by Dyan Chick
Table of Contents
Max
Etta
Ashton
Author’s Note
Battle of Illaria
Book Three of the Illaria Series
Dyan Chick
Illaria Publishing LLC
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters and events in this book are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Published by Illaria Publishing LLC
Copyright © 2017 by Dyan Chick
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover Artwork by Clarissa Yeo
Editing by Laura Kingsley
In memory of all those who went too soon.
Contents
1. Max
2. Etta
3. Etta
4. Max
5. Etta
6. Etta
7. Ashton
8. Etta
9. Ashton
10. Ashton
11. Etta
12. Ashton
13. Etta
14. Etta
15. Ashton
16. Etta
17. Etta
18. Etta
19. Etta
20. Ashton
21. Ashton
22. Etta
23. Etta
24. Ashton
25. Etta
26. Ashton
27. Etta
28. Ashton
29. Ashton
30. Etta
31. Ashton
32. Ashton
33. Etta
34. Etta
35. Etta
36. Etta
37. Etta
38. Etta
39. Etta
40. Max
41. Etta
42. Max
43. Etta
44. Ashton
45. Etta
Author’s Note
1
Max
Max stood on a hilltop at the edge of Greenville, staring at the smoke rising into the sky. The night was filled with screams as people fled from the sorcerers attacking their homes. He could see the black-cloaked figures throwing flames into the night. Buildings burned and crumbled to the ground. A shrieking made him turn his gaze and he watched a woman fall, body engulfed in fire. This wasn't what he had in mind when he joined forces with the king. He clenched his teeth, forcing himself to stand and watch. He felt the pull of the Darkness, urging him to join in the attack. It was like a warm caress, filling his insides, begging to be released. The Darkness was fueled by destruction and the scene unfolding in front of him was making it hunger for release. The king's plan had worked to open a bridge to the underworld through Etta. Since her return, the pull to the Darkness had grown and was getting harder to resist. Fighting to keep control of his own thoughts, he pushed it away.
"You shouldn't fight it so hard," King Osbert said.
Max glanced at him. "I don't want anything to control me."
"It doesn't control you, it strengthens you."
Max didn't answer. He knew that the times he'd let the Darkness in, he'd done things he wouldn't have done on his own. He also knew the king was still testing him. The wedding couldn't come soon enough. After Max married the king's daughter, Nora, nothing was going to stop him from destroying the king and claiming his throne.
"Go help them." Osbert lifted his chin toward the smoking ruins that used to be the largest city in Illaria. "Teach that sister of yours a lesson. She'll never rule on her own. She joins us, or we kill everyone she ever cared about."
Max's stomach twisted into knots. He hated it when the king threatened the Ravens. Part of him couldn't let go of the past and his life with them. He'd been their leader for fifteen years and while he tried to tell himself he no longer cared for any member of that group, he couldn't find it in him to wish them dead. Hesitating for a moment, Max considered what would happen if he disobeyed the king. After all, he did have a dragon under his command. It would be so easy to surprise the king and let his new friend breathe fire down on the castle. But it wasn't just about getting rid of the king, it was about rising up to claim his throne. His marriage to Nora would make Max the legitimate king once Osbert was dead. It was the best way to ensure a smooth transition and the best way to regain the favor of the Illarian people.
"What are you waiting for?" Osbert narrowed his eyes at Max. "Go."
Max nodded. He didn't want to aid in the destruction of Greenville. The Darkness had a way of taking over once he started using his magic lately and he didn't like the lack of control. But he needed to continue to play the part of loyal servant of the king for a few more weeks. Taking a deep breath, Max walked down the hill into the smoldering city.
Heat rose around him as he walked through the streets, burning buildings on either side of him. The screams had died down, leaving the sound of the crackling flames. Max walked further into the city, where he found the other sorcerers throwing fireballs at the undamaged buildings. The king's sorcerers were no match for the destruction Max could cause. He knew if he channeled the Darkness, he could take out an entire block in one movement of his arms. Looking behind him, he wondered if the king was still watching. All he could see was smoke, but he could feel the pressure of the Darkness growing inside him. The king was pushing him, encouraging him to let the Darkness in.
It was another test. Max took a deep breath in, and dropped his guard. Dark tendrils of anger and hate wound through him, filling his entire body with a rage he'd never felt before. He closed his eyes, letting it wind its way through him. When he opened his eyes, he no longer cared how many people he killed or how many lives he ruined.
Calling to fire, his palms ignited. He swept his arms upward, launching the flames at an untouched street. A tidal wave of fire swept from him, swallowing the street in orange and gold. The screams only lasted a second before they were silenced forever.
2
Etta
Master Flanders looked over at me as we walked toward the clearing we used for sorcery lessons. "Things are changing out there. Can you feel it?"
The nightmares I'd been having flashed through my mind and I reached for the familiar comfort of my pendant, squeezing it in my hand. I had woken from sleep last night covered in sweat, screaming. I'd dreamed of monsters pulling me into the darkness of the underworld. It felt so real that I had been afraid to light a lamp and check to see if there were marks on my body. After that, I wasn't able to return to sleep. It was as if something had shifted and nothing was quite the same. I'd hoped I was just being paranoid, but Master Flanders' frown made me realize that wasn't the case. "What happened?"
"The bridge you opened has grown. The Darkness is getting stronger. It will be here sooner than we thought. Even the Oracle is going to have a hard time seeing anyone's future if it gets much wider. Illaria, and all the kingdoms are in grave danger. It's more important than ever we eliminate the king."
Every time Master Flanders mentioned my role in helping the Darkness spread, my palms grew sweaty and my stomach twisted with guilt. It was my fault that it was coming sooner than we thought. I tried to remind myself that the Darkness was going to come either way, coming sooner was just making our plan to destroy the king more difficult. I took a deep breath. "What does that mean for us? For our plans?"
He shook hi
s head. "I had hoped we'd have more time to work on your training before you traveled to Gallia. But I'm afraid we can't put it off any longer."
I dropped the pendant back under my tunic. The plan has always been to destroy the king, but as soon as we involved Gallia, we'd be on a timeline. It would be our first offensive move against King Osbert with me at the helm of the Ravens. We'd contacted the king of Gallia, my uncle, after I'd saved Ashton. He was receptive to meeting, elated, even. Master Flanders recommended I hold off for a month to make sure I could control the Darkness before traveling to another kingdom. Despite the fact he'd kept things from me, I still trusted him. "Should we send word to him? He told us we were welcome any time."
"I think it would be wise for you to go as soon as possible. I'm not sure what caused the change, but we can't take any chances on waiting. If the king has discovered a way to open that bridge faster, it might already be too late."
I'd never heard Master Flanders so grim before. Goosebumps rose on my arms. "We shouldn't have waited. We should have gone right to Gallia."
"I don't think it was wrong to wait. If you lost control in front of them, they'd never believe you could command an army. We needed the time, but we can't wait any longer."
I nodded. "I'll call a council meeting."
We had reached the clearing and I looked around. It was a beautiful fall morning. A cool breeze shifted the grasses and birdsong filled the air. Sorcery lessons didn't seem as important as they had a few minutes ago. "Did you still want to do a lesson?"
"Always. As long as I'm here, I'm going to keep teaching you. We're going to do something different today." Master Flanders sat down on the fallen log that had come to be his usual place during our lessons. We'd spent hours in this clearing every day for the last few weeks, working on building up my resistance to the Darkness and helping me learn to use my magic.
"No fire today?" It was still my weakest element so most lessons started with a review on how to summon and channel at least a little bit of fire.
"It's time for you to learn to prepare yourself against attacks by the Darkness. So far, we've focused on you learning to maintain control. Once we travel outside these wards, things will be different."
It was hard enough trying to keep the Darkness away from within. The idea of having to fend off external attacks made my skin crawl. There wasn't any choice, though. I was the reason why the Darkness was gaining momentum in Illaria. I needed to be the one to fix it. I took my sorcerer stance. "I'm ready."
Master Flanders stood. "I'd like you to summon wind."
Easy enough. I closed my eyes and concentrated on clearing my mind, then moved into my sorcerer stance. Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes and focused on the air moving around me. Before I was able to finish calling to the wind, a tugging sensation rose inside me, knocking me off balance.
I corrected my stance and looked at Master Flanders, "Was that you?"
He lifted an eyebrow, expression serious. "You need to focus better."
Irritated that I had failed so easily, I squared my shoulders and started again. I didn't even settle into my stance before I toppled over again. I caught myself and glared at Master Flanders. "I wasn't ready."
"The Darkness isn't going to wait for you to be ready when it attacks. It'll come any time it wants. You have to keep your mind clear and focused at all times."
So far, all of our lessons had included methods I could use to prevent the Darkness inside me from surfacing. Occasionally, it would rise up from within me, and I had to learn to send it away. I'd always been on the offensive against myself, never an opposing external force. Determined to get it right, I settled into my stance. "Let's try again."
Master Flanders nodded and I again called to wind. This time, I managed a little gust before the tugging inside me took over, sending me lunging forward to catch my balance. "How am I supposed to do this? As soon as you attack, I lose all focus."
"You have to clear your mind. Have you been working on the meditation we talked about?"
I looked down, not wanting to meet his gaze. "I keep trying, but I can't seem to turn off my thoughts."
Master Flanders walked over to the log and sat down. "You have to learn how to master your own mind. I can only teach you so much and I won't be around forever."
"Stop saying things like that," I said. "You can't go anywhere. I need you."
He smiled, the wrinkles around his mouth and eyes deepened. "I know and I'll do my best to be here for you. But I'm serious, if you can't clear your mind, you'll never keep the Darkness away."
I pressed my palms against my temples. "Every time I try to clear my mind, something takes my focus away. There's Max, the king, trying to get my kingdom back, the Darkness..." The worry never ended.
"This is why we practice. You need to have control over this before you go to Gallia," he said.
"I'll do better." I wanted to be stronger, I wanted to take back my throne. To do that, I needed to gain the support of my uncle in Gallia. I'd only get one chance at a first impression. I couldn't let the Darkness sneak up on me while I was there.
Tucking my hair behind my ears, I turned away from Master Flanders, trying to clear my head. I took a deep breath and got into my sorcerer stance. The tugging sensation began again and I gently pushed back on it. I can do this. While still pushing back on the force inside me, I thought about the wind. As I reached for it, my concentration slipped and I toppled over, landing on the ground.
"This is impossible." I stood up and dusted the dirt off of my clothes. "How am I supposed to keep you out and call on my magic at the same time?"
"Practice."
I huffed, knowing he was right. Turning away again, I went through the same thing over and over, failing every time.
After what must have been hours of working, I still had not successfully called to the wind. While not as easy as working with water, it was something I could do without effort most days.
"Please tell me there's a trick I don't know yet and you're making some point by having me fail over and over."
Master Flanders stood and walked over to me. "We're done for today, but you do have homework. You have to complete your meditation time. Every morning and every night. Once you get into the habit of doing that, you'll see more progress. We'll try this exercise again tomorrow."
"That's it?" Usually our lessons were much longer.
Master Flanders lifted his chin toward something behind me. "I have a feeling our time is up for today."
I turned to see Calder running toward us.
I waved to him. "Everything alright?"
He reached us, and took a moment to catch his breath. "Saffron sent me to tell you Sir Henry is here."
Finally. A rush of warmth filled me. My friends here at the Raven camp were wonderful, and I couldn't do anything without them, but none of them knew how to run a kingdom. None of them knew anything about royal courts or politics or how I was supposed to act when I spoke to my uncle in Gallia. Sir Henry did. He had been part of my father's court, and now he would be part of mine. Having him here to help figure out what to do made me feel like some of the weight of the responsibilities I had assumed lessened.
I looked at Master Flanders, he didn't seem as excited as I was. "You two go on, I'm going to get some rest."
I knew Sir Henry didn't like Master Flanders, but I hadn't realized the feeling was mutual. I wondered what had happened between the two of them, but my excitement at seeing my friend won over my curiosity and I followed Calder toward the common area.
As we approached, I spotted Saffron and Celeste among a small crowd that had gathered. Saffron was wearing the first smile I had seen since the night I saved Ashton. Making my way over, my heart leapt into my throat. Sir Henry. I broke into a run.
I met him with an embrace. "Thank you for coming."
His round, red face filled with a smile. "Reapers couldn't keep me away."
After a round of introductions, the crowd died down, leaving me s
tanding there with Sir Henry, Saffron, Celeste, and Calder. Sir Henry dropped the smile and his face looked suddenly weary.
"What is it?" I asked.
He glanced at Calder. "Not sure it's safe to speak here."
"It's okay," I said. "This is Calder, he helped me save Ashton. I trust him."
Sir Henry looked around, seemingly checking that we were alone. Satisfied, he turned to me. "It's Greenville."
My forehead creased in concern. We'd been in Greenville a few weeks ago and the city had openly declared their support for me. My stomach knotted, unsure if I wanted to hear any more. "What about it?"
"The king wasn't happy about them sending away all his guards." Sir Henry took a deep breath.
Calder leaned in next to me. "What happened?"
I grabbed hold of Calder's hand. He'd lived in Greenville until he joined us and still had family that lived there.
Sir Henry looked down for a moment before looking back up at me. "He set his sorcerers on the city. They destroyed everything."
3
Etta
Max's face filled my mind, blackened with soot, dark eyes flashing with flames. I could practically see him launching fire at the homes of the innocent people in Greenville. Screams filled my ears and I covered them with my hands, squeezing my eyes shut. I wanted the vision to go away. I didn't want to think of Max like that. It couldn't be him. He'd never do that to his own people. He hated the king as much as any of the Ravens. His face was replaced by sweeping dark robes and flames until all I could see in my mind was fire. I opened my eyes, hoping the vision would clear.
