Heir of Illaria: Book One of the Illaria Series

by Dyan Chick

He glanced around the room. “They know I won’t get involved unless the true heir is on the throne,” he pointed to me, “you are the true heir. When you step up to take your rightful place, I’ll happily serve at your side. You remember that.”

  “I don’t want to rule. You know that.” My voice sounded like it belonged to somebody else.

  “I know you aren’t ready yet, but you will be. I believe that.” He seemed like he wanted to say more, but at that moment the front door opened. He patted my knee and stood.

  Saffron walked into the home and greeted Sir Henry with a nod. “Good morning, Sir Henry. I’m glad you are awake so we can thank you for your hospitality.” She smiled at him and gave him a friendly hug.

  “I’m happy I can occasionally be of use. Since I’ve been in hiding out here, I obviously don’t get many visitors. You two were a welcome distraction from farm life.” He smiled at me, and inclined his head in a bow. “Safe travels, your highness.”

  I gave him my best formal curtsy and followed Saffron to our horses. I glanced back at him as he waved to us from the front door. My mind was racing. What did he mean? It makes sense not to trust people, I don’t know if I’ll ever really trust anybody again after what I’ve been through.

  True heir. What did he mean by that? Of course I didn’t want to rule. Look how my parents turned out, they’re both dead. Why would I want that? What made him think that I would change my mind?

  The pendant around my neck felt heavy. I tucked it under my bodice. I’m not meant to be a queen.

  I was riding a dark brown mare this time. Saffron had packed my dresses into saddle bags on the side of each of our horses. She didn’t pack a tent or any provisions. I took it as a hopeful sign we had less than a day of riding ahead of us this time.

  We rode at an easy pace, not wanting to go too fast in the low light. My horse was next to Saffron’s on the empty road, matching her horse step for step.

  “Wilona,” she said.

  I looked at her. “Yes?”

  “I want you to know something about Sir Henry. He’s been living completely isolated for the last 15 years. He has a tendency to get a little paranoid. He thinks people are after him.”

  “Are they?” I blurted out.

  “They were, at first. He served with your father, and he was very high ranking. But I don’t know if anybody really remembers him, anymore.” She trailed off, a note of sadness in her voice.

  “Is he active in the Ravens?” I asked.

  “He acts as a safe house for us so he gets news when people stop by. Other than that, he doesn’t want to be involved. He keeps saying he’ll come out of hiding eventually.”

  When the true heir returns. Suddenly, I felt like I had the wind knocked from my lungs. If I was the only survivor of my family, then I was the only one who could rule by birthright. Who did they find to place in that role if the family line ended with me?

  “Saffron? Who will be ruling the kingdom?”

  She pulled up on her reigns, momentarily stopping her horse. “The Ravens have a wise and just ruler who will step into the role of the king. He wanted to be the one to tell you himself, so I was asked not to talk to you about the details. You’ll meet him in a few hours when we arrive at camp.” She urged her horse forward and I followed.

  Why did I have to wait? Who was this secret would-be king?

  “Saffron? Do I have a cousin or something?” I couldn’t believe I hadn’t asked this question sooner. I had been so focused on staying alive, I didn’t stop to wonder if anyone else in my family had survived.

  She smiled. “Better than that, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”

  Frustrated, I pushed my hair out of my eyes and tried to figure out what she meant by better. Who was this person? More importantly, what did they want with me? My head started to ache and I longed to be back in a time when my life made sense. I’m really starting to hate surprises.

  We rode in silence for the next several minutes. I watched the sky turn from pink, to orange, to red as the sun rose. The road was cut through the tall, yellow grass and I could see it ahead for miles. No trees, no towns, no coverage. We were totally exposed. In the distance, I thought I could see the hazy outline of mountains.

  My eyes darted all around the landscape. Every rustle of grass, every bird cry made me flinch. I kept picturing the king sweeping down on us with his Reapers. I shuddered.

  “How much further do we have to go?” The sooner we reached our destination, the better.

  “We’re headed to the mountains,” she said.

  As we rode, the distant mountains grew nearer, I could see the thick trees covering them. Some of the tension in my shoulders released as we approached. Being back in the woods was like a dream. I turned my eyes back to the road and saw a cloud of dirt approaching. The tension came back. The cloud moved closer to reveal a carriage headed right for us.

  “Pull your hood over your head,” Saffron said.

  I covered my head with my lightweight cloak and dipped my chin down to avoid showing my face. After the encounter in the carriage, I wasn’t sure I could handle another run in with guards. My mind raced as I imagined what I would do if we were stopped. Could I attack somebody again? Was I ready to do that? I gripped the reins tighter and slowed so Saffron could ride in front of me as we prepared to pass the carriage. My heart was beating so fast I thought it would burst from my chest.

  The carriage approached in a cloud of dust, nearly obscuring us from view. It was in a hurry and moving quickly. Saffron picked up our pace and I followed suit. The faster we passed this carriage, the better. I risked a glance at the shiny black carriage as I rode by. My stomach knotted as I saw the fiery phoenix and skull of the king’s crest. The pounding of my heart filled my ears. I quickly looked ahead again, praying I hadn’t drawn attention to myself.

  Thankfully, the carriage bolted by us without slowing down. The speed and the dust were enough to make us nearly invisible to the driver. I picked up my pace for a minute to bring my mare next to Saffron. As the rumble of the carriage faded, she slowed a little so she could talk to me.

  “We need to move faster.”

  I tightened my grip on the reins. “I’m ready.”

  I struggled to keep up with her new pace but pushed myself to keep going. As we raced across the countryside, my mind kept going back to our encounters with the King’s Guards over the last two days. My stomach felt like it was full of rocks. I leaned forward on my horse, willing her to go faster. We are going to get there. I pushed the guards out of my mind and tried to focus on the mountainside in front of me. The hills were getting nearer. We were so close.

  The sun was directly above me, signaling the midpoint of the day. I pulled my hood back down to wipe the sweat from my brow. The bright light was so intense I had put the hood back on to help shade my eyes.

  “We’re close,” Saffron shouted. “Stay right behind me, the trail is narrow.”

  I held back so I could ride behind Saffron. As we neared the mountain, shrubs made way for trees. Saffron cut right through, and we started to go up. As we rode into the shaded forest, tension left my body. I let out a breath. The trees were close together, barely wide enough for a single horse to pass through. It darkened as we neared the heart of the forest. I dropped the hood from my cloak so I could see better.

  The scent of fresh bread mixed with the smell of the trees. I must be hungry. Just when I was starting to question how much further, the trees thinned and we entered a clearing bustling with people. There were structures and tents all around the clearing. Children ran by playing with wooden swords. People were cooking and a woman was weaving on a huge loom. It was like a hidden village right in the middle of the woods.

  Saffron gracefully dismounted and handed the reigns to a boy who was passing by. He nodded at her and took her horse without exchanging any words. I stared at the activity around me for a moment, mouth open.

  “Welcome to the home of the White Ravens,” Saffron said. She h
eld my horse’s reins and I dismounted, staring with wide eyes.

  The boy who had taken Saffron’s horse was back. She handed the reigns of my horse to him. “Thank you, Charlie,” she said.

  Saffron put her hand on my shoulder. “Come, Wilona. There’s somebody I want you to meet.”

  I followed her through the clearing. The people we passed stopped what they were doing as we walked by and watched us. I could hear whispers in my wake.

  We left the cleaning and walked through the trees again into another, smaller clearing. There were a couple of benches near the trees but otherwise the clearing was empty of any other structures. Next to one of the benches two figures were deep in conversation.

  The first was only slightly taller than Saffron, with dark curly hair and a trimmed black beard. He looked to be in his thirties. He was gesturing with his hands as he explained something to the other figure, a younger man with fair hair that hung to his shoulders. He was taller than the other man and seemed focused on the conversation. The dark haired man froze, his hands in the air as he noticed us. His brown eyes grew wide and he smiled. He dropped his hands and walked quickly over to us.

  Saffron took a few steps toward him and they met in a tight embrace, followed by a kiss. I looked away from them and glanced at the other man, he was looking away as well. I caught his eye. He frowned at me and then walked out of the clearing. I watched him walk away, wondering what I had done to upset him.

  Risking a peek at the happy couple, I saw they were pulling apart. Saffron was beaming. I had never seen her so happy. She grabbed the man’s hand and walked over to me. He was wearing a friendly smile across his face as he locked eyes with me.

  “Etta, I want you to meet Max, leader of the White Ravens.” She let go of his hand and stepped toward me. “Max, this is Etta.”

  Max smiled at me. “There is no doubt you are your father’s daughter.”

  I glanced at Saffron then back at Max. “Um, thank you.”

  Saffron let out a small laugh. “Wilona, Max is your brother.”

  9

  I looked from Max to Saffron, eyes wide. How could this be? I was already overwhelmed with everything that had happened to me in the last week. I didn’t know how I was supposed to react to finding out I had a brother.

  Sitting down on a bench, I rested my face in my hands and took a few deep breaths. When I looked back up, they were both staring at me. Saffron’s eyebrows furrowed. Max was unreadable. I ran my fingers through my hair. “I’m sorry, but it sounded like you said Max is my brother.”

  Saffron walked to the bench and sat down next to me. “I know it’s a lot to take in, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. We thought it would be best to wait until you arrived.”

  I stomped my foot on the ground like an angry child. “How is this best? You should have told me.” How could she keep something like this from me? I trusted her.

  “The focus was to get you here safely.” She clasped her hands in her lap. “I’m sorry, but I was under orders to wait until we got you here. We didn’t know how well we could trust you.”

  I raised my voice. “Trust me? As in, worried I’d run to the king?” I stood up and glared at Max. “You’re my brother. You should have come for me a long time ago. Do you realize what I’ve been through?”

  His smile faded. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Trust me, keeping you away kept you alive. Everything has always been about keeping you safe.”

  My fingernails were cutting into my palms. I relaxed them and took a deep breath. I looked around. The Ravens were living in tents in the middle of the woods. I had grown up in a warm home with a loving grandmother. Maybe I was being too hard on him. “I”m sorry. I should be happy, I am happy. It’s just been a very strange week for me.”

  Max smiled at me, flashing a set of straight, white teeth. “I understand. Everybody here has been through a lot. Things will make sense, soon.”

  I nodded once. “Thank you, Max. How long have you been with the Ravens? Were you hidden away, too?”

  “I was, but for reasons different than your own,” he said.

  I stared at him, silently willing him to continue.

  “Our parents weren’t married when I was born. So they hid me away to keep our mother’s reputation pure. They were in the process of changing the rules of ascension when the duke started the uprising.”

  “Did they get it changed?” I asked.

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “No. Some people think I don’t have the right to rule because our parents weren’t married when I was born. If it hadn’t been for our sick grandfather, they would have been. In reality, they should have waited to consummate their love, but they didn’t.”

  Saffron set her hand on my knee. “You’ll find that most people know how much your parents loved each other and have put their support behind Max.”

  He rolled up his sleeves and I noticed a tattoo on his wrist. “What’s that?”

  It was a stylized dragon that traveled from his wrist up his forearm. He looked down at it and pulled his sleeve higher. “It represents my membership in the Order of the Dragon.”

  The tattoo extended up past his elbow, wrapping around his bicep. The dragon’s mouth was open, breathing fire and the tail twisted around his arm. I had never seen such an intricate tattoo. “What’s the Order of the Dragon?”

  “It’s an organization for sorcerers who align with fire. I’ll tell you more about it later. Right now, we need to head back for dinner.”

  Saffron had mentioned that the leader of the Ravens was a sorcerer. I wanted to ask more questions. Sorcerers rarely passed through my little village. The only magic I had seen were little tricks to impress local children.

  As I followed him out of the clearing and into the woods, I tried to find features that we had in common. We both had dark, curly hair and fair skin. He was much taller than me and he had brown eyes in contrast to my blue ones. He was an imposing figure in his black robes with his dragon tattoo. I wrapped my arms around my body as I followed him. It had been a long day. Please, no more surprises tonight.

  We returned to the large clearing which was now occupied with tables. The people that had been busy at work around the camp were seated at the tables or walking around with plates of food. The space was filled with pleasant chatter.

  Max glanced over his shoulder. “I want to introduce you to the camp. This way.” He continued walking until he was near a large table covered with food. People were lined up to fill their plates. They stopped what they were doing when Max approached and turned to watch him, faces eager.

  A hush fell over the space as heads turned toward Max. Then I realized with horror that they were also staring at me. My cheeks felt hot and I bit my lower lip.

  “Sorry to interrupt your dinner, everybody. This news is too good to keep to myself.” Max spoke with a strong, clear voice. He held the crowd’s attention without effort. “I want to introduce you all to my sister, Princess Elisabetta Aqualine. She has returned to us to help us take back our kingdom.”

  Cheers erupted from all around me and my eyes darted around. There were more people here than I originally thought. The sound of the cheers seemed to stretch forever in the clearing. A flicker of hope rose inside me and a smile filled my face. The people seemed happy to see me, warm even. Maybe this won’t be so bad.

  Max put an arm around my shoulder.

  I flinched at his touch. There was something cold about it. The people around me were staring. They were waiting for me to do something. I flashed my best princess smile and gave a tiny wave.

  They rose to their feet, clapping and cheering for me. I still had a hard time believing I was really a princess and hearing this introduction from somebody else was surreal. The clapping seemed to go on forever. As I stood there trying my best to do what they expected of me, I was surprised to feel a small swell of pride.

  Max raised his arms and gestured for them to quiet. I was amazed how quickly they responded
to his action. “Thank you for your kind welcome. I’m sure my sister is looking forward to getting to know you all in the coming weeks. Please, enjoy your dinner.”

  Max leaned in to me and whispered in my ear. “It’s time for you to act like a princess.”

  I jumped a bit at the comment and locked eyes with him. He looked serious and his head was still lowered near mine.

  “Everybody here expects Princess Elisabetta. It’s time for you to become her. You can go by Etta if you want.” He stood again, finished with the conversation. Then he walked over to the large table and picked up a plate.

  I stood glued to the spot, not sure what I should do. Thankfully, Saffron was nearby. She placed her hand on my back and guided me to the table. She handed me a plate. I went through the motions of walking down the line and letting people plop food on my plate.

  Max was already seated and waved me over. “Etta,” he said as he patted the bench next to him. I sat down. Saffron sat across from him. He winked at her but didn’t break the conversation already in full swing.

  I stared down at my plate, too tired to eat. My mind wandered to where I would be sleeping that night and when I could get to that place.

  “ - Ask the princess, see what she thinks.” A man at the end of the table said. I looked up, horrified I was being brought into a conversation I had been ignoring.

  “That’s ridiculous,” Max started. He turned to me. “No offense, sister.” Then he turned back to the man who had spoken up. “She has been raised as a peasant her whole life. She just found out who she is a week ago. We don’t need to bring her into this.”

  “I beg to differ, highness,” the man said. “She is royal, ordained by the gods, that gives her insight that other people don’t have.”

  I held my breath. The gods must have forgotten to gift me with that talent. I didn’t want to answer any questions, and I had no idea what they were talking about in the first place.

  “Fine,” Max relented. “Ask her, then.”

  The man nodded and then looked at me. “Lady, if you please, I’d like your thoughts on the matter at hand.”