The Flames of Deception - A Horizon of Storms: Book 1

by AJ Martin

  “Good morning,” the man said with the hoarse, rough voice of a southern Olindian.

  The princess nodded. “Good day to you sir,” she replied in turn.

  “Welcome to Crystal Ember. May I have your papers?” he asked.

  “Papers?” Josephine replied.

  “Any foreigners who now wish to enter this city require papers signed from the consulate in the town of Gavna. Have you no papers?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I was not aware we needed any papers,” she said with a tinge of annoyance and turned to eye Matthias icily. The wizard smiled awkwardly.

  “I am afraid so,” the soldier advised. “There have been several robberies in the city lately by foreigners who wish to bring harm to our people. Mostly Aslemerian, of course, but you understand I can’t make an exception, not even for one so beautiful.”

  Josephine smiled and raised herself up tall in her saddle. “I see there to be little need for pieces of parchment in this case, good sir. You see, I am the princess of Aralia,” she announced in her most regal voice.

  The soldier eyed her and her entourage silently a moment.

  “You are Princess Arwell?” he asked hesitantly.

  “Don’t be a fool, boy!” Thadius intervened, before Josephine could reply again. “Let us in if you want to retain your standing! We are here on important business!”

  “May I ask what kind of business?” the man asked, standing his ground, though he was visibly nervous now.

  “We have a meeting with the regent,” Matthias instructed, riding up next to Josephine.

  “What sort of meeting?” the soldier asked.

  “A very important one,” Matthias continued.

  The man’s eyes narrowed at Matthias. “You are a wizard?” he asked sourly.

  “What of it?” Matthias replied curtly.

  “We do not take kindly to your people here,” he said. “We haven’t welcomed a wizard in these walls for many years.”

  “My good man, as fascinating as this lesson is, the company I keep is no concern of yours. What is of importance is that you allow us to enter this city so that I may go about my business!” the princess commanded curtly.

  The man swallowed and turned around, seeking backup from the other soldiers. One of them shrugged at him, which was as much help as he seemed likely to get. He turned back round and nodded. “I will speak with the regent’s aides. You will need to wait here though,” he instructed.

  “Very well. It seems I have little choice,” the princess sighed. The man turned on his heel and slipped into the city through a smaller gate carved out of the much larger main gates. The soldier who had shrugged approached them. He nodded.

  “He’ll only be a moment your highness. Regulations, you understand.” He smiled, and shrugged again. “Trouble is we get too many bleedin’ Aslemerians trying to come in these days. We have to be cautious for our own safety.”

  The princess stared at him icily. “Do I look like an Aslemerian?” she asked. “Do I have the tan of a man who spends his life in the heat of that parched land? Perhaps it is the lack of a beard or the accent that confused you? No?” The man’s smile fell.

  “No. No, I can see you aren’t one of them,” he tailed off. “But... rules is rules for all. Even royalty.” He turned around and slipped back amongst the others.

  “I don’t think I’ll try and bribe them to gain entrance,” Matthias whispered.

  “That may not be the best of ideas,” Josephine replied, maintaining her stance. “And thank you very much for not telling me about our requiring papers!”

  “I forgot. It’s been a busy week, after all,” he said sheepishly. “I thought our biggest obstacle would be them recognising me as being a wizard.”

  She shook her head. “And what if they will not let us in?” she asked him.

  Matthias smiled. “Trust me, that won’t happen. Who has ever heard of royalty being turned away?”

  “I’ve never heard of royalty being made to wait at a gate before either,” she said. “But it seems times are changing!”

  As they waited, Matthias stared up at the massive wooden wall. He couldn’t even see its top from where they were standing.

  “Impressive, isn’t it?” Luccius commented behind him.

  Matthias nodded. “It is. But do you know what I’m thinking?” He turned around to look at Luccius, who shrugged. “Our ancestors made a big mistake putting a fire breathing dragon in a city constructed almost entirely of wood.”

  After almost a half - hour of waiting, the soldier reappeared, followed by an old man and two other soldiers dressed in liveried tabards. They approached their group hastily.

  “This is Ambassador Elstace,” the soldier said, indicating to the old man. “He will be accompanying you to the fortress, your highness.”

  The ambassador was almost entirely bald, but sported a trimmed grey beard and spectacles. His purple robe was emblazoned with the emblem of Olindia: a sceptre topped with the ‘Falsted Crown’: a golden, tri - point coronet. The country hadn’t had a king in years now, but the crown remained as a symbol of their land. The man bowed deeply until it seemed his head would hit the earth.

  “My lady, welcome to Crystal Ember,” Ambassador Elstace said. “This is a most unexpected pleasure! We had no idea you were visiting our city. Or, indeed, our country!”

  “An unannounced trip ambassador,” she replied. “I wanted no fuss to be made.”

  The man nodded. “Of course. I am certain the regent will be pleased to see you after so many years. Please,” he indicated with a hand. “Follow me. I shall take you straight to the palace.” He clapped his hands theatrically and the guards opened the larger gates for them to ride through. Elstace beckoned for them to enter and they cantered into the city on horseback, accompanied by an escort on foot.

  “It has been many years since we have had the pleasure of any royal visit on our soil,” Ambassador Elstace commented as he walked by the side of the princess.

  “One of the few disadvantages of our lasting peace, ambassador, is that we keep ourselves so often to ourselves nowadays,” Josephine replied.

  The Ambassador nodded. “Indeed. I last visited Rina nearly two years ago. Since then, only written correspondence has been possible with your court. These have been busy times for Olindia.”

  “I trust that all is well in your realm?” Josephine asked.

  “Oh yes, quite well. In fact, we are on the edge of a new golden age, I am pleased to say, now that we have opened up new trade links with Ordovier. The mysterious wares of the northern lands are starting to trickle through to us. But alas, it has meant that I have not been able to spend as much time in the company of your people as I would like.”

  “All the more reason for my visit then,” Josephine smiled.

  “I am curious as to why you have come so far with so few escorts?” The ambassador asked. “I can most certainly understand your wish to visit without ceremony, but to bring an entourage of only three is most unusual. Where are your maids? The soldiers to protect you?”

  Josephine smiled. “Do I have need of soldiers to defend me in Olindia?” she asked.

  Elstace shook his head. “Of course not. At least not from any of our civilised people. But there are some rogues who would threaten you along the less travelled of roads between our nations.”

  “Well, I have arrived safely, without need of any other men. As for the maids, I have found that I am perfectly capable of doing without them for a while.” She smiled. “It is an adventure, in fact, to travel in this way.”

  “But why should you need to travel so light?”

  “Ambassador, I feel as if I am being interrogated,” Josephine retorted. “So many questions!”

  “Of course. I apologise for prying, but this is such an unusual circumstance. It is not often we have no knowledge of comings and goings within our borders. Why, for you to have even arrived in Olindian territory without our knowledge is a feat in itself.”


  “Perhaps your spy network needs to be reviewed?” sniffed Thadius.

  The ambassador regarded him with a taut expression. “I fear you mistake my curiosity for something more underhand,” he said to Thadius. “I can assure you that is not the case.”

  They rode through the central plaza, where the marble pillar holding Sikaris stood in the centre of rings of red and blue stone mosaic. Josephine craned her neck to look up at the dragon. She could not see much of him from where she was, only the two curling wings and a little of the open jaw. Her spine tingled. Right now there were unseen forces working on that very spot, eroding the stone prison. For all she knew it could break at any moment. She exhaled heavily.

  “Are you alright?” Matthias asked her quietly as Elstace continued on ahead.

  “That thing is enormous! How am I supposed to create a barrier around that? I could barely form one around Thadius!”

  Matthias looked up at the creature. His eyes were squinted as if he were trying to spot something. He fiddled with his staff in his hands absent-mindedly.

  “We’ll find a way,” he said.

  “That is all very well you saying, but how?” she hissed.

  Luccius approached him from the other side before he could answer her. His ears were twitching.

  “I can feel something,” he said under his breath. “I’m not sure what, but it’s making my heart beat like mad and my ears tingle like I’ve been rolling around in itching powder!”

  Matthias nodded. “I feel something too. It feels like...” he began, and then stopped abruptly.

  “What?” Luccius motioned to him to continue.

  “The calm before a storm,” he finished, glowering at the pillar.

  The portcullis of the barbican was already raised as they crossed the drawbridge over the moat. They dismounted from their horses and left them at one of the stable yards, where they would be tended to by a young boy named Jyrri, who stood transfixed by Luccius’s ears while they handed them over to him. They walked through grand double doors of the interior fortress and into the heart of Crystal Ember’s fortifications. The steel heels of the soldiers’ heavy boots clicked on the wide, white and black - flecked marble floor of the entrance room. They approached another man: a short, almost comical looking man, dressed to the neck in red and purple velvet, his sleeves and his breeches puffed up and crimson tights stretched over his spindly legs.

  “This is Nicholas. He will be taking you to see Protector Balzan,” Ambassador Elstace instructed.

  “Balzan?” Matthias exclaimed. “I thought we were going directly to the regent?”

  The ambassador shrugged his broad shoulders. “I was asked to bring you to the protector first of all. He is very interested to meet with you, princess.”

  “Is it the princess he is interested in, or me?” Matthias asked.

  Elstace smiled. “I believe he would like to speak with you all prior to your meeting with the regent. It is a common practice, especially during these busy times. I hope you understand princess?”

  Josephine’s lips thinned. “If it is necessary, then we shall meet with the protector,” she said with disdain.

  The ambassador bowed. “Very good your highness. If you will excuse me, I left an important meeting to escort you this far, and I am afraid I must return to it. Nicholas will accompany you to the protector. Good day to you.” The ambassador bowed himself away and the two soldiers moved away with him.

  “I don’t like this,” Luccius whispered, as the man called Nicholas jerked into motion in front of them, his nose struck in the air, feathered hat bobbing about precariously as if it might fall off at any minute. It was far too large for the man, but he seemed too proud of his regalia to notice. He strutted several paces in front of them at speed, as if oblivious to their very existence.

  Matthias shook his head. “It’s not good. At all,” he whispered back to them. “There’s only one reason we are going to see him, and that is because I’m here.”

  “Why would the man care so much about you?” Thadius asked. “I know they don’t exactly like wizards in Olindia, but it seems a little egotistical to think you’re that important to them Matthias.”

  “The protector isn’t just the second in command of Olindia. He’s an exiled wizard,” he hissed as quietly as he could.

  Josephine nodded. “Of course!” she exclaimed. “It didn’t even enter my mind on our journey here about that. He has been in Olindia for decades. Much longer than I’ve been alive.” She squinted. “I think I remember him though, when I visited here a long time ago. I was about seven years of age. He was very tall as I recall.”

  “Isn’t everyone when you are that young?” Luccius commented as they continued following their guide.

  Josephine smiled back at him and then she shook her head. “I can’t recall what he was like as a person. I do not think I spent much time in his company.”

  “I had hoped we wouldn’t this time either,” Matthias whispered. “It was my plan for us to meet directly with the regent before he even knew I was here. Then we could have explained things to him without interference.”

  “You said he was exiled,” Thadius continued. “For what?”

  “It’s a long story,” Matthias replied. “But I doubt he’ll be happy to see me.”

  “Surely you of all of your kind have more in common with a man exiled for disobeying his people’s wishes?” The knight continued to question.

  “This isn’t someone who simply disagrees with the way Mahalia operates,” Matthias said, trying hard to keep quiet despite the obvious emotion in his voice. “This is someone who hurt people in an effort to advance his own ambitions. All the stories I’ve heard of him…” he shook his head. “He isn’t a nice person. He is an enemy of Mahalia”

  “I like him already,” Thadius retorted.

  “This isn’t a laughing matter, Thadius. He doesn’t care who you are: if you are a princess or a stable boy. He only cares if you’re of use to him. If he finds out what Josephine is, he will abuse her power. I am certain of it.”

  Thadius sighed. “Brilliant. Yet another plan of yours falls apart at the seams. Tell me, who put you in charge again?”

  Matthias stared at the knight distastefully. “I think I preferred you when I first met you back in Rina. You’ve grown increasingly dour, Thadius.”

  “It must be the company I’m keeping,” he said, then gave a start. “That is not a reflection on you princess,” he added quickly.

  “I do wish you would both stop bickering for just one day! Matthias is correct about you, Thadius. I have never known you so dejected. Please try to stay positive. After all, it isn’t you who needs to stop the dragon!”

  Thadius blushed. “I’m sorry, your highness,” he stuttered and fell silent.

  After a few more minutes of walking, Nicholas stopped outside a large, wooden door.

  “You will wait here,” he instructed Josephine tersely and then stepped inside the room.

  “Who does he think he’s talking to?” Thadius growled. “He should address you properly princess.”

  “I can’t say I care much for him,” Josephine responded.

  “Listen,” Matthias said hurriedly. “Before you speak of anything to the protector, think about what information you are giving over to him. From what I have heard, he will bend anything to suit his own needs. We can’t trust him.”

  Josephine sighed. “Matthias, it is fair to say that over the last few weeks, knowing who to trust and who not to has grown increasingly more difficult. Never before in my life have the lines between good and bad been so blurred. So I will rely on my instinct, because it is all I have left to point my moral compass in the right direction.”

  Matthias nodded. “As you wish. But just… be careful.”

  The door opened and Nicholas reappeared.

  “Protector Balzan will see you now,” he preened.

  “You are most kind,” Josephine smiled, and slipped into the room.

  “Cocky l
ittle penguin,” Thadius mumbled under his breath as he followed.

  Balzan was bent over his desk, his grey sleeves spilling over its expansive top. He was scribbling feverishly with a quill as they approached, seemingly ignorant of their arrival in the room. He was an aged man, with mottled skin and a hooked nose. Bags of skin fell from his eyes giving his face a drawn expression. He wore a coarse, grey cloak that covered him from head to foot and around his neck he wore a pendant like Matthias’s. It looked much older though, as worn and battered as the man himself.

  “Ahem!” Josephine coughed after a pause, and planted her hands in front of her.

  The protector finally looked up and studied them all. He set the pen aside in its inkwell and clasped his hands together in front of him, surveying them all for a moment, his eyes resting on Matthias a second longer than the others, before he opened his mouth to speak.

  “A most unexpected encounter,” he said in a florid tone. His accent was a mixture of Mahalian and Olindian. “The princess of Aralia appearing on our soil, as if from nowhere. Most unexpected indeed.”

  “Protector,” Josephine acknowledged and nodded her head. “I am grateful to you for meeting with me.”

  “Talk of Princess Josephine of Aralia requesting a meeting demands acceptance,” he said, with a smile that somehow never went further than his lips. He stood, leaving the confines of his desk and walked around to greet them. He sank to the floor to kiss Josephine’s hand and then rose again. He took in her appearance and his face creased. She was still pale and gaunt from the effects of the poison and her dress was dirty and muddied.

  “Are you quite well?” he asked. “You seem a little worse for wear.”

  Josephine nodded. “I assure you I am alright. It has simply been a long journey.”

  He nodded slowly. “I see.” He turned his attention to Matthias.

  “My, my, they do train them young nowadays,” he smiled. “Tell me, what is your name?”

  “Matthias Greenwald, protector,” Matthias said assertively. “And young may be stretching things a little.”