by M. D. Laird
She smoothed her face to remove any sign of weariness and focussed on the witch. The witch at Eve’s back had staggered backwards with the force of the shield. “There.” Eve smiled wickedly. “I can make two shields after all. The magic has more power for the one who is destined to wield it. I can drop this Cloak whenever I like. Now it may be wise to surrender. Tell me what you want.”
“I won’t compromise. I won’t submit to thorian filth, I will die first.”
The witch behind Eve lowered her sword in surrender. “Cadan,” she said to the witch Eve had at sword point. “Just give it up.” Cadan stubbornly refused, but the second witch continued. “We want our lands back. We were exiled to the east, but our lands are in the north. We want the right to bury our dead from the uprising, their remains were dumped in a mass grave, and we want to bury them properly. We will have a seat in the quorum. Grant us these terms, and we will surrender.”
Eve nodded. “Consider it done,” she said. “I am your queen and your Crown, and you will never again threaten me or the security of this land.” The witches nodded and dropped to their knees. Eve hid her sigh of relief as she dropped the second shield. Cadan glared fiercely. “Cadan, if you do not surrender, you will be arrested for treason.”
“You can’t arrest me for treason; I have never been loyal to the Crown so I cannot commit treason.” She raised her chin defiantly. “I will not be ruled by thorian any longer. There are more than you in this world. Who says you get to be in charge?” She rolled out from the point and lunged towards Eve. Eve anticipated the move and instantly had the sword to Cadan’s throat once more.
“Arkazatinia did. Surrender.”
“Never!” Cadan screamed. “We will not surrender. We do not agree to those terms. Ignore that dumb bitch.” She waved at the second witch.
“Cadan,” said the witch. “We have lost the power. We cannot win, but we can still get what we want. Just agree to the terms before you get us all killed.”
“There is only one of her,” countered Cadan. “She is alone with nothing more than a broken demon to watch her die.”
“I can drop this Cloak and have my armies on you in seconds,” said Eve. “Or,” she gave Cadan her nastiest smile, “perhaps I can blast you all into oblivion like you did the fae.” The second witch grew nervous.
“We will surrender with or without Cadan,” she said. “We never wanted this.”
“No!” Cadan screamed. “I won’t give up. Arkazatinia has long been ruled by thorian, and I won’t bow to them or to you any longer.”
“Why do you hate us?”
“I know you’re new here, but you must have noticed,” Cadan said, sneering. “The thorian think they’re better than everyone. They believe that they were specially picked from the hominem. They think their physical beauty and their selection for some higher purpose than the life of a mere mortal makes them superior to all.”
“I don’t think that.”
“In time, you will. They all do.” Cadan lunged for Eve and before she realised what had happened the witch had crumpled to the floor. Eve saw a dagger embedded in her back and a witch, who had lunged forward from the crowd, was holding another and was poised ready to throw.
The second witch, unperturbed by the death of her comrade, stood, bowed to Eve and picked up the body of Cadan. “We’ll look forward to hearing from you about our conditions,” she said calmly. “For now, we will return to the east.”
Eve’s vision blurred. She was exhausted from the magic and had taken barely a breath. She quietly released the shield surrounding Calab, and ignoring the feeling of nausea, held her composure. Taking a leaf not only from the alchemists but also from every book and word of advice Calab had given her on ruling others, she had convinced them she was more powerful than she was—it was just an illusion! As Shakespeare said:
“False face must hide what the false heart doth know.”
The witches turned towards the alchemists. The alchemists stood fast but looked concerned. Eve had taken the magic from them, and the witches were once again more powerful than they were.
“Alchemists,” said Eve. “You have committed treason. You have infiltrated the Crown and manipulated Lord Thanis of Elion, Lord Caius of Elion, released lost souls, taken me hostage, taken Calab hostage and manipulated the witches into aiding your treachery. The sentence for treason is death. Do you have anything to say?”
A grey-bearded man stepped forwards. She could not identify the order he was from, if he was human, one might have guessed him to be around seventy years old, but in this world, it was impossible to know his real age. “You may be worthy to wield the magic,” he said. “But you still sit upon a throne that does not belong to you. The Impærielas are not worthy to rule, a human even less so.”
“I have been chosen,” said Eve. “You are not required to agree with that choice. Your actions amount to treason.”
“Then we are as guilty as charged.”
Three of the witches stood and took the staffs from the alchemists and removed any potions and trinkets from their pockets leaving them powerless. The moment they were relieved of their staffs, Eve felt a pressure that she had not been aware of, release. The Cloak dropped revealing them to be in the centre of the alliance. The eyes of the alliance turned to the witches, most of who were still on their knees, and to the alchemists who suddenly looked fearful. Eve raised her hand to stop any attack from the alliance.
“Are there any others?” Eve asked calmly of the witch who had given the terms.
“There were seven brothers, Your Majesty. Four of them were executed by the Crown Alliance.”
Eve indicated for the alliance to secure the alchemists in shackles and told them that the witches had surrendered and allied with the Crown. The alliance stared in disbelief but did as she requested and said nothing. “You will hear from us very soon,” Eve said to the witch whose name was Coryn. “I will keep my side of the bargain if you keep yours. You know what you face if you come for the Crown again.”
Coryn nodded and handed Eve the key to Calab’s chains. “We understand, Your Majesty,” she bowed slightly. “Most of us did not want this fight. We were following the will of our leader. I assure you we will be no further threat to the Crown.” The witches headed towards a long line of vectors that had been parked and Cloaked at the mountainside. They all began to climb aboard and leave taking the body of their fallen leader with them.
The alliance stood around her still in shock and waiting for her to speak, but she could not explain—not yet. Her guard now surrounded her and looked relieved that she was back and concerned about the blood that covered her shirt. She waved them off stating she was fine before running to Calab who had managed to pull himself to his knees. “Calab,” she cried.
“I’ll heal,” he said weakly. “Demons heal quickly.” She kissed his head and helped him stand before releasing the lock holding the chains around him. The chain burnt her fingers as she turned the key. She ignored the pain and focussed on Calab as the chains dropped.
“I thought you were dead,” she sobbed, throwing her arms around him and pulling him close. He wobbled slightly under her embrace.
“I missed you,” he said, putting his arms around her.
“Your absence has been noticed,” she replied, squeezing him tightly. He chuckled and kissed her hair.
The rulers arranged for vectors and aerial vectors to arrive on the planes as quickly as possible to transfer the armies back to their guilds and to take the dead home. There had been a significant number of lives lost, and many people were injured. The less battle experienced Impærielas had taken the greatest loss. The other thorian orders and the hominem had also lost many including the patriarch Ester. There had been deaths of several fae. The only angel and demon deaths were two of the Queen’s Guard—one was Malachi, her Conservator of Health and shoulder to cry on of late, and the other was Araziel who she had stabbed for trying to save her. They had not been
concentrating on the threat while they were frantically looking for her and had each taken an arrow to the heart. Eve could not think about the losses and tried to push any thoughts aside. She summoned an urgent meeting of the leaders and regaled them with the events under the Cloak.
“So it’s over, Your Majesty?” asked Tharazan in disbelief. “They no longer have the magic? You have saved everyone?”
Eve looked sadly at the dead. “We have still lost many lives.”
“They knew the risks they took, Your Majesty,” said Jacob. “They died with honour.”
Eve swallowed. They had died with honour, but that thought would not take away the guilt she felt.
“How did they get the magic?” asked Thalia.
“I don’t know,” replied Eve. “It must have been stored somewhere, I would hazard a guess that it was stored in Baltica and the Elion had something to do with retrieving it, though unless they give up their secrets, we might never know. They claim they held the legitimate right to the Crown, but could not use the magic. That is why the alchemist allied with the witches who could wield it. My predecessors could not access the magic because they had not tried to ally the whole of Arkazatinia.
“However they accessed it I think they had to pay a high price for it, Cadan flinched when I mentioned that and the consequences. I believe they have paid for it with their own souls as an equivalent exchange. Still, it was not theirs, and once I had offered allegiance to the witches, it betrayed them. They did not even need to accept, offering allegiance in the face of adversity made me worthy of it. The prophecy of the Crown was adapted from a much older prophecy that only the worthy would know. At the moment I offered the witches a compromise and a seat in the quorum, I knew what the prophecy was and that I was worthy to wield the magic.”
“What was the prophecy, Your Majesty?” asked Calab.
Eve shook her head and said, “It can’t be told, you just have to know.”
“What shall we do with the alchemists?” Tharazan asked.
“They are to be tried for treason.”
“Are there more?”
“We can never be sure I suppose,” said Eve, “but the witches said there were seven brothers. One was killed the night Thanis was caught, three were executed, and the other three are here. I want them tried quickly to send out the message that we won’t tolerate anyone attacking the alliance.”
“You have allied with the witches, Your Majesty,” said Nakhiel. “That was tolerance.”
“That was mercy,” said Eve. “They were under the influence of the alchemists.”
“They held a grudge against the Crown.”
“Cadan perhaps, the others turned against their leader and surrendered. I have agreed to their terms. They have what they want. They also know we have more magic now than ever before and they know what they risk if they come for the Crown.”
“What will become of the Elion we have taken prisoner?” asked Jacob.
“What do you think we should do with them?” she asked. “We can’t very well hold an entire order prisoner.” She glanced around at the alliance and then at the prisoners who were sat in chains and looking pitiful. Their efforts were for nothing. They had stood no chance against the alliance, and the alchemists were prepared to let them all die.
After their deliberations, Eve addressed the prisoners. “Thorian of Elion,” she said. “Any claim you may or may not have had to the Crown in the past is irrelevant. Arkazatinia has selected me to rule the Crown and any bid to have me removed from my position is an act of treason. You have all committed treason and the penalty for treason is death.” There were some murmurs amongst them though most seemed resigned. “However,” she continued, silencing them. “You have surrendered today, and if you relinquish your claim to the Crown and ally with the Crown Alliance, we will let you live. We will release you, and you can return to Laurasia and return to your families. Be warned that your cards are marked. Any further acts of treason will not be treated with mercy. Decide your fate now.”
The alliance moved amongst the Elion to ask them what they had decided and release those who agreed to the terms. Eve stood with Calab and her guard while Aethon—who her guards had retrieved from the planes once the Cloak had dropped—nuzzled at her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she said to her guards. “I’m sorry I tried to remove you, and I’m sorry about Araziel and Malachi. From now on we stick together, and I promise to stop being such a brat.”
The guards smiled and nodded at her. Calab took her hand in his and gave her a slight smile, but said nothing. He was probably thinking she should not show how vulnerable she was, but she had been a brat towards her guards, and now two of them were gone. The loss pained her. They had lost their lives looking for her. They had sacrificed themselves for her.
The Elion agreed and were set free. They began to prepare to take their dead and injured comrades and make their way back to Laurasia. Lord Caius had been killed, and they were now without a ruler until a new one emerged. Lord Tharazan reminded them that they still had their payments to make, and the new leader should ensure these were made on time.
It took several hours for the transport to arrive to begin to move everyone back to their homes. The rulers would remain in Eurasia and stay with Thalia until the proper functioning of the continent had been resumed. Thalia had approached Eve to advise her of the plan. Thalia vowed that she would have her IT team add a feature to the vox software to allow a vector to be summoned, and commission her engineers to build an aerial vector large enough to transport hundreds of people and perhaps open her own airline. For now, they would have to manage with smaller transport and wait for her people to retrieve them.
Eve bit her lip to hide the irritation she felt at Thalia happily proclaiming she would invest in a profitable venture when she remained so reluctant to increase her public spending—she would talk about it at a more appropriate time.
The injured were taken home first followed by the dead. Everyone else waited in the temporary camps that had been set up on the planes. Eventually, a vector arrived to transport Eve and Calab. Eve left Aethon with the Impærielas to be carried in the larger vectors with the other horses.
Finally alone with Calab, and on the way to the Guild of the Impærielas, Eve could breathe and relax a little.
“I can’t believe you’re alive,” she said, brushing away at her tears. “I thought I’d lost you. How did they capture you? Did they hurt you?”
“They caught me unaware as I was entering the library in Laurasia,” he replied. “They were Cloaked, and I could not sense their presence as they chained me in adamantine. I was powerless against them though they could still use their powers on me. That Cadan witch was vicious and seemed to delight in torturing me. The others were more amiable, and apart from making me break my vow not to drink tea in the evenings, I was fairly well treated.” He gave a slight grin. “Until they decided to hang me, at least. That was an excellent shot by the way.”
She brushed away more tears. “I can’t bear to think what would have happened to you if I’d have missed.”
“You didn’t,” he said tenderly, taking her hand. “But it wouldn’t have killed me. Only a strike to my heart can do that.”
“They told me they had killed you when I didn’t show up for the meeting,” she said. “I tried to go. My guards stopped me I—”
“I know you did, Genevieve. They were watching you. They saw your guard stop you and they decided that I would be useful.”
“I couldn’t bear you thinking that I’d just abandoned you.”
“I was glad they stopped you. I was happy that you were safe.”
“Why did they take you? Why didn’t they just come for me?”
“Who knows? Perhaps this was all part of their game,” he said, smiling apologetically. “I’m sorry. I didn’t do a very good job of helping you. I didn’t help you to make sense of your notes as I promised I would.”
“Malachi said
I was overthinking everything and I think he was right,” said Eve sadly. “My notes didn’t really help me, but you did help me. You showed me what I needed to know and my anger at them for hurting you let me take the magic. I don’t think I could have done it otherwise.”
“How did you know to do that?”
“I didn’t really,” she said. “When I got their letter I went to see Lady Ariana for answers about my purpose and to ask what I could do to save you and save everyone. She gave me nothing. In desperation, I went to see Asmodeus.”
Calab recoiled in horror. “The High Prince? You went to Hell?” he exclaimed.
She nodded. “I thought it must mean something that I was with you that day, so I prayed for him to see me and he answered.”
“What did he say?” said Calab, dumbfounded.
“Well, there was a lot of the grumbling and growling that I have come to expect from demons,” she said, grinning mischievously. “But he told me that the magic was not theirs and that there was another prophecy that only the worthy can know. He said the Crown prophecy was adapted from it. At the time, it was all riddles, and it didn’t seem as though he had told me anything useful, but knowing the magic wasn’t theirs allowed me to play for time. I think it was my offer of allegiance that was the defining moment. I hoped that the allegiance bit was in the original prophecy and I offered it and just prayed that it would be enough. So I guess he did help.”
Calab squeezed her hand. “You are lucky he was in a good mood. You could have been chained down there.”
“It was a risk I was willing to take, although I might have agreed to reign at his side when I die. Hopefully, he’ll realise that was a joke.”