It was nice to hear the stories her uncle had been telling her for years from someone else's perspective. It was also nice to know that Uncle Benjin had not embellished the tales with grand battles that never happened (as if he would). More and more old war stories kept on coming as the mugs of mead got filled and drank and refilled again. Eventually, tomorrow loomed, and their reminiscing came to an end.
“An early night I think,” Benjin drained the last few drops of mead and stood up, a little shakily.
“You are a good man Greyborn. I’ll see you on the battlefield,” slurred the great boar. The two old friends hugged with a lot of slapping of backs.
“And you little lady,” Ortuskuss pointed at Shaya, with some difficulty pointing at the exact spot where she stood. “You take care of your uncle out their tomorrow, he’s getting old,” he chuckled.
“Oi,” shouted Benjin with a loud laugh.
“He’s such a burden,” smiled the young girl which sent Ortuskuss into fits of hysterics once again. She thanked him for the gifts once more, and they made their way back through the sea of tents. Dusk was falling and the shouting, the singing and music had stopped. The enormity of tomorrow hung in the air, Shaya could feel it weighing her down as they reached the steps. When they finally arrived at Benjin’s lodgings, they hugged and said goodnight. Benjin kissed his niece on the forehead.
“See you in the morning kido,” with that he closed the door gently, and Shaya went back to Myana’s house.
♦ ♦ ♦
Hours slipped by as Shaya lay there staring at the ceiling, listing to Myana snoring from across the room. Her heart felt like it was pounding out of her chest and her stomach was in knots. Sweat poured from her brow, but she was cold and shivering, her skin crawling with goosebumps. She felt as if she was suffocating, unable to catch her breath. She suddenly sat up in bed, threw the covers off and gasping for air. Wiping the cold sweat from her forehead, she finally felt her pulse start to steady as she peered out the window.
The sky was an ocean of black except for the tiny glimmer of a thousand distant stars. It must have been late, there was no one on the streets. The myriad of torches were lit, and the peaks were silent. Rubbing her eyes, Shaya looked around the room. Her gaze fell upon her new armour hanging up which seemed to glisten in the light of the stars outside.
Without thinking, she was dressed in her battle-gear and outside. It was like the air had been pumped back into her lungs, she could breathe again. She held up her hand and saw it trembling before her. Annoyed with her own fear, she started to walk, she didn’t know where, but she just wanted to move. Her loose blonde hair whipped wildly in the night air. Every time she tried to put up the hood of her new tunic, the wind blew it off immediately.
After a while, she found herself in the market district. The place was desolate, the shops were shut, the merchants were in bed, fast asleep like she should have been. She sat on a white metal bench by the herbs and spices stall and let out a long sigh. What was she doing? She needed to sleep, but her thundering heart and the buzzing in her stomach wouldn’t let her. Nearly five minutes passed before she realised she wasn’t alone. At the end of the marketplace, the path skewed out like an arrowhead towards the horizon. It was narrow and long, overhanging the other streets below. A few small trees lined the way blowing in the breeze. She hadn’t noticed until now that the tree at the very end wasn’t a tree at all. She stood up and quietly walked over, her hand instinctively slid to her side before she realised that she hadn’t brought her new sword. She didn’t need it.
Still dressed in his navy-blue robes, the prince stood at the end of the path looking straight up at the stars and the bright white shattered moon hanging low in the sky. His hair was back to its usual black mess flailing around in the wind. Shaya watched him for a moment, he was holding something shiny, turning it over and over in his hands nervously.
“Couldn’t sleep either?” Her voice broke the silence of the peaks and made Rowan jump.
“You startled me.”
“Sorry,” she said as she walked towards him.
“I’ve not been to bed,” he squinted at her in the darkness “Nice outfit,” he said impressed.
“Thank you, my uncle got the Boaruss armourers to make it and a sword.”
“You’re fortunate. The Boaruss have the best smiths in the kingdom. Did you know my father had a sword presented to him by Ortuskuss?”
“Yes, he mentioned it,” she recalled one of the great boars many stories.
“Savoir, it was called. I’ve always wanted one for myself, a sword forged in the mines of the Red Mountains. I often wonder, if I was to be presented a Boaruss blade, what its name might be,” he looked down at his feet “Fearful? Worthless? Coward?”
“You’re none of those things, why would you say that?”
“Because I’m-, I don’t know what I’m doing,” he spluttered.
“Do you think I do?”
Rowan looked up at her “You always seem so sure.”
Shaya couldn’t help but laugh. She shook her head.
“I have no clue. How we got here, how we survived, its more to do with dumb luck than anything I did,” Shaya ran her fingers through her long blonde hair and sighed heavily. When she began to speak, she started talking so fast that Rowan was having trouble keeping up.
“Jinx was nearly killed because I didn’t act fast enough back at the farm. I made camp next to a jackal nest,” she started waving her hands around, pointing this way and that as she began to pace up and down “I jumped out of a tree and nearly killed myself and Sap. I’ve just sat in a room full of combat-hardened soldiers going over battle plans I don’t understand. Tomorrow I’m going to war, and I barely know what I’m supposed to be doing.”
She took a huge gulp of air and Rowan just stared at her, an expression on his face that said he was waiting for his brain to catch up with her lightning fast babbling.
“It’s good to know you’re as lost in all of this as I am.”
“Hopelessly,” Shaya breathed.
“Are you?” Rowan started. He bit his lip as he re-thought his question. “Is it alright for a king to be scared?” He asked without looking at her.
“Is it alright for a soldier to be scared?”
“You’re scared to?”
“Of course, I am. I think everyone is a little scared. None of us knows what will happen tomorrow. It doesn’t make you a coward. Are you having second thoughts?”
“No,” Rowan said immediately “Not at all, we have no choice. War is not something I come to lightly, but it is the right call,” the young boy nodded quietly to himself.
Shaya watched him for a moment as he stood staring at nothing before he gazed back up at the stars and spoke again.
“I don’t know how it has come to this. You see that?” He pointed up at the moon., fragments floated around it, glinted like diamonds in the black. “I can’t believe, that is where of all this started.”
“Yes, it’s mad to think that tomorrow we’ll be fighting something that came from all the way up there.”
“Thank you for doing this Shaya,” Rowan looked back down at her, their eyes met. “I honestly don’t think I could do it without you.”
“Yes, you could. You’re strong Rowan, you’re going to be king soon, you need to remember that you have strength within you. I’ve seen it.”
“You’re kind to say so,” Rowan smiled briefly “It’s your strength I’ll be relying on tomorrow. There is something about Shaya.” He lightly shook his head as if he didn’t quite understand what he meant. He hesitated before he spoke again. “Rayne saw it too. I can’t explain it, but when I’m by your side, I feel like we can do anything. You asked me the other day why I thought we could win. I told you, it was because I have faith. Because I believe. But I didn’t say what I believed in. I didn’t mean I believe in a divine spirit will come down from the heavens and save the day. I don’t know what faith I have in the Goddess, but I know I have fai
th in us.”
Shaya smiled. She felt fluttering in her stomach again, but for the first time all day, it wasn’t because of fear. Rowan looked sheepish. Even in the pale moonlight, she could see his cheeks turning red. Before he could say another word, she wrapped her arms around him and brought him close. After his surprise had worn off, he hugged her back.
“You may not know where you come from. But I know who you are. You are Shaya Greyborn. A soldier. My friend.”
“Thank you, Rowan,” Shaya sniffed and hugged her friend tighter. After a moment she spotted the shiny object in Rowan’s hand.
“What is that?” she said as they let go of each other.
“Oh, Elle had it remade, it’s my father’s crown.”
Sure enough, it was the crown of the king. Golden and spectacular, it looked brand new and beautiful. The coloured stones shimmered in the light of the shattered moon.
“Then why aren’t you wearing it?” Shaya smirked.
“I’m not worthy of it yet, I’m not king.”
Shaya scrunched up her face.
“Every person around that table today pledged themselves to you. The three dominant races in the kingdom have given you their armies,” Shaya gently took the crown from Rowan’s grasp “From today, until your last day you are their king,” she placed the crown on Rowan’s head as he silently watched her “You are our king. My king.”
Shaya took a step back and gazed at the young king. It looked right. The crown fit perfectly as if it was precisely where it belonged.
“How does it look?” he asked as he stared at her nervously.
“Perfect,” beamed Shaya.
Rowan held her hand for the briefest of moments “Thank you.”
Together they wandered Volanti Peaks talking for hours. They spoke of the battle ahead, about what they planned to do after it was all over. Neither of them really knew. Rowan knew he would be king, but as for leading, he wasn’t sure exactly. Shaya didn’t have the faintest clue. She didn’t think she could go back to farm life, not after all of this. What she would do instead, she wasn’t sure.
“The Royal Guard probably don’t hire thirteen-year-olds,” she said.
“Maybe the king could put a good word in for you,” Rowan smirked.
They ended up sat on a bench not far from Storm Bird House and watched the sky turn from ink black to a dull grey. As the first light dawned, it brought with it a new day, the final day. Oddly neither of them felt the slightest bit tired. As the first of the soldiers began to appear on the streets, they knew it was time.
“I’ll see you out there,” Shaya said with a nervous smile.
“See you out there,” said the new king.
Chapter Nineteen
Through Mist and Ruin
“Come on kido,” Benjin lifted Shaya up into the air as if she weighed nothing at all. He placed her gently on the back of a silver coloured horse with a thick white mane. The steed had golden reins and a comfortable red and gold saddle. “I remember doing this with you when you were tiny,” he said smiling, patting her leg. “Do you?”
“No.”
“Oh, well that might be because you fell off and banged your head,” he walked away with a guilty smirk on his face.
“What?” she called after him.
Jinx sat on the horse’s head, playing with its long white mane. Her wings were slumped down, and her eyes were staring at the thick strands of snowy hair.
“Are you alright?” Asked Shaya, knowing the answer.
“I wish I could come with you.”
“Me too.”
“I could help,” the sprite looked up with a hopeful smile.
“If the reports of the weather are true, you wouldn’t be able to fly in the storm. Besides your wing is still recovering.”
“Oh, I’m fine,” Jinx waved her tiny hand dismissively and flapped her wing to prove a point.
“Jinx,” Shaya’s tone made her friend stop and stare at her “You can only fly short distances. If the storm doesn’t get you, one of Rakmar’s beasts will. I nearly lost you once, I won’t do it again.”
“Alright, but I hate this. All of it.”
“I know you do.”
Jinx sighed, exasperated and ran her fingers through her auburn hair.
“I hate it, but I understand. Just, take care of yourself, and the old man,” her voice was quiet and flat.
“I will.”
“I’ll go say my goodbyes.”
They hugged, and the sprite flew off to find Benjin. Jinx was obviously upset. Shaya watched her leave, wishing there was something she could say that would make her friend feel better. Shaya understood the sprite’s annoyance, the last thing Jinx wanted to do was stay in the peaks while her friends went off to battle.
The sun was rising slowly, casting everything in a dark yellowy-orange. The desolate streets of the early hours were now swarming. From high above Shaya was sure that it would look as if the sides of the mountains were coming alive. There must have been hundreds of people on every street on every level of the peaks. Almost the entire population had ventured from their homes into the wintry morning air to watch the army march. Some pleaded loved ones not to go, others embraced their friends and wished them good luck. Most cheered from the levels above. Volanti were waving, chanting and applauding, blessing them all with good health and a safe return.
Shaya stroked the horse’s long neck, and it whinnied softly and flicked its thick tail. She looked around, they stood at the very bottom of the mountains where the tents had been a few hours earlier. The camps had now been packed away and been replaced with an army that looked ready to do battle. Everywhere she looked Shaya saw swords, spears, shields, helmets, chest plates, war hammers and battle axes. An army of humans, Volanti and Boaruss.
They look like a force to reckoned with, she thought. Rakmar should be scared, she dared to hope.
Benjin was now talking intently with Ellesia and Jinx while strapping his broadsword to his back. The sounds of clinking and clanging metal on metal rang. The soldiers were checking and re-checking their weapons, fitting their amour and banging their swords on their shields. The air was thick with foreboding trepidation. Even with the joyful cheering from above, the joy didn’t reach the soldiers. Many of the Tetran and Serran troops stood quietly, a distant glaze in their eyes. The Royal Guardsmen from Ki bore the same anxious expression as they quietly whispered to each other. Ortuskuss was sitting atop his saurian shouting to his warriors, pointing this way and that way with his fur covered fingers. Aesal stood in front of a line of scouts, giving them a stern looking speech, each one of them listened carefully.
Shaya had already heard the soldiers calling her friend, king. After the death of King Leon had spread across the peaks, Rowan’s ascension to the crown became expected. It was odd to hear, King Rowan, but somehow it sounded right. It may not have been official yet without a crowning ceremony, but to the men and women of all the races ready for war, he was their king.
Just as Shaya was wondering where Rowan had got to, a hush wafted through the crowds, and the ocean of bodies quickly stepped to one side, and the horde parted. The new king, flanked by Avem and Avis walked through the crowd towards the front. Rowan was dressed in a tunic the colour of red wine, with black leather sleeves and black and bronze bracers. It was slightly open at the collar that revealed the chainmail beneath, just like Shaya’s. He wore bronze shoulder pads that were linked together by a thin chain. He walked purposefully in thick black boots, a sword with a golden handle strapped to his back. Everyone seemed to stare at the boy. Not a boy, not anymore. A king. He looked so different like he had aged five years in the last two hours since Shaya had seen him last. The fear Shaya had heard him speak of that night was nowhere to be seen. All that remained was a determined glint in his eyes and a confident stride.
The whispers began again throughout the battalion.
The king.
The new king.
There he is.
Look
at him.
The new king is here.
Shaya couldn’t help but smile at the wonder in their voices. Once Rowan reached Shaya’s horse, he stopped and glanced up at her with a self-assured gaze.
Avem and Avis took flight and landed on a tall stone pillar that stood just in front of the masses. Avis spoke first.
“All who venture forth today, our hopes and prayers go with you. Human, Boaruss and Volanti, today we are one, today we are proud.”
“Today you follow your new king into battle,” Avem stepped forward as he looked down at Rowan “An honour for any soldier,” he opened his winged arms gesturing to the whole crowd. Rowan climbed atop his steed in front of Shaya with ease, as if he had done it a thousand times before.
“Come back victorious,” Avem continued “When the darkness is vanquished, and our lands are saved, you will all be welcomed back as heroes. Let the mighty Goddess protect you all,” the Monarch and Matriarch both bowed low with a sweep of their wings.
Rowan nodded to Elle as she approached on her black stallion.
“Move out,” she yelled.
Suddenly in unison, the troops began to slowly march in perfect time with each other. The Royal steed neighed softly as it began to trot. Shaya caught a glimpse of Jinx’s golden glow floating above the crowd. She waved and forced a smile, swallowing the sadness that was forming in her throat. Jinx did the same, there was nothing else to do. The young girl turned to see the mass behind her move as one. Her stomach seemed to flip over and start spinning around and around at the sight of the marching soldiers.
The Shattered Moon (A Divine Legacy Book 1) Page 31