“I’m not the captain anymore; all I worry about are the civilians here. So unless you’re looking for a meal, a job, or a place to sleep, you got the wrong man.”
“Not the captain? Then who the bloody hell is?”
“Higs is the new captain now. But even so, he’s not the one you need to talk to about your demands. Those two standing behind you are in charge of this place.” The five of them turned around, and I silently watched as their faces filled with rage.
“You put an apprentice enchanter and a dark elf in charge? Is this some kind of joke?” the wind wizard who seemed to be the self-appointed leader of the gang sputtered. His outburst was actually quite hilarious, and I’m sure Maya and I both had smirks on our faces as we watched his eyes bulge out and the veins in his neck start hammering.
He was literally frothing at the mouth as Jarsin answered contemptuously, “Yes, we did. Without them, we would all be dead and you would still be trapped in your towers.”
“Yeah well, we were making plans to escape,” one of the blue robes interjected, but Jarsin rounded on that individual.
“Escape? To where? You do realize that the only reason you were left alive at all was to be bait? Bait for them!” he said, thrusting his arm in our direction. “They fought off undead, demons, and even an adult dragon to save your ungrateful asses! So, by the stars, start showing some bloody respect!” And with that, he stormed off and started barking orders at some staff still moving boxes around.
For the most part, the teachers looked stunned by the old captain’s outburst. One even grabbed a young healer girl who was passing by and asked her who was in charge of this place. She turned around, and when she saw us, her face lit up in a big smile as she attempted a demure curtsey. Pointing shyly at us, she answered, “Those two are, the Prince and Princess!”
Before anything else could be said, Higs showed up almost out of breath, probably called to intervene because of all the yelling. Seeing us, he skidded to a halt and saluted Maya.
“What’s all this about?” He eyed the teachers with some distain. “Are these wizards causing problems, Commander?”
Maya grinned, “A bit, yes. They seem to have issues with something, but they’re too busy screaming at people to even say what it is. Also, we have been standing here for ten minutes and they have yet to even address us, so they don’t seem to be truly interested in finding any real answers.”
Higs turned to them with his arms crossed. “So what is it, then?”
“We demand that an immediate counterattack be made! The undead have walked our halls for too long already!”
“That’s not going to happen,” Higs answered shortly.
“What? Why not?”
“Because I said so! We don’t have the manpower or the resources to do something that stupid. Look, even if we gave every man, woman, and child a weapon, we would still have less than five hundred fighters to their twenty thousand. And that’s just the undead; it doesn’t count the demons.”
“We are wizards! We can take on more than that any day!”
Higs rolled his eyes and sighed, turning to us. “I’m sure you two are tired, so why don’t you go on into the keep and relax. I’ll deal with these people and get you a report later tonight.”
“Carry on then, Captain,” Maya saluted, and the two of us began to leave.
“Wait just a minute,” one of the wind wizards barked brusquely. “If you two are really the ones we need to talk to, then I demand satisfaction.”
“Make an appointment,” I shot back flippantly over my shoulder, and we left them there fuming.
As Maya and I walked through the main doors of the keep and slammed them behind us, we were finally able to relax. Just being back inside the walls of this place felt like home. I took the opportunity to steal a kiss from my lover, and she retaliated by trapping me in an embrace that I never wanted to end. Finally, she drew back with a satisfied grin. “You know you weren’t very nice at the end back there, not that I don’t approve…”
“It’s like having to deal with the fire wizard jerks back at Xarparion all over again,” I hissed. “They’re either going to have to learn to fit into the system we’ve built here or there are going to be problems. With any luck, today’s operation will cause the Duke enough heartburn to make him come after us. And what we don’t need now is a bunch of spoiled-rotten wizards causing dissention.”
Maya laughed, hugging me enthusiastically. “Wow…you can actually get angry, can’t you? I was beginning to wonder if I was engaged to a holy man of some kind; I like it!”
“Hmmm, it’s a good thing you weren’t around to see me when I left the dark elf capital after you were named ‘Queen’. Now that was angry!” I growled, remembering that night.
“Oh, I think I received a report about something like that from Ollis. It gave me a much-needed laugh in my darkest hour during that time.” We both grinned and then yawned. “Whew, I’m beat.”
“Yeah well, remember, healing still takes its energy from the host,” I said, “and that dragon was not a pushover in the slightest. We deserve at least a nap, I think.”
She smiled, gave me a quick squeeze, and then tapped me flirtatiously on the tip of my nose. “Yeah, but first I want to try something while we’re alone in this throne room that I’ve been thinking about a lot.”
“Really?”
“Not that, you dolt!”
She led me over to the thrones, perched high up on their platform. “I have a hunch about these things and I want to test it real quick, so take a seat.” I shrugged, but still did what she asked. The chairs had a low padded back, but the upper half of the back rest was tall and very narrow. I was expecting it to be kind of uncomfortable; but, in fact, they had plenty of support and were surprisingly soft.
“As I suspected,” she said with satisfaction. I looked over at her and she had her wings out again. But instead of hanging awkwardly out the side like they do in normal chairs, they were perfectly positioned and naturally comfortable.
Taking her lead, I extended mine; and they hung normally off the back and didn’t brush the floor because there was a drop off behind the thrones. “These thrones were made for people with wings.” She continued excitedly, “So that either means there were people before us with wings or the more likely option…the crystal guy lied to us about what we would become. This place was tailor made for us right from the beginning, wasn’t it?”
“It would seem like it, yes.”
“But why lie to us then?”
I thought on that one for a second. “Well, my father said we were an experiment, a trial. In the lab, working with Rosa, we set up everything we need for the experiment before we actually try anything in case it works. If it doesn’t, we try again. But if it is successful, then we are ready to move immediately onto the next step.”
“Indeed.” The booming voice came from the entire room around us; it was the familiar voice of the blue crystal. “I have been listening and watching. As you have surmised, the Nova built this place long ago for just this purpose. It has seen other uses and has been used in other wars. But like you, it is unique and has been waiting patiently for the special key and its true rulers’ order to awaken. It has issued the call, will you answer it?”
“The key?”
“Something that no being with a mind bent to evil could ever possess; the unparalleled love and extraordinary devotion of another, even beyond death itself.” The voice died away and it was clear that the conversation was over.
I looked at Maya and she was pointing at something. “Alex…”
A few feet in front of us a stone pillar had risen out of the polished flagstone floor. It was angled toward us and the surface was smooth and flat. Writing formed and scrolled across the stone, similar to the way that my parents’ letters had. ‘In the season of darkness, the comets will take their rightful place in the sky. Their splendor will drive away the blackness from this world.’ And…that was the entire message…really?
There was a grinding sound and a second pillar of stone rose from the floor; this one was smaller and directly in between the two thrones. It wasn’t like the other; it only had a slot in it about three inches wide.
“Ok, this is getting too weird,” Maya whispered.
“No kidding,” I said absently. Then I heard a scraping sound and looked over at Maya. She had Winya out and was sliding the sword blade into the slot on the stone. “What are you doing? Is your solution to every problem stabbing it?”
She eyed me and winked. “Yes…yes, it is. And guess what, Magic Boy; it works!”
The sword slid all the way in up to the hilt. At this point, we heard a thump sound from deep below us. And the text on the scrolling text pillar changed. ‘What better defense than one’s greatest defenders?’
“Ok, now what?” I asked.
“Winya is the key!” she said excitedly; and I watched as she turned the sword carefully, the center of the pillar turning like an inset cylinder. At the half turn mark, another loud thump resonated from the stone beneath our feet. Slowly, both pillars retreated back into the floor, leaving Maya holding Winya once again. She set her across her lap, and we waited, looking around to see what would happen next.
The suspended star projector that normally shines a star field onto the upper walls of the throne room spun rapidly above our heads. Its buzzing reminding me of a certain pixie when she’s angry. I was really hoping this wasn’t going to end up being another one of those episodes where I would have to explain why we left her behind. But instead of taking us somewhere, its flashing generated two cerulean blue portals that winked into existence, one on each side of the thrones.
Two golden-armored figures marched out of the portals. They wielded short spears and huge kite shields, and wore plate armor that looked like it was two inches thick. It made my armor set up look like light training gear. Clearing the portal, they immediately sidestepped and took up guard positions alongside our thrones. Except they weren’t taking up positions to keep us from leaving; rather their postures and stance spoke of protecting us from all attacks.
As soon as they froze into place, more armored figures marched out of the two portals. These warriors wore field plate, also golden in color, but not as heavy as the first two. My armor smith’s eye noted that this was some finely-crafted armor, and it undoubtedly afforded the wearer not only fantastic protection, but also good maneuverability. Almost all of them were outfitted with long sword and shield, but the last of them carried the largest great swords I had ever seen, the blades were at least two inches thick!
I would guess there were about eighty of them in all. They marched half way down the Great Hall before doing an about face and reforming their ranks into two columns of eight soldiers wide with practiced ease.
I pulled my eyes away from the spectacle and glanced over at Maya. She was crying at the sight, but they were tears of joy. I looked more closely and she was petting Winya in her hands.
“What’s wrong?” I asked the sword.
I heard sniffles come though the link. “Wrong? Nothing is wrong. This is possibly the greatest moment of my afterlife. Alex, don’t you see? These are my girls! These are the Iron Maidens!”
That came as a surprise; they were all supposed to be dead. But then again, the crystal did say something about storing their souls. The soldier up front stomped once as another group of individuals marched out of the portal, but these weren’t even close to the same. This group looked to be elven longbow men and women. They were clad in gold-colored leathers with thick metal plates on their left arm and upper chests only; very ornate longbows clung to their backs as did loaded quivers. In addition to the larger quiver on their backs, they had two smaller quivers strapped on either side of their belts and two short swords in the small of their backs. There looked to be fifty of them, and they took up positions beyond the Iron Maidens.
Not more than a few feet behind them was an impressive line of sixty-five golden dwarves; but these weren’t warrior types. Rather, they carried specialized tools and heavy bags. I got the impression they were builders or artisans of some type. They, too, formed up in ranks with the Iron Maidens and the elves.
Still, the procession wasn’t finished. Ten more hooded warriors in supple leather armor with two swords strapped to their backs came through next. The swords struck me as being a bit longer than normal long swords and they had a slight curve to them as well. Something more in line with the eastern civilizations, if I had read Rosa’s books correctly. Still, very impressive.
Lastly, a large group of what looked like staff poured out of the portals and quickly took their place on either of the far sides. As the last person cleared the threshold, the two portals finally retreated and closed. The Hall had reached its maximum capacity if you still desired the walkways kept free.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” We both jumped slightly in our chairs. Somehow, a man had managed to get between Maya and me without us knowing. He was an elf; at least, I think he started out as one. His hair was white and his skin looked almost golden; not shiny, just golden. He was definitely older than Rosa, too; not ancient just very old. His eyes glowed blue with a hint of yellow shining though every now and then. His formal robes were probably in style long before Belrothe was born, but he wore them with unquestioned authority.
“My most sincere apology your graces; I did not mean to startle.” His voice was warm and mellow, and the accent very formal as he bowed to each of us separately. He then backed up a few steps scanning our wings. “Lovely plumage,” he remarked, and then resumed his post between our thrones.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“Again, I must apologize, my King; this is entirely my fault. I was aiming for a grand entrance and I see I have only caused confusion. Allow me to introduce us. My name is Qleyse, and it is an honor to serve you! My role is to act as your castellan for your time here. That means I will handle all the minor details of running the fortress. I will be handling all the ordinary day-to-day things that you don’t need to attend to personally.”
“And them?” asked Maya, still smiling and stroking Winya.
“Ah, yes, the rest of the introductions then. First off, I would like to introduce the bulk of your guard force, the ladies of the Iron Maidens.” All of them unsheathed their swords at once and lifted them into the air in salute. “I have only had them for a few hundred years now, but I must say they are the most effective and dedicated force I have ever seen; and I have seen a lot, both dead and alive.”
One of the ones in front, wearing a slightly different helmet, stepped forward. “King Alex, Queen Maya, you honor us with this opportunity. Captain Winya, we await your commands once again.” She removed her ornate helmet revealing a woman who looked similar to the man next to us; the same skin and glowing eyes, except she appeared to have been originally human and not elf.
“I can’t believe they’re back!” Winya gushed happily.
The lady in armor smiled brightly. “Yes, Captain, it’s good to be back. We will all have a lot to catch up on in the days to come.”
“Ebony! They can hear me? You can hear me?” The woman nodded. “By the stars, this is wonderful! I still can’t believe you’re all still alive.”
“Not alive, Win; just given a second chance,” Ebony grinned, speaking out loud. By this time, Maya was getting jittery in her seat, undoubtedly getting sensory overload from all the excitement Winya was pouring into their bond; even I could feel it.
“Ebony, I think that’s probably good for now,” Qleyse purred smoothly. “I’m sure this is all quite a shock for all of them, so let’s get basic introductions out of the way for now and we can explain in detail later.” The woman, Ebony, nodded again and took a few steps back to her spot. “Next, let me introduce Conlan Gruffrock and his men.”
A huge dwarf stepped forward. “Gruffrock, your Majesties; leader of the best dammed siege crew to have ever walked this rock. If they say it can’t be built, we can bui
ld it. We’re in charge of the fortress’s emplacements during battle, as well as keeping the underworks in proper order.” The dwarf stepped back.
“Thank you, Conlan. Next, we have the elves of the Lindenwood forest. Unlike the others, they are under the command of Ebony, here, and have merged with the Iron Maidens. They are master archers and have trained for years from atop these walls. There is no one better-suited for the job than they.”
“Continuing on. Over there, we have a unique bunch lead by Calimus Francis,” Qleyse said, and motioned for the man to step forward.
From what I could tell, he looked human; but unlike the other troops, these were in all brown leather and their faces were hidden. “Pleased to meet you, my King and Queen. I am Calimus and these are my tempests. Many think we are assassins, but that is simply not true. We use speed and agility mixed with magic to avoid being hit or even seen sometimes. Our role is to shadow you on the battlefield and aid, but not interfere, with your duels. We are your close guard, if you will.”
Qleyse nodded at the man, and he took a few steps back like the rest did. “Lastly, we understand that you have people for the town, but no trained staff for the keep. These men and women volunteered to perform as your new royal staff and will assure the keep remains clean and running properly.” All of them bowed at once.
“Now with introductions out of the way, I believe there is one last formality that needs to be done.” Everyone in the room unsheathed whatever weapon they had, if any, and dropped to their knees, even Qleyse. They all shouted as one in a thundering tone, “All hail, the White King! All hail, the Silver Queen! All hail, the Comets!”
Maya looked over at me and motioned that we needed to stand up. I had no idea what to say to people who devote themselves to you like that, but I had to say something. “Please rise, everyone.” They rose to their feet and sheathed their weapons. “Thank you for your trust and your loyalty. I just hope one day we will live up to your expectations, but today is not that day. We are both new to this and will need all the support and guidance you can give. Thank you.”
Heir To The Nova (Book 3) Page 23