“We tried that tactic in Terra. It didn’t work,” I said. As stubborn as Chel was, I agreed with her on this.
“Why didn’t it work?” Queen Adelaide had been quiet up until this point. Her eyes were still on the map before us, as if the answer laid between the lines of ink.
“Well,” Zephyra bit her lip. “We were told to hold back our powers as we were still close to Terra. A fire could’ve burned down the whole kingdom.” She turned her face to me then. “Perhaps if you could split the earth again we could trap King Zaeden’s army and I could then burn them.”
“I don’t even know if I could split the earth again. I’ve only done it once, and it wasn’t on purpose.”
Zephyra looked down at her hands, which were folded neatly in her maroon skirts. “Perhaps you could hone that part of your magic. It may be our best chance.”
“What say you, Your Majesty?” Constable Creighton appealed to his queen.
She opened her mouth to answer, but then a guard in red and yellow Solis livery burst through the doors. “Apologies, Your Majesty,” he said as he bowed, clearly out of breath. “More soldiers have arrived from Terra. You’ll wish to hear what they have to say.”
Queen Adelaide stood taller and lifted her chin. “Bring them to me.”
We waited while the guard fetched the refugees, our discussion forgotten for the moment. He soon returned to the small octagon shaped room with two men and one woman. All three wore Terra’s uniform. They each bowed deeply before the queen. She was not their queen, but she was still a royal and still an ally of their own king.
“Rise,” Queen Adelaide ordered, regal to the bone. Born and raised to be a queen.
One of the men, the one with shoulder length brown hair and a scar bisecting his upper lip, spoke. “Your Majesty, we managed to escape from Terra and we seek a place among your own army.”
“Granted,” Queen Adelaide affirmed.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” the man with the scar breathed. I recognized his face, but I couldn’t remember his name. “I would also warn you to be prepared. The things we’ve seen… the land around Terra… it’s dying. And the—the creatures… they’re not of this world.” The man was clearly shaken.
The queen stiffened. “Creatures? What creatures?”
“They were—they were like hairless hounds with sharp claws, and they stood on two legs. Others were the size of my fist, but had wings and sharp pincers made for ripping flesh from bone. We—we saw them devour a large man within moments.”
“Impossible,” she replied, turning away from the soldier. She walked slowly around the table, tapping her knuckles on its surface, deep in thought. When she’d come to a full circle, she stopped. “I do not want to give King Zaeden the chance to bring Vesirus and his dark world here. I will send a soldier out to learn of his location. If he’s still in Terra, we will wait until he marches again. Once he’s on the move, we will attack, giving us the element of surprise. Having magic on our side also gives us an advantage. Elementals, are you with us? It’s your decision. If you wish to go to Ventosa to find the air elemental, I won’t stop you. But if you choose to fight with us, we could end this sooner.”
I knew Zephyra’s decision by the look of pride on her face. And the storm raging in Chel’s gaze told me hers. I was the deciding vote as Percifal had no say. I set my eyes on the queen and said, “We’ll fight with you. There’s no sense in searching for a person we may never find when we could end this war now.”
Queen Adelaide smiled, her eyes sparkling with hope. “Good. First, I need someone willing to find King Zaeden. I need a champion.”
Percifal stepped forward. “I would be honoured.”
Zephyra put a hand on his arm. Her brow creased with concern. “Percifal, are you sure? King Zaeden knows you.”
He covered her hand with his own. “Yes, this is my chance for redemption. I could’ve stopped this before it began. Let me help end it. Besides…” He winked. “I’ve mastered the art of disguise.”
Zephyra let out a nervous laugh and explained to the room, “He was posing as a vagrant when I met him. I’d never have guessed he was once a constable.”
Constable Creighton gave him a measuring look, which Percifal answered with a wink.
“It’s settled then. You will leave at dawn. As soon as you find out where King Zaeden is bound for, you will return here.”
“My pleasure, Your Majesty.”
Chel hadn’t said a word, but I sensed the silent rage rolling off her in waves. She’d forgive us when King Zaeden was dead.
Queen Adelaide dismissed us, and servants came to take care of the refugees.
Zephyra and Percifal went their own way, needing time alone before Percifal left for his mission. Constable Creighton went to inform his soldiers of the plan and to prepare them for the battle ahead, leaving me and Chel alone together. Wonderful.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” she fumed, marching past me.
“I don’t, but this makes more sense than going on some search for a person who may or may not be able to help us.”
She stopped and twisted to face me, fists clenched. “We found you, didn’t we?”
I crossed my arms. “Maybe you got lucky.”
“If you call losing the battle in Terra luck, maybe you deserve to die.”
I couldn’t help myself. I let out a bitter laugh. Didn’t she know who she was talking to? “Of course I deserve to die. The sooner you learn that, the better off you’ll be.” I’d had enough. Screw not knowing my way around the Solis palace. I’d rather get lost than deal with the emotions that woman evoked in me. I left her in the corridor.
I found my way outside and ended up in the gardens. Courtiers strolled down the cobblestone pathways through the endless vibrant flowers. Ladies dressed in gowns as bright as the petals battered their lashes at me from behind silk fans. Lords gave me sideway stares, unsure what to think of the man whose face they’d never seen in their kingdom. I ignored them all as I found a bench to sit on and gazed into the fountain of bubbling water. How could a place be so beautiful when the world outside was turning to ash? I wished for King Zaeden’s death. I wanted my own king to be back on Terra’s throne so his child, my cousin, could one day rule. They were the only family I had. It was a secret they’d never know, but it mattered to me. I’d been raised to protect my king. And I would die to save his heir.
Percifal was gone by the time I woke the next morning. I ran into the woman who’d come with Terra’s soldiers the previous day. I stopped her. “Have you heard word of King Corbin? Is he—alive?”
She squared her muscled shoulders. “All I know is he escaped during the battle. I do not know to where, but I believe he is still alive.”
A knot loosened inside my stomach as I nodded. “Thank you.” I stepped out of the way to let her pass. I hoped Percifal would return soon so we could get this over with.
Chel found me after I’d broken my fast. I had no idea where Zephyra had gotten to. She probably wanted to be alone after seeing Percifal off.
The water elemental wore a tight dress so dark the blue shade could’ve been mistaken for black. “Listen. I’m sorry about what I—”
“Don’t worry about it.” I cut her off. I didn’t feel like talking about it.
She studied me before beckoning. “Come with me.” But she didn’t wait to see if I’d follow.
Curious, I trailed her out of the palace to a spot behind the royal stables.
She stopped and pointed at the ground. “Crack it.”
“Pardon me?”
“Split the ground like you did in Terra,” she clarified.
It was worth a shot. The ability to send my enemies falling to their deaths would be useful. I rolled my shoulders and crouched, splaying my fingers on the ground and waited… nothing.
I raised my gaze to Chel. She waited with a hand on her hip. “You do know how to use your power, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.” I focused my a
ttention back on the ground and reached inside to where that spark of power slept. A moment later, a thick vine twisted up from the soil, sending chunks of dirt flying.
Chel tried not to laugh but it sputtered out anyways.
I straightened and glared at her. “I’m so glad you find humour in my failure, my lady.”
She stopped laughing. “Try again.”
I did, and the same thing happened. Over and over, vine after vine rose from the ground and then disintegrated.
“Think back to the moment you cracked the earth,” Chel said over my groan of frustration. “Remember what happened.”
I didn’t want to remember. Blaise… her face, the empty look in her eyes as she bled out. I couldn’t stop the images flashing through my mind. And as I felt the anguish—the loss—I reached for my power, sparkling and green.
The ground beneath my hand shook. A crack appeared, growing longer and longer, wider and wider, until the soil had split from where we stood to the base of a weeping willow where it stopped.
Chel smiled, staring down at the split soil. “We will practise again tomorrow.” She left me, gaping at what I’d just done.
Every day for the next thirty sunrises, we met to practise using our powers. Chel sometimes used her own magic to fill the cracks with water, creating tiny streams around the stables. I’d admired the way her power came so naturally to her. She was quite attractive when she wasn’t focused solely on her sorrows. Slowly, I gained more control over my magic, though I still felt more confident in my vines.
Zephyra worried more with each day that passed by without Percifal’s return. She’d told us he’d shaved all the hair off his scalp and planned to grow his beard out so he would have a smaller chance of being recognized. If all went well, King Zaeden would never see him anyways.
Needing a distraction, Zephyra came with me one day to watch. Chel hadn’t yet risen from bed. She told us to go on without her when I’d asked through her door. I guessed the wine she’d indulged in the previous night must have kept her down. She’d drunk more than usual after third meal. I’d left her and Zephyra alone in the fire elemental’s private dining chamber once I’d finished my roasted hen and potatoes.
“Chel can be difficult at times, but she’s a good tutor,” Zephyra mused as we entered the meadows peppered with daisies. I’d destroyed enough of the ground behind the stables I’d had to find a new location to practise on. The master of horses scolded Chel and I for making the area dangerous to ride around and had to order his workers to fill the cracks in.
“I know,” I replied, flexing my fingers. I no longer needed to touch the ground to use my powers.
“She taught me how to control my power too.”
“I suppose being trained by a sorceress gives you the knowledge required to teach others.” I reached inside myself to a place where only wreckage lay. I could feel the difference now between the two parts of my power. One was growth, the other… destruction.
Without too much effort, the ground right in front of us split with an earth shattering crack.
“Do you think Percifal is all right?” Zephyra asked as though I hadn’t just ripped open the earth.
“I don’t know. Probably.”
“He should be back by now. I’m worried he’s been caught.” Her eyelids lowered as she stared at the ground.
“Listen, I’m not going to lie to you. There’s a high chance he’s already dead. There’s a high chance we’ll all be dead soon. This is what we decided though… what you agreed to. So if you’re looking for someone to cry to, you’ve come to the wrong person.” I adjusted my tunic and strode off back to the palace before she could reply. Sometimes the truth hurt. I was tired of waiting for Percifal to return too, but unless we wanted to seek out the air elemental, there was nothing else we could do. Worrying wouldn’t do any good. Worrying wouldn’t win the war.
I found myself reprimanded for my honesty with Zephyra later that night during third meal. We ate in the main dining hall, a modest room beside the great hall, which was reserved for larger, more important events such as Noctis De Celestia. Giant suns created with painted tiles stared up from beneath each round table. Numerous torches burned brightly along the stone walls, illuminating the whole area with warm, golden light.
Ready to dig into the rack of pork ribs a servant had placed on the table in front of me, Chel sat down beside me and said, “I don’t know what you said to Zephyra, but she’s been very upset since she came back from practising with you this afternoon.”
I tore a rib off and shrugged. “You’re one to talk.”
Chel gladly accepted the wine offered to her by another servant as I refused it. “I admit, I haven’t been the most pleasant to be around lately, but I’ve been hurting. I’ve said some things I regret.”
“Maybe I’ve been hurting too.”
She clasped her goblet of wine in one hand with her head tilted in thought before asking, “What’s the one thing you want the most?”
I swallowed the juicy, smoked meat and replied, “To see my king and queen returned to their thrones. What do you want, Lady Water? Or should I say, Lady Wine?”
She made a rude face and took a big sip from her goblet. “I want King Zaeden dead, and I won’t stop until the deed is done.”
“Then our goals are the same.”
“Yes.”
“I’m surprised you’re not worried about Percifal too. He is your brother.” I directed the conversation back to her.
“What makes you think I’m not?”
I saw it then, the dark circles beneath her eyes… the colour missing from her cheeks. She worried as much as Zephyra on the inside. I hoped he lived… for her sake. The realization hit me like a bolt of lightning. I wasn’t supposed to care about these people. I only worked with them to fulfill my own needs. But there it was, that seed of morality.
Chel’s gaze drifted to where Zephyra sat with Queen Adelaide. The fire elemental studied her food, but she’d barely touched it… barely noticed the conversations going on around her. Queen Adelaide was grinning at something King Peyton had said to their table. Her grin disappeared when the door to the dining hall flew open. Everyone turned to stare.
The crystal goblet in Chel’s hand shattered in her grip when she saw the middle-aged blond woman enter with a silver-eyed king dressed in black.
Our enemy had found us.
Chapter 24
Zephyra’s chair crashed to the floor as she leaped up. “Mother?”
The blond woman with eyes the same emerald shade as her daughter’s gave her a cold, cruel smile. “Zephyra. I’d heard rumours you’d returned. How lovely to see you.”
Zephyra ignored her words. “Mother, what are you doing? King Zaeden is a tyrant!”
King Zaeden had used some type of cosmetic powder to cover up the black veins on his skin. He wore a gold and silver crown encrusted with obsidian jewels. He no longer appeared gaunt. No, an unnatural strength emanated from him, and a terrifying power flashed within his gaze. The unnatural silver had replaced the dark blue of his irises permanently.
“King Zaeden,” the woman dripping with an ageless sort of beauty started, “has agreed to make me his queen, which is more than anyone else has ever offered me.” She raised her chin to look down her nose at her daughter.
“You will pay the price for this treason, Mirrabel,” Queen Adelaide said to Zephyra’s mother, moving to stand by the fire elemental’s side.
Zephyra’s bottom lip trembled, but her eyes filled with a hatred I’d have thought her incapable of bearing. “You’re stupid. He’s using you.”
“Where’s your army, Zaeden? You think you can take my kingdom alone?” Queen Adelaide questioned, her voice booming through the hall.
King Zaeden presented her with a sly smile. “Why take the time to bring a full army when I could come alone and walk right into your glorious palace?”
Before Queen Adelaide had the chance to answer, the goblets began to rattle on their tables
. In a flash of blurred motion and colours, Chel leaped from her seat, twisting toward King Zaeden and Mirrabel. All the wine and water rose from the goblets and flew toward the king in a giant red torpedo. The spinning liquid, about to smash into King Zaeden, met an invisible barrier. It splashed to the floor, staining the stone a deep burgundy as it pooled around his feet.
King Zaeden’s laugh, laced with cruelty, was enough to make me want to jump out of my skin. “Chelela,” he began. “We wondered where you’d gotten to. It appears Thaimis didn’t make it out of the battle. Tell us, where’s your traitorous brother?”
“I. Will. Kill. You!” she screamed, but it was Zephyra who shot a burning ball of blinding, white-blue flames at the mad king and her mother. The fire hit the invisible barrier and instantly burned out.
“So you’re a Solis royal,” he cocked his head at Zephyra. “If we’d have known this when you showed up at our palace, we would have held onto you.”
“Leave this kingdom at once.” Queen Adelaide strode up to him, hands clenched at the sides of her elegant, ruby red skirts.
“Or?” he challenged.
Queen Adelaide bared her teeth at him and ordered, “Seize him!”
But before any of the guards who’d surrounded the mad king and Mirrabel could move, King Zaeden yelled, “Caperus!” I’d never heard the word and knew it must have been a spell when a thick, white fog rose from the floor and shot straight into Queen Adelaide. Her eyes glowed a green-blue before dimming. “Caperus.” King Zaeden shot again and directed the next plume of fog at Constable Creighton.
Another guard who was about to strike King Zaeden paused when Queen Adelaide held her hand up. “Halt!” The guard froze in his tracks, sword still raised. And then the queen stretched out her arm and pointed a finger at Zephyra, Chelela and me. “Kill them.”
The confused guards glanced at each other, not sure what to do. It was treason to refuse their queen’s command, but they knew she wasn’t herself.
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