Once

by Alyson Serena Stone

  Ryanon slid down from her horse's back the moment they reached the clearing. The xarixdals still lingered in the trees; she could their eyes on them, but they didn't come out.

  Dak planted his boots next to her. "Thanks for that. I didn't get a chance to tell you before you took off."

  Ryanon just grunted. "Try not to make it a habit. I'm not always going to be there to save your sorry arse."

  Dak just shook his head. "You always are one for words, aren't you?"

  Ryanon started pulling her sleep gear off her horse. "It's been a long day. I just want to get some sleep."

  Dak's gaze shifted up toward the xarixdals. "Are you going to be able to sleep with them watching?"

  Ryanon just shrugged. "It wouldn't be the worse sleeping arrangement. I really don' think they're going to come down from the trees."

  "My father and brother think they are which is why they have claimed the very centre of the field."

  She turned away from her horse. "Speaking of your brother and father, why don't you see them about getting our heavier weapons back? It would have been nice to have a bow and arrow back there."

  He crossed his arms over his chest. "I wanted us to have them all the time, but the king said we couldn't trust Irondrifter's men to be heavily armed." He rolled his eyes. "Whatever....I didn't make the rules."

  Ryanon just shook her head. "How much longer?"

  "We should be there tomorrow. I thought we would have gotten there today, but we didn’t anticipate that it would be so hard to get through the forest." Dak moved closer. "Do you remember what you are to do?"

  Ryanon narrowed her eyes at him. "Why are treating me like I can't remember anything?"

  "Do you or do you not remember?" Dak asked, his voice harder this time around.

  "I do. Don't worry, everything is under control."

  Dak just gave her a curt nod before walking away. If he kept up like this, the Ioslullumary vision might just come true.

  Her eyes shifted around the camp before settling on three figures, whispering not that far away from her. She moved to the other side of her horse. There was no denying their faces now: Prince Vicar Morninghelm, Lord Tyon Cragshield, and, to her surprise, Lord Rawlin Ravenmanen. Frowning, she moved closer.

  "I just hope she's not all that bad looking," Prince Vicar was saying. "She better not have aged a bit, because I am not marrying some old hag."

  "Well, at least, she would die pretty soon and you could have both Trelia and Xandria," Lord Tyon pointed out.

  Vicar got a thoughtful look on his face. "Yes, that is true, but I would have to bed her before I could get any of that." He actually shuddered.

  "It couldn't be any worse than a whore," Lord Rawlin pointed out. "You could do worse than a princess." Now, that Ryanon got a good look at him, there was something familiar about his facial structure. She couldn't put her finger on it though.

  Tyon smirked. "Well, some of those whores are pretty fine, if you don't mind me saying."

  Rawlin nodded. "Uh-huh." He smiled. "You could always still see the duke's daughter."

  Vicar shook his head. "You guys are sick." He paused. "Although, that is a good idea about the duke's daughter, not the whores though."

  "Are you really trying to tell us that you haven't?" Tyon asked. "I know you."

  Vicar just smiled. "I'm not going to discuss what I do in the bedroom."

  "What goes on in the bedroom can make or break a nation," Rawlin pointed out.

  Vicar just waved Rawlin away. "We all don't have slimy uncles to back us up."

  "I did until the assassins got him."

  Ryanon had to stop herself from gasping. Now, she knew who else had Rawlin's face: Craskbrand. She had to find Dak. Rawlin knew about the plot. She just knew it.

  She ducked back into the shadows. She had no idea where Dak had gone, but he couldn't have gotten too far. This clearing wasn't that bit after all.

  She made her way through the legions, most of who looked to be settled in for the night. Not all that many of them paid any attention to her and those who did just raised a head in passing.

  The castle guards were stationed around where she assumed the king was staying. She received more than one dirty look from them. She supposed that since she was wearing a castle uniform that she was supposed to be here.

  "I'm here to see Captain Morninghelm," Ryanon said, trying to make her voice sound lower.

  "You're a brave soul. Not only showing up late, but then requesting an audience with the captain," the guard closest to said, shaking his head. "I'll see what I can do." The guard turned and disappeared into the tent behind them.

  Ryanon shifted her weight around, trying to ignore the looks she was getting from the other guards. A few minutes later, the tent flap opened and Dak stepped out in front of the guard member. He looked her up and down, before approaching her, grabbing her roughly under the arm, and pulling her away from the others. She could have sworn she had the others snickering.

  "This had better be good," Dak snapped.

  Ryanon shook him off. "Lord Rawlin Ravenmanen. Does the name mean anything to you?"

  "He's one of my brother's friends." Dak's eyes narrowed. "Should it?"

  "He's Craskbrand's nephew!" Ryanon snapped. "He knows what we are going to do!"

  Dak casted a nervous look over his shoulder. "Are you sure?"

  "Think about it, Dak. He would be rich enough to buy Ioslullumary."

  "And how would he have gotten it on you?" Dak pressed.

  Ryanon thought about it. "The Yule Ball!" she gasped. "I sat next to him and Aliss at the Yule Ball. It takes a few weeks for Ioslullumary to work, doesn't it?"

  Dak ran his hand over his cheeks. "Yeah, it does," he finally admitted.

  Ryanon shook her head. "I just can't believe I didn't put it together any sooner. We said it would have to be someone close to the king, but what the prince? Vicar would probably have known about the plot."

  "And he can't keep a secret." Dak cursed. "And Rawlin is on the privy council. He's has a very low position, but it is still high enough for him to know more than he probably should." He just shook his head. "I don't see how this could have gotten past us."

  "Why would he want to interfere? Wouldn't Vicar give him something out of Trelia?"

  "Unless, he somehow has ties to Trelia. I do know his mother's family isn't from Xandria...I’m not sure about his father’s. I’m pretty sure that they’ve been here for years though."

  "Ravenmanen is Trelian!" Ryanon exclaimed. "I remember reading about one of the ambassadors from Trelia having the last name Ravenmanen. Do you think it's the same family?"

  "Not that many people have that last name. It is possible." Dak looked Ryanon right in the eye. "We'll just have to keep an eye on him. He can't interfere whenever you are giving the king Ekrourmum or the entire plan will be ruined."

  "I know," Ryanon said. "I know." She looked at Dak. "What does your mother think about the change of plans?"

  Dak shrugged. "She says she'll still pay top dollar when we carry the job out."

  "Good."

  Dak looked back over at his men. "I probably should get back to them."

  Ryanon only found herself nodding as he turned away and started leaving. She stood there, letting the wind rush through her. If only things were really as simple as talking...

  It was not a very pleasant experience sleeping in the forest. Most of the creatures kept her up most of the night with their constant cries. The legions didn't help either; she had never heard anyone snore as loud as some of them did. It was so loud that it almost blocked out the creatures' screams-almost.

  She stared up at the moon. It wasn't quite full, but it was enough to cast a light. She rested her hands behind her head as the stars twinkled down on her. If it wasn't for the fact that this land was trying to kill them, she would have to say that this was actually a pretty wonderful place.

  If you didn't look over at the eyes staring down at you...

 
; The stars danced across the sky, making it seem as if they were bowing to her. She smiled. She would one day, make the entire world bow down to her. It was only just a matter of time.

  She didn't know how it happened, but sleep did eventually overtake her.

  It didn't take long for them to reach the wall the next morning. Ryanon stared up at it with wide eyes. There was no way they were going to through that. Over the years nothing had been able to break through; they were going to be no different.

  The legions in front raised their swords and began hacking away at the thorns, but they didn't even make a dent in it. As soon as they made any kind of a gain, the thorns seemed to grow right back with an even greater thickness than before.

  "There!" one of the legions exclaimed, pointing to their left. "I think I see something!"

  Ryanon looked. Darkness seemed to call out to her. There, almost just out of sight, was indeed some kind of a rift in the wall that she was sure hadn't been there been just a few minutes ago.

  The king rushed forward, inspecting the hole. "Let's go! The gods have granted us safe passage!"

  The legions rode forward. Ryanon one final look at Dak before starting forward.

  Her blood chilled as they made their way through the wall. Thorns covered the top, barely letting any of the faint sunlight in. Darkness, death surrounded them. This was a human weakness. It was like being caged in without having any chance to fight was almost certain death.

  She could see the edge of the tunnel.

  The doom was coming. The sense of dread and rage was threatening to overtake her. The only sounds she could hear were the hooves crunching against the hard ground. The agony blinded her...She had never known what it was like to be marching toward to her death.

  It would just be so simple to throw herself onto the thorns and let them gut her. She had heard of men taking their own lives rather than being killed by the hand of another.

  No, she was a survivor and that was what she would do.

  "Do you remember the plan?" Dak whispered, keeping his voice low, breaking her thoughts.

  Ryanon gave him a long look. She was not a child. While Dak was with the prince up in the princess's chambers, Ryanon would slip into the throne room and slip the sleeping king out. She spent the last few weeks pouring over maps of the castle and knew it like the back of her hand. She had a blindfold and extra weapons just in case the spell was broken before she could pull the plan off. That was even if the prince was the princess's true love.

  Dak pulled down his helmet's mask. "You should do the same. It will protect you from the dragon."

  Ryanon reached up and pulled down the thick covering, which was somehow very easy to see through.

  The group started forward, at a much slower pace than before. Everyone was moving so quietly that it sent shivers down Ryanon's spine. If the dragon were here, they would be finding her very shortly.

  "Weapons out!" the king ordered.

  The edge of the thorns came much quicker than Ryanon had thought. Her dark eyes scanned the broken courtyard. There were actually many signs that the dragon was nearby. The charred remains of who knows what dotted the landscape as well as bones and imprints of something heavy. Ryanon winced as she rode around something that looked like a large scale.

  The rest of the estate was still covered in a gentle green. It was like nothing she had ever seen. The roses and ivy actually provided a cover to most of the damage the palace had sustained. The forest just seemed to stop as it reached the palace, but its presence was enough to add a sense of luster to the grounds. There was so much colour-so much life in a land that was supposed to be dead.

  Ryanon looked around, relived to see that she wasn't the only one shocked by Trelia's state.

  A few metres away, Dak dismounted. He stared up at the king and appeared to be saying something.

  Now, it was back to business....

  Ryanon scanned the entrance. It was just as the map had said, which probably also meant that the throne room was just through those doors and up a small flight of steps. It was all too easy.

  Dak turned away from the king, walking over to her. "The dragon is not to be found! This, however, does not mean that you should let your guard down!" He stared off into a bit about formations and tactics that were just about as clear as mud to Ryanon. "Remember our mission! Do not harm anyone within! The sooner we get out, the safer we will all be! Dismount!"

  Chapter Thirty: The Castle's Secrets

  Amberfall lowered herself down into a chair, staring out at the empty courtyard. The cool air still seemed to find a way into her chambers; maybe it was from whatever lurked within the castle. Even though not that many people had gone on the Trelian mission, the castle still felt oddly empty. She sighted, wondering how it was going...If they had even made it across the thorns yet.

  Her fairies had even tried to get through the thorns, but had not had any success. She and her sisters had been in Waryn, trying to speak with the Iron Fairies, and had ordered the Nature Fairies not to contact them while they were there. Diamondrose had broken their promise of no contact to show Amberfall the damage. Those poor fairies had been destroyed beyond recognition.

  Amberfall flipped through her book without actually taking in the words. She tossed the book to the side, getting to her feet. She didn't want to go for anymore rides through the city; she didn't want to go have tea with the other women. She wanted to know what was going on.

  She walked over to her door, but couldn't make herself open it. The air seemed to hover right around the door, making it seem as if there was some kind of a draft about it. She rested her hand on the doorknob; the touch alone sent her quickly jerking her hand back. It felt as if someone was jabbing hundreds of tiny needles into her flesh.

  She flexed her fingers, trying to get the stinging sensation out of them. Cursing, she looked around the room. The draft around the door had turned into a full out chilly wind, which pulled right at her clothes.

  She turned quickly just as the light completely disappeared from the room. "Great," Amberfall muttered, snapping her fingers as a candle with a flickering flame appeared in her hands. Sometimes it did pay to have magic.

  The floor under her feet suddenly gave away. Screaming, she tried to summon her magic again, but nothing happened.

  Down and down, she fell; the cold air pressed against her lungs, making it seem as if they were going to burst out of her very body. Her breath was thick in the air and she could have sworn that she heard water running somewhere.

  Suddenly, her body slowed down, lowering her gently onto the ground.

  Amberfall slowly got to her feet, shocked that she had somehow managed to keep a hold of the candle. Looking around, she slowly was able to tell that she was standing in a dark passage. Even though it was so dark, it seemed to be calling out to her.

  The cool breeze seemed to be calling out to her, as if it wanted her to go down the tunnel.

  "Why?" Amberfall heard herself asking.

  The wind only urged her forward.

  She looked back up at the opening, which had sealed shut. She had heard about castles being laced with magic like this, but she hadn't expected this. Sure, she had felt the darkness, but this felt different. It felt as if the castle actually wanted her to find a way to rid it of the darkness.

  She slowly stepped deeper into the tunnel, her candle's flames flicked against the walls. It was cold, but it wasn't wet-even though she could hear water running in between the walls. The walls were littered with cobwebs and there was certainly no way to see the outside world. A long set of stairs greeted her, disappearing out of the sight of her flame.

  Again, she tried to summon her magic, but only came up short.

  Amberfall held her breath as she stepped down the steps, waiting for something other than water to greet her, but it remained silent.

  She lifted her candle up high, using the light to allow her to take in her surroundings. Other than where she had stepped, there was no other d
isturbances in the dust. Minutes passed as she looked around, but, like the dust, everything else remained untouched. She could feel her disappointment building.

  The bottom of the stairs came a lot quicker than she first thought. However, it appeared that actually climbing down the stairs had been the easy part. Three unmarked and identical doors stood before her. What the hell was this all about?

  She stared at the unmarked dust in front of her...So much for having any help from there.

  Amberfall lifted the candle to the door's archways, looking for any kind of inscriptions to point her in the right direction. Nothing...She cursed again.

  She chose the door to the left, only because the wind seemed to be pulling her to her. On the other side, another set of stairs greeted her. Unlike the other set, this one had a dampness about it and was so cold that her entire body started to shake. Her candle struggled to stay lit.

  The entire way was littered with doors, but she kept going straight. It seemed to be the way the wind wanted her to go. The dampness only grew the further she went. Water slowly trickled down the sides of the walls, leaving a layer of moisture on everything. A fine layer of fungus covered the steps, making them very slick.

  Then, she heard the sounds of running water become even plainer. It was very slow moving and it seemed as if the darkness was actually starting to leave her. It wasn't the fact that her candle was suddenly gaining back its strength. It was actually getting lighter out.

  There was no way...She couldn't allow herself to believe what she actually thought. There was just simply no way.

  However, it was.

  She found herself on the other side of a closed gate. She leaned against the door and it opened with surprising ease. There was nothing outside, but a small river.

  A little boat bobbed against the river's bank. It looked old, but it seemed to be in one piece.

  Amberfall looked back over her shoulder at the gate, but it had disappeared. Frowning, she turned back to the boat.

  The night air was cold, but not like what it had been back in her room. The trees loomed along the river; they hovered so far down toward the water that it almost seemed as if they were bowing to her.