Shadow Crown

by Kristen Martin

  “Nothing you haven’t seen before,” Xerin mutters as he pulls the trousers on.

  “Yeah, well, I need to focus on something to keep myself from hurling, and I’d prefer if it wasn’t your manhood.”

  Xerin lets out a chuckle. “I also packed some crackers and water in the bag. They’re in the side pocket. Have some.”

  Braxton pulls the canteen from the bag and guzzles some water. He pops a few crackers into his mouth, crunching loudly as if he hasn’t eaten in days.

  “Come on, we have to get going if we’re going to catch the queen before she’s in for the night.”

  Braxton stops mid-chew, crumbs spilling from his mouth. “The queen?”

  Xerin laughs. “I may have left out that minor detail.”

  “Minor detail!” Braxton scoffs. “You said we were coming here to talk to the last Caldari member!”

  Xerin tilts his head back and forth, as if he’s weighing whether or not the statement is truthful. “Well, we are. But we’re also here to talk to the queen.”

  “You’re unbelievable.”

  A crooked grin spreads across Xerin’s face. “Let’s go. It’s only a half mile walk from here.”

  “Can’t you turn into a horse or something?”

  Xerin brings his hand to his mouth, as if something offensive has just been said. “I’m already dressed and don’t have another change of clothes. Plus, you’ve already ridden me once today. Isn’t that enough?”

  Braxton’s cheeks burn at the insult. “Fine, fine. I’m following you.”

  After fifteen long minutes, they arrive at the entrance to Sardoria castle. Xerin bangs the brass knocker against the wooden door, then scurries off to the side behind some shrubbery.

  “What are you doing?” Braxton hisses.

  “The queen and I didn’t exactly get off on the right foot. So I think it’s probably best if you greet her.”

  Braxton throws his hands up in the air. “What are you talking about? Xerin, I can’t have you changing plans on me so last minute! It’s confusing.”

  Xerin ignores him. “Someone’s coming.” He ducks behind the shrubbery so that not even the tips of his blonde hair are visible.

  The door swings open.

  Braxton whirls around to find an older man with a marble walking stick looking him up and down. “And you are?”

  Braxton shakes his head, feeling entirely unprepared. “I’m here to see Her Greatness.”

  The man looks past him, surveying the perimeter of the castle. “At this late hour?”

  “It’s urgent,” Braxton says, hoping the man will stop giving him a hard time and just let him inside.

  The old man hesitates, then extends his free hand. “I’m Delwynn.”

  He grabs the man’s hand and gives a firm shake. “I’m Braxton Hornsby.”

  “No, you aren’t,” the old man observes with a twinkle in his eye, “but I know who you are.”

  Another one?

  The door opens a little wider and behind Delwynn appears a striking woman with deep-set brown eyes and chestnut hair. Braxton recognizes her immediately and lowers into a bow. “Your Greatness, I do apologize for the late hour.” When he rises, her gaze is stone cold.

  “Braxton Tymond. I never thought I’d see the day.”

  A lump forms in his throat. Why didn’t Xerin tell me she knows who I am?

  “Do come in,” she demands. “I won’t take no for an answer.”

  Braxton glances over his shoulder, but Xerin is nowhere to be found. He curses under his breath, then steps inside the castle, unsure as to what awaits.

  ARDEN ELIRI

  ESTELLE’S CALLED A meeting, but to what we owe the pleasure, I do not know. I’m the last to arrive, but I was also the last to find out. “My apologies,” I say to everyone as I enter the room. There are no vacant chairs left, so I take a seat on the floor. Xerin and Braxton sit across from me, near the fireplace, and Estelle and Felix are to my left.

  I look at Estelle. “May I ask the purpose of this meeting?”

  Estelle bobs her head in Xerin’s direction. “I’ll hand it over to you.”

  My eyes flit between Xerin and Braxton. Goosebumps prick my arms. The windows are shut and the fire is burning. There is no draft. Suddenly, I feel uncomfortable. “What’s going on?”

  Xerin takes a small step forward. He opens his hands in a wide gesture to greet the room. “Last night, Braxton and I visited Queen Cerylia Jareth of Sardoria.”

  I notice Estelle shake her head and Felix make a popping noise with his tongue, but they both refuse to say a word.

  “Is that supposed to mean something to me?” I ask.

  Xerin raises his hand in the air to silence me. “King Tymond has my sister, Elvira. Her punishment, execution, will be carried out in exactly four days.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that, but what do you want us to do about it? According to Braxton, Tymond’s called on his Savant.” I shrug, then continue, “If we try to free your sister, we’ll all be slaughtered.”

  “My sister isn’t the only one Tymond has locked up,” Xerin retorts. “Does the name Rydan Helstrom ring a bell?”

  I stare at him, unable to form a coherent sentence. I blink a couple of times and loosen my jaw, but no words come out.

  Clearly, the shock is written all over my face, so thankfully Estelle jumps in. “It’s true, Arden. Tymond has Rydan and his trial has been set for the day after Elvira’s execution.”

  Each time Rydan’s name is spoken, I feel as though it’s being pulverized into my brain. I wince, even though no one is inflicting pain, and open my mouth to speak. Soft wisps of air and a barely audible croak are the only things that come out. I crawl over to the corner of the room and pull a sheet from the bed. I surround myself in linen and begin to take deep breaths. I hear Estelle tell the others to give me a few minutes.

  More like a lifetime.

  I can see their shadows moving from behind the sheet, their figures flickering in the near distance. I pull the linen tighter and close my eyes. I need to fully comprehend what I’ve just been told.

  Rydan’s been locked up at Trendalath castle this entire time. If Tymond is bold enough to execute Xerin’s sister, who knows what Rydan’s punishment will be? Would Tymond really kill one of his own? One of the Cruex?

  I continue to think about all of the mistakes I’ve made over the past month, what I could have done differently, and why I didn’t act sooner. My pity party is interrupted as I feel the comfort and safety of the sheet being lifted. My eyes shoot open and right in front of me sits Estelle. The sheet is covering both of us so that we’re secluded from the rest of the room.

  For some reason, I feel more comfortable knowing that there’s a barrier between us and the other Caldari members, no matter how thin it is. I don’t bother lowering my voice. “Tymond has Rydan. What do we do, Estelle?”

  Estelle takes my hand in hers and gives it a gentle squeeze. “Tymond has been killing illusié and other innocents for years. The time is coming where it’ll be put to an end. And we’ll be the ones to do it.”

  I look at her with wide eyes. The thought of facing Tymond again, as well as his seemingly terrifying Savant for the first time, makes my stomach turn. “We?”

  Estelle squeezes my hand again. “The Caldari. Why else do you think we’ve all banded together and started training?” Her resolve is unwavering. “The Caldari will defeat Tymond and his Savant. It may not be today, or tomorrow, or even in the next couple of months, but it will happen. And we will be victorious—finally able to reclaim what’s ours.”

  I nod my head, even though I feel more confused than before.

  “Good. Now, let’s get out from under this sheet. We look weird.” She fluffs the linen around us until it falls to our sides.

  When I look up, the rest of the Caldari are looking at us expectantly. Estelle rises and helps me to my feet. I stay quiet and allow her to take the lead.
<
br />   “Arden is up to speed on everything. The information regarding Rydan came as a shock to her,” she directs a harsh stare at Xerin, “so she needed a few minutes to process it.”

  Xerin’s eyes meet mine. “I apologize for being so brash. I thought you already knew about Rydan. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” I say, holding his steady gaze. “Like Estelle said, the initial shock was overwhelming, but it’s passed now.”

  Braxton steps forward and looks around at our group. “I hate to interrupt, but we need to discuss this now, seeing as we don’t have much time.” He holds up four fingers to emphasize the limited timeframe. “What are we going to do about Elvira and Rydan?”

  Hearing Rydan’s name again sends warning bells off in my mind. The words come out before I have a chance to stop them. “Did you ever to stop to think that maybe Rydan deserves to be in there?” I bite my tongue, but it’s too late.

  The damage is done.

  “Isn’t he one of your own?” Xerin hisses. “One of the Cruex?”

  I can tell by the slits in his pupils that my statement struck a chord. A very dangerous chord. “All I meant to say,” I struggle to find the words, “is that maybe there are things about Rydan you don’t know. Just like you didn’t know certain things about me.”

  “Oh, you mean like how you enjoy killing people?”

  I slowly turn my head to the left. My gaze lands on Felix. “Excuse me?”

  “You can’t fool me,” he retorts. “Whatever Rydan’s done can’t be any worse than your deepest, darkest desires.”

  I can feel Braxton’s eyes burning into me. From my peripheral, his face looks like it might contort into disgust, but it remains stoic. At least, I think it does. I don’t dare look at him head-on.

  Just as I’m about to say something to defend myself, Estelle jumps in. “That’s enough, Felix.”

  Felix looks like he’s on the verge of making some sarcastic remark, but after just a few seconds of being under Estelle’s steely gaze, he seems to shrivel into himself.

  “If we’re going to do this, then we have to come together. As one unit. As the Caldari.” She looks at each of us before continuing. “We can’t do that by constantly pointing out flaws in others, picking fights, or maintaining a state of distress. We need to join together. And it needs to happen right now.”

  The room is silent for a few moments, the tension hanging thick and heavy in the air.

  Braxton is the first to speak. “I’m in.”

  Xerin nods somewhat reluctantly. “Me too.”

  “I’m pretty sure this goes without saying, but I’m in, too,” I say.

  There’s only one person who hasn’t said anything. We all look to Felix. Estelle clears her throat.

  Felix rolls his eyes and, with a sigh, says, “Fine.”

  “Good. Now that that’s settled, I’ll turn it back over to you, Xerin.”

  Xerin gives Estelle a small smile as he pulls something from the back pocket of his trousers. “Queen Jareth has agreed to provide a safe haven for us once we free both Elvira and Rydan, as long as Opal gets to stay with her.”

  I’m about to ask him who Opal is, when he marches over to the table and unfolds a large piece of parchment. “We only have four days to figure this out and strengthen our abilities. Not much time at all.”

  We all gather around the table and stare at the blank piece of parchment.

  “Now,” Xerin says as he dips his quill into a small jar of ink, “who would like the honor of getting us started?”

  RYDAN HELSTROM

  A COUPLE OF days have passed since Rydan was taken from one cell and thrown into another. When the guards had arrived, he’d originally thought he’d be going straight to the Great Room for his trial. He was more than disappointed when he found out that he was just being moved to a holding cell on the floor above the dungeon. That way, the guards would have easier access to him whenever Tymond decided to bring him in. The king seemed to change his mind a lot these days.

  Rydan gazes around the brightly lit room. It sure beats the dank, dark dungeon he’d been living in for months. The food is slightly more appealing here, too, like the chefs actually empathize with the prisoners. Rydan likes to think it’s their way of sticking it to Tymond—a way for them to get vengeance in an otherwise bleak, miserable life.

  The cell across from him has been empty for days. As a matter of fact, he seems to be the only one in the holding cell besides old man Peters—although, he does just sit in his cell and sleep all day long—so Rydan may as well be alone.

  Loud footsteps echo from down the hall. Rydan scurries to the back of his cell, a habit he’s formed after his last interaction with the king. It’s foolish to think that if they can’t see him, they’ll possibly forget here’s there; but anything’s worth a shot in such dire circumstances.

  As the figure comes into view, he immediately recognizes it as Gladys. To her side, she’s dragging someone with a bag over their head, wrists and ankles shackled. The chains clank against the floor as they draw closer. He realizes that the person Gladys is dragging along behind her is small, fragile. A girl.

  Elvira.

  Rydan jumps to his feet and moves closer to the front of the cell. Peeking out from underneath the bag is blonde hair.

  It’s definitely her.

  Gladys stops in front of his cell. She pulls her prisoner around to the front and gets her to kneel. The bag is removed from her head. Sad blue eyes meet Rydan’s.

  “I was never here,” Gladys grunts. She turns and walks away from the cell, but the footsteps stop just outside the chamber. He realizes she’s guarding the door . . . for them.

  Why is she doing this for me?

  He shifts his attention back to Elvira. She’s filthy—hair matted, dirt caked all over her face, clothes torn—and yet, she’s still just as beautiful as Rydan remembers.

  Her mouth twitches into a smile. “Fancy seeing you here.”

  Rydan knows it’s supposed to be a joke, but it fills him with sadness. A low guttural sound escapes his throat. “Elvira, I am so sorry. I don’t know how you can ever forgive me. This is all my fault.”

  She cocks an eyebrow. “Well, don’t take all the credit.”

  Rydan can’t help but grin. “Damn, the dungeon’s really changed you.”

  She rolls her eyes. “I had to beg and beg and beg Gladys to bring me here. I need to talk to you, but we don’t have much time.”

  “When is your trial?” Rydan blurts out without thinking.

  Elvira lowers her voice. “I’ve already had it. My execution’s tomorrow.”

  Rydan almost chokes on his own spit. She says it so nonchalantly, as if being sentenced to death is something that happens every day. “Holy lords! Are you serious?”

  Elvira tries to wave her hand in the air, but the chains weigh her arm down. “It won’t matter though because they’re coming for me—for us.”

  Rydan is sure the look on his face is one of pure bewilderment, but he doesn’t even attempt to hide it. He’s not sure whether to go along with it, or ask her what the guards have been feeding her. She looks dead serious though, so he asks, “What do you mean they’re coming for us? Who is?”

  Elvira looks over her shoulder before responding. “My brother visited me right after my trial. I wasn’t in a good place then, but seeing him again . . .” She pauses, her gaze traveling to the ceiling. “I’ve never felt so happy in my entire life. To know that he’s alive and well.”

  Rydan does a quick calculation in his head. Elvira’s been locked in her cell this entire time. Tymond doesn’t allow prisoners to have visitors. So how is it Elvira was able to see her brother? He wouldn’t have made an exception for her. Unless . . .

  The realization hits him like a ton of bricks.

  Xerin.

  Just like Xerin was able to morph into Gladys, he was probably able to morph into another guard and work his way in to see Elvira.
<
br />   Sly bastard.

  “Okay, so Xerin’s your brother. I should have pieced that one together earlier,” Rydan says as he scratches his head. “So what’s the plan? Shouldn’t they have broken us out by now since your execution is tomorrow?”

  “Well, I don’t know exactly what the plan is,” Elvira admits. Her face turns bright red. “All I know is that they’re coming for us. And I wanted to warn you so that you could be prepared.”

  “Prepared? How can I be prepared if I don’t know what the plan is?”

  “Shhh,” Elvira urges. “I’m just letting you know to expect some sort of escape that will most likely happen tomorrow. Unless, of course, you’d rather spend the rest of your days rotting in one of these cells.” She rolls her eyes. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

  Rydan’s palm meets the middle of his forehead. “I’m sorry, that was rude of me. I guess I’m just shocked. And nervous. I’m normally the one doing the planning, not the one the plan is centered around.”

  “Well, it’s centered around the both of us.”

  A clearing of a throat interrupts their conversation.

  “Gladys will be coming back in here any minute.”

  As if on cue, loud footsteps make their way back in their direction.

  “Elvira?” Rydan sticks one of his hands as far out of the cell bars as he can.

  She grabs hold of his fingers. “Yes?”

  “Do you think this is going to work?” Rydan shakes his head, trying to find the right words. “I mean—do you trust them?”

  Elvira gives him a reassuring smile. “It’s the Caldari, Rydan. I trust them with my life.”

  Before he can say another word, Elvira’s face disappears as a brown sack is thrown back over her head. Gladys gives him a brief nod before dragging her prisoner away from Rydan and back downstairs to the dungeon.

  Rydan watches until they disappear around a corner, his mind swimming with what-ifs and past regrets. There’s nothing he can do except wait for tomorrow and see what Xerin and the rest of the Caldari bring to the table.