Emerald Rose

by Emma Hamm

  Perhaps Danielle was getting used to her.

  Raphael stared at the other Dread hard for long moments before he nodded. “Ensure no one stops her along the way. You will not approach the palace, however.”

  “I won’t let anyone see me.”

  He seemed unhappy with that answer. Raphael opened his wings wide, preparing to take off into the sky where he would find his brother. “I want you both to return safe, Soldier. Not just the princess.”

  “Understood, Emperor.”

  “See to it you return to the Hollows. Blacksmith is waiting for you with further instructions. The Hollows need you both now.” He turned toward Danielle and his expression softened. He lifted a hand, only to drop it with the knowledge other eyes were watching them. “Be well, Princess.”

  “I expect you to return for me,” she replied.

  His gaze heated for a moment, then he bowed low to the ground. “As you wish.”

  Raphael beat his wings and launched himself into the air. Up and up he went until she couldn’t see him past the line of trees. Her heart ached at the loss of him.

  Soldier cleared her throat. “Are you ready, Princess?”

  “No.” Her honest reply stuck in her throat. “I don’t want to return home. I don’t want to see the people who didn’t want me. Or didn’t care enough to fight for me to stay.”

  “You’re still human,” Soldier said. “Someone will take you back.”

  “I can’t stay with just someone. I’m a princess, and that means my only home is in the capital. The palace calls to me, no matter how much I wish to run from it.”

  Soldier shrugged, then turned around and strode into the trees. “It doesn’t matter in the end. You’re still a human, they’re still human. You’re all the same.”

  Danielle didn’t know how to explain they weren’t the same. That peasants weren’t the same as royals. That she didn’t know what she was doing, or how to get into the palace without angering her father even more.

  Diplomacy was a dangerous game.

  She could always try to convince her father she’d returned of her own planning. Perhaps she could spin a story of how the Dread were terrifying creatures with wicked hearts who wanted to harm her.

  He had always had a soft spot for Danielle. The King wouldn’t turn her away when she had been harmed.

  She eyed Soldier as they walked through the forest. She could always ask the Dread to scratch her, or at the very least, give her a few more bruises than just her throat and shoulders.

  But the idea of those claws digging into her flesh made her wince. Blood wouldn’t help her. Not when she’d already been attacked.

  Soldier glanced over her shoulder and caught Danielle staring at her. “What is it now, Princess?”

  “I’m trying to formulate a plan which will convince my father to let me back into the palace.”

  “What makes you think a plan is necessary?” Soldier reached above their heads and held back a branch for Danielle to pass under. “You seem convinced your family will not allow you to return.”

  “They disowned me,” she explained. “When the Emperor took me, they said I wasn’t welcome to return.”

  “People say a lot of things when they’re angry.” Soldier shrugged and let the branches snap back in place. “I don’t think they’ll turn you away.”

  “You don’t know my family.”

  “Better than you think.”

  Danielle stared at Soldier’s back as she continued through the forest. But her own feet remained stuck to the ground. What did the Dread mean?

  She knew Danielle’s family better than she thought?

  “What do you mean?” she finally asked, racing to catch up to the Dread. “Soldier?”

  Soldier sighed. Her wings tightened around her shoulders, so tight they appeared to melt into her skin. “I’ve been watching your family for a very long time, Princess. Since you were born.”

  “You have?” Danielle stumbled over a log, then righted herself. “Why?”

  “The Dread need to know what’s happening in the world above.”

  That made sense, but it wasn’t the entire truth. Danielle cleared her throat and said, “But that doesn’t mean you had to watch my family. You could have watched anyone, not just the nobility.”

  “The King makes the decisions. The King’s family sets the standards for the happiness of their people.”

  Danielle watched Soldier as she said the words. Her eyes flickered to Danielle, looking her up and down before staring away. Her wings were still flattened to her side, but it was the set of her shoulders which had changed.

  “Oh,” Danielle murmured. “Our lives fascinated you, didn’t they?”

  Soldier didn’t respond, but she shrugged her shoulders.

  “What was it, if you don’t mind me asking?” Danielle could see the line of trees where the forest ended and the paths to the palace began. But she wanted to know the answer to her question.

  It somehow felt important.

  As they reached the edge of the forest, Soldier drew back into the shadows. For a moment, Danielle didn’t think the Dread would answer her question.

  Then Soldier sighed. “Everything in your life was so beautiful, Princess. From the simplest things, like plates and utensils to the bedroom curtains. Nothing was ugly in your life. And I have only known ugliness.”

  The Dread faded into the shadows, and Danielle was left alone at the foot of the forest. Her life had been filled with beauty?

  She turned and stared at the white marble palace, stretching up to the clouds, and realized the Dread was right. She’d just never appreciated the beauty.

  “All right,” she whispered, staring at the palace and squaring her shoulders. “I can do this.”

  Danielle started down the path toward her home and prayed her family wouldn’t behead her for stepping foot on their land.

  Chapter 29

  Raphael soared through the clouds and watched the ground pass by him in ribbons of bright colors. Emerald green. Sapphire blue. White mist of clouds and the glimmering reflection of the sun on rivers.

  He’d forgotten how beautiful Ember could be. Their entire continent had once been so alluring to him, although he couldn’t remember when the last time he’d thought such things.

  Now, the marvelous landscape appeared as if it were new. Just born. Just blooming in front of his eyes.

  His heart beat faster. Freedom was an intoxicating drug he found he enjoyed.

  The Hollows had always been his home, or at least, they were the only home he remembered. They suited his needs. Silence and peace away from the battles which had left scars on his body and mind.

  He’d gone deep into the earth because he’d known that would be safe. No one would follow him or his people into the ground where it was dark and damp.

  But now, with the wind stirring his hair and clouds brushing his wings, he questioned every decision he’d made. This was what his people were missing? The luxury of freedom and the strength of wind underneath their wings?

  Perhaps their safety was worth risking if they were given this in return.

  He tilted, shifting so he could dip lower. The tips of his wings touched the tops of the trees, rustling the leaves and sending a flutter of brightly colored birds bursting into the air. They tried to keep up with him, but his wings were so much larger.

  Something pressed against his throat, rising from his chest in such a bubble he almost couldn’t contain the sound. A laugh? When was the last time he’d laughed for pure happiness?

  Raphael twisted, turning over in the air and staring up at the clouds above him. The sun sparkled, and the heat of it stroked his face and chest.

  Gods, this was so beautiful, and he couldn’t think of anything other than the bubbling emotion in his chest. He was truly, completely happy.

  Raphael didn’t know how long he flew like that. Flipping over and under, watching the emerald forests disappear as he flew by them. All he could think of was how
grateful he was for this moment. To be free.

  Danielle would have loved this adventure. She would have pointed out so many things to him, explaining what the world above was.

  He almost wished she was here. But she was safer with her family. Safe where the alchemists couldn’t find her.

  If nothing had happened to his brother in Little Marsh, then he would have brought her here. But if his brother was anything like him... Then it wasn’t safe for her. He knew what the Dread could do when they were angry.

  The witch couldn’t be real. No matter how much the alchemists wanted him to think she existed, Raphael had never heard of such a creature.

  No beast could control the Dread, other than the alchemists. They’d made it so when they created their monsters. He refused to believe any woman could twist the heart of a Dread so she could have her own personal army.

  To do what?

  The question ate away at him. What would any woman want with an army? Was she like Danielle? He couldn’t imagine there were so many corrupt kings in all of Ember.

  But, then again, he hadn’t thought the King of Hollow Hill could do what he’d done. His own daughter, bruised and bloodied from her father’s hand?

  Unease settled in his chest. If there was another king he had to defeat, then so be it. Perhaps his brother would want to unite their kingdoms. Together, they could ensure the humans weren’t misbehaving.

  Something in that thought felt right. That he and his brother were meant to look after the humans. To save them from themselves...

  Why?

  With questions eating through his soul, Raphael reached the edge of Little Marsh. He knew the line as though a shimmering veil parted before him. In one moment, he was in Hollow Hill, and the next, Little Marsh. Without a map, without a sign, he knew.

  Raphael inhaled a deep breath and set his gaze to the ground. He needed to find some sign of life. Where were the humans living?

  The sun rose high in the horizon and then dipped almost to the other side before he found the first humans. He’d expected them to be enchained, or at the very least enslaved if a witch were running the kingdom.

  The humans he saw were healthy, though. They didn’t look up into the sky. They worked in the woods, cutting down a few select trees and sawing them into pieces. A horse and cart stood near them, prepared to take the wood back to wherever the men were taking it.

  Curious, Raphael thought. This didn’t appear to match the stories the alchemists told at all.

  He flew further and found a small village nearby. Many humans worked side by side in a market where they sold fruits and vegetables.

  A few children scurried through the crowd, one of them held a stick and chased the others. Even high as he was, Raphael could hear their shrieks of laughter and happiness.

  This also didn’t match what the alchemists said at all, and the unease in his stomach spread into his chest. He turned his direction and followed a road all the way to a city teeming with people. So many humans, each one more colorful than the last. They all shouted, laughed, toiled about their daily lives.

  None of them appeared mistreated. None of them had been attacked, nor were they burdened with fear.

  In fact, this city appeared to thrive.

  One human looked up and pointed up at him. They should have screamed in terror, but instead, the human waved at him. A few others joined them and soon their voices pierced through the crowd.

  “Dread! Welcome!”

  Perhaps he’d been wrong. They most definitely were under a spell. No human could call a Dread out of the sky without a single note of fear in their voice.

  His curiosity got the better of him, however. And if they tried to attack him, then he could fly away.

  Raphael glided down to the stone courtyard in the center of the city, landing with his wings spread wide. But the man who had called him didn’t reach for a weapon. The bright grin on his face wrinkled the edges of his cheeks and stretched up into fine lines around his eyes. Salt and pepper hair reached his shoulders, curly locks meeting a well-trimmed beard.

  The man stretched out his hand for Raphael to shake. “Welcome, friend. We haven’t seen a Dread in a long time. Were you not here when the Master saved us?”

  “Saved you?” he asked, eyeing the hand with distrust. “Care to tell me what happened?”

  The man frowned then, looking him up and down before taking a single step back. “You aren’t one of the Dread from Little Marsh, are you?”

  A few of the other humans whispered. They reached for each other, linking arms, and pulling loved one’s away from Raphael.

  There was the fear he had expected. He chose his next words with hesitation. “No. I’m not from Little Marsh.”

  The man in front of him swallowed hard. “Where are you from then?”

  “Hollow Hill.”

  “Ah,” the man scrubbed the back of his neck before letting out a soft curse. “Well then, it’s good to meet you. My name is Bernard, and perhaps we should go to the castle.”

  “I had planned on that being my destination,” Raphael grumbled.

  Who was this man? The other humans drifted away, but this one stayed.

  Raphael eyed Bernard’s clothing, trying to guess who he might be, or where he had come from. Bernard wore a simple white cotton shirt. His pants had seen better days. They were dirt streaked and covered in mud. But his shoes were well made and didn’t have a speck of earth on them. None of the clothing matched or made sense.

  “Who are you?” he asked.

  “Bernard,” the man replied. “I already told you that.”

  “Yes, but who are you to the Master of this place?” He gestured around them. “This is not what I was told to expect from Little Marsh.”

  “I suppose most people remember Little Marsh as still under the rule of the Dread.” Bernard pointed toward the forest. “Follow me, you’ll get your answers from the Master.”

  Raphael almost didn’t follow the strange man. He could find the castle on his own, one should be able to find such a place with no guide. Yet, there was something about this strange man that summoned him to follow.

  He tucked his wings tight against his sides and trailed along behind Bernard. He had to walk slower than before, but the pace let him stare at the city in wonder.

  Little Marsh was beautiful. The stone pathways led in all different directions, up and down, through narrow alleyways where people lived.

  And though the humans had leaned away from him when they realized he wasn’t from their own kingdom, they were still curious. Small children hung out windows to stare at him, while the adults stepped out of doors to watch him pass by. Most had a smile for him. Some a curious raised brow, but none looked at him with frowns or fear.

  Who were these people?

  They made their way out of the city and into the forest beyond where Bernard picked up pace.

  Raphael called out, “How did you know I wasn’t from Little Marsh?”

  “Your wings.”

  He looked at the holes in his wings, the ripped appendages which still carried him well through the air. “What about them?”

  “They’re purple.”

  “And?”

  Bernard paused for a second before shrugging and moving onward. “The Dread in Little Marsh all had red wings.”

  “Had?” Raphael repeated. “What do you mean they had red wings?”

  The answering sigh was rather dramatic and frustrated. “I’ll let the master explain all that to you. It’s not my place, sir.”

  Raphael would willingly follow this man into the forest, only because he knew this human couldn’t kill him if he even tried. Bernard was much smaller, slower, and didn’t look like much of a fighter. But there was one more question he needed answered.

  He stopped in the middle of the forest and waited until the human noticed he was no longer following him.

  Bernard heaved another dramatic sigh before turning. “What is it now? I’m taking you to the castle,
that’s what you said you wanted. What else could you possibly need?”

  “I was sent here looking for my brother,” he replied. “I want to know if there is someone here who doesn’t remember who they are. Memories are... difficult for me. I don’t even know his name.”

  Bernard stared at him and his expression changed. Shifting from one of exasperation to one of shock, then awe, then horror. All the tension eased out of the man’s stance and he softened. “If my assumptions are correct, yes. Your brother is here.”

  “How do you know?” Raphael’s breath caught in his lungs. This might be the moment. He might know where he came from in only a few moments.

  “Just a feeling, sir. Your brother’s name is Alexandre, and he is the master of Little Marsh. The man we all now call king.”

  Chapter 30

  Danielle slipped through the crowds at the entrance to the palace. She didn’t want any of the city folk to see she was here. They’d likely heard the princess was disgraced, and peasants were ever eager to create a mob.

  A woman moved aside, murmuring an apology and eyeing the hood pulled up over Danielle’s face. “Are you all right, dear?”

  “I’m fine, thank you.”

  “They don’t open the doors for a while yet. Pushing ahead won’t get you to the palace any sooner than the rest of us.”

  But it would. Because Danielle planned to walk up to the guards and let them see her face. They would drag her in front of her family where she would be at their mercy.

  She gulped. “I think they’ll let me in.”

  The woman gave her another strange look before reaching into the folds of her dress. Out of her pocket, she pulled a glistening red apple. “Here, then. If you must rush, then you must eat.”

  “I can’t take that from you,” Danielle whispered, pushing the apple back. “Please. Eat what food you have and keep it for yourself.”

  “We all must share what we have in times like these. Please, it would make me feel better to know you arrived with a full belly.”

  Danielle didn’t know if it was the tone of the woman’s voice, or the softness in her expression, but she trusted her.