Keepers of the Crown

by Lydia Redwine

  “Who are they?” Riah question ed.

  “A distraction. Arria got in, didn't she?” Riah began to nod before realizing that Leviathan didn’t need an answer. Everything so far had gone according to his plan. But they would not be victorious if they did not find the Crown. “Go.”

  The army of Shedim parted so that he could walk down the very center of their vast number. Riah had never felt so tense in his entire life than he did when he walked through that parted force. He held his breath as the Shedim breathed, surrounding him with the smell of sulfur. Wafts of what looked like yellow steam passed around him. It seemed to be radiating off of the Shedim.

  Riah felt then a tremor within his body and mind alike that told him he was walking to his death. Or to a new life. There was no turning back not when an army of Shedim around him. He could no longer remain between. All of his choices before this moment did not seem to matter now. Only this choice mattered. To give himself over completely to what Leviathan had proclaimed as his destiny or to die a death caused by his own vanity and cowardice.

  Whether it was destiny or not, Riah only paused a brief moment before he placed one foot in front of the other and marched towards the lone figure of Owen Edrun, once his sworn enemy, standing before wisps of gray figures.

  He would fall to rise.

  “From the ashes, a kingdom built by men From the bones of those condemned Shall rise a king with a crown of stars A crown of thorns

  A crown of scars

  To bring our weary hearts worn

  To the home where our souls were born.”

  -Song of the Watchers Verse the Second written during

  the Second Age

  Fifty-Five

  Something was whispering to Cam. A voice telling her to

  count those living rather than those dead. A stout woman led her through the passages of the mountain, and into a large cavern lit by torches which had been set apart for healing.

  Caleb was here and so was Adr ia. Cam met her sister’s gazefrom across theroom, relieffloodingher. But it wasn’t relief at finding her sister alive. She had known Adria to be alive. It was a relief that she could see her sister. That she was alive and...here. Ilea was here too, sitting on a mat and rocking back and forth. Sweat was beaded on her brow. The wall of thorns…

  She was spent.

  Cam saw Fiera next. And then Joel sitting beside her. Tears trailed down her cheeks. Happiness. Relief. Everything was...gone. No, not everything. Fiera and Joel both bore burns, bruises, cuts, and scratches but nothing as terrifying as what many others had suffered.

  Like Lia. Cam only saw the gaping hole where her right eye had once been and the rippled flesh of her face where the fire had made its mark before she jerked her head away.

  The queen was nowhere to be seen. Though Cam assumed that Elizabeth was intelligent enough to have evacuated from the castle, she knew the chances of her being alive were quite slim. If they had not escaped, they were to soon be made sport of in her own court.

  Only two people remained in her mind. “Father and...Peter…”

  “I am dreaming,” she murmured when she entered a cavern deep within the mountain. She had passed the healing rooms and now found herself among soldiers still armored.

  “Cam. You’re alive.” The voice was warm though raspy. Her father smelled of blood and sweat, but he held Cam as she cried.

  “Why does he smell like blood? What the hell did he do?”She clutched at him, buried her face in his shoulder. She knew he was real and that he was alive. But Peter…

  She lifted her gaze, the question in her eyes. Cole didn’t even shake his head. He only traced the side of her face with the pad of his thumb, his eyes wavering and solemn. What he did not know was what had happened to Amelia…

  Cam opened her mouth, her throat utterly dry. But she could not form words. She knew only that her father was insisting that she rest, and she was presently slipping into oblivion.

  She was searching for Peter. That much she knew. That

  and the fact she could not find him. Blurs of colors and sounds passed her as she walked on. Cam did not feel like she was walking but like she was floating. Her head was spinning. She braced a hand against something cold and…

  “Cam, wake up!” a voice wh ispered. Cam jerked from her sleep to find in her disoriented gaze that she was standing in a dark, cool passage. A small lit, torch flickered before her. The fire was orange. Warm. Real.

  “What...time…”

  “Middle of the night.” Cam looked at the figure. Light brown hair, doe colored eyes, oval face, and a small nose. Like Peter’s nose. It was Saffira who was clutching at Cam now. She peered worriedly in her eyes. “You were sleepwalking.” Saffira glanced at Cam’s loose tunic and trousers. Both had been her father’s that she had borrowed to sleep in.

  Cam gripped Saffira’s arm. “I was looking for...for him. I didn’t…” She shook her head.

  “Didn’t find him,” Saffira finished. “No one has.”

  Cam saw the ache in Ira’s eyes.

  So Peter still hadn’t returned. She was convinced than even after hours of denying it that he never would. Ira’s arm surrounded her, pulling her close. Cam clung to her, shared in her sorrow.

  “The queen is holding a meeting in the main cavern,” Ira said finally. “She’s asked every surviving citizen and soldier to attend. We’re leaving. Even this mountain refuge it no longer safe enough.”

  The chanting cries that echoed through the chambers beneath

  the ground called Cam and Saffira towards the largest cavern in the mountain. Cam’s heart collided against her chest as the noises clambered through her brain. When she realized that they were not cries of horror as if their refuge was being invaded, she breathed more easily.

  Incessant cheering bombarded her simultaneous to the flickering firelight of a massive bonfire. The cavern dipped as a crater in the mountain. Several more bonfires were lit within the cavern as the nearly two thousand Spirit Followers and Nazerians alike gathered into the opening. Cam stood above them in a small doorway which overlooked the crater. She glanced up the openings above her: air shafts to the surface that allowed enough oxygen to reach this deep into the mountain.

  A figure emerged from the dark walkway of an adjoining passage. She was not smiling and waving to her people as was her custom. She was a queen of steel, broken yet still held together with the ferocity that flashed in her eyes. Her mouth was set in a grim line, and she wore a plate of armor over her chest. The navy colored dress hung to her ankles, and her crown was set upon her head.

  The people hailed their queen. How Elizabeth had escaped, Cam did not have any inkling towards. She only knew that her heart pumped with relief and that the feelings coursing through her as she gazed at the queen told her that Elizabeth was prepared. She had a plan.

  She began speaking, her voice echoing in the vast chamber. Cam leaned in with everyone else, anticipation blazing in their veins, pumping their hearts, keeping their spirits alive.

  “Our lives have taken a drastic twist. Some have been taken. No, stolen. But I stand here before you today to assure that our quest to protect the Crown and the future of our people still stands no matter our circumstance or where our home lies.” Elizabeth spoke not with the gentleness of a motherly queen but with the determined ferocity of a vengeful warrior.

  “Though driven beneath a mountain our faith still lies on the cornerstone oftheSavior and on the promises ofElyon.” The queen paused, drawing in a deep breath. “I believe that He is coming. Even when it seems all is at an end, we can know that it is only the beginning.” Murmurs threaded through the gathered crowd.

  Hope was coursing through the room, warm and radiant. Cam felt it thawing her bones, lifting her lips into a small smile.

  Elizabeth was smiling too, the hope bright in her face. “Immanuel, Elyon with us.”

  The crowd erupted. Some were confused due to the fact that not everyone here was a Spirit Follower, others were clai
ming shock and immense surprise. Outbursts were heard as well as cheers. Cam’s eyes scanned the crowd below her. There were bright blue eyes gazing up at her. Her father. He was smiling and clapping with the others. He let out a joyous sound, and Cam laughed.

  Cole’s eyes said something, something that bloomed warmth in Cam’schest.“Even intimes as dark as these, our light is radiant. It can penetrate a mountain.”

  An adjoining cavern to the one in which Elizabeth had

  addressed her people served as the dining hall. The survivors from Mirabelle began to call it the Great Hall, a dull name from what was once Cinis Lumen. It did serve its purpose, however, and what food was left from when they had fled filled Cam until she felt she would burst. She ate alone, not knowing where anyone she knew was located. She heard the whispers and soon learned of Elizabeth’s escape.

  When the castle had been broken into she had fled, Simeon in his weak and feeble state had crashed to the floor and was presently overrun by the storm. Elizabeth, with others in her court, had fled to a secret passage beneath the castle which led into the mountain. One of those in the court had sacrificed themselves by blocking this passage completely so they could not be found.

  Cam wondered if she had seen Peter before she had escaped. She did not reflect on this for very long, for presently she was joined by a group she knew. Fiera, Caleb, Adria, Ilea, Cole, Lia, Saffira, Joel, and Elizabeth approached the table she sat at.

  Elizabeth spoke to the strangers mingling at the stone table. “Wouldyoupleaseallowourgroup somemoments alone?” The strangers scattered.

  Fiera slipped next to her sister, a warm hand coming to rest on her shoulder. It said, “I’m still here. I’m still okay.” Because these days, Cam would wake, and search frantically for her sisters, thinking them to be gone.

  Cam glanced at the others. Caleb appeared fine though grim. Ilea seemed as though she were fully present though not completely energized. Joel and Saffira were quiet enough that Cam could not read them. Adria and Cole were perky. And the queen was determined.

  “The majority of my court is...gone,” Elizabeth said somberly. “And I am in need of replacements. Though my kingdom is much smaller and our space smaller still, I am still queen, and I cannot do this alone.”

  She turned to Cole, her voice catching. “S ir Caddell, will you take Simeon’s place and govern the Spirit Followers?”

  Cole’s eyes widenedwith astonishment. Hestuttered, “Of course...it would be an honor.”

  Elizabeth slipped him a sad smile of gratitude. She turned to Lia, Saffira, and Fiera. “I have heard of your gallant efforts in the battle and your leadership. I wish to offer to you each a position in light of this. Fiera, I need a new Captain of the Guard. The duties will be minimal as the guard itself is very”

  “Your majesty,” Fiera began. “I am honored but...I must decline for now.” Cam’s brows rose, andsheshareda glancewith Caleb who just a second before had been glowing with pride. “It has been a rough time here, Your Majesty, and even rougher time elsewhere. I need time and rest. Away from all of this bloodshed. I need time...to mourn for my sisters.” Fiera appeared to be swallowing hard. Cam saw the glaze of tears in her eyes.

  Elizabeth opened her mouth as though she were beginning to protest, but she finally nodded. “I understand.”

  But Cam saw her bristle. The queen had lost her son and only heir, and yet she was still acting as Queen. But Fiera...well, she had lost two sisters in the time it would have taken her to grow one year. Cam’s heart halted in her chest. Fiera’s birthday...the day of Mista’s death.

  “As for you Lia,” Elizabeth continued. “You filled in well as a general. I doubt we will have battles anytime soon as large and difficult as the one we have just faced, but I wish for you to make the title ‘General’ a permanent one. And Captain of the Guard if you would like. The duties will be minimal.”

  Lia was silent for a long moment before she spoke. Her remaining eye was fixated on the hands clasped in her lap. Her other eye had been covered by an eyepatch.“This isn’t the future I ever hoped for. Not when Mirabelle was still my home and all. But now, given the circumstances, I feel I must do something and am therefore honored that you would ask me.”

  “Beseech, actually,” the queen said, her eyes pleading.

  Lia remained unsmiling. “Yes, I accept.”

  “Lady Adriel,” Elizabeth said a moment later. Saffira’s gaze shifted from the floor to the queen. “The position I have opened for you is new, one I have never offered before. We need a spy and trained assassin, and you are the prime candidate.”

  Saffira’s face was too pale, her eyes too hollow. The same dreams haunted her around every corner that prowled at Cam’s heels. But she was nodding, her cheeks growing slightly brighter. Cam had not listened to all that passed between her and the queen. She barely heard the offer to Adria to join a team of trained healers. She knew the answer. When she heard her name, her ears perked up.

  “Camaria, Caleb, Ilea, and Joel,” Elizabeth addressed them, eyeing them each in turn. “I beseech you to be my new set of advisors, for you each possess qualities and experience I will need to rule these people in these times. The duties will be, for the most part, uneventful. Only meetings every now and then with me. You will live closely with the people and ensure that they are kept safe and as happy as they can be in these times.”

  As each of their turns came, Cam, Caleb, and Ilea reflected and eventually accepted the role. How hard could it be? Cam had asked this of herself. It would distract her at least.

  Joel was the only one who refrained. “I do not belong here, Your Majesty. I have a home elsewhere and now that I have fulfilled a purpose here, I believe it is time for me to return.”

  Silence fell, and Cam was filled with a hollow sort of aching. “What purpose?” She had grown to hope that she and Joel could be close friends, and now he was leaving.

  His gaze locked with hers. “I will miss all of you.” Cam’s lips lifted in a small smile. “I depart in ten day’s time when the moon is full and I can make safe passage at night back to my home.”

  Elizabeth nodded in understanding. “We will bury those who have died here in the mountain tomorrow and honor all of you for your efforts. We would be honored if you would be present then.”

  “Wolf Slayer,” Fiera added, a grin appearing on her lips.

  Joel returned the grin. “I doubt my family will believe it.”

  “Tell them the Crown and Savior have been found,” Cam spoke up. “And that we will all be saved in due time. Tell them to look to Elyon like He’s their creator. Not just some faceless god.

  Joel nodded, a smile lighting his lips.

  “It is done, then,” Elizabeth announced. “My court is complete. But there is one more matter to consider.” Silence weighed the room. Cam was holding her breath. “We can not remain here with our enemies so close. They will notice that a great number of the nation is gone, and they will begin hunting.”

  “So we need to evacuate as soon as possible,” Cole murmured. The queen nodded. A sigh of frustration came from Cole, but Cam could feel them all tensing. But Elizabeth was right. It wasn’t safe.

  “It’s never been safe.”

  “Good thing I took care of that matter already, then,” Cole said, his expression solemn.

  Cam started, leaning in with her eyes widening. Elizabeth’s brows shot up. “What?”

  Cole folded his hands together on the table before him and leaned forward. “The Shadow Bearers of the Air are willing to take us into their territory. They will protect us in exchange for us protecting them.”

  Questions dumped into Cam’s mind, but Fiera spoke the primary one. “Protect them? Our number is smaller than theirs. We have been weakened. What would make us eligible allies for protection?”

  “TheCrown,” Colesaid simply. “They believe in its power after seeing their own kind go to great lengths to obtain it.”

  “But the Crown is the entire reason they would n
ot be safe,” Cam countered.

  Coleshrugged. “Ifwe’refoundthere.Whichwewon’tbe.”

  “But...Leviathan, his army saw them. They know where their allegiance lies. Tracking us to their realm will be one of their first objectives.”

  Cole’s eyes were glittering at his daughter. “Exactly. They are most likely sending some of their people there now. But when they arrive, they will find it desolate. Because the Shadow Bearers of the Air will be beneath the mountain. Hidden away. And we”

  “Beneath...themountain?” Saffira was saying, surprisein her eyes.

  Cole nodded. “Even I did not know of it, though I am not surprised.”

  “And how do you know?” the queen queried.

  “Why, they told me.”

  Had the situation not been so dire, Cole would have probably smirked, but he was grim. Grim because Amelia had also been in his plan. Amelia and Peter.

  Cam’s chest expanded with the ever-growing ache. Her fingers curled into fists in her lap as tears pressed into her eyes.

  But the plan was solid. They would leave between the last hours of the night and first of the new day when they would be least distinguishable. Elizabeth laid out the numbers. They would trickle out in small groups led by the court members themselves.

  “Buttheywillseeus,” Calebsaid, breakingthroughCam’s train of thought.

  “No, they will not see us. They will be too distracted.” Cole started, nearly rising from her seat at her father’s words. “For theCaranthian army has arrived. I sent them word when we discovered Owen’s treachery.”

  Cam’s heart lifted in her chest. Elizabeth smiled. “My husband did much for their king, kept him safe when his own people wanted him dead. They have come to settle that debt.”

  Fifty-Six