by Dyan Chick
"Vlausburg is known for their ships. We haven't been able to duplicate their naval technology. My marriage with Yvette came with several of her countrymen in tow who worked directly with my fleet to improve it. With the coming Darkness, it made sense to prepare as best as we can."
Across the table from me, Lily winced at the mention of the Darkness. I swallowed the last grape on my plate. I could hear everybody chewing their food in the silence. It was clear that this was a subject that made everybody uncomfortable. I wanted to know more about how they were preparing to fight the Darkness, but didn't like how somber the tone of the room had grown.
"Lily," I said, breaking the silence, "do you remember finding out that you aligned with air? I didn't go through the testing as a child."
Lily straightened. "A little bit." She looked over at her father. "I was only four when I went through the test. I do remember being a little bit scared when the box opened. Nobody told me what we were doing, they just asked me to play with the boxes. What happened for you?"
"Oh, I don't know if I want to share my story. It isn't one of my finest moments."
"Please, share," Lily pressed her hands together.
"Yes, I want to hear," Mari said.
I glanced at Gaius. He was smiling at his daughters. The mood of the room had lightened since Yvette left. It was more comfortable.
"Well, it involved lots of failure, my first drink, and almost being killed by the king's guards," I said.
The girls' leaned forward in their seats and I laughed at their eagerness. I told them about sneaking out to the village and drinking my first glass of ale before finally getting an element box to open. They laughed as I recalled the story.
"Then what happened?" Lily asked.
"Well, that's when three members of the king's guard found us."
"What did you do?" Lily rested her chin in her hands, elbows on the table.
"I didn't do much of anything other than hide behind Ashton. He aligns with fire. I'd never seen a sorcerer use their power before that night. He created a wall of flames and took care of all of the guards. It was terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time."
"He took out three guards by himself? Before his trials?" Lily's mouth dropped open.
Ashton and Max were the only fire sorcerer's I knew, I never thought of what they could do as special, but from Lily's expression, I might be wrong. "Yes, this was a few weeks before his trials."
"Wow. All of the fire sorcerers I have trained with couldn't do anything like that. Even right before their trials. Mari's right, he might be a good head sorcerer."
"Isn't it sweet how he saved her life?" Mari said. "He's done it more than once, too."
I flushed. She was right, of course. Ashton had saved my life on multiple occasions.
"Where is Ashton now?" Gaius asked.
My eyes darted around the room. I wasn't sure if I should be giving the specifics of our plan to retrieve the stone.
The hesitation was enough for Gaius to put it together. "I see," Gaius said, "let us hope his habit of saving you is an indication he is loyal to you instead of his former master."
26
Ashton
Ashton woke to the smell of fresh bread. He rubbed his eyes and stretched. Taking a deep breath, he stared up at the ceiling, enjoying a moment of peace in a warm bed. He knew it was going to be the last time for a while that he'd be warm and comfortable.
He turned to see that Celeste was already awake. She was on her side watching him.
"Good morning," he said.
"Morning," she said through a yawn.
He glanced behind him at the small window in the room. Sunlight was already pouring in. They'd slept later than usual. "We better get going if we want to make any progress before it gets dark.'
Celeste pulled the blanket over her head for a minute then threw it aside. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "We better pack up."
It took them only minutes to dress and gather their few belongings. They headed down the stairs to find the innkeeper busy in the kitchen. She looked up from a pot she was stirring as they entered. "Have a seat, breakfast is ready."
"You didn't need to do all of this for us," Ashton said.
"Just sit and eat. You two have a long journey ahead of you, breakfast is the least we could do." She smiled as she scooped warm porridge into bowls for each of them.
They set their bags against the wall and sat down to eat. The innkeeper disappeared back into the kitchen then came out a few minutes later with a bundle wrapped in cloth. She set it down between them.
"A few loaves of bread. Should help keep you fed while you're on your journey. It's about a week to cross. You'll need to move quickly. Snow will be here any day."
Ashton smiled at her. "Thank you for your hospitality and your kindness. We appreciate it more than you know."
Edward came in through the front door. His pink nose and cheeks indicated that he'd already been outdoors for a while. "Breakfast ready?" he called to his mother.
"Have a seat, Edward. These two'll need your help in a bit to ready their horses." Jocelyn scooped porridge into a bowl for him.
"That's not necessary," Celeste said. "We can take care of our horses."
Jocelyn took a seat next to her son. She brushed his long bangs away from his eyes as he ate. "We might be forgotten by the king out here but we haven't forgotten where true loyalties lie."
Ashton's heart beat picked up in his chest and he had to force his face not to react. They'd been so careful to travel as commoners. Why would she say such a thing?
Jocelyn's gaze traveled to Celeste's hand, raised halfway to her mouth holding her spoon. Celeste put the spoon down in her bowl and clasped her opposite hand over the leather bracelet she was wearing. The Ouroboros burned into it was clearly visible.
How had they overlooked that? Ashton ran his hands through his hair and glanced around the room, wondering if they needed to leave right away.
Jocelyn laughed. "Please, don't worry. I noticed it last night when you arrived. It's why I pretended to believe that ridiculous story of yours. Nobody travels across the mountains to visit a parent this time of year, dying or not."
Celeste started to pull the lacing off of her bracelet to remove it. Jocelyn reached her hand across the table and set it on top of the bracelet. "Leave it on. Nobody will turn you in to the king for wearing it. Besides, the only thing you may encounter after you leave are the king's monsters that live in that castle across the peaks."
Ashton pushed his bowl away, no longer hungry. "You know about that?"
She nodded then turned to Edward. "Son, please go see that their horses are fed and brushed."
Edward crossed his hands over his chest and scowled at his mother. "You're just sending me away so I can't hear what you talk about. I'm almost ten. I'm practically a man."
Jocelyn lifted an eyebrow and pursed her lips. Her expression was enough to send Edward away from the table. He took heavy, stomping footsteps as he left, slamming the door behind him.
Jocelyn's face darkened. "I can only protect him for so long from the truth. I know when he finds out, his childhood will be over."
"What is it?" Celeste asked.
Jocelyn wrung her hands together and looked down for a moment before composing herself. "If you traveled through the village, you'd see that there are no men here. Only women and boys. I didn't even know I was with child when Edward's father was taken from us." She moved her hands under the table and took a few breaths.
"The king came through ten years ago and demanded that all the men follow him into the mountains. Those who resisted were killed and brought along as undead soldiers. They had no choice. He sent his Reapers from home to home, tearing them apart in search of any who looked old enough to pass as a man. Some of them were mere boys of 12 or 13. The king took them all up the pass and none of them returned."
Celeste gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.
Ashton shook his head. Anywhere
the king went, he brought terror and tore families apart. He was tired of seeing and hearing the stories of those left in his wake of terror. Getting rid of the Reapers might not put an end to the king, but it would weaken him and that was a start.
"You're going after it, aren't you?" Jocelyn's gray eyes stared into Ashton's. He clenched his jaw and wondered what he should say. If he told her the truth, he might get some information out of her that would help them. But he didn't know this woman and didn't know if she could be trusted.
Jocelyn took his silence for an answer. "They say it's hidden in the castle right outside the Illarian border. They say..." her voice cracked and she wiped away a tear, "that the men he stole from our village are protecting it." Her hand rose to her neck and rested there for a moment while she swallowed back the tears. "They say he turned them all into undead soldiers to guard the stone."
All this time, the women in this village had known where the stone was hidden. The king knew they wouldn't go after it. They wouldn't be able to face their husbands, brothers, and friends to take the stone. They couldn't leave their children unprotected. They might even feel like they are trapped here. The king had created a village of prisoners who guarded his deepest secret. So that was how Master Edward knew. He must have traveled through this village.
"I'm so sorry for everything you've been through," Celeste said.
"Tell me something." Jocelyn wiped her face and sniffed. "Is it true that the heir has returned? Is there hope that my son will get to grow old in a safe kingdom?"
Celeste smiled. "Yes, it's true."
"We're doing everything we can," Ashton said. "Things might get worse before they get better but you should be safe here. It's far enough away from the king's castle."
Jocelyn reached her hands across the table and rested them on top of Ashton's. "Can you do something for me?"
Ashton glanced at Celeste, unsure of how to react. Celeste covered Jocelyn's hands with her own. "What is it?"
Jocelyn looked from Ashton to Celeste, then back again. "If you come across the men from our village, kill as many of them as you can. Nobody deserves to be serving another after death."
Ashton leaned across the table so his face was a few inches away from Jocelyn's. "That," he said, "I can promise you."
Horses ready, Ashton and Celeste waved goodbye to their hosts and rode through the quiet village. There were not many people out but those they did see were all women. Heat rose in Ashton's stomach as he recalled the night his own mother was ripped from him. The Reapers had to be stopped. Tightening his legs around the horse, he picked up the pace. They rode out of the village and onto the rocky pass toward the summit of the mountain. It would be several days to the top.
The pass was steep and only allowed for one horse at a time and could only be traveled on by daylight. This time of year, darkness set in early so they would have to go as quickly as possible during the time they had.
The first two days they made excellent progress. The terrain was difficult, but the horses handled it well. They found streams to keep the horses in fresh water and grass for them to eat. They slept on a bed of dry pine needles and listened to the sound of the nighttime insects and animals as they settled down for the evening.
On the third day, the trail grew steeper and the horses struggled to find solid footing. Their progress slowed. By the time they stopped to make camp that night, they found that the vegetation they had relied on had changed. Instead of trees, they were now surrounded by low shrubs and rocks. Their breath came out in clouds as the temperature dropped.
Ashton broke out some oats they had packed for the horses and shared the remaining bread with Celeste while a rabbit cooked over the fire. They didn't talk much when they stopped. Ashton felt his chest growing heavier with each passing day. They were getting closer to the castle and facing whatever protections the king had in place. The sword Thomas gave him was sitting next to him on the ground. He picked it up and looked at the reflection of the bade in the firelight. How was he going to defeat the king's undead guards?
"Think we'll be at the top tomorrow?" Celeste asked.
Ashton set down the sword. "Might be. We won't be able to stop at the top. It'll be too cold up there to camp. We'll have to summit and descend a bit before nightfall."
Celeste was quiet for a few minutes. She turned the rabbit over the fire. Fat dripped from it making the fire crackle and sizzle. The smell of cooking meat should have made Ashton feel hungry, but his appetite was gone. He didn't know if it was from the altitude or the impending battle.
"I'm scared, Ashton."
"Me too," he said. "We don't know what to expect. That's what makes it so challenging. But we can do this. We have to." His fingers found the ring on the chain around his neck.
"She's going to be so happy to see you when we get back," Celeste said.
He dropped the ring and reached for a stick to poke around in the fire. He wasn't so sure about that, he'd said some terrible things. Would she understand what he had been trying to do? "You think so?"
Celeste smiled. "Yes. You two are perfect together."
"She'll have to forgive me, first." Ashton poked at the rabbit. "I think it's done."
Celeste pulled the rabbit down and set it on a flat rock so it could cool a little.
"You know," Celeste said as she handed Ashton a steaming piece of rabbit. "She won't be able to forgive you if you don't forgive yourself."
Ashton ignored her as he ate his food. The guilt of listening to Sir Henry and breaking Etta's heart was eating away at him. He should have refused, he should have fought for her. How had he been so quick to let her go? It was going to take a lot of work to be able to forgive himself for making that mistake. He wasn't sure he'd be able to do it until he'd won Etta back. After a few bites, he looked at Celeste. "I'll take first watch, why don't you get some rest."
They kept the fire burring through the night. The chances of somebody finding them in the mountains was slim so the fire was worth the risk. While Celeste slept, Ashton pulled the ring out from its place behind his tunic and held it in his fingers. He could just barely make out the engraving on the sides. One half of the ring had flames and the other half had tiny snowflakes. He knew they hadn't know each other long, but he couldn't imagine life without her. When he had seen the work of a jeweler in a town near the Raven camp, he knew he had to have a ring made for Etta. It wasn't gold, it didn't have any precious gems, but it was so much more than that. It represented the two of them. His fire and her ice. It was a testament to how they came together, how their powers combined when the kissed. Tucking the ring back under his tunic he thought about Celeste's words. Could he forgive himself?
Sitting alone in the dark gave him too much time alone with his thoughts. Finally, it was time to wake Celeste. He pulled a blanket up over him and fell into a dreamless sleep.
27
Etta
"And this is the ballroom," Mari threw open the double doors, revealing a huge room with a polished wood floor. "This is where we have parties. All of the chandeliers are lit and it's just beautiful."
"I'm sure it is," I said. After breakfast, I'd agreed to let Mari show me around her home. The castle was full of elaborate and beautiful rooms. I had a hard time grasping why one would need so much space. "Is it just your family that lives here?"
We walked down the marble hallway, Mari leading me to our next stop. "There's us, some high-ranking members of the court, and our servants. There's even a wing for the sorcerers and our highest-ranking guards. Though, they sometimes stay with family members when they aren't needed here."
She stopped walking. "You know, none of them have gone home since we found out about you. I'm not allowed to be part of the high council meetings until I turn eighteen. But I can tell they're planning something."
"Maybe they're worried the king will try to come here?" I suggested. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I knew it was the truth. Why else secure an alliance with Sardinia? Why else
use me to make the Darkness stronger? The king had to be planning to do what he did to Illaria in other kingdoms. Why hadn't I seen it sooner?
Mari took a deep breath. "I think you're right." She looked down, then back up at me. "You know, a lot of people around here don't take me seriously. They speak to me like I'm fragile, like I don't understand what is in store for me when I become queen. With the exception of fighting, I was educated like any prince would be."
She took my hand in hers. "You and I are coming into power in dark times. I'm glad we'll have each other."
I smiled at her. I knew too well what it was like to be treated as if I wasn't capable of the job we had been born into. "You're going to make an amazing queen."
"Your highness?"
We both turned to see a guard standing behind us.
"Yes?" Mari said.
The guard bowed. "Pardon the intrusion, but the king has asked for a word with our guest in his study."
"Thank you." Mari turned from the guard to me. "I'll show you where it is."
I sat in a high backed wooden chair in front of a fireplace. Gaius' study was large but felt cozy. The walls were lined with panels of dark wood and plush carpets covered the entire floor. A huge desk positioned in front of three windows took up a quarter of the room.
"I've asked to meet you in private so we can discuss the conditions of our treaty and the details of your request for aid." Gaius leaned back in his chair and rested his hands on the arm rests.
"Thank you," I said.
"We'll have to meet with my council to draw up the formal documents, but I know this process is new to you. I didn't want to overwhelm you and thought you might want to know what to expect."