Fall of the Titan (The Desolate Empire Book 5)

by Christina Ochs

  Maryna handed the last sheet to Faris, then said, “I will have to ask the Queen Regent to loan us Estenor’s troops for another year.” She hated to bother poor Raysa at such a terrible moment, but it was impossible to make plans without knowing Estenor’s intentions.

  Leyf Lofbrok was still recovering from his wounds, but Maryna had already spoken to Dolf Kalstrom. He’d refused to make a decision, saying it was up to the queen and her adviser, Ludvik Meldahl, running the kingdom from Tharvik.

  “She won’t do it,” Braeden said shortly. “I’m sorry, Your Grace,” he added, softening his tone. “I know you’re counting on their help, but you can’t blame her for wanting to put all this behind her.”

  “I don’t blame her at all,” Maryna said. “I am very sorry for her, and for poor little Kataryna. But those of us with power don’t always have the luxury of grief.” She felt guilty as she said this, remembering how she’d reacted upon hearing of her father’s death. Still, she’d been younger then, and Queen Raysa was an adult, carrying on worse than Maryna ever had.

  “That’s not always a choice,” Braeden said gruffly. “Maybe you should write to Ludvik Meldahl. He’ll just tell the queen what to do anyway.”

  “Do you agree?” Maryna asked Faris.

  He nodded, then frowned. “I fear it will be difficult to convince any Estenorian to stay,” he said. “A letter makes it too easy for Meldahl to refuse. You must send a delegation.”

  “You’re right.” Maryna drummed her fingers on the table. “But I can’t think of who I might spare.”

  “Your mother, obviously,” Braeden said. “No one is better at negotiating than she is.”

  “Hm.” On one hand, Maryna liked the idea of getting rid of her mother for a while. By the time she returned, perhaps Maryna would be able to discuss everything with her more calmly. On the other, she didn’t want to talk to her mother at all right now, let alone arrange all the details needed to prepare for complex negotiations.

  “I agree,” Faris said. “Princess Gwynneth knows her way around Estenorian politics and is on good terms with Meldahl personally.”

  Maryna took a deep breath. “I’ll ask her. And Count.” She turned to Faris. “Will you please write to Tora Isenberg? She’ll soon receive news of Lennart’s death, but I’d rather she didn’t abandon Richenbruck until we’ve made a new treaty with Estenor.”

  “Certainly,” Faris said, scribbling a note. “Though there’s no guarantee she’ll pay attention.”

  “We can only try.” Maryna tried to put a brave face on it, but there was no hiding her worry. After the battle, her greatest hope had been that she’d somehow be able to pry Teodora out of Princess Edyta’s hands. With the empress in custody, there was no reason a general peace couldn’t be arranged. But Princess Edyta hadn’t responded to Maryna’s letters, and the delegation she’d sent, led by Emilya Hohenwart and Heidenhof’s burgomaster, had not yet returned.

  While Mattila lived, any army she led, no matter how small, was still a threat. And though Trystan had put on a good show right after the battle, the allies were in poor shape. Maryna doubted she had over five thousand soldiers in fighting condition, equipped to take the field on short notice.

  If she lost the support of Estenor, she didn’t know where she’d get more. Her uncle Arryk in Norovaea was a possible source, but he was struggling with financial problems in the wake of the aborted rebellion of the previous year. Maryna hated to add to his burdens, but resolved to write to him anyway. Perhaps he might spare a few troops.

  That gave her an idea. “Count Terris,” she said, turning to Braeden. “Are you up to a little journey?”

  Braeden’s eyes showed he wasn't, but for her, he attempted a smile. “Certainly.”

  Maryna smiled back. “How would you like to take my brother and go to Norovaea? I’m sure my uncle will give us a little help, but he’d be more likely to do it if his nephew appeared in person.”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Braeden said, “but doesn’t King Arryk have a treaty with Teodora?”

  “She broke it by trying to have me killed and by starting a rebellion,” Maryna said. At least that was how Natalya had explained it.

  “All right then,” Braeden said, and now his smile seemed more sincere. “I can’t say I’d mind getting out of here for a while.”

  Teodora

  Surely she wouldn’t die here, in Princess Edyta’s dungeon. Hopeless as she felt, Teodora refused to believe it. She’d lost track of the days at some point, though she had to have been here well over a month.

  Why had no one come to negotiate her release? There couldn’t be much benefit for Princess Edyta keeping her here without making an offer to someone. Lennart was the obvious party, but there were others.

  How would the empire go on without her? People would wonder where she had disappeared to. Livilla at the least would ask questions. So would Elektra, surely.

  But all the speculation did no good. Days and weeks went by with no change. The same awful food, twice a day. The shackles, her wrists and ankles rubbed raw. Her own filthy state, lice and fleas infesting her hair and body, growing worse with no end in sight.

  After several weeks of trying to work with her darkness, trying to force the creatures to attack the guards who brought her food and emptied the chamber pot, she gave up. It was as though they had lost their vigor along with her.

  Worse, they had turned inward, attacking her, gnawing at her brain with needle-like teeth. She’d awake screaming from nightmares, then moan for hours at the terrible pain in her head. But no one cared and no one came.

  Teodora’s greatest fear was that the pain would kill her and no one would notice. Then she told herself that she was stronger than this. A great many people spent years in similar conditions and emerged with their sanity intact. At times, she told herself she would agree to anything to get out of here, but since no one ever came with any offers, she was unable to test her resolve, or the lack of it.

  She jerked to alertness as the key turned in the lock. Her food must be here. At first, she used to tell mealtimes by the increased gnawing in her stomach, but at some point, she’d lost her appetite and only ate now as a matter of habit and a way to break the monotony.

  She sat on the bench, watching the door open with mild interest. But rather than opening a crack as it usually did, a tin dish sliding along the floor, it opened all the way and a guard stepped inside.

  He held a lamp and Teodora squinted against the sudden light.

  “What do you want?” She meant to snap, but her voice was so hoarse from disuse, hardly any sound came out.

  Another guard entered, then knelt down and unfastened the shackles on her ankles, then those on her wrist. Teodora blinked against the light, gradually making out the features of the two guards who’d brought her in.

  One of them hauled her to her feet. She could hardly stand, having spent the last months creeping around like an animal, restrained by the chains.

  “Might be you’ll have to carry her,” one of them said. “Princess wants her soon.”

  Teodora perked up. Princess Edyta wanted to see her. Perhaps someone had arrived to negotiate. Teodora didn’t much care who it was at this point. Friend or foe, she’d make a deal and get out of here, then manage the consequences later.

  The guard scooped her up without apparent effort and carried her into the corridor. “We’ll have to clean her up. Princess won’t appreciate the smell, or the lice.” He snickered.

  It was hard to keep her dignity while being handled like a baby, but Teodora did her best. The guard carried her up a long flight of stairs, down a corridor, delivering her to a kitchen. It swarmed with servants, who all stopped what they were doing to stare at Teodora.

  “The bath is ready,” a plump, unfriendly-looking woman said. “I’ll take it from here.”

  The guard dumped Teodora on a bench and the woman yanked her clothes off. They fell apart easily and the woman tossed them into the fire. By now everyone h
ad returned to their work, seemingly oblivious to a naked, shivering Teodora.

  The woman looked at her hair and frowned. “Nothing to be done about this rat’s nest. We’ll cut it off.”

  Before Teodora could protest, a man appeared with scissors and a razor, and within minutes, her knee-length brown hair, never cut in her life , lay in heaps on the floor. Teodora wanted to cry but steeled herself against it. Not in front of these people. Hair would grow back.

  Then the man picked her up and put her in a tub of steaming water as if she were a child. The woman scrubbed at Teodora’s skin until it turned pink and after a long time pronounced her clean. From the way no one seemed to pay any attention, Teodora wondered if this was where everyone in the castle bathed on a regular basis.

  Clean and dry, she was dressed in a plain, though decent linen dress, then sent to follow a sour-faced footman down a long dark corridor. “The princess will see you now,” he announced, opening a door.

  Teodora stepped into a small room crowded with old furniture. Princess Edyta sat behind a desk so tall only her head and shoulders were visible. Teodora had to stand in front of her like a wayward schoolgirl.

  “You look awful,” the princess said, with not so much as a Your Highness. “But your luck has changed.” She stood, drumming tiny fingers on the desk. “King Lennart died in battle several days ago, and I received an interesting message from a friend of yours, who will be here in a few days to negotiate your release. In the meantime, perhaps we can discuss what you can do for Podoska once you’re free.”

  Teodora grinned, not bothering to conceal her relief and not caring who her rescuer was. “I’d love to do a great many things for Podoska.”

  Epilogue- Natalya

  Natalya reached the door of the king’s private apartments, and waited while a footman hurried to open it for her. Another footman announced her, so the king and queen stood waiting for her when she arrived in their sitting room.

  This late in the day, he and the queen usually enjoyed some family time with Joslyn. She had become great friends with Queen Zofya, who treated her like her own child.

  Natalya dismissed the twinge of jealousy. She didn’t have time for Joslyn, so it was good someone else did.

  “Natalya!” King Gauvain seemed pleased to see her, but Natalya couldn’t help but notice he seemed unusually tired. She hoped he wasn’t unwell.

  “I’m sorry to disturb you during your quiet time.” She acknowledged the queen with a smile, then leaned down to kiss Joslyn’s forehead. “Hello, darling.” She turned to the king. “It’s best Joslyn went to bed now.” She hoped he caught the hint.

  “Certainly.” He bent down and pulled the little girl into his arms. “I’ll see you tomorrow, all right?”

  “But I want to—” Joslyn’s protest was cut off by her nurse swooping in and bundling her off.

  “Impressive.” Natalya smiled, waiting for the king and queen to take their seats. “Bedtime used to be such a battle.”

  “One must be both firm and consistent with strong-willed children like Joslyn,” Queen Zofya said, considerable authority in her voice.

  Natalya sat down across from them. “I have bad news, I’m afraid.”

  “I worried you might.” Gauvain’s voice held only a hint of accusation. It was true she never came without an appointment unless she had news that couldn’t wait.

  “Lennart is dead.” Natalya had to say it fast to get it out. It still seemed beyond comprehension and her head hurt from all the thinking she’d had to do to salvage her plans. “He died in battle over two weeks ago, fighting Mattila.”

  “Oh gods.” The king took the letter Natalya handed him. “And the battle itself?”

  “The battle was won, in spite of everything.” That at least was a comfort. Natalya smiled. “It turns out that Trystan Martinek saved the day.”

  “That at least is unsurprising.” The king read over the letter. “So Mattila is still at large, though severely weakened. Where is Teodora in all of this? Didn’t she leave Isenwald some time ago?”

  “Teodora is a captive of Princess Edyta of Podoska. I received that message a few days ago, but the source was unreliable. I received another today confirming that the empress has taken up residence in the Berolstein dungeon.”

  Queen Zofya gasped at that, but said nothing.

  “So the Martineks are suddenly on top.” The king looked sober. The news of Teodora’s capture should have been thrilling to all of them, but that Princess Edyta wasn’t a reliable ally created unease.

  Natalya realized her opinion was colored by Trystan’s dislike of his family, but for someone so young, he seemed a fair judge of character. “Trystan and his mother are at odds,” she said, “so I doubt they will take advantage of the situation in that way. However, we need to get our hands on Teodora before someone else does.”

  “That seems unlikely.” Gauvain looked somber, aside from the gleam in his eye. “But you will try anyway, won't you?”

  Natalya nodded. She’d been thinking of nothing else for the past few hours. “Losing Lennart is at least temporarily devastating to our cause, but it’s not the end. I’m sure I’ll hear more details from Maryna soon about the situation in Terragand.” She’d already received one informing her of Maryna’s arrival in Heidenhof and that the young princess would need Natalya’s advice on political matters in the future. “In the meantime, I will go there.”

  “Exactly what do you hope to accomplish? I can’t spare any more troops.”

  “That’s why I need to go. I want to reaffirm our treaty with Estenor and make sure they keep their armies in Terragand.”

  “Without their king? That seems a lot to ask.”

  “It is. But just imagine.” Natalya had to smile in spite of everything. “If I can keep Estenor in the fight, we can finish Mattila before the end of summer.”

  “What about my mother?” Zofya spoke up, looking anxious. “Even though she’s not a very nice person, I hate that she's stuck in a dungeon. It isn’t fitting.”

  “Once I’ve convinced Estenor to stay, I’ll go to Podoska and persuade Princess Edyta to give the empress into my custody.”

  Gauvain shook his head. “How are you going to do that?”

  “I don’t know yet. But I’ll come up with something.”

  “True. You always do. I suppose it goes without saying that Galladium’s treasury will support every aspect of this endeavor?”

  “I was hoping you’d say that.” If the queen hadn’t been present, Natalya would have kissed the king. Even though they’d had their difficulties, these days he always supported her schemes. “Thank you.”

  “When you’ve defeated Mattila and have Teodora in your clutches, what do you plan to do then?” Gauvain was shaking his head, likely anticipating the bill.

  “I will force Teodora to abdicate in favor of her daughter, Elektra. I've heard she is sympathetic to the Quadrene faith.”

  “That’s rather shocking,” the queen said. She’d converted some time ago, but apparently didn’t expect her sister would.

  “I hope it’s true,” Natalya said. “But even if it’s not, she’ll make a reasonable and pliable empress. I’m sure she’ll be happy to sign a treaty with us curtailing the power of the Olvisyan empire in exchange for her crown.”

  Gauvain chuckled. “That’s rather ambitious, but I don’t doubt your ability to manage it.”

  “Thank you for supporting me in this.” Natalya got up. Once the king was standing, she went to him, kissing him on the cheek, then did the same for the queen. “I must be off now, to make all my arrangements.”

  As she hurried back to her palace to pack, Natalya couldn’t help smiling. Now she was over being upset at Lennart’s death, excitement rose at the opportunities ahead.

  There was no reason she couldn’t end up on the imperial throne by the time all of this was done. Once she got rid of Teodora, Elektra would create no obstacle at all.

  *****

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  .

  The story concludes in Book Six of The Desolate Empire Series

  Coming Summer/Fall 2017

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  Cast of Characters

  Terragand

  Kendryk II Bernotas, Prince of Terragand (deceased)

  Gwynneth Roussay-Bernotas, Princess Regent of Norovaea and Terragand, Kendryk’s widow

  Princess Maryna Bernotas, underaged ruler of Terragand

  Duke Devyn Bernotas, her younger brother and acting ruler

  Andres, Stella, Renata, Kendryk and Gwynneth’s younger children

  Edric Maximus, religious leader in Terragand, formerly known as Father Edric Landrus

  Balduin Bernotas, Kendryk’s cousin

  Ruso Faris, a general holding the fortress of Birkenfels

  Aidan Orland, Duke of Kaltental-Terragand

  Arian Orland, son of Aidan, mercenary general supporting Kendryk and Gwynneth (deceased)

  Anton Kronek, a young officer serving Kendryk

  Storm, Anton's horse

  Braeden Terris, ex-mercenary commander with the Sanova Hussars, now an ally of Lennart

  Trisa Torresia, cavalry officer serving under Braeden

  Kazmir, Braeden Terris's horse

  Karil Andarosz, a friend of Braeden and Anton’s, now infantry officer serving Lennart

  Greta, Maryna’s companion

  Podoska