A Crown of Lilies

by Melissa Ragland

  “That you can move them at all is something to be celebrated, given the extent of the damage.” He met my eyes with sympathy. “More mobility will return with time and effort. If you can manage to close your hand, you can begin to carry a stone around with you. Squeeze it or just carry it, whatever you can manage.” With that, he left me. I glared at my worthless left hand. The weakness, the frailty, I hated it.

  “Give it time,” Quintin murmured from where he stood near the door.

  Just quit crying and get to it.

  Yes, sir.

  After three days, I was able to make a fist. For the next several weeks, I carried a rock all day every day. Simple exercises to rebuild my forearm muscles became a daily part of my routine. I donned my Freyjan shield and squeezed my rock as I drilled in the garden each morning, measuring my small victories with forced patience. It had never been an innate quality of mine, and the drop-by-drop recovery put my teeth on edge.

  The rest of my body progressed well, with the help of my persistent exercise. The day I finished my tenth cycle of one-handed drills, I gave a whoop and stabbed my sword victoriously into the frozen dirt. Grinning up at the Great Oak, my chest heaving, I sent a silent thanks to my dormant arboreal companion. Quintin ceased his own exercises far across the garden to quirk one brow at me.

  “Ten!” I shouted to him, raising one hand. He returned my salute in kind before resuming his own routine.

  I had just finished bathing and dressing when a quiet knock sounded at the door. Trina smiled at me from the hallway. “Her Majesty requests your presence.” Grabbing my stone, I followed her downstairs to the salon. She opened the door solicitously for me, curtsying as I stepped into the room. “Lady Elivya for you, Majesty,” she announced.

  Five familiar faces turned toward me as I scanned the space. A large table had been brought in from elsewhere in the house, the couches and chairs shifted to the perimeter. Spread across the surface lay a slew of papers, primary among them a large map of Alesia. Selice stood at the head of the table, the other four flanking her.

  “Good, join us,” she commanded.

  I crossed the room to stand beside Elliot. He flashed me a reserved smile. “How may I be of service, Majesty?”

  “I find myself woefully short of couriers, scouts, and spies. Your mother managed an extensive network containing all three, correct?”

  “She did,” I confirmed cautiously. “Though mostly of the latter.”

  Her golden eyes held mine. “A network you have inherited, I presume?”

  My heart sank as I realized the reason for my summons. “I’m afraid not, my lady.”

  “I was of the understanding that you were wholly involved in their schemes.”

  “I was,” I started, then backtracked, struggling to explain. “Only, my parents kept me in the dark on many things. It was safer that way for everyone involved. If I were to be captured, the less I knew, the better.”

  “It seems they were mistaken on that front,” she commented with a slight smirk.

  I refused to take credit where it was not due. “Tommy’s men are the only reason-”

  “I am not here to argue your merits, Lady Elivya,” she cut me off, irritation creeping into her voice. “I am here because I need resources. What have you to offer?”

  I searched my memory, sifting through the catalog of meetings with my parents. They had been very thorough. I never knew how she contacted her couriers, or where any of her spies were located. Rough positions, sure, but never exact names. She had always referred to them as her ‘sources’ or her ‘contacts’. Shaking my head, I felt wholly useless. “I am sorry, Majesty.”

  Her attention was unwavering. “I need you to do better.”

  The only one of my mother’s contacts I ever met was Tommy.

  Tommy.

  “Tommy.” The name slipped from my lips unwittingly.

  “Bring him,” Selice commanded Trina. She disappeared into the hall.

  While we waited, I examined and read as much as I could of the letters and notes scattered across the table. “This is my father’s map, from before the War,” I observed.

  “We found it in the study. I hope you don’t mind,” Elliot commented. “I took the liberty of volunteering any reference materials that might prove useful.”

  “Yes, of course,” I responded automatically.

  Long minutes later, the door opened once more as Trina delivered Tommy to our company. Snatching his hat from his head, he offered a bow to Selice. “Ye sent for me, Majesty?”

  “You are a thief and a smuggler, is that right?” her cool voice cut the air.

  His hazel eyes widened a fraction. Fear, carefully concealed. He flicked his gaze to me a moment and I gave him a tiny nod. “I am what life made me,” he replied carefully.

  “I’ve need of a spymaster, and Lady Elivya has brought your name to the fore.” Tommy glared at me sidelong. I shrugged in apology. “If you are willing and able to provide the services I need, I’ll see you and your men paid handsomely for your trouble.”

  At the end of the day, he was a profiteer at heart. The mention of coin warmed him to the concept better than any rousing speech. I watched the gears turning in his head. “The Origin burned my warehouse and scattered my lads, but if I set up shop again, they’ll find me. It’ll take time, though.”

  “How long?” she pressed.

  He shook his head. “A month, perhaps, for a skeleton crew. A few more to reconnect with the rest.”

  “That will have to suffice. How soon can you leave for Litheria?”

  Tommy balked, looking to me again. “Ye can’t be serious. It’s the dead of winter and last I saw, the priests were tearin’ Dockside apart board by board lookin’ for you.” He turned back to Selice. “You as well!”

  “Then it is fortunate you are neither of us,” she countered dryly.

  “They know me, my lady. They tortured three of my boys for that bit of information and gods only know what else. Half of my lads could’ve been hunted down by now.”

  She raised her voice a fraction. “I know what I am asking, sir.”

  “Do ye?” he countered brashly, anger taking the lead.

  “I am asking you to go willingly into the lion’s den,” she said gravely. “I do not ask lightly, but you are the only one with both the access and the skill set to manage it.”

  He straightened. “No.”

  That was not a word Selice was familiar or comfortable with hearing. The rest of us were too stunned to speak. Before the fury mounting on her face could form itself into words, Tommy continued.

  “I’ll do the job, but I ain’t goin’ back into the city. Too many folk know my face. I’d be dead before the week was out.” He approached the table and pointed to a spot on the map, a large town just upriver. “Kingston is less than a day’s ride north. I’ll set up shop on the wharf there and have lads run barge routes in and out of Dockside.”

  We all looked to his mark on the map. It was brilliant, of course. Kingston was a large town with a sizable wharf mainly used to move foodstuffs from the rural provinces into the city and beyond. Not only would its residents not know Tommy’s face, he could avoid the majority of the Persican guards and have direct access to a large portion of Alesia’s food commodities. An army travels on its stomach, and we would soon be in dire need.

  “You seem to have recommended the right man for the task, Lady Lazerin.” Selice straightened and graced me with a small smile. Turning to Tommy, she instructed him to make a list of material and financial needs, and to prepare to depart in a few days’ time. He bobbed another bow, flashed me a wolfish grin, and left us.

  “If there’s nothing else, my lady, I’ll leave you to your work.” I curtsied and stepped away from the table.

  “Nonsense,” she snapped gently. “You are recovered enough to return to my service. My men have seen your daily antics in the garden.”

  My eyes scanned the map and the makeshift troop tokens. “I am no tactician, Majes
ty.”

  “Perhaps not in warfare, but you are known to have a keen mind, and I’ll not let it go to waste.” Her unsettling eyes regarded me frankly. “I’ll not leave any resource untapped. You will join us daily for these meetings until I determine otherwise.”

  “As you wish, my lady.” I returned to my spot, chastened.

  Satisfied, she turned her attention to Lord Reyus. “Please continue.”

  Pale green eyes flicked to me for an instant, unreadable, before resuming the topic at hand. He reached over and gestured to the map as he spoke. “Scouts have reported significant troop movements both in north and south Hydrax along the border.”

  “We should send warning to the border provinces,” she commented absentmindedly.

  “It’s been done, Majesty.” The words had slipped out of my mouth before I had fully formed the thought. I kicked myself internally, having resolved to remain silent unless directly pressed. All five pairs of eyes looked to me as I swallowed and clarified. “My father saw to it last summer. Every border province is aware of the threat.”

  Reyus nodded. “Reports show every major house has mobilized their forces. Strongholds all along the western front are fully manned.”

  Selice sighed with relief, a rare lapse in her composure. “Thank Adulil for that.”

  “Thank Damien for that,” Lord Oristei muttered.

  The Queen glanced my way. “Indeed.”

  “The eastern front is relatively well-guarded by default,” he continued, one finger sweeping the Tuvrian provinces that lined it. “But our weakest point will be the coastlines. The King’s Navy in the north is now firmly under the control of the High Priest. And the White Sea...” he trailed off, disgusted.

  “A bloody mess,” she scowled.

  Adrian.

  “Between the refugees and the pirates, we’ve little hope of forestalling any troop movements. The Darian fleet has its hands full. Persica doesn’t need to march an army through our eastern border. They can just ship it here.” Reyus was a disciplined man, but even he couldn’t keep a tinge of frustration from his voice.

  “What do you suggest?” Selice asked pointedly. Her eyes swept the room. “Anyone?”

  “We need to move to retake the city before Persica has a chance to bring reinforcements.” It was the first time I’d heard Selice’s captain speak.

  Reyus leaned on his hands on the table. “Spring is nearly upon us, Colin. We haven’t the time or the men to make such an advance.”

  “If we wait, we lose our advantage.”

  “It will take months to amass a respectable force.”

  “The couriers have already been sent. Alesians will fight for their rightful queen.” His loyalty was admirable, but a tug of foreboding pulled at my gut.

  “Even if every province you sent for has troops at the ready, they won’t get here until the early summer.” Reyus was quickly growing impatient, and I gauged this was not the first time they’d had this argument.

  “Which leaves us four good months to retake the capital.” The captain, too, was losing his temper.

  “If they are ready! If they have to rally their men from the fields, it could be nearly fall before we’ve a sizable force.”

  “Litheria is two weeks’ march from here.”

  Reyus ticked off his points on one hand, pale eyes locked on the handsome young captain. “If you are waylaid, or meet resistance, or the weather turns, or a number of other delays arise, you will be facing a winter siege. Without the time to rally sufficient food stores, our men will starve before they ever break through the gates.”

  “You show very little faith, my lord.”

  “This is not my first war, boy.”

  “Enough.” Selice’s firm tone cut through the din. Both men fell silent, fuming. She turned to Samson. “You are a man of experience, what is your opinion?”

  His sour stare was fixed on the map. He pointed his one hand at the cluster of provinces to our south and west. “Unless the closest provinces have significant troops ready to commit, we will lose the season waiting to amass a significant force. We cannot hide an army crossing open terrain. The Persicans will see us coming and raze every field in Aduline to thwart us. Lord Oristei is correct. We could not hope to last a winter siege.”

  Reyus crossed his arms and suppressed a smirk.

  Samson eyed them both. “That being said, the lad has a point. We will never get this opportunity again. Laezon has twelve hundred trained cavalrymen. I say we call the banners and wait. At the end of spring, we march with whatever we’ve got.”

  “Cavalry will do little against those walls,” Reyus grumbled.

  “So we send to Briare for engines,” the captain chimed in.

  “We cannot risk weakening the western defenses. If Hydrax breaks through, we’ll be caught between a hammer and an anvil.”

  I recalled the smuggling channel we’d used to secret James’ body out of the city. My heart skipped as I stumbled over an idea. “What if we could take the gatehouse?” Five pairs of eyes turned to me. “From the inside, I mean.”

  “Speak up, girl,” Samson growled at me.

  I forced some steel into my spine. “There’s a hidden path into Dockside near the river. A sluice gate where the bars have been removed. We could get a number of men inside the city, under cover of night.”

  “Twenty men could take that gatehouse.” A glimmer of hope crept into Reyus’ voice.

  “Some of Tommy’s boys could arrange a diversion on the other side of the city,” I suggested. “Draw some of the city guard away.”

  We all paused, watching Selice for her reaction. She took a deep breath, eyes on the map. “Very well. Call every banner within a month’s ride of Laezon. Whatever missives haven’t been sent, send them now. Lord Elliot, we’ll need significant outfitting. Commander Samson, rally your cavalry. Lord Reyus, I fear the Crown will need to deepen its debt to your House.”

  “Our coffers are at your disposal, Majesty.”

  “As are House Lazerin’s,” I contributed. I hadn’t thought about it. Selice was cut off entirely from her financial resources. She had been relying on House Oristei up to this point. My family was nowhere near as wealthy as the Van Dryns, but we had a reasonable treasury and much of our material equity was readily applicable to war.

  “Thank you both,” Selice nodded to each of us with sincerity. “Let’s get to work, shall we?” We made our collective obeisance and filed toward the door. “Hold a moment, Lady Lazerin.” I turned back toward her and waited. Reyus eyed me suspiciously as he closed the door behind him.

  “Majesty?” I curtsied again.

  She watched me carefully with her exceptional eyes. “Each time I think I have you figured, you surprise me.” I held my tongue, unsure whether that was meant as a compliment or a criticism. “You are uncomfortable in your new position,” she observed.

  “I feel unworthy of it, my lady,” I replied honestly. “My parents were far better suited to rule than I.”

  “You were raised to take your father’s seat as the head of your House.”

  “Never so soon.”

  She nodded, understanding as few others could. Her voice lost the cool edge she so meticulously maintained. “No, surely not.”

  I fidgeted, unable to contain the question. “How do you do it, Majesty?”

  She raised one golden brow at me. “Rule?”

  My words spilled from me, my frustration plain in my voice. “How do you step so effortlessly into your father’s place?”

  “Because it is what is required,” she replied plainly. “We do not choose our circumstances, Elivya, only whether or not to rise to them.”

  I watched her, then, her careful composure softened in my presence. There, beneath the stiffness and the detached demeanor, I saw her. It was just a flicker of a moment, but I saw it all the same. After so many years of neglect and isolation, she had buried herself beneath mountains of emotional armor. Underneath lay a deep well of kindness and a yearning
to be loved; a girl, still, filled with fear and self-doubt. I hoped someday she would have the chance to emerge under brighter circumstances.

  Our plans laid, there was much to do and yet little. Tommy made his list, presenting it to us at our next meeting and reviewing each item. He’d done a thorough job of it, even considering the possibility that none would be willing to sell to him. For this, we calculated double the estimated worth of a warehouse in Kingston, as Tommy assured us everyone had a price.

  When the tally was made, it was a considerable sum. Reyus volunteered to split the cost between our Houses, for which I was immensely grateful. As it was, his half of the amount constituted the remainder of the coin he had brought with him to Laezon. The rest, I scrounged together in various ways. We had a portion of it in coin, though I figured that would be better saved for other purposes. Instead, with Amita’s help, we went through every room in the house. Wagons were loaded with various valuables, from perfumes and jewelry to paintings and furniture. Tommy raised his eyebrow at us and muttered something about pack mules, but I ignored him and made sure he was well equipped for his ruse as a trader.

  The day he left, we gathered in the courtyard to see him off. Two wagons, loaded to bursting and covered with canvas tarps, would be escorted by a dozen guards, among them, the three men who’d dragged me from the prison. I pulled them aside and demanded their boons.

  “I fear time has run out, lads. Tell me your decisions.” I waited, hands folded in front of me in my best impression of my mother.

  Daniel spoke up first, the eldest and boldest of the three. “Can’t go wrong with coin, miss.”

  I nodded. “You’ll have it.”

  Matt fidgeted with the hem of his tunic. I’d concluded he was the youngest among them, quick and sharp, but with a nervous disposition. He asked for a kiss and the horse I’d lent him to take my letter to Daria. I gave both happily. His fair cheeks blushed when I pressed my lips to them. Daniel elbowed him in a brotherly fashion, grinning.

  Lastly, I turned to Will to hear his boon. Tall and strong, he held steady under my regard. Here was a young man who knew what he wanted. “I would ask that you accept my service, my lady.”