Born of Embers

by R A Lewis

  She greeted them in the entrance hall and assigned them suites of rooms. Her people were few enough that most of the families fit into the guest halls of the castle. One day she’d have to find them homes in the city, let them assimilate into the great Ethean people but for now she would keep them close.

  The dragons gathered in the courtyards of the castle grounds and the gardens. Kalina and Maska had spoken the day before about building a new set of stables big enough to house the dragons of those who lived at the castle. That was when an interesting question presented itself to her. If she combined her peoples, knowing that some would intermarry and have children, children like her: half Valdir and half Ethean, what would that mean for the deep magic that bound the Valdir and the dragons? Would the dragons begin bonding to more and more diverse people? Would anyone with a drop of Valdiran blood be able to bond with dragons? Would her people fade into obscurity? It was a question that terrified her both in its implications and its possibilities. Maska was equally curious and concerned and he promised to talk about the possibilities with the other dragons so that when the time came, they could properly discuss it. Kalina promised to do the same, but not until after her crown was secure.

  Finally, as the noon bells rang in the city, Kalina made her way from the gardens where Maska was, up to her rooms to get ready for her coronation.

  Chapter 37

  Calla and Eira helped Kalina dress. When she saw the dress Calla had altered she had gasped. The bodice was altered to cling closer to the body and sections of the skirt were slit so that it was easier to move in. When Kalina put it on, the top fit like a glove, hugging every curve down to her waist before flaring out around her. She wore her red leather pants beneath and Eira came forward with an intricately carved broad belt to strap around her middle like a corset. They finished off the look with carved red leather bracers. Calla reached out and tugged at the waist where the satin skirt met the lace covered top.

  “If you tug here, the skirt can be torn away. This is in case of emergency, mind, not so that you can ditch the skirt the moment you are crowned.”

  She gave a mock frown to Kalina, who laughed.

  “I won’t ruin your creation, Calla.”

  The woman softened and dragged her to a chair in front of a small vanity.

  “Now for your hair, I was thinking intricate braids,” Calla said, holding sections of Kalina’s silver hair up.

  Eira came up beside the younger woman. The two had become fast friends once Eira had arrived at the castle.

  “Let me do it. It should be done by a Valdir.”

  Kalina knew how important battle braids and Runark tattoos were for the Valdir. Soon Eira’s deft fingers were flying through her hair. Calla bustled around the room, digging through boxes until she let out a small gasp. Kalina and Eira turned to see Calla holding a bejeweled box, one hand to her mouth.

  “What is it, Calla?” Kalina called and the woman looked up finally, a little flustered before coming over to them and presenting the box.

  Kalina took it. Inside sat a stunning crown. It was wrought in a dark iron, not too unlike her own Valdiran crown, but along each delicately carved point were cleverly placed dragon scales in shades of sapphire. Kalina knew what this was before she found the note hidden beneath the crown.

  Dear Cherise,

  Please keep this and wear it on the day you are crowned Queen. Although we are far apart, you will forever by my one and only love.

  Yours completely,

  H.

  A tear slipped down Kalina’s cheek as she read the note that was written in her father’s hand. He had made this crown for her mother even after they’d been torn apart. For all Kalina knew, this was the last thing her father had sent to her mother, their last communication. Her hands shook as she withdrew the crown from the box and placed it gently atop her own head to see how it looked.

  She sat before the mirror clad in shades of sapphire and red. It suited her and complimented her silver hair perfectly. She nodded and removed the crown, placing it back in the box and handing it to Eira.

  “I will be crowned with this.”

  Eira nodded solemnly and retreated, carrying the box. Calla came up behind Kalina and stroked her cheek before hugging her, their eyes meeting in the mirror.

  “I know your mother couldn’t be here with us today, but I will be out there, and so will Anders and Talon.”

  “Talon’s back?” She had sent him to gather the army. Now she wondered if he had succeeded.

  “He got back this afternoon. He rode ahead of the army but he assured me that it was all in hand.”

  Kalina let out a breath in relief and nodded, wiping a few errant tears from her cheeks, careful not to smudge the koal drawn around her eyes, and trying to settle her churning stomach. She glanced back at the mirror one more time. Her scar stood out against her pale cheek, as did the brown Runark tattoos that covered her face. She didn’t think she looked pretty, her scar always making her feel self-conscious, but she looked formidable. Like an ice queen.

  Once again Kalina shuffled nervously in the antechamber off the throne room, waiting for her time to enter. She could hear the gathered crowd of Ethean nobles and Valdir behind the small door that led to the throne and she was beyond nervous. A part of her wanted desperately to run. But she was here for her people, not to give in to her own panic.

  Finally the door opened from the other side and she stepped through. Silence reigned as she crossed the floor and climbed the steps of the dais and stood before the throne. She finally focused on the crowd and not her feet and saw the room utterly divided. Silver haired Valdir stood to her left, while the Etheans of all colors stood to her right. The Valdir watched her expectantly, with looks of reverence and respect. Most of the Ethean nobility watched her with expectation, fear, distrust, and some with hatred.

  The head Priestess of the Order of the Mother Freyre ascended the dais and held out her hands for silence within the already silent room. Kalina struggled with the urge to vomit and instead, planted her feet, focusing on the feeling of her shoes on the floor, letting it root her to the spot. She held her head high and stared into the faces of her people.

  “People of Ethea,” the Priestess intoned, before nodding to the Valdir. “And people of the Valdir. Today we gather to witness the crowning of a new monarch. The changing of monarchs is always a time of upheaval, of great change. But change is often good. Kalina Stanchon of the Valdir and Ethea stands before you, ready to be the one to lead you through that change and into an even brighter future.”

  She paused then, looking through the room as if searching for a better candidate. Kalina did her best not to fidget.

  “If anyone here has an objection to her taking the crown, now is the time to speak up, or be forever quiet.”

  A general shuffling and murmuring filled the chamber. Finally a plump man of middle age, dressed in a rich velvet doublet, stepped forward. Kalina recognized him from the council chamber.

  “Lord Averil,” the Priestess announced as he ascended a few steps up the dais.

  He bowed slightly to the Priestess before eyeing Kalina and turning back to the gathered crowd.

  “Lords and ladies of the court. I stand before you as a trusted member of the King’s council. You have all known me for many years and trusted my opinion.”

  The crowd of Ethean nobility nodded in assent.

  “I stand before you now, and I say, this girl is no Queen of mine. Our King languishes in the dungeon, forcibly deposed by this upstart, nobody girl who fancies herself a Queen.” He said the last bit with sudden vehemence, his noble composure slipping. He pointed angrily at Kalina, who resisted the urge to take a step back. She had to stand her ground.

  Sound erupted in the throne room, many of the nobility calling for her head on a spike, for all the Valdir to be eradicated from Ethea. Hatred spewed from many of their mouths. Kalina watched as her own people bristled and began to threaten back but when she made eye contact with Lei
f and Jormungand in the front row she shook her head slightly. Within a few moments, the Valdir were looking to her and she held out a hand for their silence. There was no use in fighting this hatred with more hatred. She had come here to end a war, not start a new one.

  “People of Ethea,” she said, stepping forward as an uneasy hush fell over the crowd.

  Lord Averil turned towards her but he did not step down.

  “People of Ethea. I include the Valdir in this, for they are my people, as are all the people who dwell in Ethea. I was born to Queen Cherise and King Hakon of the Valdir and I am of both people. I was raised right here in Ethea. In a small Abbey dedicated to the Mother.” She smiled then to the Priestess who smiled serenely back. “I know what it is to suffer, to toil. And since I found the Valdir, I have known war. I have fought on the battlefields and seen young men and women die for a war they didn’t choose, for a King who ripped them from their beds to fight. I will not do that.” She held out her hands in a placating manner. “I am the daughter of an oppressed people, but I am also a daughter of Ethea. I promise as your Queen to be a just and kind ruler. I will fight for my people and take care of them.”

  She was cut off suddenly by Lord Averil.

  “Promises are all well and good, Lady Kalina.”

  He emphasized the Lady to try to put her in her place. She was getting rather sick of this man’s arrogance and of constantly being second-guessed.

  “Your goodness isn’t being debated here. Your right to rule is,” he continued.

  “I am the daughter of Hakon of the Valdir and Cherise Stanchon-” she began again.

  Lord Averil began to laugh but she plowed forward.

  “And I have proof,” she interrupted, giving him her best glare.

  She held out her hand to Anders who stepped forward, handing over the letter from the queen. Kalina marched to Lord Averil and handed it to him as the laughter died on his lips. He quickly scanned the letter, before looking up, frowning at her.

  “This still doesn’t prove anything. I could fake this signature.”

  He flashed the letter. Kalina was at a complete loss. How could she prove who she was? Would she have to take the crown by force? Instill fear so they would obey? It was the last thing she wanted to do.

  “Is there anyone here who can corroborate your story?”

  Lord Averil was still speaking as he began to pace the dais steps. Kalina looked ahead, trying to keep her focus on the back of the room and not let her audience see how much she was shaking.

  “I can.”

  Chapter 38

  A voice Kalina thought she recognized rang out in the hall, quieting all the murmuring voices of doubt. A tall slim man with dark eyes and hair that was going grey with age stepped forward, making his way towards the dais. Kalina realized with a jolt she knew who it was. Or rather, she knew she’d seen him before. He was the dark stranger who had met with Father Martin the day she’d learned she was a Valdir. The day everything had changed.

  “You,” she said as he approached the dais, taking the few steps up with a strange grace. He smiled a tight smile to her and nodded.

  “Yes. I can vouch that she is in fact the daughter of both King Hakon of the Valdir and Queen Cherise Stanchon. She is the heir to both thrones and our rightful Queen now that Queen Cherise has passed on.”

  Lord Averil blustered for a moment before finding his voice.

  “How do you know? Can you prove it?”

  Lord Averil seemed to be turning an interesting shade of purple and for a moment Kalina was relieved that this stranger had stepped forward to vouch for her.

  “Yes. I have here,” he produced a scroll with an unbroken seal from his doublet. “A writ from his late Majesty, King Osian Stanchon stating that his daughter, Cherise Stanchon gave birth to a female child named Kalina Stanchon shortly before her marriage to Prince Terric of Askor. That child was named heir to the throne and then entrusted to my care. I placed her at Hywell Abbey with Father Martin, to be looked after until such a time as she was deemed safe. Prince Terric, however, learned of her existence and knew she could depose him and began searching for her relentlessly. Many of you knew of his obsession.”

  Many of the nobles around the room began to nod in agreement.

  “I knew she had to remain at the Abbey. So I went back to check on her almost one year ago. My plan was to one day reveal her heritage and bring her back to the palace to live, but the High Father had different plans. He was fond of the child and wanted her to have a normal life. A few days later, however, that child disappeared and a few months later we learned she had taken the throne of the Valdir following her father’s death in a battle with Terric’s men. She has come back to Ravenhelm to claim her birthright, a birthright I fully support.”

  With that declaration, the man turned and knelt at Kalina’s feet, his head bowed in deference. His story almost brought tears to her eyes, but she blinked them away and instead leaned down to take his hand and help him stand.

  “Thank you,” she said, her voice coming out a bit thick with emotion. “Who are you?”

  The man smiled kindly at her, before bending to kiss her hand.

  “I am Lord Illeron, Spymaster.”

  Sound filled the throne room until the Priestess held up both her hands. Lord Illeron stepped to the side, showing his support as Kalina surveyed her people. Many of the Ethean faces were now open with curiosity rather than closed with distrust. Lord Averil was still scowling but he had retreated back among the crowd to sulk. He would have to be removed from the council, Kalina knew. It was one thing to be questioned as Kari and Jormungand had done, and another to be outright opposed. He would be a thorn in her side.

  “Without further ado, we will proceed with the coronation.”

  She gestured for Eira to step forward, the ornate crown box in her hands. She opened it and presented the crown to the Priestess who took it in her hands and reverently held it aloft before Kalina.

  “With this crown we name you Protector of the Realm. With this crown we name you Keeper of All People. With this crown we name you Daughter of Freyre, Queen of the Valdir and Queen of Ethea.”

  She gently set the crown atop Kalina’s braided silver hair. Kalina felt as though a physical weight much greater than that of the crown settled upon her shoulders. She was now responsible for so much more.

  “All hail Queen Kalina!” the Priestess intoned.

  “Long live the Queen!”

  The crowd responded and as one, as if they were bent over by a rolling wave, the entire audience, including the Priestess, bent their knees before her. Kalina’s heart swelled as pride lifted her up. She felt thankful that these people trusted her to take care of them.

  She would try to be worthy of it.

  To be continued…

  * * *

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  Ready for more from RA Lewis? Born of Blood, Book 3 in The Valdir Chronicles is coming out Fall 2019!

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  About the Author

  R.A. Lewis is a debut fantasy author. She lives in Oregon with her husband, two dogs, three cats, and hundreds of fish. She has two degrees from the University of Oregon in Psychology and Sociology and loves to address mental illness, trauma, and the human experience within her writing. When she’s not pulling her hair out writing, she enjoys reading, daydreaming, spending time with her husband and dogs, watching zombie movies/shows, swimming/working out, and napping.

  You can visit her on Facebook (R.A.LewisAuthor), Instagram (@author.r.a.lewis), Pinterest (authorralewis), her blog (Authorralewis.wordpress.com), or Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/RALewis). You can also follow her on Bookbub for reviews.

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