The Crown Prophecy

by M. D. Laird

  “We are all in danger,” she snapped. “Whether Calab wanted it or not we are all doomed. I could have done something. I might have saved everyone.”

  “It was a trap, Your Majesty,” said Malachi. “Master Calab was the bait.”

  “I know that,” she spat. “You think I don’t know that? I was prepared to give my life, I still am.”

  “Your life is sacred, Queen. It is important. You should not be so quick to throw it away.”

  “Aren’t the lives of everyone in Arkazatinia worth more than mine?”

  “You don’t have to make dramatic decisions to prove that you’re a worthy queen.”

  “That’s not what I’m doing.”

  “Isn’t it?”

  She could hear Calab’s words echoing in her mind: The fact that they have low expectations is itself an advantage, and it would not take a great act to impress them. She could also hear Will’s words: They’re not your people, not really. She pushed the thoughts aside. “No, I want to save everyone.”

  “Your role as queen is to keep your people safe,” said Malachi. “You also have a responsibility to keep the Crown safe and to stay alive for your people so that you can serve them. You cannot throw away your life and your Crown to save one man—no matter how much you love him.”

  “I was trying to save everyone,” she argued, but she knew he was right. Deep down Eve was mostly thinking of Calab which was why she had not confided in the alliance when she received the note and had told only Lady Ariana who would do nothing. But, it was all for nothing anyway—Calab was dead.

  “You can still save everyone.”

  “How?”

  “You need to have hope,” he said.

  Eve sighed. She was hoping for something more tangible—perhaps a message from Heaven that told her of her purpose and what she needed to do. Instead, he told her to have hope.

  How very cliché.

  She snarled inwardly. “Do you have any more practical suggestions?”

  Malachi smiled and raised his hand to her cheek to wipe the tears that were starting to dry. Her skin felt warm under his touch—not hot, as it was when Calab touched her—it was just warm. There was something more to his touch. She raised her eyes to meet his and her breathing ceased. She could not recall the colour of his eyes before, and she could not speak the colour now, it was just…good. She was looking into Heaven—into a pure and wholesome light. It filled her with joy, happiness and…hope.

  Eve did not know how long she had stared into Malachi’s eyes, or how long she sat with him beside her with his hand to her cheek. It was long enough for her to have fallen asleep and she woke the next morning having been placed in her bed. Her weapons had been removed and were on the floor beside her. She felt rested, but whatever hope she had felt from looking into Malachi’s eyes was fading, and she was once again filled with panic, regret, heartbreak, and rage all swarming around her and making her nauseous.

  What is the use of him showing me hope if it is only there while I’m looking at it?

  She, at least, had slept.

  Eve could not bear the thought of standing once more in her library trying to make sense of her map, especially when she remembered it was now scattered across the floor. Instead, she armed herself and made her way to the training fields and joined some of the Impærielas who were out early—perhaps working off some nervous energy and anxious about the first and potentially last battle of their lives. Lieutenant Aryn-Lexas of Sabre Company was also out training.

  “Good morning, Your Majesty,” he bowed towards her. “The companies are fully stocked with ammo, and we have supplies ready to go as soon as we are.”

  “Thank you, Lieutenant,” she said, nodding towards him. “I think we’re as prepared as we can be.” He nodded in agreement though she sensed from his expression that he was not confident in their preparation. “I’m going to the melee field if you’d like to join me.”

  She sparred with the lieutenant and several members of Sabre Company who reminded her just how much more superior they were with a sword than she was. Still, she fought well and was able to fight offensively at times. Her body was still much slower and weaker than the thorian despite the extra work to increase her strength.

  Sweating and exhausted she returned to her room to shower and felt no more relieved of the agony than she had been the previous day. Her grief for Calab was hanging over her like the Sword of Damocles just waiting to fall, pierce through her and shatter her into a million pieces. She could not afford to break down. She had to stay in one piece. Panic threatened her every time she thought about Calab. Where would he have gone? Asmodeus had made it clear he had no place in Hell, but would that mean he had a place in Heaven? Would he be in the dreadful limbo of the vexed souls forever pining for light? Perhaps that was preferable to the bowels of Hell. Nothing was preferable to having him by her side. She shoved her thoughts deep inside her. She could not let herself think about Calab. She had to get through this, had to survive and had to make sure her people survived.

  The thorian, hominem, angel, demon and fae armies of Laurentia finally arrived after two days. They had used every available vector and aerial vector to transport them all, and the Laurentians were now camped on the edge of the planes. The Laurasian armies had gathered and were ready to move towards the Elion. The scouts still had not located the Alchitch but were keeping a close eye on any witches who were not Cloaked in Gondwana. The alliance focussed their watch on the Elion, and the scouts gave regular updates on their movements.

  “Is there no way to trace the Alchitch?” Eve asked Orrla during a meeting of alliance leaders and captains of each of the armies. “They managed to find the fae realm when it was Cloaked, could you not find them like you did the epicentre?”

  “We are already working on that,” said Orrla. “We have yet to find any trace of them. Their Cloaks have become stronger and more proficient. They are mastering the magic it seems.” Orrla’s answer gave Eve less assurance that they would survive.

  “Try and concentrate on the planes at the foot of the Parmenides,” said Eve. “That is where they wanted to meet me, and they cast the last spell in the mountains.”

  “Yes, we have done just that,” said Orrla, “we can find no trace of them.”

  The meeting continued with battle tactics on which Tharazan and the hominem patriarchs took the lead. Eve sat back and listened to what was said—she supported their suggestions, as she had no battle experience herself.

  The feeling of impending doom crept further upon her, and she shielded against it with a cold wash of numbness. Her resolve was faltering with each passing hour as her consciousness reminded her that Calab was dead and she had done nothing to save him. Rage was bubbling inside her. Rage at the Alchitch for taking Calab and threatening her people, at Araziel and Kyriel for stopping her from meeting the Alchitch, at Lady Ariana for being vague and unhelpful, at Asmodeus for his cryptic messages, and at herself and the alliance for not having a clue how to save everyone.

  Eve left the meeting to return to her guild flanked by her guard which had now been increased to eight. Thalia approached her. Her eyes were puffy, and she looked like she had not slept.

  “How are you, Your Majesty?” she asked. Eve felt her lip wobble and forced back the tears that began to emerge.

  “I just need to hold it together,” she said. “I can’t think about Calab.” Thalia nodded and reached to hug her. Eve stopped her. “Don’t,” she said. “I won’t be able to stop myself from crying if you hug me.” Thalia nodded again. Eve was about to turn and was suddenly filled with guilt. Calab was Thalia’s dearest friend. Maybe she needed comfort. “I’m sorry Thalia,” she said. “I know he is…was your friend. I just can’t deal with grief at the moment.”

  “I understand,” she said. “I’m here when you need a shoulder to cry on.”

  Eve gave a grim smile. “They are going to pay for this. I know you won’t want to hear that, but
we are going after them anyway, and in my heart, it is for vengeance.” Thalia gave Eve an anxious stare but said nothing.

  Eve left the guild escorted by her guards. Amongst them were Araziel and Kyriel who she ignored fearing that she would slit both their throats with the Uriel blade.

  A week had passed, and no further progress had been made in tracing the Alchitch, and they had received no further warnings from them. The Elion remained assembled several days’ march from the Eurasian border and scouts watched and waited for them to make a move.

  Eve had isolated herself more and more each day and could not bear the company of anyone. The daily alliance meetings were strained, and she was becoming more and more irritable. She tried to remember Calab’s advice and warned herself constantly to keep up the appearance of being a calm and thoughtful queen, but she was beginning to show cracks and had felt herself becoming snappier each day. She did not know how much longer she could hold onto the façade or how much longer she could shut out the grief that was threatening to envelop her or how much longer she could maintain her rage at a simmer.

  She remained in her room for the most part and left only for the alliance meetings and for early morning training. Much of her functioning was automatic, and she was aware of very little of what she did. When she got on the training field, it was a different matter. She had not practised ranged weapons since Calab’s death, preferring the melee weapons as an outlet for her aggression. Her practice was too aggressive and lacked focus. Her own captain had reprimanded her after she had drawn Lieutenant Aryn-Lexas’ blood during a sparring match the previous day. Captain Lexas was in the field early again as Eve approached.

  “Good morning, Your Majesty,” he said, grinning sheepishly. “I will spar with you today if you promise not to gut me.”

  She forced a weak smile. “I’ll try not to,” she replied, unsheathing her sword and taking up her position. “Is the Lieutenant okay?”

  “He will recover quickly, Your Majesty.” The captain smiled. “Though you would not think it if you saw him, he is having me wait on him hand and foot.”

  Eve smiled guiltily. “Tell him I am sorry.”

  “I shall, Your Majesty.”

  Captain Lexas’ blood remained securely inside his body though her fighting style continued in the fashion of crashing her sword as hard as possible against anything that moved and lacked any finesse or accuracy. The captain made his excuses and left the field shortly after beginning to spar with her, probably fearing that one wrong move could cost him a limb. She was inclined to agree and not wanting to maim anyone else, she asked her guards to spar with her instead, feeling their lightning speed and strength would keep them safe however she fought.

  Her guards obliged her, and they fought defensively blocking every vicious blow she gave them and allowing her to vent her rage upon them. Her resolve cracked more with every crash of steel and every feeling she had locked away thundered through her veins. When she could not lift her blade anymore, she sank to her knees and sobbed. Malachi lifted her effortlessly into his arms before transferring her to her quarters away from onlookers. He asked Turel to send for some tea and sat beside her on her sofa.

  “I can’t hold things together much longer,” she said. “I feel like I’m teetering on the edge of an abyss. Sometimes I feel I am going to fall in, and the rest of the time I want to jump in.” Malachi held her hand gently, his skin soft showing no signs of wear unlike hers which were calloused from training. “I have a purpose in Arkazatinia,” she said. “I’m supposed to figure out what it is, but I don’t have a clue. I think it has something to do with Calab. I had a mind map in my library detailing everything I thought might be significant. I tore it down the day Calab died, and I haven’t been able to face it since then. Calab’s death belongs on that map somewhere, but I can’t face adding it.”

  “This burden is not yours alone to bear, Your Majesty,” said Malachi.

  “But it is down to me to figure out my purpose,” she said. “Fate has intervened at every step of the way. It has brought Calab into my life for a reason and has taken him away from me for a reason. I just don’t know why. I need to figure it out, but I can’t stand to think about it.”

  “Perhaps you are overthinking things,” he said. “Perhaps you need to clear your mind. Angels use meditation to accomplish this—as do the Impærielas—it may help, if only to help you to relax.”

  Eve sipped at the tea the demon had given her. “I suppose it beats trying to maim everyone,” she said weakly.

  Her guards had left her to rest, and she had been lying on her bed when Ezra entered with a letter for her from Lycea.

  Hi Eve,

  I know I am probably the last person you want to hear from right now, but my dad told me about Calab, and I just wanted to say that I am sorry. I know he meant a lot to you. This is probably the worst time to bring this up, but I have wanted to write to you since I left. I wish things hadn’t ended between us the way they did and I regret the things I said to you. I was angry with myself and with Arkazatinia, and I hated that you were caught up in it all because of me. I never wanted to be a guardian, but I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you because you have accepted your role.

  I want to thank you for releasing me from the role. My dad was furious with me, but as you say, ‘he’ll get over it’. I think not having the burden on me, and my future generations will make me happy. My dad thinks you have set a precedent now, so I apologise if you’re swamped with requests from guardians to leave.

  I hope you can find happiness, Eve. I know what you are going through right now is hard, but I hope that everything turns out OK for you. You will always mean a lot to me, and I will always love you though I know our lives are too different and it is better this way. I will never forget you, our friendship or our time together.

  Your BFF

  Will

  xx

  Tears stung her face as she read Will’s letter. It hurt to hear from him, to hear that he was moving on though she felt a little warm for him. She was glad that he had no regrets.

  Hi Will,

  Thank you. Calab was a great friend, and I miss him a lot. I miss you as well, but as you say, things are better this way. I still love you very much, but as much as I miss you, I want you to move on with your life. I want you to be happy. You deserve to be happy. You have always been my best friend, I will always remember the time we had together, and no matter what happens, I will never forget you.

  You should not blame yourself for bringing me to Arkazatinia. I have a feeling I was always meant to come here. I am still trying to figure out why, but everything happens for a reason. Take care, Will, and be happy.

  Love always

  Your BFFAE

  Eve

  xx

  Cadan strode through the camp with Coryn at her side.

  “Is everything prepared for our next move?” she asked.

  “It would seem so though I am unclear of the plan when we meet the queen,” said Coryn.

  “The plan is the same as before. We need her to surrender the Crown.”

  “How? Is there even a plan? You have told us nothing.”

  “You know enough,” said Cadan, grinning wickedly. “She’ll hand over the Crown when she sees her people dying around her.”

  Coryn gave an exasperated sigh. “Then we are ready to move as soon as you give the order.”

  “We move at dawn,” said Cadan. “We will take the Crown and mount the queen’s head on the gates of the Imperium.”

  Eve was woken at dawn when the message arrived that the Elion were making a move towards the Eurasian border. She was dressed and armed within minutes and making her way to the training fields where the Ballista, Partizan and Sabre companies were gathering. Eve waited for them all to arrive before asking one of her guards to lift her onto the equipment shelter so she could address them.

  “Thorian of the Impærielas,” she announced. “We know that we fac
e a great threat. We know that our losses may also be high and we may not make it back. I will not command anyone to put their life at risk. I will not implore anyone to fight for a cause they do not believe in or do not wish to risk the sacrifice for. Anyone who does not want to fight is free to leave now—to return home or to go to the safe sites.” She paused and looked around at her people. No one left. “We will take on the enemy. We may lose, but we will lose fighting.

  “It has been an honour to be your queen, and whatever happens, I wish you all to know that I am proud to be an Impærielas and an Arkazatine. I am deeply proud of everything we have accomplished together. You have all become skilled soldiers, and we will not make things easy for our enemy. For our future generations, for peace in Arkazatinia and for our freedom—we will meet the Alchitch. We will meet them with courage. We will meet them with honour, and we will meet them together.” The Impærielas cheered nervous but brave cheers. She watched the sea of midnight blue and black form up—the gold stitching of the lynx on the back of their coats shimmered in the light of the rising sun.

  The lynx was a symbol of elusiveness, mysteriousness, spiritual healing and second sight. It was the symbol of the Impærielas. Yet, she had not known what it meant until the previous day when she had taken Malachi’s advice and had entered the temple to meditate. Calab had always tried to encourage her to be aloof though she never could or never would. Ezra had tried to help her to be more spiritual, and she had refused because it was boring, and the prophecy called for her to understand a higher purpose and she could find nothing.

  She was angry with herself. She had spent her time with the Impærielas judging their way of life and wanting nothing to do with it. She had refused to respect the way they did things, dismissed their traditions and did all she could to be an outsider and then complained that they would not accept her. She spent the time she should have spent with them holed up in her room or in her office watching movies or with the people who she preferred to them. Yes, she had allied them and aided them to defend themselves, but she had not done so in a respectful or dignified way. She had criticised them to other Arkazatines and thought their way of life was wrong because she did not like it.