“I don’t want to hurt you,” Santino said, laughing, when I questioned him on when we would use real weapons.
I was knocked down more times than I could count. But I welcomed the beatings, each one reminding me I had so much more to learn.
“Get up!” yelled Santino after a particularly hard session. “Your last teacher was surprisingly soft on you.”
I pushed myself up from the damp wooden deck. “I guess Rafe was not the right person for the job.”
Santino laughed. “No, probably not. I think he must have been more interested in courting you instead of teaching you to fight.”
I tried to look indignant but ended up blushing. “It wasn’t like that. A lot of the time was spent on magical training, that’s all.”
Santino didn’t say anything but gave me a knowing look and went about commanding his ship.
I walked back to my room, a mass of bumps and bruises. But he was right, Rafe had been going easy on me. Giving me time to adjust, but what I actually needed was to be pushed to my potential. I couldn’t blame him, and it was endearing to know he wanted to protect me. But the truth was no one could protect me now. I was the one who had to protect myself and everyone else from Morgana, who wanted to destroy everything my ancestors had built.
“How did you become a pirate?” I asked Santino one day after a particularly hard training session that lasted the whole morning. I didn’t get knocked down as many times as I usually did, so I considered it a good day. We had been sailing for eight days and would be reaching the port city of Sanria soon.
Santino smiled. “It’s a long story.”
“I’ve got nothing but time.”
“Well, all that fighting has left me famished. I would be honored if you would join me for lunch.”
I followed Santino to his cabin. Since I’d come aboard this ship, I usually ate lunch with Brandon, who insisted on instructing the cook on how to create Eldorean dishes. Apparently, the Brandorian spices were too hard on his stomach. I hardly ever saw Katerina, who stayed in her cabin complaining of seasickness; I was glad she wasn’t around.
I was curious as to what the captain’s cabin looked like, and it was the first time Santino had invited me here. It was a beautifully crafted space with walls of gleaming wood and polished brass handles. A bed lay along one wall, decorated with sumptuous crimson cushions. A big desk in the middle of the room was littered with ledgers, charts, and what looked like a map of Avalonia. He went about clearing papers off his desk, and the steward came in to lay out an assortment of food on the table in the center of the large cabin.
Santino gestured for me to sit down and offered me a plate. “Go on—it’s a Brandorian recipe, you will love it.”
I took the plate and picked up a pastry wrapped like a parcel. I bit into it, and my taste buds exploded. The little pastries were filled with a white salty cheese drizzled with honey and pinenuts, covering a spiced fig center. They were delicious, though a bit too spicy for me.
“These are amazing.” But I didn’t take any more. “How do you have such good food here on the ship?”
“My father insists I take one of the cooks from the citadel with me when I sail.” Santino reached for another one. “Also, Katerina would never eat food cooked by a pirate.” He grinned and passed me another plate, which had slices of meat cooked in an apricot, fig, and almond sauce, and yet another one with flatbreads stuffed with meat. Everything was fantastic. The food from Brandor was so different from what I was used to in Eldoren.
I smiled. “You never answered my question.”
“I’m sure you have heard the stories of my mother being a slave of the Emir of Sanria?” Santino began as we munched on a bowl of rose petal nougat for dessert.
I shook my head, covering my mouth and trying to pick bits of sticky nougat from my teeth.
“Well, she was. My father had many slaves, and I lived in the palace with the other children, half brothers and sisters from various concubines. We were educated and trained with the royals and noble children who lived within the palace grounds.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “My mother died when I was six.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I had a good life and was treated fairly well. But when I turned sixteen I left the palace, wanting to see the world, so I sailed on one of my father’s merchant ships to Eldoren. On the way there, we were caught by pirates. I was put to work on the ship and I learned everything I could, including how to fight. One shipment of the pirates’ cargo was slaves, people from my mother’s tribe in Rohron. I freed them and killed the captain, taking over the ship. Soon I was roaming the seas, and merchants paid me a lot of money to carry goods knowing they would reach land safely. No one wanted to take on the pirate prince, as I had been dubbed.”
“Was that when you went back to Brandor?”
“Yes. My family needed me and I had to return.”
“Because of the civil war?”
Santino nodded. “My elder brother, Alfonso, was the real heir, but when he was killed by the powerful Detori family, I knew I had to return to help my father secure his place on the council.” He got up from his chair. “Brandor is still unstable, and Morgana’s spies have infiltrated many of the ruling families. You must be on your guard at all times when we are in Sanria. Don’t trust anyone.”
I nodded. My trusting days were over.
The next day, the Starfire sailed into the bay of Sanria, Brandor’s wealthiest trading port. Brandon and I stood on the deck watching the massive eastern city come into view, while Santino helped the crew as they bustled about, lowering the sails and preparing the ship to anchor.
There were more ships here than in the bay of Calos. Merchant galleons and passenger ships bobbed on the waves, but there were no Eldorean warships in sight, which was a relief.
From the top deck of the ship I could see the Red Citadel rising above the towering walls. Situated high on a hilly plateau and surrounded by acres of woods, the ancient palace and fortress, the home of the Emir of Sanria, was a magnificent structure.
I had changed out of my tunic and woolen leggings into a plain brown cotton dress that Santino had given me. He handed me a thin veil. “Put this on. Women in our kingdom cover their heads and faces while in public.”
I put on the veil and secured it with a cloth hairband. It was made of a light, gauzy fabric that covered my face and head, but I could still see through it.
A small boat rowed us to shore, and the salty spray of the sea wind blew pleasantly through my veil. The balmy breeze of the eastern coast was a welcome change from the biting chill of the Eldorean winter.
“Travelers and merchants from all over the seven kingdoms come to this city,” said Brandon as we traversed the bustling docks lined with ships unloading their wares and merchants inspecting their most recent acquisitions. “Most people will not pay any attention to foreigners here, but it’s good that Santino made you wear that veil.”
Santino led us to some horses that were waiting for us. There was a palanquin for the ladies, and Katerina, fully veiled, sat down in one almost immediately. I was relieved there was another waiting for me, as sharing with Katerina at this point would have been awkward.
Brandon and Santino rode ahead as we were carried behind them through the crowded streets of the outer town. I moved the curtains of the palanquin aside and peeked out at the passing dockyards, customs houses, street sellers, shops, taverns, and inns along the way. I was fascinated by the innumerable colors of the great, tented open-air markets selling everything from jewelry and precious stones to food and weapons as Brandorians traversed various stalls, looking for the best wares of the day.
The cramped areas and dark, cobbled alleyways gave way to broader roads and avenues flanked by stunning whitewashed mansions and houses of the nobility. They were impressive structures, standing majestically within open courtyards and gardens alive with fruit orchards.
Soon we came onto the main avenue that led to th
e emir’s palace on the hill, lined by huge cypress trees. The Brandorian stronghold was not only a palace but also an ancient fortress built centuries ago with the red clay and brick of this land—thus its name, the Red Citadel.
We entered the immense walled fortress and stopped in the outer courtyard before climbing the grand steps leading up to the palace. The citadel was situated at a strategic point, overlooking the city of Sanria on one side and the deserts that stretched across the kingdom to the east.
We followed Santino through the towering arched entrance into an antechamber, where he met with some of the palace officials while I looked around. The inside of the palace was more magnificent than the outside. Geometric carvings inlaid with white, blue, and gold were beautiful in their almost lace-like detail, tastefully adorning the high ceilings. Filigreed walls lavishly decorated with crowns and stars and interspaced with local flora caught my eye. I wondered at the craftsmanship it must have taken to create this wonderful palace.
“This part of the citadel is the more official area,” said Santino as he led us into the forecourt of the main palace, through passages lined with white marble pillars and paved with intricate colored tiles. “I will show you to your room.”
We passed courtyards sporting striking fountains and little pools surrounded by wild myrtle and orange trees, which filled the air with their enchanting fragrances. The different parts of the complex were connected by rosebush-edged pathways, with gates leading to orchards of fig, date, and pomegranate trees that dotted the inner gardens.
“The royal residence is at the north end of the complex. Once you have bathed and changed, I will take you to meet with my father. It is imperative we get his support if I am to help you.”
“I didn’t bring much with me.”
“No matter,” said Santino. “I’ve had your room filled with all the necessities ladies cannot do without.”
“Thank you.” I was grateful for a proper bath and a change of clothes.
My room in the palace was a beautiful bright space that opened onto a central court with symmetrical doorways framed with glazed tiles and stucco. The low bed sat atop a marble platform with three steps leading up to it. It was hung with lovely muslin curtains effortlessly draped around the massive bed, enveloping it in an airy cocoon.
A flock of maids were waiting to attend to my every whim, bustling about quietly and efficiently getting my bath ready in an enormous mosaic tub filled with rose-scented water. Once I had bathed and washed my hair, they laid out an array of clothes on the bed and started dressing me, draping me in layers of a light, gauzy fabric that clasped at one shoulder with a jeweled brooch and flowed around me, bound at the waist with a jeweled gold belt. The flimsy one-shoulder top was long and reached my knees. But the bottom part was slit all the way up to my waist to show a billowing pair of sheer pants, worn underneath and cinched at my ankles. My hair was dried, brushed, and plaited with gold threads intertwined through the strands.
“A lady must always look her best,” said the eldest of the maids, still fussing with the last runaway strands of my hair that never managed to stay in one place.
“Don’t I need to wear a veil?” I asked, admiring my reflection in the two big gold mirrors that the maids held up for me. I smiled at my appearance—it was not every day I was pampered like this.
“Not inside the private palace.”
Santino came to fetch me from my room, and I followed him through the flowering courtyards to another wing of the private residence of the Emir of Sanria.
“My father wanted an unofficial audience with you and prefers not to let anyone know who you are or why you are here.”
I nodded. It was better no one knew who I was. Once they did, something bad always tended to happen.
“Where’s Brandon?”
Santino shrugged. “Brandon said he had to meet someone. I’m sure he will be back soon. He doesn’t seem the type to wander the streets of the city after dark.”
We came to big silver doors, guarded by the largest men I had ever seen. They were dark-skinned and shirtless with corded muscles and leather straps across their chests. Santino explained they were tribesmen from the eastern reaches of Brandor, warriors trained since birth to protect the emirs. Each had a deadly looking spear in his hands and two curved swords hanging at his waist. These were guards you didn’t want to mess with.
We entered the vast reception room of the Emir of Sanria, who sat flanked by his personal guard. Santino bowed to his father and I did the same.
The emir nodded and looked satisfied by my gesture. He beckoned for me to step forward. “I am pleased to see that your newfound royal status has not diminished your respectfulness toward your elders, Princess Aurora.”
“I thank you for your hospitality, Your Highness.” I knew I was at the mercy of the ruler of every kingdom in which I took refuge. And I had to become smarter, sharper, and more cunning if I was going to learn to survive out here. “Santino saved my life, and I am forever in his debt.”
The emir looked at his son with a hint of pride in his eyes before turning back to me. “Yes, Santino is always trying to help those in need, quite unlike his reputation as the deadly pirate prince.”
Santino looked uncomfortable at this unexpected praise, but I was not sure his father meant it as such.
“But,” said the emir, “the fact remains that Queen Morgana is looking for you. And by bringing you here Santino has endangered our whole kingdom.” He paused and studied me. “Out of respect for my son, I will permit you to stay here for a day or two at the most, until you are rested and able to resume your journey.”
“But Father,” said Santino, “she is also a victim of Morgana’s crimes. Surely we cannot turn our backs on another ruler in need.”
“She is a ruler of nothing,” said the emir, his voice turning cold. “She commands no army, she has no throne, no crown, no kingdom to go to.” He turned his gaze upon me, and his eyes narrowed. “Take my advice, child, go to your grandmother in Elfi where the queen cannot touch you. Disappear forever and give up this fight. It is one you cannot win. Morgana and the archmage are too strong. Now backed by the Drakaar, they are deadlier still. We have received reports from the northern frontiers—Queen Morgana’s army is amassing in the Silverspike Mountains and terrorizing the plains. The dwarves have shut themselves up in Stonegate and will not stop her army from moving south. With Silverthorne in the dungeons and the Blackwaters running Eldoren, there is no one capable of standing in her way and stopping her from taking over the seven kingdoms.”
“We cannot sit back and permit Morgana to conquer the whole world,” argued Santino. “Since when has Brandor backed away from a battle?”
“Since Queen Morgana,” said Emir Valasis, lowering his voice. “I have spoken to the other members of the council and we are in agreement. We will accept Morgana as high queen, and in return she will not attack Brandor.”
“Not attack!” Santino paced the floor in front of his father’s throne. “That is what she says. But what’s to stop her from coming into our kingdom and doing as she pleases?”
“It won’t come to that,” said the emir. “Once we swear allegiance to her, she will let us live in peace.”
Santino shook his head and stopped pacing. “As long as Morgana is high queen there will never be peace in the seven kingdoms. And what about Aurora, are you going to give her up to Morgana too?”
I paled.
“I will not go so far as to hand over a child to that monster,” said Roderigo Valasis, an indignant tone to his voice. “But I will not endanger my own kingdom for an untrained, inexperienced princess who may or may not take back her kingdom one day. Queen Morgana is real, and she has an army. In fact, she has more than one army, and she is coming for Aurora. The girl must be on her way before anyone finds out she is here.”
Santino bowed stiffly to his father. “We will leave for Elfi as soon as I can prepare. I promised to make sure Aurora reaches her grandmother safely, an
d I am going to keep that promise. We will ride out tomorrow.”
I hung my head and followed Santino out of the room. No one wanted to help me anymore, and no one believed I would be able to win back my throne. The worst part was the emir was right—I was no queen. I had no army, no backing, and no training or experience. My granduncle had tried to help me, but I’d been too stubborn to listen to reason. And now I was alone in a foreign kingdom, running for my life.
But I had to finish what I came here for. I had to meet Constantine Redgrave, the ex-archmage of my grandfather’s kingdom. He was the only one who would have some answers about the Dagger of Dragath and my mother.
The Legend of the Dawnstar
“I will see you in a few hours,” said Santino as he escorted me to the royal library, which was housed within the citadel and therefore part of the massive fortress complex of the Emir of Sanria. “I have some work to attend to, but the mastermage will see you now.”
“Thank you, Santino, you are a true friend. I appreciate all you have done for me. But I don’t want you to go against your father’s wishes to help me.”
“Don’t worry about that. Get what information you need from the mastermage, and I will prepare for our journey to Elfi.” He left two guards outside the library to escort me to my room once I finished.
I entered the royal library and was immediately spellbound by what lay before me. Gold-trimmed mahogany bookshelves lined the walls and stretched all the way to the magnificent domed ceiling, carved with intricate designs in white, blue, and gold.
The mastermage of the library was a small, frail man with frizzy white hair and a short, trimmed beard. He looked over a hundred years old, but his deep brown eyes were sharp and focused beneath bushy eyebrows. He bowed briefly when he saw me.
“I have been expecting you.” He turned, gesturing for me to follow him as he shuffled deeper into the enormous library.
“You know who I am?” I trailed behind him, passing huge arched windows with ornate stained glass that flashed in the sunlight and lined the gallery skirting the first floor of the massive room.
The Rise of the Dawnstar (The Avalonia Chronicles Book 2) Page 9
