by Coco Ma
Then came a thud and a chorus of victorious whoops.
Luna yanked Asterin to a standstill just before they rounded the stables, eyes wide and frantic. Finally, she had understood where they were heading. “Eadric can’t see me in this!” she whispered furiously, flapping her hands at herself. “There’s even a thigh slit! I look—”
“Gorgeous, as usual,” Asterin said with an eye roll. Then she dragged her friend out into the open, forcing her over to the training ring’s wooden fence.
Large blockades had been positioned inside the ring, encircling two vaguely human-shaped targets pockmarked with gashes and holes. Blue cotton spilled from the wounds of one and green from the other. Two figures guarded the targets, one apiece, each wearing either a blue or green band across their forehead. Asterin watched as a slight girl with fiery orange hair leapt from a blockade behind the much taller soldiers, roaring a terrific battle cry with her sword brandished.
Luna gasped as the blue-banded soldier whirled around and crossed two long knives over his head, barring the girl’s attack on the stuffed target with a screech of steel. They fought like wildfire and tempest, blades slashing swift and precise, but then the girl dropped low enough to slide between his legs and deliver a killing blow straight through the blue target’s back and out the other side. A yelp came from the green-banded guard as a spear flew out of nowhere and burst right through the second target’s neck, showering clumps of cotton everywhere. The guard looked up in time to see a second girl drop from the top of the blockade and land nimbly on her feet with a smirk.
A tall man in full uniform appeared from the deep shadows of the two blockades, his broad chest and shoulders nearly filling the space completely. “Death by severed arteries. Nice work, ladies. Alicia, try withholding your battle cries. Even though you won, you gave away your position and lost the element of surprise. Casper, keep your guard lower next time. And Gino, always stay alert to your surroundings—projectiles have to fire from somewhere or another. Good aim, Hayley. Try to extend your follow-through for more power, like this.” At his beckons, Hayley retrieved the spear from the green target’s neck for him. He backed out of sight. Asterin felt the anticipation mount, and then a blur of silver hurtled from the darkness, the spear plunging straight through not one but both targets. It lodged into the blockade directly across the ring with a wooden thwack. Pandemonium erupted from behind the blockades, whoops of dazzled awe drowning out Luna’s timid squeak.
“Captain Covington!” Asterin called out.
One foot braced against the blockade and muscles taut against his uniform, the captain yanked the spear free and glanced up. He caught sight of Luna immediately. Asterin watched in delight as his jaw dropped to his chest. “Fall in,” he managed.
The shadows of the blockades shifted, and four more figures emerged. They jogged over to the four soldiers already lined up, some still with cheeks flushed from the excitement. As one, Asterin’s Elite Royal Guard lowered to one knee in salute, right hands clasped to their shoulders across their chests.
“Your Highness.” Eadric strode forward and bowed his head to Asterin before gently grasping Luna’s hand and raising it to his lips. “And Miss Luna.”
Captain Eadric Covington was the commander of her Elites, as well as Asterin’s most trusted and capable soldier. The son of a Cyejin lord, he had first entered the royal ranks as an Elite himself when Asterin had only been a child. Cyejin heritage had given him hair streaked with tawny brown highlights that reminded Asterin of the cacao nibs her father used to have imported from Morova, straight brows, and dark eyes that shone like pine honey in the sunlight. Built like an ox, his mouth was set in a line so firm he appeared constantly unimpressed, although currently his gaze was nothing but adoring.
And roving—down the dress. One of the Elites cleared his throat and Eadric’s eyes snapped back up, sheepish. A faint blush had worked its way up his neck, perfectly matching Luna’s.
“Doesn’t she just look stunning in gold?” Asterin asked, gleeful.
“But she always looks stunning,” Eadric said, confusion crinkling his brow, so genuine and honest that Luna hid her face behind Asterin’s shoulder in embarrassment. One of the Elites awwed. Without so much as a glance, the captain said, “One hundred push-ups, Jack.” The aww deflated into a quiet grumble. “Make that two hundred!”
Asterin surveyed her Elites, eyes lingering on the two empty spots at both ends of the row—five males and five females traditionally made up the guard, but she was currently missing two.
“All right, that’s enough for tonight for the rest of you,” Eadric said. “Clean everything away and patch yourselves up before bed. And if I hear about any buffoonery, I’ll have you running ten laps around the palace every morning for the next week. Do I make myself clear?”
“He’s such a mother hen,” Luna murmured with a fond sigh, just loud enough for Asterin to hear.
Eadric nodded as the Elites drowned out Jack’s grunts of “Thirty-three … thirty-four …” with their choruses of “Yes, sir!”
“Dismissed,” he said. Then he extended an arm to Luna. “Shall we?”
As the three of them wound their way back to the palace, Asterin hung back, perfectly content to behold the couple from a distance. Eadric’s chest puffed as Luna raised onto her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. The hardness in his face transformed to soft wonder every time she beamed at him.
Then Eadric halted in his tracks, staring upward. “Is that a staircase made of ice?”
“Yep.” Asterin skirted past him and began climbing.
“What if it melted while you were on it?” the captain spluttered.
“Don’t be silly, Eadric,” Luna said, following suit. “Asterin’s ice doesn’t melt.”
He rubbed his temples. “So this is how you’ve been duping your guards?”
Asterin paused her ascent to glare down at him. “My guards are oafs.”
At that, the captain held his hands up in surrender. “It’s not my fault your mother ordered General Garringsford to assign you palace guards until we can fill complete rank for the Elites.”
Asterin just shook her head. “Are you coming or not?” She peered down to see Eadric eyeing the staircase dubiously.
“What?” Luna asked, confused.
“I’m taking the palace stairs, like a normal person,” Eadric declared, and dashed off.
“Boring,” Asterin said. Luna hummed in agreement.
Once they had safely arrived back in her chambers, Asterin commanded the staircase to liquefy. It streamed into the flower bed below.
Luna laughed. “No wonder those flowers look extra perky.” A firm knock drew them toward the entrance to Asterin’s chambers.
“—and both of you are incompetent,” Eadric was berating the guards stationed outside when Luna opened the door. Both girls sighed, pulling him in by the arm and shutting the door. His expression turned serious as he turned to Asterin. “Your Highness, I just ran into a messenger. You’ve been summoned to Throne Hall.”
Asterin made a face. “At this hour? By whom?”
“Your mother. Apparently, you’ve been sent a gift … from the Queen of Eradore.”
Eradore. A starkly beautiful land on the opposite side of the globe, shrouded in mystery and magic. Other than the royal family, only special guests, residents, and students of the world-renowned Academia Principalis, the best school of magic, were permitted to cross into the inner city of the kingdom’s capital, Eradoris.
Luna frowned. “I thought I heard that their queen passed away recently.”
“It must be Queen Lillian’s daughter, then,” Asterin said thoughtfully. “What sort of gift?”
“I’d be guessing,” Eadric admitted.
Asterin stood, but fingers locked around her wrist and tugged her back. “You can’t go in that!” Luna cried, gesturing to her outfit.
> Asterin raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with trousers?”
“Not the trousers, the blouse. The sleeve is still ripped from the time you fell out of that tree.”
Eadric took on a pained expression. “You fell out of a tree?”
Luna shooed him out the door and dragged Asterin back into the bedchamber. When she at last allowed the princess to depart, clad in a slim-fitting cobalt overcoat with pearlescent embroidery and sleek navy trousers, Eadric was nowhere in sight. Shrugging, Asterin sauntered down the staircase, hands slung in her pockets as she headed for Throne Hall.
His deep voice jumped out from behind her. “Your Highness.”
She almost hook-kicked him in the face. “Damn it, Eadric.” She had a vague sense it was his small retribution for the tree-climbing fiasco.
The ghost of a smile flickered on her captain’s face as he fell into step beside her. “My apologies.”
They had almost reached Throne Hall when General Garringsford rounded the corner, blocking the corridor. “Your Highness.”
“General,” Asterin said, eyes flicking to that perfect bun, every strand perfectly in place, as usual. “How are you faring?”
“Your concern is very touching, Your Highness,” she answered, voice too low for Asterin to discern the exact level of sarcasm. “The healers patched me up just fine. I do believe I owe you an apology.” She smiled, nearly as sharp as the glint in her flint-gray eyes. “I underestimated you.”
Asterin’s fists clenched in her pockets. “No hard feelings.”
“None at all. Anyway, your mother requested that I fetch you.”
“Her Majesty requested that I escort Her Highness,” Eadric said, voice flat; whatever had been left of his good mood vanishing. “Ma’am,” he added.
“Is that so?” Garringsford inquired. “Well—”
“How about you both escort me?” Asterin snapped. “We’re almost there, anyway.”
“Your posture is sloppy, Covington,” said the general. “Fix it at once.”
Eadric’s jaw twitched. “Yes, ma’am.”
They arrived at the entrance to Throne Hall, six of Queen Priscilla’s guards snapping to attention outside the massive double doors. Asterin had spent hours as a child staring in awe at those doors while her father held court within. Hundreds of wolves had been carved into the dark oak, prowling down a mountain toward a lake. On the left, Lord Conrye rose above the peaks, wielding his legendary greatsword, Vürst—Frost, in the mortal tongue. Now Asterin’s height matched that of the blade. Below, the ice god’s wolf form rippled in the lake’s reflection. Once, she thought that she had caught the piercing eyes of both human and wolf moving, though of course no one had believed her.
To this day, she still pretended that Lord Conrye was watching her from somewhere in the Immortal Realm, even though no one knew if the Council truly existed anymore, as they hadn’t involved themselves with mortals since the time of legends.
Right before the guards opened the doors, splitting the two halves of the god apart, Asterin had to pinch herself—because as she walked by, she could have sworn those same emerald eyes followed her inside.
CHAPTER FOUR
“My daughter, Princess Asterin Faelenhart of Axaria,” Queen Priscilla announced as Asterin glided down the crimson carpet stretching all the way from the hall’s entrance to the throne. Eadric stationed himself at the doors while Garringsford sauntered over to the queen. Gold-flecked marble pilasters jutted from the walls, rising like colossal redwoods to meet the ceiling. Like the painting in Asterin’s chambers, though here in sculpted magnificence, the Council of Immortals looked down from the ceiling around a massive ruby-encrusted chandelier, the gods and goddesses bearing witness to all official royal affairs. Lord Conrye faced the door to greet new visitors. The steel whip of Lady Reyva cracked over his right shoulder, and the trident of Lord Tidus crested a wave of marble at his left.
Two figures stood shoulder to shoulder before the throne, clad in identical green cloaks brocaded with swirls of silver. Their hoods obscured their faces in shadow. As one, they turned to Asterin and swept to the ground in deep bows.
The left figure spoke first—a female. “Your Royal Highness.”
“Rise,” Asterin commanded. They complied. When the girl lifted the hood off her head, bright auburn locks tumbled free, revealing a fair complexion, a pert nose peppered with freckles, and full lips twisted in a roguish smile. And her eyes. The girl’s eyes smoldered beneath the high arches of her brows like a setting sun, molten gold and flecked with amber. She couldn’t have been more than a year or two Asterin’s senior, but the spark in those eyes held something else—something much older.
“Rose Fletcher,” the girl began in introduction, her voice ringing out through the cavernous room. “And this is my cousin. We have been sent from the kingdom of Eradore by Her Royal Majesty, Queen Orozalia Saville of Eradore and the House of the Serpent. In honor of her recent accession, she has extended an offering of peace and allegiance to the nine kingdoms. We are two of her best soldiers.”
Asterin stared when Rose bowed again. “You are the peace offering?”
“On her behalf, we are wholly at your service, Your Highness.”
“My service?” Asterin turned to her mother for clarification.
Queen Priscilla waved airily, eyes almost turquoise in the light of the chandelier. “General Garringsford has her hands full looking after the newest batch of palace guard recruits, but I understand there happens to be two openings in your Elite Royal Guard, Princess Asterin.”
For a moment, Asterin couldn’t summon a response. It was true—Petyr and Tanya had been promoted to high-authority positions in Orielle, the seaport city on the west coast of the kingdom. Even so … surely her mother realized the risk of recruiting two foreign soldiers into her Elites. Asterin looked to Eadric helplessly. He shook his head. Speak now or you’ll have to hold your tongue. Her fists curled and her mouth opened, but what could she say? Now that her mother had sanctioned it, there was no way to refuse, not now, not with Rose Fletcher’s golden eyes locked upon her, lest she insult their queen by rejecting them.
Finally, Asterin bowed, first to her mother, and then the foreigners. “I am humbled by your queen’s generosity. It is my honor to accept.”
Queen Priscilla rose from her throne. “Wonderful. Now, I beg your pardons, but I must ask for your leave. I have some business to attend to.” And with that she turned away to address Garringsford while simultaneously leafing through a pile of papers the general had produced out of nowhere.
Asterin spun on her heel, striding out of Throne Hall, Eadric and the two Eradorians following close behind. In the silence that followed, only her and Eadric’s footsteps—the steady click-tap of hard leather soles—could be heard. The Eradorians wore similar boots, laced to the knee—but their soft-soled steps were those of ghosts.
“Eadric, if you’d please escort these two to the barracks?” she prompted. “See to their uniforms as well.”
The captain saluted. “Right away, Princess Asterin.”
“Your Highness,” Rose said, just as they were parting ways—Asterin to her chambers and her newest recruits down to the concourse, which separately housed both the palace guards and the Elites.
Asterin stopped but did not turn. “Yes?”
Rose spoke with a smile in her voice. “Forgive me any disrespect, but you seem rather apprehensive about this arrangement.”
At that, Asterin huffed a laugh and faced her. “Forgive me, Rose,” she said, not unkindly, “but I’m sure you can imagine my concerns. For one, your cousin has yet to even show their face,” she pointed out, glancing at the shifting outline of hard muscle hidden beneath the cloak. Eadric’s hand twitched to rest lightly upon the pommel of his sword.
“He’s shy,” Rose said, drawing a scoff from beneath her cousin’s hood.
“For another,” Asterin went on, “Eradoris has always been a city of great mystery to the rest of the world, what with the sequestering of your inner city and the royal family. Your kingdom reveals only the name of your ruler, and nothing more until the crown is passed on.”
“For protection,” said Rose.
“Yes, but from what?” Asterin asked. “Are guards not enough? The world hasn’t seen war for over three centuries. The other kingdoms divulge all the knowledge that yours refuses to—and now your queen sends out two vessels of information to each kingdom? Perhaps you’re spies—perhaps not. Either way, I can promise you one thing. I will not judge you differently from the other Elites unless you give me reason to, good or bad. Trust is earned, and once you have proven yourselves worthy, you will have mine.”
Rose tilted her head, and Asterin got the sudden impression that she was being evaluated. Despite the girl’s unremarkable height, something about her presence left Asterin feeling unsettled. She certainly had no desire to make enemies with this Rose Fletcher.
“And how might we achieve that, Your Highness?” asked the Eradorian.
Asterin resumed her way up the stairs. “That’s up to you.”
“Your Highness, one more thing,” Rose called out. “We brought you a gift.”
“Oh, enough with the damned gifts,” Asterin muttered to herself, but pasted on a smile and plodded back down the steps to indulge her. “What is it?”
“An affinity stone,” Rose said. Asterin nearly fled right then and there, Garringsford’s shrieks echoing in her head. But then the girl added, “It holds the power of all nine elements.”
“All nine?” Stones that bore two or three or even four sigils certainly existed, but nine … Asterin exchanged a quick glance with Eadric. He shrugged.
“Yes. Our queen struggled for years with her powers, but this stone allowed her to unlock the fullest potential of her magic—and I do mean the fullest.”
