Battle of Illaria: Book Three of the Illaria Series

by Dyan Chick

  Mari entered and I closed the door behind her. "Good morning." She waved in the direction of the bed and I tuned to see that Celeste was awake, sitting on the bed. Her dark curls surrounding her face like a cloud of hair.

  "Good morning." Celeste got off the bed and walked over to us.

  "Mari, this is my friend, Celeste," I said, "Celeste, this is my cousin, Mari."

  Turning to Mari, lowered her head, and greeted Mari in Gallic. "It's so nice to meet you, your highness."

  Mari smiled, and spoke to her in rapid-fire Gallic. I caught some of the words exchanged between them, but my study of the language had typically been done with practice conversations and reading books. True conversation was challenging to keep up with.

  After a few minutes, Mari switched back to Illarian. "I'd love to stay and talk, but father sent me to invite you to breakfast. He says you'll be meeting the sorcerers after."

  "Of course," I said, glancing down at the nightgown I'd been given. "Let me change, then we can go."

  As Celeste and I changed into the fresh dresses that had been left for us last night, Mari asked us questions about the battle and what had happened in the few hours I'd been away from Gallia. She seemed horrified by everything I told her.

  "You're still going to go fight after all of that?" she asked. "I mean, you have the Gallic army, you could stay here where it's safe and let them fight for you."

  I laced up the ribbon on the sleeves of the far too-fancy dress I was now wearing. "I have to fight. What sort of message will it send to my people if I'm not willing to fight for my own throne?"

  Mari's forehead creased. "You must hate me."

  "Why would you say that?" I asked.

  "Because I grew up here." She opened her arms and gestured around the opulent room. "I never had to struggle or fight for anything. I just get to be queen and you have to go out there and fight for it."

  "Oh, Mari." I walked over to her and rested my hand on her shoulder. "I don't hate you. It's not your fault I'm in this situation. And I know you're going to make an amazing queen."

  "So will you." She pulled me in for a hug.

  I was going to have to get used to all the affection from her. If everything went according to plan, I'd be Queen of Illaria and one day, she’ll be the Queen of Gallia. She was family, something I'd spent my whole life dreaming of. She tightened her grip on me, adding a sense of urgency to the embrace. I could feel her fear coming though. Like she had said, she'd grown up protected. Even though she wasn't going out to fight, the upcoming battle had to be causing her fear. I squeezed back. "It's going to be fine. We're going to win."

  She let go of the hug, and took a deep breath. "We have the best army in the word, of course we will."

  Despite her confident words, I could still sense the tension in her. What did it mean that someone who wasn't even going to be anywhere near the battle was afraid? I swallowed back the flicker of fear that had cut through my nerves. This wasn't the time to worry. We still had another day before we'd challenge the king. Glancing behind me, I saw Celeste standing in silence. She seemed lost for words. I wondered if she was feeling the same thing I was.

  "Shall we go?" I asked Mari.

  The three of us walked away from the room, my guards following silently behind me.

  Celeste and I followed Gaius down a long corridor lined with paintings of serious looking men in armor. They appeared to follow me with their eyes. I shivered. When we exited the corridor, the marble floors I had grown accustomed to in the castle changed to gray stone. The walls were made of the same gray stone and the lack of windows made the space darker. I crossed my arms over my chest against the sudden temperature drop.

  "We're in the sorcerer wing," Gaius said. "This part of the castle is actually the original castle built by my family 600 years ago. The sorcerers asked to have this part of the castle after they joined our household when my great-grandfather was king."

  I looked up at the high, gray ceilings. There was nothing in this space to personalize it or make it look in the least bit cheerful. It reminded me of a dungeon. We passed several closed wooden doors then the hallway opened into a large common room with two massive fireplaces. The room had no windows and was lit by candles in sconces along the walls.

  Several chairs and thread-bare couches were scattered about the room. On a few small tables, books were piled up so high they stood taller than me. I worried some of the piles may fall if a breeze were to pass through the room.

  Two men occupied a semicircle of chairs in a corner near one of the fireplaces. My heart leapt at the sight of man with long gray hair. For a moment, I thought he was Master Flanders, then I remembered I'd never see him again.

  Gaius cleared his throat. Both men turned, then stood and bowed at the king.

  "Masters," Gaius said. "I'd like to formally introduce Elisabetta Aqualine, rightful Queen of Illaira."

  The man who I had first taken as Master Flanders smiled. He had warm brown eyes and a kind face. "I'm happy to see you return to Gallia, Master Moreau." The man turned to me and bowed his head. "It's a pleasure to meet you, your highness, I am Master Colin."

  I inclined my head. "Nice to meet you, master."

  The second man, a squat, bald man with watery gray eyes approached. He was wearing the long green robes that the sorcerers who were at my arrival had worn, though I didn't recall seeing him that day. He stopped in front of me and dropped into a low bow.

  When he stood, I realized he was a little shorter than me, which was unusual for a man. "It's a pleasure to meet you, your highness. I am Master Marcus, head sorcerer of Gallia."

  I curtseyed. "Nice to meet you, Master."

  Gaius turned to Celeste. "And this is -"

  "Celeste Moreau." Master Colin said. "It's nice to see you again, Master Moreau."

  I looked over at Celeste. To me, she'd been my friend Celeste for so long now, I had forgotten that she was a full sorcerer after the trials. I'd never once referred to her proper title.

  Gaius raised an eyebrow and looked from Celeste to Master Colin.

  "She was one of our star pupils at the Academy, your grace," Master Colin said. "She never returned after completing her trials."

  "She stayed to help me," I said.

  "Well, isn't that extraordinary," Gaius said. "I knew a few of our sorcerers had offered to help. I didn't realize we had such a recent member in the inner circle of the queen of Illaria." He smiled.

  "I wouldn't be here without her," I said.

  "I can't wait to hear all of the stories when this is finished," Gaius said.

  "If you'll excuse me, Masters." Gaius looked around at everyone gathered. "I have a few things to see to. Master Marcus, can you see to it that Etta finds her way to my study when you are finished?"

  He bowed to the king. "Of course, your majesty."

  "Can we sit?" he gestured to the chairs they had just come from. I inclined my head and followed him.

  Arranging my dress, I sat into a chair covered with a faded, pink fabric. It had probably been red at one point but time had taken the vibrancy from it.

  Master Marcus and Master Flanders took seats across from me. Master Marcus didn't waste any time with formality. "I hear you can produce arctic fire."

  I glanced at Celeste. Was this how people started conversations in Gallia? She nodded.

  "That's correct." I smoothed the skirt of my dress and folded my hands in my lap.

  Master Marcus made a whistling sound and leaned back in his chair. "I'm impressed. I've never met any sorcerer who can do that." He leaned closer to me. "Though, there are so few water sorcerers in existence as it is."

  His comment made me squeeze my hands together. Was he downplaying my abilities? I'd grown so used to people being in awe of my powers, I couldn't tell if he was trying to dismiss it due to the lack of people who aligned with water in the first place.

  Master Marcus rested his chin on his hand. "I suppose that you are still learning to control it?"

/>   "I practiced with Master Flanders every day for the last few weeks. I'm getting better at control." My stomach flipped as I recalled our training sessions. There wasn't anyone to train me anymore.

  "I was hoping you'd bring your Master Flanders with you again, he's a very talented sorcerer and we could use his expertise," Master Colin said.

  My shoulders sunk and I looked down at my hands. "He was killed by the king when we were attacked yesterday."

  The room was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry to hear that," Master Colin said.

  "He will be missed," Master Marcus said. "There will be many losses tomorrow, but if all of us sorcerers work together, we should be able to change the tide."

  I looked up at him. "What do you need me to do?"

  "First," he said. "I need you to not get killed. That arctic fire of yours might be the key to helping bring down the king. He's not undead, but his life has been magically prolonged. We're not sure what will truly kill him, but based on my research, your fire might be our best bet."

  I nodded. All this time, we'd been working toward killing the king. We needed to remove him from power. There was nothing I liked about the king and while I wanted to see him dead, I never thought I would be the one who would deal him the killing blow he deserved. Something dark rose inside me at the thought. I had kept the Darkness contained for the last few days, but the thought of taking down the king, of ending this war and claiming my throne sent my emotions into overdrive. I took a deep breath, working to clear my mind. If I did kill the king, I was going to do it on my own. I wouldn't let the Darkness in. "I'll be ready."

  40

  Max

  Max paused in front of the double doors that led to the royal chapel. The guests had already arrived and every eye would be fixed on him as he walked to his place at the front. He looked down at the black velvet tunic he wore. The gold embroidery was stitched on in a subtle pattern that incorporated the phoenix and flames of the house he was marrying into. It should have been the other way around, his family crest being the focus, but given his illegitimate birth, the king had insisted on retaining his own crest.

  Taking a deep breath, Max nodded to the guards in front of the doors. This wedding was the last thing he would have to do as the king's supporter. Once he and Nora were married, there was nothing stopping them from taking over the kingdom.

  As the heavy doors swung open, Max held his chin high and kept his eyes forward. He didn't want to look at the faces of the people who were gathered for this. They weren't loyal to him or Nora, they were the king's supporters. His own Dragons were absent today, making sure that the king felt no threats.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Max could see the important people of Illaria watching him. He smiled as they rose when he walked by. These people who had shunned him because of his lesser birth now had to at least pretend to respect him. All of the people here had been asked to denounce the king and rise up with the Ravens. None of them had been willing to sacrifice their comforts and their titles to do what was right. Max was going to enjoy making them all pay for their choice.

  At the end of the aisle, Max greeted the priest, then turned to face the heavy doors. They'd been closed again in anticipation of the arrival of the princess. A bead of sweat trickled down Max's forehead and he ignored it, trying to maintain an expression of indifference. As if he'd always known he'd marry the heir to the throne.

  Horns sounded from outside the doors and they swung open to reveal Nora, bathed in sunlight from the windows in the hallway. The music grew louder as the musicians moved through the door and stood on either side of it, moving into a festive processional tune.

  The people in the chapel stood and lowered themselves into bows as the king walked up the aisle with his daughter. Nora had shed her usual black in favor of a gold and ivory gown heavy with pearls and lace. The train of her dress trailed behind her leaving a golden river in her wake. The pattern woven on the dress matched the pattern on Max's tunic. Every detail had been planned to demonstrate the importance of this wedding. The king had made it clear to his inner circle that the unfortunate death of Nora's first husband would not leave his daughter as a widow before she even turned twenty.

  They walked slowly up the aisle, pausing when they reached the altar. As was tradition, King Osbert took hold of his daughter's hand, and Max's hand, bringing the two together. He faced the gathered crowd. "Blessings on this day, the day that two become one."

  King Osbert clasped Max and Nora's hands together and held them up to for all to see, then he lowered them, and let go, leaving the couple joined hand in hand. Max bowed to the king, eyes lowered, trying to look as humble as possible.

  Nora curtseyed to her father, then took hold of Max's other hand, signaling the beginning of the ceremony. Max glanced at the front row, which had been left vacant. King Osbert sat alone, watching the ceremony.

  The priest raised his hands above his head, indicating the start of the ceremony. Max's stomach twisted in anticipation. This was what they had been waiting for. If the king was going to stop them, he would have done it already. Once the words were spoken, Max and Nora would be married. Only death could undo a royal wedding bond.

  The priest began the wedding rite, telling the story of the gods blessing the first people and teaching them to care for each other. The next several minutes were a blur to Max as he repeated the words the priest asked him to say. He hardly registered what was being said. This had been the plan, but now that he was in the midst of the wedding, now that he was actually going through with it, it didn't seem real.

  Even during his time with the Ravens, Max had known he'd need to marry to secure his legacy once he gained the throne, but it had seemed so far away and so out of reach. He hadn't ever paused to think about who that partner would be. Now, he was staring into the face of the woman who was about to be his wife. Soon, he'd be the heir to the Illarian throne in his own right. He'd always wanted to be king, but he never thought this was how he would gain the crown.

  Nora squeezed Max's hands, bringing him back to the present. He looked over to see that the priest had produced two wreathes for the couple. The bride's had been made of flowers woven by children to promote fertility. The groom's was a circle of carved oak to represent strength and wisdom.

  Max smiled at Nora, trying to reassure her. She had taken just as much of a risk as he had by going through with this plan. While she made it clear she held affection for Max, he knew she could have been with any man she wanted. If it weren't for her desire to be queen and to put an end to her father's reign, they wouldn't be about to exchange wedding wreathes.

  Max took the flower wreath from the priest and placed it on the princess' lowered head. Her bow was symbolic of her submission to her husband. The priest himself put the wreath on Max's head. With the exchange complete, the couple faced the priest for the end of the ceremony.

  Max hadn't seen a formal wedding ceremony performed since before the Battle of the Dead. He wasn't quite sure what happened next. In front of them, the priest held a bound, leather book. He began to read from it, something in ancient Illarian, that Max could barely make out. He'd neglected his studies after joining the Ravens and until this point, hadn't needed to know language of his ancestors. Cheers erupted around them as the priest closed the book. Max turned to Nora in surprise. The priest leaned down to them. "You can kiss her now."

  Max leaned in, kissing Nora and completing the wedding rite. A swell of pride surged through him. They'd done it. Max and Nora were officially the heirs to the throne. Now all they needed to do was take what was theirs.

  41

  Etta

  The room was dark and quiet. Shadows played across the ceiling from the flickering firelight. I knew I should be in bed but sleep wasn't coming easy tonight. I sat on the couch in front of the fire, tracing the etchings on my pendant with my finger. The metal glowed in the light of the fire, making the Ouroboros of my family's crest even more dramatic. The fire cracked and a few sparks fle
w out, landing on the already singed rug in front of the fireplace.

  Leaning back against the couch, I tucked the pendant back under my clothes. Tomorrow, we would be making our run for my throne. If we won, would I start feeling like the queen I said I was?

  Closing my eyes, I tried to imagine what the battle might look like. What would it feel like to be surrounded by that many armed men and sorcerers? Would I even be able to get to the king? What if our plan failed? What if it didn't? When faced with the chance, would I be able to kill the king? Would I be strong enough? What if Max showed up? Could I really kill my own brother? The questions kept filling my mind, churning over and over. Occasionally, the slither of the Darkness found its way into my thoughts. So far, I'd been able to send it away easily, but this was a safe room away from the dangers of a war. Taking a deep breath, I worked to clear all my thoughts away. I needed to be focused for tomorrow. I didn't even want to consider what would happen if we didn't win.

  Fear washed over me as I realized what a loss would mean. I hadn't let myself think about it before, but I knew that if we didn't win, there probably wouldn't be a day after tomorrow for me. If we lost, it would be the end.

  42

  Max

  Max and Nora led the way outside the castle into an outdoor courtyard that had been transformed for the celebration of their wedding. Above them, hundreds of glowing fireballs floated, filling the night sky like giant fireflies. They let off heat, keeping the space warm despite the cold weather. Bare trees free of their leaves were wrapped in gold silk and the fountain near the castle at the back of the courtyard was pouring purple water. Tables covered in purple and gold fabric dotted the space and tables laden with food were set up on the edges.