by Eliza Tilton
“How did you know I was from Lakewood?”
“Your father is a great man.”
“My father?” I dropped Raven’s hand. “How do you know him?”
“I wish I had more time to explain. Go to your father and tell him what you told mine. He’ll know what to do.”
“I don’t understand. My father was just a guard in the king’s army.”
“No.” The prince grinned. “He was my personal guard. Now go. The guards will be awake soon.”
We mounted the horses, my head spinning with confusion. My father, a royal guard?
“There’s enough food and water in there for you to get home. I’ll be making my way to Lakewood soon.”
He slapped the back of Raven’s horse. “We’ll meet again, Avikar and Raven.”
The prince and castle faded as we rode forward. How could my father lie to me all these years? I glanced back and gritted my teeth. I’d have answers soon.
Chapter Four
Lucino
Ten kragen ships left port and sailed across the Dire Sea. The black vessels resembled the giant water serpents that roamed our home world’s waters with curved backs and large gaping mouths spewing corrosive breath, massive enough to hold thirty men.
The view from my portside chamber showed the vast red tides and churning waters. Ten ships, three hundred men, enough to slaughter the Kuuni kin. The Kuuni army would be battling the main fleet on the opposite side of the island. There would be few hunters left to guard the homeland. No match for the warriors we carried.
We would finally exterminate the biggest threat to our race.
Since leaving Tarrtainya, I often wondered if it mattered anymore—destroying another race on Mirth when Mirth would only destroy itself in time. While the Kuuni were an intelligent race of shapechangers, they lacked the magic or technology our people did. They would fall when Mirth fell.
I tossed the small throwing knife at the wall, bored with the wait.
Romulus worked somewhere near the hull, preparing the simulacrum. I wondered how Jeslyn fared. The disguise would remain as long as she wore the locket. Five days had passed since I last saw her. Her absence created an ache that lingered in my chest, constantly making me yearn to return home.
Leaving her in the care of my mother, a queen deadlier than her king, was the only option I had. I didn’t necessarily trust my mother, but she would obey my request and watch over Jeslyn. The tale I had woven about her being from a sister city and in peril due to top information on the invasion, seemed to work, though after time, my mother would start asking questions. Questions I knew Jeslyn could never answer. I only had enough time to give her the basics on our culture, nothing more.
Before I left, I warned Jeslyn not to venture around the palace. Knowing her curious mind, I doubted she would listen. If anyone discovered her true form, she would put us both at risk. Explaining to my mother why her new servant girl was human would require more finesse than I had time for, so Romulus created a magical locket that would cloak her in a spell, hiding her humanity.
I threw two more knives at the wall; perfect shots. Restlessness raked my bones, the wait of war filling me with impatience. “Time to check on Romulus’ progress.” I left my quarters and eagerly ventured into the bowels of the ship.
Romulus hovered over a pile of clay, babbling, and dropping liquids and metals into the large heap.
“Ah,” he said upon seeing me. Standing, he squinted, then snatched a single hair from my head.
“You could ask first,” I grunted, genuinely surprised at his speed.
“No time.” He dug his hand into the clay, shoving the strand inside.
“Is this my future clone?”
I never witnessed the creation of a simulacrum. The chromium and boron needed were rare and expensive components, and the trouble a clone could cause, irreversible. Our synergists, Reptilians who wielded energy for battle and science, used simulacrums to expand creatures that were used as bait for the wild boarhounds roaming the dry plains—delicate, smoky meat. Yet not many experimented with Reptilians. The Council forbade the Reptilian clone science, as did my father. Old tales talked of how the early clones attempted to replace the original, even in the lesser species, an envious side effect that compelled the clone to destroy its copy.
It must be done. Once the war ended and our brethren returned to the ships, my clone would be destroyed. Tomorrow before dawn, we would attack the Kuuni shores, yet my clone still resembled a clump of mud, nothing more. “Will this be ready by tomorrow?”
“Yes, but not before we land.”
“How do you plan to exchange us once the process is complete? I won’t be able to return to the ship without notice.”
“With a transport spell. You two will change positions. Once on the ship I will teleport you back to the palace. If you are spotted …”
“I won’t be. I will take Jeslyn, return her to Daath, and be back before the battle is over. By the time the ships return, I’ll be here, and you can kill the simulacrum.”
Romulus grumbled.
“What?”
“He will not be easy to kill. All your strength, none of your weaknesses.”
“Weaknesses?” I stepped closer, leaning over him as he squatted by the pile. “What weaknesses?”
Romulus frowned and met my hardened stare. “You care for this human. It weakens you.”
“Then why not turn me in? Go tattle to the king of my incompetence.”
“Because you are the heir, and we’ve already gone too far. We must complete this and start the transition.”
He grabbed a yellow vial from the tray next to the mound and slowly poured the sulfur on the future simulacrum. The pile sizzled, leaving a rot stench in the air.
“You’re wrong. She doesn’t make me weak; she makes me want to fight for our people. That is not a weakness.”
Romulus squinted, but made no reply.
For all his grumblings, I was certain of one thing: he would never continue to help if he didn’t believe my words. He just lacked the strength to acknowledge them aloud.
Chapter Five
Jeslyn
Standing behind Queen Velaria, I glimpsed around at the large, yet intimate, ballroom. Although ballroom didn’t quite describe the room. There was no dancing, only two female servants standing off to the side playing instruments shaped like the long wooden pipes back home. Their hair hung loose in wild, vibrant orange curls, accentuating the shimmering plum of their wispy dresses.
Women filled the area, not one man in sight. How could you have a ball with no men? Whom would you dance with? I kept the questions to myself, knowing what I understood about life centered on a very different world.
Large rectangular windows reached from the ceiling to the floor, open, with long flowing crimson drapes sweeping against the beige stone tile as the simulated wind pushed against them. Some women wore hats with different colored fabrics trailing the sides of their faces, and almost all of the women wore sleek gowns with colors that shifted like water. I admired my own dress, a rich violet so dark you would think it black in different lighting. The sleeves fell past my wrists, angling down, and no bustle or corset, which was a freeing feeling. I could breathe. The fabric, a smooth texture, like silk but softer than cotton, fell against my skin, showing every curve. No frills or lace like back home, just the simple beauty of fabric and color.
“My Queen.” A woman with beautiful olive skin and bright gold eyes bowed her head at our entrance.
“Krischa.” The queen’s gaze narrowed, matching the hard line of her lips.
“Is this a new maidservant?”
“Yes.” Queen Velaria stepped aside. “Krischa, meet Aurora.”
I knew not to speak to royalty without being spoken to first—Queen Velaria had made that clear. Instead, I bowed my head.
“I’m
surprised I wasn’t aware of her.” Krischa examined me with a curious glance.
“You can’t see everything, can you?” The queen lifted her head high and brushed past Krischa. “We shall chat later.”
I skirted around her to follow the queen.
“I look forward to it.”
Krischa watched me while the queen and I waded through the room. I wanted to ask who she was and why she kept glowering at me. What did the queen mean by she couldn’t see everything?
The fabric hanging from my face stifled me. Heat filled my limbs, and I wanted fresh air, to be outside and let the wind caress my cheeks. While Queen Velaria spoke with various women, I allowed my mind to wander to Grandfather and Luna Harbor.
Lucino promised we’d return home and search for Grandfather, but part of me didn’t believe it. Lucino’s world was dying, and with the need to move his people into Daath, how could he possibly stop and continue a desperate search … it all seemed so hopeless.
We had no leads on Grandfather, and our only chance at finding him died in that battle with the ravagers. We would have to start all over again. Grandfather’s best chance was for me to find his comrade Beckett. He would know what to do.
Servants carried trays of clear goblets steaming with liquid around the room. One passed by and offered me the drink. I looked to Queen Velaria for permission, but deep in conversation with another woman, she paid me no mind. I grabbed the goblet and found an open seat on the oversized couches that adorned the sides of the room. The soft seat sunk around me as I settled. The steaming drink held the aroma of honeysuckle. Did they have honeysuckle here? Smooth, refreshing, and sweet, and the liquid slightly warmed as it slid down my throat.
I played with the soft fabric of my dress while sitting on a giant crimson pillow, waiting for a chance to hear gossip from the other servants. Ladies ate finger foods and danced, jovial and growing louder as the night continued.
My eyelids became heavy as I sipped the sweet nectar. When I reached the bottom of the goblet, I rested my head on the plush pillows. Queen Velaria had mentioned nothing about servants sitting, or what I was expected to do while she mingled with her guests, and from the look of the women scattered all over the room, I couldn’t discern who was noble and who wasn’t.
“I hear the ships are about to engage the Kuuni.”
Two women sat at the end of the couch. I perked up, straining to hear their hushed conversation.
“A waste. We should let the Kuuni be. There are more important matters we should focus on.”
“Yes. What a shame it would be to lose all those men.”
One of the ladies laughed, a cold tone edged her voice. “Fodder, dear, every good battle needs it.”
My heart raced with fear. Fodder. Was that what Lucino meant to his people? How could they speak so callously about their prince? A chill ran through me and I slid further away from the two women.
If Lucino fell in battle, I’d need a plan to escape this place before their world ended—and I with it.
Chapter Six
Avikar
We rode all night and reached the end of Kingsland as the suns breached the morning sky. Raven yawned beside me. It was the first noise she’d made since we began our journey.
“We’ll find shelter once we enter the woods.” I gave her a weak smile, trying to pretend my heart and mind weren’t both racing from what Prince Edwin had told me about my father.
She pointed ahead. “In there?” Apprehension filled her voice.
Grassland ended at the edge of a half-crystallized forest. Giant oaks and cherry trees frozen in a shimmering crystal from the wild magic that ran through the wood during the last war. Most travelers took an eastern route around the mystical forest. Rangers talked about how unnatural it was that half of the forest, animals included, was stuck in a glass-like state, remnants from The Purring.
The trees glittered under the sunlight, some with sharp, pointy edges that could pierce skin if you were stupid enough to crash into it. As we rode closer, the deadly aftermath of the war reflected itself in the first crystal oak we passed. A frozen squirrel sat on a branch, stuffing its cheeks. The chubby rodent still had all its hair and its eyes were wide open. It looked like someone had poured liquid glass over it, preserving everything.
“I wonder if it’s still alive.” I moved closer, my fingers itching to touch it.
“Can we keep going?” Raven’s gaze darted around the bright forest.
Sunlight bounced off the crystal, decorating everything with shades of yellow and oranges. Deadwood didn’t sound like the right name for a place so alive with color.
“Let’s go,” I said, pulling myself away from the fascinating display.
We urged the horses on. Little blue birds chirped and hopped from crystal branches to living ones. Some trees had half of their limbs in crystal, the rest growing big green leaves.
I stopped by a cherry tree not encased in crystal to fill up one of the bags. “We should grab as much as we can. Just in case it takes us longer to reach Lakewood.”
We plucked cherries as we went, searching for a place to rest. The horses needed water, and with all these trees, there had to be something around. Deeper inside the Deadwood, animals ranging from big to small, from rabbit to bear, were frozen in the middle of a run as if every creature fled north. We maneuvered the horses around the frozen creatures, passing a bear with three cubs, a trio of foxes … all of them ageless.
We finally found a wide stream with a grove of un-crystallized trees. The horses drank from the stream and we re-filled our skins. There wasn’t much kindling around for a fire, but the air was warm. I stretched out my shoulders and grabbed one of the bags the prince had given us and sat on the ground. Inside were soft rolls and blocks of hard cheese.
“Hungry?” I held out a roll to Raven.
“Starving.” She grabbed it and sat beside me.
I broke one of the blocks of cheese and gave her half. “Weird place, right?”
“Yes,” Raven said in between bites. “It’s kind of beautiful.”
“I’ve heard stories, but seeing the real thing … not the same.”
“How long will it take us to get to your home?”
“A week, maybe less. Lakewood is directly south of us.”
Raven yawned.
“I’ll take first watch,” I said.
“Thanks.” She bunched one of the bags into a makeshift pillow and stretched out across the grass.
She hadn’t said anything about Cael and I knew the loss was more than she let on. I didn’t want to push her, but I didn’t want her to push me away, either. Already, an invisible distance stretched between us the further we rode. Was she mad at me? Did she blame me for Cael’s death? Should I have tried to stop him?
The Deadwood sparkled rainbows as the suns set. I tried imagining the battle that must’ve turned this green forest into a partial glass painting. Did a magic user run through here shooting lightning? How could a normal person fight against such powers? Warmth seeped from the clear bark of the tree I leaned against. How can that be? I pressed my hand against the bark again. Warm. That didn’t seem right. Why would it be warm?
I moved away, suddenly uneasy. I took out my bow, searching the area. Were the creatures warm too? And if they were, what did that mean? When I found a doe, I ran my hand across its smooth back. Warm. The doe’s eyes were open. Was she alive? Were all the plants and animals stuck in a waking sleep?
On a whim, I took out my dagger. Over the course of our journey, it had reacted to magic in strange ways. It was the only weapon to pierce the ice spider’s coat, and during my fight with Lucy, it had stopped her magic.
What would it do in a place like this?
Slowly, I held the dagger out and tapped the doe’s head. The crystal cracked and blew apart into a thousand pieces. The doe leapt forward, knocking me
on my back, and ran by as if she had never been frozen. I grinned at the dagger in my hand, then ran over to the first crystallized tree, bouncing on my toes. Slowly, I touched the dagger tip to the bark. Again, the crystal shattered, releasing the sleeping tree.
I can’t believe this works!
I spun around, searching for the next frozen creature. A group of bunnies bunched together just passed the tree. Tap. Tap. Tap. Each ball of fur hopped away, zigzagging in confusion.
“Ha!”
The whole Deadwood thrummed with opportunity. I hopped back and forth on the balls of my feet, excitement sizzling through my bones. I couldn’t wait to return everything to life.
Chapter Seven
Lucino
Standing at the bow of the ship, I looked out across the black water, the shores cloaked under the dark of night. Our fighters boarded the land boats that would take us to the Kuuni island. This was it. No longer would they attack our fisherman, crucify our young who strayed too far to the beaches, and feed on our dead. The Kuuni continued to invade, at any opportunity. With the transition into Tarrtainya, less of our people would be left in this world to fight off the savages.
“My Prince.” A synergist appeared on my left. “We’re ready to board.”
I nodded and jumped into the small boat.
Three synergists sat around me. Their auras crackled with electric blue as they prepared for battle with deep concentration, focusing their energy into intense power. Each synergist wore a pair of conductor gloves, black rubber with gold embedded into the palms. These magical gloves would hold their energy and enable them to release it through their hands in bursts. Deadly weapons I’ve had the displeasure of feeling during sparring.
