“Hello, Rebecca. It’s nice to finally meet you,” Violet said. She gestured toward the room. “May I come in?”
“Oh, yes of course,” Becca said, feeling awkward suddenly.
She closed the door as Violet—Queen Violet, she reminded herself—entered the room.
“You have a very lovely bedchamber,” Violet said, studying the interior of the room. “Silas wanted you to have a nice place to stay. He certainly chose wisely.”
Becca nodded, unsure of what to say. Then a thought came to her. “He’s been very kind despite everything that’s occurred,” she said.
There was a long pause between them. Violet clasped her hands in front of her and gave a bemused smile. It seemed she was on the verge of saying something, but couldn’t manage it. Becca decided it’d be best if she broke the silence first.
“I’m sorry but I didn’t know my brother had a wife until a few hours ago,” Becca said, hoping to spark some idle conversation. “How are you getting along as queen of the realm?”
“Oh, it’s a lot to take in. I’ve only been Queen of Aldron for less than a day. But it will be a very significant day, to be sure,” Violet mused.
“Because of the war,” Becca said.
“Yes,” Violet replied with a sigh. The subject was clearly a sore one for her. “I’m to say farewell to your brother only a day after wedding him. Then grapple with the task of defending the city from its worst enemies. All in a day’s work as queen, I suppose.”
Becca sensed the resentment in the woman’s voice. “I’m sorry, Violet—I mean, your Majesty.”
Violet laughed. “Don’t start with that nonsense. You’re my sister-in-law for goodness' sake. It’s just Violet.”
“All right... Violet. I can’t imagine what being a ruler must be like. When I was a child here, I remember my father making it seem so easy. He knew the names of all the guards and most of the servants in the palace. It was quite extraordinary,” Becca said, smiling at the thought of her father. “Now I see Silas as king and in the little time I’ve spent here, he’s already picking up Father’s traits. Perhaps it takes time and commitment to come into the role of royalty. At least, I certainly hope so since I am least fitted for the task.”
“You will do just fine, Becca. We both will,” Violet said. Then she reached out and clasped Becca’s hand, squeezing it gently. Becca’s first instinct was to recoil from the gesture, but she prevented herself from doing so. She had never trusted anyone in her life save for Memnon and Rekk, and they had both betrayed her. But she felt a strong connection with Violet. She sensed his brother’s wife genuinely wanted to be a friend to her. That was an altogether new experience for Becca.
Another knock came at the door.
“Rebecca? It’s Weifar. We must be off. The army is assembling in the courtyard. Are you ready?” The duke asked from the other side of the door.
Becca opened the door and allowed him inside. He stepped in and immediately noticed Violet. “Oh. I’m sorry, your Majesty, I didn’t mean to interrupt—”
“Quite all right, Weifar. I was just meeting my sister-in-law. Nothing terribly important,” Violet said with a smile.
“I see,” Weifar replied. He glanced at Becca then asked, “are you ready, Rebecca?”
She nodded.
“Excellent. I will escort you both to the balcony overlooking the courtyard. King Silas will give a short speech to the army and then you’ll be dispatched to your unit, Rebecca. Queen Violet, I am to stay behind and assist you in the defense of the city,” he said.
Both women nodded their understanding, and he led them out of the room into the hall. They soon reached the balcony Weifar was talking about earlier. A dozen Royal Guardsmen awaited them on the semi-circular balcony nestled between the side of the keep and one of its large towers. Below, Becca saw a raised platform in the courtyard where several army officers and knights awaited their leader. Silas strode through the mass of pikemen, archers, and men-at-arms to reach the platform. A chorus of cheers and applause followed whichever section of the army he walked past. Clearly, he was a popular sovereign among his people, Becca thought.
He stepped onto the platform and raised both hands in a quieting motion to the raucous crowd. When nothing could be heard save for the tweeting of birds, Silas spoke.
“My fellow Aldronians, here we are again on the eve of yet another battle in a war that has stretched for much of my lifetime and yours. But unlike the battles and skirmishes of yesteryear, this day we face a more grievous threat than before. The Draknoir and dragons have rooted themselves in that cursed stronghold, Arkadeus. They plan to gather their forces and strike down everything we’ve built here in Aldron. I know many of you do not tread into this battle lightly. You know the threat that will soon befall our city and the devastation that may come at the hands of Memnon and his ally, Kraegyn. I do not ask you to fight with me if you desire to stay and defend this great city. A number of you have chosen to do so, and that is an honorable charge.
But my shield brothers, I also need others to come with me. To take the fight to Arkadeus’ doorstep. We must show Memnon that the men of the south will not cower to his threats. Today we who have put our lives in the hands of Yéwa defy the Draknoir sorcerer and his cronies!”
The crowd gave a loud cheer. He pressed on, raising his voice for them to hear. “We will fight for what is good and right in the world, my brothers. You and I will send those ugly lizards back to the Abode of Shadows where they belong! Will you fight with your king?” Silas asked, his voice resounding like a siren.
“We will fight!” The soldiers yelled back.
“Will you fight with me?” Silas repeated.
“We... will... fight! We will fight!” The crowd chanted loudly.
Silas nodded several times, delighted with the enthusiasm in the multitude. Then he added, “for Aldron! For Joppa!”
The crowd repeated the refrain, but then included another phrase into the chant.
“For the king!” They hollered.
Silas raised his sword into the air and everyone in the crowd shouted a thunderous war cry in unison. It was an impressive display of loyalty among these soldiers. Becca had never seen such resolve and spirit in any army led by Memnon. These men adored her brother and would willingly give their lives to whatever cause he spurred them toward. It was breathtaking.
Once a sense of order returned to the men, Silas ordered the knights and officers on the platform to lead their units out of the city. Companies of soldiers filed out of the courtyard onto the main road that led outside the city. Becca looked around her anxiously, expecting someone to order her down into the courtyard to join the marching soldiers. But no such order came. She stood quietly among the Royal Guard, Weifar, and Violet for several minutes. Then her brother strode onto the balcony with two men at his side. Weifar gave him a quick salute as did the Royal Guard.
“That was an excellent speech, Silas. Quite moving,” Violet said.
Silas smiled then bent down slightly to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, my dear.”
“We’re ready for your orders, sire,” Weifar said stoically.
“Yes, about that. There’s been a slight change of plans, Weifar. I’m going to have my sister join me, Blaise, and Rainier on the march. I want her close at hand for what I’m planning for Memnon and his dragon friends,” he said ominously.
Weifar nodded. “As you wish, my lord.”
Becca studied the two men flanking either side of Silas. The one on the left she recognized immediately—Lord Blaise, a tall thin man with an overly austere disposition. He’d been the man who escorted her into the throne room several days ago. She did not know the man standing at the king’s right hand. He was also tall, but had a thicker frame than Blaise. Half of his face bore a horrible disfigurement caused by serious burns. The scars were probably the result of dragon fire, she thought.
“Come, Becca. You’ll accompany these gentlemen to the royal stables. They’ll have
a horse and weapons ready for you.” He gestured to both Blaise and Rainier. “I’ll be joining you shortly.”
She gave a quick nod then stepped toward the two men. Then she felt a hand on her forearm stop her suddenly. It was Violet. The queen gave her a sad expression, but forced a smile.
“It was lovely to meet you, Becca,” she said. Then lowering her voice to a whisper added, “take care of Silas for me, would you?”
Becca frowned slightly at the request, but recovered and returned a smile. “I will do my best, Violet,” she whispered.
Silas watched for a moment as his sister walked off with the two men then considered whether his feelings weren’t clouding his better judgment. Things were still muddled in his mind regarding Becca. He could sense that she’d committed to fighting against Aldron and renouncing her former ways, but a part of him still stubbornly doubted whether he could fully trust her. Violet, always capable of reading his thoughts, grabbed his hand and pulled him close.
“You need to trust her, Silas. It’s no use fighting alongside her if you’re going to second-guess everything she does,” she said.
Silas pursed his lips thoughtfully then nodded. “I know. It’s just... difficult,” he said.
“No. You’re just stubborn,” she said, smirking.
“Probably,” he said ruefully. Then he turned to Weifar. “What do you think? Can we trust her?”
“I think so, sire,” he said. “I like to think I’m a good judge of character. When I first met your sister in the dungeon several months ago, even then I sensed a reluctance on her part to commit to her actions. Perhaps the girl you once knew was fighting to free herself from Memnon’s influence all along.”
“Hmm. That makes sense,” Silas replied.
Violet suddenly slapped him hard on the shoulder. “You’ll believe what he says, but not your wife?” She said, contorting her face in anger.
“I... it just sounded more convincing when he said it,” Silas stammered. But the weak argument merely caused his wife to raise an eyebrow at him. “Violet, I’m sorry—this whole affair is quite confusing for me and I’m trying to do what’s best for everyone.”
Violet’s face softened, and she nodded. “I know, Silas. Just trust your instincts. They’ve kept you alive this long,” she said.
“They have indeed,” he said with the barest hint of a smile. “Well, I should be off. Weifar and the Royal Guard will keep you safe when the attack comes. You’ll have full command of Aldron’s forces when I leave. I know you’ll do what is right for all our people.”
“I’ll try,” she said, a hint of doubt in her voice. Then she stared into his eyes meaningfully. “Please come back to me safe, Silas.”
Silas forced a smile. He knew promising to return would be disingenuous, especially since this battle would be the toughest of any he’d ever committed to. Instead he said nothing and kissed her. Afterward, he pulled away and said, “I love you, my Queen.”
Violet reciprocated the statement and then he turned away from her and Weifar. With the hard task of saying goodbye behind him, Silas made his way to the stables where his highest-ranking commanders awaited. The stablehand, Edmund, greeted him and handed him the reins of his bay mare, Arabella. Beside the horse, Becca watched him from the saddle of a brown gelding. He mounted his steed and conferred quickly with Blaise and Rainier about their movement through the countryside.
“Once we ford the Dulan River north of the Great Dam, our forces will move within the Ithileo woodlands. The thick forest should provide enough cover from any dragon attack as we progress to Arkadeus,” Blaise explained.
“We have a battalion of men-at-arms and cavalry that will fan out ahead of the main force to reconnoiter the area for any Draknoir scouting parties,” Rainier added.
“How long do you estimate it’ll take for us to reach the fortress?” Silas asked.
“If we ride hard for the first leg of the journey, I’d say a fortnight at best. But it’ll be slow through Ithileo if we’re to avoid catching the attention of the dragons,” Blaise replied.
Silas nodded. Mobilizing so many troops always delayed the speed at which one could travel. But there was nothing to do about it. He thanked the two men for their input then turned to Becca, who looked out of place among the bearded, battle-hardened knights inside the stable.
“Becca, you’re to ride next to me for the entire journey to Arkadeus. It’ll be a long trip, so I want you to tell me everything you know about Arkadeus. Fortifications, numbers of patrols on guard, entry points—everything,” he said firmly.
“Of course,” she said. “But I’ve already told Blaise and Weifar all of that information before.”
“I know. But I need to know it as intimately as you do.”
Her brow furrowed. “Why?”
“Because you and I are going to infiltrate that fortress together and kill Memnon.”
A week of traveling hard on horseback had taken its toll on Becca. She was not accustomed to riding for such long periods of time with few breaks in between. Her muscles had become stiff and sore from the hurried pace that Silas kept on the entire army to reach Ithileo. In all the days of riding, they camped only a handful of times and often rode late into the night to gain more ground. It didn’t help that she’d never been much of a horse rider. As an assassin, her modes of transportation often including walking or sailing. Most of her previous jobs for Memnon required her to be in popular port cities like Aldron, Allesmeade, and Tarshish. Aside from traveling to the coast from the mainland, she had little use for a horse and often preferred to walk. Now she was paying terribly for neglecting her riding skills. She took solace in the fact that once they reached the woodlands, their pace would naturally decrease in the confined spaces inside the forest.
Just after midday, the first wave of the Aldronian army entered the long tree line that marked the border of Ithileo. Silas’ royal party took up the rear of the massive host alongside the calvary units led by Lord Blaise and other nobles. Becca estimated that they had another three days of riding before they’d cross the steep ridge that overlooked where Arkadeus dominated the landscape. Once the infantry reached the ridge, an expeditionary force led by Silas would break away from the main army and circle the fortress to attack from the northwest. After spending hours relaying all of her knowledge about Arkadeus and the surrounding area to her brother, Becca became privy to Silas’ plan to invade the castle.
“We’ll use the secret gate on the northern wall to invade. Memnon will likely have a force posted there, but they won’t be as formidable as the main defensive line to the south,” Silas said.
“That’s true. But that force will likely be bolstered by Memnon’s acolytes. They practice dark arts—mostly illusion craft that disorients their opponents. It will be difficult to get past them,” Becca said.
“We’ll have to find a way past them. But they’re the least of my concerns. Once we’re inside Arkadeus, our main objective is to engage Memnon.”
“What makes you think he’ll even be inside the fortress? He’d likely be leading the legions of Draknoir on the battlefield,” Becca suggested.
But Silas shook his head. “Memnon isn’t a fighter. He likes to hang back and order his minions around while he casts spells from afar. And that’ll be all the more evident now that he possesses the Gauntlet of Iniquity. He’ll use it to reanimate any dead Draknoir and blast our forces to oblivion. Which means, he’ll need a position in Arkadeus that allows him to oversee the battle but also keep him close enough to engage us. Any idea where such a place might be?” Silas asked.
Becca pursed her lips thoughtfully then an idea came to her. “There’s a lookout point about ten yards from the south gate. It serves as a perch for dragons and a place of meditation for Memnon. I’d wager a hundred centens that’ll be where Memnon will oversee the fighting,” she said confidently.
“Excellent. Can we access it from the rear courtyard we’ll be entering?” Silas asked.
“No. We�
�ll have to enter the main keep and take a stairwell three floors up.”
Silas chewed his bottom lip. “That’ll put us in further danger of being discovered. Hopefully, the majority of the Draknoir will be outside the fortress fighting. I’d hate to run into a large group on the inside.”
Becca nodded. “Memnon typically leaves a reserve garrison in Nasgothar when the army is away. I’m not sure if he’ll do the same in this instance. But we should prepare for the worst.”
“I’ve been doing a lot of that lately,” Silas said ruefully.
The sunlight peering through the thick canopy of the forest was quickly fading and, to Becca’s relief, Silas gave the order to stop the march for the night. The royal pages accompanying their party fanned out among the thousands of troops and communicated the order to the officers of each company. In a short time, everyone set up tents and unfurled bedrolls among the trees. Several campfires illuminated the darkening woods and cast long, eerie shadows all around them. Becca’s stomach growled as the satisfying smell of roasting meat wafted into her nostrils. She sat down next to the campfire where Silas conferred with Blaise, Rainier, and several of his knights. A young page named Harold, offered her a plate of roasted chicken with caramelized onions and cooked parsnips. She took it eagerly and ate as she listened to her brother address the group.
“Once we’ve reached the ridge, I want you to lead the men down the slope, Blaise,” Silas said, looking at the senior officer across the campfire. “Lead the infantry into position together with the cavalry guarding the left flank. Rainier, you’ll lead another cavalry company on the right flank and give orders to the long bowmen.”
“What about the auxiliary units, sire?” Rainer asked.
“Baron Trent and Baron Rudolf will lead those men,” Silas replied. “We’ll be outnumbered if the estimates on the Draknoir army are accurate, so I foresee the auxiliary will be deployed along with the rest of the soldiers.”
There was a collective nod among them. Silence passed between them as some began eating their meal and others contemplated the coming battle. Becca, who had already finished her meal, felt awkward just sitting there watching the others eat. She thought to put her plate aside and find some task to busy herself with for the moment, but then Silas turned to her.
Keep of Dragons (The Azuleah Trilogy Book 3) Page 27
