Cheers erupted all around them, and men started to run off in every direction. They spread the word throughout the entire camp that the prince had returned.
Forty-One
Tents were knocked aside, kicked out of the way by those joining Gavin’s fight. He marched towards the castle gates with a fire in his eyes. Swords, pitchforks, and spears all raised behind him, bouncing with the chants of his followers.
“That was easy,” Rya said in a hushed voice, walking next to him.
“Everyone wants to keep hope. Kasen has treated them poorly, and because of that they were eager to believe in something better.”
“Not all of them.”
A wall of men was forming in front of them, blocking the main gates and pointing their weapons towards the oncoming mass. The crowd had been split, some wanting to follow their lost prince, others not trusting his words. The faces in front of Rya were confused and frustrated, searching for some direction but none came. Anyone who would shout orders had hidden themselves inside the walls, leaving the rest to fend off the oncoming crowd.
Gavin held up his hand, stopping his army a few yards in front of the line.
“Let us in,” he shouted. “Our fight is not with you.”
The patter of feet on stone was faint, but she could hear it. Archers had taken their place along the top of the turrets.
“We defend the king of the Isles,” one of the soldiers yelled.
“You serve a false king,” Gavin replied. “He has no right to wear the crown, not when your queen stands at my side, very much alive. I’m your prince, Gavin Hemply of the Obsidian Isles. If you won’t fight for Queen Rya, then at least fight for me.”
The wall of men did not move.
Gavin turned his back to them, facing the men who were willing to give their life for his. “If a battle is what they want, then that’s what we will give them. If any man yields, do not take his life. If any of them renounces loyalty to Kasen, he will be allowed to live. We only fight those who attack us in the name of the traitor.”
The hours spent with Cam in the forest had tuned Rya’s ears, and she picked up on the thunk of the bowstrings even at a distance. The split second it took for the arrows to reach Gavin’s back was enough for her. A wall of ice appeared between them, and the arrows struck the cold barrier instead of his skin. He turned to find the tips protruding out of the ice, still reaching for his body.
The world erupted around them. Men rushed forward, charging at the ones guarding the gate. A blast of sparks shot from the clashing of metal on metal. Gavin had disappeared, but Sora stayed at Rya’s side, waving his daggers at anyone who dared to come close. She spun around with her hand out, forming a circle of flame around the two of them for protection as her still healing bones splintered. She could smell the blood as swords found their marks. The arrows landed in the crowd, the archers clearly not caring who they wounded. The shaft of one stuck out from the ground at her feet, and she grabbed Sora by the arm, pulling him with her as jumped over the fire and ran towards the gates.
On both sides of the blocked opening men were scaling the walls, trying to make their way over before they were struck down from above. Her eyes found Gavin thrusting his sword into the belly of a solider. She pushed her way to his side, grabbing him by the arm. He turned with his blade raised, ready to strike, but stopped when he recognized her face.
“I can open the gates,” she exclaimed. “If you can keep the men off me, I can use my power to turn the cranks.”
“But your hand—” he argued. He pointed at the arm she cradled against her body.
“I don’t need both, I promise I can do it.”
The prince nodded, and him and Sora took their place at her back, placing themselves between herself and the fighting. She could see the cranks through a slit in the wall. All she needed was the time to concentrate, and she could move them. She’d spent years cutting herself off from everything around her, but now that she’d opened her heart it seemed her other senses opened with it, and the screams of the dying was louder than she’d expected. She focused her energy on the metal of the handle. She imagined it in her hand, and could feel the cold touch of it in her palm. Slowly it turned, clicking once and then again. Click after click the rope curled around itself, and the bars began to rise.
The men didn’t wait for the gate to completely open. They crawled under the rising bars in the second the opening was big enough. Many of the men loyal to Kasen dropped their weapons at the sight of the entry. A single tip of the scales and they were no longer quite willing to die for their Father.
Gavin’s men flooded the outer ward. Each building was taken by the crowd; those claiming loyalty to Kasen were restrained, and the rest ran outside to join the cheering mob as they moved on to the next building. In no time at all, townsfolk had claimed the ward in the name of Prince Gavin, but that wasn’t the end.
The inner ward came next. Anyone living within the castle walls had heard the commotion and tried barricading themselves indoors. It wasn’t enough to stop the persistence of the villagers. Doors were broken down and they flooded into each home. Once more, anyone on Gavin’s side was allowed to walk free, everyone else was bound and gagged. With both the inner and outer ward under his command, Gavin stopped his still growing army at the gate to the castle courtyard.
A stone path cut through the center and ended at a staircase that led to the castle’s front doors. Poised at the top of its steps stood Father Kasen.
He wore the deep purple cloak reserved for royal celebrations, and had placed the crown on top of his religious cap, combining the two as his symbol of ultimate power. He looked the part of a fearless leader, but Rya could see his hands trembling in the sleeves of those ceremonial robes.
Gavin put a hand on Rya’s shoulder. Her blood boiled at the sight of Kasen standing where she should be, but she knew they had to do this Gavin’s way. She nodded to the prince and he walked into the courtyard with herself only a few steps behind him. The mass of people who had followed them stayed at the entrance, including Sora.
“Arrest these intruders,” Kasen shouted. “Rya has murdered your king and she must pay for her crime.”
“Lies,” Gavin replied. He spoke loud enough to bridge the distance, but kept his tone calm. “You’ve told nothing but lies to these people. Like when you told them I had died. As you can see, I’m alive, and here to take back my kingdom.”
Two guards ran down the steps, but as they got closer to the prince they hesitated, unsure of who they should be following. Most of the soldiers had already fled, and the few that remained stood in the shadows, waiting to see how the argument played out. The only one still by Kasen’s side was Normand, t
he head of the Obsidian army. Gavin, however, had an entire village at his back, ready to fight if he commanded it.
Hundreds of pairs of lungs held their breath, waiting to see who made the first move.
Forty-Two
Tension filled the air, thicker than the stink of the men Kasen had left outside the castle walls. He narrowed his eyes, smirking at Rya from the top of the staircase.
“This man is an impostor,” he shouted. “He’s convinced you that he’s the prince, but I know that to be false. Prince Gavin is dead, and whoever this young man is he’s nothing more than a pawn in Rya’s game, sent here to confuse you.”
The crowd shifted, restless and uncertain.
“You’ve allowed yourself to be fooled,” he continued. “If he truly is the son of Gerrod, why doesn’t he prove it?”
Rya’s biggest fear had come true. She had crossed Kelda to find Gavin and bring him home, but there was no way for her to prove he was the prince they’d lost. She’d searched her brain from the beginning, trying to find a way to validate his lineage, but came up short every time. Kasen was a smart man and he knew she would have no way to provide proof of Gavin’s claim. The air had left her lungs, but the prince simply smiled.
“Normand,” he called out. “I see you standing by your rulers’ side. I applaud you for staying true to your word as a soldier of the Obsidian army. You’re a good man who has fought for his king, including my father. You were in the room during many of my lessons with him. I’m sure you remember them as well as I do.”
Rya paused while Gavin walked across the stone pathway, stopping at the bottom of the castle’s steps. He held up his hand, showing the back of it to the old guard.
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