Conquest

by C B Samet

  “Was it you who told the King about my star magic?”

  His eyes fell to the floor. “I did. I wouldn’t be much of a Blue Gypsy if I didn’t know the meaning of your tattoo. Keeping that information to myself would’ve raised suspicion for the King to think I wasn’t working on his behalf. But it’s damaged, not destroyed.”

  I shook my head, rubbing a finger over the scar. “I’ve tried to transport—many times. It doesn’t work. I can turn invisible, but not travel.”

  “The Blue Gypsy who gave you that magic can also fix it for you.”

  I stared at him in amazement. “Blue. Blue can fix it for me?”

  Blue had been the gypsy who’d bestowed the star on me one night, during my university years when I’d attended Winter Festival. Blue traveled with the Crithian Carnival. Giddy, girlish excitement at the prospect of fixing my star bubbled through me. I would make finding Blue my next undertaking when the funeral concluded and Natalie and Paul were settled back at the estate.

  I backed away from Emerald, eager to find Orrick, check on him, and share the news. “I’ll talk to Bordo, Minister of Defense, and see if I can convince him of your instrumental help in our victory.”

  He gave a slight bow of his head as I wrapped my knuckles on the door for Heckle to open it.

  I found Orrick seated by the fire, sipping ale from a goblet. Snake Eyes floated in the air near a display case and stuck his head through the glass to inspect the crystalline figures. I watched his peculiar behavior for a moment.

  “Oh. Hello, dear. I needed to rest my weary bones.”

  I glanced distractedly at the brownie. “What’s he doing?”

  Orrick followed my gaze. “Huh? You can see Snake Eyes now? I suppose that makes sense since you were merged with Malakai for an intense period of time. Snake Eyes, my dear, has an affinity for shinny and valuable objects.”

  Snake Eyes wiggled his fingers through a unicorn figurine.

  I selected the lounge chair beside Orrick and sat down. “How are you feeling?”

  I knew he’d been busy healing soldiers after the battle.

  “Probably much like you—like I’ve fought a battle and won, but the whole event is a bit anticlimactic when so many people had to die. For what? For one country’s greed.”

  “Yes, my thoughts exactly.”

  Orrick offered me his goblet. I accepted it and took a long drink. Ale wasn’t my preferred beverage, but something about the earthy flavor made it seem perfect for our post-war commiseration.

  “Somehow, Mal and I will fix it. First, I need to repair my star. I’ve leaned that the gypsy who gave it to me is the one to see.”

  Orrick scratched his white beard. “That’s sound logical.”

  “And since we have your mother’s spirit stone, we should be able to ask her how to recreate the scepter stone—how to merge seven stones into one and repair the cracked Che stone.”

  “Also logical.”

  “Although, Tarik tells me the scepter is missing.” I glanced at Orrick from the corner of my eye.

  He smiled. “I’m certain it’s in a safe place and will be available to you when you’re ready.”

  I’d suspected he’d been the one to ensure the castle politicians didn’t reclaim it.

  I took another drink of ale and handed it back to Orrick. “Do you know anything about a dark wizard? Paul mentioned him, but I haven’t had time to ask Raven about it.”

  At the mention of Raven’s name, Snake Eyes drifted toward us to listen to the conversation.

  Orrick’s brow furrowed. “One more thing to worry about, I’m afraid. I do sense someone using magic for dark purposes, but I can’t see him or his intentions. He’s blocking me. Not me, specifically, but prying magical eyes in general.”

  “If I repair the scepter then perhaps whatever his intentions are will lose allure, since he’ll have less evil.”

  “Logic again prevails.”

  Snake Eyes interjected. “Have there been any signs of Mal?”

  Both Orrick and I shook our heads.

  Snake Eyes turned to Orrick. “Abbey and Mal are in love.”

  Orrick smiled. “I’m glad they’ve both acknowledged it.”

  I reached over, swiped the ale from Orrick, and took another swig before handing it back. “And what interest do the two of you have in our relationship?”

  Orrick chuckled. “Who doesn’t like a good love story?”

  “One that ends in Mal being stuffed back in his Che stone prison?” My tone was dismal.

  “All relationships end, my dear. We have to make the most of them while we have them—before the hour glass runs out.”

  After I’d consumed more than half of Orrick’s ale, I walked back toward my room. The Queen’s funeral was tomorrow, and a melancholy already seeped into my bones.

  “Ah, if it isn’t the Champion who saved the day.”

  I turned to see Corky walking toward me.

  “I didn’t do it alone.”

  “Of course not. And yet, it couldn’t have happened without you. And you killed Artemis Stout, so I’m still in your debt, Lady Cross.”

  “You could join me. My next quest is fixing the scepter.” I waited for him to make some excuse or explain how he planned to find his way back to Bellos.

  “I accept,” Corky said.

  “You do?”

  “Yes. When you’re ready for your next trip—playing with a bunch of colorful stones—find me. I’ll help you.”

  I rubbed my hands together. “Is this part of the life debt you want to repay?”

  “Yes, I’m a Widex. We repay them.”

  I inspected the young man’s face. He was only eighteen and had a tumultuous and violent childhood. His story was another reason to fix the stone and create a better world. If I was going to go around stealing stones, I might very well need a thief. “Okay, Cornelius. Where will I find you in, say, a month’s time?”

  He chuckled. “Oh, but you’re the Champion. Shouldn’t you already know that?”

  “If I could see the future, I wouldn’t have spent weeks in the brig of ship in a cell beside you.”

  Corky snorted. “True. I don’t know precisely, but I’ll be in a major city. I’m a city boy at heart.”

  I suspected that was because there was more thieving to be had in cities. “Don’t spend your hard-earned royal treasure in one place.” I knew he still had some of what he’d stolen from the Queen’s vault.

  His eyes went wide.

  “I’m not going to tell anyone.” I stepped forward and placed one hand on his shoulder. “But you have a chance for an entirely new life here. You have a way to buy things without taking them, and no one on this continent knows Corky-the-Thief. They know you as the young man who helped the Avant Champion. You can preserve that reputation and make a fresh start.”

  He swallowed and shuffled his feet. “I suppose so.”

  “I’ll find you.” I gave him a hug before walking away from him.

  “In a month?”

  “Give or take. I have a family to reunite first.”

  Coco and I stood on the edge of the pond outside of Marrington castle but still on royal ground. Baird waded knee-deep in the water, remaining motionless except for the slow reel of his fishing rod.

  Coco wriggled her rod with a bored expression on her face. “I honestly don’t get it. This is entertainment? We’ve been out here for an hour.” She turned toward me.

  I shrugged as I cast my line again into the pond. A ripple of water spread from the sinking fish bait. “This was always Joshua’s and Baird’s pastime. I must admit, after very possibly some of the worst weeks of my life, this seems so blissfully dull I could do it every day.”

  “I could be doing fifty other things more productive in the castle,” Coco complained.

  “I think that’s the point. We all need to detach from the busy-ness of life and just exist once in a while,” I said.

  I thought Baird nodded approval, but he may just have been
trying to summon the fish to his bait using the silent communication of his Language Stone.

  “Besides,” I added, “this is better than the last body of water the three of us were at.”

  “I don’t need to be reminded of that,” Coco snapped.

  I chuckled. “Coco-the-Squid-Slayer.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I…”

  Her fishing line quivered. “I think I have something.” The slack in the line straightened.

  Baird turned to look. “Make a quick snatch back toward you.”

  When she whipped the rod back, the line became taught and the rod began to bend under the force of the fish trying to swim away. “I’ve got something! I’ve got a fish!” Her eyes grew wide with surprise and delight.

  “Keep reeling it in,” Baird instructed as he waded through the water closer to her.

  Coco reeled as she practically jumped up and down with excitement. “I’ve got a fish! I’ve got a fish!”

  He reached for the fish, hauling it up by the line and then grasping its lower jaw. He held it up for Coco to see.

  “Well done,” I commended her. “That’s got to be five kilograms.”

  Baird climbed out of the pond and walked up to Coco, holding the fish away in one hand. He leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. “The woman of my dreams.”

  She laughed and wrapped her arms around him.

  41

  MALAKAI

  I didn’t have much left of my spiritual body when I finally returned to Marrington, so I opted to remain unseen to Abigail, Orrick, and Snake Eyes. I wanted to interact with Abigail, but I was still processing the overwhelming flood of emotions I felt for her. I loved her. It’d been magnificent to be a part of her—to merge with her, and act as one united. Yet, I wouldn’t want that on a regular basis. She had her space, and I had mine. Between that space we shared something more profound and more powerful than magic.

  From an extracorporeal aerial view, I watched the Queen’s funeral. From dawn until dusk a parade of mourners walked past her memorial of flowers. Local folk from Marrington mixed with those from Waterton, Meredith, and Taxco. The giants who’d battled days ago had stayed to mourn with the humans. The brownies had stayed as well. The monks, with their blue cloaks, walked together. The Callabus had arrived on horseback from Aithos to partake in the mourning. The Dubik gypsies had come from Karnelik. Goran Foal and his fellow Kovians were among the crowd as well.

  At sunset, Crithians lit candle lanterns. The orange glow spread around the land inside and outside of the castle walls. Coco, Baird, Raven, Orrick, the ministers, and Abigail and her children stood on the highest keep. The castle staff filled the wall walks of both the inner and outer walls. When Minister Tarik blew the long, mournful sound of conch, the sound alerted people to release their lanterns. An orange glow, like a blanket over a hundred tiny rising suns, lifted into the sky. As it rose, I imagined the Queen’s legacy rising with it, shining for the world to see. She’d given of herself freely and selflessly for decades.

  I floated down, closer to the keep where Abigail stood. She wore the black-feathered dress the Queen had once given her, and her hair was pulled up with a few loose ringlets. She wore the Warrior Stone within the decorative silver necklace she cherished. Paul held her hand on one side and Natalie on the other. Carrot, her faithful hawk, perched on a merlon of the parapet with Raven sitting beside her.

  A tear streamed down Abigail’s cheek. She looked from the rising lanterns to Natalie, but she didn’t seem upset. Pride had her standing tall and admiring her daughter—as though the thought that Natalie would take the crown, following the greatness of Rebekah the Fourth, was a testament to Natalie’s character and her potential.

  Baird had his arm around Coco, who wore a long, black dress. Her short, blonde hair was pulled back with black pins. Baird wore black beneath his blue cloak. He was clean-shaven and well-rested. I wondered if he’d be joining Abigail’s next quest to repair my scepter, or if he and Coco would finally settle down together.

  After the lanterns became mere specks in the sky, like distant stars, the crowd dispersed. Abigail walked with her children down the stairs of the keep and through the halls towards their bedroom.

  Goran approached. “Can I have a moment?”

  “Of course. Natalie and Paul, can you find your way to your rooms and change for the night?”

  The children left.

  Goran lifted Abigail’s hand, standing entirely too close to her. I tried to convince myself to leave, but instead I watched their interaction.

  “I’m planning to head back to Kovia.”

  “You should. You’ve children waiting to see you. I’m grateful you came.”

  “We don’t know when we’ll see each other again since you can’t star travel.”

  “We don’t,” Abigail agreed. “I’m sorry. I intend to try to restore the magic, but I don’t know how long that will take. When I do, my priorities will be to reunite my family and then fix the scepter. I can only promise to try to visit.”

  Goran raised the hand he held to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “You look beautiful tonight. Have you given any more thought to my offer? I’d move my family to Crithos to be with you.”

  Abigail’s throat bobbed in a lumpy swallow. “My answer is no. My heart is taken. Don’t wait for me. You can find a worthy woman who is less complicated and less obligated than I am.”

  He released her hand and straightened. “I understand. I don’t like it, and I think we could have found happiness together. But I do understand.”

  With a slight bow, he turned and left. Abigail stood perfectly still watching him walk away as the sound of his echoing boot steps grew steadily fainter.

  After the three-day funeral celebration, I’d finally amassed enough energy to appear before Abigail. She stood alone in the stalls, brushing Phobus. Her long, dark hair rippled down her back. She wore fitted pants, high leather boots, and a loose tunic. Her warrior stone hung around her neck in its pristine silver case.

  “Hello, Abigail.”

  She turned and her lips parted in a wide, beautiful smile. “Mal!”

  She walked up to me and gave me a peck on the lips. The familiar tingling sensation of contact with her lingered on my lips.

  “I’m glad you’re back.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Orrick said you helped heal a lot of wounded, until you just faded into nothingness.”

  I nodded.

  “I was worried after the first day if you’d just burned yourself out entirely—like a star.”

  “Still here. What’s the plan? I noticed the waitstaff loading the children and your trunks into a wagon.”

  “Home. Natalie, Paul, Orrick, Raven, Cook Mo, Fury, Phobus, and Carrot. You and me. We’re all going home.”

  “I like the idea of home.”

  “You and your mother and Orrick can start my magic training. Orrick wants to start trying to track this dark wizard you and Paul encountered. You and I can start the stone hunt. But first, I bring Rebekah home. Reuniting our family is my first priority.”

  “Our family?”

  “You’re part of our family, Mal. I hope you’re okay with that.”

  “I’m delighted with that. If I could embrace you and have you feel the full weight of my enjoyment at joining your family, I would.”

  “It’s okay. It’s in your eyes.” She turned and resumed brushing Phobus.

  “What about everyone else?”

  “Well, the giants, the gypsies, the Caballus, the Kovians and the monks are all heading home. They’ve all been given gold and gems to cover the cost of food and travel. The living Bellosian soldiers have taken their dead and are permitted to take two ships on which to return home. Coco is overseeing that.”

  “And Baird?”

  “He’s going to stay with Coco. Finally, they’re together.”

  “And who takes the throne of Crithos?”

  “No throne-taking at this time. It’s going to be
led by three ministers—Defense, Finance, and Law.”

  “Ah, three leaders. So, nothing will get accomplished,” I joked.

  “Maybe it’s better that way, with mankind’s deviousness toward one another right now. Maybe the only reason a single ruling entity worked for so long was because we were at peace without much of our evil.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “The Queen bequeathed me the Leadership Stone,” Abigail said with some hesitation.

  “Oh. And you presume her actions intend for you to give it to Natalie?”

  “Not yet. She’s not ready yet.”

  “I agree. Yet there is also another country without leadership.”

  Abigail cocked her head to one side. “You think I should use it to find Bellos a new leader?”

  I shrugged. “Just a thought.”

  She concentrated on that thought for a moment. “A good thought. I’ll marinate on that thought for a while.”

  Paul ran into the barn. “Mama, we’re all packed! Oh, Mal’s back!”

  “Hello, Paul.”

  “Are you coming home with us?”

  I squatted down at eye level with the boy. “Yes. Is that okay with you?”

  “Of course!” He turned and ran back out of the barn. “Hey, Nat! Mal’s coming too!”

  Abigail and I chuckled. “Like I said. You’re part of the family.”

  I gave a slight bow of my head. “I’m honored.”

  I found Orrick in his room, packing. Snake Eyes darted around the room looking more like an oversized hummingbird than a brownie.

  “Ah, the hero survived,” Orrick said.

  “Mal! You’re back!” Snake Eyes exclaimed.

  “Word around the castle is that you’re a hero,” I told Orrick. “Everyone speaks of the healing wizard.”

  “Yes, well. They don’t know I couldn’t have done it without you. And they don’t know Abigail couldn’t have done what she did without you.”

  “I’m content with my anonymity.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “Are you now?”