A hand. The king grabbed his sword. With all of his remaining strength, he twisted, driving it deeper into the skull-masked figure. It shrieked, stumbling backwards. The king disappeared into a pile of bodies.
A roar sounded from the Regulars and the knights, and they charged forward again, re-energized. Vinet watched in horror as they ran through the lines, slaughtering everyone in their path.
She reached out through the maelstrom of bodies, trying to find the king. He had won the battle, that was clear. The cultists of Mount Halon were routed. But where was he?
She let out a cry of her own at the sight. He was lying face-up on the ground, surrounded by the dead. His eyes stared blankly at the sky, and his throat had been slit.
She fled back to her body, away from the roar of battle, away from the death and destruction. She flung herself at Nazir with a sob.
“What happened?” he demanded as he held her close. “Vinet, what’s wrong?”
She shook her head, getting herself under control. This was no time to break down.
“The king is dead,” she whispered.
Epilogue: Lady of the Council
Hot sun beat down as the Council and the rest of the nobles stood at the entrance to the palace. The streets were lined with people, all cheering and celebrating. The steps to the palace were reserved for the nobility, of course. Vinet and Nazir, by virtue of her position as Lady of the Council, stood near the very top steps. The only people higher were Ellil, still heavily bandaged, and his attendant.
The cheering grew louder, and Vinet looked down the street. Finally, the procession was coming into view. At the head of the procession rode young Prince Andreas. Much too small for a horse, he instead rode a well-mannered pony. The boy stared straight ahead, barely acknowledging the cheers and shouts with a wave of his hand. Vinet felt a moment of sorrow for him. The poor lad. His father had just died, and now his responsibilities forced this procession on him.
Behind the prince rode Lord Auriel, sitting straight and tall on his own white mare. He looked kinglier than the child in front of him. He nodded at the people and waving in response to their cheers. Behind him rode his three burgundy clad guards, followed by six of the king’s knights. The prince’s knights, now, Vinet realized.
The procession came to a halt at the base of the steps. The prince and Lord Auriel dismounted and slowly began to climb the stairs to the top. The prince kept his eyes straight ahead, staring at Ellil as he climbed. Lord Auriel watched the boy with a kind, amused smile. Prince Andreas knelt in front of Ellil as he reached the top stair. The high priest raised the golden crown of Saemar high so that everybody could see it. Vinet could see the priest wince with the pain from his wounds, but the crowd would be too far away to notice such an expression. Vinet felt her throat tighten as the high priest began to sing, his voice carrying clear across the now-silent crowd. He finished the list of oaths that the prince had to swear.
The prince looked up, and for a moment Vinet thought he was going to falter. Then his voice rang out, singing his oaths, not as loud as Ellil’s, but still loud enough to carry over the crowd. He had a beautiful boy soprano.
Ellil placed the crown of Saemar on the prince’s head. It wasn’t the old crown, Vinet noticed. For one, that would have been far too large for the boy’s head. For another, it had been lost on the battlefield. They had managed to bring back the king’s body and give him a state burial, but the crown had disappeared without a trace.
A cheer rang out across the crowd as soon as the crown settled on the prince’s head. Vinet joined the applause, but only briefly, as did most of the other nobles. The ceremony was not yet done.
Ellil turned his gaze on Lord Auriel, who bowed low. In the same clear voice, he began the song of the vows of the regent.
Vinet had not been surprised that the king had made Lord Auriel the prospective regent. Some of the other nobles had been shocked. She hadn’t even been surprised that it had been done up properly, with the seals of seven witnesses, including Pellalindra. She supposed she should be grateful. Having such a clear document avoided any jockeying for power among the nobility that would have inevitably have followed the king’s death. Still, something about the timing of the creation of the document, just before the king’s departure, made her suspicious; suspicions she kept to herself behind a tight smile.
Lord Auriel sang his vows as regent in the same clear voice he’d used at his wedding. Vinet noticed Pellalindra smiling, a hint of satisfaction on her face. Vinet was not surprised by that either. Pellalindra was now married to the regent, the most powerful man in the realm.
Ellil nodded once more when Lord Auriel finished. He handed Lord Auriel the scepter, bowing low as he did so. Vinet knew the symbolism. The prince would be king when he turned twenty-five, but until then, the scepter, the power behind the crown, would be in Lord Auriel’s hands. The hands of a mysterious stranger, Vinet thought.
The prince finally rose to his feet and turned to face the crowd. Lord Auriel held out the scepter to him, and together they raised it high. The deafening cheer was nearly enough to drive Vinet to her knees, but she stayed standing as she applauded with the rest. Her part in the ceremony wasn’t done yet, after all.
The prince turned and walked through the doors of the palace, followed closely by Lord Auriel, Ellil, and several knights. Vinet straightened her shoulders and followed, along with the rest of the nobility. It was time for them to swear fealty.
Uncomfortable, she worked her way to the front of the crowd. In most circumstances, she wouldn’t have minded waiting to swear her oath. But circumstances had made this unavoidable. She was Lady of the Council, therefore she had to be first.
The prince sat on the throne, looking slightly uncomfortable in the too-large chair. Lord Auriel sat on a chair placed just beside it. A herald stood at the side of the throne and pounded a staff on the ground, though the throne had all attention already in such a formal ceremony.
“The prince summons Lady Vinet et-Alim of Ninaeva, Lady of the Regency Council, and her husband, Lord Nazir et-Alim of Ninaeva!”
Vinet felt Nazir take her arm, and she gave him a quick smile. The two of them walked side by side to the throne, where she gave the prince a deep curtsy. Nazir bowed low.
The prince looked nervously at Lord Auriel, who gave him an encouraging smile. The prince began to sing the vows of the nobility.
Vinet answered, her own song steady. She remembered singing these words for Andreas IV. She hadn’t expected to be singing them to that king’s son, Andreas V, so soon. When she finished, she touched Nazir’s arm gently. He braced himself and sang his own vow, one as Lord to her Lady.
The prince seemed relieved when the song was finished and gestured for her to rise. Lord Auriel held out a hand to stop her from slipping back into the crowd.
“A moment, Lady et-Alim. You still have in your care the grandchildren of the late General Alexander?”
Vinet was startled. “Yes, Lord Regent,” she answered.
Lord Auriel spoke. “The crown has appointed a steward for the lands of Lokrian, as well as tutors for the next heir. In the next month, they will need to move back to their lands to help oversee the rebuilding.”
Vinet blinked. She hadn’t been expecting this. “I am more than willing to continue to support them.”
“You are gracious.” Lord Auriel smiled. “But as General Alexander died serving the crown, it is only right that the crown makes provisions for his heirs. The same provisions will be made for the children of Lord Conn MacTir.”
She managed a smile and another curtsy of acknowledgement. Lord Auriel nodded his dismissal, and Nazir led her back into the crowd.
“Lady Pellalindra Auriel of Duskryn, member of the Regency Council!” The herald proclaimed again. The pounding of the staff did nothing for Vinet’s headache born from mounting discomfort at the new regime. Not that I have any facts to support that discomfort, she thought. And until then, I cannot speak of my suspicions to any
one. She did not want Conn’s fate to be her own.
Vinet watched as the prince continued to receive the oaths of fealty from the nobility. First the council members would be called, and then the rest. Not everyone had arrived for this ceremony, of course. Some were wounded, or ill, or couldn’t travel for some other reason. But one by one, they would come and give their oaths. They had to.
She felt a flutter of uneasiness as she watched Lord Auriel guide the prince. He had taken command of things so smoothly. When everyone would have panicked, he had calmly picked up the reins. He was good at it, certainly. And there was every indication he would continue to be good at his job, and serve the prince as he grew into manhood and kingship.
“Lord Kamian Silas of Hinswold, member of the Regency Council!”
She groaned at whisper-volume, and Nazir gave her an amused smile. She smiled back at him, wishing she could kiss him. But that would have to wait until after the fealty ceremony was done, and then after the first meeting of the Regency Council. There was business to be conducted, after all. A schedule had to be agreed upon, first off, and if Vinet had her way they would each have duties agreed upon so that the business of government went smoother, without the bickering of who was going to handle what part.
She sighed. She was going to have a great deal of work to do. Not the least a quiet investigation into who, or what, Lord Auriel actually is. She tucked that thought into the back of her mind.
Nazir squeezed her hand, and she smiled wider. She could handle it. With Nazir at her side and Gwyn at her back, she could handle anything.
Acknowledgements
I can only take credit for part of the idea for this book. Most of it was a collaborative effort during an online RPG game. Rose, Neil, Nathan, Megan, and Jonathan all had equal roles in creating the characters and the world, and Josh was the one who orchestrated it all. I apologize to them for any liberties I took in writing this book, changing the events of our game and personalities of characters to make it a cohesive novel. I also apologize that since it’s from Vinet’s perspective, some of the councilors are portrayed as less-than-flattering. Everyone is the hero of their own story, after all. Thank you all for your understanding and support.
My wonderful fiancé, Josh, was a huge inspiration and help in the writing of this novel. When I announced I wanted to write a book based off our game, he said, without hesitation, “Go for it.” He was there for me every step of the way, from the first draft through the editing. Thank you so much, love.
A huge thank you to my editor, Sally, as well. She was the first person from outside the game to read it, and her perspective and suggestions were invaluable. And thank you to Charlotte, who helped my vision of the cover come alive.
And of course, thank you to Marty Wilsey and everyone at Tannenhauser press. You make the publishing world less scary.
About the Author
Tuppence Van de Vaarst has long been obsessed with history, writing, fantasy, the ocean, and magic. She taught herself to read at the age of three and read every single book she could get her hands on. At the age of eleven, she started creating her own stories. As she grew, her passion for stories never faded.
When she was eighteen, she decided to pursue her love of the ocean by enlisting in the United States Coast Guard. Although she decided military life did not suit her, she views it as a useful experience that she can now insert into her own writing. She has an MA in Medieval Studies and an MA in Library Science from University College Dublin.
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